Glad y'all enjoyed the last chapter! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates, but I've been studying for finals, doing holiday shopping/cooking and caring for a very sick chick!

callalilly357: You are absolutely correct, and thank you for pointing that out! :)

Enjoy!

They Called Me 'Mae West'

I was entirely in love with my 'new' hair, and that was the truth of the matter. I couldn't help but flounce about my room and run my calloused hands through the honey colored curls. The morning after Ralph had assisted me in taking that leap of faith, I had taken a hot shower. England was treating me beautifully, for the record. Anyway, I couldn't believe the curls I was weighing down with my previous mane. They wrapped and embraced around my rounded jaw line.

I think when the time came for us to depart from England, I would be more upset than leaving home. But honestly, that isn't saying much coming from my perspective. The little curious cat at the back of mind wondered how father was fearing, and how Johnny was getting along. I tried to distract the 'feline' by pitying the men. They had families back home that loved them. Most of them still had their siblings and mothers. My father was practically deceased to me…

"LORETTA!" The front door of the aid station blasted open, the doorknob leaving a dent in the wall behind it.

I terrified threw my makeshift mirror on the surgery table, "Holy shit! WHAT?!"

Hoobler had a shit-eating grin slathered across his round face as he panted, "Sobel… he's gone! The NCO's got rid of him! Can you believe it?" He practically sung, wrapping his arm around my waist and spinning me around in a victory polka.

I lightly shoved him away, "Wait, what? Bull said something, but… what? Sobel is gone? Nadda? No more dickweed?"

He gently knocked my head, "That's what I said, silly! Doc needs to check your hearing."

"Shuddyap…" I smirked. "Now who's commander?"

"Meehan, or at least that's what I heard."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Well, anybody is better than Sobel."

Don snapped his fingers and playfully narrowed his eyes, "This is a true fact- holy shit! YOUR HAIR!"

I giggled, resting both hands on my waist, "You just now noticed?"

"Were did it all go?"

I slapped back his curious hand and warded off his wide eyes, "Spina chopped it all off for me. You like it?"

"You look real cute, Etta." He said sheepishly.

I shyly tucked a lock behind my ear, "I hope Bull says the same."

"So you do like him? You've got him all confused with your weird ways… poor guy doesn't know what to do with himself."

I feel my guilty heart whimper, "I didn't know he felt that way too. I feel bad I'm so 'weird' around him, but Denver just does that to me. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing…but he drives me wild."

Hoobler elbowed me, "I'll let you in on a secret… he says the same thing every night in the barracks to the men." He pulled away from whispering in my ear, with a sly smile.

"You're shittin' on me."

"I'm as serious about this as I am about Sobel being gone, Loretta."

I practically felt my face light up like a million bright stars. I had a sudden urge to go see him.

"See you around, Hoobs." I patted his back and jogged out of the building with a grin.

Still in shape with jump training, I easily ran through the town without breaking a sweat. I felt so clean inside… Sobel was gone and Bull was on my mind. I was always happy when Bull was on my mind. I went to the basketball hoop they were playing around yesterday, knowing they still had too much time on my hands.

There he was, dwarfing Luz as they took turns shooting free-throws. I paused and caught my breath, taking in the perverse sight of his muscular shoulders at work. He drove me wild.

"How's my boys?" I whistled, making them quickly glance. They hadn't noticed…

"Hey there, Mae," Luz grunted as he tossed the leather into the basket.

Denver slapped the ball against the cobblestone three times before taking his shot, "Afternoon, Boone."

"Are you fellows going to even acknowledge my existence?" I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff. "And why the hell did you call me Mae, George?"

"You know, after the rifle and all- Holy shit! YOUR HAIR!"

I chuckled as I watched the ball mindlessly roll down the street. "Nice of you to notice!"

"Boone! What happened!?" Bull rushed to me, and my heart thumped.

"Spina helped me last night. Do you like it?"

He blushed and bit his lip ever so slightly, "Yea, it's cute."

Now my face was the one burning up, "What about you Luzzie?"

He nonchalantly chased after the ball, clearly trying to leave us alone. "Looks good, Mae."

I bent my head back to meet his eyes, "So you really do like it? It's going to get some getting used to-"

"I love it, just like you," Bull spluttered out plainly.

