Back and forth, Winters and Sobel battled through letters. The tension within Easy was massive and very thick. It was hard to get anything done. But writing back and forth didn't last long, for on the 11th of November, they lost Winters as an Executive Officer to Battalion Mess. There was a drop in morale around the Company. Jokes were shared less; weekend passes were revoked, and the Sergeants were acting very secretive. It was annoying, not knowing what their NCO's were discussing behind closed doors. They'd lock the barn and ordered for the Privates to stay out or else they'd get punished. So, people like Dallin were left in the dark.
There was a noticeable divide between the ranks. While the Sergeants kept their mouths shut, Privates acted bitter towards their silence. Even Dallin was pissed they were keeping secrets. She knew it was something serious and possibly dangerous. Dallin had a suspicion the reasons the Sergeants weren't telling them, was because the Privates might talk them out of whatever they were planning.
One night, Dallin and Lowrey spotted Winters leaving the barn.
"Maybe he's in on it". Lowrey whispered.
"Yes…probably". She whispered back.
"What's going on?" Malarkey asked.
Looking over his shoulder, Lowrey told him;
"Winters was in the barn".
"What? Let me see". Malarkey pushed his way to the opened door and looked outside. But Winters was now over the wall and heading back to the officer's house. "Probably nothing". Malarkey concluded.
Dallin shook her head;
"no…it's something".
The next night, Sergeant Evans entered the hut and collected Dallin. Still in the dark about everything, Evans carried on giving her suspicious looks. And before they reached the Officer's house, Dallin grabbed a hold of the man's arm and they came to a stop.
Evans pulled a face;
"Gorski, let me go-"
"why must you look at me like that?"
Evans pulled his arm free;
"like what?"
"I have not done anything". Dallin mumbled, "things are strange, but no one tells me".
With a tiny sigh, Evans said;
"look, Captain Sobel will probably tell you".
Dallin didn't ask any further questions and gestured for Evans to continue walking. She followed behind him and was soon standing into a large and clean entrance. Sobel was making his way down the stairs. Once he reached the bottom, Evans and Dallin both saluted him. She didn't get a chance to admire the paintings on the walls because Sobel was soon leading the way into a large dining room.
Evans had left and Dallin took a seat at the table.
Sobel remained standing, however. He was tense. And he stood by the window, head held high and spine stiff. Dallin chewed down on her bottom lip, while the tense silence tried to consume her. Her fingers pressed against the dark wood on the table. Her hands were sweaty, and she left fingerprints on the wood.
Dallin couldn't take the silence anymore;
"sir…what-"
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning". Sobel cut her off, "I've been reassigned to a jump school in Chilton Foliat. Lieutenant Meehan will be leading Easy now".
Dallin huffed, out of shock.
She hadn't been expecting that.
Sobel's hands went behind his back and clasped together;
"it seems no one was happy with me leading, Private".
Pullin a confused face, she asked;
"what?"
He sighed;
"don't act ignorant".
Dallin shook her head;
"I don't know anything, sir". She said quietly, "the Sergeant's don't say anything".
Sobel turned around and faced her;
"the mutiny?"
Her eyes widened;
"what?" She whispered.
Shoulders dropping slightly, Sobel unclasped his hands and placed them on the chair in front of him;
"every Sergeant from Easy handed in their notice to Colonel Sink…claiming they don't want to be a part of the Company…I'm assuming you know why Private? Because they're far more loyal to Winters than the Company as a whole-"
"no". She cut him off, shaking her head, "that is not it, sir".
Clearing her throat, Dallin told him;
"Sergeant's of Easy are very loyal to us, sir…they are the backbone of our Company".
Looking away from Dallin, Sobel mumbled;
"I was supposed to be respected in my Company…".
Frowning slightly, Dallin whispered;
"you were…once…in Toccoa, sir".
Sobel huffed;
"I see…I suppose you have high expectations when it comes to a leader".
"I don't". She defended softly, "I hope that my leader can be a good leader in combat. I hope my leader knows his men…respects his men. And would only give out orders, he'd feel comfortable doing himself, sir". Dallin said, "because it is not about power or rank…it's trust. And trust goes both ways…always".
