I would like to state that I do not own HBO's Band of Brothers nor do I intend any disrespect. I am basing this story on the HBO mini TV series.
Please keep reviewing, I love hearing what you think about the story. Good OR bad. Suggestions are always welcome!
Big thankyous to all my readers but especially to the wonderful reviewers: DonhardT, immortalrmy, Brown eyed mickey, Bayumlikedayum, FireIsLove and the everchanging.
Previously on 'Angels with Dirty Faces'
'I have to get outta here.' She said, stuffing the precious diary into her rucksack and she got to her feet determinedly, she had to find Easy…she had to find George and tell him…tell him the truth.
Bill shot a quick look at Joe before turning back to say goodbye to his friend. He could tell by the way her shoulders had straightened and the fierce look of wonder on her face that she had just discovered something that the rest of the men had been observing months, years before. Smothering a grin, he pulled Rose into a hug and let her go…releasing her to find the war and the man she loved.
But I got my whole damn life
Caught up in moments entirely of yours
But I'm finding it harder to reason in order to grow
And finding it hard is a feeling that all of you know
Know know
Feeding Line by Boy and Bear
Chapter Fifty-One
'I'm trying to get to Sturzelberg!' Rose was close to losing her temper. After being discharged from the hospital, Rose had been trying to find Easy and it had taken her nearly a week to get into Germany. She had been tracking Easy and by her calculations, she was about a two hour jeep ride away from Sturzelberg where they were stationed. But the problem was trying to find a vehicle to take her.
'Going my way?' came a familiar voice and Rose swung around in surprise. It was Captain Nixon sitting in the front seat of a jeep. Rose realised that he was wearing his jump harness.
'Captain Nixon!' she lifted a hand in greeting and swung her bag onto the back of the jeep. 'I sure am glad to see you sir.'
'You trying to find Easy?' he asked looking at her curiously.
'Trying' she answered with a grin.
'They let you out of the hospital already?' he asked distractedly, frowning at her.
'Fit and able for duty sir' she snapped a salute but the feeling of unease spread through her. Nixon was usually a lot friendlier to her than this distracted aloof man in front of her. Having gone through Toccoa together, they had in the past been able to share drinks and jokes together. But something was clearly wrong and she still didn't know why he was in his harness.
'Can I get a ride with you Sir?' she asked and when Nixon nodded absently, she climbed up onto the back of the jeep.
Grinning she tapped the driver on the shoulder to let him know that she was settled okay and the jeep sped out towards Easy.
'You're an idiot Luz' Skinny drawled as he walked up with Malarkey. The two men had gotten back into town and were gathered in the assembly area, trying to enjoy the sunshine. Perco had obviously wasted no time in telling the men about his encounter with the local girl.
Ignoring the two soldiers, George leaned back on his pack and spread his legs out.
'Got any cigarettes?' he asked Malarkey pointedly and the red head stared to look through his pockets.
'Didja hear me? You can't get much dumber than you.' Skinny wasn't to be deterred and he kicked George's leg unceremoniously before plopping down next to him. 'you're just gonna throw everything you have with Rosie away?'
'Shutup Skinny' he muttered, nodding his thanks to Malark who handed him a smoke.
'Was she worth it?' Malark spoke up finally, 'the German broad?'
George didn't answer; he couldn't look at either of them. The truth was, she wasn't. She wasn't even worth the two packets of smokes and bar of chocolate he'd wasted on her.
'Like I said…idiot.' Stated Skinny looking at George with disgust.
'What's Rose gonna say when she finds out eh?' Malark asked and George sat upright in alarm.
'She's not gonna find out…and no-one's gonna tell her.' He said fiercely, his cigarette dangling from his mouth. His two friends just looked at him pityingly.
'You're lucky ole Gonorrhea's not here.' Malarkey laughed, clapping George on the shoulder, 'you'd be sent stateside in a bodybag.'
George's jaw clenched at the mention of Bill and he felt his heart drop as he pictured the two of them cozied up in the hospital in Paris.
'Well, you'd better tell her Luz, you know how much these boys talk.' Skinny said seriously.
