Hello everyone! Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was so absorbed in summarising the lectures on French grammar I have this semester that I completely forgot about everything else. And then my internet crashed, so...
Anyways, as always, thank you so much to all of you who take the time to read my story and even leave me a review. You are awesome and never fail to make me smile!
The rumour mill was working overtime already, speculations buzzing in the air as Easy company had dinner in the galley. Despite not knowing any details, it hadn't taken the men and women long to figure out what had happened. Catherine, who was feeling a lot better after spending a bit of time up on deck, quietly filled in the senior NCOs. Maxine and Louise helped her by informing the rest of the women and their closest friends among the guys.
Their reactions ranged from pure, unbridled rage to shock, concern and sympathy.
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"Where's Theresa and Mia?", Jessica wanted to know, craning her neck to try and see if she could spot them.
"Down below", Maxine answered. "Theresa is pretty shaken and Mia stayed with her."
Talbert frowned. "Shouldn't somebody be with them? Just in case?", he questioned, plucking at his lip in thought.
She acknowledged his doubts, but dispelled them with a shake of her head. "Lipton said it's fine."
Elizabeth piped up: "Yeah, they'll be okay. Mia's really good at staying out of sight anyways."
A few tables further down, Catherine was sat snuggly between Bull and Johnny Martin, eternally grateful to the guys for striking up a conversation that had nothing to do with the incident. She smiled when Popeye asked about her kids and happily launched into telling a few stories about her little rascals, which had the men either cooing and awing or in stitches.
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Meanwhile, Louise was standing in line for her own portion of whatever the kitchen served that day. Fish stew. Again. Joy. She grabbed her tray and moved down the rows of tables to plop herself down in a seat across from Liebgott. Reaching for her spoon, she paused and her eyes narrowed.
"Why is your cheek bruising?", she questioned.
"He was in a fight", Alley helpfully pointed out, cheerfully ignoring the glare he got from his friend.
The sniper sighed and muttered "What is it with today and fights?" before demanding a more detailed explanation.
"Guarnere called Sobel a Jew", Joe said with a scowl.
Louise heaved another sigh. "And you took offense to that", she finished. Understandable. Nobody liked to be compared to Sobel like that and having one's religion or culture insulted this way wasn't something to just brush off.
Bill, who was sitting only a few seats away from them, leant forward and called over: "But we settled the matter!" He was sporting the beginnings of a bruise on his jaw.
Liebgott nodded his agreement. "Yeah. Especially since we got bigger fish to fry."
"Damn right", Bill confirmed. "No-one messes with our girls."
Her expression darkened, the seething anger inside her rising to the surface again. "Those bastards. Fucking cowards", she grumbled. "Hope their crown jewels fall off."
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Several puzzled looks flew her way at the specificity of the comment and a few eyebrows rose in question. Louise swallowed the last mouthful of her meal before she elaborated. "Mia and Catherine ended the fight by kicking two of them where it hurts most."
There were a few winces across the table, but nobody could really dredge up any sympathy for the lowlifes that had attacked their friends for no good reason.
"Arricante? Doc Arricante kicked one of these assholes in the balls?", Liebgott asked in surprise, newfound respect in his tone. After all, the young medic wasn't exactly somebody he had pegged as a ruthless fighter.
The British woman rolled her eyes and groaned: "Oh you pelican, is there anything between your ears? Yes, she did!
Bill looked just as impressed as the other guys. "Didn't know she had guts like that", he allowed with an appraising nod.
Louise snorted. "It's not like you know much about her", she remarked dryly. "You should try talking to her."
Below deck, Theresa was finally calm again. Just like Mia had promised, they had moved one bunk higher, incidentally to the one Theresa shared with Irene. She was lying on her back and telling her friend about Scottsbluff, her hometown.
Mia listened with her usual quiet attentiveness, only asking a question here and there. Her back was leaning against the metal frame of the six-storey bunkbed construction, forearms resting comfortably on her knees.
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"I was so scared."
The medic blinked, the sudden change in tone and topic catching her by surprise. Turning her head, she gave Theresa a sympathetic smile and offered: "I know."
"Were you scared, too?", she asked.
Mia nodded, gaze focusing on a point between her arms, just below her kneecaps. "Yes", she confirmed softly.
Theresa rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow. "I wish I could be as strong as you. You're always so calm."
That drew a quiet scoff from the younger woman, humour dancing in the sound. "Don't be so sure of that", she said.
The Nebraskan smiled and gave her a friendly nudge. "Well", she replied pensively, "then you're really good at hiding your fear because I've never seen you even a little bit scared."
Mia chuckled, making a grin stretch on her friend's lips. After staying silent for an almost uncomfortably long moment, she offered: "It's something my sister Letizia taught me when I first arrived in America."
Theresa's interest piqued. Mia was a fairly private person, so personal information and stories that she offered voluntarily were few and far between. She shifted, hoping to hear more.
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"It…" Mia paused, trying to put her thoughts into words. "It was scary. I was in a new country and I didn't know anybody except my family. I didn't speak English so well and I didn't want people to laugh at me, you know?"
Glancing over to Theresa, she caught her nod, noting the understanding look on her face. Taking a breath, she continued: "Well, one night, I talked to Letizia about it and she told me that it's okay to be scared and upset. 'Just don't let those who made you feel that way see it', she said. 'Don't let them see that you're hurting because then they win.'"