Eyes looking towards her, Sobel said quietly;
"I let you down".
Dallin nodded;
"yes, sir…but you also turned me back into a soldier. Instead of a scared girl in a dark room".
Sobel's eyes might have softened then, and she could spot a smile in them.
"I do not want you to leave…with thoughts that I dislike you, sir". Dallin said, "I am thankful you keep me in Easy. That you give me chance and opportunity to meet friends. I am very happy in Easy. In this Company, I feel very safe. For that, we leave as friends, Captain Sobel, with good understanding for one another".
His lips twitched.
Dallin saw a small smile on his face for the first time.
"I'll check in with Easy from time to time". Sobel said, "you'll…you'll do well out there, Gorski. But in any case, good luck".
Standing on her feet, Dallin saluted him;
"good luck, Captain".
…
Winters took back his old role of Platoon leader once Sobel left Easy the next morning. And Lieutenant Meehan was brought down that same afternoon, taking Command of the Company. It felt normal again. They were beginning to feel like every other Company in the 506th. The tension was gone, the Sergeant's weren't keeping secrets from them, but their act of mutiny didn't go without punishment. Sergeant Ranney was bumped back down to Private and Sergeant Harris was transferred out of the Company. At least no one was shot.
They found Meehan to be strict but completely fair at the same time. Dallin was relieved their new CO didn't get them lost during field exercises and only took away a weekend pass if the man actually deserved it. Things were running smoothly in Easy, but training remained intense.
One afternoon, they sat inside the barn and watched a film all about hand-to-hand combat. It had three parts to it and went on for almost an hour. Dallin was glad they were allowed to smoke during the film. She had seen a similar one in Britain, the only difference between the two films was the accent. Like the first film, the narrator explained where the most effective and vulnerable places to hit in the body were. And when it got to the groin, a few hisses were shared or light and nervous laughs. Dallin chuckled quietly under her breath. Because it only got worse for them. In order to get the attacker down, the narrator mentioned a lot of "hand in crotch", "spread his legs". And Dallin could see a lot of their eyes widen. But it soon calmed down, when they were shown how to throw the attacker over their arm.
Dallin found her friends reactions more entertaining than the film.
When the film ended, it was time to put what they learned into practice. Easy ended up in a large grassy field, where they usually did PT. There, the officer's put the enlisted into pairs. They took turns in being the attacker or defender. Dallin was paired up with Skinny and she much preferred defending because although Skinny was small, he was as tough as nails. And he tossed her over his shoulder and onto the ground as if Dallin weighed less than a bag of sugar.
She got winded a few times and would probably wake up with bruises all over her body but it was nothing compared to what happened when Skinny gave her the "arm drag" move. Skinny started off by reaching over and grabbing her wrist and securing the upper arm. He then dug his boot into her shin and fell back, which caused Dallin to fall the other way because Skinny pulled her over his legs. However, while pulling her over his legs when he fell back, Skinny must have pulled too hard because they both heard a sickening 'pop'.
Skinny let go of her arm and held his hands up;
"oh, shit…what'd I do?"
Lying on her side, Dallin slowly lifted her head and turned in the direction of her shoulder. Her shoulder looked square and not round. And she couldn't lift or move her arm. For a few seconds, she observed her dislocated shoulder in silence, until Dallin let out a whimper;
"shit…Skinny…". She mumbled painfully.
"What the fuck do I do?!" He exclaimed, sounding angry or worried. Dallin wasn't sure. But Skinny looked around and noticed a few eyes staring back at him. Shaking his head, he yelled and announced, "I fucked her shoulder up!"
"Dammit, Private!" Meehan shouted while marching over to them, "how the hell did you manage that?!"
Skinny was still shaking his head;
"I…I pulled her arm too hard, sir!"
Dallin was as still as a statue, afraid to move. It was already painful, moving would just cause her more pain. She didn't even blink. Or breathe. Dallin held her breath. Her eyes were wide and stared up at the overcast sky. She was going red in the face.
"Dammit, girl – breathe!" Meehan ordered.
