A/N - Wow. This turned out a lot longer and lot better than I thought it would. I've attempted two Band of Brother's stories already and going back and reading them now makes me cringe. They were so poorly written, of course, I was barely fifteen when I wrote them. I'm very proud of this, this first chapter is 6 and a half thousand words long, the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic I think. I'm going to work hard on this, I want this to be good. I hope you enjoy it and please give it a review if you have time and I accept constructive criticism. This is Roe/OC, but there will be plenty of love from the other guys as well. Bill is a major character and I think Chuck Grant deserves a little more love, so he's a major character as well. Anyway, R&R and enjoy!
Disclaimer - This is done for entertainment reasons only, I wish no disrespect to the men who served in the second world war, I have nothing but the upmost respect for them and what they've done.
0-0-0-0-0
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The chants of the other children surrounded me and my opponent as we stood in the schoolyard, circling around each other, waiting to see who'd throw the first punch.
Me and the dark haired boy were both fighters, and we both had loud mouths. It started as a simple ribbing, started on my part. I'm not going to lie, I was a bully as a kid, I regretted it, but that didn't change anything. The other boy was a bit brash as well, but he didn't usually go looking for a fight, he waited for the fight to come to him, and boy was he ready. He did seem to feel a little awkward about all of this though, the way his anger faltered here and again, but that only made me angrier.
I couldn't stand it anymore, I threw the first punch and it hit him right in the jaw. His head went to the side and his eyes shut in pain, but he didn't make any sound. He just glared back at me, spitting on the ground, there was no blood. Not yet. He swung at me, but I jumped back and he missed. He swung again, and I dodged once more. I was small and quite quick, it was hard to get me. I swung at him again and hit him right in the mouth. He made a noise of pain and spit on the ground again, this time there was blood. He winced at the taste of it in his mouth, but he didn't take a step back, he held his ground. I was becoming confident I would win this fight, he had yet to hit me, but being this confident was bad. I got a little in over my head sometimes, and when it happened it happened. He punched me as hard as he could right in the side of the head, and it made me dizzy at the sheer force of it. He was strong for a little guy. But so was I.
I staggered a little bit, and he swung at me again, catching me in the eye this time. I staggered backwards and tripped over my own feet, falling backwards onto my back, the force of me hitting the ground knocking the air out of my lungs. He glared down at me, but made no move to attack me further.
"Maybe you should think about who yer messing with next time, short stop," The boy snapped down at me, his dark eyes full of rage as the kids around us cheered him on. They didn't really have a side though, they just wanted to see a fight.
I glared up at him as I heaved, trying to catch my breath as the boy turned around, getting congratulated by the other kids around him. I didn't like being the loser, I had to win. I stood and quickly and cried out in rage before I ran into him from behind and knocked him right off his feet. I knocked the wind out of him and probably gave him whiplash from the surprise of tackling him.
I sat on his back and punched him there several times before I grabbed a fistful of his black hair and lifted his head so I could see his face as I spoke to him, "Maybe you should think about who you're messing with, tiny."
Then I shoved the side of his face into the ground and grabbed a handful of dirt, trying to shove it in his mouth. He sputtered and kicked and punched, trying to get me off of him, but being on his belly like this it was hard to get a hit in. My victory didn't last long though, as I was suddenly grabbed by the back of my t-shirt and pulled off of the younger boy. I was lifted off my feet for a split second and even when I was set down on my feet, the person who had grabbed me still had a tight hold on my shirt.
The other boy was also lifted off the ground and he began tp spit up dirt, wiping his mouth and wincing at the foul taste on his tongue.
"What the hell are you boys doing?!" A man's voice suddenly cried and I looked up to see his face and his eyes widened with shock when he saw me, "Matilda Tauscher, what on earth do you think you're doing?!"
The boy I was fighting with eye's widened in shock, "Yer a girl?!"
I winced at his tone, but glared at him, "Yes, I'm a girl, you idiot!"
"Matilda, you are in for the beating of a lifetime!" The man shouted, glaring down at me in anger, but there was also disappointment in his hazel colored eyes, then he glared at the boy, which caused him to flinch, "And William Guarnere. I know your dad, don't think I won't tell him about this!"
William gulped with terrified eyes, "B-but she started it!"
