" War is a sinkhole that sucks money and men into it and is never filled."

- Margaret George

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" Okay, everybody, get in the boats, right now!" Jones called out to the group as Catherine jumped or more like slid right into the boat, collapsing on her side, letting out an anguished groan, as Webster jumped in right next to her followed by Chuck. Their boat began moving as they heard Vest and Johnny shouting.

Catherine could barely hear over the explosions and gunfire that continued to ring out from both sides. It was deafening. An house blew up behind them as they set off from the German side and waves lapped as an explosion landed in the river. There was gunfire and cursing and yelling and explosions. It was overwhelming. Catherine moved towards the front of the boat and began pulling with all her might to get the lead started and to get away from the German side of the embankment where chaos laid and ensued.

Catherine felt icy water splash up on her as the group continued to pull their boat across the water, explosions rocking either side of them causing the boat to ripple at the waves the explosions created. Catherine felt a bit of relief hit her as she saw Perconte appear and grab the rope to pull people in.

" Where's the medic!" someone yelled. In all the chaos of people jumping out of the boats or pulling people from them, Catherine found herself staggering and plunged into the icy water.

It sweltered her lungs and caused her arms to flail in a panic as she pushed to air. She came coughing and sputtering and freezing from the cold night air and below freezing temperatures of water. She was hacking and it burned her throat and she couldn't see or feel anything. She was numb. She felt arms grab her and barely registered it as Captain Speirs pulling her up the embankment, as she coughed over and over to get the ice water of the river from her lungs.

Catherine was drenched in the icy water and shivering as she stumbled out of Speirs grasp and crawled forward, before pushing herself to her feet to get inside the basement again where a majority of the group had run to.

" We got wounded, come on!" Johnny yelled as Catherine felt her ODs turn stiff in the cold she was exposed to and freeze to her body. She was shivering violently.

" Popeye, get the Krauts back there and shake 'em down." Johnny called as Catherine felt her legs becoming numb under her body suddenly.

" McClung! McClung! Get onto the company CP, let 'em know what we got." Johnny called to the man.

" Webster, stay with him." Johnny called to Webster.

" Hey, Shifty, watch Vest." Johnny called to the sharpshooter who stood watching the Germans and gave a firm nod. That's when Lieutenant Jones entered as chaos slowly ensued.

" Sir, I'm going to get a medic." Johnny told him, " You got this?"

" Yeah." Jones nodded as Catherine moved in besides Webster to try and get Jackson to calm down. Catherine's frozen body, let only her hands reach forward to gently cup Jackson's face as he panicked.

" Hey Jackson, you have to calm down," Catherine said softly, but the man was in a panic.

" Jackson, listen to me. You have to calm down or we can't help you." Webster said firmly, from beside her as Catherine tried to hold Jackson's panicking face still. Jones moved forward to hold Jackson's legs and Catherine glanced his way, meeting his frantic eyes which overlooked the entire situation.

" He's gonna fucking die, he's gonna fucking die!" Vest yelled as Catherine's head snapped up.

" Shut up!" Catherine snapped and it quieted for a second as everyone looked at the woman, eyes angry and narrowed. Then they all focused again.

" Jackson look at me, don't listen to him. Look at me, you're gonna be fine, everything's gonna be ok." Webster tried to tell him, as Catherine moved in beside him near his head.

" Jackson you're gonna to be fine, it's gonna be ok. Gene's on his way, you hear? You'll be fine!" Catherine called, as she helplessly pushed hair from the man's bloodied face. Jackson started coughing and sputtering as Catherine opened up his uniform a bit as to not overwhelm his airways. There were German voices and American voices yelling from the tiny stove area; and that's when people started freaking out and slowly losing control.

" Everything's fine." Webster told Jackson as Catherine moved overtop of Jackson's head and softly brushed at his hair.

" Please calm down, Jackson, please or we won't be able to save you." she pleaded with him her voice a mere whimper.

That's when the door burst open from the stairwell and Hazel was there, a murderous look in her eye.

