"Golden Gate Park"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I don't own any Band of Brothers characters. All original characters in this belong to me

Summary: He stared down at the dark, swirling water under the bridge. A step up and over…and a push off the railing is all it would take. Closing his eyes he swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. No matter what, they were always there. The men who lived, the men who died, and her…always her. ( Liebgott X OC with an ensemble storyline) REWRITE as of 10/11/21

Author's Note: I do no own any Band of Brothers characters and this story is based on the mini-series and not any real life individuals. I started this story a year ago but looking back I wanted to re-write it with more detail, same initial storyline but hopefully more developed. Thank you for your time and please leave a review!

Prologue

December 7, 1941

San Francisco

Sitting down on the sea-weathered wooden bench she sighed. The air was cold, as was expected in December, and a thick fog hung heavy in the air. Letting a sigh escape her lips she leaned her head back letting her eyes close for a moment. Her body was tense and her muscles ached; the adrenaline of this morning finally releasing her to a wrung out state of exhaustion. The horn of a ship blew as she heard the engines churning the gray, frigid water. The Bayfront promenade was empty this time of year, too cold for tourists…too boring for locals, and she was grateful for the peace.

"You did good back there." Her long, brown hair blew into her eyes as she cracked them open. A familiar figure stood in front of her as she shook her head in doubt. Scooting over, the man took a seat next to her as he exhaled loudly. For a moment they both stared at the water, just content to be in each other's company.

"But he still died." The old doctor shook his head as he momentarily regarded her before looking back out at the bay.

"Sometimes they do." Lucy Bennett cast a glance at him before looking back down at her hands. She fiddled nervously with her blood stained apron shaking her head.

"I don't think that the tourniquet helped." Dr. Daniel Carney let out a wry laugh before shaking his head.

"That man wouldn't have even made it out of the street let alone all the way to the hospital without it." Lucy looked at him before looking away, clearly unconvinced. Carney saw her doubt as he quickly added, "Believe me I have seen it before."

Lucy stared out into the fog. Carney HAD seen it all before, but that still didn't make her feel any better. Her fingers were sticky with someone else's blood and yet the only thing she found bothersome was the pervasive uncertainty that she what she had done didn't help that man at all. If what they were doing wasn't helping then why were they doing it at all?

Carney eyed the young nurse next to him with a quirk in his lips. She was so hard on herself; never accepting anything less than her best effort for each and every patient. That was why she was going to do something great one day. She didn't know it yet and would roll her eyes if he told her, but he knew…knew it deep in his bones….Lucy Bennett was going to do something worth remembering.

"Do you think…" Before she could get another word out. A car horned blared from somewhere behind. Both Carney and Lucy stood eyeing the back sedan pulled up next to the hospital. They readied themselves, assuming that someone was bloodied or broken in the back seat, rushed to the hospital doors by a frantic loved one or passerby. Lucy began to moved toward the sedan, having no regard for her own safety, only concern for a patient who would surely need her attention.

Stopping on the wet grass abruptly, she stood staring trying to discern the driver's intention. He was making no move to the back seat and no attempt to elicit assistance from the hospital staff who stared from the glass doors. A cool salty breeze blew her hair as Carney came to stand beside her. The man cranked the radio in his car as loud as it might go as he waved his arms in a mix of fear and excitement.

"IT'S WAR ! WE'RE AT WAR !"


Leaning his elbows on the counter the man stuffed a cigarette into his mouth. Not bothering with the lite he rolled it side to side liking, for that moment, the way it felt moving over his lips. Dark brown hair fell in his eyes as he flicked his gaze upward at the man behind the counter.

The gray haired fellow stared down at the book in front of him flipping through the pages clearly convinced that he was wasting his time right now. Sighing, he closed the book meeting the young man's scrutiny once again. "There aren't anymore shifts this week, Joe. Like I already said…"

Before he could continue the young man pushed off the counter, shaking his head. "Oh come on…there has to be something. I don't care…friday night, saturday night….I'll take what no one else wants." Coming back toward the counter he held the cigarette between his fingers momentarily forgetting that it wasn't yet lit. "Sam…I just…I need the money." Briefly he met the man's eyes before looking away, moderately ashamed of how desperate he sounded right now. Begging for shifts at a second rate cab company in The Misson District; not even Downtown or the Embarcadero where the real money was, no…the fucking Mission. Money was money though, and he needed it.

