Hello everybody! Sorry for not updating yesterday, but the internet at my department at uni crashed and stayed down for almost half of the day...
Thank you very much for your lovely responses to the last chapter and for reassuring me when I wasn't quite happy with my work. You people are awesome!
Without further ado, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it :)
Ten days. They all received a ten-day furlough after earning their jump wings. Excitement was in the air as everybody prepared to go home and see their families for a few days.
Ana María sat on her bunk, dreaming about what it would be like to spend time with her parents and siblings. She would go to church with them, papá would fuss over her short hair and mamá would once again fondly shake her head over her decision to enlist instead of going to college. Her younger siblings would beg for stories of basic training and would no doubt brag to all their friends about their big sister, the hero.
But she couldn't go home because her little sister had contracted measles. Now everyone in the same household was at risk of infection and she really couldn't afford to get sick. Instead, she would try to enjoy the free days as much as possible. No drills, no marches, no Sobel. It was nearly as good as a holiday.
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Jessica grinned to herself as she packed her bag. She couldn't wait to see her family again. David and Fabian, her two younger brothers, would tease her as much as they could, but they would be suitably impressed by how strong she'd gotten. Her mother would grumble about how there were other ways to earn money to put the boys through school and her father would praise her and tell her to make the Nazis pay.
And she was looking forward to introducing them to Elizabeth. The red-headed Las Vegan was coming with her since her relationship with her own family was rocky at best. And because she refused to just leave her best friend to spend ten days alone on base, Jessica had immediately made the executive decision to invite her to her home, something which Elizabeth greatly appreciated.
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Helen wasn't too excited at the prospect of travelling across half the country to get home. Sure, she missed her family and her friends, but she was going to spend nearly half of her furlough in uncomfortable train and bus seats. But it would be good to see her mother and grandparents, especially Grandpa Will. He had been in the last war and she really wanted to talk to him.
Luckily, she wasn't the only one from her battalion to board the train towards Arizona. People got off at every station, but there were some that travelled even further than her, so she always had some company. They talked about their plans for when they got home, about their families and friends, played poker and swapped stories of their hometowns and their inhabitants.
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Irene seized the chance to go home to Rock Springs, Wyoming and spend a few days with her family. And get married. Her boyfriend Theo had proposed to her via letter just before Thanksgiving and now, they would have the wedding in the middle of her furlough. While she would remain Sergeant McKinsey in the army, she would become Irene Pletcher in civilian life.
On the train, she read through that special letter once more, a smile adorning her features. Oh, what a surprise this had been. She'd gasped so loudly that the entire mess hall had stared at her. But the deafening roar of cheers and claps that had gone up when she had revealed her engagement…she'd never heard anything like it. Thinking back to that moment, showered with congratulations and good wishes, never failed to put a smile on her face.
"Say, Mia, why are you staying here?"
The half-German raised her head to look at Ana María studying her from across the table. "It's…easier this way", she said. "Leaving was very hard. I don't want to make it more painful." For that reason, she hadn't even mentioned the furlough to her family.
"Ah", the diminutive Puerto Rican made, a sympathetic smile making its way onto her tanned features. "They aren't happy with your choice?"
Mia shook her head in a yes-and-no kind of fashion, elaborating: "They worry a lot. They work very hard to give us a good life." Shrugging, she smiled at the other woman. "To see them again and then to say goodbye for the second time would be just more difficult."
Ana María voiced her understanding and the conversation trailed off into silence as both women focused on their dinner. Mia's reticence had never bothered her and since she didn't believe in talking for the sake of talking, Ana María was just as content to sit together quietly, exchanging a few words here and there.
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Kathleen took the evening train to New York, looking forward to seeing her parents again. Though she knew she would end up in an argument with them by the third evening. Her parents were loving and supportive, but since she was their only daughter, they tended to go overboard on the doting and protectiveness. Her mother in particular would lament over what she saw as a waste of her child's intellect.
Sighing and putting the thoughts out of her mind, Kathleen returned to her book. She was right in the middle of the story, but she planned to buy one or two new books during her furlough. Sure, her mother would mail her a new one whenever she asked for it and would unerringly choose one that her daughter enjoyed, but there was just nothing like going into a book store, browsing the shelves and selecting the books yourself.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts once more, Kathleen let the words draw her back into an entertaining and absurd world of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. She valiantly tried to keep her amusement to herself, but every now and again, a soft giggle or stifled grin would escape her as she watched the scenes - and the pending chaos and confusion within them - unfold in front of her inner eye.
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Frances had the good fortune of living relatively close to Fort Benning. She barely registered the odd looks she was getting, to immersed in conversation with her twin brother Andrew who had come to pick her up at the station. The two of them had a grand time catching up and bantering back and forth as they strolled through the streets towards the Shea residence.
"Bet you a nickel that Dad is gonna be over the moon", she said. She had wanted to make it a surprise and had thus only told Andrew about it.
"Yep", he agreed, popping the 'p'. "He'll smile and just completely ignore that you'll only be here for a bit more than a week."
