Brotherhood, Sisterhood, Motherhood
Sorry it's been so long, I've been caught up in re-writing another one of my stories, Front Line Girl, which I intend to post when this is over.
Just a few more chapters to go until the end!
July 8th 1945 – Zell-Am-See
Life in Bavaria was like living in a different world. There were no trees exploding, we had hot food, hot showers, roofs over our heads, the NCOs and us married and engaged couples were put up in a fancy hotel and every morning, I got to wake up to a fairy-tale view and I didn't just mean my husband. The hotel was on a lake which reminded me so much of Norway and I liked to go for a walk in the morning with either Don or Taylor.
It was just a few weeks too, until our first Wedding Anniversary and Don was very obviously up to something. I dreaded to think what he was up to, what kind of scheme he was playing at this time, but I warned him, under no uncertain terms, that if he tried to win some more money playing craps, just to get me something, then I'd had Tay put her foot up his ass. Since we were on the (unofficial) wind down to the end of the war, our roles had changed; Taylor had now been promoted, having reluctantly accepting the job of Section Leader, even if it was just title only. I had been bumped up to Sub-Section Commander and let me tell you, I was a glorified clerk, not that I minded. I was still more or less in charge of the day to day running of the ACS, wrote all of Dan's reports, letters all the shit like that. In fact, I was more or less Secretary to the Officers of Easy Company (that may as well be my official title); I don't think there was a job I didn't do for the officers. Danni; well, Dan stayed as Commander Compton, although, her rank more or less equated to Major and did she change, now that she was technically a Major and a married woman? Heckin' no; she still did the ol' disappearing act whenever she had something important to write up and it somehow found its way into my In Tray.
Perhaps then, that's what it was that was making me feel so ill of late; stressing over Dan and her lack of report writing. I'd been all sorts of irritable, getting dizzy when I stood up and tired all time, and because of that I wasn't eating much, so I either felt bloated or sick and I put it all down to stress and the long hours I seemed to work.
"Has anyone seen Compton?" I asked, walking into the dining hall (and trying not to throw up at the smell of eggs that was floating around). My friends looked at me, a little confused and it took me a minute to work out that I had been talking in Norwegian. "Danni, has anyone seen her? She's like Fox-Hole Norman!" I huffed.
Tab pointed off out to the veranda and I stormed off, finding her sunning herself and talking to Nixon and Welsh outside on the lower part of the patio.
"Compton, I've got 13 reports with your name waiting on them! Get in here and sign them, you lizard!" I yelled at her, before storming back through the hall and into my office that lay outside Winters' and Sink's office, slamming the door. Even before I'd got my arse on my chair, the phone rang.
"Sub-Section Commander Malarkey; what do you want."
"Hey baby…you alright?" It was Don. I sighed and pinched my nose; I wasn't annoyed that he'd called, I was annoyed that I'd snapped at him.
"Hey love, sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay…you're busy then?"
"Always, love. But what about you, shouldn't you be doing something? Like guarding the road?"
"No one's been through for an hour. Besides, I miss you."
"Donald, I love you, but that's no reason to call; I'm alright." I heard footsteps approaching my door and a knock, telling Don to hang on. "Oh, it's Taylo- are those eggs?"
She looked at the plate in her hands and nodded, curiously.
"Get them out, I can't stand the smell." I snapped, again feeling bad. "Look, love, I'll see you later at tea or something. Tay's turned up and I've got to run Dan down for some signatures. Je elsker deg."
"Love you too."
I put the phone down, just as Taylor came back empty handed. "Sorry Lith, I just thought you might want something to eat…"
I sighed, "Sorry, Taybear, I'm just not feeling right as of late."
"Ain't that the truth." My sister smirked, sitting in the chair across from me, leaning back onto two legs. "You've been real touchy lately. I was gonna say; you on a permanent period or something?" She chuckled, switching to Russian so that Winters wouldn't get horribly embarrassed at the thought of us and periods. I let out something between a snort and a laugh and went back to looking through my paperwork. And then I thought.
I haven't had my period.
"Did you get yours?" I asked, scrolling through the little calendar on my desk, dotting some dates. Taylor furrowed her brow and said that she had.
Okay…so where was mine?
I looked at the calendar, checking the dates. Tay and I ran like clockwork; we could tell you down to the exact hour that we would get our period and for Tay to get hers and me not get mine. Mind you, I hadn't really thought all that much about it, since I'd been on the go constantly for the last three months since we got here. When I looked at the last time I'd had my period, it was just days after we found that camp.
Now, granted, Don was the only man I'd ever been with in my life, but that didn't mean I didn't know what this looked like. It would certainly explain why I'd been feeling (and being) sick, all the bloating and the sudden aversion to milk and eggs…and why my boobs were killing me all the time. I dropped my pen and slowly raised my head.
"I think I'm pregnant." I said in a somewhat monotonous, quiet alarm and a stunned expression. Tay had a matching expression, which didn't falter even when she fell backwards off her chair and jumping back up and leaning over the table.
