Part 7.2- Breaking Point
Author's note: it's fitting that I release this chapter on Remembrance Day. I hope all of you took a moment to pause and remember those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives so we may live in such a great country, and also to think of those who continue to serve, and may not be home. Whether you went to a Remembrance Day ceremony at held in your hometowns or even took a simple moment to reflect and think of those, remember them and have their heroism. I, myself, went to my city's ceremony where I sat beside a man who later reflected he was a Korean War veteran. I am ashamed to admit I never knew the Korean War happened until I watched Band of Brothers. It was something else to sit beside this gentleman as he shed some tears thinking about something I can never understand. It was a very humbling experience; I felt bad that all I could say was "thank you for your service" when he, and people like him, deserve so much more. To all our veterans, and current military men and women; thank you for everything you have done and continued to do. Although I may not know your name or write fanfictions about the life you live, I live in a free country because of your actions, and I will never forget that, or the fact that freedom has an immeasurable cost. Thank you so much, and God bless.
"Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart"- William C. Hannan
"Guys, pack up! We're headed out!" Guarnere shouted as everyone grunted and groaned. As long as they were in Bastogne, or any combat experience, they would complain and grumble at the small things, but it meant they were alive so the NOCs and officers put up with it, as long as they performed when the time came, and Easy never disappointed. They learned they would return to their previous position overlooking Foy where they had spent the worst Christmas of their entire lives.
"Yay, so we can sit and stare at the Germans all day," Babe huffed shouldering his pack as they began the long walk back. Some of the men, however, stayed behind with Dog Company to hold the main line of resistance. Christenson, Webb, and Perconte were some of those who stayed.
"Be careful if he offers you a cigarette!" Malarkey laughed as they passed the trio.
"Just a rumour," Griest called with a shake of her head. Toye's return elevated everyone's spirits, including Griest. She was smiling and joking once again now that she knew her friend was safe, but there were moments her face was dark and haunted with memories.
"What are they talking about?" Webb asked as Perconte began brushing his teeth and Christenson set up the machine gun. Christenson shared the stories of Speirs as Webb listened intently.
"That's unbelievable. So Chucky doesn't believe them?" He asked as Perconte chuckled.
"There's something going on between those two." He spat before he continued brushing. Webb looked to Christenson questioningly.
"Just looks," he explained, "they always stare at each other; Chucky say it's because he looks familiar, but no one knows."
"He also knew her name before ever talking to her," Perc added.
"So? If I knew she was real, I would have learned her name too." Webb shrugged.
"You'd have to see it for yourself. It's just a feeling there's something there," Christenson argued with a shake of his head.
"Christenson," a cold voice sounded as Christenson looked up and froze. "I got that right?"
"Lieutenant Speirs. Yes, sir, you did."
"What are you men doing out here?" Speirs narrowed his dark eyes as Webb shifted uncomfortably. Speirs was everything he imagined, and more. His eyes seemed to bear down into him, as if seeing every secret he ever had. His facial features were sharp, looking every inch the cold warrior he was. Webb could believe this man killed unarmed prisoners, or even his own sergeant; this man was a stone cold soldier. Webb shivered unable to look away from Speirs.
"We're watching the line, sir."
"Keep up the good work. Would any of you like a cigarette?" He pulled a pack from his pocket and offered it to the men. Christenson swallowed hard as Perc looked down brushing with vigor. Webb shook his head with so much force his helmet rattled on his head. Speirs turned around and walked away with a smile.
A few hours later, Easy returned to their old position by the town of Foy. Most of the men didn't want to be back but they were happy to stop marching; the sweat they created would make it a miserable night. They all began to disperse to check on their foxholes. They were tired and annoyed after the long march as their feet pounded.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Toye shouted after he jumped into his foxhole. "Someone's gonna die! One of those first battalion fuckers took a dump in my foxhole." Griest chuckled and continued on to her foxhole, which was farther east by Skip and Penkala's hole.
"Think they shit in everyone's foxhole," Guarnere answered before he fell out of earshot as Griest jumped into her hole, which was filled with crap, literally.
Just another stain on my pants, she thought as Luz joined in beside her. He wrinkled his nose in disdain.
"Don't think they wanted to spend much time above ground," he muttered pointing to the tree bursts and splinters that lay everywhere. Griest nodded gravely and looked down at the town of Foy with a growing knot in her stomach.
"We should reinforce these," she advised as she grabbed a small axe from her pack and jumped out of the hole. Luz followed her as everyone began cutting branches and preparing themselves as much as possible. Buck came around a while later and spread the word: they would hold the line and would not retreat. No matter what.
"You know what I'm talking about?" Luz asked Skip and Penkala, whose foxhole was only a few meters away. "Tiny, blonde girl with piercing eyes and big tits!" The guy nodded and laughed as Griest rolled her eyes.
"Well, you should start reinforcing your own hole or you'll never meet Miss Big Tits," she growled shoving the axe into his hands. Although they usually shared a foxhole, Luz had his own on the other side of the camp by Lipton.
"Oh, Chucky, you'll always be my first girl," he assured with a wink. Griest shook her head and rolled her eyes but she smiled.