"I don't care who started it! You were both fighting and you both got hurt, look at yourselves!" The man yelled, glaring down at the both of us, then the man's face changed. His angry look dropped at the sight of our injuries and he gazed at the both of sympathetically, but with disappointment, "Both of you, get in the car. I'll call your dad, Bill. And the rest of you, go the hell home or I'll call all of your parents, how about that?"
Nothing made a twelve year old run faster than the threat of getting in trouble from their parents. The crowd quickly dispersed and the man released both me and Bill, "Get in the car."
He walked to the car and got in the driver's seat. I cast a glance at Bill, who was giving me a slightly angry look, but he looked shocked now, too, it sort of covered his annoyance with me. I just glared at him and prodded at my black eye, sucking in a sharp breath at the pain there, "You'll pay for that."
Then I got in the car.
0-0-0-0-0
"Dad, he was calling Mary names, I couldn't let him do that!" I said as he prodded at my eye with a package of frozen peas, making me wince.
"Here, hold this to your eye," He said, and I took it from him, "I know for a fact that you started that fight, Maddie."
"What?! You don't believe me?!" I cried in surprise, well... I was surprised that he saw through my lie, of course I started that fight.
"I've had dinner with the Guarnere family before, they're good friends of mine. I know Bill doesn't start fights. He fights, but he doesn't start him, he just stands his ground," My father told me, looking to see if I was hurt anywhere else.
"But I-" I was cut off by my mother suddenly coming into the kitchen, a rag covered in blood in her hand.
"Matilda Tauscher, I cannot believe you!" She snapped harshly, glaring at me, her hands on her hips, "Why would you pick a fight with that young man in there? Explain yourself!"
"He's not as innocent as he looks, ma! He's always making wise ass remarks towards me at school!" I cried, and my father glared at me when I cursed.
"Matilda, watch your mouth!" My mother snapped, glaring at me disapprovingly, "I want you to get up out of that chair and go and apologize to that boy, right now!"
"But ma-"
"Now!" She said it so harshly I flinched.
I sighed and bowed my head, removing the frozen peas from my face and setting them on the table next to me, "Fine."
I stood and weaved around the chair my dad was sitting in, and he watched me go. He looked up at my mother calmly, and she put a hand to her forehead in exasperation, "That child is going to be the death of me."
I walked into the living room where Bill was sitting on the couch, prodding at his swollen and scabbed over lip. He looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards him and we caught eyes. He narrowed his eyes at me and pointed to his face, "Ya see what ya did? Ya screwed up my face!"
"It was already like that," I remarked sarcastically, not even cracking a smile. My look was hard and annoyed.
"How much ya weigh? 'Cause I bet I could throw ya out that window no problem," Bill said back, making me narrow my eyes at him now.
"You're making this harder than it has to be," I told him, and he cast me a confused look.
"Making what harder than it has ta be?" Bill asked, going back to poking and prodding at his lip.
"I'm supposed to apologize to you," I said, averting his dark eyes now.
It was silent for a moment, and then Bill finally spoke, "And are ya gunna?"
I shrugged, remaining silent. Bill scoffed and shook his head, making me look up at him and narrow my blue eyes again, "What?"
"You!" Bill cried, giving me an annoyed and wide eyed look, "What's the matta with ya? Yer always going 'round school, makin' everybody feel like shit, and ya can't even apologize once, even when yer motha' tells ya to. What's yer problem, eh?"
"You're my problem!" I snapped again, pointing a threatening finger at him, but he didn't even budge.
"There ya go again! Why are ya so angry all the time? Every time I see ya yer either in a fight or tryin' ta start one," Bill said, finally putting his hands in his lap and away from his busted lip.
"Maybe I'm always angry because I got the same problem you got," I replied, referring to something I've been wanting to tell someone about for a long time, but not just coming right out saying it.
"What? A thorn in yer side?" Bill asked, then his face went slack and his mouth fell open, "Oh, you do. You were once the nagged on kid too, huh? Is that why yer so mean to everyone all the time?"
I didn't reply to his question, and my silence all but answered it.
"Who woulda thought?" Bill chuckled, cracking a smile, "Yer just like me."
I glared at him again and pointed my finger back at him, "I am not just like you!"
"Yes, ya are," Bill said, smiling smugly, "Admit it. Ya only go after everyone else because you need reassurin' that nobody can hurt ya, am I right?"
Wow. He was actually spot on.
"And I'm right," Bill smiled, becoming more comfortable on my couch, "Two points for Wild Bill."
"Wild Bill?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes, "Is that really what you call yourself?"
