Guarnere headed back over to the Captain's tent. Bull was still out there and some men from his squad went looking for him. He had an idea how to test the skirt who calls herself Edie. Standing outside the Captains' tent, he asked for permission to enter.

Winters stepped outside. It was cold and damp. "What's on your mind Guarnere?"

"Sir, I had an idea about checking out how come this girl knows so much about us."

"Go on." Winters folded his arms and listened carefully as Guarnere told them how he overheard the girls talking about being from 2006. "If that's true, ask her where the Bull is if what she says turns out to be true, then maybe, and I do mean maybe they are telling the truth."

"All right, come on inside."

Captain Winters bent down and gently shook Edie awake. "Where am I? Oh, dear Lord I am still here."

"Afraid so, where did you think you were?"

"Hoping it was just a bad dream," Edie offered. "I am sorry I fell asleep. May I join my friends now?"

"Not yet, Sergeant Guarnere wants to know about one of our men who is missing. Do you know if he is alive or not?

Edie looked up at Guarnere, who eyed her with suspicion. She knew he grew up hard on the mean streets of South Philly. He would be able to tell if she was bullshitting him or not. "I don't see any harm in telling you. It should not alter the outcome of history. There is no reason to worry about Sergeant Randleman. He is wounded in the left shoulder I believe." Looking at her watch, "Right now he has taken refuge in a barn and has probably finished off a nosy German soldier."

"How does he do it?" asked Nix. Details like this might be important down the line, he thought.

"Bayonet, Bull, I mean Sergeant Randleman cannot risk shooting him. The place is swarming with Germans, but they pull out. In the morning, he will come across Hoobler, Webster, Hashey, Garcia, and Cobb who are out there looking for him."

"Is that true Guarnere," asked Winters? He was not happy that the men took this on their own initiative, but he understood why they did it.

"Yes, sir and I would have gone with them, but the others volunteered." How could this dame know all this stuff wondered Guarnere? Unless, Jesus Christ, what if they are telling the truth?

"Let's just keep this to ourselves for the moment," said Winters. The soldiers agreed. "Guarnere, please escort Miss Witherspoon back to her tent."

"Yes, sir, right this way Miss." Guarnere pulled the flap back for her and she stepped outside.

"The weather is going to be hard on the men," said Edie.

"You don't say. Miss, never mind," said Guarnere.

"Sergeant do you want to ask me if you survive the war," asked Edie?

'Yeah, I mean yes miss."

"I would love to ease your mind Sergeant Guarnere, but I am afraid if I told you it might affect your performance in the field. It is very hard for me to keep what I know to myself. I hope you understand."

Guarnere thought about it, she is right if I knew I might do something stupid thinking I can't killed. "Yes, I see what you're saying, but about Easy Company do we do all right?

Edie smiled, "Oh, Sergeant, this company does more than all right. Thank you."

"For what miss?"

"For being brave, for volunteering and fighting for our way of life in order that people can make their own choices about their government and their lives. There are not enough words to express my appreciation for the sacrifices that you and these men have made and will make in the weeks and months to come."

"Well, miss; I don't know quite what to say. I am just one small part of this big war, but I am proud to be here and do my part, as are all the boys. I take it we ain't going to be in Berlin by Christmas?"

Pausing for a moment, Edie decided that it would be evident that was not going to happen. "I hate answering a question with a question, but based on the resistance you encountered today, what do you think?"

"That's what I thought. Well here we are Miss. Hey, Joe, how's they hanging?"

"Cold," said Toye. "Evening, m'am."

"Sergeant, you know it is really not necessary to guard us. It's not like we are going to run away because we have no place go."

"I have my orders m'am." Toye pulled back the flap.

"Thank you, Sergeant Toye. Of course you do, I understand." Seeing only Joanie, Edie panicked. "Where are Katie and Molly?"

"Bathroom break, they should be right back."

"Oh, well good night Sergeant Guarnere and Sergeant Toye." Edie crawled inside, found her sleeping bag, crawled inside and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile Katie and Molly were being escorted by one Popeye Wynn to a place far enough from the men so they could have some privacy. The two insisted on going together. "How do I know he's not some pervert," whispered Katie.

"He looks perfectly safe to me," said Molly, but I came with you because I have to go myself. I have never peed in the woods before."

"Girl, you need to get out more. Did you bring some tissue?"

"What do you think?"

When they were out far enough, Katie turned to Popeye and said, "All right Corporeal, turn around. This is not a peep show."

"I am sorry m'am but I have orders to make sure you both don't run."

"Where the hell would we go? The Nazis are over there somewhere," said Katie waving her arm towards Eindhoven. "We don't speak Dutch, and we don't have the proper ID's. Either way someone is bound to shoot us, so please, be a gentleman, and turn around."

Popeye's mouth dropped. He never heard a woman talk like that before in his life, but he was a gentleman so he turned around. Listening, he heard the women unzip their pants and the sound of water hitting leaves. He started to laugh when one of them started talking about how nasty this was.