"Are you kidding? Don't you know?"
"How should I? I've never been pregnant before!" I hissed back, getting to my feet. Taylor looked at my stomach, as I did I.
"You think we should go to the clinic? You wanna go?"
"I think I probably should." Taylor was already getting my things and pulling her keys out of her pocket. We were just getting to the door, when Winters appeared from his own office.
"Is everything alright? I heard a crash?"
"Yeah, fine sir, fell out of my chair." Tay spoke quickly, the two of us trying to escape before too many questions got asked. Winters raised an eyebrow.
"Alright…something wrong? You going somewhere?" He crossed his arms, concern in his eyes.
"Dunno yet sir; I have to go, erm, out, and it's important."
"Very important." My sister nodded her head. Winters nodded, sensing it was important or urgent (actually it was both), allowing us to go, but called after me.
"Should I tell Malarkey?"
"Don't tell Malarkey!" We called in unison as we hurried out of the office.
After a lot of prodding and poking and questioning from the Doctor, Tay and I waited on pins for the verdict.
"Well, Mrs Malarkey, you are indeed pregnant; I'd say around 3 months or so." He smiled, lacing his fingers. I gave him a bewildered smile, nodding as he told me what I needed to do, to take it easy, get plenty of sleep and gave me a list of things I would need, that I could pick up from the chemist down the street as well as a doctor's note for work. We thanked the doctor, still nodding and smiling, as we left, walking shocked to the jeep. We sat against the bonnet, Taylor offering me a cig like she usually did, but we both paused, muttering an oh and pulling our hands apart, my hand instead settling on my stomach.
How in the name of Odin, could I miss that? Of course, I'd been getting dressed in the dark because I'd been up so early to get my work done, but still how could I miss it when I got in the bath or the shower. How had Don missed it? He saw me with my clothes off more than I did! When I saw it in the doctor's office, I'd noticed how much of a bump there was. No wonder my uniform felt snug.
Speaking of Don, how would he take this? He'd lost some part of himself, he was still grieving over Skip and Pink, we were still in a war zone…we hadn't even gone home yet, we'd had no real life together and now, there was a baby on the way. Would he even be ready for a baby? Was I ready? Mind you, I didn't have any choice; it was my baby and it was coming whether I liked it or not. A sudden rush of emotions hit me, to go along with the worry of Don accepting this baby. I'd still smoked, I'd still had a drink…the swirling mothering instincts that had surfaced in me began to panic at whether or not I'd harmed my child. The doctor had said ever thing seemed fine, but now that I knew, I had to do my best to take care of this child, after all, the medical aid that we had at home, we didn't have here.
In the midst of all my thoughts, I heard a hiccup, though I should've known it would be my sister.
"I'm so happy!" She near wailed, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me. "A baby! I love babies!"
"Why don't you go talk to your husband; I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I gave her a devilish wink.
"I hate that you talk like that, but I'll forgive you, seeing as I'm going to be an Aunt."
We walked arm in arm to the chemists, where the young woman in there started chatting to me about being a mother and I picked up a bottle of nice aftershave.
When we headed back to the HQ, Taylor excitedly asked me what I wanted, what I was going to call it, and more importantly, when was I going to tell my husband, suggesting that I do it on our anniversary.
"Why'd you get him some aftershave, anyway? He aint gonna need it."
"Well, Taylor, I hardly think that going up to my husband and saying Happy Anniversary darling, I didn't get you anything because I'm having your baby and that's a gift enough would be quite right, would it?" I asked, glancing at my sister. For a minute, she kept a straight face before she snorted and started to laugh.
"Oh my God, do it; I'd pay to see you do that!" She laughed, the two of us falling into a laughing fit. We were still laughing when we got back to the office and went into see Winters. We found him talking to Nixon, Welsh, Dan and Spiers.
"So, what's the verdict? Nothing bad I hope?" The Good Major smiled, leaning against his desk. Suddenly, I forgot how to speak, so I just thrust the doctor's note into his hands. He studied it, before he smiled, a half-chuckle escaping his lips.
"What? What is it?" Danni asked; finally, something she didn't know.
Winters' eyebrow piqued. "What's Malarkey got to say about it?"
"What's he got to do with it?" I joked, my hand protectively on my stomach. "Nothing yet, I haven't told him."
"What? Haven't told him what? Are you okay?" Dan fussed, hating to not know what was going on. Winters just smiled and handed Danni the doctor's note, coming over to kiss my cheek and congratulate me while Danni just stood in slack jawed shock.
"Are…oh my Gawd, are y'all serious?" She shrieked and me and Taylor laughed, having bet earlier that she'd react like one of those good ol' Southern Meemaws. "I'll be! Oh mah, Lithy, really?"
"No, Dan, it's a small cushion." I rolled my eyes with a smile.
"Mah, oh mah! Lookit you! well, I'll be darned; sweetiepah, I'm so happy for y'all!"
"Thanks; can you sign those reports for me now then?"
