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Solstice by
Doc |
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Acknowledgements:
As always I have people to thank for their assistance in this endeavor.
Lee – thanks for all things military.
I have to admit that I ignored many of his recommendations for
this particular story for stylistic reasons, but that all were greatly
appreciated and those that I did use have greatly enhanced the feel of
the story.
Mel – thanks as usual for reading and for hosting the Storynook.
Without you we’d have no place to post these little mental
meanderings and we’d all be the poorer for it.
And to my own Flyboy who actually read one scene at a time as it
was written because he couldn’t wait to find out what happened.
Note: <” “> denotes a foreign language being spoken. In this story it will be either French or German as will be apparent. A
haze of smoke drifted lazily through the forest, thick enough to block
much of the afternoon sun and turn the day into premature twilight, a no
man’s island of frozen time. Tree
branches lay everywhere from the shelling, leaving the stark limbless
trunks jutting five to ten yards up from the earth, beseeching arms
reaching heavenward with no chance of redemption.
The smell of hot metal slipped insidiously beneath the earthier
odors of loam and decaying leaves, of sweat and blood and fear. The
medic lay facedown in the dirt, chin tucked tight against his chest and
his arms wrapped securely around his head.
The concussion of the 88s pounding into the lines reverberated
through his body, ears popping in the changing pressure and muscles
jumping along the length of his legs, making him want to move, to run, to
be anywhere but here. He knew
the sensation wasn’t entirely due to the artillery.
He felt a desperate need to get back to that gully, an aching
desire that crawled along his nerves like an unscratchable itch.
The gully where they’d left the sergeant.
Were forced to leave the sergeant.
Soon, soon. He
shifted his elbows slightly and raised his head, the thumb and index
finger of his right hand gripping the edge of his helmet as if he expected
it to be snatched away by gunfire. When
nothing happened, he cautiously eased up a little more, the tendons in his
neck screaming at him as he twisted to look down the line. The
corporal stared back at him from a distance of forty feet.
Between them lay the prone bodies of the squad, weapons held close
at hand as they burrowed deeper into their hastily dug foxholes, all knees
and elbows and helmets. It
was impossible to tell who was who. Who
was there and who wasn’t. The
corporal glanced at his watch and then held up one hand, all five fingers
extended. Five minutes.
Five endlessly long minutes until the bombardment would end.
At least from their side. The
medic blinked, his blue eyes awash with smoke provoked tears.
He nodded almost imperceptibly and dropped his head within the
protective circle of his arms once more. ***
***
*** The
gully was full of dead bodies. And
pieces of dead bodies.
Doc lay as flat as he could, his nose and mouth tucked into the
crook of his elbow in an effort to filter the oxygen he was sucking into
his lungs. The stench of death and cordite left a bitter taste in the
back of his throat and he swallowed convulsively, choking and gagging
until he had to lift his head, gulping in a huge chestful of tainted air.
He felt like he had no control over his breathing, panting heavily
in fear and apprehension. He could feel the damp earth leaching his body heat and
shivered despite the occasional fingers of warm sun on his back. The
barrage seemed to last forever. He
knew he needed to move, to haul himself up the steep slope and find the
rest of the squad. He also
knew that it would be suicidal to do so, the Germans already dug in not
forty yards away. The occasional snap of machine gun fire passed over his head
and slapped into the very trees he was hoping would give him refuge.
He sighed, silently cursing himself for not watching where he’d
put his feet, for tripping and falling, rolling all the way back down into
the gully unnoticed while the rest of the men raced on, trying to
outdistance the Krauts. Twenty
minutes ago, all thoughts of expanding the beachhead had crumbled at the
sight of the Tigers lined up, their crewmen sighting carefully on the
surprised Americans. Survivors
found themselves retreating over the same terrain they’d fought for so
hard only moments prior as the 88’s came in.
In their haste, it was easy to overlook one medic among the fallen,
especially when that medic hadn’t cried out to his buddies, alerting
them to his misfortune. It had been instinctive, the desire to protect his own rooted
deeply in Doc’s heart and reinforced on a daily basis as he risked his
life to save others. Unfortunately,
that desire had gotten him into this mess, alone and unarmed between the
wavering American lines and the relentless German offensive. Daring
to raise his head, Doc stared along the natural depression in the earth,
squinting into the hazy smoke. He
thought he could see a slight bend in its path and an increase in the
number of spindly shrubs growing like an afterthought at the meeting of
the two slopes. If he could only get there, maybe, just maybe he could
shelter under the green leaves and inch his way along into the woods.
Just maybe. Shoving
his medical bag onto his back, Doc carefully slid his arms out from under
his body, wincing at the pins and needles that crept down from his elbows
and into his hands. He flexed
his fingers, opening and closing his fists to increase the circulation as
he looked back over his shoulder, watching the tree line behind which lay
the hidden enemy. There was
no movement, but Doc knew they were there, patiently waiting for the end
of the barrage. He had to go
now. He
crawled forward, scant inches at a time, digging the toes of his boots
into the loam and pressing his forearms hard against the ground.
And against the corpses
strewn along the gully. Doc
closed his eyes, forcing himself not to think about the soft yielding
flesh underneath his body. He
held his breath but couldn’t avoid the heavy, coppery smell of blood
slipping into his nostrils. His
uniform sopped it up, becoming sodden and sticky.
Death clutched at the medic with pale hands, palms turned upwards
to the sky and clad in uniforms both American and German.
He swallowed hard and pushed on. The
clump of shrubs, now taking on the appearance of a dense jungle in the
medic’s near-panicked state, was only twenty feet away.
Doc refused to look back at the trees, afraid that his eyes would
confirm what his ears had finally registered. That
the bombardment had stopped and the Germans were coming.
