" You may see me struggle but you'll never see me quit."
- Unknown
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A few hours passed, as Hazel rested and barely moved from her position, exhausted, and warn out and achy still, with that persistent fever.
" You want a few crackers?" Luz had asked her, leaning over with bright white crackers. She nodded, and took a few from Luz as she ate them slowly. He passed her, her own canteen, which she sipped from.
" I hate being sick." she mumbled as she bit another cracker. Luz looked over at her with a small smile.
" You'll get better soon," Luz said with a smile, " I know you." Hazel smiled.
" This is it, boys. Get across the river, across the field and over the dike."
" That's a lot of territory to cover."
" Where'd you want us to go?" Hashey's voice came in asking Tab and Dukeman where to go. Hazel glanced over as she nibbled on her crackers slowly.
" You Hashey, you get the penthouse." Dukeman said.
" Thank you." Hashey said with exhaustion.
" We're up top." she heard Hashey say as the trio of men slowly walked away.
" Well, that's a lot of territory to cover." she heard Tab say.
" A couple of regular GI Joe's, huh?" Dukeman said with a slight laugh.
" You said it." Tab said with a smile.
" C'mon." Tab said to Trigger before leading him over towards Winters, Hazel and Luz again. Hazel looked up and saw Tab and Trigger and smiled slightly, sniffling, as Trigger came over in between her and Luz and began licking her face again.
" New guys giving the replacements the what for, and why is." Tab said as he sat down close by to Winters. Winters glanced over at him.
" I swear one of them's never shaved." Tab said, and Hazel smiled watching Luz feed Trigger a cracker.
" Yeah, kids." Winters said.
" This is a hell of a dog, Tab." Luz said as the dog began licking his hand for another cracker.
" Thank you," Tab said rather proudly, throwing a stick," There you go."
" What'd you call it, Tab?" Winters asked him, as Luz put the phone on the radio up to his ear again.
" Trigger." Tab said, and Hazel smiled, as Luz handed Hazel another cracker which she ate gratefully.
" That's good, I like that, Trigger." Luz said looking towards the two.
" Got anything on this?" Tab asked Luz, looking towards the radio.
" No, it's all quiet." Luz said, as Hazel sighed, leaning back again. Suddenly, the doors nearby burst open, and Trigger barked. Hazel's head whipped over as Liebgott's voice was the first she heard.
" We've got penetration!" Liebgott yelled, as Tab, Winters and Luz shot up.
" Alley's hurt, we need the Doc." Liebgott said, as Hazel shifted a bit, not able to stand up as she watched Alley, in Liebgott's and a few others arms, bloodied and half conscious.
" Alright, get him on the table!" Winters yelled.
" It's Alley?"
" Yeah, it's Alley!" Hazel watched as Lipton jumped down from his perch. Hazel watched with worrisome eyes. Chaos rung out in front of Hazel as the group of men maneuvered Alley onto the table. Hazel slowly stood to her feet, as Trigger started barking a bit louder and she got a grip on his fur to hold him back. Hazel watched, standing a bit further back from the table as people called out to each other.
" Alley, you're gonna be ok." Winters said, " Boyle, get Doc Roe."
" Where am I?" Alley asked, as people surrounded the table. Hazel noticed Catherine, standing next to Liebgott, with blood covering her hands, hair falling from its ponytail, exhausted.
" Something happened, what happened?" Alley pleaded, as Lip hovered over him. Catherine hurried around to Alley's face next to Lip and gently brushed at his hair looking down on him with sad eyes.
" You'll be ok." she said softly, as he stared up at her.
" Where was it?" Winters asked.
" Crossroads, where the road crosses the dike." Liebgott answered.
" If it wasn't for your loud mouth, they'd have never known we was there." Lesniewski snapped, as Hazel stepped closer with Trigger who was panting, watching as Liebgott put a cloth to an evident wound on his neck. Hazel's eyes turned worried, as she watched the blood on his neck, splashed up in a speckled pattern across the underside of his chin.