105 - she had gotten to triple digits.

But then, the flip was switched as she looked immediately towards Jackson.

Catherine met her eye and then shook her head. Hazel let out a shaky sigh and then moved forward and tried to get a hold on Jackson's legs. This was the boy that had been carried out. Eugene Jackson, not even 21. Her heart broke for him.

" Goddamnit!" Vest yelled and Catherine turned to watch as Jones went rushing around as explosions ripped off above them, towards Vest. Hazel felt a shiver run down her spine as Jones pulled Vest back as he screamed, attempting to stabilize him with Popeye. Then Babe was in there and yelling. It was all just chaos. Hazel watched Web and Catherine attempt to calm Jackson as Ramirez held the boy's hand and people tried to hold him down.

" Jackson, stay calm, the medic is coming. They're on their way." Webster promised as Catherine looked up at Webster with sad eyes, " Where the fuck is the medic?!" Hazel felt cold, literally and physically, as she stood there looking between Jackson and Vest with the prisoners.

" Doc is on his way." someone called as Hazel turned and saw Johnny appear with Alley, as well as Gene and a few stretcher bearers. Hazel watched as Gene pushed in through the group, and it seemed to silence at the medic's presence.

A medic's presence was like that of a God, as the chaos was overrun by calm and silence, that of an angel.

" Doc's here you're ok." Catherine whispered brushing Jackson's hair from his eyes, as Gene approached and held the boy's face in his hands, as Jackson gurgled and cried out. Gene's gentle hands gently prodded Jackson's face as he leaned over to look down his throat.Webster gripped tightly onto Jackson's hand beside Catherine earnestly watching Jackson.

" Ok, ok." Gene said as it slowly got quiet, the chaos settling for a moment. It was like Gene was a beckon of light appearing, silencing the group. Gene softly repeated gentle words as bombs exploded in the background, putting his ear to Jackson's mouth as Jackson gurgled.

" Light, I need some light, give me some light." Gene said as he positioned to look down Jackson's throat. Hazel's worried eyes watched as Skinny brought out his lighter for some sort of flame.

" Alright, look at the flame. Jackson look at the flame." Gene cooed to the boy.

" Okay, that's good." Gene said as Hazel could hear her heart pounding roughly in her chest. She heard Jackson's pained cries, little innocent whimpers of a boy who shouldn't even be in this war.

" Alright, let's get him out of here, let's get him out of here." Gene concluded, as Hazel shuffled backwards.

" You guys, come on, help the Doc move him."

" I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!" Jackson became crying, and something in Hazel's heart broke.

An innocent boy screaming that he won't lose his life. Hazel's mind was on over drive, and her heart was racing inside her chest but all she could look at was Jackson and his screaming. He was just a boy. Babe was trying to comfort the wailing boy, pleading that his life wouldn't be taken from him, crying out in pain.

They began moving Jackson out, just before a whistle echoed above them and landed right by OP 2, causing the stretcher bearers to resort to moving to the ground as dust and a few bits of lumbar fell.

" It's ok, hey, it's ok!" Babe tried to call to the boy to calm him, but Jackson continued yelling and crying as Gene moved to adjust the boy. Jackson started choking, choking on his own blood, Babe's words falling on deaf ears, as Jackson started to seize. There were still bullets flying outside as Gene tried to console the boy. But nothing was working.

Hazel watched finally as Gene yelled his name with the last bit of energy, as Jackson gurgled one last breath, before letting it leave his lips. He wasn't suffering anymore. Gene sat back, pulling the helmet from his head, seemingly annoyed and overwhelmed. He glanced up towards Babe who had been trying to tell Jackson it was ok, even when it wasn't. Babe looked back at the silent group, waiting. He shook his head. Hazel watched Catherine, shivering and dripping wet, who was still leaning against the table put her head down.

Too many friends had died in her eyes. Hazel knew that. Johnny walked forward and pulled the blanket on Skinny's shoulder from him before moving over to where Jackson was. Johnny stood over the medics for a few moments before shuffling forward and putting the blanket over top of him. Jackson was dead. Johnny looked up then at the silent group of men and women.

