Nora's ten-day leave had been a breath of fresh air, although she hadn't been able to relax as much as she would've liked. Her parents' excitement at having her home had made them almost manic with activity and she'd spent her days going places and visiting people with them. She often found herself stopping to wonder what the other men were doing with their time off. She knew a lot about their lives from conversation but she'd often try to picture them - it was strange to be constantly around people who were becoming your best friends but not know their families. For this reason, she didn't think it too strange that she imagined their home lives based on the details and pictures that had been shared.
Winters was probably spending time with his parents, just like her. Malarkey was probably getting into trouble in Oregon, spending time wooing Bernice. Nixon was likely at some fancy soiree that his family was throwing. Yes, the men were probably having much more exciting breaks than her, but she found she didn't care because the familiarity of her old life had felt good. Mundane had felt good.
Just as Winters had said, Easy Company was on it's way to Camp MacKall pretty much the minute they returned from leave. As much as Nora enjoyed her break, she was antsy to get back and keep training. Camp MacKall involved more tactical training and she was able to spend time with the men out on the field, working on maneuvers. To her delight, this is where she learned that Captain Sobel had another glaring weakness apart from his attitude: he had no concept of strategy and made mistakes rather easily under pressure. He was consistently getting members of Easy "killed" and the longer it went on, the less it seemed like a joke and the more it became like a nightmare.
Nora was just beginning to get used to Camp MacKall when news came that it was time to ship out and they received orders to pack up. As she packed, she wondered what the sleeping arrangements overseas would look like. She'd been lucky to receive the accommodations she had at both Toccoa and MacKall; she knew where all of this was leading and that she'd eventually be in close quarters with the men when the division entered combat. But she couldn't help but hope that, until then, she would retain her privacy.
Her fear was realized sooner than she'd anticipated when she boarded the ship that would be taking the 506th to its destination - England. The ship was extremely overcrowded, and the sleeping arrangements consisted of one giant room with cots built on top of each other against the walls. The officers had a separate space, but the arrangement was similar and it didn't seem like there was a private place anywhere on the boat. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to be, but thought she might blend into the bigger space better.
"Care to point me to an empty bed, fellas?" She called, dropping her giant duffle on the ground in Easy's territory. The men sitting on the bottom bunks looked up at her, and various heads popped out of the bunks above to look at her in surprise.
"They got you sleepin' in here, bird?" Bull asked around his cigar, sending a concerned look over his hand of playing cards.
"They haven't got me sleepin' anywhere, Bull. I'm making a place." She insisted confidently.
"Up 'ere, Nora!" Malarkey called. Nora began climbing up the bunks and on the third row up, found Malarkey laying against the wall with a magazine in hand. The bunks were two-deep, so she'd be sleeping next to someone no matter what, but the cot's edges were clearly defined, giving her the illusion of having her own space. She climbed up on the outside cot, ducking her head down in order to fit in the cramped space. The next two cots down held Muck and Guarnere, who were watching her, unsure what to think about the situation.
"Here, bird, why don't you switch me." Malarkey suggested, ever the gentleman. While she hated the idea of sleeping on the inside cot (what if she had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?), it would likely be a safer option for her first night sleeping in the general population. She'd already had her backside pinched about five times by soldiers from other companies since she'd gotten on the ship, and while she liked to think none of them were capable of hurting her, the truth was that Easy Company men were the only ones she knew enough to trust. And they would keep anyone from bothering her. With that thought, she nodded gratefully and made the switch with Malarkey, moving to sit against the wall. She watched as the men passed the duffle she'd left behind up past her cot and to the cargo net hanging above the bunks.
"Just a warning, Nora, I sleep in the buff." Muck told her with his signature smile.
"Like hell ya do." Guarnere spat, causing Nora and Malarkey to chuckle heartily.