"Lucky me," she said as Luz flashed her a grin then turned and jogged out of sight. Five minutes later, a thunderous crack exploded through the sky. Everyone knew that sound to be an 88 artillery shell.
"Incoming! Take cover!" Lipton's voice called as the shell hit the ground and exploded.
"Move!" Griest shouted pushing Penkala into his foxhole before jumping into her own as the ground shook. A shell went off nearby sending wooden spears, dirt, and ice down on her face as she ducked her head under her arms. The attack lasted only a few minutes but felt like years. Every time the earth shook, Griest flinched and shut her eyes thinking of the time she and Chris went camping. It was the first time they were able get away outside of New York, alone since moving from Canada. She remembered all the laughs they had, the way Chris smiled, and the way his eyes glinted like stars. It was during that trip that Chris told her of his enlistment with the British Air Force. He left two months later. She missed those times. The explosions stopped and the forest grew quiet as if the world was holding its breath. Griest slowly peeked her head out but stayed inside the hole surveying the devastation.
"You guys alright?" She shouted at Penkala and Skip.
"Yep, you?" Skip yelled back.
"Is that it?" Penkala asked peeking up over the foxhole.
"I don't think so," Griest muttered, "just stay down for a little bit longer." The Germans had a bad habit of bombarding them then stopping so the men would leave their foxholes to help the injured. Then they would hit them again and wound even more.
"No wonder first battalion shit in here," Penkala muttered as Griest nodded. There was another BOOM as the tops of trees exploded once again. They suffered another wave but it didn't last as long as the first.
"Everyone alive?" She called pushing some fallen branches off her foxhole and brushing dirt off her arms.
"Yep," Penk shouted.
"I got shit all over my boot," Skip complained as Griest pulled herself out of the hole and stood up.
"You guys stay in your holes. I'm gonna find the others." She ran forward listening as her heart thudded. She ran past her men as she checked on them looking for any blood or obvious wounds.
"M-m-medic!" Buck's voice shattered through the air forcing Griest to pause; he sounded broken, wounded. Defeated. Griest broke into a sprint across the camp towards his voice. Buck was proud, strong, and a fighter; he was never supposed to sound like that.
"Buck! Buck, are you okay?" She shouted before she skidded to a halt. She stood there as her heart stopped. Her fingers turned numb as the air escaped her lungs. The world was silent but the billowing wind that pushed snow into her eyes causing them to water, but she couldn't blink. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was stare at the ground with an open mouth.
There, laying in the snow was a right leg from the knee down with a pool of dark crimson snow just above the stumped appendage. The cold air smelled of gunpowder, explosives, and metal as her mouth tasted of blood. The wind scraped against the snow like nails on a chalkboard as she fought to breathe. A helmet lay beside the boot expectantly as if faithfully waiting for its' owner. A trail of blood led away from the leg and deeper into the camp. The blood was dark and shinned in the light as it froze quickly. It made the snow much brighter and pure.
"I gotta get my helmet!" Toye's strangled, confused voice liberated Griest from her standstill. He sounded scared. Griest picked up the helmet and followed the blood trail through the woods moving in a zombie-like state as debris clutched at her ankles, as if trying to pull her down. Tops of trees and branches littered the ground making her every footstep crack and crunch.
"Joe?" She called as his voice grew louder and louder.
"I gotta get up! I need my helmet!" Griest jumped over a fallen log and slid in the snow before pausing. Lipton, Malarkey, and Roe were already there helping the man, but it wasn't just Joseph Toye lying there in the snow. Bill Guarnere was laying down beside Toye with a white face. Griest didn't look at him and forced herself to walk towards Joe.
"I need my helmet!" He growled pushing at Malarkey and Roe.
"Hey, Joe, I got it right here," she cooed shocked at how even her voice was. Internally, she was frantic; she wanted to scream and cry, to curse at the heavens, and run but her tone was gentle and collected. Her eyes were flat, and her hand was steady. She reached out and gently placed the helmet on his head then squeezed his shoulder. "I gotcha, buddy."
"Jesus, Joe, you still got women cleaning up after you," Guarnere chuckled but his voice wavered too much. Joe stared up at her and blinked as his eyes focused.
"Jesus, what does a guy need to do to get killed around here?" Joe growled as Malarkey handed him a cigarette.
"Roe, what do you need?" She asked crouching down beside him. Malark was holding some plasma for Toye as Roe pointed at Guarnere.
"Put sulfa on his leg, but don't move it," he answered curtly as he passed her the powder before injecting a syrette into Joe's shoulder. His eyes were narrowed and focused as his hands moved around with expertise. Griest nodded and sat down beside Bill. He was leaning against a tree clutching his leg. Griest looked at his face and flashed him a sly grin.
"Doing stupid shit, eh, Bill?" She asked arching an eyebrow.
"Nah, or else Buck will kill me." Griest looked up quickly; she had forgotten about Buck. Buck was sitting away from everyone with his head in his hands, while his helmet and rifle were lying uselessly in the snow by Bill's head. Luz was crouched down beside the lieutenant and spoke in a soft tone. Griest recalled Buck's low, damaged voice and looked to Guarnere's wound as her hands hovered over him.