A 20 year old boy, lost to death at the expense of war, and the chaos that followed.

No boy should have to worry about dying in a war that he had nothing to do with. Hazel gulped and looked to where Vest was crying, he was distraught, as Jones gently placed his hand on the back of his head to calm him.

The Germans were deafly quiet as well.

It seemed for a moment that everyone was mourning the loss of a boy, a human being.

Alley was emotionally distraught as well standing over where Jackson lay dead, sucking in his tears and his emotions.

Because you weren't supposed to show emotion in war, but that wasn't the reality.

Emotions were the thing that showed you were still alive.

The medics finally mustered their strength and slowly moved Jackson out of the basement of OP 2 and towards the broken aid station, once the firing outside had finally stopped. Hazel looked towards Catherine.

Catherine had seen Bill, Joe, Buck, Skip and Penkala leave or die in this war, just like Malarkey, she couldn't take Jackson, who was a mere sliver of innocence in the war. Like Hazel. Catherine had imagined it was Hazel in that position.

A 20 year old girl, dying in a war not meant for her.

Hazel had been in that position.

But eventually people began moving around and gathering their bearings or attempting to do something with themselves. But her emotions were dialed up even higher. She couldn't shake Jackson from her mind; it was like John Julian all over again.

A boy too innocent for the war, who didn't deserve to die at the hands of war. Hazel slowly sat down in a chair at the end of the table and stared at her hands. There wasn't a star to look at that night. Hazel gently let her head rest on the table and shut her eyes for a blissful moment of peace.

Catherine saw Hazel, the only one to let her head rest, against the table, letting her eyes shut away from war for a moment. Catherine slowly pulled a blanket from the back of a chair and stepped forward to wrap it around Hazel to warm her up. Hazel barely reacted, but she could feel the blanket and the warmth there.

When Catherine looked up a few men were watching her. She met Webster's eyes silently. Catherine looked away and walked back over to the stove and stood in front of it to warm up her hands. With her back facing the men, she let those tears fall down her cheeks. Her tears from Bill, Joe, Buck, and Skip and Penkala all falling down her face. Her tears for Jackson slipping to the ground. She had learned how to keep her cries quiet, as quiet as they possibly could be. She felt so ungodly broken. Jackson's death had just solidified it.

War is hell.

When Hazel slowly blinked herself awake, it was warm and quiet in the basement of OP 2. She felt warm, slightly light headed as her ODs were stiff but not super cold. She noticed that the two German prisoners were being guarded, but were resting, and a few of the other guys were resting.

It seemed that even in the brutal face of war, there was a bit of sympathy and humanity provided for a few moments of sleep. Hazel looked around and watched as Jones walked around, making sure the fire in the stove was still going, making sure the two men on guard, Ramirez and Popeye were still watching the sleeping Germans, that the men and women resting were resting and that the few that were awake were ok. She silently watched Jones do this, his quiet footsteps padding against the ground as he moved through the basement. He then met her eyes.

Hazel offered a small tired smile to him and he nodded with a small smile back. He glanced towards the Germans again before walking forward and sitting in a chair that was on the side of the table.

" How're you feeling?" Jones said to her. Hazel shrugged with a small smile.

" Ok, it is not the worst I've seen here, sir. With all this war. " Hazel said with a nod.

" We're just talking, you don't have to call me sir." Jones said and Hazel looked at him and nodded with a smile.

" How long have you trained?" Jones asked her.

" Since February 1942." Hazel said as she looked at him. Jones' eyes showed the realization he came to.

" I've been away from home since February 1942, and now it is February 1945, so 3 years. Since I've seen home home really." Hazel said with a nod, " I've been deployed since June 5th, 1944, and I dropped into Normandy on the 6th. My life hasn't been the same since." Jones looked at her, as Hazel looked upon him with wise eyes.