Sam turned sliding the book beneath the counter not sparing the young man in front of him another glance. Joe, seeing that the conversation was over, sighed heavily as he turned, still leaning one elbow against the counter, the unlit cigarette now back between his lips. Staring out the door he contemplated his next move when a loud beeping interrupted his thoughts. The radio on shelf behind the counter abruptly cut from the soft music playing to the screeching emergency tones.

"This is an EMERGENCY BROADCAST…." Only half listening at this point, Joe cocked his heard toward the radio peered toward it through locks of dark hair. In his right hand, he fingered the shiny, silver zippo absentmindedly. "THE JAPANESE HAVE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR…THE UNITED STATES IS NOW AT WAR." Joe stopped listening; everyone knew of the rising tensions around the world. Some had been content to turn a blind eye, others knew the inevitable was coming. Joe had never been one for turning away yet he also wasn't one to worry about things that had not yet happened. But now…now it was HERE and it HAD happened. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention back to the radio. "HONOLULU IS ALSO UNDER ATTACK WITH CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF CIVILIAN LIFE." Joe felt is heart squeeze in his chest; attacking a military installment and sinking ships was one thing, mowing down civilians in the street was quite another. "THE CITIES OF SEATTLE, SAN FRANCISCO, AND LOS ANGELES SHOULD BE ON HIGH ALERT….SHELTER IN PLACE….REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY…." Joe didn't wait to hear the rest of the broadcast before pushing off the counter, giving Sam one last glance; his need for money suddenly less important, and taking off down the street.


Lucy stared at the man running around in circles screaming like a lunatic. The radio in his car paused in the delivery of its message as her mind raced to keep up. The United States was under attack….the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor….The west coast could be next. She heard murmuring of voices all around trying to make sense of it all, just like she was.

A great thundering from behind her made Lucy jump as fear shot down her spine. Turning, she watched a squadron of military planes fly low over the bay; their prop blast kicking up a fine spray of sea mist. Taking a few steps toward the water she stared in something akin to disbelief. The squadron gained altitude splitting themselves between the silver towers of the Oakland Bay Bridge and then turned left heading toward the Pacific. The water in the bay sloshed and slapped the promenade as Carney came to stand behind her.

"They must have taken off from Alameda." Just across the bay and south of Oakland was Alameda, a naval air base….a target. Lucy swallowed hard, she had to get to her dad and Scotty. Turning she looked at Carney, the fear and urgency evident in her eyes. Nodding toward the road he replied, "Go !" She ran and didn't look back.

Joe pushed his way down Market as people ran in hysteria right and left. For all anyone knew the Japs were closing in on San Francisco right now. No one would be looking for him, that he knew. His father was most likely passed out drunk on the couch, his mother he hadn't seen in two years, but his sister, well she was only fifteen, and he was responsible for her whether she liked it or not. Most of the time she hated him and told him just as much, but she was still a kid and no one was going to look out for her if he didn't. He needed to find her and bring her home before whatever the fuck was going to happen happened. Casting a glance at the sky he didn't know what he was looking for…didn't know if there was anything TO look for…he just felt like he had to look.

Lucy elbowed herself through the crowd down Market toward the Mission District and her daddy's shop. Bennett's Meats had been in their family for two generations now, her grandpa liked to talk about when he opened the store, almost fifty years ago, that the roads in San Francisco were still dirt and it wasn't uncommon to have a horse or two tied up outside. 'The Wild West' he called it….Lucy never failed to roll her eyes, her pap liked to tell stories.

A street car came screeching to a halt in the intersection and frantic people piled off, running every direction. The fear was palpable but the reality was sobering. Yes a home provided a measure of protection but not from bombs or torpedos or whatever the hell those bastards had dropped on Honolulu. Lucy swallowed hard, if something was going to happen…something beyond any of their control….she wanted to at least be with her daddy and Scotty. Two more blocks….

She didn't see the dark haired man looking up at the sky and he didn't see her barreling toward him in her still bloody apron. Slamming into each other, Lucy stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance. The man, being much larger and stronger sidestepped as he turned his gaze away from the sky. Looking down he locked eyes with a young woman, her brown hair had fallen out of its bun and blew around her face, her eyes were gray and they seemed to looked right through him.

She stared at him and he stared right back. There was nothing more; no indication that, in time, their lives would become completely and irreparably intertwined with one another. It was just an acknowledgement…a confirmation of life beyond oneself on a day when the world stood still. It was nothing yet it was the beginning of something…the beginning of everything.

TBC...