As strange as it was, Nora couldn't help but acknowledge that there was a certain excitement about sharing in the men's experiences in this way. She had the thrilling feeling of breaking some kind of rule, but in a largely risk-free scenario, and that made sleeping in the cots kind of fun for her, despite the overwhelming smell of sweat and the rocking of the ship, which were enough to make anyone sick.
"Nora? Nora Price?" She heard a voice calling, just as many of the men were starting to settle down for the night. The men around her were already laying down, speaking in low voices to each other as they fell asleep. Nora leaned over Malarkey on her hands and knees and looked over the edge of his cot to find Nixon staring up at her incredulously. "Where the hell have you been?" He asked.
"Right here." She replied simply, thinking that it should have been obvious.
"Come down from there. We've got a place for you in the officers' room." He told her. She turned to look at the guys, who were all gazing up at her expectantly.
"Oh, so now I'm an officer?" She retorted, causing the men around her to snicker.
"Eleanor Price." He reprimanded, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You're really going to sleep in here with all these men?"
"It's these men or those men." She replied with a shrug of her shoulder, nodding her head in the direction of the officers' cabin. "I'm fine right here, thank you. Goodnight Lewis." She called sweetly. He shook his head in disbelief and said something to Bull, who was on a bottom bunk, along the lines of watching out for her, before he made his exit.
"That's sweet and all, but can you go to sleep already?" Guarnere asked, and she swatted at his head before settling back into her cot for the night.
Eleanor fell in love with Aldbourne the moment she arrived. It had the quaint feel of a small village, but there was still more to do than there had been at both Toccoa and MacKall. She also thoroughly enjoyed the setup of being quartered with British families. The elderly couple she was staying with, the Davies, were accommodating and personable, and were just about the wisest people she'd ever known. Sometimes she honestly enjoyed staying in and chewing the fat with them over walking around town with the men.
Training was another thing about Aldbourne that Nora was smitten with. Having received so much medical training already, she and Roe were freed up to join the others in combat training and the practicing of maneuvers. She was finally rubbing elbows with all of the men during training and was able to participate in activities that she actually enjoyed, like learning about fighting, firearms, and, above all, battle strategy.
She found she was learning a lot from Lieutenant Winters, whose team she was often selected for during practice maneuvers. While she was sorry to miss Sobel being made a fool of by Luz (a story she'd asked to hear dozens of times over), she was happy to be on a team where she was able to observe and learn as she practiced. Winters was a smart man who made sensible and wise decisions even under (simulated) distress. He also treated her as an equal, delegating responsibility to her when appropriate and refraining from "over-explaining" things to her. He expected her to know and understand just as much as the other men.
Winters' unfailing integrity and leadership skills made it so that the men felt increasingly loyal to him. When news that Sobel had court-martialed Winters trickled down through the company, they all, including Nora, were understandably displeased. As unfair as it was, however, Nora knew she couldn't jeopardize her career in Easy Company by joining in the growing movement of discontented men. So she proudly, albeit a bit cowardly, watched as a few men took a stand that, in the end, persuaded Colonel Sink to send Captain Sobel packing.
After Sobel's transfer for Chilton-Foliat, everything in Aldbourne moved much faster. Preparations for operation D-Day were becoming more intense and Nora spent much of her time outside of training staring at and attempting to memorize geographical layouts of France. She was loathe to admit that navigating seemed to be her number one weakness and she wanted to make sure she was on par. At this point, keeping up with the men was the last thing on her mind - she wanted to know what she was doing so that she could survive in situations where she couldn't depend on others. The looming uncertainty of when the invasion would be and what it would look like kept her intent on focusing.
It was this tension that made the men persuade her to come out with them again -this time, they insisted, it would be a real night out and not a military party (although, Nora argued, with a tavern that was certain to be full of paratroopers, the difference was miniscule). Nora remembered the good that celebrating with the men had done when she was back in America and decided that a night out (and the illusion of normalcy) could only help.