George lowered himself back down and covered his eyes with his hands, trying to block out the light, the two men…everything.
'Yeah..well, she's not here.' He muttered as he heard Skinny and Malarkey stand and start to move away.
The German town was chaos; there were soldiers and civilians everywhere. The driver had trouble manoeuvring the jeep through the packed streets and they barely missed an officer who was carrying silverware on the sidewalk. Flinching as the silver tray clanged against the jeep's radiator, Rose caught sight of the man and thumped the driver on the shoulder, indicating that she wanted to get off. Shooting the sullen Nixon as quick salute, Rose vaulted off the back of the jeep and jogged to catch up to Captain Speirs who was trying to balance all the silver loot that he had liberated.
'Captain Speirs' she called and watched as he glanced over his shoulder and then did a double take at the sight of her. Finally reaching the man who had stopped and was staring at her oddly, Rose snapped a salute and smiled in greeting to her Company commander.
'Sergeant Barker' he said, looking at her in concern. 'what are you doing here?'
'I just got out of the hospital sir,' she said, 'I wanted to rejoin the men.'
'They let you come back?' he asked, his dark eyebrows lifting in surprise.
'Yes sir' she grinned, 'fit as a fiddle…well, almost'
Captain Speirs looked less than convinced but he just shook his head and pointed to the town square behind them.
'okay, report to the assembly area Rosie, we're about to ship off...you're lucky you found us when you did.'
'Yes sir.' She replied, understanding his dismissal and turned back to head in the direction that Speirs had pointed.
'Oh and Sergeant..' the Captain called and Rose swung around, confused.
'It's good to have you back.' He smiled and nodded at her fondly before walking towards the Post Office.
Rose slung her pack onto her back and began to walk over to the assembly area where most of the men had gathered. Rose could recognize a face here and there and she was reminded slightly of her return to the unit with Joe Toye after he found her in Bastogne. Just like Bastogne, many Toccoa men were missing, replaced by new recruits fresh from home.
As Rose scanned the men, her eyes finally settled on a familiar figure. He was lying on his back with his hands pressed over his eyes, shading them from the bright sunlight. She'd recognize him anywhere.
She felt a jolt when she saw him, he looked the same as he had in Haugenau except he was clean shaven and had his hair clipped. She noticed the way his broad chest rose and fell with each breath and the way his jaw clenched, clearly defining the planes of his face. Taking off her helmet and tucking it under her arm, Rose started to walk towards him, ignoring the strange glances that she was receiving and the whispers that followed her as the young replacements recognized her from all the stories told by the Toccoa veterans about the woman who had joined the paratroopers.
Coming to a stop directly in front of the soldier she was aiming for, Rose looked down at him, and as if sensing her presence, he opened his mouth to speak without removing his hands from over his eyes.
'Perco, just gimme another five minutes.' He spoke and Rose hadn't realised until that moment just how much she had missed his voice.
'How old are you? Six?' she said softly, a shy smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
George froze at the sound of her voice and slowly moved his hands, blinking at her as his eyes adjusted to the bright daylight. Rose saw that he was pale and tired…his face looked weary, but in the space of a heartbeat as he looked at her, he looked younger, vibrant…more alive.
He smiled, really smiled and Rose felt her heart constrict.
'Rose' he said hoarsely, finally sitting up. She smiled back at him but it wobbled slightly.
'Hiya Radioman.' she opened to her mouth to continue when something solid hit her on the back of the head. George looked over her shoulder and groaned, rolling his eyes as Rose turned angrily to yell at her assaulter but came face to face with Skinny who was grinning at her.
'Skinny Sisk..is that any way to treat a lady?' she demanded as her friend gave her a hug, his face smiling widely at the sight of her.
'I don't see no lady' he laughed before turning serious again. 'they let you out?'
Rose's smile died on her face as George came to stand next to Skinny. She noticed Skinny shoot him a quick glare and her brow furrowed in confusion.
'All better.' She held out her hands and spun on the spot before something caught her eye. Crouching to pick up the missile that Skinny had ditched at her head, she looked up indignantly as she held it out to him.
