Rory spent twenty minutes in the shower.
Warm water rushed down her body, like hot rain and washed away all the grime, blood and sweat from Bastogne. The dirty water swirled away down the drain but the memories of what happened inside that forest would remain on her skin for the rest of her life. She washed her hair and got rid of all the knots. Clumps of hair fell away into her hands. Rory pulled the clumps off and watched, while it headed for the drain.
Getting dry, she then changed into a clean pair of OD's and boots.
Slinging her rifle over her shoulder, Rory was ready to join her friends. It had been a long ten days trapped inside CP with nothing to do but sleep, drink fluids and eat small amounts of dry food. She was happy to be joining her friends again, especially Jackson and Heffron. Leaving the shower, she walked down the street quickly and headed for OP2, where Malarkey had set up a home for 2nd Platoon.
"Doe!" Someone called.
Sighing, she turned around.
And saw Speirs standing outside of CP, with another officer.
A new officer. A fresh-faced recruit sent to the line.
Rory walked over to them and gave Speirs a nod;
"sir?"
"Take Lieutenant Jones to OP2". Speirs ordered her, "he's your new Platoon leader".
"Yes, sir".
Lighting up a cigarette, Speirs nodded;
"good". He mumbled and then headed back into the hotel.
Lieutenant Jones raised an eyebrow;
"a man of few words".
Rory snorted;
"yeah…he don't talk much, sir".
"What's your name, Private?"
"Rory Doe, sir". She greeted him, "welcome to Easy…you come here alone?"
Jones shook his head;
"no…my friend, he was sent to Fox Company". He told her, "we both graduated from West Point. On June 6th".
"Glad to have you here, sir". Rory said softly, "we've been waiting for an officer".
The pair of them walked away from CP and headed towards the street.
Looking up at him, she said;
"you look young, sir".
Jones smiled a little;
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, Doe".
Rory shrugged;
"I was just saying what I were seeing, sir".
"I'm twenty-one, Private". Jones answered, "and how old are you?"
With a sigh, she told him;
"sixteen".
"Sixteen?" His eyes widened a little, "Jesus…when did you join Easy?"
"Before Holland, sir". Rory told him, "back in England".
"Boy, you're young".
"Same could be said 'bout you, sir". Rory said, "don't meet many twenty-one-year-old officers 'round here these days".
"Yeah, I guess". Jones agreed, with a tiny smirk, "so, much activity here?"
"Not much, sir". She said, "but I've been at CP most of the time…I had flu".
"You're better now, yes?"
"Uh-huh".
"Good". Jones smiled, "I heard Fox Company have a patrol across the river tonight".
"Yeah…heard that too, sir". Rory mumbled, "guess we've 'gotta test the waters somehow, huh?"
"My friend is eager to go along".
"Sorry, sir but…I ain't sure Captain Winters would like a new officer heading out so quickly".
Jones bobbed his head;
"yes, I figured". He said, sounding disappointed. "He's a very eager man".
Rory snorted;
"we was all eager guys once, sir". She said, "even me…but – uh – that wore off quickly, huh? After the woods you just…you just 'sorta…well, would be nice if things slowed down a bit now".
Jones looked down at her and felt his eyebrows twitch;
"I can only imagine, Private".
With a nod, Rory rubbed the back of her neck and changed the subject;
"you'll be real happy with our Platoon, sir".
Jones's eyes lightened;
"I'm eager to get started".
"Well…the fellas are real nice, sir". Rory told him, "good bunch of guys. Real hard-working. We ain't 'gonna let no one down".
"Good to hear it, Private". Jones said, "are you hard working?"
Rory nodded with a serious look;
"yeah, sir". She said, "I'm always busy, sir. You ain't 'gonna see me sitting 'round".
Jones smiled.
And decided, he liked Rory Doe.
Rory said;
"I'm just glad to be well again, sir. Just 'wanna get back to the fellas, sir".
…
Walking up the stairs in OP2, Rory led the way.
She walked into one of the bedrooms and saw Malarkey by the radio. A few of the guys were lying in their bunks, trying to catch a quick nap before they were put on duty. Rory smiled and walked over to Malarkey;
"hey, Sarge". She greeted, happy to see him again.