Letting out the breath she was holding, Dallin's body began to shake, and she couldn't stop those shakes, no matter how hard she tried. A few people were trying to get to her, but others pulled them back. Dallin could faintly hear Shifty in the background. She felt bad for worrying him. So, she put on a brave face. Despite the shaking.
"It's…fine". She squeezed out between tight lips, "right, sir?"
Meehan's head jerked to the side;
"I'm sure the doc will pop that back into place".
Though Meehan was good, Dallin was relieved to see Winters.
"I'll take her back, sir". Winters told their CO, "I'll get doc to sort her out".
"Alright, Winters". Meehan agreed, "come back once she's settled".
Looking at Dallin, Winters set her a soft smile;
"let's get you up on your feet, trooper".
With a hesitant look back, Dallin started off by sitting up.
She grimaced and bit down on her lip to muffle a whimper or any sort of sound that resembled pain. Because Dallin was aware her friends were watching, and she didn't want to cause them any reason to worry. Sweat was pouring down her face when she was eventually standing. And her vision went blurry, but she managed to hold it together.
Dallin was incredible tense during the walk back to the village. Winters had his hand on her upper back as if comforting her. He knew she was in pain. Because Winters could only imagine how painful it would be to dislocate a shoulder. Blinking a few times, Dallin whispered;
"pop it…back into place?"
Winters nodded;
"you'll feel better after, I promise".
Her stomached knotted up;
"I feel sick". She mumbled.
He sighed quietly;
"it'll be alright". Winters assured her, "doc knows what he's doing".
Clenching her jaw, Dallin mumbled;
"I don't like Skinny today".
He chuckled, if not a little sadly;
"I don't think Private Sisk likes himself right now either".
Soon, Dallin was sitting in the barn with Roe, their medic. At first, he observed her dislocated shoulder, taking in the damage. Looking at her, he said;
"I'll manage".
Winters sighed, sounding relieved;
"that's great, doc".
Dallin's eyebrows twitched;
"manage?" She questioned, "what would happen if you did not manage?"
"I'd send you to the hospital". Roe said, "where a professional would put it back".
With a nod, Dallin took in a deep breath, as if bracing herself;
"okay…let's do this".
Winters was by her side, for moral support. When Roe took her arm, Dallin let out a noise of discomfort. Hissing through her teeth, she mumbled;
"that hurts like…son of bitch".
Winters smiled a little;
"I see you've picked up some American slang, trooper".
When Roe began to raise her arm, Dallin's vision went blurry again and her face turned pale, as white as paper. She didn't make a noise and simply widened her eyes instead. Roe quickly looked at her, making sure she was doing okay;
"how're we doing, Gorski?"
She hummed in response.
"Okay…this bit ain't 'gonna feel great but you're 'gonna feel better after". The medic warned her.
Giving him a sharp nod, Dallin bit down on her lip.
She stopped herself from screaming.
But the pain was blinding. And after such intense pain, came instant relief when her shoulder popped back into place. It made her feel woozy and dizzy. Dallin's breathing was slow and heavy. Her eyes felt a little heavy, while her body swayed to the side. Roe caught her before she fell off the table. She crashed into his chest, making strange grunting sounds.
Winters frowned;
"did she pass out?"
Roe nodded;
"yeah…she'll be alright, sir".
In a matter of seconds, Dallin was awake again. Her brain was foggy, and she couldn't remember passing out. So, understandably, she was confused to have her face pressed up against Roe's chest, with his arm around her shoulders. Dallin didn't pull away right away, but she did ask him;
"fixed now?"
Roe nodded;
"yeah…I'll put your arm in a sling for a few days, but you'll be fine".
Winters gave her a smile;
"feeling better, trooper?"
She nodded into Roe's chest;
"yes…very fine, sir".
"Good". He said smoothly, "right, I'll head back to the field and let Lieutenant Meehan and your buddies know the good news".
"And Skinny, sir". Dallin added quietly, "he is liked again".
Winters chuckled;
"take care of yourself, Private".
"Yes, sir". She replied quietly, as she pulled herself off from Roe's chest.
When Winters left, Roe fixed her arm with a sling. Dallin didn't mind, she was just glad to be out of pain. And once her arm was fixed up, Roe lit up a cigarette for her, seeing as she couldn't exactly roll herself one.