With that hope in mind, she set out to find a dress and, after settling on a green satin number that she'd found at a local consignment shop in Aldbourne, she had a tailor make a few adjustments. She let her hair down and, not having even a cap to hide it away this time, she took time to ensure that her hair was curled evenly all over and coiffed just right. She applied evening makeup as well, opting for a darker red lip than last time. She was surprised when, after strapping on her heels, looking in the mirror felt like a breath of fresh air. Yes, this had been a good idea after all. She felt better just having gotten dolled up. She heard a knock and grabbed her pocketbook, walking into the front room to greet a dapper-looking George Luz, whose expression resembled a trout when he saw her.
"You look lovely, dear." Mrs. Davies, who had greeted Luz at the door, told her.
"I second that." Luz added. Color rose into Nora's cheeks and she changed the subject by bidding the Davies goodnight. She took Luz's arm and allowed him to lead her to the tavern. After he took a moment to get over his shock at seeing her out of uniform, he became his usual comedian self and kept her entertained all the way there.
"Hot damn!" Muck exclaimed as Nora entered the bar on Luz's arm. Many of the men from Easy stood up and pulled off their caps as she approached. She smiled and nodded to them in greeting, gesturing for them to sit down.
"You clean up really nice." David Webster seconded him with a shy smile.
"Thank you, sirs." She told them, feigning confidence as she sat down to join them. Luz sat down next to her, and Toye excused himself from the table, insisting that he 'get a drink for the young lady.'
"Seriously, though, Bird." Guarnere told her, taking a sip of his beer and setting it back down. "You're a sight for sore eyes."
"Well, I'm sure I won't be by the end of the night. I was given to understand that there would be dancing here?" She replied, and the men's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Hell yeah, there is. I'll get them to put on some music." Guarnere responded before making his way over to the bar. Toye returned with her drink and she took a few sips. She may have felt subconscious about her appearance, but she certainly wasn't afraid to dance. It was one of her favorite things to do back home, and the one thing she had sorely missed at the jump wings party back at Toccoa. She'd worn feminine but practical heels in recognition of the fact that, if she were to dance, she'd likely be expected to dance with just about everyone. And boy, was she right about that.
Nora must have danced to twenty songs before the men allowed her to excuse herself for the night. She charged the atmosphere with energy as men from both Easy and Dog Company watched her dance different styles with different men, clapping along to the upbeat songs. Everyone wanted a chance to dance with the girl in the green dress. And, if they allowed their mind to drift back to reality, they took mental pictures of her, her loose hair flipping over her shoulders and the satin skirt of her dress twirling around her legs. Images that they could recall on the darkest, most painful nights ahead of them. D-Day was coming.
Eleanor groaned at Lieutenant Meehan's words and shucked her pack off her shoulders, dropping it to the ground. No jump tonight.
As scary as the invasion ahead of them was, the anticipation was even worse. They'd gotten all ready to go, only for it to be postponed at the last possible moment. It didn't help that the movie shown in order to "take their minds off of it" was the same tired Cary Grant film they'd watched at least half a dozen times since coming to Aldbourne. It did nothing to take her mind off the agonizing wait, and she hardly slept a wink that night, despite the fact that she desperately wanted and needed to rest before the big jump into Normandy.
The next day, when orders came to begin suiting up and preparing for the jump, Nora wasn't so sure it would happen after the previous false alarm. However, she stayed near Lieutenant Meehan in the preparation process, and he insisted that this time would be the real deal. Nora tried not to be bitter about the fact that she'd been put in Meehan's plane with a bunch of men from HQ. The idea made enough sense - If she stayed with the men who would be making up battalion headquarters, there would be no getting lost and she would be there to begin setting up first aid stations for the men who would need medical attention when they arrived. However, she felt deep down that this was just another under-the-table special measure that was taken to keep her safe. Naturally, she didn't feel too good about getting survival advantages over the men she'd grown to love in the last two years.
It wasn't until Eleanor Price was sitting on the plane next to her commanding officer that she understood the gravity of what was happening and all other concerns faded away. In just a few short hours, she would be dropping from the sky into a warzone.