She wanted it to be a nightmare.
What they stumbled upon yesterday, Dallin wanted it to be a nightmare. When first waking up, Dallin thought it was just a nightmare. But then she remembered the smell and the conversations she had with the men inside the camp. She remembered the reality of how cruel the world could be and how humans could be so evil. Dallin didn't want to live in the real world because of how the world treated people like her and she didn't want her friends watching over her every move when Dallin had been lucky enough to escape.
So, she opened her eyes.
And rolled away from Winters's side.
Nixon was sleeping on the couch.
Winters was sleeping next to her.
Dallin got out of bed, opened the curtains a small amount and looked down onto the street. She saw most of the town heading towards the camp, escorted by men from 2nd Battalion. Martial Law had every man and woman, from ages fourteen to eighty, to bury the dead. If they refused, they'd risk prison. Dallin wanted to open the window and scream at the German civilians for turning a blind eye. But she didn't have the energy or the anger to do so.
Winters opened his eyes and sat up.
He stared at the back of her head for a few moments in thought.
Before telling her;
"I'm 'gonna give you a choice".
Dallin closed the curtain and turned around to face him.
"I'll give you your stripes back". Winters said quietly, "you can lead your squad again. Or you can stay here for another week as my orderly".
Rubbing her lips together first, she whispered;
"you do this…because you feel sorry for me".
"No". He said, "I'm doing this because they miss you, Dill. And you miss them. They're worried about you, trooper. But if there's something I can do to help, then I 'wanna help".
Nodding, she said;
"I want to…go back to the camp with you first, sir".
Winters frowned;
"that wasn't an option".
Licking her bottom lip first, she reminded him;
"you tell me I could yesterday".
"That was before you cried, Dill". Winters said softly, "I don't want to cause you any more pain. I want you focused. We need you back".
Her bottom lip quivered, and her eyes started to sting;
"I lost…everything, sir".
Winters got out of bed and walked over to her;
"not everything". He told her.
When he was standing in front of her, Dallin wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. Winters held her back and murmured softly;
"you're always 'gonna have us".
Tears leaked out of her eyes and soaked into his shirt.
Face crumbling, she choked out a tiny sob, while telling him;
"my Abba…and Ima…".
Winters frowned and rubbed her back;
"we'll find out, Dill". He promised her, "and if they're still out there, we'll bring them to you".
Closing her eyes, she mumbled thickly;
"thank you".
"It's okay, trooper".
"I…stay with you until we leave this town, please?"
Winters nodded;
"of course, Dill. As long as you need". He replied, "but you deserve your stripes back".
Pulling back from the hug, Dallin wiped her eyes.
"Okay, sir". She whispered.
Smiling small, Winters reached into his pocket and brought out her Chevron.
He handed it to her;
"no more fighting".
"I…retire my rifle here, sir". Dallin promised quietly, "Germany has seen…too much death".
Winters sighed softly;
"you know, I'm really 'gonna miss you when we go home, Dill but at the same time, I'm really looking forward to the day you start your life with Shifty in Clinchco".
Dallin looked down at the Chevron in her hands, with a thoughtful frown.
With a soft smirk, Winters leaned back against the dresser;
"I hope you name at least one of your kids, Richard".
Swallowing thickly, Dallin's eyes widened a little.
With her face three shades paler, she ran towards the bedroom door and yanked it open. Worried, Winters raced after her and followed Dallin down the hall and outside of a bathroom. She didn't have time to close the door, before she was kneeling in front of the toilet, puking her guts up.
Frowning, Winters crouched beside her and rubbed her back;
"take it easy, Dill". He murmured.
He thought she was having another episode, like back on the Royal Mile.
"Just breathe out, it's alright".
Dallin guessed she was working herself up, that she was forcing those symptoms upon herself. She couldn't be pregnant. It was too soon; the war wasn't over. If anyone found out she was carrying Shifty's baby, they'd chuck her out of the Airborne. Dallin also thought stress might have been making her sick. Because she couldn't remember the last time, she had a period. Something wasn't right with her body.
Flushing the toilet, Dallin rocked back on her heels.
Winters filled a glass up with water and handed it to her;
"I hate to ask again but…are you sure you and Shifty are being careful, Dill?"
After taking a sip of water, she whispered;
"My Ima and Abba…they never tell me anything about sexual intercourse".
Nodding slowly, Winters asked;
"so…are you telling me you aren't being careful?"
"We use…the free condoms always".
