we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

8: carentan

UPDATED 05/11/2022. Didn't realize that the first sentence wasn't uploaded. My apologies! If you notice weird things like this in the book, let me know! Uploading content is not a perfect procedure.

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Liebgott had told Madison about his own journey in Normandy, and Madison in return told him all the details that he didn't get from the others, which was a lot. He also informed Madison about how 90% of Easy Company was still missing. The two friends had also overheard Lieutenant Speirs saying that a majority of Dog Company was unaccounted for as well.

Where was everybody?

Madison didn't really have time to think about her comrades. She wouldn't allow herself to. She needed to think about the men that needed her help as now. So, as soon as Liebgott had dropped her off at the aid station they had set up, she set to work immediately. A lot of men needed help but there were hardly any medics around. Madison didn't see anyone else with the red cross around their bicep.

"Am I really the only medic here?" Madison asked one soldier. She was currently wrapping gauze around his temple. Many of the soldiers were bleeding from their temples, she noted. Many of them had concussions.

"You're one of the only few here, miss," the man replied. Madison paled. Fuck, she had to move around quick but make sure her treatments were effective for them.

Madison nodded. She excused herself as she went to the closest soldier to her, seeing what was wrong with him.

"Medic?" someone called out.

"I'm busy!" Madison called back. She started to assess the man in front of her. He had snapped his wrist somehow. There was nothing she could do but wrap up the broken wrist with a rod of sorts, gauze and medical tape. "This is the best I can do for now, I'm sorry. But take this, it could help." He handed her the pills that she had snatched from the dead German. She had realized it was a type of painkiller medication. Her grandparents had the same brand in their home.

"It's good enough for me. Thank you."

"Medic, please—"

"Maddie!" she heard Popeye call out. She turned around to see that a few other medics had come in, carrying Popeye on a stretcher.

"Holy shit," she breathed. "What the hell happened?"

"I got shot in the ass, ma'am," Popeye sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "I fucked up. I fucked up. I'm so sorry. I'm—"

"Do you have a place that we can set him down at? The bullet is still in him; no exit wound," one of the men told her.

"Yeah, of course," Madison scanned the place. She found an empty table. Perfect. '

"Over here," Madison waved them over, making her way to the flat surface. The men soon appeared with the wounded Popeye. "Set him down. I'll deal with him. Can you help out with everyone else? I got a lot of them in here, but there's more to come in soon."

"Of course," one of the men said. They left Madison with Popeye. She turned to him.

"Hey, Popeye, don't stress yourself out. It's okay," she tried to soothe him, but it was no use.

"I can't! I messed up the whole operation!"

"No, you didn't, Popeye. If you had, the world would probably have ended already," she assured him, patting his head with her hand. He seemed to calm down a little bit. "Now, I need to get this bullet out. Where did you say it was again?"

"In my ass, ma'am," Popeye answered. Madison couldn't help but laugh at his answer. She moved down a little bit, so she could get to his lower body area.