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Sticking the radio inside her musette back and then grabbing her rifle, Nelly cast Hughes and Burges a small smile. They were going to attempt an escape. What worried her, was not being shot and dying, she was worried about being captured and held prisoner. But the Germans were occupied that morning; their Panzer unit had been pushed back by 1st Battalion in Carentan. It gave Nelly, Burges and Hughes an opportunity to sneak away through their only opening. She had it all mapped out in her head. They'd run by that 1st Platoon of Germans and then circle around toward hill30. From there, they could reach the farm between La Taute and the railroad track. Carentan wasn't far from the railroad track by La Taute.
Outside, it was foggy and rainy. The weather gave them perfect cover. But even still, the danger of dying or being captured was great. With her jump knife, Nelly widened the window and made it big enough for them all to crawl through. As the leader of the mission, she went first. Burges took a hold of her boot and pushed Nelly up, where she crawled through the gap. Belly now on wet grass, Nelly crawled a few feet away from the window to give her friends room. At the window, Burges waited for the all-clear. Nelly gave him the thumbs-up. And soon, Hughes and Burges made it out of their outpost. Staying low and crawling, Nelly led the way.
They could hear Germans talking faintly in the distance. But they didn't hear any shots being fired. Their uniforms were soon soaking from the wet grass. And Nelly saw the fog as being a problem – the fog covered them, but it also covered the Germans. And eventually, Nelly came to a sudden halt, as her face was just inches away from a pair of black boots. He didn't see her – not right away – not until Nelly held up her rifle and cocked it. But just as the German was about to turn around, she opened fire. That single shot started all three Platoons.
"Oh, shit...". Hughes said with a note of dread.
And Nelly agreed with him. Pushing herself up from the ground, she turned to face her friends and told them, "Run".
So, they ran. They ran through thick fog as yelling Germans sounded from every side. It didn't take long for the enemy to open fire, but the fog acted as such good cover, the Germans misfired. The only time the Germans ever saw them, was in close range. And they'd open fire at the three sprinting American Paratroopers. Hughes was about to shoot back at them.
"Keep running!" Nelly yelled from the front. "Don't stop – keep running!"
Burges almost laughed. "She sounds like Sobel!"
And for a moment, it was like a deadly game of hide and seek. Each time they were spotted, the enemy fired. The three troopers would involuntarily duck their heads at a run. Nelly spotted a couple of Germans manning an MG-42. Quickly, she brought out a grenade.
"To your right!" She yelled, "Get the nest!"
Burges and Hughes each took a grenade. Pulling back the pin, they tossed their grenades over at the machine gunners and hit the nest with a mighty bang. And as satisfying as that was, they were powerless against the mortars. But they had to keep running. As shells slammed against the ground, it tore up mud, grass, stone and hot shrapnel. The three of them stumbled when the earth trembled. Landing on their bellies, they ducked their heads into the wet grass.
"Shit!" Hughes screamed, "We're 'gonna die! We're 'gonna fucking die!"
Once again, the fog favoured the Americans and covered them. Not seeing them, the shells hit the earth surrounding the GIs, but they missed them. Timing the short breaks where the enemy had to reload the mortar, Nelly, Burges and Hughes got up and resumed running. Constant. The running was constant. Constant stress. Constant adrenaline. Nelly didn't think her feet touched the ground. And as they approached that gap between hill30 and La Taute, Nelly heard Hughes cry out.
"He's hit! He's hit!"
Turning, Nelly raced back and found Burges laying on the grass. But before Nelly could say or do anything, a shot rang out. Quickly, Nelly and Hughes hit the ground next to their wounded friend. Nelly shifted closer to Burges and found he was bleeding from the jaw.
"Richie, shoot that sniper". Nelly said while she reached for her small aid kit.
"I don't know where he is".
"He's somewhere on the right".
Frowning, Hughes sat up on one knee and looked through his sight. He couldn't see anything but fog, hedgerows and trees. And then, up in the top window of a farmhouse, Hughes located the sniper. Tuning in his sight, Hughes took in a deep breath and squeezed his trigger. And he almost grinned when the German sniper went down. But he saved his smile for a later time – for a time when they knew Burges would be okay.
"I can carry him, Nelly". Hughes offered.
"Over your shoulder". Nelly said.
"Yeah".
Wrapping the bandage around Burges's jaw and head, Nelly gave Hughes a nod and he picked Burges up and placed him carefully over his shoulder. She instructed Hughes to run straight and head for a gap between the trees to his right – there, they'd find the muddy path that led up to the farm. After blasting out a few shots from her rifle, Nelly turned her back and ran to catch up with Burges and Hughes.
In a barn, Nelly locked them inside while Hughes carefully set Burges down on a pile of straw. Catching their breath, the pair sat down on either side of their injured friend. Nelly reached into her bag and pulled out the radio. Twisting a few buttons, she reached Nixon's radio channel first.
