bob

The skies stayed clear. In the morning, the men awoke to the sun and a blue sky. Some two hundred and sixty C47 planes dropped three hundred and thirty-four tons of supplies. It was a wild goose chase to grab supplies – the planes dropped them everywhere – some even landed behind enemy lines. Sat under a new canopy, Nelly was trying to finish off a bowl of navy bean soup – which had now turned cold. It was hard eating with no sense of taste or smell. But Nixon was quite clear with his order for her to finish it. The table under the canopy had been mended with poorly positioned nails. Nelly didn't think it would survive much longer. Sat on a chair, her eyes looked out from under the canopy where she saw Winters speaking with Liebgott.

Liebgott bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, sir".

"Hey…". Winters's hand went on the man's shoulder. "It's okay, trooper. Couple of days in town and you'll be fine. I promise".

Winters was pulling Liebgott off the line for a few days due to combat stress. Liebgott's morale had just dropped completely, and he turned depressed. Nelly felt her heart break for him – she knew exactly how he felt. Sitting across from her, Nixon cleared his throat. Newspapers dropped, along with supplies. And Nixon was currently reading one. "I don't see much eating". He said.

With a small sigh, Nelly turned her attention back toward the soup. Sticking her spoon into the watery broth, she brought it out and soon noticed something swimming next to a bean. It was a maggot. At first, Nelly thought she had imagined it. But she gently touched it with her finger and discovered it was in fact, real. She began to envision a bunch of wriggling maggots swimming in her belly – which wasn't something anyone should have to imagine with a stomach full of soup – possibly, maggot soup. The spoon slipped out of her hands and landed in the bowl.

Nixon rolled his eyes and looked at her. "If you 'wanna get rid of a cold, you've 'gotta take care of yourself, Nelly". He told her mildly.

Winters soon ducked under the canopy after seeing that Liebgott got on the jeep. "What's the news, Nix?"

"Patton's heading south". Nixon said, "I think he's attempting to break the circle around us".

"Overruns every drop zone". Winters remarked with light sarcasm. "And then finally decides we need help".

"Oh, we're far from saved". Nixon said through a sigh. He then asked, "And Liebgott?"

"Few days away from the line should do him some good". Winters said, "I've sent him to town – he'll be back later".

"Yeah".

Winters peered down into the bowl of soup, making sure Nelly hadn't left it all. And he soon grimaced, upon seeing a little maggot swimming around in the broth. His eyes looked toward the girl, who looked pale and slightly horrified. No wonder she left some soup. Winters set his hand on her shoulder. "You alright there, kiddo?"

Though disgusted and a little horrified, Nelly nodded. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time Nelly had eaten maggots – the wriggly creatures came free with every bowl of watery broth in Mauthausen. It wasn't a proud moment when Nelly realised her stomach could stand the thought of maggots swimming around her in her belly. Clearing her throat, Nelly leaned away from the bowl of navy bean soup. "N-no…m-more". She stammered.

Winters squeezed her shoulder. "Yeah, I don't blame you".

They hoped the stammering wasn't permanent and would go away when Nelly got used to talking again. She wanted to go back with Easy Company. But she never mentioned it. Nelly feared rejection. A part of her knew her request would be denied because she was still hardly talking. But the fear was gone. Nelly's mind was healing. She no longer saw the woods around her as Mauthausen. Nelly sneezed – her nose was still stuffed-up.

"Bless you". Winters said to her kindly.

"T-thanks, s-sir". Reaching inside her pocket, she once again, accidentally brought out the letter from Burges. Only this time, Nelly set the letter on her lap before bringing out the handkerchief to blow her nose. Putting the handkerchief back, Nelly picked up the letter and unfolded it – her reading had improved. But longer words were still somewhat of a struggle. Still, she decided to give it a go.

"Nelly,

I'll keep this short and easy for you. Firstly, I'm not mad at you…".

Nelly frowned softly.

"…I know why you did it. I would have done the same thing. We all want it to mean something – we want it to have a pur…".

"Pur…pur…". Nelly began to word out loud.

Nixon pulled an amused face. "Oh look, Nelly turned into a cat".

Rolling his eyes with a tiny laugh, Winters looked over her shoulder. "Purpose".

She nodded. "T-thanks…".

"…purpose. A lot of fellas wrote to me, expre…".

Nelly sighed. She gave up. "I…I…c-can't r-read".

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Winters asked.

She nodded and handed him the letter.

Eyes scanning the words, Winters picked off where she left off.

"A lot of the fellas wrote to me, expressing their concerns over you. And I understand, some of the guys were giving you a bit of hell for what happened. Don't listen to them, Nelly. I'd do it all over again if you asked me. I just hope you're not feeling too bad about it all – that you're not feeling guilty or wallowing…".

