AN: Sorry for the long wait! Couldn't recover those chapters, so I've had to start again haha
As the weeks dragged on, morale was threatening to drop. In the sweltering heat and under the constant baking sun, men suffered from heatstroke and dropped like flies. As well as heatstroke, other injures pulled them out of the field. Injuries from jumps and marches, mostly. Robin was lucky, the worst she had was blisters from the sun and large bites from Chiggers. She was constantly itching her arms and legs from Chigger bites. Her ankles were swollen and red. When the blisters on her shoulders popped, she pulled the musette bag off from her shoulder. Sitting down, Robin pulled down her shirt and took a look at the damage.
"Yikes". Welsh murmured while crouching in front of her, "those look rough, trooper".
"They suck, sir". She said quietly, "doc got any cream or that?"
Shaking his head, Welsh pushed up his helmet;
"they ran out".
"Fuck…". Robin cursed softly under her breath.
"Keep 'em covered". Welsh told her, "they start changing colour, get the doc".
"Alright, sir".
"Come on, up you get". He ordered, "back in formation, Bowie".
He then added;
"give your bag to Sergeant Martin".
"Yes, sir".
Her squad leader happily took Robin's bag, to save her shoulder. Falling back in with the rest of her squad, Robin marched alongside Blithe and Hoobler. For the next twenty or so miles, they marched up hills, through dark woods, and across rushing shallow streams. Setting up camp, a surprise was waiting for them. It was Bob. Tickled to see their best friend again, Robin, Dukeman, and Hoobler raced over to him and shook his hand. It had been one month since they last saw Bob and he noticed a huge difference in them;
"you all fucking smell".
Grabbing his head, Dukeman grinned and smothered Bob under his armpit;
"get a good smell, pal…we missed you".
Hoobler laughed;
"hey…leave him alone, man. The fella just got out of hospital".
Releasing Bob, the man looked pale but happy;
"I'm just glad they kept me in the Airborne".
"Aye, same". Robin smiled, "how was the hospital?"
"Boring…long". He listed, "shit".
Bob missed out just how relieved he felt to be back with his friends in Easy. He didn't tell his friends how much he missed them. With a sigh, he ended up telling them with a smile;
"great to be back, guys".
Dukeman punched him lightly on the arm;
"glad you're back, man. Need some help sorting those two idiots out".
"What's wrong with us?" Hoobler smirked, "me and Robin have been getting on like a house on fire".
"He's a silly boy". She grinned, "but a broken clock's always right twice, eh?"
Chuckling, Bob then asked;
"have I missed anything?"
"Not much". Dukeman replied, "same old shit, Bob".
"You meet any sweet nurses?" Hoobler teased, "you get any addresses?"
"Afraid not". Bob said, "too busy trying to find you fellas".
"Got anything for us?" Robin asked, "we've been eating shite for weeks".
He winked at her;
"got a bottle of something-"
"let's see?" Hoobler asked eagerly.
"Later, huh?" Bob smirked, "just a bottle of vodka".
"Where the fuck did you get that?" Dukeman huffed.
"There was one really nice nurse". He told him, "I didn't get her details, but she wanted mine. Before I left, she gave me some hooch".
"Never had vodka". Robin mumbled.
Bob grinned down at her;
"you're in for a real treat, pal".
"Act cool". Dukeman said to Hoobler and Robin, "don't go getting wasted".
"We'll be fine". Hoobler waved him off, "we're drinking tonight, right?"
"Of course!" Dukeman said, "we've 'gotta celebrate Bob's arrival – he's back with the boys!"
Robin punched the air and grinned;
"yeah, he is!"
…
They moved very gingerly the next morning and Robin's stomach sank, after being informed that they were crossing the river. She couldn't swim, so, crossing the Cumberland River scared her. The rubber boats could only hold five men and that was at a push. Martin was at the front, with Bob behind him. Hoobler gave her back a push;
"get on the boat, pal".
Hand running down her face, she whispered;
"can't we walk?"
"All the way around the river?" Dukeman raised his eyebrow, "that would take us days, bub".
"I 'dunno…". Robin mumbled.
Hoobler rolled his eyes;
"get in the damn boat, you big baby".
Sighing, Robin carefully got into the rubber boat and sat behind Bob. She was the only person who didn't look very impressed. Not even the beautiful mountain scenery made her feel better. When Hoobler sat behind her and Dukeman behind him, Hoobler grabbed the sides of the boat and started to rock it. He was laughing but Robin wasn't happy.