"Okay, that's good". Winters told her kindly, "you know, I've given men this sort of talk before. It's my duty as an officer, to educate the men about safe sex. Especially since sexually transmitted diseases aren't as rare anymore. We had a huge syphilis outbreak not too long ago. I probably should have included you in those talks, Dill. I'm sorry".
"It is…fine, sir".
With a tiny smile, he assured her;
"I don't think you're pregnant, Dill. But if memory serves me well, I also know that puking your guts up isn't the first sign".
With a small grimace, Dallin mumbled;
"you want to…hear about my women problems, sir?"
He shrugged;
"can you talk to anyone else about it?"
"No". Dallin replied quickly, "because…there isn't anything to report".
She then added quietly;
"this is…weird".
"It's not". Winters murmured, "men have told me stranger things, trust me".
"They have?"
He huffed;
"yup…sure you don't 'wanna hear that, trooper".
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin soon leaned against the wall;
"Jim…I would have told him".
Winters frowned;
"because of Ruth?"
She nodded;
"yes…".
Winters joined her and leaned against the wall;
"well, I'm here for you, Dill". He said, "and it's not embarrassing, okay? If women are to join the army, they need to have a mature relationship with their superior officers. We should have had this conversation a long time ago, but I had no idea Shifty was courting you".
With a small sigh, Dallin told him;
"my last period was…in Holland before Jim died. Maybe my body and mind…are not healthy enough to have periods anymore. And maybe I will never have babies".
Winters wrapped his arm around her shoulders;
"so, let's get your body back to being healthy again. We'll put you on iron tablets. Make sure you're eating enough and drinking plenty".
Dallin looked up at him;
"it's not…broken?"
"No, trooper". He mumbled softly, "I think your body is just tired, like the rest of us".
Feeling a tear roll down her cheek, she wiped it away.
Moving away from the wall, Dallin reached into her jacket pocket and brought out her tin. Winters watched her curiously, while she took out a tiny glass pill, with white powder inside. Dallin dumped the pill into the toilet and flushed it away.
"I live now…because my people couldn't". She whispered, "and the only way to live now…is to let go of the past and move forward".
With toxic clutches now gone from her front pocket, Dallin felt her shoulders sink into her body. She was relieved. And felt a sense of achievement for letting go and moving on. What was left of her people were free and liberated. Now, the war just had to end.
Taking Winters's hand, Dallin was soon on her feet.
"I wanted to be so angry". She whispered as they walked out of the bathroom. "I wanted to yell at the Germans but…sir, I am so tired of being angry".
"You don't have to be angry". Winters said, "you can feel whatever you want right now".
Rubbing her lips together first, she looked up at the Major;
"I think…I will go home, sir".
He smiled;
"whatever you want, Dallin Gorski".
With a tiny nod, Dallin thanked Winters again before leaving Battalion HQ.
Crossing the quiet road, Dallin reached the Sergeant's billet.
It was a considerably large house and inside it was beautifully decorated. Closing the door, Dallin could smell the familiar scent of smoke and beer. She could hear her friends talking quietly inside various rooms around the ground floor. Hearing footsteps walk down the stairs, she looked up.
"Dill!" Grant beamed brightly, "you're back".
She was pulled into a quick but tight hug.
Grant looked down at her;
"are you…a Sergeant again?"
Nodding, she told him;
"Winters didn't think it was fair…to take my rank away".
"Well, he's right". Grant said, "you earned those stripes, Dill…God, your guys are 'gonna be so happy to see you".
"Yes…I will see them soon". Dallin said, "where is Shifty?"
Grant smirked;
"he's upstairs".
Dallin shot up the stairs quickly, eager to see her fiancé. Reaching the landing, she listened closely for the sound of his voice. Walking slowly along the corridor, Dallin only had to walk by three doors, until she heard his soft accent. Grabbing the doorknob, she twisted it and opened the door.
Shifty and Popeye raised their heads.
Eyes widening, Shifty jumped out of bed and raced over to Dallin.
Staring at her for only a few seconds, he then brought their lips together.
Dallin's arms went around his neck, deepening the kiss for a few moments. It felt better than great being back with Shifty again. Dallin missed him a lot and he had missed her. She realised then, that they weren't supposed to be apart from each other. Because no matter what had happened, they always ended up back together.
Pulling back from the kiss, she promised him;
"as soon as the war ends, I will be your wife. Before we reach America, we will be married".
With a soft smile, Shifty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear;
"you got it all figured out, huh?"
