Opening her eyes, Dallin was met with a dark ceiling.
She heard someone tell her to, "get ready", but Dallin wasn't sure if she had been dreaming. It took her brain a few moments to register than she was inside the Barnes's home and was currently lying on her Captain's bed. Rubbing her eyes, she turned on the small oil lamp by the bed and checked the time.
0400.
With a yawn, Dallin was about to turn the lamp back off, when she heard a voice;
"fix bayonets!"
Frowning, Dallin's movements stilled.
That same voice called out;
"get ready!"
Pulling the blanket off her body, Dallin got out of bed and walked quickly out of the room. She met a worried kid in the hallway, Elaine. Licking her bottom lip, Dallin gave the girl her best comforting smile;
"it's okay, Elaine…go back to sleep, please-"
"is Richard okay?" Elaine asked, cutting Dallin off.
Nodding, the young woman assured the child;
"yes…he is fine. I will make him some warm milk…that will make him feel better".
Elaine's eyes soon filled with tears.
And next, she surprised Dallin by wrapping her small arms around her waist. Elaine pressed her face into Dallin's stomach, mumbling;
"please…make him stop, Private Gorski. I'm scared".
Giving Elaine's back a pat, Dallin assured her;
"yes, I will, Elaine. Don't worry".
Dallin managed to get Elaine back into bed and then quickly jogged down the stairs and into the living room. It was dark and she almost tripped over the rug but grabbed onto the armchair to stop herself from falling. Winters's eyes were closed, and he continued to call out to his men for them to "fix bayonets".
Letting go of the armchair, Dallin moved towards the couch. Getting on her knees, she carefully placed her hand on Winters's arm and whispered;
"it's okay, sir…we are fine".
He was breathing quickly but not worryingly so.
Her hand moved up to his forehead;
"everyone is okay…". She added quietly, "the men can laugh and visit whorehouse…because of you".
Dallin ran her fingers softly through his red hair.
Winters's eyes were still closed, he remained asleep.
She continued to run her fingers through his hair and whisper assuring words to him, until his breathing evened out and Winters sounded at peace, once again. Not wanting to leave him in case it happened again, Dallin grabbed another blanket and curled up on the rug.
…
At six, Winters woke up and was confused to see Dallin sleeping on the rug below him.
Staring at her for a few moments, Winters quietly got up and walked into the kitchen, where Mrs Barnes was sorting out tea and breakfast. She greeted the young man with a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek, before ushering him to sit down, while Mrs Barnes poured him out his first cup of tea.
"Can't be too comfortable on the rug". She commented, "but I suppose she wanted to keep an eye on you, Richard".
Winters was even more confused;
"me?"
Nodding, Mrs Barnes set a cup of tea down in front of him;
"yes, you were making quite the fuss last night, dear".
Sighing, Winters grabbed the hot cup of tea and mumbled out;
"I'm sorry-"
"never be sorry, dear". She assured him kindly, "Dill managed to calm you down".
Though slightly embarrassed, Winters found his lips twitching.
"She's very fond of you, Richard". Mrs Barnes went on, "it's nice of you to show her around Edinburgh. Will you two be gone long?"
"Just a few days, Mrs Barnes". Winters told her, "Dill's meeting some friends in London after".
Shaking her head, Mrs Barnes commented;
"I think she'd much rather be here, Richard".
"Dill deserves to let off some steam".
"She can do a lot of walking in Edinburgh".
Winters chuckled quietly;
"are you fond of Dill, Mrs Barnes?"
Sighing, she said;
"Dill is a lovely young woman, Richard. But she needn't be running around London drinking her weight in whiskey and beer".
"Don't worry, Mrs Barnes. Dill's a sensible woman".
When the kitchen door opened, Winters and Mrs Barnes watched, as Dallin walked inside. Giving them both a small wave, she pulled out a chair and sat down. The older woman poured Dallin a cup of tea and put it down in front of her. Rubbing her hands together after, Mrs Barnes asked;
"breakfast?"
"Yes, please". Winters replied politely, "anything is fine, Mrs Barnes".
"Good". She smiled and looked at Dallin, "porridge, Dill?"
Clearing her throat, Dallin nodded;
"thank you, Mrs Barnes".
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked over at Winters. He was staring back at her, a tiny smile on his lips. Giving her Captain a nod, she asked;
"are you happy to see Edinburgh again?"
"Yeah, I am". He replied lightly, "are you looking forward to seeing Scotland for the first time?"
Placing her tin on the table, Dallin brought out her cigarette papers and her tobacco;
"yes…I want to see castle". She mumbled.
"We can see the castle". Winters said, "they have a pretty good museum too".
She hummed;
"yes…that does sound really boring, sir".
He smiled in amusement;
"I'm sure Edinburgh has more to offer, Dill".