'You threw a pair of socks at me?' she asked in disbelief.
Skinny grinned as George started to laugh. 'We got issued new ones.' He said simply, shrugging.
George took the thick green socks from her and looked at them. 'I think its for our next trip. We're aiming for south Germany.'
'Speirs said we were heading out soon.'
Skinny slung an arm around her. 'in a couple of hours…we get to travel by train this time.'
'we all know how much you love trucks.' George smirked at her, before tugging her hand, pulling her away from Skinny. 'lemme take you to the rest of the men, they'd kill me if I didn't bring you over asap.'
Waving goodbye to Skinny, Rose followed George feeling almost drunk with happiness. She was back where she was supposed to be. These were her boys and she realised how much she didn't feel like herself when she wasn't with them.
'Now are you sure you got the all clear form the doc's?' George asked anxiously, glancing at her as they threaded their way down the crowded street.
'For the last time, I'm fine.' Rose hid a grin at his concern. It was good to see him. She'd missed him.
They'd finally made it to the small house that most of the non-replacement Easy Company men had been billeted in. The house was silent as their footsteps echoed through the hall. There was nobody home. Shooting a questioning glance at George, he shrugged and she threw her bag and helmet down onto a small upholstered chair.
'So how was Paris?' George asked casually, his eyes intense. Rose found herself feeling nervous…she'd never been awkward with George. But then again, she'd never realised how she really felt about him either. They'd always been so comfortable as friends but now Rose felt like there was this huge elephant between them.
'It was beautiful…I didn't get to see much of the city, really only what I could see out of the ward window. But the hospital had these amazing gardens with more flowers than I could name. When they let me out, I just sat out there for hours...just thinking and…I realised..' Rose stopped and she could hear the sounds of the men returning. Her heart sank, if she didn't tell him now, she never would. And she was so sick of being interrupted every time they had a moment alone together.
George didn't look especially moved but he nodded and ran a hand through his cropped hair. 'yeah..' he spoke finally, breaking the awkward silence. 'I think they're hom- oomph' George started to say but he found his breath knocked out of him in surprise as her body collided with his as she pushed him towards the nearest door. George was too startled to do anything other than let her drag him into the small room, her face set with the intention to tell him everything. As she slammed the door behind them, Rose turned to face him; she saw that he was looking at her expectantly. She couldn't help it…she had been waiting so long to see him and suddenly he was standing in front of her and it was all too much. She started to laugh hysterically, her hands held up helplessly in front of her.
'err Rose?' George tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, smiling at her though not really understanding why she was laughing. 'What's so funny?'
Rose couldn't stop the laughs that were pealing from her chest, she clapped a hand over her mouth to try to stem the flow but suddenly she found that she wasn't laughing anymore…it was tears streaming down her face and she was gasping for breath in between sobs that were wracking her body.
The smile slid from his face and was replaced instantly with alarm as she leaned against the door, trying to pull herself together. She didn't know why she was so emotional…she was a soldier for chrissakes.
'I'm okay' she gasped out finally, wiping her eyes, her body aching as she tried to draw air into her wounded and deprived lungs. 'I'm just so happy to see you.'
This was met with silence and Rose dragged her eyes up to meet his, sheepishly.
'Oh my god.' George laughed, rubbing his hands over his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming, 'you are acting just like a girl!'
'Well, I hate to break it to you George, but I am a girl.' She laughed weakly but he just looked at her seriously,
'I missed you.' He said simply and Rose's laughter died in her throat.
'George..' she started and stopped. She needed to get this out and it didn't help that he was standing so close to her…looking at her with those eyes and that look that she knew so well. Taking a deep breath, she took a step closer to him.
'I was wrong.' She whispered and George looked at her in surprise, she had said it so quietly that he thought he must have misheard her.
'That night in the basement before everything that happened. I lied. I should have – I should have told you that day…I should have told you, but I – I thought it was too much. That we still had time after all of this was over. But after Haguenau, I realised that all of us are running out of time.'
George's face had slackened in shock at her words. He could see that her hands were trembling and he could see a tear track its way down her cheek and his fingers itched to brush it away but instead he didn't move. He had to hear it from her.
