On New Year's Eve, Winters returned Rory's belongings to her.
She smiled, for the first time since the incident.
And was glad to be wearing her boots again.
The men kept a close eye on Rory since hearing about what happened to her.
She wasn't allowed to venture by herself anymore.
Not even to the latrine trenches.
Of course, they respected her privacy. But they were always close by in case someone tried to mug her again. Rory appreciated that they cared. And she'd rather have a friend follow her around, instead of getting attacked again.
Rory put on a brave face. She acted like it didn't bother her when deep down, she was always looking over her shoulder.
On New Year's Eve, Rory sat inside her foxhole with Jackson.
There, they waited for midnight.
"What you 'gonna make your resolution?" Jackson asked her.
Rory shrugged;
"that we're all 'gonna be alright".
"That's a wish, not a resolution". He pointed out.
She sighed;
"well…what's yours?"
Humming in thought, he said;
"get 'outta this alive…be happy…get a wife…the usual".
With a tiny smile, she said;
"what if that wife don't make you happy?"
Jackson smiled;
"she will…cause we'll be in love, Roo".
"I ain't ever been in love".
"No?" Jackson asked, "don't think I have either".
Looking at him, Rory asked;
"you ever had a girlfriend?"
He nodded;
"sure…I've dated a few…had a girl for six months before I signed up for the army. She was fifteen, I was sixteen. She's probably got another fella now. Probably 'gonna marry 'um and have a lot of babies".
"What's it like?"
"What?"
Rory shrugged;
"to have a girl and stuff?"
Smiling, Jackson replied;
"it's great, Roo. You get to hold her, love her. Make each other happy".
Crossing her arms over her chest, Rory looked away from Jackson.
Digging the toe of her boot into the mud, she mumbled;
"I ain't ever had none of that…don't think fellas like me".
"Why wouldn't they?" He asked, "you're funny and likeable".
Rory's eyes widened a little.
She rubbed the back of her neck and mumbled;
"shut up".
Jackson smiled;
"ain't a guy ever told you that?"
She snorted and shook her head;
"I don't need no guy to tell me that". Rory grumbled, "I already know I'm pit ugly".
Frowning, Jackson shook his head;
"heck, Roo…you ain't ugly at all".
Again, she muttered;
"shut up".
Jackson smirked;
"fine…I'll quit going on 'bout it".
"Yeah, good". Rory said quietly, "cause I don't care 'bout that stuff, Jack. I just 'wanna be happy and stuff if I survive this".
"You will".
Nodding, she looked at him;
"that's my resolution. For everyone to be happy".
"Sounds more like a wish".
"I don't care". Rory said, "it's my resolution, ain't it?"
Smiling, Jackson nodded;
"yeah, it is. It can be whatever you want it to be, Roo".
…
They lost Toye to the aid station the day before 2nd Battalion was ordered to clear the woods by Foy. Toye got hit by shrapnel on the arm and shoulder. It wasn't severe but the medics still took him to town for further treatment. The Sargent promised his squad he'd be back soon. And they trusted his word.
During that one thousand-yard-attack, they encountered heavy German machine-gun fire. Easy suffered two casualties, they were both evacuated back to Bastogne. While the Germans who got away retreated back to Foy, 2nd Battalion dug themselves a new hole for the night. Digging into the snow and frozen mud, the men wore themselves out. Rory, Jackson and Heffron dug themselves a hole close to the front like they usually would. Guarnere had already sent Eddie Joint on OP first that night, with Heffron on second.
"You guys had something to eat?" Guarnere asked the three of them.
"Not yet". Jackson replied, "we're almost done".
"Make sure to grab something after, huh?" He reminded them.
"Hey, Bill?" Heffron asked, "where's Dike?"
Guarnere sighed and muttered;
"don't talk to me about that fucking idiot, Babe. He ain't here, alright? God knows where the hell he is this time but it sure ain't here".
Rory looked up;
"I heard Nixon tell Winters that he goes to Division to see his friends".
Guarnere snorted;
"Jesus Christ…I wish he'd fucking stay here. He's more useful up there than he is down here".
Heffron nodded;
"yeah, Bucks a better CO".
"If Buck ain't here to lead our Platoon, then who're we 'gonna have?" Guarnere questioned him, "no, we need one good Platoon leader out there, Babe. Don't worry 'bout Dike, huh? This Company does better without him".
When Guarnere walked off, the three of them looked at each other.
