" Even a strong woman, needs a shoulder to lean on, someone who'll just listen as tears roll down to her face, and remind her that no matter how far she's fallen, she'll get up stronger and wiser than before. "
-unknown
( a/n ) i just wanted to say thank you so much for 1k reads! it means so much to me that people seem to be enjoying my story!! thank you all so much once again!!
WARNING: a form of assault against charlotte, read cautiously - verbal abuse ( short )
***
" Wait, Charlotte!" Liebgott called his voice getting swallowed up by the commotion. She pushed through the crowd, attempting to keep her head down and out of sight, but the immense onslaught of tears that webbed their way into her vision didn't help. A hand caught her and she spun to meet some of Phillips' old friends from Dog Company.
" Oh look, Easy's girl's crying. What's wrong, sweetheart, cat got your tongue, boy you like hate ya? Someone upset your weak heart? Did Thomas Bernadad write another article?" he answered, the group around him laughing.
" Leave me alone." she mumbled, trying to push past but the hold only grew tighter. She winced in pain. She gripped her medic bag close and tried to push away, the men just holding tighter. Her cheeks were flamed a bright red and her tears were coming faster, attempting to leak from her eyes, but she sucked them down. She wasn't going to let one fall in front of him. He didn't deserve her tears, none of them were deserving of them. The situation felt all too similar to her as Phillips' friend, William Thompson pulled her closer to him, his face meeting hers.
" Oh come on, just one kiss for Phillips." he cooed, the men laughing and jeering. His face continued to come closer as she tried to force herself away.
" Please stop." she said quieter now, her voice drowning itself out from the rest. It was assault. The forced kiss was worse. She was trying to push William away but he was stronger. She pushed him away, but he forced her back on, reaching for her collar of her shirt. She let out a broken cry before she was pulled back and a wonderful voice filled her ears.
" Let her fucking go man!" Liebgott's voice hollered, silencing the group of Dog soldiers.
" Let's get outta here." Liebgott whispered in her ear, leading her away from the scene. She was on the verge of tears by this point, Dog Company laughing and cat calling to the two in the back. Liebgott and Charlotte reached the top deck, in hopes of fresh air calming her down. She was shaking, and as soon as they reached the railing of the boat, Charlotte retched over the edge, Liebgott rubbing her back gently. She pulled back, wiping her mouth with a shaking hand. Liebgott watched the girl, their sunshine, now shaken and eyes filled with unshed tears in front of him. He'd hurt her, and now she'd only gotten hurt more.
" I-I..I-I'm sorry. I-I d..don't know w-w-why he di-id that." she stuttered out, her voice wavering and cracking as she attempted to speak normally. What surprised Liebgott is, she wasn't crying. He had never seen her cry before, and yet as he stood here, he watched as she kept her firm stance up in front of him, swallowing the tears in her eyes as she watched the sea with crossed arms. Joe stood there not really sure how to approach the situation. She was shaking still though, her breathing uneven and labored.
So he hugged her.
And she immediately hugged him back, shoving her head into his shoulder, hiding from the world for a bit. Her breathing slowed gradually, but she didn't shed a tear.
" What's going on here?" a voice asked, making Joe look up from Charlotte seeing Winters and Nixon standing there, looking at the two. Joe looked the two in the eye not speaking. They knew.
" What's going on, Liebgott?" Winters asked dropping the formalities and getting to the point concern growing in his voice.
" Something happened between her and the men from Dog Company. I don't know if you want the details now, because it might upset her, sir." He explained, looking down at the poor girl who was now peaking up from Joe's chest with big tear-filled eyes.
" Hey, Nix, take Charlotte somewhere to calm down. Joe we can talk now." said Winters looking towards Joe. He nodded. Charlotte came back from Joe and she only looked right into his eyes.
" I'll come back ok? We can talk when I come back. Go with Lieutenant Nixon? Ok?" Joe cooed gently towards Charlotte. She nodded before turning to Nixon, who wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and led her away. Winters turned to Liebgott.
" What happened?" He asked leaning against the railing.