I beamed, "What a great day this is… the Denver Randlemen 'likes' me and Sobel is gone. I could live with this… I guess."

"Don't get too cheery, Boone. I heard we're moving out soon."

"I had a feeling we would be… damn, I was just starting to like England."

My stomach churned with heavy worry. What if I never came back to England? What if I never saw another day? What if Bull got hurt and I couldn't save him? What if…?

"You're doing it again…"

I shook my head lightly, "Doing what?"

"Staring off."

I flashed my most brilliant smile, "Sorry, just doing some thinking. I just wanted you to see my hair; I gotta head off."

"So soon?"

"It just occurred to me I might be thrown into a war, and I'm supposed to be able to rescue all of you!" I winked up at him. "I'll see you around, Bully boy."

He scuffed his boot along the earth beneath us, "C-can I have a hug from you?" For such a big man, he had such a shy heart.

Playfully, I stood on the toes of his boot and hooked my chin over his massive shoulder. Squeezing him tightly to match his strength, I saw Luz making mock kissing faces at us.

"Luz is making fun of us," I laughed into his neck.

"Go piss up a rope, George!" Bull called loudly, instantly making our teasing friend stop. Then, he hummed as he grasped me tighter, as if he didn't ever want to let go.

B.o.B.

*back at the barracks*

"And then they sway gently as Mae whispers loving things in Bull's ear…" Luz projected, telling the overdramatic story of 'the hug'. "I'm telling you guys… it was straight out of a Sinatra song or something!"

I rolled my eyes and chucked a pair of my panties at him, "Don't listen to him, boys. All we did was quickly embrace."

"With your face that red, even I don't believe it was 'just an embrace'," Martin called, clearly happy for his best friend.

"We're moving out to the airbase. Pack your things." Winters stern face peeped around the door.

Luz swallowed and his smile slid, "'This it?"

"This is it," Richard nodded.

I looked around at the men who's moods had all diminished. I wrung my fingers together, feeling the sticky anxiety flood our bodies. The jump was coming, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for the beginning of my life to end.

B.o.B.

I peered over Hoob's shoulder as he admired the Lugar in his hands.

"Be careful with that, Hoobs…" I warned with a whisper.

"Aye, who's the broad?" Asked the British bloke with a Kraut helmet 20 sizes too small for his melon head. s

Don wouldn't take his eyes from the lethal pistol, "A field nurse in the company."

"Oi! That's how you describe me?" I retorted, smacking the back of his helmet. "Thanks Hoobs."

He ignored me, seemingly possessed by the slick treasure in his hands, "Hey Petty!"

Petty took his attention away from Talbert and raised two eyebrows at kid-like Hoobler.

"Aye, mate!" The mock German-British soldier called, watching Hoobler trot off with his weapon like it was his. He mumbled some thick accented rubbish, and Don unwillingly handed back the pistol. Don went back over to Petty, bragging about how he had touched a 'real live Luger'.

I was rolling my eyes on the outside, but feeling confused and awkward on the outside. I had been with these men for nearly two years, but I still didn't feel like I fit in. Whether it was because I was a woman, or that I was just painfully shy… I couldn't find my place. Honestly, I didn't trust them. I didn't even trust Bull. I've been through a lot of shit, and for some reason I believed sending myself off to war would improve the situation.

Men frightened me. So why was I always surrounded by them? It was my decision to be here… Truthfully, I felt like I had screwed up as I was wandering mindlessly around.

"Three day supply of K-rations, chocolate bars, Charms candy, powdered coffee, sugar, matches, compass, bayonet, entrenching tool, ammunition, gas mask, musette bag with ammo, my weapon, my .45, canteen, two cartons of smokes, Hawkins mine, two grenades, smoke grenade, Gammon grenade, TNT, THIS BS, and a pair of nasty skivvies!" Joe Toye spewed behind me, without taking a breath.

"What's your point?" Frank wobbled as he stood up. My pocket Italian couldn't even stand with basic gear on… I guess I had no room to talk as I plowed into Talbert.

I could still hear Joe drone on with his complaints as I heard Tab read the scrabble of a letter on the top of the box. "Give 'em hell…" He reached in and pulled out a beautiful handgun, "Man, you gotta love cops!" He grinned a toothy smile, addressing the Kokomo police department back in Indiana.

