On June 20th, Easy was back out on the line south of Carentan.
They dug themselves foxholes behind a hedgerow and tree line while setting up outposts in the front. The Germans were somewhere ahead of them, they didn't have much intelligence. Easy soon found it was up to them, to figure out the strength of the enemy they were facing. And while Strayer tried to think up a good starting point, their positions were soon met by incoming and outgoing artillery rounds, usually sailing overhead. Still, it was a kick in the teeth whenever a shell hit close by.
"You know what date it is?"
With a tiny frown, Dallin looked up.
Nixon was crouched in front of her foxhole, a tiny smile on his lips.
Shaking her head, she asked;
"what's the date?"
"Twenty-first of June…and Strayer's curious about a farmhouse".
Licking her bottom lip, she asked him;
"no one wants to volunteer, sir?"
Shaking his Nixon mumbled;
"can't say I blame them but…we have to gather intelligence".
Dallin raised her eyebrow;
"you're asking me to go, aren't you?"
He nodded;
"yeah…Blithe and Lesniewski are going with you…you're leading".
She looked a little confused;
"why doesn't…an NCO lead, sir?"
Nixon shrugged;
"figured you'd be up for the patrol".
With a tiny sigh, she mumbled;
"yes…because I would not say no".
His smile saddened;
"sorry, kiddo".
Picking up her rifle, Dallin was soon on her feet;
"it is…fine, sir". She said as she got out of her foxhole, "where are we going?"
"One mile away from the line". Nixon told her, "head along the hedgerows south, you'll soon find the farmhouse. It's tucked behind another hedgerow".
Rubbing her lips together first, she soon told him;
"it will be their outpost".
"I know". Nixon agreed while lighting a cigarette, "but Strayer has to be sure…and if you can, bring us back a prisoner".
Dallin almost snorted;
"yes…we will try, sir".
Moving away from her foxhole and it started to rain. Her shoulders dropped and she shook her head, thinking how typical it was to start raining right before a patrol. Dallin moved by her Platoon and walked to where Winters and Welsh were with 1st Platoon. Blithe and Lesniewski were both standing in front of the officers. And, seeing Dallin, Lesniewski smiled brightly at her;
"dzien dobry". He greeted her.
A spark of light-filled her eyes;
"czesc". She greeted back softly.
Dallin looked over at Blithe, wondering if the man was okay for a patrol after his bout with hysterical blindness during Carentan. But he seemed fine and Dallin had heard a lot of good things about Blithe from Carl and Hoobler. Looking down at her, Winters gave Dallin a nod and asked;
"thought of a lead scout?"
"Yes…Blithe, sir".
Blithe's eyebrows twitched.
And when he looked at Dallin, he seemed confused.
She gave him a tiny smile before turning to her Polish friend;
"Les…you will be in the rear".
"Okay, Dill". Lesniewski agreed.
Dallin looked up at Winters.
He smiled back at her;
"you know where you're going?"
She nodded;
"yes…Captain Nixon stops by…we head for the farmhouse, sir".
"If you run into something big, pull back". Winters told her, "if you run into nothing, pull back".
"Yes, sir". Dallin complied.
"We're testing their strength". Welsh added, "it'll likely be an OP".
Checking the watch Dallin had got for him, Winters told her;
"stay low and keep your eyes open…off you go".
Dallin wasn't nervous because besides from the incoming mail, they hadn't made any contact with the enemy and the enemy wasn't firing directly onto their line. She was thinking they were right, and the farmhouse was the Germans outpost. If that was the case, then a German would be on watch. Dallin didn't have to think too much on what to do, Blithe and Lesniewski knew what they were doing. They had all trained hard for this very moment.
Reaching the end of their line, Dallin got them into position, with Blithe as lead scout. In the middle, she stayed a few feet behind him, keeping them spread out. Blithe reached the first hedgerow without any problems and Dallin could already spot the top of the roof from the farmhouse.
Reaching the end of a hedgerow, Blithe waited for Dallin and Lesniewski.
When she reached him, Dallin whispered;
"when you reach the last one…you will see top window of farmhouse".
Blithe nodded;
"I'll look, Dill".
Staying put, Dallin and Lesniewski watched Blithe crouched towards the hedgerow. He moved to the side and saw a small clearing, with perfect sight of the farmhouse. Blithe did all the right things. He stayed low and he made an excellent lead scout. He was doing just as he was taught in training but Blithe must have forgotten they were no longer in training, for he soon yelled;
"sniper! Bang, bang!"
Eyes widening, Dallin yelled;
"get down, Blithe!"
But the German from the top window shot out a round from his Mauser and struck Blithe in the neck. Their comrade fell to the ground and the sniper continued to fire out. Through the bullets kicking up bits of mud and grass, Dallin could see that Blithe remained still. They needed to get to Blithe and pull him back to the rear.
"Let's get him, Les!" She yelled above the firing.
"I'll cover you!" Lesniewski told her.
Head down, Dallin took in a deep breath and ran towards Blithe.