" She went off to get supplies from the medical desk, sir, a bit angrily, but she wasn't feeling that good either. I went to call after her and when I found her, a man from Dog Company was verbally abusing her and then forced her to kiss him. I pulled him off and took her away from the situation, sir." explained Liebgott. Winters studied Joe. He looked shaken up a bit.
" She's like a little sister, sir. Seeing her like that, I've never felt like that in my life." Joe said quietly.
" Head back down to Easy, Liebgott. I'll take care of this. Thank you for telling me." Winters said nodding to Joe.
" Sir." Joe answered with a nod before turning and going back downstairs. Nixon had an arm around Charlotte who was sipping hot chocolate as he sipped coffee. He was gently rubbing her shoulder as she sat curled against him. Winters came up next to them, startling Nixon, but Charlotte looked frozen sipping her hot drink. She was quiet.
" Charlotte?" Winters asked the young girl, who was dazed staring forward.
" Sunshine?" he started again. The young girl turned her head to look up at him, the sadness seeping into him. Winters sighed and went over sitting next to Charlotte's opposite side.
" Joe told me what happened, and if you want to bunk with Nix and I, we are completely fine with that." Winters stated, the young girl looking up at him with glazed eyes.
" I'm ok, sir. I promise. Easy's got my back." she answered, her lip trembling. Winters didn't want to push the girl, but the thought of her going back down there with all the men, rattled him to the core.
" Are you sure?" Winters asked. Charlotte nodded.
" I'm ok." she said softly again, a small sunshine smile on her lips. She was smiling through her pain and tears and that's what made her beautiful. As Charlotte made her way down to the bunks alone with her cup of hot chocolate, she was quiet and solemn. Many of the men were asleep in their bunks or chatting with the person next to them. She enjoyed that it was quiet for once, and as she reached Easy's section, some people sat up noticing her arrival. But she walked past to her bunk. She placed her hot chocolate on a flat area before climbing up to her bunk and settling in.
Easy watched the girl, silent and sad. The girl was facing Gene and away from the other bunks as he saw the sadness in her eyes. He could only reach over and rub her hand with his thumb gently. She hadn't let a tear fall, and that was all she needed to make herself happy for now.
About 2 weeks later, the S.S. Samaria had docked itself into the harbors of England, at Swindon. Easy then moved to Aldbourne. Easy was settling itself into the daily lives of the people of Aldbourne. Charlotte thought the town was beautiful. The homes, the places, the views, the people, everything made Charlotte happy and the men could see that. They were glad to see her happy especially after the boat ride where she stayed quieter and subdue. Charlotte, upon request of Lt. Winters, had been billeted with Joe Liebgott. He'd seen what happened to her on the ship, and at the moment Winters thought that was the best idea for housing. The two were with a lovely mother of 4, who's husband was at war. Her children ranging from ages 4-14 were all extremely nice and well kept, and a relief for Charlotte, which Joe saw.
Charlotte, in early training had talked in lengths about her siblings and her younger cousins and things like that, so he knew she was happy to see kids again. When the two first arrived, Mrs. Elizabeth Fredricks was there with a smile, her children at her skirt behind her staring up at amazement at the American Soldiers in front of them that they'd heard about for weeks.
" It's so nice to finally meet you both, I have dinner already on the table if you don't mind." Elizabeth said with a smile. " We'll get to know each other, the children haven't stopped asking questions!" Charlotte smiled wide. Elizabeth let them set their things down in the main hall before leading them to dinner. The table was filled with the 7 spots, as well as roast beef, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and bread. Charlotte's stomach grumbled at the sight. Her and Joe sat down next to each other at the given seat as the children and their mother took their seats as well.
The two soldiers filled their plates, with everything in front of them. The little one, Thomas who was 4, was eating with a smile on his face. Judy who was 7, was watching in amazement as Joe ate beside Charlotte, her eyes wide. Then there was Robert, who preferred the name Bobby at age 13, eating his fill, but also stunned by Joe and Charlotte as well. Then there was Mary, the 14 year old, who's cheeks had stayed red the entire time Joe was in the room.