Chicken leg, she thought. The skin, muscle, and flesh had been stripped away leaving the dark bone open and exposed. His bone was a dark off-white colour and skinny like a toothpick. Skin hung underneath his leg still attached to his knee and ankle making Griest think of a chicken leg with a giant bite in the center. She never ate chicken legs again. Blood stained the snow beneath him as his leg trembled uncontrollably like Jell-O.
"It's not that bad," she lied sprinkling some sulfa on his knee and ankle. Guarnere gave her a look to show he saw through her lie, but flashed her a strained smile for her attempt. Some more men stepped behind them with a stretcher in hand.
"Bill, you're going first," Roe ordered before pointing at him for the men. "Take that man!"
"Hey, Joe, I told ya I'd beat ya back to the States," he released a strained laugh as the men gripped his shoulders and readied the stretcher. Griest grabbed his hand and nodded as the men lifted him up and over. His skin dragged on the snow before settling on the stretcher. Guarnere gripped her hand and stared at her with his dark brown eyes.
"You keep an eye on everyone for me, okay? I wanna see everyone back home once you win this thing. Alright?" His hand was strong as her knuckles rolled over each other painfully.
"I promise, Bill." The men carried him away as she held the plasma for Malarkey allowing him to help and see his friend off. They all returned a few minutes later and grabbed Toye. Griest, Malarkey, Lipton, and Roe watched as Toye vanished past some trees.
"He shouldn't have gone AWOL," she muttered thinking of his leg less than 15 yards away. She swallowed hard as her face paled. Roe handed Malarkey Guarnere's rosary as Lipton sighed heavily.
"It's what he wanted. Chucky, can you talk to Buck? He's a little out of it." Griest nodded and went over before tentatively sitting on the log next to Buck. She pulled her helmet off and pushed the stray hairs away from her face. Her eyelids were heavy while her fingertips felt like lead.
"Buck? Buck, are you-" He glared at her with sharp blue eyes as she breathed in quickly. His eyes shook as he held back tears. She shut her mouth and nodded as Buck rounded his shoulders and placed his head in his hands once again. Griest leaned forward and wrapped an arm around him as she leaned her head against his back. She looked over at Lipton and shook her head. There were no words, nothing she could say or do that would take or relieve him of his pain.
Buck was evacuated within the hour. The official reason was some nasty trench foot but everyone knew the real cause. Buck was one of the best leaders Easy had and a damned good soldier. He was a Normandy veteran, he helped take the German battery, and Carentan. He fought in Operation Market Garden and was wounded. He cared for the soldiers in his company and protected them. Everyone respected and loved the man, and nothing would ever change that.
A few days later, Easy and the rest of the 506th cleared the woods west of Foy with little resistance. It was hard for them to move on without Buck, Toye, or Guarnere but they somehow pushed onward. Without Buck, Easy was left with only one solid leader to help them with Dike; only Lipton remained. Dike remained hidden more than ever as Easy's resentment for him grew and grew. Everyone asked, why didn't Dike lose his leg instead of the Toccoa men?
Griest, Skip, Penkala, and Malarkey were standing talking when Luz joined them. The sky was a dark blue as the moon began to rise behind a wall of clouds. The wind turned cold as if blowing needles at them.
"You fellas, you know I'm not gonna bullshit you, this is what I saw: Dike runs up to Lip with no gear, no helmet, no nothing," Luz dropped his voice as he mimicked Dike, "First Sergeant Lipton, you organize things here and I'm gonna go for help." They all vocalized their displeasure and anger for their CO as Lipton called Luz over.
Malarkey yawned, "Good night, all."
"Yeah, see you, Luz. See you, Malark," Skip called as he, Penkala, and Griest walked towards their foxholes. Penk and Skip's was farther east than Griest's, which was tucked in by some trees but they were within shouting distance.
"You believe that, Chucky?" Penkala hissed, "Dike ran off while Guarnere and Toye were hit! What are we gonna do about him?"
"Nothing," she answered sternly as she spat into the snow. "I hate it as much as you but there's nothing two privates and a sergeant can do about it. We just keep our heads down and do our jobs. Stay close to Lipton and we'll be fine. C'mon, Alex," she smacked his arm, "we'll be fine. Right, Skip?"
"Right, Chucky!" Skip called before going on about how right she was. Griest detected some sarcasm but ignored it. "Hey, kid, it's cold tonight; why don't you spend the night with us?"
Griest paused at her foxhole and shook her head. "Thanks, but Roe was talking about spending the night here and so was Luz. A hole is cramped enough with three people let alone five, but thanks."
"Alright, but the offer still stands," Penkala called as they continued on to their foxhole. Then a shell landed about ten yards away. The sky turned white as the trees splintered behind them.
"Incoming!" A voice hollered. Griest dove into her hole as Skip and Penkala jumped into theirs. Griest's ears filled with explosions and the falling 88 shells. Her vision consisted of white flashes, rupturing trees, snowflakes, snow, and dirt as it rained down onto the earth. She looked over her hole and checked on Penkala and Skip. They were safe, but Luz was not.