He took a deep breath and flung himself over the next few
yards, limbs flailing with a lack of grace that would have surprised his
squad mates. Fear seemed to
rob him of his coordination, pulling him heavily back to earth and draping
him over the legs of a dead German soldier. Doc
glanced down, noting the enormous entrance wound in the front of the
man’s thigh, blood soaking the blue-grey uniform pants and running down
into the dirt beneath him. The
medic blinked. Running down.
He felt his own heart thud painfully against his ribs at the
realization that this man was still alive despite the gaping hole in his
leg. A
volley of rifle shots split the silence that had settled over the gully
after the ear-numbing barrage. Doc
ducked instinctively, placing his body over the wounded man and sheltering
him without a second thought. It
took a moment for him to realize that the shooting was a good distance
away and that he was still alone, that he still had a chance to make it to
cover before the German line advanced. Cold
fingers closed over Doc’s
wrist and he jumped, pulse hammering in his ears.
Still
had a chance. Doc’s
eyes, blue as the Arkansas sky on every summer day of his boyhood, slid
closed. He knew now that the
only one here who still had a chance was the young man staring up at him
from the straggly weeds, his pallor only too evident beneath a thick layer
of grime. The
German’s mouth moved, lips opening and closing noiselessly, nothing more
than a choked whisper escaping his parched throat.
His hand clutched Doc’s arm with desperation and surprising
strength. Rain-grey eyes
drawn taut with pain pinned the medic in place, the sounds of the guns and
the smell of smoke fading away in the face of duty, even if it was the
wrong uniform. Doc
suddenly reached behind his back, hauling his med kit around where he
could get at it. He shook off
the immobilizing fear that had gripped him, made his muscles rigid and
trembling. There was no choice. No
choice at all. The medic
dumped out field dressings and sulfa, tearing their wrappers with his
teeth and layering them rapidly over the bloody injury.
He slid one hand under the man’s leg, looking quickly for an exit
wound and not finding one. Not
bothering to tie the bandages off, he pressed both hands over them, hoping
to stem the steady flow of blood. Leaning
all his weight on the wound, Doc ignored the German’s moans and closed
his eyes, knowing that only time would tell if the pressure would work.
The wound was too high up for a tourniquet with no way to place the
constricting band above the injury. He
was sure the femoral artery was severed, if he could only let go with one
hand long enough to reach his forceps, he might be able to clamp off the
end of the bleeding vessel. Twisting,
hands in place, Doc eyed his bag. Too
far! Doc let his chin
fall to his chest in frustration as warm blood soaked through the bandages
and trickled down his fingers. ***
***
*** The
medic crouched in the woods, his medical ruck held tightly against his
chest. He hated having to wait, always staying behind while the
others forged ahead, weapons blazing.
Not that he really wanted to be carrying a rifle, but he would if
they’d let him. I
think. Anxiety
skated across his nerve endings, making him squirm around, shifting from
one knee to the other. The
sergeant! The
medic had been the last man to see him, trying to balance on a wounded leg
and covering their withdrawal. He’d
tried to get to him, struggling against the arms of his squad mates who
dragged him with them in retreat. <”He’s
hurt! I have to go!”> <”You’ll
die trying, fool.”> Now they were
almost within reach of the area where they’d been earlier that day.
It seemed insane. Move
forward a few hundred yards, killing the enemy along the way.
Meet the enemy in a standoff, killing each other in approximately
equal numbers. Then retreat
when the enemy gained the advantage and was killing you.
Wait for equilibrium, then move forward again. The medic rubbed his chin absently along his sleeve, feeling
the rough edge of his brassard and then the smooth coolness of the
painted-on red cross. The
corporal moved the squad slowly forward, anticipating that moment when
they’d come into range of the American’s weapons.
From his crouched position on the flank, the corporal looked over
his shoulder and signaled the medic forward, the palm of his hand down. Creeping
forward on his belly, the medic dragged himself over the damp ground. Trampled grass caught in his fingers and tangled in his boot
tops. Mud slithered its way
down his collar, coating his neck and working its way inside his shirt.
He shivered, though the afternoon was warm.
Suddenly he realized where they were.
The gully was only a few hundred yards to the left and he stared at
the corporal with pleading eyes. Turning
just his head, the corporal nodded, repeating his palm down signal over
and over again. Adrenaline
sang through the medic’s bloodstream, making his movements awkward and
clumsy as he tried to stay low. Right
hand and left knee forward, he’s got to be alive.
Left hand and right knee, how can he possibly be?
Shoving his ruck around to his back, he managed to pick up a
little speed. Within minutes
he was in the culvert and headed for the spot he’d last seen his
sergeant. Aware now
that his own army was on both sides of the gully, the medic allowed
himself to rise to a crouch, moving quickly along the old streambed.
Here and there flowers still grew, inexplicably surviving the
onslaught of two armies and a barrage of artillery.
Where once glossy green banks of grass fell gracefully down to form
a “V” was now a muddy quagmire, almost impossible to scale.
The medic glanced up, wide-eyed a few times, expecting to see enemy
faces peering down at him. He
shook his head, forcing himself to trust that his squad would be watching
his back. Hurrying, he
almost stumbled over the first corpse, an American whose twisted body lay
face-up, one eye staring at the sun, the other a bloody hole.
The medic merely paused, running his practiced gaze from head to
toe, and then moved on. Now
he found himself in a killing field, bodies piled on bodies and clouds of
flies that dispersed momentarily with his passing then went back to their
feeding. Ignoring the
Americans in their green uniforms, the medic scrutinized every German,
turning them so he could see their faces.
His hands grew slippery with blood and he wiped them mindlessly
over and over on his pants leaving dark red patches that covered his legs
from hips to knees. He
straightened, stretching his back. The
gunfire was far behind him, too far to make him worry about the enemy.
He removed his helmet and swiped the back of one hand across his
forehead, scrubbing his fingers through his white-blonde hair.
With one practiced shrug of his shoulders, he reseated his rucksack
into a more comfortable position and then reached for his canteen.
