We'll Meet Again is 3 years old tomorrow! Enjoy this update in celebration. :)
Chapter Seventeen
Nora wandered through the first floor of the giant house, trying to make sense of the layout. There were two bedrooms downstairs, and probably at least three more on the upper floors. Speirs had chosen this as their company C.P., and she would be quartered in it during their time in Hagenau, along with Lipton, Luz, Speirs, and whoever else they decided should be nearby. It had been ages since any of them had slept in a bed - they were in the process of setting up a showering tent, too. The morale had skyrocketed from just these small improvements. It seemed as if they might be on the tail-end of their troubles in this war, though none of them dared to voice that hope aloud.
Nora went into one of the bedrooms and grabbed a blanket, rolling her shoulder absentmindedly. She'd finally taken her sling off a few days ago (earlier than Roe would have liked), as her shoulder was almost completely back to normal after just a few weeks of resting it. She walked back to the main parlor, throwing the blanket over Lipton, who had just settled onto the sofa.
"He's got pneumonia," Luz said, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Nora glanced over to see who he was talking to, and her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise when she saw Webster standing there.
"Oh, hey, Webster!" She greeted brightly. Webster acknowledged it with a small, grateful smile and a nod. Nora imagined that he probably wasn't thrilled to be back with Easy Company - the men were known to give him a hard time.
"I'm sorry to hear that you're sick," He told Lipton.
"What are you sorry about?" Luz replied, adjusting the blanket over his first sergeant. "He's alive. He's got a couch, a goddamn blanket - snug as a bug."
"Sgt. Malarkey said to check with the C.O. if I should be in second platoon." Webster said. Lipton was looking over a supply list that Luz had handed him, and Nora knelt behind him to look at is as well. He turned to give her a wry look at the lack of privacy and personal space, and she gave a playful wink in return.
"Have a seat, Webster," He told Webster, ignoring her. "We'll get you situated."
Webster took a seat on one of the trunks scattered about, "How long have you been sick?"
"Long enough," Lipton replied. In fact, he'd come down with pneumonia shortly after Nora was shot. She'd been reprimanded dozens of times for attempting to nurse him when she was supposed to be resting herself, and Luz had stepped up out of necessity to keep an eye on them both.
"Is this the company C.P. for easy?" A new voice asked. Nora stood back to her full height when she saw the lieutenant standing in the foyer. He looked like he was barely out of high school.
"Yes, sir." Lipton replied as Webster stood at attention.
"As you were," the young man said. "Lt. Jones looking for Captain Speirs."
"He's on his way, sir," Lipton replied, "why don't you have a seat."
A minute later, Speirs made his entrance, hands full and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Nora's eyebrows furrowed when she saw that he was carrying an old book in one hand and a gold-faced clock in the other. She wondered briefly what use he had for them, but decided that she didn't need to know. He reprimanded Lipton, insisting that he go and rest in one of the back bedrooms.
"Listen up," Winters announced as he entered the room with Nixon, "Regiment wants a patrol for prisoners,"
Nora's frown deepened.
"This one comes straight from Colonel Sink," Nixon added, "so, it's not my idea."
"Since the river's the main line of resistance," Winters continued, "We're gonna have to cross it to get to them."
"What do we need to do?" Speirs asked, arms hanging limply at his side. He was just as enthused as everyone else by the news.
"There's a three-story building on the enemy side, up the embankment" Winters said, "We know it's occupied. You can have 15 men. Think very hard about who you want to lead the patrol. You'll need a lead scout and a translator. I've got the entire battalion on covering fire."
"When?" Speirs asked.
"Tonight, 0100," He answered, "And Speirs, I want this one to be as foolproof and as safe as possible. Don't take any chances."
Winters, Nixon, and some of the other men who'd been hanging about began to file out, and Speirs leaned over to speak to Lipton in low tones about who might go. Nora watched, arms crossed, as the new guy, Lt. Jones, stopped Winters.