"Yes". She whispered, "I did what I had to do in the war, Shifty. My people suffered more than we will ever know but now…they are free, and I am free".
Closing his eyes, Shifty pressed his lips against her forehead;
"I love you, Dill…a hell of a lot. More than anyone in this world. I love you".
"I love you, Shifty".
…
Waking up the next morning in Shifty's arms, Dallin left the bed and looked out of the window. There, she saw the men from the camp they had liberated walking along the street, escorted by men from the 506th. Finally, they were free from the camp and were placed in better accommodation. But that wasn't the only good news they got that morning. When the rest of the Sergeant's got up, they gathered around the kitchen for coffee and breakfast.
Speirs soon barged into the house, with a rare smile on his face.
Confused, the NCO's looked his way.
There, he announced;
"Hitler's dead".
The Captain was met by silence, which was broken by Luz;
"holy shit…".
"Get everyone packed up and ready to leave in one hour". Speirs said, "we're moving out".
Before he could leave, Dallin got onto her feet and asked;
"how did he die?"
"He shot himself". Speirs replied, "in Berlin".
Giving them a nod, Speirs reminded them;
"one hour".
And then he left the stunned Sergeant's.
Sighing, Martin mumbled;
"well, I think we should-"
"TAK!" Dallin near enough screamed.
Her sudden yell gave the rest of them a fright.
Grant ended up dropping his coffee;
"Jesus, Dill…give a guy a warning, huh?"
Grabbing Grant by the collar, Dallin kissed his cheek;
"he's dead, Chuck!"
"Yeah…yeah, we all fucking heard". He said, huffing out a small laugh.
Looking around the room, Dallin told them;
"evil is gone…so, evil has stopped. The war is going to end. We will win!"
She wasn't smiling or laughing with happiness.
Dallin was just so relieved. She looked close to tears. But she held it together and managed to calm herself down before she exploded. Because the war wasn't officially over. Hard-loving Hitler fans were still roaming the area, they couldn't let their guard down just yet. Leaving the house, Dallin informed her squad that not only Hitler was dead, but they were moving out.
"Where are we going, Sarge?" Jay asked her.
"Thalham". She replied, "we leave in forty minutes".
"Is the war over?" Wally questioned, "you know, cause Hitlers dead".
Dallin shook her head;
"no…but it's close to ending".
"You must be real happy about that, huh?" Eddie Joint smiled, "been a long war for you, Dill".
Dallin wasn't sure how she felt.
She only knew she wasn't happy.
Leaving her squad to pack up, Dallin walked outside where men were busy loading up trucks and jeeps with equipment. Among the men, was Sobel. He was the new Regimental Logistics officer. He got to order men around again and make sure everything was in its place before they moved out. With a small frown, Dallin walked over to her old Captain. He looked away from his clipboard and down at her.
Sobel was sorry, in more ways than one.
He was sorry what Germany had done to the Jews.
He was sorry for what Germany had done to the Polish people.
Her people.
And Sobel was disturbed by what he had seen two days' ago.
"There's a nice little Jewish café in Chicago". Sobel informed her, "let's plan on meeting there one day, Gorski".
She nodded;
"yes…deal, sir".
He didn't look uncomfortable when asking her;
"how are you holding up?"
Shaking her head, Dallin whispered;
"hardly holding up, sir".
"They're strong, Gorski". Sobel said, "the people we've liberated from those camps, they're the strongest people I've ever met. I spoke to one of them this morning. He came from another camp and he told me, death was around every corner. That maybe it was down to luck, who you knew inside the camps. He said depending on where you worked, that determined if you'd survive".
"They had it worse". Dallin whispered again, "none of this should have ever happened, sir. War, I can sometimes understand but what Germans did to those people, I cannot ever understand it".
"We'll never understand".
"The Nazis…every day they tell us we are not human, that we are rats. But no matter what they do to us, we always remember we are human". Dallin said, "because when we talk, they talk back. And rats cannot talk, sir".
With a tiny sigh, Sobel placed a hand on her shoulder;
"I never told you how much I admire you, Gorski. And I don't just admire you because we're friends, or because you never hated me. I admire you because you truly are brave. And I hope you continue to be brave, Sergeant".
Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he added quietly;
"I'm proud of you, Dallin".
Staring up at him, her eyes softened;
"you call me by my first name today, sir".
"Well, you're my friend". Sobel mumbled, only half embarrassed. "You're free to call be Herb when the war ends".
Nodding, Dallin's lips twitched;
"yes, sir…I will".