'I guess I just wanted you to know that…' her voice caught and she took another deep breath before continuing. 'whatever happens next, I- I wanted you know how much I love you.'
George sucked in a harsh breath and stared at her. She finally fucking admitted it. Rose felt her cheeks grow hot as he brought a hand up and ran it gently over her face and hair, skimming over the smooth surface of her skin with soft fingertips. She blinked as his fingers danced over the small scar on her cheek from D-Day, a memory of all that she had lost that day.
'Flower' he whispered hoarsely, and her head whipped up at his use of her nickname. Her eyes were searching his, her face impossibly close to his. Her heart skipped a beat and then it started to pound fast and hard. She knew what his intention was; she knew that he was giving her time to back out.
Her gaze fell to his lips and she began to worry her lip. She was overwhelmed by the feeling of being so close to him and she felt a jolt of pain through her chest as her heartbeat sped up. Gasping slightly at the strain of her almost healed wound, she raised a hand up to press against the spot where she knew a small circular scar puckered on her skin.
'Rose?' George grabbed her shoulders in concern and he ducked his head to look at her white face. 'what is it? What's wrong?'
'Feel this' Rose panted slightly and started to laugh, her breath heaving. Reaching out, she grabbed George's hand and held it against her chest, allowing his palm to feel the quick tempo of her heart.
George's face stiffened in alarm and his mouth opened in horror as Rose took a deep breath, getting her heart rate under control.
'I think you're trying to kill me radioman.' She said finally, pulling George to sit next to her on the bench in the middle of the room. His face relaxed at her calm expression and he smiled slightly.
'yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first time' He said sarcastically as his eyes searched hers.
'All better?' he asked finally, his hand still pressed against her heart.
Rose's gaze was locked to his and she nodded wordlessly, trying to read the expression in his dark brown eyes. She could see deep lines near his eyes and she could see the strain that he was under by the tenseness of his body. These last few months had been hard for him. Rose just sat and studied his face as if it was the last thing she'd ever see.
Finally, he bent his head to caress her lips. She clung to his shoulders, feeling weak-kneed at the mere contact. Her heart was still pounding, but no longer with nervous anticipation or pain. The kiss was thrilling her in a way that she had never thought possible. She felt both safe and treasured and dangerously wicked at the same time. It was almost like standing at the edge of a cliff and knowing that falling would be nothing to be afraid of. She was perched to jump.
'Luz!' came a call from the other side of the door and the two of them broke apart. Rose could hear banging as Perco tried to get into the room. 'Stop playing grab fanny. Speirs wants you at CP.'
George groaned and leaned his forehead against hers. She could feel his breath soft on her face and Rose laughed.
'Gimme a minute!' he yelled through the door which did nothing to appease Perco's knocking.
'Always interrupted' she said lightly, pulling away reluctantly as George ran his hands through his hair.
'Perco is trying to ruin my life.' He said flatly, 'I'm gonna kill him.'
Rose stifled a giggle as the pounding on the door increased.
'You'd better go George' she laughed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
George traced her jawline with a finger and Rose found herself leaning into his touch.
'Captain Nixon's giving us a current affairs lecture in an hour…meet me then?'
Smiling lightly, she pulled away and pulled back her hair which had fallen around her face, securing it tightly with her pins.
'where else would I be?' she grinned, winking at him as he yanked open the door. Perco was standing on the other side, his fist still raised as if to knock.
'For chrissakes Perc' George roared, stomping through the door, 'I said I was coming!'
Perco just raised his eyebrow at George before sighting Rose standing in the middle of the room, her mouth stretched wide into a grin.
'ROSIE!' he nearly shrieked and ran forward to engulf her in a tight hug. Rose laughed and her eyes widened as more men, having heard Perco's masculine yell, rushed to see the source of the commotion.