Shrugging, Jackson said;
"he's got a point. We do better without 'um".
"But we need a CO". Heffron said, "every Company does. They're 'gonna keep Dike around 'till he's dead, or we all die".
Rory frowned down at the snow;
"stop it, Babe". She mumbled, "if Dike messes up, they'll replace him".
"With who?" Heffron asked, "Roo, there ain't nobody here to replace 'um".
"Sure there is". Rory argued, "this Regiment is filled with officers".
"Yeah, who are all busy at the moment". Heffron pointed out, "leading their own men and Company".
She shrugged;
"NCO's get promoted all the time here". She said, "someday, an officer ain't 'gonna have a place to go, so, they'll put 'um here. With us".
"Yeah? And what if it's too late, Roo?" Heffron questioned, "what if Dike leads us out there, to fight the Krauts and ends up getting us all killed? Then what? There ain't 'gonna be a Company for that officer to lead".
"He ain't 'gonna get us all killed-"
"Roo, he's never here!" Heffron exclaimed, "he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. He don't even know all our names. He doesn't give two shits 'bout us. You know, I think he's fucking bored. I think he's using us, as a stepping stone to a promotion. You think he's 'gonna care if we die, Roo? You think he's 'gonna give a shit if me, or Jack gets hit? No!"
Clenching her jaw, Rory dropped her entrenching tool.
She stepped out of their shallow foxhole.
Jackson raised his hands;
"Roo…where're you going?"
When she didn't reply and continued to walk away, Jackson sent Heffron a glare;
"you idiot…".
"What?!" He exclaimed, "it's the truth".
Hands stuffed into her pockets, Rory walked the line and eventually reached Lipton, who was helping Shifty dig a foxhole. Standing at the edge of the hole, she took in a calming breath. Lipton raised his head and looked at her.
"Roo?" He questioned, "you dug in?"
Rory shook her head.
Raising his eyebrow, Lipton leaned against the shovel;
"what is it?"
Shrugging, she mumbled;
"Babe don't think Lieutenant Dike cares 'bout us".
Lipton sighed;
"well, you shouldn't listen to everything he tells you, Roo. Lieutenant Dike does care about us".
Shifty raised his eyebrow.
He looked at Lipton.
And the 1st Sargent sent him a knowing look, preventing Shifty from voicing his own opinion about their Company Commander. Giving his head a tiny shake, Shifty kept his mouth shut and continued to dig into his foxhole. Lipton sent the girl a tiny smile;
"don't worry about Lieutenant Dike, Roo. You just worry about digging up that foxhole, huh?"
Rory frowned.
It seemed like everyone was telling her not to worry about Dike.
"Everyone else gets to worry 'bout him". She mumbled.
"No, that's not true". Lipton said lightly, "we're not worried about him".
"Sarge, you lying to me?"
He shook his head;
"no, Roo. I'm not lying".
Rory soon felt a tiny knock on her helmet.
Turning around, she saw Hoobler smiling;
"hey, kid". He greeted, "you causing trouble?"
Rory shook her head.
He smirked;
"then you ain't doing a good job".
Lipton sent Hoobler a smile;
"Hoob".
Hoobler sat himself down on the edge of the foxhole;
"do I got a story for you, Lip, Shift. You 'wanna hear it? Cause I'll tell you".
The Sargent nodded;
"all ears, Hoob".
Hoobler gave Rory a smile;
"gather 'round, huh?"
With a tiny sigh, Rory sat down next to him.
"So, there we were…near a road. And this horse comes running past us. It had a German on his back, so I call for him to stop but he don't listen". Hoobler shrugged, "so, I pull out my rifle and I got that Kraut down. And down he goes, right out of the saddle, like a sack of potatoes".
Hoobler then brought out a pistol;
"found this on 'um".
It was a Luger.
Lipton snorted;
"finally got that Luger, huh?"
Hoobler nodded;
"yup…outstanding accuracy on my part, if I do say so myself".
Lipton nodded;
"which you do".
"Which I do". Hoobler agreed.
Rory looked down at the Luger.
"Hell, Shifty, I reckon I could've given you a run for your money, right?" Hoobler said.
Shifty shook his head;
"no, no. I'm not a good shot. Now, dad. He was an excellent shot. Excellent shot. I declare, he'd shoot the wings off a fly".
"Hey, Lip. That German. What'd you think he was doing?" Hoobler asked.
"Probably on a recon". Lipton replied, "he must've figured nobody would hear a horse".