" Hey, you know what, Joe, back off." Liebgott snapped back. Hazel's eyes saddened watching him from far away.
" Lesniewski, send a runner for Lieutenant Welsh." Winters called to him.
" Lipton, assemble me a squad." Winters told Lip quickly.
" Yes, sir, first squad, on your feet!" Lip yelled, " Weapons and ammo only!" People turned immediately from Alley, just as Gene came running in, his helmet shoved on his head, with exhausted eyes, and his bag slapping, looking rather thin, at his thighs.
" Give me room!" Gene called as he hurried over and Hazel stepped closer up on Alley's side, peering down at him, as Catherine moved quickly away from Alley's side to pick up her weapon again, and move out with 2nd platoon's 1st squad. Alley's eyes were wide and glossed over with fear, as the blood colored his face like a painting. His lips quivered, as he stared at the ceiling, the bright light above them, seeming to barely be a bother to him. Hazel's heart broke for him.
" Boyle, get his boots off, elevate the leg. Liebgott use the sulphur." Gene ordered. Hazel felt her stomach twirl at the site of the blood, as she glanced towards Gene who was working near Alley's head to make sure he was still awake.
" Alright, let's get this done quickly, we gotta move, not too much. Hey Alley." Gene said in a rush of words. Hazel watched, as once Boyle adjusted Alley's feet, he moved away to get his weapon, and follow 1st squad. Hazel was watching helplessly as Liebgott met her eyes, holding the cloth to his wound.
" I gotta go, Doc." Liebgott said, as he flipped the sulphur to the ground.
" You sure you don't want that thing on your neck checked out first?" Gene called to him as he brushed some of the blood from Alley's face with a soft hand.
" Nah, Doc, I'm fine. I gotta hook up with 2nd." Liebgott said.
" I'll go with you." Hazel said, as Liebgott and Gene looked to her.
" No fucking way, Tiny." Liebgott said, as he grabbed his helmet, and pushed it to his head.
" I can go and help, I'm fine." Hazel protested letting go of Trigger, to grab her helmet and rifle which was nearby. Her muscles ached as she leaned down and grabbed her weapon, but she pushed it out of her mind. Liebgott watched the visible grimace her body gave off, and Liebgott had never wanted more in that moment to tuck her into a nice warm bed and actually give her a place to get better in.
" No, you're sick." Liebgott told her watching as she shouldered her weapon and then put on her helmet, looking at him with flushed checks and fever filled eyes.
" Lieb, I'm fine." she said looking at him, with a hard stare. Liebgott went to protest as he watched the girl look up at him with quiet determination.
" You're not going, Hazel, you're sick." Liebgott told her, worry in his voice as he said it with force.
" Joe, I'm fine." Hazel said, looking up at his worry-filled eyes.
" You're sick, Hazel," Joe said to her, his eyes searching hers.
" I'll be okay." she said softly. Hazel's eyes went to the wound on his neck. It looked worse.
" Lieb, your neck." she whispered, as the blood came around the bandage.
" I'm fine, you're not, you need to rest." Liebgott told her.
" I'm coming with you." Hazel told him, eyes looking into his determined. Liebgott couldn't fight her.
" Let's go." Hazel said, as she walked past Liebgott, who glanced towards Gene in defeat. Gene merely shrugged to him, before Liebgott turned and followed after the girl to meet up with the mass of 1st squad.
" Hazel, you're sick." Liebgott said once they were outside of the barn and in the darkness as a gentle rain slowly pattered down.
" I want to fight." Hazel said looking up at him. Liebgott looked over at her as she bit her lip to herself, looking even more flushed in the face. When the two late arrivals showed up where the rest of 1st squad was about to head out, Winters noticed Hazel making her way over. He immediately walked over to her with a raised brow, as Catherine noticed Hazel there as well.
" What are you doing, Hazel? You're sick." Winters said looking down at her.
" I want to fight, sir, I'm your only sniper." she said with a nod looking at him.
