USO
by
Eagle Lady
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Prologue
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Laine Morris rose to her
feet, brushed her blond hair back over her shoulder, and shook down the folds of her blue
dress as Colonel Wilson entered the room where she'd been waiting for nearly an
hour. She was tired and more than a little frustrated. The USO group she was
supposed to have met in London had left the day before she arrived; two days before they
were supposed to have left for France. Through a combination of threats, tears,
bribery, and feminine wiles, she'd gotten herself from London to Caen, France. And
gotten stuck. If one more military genius patiently explained to her that there was
a war going on, she was going to scream. Of course there was a war going on; that's
why the USO troupe was here, wasn't it? Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she
turned to face the colonel. |
"Good news, Miss
Morris." He beamed. "I've found you a driver to get you to
Paris." |
"Colonel Wilson, do I
detect a 'but' in there somewhere?" She asked warily. |
"Yes, well, there
does seem to be one little problem." He rubbed his chin with one hand, not
looking directly at her. |
"Alright,
Colonel." She sighed. "What is it?" |
"We have a
driver. However, the only vehicle we have is an open jeep." |
"Does it run?" |
"Yes, of course it
runs." |
"Then I'll take
it." She smiled. "Where is the driver and how soon can we
leave?" |
"If you'll just come
with me, Miss Morris, I'll personally escort you." He gallantly held out an arm
for her. |
Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she accepted his arm
and allowed him to lead her outside where she found a jeep parked in front of the
building. A tall, dark-haired captain was standing beside the jeep, apparently
waiting for them. |
"Miss Morris, may I
present Captain Miller? Captain Miller, this is Laine Morris." |
"How do you do,
Captain?" Laine smiled at him. |
"Definitely my
pleasure, Miss Morris." He bowed slightly, and lifted her hand to his lips. |
"Captain Miller will
be escorting you to Paris, Miss Morris." |
"Thank you very much,
Colonel. I appreciate your help." Impulsively, she turned and kissed him
on the cheek. |
"You are very
welcome. Do you have all of your baggage?" |
"Yes, right
there." She indicated a valise sitting beside the building. |
Captain Miller set it in
the jeep, then offered a hand to help her in. The colonel watched as they wove their
way through the debris still littering the streets, then turned back inside, one hand to
the cheek she had kissed. |
They rode in silence while
the captain picked his way through the rest of the town, deftly avoiding debris, men, and
other vehicles. Once they were out of the town, he relaxed, draping one arm over the
back of her seat. |
"I've heard you sing,
Miss Morris. You have a lovely voice." |
"Thank you,
Captain." She shifted slightly away from his arm on the pretext of settling her
purse on the floor. |
"As a matter of fact,
that's not all that's lovely." |
"What is that over
there, Captain?" She pointed ahead of them. |
"What?" He
looked momentarily confused. "Oh, that's what's left of a German tank." |
For awhile, she managed to
divert him with small talk, but it seemed he had a one track mind. |
"You know, Miss
Morris, it's a long way to Paris." |
"So I hear." |
"There are very few
women as beautiful as you in this area." |
"Really?"
She answered neutrally. |
"A man gets to
missing the things a woman provides." He commented, his fingers twisting a lock
of her hair where it lay on her shoulder. |
"I hear that's one of
the hazards of war, Captain." |
"It would make the
drive more pleasant if you were to move over a little." |
"In case you hadn't
noticed, Captain, there happens to be a gear shift sitting there." |
"Come on, Miss
Morris. What's a little kiss between friends?" |
"I wasn't aware that
we were friends, Captain. Nor am I sure that I would like to be your
friend." She retorted. |
"We could be,
Laine. I'm willing to be friendly." |
"Miss Morris to you,
Captain Miller." Laine said coldly. "Kindly keep your eyes and your
mind on the road. I am not the least interested." |
"You're refusing
me?" He demanded, half angry, half amazed. |
"Yes, Captain.
That's exactly what I'm doing." She glared at him. |
"Who do you think you
are anyway?" He slid the jeep to a stop and turned toward her, his hand on her
arm. |
Laine jerked her arm free,
jumped out of the jeep and snatched up a thick branch lying beside the road, brandishing
it in front of her. Miller stared at her a moment, then started to laugh. |
"Get in the jeep,
Laine." |
"I will not." |
"You'd rather stay
out here?" He suggested. |
"If it's a choice
between that and you, yes." She snapped. |
"Have it your way,
lady. Maybe a little walking will change your mind." |
Slamming the jeep into
gear, he took off in a cloud of dust, leaving her standing there, watching as he
drove on up the road. He'd gone a little over a quarter of a mile when she saw him
slow down and swing the jeep into the roadside field, apparently turning around.
There was a loud boom and the jeep literally flew into the air, landing on it's side. |
"Oh my
God!" Laine screamed, then started running toward the jeep. |
When she reached it, she
found Captain Miller a short distance from the wrecked jeep, trying to get to his
feet. There was blood on his left thigh and several bleeding cuts on his face. He
looked up at her in confusion when she knelt at his side. |
"Captain? What
can I do to help you?" She asked. |
"Laine? I'm
sorry. We have to get you back to Caen. Help me up." He mumbled. |
Laine slid her arm around
him and helped him to his feet, then pulled his arm over her shoulders. Together,
they staggered back down the road toward Caen. |
"Cut across
there. The road horseshoes. Save time." Miller waved toward the trees on
their left. |
"Are you
sure?" She asked doubtfully. |
"Yeah. Go." |
Taking a fresh hold on his
wrist, she led him off the road and into the trees. They fought their way through
the trees and brush until he slipped out of her grasp and collapsed to the ground while
crossing a small clearing. When she knelt beside him, taking his hand, he
opened his eyes slowly to look up at her. |
"Laine, I'm
sorry." He whispered. |
Then, to her horror, he
just stopped breathing. |
Laine gently and
regretfully laid his hand across his chest. He was a jerk, but in the end, he'd done
his best for her. Now he lay dead somewhere in the middle of France and she was
completely alone. She had no idea where they were in relation to Paris, or Caen, and
certainly no idea what to do next. Tired, thirsty, and very frightened, she dropped
her head into her hands and burst into tears. |
^^^ |
Sergeant Saunders waved
his men down to rest and sprawled on the ground himself, tired, hungry, and heartily sick
of walking. Kirby lay on his stomach, his BAR beside him, his head pillowed on his
arms, and his eyes closed while Caje lay on his back, one hand on the M-1 beside him. |
"I swear my feet are
gonna fall right off, Sarge." Kirby complained. "How long are we
gonna keep walking?" |
"Till we reach
Paris." Caje grinned over at him. |
"We keep walking till
we get home, Kirby." Saunders told him. "Unless you want to go back that
way and run right into the Krauts?" |
"Think there's
anything to eat around here?" Kirby asked. |
"Sure, Kirby.