She chuckled, adjusting her cap. "Aunt Lola will tsk and tut about my looks and clothes-"
"-and Uncle Archie will pull a dime outta think air and give it to you with that wink", Andrew continued, sharing a knowing look with his sister. "And as soon as they hear, Flora and Rachel will come over for lunch and bring their families."
Frances smiled, already looking forward to that. It would be lively and chaotic and cheerful, like a typical Shea family meal.
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Travelling across no less than four state borders, Theresa pondered what it would be like at home. Her brother Sam, training as a navigator in the Air Force, had managed to get leave as well, so the entire family would be there to celebrate Nana's 75th birthday.
But she wondered what kind of reception she would get. Some, like her brother, her mom and her grandparents, were proud of her and always encouraged and supported her. Others – mostly her father and quite a few members of her extended family circle – frowned upon her choice to enlist, muttering about impropriety and "girl doesn't know her place".
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Blinking blearily against the sun as she hailed a taxi, Catherine stifled a yawn. A five-hour time difference might not sound like much, but she was already lacking sleep, so it was no wonder that her eyes felt gritty and her lids each weighed a ton.
"Where to, Ma'am?", asked the taxi driver, smiling at her.
Catherine gave him the address and sank into the seat, watching the familiar palm tree-lined streets drift past. She couldn't wait to cuddle her kids and kiss her husband.
"Mommy! Daddy, look, it's Mommy!", two voices she had missed so much shrieked and two pairs of feet hurried down the steps.
Gwen and Tommy barrelled along the path leading up to the front door and wrapped their arms tightly around their mother, hugging her with all their might.
Catherine swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Hi, you two", she said, dropping kisses onto the crowns of their heads and watching a few teardrops drip onto the pavement. "I've missed you."
Maxine was one of the few who stayed on base. After countless letters from her family that all seemed to say the same thing: "You've had your fun, come home before you get hurt or damage your reputation any further." Disappointed – really, she should be used to it by now, but still, it hurts – she had written back to tell them that she was now a qualified paratrooper and a Staff Sergeant, so no, she wasn't about to throw it all away for appearances' sake.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
She looked up from the neatly arranged parts of her field-stripped rifle to see Louise sitting across from her, in the process of disassembling her own weapon. The Brit had elected to remain in Fort Benning, for reasons Maxine had yet to discover.
Realising that Louise was still waiting for her response, she cleared her throat and explained: "Just wondering why you're not going home."
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Taking apart her sniper rifle with practiced ease, Louise gave a non-committal shrug. "Well", she said, "my parents are on a business trip to – actually, I don't know where – and with my cousins all either enlisted, too, or busy with their own lives, it just wouldn't be the same to visit my Gramps."
"I'm sorry", Maxine offered.
"No need", the blonde waved off, shoving the cleaning rod through the gun barrel. "After all, it's not so bad here. We can catch up on our sleep, spend some time socialising with people from other companies and basically just do what we like."
The Washingtonian nodded her head and sent her friend a smirk. "Which translates into spending hours on the shooting range for you, right?"
Louise grinned unabashedly and returned: "Of course. It's in fact tremendously pleasant when there isn't a certain commanding officer breathing down your neck."
They chuckled and their conversation continued flowing easily as they went through the routine motions of cleaning their rifles and checking the parts for damage.
.
"Say", Louise asked eventually, raising her gaze from the dismantled receiver in her hands, "do you know if any of the ladies from Dog and Fox stayed?"
Maxine's brows creased in thought. "Hmm…no, I don't think so. Pretty sure I saw all of them getting onto the transport to the station."
"Right."
"Why do you ask?"
Louise shrugged. "No particular reason, just curious. Though I know that Audrey Maynard – you know, the New Zealander – was planning on coming back the day after tomorrow."
"What state does she live in anyway?", Maxine wondered. She couldn't remember the affable corporal from Fox Company ever mentioning that.
Pursing her lips and humming pensively, the sniper eventually had to admit that she didn't know either. "Hasn't come up whenever I talked to her", she said. "Oh well, can't know everything about everyone, can we?"
Maxine laughed, brushing some loose strands out of her face with the back of her hand, her fingers shiny with gun grease.
Six months later, Easy Company had moved to Camp Mackall. There, the focus of their training was on tactics and manoeuvres. Much to their misfortune, Captain Sobel had no sense of direction or strategy.
On one of many field exercises, Catherine, Irene, Kathleen and Helen once more had front row seats to the tragedy that was Sobel's leadership in the field.
After consulting the map and conferring in hushed whispers with Lieutenant Winters, the CO apparently decided that they should relocate.
"Second platoon", Winters whisper-yelled, "move out."
The four women, who were all crouching beside each other, shared looks of disbelief.
"Jesus Christ", Helen mumbled.
.
Needless to say, Sobel's plan didn't hold up. The exercise ended with 95 % of their company 'killed' because the opposite team had been lying in ambush, only waiting for them to do something stupid like abandoning a perfectly covered defendable position.
The drill leader told Sobel to leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area. Cursing under his breath, the CO complied, gesturing to the three nearest men with his pistol before storming off.
