UPDATED 05/15/2022. No major revisions, but the chapter has been edited with new detail. I still can't outdo the baseball scene, not with the way this story is formatted!

Anyway, guess who is updating their list of "possible faceclaims for Madison & Morgan Klein because someone (ahem, the author) can't commit to one FC, but multiple?" Yep, that's right. It's me! I think it's good to have a variety, but that may just be me.

So, the two people I have chosen recently is Emilia Clarke and Florence Pugh. I won't lie, I am really  vibing with Emilia Clarke as the Klein twins. She's just so adorable! Solo: A Star Wars Story helped me solidify this, specifically the scene with Emilia's character reuniting with Han Solo. For the first time ever, I will provide a visual. I also thought Florence Pugh thanks to...Midsommar. lol. After my editing, I may add a list for all the possible faceclaims and offer visuals, because I know a lot of people rely on something like that.

Without further ado, here is the revised chapter 21!

* * * * *

"Why don't you give me your weapon?"

Good idea, Madison thought. She didn't like how the man was waving the gun around. She was about to jump out of her seat, but Grant wanted her to stay put, so she would.

"Well, I guess I'll use his jeep. I don't think he's gonna be needing it," the private shrugged before he started to make his way to the vehicle. Grant persisted on.

"Hold on a second, alright?" Grant said hurriedly. Before another word could come out of his mouth and before Madison or any of the privates could register what happened, the private aimed his gun at Grant and took a shot. Madison saw the bullet cut right through the side of his head and he fell to the ground, motionless and, no doubt, bleeding.

"GRANT!"

* * * * *

"GRANT!"

Madison all but fell out of the driver's seat as she darted towards Grant. He was shot by the private! Oh, how she wanted to kick that private's ass so bad, but now was not the time. Grant needed her first. He was her priority out of everything else at the moment.

Madison dropped down to Grant's, cradling him in her arms as she began to assess him. She had to cover her eyes for a second as she looked up to see the private reverse in one of the unoccupied jeeps, brights on. He wasn't going to stay around for too long...but Madison would make sure that she would not forget who he was.

Madison turned back to Grant with undivided attention. She couldn't afford to be panicked and afraid. Grant needed her. She inspected him briefly but cautiously. The bullet had gone through the head. Already, the young medic knew that she couldn't do much—if any—for him. Right now, she had to stop the bleeding and get him back to HQ.

Madison realized that the two privates with them were still in their seats, seemingly frozen. Her anger flared. She whipped her head quickly, ignoring the cracking as anger and desperation in both her eyes and voice.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING? HELP US, GODDAMN IT!" her voice was raw and she could taste the saltiness of her tears. She looked back to Grant and began to whisper to him desperately.

"Please don't die, Grant. Please don't die."

She kept repeating those words like a mantra as she and the privates were able to carry him to the back of the jeep. She cradled him, prevented further blood loss, smoothed his hair, whispered to him, anything. He couldn't die. Not now, not ever.

The privates got them back to HQ where the main medical setup for the battalion was located nearby.

"We need help! Sergeant Grant's been shot!" one of the privates yelled. Seconds later and Tab, Roe, and Speirs came rushing out from various locations. Madison looked up as she saw the three of them standing right behind the jeep and right in front of her. Her eyes were bloodshot red and she was sure that there was blood on her; she felt sticky.

"What happened?" Speirs demanded.

"Some drunken private shot Grant while he was trying to help him," Madison was able to get out. She could hear the panic in her own voice, and her body in tremor. She tried not to think about it too much.

"Do you know who it was?"

Madison shook her head. "Nein, sir."

Madison and the three men were able to get Grant out of the jeep. Speirs ordered the two privates to go report what had happened. Meanwhile, he and the other three took Grant into the building where one of the doctors looked him over.

"He's not going to make it," the doctor said, as he lit up a cigarette. Madison almost cried again, but her hot-headed side prevented it, and instead she rolled her eyes. Smoke in front of your patients, how professional. She was determined that Grant was going to live, damn the doctor's words!

