Chapter Text
“Alright troops, ready to jump?” there was a command shouted through the cabin of the jet. The troops gathered their gear and prepared for the jump and their ensuing mission. They hit the ground and readied their weapons, as orders were handed out.
“We are to patrol the city and clear the area so ground troops can move in. There will be civilians so be aware.” the Major informed his leaders. “Harris, your platoon goes up the center, Daniels and Schrader will flank, and I’ll follow you in. Stay safe and move out."
Ashlyn Harris, a Captain in the US Army, serving her third tour, prepared her platoon. She wanted everything to go as planned. Then they were on their way, eyes sharp for anything out of the ordinary.
“You worry too much, you know.” 1st Lieutenant Tobin Heath said as she came up beside her captain. “Things are going to be fine and then we’ll be going home to our wives and getting promotions."
“Whatever you say Heath.” Ashlyn jokingly shoved her friend, but she still couldn’t help the feeling in her gut. “I just hope you're right."
As the company made their way through the small village, things seemed normal. Children ran through the street and mothers hung clothes on lines. Harris even kicked a ball back to a young boy who lost it. She was relieved when they were nearly through, but it was short lived as all hell broke out.
“Bomb!” There was a shout followed by a loud explosion, debris flying all around. Shots rang out and the soldiers tried to take cover as they were attacked. Ashlyn went into gear, ordering her troops, reigning out bullets when she had to. As time passed there was more and more chaos. Ashlyn looked around and her eyes came to rest on the little boy with the ball, tears streaming down his face.
“Harris, no!” Heath yelled, knowing what her friend was about to do, but it was too late. The 1st Lieutenant couldn’t follow because she had her own hostile to fight, explosions ringing all around her.
“Hey little man, you’re going to be just fine.” Ashlyn looked into the boys eyes and they looked around for cover. She approached an old hut, holding the boy to her chest.
“Harris get down!” she heard the warning and turned her back to shield the boy, paying she would make it back to her wife, as ringing filled her ears and darkness found her.
They had managed to get word out and send for a air strike. Within minutes the enemy had been subdued and the troops were left to pick up the pieces and tend to the injured. Many had minor battle wounds, and some had burns and shrapnel wounds.
Tobin joined the efforts after carrying some men to safety. She helped lift some of the debris that had piled up. They managed to move a large pile of what looked to be a hut. She saw something that looked like an army uniform, but was burned black. As the 1st Lieutenant approached, she saw the patch with the name embroidered on the soldier’s pants. HARRIS.
“Medic! We need a medic over here now!” she yelled, running to the fallen soldier. She and another guy gently turned the body over, revealing a scared little clinging to the soldier’s chest. “Hey it’s alright, you’re okay. Can you go with this nice man right here?” once the boy moved, Tobin looked on in shock. Her friend was covered in blood and cuts. She checked for a pulse and was relieved to find a faint beat.
The medics arrived and Tobin moved by her head so they could work. As they removed some of her gear, the Captain’s eyes shot open. “Hey there Captain, can you hear me?” a medic asked, but got no response. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak, she was in shock, her eyes searching all around until they stopped on her friend. “I need you to keep your eyes and on Heath. I’m sliding a neck brace on you now and we are going to be at the field hospital in nine minutes. You keep looking at Heath okay."
They got her on a back board and into a chopper. There they managed to get and iv in her arm and an oxygen mask on her face. The whole ride was a whirlwind of activity, but Ashlyn’s eyes stayed locked on Tobin’s, occasionally closing, but they’d wake her right back up.
The chopper landed and they were met by a gurney and a medical team. Inside the make-shift hospital, the trauma doctor immediately took over. “Captain Harris, I’m Colonel Marks. We are going to fix you up okay. Can you squeeze my hand?” No response, no movement. The doctor turned to the nurse and spoke quietly. “Set up an x-ray and MRI, prep for a possible spinal injury."
The team continued to work, removing her jacket, revealing an array of burns and shrapnel wounds. Soon an alarm went off on a machine and they had to secure an airway. “Let’s get her to those scans and then probably to an OR."
Tobin tried to follow, but was quickly stopped by a nurse. “Oh no you don’t soldier. We need to get you checked out.” She looked down at her bloody hands and tried to deny, but the adrenaline had started to wear off and she was all of a sudden in a lot of pain. “Can I get another gurney over hear please."
A doctor came over and started looking Tobin over. Once they got her stuff off, they found three large shards of shrapnel embedded on the lieutenant’s neck, shoulder, and abdomen. She was stabilized and they took her to surgery to remove the foreign bodies.
There was a steady beeping and oxygen filling her nostrils. When Tobin opened her eyes a woman was checking her wounds. “Lieutenant I am Major Gordon. I operated on you. After those three pieces a shrapnel I am amazed you were able to do everything you did out there."
“I need to get out of here. I need to check on Har-“ she was quickly stopped by the doctor when she tried to get up. “Please."
“I really need you to stay still so you don’t rip out your stitched.” the woman explained. “Captain Harris is in surgery. She had some internal bleeding they had to take care of. You two are on the next plane to Germany."
Tobin was temporarily relieved to hear her captain was okay for the time being. A few hours later several soldiers were being wheeled out to the jet that would take them to Germany. Tobin finally found Ashlyn and was placed near her. She could see a large, stitched gash down her forehead snd nose, and she was still in neck brace and strapped down so she couldn’t move. What scared her most was that Ashlyn’s eyes were closed and there was a tube down her throat.
The plane took off and Tobin fought to keep her eyes on her friend. Pain coursed through her veins and soon her eyes had closed.
“Hey there sleepy head.” Tobin was greeted by a new nurse and she found herself in a new place. “We are glad you are back with us. You’ve been out for over a day."
“Where is Captain Harris? I need to see her?” that was all she cared about.
“I will take you to see her when your doctor checks you out and I’ll have her doctor come talk with you. Oh and your wives will be arriving tomorrow.” the nurse left to get the doctor. Tobin was told she’d taken sharps of shrapnel to various part of her body, and that she had a concussion so she had to be watched for blast injuries. Eventually Ashlyn’s doctor came in to tell her how the captain was doing.
“Captain Harris sustained several injuries, most notably a broken back. She has some second and third degree burns on her back and legs, as well as shrapnel in her back from the explosion. She has some broken ribs and we stopped the internal bleeding she had.” the doctor informed Tobin. “We have her on her front for another day so her back could be treated and we will flip her tomorrow. She is being kept in a coma for now because she will be in a lot of pained we need to keep her still."
“What about her back? Will she ever be able to walk again?” Tobin asked
“We don’t know the exact damage to the spinal cord. It doesn’t appear to be severed but we will have to wake her up tomorrow to see what her functioning is like.” he responded. “We have sent her scans to the best surgeons to get their opinions, so I can’t give you a sure answer yet. If you’re ready they will take you to see her for a little while.
The Lieutenant help in a gasp when she saw her friend. Stabilized in the table, tube breathing for her and back exposed. They told Tobin she wasn’t allowed to touch her because she had to be still. Tobin stayed with her for hours, talking about whatever came to mind, but she never got a response. Eventually she started to doze off and a nurse wheeled her back to her room.