"Me and some others," Bill said, "Most people at school, actually. Surprised you've neva' heard it before, I'm quite the popular name."
I rolled my eyes again, finally cracking a smile, "Yeah, right."
Bill snickered and then we both realized what was going on and we both frowned. We just had a light hearted moment. This wasn't how I was expecting the day to go.
I sighed and looked down at my sneakered feet and started what I came in here for in the first place, "Well, listen... I'm sorry about earlier, I should've kept my mouth shut. I had no business saying what I said. So... I'm sorry."
It was quiet. I had to look up to see what his reaction was. Was he mad? Was he laughing at me? But when I caught his eyes again he was only watching me, almost curiously.
"What?" I asked, feeling awkward now.
"I think that's the first time you've ever willingly apologized fer somethin' ya did," Bill said, and I avoided his gaze once more, then he went on, "I'm sorry, too. I should've just ignored what ya said, I can be sorta bull headed too, ya know?"
I chuckled, "Yeah, that's no secret, Bill."
Bill smiled at me then he stood suddenly, holding out his hand. I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "What's this?"
"It's my hand," Bill said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes, "No shit. I mean why do you want me to shake it?"
"Because, I feel like maybe we unda'stand each utha a little bit. We both have some of the same problems, we can relate," Bill said shrugging, "And... I feel like ya could use some friends. Yer always by yerself at school, yer never hangin' around anyone else, and-"
"I have friends," I defended, narrowing my eyes at him once more.
"Mary isn't yer friend, you guys barely talk," Bill said, and he was right, "Come on, I know ya want a friend. Shake my hand."
I looked at it outstretched, wondering what I should do.
"Come on, Matilda," He said and I cringed at the same, "I know ya secretly like me, come on."
"First, don't call me that," I said, holding up one finger, "And second..." I stared at his hand for a moment more, then I sighed, "Oh, what the hell. It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?"
Bill smiled as we shook hands, "Not one bit."
0-0-0-0-0
September 1942
"Alright, Mr. Tauscher, looks like everything is in order," Lieutenant Farrell said as he looked down at my papers and then looked up at me, "Welcome to the Airborne, Private."
I smiled a small smile and shook his hand, "Thank you, sir."
"You will be assigned to Easy Company of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne," He explained, setting my papers neatly on his desk, "You're training starts at 0500 hours tomorrow morning, so I'd get some rest if I were you. There's a jeep outside ready to take you to Camp Toccoa, I hope you're ready, Private. It's not easy."
"Sir," I smiled proudly, "I've never been so ready in my life."
0-0-0-0-0
I arrived at Camp Toccoa at 1600 hundred hours that afternoon. I was sent off to the barracks, where I currently was sitting on one of the beds after putting all of my stuff away. It was going to be hard. The training was intense, especially for a women, but I wasn't like other women. I grew up a tomboy and I always hung around boys and played tackle football and got into fistfights, I knew I could hold my own. It was disguising myself as a man that would be the struggle, but I felt I had to do this.
I was sitting there quietly, lacing my boots before I went off to the mess hall for dinner, maybe I could meet a few men before I headed off, so it wouldn't be so awkward finding a place to sit.
My prayer was answered just now as I heard someone yell, "Hang on, will ya? Let me get my stuff, yeesh."
Someone walked into the barracks and froze several steps into the room as they caught eyes with me. I smiled at the man's face and stood, and he smiled right back.
"Holy shit," He smiled, standing in the same spot and looking me over, "Ya actually fuckin' did it."
"You ever doubted me?" I asked, though it was with a playful smile.
"Not even once," He smiled, holding out his arms, "Come 'ere."
I smiled and let Bill Guarnere wrap me up in his arms, though it was a brief hug. He didn't want to any of the other men to see him hugging another guy so affectionately like this. He looked me up and down and whistled in surprise, "Wow. How'd ya manage ta do that?"
"I wrapped myself in a bandage," I said, shrugging my shoulders before casually saying, "I'm even stuffing my pants."
"Damn, yer pretty determined aren't ya," He smirked.
"Damn right I am," I replied, looking him up and down, "You look good, Bill. You even put on a few pounds. It looks good on you."
"Flirting already, Tauscher? Might want ta ease up on that, ya wouldn't want the rest of the guys gettin' any suspicions," Bill joked and I slugged him on the shoulder roughly, he rubbed his shoulder in pain, but he held the smile, "We were just goin' down ta the mess hall for some grub, wanna join us? Ya could meet some of the guys. They'll love ya."