There's a tree over there with steaks hanging on it." Caje chuckled. |
"Funny, Caje.
Real funny." He said sarcastically. "We been walkin' for hours,
missed two meals, we're running low on water, my feet are killing me, we're lost...I
swear, I ain't goin' to no more wars." |
"Kirby, have you ever
gone a whole day without complaining about something?" Caje propped himself up
on one elbow and lit a cigarette. |
"Caje, it's in the
Rules of War. You gotta complain." |
Saunders took a drink from
his canteen to hide his grin as he listened to his men. Anyone listening to their
banter might think that they didn't like each other, but he knew they were a tightly-knit
fighting unit. |
"Hey, Caje, you wanna
trade with me for awhile?" |
"Trade what?
Feet?" |
"That would be
great, if we could. I meant the BAR." |
"No." |
"Why not?" |
"You're the BAR man,
Kirby. I'm the scout, remember? I can't move fast with that thing hung around
my neck. Sorry, pal, you're stuck with it." He grinned suddenly.
"Maybe you can get Sarge to trade you for the Thompson?" |
Kirby glanced over to
where Saunders was capping his canteen, looked at the expression on his sergeant's face,
and shook his head. |
"I don't think I
wanna try that. Hey, Caje?" |
"Yeah?" |
"If you could have
anything you wanted to eat right now, what would you pick?" |
"Get your mind off
food, Kirby, and you'll feel better." Saunders advised. |
"Get your mind off
food. Get your mind off women." Kirby complained. "The only
things you can have in this stupid country are the things you don't want, like Krauts and
sore feet. We gotta win this war and get back home." |
"Glad you feel that
way, Kirby." Saunders nodded in satisfaction. "The sooner you get on
your feet, the sooner we get home, and the sooner we win this war." |
"We ain't never gonna
win this war, Sarge. We're still gonna be here fighting in 1980." He paused,
and looked over at the sergeant. "You do know where home is, don't you?" |
Saunders started to reply,
stopping when Caje suddenly lifted a hand for silence. Rolling over next to the
scout, the sergeant picked up his Thompson while Kirby brought his BAR into firing
position. |
"What is
it?" Saunders asked quietly. |
"I think I hear a
woman crying." Caje replied hesitantly. |
"A woman?"
Kirby asked eagerly. |
"Shut up,
Kirby." Saunders told him. "Where?" |
Caje tilted his head one
way, then the other, finally pointing back over his left shoulder. |
"Alright, let's check
it out." Saunders rose to his feet, checked his weapon then started through the
trees, his men a few feet behind him. |
They'd only gone a short
distance when Saunders stopped and motioned his men down. Peering through the
undergrowth, they looked into the clearing, then at each other, then back at the
clearing. A woman, young, blond, and beautiful, was kneeling beside an
Army Officer lying on his back in the middle of the clearing. He wasn't moving, and
she had her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. Signaling his men to wait, Saunders
quietly moved toward her. |
^^^ |
"Miss? Are you
hurt?" Laine nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a voice, too
frightened to even scream, her first thought being that Miller had spoken. Looking
up, she saw a soldier standing over her. He wore a filthy uniform, held a
nasty-looking gun in his hands, and his helmet was tipped down over his eyes, shading his
face. Trembling violently, she scooted backwards away from him, her eyes wide with
fear. |
"Are you
hurt?" He repeated impatiently. |
"Are...are you
American?" She hated the way her voice shook, but couldn't help it. |
He slowly surveyed his
uniform, then looked back at her. |
"Yeah. I asked
if you were hurt." |
"No. No, I'm
not hurt." She got to her feet, feeling a distinct disadvantage being on the
ground at his feet. Standing up didn't help much, since he was still several inches
taller than she. |
"Who are you and what
are you doing out here?" He demanded. |
"I'm Laine
Morris. I don't know where 'out here' is, but I don't think we're where we're
supposed to be." |
"You got that right,
Lady." He growled. "Caje! Kirby!" He called over
his shoulder. |
She whirled around as two
men stepped out of the bushes behind her. They were both just as dirty and
mean-looking at this man, both carried huge guns and neither looked very friendly.
Wondering whether she was worse off than when she was alone, she didn't realize she was
backing away from them until she bumped into the first man, almost losing her balance when
she jumped away from the contact. He grabbed her arm to steady her, letting go as
soon as she had regained her balance. |
"Relax."
He grinned. "They're with me." |
"Well, that certainly
puts my mind at ease!" She snapped. "And who might you be?" |
"Sergeant Saunders.
Caje and Kirby. Now, would you mind telling me what you're doing here?" |
"I'm here in France
with the USO tour. I was late joining them in London. Well, I was on
time, but they left early. I made it to Caen and Captain Miller was assigned
to drive me to Paris to join the tour. The jeep hit something that Captain Miller
said was a mine, and was wrecked. He was trying to get me back to Caen. We got
this far, then he fell and and died." |
"Why weren't you
injured?" The sergeant asked skeptically. |
"I wasn't in the jeep
at the time." She didn't want to tell him why. |
"Why not?"
|
"Does it
matter?" Laine snapped. |
"Lady, you're in the
middle of France, in the middle of a war, where you have no business being, and you expect
me to believe a wild story? Yes, it matters. Why weren't you in the
jeep?" |
She had never seen blue
eyes turn so cold, and she shivered involuntarily. |
"Sarge, you're
scaring her." One of the men behind her said. |
"Shut up,
Kirby." The other said, his voice strongly accented. |
Wrapping her arms around
herself in a vain attempt to stave off a nervous chill, she turned slightly so she didn't
have to look at any of them. |
"Captain Miller tried
to get ...friendly. When he stopped the jeep, I jumped out. He drove off
and hit a mine." |
Since
she wasn't looking at them, she missed the look of disgust and fury that the men
exchanged. |
"Can you prove any of
this?" Saunders asked quietly. |
Fury and disbelief surged
through her and she turned on him, her eyes flashing, and shoved up the sleeve on her
dress, revealing a bruise on her forearm that looked exactly like a man's hand. |
"Is that enough for
you?" She hissed at him. "All of my papers are in what's left of the
jeep. Maybe you want to go find the jeep and look?" |
The sergeant didn't
answer, squatting down beside Captain Miller. He reached into the neck of his
uniform, then started going through his pockets. |
"What are you
doing?" She demanded. "Isn't robbing the dead a bit much, even for
you?" |
She couldn't imagine why
she'd said that, and was immediately sorry, even more so when he slowly rose to his feet
and pushed his helmet back on his head. He stepped so close to her that she could
feel his breath on her face, his eyes as cold and angry as his voice. |
"I don't know what
that crack was supposed to mean, lady, and I don't care. For your information, Miss
Morris, I was looking for his identification papers so Graves Registration can inform his
family. I'm sure there's someone stateside who cares about him." He
growled, his face dark with fury. He stuffed some papers into his pocket as he
turned away from her. |
Stunned into silence by
his words and anger, she stumbled over to a log and sat down with her back to them, wiping
away tears. She'd never met a man who treated her like that. All the other men
she'd met since arriving in London had practically fallen over themselves to talk to her,
to be near her, and this filthy, wretched soldier acted like she'd killed his best friend. |
"Want me to look for
the jeep, Sarge?" The accented voice asked. |
"No." |
"What do we do now,
Sarge?" The other one asked. |
"Shut up, Kirby, and
let me think." The sergeant said irritably. |
A moment later a touch on
her shoulder made her jump. |
"I'm sorry, Miss
Morris. Didn't mean to scare you. You want some water?"