Malarkey smiled back at her;
"hey, Roo…you feeling better?"
She nodded;
"yeah – great". Rory then gestured towards Jones, "this here is Lieutenant Jones, Sarge. He's our new Platoon leader".
Stubbing his cigarette out, Malarkey took a step towards Jones.
The Lieutenant shook his hand;
"good to meet you, Sargent Malarkey". He said, "I've heard a lot about you".
Malarkey gave the man a nod;
"nice to have you on board, sir".
When the handshake ended, Rory asked;
"where's Jack and Babe, Sarge?"
Malarkey smiled and gave her helmet a tiny knock;
"next door, Roo. They're still awake".
Quickly saluting Jones first, Rory dashed out of the room.
She entered the bedroom next to Malarkey's and found her two friends standing by the window, talking quietly to each other. Closing the door, the pair of them turned around. And they grinned widely when they saw Rory standing there. Jackson raced towards her and pulled her into a tight hug. Rory returned the hug with a smile to his chest. Heffron hugged her next.
And when that hug ended, she took a step back and looked at them;
"everything fine?"
"It's better". Jackson replied, "so much better now".
Grinning, Heffron gave Jackson's side a friendly nudge;
"he ain't stopped going on 'bout you".
Rory looked at Jackson, who blushed.
Heffron continued to tease their friend;
"every day he kept on asking Malark if you was coming back…he never shut up 'bout you once, Roo. I swear you'd think the guy was-"
"really?" Rory asked Jackson softly.
Clearing his throat, Jackson nodded;
"I was – uh – was worried 'bout you, Roo".
"Was just the flu, Jack". Rory reminded him kindly.
He sighed;
"don't care…could have been the cold. I'd still worry 'bout you". Jackson said.
Heffron cleared his throat and pointed to the door;
"think Malak was calling my name…I'll – uh – I'll see you downstairs for supper".
Heffron quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.
Jackson huffed;
"yeah…I didn't hear Malark call for 'um".
Rory shrugged;
"me neither". She mumbled, "does it matter?"
Jackson shook his head;
"no…not if you don't want it too".
Rory rubbed her lips together and said quietly;
"was thinking…'bout that kiss and stuff".
"Yeah, me too". Jackson told her, "I think it was a-"
"I liked kissing you". Rory cut him off. Frightened he'd say something bad. Clearing her throat, she took a step closer to him, "it felt…nice".
Looking at her, Jackson nodded slowly;
"it was". He whispered, "but, Roo…we ain't out of the woods yet".
"I know". She mumbled.
With a frown, he added;
"what if we get hurt?"
Meeting his soft stare, Rory asked;
"we should…not do it again?"
Smiling small, Jackson placed his hand on the side of her face;
"I 'wanna kiss you, always". He promised her, "but I 'wanna do it next when…when this shit ends…you know?"
Rory believed him.
With a small smile of her own, she nodded;
"alright". She mumbled, "well…you 'gotta talk to Winters".
Jackson sighed;
"yeah, I know". He muttered, "shit…that's 'gonna be weird".
Rory shrugged one shoulder;
"it'll be alright…he's a good person".
Jackson's hand left her face.
"Remember when we played ball?" He asked while taking her hand into his, "and you threw that ball right into that damn church window?"
She huffed softly;
"yeah". Rory mumbled.
Shaking his head, he whispered;
"you ain't the same person who threw that ball, Roo".
Rory frowned a little;
"is that…bad?"
"Heck, no". Jackson said softly, with a tiny smile. "Shit, Roo. You're 'gonna make it, ain't you? We might actually survive this thing. And look at you…you used to be so scared and you're…well, now you're beautiful and brave".
Rory felt her lips twitch;
"no ones ever called me beautiful".
"Well, they don't see sense". Jackson said, "cause you are".
Letting go of her hand, his fingers trailed the ends of her hair;
"mousey brown hair…". He whispered, "it's all shiny and soft now…after you washed it".
Rory's eyes moved to look at him again;
"I like you lots, Jack".
He smiled;
"I like you lots too, Roo".