Looking at the 'wounded', Catherine turned and sought out the gaze of her fellow medic, Gene Roe. He looked at her with worry and defeat twisting his brow, an expression the woman knew was mirrored on her own face.
The concern and helpless frustration over Sobel among the enlisted continued to grow, festering like an ulcer. But there wasn't anything anyone could do about their CO getting jumpy in the field and before they knew it, the regiment was moving out again.
As they loaded their duffels onto the trucks and waited for their transport to who knows where, Jessica expressed her annoyance to the group she was sitting with.
"I swear to God, I didn't sign up just to get killed by an officer's stupidity", she sighed, dragging a hand through her hair, the long soldier's cut already growing out again.
Elizabeth huffed. "Yeah", she agreed. "Me neither."
"Shut up", Toye grumbled.
"You gotta admit", Cobb piped up, "he's got no chance. Either the Krauts will get him…or one of us."
"Who, Sobel?", Liebgott asked, crouching down over his duffel.
Jessica gave him a mock-cheerful thumbs up. "Bang on the money."
"He screwed up one manoeuvre", Shifty tried to reason.
He was met with several raised eyebrows and dubious looks.
Liebgott shifted, his signature smirk stretching on his lips. "Ah, you know I'm always fumbling with grenades", he said casually. "Would be easy if one went off by accident, you know…"
Elizabeth snickered. "Would be a shame", she commented.
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Maxine, who walked past them after tossing her own duffel onto a truck, had overheard part of their conversation and stopped. "You'd better not let anybody hear you talk like that", she told them, looking at the guilty parties.
"Oh come on, Max", Jessica argued, "like you haven't thought it, too."
She levelled her with a steely look and responded: "Thinking and speaking are two very different things. Unless you come up with a way to change things, I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut." Giving them another glance, the Staff Sergeant walked away.
"She's right", Toye said, man of few words that he generally was.
Shifty offered: "Well…they must have put him in charge for a reason."
"Yeah 'cause the Army wouldn't make a mistake, right Shift?", Liebgott snarked.
As he said this, Sergeant Lipton passed them. He paused a few feet away and turned to look at them with a mixture of disappointment and concern. When he continued on his way, the group shared glances and dropped the subject.
Rumour had it that they would deploy to Europe and on the train, these speculations were one of the prime topics of conversation.
"If we jump into Berlin, Mia can be our guide", Skip joked from the neighbouring compartment.
The young woman rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I don't know the entire country, Skip", she explained, studying her cards.
Frances, who had instigated the game of Michigan, put down a card and wondered: "Do you miss it, though?" She looked at her friend, whose smile mellowed a little.
"Sometimes", Mia said with a shrug. "Not the country, but the people. You know, my friends, the neighbours, the lady from the bookstore…those things."
"You lived in Germany?", Liebgott asked, leaning over to add a card to the discard pile.
She paused, self-conscious with all the expectant gazes suddenly on her. "I grew up there", she then replied, aiming for casual but landing a bit closer to hesitant.
"You grew up in Germany?", Malarkey repeated, interest sparked. "How old were you when you came here?"
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Mia briefly glanced over to him before refocusing on the game. "I turned 14 on the ship", she answered. A grin flashed over her features and she proceeded to get rid of three cards, leaving her with only two in her hand.
"Ha!", Frances crowed, adding her last cards to the melds and runs on the table. "I win."
Louise cursed as she tallied up her points. "Jesus Christ, this is the fourth game you've won", she said, her grumble only half-serious.
"Want to play something else?", the North Carolina native asked, shuffling the well-loved deck of cards. "How about…how about Bullshit?"
"What, so you can win again all the time?", Louise retorted. It was a well-known fact that Frances had a gift for card games, though some suspected that it was more than just a gift.
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Muck and Penkala joined them for a few rounds of Bullshit, squashing themselves onto the ends of the seats.
"Fuck, how is this possible?!", Liebgott exclaimed when his bluff got called for the third time in a row.
Louise gave him a cheerful grin and deadpanned: "I have a low tolerance for bullshit."
He glared at her while everyone that had overheard it burst into laughter. The Brit sniper was infamous for her quick temper and had no qualms to confront anyone who thought they could take her for an idiot.
Frances put down a card. "Nine."
Mia called bullshit without even looking at her friend.
She smiled shrugged: "Well, if you're sure."
The half-German simply flipped the top card. "I am sure", she said, holding up a King.
"Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying", Frances quipped easily, gathering the cards and starting the game off again. "Two."
"Bullshit." Liebgott handed her back the card after showing them that it was in fact an Ace.
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"Ten"
"Jack"
"Queen"
"Bullshit"
"You wish!", Penkala laughed, turning the top card.
Skip dramatically turned his eyes heavenward. "Damnit." He gathered the cards. "Lord above!" He shook his head. "Penk, I think you were the only one not cheating in this round!"
.
It turned out that while Frances was indeed the queen of the game, Louise and Mia were both very skilled at it, too. Louise had a knack for reading people's faces and finding their tells and Mia was good at counting cards and remembering who had picked up what.
And the one who apparently couldn't bullshit his way out of a paper bag was Alex Penkala.