Luz had begun to make his way over to Griest's hole when the barrage began. The force of the first explosion knocked him to the ground and closer to Skip's hole. Luz hurriedly crawled through the snow as the shells landed closer and closer.
"Luz, come on! Hurry! Move!" Skip and Penkala screamed waving at their friend. Griest joined her voice in the shouting.
"Luz, move it! Come on!" Luz was crawling as fast as he could but it felt like a snail's pace. Every time a shell fired, Griest believed it would be the end of her friend. She kept screaming until her voice was raw and panic gripped her heart. She placed her foot on the edge of her hole, but she couldn't go any farther. She was no Bill Guarnere. She looked and met Skip's wide eyes and saw the same fear mirrored in them.
Luz is going to die!
"Luz-" Skip screamed then he was gone. He and Penkala turned a fiery orange then white as the snow and soil mushroomed upwards obscuring her vision. When it cleared, they were both gone.
"Ahh!" A rasping cry escaped her lips as Griest turned her back to the scene pressing her body against the frozen dirt. Her legs gave out beneath her as she fell to the bottom of her foxhole. The screaming and explosions became a dull hum in her ears as she stared at the ground. Her mouth hung open as wooden shards, dirt, and ice whipped against her skin, but all she could feel was the stone at the back of her throat and the weight in her stomach. She thought of Skip's scared, brown eyes. Then he was gone. She watched it happen but she couldn't make sense of it. Both her friends were gone. She never even knew if Luz made it or not.
"He's gone," she whimpered alone as a ball of ice hit her helmet. She never even noticed. "They're both gone."
The next morning Roe was making his rounds checking on the men. Hashey get some shell shrapnel in his shoulder and a few other men had been injured during the assault. He bandaged them up and sent a few to the aid station as he continued patching people. He spent all last night bandaging others and only got an hour's sleep, but his work was far from over.
"Doc!" Lipton called as he joined the medic. "Doc, have you seen Chucky?"
"No, not since lunchtime yesterday." He was going to share a foxhole with her last night but the attack pre-occupied him. "Why?"
"No one's seen her since last night." Roe froze and gave Lipton a look as his eyes narrowed and his eyebrows fell. "I've been asking around but so far nothing."
"You talk to Luz?" The medic asked as he gripped the cuff of his jacket between his fingers. Lipton nodded.
"Last he saw she was in her foxhole but she's not there, I checked." He paused. "You heard about Penkala and Muck?" Roe nodded and looked to the ground. He kept everyone at a distance, but he was fond of those two. "Luz says the last time he saw her was just before their deaths."
"Where is he?"
"I sent him to get a hot meal." Lip pressed his lips together and shook his head staring at the ground. "He took their deaths pretty hard. Could you keep an eye out for Chucky? And if you see her can you let me know? Thanks." Roe nodded as the sergeant walked off.
Roe went and began asking about Griest. Just as Lipton said, no one knew where she was. He made his way to her hole with his hands in his pockets. That part of camp was abandoned; no one wanted to sleep or eat where two men died in the next hole. He stood and stared into her foxhole, but it was empty. He breathed out a curse and crouched down rubbing the frost off his lips. He tilted his head and leaned forward. The snow was crunchy and hard, but there was a pair of tiny boot prints in the snow, boot prints too small for any of the men. They lead away from her foxhole and towards Penkala and Skip's hole.
He followed them and glanced down into the foxhole. He found her; Griest was sitting in the snow and dirt with her back against the wall. Her helmet was on her knees as her bare hands were pressed against her chest.
"Found ya," Roe said as he jumped down beside her. She ignored him and kept staring at the ground with blank eyes. Roe followed her gaze to a boot with a few inches of bone sticking upwards into the sky. He froze for a moment before forcing his gaze back to Griest as he swallowed hard. The boot had been buried under the snow, dirt, and ice but there was no soil under her chipped and grey fingernails. Roe recalled Lipton talking about Luz and how hard he took their deaths.
"Griest? Chucky." She still remained frozen. "Henrietta?" She looked up at him as tears filled her eyes. Her chest rose and fell quickly as her hands shook like snowflakes in the middle of a storm.
"Gene?" She whispered surprised, as if she never even noticed him when he jumped in beside her.
"Yeah, whatcha doing here? Sergeant Lipton's been looking for ya." She looked back to the boot as she blinked slowly.
"They're gone," she spat. "They were there one second and then they weren't." Her lip began to quiver as she sniffed violently.
"Okay, okay," Roe whispered as he wrapped his arm around her. She lowered her head onto his shoulder and continued to stare at the boot.
"But they did everything right," she protested. "They were in their foxholes, they had their helmets on. They did everything right, Eugene, and they still died! They asked me to join them that night, but I said no." Her tears slid down her face as she cried quietly. Roe hushed her gently and hummed his grandmother's lullaby as he slowly rocked her side to side.
Lipton looked over into the foxhole and sighed silently; Griest was safe. He was pleased Roe was the one who found her, he was the only one she would accept help from. Lip set his jaw and glared at the boot as a cold shiver ran down his spine, as if he had jumped into a frozen lake. It would be impossible to determine who it belonged to exactly, not that it mattered. He exhaled and quietly returned to the others and left the two alone.