I nodded and with a shrug of my shoulders I said, "Sure."
Bill smiled, "Alright, just wait up a minute, I gotta get my watch."
"You came back here to get your watch?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him an odd look.
"Yeah," Bill said, casting a glance back at me, "Trust me, yer gunna wanna keep an eye on the time while yer here. Ya never wanna be late, or else Sobel will make you run six miles in the middle of the night."
"Your shitting me, right?" I asked, my brow furrowed and a frown now replacing my grin.
"Why would I be shittin' ya?" Bill asked, finding his watch in his bedside drawer and putting around his wrist.
"Well, it is your favorite pastime," I said with a loose shrug of my shoulders.
"Shut yer trap," Bill said, stalking towards me and putting a gentle hand on my back, leading me out the door, "Let's get goin' before we miss supper."
0-0-0-0-0
We were having some kind of meat smothered in gravy, peas, peaches, and a roll for dinner. We had some water to go with it. It didn't look the most appealing, but I wasn't one to complain and neither was nobody else. I followed Bill around the mess hall, staying close as he searched for the table where his friends sat and he finally smiled after seemed like they were searching forever and he said, "There they are. Come on."
I followed Bill to a table with several other men sitting at it and Bill smiled as he slid into the seat next to a red haired man, "Heyya boys, how's it goin'?"
"We just saw you twenty minutes ago," The red head responded, sort of sending an annoyed look Bill's way.
"Aw hell, Don, we're doing better than we were twenty minutes ago, we got food in our bellies now," A dark haired man across the table said.
"Fellas, I'd like ya ta meet somebody," Bill said, turning to look at me, "This is my old friend from when I was a kid. Matthew Tauscher."
He didn't even think about it, he just gave me a man's name. Luckily that was what I was already going by, it was what was on my papers and everything. That's what name I've been signing under.
I smiled charmingly and nodded curtly, "Hey fellas."
They all nodded at me and another man with dark hair said, "Why don't you sit down, Tauscher, we don't bite."
"Well, Liebgott might," The man at the end of the table said and he earned a glare from the skinny guy, who I assumed was the aforementioned Liebgott.
I did as I was told and sat down beside Bill and across from the man who asked me to sit. He looked at me almost skeptically before he asked, "So, how long you known Wild Bill, here?"
"I told ya everybody called me that," Bill said to me, and I rolled my eyes.
It's been years since he told me that and I've only heard that name a few times, causing me to call him out as a liar.
"I've known since we were in fifth grade, but we weren't friends until a few years later," I said, shrugging as I grabbed my fork, "We became friends after I kicked his ass on the playground when we were like twelve."
"I was twelve, you were thirteen and bigger than me," Bill said, defending himself from the ribbing that was to come from his friends.
"You serious?" The dark haired man on the other side of the table said, laughing a little bit, "This skinny little shit kicked your ass?"
"Shut yer mouth, George, or I'll shut for ya," Bill threatened and George mocked an expression of fright then chuckled.
"Yeah, that's like sayin' Frank kicked Bull's ass, it's just not believable," The man across from me said.
I looked around at the men curiously, trying to get a good feel on them. I liked the man sitting across from me, he was chatty and seemed friendly enough. As soon as I sat down he'd included me in some conversation, that must of meant he liked me. The George character sitting next to him seemed charming, he had a handsome grin and boyish looked, he came off as one of those instantly likeable guys, and he was. I could tell he was a nice guy just by looking at him. The guy at the other end of George who had poked fun at Liebgott hadn't said enough for me to really know him, but when I glanced over at him he smiled. He seemed friendly. Then on the opposite side of the table across from him was the Liebgott guy. He seemed sort of grumpy, he hadn't smiled once since I've sat down. Maybe I just caught him in a bad mood? Next to him was the guy George called Don. He had red hair and seemed a little disgruntled about something as well, but he didn't seem as grumpy as Liebgott.
Suddenly, the man across from me cleared his throat, catching my attention. He smiled at me and said, through a mouthful of food, "Oh sorry, I forgot. I haven't even introduced ya to the men," He pointed at grumpy, "That's Joe, Liebgott and next to him with that red hair there, that's Donald Malarkey. And of course, you know Bill, and here next to me, this goofy looking fucker, this is George Luz, and next to him, that dashing young fella is Chuck Grant. And I'm Ralph Spina, the Easy medic, or one of 'em anyway. Pleased to meet you, Matt."