" I don't want you getting sicker." Winters protested.
" I'm fine, sir, I promise." Hazel answered, she didn't want sickness to stop her. Winters looked down at her in the darkness. She looked really sick, but he wouldn't hold back at soldier who was willing to fight.
" Alright, let's move out!" Winters called over the group, as 1st squad assembled quickly and began moving together. Catherine moved up to Hazel's side, with her bloody hands, exhausted eyes, and dirt covered face, with her Thompson secured in her fingers.
" Are you sure you're ok, Hazel?" Catherine asked her, as more droplets of light rain came down on them.
" I'll be fine, Mack, promise." Hazel said with a convincing nod. Catherine nodded, yet her worry, she knew, would not back down for the girl.
The squad was led by Winters and Talbert towards the crossroads checkpoint. Every man and woman in the squad remained quiet, crouched, and cautious as they moved towards the checkpoint through the hedgerows. Hazel took quiet steps, as she remained near the front with Winters, Tab, and Luz. Winters had wanted her up front with him as they approached the check point because he wanted to make sure he could keep an eye on her if she started feeling worse. Hazel's eyes though, remained as alert as they could be through the feverish ways she felt, and her focus on the tiny things remained sharp. When she had been sick as a teen, after her father had left, she would have to work through the sickness, for her mother's sake. Hazel didn't want her mother to have to worry about her in all the chaos of their life, when her mother had enough on her plate as a single woman raising Hazel.
Hazel, in a way, felt more so immune to it all.
Hazel glanced back towards the squad that moved cautiously through the Holland hedgerows, and caught Catherine's eye; Catherine delivered with a quiet nod. When Hazel glanced forward again, a rapid spit-fire of gunshots rang out quickly, and Hazel slammed herself, more like tripped over her foot, to the ground, and looked up slowly from the cold, muddy ground through the dewy grass towards Winters and Tab. Her head gave a dull pound and she gritted her teeth.
" MG-42?" she heard Tab ask WInters from her position curled up next to Luz.
" Yeah." Winters answered.
" What the hell are they shootin' at?" Tab asked, " What's down that road?"
" Regimental headquarters." Winters answered, " But that's three miles away. Why are they giving away their position?"
" They ain't as smart as me and you?" Tab asked, and Hazel chuckled to herself. Gunfire continued to ring out ahead of them as Catherine slowly moved through the multiple men to Winters and Tab.
" I think I'll check it out anyway." Winters said, " Hold here, wait for my signal."
" Yes, sir." Tab answered. Winters watched as Catherine slowly crouched next to Tab and looked towards Winters.
" McCown," Winters said as she nodded, " when I reach the top, I'll turn to you for a signal, and you'll follow me up. I'll meet you up there."
" Yes, sir." Catherine answered with a nod. Catherine watched from next to Tab as Winters looked up and then slowly got to his feet and went up the side of the hill towards the top.
" Holding here, I'm waitin' for a signal, Mack's following Winters' up." Tab told Luz who nodded. Luz turned and quickly translated in hand signals to the men and woman behind him. Catherine and Tab watched as Winters slowly made his way to the top, jumping over the top as a slew of gunshots rang out. Winters turned and signaled to Catherine. Catherine nodded, as Tab, ever the gentlemen, helped her over the hump to get to high ground.
" Good luck," Tab told her as she offered him a warm smile, and followed after Winters as her heart pounded in her chest. Catherine quickly moved to the top and flipped over the side in next to Winters in the dirt, before the two slid down the side, near the road.
Catherine flipped to her back, as did Winters next to her. He glanced over her tiny frame towards the road head where gunshots had previously come from. Then he nodded to her and the two quickly stood, crouched and hurried over to the opposite side of the road. Catherine slid down first, and Winters slid in behind her, glancing over her helmet and shoulder toward the end of the road.
Another round of gunshots rang out from the road head as Catherine heard Winters' breath in her ear. Her and Winters both glanced down at the hedgerows, which they silently agreed would be good enough for the squad to come over to.