"What is so funny," demanded Katie?

"Well, you two are. Women should never be in the Army for this very reason. They couldn't take it."

Katie zipped up her jeans and stood two inches from Popeye's face. "Oh, yeah, well Mr. I have dick in my pants, a woman can do anything a man can do except write her name in the goddamn snow, which is no big deal. And a man could not take the pain of bringing a child into this world because it would hurt too goddamn much."

Molly pulled on her friends' arm, "Come on Katie, give it a rest. Women's Lib is thirty years away. He has no idea."

"Damn straight he doesn't. Tell me a woman couldn't cut it. If he didn't have a gun, I would tell him upside his head. I am a black belt for Christ's sake."

Private Wynn felt dazed and confused. He had no idea what she was talking about except the baby part. She was probably right about that. His mama suffered something awful every time she had a youngun.

As they made their way back to their tent, Molly saw Eugene Roe, who nodded at her. Molly nodded back. He was working on Buck.

Popeye stopped for a minute, "Hang tough Buck."

"Thanks Popeye. I see you are escorting the ladies."

Staring at Buck, Popeye didn't think one of the girls was a lady from the way she talked, but he nodded yes anyway.

"Do you have any penicillin," asked Katie?

"No, m'am just sulfur powder," said Eugene.

"Do you need any help," asked Molly? She felt so sorry for all of these wounded men.

"Well, I could use some help changing some dressings while these boys wait to be evacuated to the EVAC unit."

"I can finish up here," offered Katie. "I studied nursing before switching majors."

"I don't know about that, m'am. You see Lieutenant Compton is wounded in the…"

"I see where he's wounded Private. It's not as if I haven't seen a man's ass before. Although not one so nearly as fine as Lieutenant Compton's.

"Jesus Christ, I feel like a piece of meat," said Buck.

"Welcome to the world of women. Why don't I finish up here? Molly can go with you and Private Wynn can get some sleep."

"No, m'am Sergeant Toye ordered me to bring you straight back."

"It's all right Popeye," said Buck. "If the ladies want to play Florence Nightingale, let them. Besides it might do the men some good to see some pretty faces before going off to the hospital." Buck's eyes never left Katie's while he said this.

"If you say so, sir, but I am going to report back to Sergeant Toye so he knows what is going on."

"Fine Popeye, you do that." Buck grimaced in pain. "How about some morphine, Doc?"

"I don't know sir, you are a big man. You might be able to take it. Handing the serrate to Katie, he said, "If I am not back in thirty minutes, give him the serrate the just above the right hip." Katie nodded and waved them away.

Looking at her watch, Katie made a notice of the time. Seeing his class ring, Katie asked Buck where he went to college.

"UCLA."

"Ah, sunny California, I just finished at the University of Virginia. I bet you played sports."

"Uh, yeah, I played baseball and football. We went to the Rose Bowl two years ago."

"That's impressive. I am going to change the dressing now on your right side. You are going to be on your stomach for awhile."

Buck made a fist because of the pain. Katie was very gentle. He could barely tell what she was doing. She asked him to tell her about UCLA. Before too long, they were swapping college stories. Although the stories Katie told, seemed a bit outlandish for girls. However, it took his mind off the pain, which Buck decided was Katie's intention.
"Is it time for that morphine yet?"

Kate glanced at her watch. It had not been quite thirty minutes, but Buck was obviously in a lot of pain. Three minutes were neither here nor there, she thought. "I think it will be all right." She did it so fast, Buck almost did not notice except the pain eased up. Katie took his hand and smoothed back his thick blonde hair.

"You have a very gentle touch." He was getting drowsy.

"You are welcome," replied Katie. She watched as he drifted off to sleep, and she soon found herself nodding off too.

The next thing she heard was someone saying, "Nurse, nurse, wake up. We are here to take the Lieutenant to the Evac. What the hell are you doing out here on the battlefield? Don't tell me they are dragging our nurses out here. Jesus Christ Almighty, that's why we have medics. Come on, you can ride back with us. What unit are you with?"

"What?" Katie was exhausted from the whole day and being up most of the night. "Come on just follow us. You can sleep in the truck. We will sort this out later. Upsy daisy." Someone helped Katie up and two stretcher-bearers carried Buck and put him in the back of an ambulance. Then they helped a sleepy Katie into the truck. She sat down by Buck who groaned. Someone asked her when was the last time he had morphine. She mumbled 2:00 and dozed back off, but not before hearing someone remarking about screwed up the Army is to bring a woman to the front line. Katie was too tired to lecture on the equality of the sexes.

When Eugene and Molly returned to where Buck and Katie were, they were shocked to see them gone. Seeing an ambulance pulling out, Gene tried to stop it, but it was too late. It was on its way to the EVAC unit.

"Oh, no," said Molly. "Do you think Katie is with him?"

"I don't know but if she is, Captain Winters is going to have someone's rear end for breakfast when he finds out," said Eugene.