"Sir, I'd like to go on the patrol," He said. Nora wondered why Winters had made the announcement without even stopping to survey who was in the room instead of pulling Speirs aside and giving him a chance to process it in private and make decisions in peace. Winters stared at the boy for a long moment and then turned to look over his shoulder.
"Speirs, I'll talk to you in an hour," He said, before excusing himself without a single word to Lt. Jones.
"Nora," Lipton said, pulling her attention back to the men murmuring beside her. She uncrossed her arms and turned to see both Lipton and Speirs staring up at her expectantly.
"I said, what do you think?" Speirs repeated. "Could a non-comm lead this?"
Nora shrugged and stepped closer, "Malarkey could do it, but he's had it rough lately. He could use a break." She replied in a low tone.
Webster and Lt. Jones watched in fascination as the two officers nodded thoughtfully at her response and then began to throw out other suggestions. Speirs had started making a point to ask for Nora's thoughts on big decisions and strategies a few weeks ago, and her responses hadn't disappointed, so he kept asking. It had been the only thing that kept her from going stir crazy with her shoulder injury, and now it pained her to think about going back to her medic duties after having this taste of responsibility.
"Captain, request permission to go on the patrol," Lt. Jones interrupted loudly. The three of them turned to look at him, and Nora could feel the annoyance rolling off of Speirs in waves.
"No," He said, his tone flippant. "You don't have any experience. Report to 2nd platoon."
Jones acquiesced, turning to leave without argument, and Webster jumped in to explain his own confusion about where he should report. Speirs dismissed him to go to 2nd platoon as well, and Nora could see the tension in the C.O.'s shoulders. He was frustrated and anxious about picking names for such a foolhardy mission. She was, too, but she figured she could help carry some of that burden.
"McClung and Ramirez," She suggested in a whisper.
Speirs called out to Jones as they left, "Tell Mcclung, Ramirez, and...Heffron that they're going."
Nora's stomach sank a bit at the inclusion of Babe, but she knew it wasn't fair to play favorites, so she said nothing. The two younger men left, and Speirs stood to his full height, shoving his hands into his hair. He really didn't want to do this.
"Why don't you let Lipton and I toss it around for a little bit and then you can make the necessary changes and approve it," She suggested. Speirs chewed on his lip for a moment, before nodding.
"I'll go talk with munitions and make sure everything's in order." He said. "I'll be back in thirty." He said, excusing himself. Nora snatched the sheet of paper from Lipton's hand and folded it over so that she could write on the back side. She sat down on the edge of the couch (Lipton's legs still stretched the length of it) and wrote Heffron, Mcclung, Ramirez at the top in slanted script.
"Malarkey should lead it," Lipton said, though she could tell he hated every syllable. "He has the most experience. He can conduct a safe patrol."
Nora considered it, chewing on her lip. He was right. But Malarkey was so, so weary. Everyone could see it. The thought of putting this on his shoulders was unbearable. She nodded, writing his name at the top. She looked up to see Lipton staring at the name with heavy, weary eyes.
"Why don't you go take that nap Speirs ordered?" She suggested. Lipton looked at her for a long time, conflicted. He clearly wanted to argue, but knew that he was too exhausted to put up a fight. "I mean it, Lip. I can handle it."
When Nora finally got Lipton settled in one of the back bedrooms, she sat back down with her list and continued turning the options over in her mind. As with many problems presented in a war, there was no real way to win. Assembling the safest, most foolproof team meant enlisting the men who were already the most overworked and the weariest. However, they would likely survive. They couldn't, in good conscience, choose men who had a less likely chance of surviving when better options existed. Still, it wasn't fair, and it certainly wasn't easy.
When Nora finished the final draft of her list, she checked the gold-faced clock that Speirs had left on the counter. She still had fifteen minutes, so she went to the bank of the river with a pair of binoculars and tried to map out the best place to cross the river and the best route to the building from the opposite bank. Speirs joined her after a few minutes, having come to the bank as well to get a look for himself. He said nothing as he stood next to her, watching her work. She had a number of papers scattered atop the stone wall, where she was leaning and sketching out plans and lists. Without looking up, she pulled one folded sheet from the bottom of the pile and held it up to him between two fingers. He took it and flipped it over, reading the list.
