[MillietheWarrior]

"I'll keep both of ya in mind, Bill," she told him to soothe his ruffled feathers as he smacked Joe on the back of the head. "We'll see how this all turns out. But sure, I'll keep ya'll in mind."

The three of them talked long into the night, before Bill volunteered to keep the first watch, and M.J. and Joe fell asleep, each using the other's shoulder as a pillow.

Bill couldn't help but chuckle.

-----

"Take Cover!"

Shit.

Her feet just wouldn't move fast enough. Scrambling desperately, she felt them slide out from beneath her once more. "Shit!" Her arms stretched in vain towards a branch that was too small and too far away to save her. She scrabbled for purchase in the snow, and watched, in awe and depressed fear, as another mortar exploded only yards away from her.

The blast sent her body backwards, and she landed on her back, clutching at her side. A small fragment of the shell had hit her. Desperately, she picked herself up off the ground, stumbling and falling as she tried to regain her feet.

-----

(Continuation of Chapter 2)

[MillietheWarrior]

The next moment, a strong pair of hands had wrapped themselves around her collar, and dragged her backwards. She kicked, trying to stand on her own, and twisting to see her rescuer. "Let go, damn it! I can walk on my own!" Instantly, her rescuer responded by sprinting faster, pulling her down into the safety of a foxhole.

"Yeah, you were doing a great job of that out there by yourself!"

Blinking as another mortar landed about 50 yards away, the woman crouched down in the foxhole, staring into the dark eyes of the redheaded man she had met when she first came here. The one who had gone to get Winters.

Another mortar exploded close by.

[MillietheWarrior]

"Damn!" he cursed, pulling her down further into the foxhole, and covering her body with his own. Squirming, she pushed him off, but did not sit up. She wasn't stupid. The red-head gave her a look that was a mix between anger and annoyance.

"Look, I'm not gonna break! Worry about your own hide, not mine!" she growled as loud as she could. Covering their ears as another shell exploded nearby, the two soldiers crouched low in Heffron's foxhole, hoping desperately that it would be enough to save them from a fatal hit.

[MillietheWarrior]

As they crouched in the bottom of that hole, M.J. glanced up overhead, watching in quiet awe as the shells exploded in the treetops, sending fragments of trees in every direction. "Wow…"she breathed, before the tree beside their foxhole burst apart. "Shit!"

She leapt on Heffron, and pushed him to the ground, right before the tree slammed on top of them, trapping the two in the foxhole. "Damn, that hurt…" Babe mumbled from beneath her. She moved as best she could, pinned down by the tree's many branches.

"Yeah."

[MillietheWarrior]

A few moments later, it was silent. "Looks like the shells stopped. Now, how're we gonna get outta here?" The woman asked her companion quietly. Babe shrugged, and stuck a hand up through the foliage.

"Help! Anyone there? Help!"

M.J. Sighed heavily. "Well, that'll work, I suppose."

"Stay in your foxholes! Stay in your foxholes!" Sergeant Lipton ran by, and Babe called out to him. Lipton, hearing his calls, hurried to their aid.

[5]

[MillietheWarrior]

"Hehe, guess I overdid the cover on my foxhole, eh, Sarge?" he asked, as both he and M.J. were pulled out of the hole by the men. M.J. snorted, before the low, tell-tale sound of incoming mortars broke up their moment of hilarity. She snorted again as she dove for cover, following Lipton into his own foxhole.

Hilarity, indeed.

Lipton huddled near the side of his foxhole, and M.J. huddled beside him. She could hear the mortars exploding here and there, in the treetops, on the ground. She wrapped her arms around her body, but pulled her hand back when a sharp pain in her side caused her to jump.

[MillietheWarrior]

Glancing at her glove, she wondered, briefly why it was covered in blood. She gently touched her ribs once more, only to find a small fragment sticking out of her uniform, embedded only an inch beneath the skin. Hissing, she withdrew her hand, and huddled near the wall of Lipton's foxhole.

She had forgotten she was hit. And throwing herself on top of Heffron didn't improve the situation.

The explosions continued for a few more moments, before silence reigned once more. She glanced over at Lipton, who was slowly raising himself out of the foxhole. Patting him on the back, she nodded. "I think we should be sure no one's hurt. Come on."