"There has to be a way," Madison insisted calmly. The doctor looked at her and shook his head sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, there's no way—"

"Fuck you, there has to be a way!" Madison said again, louder and more desperate this time. The doctor gave her a look of shock, as well as Speirs and Roe. While they knew she could get snippy, they have yet to see her act like this.

Madison, meanwhile, took a deep breath. She needed to stay calm.

"Listen, we already lost so many. I already lost so many. Grant's tough. If he would die, then he would have already. Please, I am begging you. There has to be another way!"

The doctor sighed. "You need a brain surgeon."

Madison's response was rapid, as she looked to Speirs, Roe, and Tab. "See? All we need is a brain surgeon." She turned back to the doctor. "Where is he?"

"Next town over, but I still don't think he's going to make it," the doctor shrugged, walking away with his cigarette in his mouth. Madison glared after him, before turning back to Speirs.

"We need to take him now."

"Roe and I will. I want you and Talbert to round everybody up and find the shooter."

Madison blinked hard, taken aback by his plan.

"What? No, I gotta go with you!" Madison cried as she, Speirs, Roe, and Tab carried Grant out.

"You've seen enough and you're one of the witnesses," Speirs told her. "That's an order, Klein."

Madison wanted to stomp her foot and throw her fists to her side. She could feel a tantrum start growing until Speirs put a hand on her shoulder. He kept her stable, ceasing the tremor that had started.

"Grant's counting on you, Madison. I promise that Doc and I will get him to the doctor and that he'll make a full recovery."

Madison narrowed her eyes at him. "You swear?"

"I swear."

"You know, my brother promised me that he would make it home, but he won't," Madison said quietly. The three men, registering what she had said, gave her a soft look. They knew that she was still grieving the loss of her brother (and for so many others), and Grant getting shot didn't make it any better.

"Madison—"

"No, it's okay," Madison wiped the welled up tears away from her eyes. That probably was not a good idea, due to parts of her sleeves (mainly the cuffs) soaked with blood, but let all be damned. "Grant will make it. I believe it."

Speirs said nothing as he ran to the driver's seat of the jeep. Madison looked up to Roe, who was taking care of Grant.

"Keep him stable," Madison ordered sternly. Roe nodded. Before anymore could be said, Speirs had sped off to the next town, leaving Madison and Tab behind.

"Let's find that son of a bitch."

* * * * *

Madison knocked loud and hard on all the doors she went to. Each man would open up to see the small girl, eyes rimmed red, tear streaks on her cheeks, and blood all over her. Each man would ask the same question as to what happened, and she would respond that Grant had been shot and that they were ordered to find the culprit. No one hesitated or wasted their time in getting ready. Tab explained to them that each of the witnesses were to go with one of the men to identify the shooter.

Unfortunately, Madison was grounded. They wouldn't let her go.

"Why the fuck not?!" she yelled, as she tried to get past Tab. He wouldn't let her go.

"Madison, you're distressed. Please, stay here."

"No! I was there, I'm a witness! I can help!"

"Madison, please!"

"No! I was already shot down to help Grant one way, don't do this to me too!"

"Madison?"

Everyone was rather awestruck to see Josh walking through the doorway. Madison ran over and hugged him tight, forgetting that she was still coated in Grant's blood. She didn't care why Josh was there, she needed someone to talk to and maybe be able to reason with the others to see why she had to go.

"Oh, Josh, it's so awful! One of my friends got shot and they're not letting me do anything!" she explained hurriedly and in hand gestures. It was a common thing for her to do in times of distress, which seemed to be a lot these days.

Josh pushed her back lightly, his hands on her shoulders.

"Madison, I know what happened," Josh started calmly. "And I think it's a good idea for you to sit this one out."

"But—"

"No. Listen to me, okay? You're a wreck. You could do something reckless, and none of us want to see that, okay? Your friend who was shot wouldn't want you to do anything stupid. Listen to your friends. Sit out on this, okay? I'm sure they'll find the guy who did it, and I'm sure you will be able to ID him."

Madison stared at him, eyes glassy and hard. Finally, she gave in. She sighed as she stared at the ground.

"Okay."

It was like everyone was holding their breath, because relief soon filled the room. The remaining men who were left filed out as they began their hunt for the shooter, leaving Madison and Josh in the foyer.