I smiled as he held out his hand and I shook it firmly, "Pleasures all mine. Nice to meet you guys."
They all chorused a small little welcome, and I smiled. I liked them already. Bill sure knew how to pick his friends, "Don't worry, there's a whole lot more where this came from. Just wait till you meet Muck and Hoobler, they're just as big of bull shitters as Luz here," Bill piped up.
"Hey!" Luz snapped, glaring playfully.
"It's true," Bill retorted and Luz shrugged and nodded.
"Yeah..." He then went back to eating his food.
The food wasn't actually half bad. Bill told me basic was a living hell, but at least you always had mess hall to look forward to. I didn't know what kind of meat this was on my tray, but I didn't really care or bother asking, I just ate it up. I knew before coming here that I wouldn't have time to complain, I was to do everything that was asked of me. When my superior told me to jump, I asked how high, that was how it was.
I saw the grumpy looks on both Malarkey and Joe's faces, which prompted me to ask, "What's wrong with you two?"
Everyone looked up at me, and Joe cast me a dirty look, but Grant spoke up, "They had their weekend passes revoked."
I furrowed my brow, "Why? What'd you guys do?"
"I had fucking rust on my rifle," Malarkey replied in annoyance, but it wasn't directed at me, "Can you believe that? My pass was revoked for dirt on the butt plate. It's bullshit."
"Well, they don't call you Private Bullshit for nothing," George smirked, sending a mock salute Malarkey's way.
"Shut up, Luz, your pass was revoked, too," Malarkey snapped back, glaring at George.
"At least I'm not crying about it," George replied.
"What'd you do?" I asked him, and he just shrugged.
"I had dirt on mine," George said, shoveling the remaining peaches on his tray into his mouth.
"Wow," I said, "So the drill sergeant is a pain in the ass then, huh?"
George scoffed and gazed at me with his warm eyes, "Pain in the ass is an understatement."
I chewed on some of my green beans before I looked to Liebgott, "What about you? Why was your pass revoked?"
Liebgott sent me a glare and said in a harsh tone, "I had a rusty bayonet."
"Now, now, Joe. You know in order to kill the German's there must be no inch of filth on your weapon," George said in a mothering way, "They might criticize your hygiene skills."
"George, I'm about to have Spina here sew your mouth shut," Joe snapped irritably at the funny man.
"Now Joe, what have I told you about taking that tone with me?" George asked, never breaking his mother character, then Spina smacked him on the back of the head and he promptly shut up, but he giggled like a little girl afterwards and went back to eating the remaining food on his tray, which wasn't a lot.
I just smiled and finished my food. I think I'm going to like it here.
0-0-0-0-0
I hate it here.
I've been here for three weeks and Sobel was a complete pain in the ass. He hated me, I was sure of it. We ran six miles everyday up a fucking hill, he wouldn't let us drink water at all throughout the entire thing. He made us go on a night march not that long ago and it was twelve miles. No water at all. One guy snuck some water, but Sobel made us pour it at the end of the march and made the poor fucker go back and run all twelve miles again by himself.
I was doing as best as I could, it was a little hard keeping my identity sometimes though. I waited till last minute to change into PT gear or I came back early so no one would see me. I had to shower when I knew I'd be alone and when we had a little time to ourselves. It was a nightmare sometimes, but it's worked out thus far. Nobody suspected a thing and the only one who knew about me was Bill. My best friend Bill. I could always count on him.
We were currently doing an obstacle course and I just witnessed Muck fall on his ass. I tried my hardest to keep the laughter contained, not wanting Sobel to get on my ass about it. So I quickly followed after Muck, hopping through the rope as best as I could. It hurt my legs like a mother fucker, but I was starting to get used to all of this exercise at this point.
I watched as Bill tripped over the rope up ahead of me and cursed to himself as he pushed himself off the ground. I made it through without falling down and was quite proud of myself for that. The next thing I knew I was crawling through a tunnel and it was dark, but I saw the light and pushed myself through, tucking and rolling and then standing and running towards the wall. I jumped and climbed over it, and I felt a hand grab ahold of mine and I looked up and saw Malarkey pulling me up and over with him. I smiled in appreciation before we both took off running again. There was some kind of barbed wire now and we had to get into a crawling position and move underneath it.
"What the hell is this?" I heard Muck ask and he and Bull rolled through what looked like raw meat.