"Oh, shit," Griest looked up with alarmed eyes. "Luz; where is he? What happened to him? I should have helped him. Where is he?" She began to stand up but Roe tightened his grip on her.
"Hey, hey, hey, Luz is okay. He's fine; he's in town," he assured as Griest relaxed and sat back down.
"What about Malarkey? How's he?" Malarkey's best friends had been Skip, Penkala, Toye, Buck, and Guarnere. Now, he had lost them all. Roe had only seen Malarkey once but never talked to him. He seemed quiet and distant. "I need- I need to check on him. I need to make sure he's okay."
Her voice lost its' hesitancy and shock as it turned hard and strong like iron, her soldier-mode. She stood up slowly and put her helmet on as she slung her rifle over her shoulder. Griest jumped up above ground and paused. She looked back to the boot before looking at Roe.
"Thank you, Gene," she said softly.
"I didn't do anything." He glanced down at his hands but avoided looking at the boot.
"No, you did." She smiled and regarded Roe for a moment before jogging through the woods. Roe watched her off before he allowed himself to look at the boot and swallowed hard. He pulled out his rosary and the ripped remains of a blue headscarf as he gripped them tightly. Then he muttered to himself, the words that carried him through the worst and pushed him onward. He asked God to take away her pain, and Malarkey's, and Luz's, and everyone's. After, he stood up and returned to camp where he bandaged another man's wounds and carried on.
"Malarkey? Malark?" Griest called as she sat down in the snow beside him. It had taken her an hour to find the man. He was at the edge of camp leaning against a tree and clutching Guarnere's rosary in his gloved hands. His thumb gently rubbed over it as his eyes glazed over lost in memories and pain. "Hey, Malark, how's it going?"
"Penkala and Muck," he said staring at the rosary, "Luz said you were there."
Griest looked down at the object in his hands as she licked her lips and rubbed them together. After Chris' death, she had lost her belief in any religion, of an all-seeing, all-powerful God who protected his children. If he existed, why couldn't he have saved her brother? She kept quiet about her beliefs, or lack of, but some of the other men clung to religion believing it would bring them home. Chris had believed so too, all the Griests had and they were proven wrong, but she kept that to herself. Just like souvenirs, some of the men needed religion to keep going, like Winters and Guarnere, and if it worked for them then so be it. However, Griest had moments where it felt as if some divine being were with her every step; how else did she survive D-Day and Holland when so many men, better soldiers than she could ever hope to be, died? It was a comforting thought that she allowed herself to believe in at times, but then something would happen to shatter her faith.
The bright light of her friends' exploding foxhole and Skip's scared eyes filled her mind as she grew suddenly cold, or colder as if she had stripped nude and jumped into a giant snowbank. She rubbed her arms and squeezed her eyes shut hoping to rid herself of that memory, to leave it behind with all the other images she never wanted to see again. But, she knew they would be there waiting for her at night when it was the darkest and coldest. She shivered again as she rasped, "Yeah, I was."
"Did they feel anything? Were they in pain?"
"No, they didn't feel a thing," she answered quickly. Penkala and Skip were there one second then gone the next. She pictured them both standing before St. Peter at Heaven's Gate confused as to why they weren't freezing in some God forsaken forest sitting in human shit. She knew they'd both demand to be returned to Easy cursing and threatening the angel. The thought caused her to chuckle as she shared it with Malarkey who smiled grimly, but his eyes were still dark like a cloud sitting in front of the sun. It was wrong and made her heart sink and her mouth taste like metal. She looked up as Lipton joined them and smiled; Lipton was the big brother, he would make everything okay again. He would look after them.
"Chucky, could I have a moment with Malarkey?" He requested gently after greeting them in that soft was of his. Griest spied Hoobler's Luger in his hands and nodded.
"Hey, Malark," she paused after a few steps and faced the man. Tears prickled her eyes but she refused to let them fall as she bit the inside of her mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
"Why?" He asked looking up from the rosary for the first time. "They were your friends too, all of them." Griest nodded and left Malarkey in Lipton's more than capable hands. She walked through the forest and joined the men at the center of the camp where Babe was dishing out some lukewarm stew that had the same consistency as oil and smelt like week old fatigues. She grabbed a bowl, sat down, and slowly ate her meal when Roe sat down beside her; he normally was off by himself, she smirked slightly and shuffled closer to him. Luz returned from Bastogne a few minutes later and sat down on the other side; Tabs joked that they had enough of Luz already and sent him back. In reality, Luz didn't like to be away from the line when he knew his company, his friends were sitting there. He never even had that hot meal Lipton ordered, he just talked and flirted with some of the local girls.
Everyone all joked and laughed trying to fill the void Guarnere, Toye, Buck, Penkala, and Skip had left behind. Surprisingly, it worked as Griest leaned against Luz and pressed her knee against Roe's, smiling and laughing with her men. Lipton and Malarkey joined them as they both ate and laughed along with the company.