"It's a lot of second platoon," he noted.
"Winters wants the best. They're the best." She said simply, her tone making it clear that she didn't like it either. Speirs nodded.
"There's a good crossing point about 100 yards that way," Nora added, pointing. Speirs leaned forward to get a look. "If they cross here, they won't be able to get back up the bank. It's too muddy. Besides, there's better brush cover over there."
She wordlessly slid another sheet of paper over to him, and he took a minute to read it. She'd drawn a bird's-eye view map of all of the buildings on the other side and sketched in a dotted line to show the possible route.
"It's the shortest and least conspicuous route, but they'll have to bring thick gloves and wire cutters, because there's a stretch of barbed wire right about here," She said, pointing to a squiggly line on the drawing and then handing him the binoculars so that he could check for himself. "There will be plenty of cover if they follow this route. Wood piles, sheds…"
"Covering fire will be coming from that building right there." Speirs told her, gesturing to a high window in a building nearby. Nora studied it for a moment before nodding approvingly.
"I've gotta take this list to Winters." He announced, holding up the list of names. He glanced at the other sheets as well. "Mind if I…?"
She shook her head, and he scooped up the other plans as well, shuffling them into a neat stack. "Would you care to let Malarkey know what's going on?"
"Of course," She replied, taking the binoculars back from him and hanging them around her neck.
"And Price?" He said as she turned to walk away. She stopped, looking him in the eyes for the first time in this interaction. He didn't speak for a long moment, and Nora could see the evidence of a battle going on inside his head. He seemed unable to find whatever words he was searching for. Nora waited patiently - he wasn't a particularly expressive man, so it was far from odd. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Thank you."
When Nora found Malarkey, he was waiting in line for the showers. She kept her eyes averted from the entrance of the shower tent and pulled him aside. She leaned close to his ear to keep the conversation between them.
"You'll be leading the patrol," she said, earning a sigh from him. She forced herself to ignore the tightness in her chest and continued, "From 2nd platoon, we need you, Jackson, Liebgott, Wynn, and Webster. Shifty from 3rd platoon as well."
Malarkey nodded silently and walked away, summoning 2nd platoon to deliver the news. Nora stood rooted to her spot, watching the men's faces as they questioned the roster. After a minute, Babe glanced over Malarkey's shoulder to give her an exasperated look, and she averted her eyes. She decided she should get back to company C.P. and see if there was anything else Speirs and Lipton needed help with. She didn't make it very far before Babe caught up to her.
"Hey, Nora, what's the deal with this roster?" He asked, walking quickly to keep pace with her.
"Somebody has to go, Babe." She answered.
"Yeah, but all of 2nd platoon?" He challenged, grabbing her arm and stopping her. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard that she thought it might bleed.
"I'm sorry, Babe," She said, "You know that I'd go myself if they'd let me."
"Yeah, I know," He replied begrudgingly.
"Hey," she said softly, "look at me. It's not an impossible mission, okay? It'll be fine, and when you get back, you'll have a break." She said. She shouldn't have said it - she certainly couldn't guarantee it, but she could push for it. Babe nodded morosely, and Nora's stomach twisted and churned.
Speirs and Winters stood silently, watching the river. Lt. Jones had just come to push his involvement in the patrol again, along with Vest, who longed to see some action before the end of the war. Winters had approved for both of them, and Speirs thought about how they could adjust the roster to accommodate the new members. The biggest issue was Malarkey, who Winters had been convinced could use a break.
"Who do you have in mind leading this thing, if not Malarkey?" Speirs asked Winters as Jones and Vest trudged away through the snow. Winters said nothing for a moment and then sighed.
"I'd love to hear what you're thinking, first." He replied, crossing his arms against the cold and turning to look at the captain. Speirs eyed him for a moment, clearly debating if it was worth it to speak his mind.