"What happened to the horse?" Shifty asked.
"I don't know. Probably still running. Hope he's okay".
"You dug in?" Lipton asked him.
"Yeah. Just thought I'd take a walk, shoot the shit".
Lipton smiled;
"you're a good shot, Hoobler. Just glad you're on our side".
Hoobler smiled back;
"thanks, Lip".
When Hoobler walked off, to show off his Luger some more, Rory remained sitting on the edge of the foxhole, lost in her own thoughts. It began to snow again. The snow had been on and off all day. Rory was beginning to think it would never stop snowing now. She hated her past self for complaining about the cold weather back in England.
"Hey, Lip, you got a sec?"
"Yes, sir". Lipton handed the shovel to Malarkey, "give him a hand".
Rory blinked, she hadn't realized Buck and Malarkey had turned up.
Lipton and Buck walked a few steps away from the foxhole.
Probably hoping to have a private conversation but Malarkey, Shifty and Rory could hear them.
"Where's Dike?" Buck asked.
"He's around".
"Could you be a little more specific there, Sargent?"
Lipton shook his head;
"not really, sir".
"I haven't seen him all day". Buck said, "I didn't see him when we were coming through the woods, and I have to figure out how we ended up".
"Two wounded". Lipton told him.
"Who?"
"Brown and Stevenson".
Buck sighed;
"Goddammit…now, where's Dike? Where the hell is he? Where does he ever go?"
"I don't know, but I wish he'd stay the hell there". Malarkey remarked.
"Maybe Shames could stay there with 'um". Shifty added.
The pair of them chuckled.
Lipton sighed and looked at them;
"shut up, boys".
Malarkey smirked;
"shutting up, Sarge".
Suddenly, a single shot was fired out inside the woods.
"Okay! What the hell was that?!" Buck exclaimed.
Lipton and Buck took cover in the foxhole.
Rory did the same.
Bringing up her rifle, she looked through the sight.
"Patrol?" Malarkey asked.
"No, we would've heard". Lipton responded.
"One man, maybe a sniper". Buck offered.
"That was no rifle". Shifty mumbled.
"What do you see, Shift?" Lipton asked.
Licking her bottom lip, Rory felt herself frown.
"Nobody out there". Shifty reported back.
"Are you sure?" Buck asked.
"Uh-huh".
Just then, a panicked Hashey stepped out.
"Oh, Jesus…it's Hoob!"
"Sniper?" Buck asked.
Hashey shook his head;
"no…no! He shot himself!"
Lipton and Buck quickly left the foxhole, just as Perconte began to yell for a medic. Licking her bottom lip, Rory sent Malarkey a worried stare. And he couldn't give her an assuring smile, to soothe her worries. For the next ten or so minutes, they remained sitting in silence, waiting to hear if Hoobler was going to be okay.
Donald Hoobler, a friendly and generous young man from Manchester Ohio, had said from the beginning, how much he wanted a Luger. He was one of the most liked men in the Company and got along with everyone. Hoobler joined Easy back in Toccoa, where he ran up Currahee with the men and survived Sobel, their old CO. He made in through Normandy and Holland without getting hurt. No one worried about Hoobler. The guy was always fine. So, it came as a shock to the Company when Hoobler shot himself by accident.
He placed the Luger into his trouser pocket, and it went off.
Because it was so dark, the medic couldn't find the source of bleeding. And Hoobler was wearing many layers of clothes to keep himself from freezing. They found out when it was too late, that the bullet had hit an artery in Hoobler's leg, which caused him to bleed out. Hoobler slipped away with Buck, Lipton, Perconte and Hashey by his side, while Roe tried to stop the bleeding.
The morale around Easy dropped.
They had lost another Toccoa guy, another amazing NCO and a fantastic friend.
In a few weeks' time, Hoobler's widowed mother and two younger siblings would find out about Hoobler's passing. Winters would write to his family. And he'd explain how much Hoobler meant to the Company and how her son had died a hero.
…
Rory found Lipton sitting inside his foxhole, cleaning Hoobler's Luger.
Just as she was about to walk over to him, Dike appeared.
Frowning, Rory leaned against one of the trees.
"I heard about Hoobler. Shame". Dike stated.
"Yes, it is, sir". Lipton agreed quietly.
"That the Luger?"
"Yes, it is".
"What are you 'gonna do with it?"
Lipton shook his head;
"I don't know yet".