"Stop it, Hoob!" She exclaimed, "you're a fanny!"
Martin chuckled;
"come one, Hoob. I don't 'wanna fall in the damn river".
He stopped rocking the boat. With Welsh and Heyliger leading, the rest soon followed. Grabbing an oar, Robin helped guide the boat along the steady water. They worked as a team and followed the pace Martin set. Robin focused on that, rather than her fear of falling into the river. Giving her a few minutes, Bob looked over his shoulder and smiled at her;
"piss easy, right?"
"Just not thinking 'bout it". She mumbled.
"Good. Just keep yourself busy". Bob said, "we'll be across in no time".
Licking her dry and chapped lips, she asked;
"do bears piss in this water?"
"That's a firm yes". Dukeman told her, "don't drink it".
"No water left?" Hoobler asked, "we're supposed to ration it, you idiot".
"Fuck off, Hoob… it's melting out here". Robin muttered, "I've got a wee bit of water left in my canteen".
"Save it". Hoobler told her, "we'll get fresh water later".
For the first ten minutes, the water was smooth. But once reaching the middle, the boat started to rock and vibrate slightly. Splashes of water fell into the rubber boat, causing Robin to panic, thinking they were sinking. She let go of her oar to cover her mouth. Hoobler shook his head and grinned;
"you idiot, pal".
Martin saw the lone oar floating away. Sighing, he asked;
"is that your oar, Robin?"
"Aye". She replied, "are we sinking?"
"No". He told her firmly, "but you're on my list".
Hoobler snorted;
"Jesus, Robin".
"I think we should go back, eh?" Robin called to Martin, "waters getting rough".
"It's fine". Martin stressed, "just cool it, alright? You're 'gonna spook the whole Company".
"Nah, this is fucked, Johnny". She said, "waters getting into this shitty wee boat".
"It's fine, Robin". Dukeman assured her, "happens all the time. We'll be out of this rough patch soon".
"Could have gotten out faster but you dropped your oar". Hoobler teased.
Bob chuckled;
"you're an ass, Hoob. We'll be fine, let's just pick up the pace".
Biting down on her fingernail, Robin announced;
"I feel sick".
"Not in my boat!" Martin told her, "puke in the water".
Hoobler grinned;
"don't do that, Robin. Where's the bear 'gonna drink if you puke in its water?"
She wrapped an arm around her stomach and mumbled;
"Hoob, I'll fucking punch you".
"You already tried that, remember?"
"Aye, well, Lips not around now, is he?"
"Go on then". Hoobler chuckled, "will it make you feel better?"
She shrugged;
"'dunno…maybe".
Martin sighed;
"this boat has too much fucking drama in it".
She was pale and her skin was clammy. Robin felt very dizzy as well as nauseous. For the next few minutes, she was stuck inside her own head, concerned about her well-being. Bob eventually asked her;
"doing alright, pal?"
"I feel weird". She mumbled.
"Like what?"
"'Dunno…dizzy and stuff".
Bringing his oar into the boat, he laid it across his lap;
"you need to drink". Bob said as he brought out his canteen.
Unscrewing the cap, he handed it to her;
"few sips at a time, alright?"
"No vodka in it, right?" She asked.
Smiling, Bob shook his head;
"you're safe, bub".
With Robin drinking small sips of water, Bob continued rowing. The end was in sight, men in front of them had reached the shore and were climbing out of the boats. Robin's nightmare was almost over. However, it didn't end quickly enough. Screwing the canteen shut, she took in deep and shaky breaths. Swallowing thickly, Robin moved to the side of the boat. Behind her, Hoobler started to feel bad for his friend;
"you 'gonna puke, pal?"
Nodding, she ran a hand down her face, before gripping onto the side of the boat. She didn't want to. They were only minutes away from the shore and Robin was afraid Sobel would call her out for puking. Clenching her jaw, she held back and willed the feeling to vanish. When the boat bumped to shore, Robin stumbled onto land. Bob's hand fell on her shoulder, where he quickly led her behind a cluster of trees.
"Enjoy the boat ride over, Sergeant?" Welsh asked Martin.
With the sound of Robin vomiting in the background, Martin grinned;
"smooth sailing, sir".