Nodding, she said;
"you're my best friend".
Jackson moved in closer and pressed his lips against her forehead.
He pulled back after and whispered;
"come on…let's get some supper".
…
After a slightly eventual night, Malarkey had Rory head into CP to pick up some supplies for the men in their Platoon. While on her way, she bumped into Lieutenant Cox, the officer from Fox Company. The man who had given Rory his pass into Paris for saving two of his men. Despite the grim look on his face, Cox managed a tiny smile when he saw her;
"Doe". He greeted, "good to see you're still alive".
She nodded;
"you too, sir". She said, "heard all the noise last night…hope the patrol went fine, sir".
Cox let out a heavy sigh;
"we lost a guy, Private". He told her sadly, "one of our replacement officers. Lieutenant Fitzpatrick".
Rory frowned;
"sorry to hear that, sir". She said quietly, "that the fella who came in yesterday?"
Cox nodded;
"yeah". He murmured, "keep safe, Doe".
"You too, sir".
With a heavy frown on her face, Rory walked into the hotel and found Speirs inside the main room with Lipton and Winters. The three of them immediately stopped talking when Rory walked inside. To save them the worry, she wiped the frown off her face and smiled small instead. Clearing his throat, Winters said to her;
"everything alright, Rory?"
She nodded;
"yeah, sir". Rory replied, "came here for supplies, is all".
"Supplies?" Luz called from the back of the room, "over here, kid!"
Sending them another tiny smile, Rory walked towards the back of the room and found Luz and Vest behind a counter, sorting out many K-rations and goods. She was tempted to take a Hershey's bar but managed to stop herself.
"What'd you need, kid?" Vest asked her.
"Uh…socks". Rory said, "and uh – yeah, that's it. You got socks?"
Luz tore open a cardboard box;
"we do". He told her, "who lost a pair?"
Rory snorted;
"Babe".
Luz grinned;
"that don't surprise me…didn't he lose a pair in Holland?"
Rory nodded;
"yeah…he did, George".
"Well, look who it is!" A voice said.
Rory looked towards the voice and saw Christenson and Bull headed their way. With a grin, Bull gently knocked Rory's helmet;
"how're you doing, Rory? You causing trouble?" He asked.
Rory shook her head while pushing her helmet up;
"not me, Sarge". She said, "I've been real busy".
Christenson smiled;
"so, we've heard". He said, "some noise last night, huh?"
Vest leaned towards them;
"one of the new Lieutenant's stepped on a Schu-mine blew his whole leg off".
"I heard". Rory mumbled, "he died".
"Jesus". Christenson whispered, "how come they let a new fella go on a patrol?"
Vest shrugged;
"Winters didn't know 'bout it. He gave Lieutenant Cox hell for letting the new guy go along".
With a sigh, Rory took the socks and stuffed them into her musette bag. After thanking Luz, she turned and headed back into the main room. Once again, the three men stopped talking. Rory frowned; she knew something was up. Why else would they have stopped talking? Her eyes looked up towards Winters. Who eventually sighed and nodded towards the back of the room.
Rubbing her neck, Rory followed his gesture and ended up inside the bedroom she had spent almost ten days inside. Winters joined her a few moments later. With a tiny frown, he asked;
"how's your throat?"
"Better". Rory responded quietly, "how come you keep on stop talking when I get near?"
Winters felt his lips twitch;
"oh, you noticed that, did you?"
She nodded;
"sorry, sir but…you ain't exactly good at being sneaky".
Winters huffed out a tiny laugh;
"I appreciate your honesty as always, Rory".
Rubbing her lips together first, she then said;
"heard 'bout that new Lieutenant…Lieutenant Cox told me".
Winters sighed and ran a hand down his face;
"yeah…I usually meet the new officers first but…well, I was to busy yesterday. And I assigned them both a Company".
"It ain't your fault, sir". Rory told him quietly, "Lieutenant Cox should've known better".
Winters nodded slowly;
"yeah, I suppose".
He then asked;
"how's Lieutenant Jones settling in?"
Rory smiled a little;
"he's doing fine, sir…he sure is eager, huh?"