"Go on, Captain. Who's the best person for the job?" Winters pressed, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear someone else say it aloud - wanting the assurance that he wasn't crazy.
"She's already done most of the strategizing herself. And it's a good plan. Given the circumstances." Speirs finally spoke up, causing Winters to exhale deeply and place his hands on his hips, conflicted.
"Am I crazy, Speirs?" He asked. He was really considering it.
"No, sir. She could do it." Speirs told him with a simple confidence. Still, Winters was learning to read Ronald Speirs, and he didn't seem completely at ease.
"Do you have any misgivings about it?" He asked. Speirs didn't reply for a moment, which gave Winters hope that the man was going to talk him out of it.
"All personal." He finally admitted quietly. Winters nodded, rubbing the stubble on his jaw.
"Mine too." He agreed. He had no reason to keep her from doing it, except that he was afraid she would get hurt. Well, and then there was the fact that he wasn't actually supposed to. But Speirs was right. She could do it. And with that knowledge, how could he live with himself if he put someone less experienced in charge, and men died?
"Sink doesn't hear about it until after it's over." Winters finally announced, having come to a decision. Speirs nodded, and the men immediately set off to find their new patrol leader.
"Nora," Speirs called as Nora headed to the house where they would be briefing the patrol team. Winters was walking with him, and they gestured for her to step aside and have a word with them.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the way Speirs' brow was knitted tightly, his posture ramrod straight.
"There's been a change of plans," He replied, glancing at Winters.
"Malarkey needs a break," Winters explained.
"Of course," Nora agreed, relieved that they'd come to this conclusion. "So, who do you think? Grant? Martin?"
"It doesn't seem right to send an NCO when we've got a perfectly good officer. We were wondering if you'd be up for it." Speirs said, cutting straight to the point. Nora looked between the two of them, waiting for the punchline to drop. They said nothing, and Winters gave a minute nod when Nora's eyes flicked to him.
"Provided that your shoulder is doing well enough." Winters added.
"...Me?" She asked, needing confirmation. They nodded.
"You, Captain." Speirs said, the corners of his mouth quirking just slightly.
"Is this...a joke?" If so, it was a cruel one. She knew that neither Speirs nor Winters were the kind to have fun at someone else's expense, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe what they were saying. "What about Sink?"
"Sink wants it to be foolproof," Winters said cryptically, "we think you might be the person to ensure that."
Nora could read the subtext in his eyes easily enough - Sink didn't know, and she would be risking her place in Easy Company by taking the opportunity. But what other risk was more worthwhile than this one? This was what she had wanted from the beginning. What she hadn't even dared to hope for.
"Yes, sir." She replied dutifully. Winters gave a close-lipped smile. It was clear neither of the men were particularly comfortable with this decision.
"Let's go brief your men, then."
Nora wasn't sure how the men would react to her leading the patrol, and she was trying to prepare herself for anything. She was particularly concerned about Cobb and Liebgott, who both had a certain candor to them. She paused in the doorway of the building, taking a moment to collect her thoughts, and she turned to look up at Speirs when he placed a hand on her back. He gave her a reassuring nod. She allowed him to guide her into the building, and he stayed close when they came into the dining room, where the men were all gathered around the large oak table.
"Ten-hut!" Jones called as Winters entered with Nora and Speirs on his tail. Nora resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the show of ceremony. Winters told the men to be at ease, and they sat back down as the three officers entered.
"Gentlemen," Winters began, "As you can see, we've assembled 15 of you here for this prisoner snatch, 0100." Actually, Nora thought, it was more than fifteen with the additions that Winters had made to the roster. She hadn't been thrilled when Speirs told her on the way that Jones and Vest would be joining them. "Just a couple of points. We've secured four rubber boats to get you across the river. Captain Price, here, is the ranking officer and will be leading the patrol."