The afternoon was heating up.
And the bodies were beginning to smell.
The odds of finding his sergeant were dropping all the time.
Finding him alive, that is. Waving the
flies away from his nostrils, the medic stepped carefully over a
disembodied leg whose owner lay six feet away.
As he walked further, he reconsidered, finding yet another body
with only a bloody stump above the knee.
The medic looked up, trying to find a familiar tree or rock,
anything that would tell him he was near the sergeant.
The sun was high in the sky, making dark silhouettes of the
towering pines. He shook his
head, unable to place himself. The gully
curved ahead of him, following the random twists of what had once been a
meandering stream. Here the
steep banks flattened out a little as the forest grew closer.
The medic made the turn and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth
hanging open in complete surprise. He
recognized a lightning-struck tree, its upper third canted over and
supported by its neighbors. It
cast a crazy shadow across the gully, drawing his attention to more bodies
ahead. One of them very
obviously alive. The medic
fell to one knee, trying desperately to find something to hide behind.
He looked over his shoulder and caught sight of his minder, an
older, experienced infantryman who was idly poking at the bodies with the
barrel of his rifle, a bored expression on his face.
When the man looked up, the medic signaled to him frantically, not
knowing what they were walking into. ***
***
*** Doc
cautiously lifted one hand, grimacing as bright red blood spilled out from
under the sodden bandages. With a quick lunge, he grabbed a few more of the gauze pads,
tearing them open with his teeth and spitting the remains of the paper
wrapping in the mud. Slapping
them on top of the original dressings, he once again applied pressure,
sweat running down his face and dripping off the end of his nose. He knew he
had to try the hemostat. The
man had no chance otherwise. Doc
glanced at his bag again, then up to the German’s face.
Grey eyes stared back him, white-rimmed with anxiety.
Doc felt the fine tremor running through his patient’s body as
shock slowly set in. The man
needed morphine. And the
hemostat. An’ a doctor an’ a hospital while we’re at it!
The medic gritted his teeth together, preparing himself mentally
for what he had to do. Cold steel
pressed against the back of his neck and blew his thoughts away.
Fear ran like water from his head to his belly, drenching him in
sweat and spasming his muscles. He
forced himself to keep his arms locked and fought the urge to vomit.
He felt the pressure of the gun barrel lessen for a moment as his
helmet was yanked from his head, wincing as the weapon was repositioned
just behind his left ear. The
helmet landed ten feet away, rocking gently back and forth upside down. <”Hands
up!”> The harsh
voice came from right behind him. Doc
knew what the words meant, but hadn’t any intention of obeying them.
He stared straight down the length of his shaking arms at the
blood-covered dressings. There
was no way he was giving up now. He’d
sacrificed his own freedom for this man and he’d be damned if he was
going to let it be for nothing. He
swallowed hard, shaking his head slowly. “No, I
cain’t.” The medic’s
voice shook and he coughed, gagging, and tried again. “No.
I. Cain’t.” Doc squeezed his
eyes shut as the gun barrel lifted slightly away and then gasped in sudden
pain as a knee shoved its way into the small of his back.
Muscles screaming for relief, the medic stubbornly held his post,
setting his shoulders against the pressure. <”Hands
up! NOW!”> He shook
his head, waiting for the report of the rifle, and then wondered if he’d
even hear it. He felt dizzy,
unsure if it was fear or heat or a combination of the two.
He could picture the squad’s reactions to his decision, not that
they’d ever know of it. “Just
another stinkin’ Kraut, Doc.” Kirby,
lighting a cigarette and resting his arms along the top of the BAR. “Gotta
watch out for yourself, Doc.” Saunders,
shoving his fingers through his hair and making it stand on end. “Man has
to make his own decisions.” Caje,
eyes dark and fathomless, giving nothing away but lending support
nevertheless. With that small
knowledge, that at least one of his squad mates would understand, Doc
straightened up slightly, inadvertently increasing the pressure on his
back but strengthening his resolve. He
opened his eyes just in time to see a young German soldier standing in
front of him. <”NO!”> Doc stared
stupidly at the kid, not comprehending how he happened to arrive there
without him knowing, without him hearing.
Of course, the GI didn’t take into account the blood pounding in
his ears or the fact that a rifle pointed at one’s head tends to draw
one’s focus. He didn’t
think at all, just stared blankly into the German medic’s baby blue eyes
as the rifle settled itself against the back of his head. ***
***
*** The German
medic couldn’t believe their luck!
The sergeant, still alive!
He’d wanted to run immediately to the man’s side but Nachtmann,
the infantryman who’d stayed behind to cover him, had grabbed him by the
back of his jacket and forced him to the ground.
Lying there in the scrub grass, the medic had watched, fighting his
impatience, as Nachtmann had worked his way behind the American. What
was he doing? The medic
rose to his elbows, eyebrows drawing together.
He squinted into the bright wash of sun that was just now working
its way into the culvert. He
could tell the American was also a medic.
Despite the dirt and grime coating the man’s helmet, the faded
red cross on its white circle was clearly visible, as was the brassard on
his left arm. The German
medic’s right hand reached over to his own bicep, fingering an almost
identical brassard. Flinching
as Nachtmann shoved the rifle into the American’s neck, the medic rose
to his feet, throwing his medical ruck over his shoulder.
He stood there a moment, frozen with indecision.
Nachtmann would kill him if he messed up this capture.
But the Sarge! What about the Sarge? <”Hands
up!”> Now, now
he could join his comrade and finally do something for his wounded
sergeant. Watching his feet
so that he didn’t trip over the sprawled limbs of the dead, he was
surprised to hear Nachtmann’s repeated command.
He looked up, comprehension filling him with dread as he saw what
the American was attempting to do…and what Nachtmann was preparing to
do. <”NO!”> The word
was for his comrade but the medic’s gaze was drawn to the American who
slowly raised his head, eyes opening wide in dazed astonishment.