Rose felt like bursting into tears again as the men gathered around her and hugged her gently…treating her like a porcelain doll. The memory of her bleeding out in a dark French basement from a gunshot wound to the chest was obviously fresh in their minds as they patted her and called out greetings. She saw George slip out of the room after a moment with Perco and just before he turned, their eyes met over the crowd and Rose could see the faint smile play on his lips before he disappeared. After finally convincing the men that she was okay, she found that the crowd had parted for a latecomer. Looking up, she could see Tab's face relax as he glanced over her...taking in her healthy appearance. He seemed to sigh in relief at the sight of her and she found her legs moved on their own accord as she went into his outstretched arms. She remembered enough about that night to know that Tab was the one who carried her to safety and George had told her how he had covered her body with his, protecting her from harm. As he held her, Rose was filled with love for this man, for all the men around her. These were her men, her friends and her brothers.
Rose wandered around the German town for a while, gaping at the beautiful architecture and the amount of soldiers who filled the streets. She could see soldiers from all different nationalities…American, English, Australian and she swore that she saw a couple of Red Army soldiers on the other side of the street. Under all this hustle and bustle, there was a certain tense element to the atmosphere…the allied soldiers had occupied this position to control all the German soldiers who had surrendered and every so often, Rose would glimpse an SS POW being led down the street by MP's. She bumped into a few of her friends who were glad to see her. But by the time the allocated hour was up, Rose was exhausted and she ambled over to the assembly point where some of the men had gathered, waiting for Captain Nixon's current affairs lecture.
Plopping down in a rickety chair next to Tab, she glanced over her shoulder to see Liebgott shuffling some cards.
'Dice Rosie?' he asked holding out a card and Rose twisted in her chair to look at him.
'Nah, not this time Joe…but I'll take a smoke if you got one?'
Looking as if she had asked him for his first born child, Lieb reluctantly handed over the spare cigarette that Rose knew he always kept in his top pocket.
'Thanks buddy' she winked and spun back towards the front where Nixon was reading over a sheet of paper.
'Can I have a cigarette?' asked a replacement who was sitting in front of her and had watched the whole interaction. Rose smothered a laugh and glanced over her shoulder again.
'who's he?' she asked, pointing her thumb at the young replacement whose baby face made Rose believe that he was barely eighteen.
'O'Brian.' Tab spoke up when he saw Joe's shrug. Rose didn't blame him for not knowing the soldier's name. After this long…all the replacements seemed to blur together, they never seemed to last very long, so there was no point learning their names just to unlearn them later.
'It's O'Keefe.' The replacement corrected with a friendly grin at Rose. She instantly liked him, he reminded her of her little brother; over eager and boyish.
'Apologies O'Keefe,' Rose smiled back at him as she lit her cigarette and held it to her lips.
'Dun you know those things'll kill yah?' came a quiet voice from her right and Rose spun so fast to face her friend that she nearly fell off her chair.
'Gene' she said warmly, holding out her small hand to the medic who held it tightly.
'Good tah see yah in one piece Rosie' The Cajun man smiled at her in greeting.
'Fit as a fiddle' she repeated her earlier words, aware that George had just sat down next to her. She was attuned to his movements and she felt her body instinctively turn towards his.
'Good, I'm gettun sick of stitchin you up.' He joked and Rose quirked an eyebrow at him. She could see that the dark haired medic was only half joking and her smile dropped. She cringed at the memory of the times he'd had to bandage or pull shrapnel out of her leg…or hold a hand to her wound to stop the blood flow. Shaking her head as if to erase the thought, Rose replastered the grin on her face.
'I'll try my best Doc' she saluted him laughing as she turned back to the front.
'Did I miss anything good?' George whispered in her ear and Rose shook her head.
'Nah, hasn't started yet.' She drawled, leaning back so that the chair was standing only on its two back legs, cigarette hanging from her lips.
'Good' George leaned back on his chair and reached for the cards on the table behind them that Liebgott had just offered to her.
'The Cooperative for American Remittance to Europe is assembling food packs to assist European families in dire need.'