After a moment of silence, Dike then asked;
"where you from, Lipton? Where'd you grow up?"
"Huntington, West Virginia".
"Huntington?" Dike asked.
"Yes, sir".
"I don't know it".
Another moment of silence went by.
"What kind of work did you do there?" Dike questioned him.
"My brother and I helped my mom run a boarding house". Lipton told him.
"And your father?"
"He was killed when I was ten, sir. Automobile accident".
Rory frowned; she didn't know that about their Sargent.
"That's sad". Dike commented, "so, what made you decide to join the Paratroopers?"
"I read an article about Paratroopers in Life magazine. Talked about the training, how hard it was. It said if you wanted to make it as a Paratrooper, you had to be best". Lipton said, "and I wanted to fight with the best, sir".
Again, they were met by a moment of silence.
"You miss it?" Dike asked.
Lipton frowned;
"miss what, sir?"
"Huntington".
"Honestly, sir. I try not to think about that much". He said.
And then, Rory watched Dike walk away.
"Where are you from, sir?" Lipton asked.
He turned to face where Dike had previously stood and found the man gone.
With a huff of laughter, Lipton shook his head.
Rory moved away from the tree;
"must be going on a walk, Sarge".
Lipton looked towards her;
"were you spying?"
Shaking her head, Rory walked over to him.
Lipton moved over and cleared a space for her.
Sitting herself down next to the 1st Sargent, Rory leaned back against the frozen mud. Her eyes briefly looked towards the Luger. She felt something tug on her heart. Frowning, Rory mumbled softly;
"sorry you lost a friend, Sarge".
Clearing his throat, Lipton nodded.
And he tried to ignore what Rory had said.
To save his morale from completely dropping;
"you're not 'gonna get some sleep?" He asked her, "we're moving back to our old positions later on".
Shrugging, Rory said;
"I ain't tired, Sarge".
"No? I thought we were all tired". Lipton mumbled.
Running her sleeve under her nose, Rory told him;
"I'm sorry for…for talking to you 'bout Dike, Sarge". She said, "it ain't fair…you probably hear 'bout it all the time, huh?"
Lipton sighed quietly;
"well, it's one topic I won't miss".
Looking up at him, she said;
"maybe some fellas don't feel they deserve a fella like him, Sarge".
"Yeah, maybe". Lipton agreed quietly, "what do you think?"
Rory huffed;
"oh, I've been told not to worry 'bout him, Sarge".
Lipton felt himself smile a little;
"well, how about just once, you can tell me, and I won't say that".
Rory nodded;
"okay". She replied quietly, "I guess…I feel bad 'bout my friends who say Dike don't care 'bout us, Sarge. And maybe he don't, huh? But…after thinking real hard 'bout it I've decided that it don't matter if he don't care…cause we've got you, Sarge. And Buck".
Lipton's eyes softened a little.
Rory then added;
"Babe thinks we need a CO to run our Company but…heck, he ain't been leading us. You and Buck have, Sarge. And I just 'wanna say thank you…cause it ain't easy out here, huh? It's always cold and sad".
A sad smile reached his lips.
The Sargent nodded;
"it is pretty cold, huh?"
Rory nodded;
"yeah, Sarge…makes me feel stupid for saying England was cold".
Lipton chuckled quietly;
"well, it could be pretty cold in England".
Staring at her still, he then told her gently;
"I'm sorry you lost your friend too, buddy".
Frowning, she looked away from him.
Shaking her head, Rory mumbled;
"it's fine, Sarge". She said, "thanks for being sorry though".
Reaching into her musette bag, Rory brought out her notepad and a stick of charcoal. Drawing her needs up to her chest, she rested her notepad onto her thighs. Looking up at the Sargent she asked;
"can I draw here, Sarge? Jack and Babe are sleeping".
With a tiny smile, Lipton nodded;
"sure thing, buddy".
When the charcoal touched the blank piece of paper, Buck appeared.
"Lip – oh, hey, sport". He greeted them both, with a tight smile.
"Hey, sir". Rory responded quietly.
Rubbing his hands together, Buck said;
"bit of good news".
Curiously, she looked up from her notepad.
"Peacock won a thirty-day furlough back to the States". Buck told them, "they've put Foley in command of 1st Platoon".
Lipton let out a tiny sigh;
"that is good news".
Silently, Rory agreed.
Looking back down at her notepad, she mumbled softly;
"every cloud, huh?"