He saw Nachtmann angrily shove the Mauser under the angle of the
man’s jaw, making him swallow convulsively, but the GI didn’t let go
of his grip on the wounded sergeant’s leg. <”Nachtmann,
he is holding pressure on Sarge’s leg!
Keeping him from bleeding, he’s helping, Nachtmann!”> The medic
had seen the infantryman in action before, knew he had an itchy trigger
finger. He pulled his gaze
away from the American and glared at Nachtmann with every bit of defiance
he could muster. He held the
posture until his comrade took a deep breath, easing the rifle away from
the GI’s head. <”He’s
HELPING, Nachtmann!”> Turning
away from the infantryman, the medic dropped to his knees and leaned over
the wounded man. There
didn’t seem to be any injuries other than the one under the American’s
hands, but judging from the amount of blood that had spilled onto the
sergeant’s pants and soaked into the ground it must be horrendous.
He glanced at the man’s face, but his eyes were closed, his skin
pale. “Do ya…do
ya speak English?” The medic
peered up at the GI, really looking at him for the first time.
His light brown hair, sweat-curled at his temples, his clear blue
eyes and the brush of sunburn across his cheeks.
Just change the uniform and he could have been a German medic.
He shook his head, neither he nor Nachtmann spoke English.
The only man in the platoon who did had been killed that morning. <”Reiter,
is he going to die?”> Nachtmann
crouched at the sergeant’s head, his rifle balanced across his thighs.
He no longer had his finger curled under the trigger guard, but
still held the weapon close, ready. Reaching
his other hand down, he gently touched the man’s cheek. ***
***
*** “I gotta
get a hemostat on that artery! He’s
bleedin’ to death!” Doc leaned
across the German’s body, shoving the medic with his shoulder.
He was on the verge of hyperventilating, amazed that the amount of
adrenaline flowing through his system hadn’t blown his head off.
He stared at the medic and then down at his hands and back again. “Ya
gotta take over this!” He lifted
his hands slightly, the blood welling out from under his fingers.
Leaning his weight down again, Doc demonstrated what he needed the
medic to do, hoping the man would catch on quickly. “See?
Ya gotta take this!” The German
medic finally understood and placed his own hands over the bloody
dressing. He grimaced,
pressing down as hard as he could. Turning
his head, he stared up at Nachtmann, shaking his head in despair. Doc tried
to sit back but his legs, numb from maintaining his position over the
sergeant’s leg, refused to cooperate, dumping him on his rear.
He sprawled in the mud, the impact knocking him breathless. Instantly the
German rifleman was over him, one big fist grabbing the front of his
jacket and lifting him bodily off the ground. Doc flung his
arms in the air, wincing as the blood flow resumed in his hands. “It’s okay!
Hands up, hands up! My
legs are asleep, tha’s all!” He
struggled a moment longer as the infantryman stared at him, evidently
trying to decide if he was a threat or not.
Doc tried to hold his gaze, but couldn’t, unnerved by the man’s
almost colorless eyes. <“Nachtmann,
I think his muscles are stiff. Let
him go.”> The big
man dropped him, turning to resume his position at the sergeant’s head
where he laid one hand protectively on the man’s shoulder, but kept a
watchful gaze on the American. Doc rolled up on
one hip, massaging his painful wrists.
Dragging in a ragged breath, he coughed it out, carefully drawing
another. After a moment, he
looked up and nodded gratefully at the medic, who watched him closely. “Thanks.”
He reached out one hand for his medical bag, barely suppressing a
groan at the pain that movement caused.
“I think.” Fumbling
through the bag, Doc finally just dumped it upside down, his equipment and
supplies tumbling to the muddy ground.
He pawed through the pile with increasing anxiety, tossing
dressings to one side, morphine and aspirin to the other. The man
with the rifle picked up a syrette, displaying it to his own medic and
then thrusting it under Doc’s nose. <”Won’t
he need this?”> Doc shook
his head, shoving the man’s hand away from his face.
He found what he was looking for, a pair of gleaming hemostatic
forceps and snatched them up. Turning
to face the German medic he held them out, opening and closing the tips
and then locking them together. The medic
grinned, nodding. He looked over at the rifleman who was still watching Doc
closely. <”He
can stop the bleeding with that thing.
Help me hold the Sarge down.”> Doc sighed
as he watched the two get in position.
He had hoped the German medic would take the instrument from him
and do it himself. There was
nothing fun about digging in a hole in somebody’s body looking for a
spurting artery. On the other
hand, there was a whole lot of satisfaction in finding it and clamping it
off. And, as was proving to
be the case for everything happening this day, he had no choice. With his scissors, Doc deftly slit the German sergeant’s pants leg from the hole made by the bullet upward to the groin. He grabbed the edges of the rough fabric, yanking them wide open to expose the area. Blood welled in the hole rhythmically, spilling over the torn skin and dripping down ruined clothing to the ground. Doc
pressed the bloody fingers of his right hand into the crease at the top of
the man’s leg, seeking the pulsating femoral artery.
With his other hand he applied a fresh dressing to the wound,
sopping up the pooling blood. He shook his head in frustration, knowing that the pulse
would be weak due to blood loss but undeniably there because he could see
the results running out of the gaping hole.
He just couldn’t trust his shaking hands to find the racing
beats. He pressed harder, the
weight of the German medic’s gaze heavy on him. The sergeant
writhed, moaning in agony as his comrades gripped him harder. Dammit! THERE!
Under his fingers, Doc finally felt the flickering heartbeat of
the wounded sergeant’s femoral pulse.
He ducked his head, swiping the sweat out of his eyes with his
shoulder and then moved his attention to the wound.
Slowly lifting the dressing, he watched for further bleeding.
Just a trickle.