Madison and Josh sat down in chairs across from each other. Madison had her tiny legs propped up on the coffee table with her arms crossed under her breasts while Josh's hands were clasped together and he was leaning inwards between his legs. It was silent between the two for a while. Neither one knew what to say.

"My brother died," Madison broke the silence. She felt like she had to tell him. Josh looked up to her, his face as clear as slate. The young woman couldn't read his expression.

"I'm sorry," Josh said.

"Don't," Madison tensed up, before the tension was relieved again. She didn't want to get pissy with him like she had with the others. "I'm sorry. I just...it's just so soon. I just found out. He died back in May. On VE Day. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Very," Josh agreed. He felt uncomfortable, not knowing how else to respond. He knew better than to ask questions, so he changed the subject.

"So, this man who was shot. Is he a friend?"

"A very good friend," Madison answered. "Chuck's one of the best around and when he was shot....he can't die. I won't let it happen. We already lost a lot, in death or by accident."

So many accidents, Madison thought. Donnny's Luger. Janovec's jeep. Shifty's ride. So many more, it's hard to keep count.

"It sounds like you're grieving, still," Josh pointed out carefully.

"No shit," Madison snapped. She shrunk a little, feeling guilty instantly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that."

Josh waved it off. He understood. If he was in her shoes, he would feel the same way.

"It's fine," the young man insisted. "I've had my share of losses, too."

It was quiet between the two friends. Madison stared at him blankly, but curiosity ebbed in. Josh noticed.

"What?"

"How are you so...kind? So...calm," Madison wondered.

Josh shrugged. "Truth be told, I don't know."

"Well, you're a good man, Joshua Green. You're an absolute angel, you know that?"

"I think that's you," Josh tried to throw off her compliment.

"I am not. Just shut up and take the compliment, okay?" Madison found a little humor in her, as she threw his own words back at him. Josh grinned.

"Okay, I'll shut up and take the compliment."

Madison couldn't help but huff in amusement, a small twitch of the left corner of her mouth contorting into the smallest smile. After that, the two friends were mostly quiet, but Josh talked about his family and his time in the service. It served as something to distract Madison, but she genuinely loved hearing about Josh's time in the service and about his family.

It was almost an hour later when the men came bursting through the lobby's doors. Both Madison and Josh jumped up from their seats from the commotion. They both shared a look before stalking over towards the crowd.

"Is this him, Maddie?" Bull asked. He had a man in his grip. The man had black hair and an ugly expression on his face. It looked like he was banged up a little bit. Even though he looked a little rough, Madison recognized him. This was the man Grant had tried to help hours ago, but instead received a nasty thanks in return.

"Yes. That's him," Madison answered, glaring at the man with as much hatred as she could muster. The private grinned at her, amused.

"How's the boyfriend?" he asked in a mocking tone, then he glanced back towards Josh. "Oh, I see. You're a—"

Madison didn't give him the time to finish. All she could see was red. How dare she insult both Grant and Josh like that? The young medic all but leaped and grabbed the private in a chokehold and in a good one, too. The men quickly pulled her off of him, throwing her into Josh's arms.

"Get him in the room before she tears him apart," one of the men said. They didn't hesitate. Madison tried to worm her way out of Josh's grip, but he was very strong.

"IF HE'S DEAD I'LL MURDER YOU MYSELF! THAT'S A PROMISE!"

Madison wiggled a little more, before giving in. After sensing that she had calmed down, Josh let her go. Madison took a step away from him, observing what was happening in the next room over, thanks to the window. It turns out that Easy Company was doing all the dirty work for her. They were beating the hell out of that soldier. It served him right.

"Let's sit down, shall we?" Luz suggested. She looked to see that he and Tab were the only two who didn't join in on the violence. Madison wished she could be as calm as Luz and Josh.

The four soldiers all sat down in the chairs and couch that Madison and Josh were occupying just minutes earlier. Madison had started to talk low in German, trying to calm herself. After succeeding in just a little bit, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and lit one up, inhaling the smoke. She offered the three men with her one, but Luz was the only one who took on her offer.