" And right now, I don't even know how close to the end we are." Hazel whispered softly, with pained eyes. Jones stared at the young girl. Her eyes said a lot, about all the pain she's seen and gone through and the loss of her innocence and childhood she's had to comprehend loosing. She was just a girl, though.

" I was part of the WAC, before I signed up to be here. But I wanted to be here, everyone who's here wanted to be here, in these spots. If it were for extra pay, or a purpose or for the cause of the war, we're all here and we all wanted to be here." Hazel told him. Jones nodded; it was why the bond Easy Company had was so powerful. Seeing so much pain and being so close to death too many times, caused this bond to be the way it was, to be as powerful and strong as it was. He understood.

" It's why the bond is the way it is." Jones said with a nod looking at her. Hazel shyly smiled at him with a nod. She knew what she meant. Everyone in Easy was the same way. She found herself doing anything for the guy next to her, she'd probably risk her life. Man, woman, it didn't matter. She'd risk her life to make sure that her friends, her family would survive.

" I'm sorry about your wound," Jones told her and Hazel met his soft eyes. His eyes were similar to Jem's in a way.

" It's okay," Hazel said pressing a gentle hand to where the wound lay underneath, healing quicker with each passing day, " we all carry wounds from war, whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally. We're all victims." Jones watched her. There was no fear in her eyes as she said that too, pure truth and honestly. It wasn't meant to scare him. It was meant to tell him the cold, hard truth that war never told you itself.

" The hospital showed me that," Hazel said, attempting to give him an explanation to her rather horrific answer, " men who were perfectly fine on the outside, but couldn't bear to see the blood on their fingertips from a paper cut. Men who couldn't bare to look outside at the sunshine again because it was too dark inside themselves to even let light in. I saw men break simply because their mind couldn't handle it, they couldn't handle this horrid war that has taken so much. We've fought for so long and look where we are. War is a horrible thing, I've started to realize it and I always have. War is so horrible. I never want to fight another war in my lifetime." Jones watched her.

" You're probably wondering why I then joined up, why I even chose to do this with that as my explanation." Hazel said with a soft sigh.

" I knew I wanted to do something for the war, anything I could. It's why the WAC was my first position, Operation Virago was just the next level. And I knew I could take it. I wanted to be on the right side of history, for when we finally tell the citizens of America that they had women also fighting their war. I look around now and no one even cares that there's a woman of power like Catherine or a medic like Lizzie, no one seems to care. It was in the beginning, the thought of men and women fighting together that was so intriguing and I knew it would die down and the war would flush it out - it's why no one cares anymore, at all. I find that truly horrific what a war can do. But I wanted to fight, fight a war against something that I thought was horrible." Hazel said with a soft smile.

" Yet you still manage to smile, " Jones said quietly, " that's bravery." Hazel nodded, picking a bit at the top of the table she sat at, where the wood was splintering off just like her mind.

" Do you regret it?" Jones asked her. Hazel glanced towards him.

" No." she whispered softly, " I'll never regret the experience and the friends and family this has given me. Even with all the horror I've seen, it's been worth it."

And with the look in her eyes Jones knew that this tiny sniper with the biggest heart meant it. Her mind was like a cave system; as you moved deeper into it, you discovered there was even more inside than on the surface layer. You just had to be daring enough to enter it.

" Thank you, for telling me that." Jones said softly, " It can't have been easy." Hazel gently looked up towards him.

" I mean no offense, Henry, but I've been through worse than just speaking the truth." Hazel said her voice honest. Hazel was genuine in her tone and she meant no offense at all.

Jones was new, a rookie, with a patrol for combat experience. He hadn't gone through what Easy had, but he still had a high respect for what they've become.

And the look in Hazel's eyes said it all. She had been through worse.

" None taken," Jones said with a soft smile, and Hazel smiled.

She was braver than most.

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hello! i'm back with a late chapter which i thought would've been out this morning, but things change LOL i'm glad to at least get a few up for the day, i adore writing too much to not upload for a day or two!! thank you for reading!! :)