Hi, here's chapter 6, hope you like it :)

Chapter 6

"Attention!" Sergeant Beca Mitchell yelled at the two lines of Privates and Corporals. Since being officially promoted back in Britain and receiving her award, she'd taken on a role of extra leadership, making sure each man and woman in her troop and patrol was spick and span for inspections from their C.O, at the moment a Lieutenant who had just graduated from Officer School, he hadn't seen an ounce of action and was about to get a big shock if they ran into anyone on the patrol they were about to go on.

"Sergeant Mitchell" the Lieutenant said as he approached her, "all seems to be well, we'll set off, give the order"

"Yes Lieutenant Peacock" Beca replied, saluting and turning toward her patrol. "Left face!" She yelled, "Quick march!" And with that the men and women of the patrol marched out of camp with Lieutenant Peacock at the front and Beca at the back.

The patrol advanced along the narrow Afghan road, walking past villagers of all ages. Beca couldn't help but notice that they all looked tired, and although they smiled at her as she walked past, they looked tired and haggard, like they had had enough of violence and insurgency on these streets. Beca wished there were a simple solution, but there wasn't, there was no way anyone could get rid of every terrorist in the world, because no one can decide who is a terrorist. Is the President of the U.S.A a terrorist, 50,000 people had died in bombings of the country, they were innocent. Beca was also suddenly stuck with a fatigue, she was beginning to have had enough, she just felt like going home. It was at this point Beca was struck by the silence of the streets. Yes, they were walking, so it wasn't exactly silent, but there were no hushed whispers from the villagers, it was strange. She turned back to see what they were doing, and couldn't see anyone, they'd all gone. She heard the grenade before she saw it. She heard it roll out of the door just behind her, and just behind the man who was previously walking in front of her. She took one look, screamed "GRENADE" and dived into the house nearest to her. She heard her comrades sprint away, saw some dive through other windows and then heard the explosion, and saw the blood splatter the window frame and various bits of flesh fly past.

She jumped back into the street, but the man who had taken the blast was gone, it was clear he was dead. Then the gunfire opened up. It zipped past her and pinged off buildings as she got to cover and realised it was all coming from one side. She looked across the street and saw many of the patrol advancing her way, unsure of what to do, where the hell was Peacock? She saw him in a doorway, cowering from the gunfire, his weapon forgotten in the street.

"Sir! Orders?" She yelled. Her comrades were sitting ducks, he couldn't freeze, not now. Beca waited a couple more seconds for him, before running into the street so she was in plain view of her comrades, and yelled "ON ME!" They ran toward her, and sheltered in one of the houses on the side of the street as Beca gave them a plan of battle. Ten of them would flank left, ten right and the rest would make a straight thrust down the street, dodging into houses as the went on, with Beca leading and providing medical aid, as she was the only medic with the group. "Go!" She yelled, and the patrol burst out onto the street, taking their cover and returning fire, before sprinting to their next cover. Beca was at thethe front of them, and spotted two men on a machine gun not too far away, which was firing upon their left flank, probably causing havock amongst the ten she sent down there. She took a deep breath, lifted her gun to her shoulder, took the gunner into her sights, and as she exhaled, pulled the trigger, hitting the mean right between the eyes. He fell back and his friend lay on the roof, making him impossible to hit. Beca continued to advance until the gunfire stopped zinging past her.

"Halt!" She yelled, and her team all stooped in their doorways and ceased firing. She grabbed her radio and radioed the squad leaders of the two flanking teams she sent out. They both replied with success, their enemies had either been killed or had retreated.

She ordered the patrol to retreat to a safe distance before getting them into , only three were missing, the one that had died on the grenade blast, and two that had been mowed down by the machine gunner Beca had killed.

"Well done today, let's get back to base. Proceed cautiously" and as the words had left Beca's mouth, a single solitary shot rang out and one of the few women in the patrol fell screaming to the ground. Beca ripped her bag off and yanked the battlefield first aid kit out, yelling "TAKE COVER" as another shot rang out, but no one fell this time, odd, his aim must have been off. But Beca couldn't dwell on that, as she ripped out a dressing and cut away her comrades pants fromt the wound in her thigh.