Nora tried to keep her face expressionless as the men reacted, all turning to give her slack-mouthed looks. It was difficult to read their reaction, but Nora didn't have time to consider it as Winters pressed on, "The whole battalion will be covering your withdrawal. We hear these whistles, we open up." He pulled out the whistles, holding them up to emphasize the point. "So don't blow 'em until you're back in the boats with your prisoners. We want the house destroyed, so you'll be laying some demo on a time delay. Move fast, and be careful. Remember, this is about prisoners. Don't pop the first thing that moves. Any questions?"
"Captain Price, sir?"
Nora wasn't sure if Lt. Jones was questioning the decision, or if he was asking because he didn't know who she was. Everyone turned to look at the young officer. Winters' stare could kill.
"Problem, Lieutenant?" He asked.
"No, sir." The young man replied, falling in line.
"Price, have you chosen your assault team?" Winters asked, returning to business as usual.
"McClung, Sisk, Cobb, Garcia, and Webster." Nora replied firmly. "The rest of you guys, a base of fire with Grant." She added, taking one of the whistles from Winters and tossing it to Grant. "You speak German, right, Webster?" She asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, a little bit." Webster replied, nodding.
"Alright, good luck." Winters said, patting Nora on the shoulder before heading out.
"Hey, Jones," Liebgott called. Nora turned to see that Jones still wasn't hiding his exasperation very well. "Ever taken a bullet?"
"No," Jones replied. Liebgott was quiet for a long moment, and an intimidating smile spread over his face.
"Captain Price did," He said. "And she laughed."
The others chuckled at that, and Jones straightened a bit. Nora certainly hadn't expected Liebgott to be the one to jump to her defense, but she wasn't going to question it.
"I don't suppose I have to warn anyone," Speirs spoke up for the first time, causing everyone to fall quiet again, "that not listening to the Captain will get you killed."
The room was silent as the warning fell. Nora knew he meant that the ensuing chaos of not following orders would make for an unsuccessful mission, but it sounded unmistakably threatening. Given Speirs' reputation, the men would definitely interpret it as such - new rumors of his brutality would abound tomorrow.
"Alright, we reconvene at 1000 hours to start prepping - not a moment later," Nora ordered before walking out. Speirs followed her, and they both caught up to Winters to smooth out some final details.
"Captain Price?" Webster said, approaching their group hesitantly. Nora turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Liebgott and I - we both speak German."
"So?" She asked, though she knew what he was getting at.
"You said 15 men. There are 16 of us, including two translators." He continued. Nora's heckles rose.
"Perhaps you'd like to give me a math lesson some time," She said, her eyes hard. "At the women's OCS, they only taught us how to count to ten."
Webster, surprised by her vitriol, glanced behind her at Speirs, Winters, and Nixon, who were doing a poor job of disguising their amusement. Even Winters was staring down at his boots and scratching the back of his neck in an attempt to hide the upturned corners of his mouth.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am...I just thought-" He began, but Nora cut him off.
"I know what you thought." She said. Well, perhaps she didn't know exactly what he was thinking, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he wanted to be off this patrol. He'd certainly downplayed his German skills when she had asked about them. Before he had been shot in Holland, he had bragged about speaking German constantly.
"Liebgott," She called out to the man as he passed by, "Why don't you sit this one out?"
Liebgott's relief was apparent as he thanked her and hurried off. She looked back at Webster.
"Anything else?" She asked. Webster appeared to be grinding his teeth.
"No, ma'am." He said before excusing himself.
"Remind me not to cross you," Nixon said as she turned to rejoin their group.
"You cross me every day, Nix."
When Nora finally returned to company C.P., Luz was there shuffling through supplies with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a generally frazzled demeanor. He looked up when she walked in and threw his arms up in a questioning gesture.
"You're going on the patrol?" He asked. Nora considered correcting him - she wasn't just going on the patrol, she was leading the patrol - but decided against it as she watched his wild expression. Maybe he needed to get some sleep in a real bed more than any of them.
"They needed an officer, and I was available," She said, shrugging.
"I can't believe this," Luz said, shoving a hand through his thick hair.
"Me neither," Nora agreed.