Winters sighed again;
"I'm beginning to see a fault in that".
As well as the news of Lieutenant Fitzpatrick, Winters had another headache fall onto his lap. Division wanted information on enemy troops from across the river. Colonel Sink placed the patrol into Winters's hands, meaning he had to pick a Company from his Battalion to cross the river and snatch live prisoners. Not only that but they wanted the German outpost destroyed. Earlier in the war, Winters would have never griped about such an order because it was a tactically sound decision. But now, men were no longer willing to take needless risks. And Winters wasn't willing to risk his men's lives on a dangerous and pointless patrol.
"What do you think of the enemy activity across the river?" Winters asked her.
Rory frowned a little and shrugged;
"they're putting holes in our walls, so we're putting holes in their walls back, sir".
"Yeah…they're just hitting our line but not as much". Winters mumbled, "you think they've got anything worth finding out over there?"
Rory shook her head;
"I don't think so, sir. How come?"
Shaking his head, Winters leaned against the dresser;
"I just thinking about 'um".
"You sure?"
Winters looked away from her.
And nodded;
"yeah…".
With a tiny smile, Rory nodded;
"alright, sir". She said, "well…I should probably get going, huh? 'Gotta get these socks to Babe, don't I?"
Looking at her again, Winters smiled small;
"alright, trooper. Have a good morning".
"You too, sir".
When Rory left the hotel, Winters joined Lipton and Speirs once again.
"Did you tell her?" Speirs asked.
He shook his head;
"she'll find out soon enough". He said quietly, "who're you thinking to lead this patrol, Speirs?"
"Sargent Malarkey". Speirs replied, "he's the most experienced".
Lipton frowned;
"with all due respect, sir but…our NCO's could really use a break".
Winters shook his head;
"we need someone experienced leading this patrol, Lip. Malarkey's a good choice. Who else were you thinking, Speirs?"
"Uh…McClung, Heffron…Grant, Wynne". Speirs listed.
Winters listened and nodded.
"Jackson". Speirs continued, "and Doe".
Lipton looked over at Winters, who was frowning.
Clearing his throat, Winters said;
"right…uh – you 'wanna take some guys from 1st and 3rd? And you still need a translator".
Speirs shrugged;
"we'll take Liebgott and Webster". He said, "Shifty, Cobb, Garcia, Moe…Sisk?"
Lipton nodded;
"sounds good, sir". He said, "I'll call for Malarkey to come down".
"Yeah". Speirs said.
Lipton got up and headed for the radio.
Speirs looked over at Winters and mumbled;
"I had – Doe's a good soldier, sir. She's small and could be of real use during the-"
"it's fine". Winters cut him off, "she'll do just fine out there, Ron".
…
Placing the phone down with a heavy sigh, Malarkey ran a hand down his tired face.
Turning around, he faced Lieutenant Jones.
"They want a patrol across the river tonight". He told him lowly, "and they want me to lead".
Jones frowned;
"should I inform the men?"
Malarkey shook his head;
"nah…it better do it, sir". He said quietly, "can you round 'um up in here?"
"Of course, Sargent". Jones assured him.
The men from 2nd Platoon were quickly assembled. It only took Jones a few minutes, seeing as they didn't have a lot of men left. And from the look on Malarkey's face, they already knew he was about to hit them with bad news.
"Speirs picked me to lead a patrol across the river tonight". Malarkey informed them lowly, with much regret, "uh…he wants everyone here for the patrol. Shifty, Cobb, Sisk, Garcia and Moe from 1st and 3rd Platoons as well".
No one was happy.
Jackson sat down heavily on the bottom bunk, head in his hands.
Liebgott shook his head;
"it's always fucking us". He hissed, "why's it always us?"
Grant looked at Malarkey;
"what kind of patrol, Malark?"
"Prisoner snatch". He replied, "Division wants live prisoners-"
Malarkey was cut off by the door slamming.
Rory had left the room.
Jackson uncovered his face and looked up;
"that all, Sarge?"
Malarkey nodded with a frown;
"yeah…I'm sorry, guys". He whispered, truly meaning it. "I'm sorry".