Shaking her head with a kind smile, Dallin told him;
"I joke about museum being boring…museum sounds fine, sir".
Winters chuckled;
"alright…museum it is".
After a cigarette and breakfast with the Barnes's and Elaine, Dallin and Winters packed up and headed to the bus stop for a ride into London. Dallin was too busy reading a leaflet about Edinburgh, to realise that she hadn't stepped foot inside London since she arrived before Germany invaded Poland. Keeping her head busy with thoughts of Edinburgh, kept those sad memories away. And Winters was happy to answer any questions she had about the capital of Scotland. Though, his history of Edinburgh wasn't the best.
"I think…we buy camera". Dallin said while they boarded the bus.
"A camera?" Winters questioned.
"Yes…we take pictures of castle, sir".
Nodding, he led the way to the back of the bus and took a seat;
"like a couple of tourists?"
"Yes…just that". Dallin confirmed as she sat down next to him. "And we stay at North British Station Hotel".
His eyes widened;
"that's…an expensive pick, Dill".
She shrugged;
"we deserve luxury…we fight in war".
Winters chuckled quietly;
"so, a five-star hotel and then a trip to the moon?"
Nodding, Dallin placed the leaflet into her pocket;
"yes…the world needs to give back to us, sir".
"For what?"
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin thought about Poland.
"I think…Germans should pay me to go to the moon".
The smile slowly fell from his face;
"for what they did to-"
"me and…my family…my people". Dallin cut him off quietly, "they take them to Siberia".
"Is that what they told you?"
She nodded;
"yes…it's very popular rumour but…rumours change, sir. Maybe my people go to another place".
Winters frowned;
"you don't talk much about it anymore".
"There is…nothing left to say". Dallin whispered, "it happened and…I can't change it".
"But you can change how it makes you feel".
Rubbing her lips together, Dallin looked up at him;
"I change how I feel about some Germans…the soldiers. Not Gestapo or Nazis. Just the soldiers. I learn that not every soldier is a Nazi".
Winters frown softened and he nodded;
"that's an impressive change of perspective".
Shrugging, she mumbled;
"yes…and not every American is greedy for vagina".
Once again, Winters found himself choking on air.
Feeling her lips twitch, Dallin realised that she liked winding the Captain up.
Facing the front, Dallin chuckled.
Winters shook his head and huffed out a laugh;
"if we get thrown off this bus…you can walk to London, while I catch the next one".
"And I thought Sobel was mean, sir".
He chuckled;
"but you never thought that…did you?"
Dallin looked up at him again;
"sometimes…now that you are Captain, I see you both are very different. You are not mean, sir. But he could be".
"Nixon thinks he tolerated you because he was scared of you".
She pulled a face;
"of me?"
Winters nodded;
"because you have the Colonel backing you up…and he had London in his ear".
Raising an eyebrow, Dallin shook her head;
"Colonel Sink never had London in his ear, sir".
"I'm glad Nixon didn't tell Sobel his assumption".
Bringing out her tin, she asked;
"did Colonel Sink tell you my real name?"
Winters shook his head;
"no…are you about to tell me, Dill?"
Smiling, she brought out her tobacco;
"Filipina". Dallin said, "I went by…Fili, mostly".
Winters smiled softly;
"Fili…I like that".
Smirking, she thanked him smoothly;
"thank you…Dick Winters".
Laughing, Winters gestured towards the doors on the bus;
"alright…get up…you're walking to London".
After a short chuckle, Dallin asked him;
"why did Bill call you a Quaker, sir?"
"Ah…well, I live in Lancaster". Winters told her, "there's a lot of them there…but I'm not one of them. My mom's from a Mennonite background. I was raised to work hard, and my mom instilled a lot of discipline in me from a very young age. We're a Christian family. We attend church every Sunday. I remember as a kid while attending Sunday school, we had the annual Christmas pageant, staged by us kids. I wasn't used to speaking in public at that point, and I'd always break out in cold sweats whenever I had to stand up and speak before the congregation".
"Awe…you are very good at addressing soldiers, sir". Dallin said, "you have changed a lot from being shy".
Winters nodded and smiled;
"yeah…I guess I have".
…
At Kings Cross Station in London, Dallin's mind and eyes were miles away. They had twenty minutes until their train arrived and decided to sit on a bench on the platform. Winters was busy, writing out a few ideas for physical training when the replacements arrived, and Dallin was lost in her own head.
She could see a younger version of herself, standing among other Polish children. She could see the fear and tears in the girl's eyes, while she held her breath and waited for her name to be called out. A man would be standing a few feet away from the children, calling out their names and assigning them to a family. At that moment, young Dallin was still heartbroken from leaving her parents, brother and her cat back in Poland.
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin got onto her feet.