My head was spinning around as Lipton made a solemn shout out, "Alright, listen up! If you did not sign your GI life insurance policy, go over and see Sergeant Evans at the headquarters company tent!" He lowered his voice, "Boys, don't let your family miss out on 10,000 dollars."

"What family?" I murmured under my breath, "They're all fucking dead."

Liebgott rest his hand smoothly on my lower back, "You ain't got a family back home, Etta?"

"No I ain't got no family back home, Joe!" I shoved his arms away, still not liking human contact, "You know that."

God, he was so easy to get mad at.

They all eyed me, clearly worried my ends were fraying. I secretly prayed the heavy clouds above us would brew up a storm, just so we didn't have to jump tonight. I couldn't do that right now.

"Jeezus, I'm sorry Lieb. It's just; you know they're all dead. All of you better not die too." I felt my throat close up, "You're all I got…"

Martin strutted by with a letter clenched in his hand and mustered a weak smile when he noticed the tears hanging dangerously on the rims of my eyelids. "I need to go get ready myself."

Keeping my eyes low, I couldn't help but see as Malarkey practically suffocated himself with a rucksack. "Why are they springing these things on us now?"

"It's just another 80 pounds strapped to your leg," Luz sarcastically said.

"Yea, quit your bitchin' Malark," I called, teasingly.

"What are you talking about? You don't even have anything on!"

I tapped the white red cross band pinned to my left arm, "I'm a nurse, not a soldier. Remember?"

"Yea, yea…" Guarnere spooned soupy melted ice cream into his mouth.

"Gimme some of that," I called, plopping right down beside him. Like taking candy from a baby, I swiped it from his leather gloved hands and bent back my head as the creamy liquid slid down my sore throat.

Right as I wiped the unsightly white mustache from my upper lip, Bull towered into sight. I blinked a few times, and Bill elbowed me, noticing the trance Bull put me in. He drove me wild.

"Hey, I think I know you!" I winked at Denver as I flashed my most brilliant smile.

He snapped his fingers, "I think I know you too, pretty girl!"

"Go be with your beau," Bill smirked into my ear, forcing me to shoot him back a glare.

I couldn't even get a word out before he wrapped me into a massive bear hug. "Good to see you, Boone." He gave me another squeeze.

"You too," I smiled into his chest.

"Does anybody have any idea how the hell this thing works?" George held up some sort of device by two fingers, as if it had a disease.

Bull released me before shrugging his shoulders, "Hell if I know, but I'm sick of them piling all this new shit on us."

"Colonel Sink," a short, pink-eared man shoved a tri-folded letter in Bill's face. He licked the ice cream from the corner of his thin lips before dashing his eyes through the dry literature.

Luz came to the rescue and dramatically recited, "Soldiers of the Regiment! Toniiight! Is the niiight! Of nights… Today as you read this, you're in route to the great adventure you have trained for over two years."

"So that's why they gave us ice cream," Bill grumbled as he passed the letter over his shoulder to Skinny.

"What a bunch of bullshit," I acted tough, trying to douse the gnawing nerves eating away at me. Bull wrapped one goliath hand around my shoulder and shook me gently, agreeing.

"EASY COMPANY, LISTEN UP!" Lieutenant Meehan was standing on the hood of a jeep, his face slathered in camouflage paint. Eugene caught my eye as I turned to face Sobel's replacement. Was he about to give a speech? Was this really happening? "The Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. No jump tonight!"

One trooper yelled in disappointment while the rest of us looked down at the concrete beneath us. "The invasion has been postponed- we're on a 24 stand-down."

A hoard of devastated men with pounding hearts and black faces slung their rifles over their shoulders and solemnly walked away. I slowly lifted my hand up to where Bull still held his hand on my shoulder. Gently I squeezed it as I glanced up at his quivering blue eyes.

"Can you believe this, Mae?" Luz lashed out as he stormed past us, still holding the mystery object in his hand.

"No, I can't…" I whispered almost inaudibly. I was having a difficult time believing anything these days.

I feel like this chapter was complete bogus, but I felt guilty for keeping you waiting for so long.

Blarg-narg.