" So, how was your trip over?" Elizabeth asked, and Joe and Charlotte knew she was just trying to be nice, but she didn't know the other side. Joe spoke up after swallowing.
" Was as good as it got, ma'am. Pretty stuffy conditions down in the center of the boat, but Easy's used to that." answered Joe.
" Make yourselves at home, here. And get some rest tonight, I'll have breakfast at 6 tomorrow since you'll be leaving early." confirmed Elizabeth.
" Why do you talk funny?" asked Judy looking at the two.
" Judith." scolded her mother, but Charlotte only smiled wider.
" It's fine, I promise you." she said. " We're from America, so we talk with this type of accent, the same goes to you guys with your British ones to Joe and me." The kids were in complete awe, and that only warmed Charlotte's heart. The room that two had to share was better than what they'd had in over a year. There was only one bed, but having to share rooms, bunks, and beds with the boys every night, Charlotte didn't care. She was exhausted. She got an actual shower for the first time in a while that night. She was able to scrub any grime from her skin, any sweat or dirt, and the grease. She scrubbed her hair, and got it lavender smelling again. She was in bliss. She even brushed her teeth with a proper tooth brush and her hair with a hair brush. She was warm and comfortable for once. She stepped out of the bathroom quietly, crawling into the bed quietly next to Joe. She snuggled comfortably into the pillow, sighing in content at the comfort she felt. She turned and faced Joe who had a small smile on his face.
" Good night, Joe." she whispered, a small smile on her.
" Good night, Sunshine." he answered. Her smile grew. Their practices were tougher now that they were officially in England. The medics were given more intricate lessons and things to memorize, which only made Charlotte more exhausted, but she didn't mind. Working with Gene and Spina was fun, and the three always enjoyed each other's company no matter how late and long they were out. The lectures with their Captains and Lieutenants hadn't gotten any easier, but more enjoyable as everyone got comfortable and settled in. Most days the medics trained away from the rest of the Company, but sometimes they worked together as a platoon or battalion to move across 'battlefields' and practice if someone was wounded.
The day was bright, some misty fog sweeping over England in the early fall. Easy Company stood in their respective platoons, as a drill instructor explained the purpose of what it meant to physically fight someone. Charlotte had glanced around a bit awkwardly when they'd been pushed to grab a partner that has a similar build to themselves. Her cheeks flamed as she watched everyone slowly begin to pair up and she stood wishing silently she were in a different place. She loved her boys, but she had nowhere near a similar build compared to all of them not even Perconte. She felt a hand on her shoulder then, and turned to see it was Joe Toye.
" Come on, partner." he said. She quirked a brow in his direction. He looped an arm over her shoulder with a small smirk her direction and led her towards an opening. She stood facing him slightly shocked.
" Partner?" she asked.
" Battle Buddy? Fighting Friend? I don't know just go with it, sunshine." he said as she giggled. Toye smiled.
" Get into your prepared fighting positions." their instructor shouted. Joe came up behind Charlotte, and let his arm hang down.
" Attack!" the instructor called. Charlotte grunted, reaching up, grabbing Toye's arm and launching the man over her shoulder to the ground, before getting to her knee and fake punching him. She looked down on Toye with the widest smile he ever did see, her 2 dimples appearing as she did so.
" Shit, sunshine." muttered Toye as she helped him to his feet. He rolled out his shoulder as she grinned.
" Set." called the instructor as she now stood behind Toye, and hung her arm loosely over his shoulder. He glanced back down at the short figure.
" I don't want to hurt you." he said, glancing at the drill instructor.
" Joe, I'll be fine promise. I'm not as fragile as you think." she said, smirking. Toye wanted to believe her, but the thought of throwing down someone he thought of as a younger sister and who also happened to be a young lady, wasn't settling well with him.