The slimmer of the two men was
holding out a canteen. |
"Thank
you." She said gratefully, taking a long drink. She handed it back,
managing a smile. |
He took the canteen and
returned to the others. |
"She's
gorgeous." Laine heard him say. |
"She's trouble,
that's what she is." The sergeant replied. |
"Don't you know
who she is, Sarge?" |
"Yeah, Kirby, I know
who she is. We're going to have to take her with us and she could just get us all
killed." |
"How's she gonna do
that, Sarge?" Kirby sounded angry. |
"Get your head outta
the clouds, soldier." Saunders snapped. "She has to be
protected. She doesn't know how to move quietly. Her hair and that blue dress
stick out like a sore thumb. She's going to slow us down, demand special treatment,
and probably not do a thing she's told to. You got any more questions, Kirby?" |
"No,
Sarge." Kirby said quietly. |
Managing to compose
herself somewhat, Laine got up and walked over to them. |
"If I'm going to be
that much trouble, why don't you go on your merry way and forget you saw me?"
She asked. |
"Unfortunately, Miss
Morris, I don't have that choice." He glared at her. |
"May I borrow
that?" She pointed to a black beret Private Caje had stuffed under the epaulet
on his shoulder. |
When he handed it to her,
she gathered her shoulder length hair, twisted it up on top of her head, and stuffed it
under the beret, which she pulled down to hide most of her hair. |
"If one of you
gentlemen will remove the captain's jacket, it should cover at least part of my
dress." She said quietly. |
Glancing down at the
captain, Kirby shook his head and pulled off his own jacket, offering it to her. |
"You can't wear his,
Miss Morris. The officer insignia would make you a target." |
"Thank you, Private
Kirby." She accepted his jacket and slipped it on. |
"Just
'Kirby' is fine." He grinned. |
"Please call me
Laine." She smiled back. |
"If you two are
finished?" Saunders said acidly. "Let's get moving. Caje, take
the point. Kirby, you're next. Miss Morris, if you see them duck down, or I
tell you to, you hit the ground on your face and stay put and stay quiet, till I tell you
otherwise. Got it?" |
"Yes, Sergeant.
I got it." She glared after him as he walked back over to Martin. Caje turned,
but not before she saw his grin. "What did I do to him?" Laine
whispered, half to herself. |
"Nothing,
Laine. He's Sarge, that's all." Caje answered. |
"I can see he's a
sergeant." She pointed out. |
"It's not just his
rank. It's his job to complete the mission and take care of his men. We were
supposed to go on a quick recon, but the Krauts broke through the line behind us.
Now we're in enemy territory, with no food, little water, and a non-combatant. He
isn't mad at you, he's mad at the situation." |
"Could have fooled
me." She commented. |
"Let's
go." Saunders ordered as he rejoined them. |
^^^ |
She fell in behind Kirby,
glad she was wearing her low-heeled pumps and not her usual high heels. A short
distance ahead, they came upon a narrow trickle of muddy water. |
"Hey,
water!" Kirby grinned happily. |
"You drink that
stuff, you'll be sick." Caje told him. |
"Can we stop for a
moment, Sergeant?" Laine asked. |
"Tired
already?" He sighed. "Yeah, we can stop." |
Laine took Kirby's jacket
off and carefully laid it over a tree branch. |
"Would the three of
you please turn your backs for a moment?" |
Caje and Kirby did so
immediately. The sergeant simply stood there watching her. Laine shrugged and
decided to ignore him. Getting down on her knees by the water, she lowered herself
to the ground and proceeded to roll back and forth in the muddy water until the bright
blue of her dress was completely covered in mud. She got back to her feet, knelt
down and rinsed her hands, then retrieved Kirby's jacket, careful not to get it against
her dress. |
"Here's your jacket,
Kirby. Thank you." She held it out to him. |
He turned around and his
mouth dropped open as he stared at her. |
"Jeez! What'd
you do, fall in?" He demanded. |
"No, I didn't fall
in. Now my dress does not stick out like a sore thumb. I'm ready to go,
Sergeant Saunders." She gave him a very sweet, very insincere smile. |
"Move out,
Caje." He said impassively. |
Caje didn't bother to hide
his grin this time as he turned and started walking. Over an hour later, she was
thinking of risking Saunders' ire by asking for a rest. |
Suddenly, Caje moved his
hand in a downward and back motion, Kirby immediately dropping to the ground.
Saunders opened his mouth to tell Laine to get down when he realized that she was already
down, her hands covering her bright hair where it showed at the back of her neck.
She lay absolutely still, as flat as she could get. He belly-crawled up next to her,
dropping a hand on her shoulder. Much as she wanted to slap his hand away, she lay
still like he had told her to do. She watched as he moved on up to Caje who pointed
ahead then held up five fingers, then made another signal with his hand. Glancing
around, Saunders saw that there was better cover about ten feet away on the left. He
got Kirby's attention, pointed to Laine, then indicated the area he wanted them to move
to. Kirby squirmed backwards till he was beside her, then leaned close to whisper in
her ear. |
"We gotta move over
there. Follow me and stay as low as you can." |
He took her hand, and
started moving sideways, tugging her along with him. Caje and Saunders very slowly
and carefully edged back to join them, Caje ending up on Laine's other side, Saunders next
to Caje. Saunders leaned close to Caje, whispering something, then Caje leaned over
and whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear. |
"Sarge said to tell
you the Germans are fixing their truck. We have to wait till they're done. He
says to stay still." |
"Tell the big lug I
AM being still." She whispered back. |
He
did so, Laine regretting it when she saw his jaw tighten with anger. Again.
