Looking across the field she saw Upham and the German on a small bit of hill. She saw the blanketed pile besides them too. Her anger rushed back and something inside of her snapped. She walked over to where Wade had fallen, where she had dropped the rifle. Her eyes remained on the men on the hill as she grabbed it and headed up to them, avoiding barbed wire as she went. She could feel her heart in her throat as she got closer. Upham looked up at her.
"Hey, Desi, I'm sorry," he said stepping towards her. She pushed him forcefully out of her way, causing him to almost topple over. The man digging what was to be Wade's grave looked up at her. She stopped in front of him. His expression was a mixture of fear and confusion as his eyes looked her up and down, stopping at the rifle she was holding. She lifted it up to the point where the barrel was inches from his face.
"Desi, don't," Upham yelled. "He said he didn't mean to kill Wade."
Her stomach turned. He was the one who had shot Wade and he was still alive, digging his grave. The blood rushed to her face and her hands tightened around the gun. As Upham yelled for the Captain, her arms forced forward and struck the man across the face with the hard, metal barrel. He fell backwards, grabbing his nose and screaming as deep scarlet blood flowed from between his hands. She dropped the rifle and tackled him. Adrenaline filled her entire being as she delivered blow after blow, barely feeling the pain as her soft knuckles collided with the man's facial structures. Before she knew what had happened, his hands, which were quite larger than hers, grasped her wrists and he threw her to the ground. He climbed on top of her but before he could do anything, her knee lodged into his groin and he fell to the side. She pushed herself up and reached for Jackson's Springfield once again. With it in her hands, she aimed it at the man's crumpled form.
"Stand down, Parker," Captain Miller's voice sounded from behind her. She didn't want to listen. She wanted to shoot the son of a bitch where he lay. She saw Wade's helmet hanging from a rifle in the ground, customary of wartime makeshift graves. Her arms lowered and a hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Parker, give me the gun," Miller said.
She looked up at him, showing the betrayal she felt. She thrust the gun into his hands and turned away. Her adrenaline rush was dying as she trudged back to the station and she felt lightheaded. She reached a wall and leaned against it, taking a drink of water from her almost empty canteen. Mellish walked over to her.
"What happened?" he asked, having seen the situation from afar.
"I almost killed that fucker and the Captain told me to stand down," she said matter-of-factly as her back slid against the concrete and she sat on the ground. He sat next to her, shaking his head.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No," she truthfully answered, staring into the afternoon sun. Time had gone fast that day or maybe she was just still in shock. He pulled the Hitler Youth knife he had found back in Normandy out of his pocket and began toying with it in his hands.
"We're in a similar situation," he said. Noticing the questioning look on her face, he explained.
"Someone killed someone we love and we're not allowed to do anything about it."
It hit her all of a sudden that everyone knew about her love for Wade. It was strange that it was such a secret a day ago, and it didn't matter who knew at the moment, because he was gone.
"I figure you want to kill that bastard as much as I want to shove this knife through Hitler's goddamned throat. And we both would do it, if it wasn't for these fubar guidelines and rules that the other side doesn't seem to follow for shit anyways," he said.
She nodded. He was more than right. If Miller hadn't stopped her, she would have shot the man right then and there.
"I just thought I'd let you know, being someone in a bit of a similar situation, if you ever need to vent to someone don't worry about chewin' my ear off. I've had to listen to Reiben run his mouth almost every night," he laughed.
She smiled, and felt it was out of place. They talked for a while longer until the Captain, followed by Jackson, Reiben, and Horath, walked back up to the hill. Mellish got up and followed them, but she stayed where she was, too exhausted for anymore commotion. A moment later, they were all marching back, Miller forcing the German forward by the collar of his shirt and jacket. She quickly stood up as the Captain blindfolded the man. She reached for her Garand and realized she had left it back behind the rotting cow during the fight earlier.
"Tell him," Captain Miller spoke to Upham, "To march a thousand paces in that direction. Then he can take off the blindfold. We'll be gone, and he turns himself in to the first Allied patrol he comes across."