She stared at the old brick pillars by one of the platforms. Dallin could still see her younger self. It almost brought tears to her eyes, when she remembered how homesick she had felt. And now, she felt homesick for a different reason. Because back then, when Dallin arrived in London, she was hopeful to see her family again. Now, Dallin wasn't as hopeful. And she missed feeling hope.
Feeling her chest grow tight, Dallin cleared her throat.
Winters looked up from his journey.
His eyes searched for Dallin.
And he found her, standing a few feet away from him.
"Dill?" He called out.
"Actually…I feel sick". She said.
Frowning, Winters got up.
He stood in front of her;
"what's wrong?"
Shaking her head, Dallin whispered;
"it starts…right here".
Winters frown deepened;
"what does?"
Taking in a shaky breath, she told him;
"I arrive here…with other Polish children".
His face dropped.
Winters turned around and faced the large brick pillar.
"Over there?" He asked quietly.
Dallin nodded;
"yes…over there". She confirmed, voice a whisper.
"Four years ago, huh?"
"No…almost five". Dallin corrected him, "1939…couple of months before Germany invade Poland. I was fourteen…almost fifteen. And I was…a bit sad".
Winters turned back around to face her;
"I'd be sad too". He told her, "if I had to leave my family".
"It has been…very long war for us, sir".
"Yeah". Winters whispered, "yeah…I know".
Her eyes moved away from the pillar when their train to Edinburgh slowly approached the platform. Heading back to the bench, they collected their bags and waited for the train to stop. The train was huge, but it was quiet inside. Not a lot of civilians were travelling from one city to another. Winters and Dallin easily found a seat. While she sat down by the window, Winters stuck their bags up on the overhead compartment.
Sitting next to her, a whistle blew, and the train chugged away from the platform.
Rubbing the back of his neck first, Winters said;
"I'm sorry about last night…I didn't mean to wake you up".
Shaking her head, Dallin looked up at him;
"don't be sorry, sir…I have done it many times to my friends. I say sorry for that, but they always tell me off for being sorry. We can't control our dreams".
With a sigh, he said;
"I suppose it's different…I'm your Captain, I'm not supposed to…have dreams".
Eyebrow raised slightly, she mumbled;
"well…you are human, sir. Being a Captain does not stop you from being human".
Lips twitching, Winters nodded;
"yeah…I guess you're right about that, Dill".
"You make it very clear that you are human…when you bleed from flesh wound, sir".
Winters smiled.
And he chuckled quietly;
"thank you, Dill".
The train left Kings Cross station and headed down the tracks to Scotland. It would take them eight hours to reach Edinburgh. And because of the long journey, employees would walk up and down each carriage, offering passengers food and drinks. They had their first cup of tea at half nine that morning. And their cup second at eleven. Lunch was served at half twelve, served with more tea.
"If I drink more tea…I will turn into tea". Dallin mumbled.
Winters snorted;
"they might have something else".
Taking a bite from her sandwich, Dallin put it back down again before getting onto her feet.
"I will…find a bathroom now, sir".
Nodding, Winters got up to let her past;
"probably in the next carriage, trooper".
Keeping his instructions in mind, Dallin opened the doors and headed for the next carriage. Walking along the narrow strip, she didn't pass many passengers. However, right at the bottom, sitting on his own was Lieutenant Speirs. He didn't notice her at first, his nose was deep inside a book. Dallin managed to slip by him without getting noticed. Closing the carriage door, she entered the small toilet.
However, once Dallin was finished and re-entered the carriage, Speirs noticed her.
She stopped walking and faced him.
Speirs looked curious. Though, his stare was soft.
When he didn't speak first, Dallin asked;
"you are…Lieutenant Speirs from Dog Company?"
He nodded;
"that's right…I don't have to ask who you are, Private Gorski".
"Oh…you've heard of me?"
He almost smiled;
"everyone's heard of you, Private".
Licking her bottom lip, she said;
"yes…and everyone has heard of you, sir".
Speirs's eyebrows twitched;
"and why might that be, Private?"
Clearing her throat, Dallin shrugged one shoulder;
"it is…not a big deal, sir".
"Good". He concurred softly, "so…you're heading for Edinburgh?"
"Yes…and so are you".
"That's right". Speirs confirmed, "I have some family there".
"Oh…that's nice, sir". Dallin mumbled, "so…you are Scottish?"
"I was born there, yeah". He replied, "are you travelling alone?"
She shook her head;
"I travel with Captain Winters".
His eyebrow raised;
"do you often travel with your Captain?"
"No…this would be the first, sir". Dallin told him, "I always want to see Scotland…Abba told me it is safe for Jews".
His lips twitched;
"he did?"
"Yes…is it?"
Speirs shrugged;
"maybe…I'm not Jewish. I wouldn't know".
"You travel alone, sir?"
Speirs nodded;
"yeah".
"Would you…like to join us, sir?"
Speirs searched her eyes for a few moments in silence.
Before he eventually nodded;
"I'd like that".