Rose leant further back in her chair, feeling the sunlight warm her face. She was feeling relaxed and was looking forward to the train trip that they would be taking to get to the next objective. As she glanced up at the blue sky above her, Nixon's voice became a dull murmur as she enjoyed the quiet sounds of the men around her. Tab was humming a quiet tune under his breath and George was swearing softly at the hand he'd been dealt by Liebgott. As she opened her mouth to ask Tab what tune he was humming, Rose felt herself falling backwards. Her body jerked forward and the chair she was sitting on came down heavily on its too front legs. Looking around confusedly, Rose caught sight of Skinny who was sitting behind her, looking up at the sky, whistling innocently, his eyes determinedly avoiding hers.
As she caught his attention, she narrowed her eyes at the man and pointed at him, letting him know that he wasn't fooling anyone by his innocent act. He just grinned and flapped his hands at her, telling her wordlessly to face the front and leave him alone.
'I'm sure you'll all be happy to know Oklahoma is still playing.'
Rose looked at George excitedly, that was her favourite Broadway play and he knew it. Shooting her a wink, George's mouth curved into a smile and he reached up to take the cigarette out of his mouth before launching into song.
Not being able to help herself, Rose joined in and was soon followed by the rest of the men as George acted as conductor.
'And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet..when the wind comes …' George signalled for them to stop singing and Rose fell silent to hear O'Keefe continue the verse by himself unknowingly.
'right behind the rain' O'Keefe ended on a high note and Rose winced for the man as the men burst into laughter.
'O'Keefe?' Pat Christenson called from behind him, 'you sitting on your bayonet?'
A laugh burst out of Rose and she could see that George had thrown his head back in laughter. She leaned forward and patted O'Keefe sympathetically on the shoulder.
'Why don't you leave the singing to Luz.' She said as the boys erupted into more peals of laughter.
George leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee as he motioned to O'Keefe with his cigarette.
'Unless you wanna do "Surrey with the Fringe on Top." O'Keefe.' He laughed as he sat back. Rose shot him a quick look and she saw him shoot her a quick smile before picking up his cards with his other hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw Perco watching the two of them with a frown on his face. Confused, she tried to get his attention but he refused to catch her eye, his face troubled.
'Ohh' Nixon groaned from the front and Rose looked at him in surprise, she had almost forgotten the officer was there. 'Rita Hayworth's getting married.'
She grinned as the men all around her groaned and Tab spoke up from next to her.
'Oh Rita, say it isn't true.'
Rose wasn't interested in Rita Hayworth and she leaned over in her seat to spy George's cards. He was playing against Joe and Johnny Martin and by the looks of it, he needed all the help he could get.
'apparently the Krauts forgot to blow up one of their bridges when they headed back over the line.' Nixon continued and this had all of the boy's attention, any mistake a Kraut made was a small victory to them. Rose felt George remove his hand that had been tapping against her knee comfortably and she looked up at Nixon seriously.
'I guess the boys in the 17th Airbourne did okay after all.' He finished and a ripple of satisfaction wove through the crowd.
'ah, we'd be in Berlin by now sir, if it was us instead of them' George shouted out and the men around him leaned forward to clap him on the shoulder. Rose knew that they all personally agreed with George. Easy was able to achieve things that other company's couldn't. And if the 17th was doing okay…Easy could've done better.
Later that afternoon, Easy was mobilised into trains. Their objective was South Germany and Bavaria…they were going to take Hitler's personal residence…the Eagle's Nest. The men had been told that the trip would take over 200 kilometres through four different countries. The German railway system had been so heavily bombed by the allied forces that they needed to detour through Holland, Luxembourg, France and Belgium.
Rose had loved riding on the train. It was late April and it was Spring so the countryside was beautiful and it gave her an opportunity to appreciate the scenery of the countries that she had fought in over the past war…scenery that had been tarnished and destroyed by war, blood and tears. Rose tried not to think about all the men who they'd had to leave in these countries…buried so far from home.
The men spent most of their days sleeping, singing and smoking cigarettes. Late in the train trip, they passed through the town of Bastogne and all who had fought there were shocked at the destruction still evident there…months after the heavy fighting. She could see the ruins of the destroyed church and she found herself blinking back tears as she remembered that horrible night and the sacrifices that two of her friends had made to help her escape from the building. Thomas and Jake. She'd accepted that she'd probably never find out what happened to the both of them. She didn't know how either of them could have survived the explosion.