"You gotta be kidding me. We're letting him go?" Reiben asked.
"He's a P.O.W., Reiben. Can't take him with us. Our guys will pick him up sooner or later," the Captain explained.
Upham walked the blinded man forward, translating what Miller ordered. She didn't understand the Captain's reasoning. Everything was backwards. She walked over to Jackson who seemed to be in just as much shock as she was.
"Only if he doesn't get picked up by his own wehrmacht first, then thrown back into circulation," Reiben told him. He walked straight up to Miller.
"Captain, you just let the enemy go,"
There was a sharp silence in the air.
"This is such bullshit," Mellish replied.
"Ya'll got that right," Jackson said.
"Bullshit?" Upham asked. "This is bullshit? Shooting a prisoner? That'd be okay?"
"Would you shut your mouth?" Mellish interrupted.
"It's against the goddamn rules!" he shouted back.
"Yeah, well the goddamn rules just walked off with your new friend," Reiben said.
She didn't even bother to say anything. Things were about to explode and she knew it.
"But I guess that was the, uh, decent thing to do, huh, Captain?" Reiben asked.
Miller didn't respond.
"Get your gear. Let's go," he said and began gathering his things off of a pile of sandbags.
"You heard him. Gear up," Horvath ordered.
No one moved.
"The Captain just gave you an order," Horvath said.
"Yeah," Reiben replied, "Like the one he gave to take this machine gun. That was a real doozy, wasn't it, Sarge?"
"Soldier, you are way outta line," Horvath told him.
Reiben ignored him and walked back over to the Captain who was throwing on his bag.
"Yes, sir, that was one hell of a call, coming to take this nest, but, what the hell, we only lost one of ours guys going for it,"
They all watched as Reiben threw his arms down angrily on the sandbags in front of Miller, knowing it wasn't going to end well.
"I swear I hope Mama Ryan's real fuckin' happy knowing that little Jimmy's life is more important than two of our guys!" he yelled. "Then again we haven't found him yet, have we?!"
He was thrown to the ground by Horvath.
"Gear up, and fall in," he instructed him.
"I'm done with this mission," Reiben said, picking up his gun, and heading towards the direction they had first come in.
Horvath chased after him.
"Don't you walk away from your captain. Reiben, get back in line," he ordered again.
Reiben turned to face him.
"I'll spend the rest of my life in the stockade if I have to, but I'm done with this," he said.
"I'm not going to ask you again, soldier," Horvath said, drawing his pistol.
He aimed it right at Reiben and hell ensued. Every single person was yelling except for her and Captain Miller. She could do nothing. She agreed with Reiben. She wanted to leave too. On the other hand, the soldier in her could understand why they had taken the nest. But then, she disagreed about letting the German go.
"Mike, what's the pool on me up to right now?" Miller asked.
The yelling ceased.
"What's it up to? What is it, $300? Is that it, $300?"
"$450," she told him.
"I'm a schoolteacher," he told them. "I teach English Composition in this little town called Addley, Pennsylvania. The last 11 years, I've been at Thomas Alva Edison High School."
Horvath lowered his gun and they all listened carefully.
"I was the coach of the baseball team in the springtime. Back home, when I'd tell people what I do for a living, they'd think 'Well, that figures.' But over here, it's a big mystery," he said.
She couldn't believe her ears. The Captain was an English teacher, just as Wade had bet.
"So, I guess I've changed some," he said, "Sometimes I wonder if I've changed so much, my wife is even going to recognize me whenever it is I get back to her. And how I'll ever be able to tell her about days like today."
He looked at her as if to say 'sorry.' She nodded in acceptance.
"Ah, Ryan, I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. That man means nothing to me. He's just a name. But if, you know, if going to Ramelle and finding him so he can go home, if that earns me the right to get back to my wife, well then that's my mission. You want to leave?" he asked Reiben.
"You want to go off and fight the war? All right. All right, I won't stop you. I'll even put in the paperwork. I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel," Captain Miller said before walking up the hill to Wade's grave.