Love Like Ghosts - Band of Brothers

Chapter 5 - Dead Man's Hand

"Jesus christ! What the hell is he thinking?" A trooper exclaimed while giving suppressing fire for the man.

"Malarkey!" Jo yelled. He got down on his stomach and began to frantically search the dead German.

"Do they think he's a medic?" Liebgott asked with concern.

"They're not firing at him yet." Jo added, then went back behind the metal wall as a bullet ricocheted against the edge.

"Stay low!" The troopers urged Malarkey as he ran back to the trench.

Jo had to pry her eyes away from the scene, it was purely suicidal. He threw himself into the safe zone and panted heavy breaths.

"Forgot your luger?" Guarnere quipped as she shot his gun.

Winters ran to the squad and patted on Guarnere's shoulder to get his attention.

"Where's Lipton with that TNT?" He asked.

"Don't know sir!"

There was more indistinct talking but it was drowned out with a high pitch ringing in Josephine Lambert's ears.

Her eyes squeezed shut amidst all of the chaos. Suddenly, she was pulled into a terror-stricken reality. There she was, huddled behind the remmenants of a tank in the line of enemy fire. Yes, Jo took in the scene around her, but then she really thought about her brother. Henri was stuck in Japan. The fighters there were tremendously more violent and brazen, their tactics at war made for the scariest horror stories. The girl's breathing quickened but she was pulled out of her panic when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

Jo's eyes opened swiftly and she was met with Richard Winters crouched before her.

"Keep moving, Lambert." He echoed. His eyes told her something, something she was glad to receive.

'It'll be okay.'

Jo nodded and pulled herself from behind the tank. She followed the troopers to the next gun.

"Keep your heads down!"

Hearing loud curses, she saw Guarnere get grazed in the arm by a bullet. Jo rushed over to the trooper, albeit his glares at the girl.

"I'm fine." He spat.

"No, you're not. You're bleeding." She countered while ignoring his gaze. Bill Guarnere had always loathed her, shooting daggers at her with his stare and the other female nurses. Jo just pushed her annoyance from his blatant misogyny away as she grabbed his arm without his will to pour the sulpha packet on his wound.

"Jesus Christ." Guarnere hissed at the pain.

"No, my name's Josephine." Jo teased, trying to break the tension.

Just when she thought he was going to go back to glaring, she heard it.

A laugh.

A genuine laugh.

From Bill Guarnere.

She shook off his reaction and immediately bandaged his arm.