He leaned harder on his right hand and the leaking fluid
dribbled to a stop. Thank
God. “Danken
Sie Gott!” Doc glanced at
the medic gripping the patient’s trembling legs.
The kid couldn’t be more than nineteen, he thought
with a sigh, picking up the forceps in his left hand and turning back to
the wound again. Drying the
hole with the gauze dressing, he watched intently as he slowly let off the
pressure of his right hand. Blood
instantly filled the cavity and Doc swore, bearing down on the artery
again. <”What
is he doing?”> <”Shut
up, Nachtmann, it’s not easy.”> Ignoring the
Germans conversing over his head, Doc willed the fingers of his right hand
to release only a feather’s weight of pressure.
There! He
saw for a mere fraction of a second the place where the blood started
spurting. Applying the
forceps to the tissue there, he lifted his right hand, flexing the stiff
fingers. For a moment nothing
happened. Then the wound
filled again, slowly but surely. “Dammit!”
Could nothing go right today?
Doc opened the forceps again, shoving them cruelly further up into
the cavity, and grabbed a larger hunk of tissue, squeezing the instrument
closed again and locking them at the handle.
He mopped frantically at the blood and then sat back again. This time the wound remained dry. Doc fell
back on his rump, bloody hands dangling over his knees, his head hanging
and eyes closed. Sweat
darkened his hair and ran down his face and neck, soaking into his jacket
and shirt. He was aware of
the German medic picking up the discard syrette and injecting the sergeant
with morphine, the man’s moans slowly trailing off into muttering.
He was also aware of the infantryman, Nachtmann?,
patting him gently on the head, but couldn’t bring himself to look up or
even speak. Too much
adrenaline pumped its way around his system, making him dizzy and
nauseous, and Doc didn’t trust his body to hold him in any position
other than the one he was already in. Reiter
sprinkled sulfa powder over the bullet hole, now mercifully no longer
spilling the sergeant’s blood everywhere.
He reached into his own bag, pulling out several field dressings
and applied them to the leg, careful to not dislodge the hemostat but
instead incorporated it into the final bandaging.
Searching his bag for his scissors, he remembered that he’d lost
them earlier that day in their rapid retreat.
Reiter turned to the American. <”Scissors?”> Doc opened
his eyes, blinking slowly. When
he could finally lift his head, he brought his gaze to bear on the other
medic, feeling that he was looking as if from a very long distance.
The kid seemed so far away.
And what was he doing? Doc’s
brain suddenly ground into gear as he realized the medic was asking him
for scissors, opening and closing two fingers in an imitation of the tool.
He nodded, reaching for his own bag. What happened
next he would never remember. Doc
picked up the scissors, closing his fingers around the thumb loops and
held them out, the bright afternoon sun glinting brilliantly off the sharp
metal blades. The
echoing blast of a shot roared in his ears as the sound bounced off the
steep walls of the gully. Doc found himself flat on his back, staring at the blue sky,
arms outstretched. He could
no longer feel the scissors in his hand and tried to turn his head to look
for them. He couldn’t feel
anything at all. His body
didn’t seem to be listening to him as he continued staring straight up
into the blazing orb of the sun. Night
seemed to be falling, as the light faded, draining away into smoky
darkness. Doc’s clenched
hand fell open, empty. ***
***
*** Reiter
stared in horrified disbelief as the American toppled over backward, the
scissors flying from his hand and a splash of bright red blood appearing
over his left shoulder. The
German jumped to his feet, whirling around to see his squad’s young
marksman, Klein, rifle snugged to his shoulder, standing at the bend in
the culvert. The rest of the
squad appeared around him, bristling with weapons at the ready, like a
nest of mad hornets. Nachtmann
stood, feet apart, straddling the GI’s body, his own weapon in his arms
and aimed at his countrymen. Anger drew his brows together, his cheeks almost purple with
rage. He screamed down the gully, his voice strained in anguish. <”You
fucking idiot! Don’t you
know what you’ve done?”> Stunned
silence filled the forest. The
shot and subsequent shouting had frightened off the birds and the fighting
had moved off over the hill. Only
distant artillery rounds were audible, but so muffled as to be dismissed.
The two groups stared at each other for several seconds,
uncomprehending the situation. At
last, Nachtmann lowered his arms, panting as though he’d run a marathon. <”Reiter…Reiter,
see to him.”> He stepped
away from the American toward his own sergeant, kneeling there and resting
one hand on the unconscious man’s shoulder.
His head drooped to his chest, his other hand swiping quickly
across his eyes. Reiter hastily
scrambled over the mud to the GI’s side, shoving aside the man’s
jacket to examine the ugly wound in his left shoulder.
A quick look confirmed his suspicion – the bullet had gone right
through and exited just above the man’s scapula.
Blood ran freely, spilling over his hands and pooling on the
ground. Casting his gaze
around frantically, Reiter spied the scissors near Nachtmann’s feet.
He lunged across and grabbed them, returning to the American and
rapidly cutting his shirt from the injury. The squad
approached, Klein reluctantly following several paces behind.
When the men in front recognized the man at Nachtmann’s side,
they hustled forward, expressing their amazement.
Questions rose and fell around the big infantryman but he had no
words for anyone but Klein. As
the young man drew near, Nachtmann rose from his crouch, towering over the
marksman. He cleared his
throat and addressed him, voice low and deceptively calm. <”I
asked you, Klein, do you know what you’ve done?”> Klein’s
cheeks flushed red instantly and his fingers tightened around his rifle,
holding it stiffly in front of him. He
stared at the other men, trying to gather support.
Swallowing hard, he forced himself to meet Nachtmann’s eyes. <”He
was going to stab Reiter. I
saw him.”> He took a step
back from the intensity of the infantryman’s glare, stumbling over his
own feet. <”I
saw him, old man, we all did.”> The others
were silent, gathered around their sergeant.
