Hey, guys! So, for anyone who came here from the other story that this is a re-write of, I hope you enjoy this one just as much as the other, and there are some major improvements to the grammar, I noticed in my first chapter that there was some switching around with the tenses which I apologise for. For this one I'm going to try and stick to the script a little less and try and make it more my own.
For anyone who is totally new to this story and is confused by the paragraph above, this is a re-write of one of my previous stories that I have now taken down. I hope you enjoy it!
Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Disclaimer: This goes for all chapters, I do not own Band of Brothers, I only own anything you don't recognise from the series/book etc. I own Rosalie Baker. That is all.
I completely respect and admire any WWII veterans and anything in this story is not meant to offend or tarnish reputations of real life people, characters will be based off the HBO series.
Summary: The journey of Medic Private Rosalie Baker through WWII.
A Company of Heroes
December 8th 1941
Rosalie Baker carefully appraised her appearance in the mirror of her bedroom. She wore a black, button down dress with a collar and short sleeves; it was clinched at the waist with a wide black belt and loosely fell just above her knees and swayed when she walked. One side of her shoulder length dark blonde curls was pinned behind her ear with a simple, yet elegant twist. As she was only at her house in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, her face had minimal make up, just some powder to keep her ivory complexion from shining and the slightest bit of mascara to accentuate her top lashes. She had decided not to go with lipstick and instead don her natural rose pink. Her emerald green eyes shined, she was proud of herself for this casual, pretty look.
But something was missing; she chewed her bottom lip and furrowed her delicate brow as she tried to determine what it was. Eventually she decided on a thin cardigan which she rolled up at the sleeves.
"Rosalie, get down here! We're all waitin' for ya!" She heard the voice of one of her older brothers, Jack.
"I'm coming!" She replied and hurried to slip her black flats on and bounce down the stairs. As she rounded the corner at the bottom she almost knocked said brother down.
"Whoa! Slow down there, sport." He chuckled as he ruffled her hair. Jack was much taller than her, at the age of twenty-one he was a military man, both her brothers were. Noah was twenty-four and much more mature than both Jack and Rosalie. They were both marines and it was a miracle that they were both on leave together over Christmas, one that she was thankful for. Rosalie had just come home for Christmas after her first semester at Brown University.
She swatted his hand away and pushed past him as she straightened out her hair and smoothed down her dress. Jack followed her into the dining room where her parents and Noah were all sat around the long table; they all looked up at her arrival.
"Ah, the princess has arrived." Noah teased with a playful smirk.
Rosalie reacted by sticking her tongue out as she took a seat opposite him and her mother, Vivian, who smiled good naturedly at her children's play. Her father, Nathaniel sat at the head of the table reading the paper and she only now noticed her father's shocked look as he read the front page.
"Good morning, dear." Vivian greeted.
"Good morning, mother." She smiled. "Good morning, father." She repeated to the middle aged man at the end of the table.
"It certainly is not." He grumbled.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Jack asked, taking a huge bite from his bagel.
"Pearl Harbour."
"What?" Noah asked.
"Pearl Harbour." He repeated. "It's been attacked."
"Attacked?" Her mother gasped. "Attacked by whom?"
"The damn Japanese!"
"Are you sure?" Jack asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"Sure? Of course I'm sure! Have a look for yourself." He threw the paper across the table to Jack who studied the headline closely. Noah walked around the table to read over Jack's shoulder silently.
Rosalie and Vivien exchanged identical looks of shock and worry across the table. This almost certainly meant that Jack and Noah would be called back from leave and probably go to war.
Rosalie took a long drink from her orange juice as she contemplated what this meant. Nathaniel, Jack and Noah left the room to discuss this news and her mother silently began clearing plates from the table. The boys had left the newspaper on the table next to her. She decided to read the article for herself. Underneath the story there were advertisements of a draft for all the men in the country of an appropriate age and, for the first time ever, the military were advertising for women. The description read:
Female Volunteers wanted,
Will have to pass physical, psychological and medical tests etc.
Will be trained as nurses and medics,
Involvement in combat will be necessary,
Will receive same level of training as males,
Ages 18 – 35 welcome.
The rest of the description included various details of pay and how to volunteer.Rosalie silently took the paper up to her room and put it in her bedside drawer.
The next day when she came down for breakfast she brought with her the newspaper neatly tucked under her arm. When she sat down she placed it on her knee under the table.
"Your brothers have been called into service." Her mother spoke first.
"It was expected." Her father stated solemnly.
It was at this moment that she decided to place the paper on the table in front of her. "They want women." She said softly.