She caught Gene's eye from across the carriage and she could see him remembering as well. He was the one who had found the nurse Renee dead in the carnage of the church…he was also the one who had to give the news to the rest of the men when Rose was missing in action…presumed dead. Rose and Gene would always share a special connection because of that place and they both knew that it was something that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
As they passed through the outskirts of the town that they had fought so hard to protect from the oncoming German forces, Rose found it strange to see green rolling fields instead of the dark, ominous forest that they all remembered so vividly. The weather was warm and even in the bright sunshine, Rose shivered at the memory of the cold, white snow.
She had been lying on the open carriage with her legs dangling off of the side. George was close by, as he had always been since she had admitted her feelings to him. He was playing cards with Tab on the other side of the carriage and every so often, he would look up at her and wink. Rose had taken off her thick jacket and was lying there in her white tee-shirt, just enjoying the sunshine while the gentle rocking of the carriage was making her drowsy.
'Whatcha doin Rosie?' came a familiar voice and Rose glanced up languidly to see Babe settling in beside her, hanging his legs off of the side just like her.
'sunbathin' she answered simply and closed her eyes, 'I'm trying to work on my tan.'
'Oh' came the only reply and Rose lifted herself up onto her elbows and looked at her friend. Usually a comment regarding her appearance would be rewarded with a wise crack of some sort. The boys loved to remind her of how much of a girl she was.
'we haven't really talked have we Babe?' she asked the red head who looked unusually solemn. She could hear Popeye start up another verse of the song 'Roll me Over in the Clover' from the next carriage over but Babe just looked out over the countryside in front of them.
'I never thanked you for saving me that night.' She added quietly.
'I thought you were dead Rosie…dead right in front of me…bleeding out onto the floor. You shoulda gone first…I shouldn't have let that dirty Kraut getcha.'
'I'm okay Babe…I'm just fine.' She murmured softly, the other men were shooting glances at the two of them, overhearing some of the conversation and they had started to move out of earshot to the other end of the carriage…giving them some privacy. Rose could see George looking at her with concern and she just gave him a half smile. She wasn't the only one with scars from that night.
'How's the arm?' she asked, touching his shoulder softly and Babe swung around to face her, his eyes haunted by the memories of Haugenau.
'He had his hands around your throat…you couldn't breathe…I-I tried to get to you..I tried to stop them.' Rose could see Babe wringing his hands together anxiously and she reached out and wrapped her fingers around his large hand, stilling his movements.
'You saved me Babe. You stopped them.' She said firmly, looking into his eyes. 'They shot you for trying to save me.'
Babe blinked furiously and then looked back out onto the Ardennes Forest that they were passing through.
'Do you remember Julian?' he asked softly and Rose gripped his hand tighter at the mention of the young replacements name that they had lost in Bastogne; the day she had been wounded in the woods.
'Of course I do.' She answered, following his gaze into dark forest.
'Me too.'
A few nights later, as the train crossed into South Germany, the men were sleeping in the open carriages. It was a warm night and they didn't need blankets so they just stretched out under the stars. Rose was tucked in next to George in the corner of the carriage. They were both lying on their backs and Rose had been pointing out all the different constellations to him, he had been so impressed that Rose had decided to make up a few.
'and that arc of stars…see? One, two, three; make up the rainbow constellation.'
'rainbow constellation?' George sounded sceptical as he studied the three stars that she had pointed out to him.
'Yep.' She answered innocently, grinning up at the clear night sky above her.
'You're talking crazy Flower, I think you've gotta stop.' He said, turning on his side, a daring, provocative glint in his eyes, challenging her.
Rose grinned and blinked at him.
'Make me.' She murmured and George bit back a laugh and stole a quick kiss from her before settling back down onto his mat. They needed to get a good night's sleep before they stopped in the morning. Tomorrow they would be reaching the German town of Ludwigshafen which sat on the banks of the River Rhine. That was where the train line ended and Easy Company would be travelling in trucks the rest of the way.
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