They refused to meet his eyes, instead staring at the ground in
confusion. Reiter
could stand it no longer. He spun around, still crouching low, hands dripping.
He held out the blood-coated scissors in one upturned palm. <”He
was handing me the scissors, idiot! He
saved the Sarge’s life, IDIOT!>” The emphasis
Reiter placed on the final word, an implied threat from a non-combatant,
forced Klein into silence. He
stood there awkwardly, his rifle now dangling from his fingers. Reiter
turned back to the American, slapping a field dressing on both sides of
the wound and applying firm pressure.
The man’s eyelids flickered and he groaned, his head lolling from
side to side. The German
medic sighed, glad to know that his patient wasn’t completely out of it,
but wishing that he didn’t have to cause him pain. He looked up at Nachtmann, who stood over him, brow furrowed. <”Morphine,
one of those syrettes.”> Reiter
pointed with his chin at the piles of gear on the ground. The
infantryman nodded, scooping up a vial of morphine from the American’s
kit. It wasn’t so different
from those he’d seen his own medic use almost daily.
He broke the seal and screwed on the needle, handing it gingerly to
Reiter. The medic took
it, momentarily letting up on the pressure over the wound, and injected it
into the American’s right bicep. He
hooked the needle into the GI’s lapel, bending it over to secure it. <”Nachtmann,
can you hold this dressing for a minute?
You must keep it tight.”> The big
man nodded, kneeling down and placing one hand behind the American’s
shoulder blade and the other on top. Reiter shoved
through the knot of men crowded around the wounded German.
Checking the bandage, he was relieved to discover that the clamp
was holding and there had been minimal additional bleeding.
He slid his fingers around the man’s wrist and assessed his
pulse, frowning slightly. Still
too fast, but not as bad as before. Forcing
his way up to the man’s head, Reiter was surprised to find the
sergeant’s eyes open and watching him. <”Where
is he?”> His voice
was barely a whisper. Reiter leaned in closer, his ear close to the man’s mouth. <”Where
is he?”> The
sergeant coughed, grimacing in pain.
He tried to lift one arm to his medic but hadn’t the energy.
His fingers drummed agitatedly in the dirt instead. <”The
Amerikaner?”> Reiter
winced, not quite sure what to say. He
reached for the man’s wrist again, holding it comfortingly while
counting the rapid pulse. Finally,
with a sigh and a warning scowl at the marksman, he spoke. <”Klein
shot him.”> Klein’s
voice rose in protest, squeaking off into rumbling mutters as the men
closest to him glared fiercely. The
sergeant’s eyes closed in pain. His
body tensed, as if he were about to rise, trembling.
His head rolled back and forth in the mud, the thick sludge matting
his hair. As Reiter
got up to return to the American, the sergeant gripped him by the wrist,
forcing him to look back in alarm. <”He could
have left. Could have left me
alone. To die alone.”> His eyes
closed again and this time his muscles relaxed as his breathing evened
out. Reiter
stood, returning the stares of the squad.
It wasn’t often that they looked to him for anything, let alone
orders. He glanced over at
Nachtmann, who was concentrating on his task, then back at the men. <”Make
a litter, we need to get him back to a hospital quickly.”> He knelt
once again at the American’s side.
He lifted one of Nachtmann’s hands and checked the bleeding.
While not spurting as the sergeant’s wound had, the GI had lost
and was still losing a considerable amount of blood.
He replaced the big man’s hand and indicated that he should
continue holding pressure. Sitting
back on his heels, Reiter was startled to find the American looking at
him, those blue eyes blurred by morphine and pain, but still staring at
him all the same. He tried to
remember any English whatsoever and failed, ending up smiling foolishly
down at his patient. “Waz
goin’ on?” The
American’s words were hardly audible, not that it mattered.
No one understood them anyway.
Reiter stared at him, the first living American he’d ever met.
It still struck him how German the GI looked, with his strong
features and clear blue eyes. In
fact, the man looked quite a lot like his uncle Marko.
Marko, who used to give him rides on the huge draft horses on his
farm. Marko, who despised the
Nazis openly to anyone. Marko,
who vanished one night after a knock on the door of the family farmhouse. Reiter laid a gentle hand on the American’s shoulder,
wishing to comfort the man in a way he would never be able to for his
beloved uncle. He cleared his
throat and glared warningly at Nachtmann. “Frere
Jacques, Frere Jacques, Dormez vous?
Dormez vous? Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines, din, din, don.
Din, din, don.” He’d been sung to sleep by uncle
Marko many nights with that very tune.
Today, however, it only seemed to amuse the American, the corners
of his lips turning up in a small grin.
“Gonna hafta tell Caje ‘bout that.
German singin’ to me in French.
Oh boy!” The American floated off in a
haze of morphine, mumbling to himself as his blue eyes slowly closed. Nachtmann lifted his hands
obligingly as Reiter added another field dressing on top of the sodden
ones. <”What are we going to do
with him? Take him back,
too?”> Nachtmann’s skeptical tone
wasn’t lost on the medic as he scrubbed his knuckles into his eye
sockets. They both knew that
the American probably wouldn’t live to see a POW camp.
Not that the camps were any picnic, either.
Drugs and medicine were for the Fuhrer’s soldiers.
Prisoners were far down the list.
Reiter dropped his hands, looking at the American.
Looking at Marko’s ghost. <”We’re going to give him
back.”> The infantryman blinked, lifting his
head to stare directly into Reiter’s thoughtful eyes.
<”We’re gonna do
what?”> Reiter looked over at the squad
who were busily loading the sergeant on the makeshift litter.
He sought out Klein, standing by himself studiously looking
nowhere, the marksman’s unwanted ostracism palpable all the way across
the clearing. He smiled and turned back to Nachtmann. <”We’re going to give him
back.”> ***
***
*** Klein’s hands
were getting sore, the rough branches clutched in his fists slowly peeling
the skin off his palms, and his back was killing him.