I decided to keep it a secret from Don, wanting wait until our anniversary. I don't know why, but as soon as someone says that you're pregnant, its if your body says hey look, here's the proof and you start showing. I felt like I'd ballooned in just a few days. Taylor checked in on me as often as she could and if she didn't, Hall did. Even Winters poked his head out of his office more than before, asking if I needed anything and wouldn't even let me make a cup of coffee. Danni seemed to want to pander to me and came back one afternoon with some of my old clothes, including some elastic waist trousers, instead of my uniform, so it wasn't so constricting on my bump. I'd been dreaming too, strange dreams, but in each of them was Skip. Just Skip, on his own. The strangest dream I had, was that I'd woken up in our room, in the day with the balcony doors open, the white curtains flowing with the breeze. I sat up, swinging my legs over my bed and walked to the doors, where I suddenly found myself in a different room. Skip stood in the middle of a round room, the white walls matching the painted white wood floor, but what caught my attention, was the crib in the middle of the room, with the pretty white mesh netting you see on those fancy cribs. He grinned as I looked over the crib and saw a baby with soft brown eyes and blonde hair. Skip's mouth didn't move, but I heard him speak, Isn't he cute, he asked, but when I went to look up at him, he was gone and I woke up. Like always, I'd had a feeling that this might be a sign and after I'd had that dream, I decided I knew that my baby would be a boy.
Though, the following days weren't filled with much joy; the night I'd found out about the baby, Chuck, who'd been driving two replacements to their post, accompanied by Taylor, who was stressing out from planning her wedding, had been shot by a drunk replacement in I Company.
"Well, is she alright? Has she been shot too?" I asked Tab, as he came to the door to get me. Apparently she was asking for me, didn't want to worry Hall she said.
"In the leg I think; they don't think it's serious."
I nodded, "Right, is Cowboy up? She'll want some clothes; I should go get some." I muttered, hearing Don stir behind me. I opened the door a little wider, standing on the outside to talk to him. Tab gave me an odd look, looking down at me and at first I wondered if it was because of what I was wearing; my tank top and a pair of PT shorts, until I realised that my bump was peeping out from between the two items. I quickly put my hand over it, trying to cover it and holding my finger up to my lip.
"Don't say a word to him." I whispered. "He'll lock me in and never let me out. Let me go to Taylor; she needs me."
"Mouse, you're preg-"
"I know I am, but my sister needs me and I'll be fucking damned if I don't go. Let me get dressed."
"I don't like this."
"And I don't like people shooting my sisters or my friends, but they do it anyway." I retorted. Tab pulled his lip, reluctant to let me go, now that he'd realised my current situation. He began to argue with me again about it, just as Bull and Popeye turned up, looking and sounding shocked when they heard Tab talking about my unborn child.
"Shut up idiot! He'll hear you!" I hissed, peeking through the crack in the door. "Yes, I'm having a baby, but you just dare stop me going to her." I threatened. Tab, knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere and that I'd go with or without him, relented.
I threw on my trousers, found my oversized cardigan and was pulling on my slip on shoes when I hopped over to Don.
"Donald, get up." I slapped his arm, jolting him awake. "Chuck and Tay have been shot. She needs me, I'm going and Tab wants you."
He jumped up, throwing on his clothes as he left our room, "Can we shoot the son of a bitch on sight?" He asked, his shirt over his arm and M1 in hand. I wasn't paying much attention, because when we got down stairs, it was as if a black mist had descended upon the ACS. Hall, was quite rightly, enraged that someone had shot not only one of his friends, but his wife-to-be.
"Mouse, I'll kill him." He growled, his eyes dark and looking a lot like Joe.
"Edward, if he looks like he's going to do something stupid, pop him in the ass and give him a matching scar. Let 'em both be in hospital for their wedding." I snapped. "She's going to be okay, alright?" I tried to reassure him, but he shrugged my hand off his shoulders and stormed off with Babe in tow. I turned to Don with a helpless look.
"I'll keep my eye on him." He promised, before stopping me. "Here; in case." I looked down to the hand gun he was holding; I'd better take it, to give him a break from worrying.
I don't think I'd ever driven that fast and I hoped I'd never have to. I finally understood, racing through the halls of the hospital looking for her and Chuck, Spiers or Roe, how she had felt when I'd been hit.
"Mouse, over here." Spiers called. He looked almost as angry as Hall had when he left. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed, pointing at my bump that I quickly covered with my cardigan.
"My sister wanted me, so here I am." I replied, glancing around. "How is she?"
"Hit in the side and the leg; not much damage but she'll be on bedrest for the next few weeks; don't wanna stay in no hospital, she says." Gene replied and I nodded.
"And Chuck?" I asked, feeling sick and unable to discern whether it was because of the baby or I was worried for my friend.
"He'll live." A German voice announced and I turned to face the surgeon. "He might not be able to talk and he could be paralyzed, but he'll live. The young lady will be fine; they're just finishing up."