He was bleeding badly from the side of his neck and she took off her jacket, to apply pressure to his wound. Dallin could feel Blithe's chest rise and fall; he was still alive. Looking towards their line, she hoped Easy would return fire on that farmhouse so they could leave. And sure enough, she could hear their machine-guns come to life. Dallin was relieved and even more so when Lesniewski rushed over to help.
Tying a knot in her jacket, which was still pressed up against Blithe's neck, Dallin and Lesniewski grabbed Blithe's suspenders and pulled him to the rear.
"MEDIC!" She yelled.
Before a medic could arrive, Welsh, Nixon and Winters rushed to the scene.
"What happened?!" Nixon asked above the firing.
Looking up at him, she replied;
"maybe OP! I don't know!"
"How many?!"
"I don't know!"
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin looked back down at Blithe.
She pressed her jacket up against his neck again.
Lesniewski gave Blithe's chest a pat and assured him;
"you're 'gonna be fine, pal! Docs coming, don't worry!"
Taking in a deep breath, Dallin looked back up at Nixon and told him;
"Blithe spotted one sniper!"
With a nod, he said;
"probably an OP!"
Roe arrived with a medic kit in his hands. Dallin got out of his way, clearing a space so the medic could patch their friend up. Blithe was being remarkably calm and he hadn't said a word or even yelled out in pain. When Roe replaced her jacket with a bandage, Dallin grabbed her jacket. It was covered in blood but that was nothing new. Putting it back on, she buttoned herself up and got onto her feet.
The firing had stopped.
Easy must have taken care of the sniper.
Reaching into her jacket, she made to grab her tin.
But it wasn't there.
Frowning, Dallin suddenly felt her heart stop. Turning around, she looked back out towards the hedgerows and knew her tin was probably back where they had run from. The firing had stopped, and Dallin didn't want to lose her tin. So, she headed off the line once again.
"Where are you going?" Winters demanded.
"Dropped my tin, sir".
Pulling a face, he reached her before she could do anything stupid and pulled her back;
"you will not risk your life for cigarettes, Private Gorski".
Looking up at him, she shook her head;
"I…I have to, sir-"
"don't be stupid, Private". Winters cut her off sharply, "get back to your Platoon".
But it wasn't just her tobacco inside that tin.
The picture of Felix that Skip had glued back together was in there.
And her pill.
Dallin could feel her heart drop into her stomach.
Because she wasn't ready to let everything go. Not all at once. She should have tossed that pill away years ago, but Dallin wanted to keep it around. And she couldn't stand the thought of not seeing that picture of Felix again.
She nodded.
Winters let go of her arm.
"Alright…head back to your Platoon, and send for-"
"sorry". Dallin cut him off softly.
Before she turned around and sprinted back towards those hedgerows.
Winters was yelling after her, but she ignored him. Dallin didn't care about the consequences of her disobeying an order. She just wanted her tin back; what little memories she had left of home, Jan and Jakub. Because back inside that dark room, all Dallin had left was that tin. The only thing the Gestapo wasn't too bothered about her having. They wanted her clothes, her hair and her happiness…but they didn't want that tin.
Dallin found her tin where Blithe got hit.
Once she grabbed her tin, the Germans opened fire.
Cradling her memories to her chest, she leaned back against the hedgerow, while bullets hit the thick concrete behind her. A bullet was bound to get her. Dallin closed her eyes for a few moments. Her chin touched her chest, while she both felt an overwhelming sense of relief for having her tin once again and terror, from the bullets crashing into the hedgerow which she used as a shield.
Opening her eyes, Easy returned fire.
With her tin by her chest, she got up and ran.
Her boots were kicking up dirt and bullets whooshed past her ear, but nothing hit her.
The run back to the line felt like it lasted for hours but in reality, Dallin reached the line in under six minutes. She came to a dramatic stop, where she fell to the ground and crawled over to a shallow foxhole for cover. Once inside the foxhole, Dallin looked down at her tin. She could feel tears blur her vision, at the thought of almost losing it forever.
But it was safe and so was she.
"CEASE FIRE!"
Biting down on her bottom lip, Dallin could feel a tear roll down her cheek.
Her head was kept low.
Winters was soon crouched in front of her, not looking very happy;
"you disobeyed a direct order, Private Gorski". He reminded her.
Around them, the men were quiet.
Dallin swallowed back the lump stuck in her throat.
Frowning, Winters ordered lowly;
"look at me, Private".
Clenching her jaw, Dallin tried to stop her bottom lip from quivering.
She slowly raised her head, until her teary eyes met his stern stare.
Though his stare did soften when Winters saw tears, he carried on telling her;
"if you do that again, it won't be the German's who'll be after you".
Another tear rolled down her cheek, Dallin looked away.
Biting down on her lip again, she nodded.
Tilting his head to the side, Winters's hand fell on her shoulder;
"just take it easy, alright?"
Clearing her throat, Dallin mumbled around her tears;
"sorry, sir".
He squeezed her shoulder;
"I know…it's okay".
Winters released her shoulder when his name was called. But Dallin wasn't alone. Getting into the shallow foxhole next to her, was Liebgott. Looking up at him, she felt another tear roll down her cheek. He didn't say anything, but his eyes looked as heavy as her heart felt. After a few moments of staring at her, Liebgott gave her the smallest of smiles, before opening his arms.