They lay there for what seemed hours, both Caje and Kirby resting their hands lightly on
her back in silent reassurance. Finally, she heard an engine start up then move off
into the distance. Caje got to his feet without a sound and disappeared into the
bushes, returning a few minutes later, equally soundlessly. |
"All clear,
Sarge." He grinned. |
Kirby got to his feet,
then turned and extended a hand to help Laine up. Grateful for the assistance, she
accepted his hand and got to her feet, absently rubbing her hipbone. |
"You
okay?" Kirby asked, concerned. |
"What? Oh, yes,
I'm fine. I was lying on a rock or something." |
"Why didn't you
move?" He stared at her. |
"I was doing what I
was told." She answered, not daring to look at Saunders. |
"Move out,
Caje." Saunders growled. |
"On my
way." He answered cheerfully. |
^^^ |
Determined to make
friends with the sergeant, Laine fell into step beside him. He paid no attention to her,
his eyes moving constantly. |
"Where are you from,
Sergeant?" |
"Illinois." |
"Oh? What
part?" |
"North." |
"Really?"
She exclaimed excitedly. |
She turned to look at him,
promptly tripping over a half-buried stick, only his quick grasp on her arm preventing her
from falling. |
"Yeah. Really." |
"I'm from Illinois,
too." She flashed him a smile known to melt icebergs. |
"Yeah?" He
said indifferently. Apparently, this iceberg wasn't going to melt. |
"Yeah, Sarge.
I'm from Rockford." |
"Yeah?" He
said again. |
"Gee, Sergeant, your
record's stuck." She grinned. "How long have you been here?" |
"Quite
awhile." |
"How long is quite
awhile?" |
"Long enough." |
"Boy, I bet you're a
hit at all the parties, Saunders." Laine wrinkled her nose at him. |
"Lady, this is a war,
not a tea party." He said, exasperated with her chatter. |
"I swore if one more
person said that to me, I'd scream." She snapped. |
"Don't."
He snapped back. |
"Do I look like a
fool? On second thought, don't answer that." Giving him a disgusted look,
she moved up to walk with Kirby. "Can you talk more than grumpy back
there?" |
"What do you want to
talk about?" Kirby grinned at her. |
"Anything.
Where are you from?" |
"Chicago." |
"You mean all three
of us are from Illinois? What about Caje?" |
"He's from New
Orleans." |
"How long have you
been here?" |
"Since D-Day.
How'd you get here from London?" He asked curiously. |
"It wasn't
easy." She laughed. "Bus, train, car, bicycle, you name it, I used
it." |
"Aren't they supposed
to give you an escort or something?" |
"They were supposed
to be in London when I got there. I guess the escort went with them. They told
me to go back home, but I wanted to join the tour, so I just started hitching rides." |
"In the middle of a
war? You hitched rides? Alone?" He stared at her. |
"I didn't have a
choice. It was fun, actually. I met some really nice people." |
"Hit it!"
Caje called softly but urgently. |
Kirby grabbed her arm and
jerked her down to lay on the ground beside him. Saunders appeared suddenly, crouched on
her other side, his hand on her shoulder. Caje crawled back to them on his stomach,
his rifle cradled in his arms. |
"Kraut patrol.
If we're quiet, and lucky, they'll miss us." He whispered. |
Laine buried her face in
her folded arms, not wanting them to see how terrified she was, but try as she would, she
couldn't stop trembling. She felt Saunders' hand move from her shoulder to the back
of her neck, his fingers stroking gently and rhythmically. Gradually, the trembling
eased and she relaxed, concentrating on his touch instead of the soldiers she could hear
moving through the trees ahead of them. She felt safe and protected in spite of the
tension she could sense in the three men surrounding her. Finally, Saunders shifted
his hand to her arm, tugging gently. |
"They're gone, Miss
Morris." He said quietly. "You can get up now." |
"That's what you
think, Sergeant." Laine turned her head to look up at him. |
"What do you
mean?" |
"Someone stole my
legs and replaced them with jelly." She tried to smile, but it didn't come off
very well. |
"Yeah? What
happened to that spitfire I met in the clearing back there? Turning chicken on
me?" He paused, his voice taking on a hint of contempt. "I guess I
was right, after all. Nothing but trouble. Without your beauty parlor and
maids, there's nothin' to you, is there?" |
Laine felt every bit of
her Irish grandmother flow through her veins and was up on her knees in an instant, nose
to nose with him. "Trouble! What trouble, Sergeant? I've
done everything you told me to. I haven't complained once. You are an
arrogant, obnoxious, overbearing..." She sputtered. |
"Yeah,
yeah." He said, then grinned. "Got you on your feet, didn't
it?" |
Laine stopped with her
mouth open, only then realizing that she was indeed on her feet, still nose to nose with
him. |
"You're still
obnoxious." She muttered, her anger gone. |
"So I've been
told. Move out, Caje." |
^^^ |
Caje and Kirby exchanged a
grin, both having been on the receiving end of Sarge's verbal prods at one time or
another. Caje headed out again, Kirby following him after settling the heavy BAR
more comfortably on his shoulders. Laine glanced over at Saunders, who was waiting
for her to follow the men. |
"May I walk with
you?" She asked. |
"I'm
not in the mood for chatter." He told her. |
"Fine. I won't
say a word." Laine shrugged. |
True to her word, she
walked beside him without saying a word, her hands shoved down into the pockets of her
dress. |
|
^^^ |
Half a mile further on,
all hell broke loose. Caje came back on the run, motioning frantically. Before
anyone could react, bullets were zipping around them. Caje dove for the cover of a
log, Kirby cried out in pain and fell, quickly squirming around to bring the BAR
into use. Laine dropped to the ground, gasping when the sergeant landed on top of
her. |
"Keep your head
down." He ordered, crawling over her, firing his Tommy gun. |
Laine covered her head
with her hands, trying to press herself into the ground, quivering, as the shooting all
around her seemed to go on forever. Finally, all was quiet. Laine stayed where
she was, too terrified to move. |
"Kirby? How bad
is it?" Saunders deep voice rumbled. |
"It's my leg. Not
bad." Kirby answered, his voice controlled and steady. |
"Caje?" |
"Okay, Sarge." |
Saunders and Caje moved
away through the bushes while Kirby pulled something from his belt, fumbling with it. |
"Sarge is checking
it out." Caje was suddenly back beside Kirby, taking the object which turned
out to be a bandage. He poured a white powder on the wound, then quickly bandaged it
while Kirby sat still, his face white with pain. |
"They're dead."
Saunders said as he rejoined them. He stopped, surprised to see the woman still laying on
the ground. "Miss Morris? You okay?" He asked, concerned. |
"Yes. Just
scared." |
"Aren't we
all." He said wryly, reaching down to help her up. |
"Thank you,
Sergeant." She said, suddenly very tired. |
"Ok, Caje, take the
point again. I'll help Kirby. Miss Morris, you stay right on our heels." |
Saunders and Caje helped
Kirby to his feet, Saunders pulling one of Kirby's arms over his shoulders, trying to
sling Kirby's heavy gun over his other shoulder while still keeping his own gun
ready. Laine bit her lip, then shrugged. He could only get mad at her again. |
"Sergeant?"