That's why, she realized as she looked around with a growing smile; she had never had this type of friendship- no, that was too soft a word for the bond she had here- brotherhood, comradeship, family- back home before the war. Malarkey had lost all five of his best friends, he had no one left. Griest looked at Luz, Roe, and Lipton with a pang of emotion, both, respect, gratitude, and love, as well as sorrow, depression, and a deep, paralyzing fear. She still had some friends left and she would not lose them. She swore to it.
They had a few days rest before they were called to complete the mission they all knew was coming. The men prepared quietly and efficiently as they lined up along the clearing staring at Foy with hard faces. It was easy to grab their rifles and pack extra ammo, but harder to settle their rampant thoughts, doubts, and worries; especially, when Easy's morale, its' core, had taken such a huge hit, but they managed in their own ways. They knew this would be Dike's biggest and most important test; if he succeeded, he would gain the men's respect. If he failed, there would be no one left in Easy to hate him.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Griest asked placing her hands on her hips as Roe stood among the first wave of men.
"I'm coming with ya," he answered. Griest glanced at Luz who shrugged. She was hoping the medics would hang back until they captured the town, or they all died. She was open to either possibility but hoped for the first option.
"Damnit, alright but you stay on my ass, you got that?" She grabbed his collar and pulled him close as Luz held back a laugh.
"You know, Chucky, he did survive D-Day, Carentan, Holland, and every other assault we've done, right?" Luz called.
"Shut up, Luz," she growled back as the radioman chuckled.
"Shutting up, ma'am." Then the assault on Foy began. Machine guns provided covering fire as Easy and Item Companies sprinted across the snow covered fields. German machine gun and artillery fired back, but nothing too alarming compared to the past few days they had. Griest was running with Roe behind her and Luz on her right side. She could see Krauts running through the town firing on them with an increased intervals, now the bullets were alarming. She raised her rifle and easily killed two before she kept going. There were two giant hay bales and rows of barbed wire fence separating Easy from Foy. She made it to the first row of wire as she crouched behind it breathing hard.
As long as we keep going, we'll make it, she thought as a German 88 landed nearby. The German bullets were striking the ground as the fire concentrated on them, too much for comfort. She looked up when Dike's voice cut through the air.
"Retreat! Fall back!" She really hated that voice.
"Go, Roe, move!" She ordered pushing him towards Dike as she followed behind. They skidded behind the first hay bale as bullets chased them, missing them by mere inches. She and about six other guys hid behind it hoping no artillery would hit them, or they'd all die. The other half of second platoon was pressed against the second hay bale. Foley, from first platoon, was with them requesting orders as Lip and Luz crowded around Dike. They spoke for a few seconds then Foley took off and rejoined his platoon.
"What the hell is going on?" Roe shouted as another 88 shell landed behind them too close for his liking. Roe was quiet and didn't swear as much; if Griest wasn't so terrified and pissed, she might have laughed. Roe bent down and began bandaging one of the men who had a gaping, scarlet hole in his chest. The man's dying screams joined the clamor of explosions, gunfire, and cries.
"No idea!" She hollered back spitting dirt. "Lipton, what the fuck are we doing?"
"Suppressing fire!" Lipton screamed as Griest targeted a doomed Kraut. They kept shooting but the German mortars, artillery, and a sniper fire had them and first platoon pinned. Griest scorned over at Dike with derision; he was going to get her boys killed. Dike was laying against the hay bale staring up at the sky flinching whenever an artillery shell went off, so about every ten seconds.
"What's he doin'?" Roe breathed in wonder as Griest looked over her shoulder back towards the forest and grinned. Speirs, the lieutenant of the reserve Dog Company, was running towards them. He slid to a halt in front of Dike.
"I'm taking over." His voice was calm and collected, just as a leader should be. Griest looked at Luz and grinned before smiling at Roe.
"We're gonna make it!" She laughed shooting faster as Speirs stood up and lead them past the barbed wire and into the town. Griest joined Luz and Lipton as Roe stopped to help another wounded man. They all pressed against a wall as Lipton looked farther in Foy spotting the Germans and artillery. A bullet whizzed past the wall causing fragments to explode cutting the skin around Lipton's ear.
"There's some armour and infantry. Lots of infantry," Lipton muttered as Griest bit her lip and looked at Speirs awaiting the next orders.
"I Company's supposed to be on the other side of town. Do you see them?" Speirs asked in a calm even voice as Lipton shook his head and Griest looked past him.
"Sir, I think they're gonna pull back. If we don't connect with Item, the Krauts are gonna slip away," she hissed before clenching her teeth together. Those assholes had killed her friends; she didn't want them to slip away and mount another counterattack.
"Right. Wait here." Speirs stood up and ran past them and straight through the German troops to the other side of town.
"The hell?" Lipton and Griest both hissed and made a face. The Germans seemed to be just as surprised. They stopped, stared, and pointed before shooting at him, but the bullets never came close, as if Speirs was guided by an invisible hand. Speirs jumped over a wall and vanished from sight. The most amazing thing, however, was that he did it, twice. After meeting with Item, he came back and ran through the town again.