" Stay here," Winters told her.
" Yes, sir." she said, as the two glanced down the road. Catherine watched as Winters ran back across the road and then up the side of the tiny hill, before landing on his stomach. Hazel watched as Tab absorbed the signals from Winters at the top of the hill. They were in the clear. Tab nodded, before turning to the group. The group waited as gunshots shot out before a hand waved them forward.
Hazel quickly stood, and followed up next to Luz towards the top of the hill. She was sweating cold sweat; she could feel it. Once she reached the top, Luz looked over and saw her, paler than ever in the moonlight, and gladly helped her over the hedge before they slid down the other side, stopping at the road, as heads and eyes glanced towards the end. Tab gave the signal and the group moved across the road to the other side where Catherine and now Winters awaited. Catherine gave a go to the two machine gunners who raced down a few yards before setting up their gun towards the road block. The rest of the squad rolled down into the squad that Winters had designated for them.
Each man and woman filed in side by side, slamming into the Earth and the dirt, before another round of gunfire went off, and all heads shifted towards the sound. Now, a few German voices could be heard from the area.
" This is our fallback position, here." Winters stated, as he pointed to the general vicinity.
" Mortars, deploy here! Sniper, move with the radio." Winters called to the one mortar squad or Skip, Penkala and Malarkey that had joined them and Hazel who nodded, " First squad on me!"
" Go!" Winters called, as he turned and took off down the hedgerow.
Luz tapped Hazel's shoulder and she quickly joined him as they moved down the back, perpendicular to the hedge Winters went down with 1st squad. Mortar squad set up their positions close by as Luz and Hazel continued a bit further down. Luz then stopped and turned to Hazel and she nodded. Luz slammed to the ground and Hazel moved in next to him, setting up her scope so her view was that of the men moving into their positions and the machine gunners and the Germans. Hazel squinted as she looked through the scope, fixing her scope to a deeper and clearer vision. Hazel watched through her scope as Winters halted the squad that was moving, as the German voices were louder and clearer. She could see clearly through her scope as Winters climbed up the dike towards the road. She had him in her vision clearly. The rain came down a bit harder, but not to the point where it was overkill. Hazel could clearly see there were Germans walking around near the top, talking, acting as if there wasn't a squad of American paratroopers down in the hedgerow. They continued to fire shots, and Hazel could see that clearly. Hazel watched as Winters turned and signaled to the squad below in the nearest hedgerow.
Catherine sat beside Tab, as he raised his arm to move people forward. Tab nodded to Catherine and the two moved like clockwork next to each other as they moved up the dike, the rest of the squad following, slowly and cautiously. The squad reached the dip in the road, and slid in securely in varied positions, weapons aimed toward the Germans. Catherine slid into a spot, and Tab moved in next to her as the two careful set up their weapons, quickly and quietly.
" Second on the left." Winters came over and whispered to Tab.
" Third on the left." Winters told Catherine and she nodded, before setting up comfortably and aiming towards the man in her sight. She followed him with her eye as he moved around, walking and talking and jabbing about his day it seemed.
" Wait for my signal." Winters told the group quietly, as more gunshots rang out. Another German voice called out roughly, as Catherine squinted her eye. Winters set up not far from Tab and Catherine. Everyone seemed concentrated on the man they had to keep their eye on, as Catherine made adjustments to her position. Then suddenly Winters shot his weapon and a loud bang echoed out. Then everyone else's shots followed, as well as German screams and yells. Shots continued to fire out from Catherine's Thompson as she continued shooting her weapon with accuracy, taking down man after man.
" Fall back!" Winters called, as Catherine took another shot towards the Germans, filled with anger. The minute he said that a mortar round went off. Catherine felt Tab's hand on her shoulder as he pulled her back from her zone she worked herself into, and she nodded to him as she slid back down the road and the dike toward the fall back area. That's when the machine gun opened up.