I winced as I rolled through it right behind him and tried not to gag as I crawled through it, hearing Muck up ahead of me making noises of disgust. We finally got through the barbed wire and guts, but as I crawled out behind Muck, Liebgott right behind me, my leg got caught on the wire and I felt pain suddenly shoot up my leg. I cried out and rolled to the side, away from Liebgott so he could get through.
He looked over at me, almost in annoyance, but he asked, "You okay?"
I nodded and waved him off, trying to get him to go on, "I'm fine, go!"
He stood and ran with the rest of the men and I then heard Sobel yell, "Private Tauscher! What in God's name are you doing lying on your back?! When in war you cannot simply stop in the middle of combat!"
"I hurt my leg, sir!" I told him respectfully, though there was annoyance as well as pain in my wavering voice as blood seeped through my trousers.
Sobel looked down at my leg and saw the tear in my pants and deep cut on my leg, "God dammit... Private Grant!"
Grant suddenly shot up from behind me and approached Sobel, covered in guts and dirt, "Sir!"
"Take Private Tauscher to the Aid Station to get his leg looked at! Go!" Sobel snapped, then he moved on with yelling at the other privates.
"Yes sir," Grant said quietly now, Sobel not even hearing him. He looked down at me after he glared at Sobel and reached his hands out to me, "Come on, Mattie, let's get that leg checked out."
0-0-0-0-0
"Doc! We got one for ya!" Grant called as he hauled me in. The height different made it difficult. He couldn't simply wrap my arm over his shoulders, he was nearly six foot and I was barely 5'3. I was the shortest one in the company, Perco was even two inches taller than me. So Grant had me wrap my arm around his middle as he supported me under my arms on the walk here.
I heard footsteps coming towards us as I limped into the Aid Station and I heard a deep, but soft voice say, "Set him here."
Grant helped me over to a cot and I sat down, feeling relief wash over me as I had pressure off my leg that was still stinging like hell. The medic approached me and then I heard him say, "You can go on, Grant. I've got it from here."
"Alright Doc," Grant said, making me look over at him; he offered me a kind smile and a pat on the shoulder, "You better heal fast, Mattie, you're the only one who gets my ass movin' out there."
"Not even Sobel can your skinny little ass running?" I asked and Grant smiled.
"You're just scarier," Grant said.
"Wow, scarier than Sobel, that's rare," I said, then nodded curtly, "I kind of like it."
Grant chuckled, "I'll see ya later, Mattie. I better get back before the drill's over or else I won't have an ass for you to get movin'."
I chuckled and waved him off, "Then go on then."
Grant waved at me before he left the Aid Station and I then turned my attention down to my leg that was still bleeding. It probably wasn't as bad as it looked, but it sure did hurt like a mother fucker.
"So, what do you think, Doc? Is it bad?" I asked, trying to keep things light.
"I dunno. Lemmie take a look," Doc said, leaning down to inspect my leg, grabbing at the whole in my trousers and ripping it open. Luckily the cut was on my calf and not my thigh, because then he would've been awfully close to knowing my secret.
I kept my gaze down on my leg as he gently prodded at my leg, his hard gaze concentrated. Then he stood and went for the table, grabbing some things. I finally looked up at his face and I was awe struck by what I saw. He had hair as dark as the night sky, and his eyes were so warm and welcoming. The concentrated expression on his face made him look like a softer soul. His skin was pale too, which made his dark hair stand out even more. I've never seen hair so dark.
When he touched my leg with a cold, wet cloth is when I looked away. My expression went to angry very quickly as the pain shot up my leg and I glared down at the medic who was knelt down, tending to my injury.
"Jesus Christ! Is it supposed to hurt this bad?!" I asked, glaring at the medic who didn't even flinch at my outburst.
"It's a deep wound. Probably needs stitches," He said in his soft, soothing voice.
"Stitches? I just cut it on a barbed wire," I said, "It didn't feel that bad."
He shrugged and stood again, going for something else on the table next to the cot, "Well, from the way you just reacted, it does feel that bad."
I rolled my eyes, "No need to be a wise ass, Doc."
He ignored me and looked back down at my injury, preparing to clean it with something else other than water. He cast his warm gaze up towards me and said, "This may hurt a little. Why don't you talk about somethin' to get your mind off the pain?"
"Okay," I said as he got ready, "Um... Where's that accent from? I've never heard it before."
He began to clean my wound, and I grit my teeth and flinched at the contact against my mangled flesh. He replied to my question calmly, "I'm from Louisiana. Half Cajun."