Easy stood by a building singing and dancing as a camera captured their laughs. Dike had led them to death, but Speirs led them to victory. Whatever rumours were spoken about him were forgotten as the men laughed and cheered. Griest stood off to the side smiling and laughing. The assault had been tiresome and, at points, she thought she was going to watch the end of her company, but they made it through, like they always did. Maybe they would make it back home.
"Why don't you join them?" Lipton asked as he walked past noticing how she stuck to the side, out of the camera's sight. Griest shrugged but her mouth formed a scowl.
"Women in the army would send a negative message back home," she grumbled verbatim what the officers said to her when the camera caught her. Not all the officers, however, there were some real good ones. Lipton sighed and shook his head; he had firsthand seen her skill, strength, and contributions she had made to Easy. Doc Roe was alive because she got curious when he never returned from a walk about a week ago- he ended up being caught by three German soldiers while treating a wounded Garcia; she was an amazing shot and rarely missed, she was reliable and cool under pressure, and kept the men's morale high. She could jump in and joke with them and didn't care when they talked about boobs or some girl they saw, she would sometimes join in and banter right along with them. She was the glue that got the jokesters and the solemn ones to sit together and talk. Lipton couldn't imagine what Easy would be like without her, he didn't want to know.
"Yeah, but what can you do? Anything for Uncle Sam and some sexist general with a foot shoved up his a-" a crack filled the air as a bullet hit Griest's chest. She fell right down as men ran for cover. More men were hit as Lipton ran behind a barn glancing at the girl on the ground, but forced her out of his mind.
"White building, second floor," Lipton informed Shifty who was standing behind him. The sniper nodded and prepared his rifle. "Don't miss, Shifty."
Taking in a deep breath, Lipton ran out from behind the building and sprinted in front of the sniper. Bullets struck the ground around him as he ran to the building. His heart hammered as he breathed hard wondering which breath would be his last. A gunshot cracked as the German sniper fell to the road in front of Lipton. He looked back at Shifty and nodded his thanks as he collapsed at the base of the building breathing heavily. He was alive but others weren't.
He jogged to where Griest had fallen as he screamed for Doc, but she was so still. Her clothes were too dark and big to see if there was any blood or the rise and fall of her chest, or lack of. All he could tell was what he could see; her eyes were closed and there was some blood on her cheek.
"Doc, it's Chucky!" Lipton shouted again knowing the medic was fond of the young paratrooper, and she with him. There were strict regulations preventing any relationships from forming between Griest and any member of the army; both Griest and Roe made sure they never crossed that line, but it wasn't easy. Lipton wasn't the only one who noticed how Roe got more talkative around her and smiled more. Lipton also noticed how Griest's eyes danced when she saw Roe, the way her eyes followed after him when he left, or the way she watched him as he ran from person to person in the middle of a firefight, praying for his safety. He noted how they sat near each other, leaned towards each other, and shared foxholes, though it never went farther than that, Lipton knew because he often shared the foxhole with them both. Lipton uttered curses wishing the medic would never have to see Griest laying on the ground after being shot by a sniper, but he didn't have a genie granting his wishes at the moment.
"What?" Speirs shouted as he pushed past the crowd and crouched next to Griest. A circle had formed around her comprised of friends- no, brothers- who all wore the same fear and uncertainty Lipton did.
"Shit, no! Henrietta! Henrietta, wake up!" Speirs shouted in his gruff, stern voice but it cracked with emotion. The men glanced at another in confusion.
"Who the fuck is Henrietta?" Luz whispered as he looked around fearfully. Doc arrived and pushed past everyone and joined Speirs by Griest's side. Roe's face was dark and filled with fear as he put a tentative hand to her neck.
"She's alive! Griest! Chucky, can ya hear me? Come on girl, don't do this to me again." He remembered Market Garden and how he thought she was gone then, but she just suffered a broken cheekbone and minor wound to the shoulder. He ripped her jacket open searching for any blood, but couldn't find any. Without her jacket, Lipton could see her chest rise and fall in deep, even breaths.
"Henrietta, wake up!" Speirs ordered gripping her shoulder tightly.
"Lieutenant, I wouldn't-" Luz began remembering how she reacted whenever anyone touched her without warning, not that he blamed her. He, Roe, and Lipton were the ones who found her beaten and defeated against the shed; but, she survived that and she would survive this too. Luz never had the chance to finish his warning as the girl jumped up and punched the lieutenant across the cheek.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Roe cooed gently before touching her forearm. Griest sat up breathing heavily as goosebumps covered her skin. She rubbed warmth into her arms as Lipton helped her pull her jacket back on. She looked around gaining her bearings as she stared at their faces with wide eyes. Then she paused and looked at the sniper lying dead on the road then she looked down at her chest.
"How the fuck did I survive that?" She spat anxiously. "I thought I was a goner for sure." Roe reached forward and poked the hole in her jacket where the bullet punctured, but it never went any farther. Roe poked harder and was met but metal.
"What is that?" He asked. Griest reached inside her breast pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch.