"We're here. Do you copy?"
Static. Nelly was getting flashbacks from her time alone in Normandy.
She tried again. "Sir, we're here. Do you copy?"
Hughes frowned. "Try Welshy".
"Yeah". Nelly whispered. However, Nelly didn't get a response from Welsh either. The signal was useless inside the barn, but no one wanted to go out searching for one. Unhooking the strap from under her chin, Nelly took off her helmet and set it down by her leg. Running a hand through her sweaty and short curls, Nelly thought of what do to next. Leaving the barn with a wounded man wasn't ideal – they were close to Carentan but not that close. Hughes couldn't carry Burges quick enough. And Burges needed medical attention. Thumb and finger rubbing her tired eyes, Nelly's head hurt from all the ideas popping into her brain at once. Seeing that Nelly was verging on stress, Hughes pointed out to her softly.
"We didn't die".
Nelly huffed. "Not yet". She mumbled.
"Any ideas?"
"One". She said, "But it's...it might be fucking stupid".
"What is it?"
Fingers leaving her eyes, Nelly looked at Hughes. "You go back to Carentan".
"No fucking way". Hughes refused. "And leave you two? No way, Nelly".
"Tommy needs a medic". Nelly said to him softly. "I can't get a signal. And I can't go back to where we were to get one". She said, "So, you'll have to go".
Hughes couldn't argue with her, her idea sounded the most practical. But he felt bad. "I don't 'wanna leave you guys".
"I know". She said softly. "But...you have to, Richie".
"When?"
Rolling up her sleeve, Nelly checked her watch. Bobbing her head, she looked at Hughes. "Now would be good".
Hughes set her a soft smile. "You'll be alright?"
"We'll be fine".
They shook hands before Hughes left the barn and Nelly locked herself and Burges inside once their friend was gone. Turning back around, she approached Bruges and sat down next to him. Carefully taking Burges's head, she set it on her lap and began running her fingers through his hair. Burges was in and out of consciousness. He was losing blood but not a lot. The pain he felt must have been horrible, Nelly thought. Burges made a little noise of discomfort.
"I know...". Nelly whispered, "It hurts".
Burges's groaned. "Help...".
"I'm not...I'm not a singer but". She whispered, "I'll sing".
The first song that came to mind, Nelly had heard Skip and Malarkey sing.
"The moon and you appear to me...". She sang quietly. "So near and yet so far from me...". Her voice shook faintly as she sang. "And here am I on a night in June...reaching for the moon and you".
Burges couldn't smile. But he tried to listen and stay away from unconsciousness.
Nelly let out a quiet sigh before she continued to sing. "I wonder if we'll ever meet...my song of love in incomplete...I'm just the words, looking for the tune...reaching for the moon and you".
A tear rolled down Burges's cheek.
"I'm just the words looking for a tune...reaching for the moon and you". Nelly finished.
Peering down at Burges's face, Nelly saw his eyes were closed again.
Frowning, Nelly hoped Hughes would get help quickly.
...
Night fell, and Nelly waited. She talked to Burges, trying to keep him alive. She changed his bandage and fed him water – Nelly didn't sleep. Morning came and Hughes still wasn't back, and she still couldn't get a signal on the radio. One night was enough inside the barn, Nelly had to get Burges's help. Placing Burges's hands together, Nelly used his belt to tie them tightly in place. She then sat the young man up against the wall and placed his tied hands over her neck.
If help wasn't coming to them, Nelly would have to bring Burges to help. She couldn't carry him over her back, but she could drag him to Carentan. Using her belt, Nelly tied it around her waist and Burges's middle, to ensure he was stuck on her back. Only his legs would drag along the ground as Nelly moved him to safety. Before making a move, Nelly informed the radio.
"We're coming to you".
Switching the radio off, Nelly placed it inside her bag and dragged Burges out of the barn. The man was a dead weight and after only walking for ten minutes, Nelly had already worked up a good sweat. Her pace was slow, so as to not cause any further damage to Burges. Carentan was one and a half miles away, she didn't have far to walk. Nelly headed for the railroad track – it was a direct and straight line into the town. She wasn't sure why no one had come down to fetch Burges inside the barn. She assumed either Easy couldn't get to them somehow, they were no longer in Carentan, or Hughes didn't make it. Whichever reason it was, Nelly didn't like either of them.
Every now and then, Burges's boots would get stuck between each plank of wood that lined the track. Nelly would have to reverse and release his boot from the wood. The sixth time his boot got stuck, she somehow wasn't prepared. Falling face first, Nelly didn't get the chance to save her fall and she could hear her nose crack but that wasn't even the worst part – she had Burges lying on top of her, all of his weight and now pressing against Nelly.
