The Miracle {Dunkirk}

CH.3

"Bloody hell." Alex commented as the life boat ran into the shore.

The four of us let go of the rope and trudged our way out of the salty sea water. We all laid down on the beach, staring up at the cloudy sky.

"Is anyone hurt?" I asked, wanting to know if anyone needed medical attention.

"I think we're all okay." Tommy replied.

Alex nodded his head in agreement.

I then turned to the unknown soldier. "I never did get your name."

He just stared at me blankly. I then tried again.

"I'm Bailey Middleton. What's your name?" I asked.

He looked slightly puzzled before he spoke up. "Gibson."

I nodded and expected him to say something else, however he did not. He must be shy.

I looked through my satchel to check if I still had my medical supplies. The morphine bottles, bandages, and stitching supplies were all still there.

After a few minutes, there were a small group of men marching across the beach. They were heading towards a small boat that was stuck in the sand.

"Hey!" Alex called to them as he stood up and started running.

Tommy, Gibson, and I quickly followed him and caught up to the group.

"This boat's stuck now but it'll be floating when the tide comes in. We'll just have to wait." A Scottish sounding soldier explained from the front of the group.

The group of us climbed onto the boat and went below deck. We all got settled and began waiting for the tide.

"You're a nurse love?" A soldier suddenly asked me.

"Yes." I replied. "My father is an Officer and he's working alongside Commander Bolton to get soldiers off the beach."

"And your mum?" He continued.

"She died two weeks ago unfortunately. She was a nurse. She died helping and I want to continue what she started. That's why I'm out here."

He nodded his head. "I'm sorry to hear about your mum."

I smiled to myself. "She was brave, you know? I want to be just like her."

Then suddenly, there was a loud 'ting' sound and we all looked to one side of the boat. There was a small hole that was left by a bullet. There were two more shots taken at the side of the boat, and by then we were all getting worried.

"They've found us." One soldier commented.

"No, it's just target practice. Look at the groupings." Tommy pointed out.

"But we've got to stay quiet so they don't bloody know we're in here." Alex added in response.

After a few minutes, there were footsteps coming from above us. All of the men around me grabbed their rifles and pointed them towards the opening to the deck.

When a figure finally appeared at the opening, Tommy reached up the ladder and grabbed the man's arm, dragging him below deck.

The man fell to the floor and put his hands up in surrender. All of the soldiers leaned over him.

"Who are you? Are you German?" One soldier inquired in a slightly angered tone.

"N-no. I, I'm Dutch. Dutch. I'm with the navy. Here to help you." The man stuttered.

"Why did you leave your boat?" Tommy asked him.

"In case the Germans came." The Dutch man answered.

"How did you know we were in here?" I questioned.

The Dutch man looked over at me. "I didn't know. I just saw this boat and decided to take a look."

"And attract Germans?" I continued.

"No, I wouldn't..." He started but I cut him off.

"Suppose there are Germans around this area. They see you getting onto this boat, and they don't see you get off. What do you think that tells them?" I told him, raising my tone of voice slightly near the end.

"I suppose you're correct, Miss." He said with guilt in his voice.

"Damn right she is." Alex added on, looking in my direction.

"How much longer until we float?" A soldier asked.

The Dutch man sat up and rubbed his shoulders. "It should only take a few more minutes. The water is already lapping against the side of the boat."

We all sat and waited for the boat to start floating. Just as the Dutch man had said, after only a few minutes, water began coming into the area we were sitting in due to the bullet holes on the side.

The Scottish soldier motioned his head towards the holes while looking at another soldier. "Go, go. Plug it."

The soldier did as he was told and crawled over to the bullet holes. However, as soon as he raised his hands, another shot was fired, tearing through the metal and entering his leg.

He fell to the floor, yelling in agony. Two other soldiers made their way over to him and covered his mouth so the outsiders would not hear him.

I went over to him and pulled a needle and morphine bottle out of my satchel.

"Shhh. I know it hurts really bad but you need to calm down or else it'll just get worse. Trust me." I whispered.

I injected him with morphine and within seconds, he had stopped struggling and calmed his breathing. I pulled a bandage out of my bag and began wrapping his leg up. Once I was finished, he continued to lie there, completely out of it.

More water began pouring into the boat and I could tell the men around me were getting worried and aggravated.

"We, we need to lose weight." The Dutch man announced. "With less weight we will float."

"Someone needs to get off." Alex suggested.

I turned and looked at him. "Have you gone mental? Anyone who gets off will be slaughtered by the Germans outside."

He nodded. "Exactly. I know who's going to be volunteering."

Alex then turned and looked Gibson up and down. He grabbed him by his collar and stared into his eyes.

"You." He said sternly. "You're a German spy."

"Don't be daft." Tommy cut in. "He was just looking for a way off the sand like the rest of us."

"Have you noticed that he hasn't said a word?! Because I have. He probably doesn't even speak English! If he does his accent is probably as thick as sauerkraut sauce." Alex pointed out.

Tommy stepped forward. "Tell him, Gibson. Tell him you're not German."

"Yeah." Alex agreed. "Tell me."

Gibson looked scared. I too had noticed that he never said anything except for when he told Alex, Tommy, and I his name. I also had a reason to believe he was not British, however that did not mean that he should be sacrificed to the Germans while the rest of us survived.

"How'd you get the uniform Gibson? You must've killed an Englishman for it." Alex continued.

"Don't be stupid. He didn't kill anyone!" Tommy argued.

"Oh, is that so mate?" Alex asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"How hard is it to find a dead Englishman on Dunkirk beach?" Tommy asked in return.

The expression on Alex's face hardened. "Better he get slaughtered by Germans than me."

"That's not fair." Tommy told him.

"Survival's not fair." Alex replied. "He's going to be a great sacrifice for us all."