" Attack!" the instructor yelled. Joe gritted his teeth as he flung the girl over his shoulder, slamming her body onto the ground, before giving a quick fake punch. He feared to give a look down on the girl, but smiled when he saw her actually smiling that beautiful smile, up at him. He didn't want to admit it, but her presence and smile made him soft, and he couldn't help but smile to at the girl. He helped her to her feet, smiling the entire time.
" Okay, yesterday, we talked about magnetic declination and the left add, right subtract rule. Today we're gonna put it into practice." Welsh explained to the group of men in front of him. It was raining out, and for the most part, Charlotte understood what they were learning. As a medic on the front lines, you don't run around with a weapon, you save lives. But you still had to learn to read a compass.
" When I say magnetic declination or magnetic variance, what do I mean?" Welsh tested. No one went to raise their hand, so Charlotte jumped at the chance and raised her hand.
" Yes, Tarvers?" Welsh called, awaiting her answer.
" The horizontal line that differs magnetic north and true north." Charlotte explained, " But it can change overtime because of the constant movement of Earth."
" Thank you for that nice review, Tarvers." Welsh said, walking over to a box and pulling out some compasses. Charlotte smirked.
Lipton stood above the mass of 2nd platoon, just coming from 1st, explaining the differences between fighting positions and the importance of fox holes.
" There are two basic types of fighting positions. The first is the prepared position. The advantages of a prepared position are that it gives you cover and concealment. The second is the hastily dug, prone position, that is used for a quicker way to take cover when you need shelter and protection quickly." Lipton explained. Charlotte was ankle-deep with her boots in the sludge of mud from the rain in England. It wouldn't stop raining. Every morning they woke and it was raining, they would be in the middle of a flanking maneuver and it'd downpour with thunder and lightning. It seemed to be the only constant so far. Charlotte and Gene began assisting more in the 'missions' Sobel, Sink, and Winters along with Welsh, usually came up with.
They were there most of the time, except when they were off training for medicinal skills, and they worked hard to show their place as a medic in their respective platoons. The men who were assigned M1's, Thompsons, machine gunner partners, bazooka, like Chuck, or practice with the pistol, would always have a group of people from Easy watching. In most cases, this was where Gene and Charlotte would head back to the main central town square in Aldbourne back in a little barn where the medics practiced, but today they weren't dismissed and they were, in a way, confused. The 3 platoons of Easy huddled in a formed semi-circle around the two medics as Sink walked up with a hand pistol and gave it to Charlotte.
" I'm sorry, sir, but why are you giving me this?" she asked.
" As a medic, you don't have a weapon. However, if you drop into enemy territory and you kill or capture a German, you might want to take his pistol as a safety precaution. And you might want to be able to know how to shoot it." he explained to the girl as she glanced at the weapon in her hand. She'd never shot a weapon, that could kill someone before, so it was kinda a weird feeling in the tremors of her body, but she ignored it as she lifted the pistol up in front of her face, pointed toward the target rather far away from where they stood. Her hands clasped the cool object, as she felt she was pretty lined up. Sink came up to her side and noticed how well she held the pistol, without any experience.
" Is this the first time, you've ever held one of these?" he asked her.
" Yes, sir." she answered with a nod. She then pulled the trigger, and a loud shot rang out of the field. She pulled it again and again and again until the magazine went empty. She quickly, her confidence growing in large strides, slapped the magazine from its holster into her hand, popped it to her pocket, sliding the new magazine out and shoving it up with a snap before cocking the weapon quickly, and taking aim. She fired off the rest of the magazine. She glanced at Sink and the men. Someone let out a low whistle.
" Remind me never to get on Sunshine's bad side." called out Luz, and Charlotte smirked his way. The group let out collectives chuckles and laughs, as Gene stepped up and took his turn. He was equally as good, leaving the rest of the company completely in awe. Easy's medics came equipped with naturally good eyesight, and the pick-ups of the littlest things, like how you have to notch the gun a bit to the left to make sure that's how straight you want it to go, or the millisecond between firing bullets could possibly mean life or death, and that others may never consider that.
However, the company was proud.
The medics never even touched a weapon and they were just about as good as them, or better at shooting a weapon.
___
thanks for reading!