"Shit" she muttered to herself, the sniper was a good aim, he'd hit the woman right in the artery, blood was spurting everywhere, and Beca just couldn't . She tried to keep the woman calm as she held the dressing to both the entry and exit wounds but couldn't stop any of the blood, this woman was going to bleed out and Beca could do nothing about it.

"Hey, hey, look at me, look at me okay? It's going to be okay, alright? It's gonna be okay, it's, it's Louise isn't it?" Beca said, choking on her words.

"Yes, my name is Louise" the casualty said, her breathing returning to normal, if not slightly erratic. "There's no hope is there?" Louise asked.

"Of course there is, of course" Beca protested, not believing herself as she said it.

"You and I both know the bullet hit my femoral artery" she gasped, "I have 30 seconds, if that, left. My letter, it's for my husband and son, you can have it mailed right?"

"Yes" Beca choked, this wasn't fair, she was meant to save Louise, why her? She was vaguely aware that her rocking meant the bullets kept zinging past rather than hitting her, and that her comrades were returning firw, but all her focus was on the dying woman in her arms.

"Tell them I love them" Louise whispered.

"I will" Beca replied.

"So to quote a famous writer, I go to seek a Great Perhaps."

And with that, Louise took her final breath, and Beca sat there staring. She took the letter out of Louise's pocket and radioed in for a heli to come and pick up the body. She crawled back to cover when she heard another shot, this time much closer, almost as if it were above her, ring out. And the sniper shooting at them stopped, as round the corner came a Captain with a huge sniper rifle slung over her shoulder and Lieutenant Peacock trailing behind her.

"Lieutenant," the Captain said, "take the patrol back to camp, I trust you can do at least that without running off. I'll stay here with Sergeant Mitchell and wait for the chopper to arrive for the casualties."

"Yes Captain Beale" he said, and saluted, before leading the patrol back to camp.

Beca stood there, and when the patrol had disappeared, she said "I never believed in God, just the sniper on the roof." She ran over to Chloe and hugged her, sagging in her arms before starting to weep.

"Beca? What is it? You're covered in blood, what's wrong?" Chloe asked, concern filling her voice.

"I couldn't save her Chlo, I couldn't save her" Beca wailed back.

"Hey, that's not your fault, there was no way of saving her, I know it hurts but it's not your fault, okay? You're an amazing medic, you're the only person I've seen take a bullet out of someone's stomach whilst under heavy fire, AND mortars and have them live to tell the tale. You're an amazing medic Beca, and we're in the army, people are going to die, and I know it's harsh, but it's true. This was not your fault."

Beca smiled up at Chloe and let Chloe kiss her. Chloe helped, but she just didn't understand, she wasn't a medic.

Chloe knew this of course, Chloe was a sniper, she had things Beca wouldn't understand, but the two agreed in their heads, that without the other, they'd be much worse off.

Upon reaching camp, both Beca and Chloe had to fill in reports of the patrol and Lieutenant Peacock's inability to lead. He'd be demoted, or moved somewhere else, that's just the way it is, some people aren't fit for action, there are hundreds of other things he could do spectacularly. The two were exhausted and after getting some food and going for a stroll of the grounds in the sunset, the two made their way back to Chloe's room, she had her own, as she was the only female Captain. The two changed for bed, and then lay down next to each other. Chloe turned to Beca and whispered "I love you Beca" her lips brushing Beca's nose.

"I love you too Chloe" Beca whispered back, and kissed Chloe deeply, before snuggling into the redhead's arms and falling asleep.

Hours later, when Chloe woke from her dream, she saw the sleeping form of Beca still in her arms and smiled to herself, filled with love for this human she was lucky enough to call her girlfriend. However, she couldn't help but feel a storm brewing, as if something bad were about to happen.

I hope you enjoyed it :) please review