Stepping in yet another hole, he stumbled, his ankle complaining
again. He looked over his shoulder at Reiter, at the other end of
the litter. <”How
much further, Reiter? Pretty soon we’ll be crossing the Channel.”> Reiter’s
lips parted in a thin smile. He
nodded to the man to set down the litter, going down on one knee to check
on his patient. Nachtmann
moved out ahead, looking for contacts. The medic peeled
the American’s jacket back from the dressing, biting his lip in
consternation at the amount of blood that had seeped through.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his last field dressing and
tied it securely over the others. Taking care not to disturb his
handiwork, Reiter slid the jacket back over the man’s chest, tucking it
under his right arm. The
American jerked suddenly, his face contorting in anguish.
The sweat beaded across his forehead and rolled down his temples
into his hair, and then down into his collar.
He twitched, tried to move his shoulders and was rewarded with a
white-hot burn that spread from his chest down his left arm, into his
belly, everywhere. He
groaned, twisting his neck away from the pain and opened his eyes, looking
straight up into the baby blues belonging to medic Reiter. “Holy
cow, I’m still on th’ wrong side.” He started
to reach for his shoulder with his good hand but Reiter stopped him,
carefully easing his arm back down on the litter.
The GI relaxed, eyes drooping. <”Almost
there, my friend, almost there.”> Not
looking up, Klein snorted and concentrated on messaging his sore ankles.
His boots lay abandoned in the dust, socks on top of them. He reached for one, flapping it in the air before pulling it
back on. A small cloud
of sand and dirt billowed out and, inexplicably, a small grey feather. Klein batted it away as he glanced up at his medic. <”’Almost
there.’ You’ve been
saying that for hours.”> Reiter
used the cuff of his jacket to wipe the sweat from the American’s
forehead. He checked the
man’s pulse before replying to Klein. <”Yes,
Klein, but this time I mean it. And
it’s been about fifteen minutes.”> Klein
snorted again and was about to comment further when they heard a shot,
quickly answered by several bursts from an American BAR.
The marksman hauled his boots on and jumped to his feet.
A moment later Nachtmann exploded through the bushes, out of breath
and smiling. <”I
think I’ve got some. Come on, Klein, we gotta hide.”> As Klein
headed for cover, Nachtmann paused at the American’s side, leaning over
and ruffling his hair. As the man opened his eyes and looked up at him, blinking,
the infantryman smiled. <”Good
luck, my friend, and thank you.”> Nachtmann
disappeared after Klein into the forest. Reiter
made himself ready, trying to ignore the fear that was gnawing in his
stomach. He made sure his
helmet was on square, his medic’s brassard pinned neatly in place on his
left sleeve. In his hands he
held the American’s helmet, hoping that it would be enough to keep them
from killing him on sight. The
enemy, who were even now approaching. He
heard their stealthy movements and closed his eyes briefly. He’d never been much for praying, but he thought of his
uncle Marko. “Don’t
move! Hande hoch!” An
American stepped out of the trees, his rifle trained on Reiter’s chest.
Another, five yards to his left, materialized and quickly moved
even further left, looking for an enemy with a weapon.
Several others appeared and spread out in the clearing, their eyes
wide and unblinking as they searched the area. Reiter
held the injured man’s helmet high in one hand, his other in the air.
He could feel the trembling pass from his shoulders down his arm to
his fingers. The GI’s
helmet bobbled slightly and he clenched his fist to still it, tightening
his jaw at the same time to keep his teeth from clattering together. A long
moment passed, while the Americans stared at him. “I think
it’s Doc!” The first
man, dark and wiry and oddly accented, moved quickly to the litter,
hauling Reiter to his feet and frisking him for weapons.
He grabbed the helmet from the German’s hand and hugged it to his
chest, staring with black eyes at the enemy medic.
As the other men came out of the trees, he turned away and dropped
to his knees by the litter, reaching out one careful hand to inspect the
wounded man’s shoulder. “It IS
Doc, he’s been shot, Sarge!” Another of
the Americans, wearing a sergeant’s stripes, moved forward, slowly,
sauntering as if he were out for an afternoon stroll.
He met the German’s gaze and held it for a long appraising
moment, then moved to the litter, his composure falling away at the sight
of the American medic. “Doc!” The GI sergeant
crouched at the side of the wounded man, stretching a hand out toward the
bloody bandage but stopping just short and letting it rest on the man’s
chest. He glanced over at the
smaller GI and saw his relief mirrored in the angular face, although
tempered there by something else. “How’s
it look, Caje?” The dark
haired man shrugged, his nimble hands unrolling his own field dressing and
replacing the top bandage with the dry one.
He slid one end under the medic’s shoulder and tied it securely
across his chest. “He’s
bleeding pretty bad, Sarge. We
gotta get him to the aid station.” The
sergeant nodded, looking back over his shoulder at the German, still
standing there with his hands up. He shoved his helmet back off his forehead and wiped one
weary arm across his damp face. “Hey!
You speak any English?” The German
shrugged, shaking his head. “Try
French.” The
croaking voice from the litter drew everyone’s attention to the wounded
medic. His eyes were still
closed, but he licked his dry lips and spoke again. “Try
French, Caje.” Caje
blinked and addressed the Kraut. “Parlez-vous
Francais?” It was
Reiter’s turn to blink and he dropped his hands as he took a step
towards the men gathered around the litter.
He stopped as an American BAR appeared in his face, followed by the
fierce glare of a sharp-featured GI.
The shorter man leaned close, addressing the medic. “Hold
it, Fritzie. You can speak
your parlez-vous from right here.” The
sergeant climbed to his feet, slinging his Thompson over one shoulder.
He stared down at his wounded medic a moment longer than turned to
the German and his American guard. “Leave
him, Kirby, I wanna know what happened.