With a small groan, Nelly turned her head to the side. Her nose was sore, she saw stars for a moment. Hands now flat against the wood, Nelly tried to push herself off from the ground but found Burges's weight made it next to impossible. She was stuck. And now she needed help. Burges made a noise – a faint whimper.
Nelly let out a sigh. "I know...". She whispered, "I'm sorry...I tried".
But then something heavy slid down her cheek and landed on the same plank of wood her cheek was pressed against. It was the radio. Eyes shining with hope, Nelly shifted her hand over the wood and grabbed the radio with greedy and desperate fingers. Pulling it toward her, Nelly flicked the switch at the side and turned it on.
"...elly...". A voice crackled. "...there?"
Holding a button down, Nelly moved the radio toward her lips. "Yeah...".
More static came before a voice said, "...ere?"
The signal was rubbish. But she told the voice where she was. "Railroad. I'm stuck. I need help, please".
The voice crackled. "...on".
"Hurry". Nelly said, "Tommy is crushing me".
She wasn't one hundred percent sure if they got all that because Nelly could hardly hear them. To save the battery, Nelly turned the radio off. She was beginning to think Normandy wasn't for her, that bad luck was just constantly following her around. Nelly wondered if the God everyone seemed to believe in, was having fun making her time in Normandy miserable. At least Burges would be comfortable, Nelly thought.
And then Burges made a noise and mumbled, "Nelly...".
"Yeah?"
"The fuck are we?" He slurred.
"Just...taking a break". Nelly lied softly.
There was a short pause. And then Burges said, "I'm on you".
"You are". She confirmed quietly.
"Why...why is that?"
Nelly felt tears gather in her eyes. "Because I'm stupid".
Burges let out a weak, sympathetic sound. "Aw...no...you're not".
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I can't...get up".
He sighed, sounding tired. "Course you can...got legs, right?"
"Yeah". She croaked. "But...I'm not strong".
"I believe in you".
A tear leaked from her eye and rolled toward her nose. "You do?" Nelly whispered.
She didn't get a reply. Burges had passed out again.
With a gentle sniff, Nelly turned her head to the other side and spotted a tree not far from her position. An idea popped into her head, and she grabbed it. Abandoning the radio, Nelly's hands planted against the wood, and she began to drag and pull herself forward. Grunting with effort and what little energy she had left; Nelly grabbed a hold of the plank in front of her and dragged herself forward. She was moving. Her plan was working. It took a lot of inner mental strength and effort, but Nelly made it to the tree.
She exhaled shakily. Sweat was dripping from every part of her body. And with one more heave, Nelly grabbed a hold of a branch on the tree. And using that branch, she began pulling herself up and onto her feet. Of course, once on her feet, her legs struggled to hold Burges's weight. It took Nelly a few moments to get used to that feeling again. But she did it – she actually did it. It was a satisfying moment but short-lived, Nelly had to get back to Carentan and fast. Letting go of the branch, she began walking forward and followed the track on the grass verge at the side.
Nelly decided to pick herself up because she couldn't be sure if help was coming. And she had promised Toye there wouldn't be an empty nest when he returned. She intended to keep Burges alive. And Hughes. Nelly frowned – she hoped he was safe in Carentan. She promised herself to go looking for him if he wasn't there. Nelly needed to go back anyway; she had left the radio on the railroad. After twenty minutes, Nelly could spot the tops of the buildings in town. Relief was beginning to sink in. Just shortly, everything would be okay – Nelly might catch some hell from her Officers, but Burges would be okay, that's all that mattered.
And as they neared the end of the track, Nelly heard a hushed, "Flash". From one of their outposts.
"Thunder". Nelly replied quietly and continued to walk.
"Need a hand?" He asked.
"No". She replied, "I'm okay".
Nelly was determined to see that Burges made it back safely. So, she dragged him up the gentle slope and walked along the intersection. Nelly received a few odd stares from men who weren't in Easy Company. But she trudged on, like a vehicle low on petrol about to break down. Nearing the hotel, a few familiar faces showed up and quickly raced over to help. One of them was Welsh.
"Murray? You're in some trouble, trooper". He said while untying the belt around Nelly's waist.
"I know, sir". Nelly whispered.
Bull Randleman raised Burges's arms from around Nelly's neck and soon, the weight of the man was off her body. Bull held Burges's in his arms and jogged toward the barn, to get medical help from Roe. Nelly stayed put. And she looked up at Welsh.
He sighed. "You should have left".
Nelly agreed with him. "I know, sir".
Welsh gave a nod to the hotel. "Lieutenant Winters wants to see you".
"Where's Richie? Where's Hughes?"
"In the barn". Welsh replied, "He got hit".
Nelly's face dropped. "He's okay?"
"He'll be fine". He said, "He's going back to England".
Her gut tightened with guilt at the news. And then she told him, "I left the radio, sir".
"Where?"
"Railroad track".
"I'll have someone grab it". Welsh said, "Go see Winters".
"Yes, sir".