Mortar rounds continued to shoot off, as Catherine jumped into the hedgerow behind Tab and quickly followed him towards the fallback position. Then she heard a loud, ear, piercing gun shot, and knew it was Hazel from her position with Luz. Shots from the Germans came firing back at the retreating first squad. Catherine turned down where Hazel and Luz were and slammed against the dirt as she set up her weapon, to fire back at the Krauts. Catherine watched as she opened up on her shots, as the machine gunners fell back as well.
" Suppressing fire!" Winters continued to yell, as he neared Luz and Hazel near the end of the line. He slammed in next to Luz who was on the phone with Welsh.
" Harry, tell Peacock to bring up the balance of 1st platoon on the double!" Winters yelled through the phone as Luz glanced towards him. " And another machine-gun squad, over!"
" Dukeman!" Winters yelled. Hazel glanced over from her sniper as Dukeman ran over to Winters.
" Go get that machine-gun on the right flank, go!" Winters yelled, " Christenson!" Hazel turned back to her scope as an explosion set off.
" Fuck, Dukeman's down!" someone yelled, as Luz moved his own rifle into position and began firing back. They had no medic; he would die.
The gunfire from both sides slowly seized and it came to a bland stalemate. Hazel couldn't stop coughing or sneezing, which she wasn't entirely too pleased about in the slightest, simply because she knew the Germans could hear it. Hazel was hunkered down next to Luz in the dark, after the shooting had stopped, with multiple blankets over top of her, attempting to keep her warm as she worked out a fever. She had never been more miserable as she lay there, the rain coming down rather heavily by this point, freezing and sick as a dog.
Catherine, who was doing rounds with Tab now, would check on her constantly, her worry for the girl constant at this point. Eventually Luz removed his battery, and let the girl snuggle against him for warmth, as she hacked and sneezed and coughed away. But Luz, who grew up with an abundance of siblings, was used to it whenever his siblings would get sick, so having the young girl cuddled against him wasn't any different than one of his younger sisters. Hazel eventually fell asleep, when Catherine came by on her 5th check with Tab. Hazel was snoring, mainly because of her stuffed up nose, but otherwise warm, and fast asleep.
" If she wakes up and says she feels bad, you'll let me know, right Luz?" Catherine asked Luz as she stood in the rainy moonlight.
" Of course, I'll call you over." Luz said with a smile. Catherine nodded before turning and following through with Tab on rounds. Tab looked toward Catherine who looked rather troubled at the current moment.
" You ok?" Tab asked her as he stepped past Perconte and Cobb. " Lieutenant?"
" It's Hazel," Catherine said as she bit her lip, " she worries me sometimes what she throws herself into. She's sick as a dog." Tab looked at Catherine who seemed rather distraught about the entire thing, fiddling with the loose piece of fabric on her Thompson every so often.
" She'll be ok, Mack. You know that." Tab said looking at Catherine. Catherine nodded, seemingly trying to convince herself.
" Yeah, she'll be fine; she has Luz." Catherine said with a nod, eyes sad and unfocused.
" I don't know, Tab, she's like a little sister to me, I'd hate to see her get so sick simply because she was out here fighting when she could've been back with Gene." Catherine said.
" Have you seen her? Sickness seems to be the least worrisome thing on that girl's mind." Tab said and Catherine offered a tiny smile.
" You're right." Catherine said, " Just seeing her sick, it just sucks, you know? Seeing people you love, sick?" Tab nodded.
" Yeah, I know what you mean." Tab said, as the rain pelted the tiny droplets of water against the dirty ODs, sending shivers down their spines.
" I'm just tired of all this, Tab. I'm real tired." Catherine said. Holland was hell, everything about it was absolute hell. Tab gently placed a hand on her back and left it there as they walked.
" Me, too, Mack." he said with a nod, " Me too."
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hello! back with another update for you all :) i hope you've been enjoying these chapters as much as i have, personally, they just distract me from the world and help me cope. it's nice to have!
thank you so much and i appreciate you all so much!! :)