[MillietheWarrior]

Lipton agreed, and followed M.J. as she heaved herself out of the hole, briefly touching her wound in assurance that she had done no damage to the already torn skin. "Lieutenant," she heard the voice behind her as Lipton touched her shoulder. "You're wounded. Do you need a medic?"

M.J. waved him off. "Not now I don't. I'm sure there are others who need one more than me. Now hurry." Lipton nodded, looking a bit unsure, but followed her anyway.

[MillietheWarrior]

M.J. could hear voices up ahead. They sounded worried, punctuated with a cry of distress every couple of minutes. She quickened her pace, Lipton following right along behind her. As she came to the small clearing that looked like it'd be hit with several shells, she noticed that both Joe and Bill were sitting on the ground.

Bill was clutching his leg. It looked like a small piece of shrapnel had embedded itself in it, just as it had with her side. And Joe, too, clutched his leg. There didn't seem to be too much wrong. Hurrying over, she knelt beside Doc Roe. "What's the damage?" she questioned hurriedly, before pulling out the aid kit attached to her belt and handing it to him. He offered her a grateful look, before nodding and answering her question.

[MillietheWarrior]

"Nothin' much, ma'am. A bit of shrapnel hit their legs, but they'll be up and walkin' in no time flat. There's not much damage either. It's a good thing. Don't worry." He patted her on the shoulder, before his eyes strayed to her side, where a once small splotch of red, had evolved into a very large crimson circle.

"Looks like you got hit too. Want me to take a look at it?" He motioned towards her ribs, and she nodded, slowly.

[15]

[MillietheWarrior]

"Yeah. It's nothin' much. Just a small piece of shrapnel. Can you pull it out and bandage it up?" She watched as he tore a small hole in her jacket and uniform, expertly working his way down to the lodged piece of shrapnel and pulling it out. He cast her a knowing look, and nodded.

"Sure can." He pulled out a packet of Sulfa powder, and sifted it onto the wound. Wincing slightly, she allowed him to tie the bandage around her torso, pulling it tight to apply pressure to the wound. "All right. Try not to move around too much. Let it heal up a bit, and when I can, I'll get some stitches on it. Okay, lieutenant?"

[MillietheWarrior]

M.J. dipped her head gently, before sitting up against a tree, allowing her gaze to flicker from Bill to Joe. Both had their wounds treated already, and looked no worse for the wear. Bill was even venturing to stand up. "Feelin' okay there, Bill?" she questioned from her spot beneath the tree. He only nodded, offering her a thumbs up and a small, grimacing smile

George Luz shuffled over to the gathering, an odd look on his face. M.J. watched as Lipton spoke with him, questioning him on something she could not hear nor understand. As long as it didn't concern the mildly wounded being evacuated, she wasn't too interested. George nodded slowly, pointed to Buck Compton, and then wandered over to join her beneath the tree.

[MillietheWarrior]

"What happened to you, lieutenant?" he asked, gesturing to her bandage. M.J. let her gloved hand touch the soft white cotton, before allowing her gaze to fall upon Joe and Bill.

"Nothing much, George. Shrapnel wounds, that's all. We'll all be fine. What about you? Looks like you've just seen a ghost. You all right?" Her eyes softened momentarily as they met his own, and he smiled as he nodded, slowly, thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I'm all right, lieutenant. Thanks for asking."

Only a few hours after that, M.J., Bill and Joe were sent back to their foxhole.

[MillietheWarrior]

---

"No shit? He really did that? Didn't think Heffron was that much of a gentleman."

M.J. heaved a long suffering sigh, and rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. Not like you Mick's. And besides, I returned the favor a few seconds after that, you know, before the tree fell on us."

Joe chuckled and shook his head. "A tree fell on you? You seem to have all the fun, don't you, lieutenant?" Joe held his M-1 tightly in his arms, as though he was afraid he might lose it again.

[MillietheWarrior]

M.J. kicked his foot. "I told you already, you don't need to call me lieutenant, all right, Joe?" Bill patted his friend on the arm.

"Yeah, we have privileges. Like not usin' them ranks and titles all the damn time, Joe. Isn't that right, beautiful?" He slung an arm around M.J. offering her a charming smile. The tiny woman scowled, and picked his arm off of her shoulders.

"Don't push it, Bill," she growled.

[20]