She said softly. |
"Yes, Miss
Morris?" He replied absently. |
"The weapon Kirby
carries is very heavy, isn't it?" |
"Your point, Miss
Morris?" |
"If you're helping
Kirby, that only leaves Caje to fight, right? Why don't I help Kirby? You can
take his weapon, and I'll carry yours. That way, if we meet any more Germans, you
and Caje will both be ready." |
"You're not strong
enough, Miss Morris." He replied, although he was clearly considering the idea. |
"We can try it,
Sarge." Kirby put in. "It does make sense. It's my leg, not my
arm. Give me the Thompson, and you take the BAR. That way we have two and a
half men." |
"You just want to put
your arm around a pretty girl, Kirby." Caje grinned. |
"Aw, you just wish it
was you got shot." He retorted. |
Paying no attention to
either of them, Saunders was lost in thought, part of his mind considering the problem,
the other part thinking that in spite of the filthy dress, dirt-smeared face, and the
beret pulled down over her ears, she was still beautiful. |
"Alright, we'll try
it that way." He said finally. |
Laine moved in to Kirby's
side, grasping his wrist when he laid his arm over her shoulder. Saunders slipped
the shoulder strap to his Thompson over Kirby's other shoulder, helping him get it into a
comfortable ready position, then got the BAR positioned over his own shoulder. |
"Everybody
ready?" He asked. "Ok, Caje, let's go." |
Laine took two steps and
stopped. |
"Sergeant?" |
"Now
what?" He sighed. |
"Do you have
something you can knock the heels off these shoes with?" |
Saunders looked from her
obviously expensive shoes to her green eyes and back to the shoes. He wasn't sure
he'd heard right. She was asking him to destroy her shoes? Before he could say
anything, Caje was beside her, bayonet in hand. Putting one hand on Caje's shoulder
to steady herself, she lifted a foot. Caje slid the shoe off, struck the heel off
with his bayonet and slipped the shoe back on her foot, then did the same with the other. |
"Thank you.
That's much better. Okay, Kirby, onward and upward." She grinned. |
They started off again,
Caje in the lead, Saunders following Laine and Kirby. She could tell he was trying
not to lean on her and sighed in exasperation. |
"Kirby, you're
supposed to be leaning on me, not using your leg." She said quietly. |
"I'm too heavy for a
pretty little thing like you." He protested. |
"Kirby, if you ever
say that to me again, you'll find yourself sitting in the dirt in the middle of France,
wondering what hit you." She snapped at him. |
"What did I
say?" He looked over at her, taken aback at her tone. |
"I am thoroughly sick
of being called, and treated like, a 'pretty little thing'. A pretty little thing is
something you set on a shelf and dust once a week. I am a young, strong, woman with
more than blond hair and a figure, mister, and you'd better remember it." |
"Yes, ma'am.
I'm sorry, Miss Morris." |
"Laine, Kirby,
Laine. Lean on me so that you have something left if we meet more of those
Germans." She ordered. |
Despite his best
intentions, Kirby was soon doing just that and discovered that she really was stronger
than she looked. His leg was giving him fits, he was hungry, thirsty, and developing
a headache. |
Glancing sideways at him,
Laine found that his face was pale and covered with sweat, his eyes half-closed. She
started talking to him, telling him stories of different places she had performed, and
different performers she'd known. Some of the stories were true, some were not, but
it didn't matter. It was keeping him awake and giving him something besides his leg
to concentrate on. |
Saunders followed them,
finding he once again had to revise his opinion of the woman. He knew she was
dog-tired, but she was supporting Kirby well, and he could hear her voice, though not the
words, as she talked to the injured man. Her tone was calm and soothing, but with
just the right touch to keep him awake and alert, keeping his mind off his wound. He
called a halt about forty-five minutes later to let both of them rest. He came up on
Kirby's other side, took his arm and helped lower him to a convenient log. Caje
joined them, offering Kirby a drink from his canteen. Kirby accepted it with a nod
of thanks and took a long drink, then offered it to Laine, who shook her head. She
rolled her shoulders and arched her back, stretching, but said nothing. Saunders
checked the bandage on Kirby's leg, pleased to find little new bleeding. Laine
wrapped her arms around her middle, twisting from side to side, then suddenly stopped in
mid-twist. |
"Sergeant? May
I go over there?" She pointed to a clump of bushes. |
"Sorry. Not
alone." He couldn't help the slight blush that colored his face. |
Laine stared at him a
moment, then giggled. |
"Not for that,
Sergeant. Would you come with me, then, if I need a babysitter?" |
"Caje?" |
"Yeah,
Sarge." He nodded in response to the unspoken order. |
Puzzled, Saunders followed
Laine over to the bushes, understanding dawning when she started stripping berries off the
bush. She started to give him a handful, then realized he would need both hands for
the gun. Instead, she caught up the front hem of her skirt, making a basket into which she
dropped the berries. When she had a fair amount, she turned to go back to the others, not
realizing Saunders had moved, and almost walked right into him. Blue eyes met green
for a moment, then he stepped aside. She'd gone three steps before the look in his
eyes registered. Bemused, she tripped over a root and would have fallen had his
strong hand not caught her arm. |
"Careful."
Was all he said. |
"Thank you,
Sergeant." She said softly, not looking at him. |
She returned to Kirby,
stopping in front of him, grinning. |
"Look
at what's in the skirt, not under it, Kirby." She teased. |
Blushing, Kirby did as he
was told, eagerly reaching in for a handful of berries, which he crammed into his
mouth. Caje took a few, as did Saunders, leaving the rest for Kirby. Caje gave
Kirby another drink, again offering it to Laine, who again refused. |
"Ok, let's get
moving." Saunders ordered. |
|
|
^^^ |
|
|
Caje helped Kirby to his
feet, then turned to lead the way again. Laine slid one arm around Kirby, her other
hand holding onto his wrist over her shoulder, and started after Caje. They hadn't
gone very far when Caje stopped and motioned them down. Laine quickly helped Kirby
to the ground and flattened herself beside him while Saunders took a position just behind
them. Caje signaled four men ahead and to the right, fifty feet away. Saunders
quickly exchanged weapons with Kirby, then pushed Laine against the side of a fallen tree,
helping Kirby into position on his good leg so that she was between Kirby and the
log. Catching sight of the sergeant's sidearm, she caught his arm. |
"May I have your
pistol, Sergeant?" She whispered. |
"What for?" |
"I don't want to be
taken prisoner by them." She said simply. |
Knowing what the Germans
were likely to do with such a pretty young woman, and again surprised at her courage, he
knelt beside her and handed her the pistol. After showing her how to work the dual safety
mechanisms, he returned to his position. A moment later, he moved back beside Kirby,
softy calling Caje to join them. |
"They're coming right
for us. There isn't enough cover here or enough time to move." |
"What have you got in
mind, Sarge?" |
"I'm going to lead
them off. You two get Miss Morris back home." |
"Let me do it,
Sarge." Caje suggested. |
"No. They shoot
privates. I'm going to move over to the right and start from there. Ok?" |
"They don't shoot
sergeants?" Laine asked. "What do they do with them?" |
"Take
them prisoner." Kirby answered when Saunders didn't. |
"Sergeant, you can't
risk your life like that for me." Laine protested. |
"It's not just for
you, Miss Morris. There's Kirby, too." Saunders pointed out. |
Saunders handed his
mission map to Caje, clapped each man on the shoulder, then slipped away into the
bushes. Caje and Kirby peered over the log, watching the Germans. Unable to
stand the suspense, Laine got to her knees between the two men. |
A few minutes later, one
of the Germans yelled, firing into the trees. Laine gasped; Caje immediately clapped
a hand over her mouth and pulled her against his shoulder. The three of them watched
as one of the Germans went into the trees, returning with Saunders and another German
soldier. Once out in the open, they searched him and tied his hands behind his
back. One of the Germans moved up close to him, and a moment later they saw the
German hit Saunders in the face. He staggered, and one of the Germans behind him
pushed him back into position. The German in front of him hit him again.
