Hope at Dunkirk

2.

Bombs hit the sea, the jetty and the beach. More soldiers fell as the German plane was being followed by an Allied Air Force, but wasn't quick enough to stop it dropping bombs and shooting at the British soldiers. One bomb hit the side of the docked ship, shaking the jetty as an explosion left a hole in the ships's side. The Nurses and soldiers inside screamed as the ship tipped and wobbled, before beginning to turn over and sink to the bottom of the ocean.

The Generals on the jetty cried to make the ship leave from the jetty, so that it won't block other salvation ships from docking at Dunkirk to save the rest of the troops. Water began to fill the under deck of the ship, making Nurses and soldiers rush to the limited exits that lead out to sea. The wounded were left as they were, too dazed to know what was going on at the time. Ones that were able to move, rushed to the exits as well.

"Sir what about the wounded?!", cried a soldier standing next to the General on the jetty.

"Leave them! We can not block the Mole!", he replied as soldiers pushed the ship the hardest they could away from the jetty, so that it would sink further away from them.

Harry frantically started to swim to the exit of the under deck, his limbs already weak from running and standing all day long. He cracked his eyes open for a split second under water, and saw the same blue eyed and brown haired Nurse frantically swimming to the exit just as he was. He watched as she looked worried that she wouldn't reach the surface in time, and other soldiers would be taken to their watery grave.

Harry swam out from the exit and made it to the surface with a gasp of air flowing back into his lungs, he panted as he swam towards the side of the jetty, his life jacket doing his wonders from sinking. He grabbed a hold of a wooden beam holding up the jetty, and pulled his body up until he was safely sitting on it with water dripping from his hair and on to his face. He panted as he watched soldiers attempt to swim to the jetty like he did, and pull themselves up and out of the water.

A familiar head popped out of the water and gasped for air, before swimming towards the jetty with the other soldiers. The Nurse struggled with the current as she had no life jacket on, her white medical hat long forgotten with the ship wreck that had now made itself behind her. Harry found himself reaching a hand out to only one survivor, and pulling her up on to the beam with him. Other soldiers were pulled out by their friends or even acquaintances.

"T-Thank you", the Nurse quivered as she settled herself opposite Harry on the beam, shaking from the freezing water she had arisen from. Harry said nothing as he watched the only surviving Nurse look terrified at the bottom of the ship sticking out of the surface of the water. Her eyebrows creased in horror as she remembered all those wounded soldiers and innocent Nurses that were now dead and under that ship.

The surviving soldiers climbed up and back on to the jetty, including the two boys who had previous come on to the ship but were shooed away for not being medical soldiers. Men coughed and spluttered from their intake of the water, standing on the jetty in small numbers in front of the Generals and the dry, awaiting soldiers.

"We will have another ship take you back men", a General said, before his eyes swept over to the only frightened female standing next to Harry. "And you Miss".

Eyes landed on the only surviving Nurse, who looked like she was about to be sick from the trauma she just endured. She had no idea what soldiers went through until now, seeing their bloodied and sweaty face looking at her with almost pleading looks. Harry glanced at the small girl beside him, noting she was only about 17, way younger than the usual Nurse volunteer. Him being only 18, knew exactly how she was thinking and what she was feeling.

They waited for another ship to dock in, and set up a small boat to ride out since the ship wreck would block it at the moment. The Nurse was well taken care of by the Generals, since she wasn't meant to have set foot outside of the ship that wasn't meant to be sunk. Harry couldn't help but watch her as she shivered in her wet dress, her red lips shaking when she struggled to dry in this freezing weather. He almost gave her his jacket but decided against it as it was dripping wet.

"Alright Men, another ship is docking in. Sail out to it and it'll take you back to England", a General called out, making Men pile into the boat at the bottom. He turned to the Nurse who stood with them. "You too Miss. Stay close to the soldiers you trust, if you can find any".

They helped the Nurse into the boat and she decided to sit next to Harry, as he helped her out of the freezing cold water from before. She didn't dare look at him as she settled herself next to the tall soldier, still shaking with her head down. Harry raised an eyebrow at her actions, but was grateful that she seemed to trust him the most out of all the soldiers. He said nothing as he waited for the small boat to row out to the ship that was a few metres away, it now being well into the night.

And once again, they waited.