Nelly shrunk a little on the chair.

"I guess Joe and Winters will keep you pretty busy. Staying focused, it's important out there. And wherever you are now, whenever you decide to read this letter, I just hope you're okay. Because you're our girl. And I know you're not used to this, Nelly. That you're not used to having friends and having people who care about you but trust me, we care about you a whole lot. If it wasn't for you, I don't think Easy Company would be the same. You once told Winters, he was the light that guided us all – well, I believe that too. But I also believe, you're our star…".

Nelly huffed softly and lowered her head, upon feeling her eyes sting.

"Stars guide soldiers home and you sure brought me home (sorry, that was a joke) And as much as I miss the fellas and you, I'm excited to see my family again.

I sure miss that accent of yours. But I'll hear it again.

Your friend,

Tommy".

Eyes leaving the letter, Winters smiled down at Nelly. "That was lovely". Reaching down, he gently clapped the back of her neck – Nelly's head was still bowed. His smile softened. "You alright, trooper?"

"Y-yeah". The letter was lovely. And this great weight had lifted off her shoulders. Burges didn't blame Nelly. Mostly everyone had told her that but hearing it from Burges, caused the guilt to finally lift. Nelly looked up at Winters. "I need to…t-to…g-go b-back, sir".

"To Easy?" Winters asked quietly.

Nelly nodded.

With a tiny sigh, Winters told her kindly, "Not yet".

"My…f-friends…". Nelly said, "Are h-hurt".

"They're fine, kiddo". Winters assured her. "And they want you back too, but they want you better first, alright?"

"I'm not…s-scared, sir". Nelly stressed to him softly.

Winters smiled gently at her. "I know". He said, "But…let's get you talking how you used to again, okay? Maybe by tomorrow, you'll be back with your friends". He didn't want to send Nelly back if she wasn't fully ready – it would only set her back and it was Winters's job, to make sure his men were mentally well enough to stay on the line. Having the right frame of mind on the line and in combat, was very important – to Winters, anyway. He couldn't speak for every other Officer out there. "I'm only doing this because I care". Winters added.

Eyes softening, Nelly nodded.

She wasn't going anywhere until Winters said otherwise.

...

The next day, Christmas Eve, it began snowing again – no more clear skies. And that morning, the Germans tried to push into American lines – specifically Easy's line. A German attack just exploded on their front. Infantry supported by half-tracks rolled out of the opposing tree line. The quiet forest erupted in a cacophony of gunfire. The concussion from mortar and bazooka blasts jarred small avalanches of snow down from the tree boughs overhead. And while all of that was going on, Nelly was stuck in Battalion. It was frustrating for her to hear the fight and not be a part of it.

It got even harder when Nelly learned Smokey got hit and couldn't feel his legs. Roe wasn't sure if Smokey being paralyzed was permanent. But besides from Smokey, no other man in Easy got hurt during that fierce firefight. And sprawled out in front of their line, were over thirty dead German soldiers. Nelly missed one "hell of a fight", as her friends would call it. She also missed Colonel Sink reading a letter out from General McAuliffe – who apparently received a letter from the German Commander, demanding the 101st surrender – McAuliffe replied with – "nuts".

It was dark now. But it usually got dark quick in the woods.

Winters also added, "Your friends are doing fine".

As Nelly finished the last of her soup, distant singing voices could be heard. Across the snowy field and in Foy, the Germans sang "Silent Night" or "Stille Nacht". That wasn't surprising for Nelly. She remembered the Nazis singing the same song in Mauthausen. Only, in the dark woods – it sounded nice. About to make a small comment about the singing, she noticed Winters's eyes were fixed on something behind her. Nelly frowned softly. "Sir?"

Winters sighed. "A fire".

Looking behind her, Nelly's eyes soon widened slightly at the small, glowing flame. "Oh".

"Indeed". Winters said, "Let's go check it out".

Leaving the shelter of the canopy, Winters and Nelly walked through the falling snow and toward the small fire. Several of the men from 2nd Battalion HQ were gathered around the feeble flame, including Welsh. And as they approached the fire, the more inviting it looked. Nelly hadn't felt genuine warmth for one week. Welsh cleared a spot for them.

"Are you men nuts?" Winters said, reaching in with his hands. "The Krauts are 'gonna throw an 88 in here and really cook your goose".

Nelly's face appeared mildly confused. She couldn't see a goose anywhere.

"It's okay". Welsh said, who was on Winters's right. "We're sheltered here".

