The Miracle {Dunkirk}

CH.6

Peter threw a punch and caught the soldier off guard. Peter's fist made contact with the soldier's left eyebrow and sent him flying off the boat.

I ran across the deck and put my supply bag down on the floor.

"Bailey!" I heard Collins yell as I dove into the water.

I swam over to the soldier and helped him back over to the boat. I saw that Peter was making his way back over to his father, Mr. Dawson. Meanwhile, Collins, Alex, and Tommy were at the side of the boat, ready to pull us up.

I passed the soldier up to Alex and Tommy while Collins pulled me out of the water. The soldier sat down on the deck, more shaken then he was before. I grabbed my medical supply bag and began attending to the wound he had above his left eye.

Collins came back with two blankets. He placed one on the soldier and the other on me. I had finished with patching up the soldiers wound and let him be. I went over to where Alex, Tommy, and Collins were sitting and sat with them.

Collins smiled and shook his head. "Why must you be so stubborn?"

"I'm sorry for doing my job." I laughed.

I saw Peter walking towards us out of the corner of my eye and I scooted over, leaving him some room. He sat down next to me and looked at the group of us.

"I, just wanted to apologize for my behaviour earlier. It's just, I find I'm a bit more sensitive nowadays, since my brother died earlier in the war." He told us. "I've lost him and now I've lost George."

"I know how you feel. I lost my mother two weeks ago in battle. She was a nurse." I said, I could feel tears starting to build up in my eyes.

Peter looked over at me. "Oh Bailey, I'm sorry."

"And your father?" Collins inquired.

"He's on the dock at Dunkirk beach as we speak." I replied.

"Soldier?" Collins continued.

"Officer." I answered.

Peter sighed. "When I lost my brother, my dad and I were heartbroken. I had lost my best friend. Then George came along and he began to feel like a brother. He came sailing with my dad and I whenever we went out and he would always come help us out at home. My dad would sometimes help him with his homework. George always wanted to be in the local newspaper. He would always say, 'Peter, watch. One day I'll make it in. One day.' I would always tell him that I believed in him."

"I'm so sorry. If only I had blood transfusion equipment I could've prevented this." I commented.

Peter put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't blame this on yourself. You had nothing to do with his death."

He then stood up and fixed the hem of his red sweater. "I think there's someone else I need to apologize to."

He then walked away and went towards the soldier he got into the fight with.

"Have you got anyone to go home to?" Tommy asked me.

"Well, I have grandparents but they live in London. So it will just be me in Dover until my father comes home. Whenever he comes home." I replied. "How about you three?"

Alex shook his head. "My dad died earlier in the war. My mum died of a heart attack when I was seven. That's the reason I joined the army. I have no other relatives left so I really didn't care if I was shot."

"My dad left when I was a young boy, but my mother is back in England. She isn't well though, she's very sick in the hospital. They won't even let me visit her anymore because of how sick she is. The doctors tell me that she may not have long." Tommy explained.

Collins spoke up next. "My mum passed away five years ago because of a disease, but I do still have my dad. However, my dad and I have a very bad relationship so I don't really see or talk to him much."

"Well, you're all welcome in my flat in Dover if you need it." I said.

Tommy smiled. "Thank you Bailey."

Collins and Alex nodded in agreement.

"The cliffs of Dover!" Mr. Dawson suddenly called out to everyone.

Everyone on deck looked over to the starboard side of the boat to see the magnificent white cliffs. I smiled at the sight and knew I was home.

Mr. Dawson eventually pulled into the dock and everyone unloaded. All the soldiers went towards the train station, however Collins, Alex, and Tommy stayed behind with me. The three of them helped me carry George's body out from below deck and wrap it in a large cloth sheet.

"I'll worry about this." Mr. Dawson told us when we were done. "You go on home now."

Peter then approached me. "Do you live here in Dover?"

"Yes." I replied.

"What street?" He continued.

I told him my street address and he said he also lived on that street. From there we exchanged flat addresses and promised to meet up tomorrow. I waved goodbye and walked away with Collins, Tommy, and Alex.

I lead the three of them back to my flat and got them settled in the living room inside. I then went into the kitchen and started boil water. I made tea and brought it back into the living room.

We all took our cups and quickly drank the tea inside them. We all talked for a while and I told them all about Dover. Then, we were all exhausted.

"There's four bedrooms here so you each can have your own. But, there's only two bathrooms so you'll have to share." I explained.

The three of them looked at each other and ran out of the living room. I laughed at them as they all raced upstairs in a competition of who would get the bathroom first.

I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes for only a second, but that was enough to send me into a deep sleep. As I was drifting away, my mind was playing a recap of everything that had happened to me today.