"My mamma's pocket watch; thank you, Momma!" She breathed as she inspected it. The watch was the size of an average compass with complicated, leafy designs, but in the center of the watch was a bullet; the watch had stopped the bullet. The watch had been in her family for four generations and it saved her life. The others chuckled nervously as they released the breath they'd all been holding in. Their girl, their smart, sassy, Easy girl was okay. Roe's face cleared of sorrow and pain but remained tight with worry. Griest met his eyes and nodded slightly, ensuring Roe that she was okay. She wanted to grab his hand and squeeze it, but that would go too far.
"Wait until I tell Aunt Betty about this," Speirs uttered with a laugh.
"Don't you dare or I'll tell her about that stunt you just pulled," she hissed back.
"Aunt Betty?" Bull muttered as Speirs glanced at them with that flat, fierce look he had perfected over the past few months. That look made the men shiver as their smiles vanished from their faces.
"Yeah, she's my cousin; you didn't know that?" He asked. Everyone's eyes widened as they took a step back. Griest shrugged and rubbed her chest where the bullet should have struck her. The skin was turning blue, green, and purple but it meant she was alive.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Lipton asked with a grin, not that he was offended or didn't understand. Speirs was intimidating and a lot of people kept their family secret.
"I didn't know he was in the airborne until I saw him at the assembly area on D-day," she admitted as she stood up wincing and rubbing her chest and butt where she landed. "Afterwards, I didn't want you guys thinking I was only here because of him; I did all the training myself and didn't rely on him at all. Speirs also likes to be all scary and mysterious so I guess that's why he kept his trap shut."
"But you're okay? I promised your mother I'd bring you back in one piece." Speirs asked ignoring their comments. Griest looked at Roe who finished his assessment.
"You seem okay to me; just please, stop doing that, I can't take that again," he pleaded squeezing her shoulder.
"Again?" Speirs muttered as Griest laughed.
"I promise; I don't know how many more of those I can survive!" They all laughed lamely as they began to disperse and check on the others, but they were dead from headshots. They figured Griest must have been moving when she was shot, or the sniper used her to figure out the wind conditions.
"So, Henrietta?" Babe began with a big smile.
"Oh, good God, please no," she groaned shaking her head, but she couldn't stop the grin from covering her face.
"Never would have thought you had such a feminine name, Henrietta," Malarkey added with a snicker.
"Keep going and I'll chop your balls off," she warned as they shut their mouths.
"But, Lady Henri is much catchier than Private Chucky, whatcha guys think?" Luz laughed. The others joined in, even Greist.
"Shut up and keep walking; we have to report back to Winters, right, Sergeant?" She turned to Lipton hoping the man could save her.
"Nah, we got some time. Henri," he snorted causing another wave of laughter.
"Assholes," she hissed.
"Do you kiss your momma with that mouth, miss?" A wounded Perconte chuckled as Bull piggyback carried him around the city.
"Nope, just yours."
Easy hoped that after the taking of Foy, they'd be sent to Mourmelon for some much needed rest; they were disappointed. Two days later they were sent to gain control of the town of Noville and then Rachamps. It was a hard fought battle where they lost some more men. Afterwards at Rachamps, they were fed warm food and had a chance to relax; it was the first time they were indoors in about a month. The next day, they would be sent to Haguenau instead of Mourmelon, but they didn't know yet so they were enjoying it. The local church invited them and had their choir sing for them. Most of them hadn't heard live music since before the war, some never had the opportunity. Regardless, it was beautiful.
Lipton watched everyone carefully as they sat inside the church listening to the voices. They were all sitting together and, for once, were silent just listening to the celestial voices ring. His tried to make a list of people they had lost in Bastogne. They had lost Guarnere and Toye, Skip Muck and Penkala, Smokey, Hoobler, Herron, the replacement Webb, and a few others. His gaze lingered on Griest who was sitting between Roe and Luz; they had almost lost her too. Their time in Belgium also cost them two officers: a good one, Buck Compton, who was taken back home to recover, and a bad one, Norman Dike. But they gained another good one, so he guessed they came up on top.
The next morning, they were placed on trucks for the drive to Haguenau when they passed a group of walking soldiers. Griest was sitting between Luz and Roe and never gave them a second look until Luz spoke.
"Hey, it's first battalion; thanks for shitting in our foxholes!" Luz shouted as one first battalion man laughed.
"It was our pleasure," he shouted as he grinned up at them. Bull gave the man a look and smiled down in that tough, sweet way only he could do.
"Enjoy the walk, boys!" He called. Griest lifted her head back and laughed before she closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep. Scared brown eyes stared back at her until she woke up with a start.
"You okay?" Roe asked gripping her arm as she looked around slowing her breathing. Luz was watching her carefully as she looked between the two.
"Yeah," she muttered looking at Lipton who was sitting at the end of the truck. She exhaled deeply and leaned back feeling her two friends against her arms as she allowed herself to relax. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"And when he gets to Heaven, to St. Peter he will tell: "'Just another soldier reporting, Sir. I've served my time in Hell'"- Unknown
Author's note: so I know it was a few days before Lip talked with Malarkey and gave him the Luger, but it worked better in my story if it was the next day. Once again, I took some of the narration, so not all of this is mine. Thanks for reading and let me know what you guys think. Have a good one!