"It's alright". He murmured.
Swallowing thickly, Dallin nodded.
Moving towards him, she was soon wrapped up in his arms.
Her face pressed into his chest, while her fingers dug into his jacket. Closing her eyes, Dallin tried to remind herself that everything was okay. Blithe was getting help and she had her tin back. They had been in Normandy for almost a month, but she was still alive. Dallin had to remind herself, that she was still alive.
Taking in a deep breath, Dallin exhaled slowly.
Liebgott smiled small and squeezed her tightly;
"you okay?" He whispered into the top of her helmet.
Dallin nodded into his chest; eyes still closed.
"Yes…I am fine".
…
The next day, Easy were pulled off the line and walked back into Carentan. The city was safe, now it was securely in American hands. The men could almost relax. But they were left with another major issue;
"God…we stink".
Dallin smiled small;
"speak for yourself, Carl".
Her cousin snorted;
"you stink too, Dill".
Because they were alone, Dallin asked him;
"have you heard from Fred?"
A smile crossed Carl's face at the mention of his name;
"I have…he's doing fine – worried but he's fine. Fred's always been dramatic".
"I do miss Chicago and Fred".
Looking down at his cousin, Carl's smile saddened;
"me too, Dill".
"If we ever go back…I would like to see Billie Holiday again, please".
Carl chuckled;
"it's difficult to get tickets but…I have my ways, cousin dear".
Lips twitching, she asked;
"Fred?"
Carl chuckled again;
"he has a few connections with the club owner".
"Back in England…do you enjoy London?"
He shrugged;
"not as good as Chicago".
"Yes, the cities are different". Dallin mumbled, "one has been bombed…the other hasn't".
"Suppose I shouldn't compare the two". Carl said quietly, "will you get into London this time?"
She shook her head;
"no…I want to go to Scotland".
He smiled;
"your Abba said it's nice there, huh?"
Dallin nodded;
"yes". She mumbled softly, "so…I will visit and see".
"Has he ever been?"
"No". Dallin replied, "I don't know where he got the idea that Scotland is safe for Jews".
Carl's smile brightened;
"well…maybe he's just got a feeling about it".
Carl then added quietly;
"does he know where it's safe for gays?"
Frowning a little, Dallin looked up at him and shook her head;
"no…but everywhere should be safe for everyone".
He sighed;
"it's not like that".
Giving his arm a nudge with her elbow, Dallin told him softly;
"not yet…but one day".
Looking away from her cousin, Dallin faced the front and watched men from Fox Company lead a handful of German prisoners along the pavement. The Germans had their hands behind their heads, with American weapons pointing at them. Dallin wondered what it was like to be an enemy POW in the hands of the American's. She hoped they were treated better than she was.
Carl followed her stare and asked;
"you feel different about the Germans?"
Head tilting to the side, she mumbled;
"maybe not". She said, "I don't know".
Sighing, he lit up a cigarette and muttered;
"can't say I blame you, Dill".
Lowering her eyes to her boots, she whispered;
"Joseph wanted to kiss me…does he still want to kiss me?"
Carl raised his eyebrow and looked down at her;
"what about Shifty?"
"Shifty fucked prostitute in England…Jim thinks he will do that again".
Carl sighed and mumbled;
"I wasn't expecting this conversation, Dill".
"Will he…do that again?"
With a sigh, Carl shrugged;
"I don't know, Dill…would it hurt you if he did?"
Dallin nodded;
"yes…because he would feel very bad about it". She said, "I think he wants to marry me…but not now because he is young in his heart, yes?"
"That…and there's a war going on". He pointed out.
Carl sighed again and moved down a step to sit next to her;
"do you love him?" He asked.
Raising her head, she looked at her cousin;
"yes but-"
"there shouldn't be a but". Carl cut her off softly, with a tiny smile, "I love Fred…and I don't have a but when I tell you that, Dill. I understand if you're afraid of getting hurt again, Dill. And I understand that you love him because he makes you smile and feel safe…but don't we all make you smile and feel safe?"
Blinking a few times, Dallin whispered;
"he was supposed to be…love of my life…I tell him that, Carl".
Flicking his cigarette away, Carl wrapped his arm around her shoulders;
"it's okay, Dill". He mumbled, pulling her into his side, "I had no one before Fred and there's no one else in front of him. You love Shifty because he's kind, genuine and makes you laugh. Right?"
She nodded;
"yes".
"Why else do you love him?"
Rubbing her lips together, Dallin shrugged.
Carl rubbed her arm;
"I love Fred because we understand each other, Dill. We have this deep and emotional connection that no one will ever understand. We can argue and slam doors but on the other side of that door, is an angry man who I love with all my heart…and I know he loves me just the same back".
Frowning, she said;
"Shifty…is my first…does that mean anything?"
"Of course, Dill. You'll always remember your first. And it can always mean something special if that's how it made you feel".
Her lips twitched;
"it was…in the stables-"
"I don't 'wanna know". Carl quickly interrupted her, "I never want to know, Dill".