"I'll take your word for it". Winters rubbed his hands together briskly. And he soon noticed the perplexed look across Nelly's face while her hands hovered by the fire. A tiny and amused smile lifted the Captain's face. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

Nelly looked up at him. "T-there…i-is no g-goose, s-sir".

Welsh, Winters and a few other men chuckled.

"It's a figure of speech, Murray". Welsh said with a grin. "But man, I wish there was".

Before Winters could respond, Lieutenant Colonel Strayer burst in through the circle, shouldering men aside. "Let me in there". He said.

Reaching the fire, the Colonel turned his back to the fire and bent forward, poking his butt over the small flame. Nelly's eyes looked up at Winters. And when he stared down at her, he noticed a tiny smile lift the corners of her mouth. Amused, Winters pressed his finger against his lips – as if telling her to stay quiet and not to laugh. Nelly nodded and then looked back at Strayer, who had turned around and bent forward over the fire, to warm his face and hands. The smoke, using his body as a chimney, curled up his legs and billowed freely into his face. Coughing and sputtering, his eyes burning, Strayer bounced back from the fire.

"Goddammit". He cursed, then pushed around to the other side of the fire, away from the troublesome smoke. Strayer again leaned over the fire, but again the remorseless smoke followed the curve of his body and steamed up into his face. "Jesus". He swore again and from the fire.

Around him, Officers shook their heads and exchanged smirks. Nelly looked back up at Winters, smiled and the tiniest of giggles pressed out of her mouth. Amusement shone in Winters's eyes as he, once again, pressed his finger against his lips. But then, the smirks vanished when came the familiar whoosh of an incoming mortar. Winters grabbed Nelly's arm and dove for cover – he landed over her body, just as the shell burst loudly. Nelly flinched at the sound but was otherwise fine. Welsh, however, was not fine. He had yelped loudly in pain Getting off Nelly, Winters checked her over for blood before racing toward his wounded friend.

Welsh's trousers were bloody, and Winters saw the look of terror on his friend's face as he gazed down at his bloody crotch. So, Winters tore open Welsh's trousers and took a look.

"You're okay, Harry". Winters assured his friend. "Let's get you patched up and out of here, buddy". He ripped open his aid kit and asked, "Did someone call for a medic?"

"Strayer did". Someone replied.

Pressing a hand against the snow, Nelly pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked over at Welsh. The man was trying his hardest not to scream out in agony. Winters helped keep his friend calm and composed. "Morphine soon, huh, buddy?" Winters said to him gently. "You'll feel good in just a second".

Welsh groaned. "Christ…this hurts".

"I know, buddy…I know". He soothed his friend. "Just think, you'll be in England soon. Maybe you'll see Kitty at the hospital".

Welsh huffed, "Not like this".

"Ah – come on…you're fine". Winters said to him. "Just a scratch".

"You're a shit liar".

"You're not the first person who's told me that".

Welsh almost smiled. "Won't be the last either, I'll bet".

Nelly only moved over to Welsh once the medics arrived and injected him with morphine. He still looked a little stricken but not as bad as before. A little out of it, Welsh gave the girl a tiny smile and said, "Keep an eye on him, Murray".

Nelly wasn't sure who he was talking about, but she agreed. "Yes, sir".

"Be careful out here…shells are flying all over the damn place…".

With a tiny nod, Nelly looked over at Winters.

And Winters gave her a smile – an encouraging smile.

Nelly looked back down at Welsh. "Okay, sir". She said, "I'll be careful".

Welsh huffed softly. "Hey…your stammers gone".

Before Nelly could say anything, Welsh was lifted on a stretcher.

Medics hurriedly carried him toward the waiting jeep. Reaching down, Winters took Nelly's arm and pulled the girl up onto her feet. And once on her feet, Nelly looked up at her Captain. He had his friend's blood over his trousers and jacket. And his hands. Nelly was mildly shocked to find his hands shaking. She felt a force pull at her heart.

A small and compassionate smile lifted the corners of Nelly's mouth. She was very grateful for Winters. If it wasn't for him, Nelly wouldn't have gotten better. And she felt a little sad that she'd have to leave him and Nixon. Winters stared back at her.

"You can leave tomorrow". He told her, "If you feel ready".

"Yes, sir". Nelly replied softly. "Tomorrow".

"And if you feel – "

"I'll come back, sir". Nelly promised him.

Smiling softly, Winters placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, trooper".

"Sir?"

"Yeah?"

Taking a step forward, Nelly's arms went around his waist, and she pressed her cheek against him. "Merry Christmas, sir".

Feeling a sting reach his eyes, Winters set a hand on Nelly's back. "Merry Christmas, kiddo".