"Danke, madame," Luz said. "How about we play poker to pass the time?"

* * * * *

As they could hear the punches and grunts in the next room over, the four soldiers had decided to play a few rounds of poker. Tab was getting more agitated by the second and honestly, Madison couldn't blame him. Despite the pure exhaustion, the young medic still felt on edge.

"I wonder who's taking the bigger beating. Me or him," Luz joked lightly.

"Want to play a different game?" Tab questioned, as he began to reshuffle the cards.

"Same game. Just shuffle them up good, you know?" Luz insisted. The groans of the private who shot Grant got louder with each hit he received. Tab took out his frustration by shuffling the cards roughly. It was so rough that you could hear the cards smack against each other.

"You alright?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Tab shook it off. The others all shared brief glances, knowing that he wasn't.

"You wanna join in?" Luz asked again.

Tab shook his head. "I should go in and stop this."

Before anything else could be said, there was a loud slam of the front doors opening, smacking against the walls. It was Speirs who entered the room. Immediately, Luz, Tab, Josh, and Madison all stood at attention.

"Where is he?" Speirs asked. He was on the edge.

"How's Grant?" Madison asked.

"Where is he?" Speirs repeated.

"How's Grant?"

"WHERE IS HE?" Speirs barked. Madison couldn't help but flinch. Tab motioned that they were in the next room. Speirs marched on with Madison, Josh, Tab, and Luz trailing behind him.

Speirs made his second entrance, and all of Easy stopped and stepped away from the guilty private.

"Is this him?" Speirs asked.

"It's him," Bull answered. "Maddie and the others said so."

Speirs walked over to the bloody private, who was seated in a chair. He was coughing and gasping. Madison didn't think anything of it. She could hear her friends pulverizing him, but she could care less. Not after what he did to Grant, as well as those two men he killed previously.

"Replacement from I Company," Bull continued. "Found him assaulting an Austrian girl."

Madison felt her temper rise again, but she stood in place.

I will not lay a hand on him. I will not lay a hand on him. I will not—

The sound of Speirs's pistol hitting the private across the face brought Madison back out of her thoughts.

"When you talk to an officer, you say 'sir'," Speirs said darkly. He pointed his gun towards the man, which had everyone take a step back. Everyone saw how Speirs was internally debating with himself, deciding on whether or not he should kill him. They all saw how his arm with the gun was trembling. Eventually, he brought that arm down to his side, deciding that the man could live. He took a deep breath, taking his cap off.

"Have the MPs take care of this piece of shit," Speirs ordered as he exited the room. Everyone looked on.

"Sir? How's Grant?" Madison requested for the third time.

"Is he dead?" Tab asked.

"No," Speirs answered, turning back to face the two. "Kraut surgeon said he's gonna make it."

Madison could help but laugh in relief. She let out an inaudible noise of relief as well. Not knowing what else to do, she hugged Tab, as he was standing right next to her. His arms wrapped around her as well. They were both relieved. Everyone was.

Thank you, Matt.

* * * * *

A few days later, Madison found herself lounging on the bank on one of the lakes. Her jacket was off and she was propped up on her elbows, smoking.

It was peaceful out here, all by herself. The trees were swaying softly, the water was flowing. It was a nice spot to relax. Austria was truly beautiful.

Grant was going to be okay. They said he would have a long road of recovery but Madison knew he could make it.

Madison couldn't help but think back to the past year she had. She counted it all up. In total, Easy had been in six countries. They were in England, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria. She bet no one she knew could beat that high count! Although, she would never wish any of this upon any of her loved ones. Truth be told, she didn't know how she survived it all herself. There were so many opportunities where she should have died, notably in Holland and Belgium, yet she was still alive and kicking. Alive and kicking when others could not.

Hoobler, Skip, Penkala, and her brother. Those were some of the deaths that hit her the hardest, but they weren't the only ones. She thought about the men who died in her arms; the patients she wasn't able to save. Each and every one of the faces were forever etched in their mind. She also thought about the people she encountered in those death camps. Madison shuddered at her thoughts.

Madison decided to expel those thoughts away from her, even if it was only temporary. She was able to find a