"Cajun huh?" I asked, flinching every now and again he continued dabbing at the area around the cut, "I'm not quite sure I really know what that is, Doc. Care to explain?"
I really just wanted to hear his voice. It was relaxing just to listen to.
"Cajun's are descendants of French Canadians. They mostly live in South Louisiana, which is where I'm from," Doc explained, "There's not really much to say, we're just average people like you and Private Grant."
"I don't know, you seem kind of mellow," I said to him as I watched him clean my wound, the pain getting a little better now, but it still hurt like hell, "I'm from Philly, and all I remember back there is getting into fights and people trying to start them."
Doc finally smiled and the sight alone made my heart swell. It was soft against his features, it suited him, "Bein' mellow is not a Cajun thing, that's just a me thing."
"There's a fuckin' war going on in Japan and Europe and you're just sitting here all relaxed and calm as a clam," I remarked with a smile, "I wish I were more like you."
Doc shook his head, "No you don't."
Then he stood and set the bloody rag on the tray on the table, reaching for the stitches now. I furrowed my brow at him, "Why not?"
He just shrugged and didn't really answer my question, "You just don't."
I just tried to brush it off. I could tell he was a bit weird. He hasn't looked me in the eye but once this entire visit, and some of the things he was saying was a bit odd. But I didn't look into it all that much, some people were just different.
"So what's it like in Philadelphia?" Doc asked me as he knelt back down in front of my leg, "Spina and Guarnere are always goin' on 'bout how great life is up there."
"Philly is only the best damn city in the States," I told him proudly with a smile, and he smiled a little at that, working on my leg, "It's great. The people are unique, the food is good, the music is loud. It's great."
"Does it snow up there?" Doc asked, and I thought it was a bit of a random question, but I shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, every winter."
Doc nodded his head a little and then said, "I've never seen snow before."
I found that unbelievable.
"What? You've never seen snow before? Not once in your entire life?" I asked and he nodded.
"I live in Louisiana, I don't think it's eva' snowed there," He told me, his face showing that concentrated look again.
"Well then, Doc, it's settled," I started, looking up at the ceiling now, "After this fucking war is over, I'm taking you up north and you're seeing you some fucking snow."
Doc smiled a little wider at that and grabbed a pair of scissors, snipping at something on my leg, "Private Tauscher, you don't even know my name yet and you're already invitin' me to your home city."
"You've made a good first impression," I said with a shrug of my shoulders.
He smiled and placed his scissors down just then, sitting back a little as he examined his handy work, "I'm finished."
My eyebrows shot to my hairline at that, "What? You're finished? You put the stitches in and everything?"
"Yep," Doc said as he stood and started putting his things away.
I was surprised.
"Wow Doc, that's amazing," I complimented.
He seemed confused and he looked at me for the second time, "What is?"
We caught eyes and I was absolutely taken away by his warm gaze. I loved his eyes. I smiled and looked down at my leg briefly before I looked back at him and said, "I didn't even feel you putting the stitches in. There was no pain at all. You've got a gift."
Doc broke eye contact and shook his head, "No. I just distracted you with the conversation, that's all."
I shook my head though, "Your touch is gentle, and... It calms people. You've got a gift, Doc. That's why they picked you as a medic."
He was silent at this and he averted my gaze once more. I watched as he fiddled with his medical instruments, as if he didn't know what to do in this moment. I just smiled and pushed myself off the cot, making sure to be gentle when I got to my feet, "Well, thanks Doc. I guess I'll see you around."
He nodded, but he remained silent.
I started towards the door, but I stopped in the doorway, turning back to look at him, "Oh! I almost forgot, I never got your name."
He looked up at me, seeming a little distracted, but then he said, "Eugene. Eugene Roe."
I smiled and nodded curtly at him, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Eugene Roe."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Private Tauscher," He said, giving me a short nod and averting my eyes still.
I smiled at his awkwardness.
"Don't think I haven't seen you in the barracks," I said to him with a teasing smile, "You should socialize more, the men would like you."
Eugene nodded and looked down at his hands, picking at his fingernails, "Okay, maybe I will."
I kept my smile present, "Good. I'll see you around then?"
He nodded, "Yeah. See ya 'round."
Then I left Eugene Roe to go back to his business. What an odd character he was. But I liked him, I liked him a lot. Maybe a little too much.
This could spell trouble.