Everyone looked at her curiously. She picked up the paper and pointed to the advertisement. "They want women to volunteer." She repeated. "I want to go."
"No way." Noah cut her off immediately.
"I could help."
"Your brother is right." Her mother said sternly. Vivian Baker didn't often speak sternly but when she did she meant what she said. But Rosalie was her mother's daughter after all, and she was just as stubborn.
"How? If I went, I could help, I could-"
"I said no." Vivian repeated.
She turned to her father, eyes pleading for him to support her. He said nothing, no grant of permission but no objection either.
"I don't need your permission. I'm eighteen, almost nineteen years old, I'm not asking, I'm telling."
Her mother's eyes widened at her defiance.
"Rosalie, this isn't a game. This is war, you could die." Noah's voice rose slightly as he tried to drill this into his sister.
"You think I don't know that?" She retorted eyes burning fiercely.
"You really think you can do this?" Jack asked from next to her. While he had said nothing at first he used those few minutes to think about what his baby sister was proposing.
"Honestly, I don't know. But I'm determined to fight for my country."
"Then you should go for it."
"Jack!" Vivian and Noah scolded him for encouraging her. Couldn't he see that she was just putting herself in danger needlessly?
"What? If she thinks she can do this I have faith in her and so should you." Jack explained calmly. Rosalie smiled at him and mouthed a thank you to him while the people opposite her were reeling.
"It's not about having faith in her it's about keeping her safe!" Noah hissed leaning forward slightly.
"I don't need to be protected!" Rosalie protested to deaf ears.
"Nathaniel, do something!" Vivian pleaded with her husband.
This made everyone silent to see what the head of the family had to say.
"I think… that if Rosalie would like to fight for her country then I am incredibly proud of her for making this decision. Now, I'm not saying I like the idea but who are we to stop her from doing what she wants, think about it, in all her life if Rosalie wants something, she gets it. I have a feeling this time isn't gonna be any different." He drawled out in his heavy southern accent. And that was that, Rosalie was applying to the military.
The next day, Noah and Jack had left to go back to base. Knowing it would be a long time before they were all reunited as a family the goodbyes were tearful on Rosalie and her mother's part. The men all acted as such and grunted their goodbyes, but everyone understood each other.
"I know you don't want me to do this, but I would like to do it knowing I have the support of both my brothers." Rosalie said to Noah on the porch of their house before him and Jack got into the military car.
Noah sighed then leaned down to hug her. As he did he whispered in her ear, "I will always be proud of you, no matter what you do."
She blinked and a stray tear escaped from her eye, with a sniffle she nodded to show she understood.
"Come on, Jackie-boy, let's go!" He called to Jack who was saying goodbye to their parents.
When Jack came out, he ruffled Rosalie's hair with a grin; instead of pushing him away like she normally would she pulled him in for a hug and laughed with him. This is how she wanted to remember her brothers, with smiles and laughter and playfulness.
"Beat it." She smiled as she pulled away.
"I'll see you back here when it's all over." He promised her and again, she nodded.
"I look forward to it." She smiled.
Over the next week Rosalie went to the local Military Office in her area and enlisted, she had passed her psychological and medical evaluations, today was her physical one. She was in a group of about ten women ranging from all ages; she thought she was one of the youngest though.
They were tested on speed, strength and endurance. Only the ones that were of an acceptable standard made it through, three quarters of the group did and Rosalie was included in this. The next day they were instructed to come back to choose which area of the military they would be enlisted in.
After hearing about the paratroopers, a new regiment, who were predicted to be the best she decided that this would be the best option. The extra pay they received was a welcome bonus too.
The next day she received a letter that a military vehicle would be coming to her local Military Office to take her to Camp Toccoa, Georgia where she would train for the war.
Sat on the Military bus on her way to Georgia she held the silver cross on her necklace that her mother had given to her earlier that morning. Rosalie wasn't a particularly religious person, but her mother was.
"I'll pray for you." She had promised as she gave her the chain.
"I know you'll make me proud, sweetheart." Her father had kissed her forehead.
"Penny for your thoughts?" The girl in front of her turned around with a kind smile. Her wide chocolate eyes were curious and her pretty face was framed with soft brunette waves.
"Just thinking about home." Rosalie replied.
"Already?" The girl's eyes widened, she looked to be about the same age as Rosalie maybe a year or two older at the most. "I'm Allie." She stuck her hand over the back of the seat for Rosalie to shake.
"Rosalie."
"Pretty." Allie complimented. "Where you from?"
"Charleston. You?"
"Charlotte."
Rosalie didn't know it then but that was the beginning of a friendship she would remember for the rest of her life, much like many of the ones she would encounter over the next three years.