Saunders fell against one of the men behind him, then to the ground. They pulled him
back to his feet and pushed him north along the edge of the woods, away from their
position. Saunders staggered and stumbled as the Germans shoved and prodded him
along. |
"Kirby, I'm going
after him. You wait here with Laine." |
"Wait how long,
Caje?" Kirby asked. |
"As long as you
think." Caje shrugged. |
"He told both of us
to take Laine back." Kirby argued. |
"Well, he didn't say
that we had to stay together, did he? You take her and we'll catch up, then both of
us will be taking her, right?" |
"Mmmmm.
Mmmm." Laine twisted against Caje's hand. |
"Sorry,
Laine." Caje let go of her quickly. |
"How are you going to
rescue the sergeant? Against five men? Kirby's injured and can't
help." She asked, her voice shaking. |
"Don't worry,
Laine. I'm not hurt that bad, I'll get you back." Kirby assured her. |
She turned and stared at
him, her face burning with anger, her green eyes flashing. "I am not worried
about me, soldier. I am thinking about the sergeant. And Caje. He's
alone against five men!" |
"Caje can take care
of himself, Laine. We've done this sort of thing before. It'll be okay." |
"Take care of her,
Kirby. See you in awhile." Caje disappeared silently. |
"How does he do
that?" Laine demanded. |
"Do what?"
Kirby asked absently. |
"Move without a
sound." |
"Beats me, but it
makes me crazy. I guess he learned how to do that since Sarge made him the
scout. A noisy scout ain't much good. He's nearly given me a heart attack more
than once coming up behind me like that." He grinned. |
"Kirby, I've been
meaning to ask you...just what is a BAR?" |
"This thing. A
Browning Automatic Rifle. BAR, for short." |
|
|
^^^ |
|
Saunders made it about a
hundred yards before he was spotted. He heard a gunshot as one of the Germans
yelled, and had just started to bring up the Thompson when he heard a voice behind him,
ordering him to put his hands up. |
Now where had he come from? As he placed his hands on his head, he heard the
sound of a zipper and had to grin. That's where the Kraut came from. Just his
luck. Another German came crashing through the bushes and they shoved him back out
of the trees towards the other Germans. They searched his pockets, then tied his
hands tightly behind his back as the German sergeant walked up to him. |
"What are you doing
here? Where are your men?" |
Hoping that his men were
on their way, Saunders didn't answer him. The sergeant backhanded him, knocking him
into the soldier behind him, who roughly shoved him back in front of the sergeant. |
"Where are your
men?" He demanded. |
"I'm
alone." Saunders told him. |
"Americans do not
travel alone. Where are your men?" |
He hit Saunders with a
closed fist this time, sending him crashing into the same soldier, who stepped aside and
let him fall heavily to the ground, dazed. The two soldiers behind him grabbed his
arms, hauling him back to his feet, the rope biting painfully into his wrists. |
"We will take you
back with us. You will tell us what we want to know." |
He was shoved forward,
away from where he'd left the others. Still dazed, he stumbled in the tangling
weeds, his captors shoving him and prodding him along. He knew there would be nobody
to rescue him this time, and just hoped he'd be able to stall them long enough for Caje
and Kirby to get the woman to safety before they killed him. His foot caught on yet
another weed and he took a quick sidestep to try to catch his balance. One of the
men behind him shoved him roughly and he fell hard, his head thumping painfully on the
ground. As he lay there, trying to catch his breath, he was kicked in the side, then
they jerked him back up and shoved him onward. Dizzy, and having trouble seeing, he
stumbled again. Jerking him by the arm, one of the Germans yelled something at him,
then hit him in the back with his rifle butt. He went to his knees, desperately
trying not to fall again. He thought he heard an American M-1 rifle open up, then he
felt the red-hot burn of a bullet slam into his arm and he crashed to the ground on his
back, the sound of gunfire fading as the blackness washed over him. |
^^^ |
Caje moved through the
trees quickly and soundlessly, his M-1 held in both hands, ready to fire. Up ahead
of him, he could hear the German yelling at Saunders, then it stopped. He came up
even with them, hidden in the trees, just as the German behind the sergeant gave him a
hard shove and the bound man fell, his head striking the ground. He had to force his
finger off the trigger when the soldier kicked Saunders, hoping for a better chance when
the sergeant was further out of the line of fire. When the sergeant stumbled again,
the German hit him in the back with the rifle butt, driving him to his knees. |
Realizing they would beat
him to death if he didn't do something soon, Caje brought his rifle up and fired.
The soldier who had just struck Saunders went down, then the Germans were returning
fire. Even as the last man, the German sergeant, was going down, he turned and fired
at Saunders, who crashed to the ground on his back and lay still. Angry, and afraid
the sergeant was dead, Caje fired again, and the German sprawled on the ground,
motionless. |
Cautiously, Caje moved
from German to German, checking them before he knelt by Saunders. He didn't look too
bad despite the beating he'd received, but there was a bloody wound in his upper
arm. He didn't make a sound as Caje gently rolled him onto his side and cut the
ropes that bound his wrists. |
^^^ |
The feel of cool water on
his face brought Saunders back to the surface and he opened his eyes, expecting to see
Germans. It was Caje bending over him. |
"Sarge? How you
doin'?" He asked. |
"Caje?" He
asked in disbelief. |
"Yeah, Sarge, it's
me." |
"What the hell
are..." His fury propelled him upright, then he broke off with a gasp of
pain. "Let's get out of here." |
"I think I'm in big
trouble." Caje muttered under his breath as he got to his feet. Grasping
Sarge's good arm, he pulled him to his feet and they headed back toward Kirby. |
^^^ |
Kirby and Laine waited and
watched in silence, leaning against the log, even though there was nothing to
see. Kirby glanced at his watch, and shifted position to ease his leg, accidentally
bumping into Laine. |
"Sorry." |
"Kirby, I'm so
scared." She whispered. |
He shifted again, sliding
an arm around her shoulders to hold her close against his side. |
"Better?" |
"Yes, thank
you." |
A
moment later, Kirby tensed at the sound of gunfire. |
"That's
Caje." He said quietly, listening intently. "Germans.