"I'd consider buying a pack of smokes, Gorski".
She shook her head;
"no…I will find way to roll".
His lips twitched;
"still saving up some money, huh?"
Dallin nodded;
"yes…it's always better to have extra money in your pocket, Eugene".
Lighting himself a cigarette, Roe then pulled a chair up by the table and sat down;
"you get a few days off training". He reminded her, "what're you 'gonna do?"
Dallin shrugged her shoulder;
"I will…rest".
Roe smiled;
"best thing to do…you don't 'wanna go and dislocate it again".
A few moments of silence went by, while Dallin got used to her new sling. She was halfway through her cigarette when Roe asked her;
"you ever remember your old dream?"
Eyes softening, Dallin shook her head;
"but…I don't need the old one, when I have new one". She replied, thinking about Shifty, her friends and the war ending. "If we all see the end of war…my dream will come true".
Roe smiled;
"you 'gonna write that down?"
Her lips twitched;
"no". She said lightly, "no…I carry it around in my head, and my heart".
With a nod, he murmured;
"best place to keep it, Gorski".
…
"Wake up…you fell asleep".
A bright and warm light met her eyes when she opened them. All she could see was the sun. It warmed her skin and brightened her cheeks, painting them a rosy red. Taking in a deep breath through her nose, her scent caught the smell of freshly cut grass, flowers and sweet jam. She could hear bee's buzzing, birds singing and footsteps walking across the gravelled path.
Her fingers ran along the grass before she sat herself up.
Looking to her left, she spotted Kacper sitting under the tree, reading his book. He pushed his glasses up when they fell to the end of his nose. Filipina smiled a bright and cheery smile. And her brother caught her smile. Looking over at his little sister, Kacper smiled back at her;
"Fili…do you wish to hear the story?"
"Kacper, I believe Fili is helping me plant flowers". Came her Abba's voice.
Looking up, Filipina saw her father walk towards the flower bed, with a bag of seeds in his hands;
"today, Fili…we will plant poppy seeds".
Curiously, she asked;
"poppy seeds, Abba?"
He nodded;
"they're very import seeds, Fili. And hard to find. But I found them on the way home from work last night".
Smiling, Filipina got onto her feet and walked over to her Father.
When she reached him, she got onto her knees and brought out a seed from the bag. Her father had dug a small hole and Filipina neatly placed the poppy seed into the hole before covering it up with the soil. Watering-can soon in hand, she gave the seed some water.
"Ima is making strawberry jam". Abba told her, "why don't you help her, Fili?"
Shaking her head, Filipina put the watering-can down;
"I want to help you, Abba". She said to him, "in the garden…I'm really happy we've got poppy seeds".
With a chuckle, Abba nodded;
"yes, what a lovely surprise after work".
Digging another hole, Filipina asked;
"what book is Kacper reading now?"
"Well, to improve his English…your Ima and I bought him The Hobbit".
She frowned;
"what's a Hobbit?"
He smiled;
"I hope Kacper can tell us that, Fili…we don't have a clue".
She giggled;
"it sounds silly, Abba".
"I suppose it does sound rather odd, Fili".
Ima was standing by the backdoor, apron around her waist, with her hair up in a messy bun. Giving her youngest child a smile first, she soon called for her;
"you have ballet lessons soon, Fili".
Filipina sighed and looked over at Ima;
"I don't like ballet, Ima".
"Fili, all the girls in your class go to ballet…you should go to, yes?"
Abba took the small shovel from Filipina's hands;
"go on now, Fili…listen to your Ima, do as she tells you".
Filipina frowned;
"but I'm not good at ballet, Abba". She complained to him, "I trip and fall. And all the girls laugh at me".
Abba chucked;
"well, that's what practice is for, Fili. No one is good at anything when they first try, are they? You never know, Fili…you could turn out to be a remarkable dancer".
Filipina raised her eyebrows;
"I dance like a drunk rabbit, Abba".
He laughed again;
"Fili! Where did you learn such a phrase?"
With a grin, she told him;
"my friend at school…Leon".