"Well, can you get me on the roster?" He asked, as if it was the most obvious course of action or something they had already discussed. Nora's brow relaxed as she pieced together why he was so upset. He wasn't upset that she was going, he was blindsided by the fact that she was going without him. They'd been inseparable for a long time now, always watching the other's six.
"The roster is set, Luz." She said, crossing the room to speak to him head-on. "We can probably put you on covering fire, though."
Luz pulled the cigarette from his mouth and nodded, looking away.
As she watched him fidget, she was overcome with a sudden affection for the man who had become her best friend. He had immediately offered to jump onto a patrol that no one really wanted to go on just for the sake of sticking close to her. She rushed forward and embraced him, holding him tight. He returned the embrace.
"It'll be fine." She said.
The men each had their own way of expressing their anxiety about the patrol. Luz continued to be inexplicably frustrated by every supply matter and question that came under his purview. Lipton seemed to be moping, though it was difficult to tell, where his energy levels were already somewhat depleted from the pneumonia. And Speirs? Well, Speirs, glued himself to Nora's side for the entirety of the afternoon and evening, relentlessly drilling her about the details and reminding her of things. Nora, interpreting this as a lack of trust, was quickly coming to the end of her rope.
"Don't forget about rattling." He said, following her around the parlor as she searched through the supplies Luz had received for anything that might be useful. She'd grabbed a couple of lighters that they could use to produce soot on the front sights of their rifles to prevent a glare. "They need to inspect their weapons for loose parts."
"We'll have plenty of time for it," Nora insisted as she continued to dig.
"Did you get the wire cutters?" He asked from over her shoulder.
"Yes," she replied shortly, setting a crate down a little harder than necessary. Speirs nodded and took a few steps back, hands on his hips. He seemed to at least be making an effort to extricate himself from her. It wasn't a full minute before he was back at her side.
"Belt buckles," He announced. "They'll need to be wrapped so that they don't clank."
"Ron!" She snapped, causing him to stop short. She had never called him by his first name before. "I appreciate the help, but I cannot think with you hovering like this."
Speirs' teeth gritted, clearly annoyed, as he thought about how to respond to the outburst. Lipton and Luz, who were both in the room working on their own tasks, stopped and exchanged a glance in the awkward silence that ensued. Nora stood square with the C.O., waiting for him to respond. After a few loaded moments, he wordlessly gestured back to the supply boxes, inviting her to go back to her work. She did, and he stood there with his arms crossed - he wasn't going to leave now, as a matter of pride, but he was notably silent this time as he watched her get organized.
Luz and Lipton watched as Nora continued to bustle around, and Speirs fidgeted nearby. He might not have taken it lying down if the other men had been around, but Luz and Lipton were already privy to the man behind the rumors. Still - it was a strange and entertaining sight to see the much-feared Captain Speirs struggling in an earnest attempt to listen to stubborn Nora Price.
The woman eventually offered an olive branch by asking him to grab a pair of pliers for her, and he practically jumped to complete the task.
"Alright, guys." Nora announced. They'd met in the cellar of a basement near the river bank, which would be their base of operations for the night. She'd insisted that the men for the patrol be the only ones present, for the sake of space and peace of mind as they prepared for the excursion. As an exception, she'd brought Malarkey along to help out, knowing that he was a face the men trusted and would find assuring. "Nothing rattles, nothing shines. No helmets."
They painstakingly inspected the entirety of their uniforms and everything that they would be carrying with them to ensure that nothing would make noise or reflect light. The plan depended on a 100% pure ambush - they couldn't risk prematurely announcing their presence. She bounced back and forth between the men, making sure that everything was done efficiently and properly, and trying to provide words of encouragement, before settling next to Babe. She was glad Malarkey had come - his presence was comforting, even for her, as he served them beans and gave them little pep talks. Maybe he should've led it.
"I trust you," Babe said quietly next to her, causing her eyes to dart over to his. His expression was somber but sincere. She gave him a grateful smile and placed a reassuring hand on his knee.
"Thank you," she said, pulling her own rifle off her back and beginning her own preparation. Soon, it would just be a matter of waiting for the clock to strike one.