Caje. Germans. Caje and Germans. Caje." |
The gunfire stopped and
Kirby looked at his watch again. |
"Laine, help me stand
up." He said a few minutes later. |
"We aren't
leaving?" She stared at him, aghast. |
"No, I just want to
be able to see better." He assured her. |
He figured to give Caje
and the sarge an hour before leaving. He wanted desperately to go after them, but
with his injured leg and Laine to protect, he couldn't. Laine got to her feet and
helped him up to lean against a tree, standing close by his side. After fifteen
minutes, he eased himself back to the ground at the base of the tree, where he had a
pretty good field of view. Laine remained standing for a few minutes, then sat down
beside him, silent tears running down her face. Kirby glanced at her, and did a
double-take. |
"Laine?"
He asked softly. |
"They're both dead,
and it's my fault." She whispered. |
"How
in he...how do you figure that?" |
"If I hadn't been
there, you guys wouldn't have been here. If he didn't have to protect me, he
wouldn't have had to go out there. Sergeant Saunders was right. I got them
killed." |
"No, Laine. If
they're dead, and that's a big 'if', it was the war that killed them, not you.
It was the Germans, not you." He told her firmly. |
"How he must have
hated me when he went out there." She wiped her eyes. |
"No, Laine. He
doesn't hate you. He doesn't even hate the Germans. He just has a job to do,
and he does it the best way he can. He's been here since D-Day and he knows what
he's doing. Caje, too." |
Kirby figured it sounded
right; he almost had himself convinced. He kept watch while thinking about the best
way to get them both back alive. Hearing something moving in the bushes, he surged to his
knees, totally forgetting about his leg wound. He lifted the heavy BAR onto the log
and waited, reminding himself to breathe. |
"Kirby. It's
me." Kirby nearly collapsed with relief when he heard Caje's voice. |
"Come on
in." He called back. |
Caje came into view,
supporting Saunders with an arm around his waist. When they reached Kirby, Caje
eased Saunders to the ground where he sat leaning against the log, clutching his injured
arm, his eyes closed. While Caje knelt beside him, bandaging his arm, Laine edged
nearer, gasping at the sight of his face. His face was smeared with dirt and blood
and he had a bleeding cut on his cheekbone and a split lip. When he finished, Caje
went to stand watch while Kirby sat down beside Saunders. Laine moved to his other
side, gently smoothing the sweaty blond hair from his forehead. |
"Hey, I forgot.
I brought back a couple of their canteens." Caje tossed them to Kirby. |
Laine reached under her
skirt and tore off a relatively clean piece of her slip. Wetting it, she gently
cleaned Saunders face. She glanced up at Kirby, then back at Saunders,
breaking into a wide smile when his eyes slowly opened. |
"Welcome back,
Sarge." Kirby said. "How do you feel?" |
"Where's
Caje?" He whispered hoarsely. |
"Right here,
Sarge." Caje stepped into his sight. |
"I gave you an
order. You disobeyed it." Even in a whisper, his fury was evident. |
"Well, not exactly,
Sarge." Kirby said. |
"Shut up,
Kirby." Saunders told him. |
"You said 'The two of
you take her back'. You didn't say I had to stay here. I'm back, so the two of
us are taking her back." Caje pointed out. |
"And if you'd gotten
yourself killed trying to rescue me?" |
"If I had any doubts
about it, Sarge, I would have come back here. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would
have left you and come back." Caje told him. |
Saunders continued to
glare at him for a moment, then closed his eyes with a groan. "Ok, smart
guy. Now what?" He asked without opening his eyes. |
"Well, I figured to
give you a little while to rest. Then Laine could help Kirby, and I'd help
you. It will take awhile, but we'll make it back." |
"Gimme
some water." Saunders muttered. |
Kirby held the canteen for
him while he drank greedily, then capped it, looking up at Caje for direction. |
"The shots might
bring more Krauts. Let's move." Saunders straightened. |
"Okay,
Sarge." Caje answered reluctantly. |
"Caje, you help
Sarge. I can use that stick to walk." Kirby said, indicating a fairly
straight, stout branch laying nearby. "Laine, can you carry the BAR?" |
"Yes, of
course." |
"Okay, I'll take
Sarge." Caje agreed. "Laine, you follow us and Kirby will bring up the
rear. And Kirby?" |
"Yeah?" |
"When you need to
rest, be sure to tell me." |
"Count on it,
pal." |
It took all three of them
to get Saunders on his feet and settled against Caje, then Laine picked up the BAR,
determined to carry the heavy weapon. Kirby helped her settle the strap over her
shoulder, easing the weight in her arms. They started walking, stopping frequently
to rest. Saunders was leaning more and more on Caje, till he finally started to
slide to the ground. |
Caje eased him down on his back, and sprawled beside him, breathing
hard. Kirby lay down with a sigh of relief, reaching for his canteen. Laine
sat down beside Saunders, the BAR in her lap, and sponged his face with the damp rag she'd
stuffed in her pocket. He moved restlessly under her touch, but didn't open his
eyes. Caje leaned over and tightened the bandage which showed fresh blood.
Waiting as long as he dared, Caje glanced over at Kirby. |
"Kirby?" |
"Yeah?" |
"Can you go on?" |
"Yeah. Let's
go." |
Caje handed his rifle to
Laine, then bent and started to lift Saunders into his arms. The sergeant's eyes snapped
open and he waved Caje back. |
"I can walk.
Just give me a hand up." |
Caje and Kirby helped him
up again, supporting him while Caje pulled Saunders' arm over his shoulders, then reached
for his rifle. |
"Do you know where
we're going, Caje?" Laine managed a smile. |
"More or
less." He grinned and started walking. |
^^^ |
After a couple hours, and
several more rest stops, Caje stopped suddenly, then stepped behind the cover of
thick berry bushes, lowering the barely-conscious sergeant to the ground. Laine and
Kirby quickly followed, crouching beside the injured man. Kirby took the BAR from Laine,
one hand gently pushing her flat on the ground next to Saunders. |
"Kirby."