Abba sighed;
"oh, that boy again…you know I don't approve of him, Fili".
Filipina rolled his eyes;
"because he's a boy and not Jewish?"
"His parents don't like our kind, Fili". He warned her, "be careful, okay?"
Kissing her Abba's cheek, Filipina got onto her feet;
"goodbye, Abba – bye, Kacper!"
Looking up from his book, Kacper smiled;
"have fun, Fili…don't fall too much".
Walking away from her Abba, the sun soon hid behind a cloud. Looking up, she felt the first drop of rain hit her nose. With a smile, she thought about how well the poppies would grow now that they had some rain. Turning around, she smiled at her Abba;
"our poppies will bloom well, Abba".
He smiled back at her;
"maybe they'll be there for your thirteenth birthday, Fili".
…
Opening her eyes, Dallin was met by a light ceiling.
It was approaching three in the afternoon, Dallin had fallen asleep during the day, mostly due to boredom. Resting wasn't at all fun. She'd much rather be out training with her friends. But after dreaming about her garden and family, Dallin was suddenly very thankful for the rest. Sitting up, she looked down at her hands and half-expected them to be covered in soil. But they were clean. She could no longer smell her Ima's jam, or hear her Abba's voice. And Kacper wasn't sitting under a tree, reading The Hobbit.
It's what she had always hoped for, to dream about her garden. But now that she had dreamt it, Dallin could slowly feel the light leave her eyes and the smile fall from her face. It felt like a pole had gone right into her heart when Dallin started to deeply miss them.
Taking off her sling, she grabbed her tin and got out of bed. Leaving the hut, Dallin walked over to the wall and began to roll herself a cigarette. It was a quiet task, while Dallin's brain worked its way through her dream, picking out every little detail. Like Kacper's glasses, her Abba's muddy fingernails and her Ima's warm smile.
"Ain't you supposed to be wearing a sling?"
Looking up, Dallin was surprised to see Toye on the other side of the wall;
"training finished?"
Toye shook his head;
"I snuck away to check on you". He told her, "you was sleeping last time I looked in".
Shaking her head, Dallin looked back down and continued to roll her cigarette;
"I'm fine…".
Toye reached for his packet of cigarettes;
"fellas are missing you". He said, "Dewitt feels a little lost without his right-hand girl".
But she ignored what Toye had just told her.
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin stopped rolling and asked quietly;
"do you think…my parents are alive?"
Toye's eyes widened a little at the question;
"uh…well, why the hell not, kid?" He asked, "they could be thinking the same 'bout you".
Dallin could feel an unwanted lump in her throat.
She had finished rolling her cigarette but didn't feel like smoking it.
At her silence, Toye asked;
"something happen?"
The corner of her mouth twitched when she told him;
"I dream about my garden".
His eyes softened slightly;
"you did, huh? About fucking time, kid".
At first, a tiny chuckle left her mouth.
And Toye smiled;
"must've been pretty nice, huh, kid?"
But soon, Dallin's body began to shake, and her hand covered her eyes. Her breathing hitched and tears rolled down her cheeks. Toye was right, it was a nice dream. Since leaving her family, Dallin had hoped to go back home again. But Dallin knew, deep down, that her parents were no longer alive.
Toye jumped over the wall and tossed his cigarette away.
His hand went on her shoulder first before he brought Dallin into a hug.
"We're your fucking family too, Dallin". Toye reminded her lowly, "huh? And we're 'gonna make sure we all see the end of this fucking war together".
Dallin sniffed and took in a deep breath, trying to settle herself.
With a nod into Toye's chest, she stepped back and dried her eyes.
But Toye kept a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm so fucking proud of you". He told her.
Dallin sniffed again and mumbled thickly;
"Joe…".
"Nah, I am, kid". He said, "you've come a long way from that kid who walked into Toccoa. And you know, something…I ain't seen that kid since. Cause now I just see this badass in front of me, who's 'gonna free her country and win the fucking war with the best Company around".
Giving her head a little shake, Dallin looked up at him and said;
"lucky to have you leading us, Joe".
He ruffled her hair;
"well, I've got the best guys to lead…don't I?"