Caje?” <”My
sergeant wants to know what happened to our medic.”> Caje’s
dark eyes shifted from the German standing nervously in the face of
Kirby’s weapon to Doc’s still form, the sweat pooling around the
collar of the medic’s ruined jacket and the edges of the white bandage.
As he watched, a faint tinge of red appeared under the gauze.
Caje didn’t hesitate, sliding a hand under Doc’s shoulder blade
and applying pressure with the other hand over the dressing. Reiter
gulped, wide blue eyes staring at Kirby. <”I…I
found him. Back there.
In the culvert.”> Caje
didn’t look up. “He says
he found him back in the gully, Sarge.” Saunders
shook his head, removing his helmet and running the fingers of one hand
through his hair. Replacing
the helmet he moved nearer the German, eyes narrowing skeptically. “Ask him
why he stopped to help an injured American.” Caje
complied. <”He
wasn’t…injured when I found him.
He was helping my sergeant. My
sergeant was badly wounded. This
man saved his life.”> Reiter tried to
take a step closer to the medic’s litter, only to be stopped by
Kirby’s BAR against his chest. Kirby
snarled at Caje’s translation, almost spitting in the man’s face.
His cheeks flushed in anger, a dull red that crept down his neck
and under his collar. “So ya
rewarded him by shootin’ him?” Laying one
hand over Kirby’s shoulder, Saunders peeled him away from the hapless
German medic. Holding up the
other hand in the face of Kirby’s protests, he placed himself between
the two men. “Ask him
what happened then.” Reiter
listened closely to Caje, and then dropped his gaze to the ground.
He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
He hadn’t wanted to be there when it happened, now he was going
to relive it with the telling of the story. Saunders
stood there, arms crossed across his chest, the Thompson now cradled in
the crook of one elbow. His expression remained impassive as the German told his tale
and Caje translated it every few moments.
He flinched only once, when Caje’s voice tightened, telling of
Doc’s shooting. When the
German fell silent and Caje had finished translating, Saunders stood there
a moment, staring at his wounded medic.
With a sigh, he turned his back and walked over to Caje, meeting
the scout’s questioning gaze with a shrug. “Tell
him to get his men out here, the ones that were carrying the stretcher.” Caje
nodded, repeating the command in French. Reiter
stiffened, suddenly unsure of the situation.
If these men realized that Klein was the man who’d shot their
medic…He cleared his throat and called out to them. <”Klein!
Nachtmann! Come out,
but keep your rifles down. Slowly.”> Both
Germans stood, Mausers in one hand and the other in the air.
Not quite a surrender, but it got the point across.
They walked into the clearing, two Americans right behind them.
Realizing that the GIs had been there all along, aware of their
presence, Klein panicked, rifle wavering wildly. Nachtmann reached calmly over, snatching the weapon from his
arms and slinging it over his shoulder. The
American sergeant motioned his men to watch them, then turned back to the
litter. “Doc,
where the hell have you been?” At that
voice, one he’d never thought he’d hear again, Doc dredged his eyes
open again. Despite the pain
and the morphine and the blood loss, the medic had to affirm to himself
that he was back in the right hands. “Hey, Sarge.
I was wonderin’ the same ‘bout y’all.” He smiled,
then grimaced as a fresh wave of pain swept through him. Saunders
leaned over and patted him on the head before straightening.
He walked over to Reiter. Behind
him he could hear Doc muttering as Caje checked his dressings. “Why is
ev’ryone always pattin’ me on the head?” Saunders
and Reiter stared at each other a long moment, sizing each other up.
Behind Reiter, his squad mates waited, muscles tense.
To each side stood an American, apparently in the same mode of high
alert. The silence spun out
between them. “Go.
Just go.” Saunders waved
the Germans off, his Thompson draped casually over one arm. Klein and
Nachtmann wasted no time moving out, fading into the trees and vanishing.
Reiter stood there a moment longer, his gaze on the wounded GI. He muttered a few words before turning, and then followed his
squad mates into the forest, leafy branches springing back into place
behind him. “Sarge! Are you out of your mind? Those guys are gonna be back with all their friends in about five minutes!” “Kirby,
shut up.” “But
Sarge, I just-“ “Shut
up.” Saunders
returned to the litter and crouched beside the scout, once more pulling
his helmet off and raking his hair with curled fingers. “Whaddya
think? Is he ready to go?” Caje held up an
unused vial of morphine he’d found tucked into Doc’s jacket. “Jus’
let me give him this.” Saunders
nodded, picking up the medic’s helmet and running his fingers over the
red crosses. He looked back
at the trees where the Germans had gone, knowing there was a story there,
but knowing also that he’d probably only get part of it out of his
wounded medic. “Okay,
let’s move out. Caje, take
the point. Kirby, you an’
Littlejohn carry Doc.” Kirby
rolled his eyes and shoved his weapon onto his back.
Positioning himself at the litter’s foot, he waited for
Littlejohn to move into place. “I tell
ya, Littlejohn, that guy was bigger than you!” Littlejohn
sighed, shifting his hands on the makeshift litter poles. “No,
Kirby, he wasn’t. He was
standing by that little tree, made him look bigger.” Kirby
shook his head. “No, I
think he was bigger. Lots bigger.” Doc lay there, eyelids only slightly parted, giving him an oddly distorted swirling view of the world, mostly blues and greens blending into each other until neither color existed as it once was. The morphine was slowly dragging him down and he allowed it to pull him to a place where the pain was manageable and he could pretend the entire day never happened. Except for the rain-grey eyes of the wounded sergeant. And the young German medic and his tall sidekick, what’s-his-name, Nachtmann, yeah, Nachtmann And the glint of the warm summer sun on the polished blades of his scissors. He frowned then, aware even in his narcotic-induced haze that there was a point beyond which he couldn’t remember, a gap in his memory that he must have hurdled to find himself here, among his friends. Doc wondered about that for all of two seconds. And then slid into blessed oblivion.
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