Caje whispered. "Am I seeing things?" |
Kirby cautiously rose to
his feet, moving up beside the Cajun. |
"If you are, I am,
too. That's Littlejohn." |
"That's what I
thought. Wait here." |
Caje slipped away without
a sound. Laine and Kirby looked at each other and grinned. A few moments later, he
was back with three men. One wore a white armband with a red cross on it; another,
taller, man had a helmet with a white stripe painted on it. It was the third man
that Laine was staring at. She'd |
never seen such a big man. When he and the red cross man hurried toward the now
unconscious sergeant, she scrambled backward, stopping when she ran into Kirby's
leg. He reached down and helped her to her feet, where she clung to his arm, staring
at the new arrivals. |
"Where'd you come
from, Lieutenant?" Kirby asked in delight. |
"Looking for lost
sheep. How is he, Doc?" |
"He'll be
okay." Doc was busy changing the dressing as he answered. |
"When you get done,
Doc, Kirby has a leg wound." Caje commented. |
"I do? Oh,
yeah, I forgot about it." Kirby laughed. |
"Would one of you
mind telling me who the lady masquerading as a mud puddle is?" Lieutenant Hanley
asked with great restraint. |
"This is Laine
Morris. Laine, Lieutenant Hanley, our CO. That's Doc, and Littlejohn." |
"Does this mean we're
safe?" Laine asked hesitantly. |
"Yes, Laine.
We're safe now." Caje assured her. |
She turned, buried her
face in Kirby's shoulder and burst into tears. Momentarily startled, Kirby recovered
quickly, handing Littlejohn the BAR and putting his arms around her. He tried
patting her shoulder, then settled for just holding her while she cried. Caje
motioned with his head for the lieutenant to follow him a short distance away, where he
explained what had happened. By the time they returned, Laine had regained her
composure, washed her face, and was helping Kirby balance while Doc worked on his leg
wound. |
"Littlejohn, rig up a
stretcher for Saunders." Hanley ordered. |
In short order, they were
on the move again, Littlejohn in the lead, Caje and Doc carrying the sergeant, Kirby
and Hanley walking on either side of Laine. |
"Hold it,
Littlejohn." Doc called a short time later. "Sarge is awake." |
Hanley moved up beside the
stretcher, laying a hand on Saunders' good shoulder and grinning at the bewildered man. |
"How you doing,
Saunders?" He asked. |
"I'm
okay." He answered automatically. "Where'd you come from?" |
"Just out for a walk,
Sergeant. Take it easy, you're on the way home." |
"Caje?
Kirby?" He tried to lift his head. |
"Lay still.
They're fine." Hanley assured him. |
Laine moved up beside
Hanley, reaching out to lay her hand on Saunders head. |
"You clean up
nice." He whispered with a faint grin. |
"Gee, thanks.
You, on the other hand, don't look too great." She smiled. |
"I feel
great." He replied as his eyes drifted shut again. |
"Let's
go." Hanley chuckled. |
They reached camp a short
time later, Saunders and Kirby, despite his protests, being dropped off at the aid
station. Lieutenant Hanley took Laine off for a bath of sorts and clean clothes,
while Caje disappeared with Littlejohn and Doc. |
|
^^^ |
|
When Saunders opened his
eyes again, Laine was sitting beside him, sipping a cup of coffee. He lay still for
a minute, just watching her. |
"Hi." He
said finally, making her jump and nearly drop the cup. |
"Lieutenant?
He's awake." She called softly. |
"Good."
Hanley appeared, lit a cigarette and handed it to him with a grin. "You
constantly amaze me, Sergeant. I send you out on a simple recon patrol, and you come
back with a beautiful woman. Maybe I'll go with you next time." |
"Tell you what,
Lieutenant. Next time you go, and I'll stay here." He grinned. |
"How do you
feel?" |
"A lot better than I
did a couple hours ago." |
"A couple hours ago
was yesterday." Hanley chuckled. |
"Yesterday?"
Saunders repeated in disbelief. |
"Yesterday.
When you sleep, you put your heart into it. You up to seeing the men?" |
"Sure." |
Laine slipped out of the
chair and moved back, watching as the men crowded around their sergeant, obviously
thrilled to see him. Watching him laugh and joke with his men, she saw a whole new
side of him. Gone was the growling, obnoxious, demanding sergeant. In his
place was a happy, carefree young man. |
|
|
^^^ |
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The next morning, Hanley
appeared at Saunders' side just after breakfast. |
"How is it
today?" Hanley asked. |
"Better,
Lieutenant." |
"Miss Morris is going
to do a few songs for the men before we send her off to Paris. Wanna come
listen?" |
"Yes,
sir." He answered with a grin. |
Hanley offered him a hand
up, which he accepted gratefully. Once on his feet, he swayed alarmingly and Hanley
grabbed his arm. |
"You sure you're up
to this, Saunders?" |
"I'm fine,
Lieutenant." Saunders assured him. "I don't want to miss this." |
Hanley gave him a minute
to collect himself, then they walked out of the aid station, arriving just as Laine
started her first song. Standing on the hood of a truck, dressed in a donated uniform, she
sang several songs, then stopped and looked at the men surrounding her. |
"This is a very
special song to the men of King Company. To three very special, very wonderful men.
Sergeant Saunders, Private LeMay, and last but certainly not least, Private Kirby." |
The crowd of men were
absolutely silent as she sang "We'll Meet Again". When she saw that
several of the men standing below her had tears running unashamedly down their faces, she
choked up herself, and finished the song with tears running down her own face. She
managed a shaky smile, then launched into "The Beer Barrel Polka". She
followed that with "God Bless America", then jumped off the truck into
Littlejohn's arms. She gave him a big hug before he set her on her feet, then worked
her way through the crowd to where Saunders stood with Hanley. |
Hanley looked at her, then
at Saunders, and quietly moved away, neither of them noticing his departure. Laine
took his good hand in both of hers and clasped it to her heart, smiling at him through
fresh tears. |
"Sergeant Saunders.
Sarge. I don't think the words have been invented for me to tell you how I feel.
Thank you for taking such good care of me. You yelled at me when I needed
yelled at. You comforted me when I needed that, too. You risked your life for
me. You are a very, very special man and I am so happy that I met you. You take good
care of yourself, Sarge, and when you come home, you write to me. I will come to
you, and we'll have a wonderul evening together. Promise me?" |
Saunders gently freed his
hand and lifted it to run his fingers through her soft hair, ending with his hand on the
back of her neck. |
"I promise,
Laine. When I get back, I'll write to you. You're a brave, beautiful
woman." |
He fell silent, looking
into her green eyes. She leaned forward against his chest, tipping her face up to
meet his kiss, wrapping both arms around his neck. When they finally broke apart,
neither of them heard the entire company cheer. She gently laid her hand against his
bruised cheek, tears streaming down her face, then turned and walked away to the truck
waiting to take her to Paris. Saunders stood alone, watching the truck till
it was out of sight. |
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© September 2000, Mary Wright. All rights reserved Read more Dogface Tales by Mary:
The CombatFan web site thanks Mary (aka "EagleLady") for letting
us share these fan fiction stories on this web site.
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