Silence descended again. For a moment, the two women held each other's gaze before the half-German blinked and looked away.
"Your sister is very smart", Theresa said, smiling when Mia's eyes flashed back over to her.
A hesitant smile bloomed on her features and she nodded. "She is", she agreed. "Almost as smart as Maxine and Kathleen."
Lost in their own thoughts, the two women were content to just stay in quiet company, each reassured by the presence of the other. Mia's gaze grew distant as she reminisced on memories of her family, the corners of her mouth quirked up in a faint, subconscious smile. Theresa used the opportunity to study her, mind going over what little she knew about the younger woman, examining every little bit of information like pieces of a gigantic, intricate and complex puzzle.
When Easy returned from the galley, they found their youngest medic watching over a sleeping Theresa. Anger rose again in their chests at the sight of the bruises that were beginning to form on their faces and the red, handprint-shaped marks on Mia's upper arms. But they kept themselves in check, knowing at least five people who would give them hell for aggravating the entire situation by blowing their lids.
Frances swung herself up to sit on the edge of the bunk and pulled a napkin-wrapped bundle from underneath her uniform jacket. "Here", she said with an easy smile. "Didn't want you to go hungry." She pulled away the edges of the napkin to reveal several slices of bread and some dried meat.
Mia gave her a small, tired smile. "I'm not hungry, but I'm sure that Theresa will be thankful."
A crease of worry appeared between Frances' eyebrows and she asked: "Are you alright?"
Her friend shrugged.
"Maybe you should get some rest, too", she suggested, trying to think of what Catherine or Maxine would say. They were so good with words. "You look a bit tired."
Mia let out a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah", she muttered, "I guess the adrenaline is gone."
Although not a very tactile person, she accepted the big hug Frances enveloped her in. Now that the immediate danger had passed and calm had returned, the fear and disgust, the hated powerlessness started sinking in.
Mumbling a thanks, she jumped down, intending to find herself a sequestered spot where she could have a breakdown in peace – or, at least, where she could have a chance to process the events of the day.
An hour later, Maxine came back to their bunk area after having informed Lieutenants Winters and Nixon of the incident. They had agreed to keep it quiet since none of the women involved wished to make a big deal out of it. But if the guilty parties happened to sport a few more bruises, nobody would mention it.
"Ana María", she asked quietly, "are they well looked-after?"
The diminutive Puerto Rican nodded. "Yeah, they're doing okay. Reese is with Jess and Helen. Louise is up on deck with Frances, Malarkey, Muck and Penkala. Catherine is over there with the other medics. And Mia…last I saw, Luz had dragged her off to play cards with him, Toye and a few others."
The Staff Sergeant thanked her and made her way down the bunk rows. Maxine knew that she had jokingly been dubbed "Mom No. 2" and she wore that title as a badge of honour. Spotting Guarnere, she briefly detoured to talk to him.
"What can I do for you, Max?", he asked in his broad Philly drawl.
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She had to smile at that. Although notoriously brash and occasionally one to speak before he thought, Bill wasn't one to mince words. He got straight to the point and was as steadfastly loyal and sincere as they come.
"Can you make sure nobody gets any stupid ideas like going after the guys that attacked the three?", she said. "I get that you're all angry on their behalf, but they don't want you to get in trouble."
While Guarnere looked displeased and vaguely mutinous first, it faded towards the end. "Sure", he offered with a nod. "You got it, Max." His smile sharpened and he added: "But I ain't saying nothin' if they end up with some bumps and bruises. Lot of people on this ship, accidents happen."
Maxine nodded. "I know. Cooped up like this, there's bound to be some scuffles", she replied casually. She knew full well that he would get the message: 'Don't take it too far and don't get caught.'
Satisfied that there wouldn't be a problem there, she continued, taking note of her fellow women as she went.
Kathleen was in an animated discussion with Smith, the two in an excellent mood as they laughed together. A few bunks down and across, Irene and Elizabeth were engaged in a game of dominos, seemingly in their own bubble of quiet serenity.
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Reaching her intended destination, Maxine had no trouble locating the bunk Ana María had indicated.
Luz' dark-haired head came up, pair of perpetually smiling eyes landing on her, and he greeted cheerfully in a put-on posh accent. "Well hello Lady Lloyd, what brings you to our humble abode on this fine day?"
"Hello to you, too, Luz", she laughed, smiling at Toye, who had also looked up from his cards. "I just stopped by to see how everyone is."
Joe's jaw tightened momentarily and George's bright grin shrank into a softer, sadder version as their gazes flickered over to the small figure behind them.
Mia lay curled up, her back facing the grey metal wall of the ship. She had her eyes closed, but Maxine wasn't entirely sure how deep her sleep was. Her knuckles were scraped and split, but overall, she seemed to have escaped with very few bruises apart from those on her wrists and upper arms where big, unsympathetic hands had grabbed her.
It was Toye who broke the sombre spell that had fallen over them. "We're okay", he said, voice quiet but steady. "Mia will be, too."
Luz nodded, steel entering his smile. "We'll make sure of it", he promised.
Maxine patted him on the shoulder and offered: "I have no doubt of that." With that, she took her leave, snaking her way through a group of mingling soldier and climbing up to her bunk. Leaning back until cold steel braced her back, she blew out a long breath, swiping some sweaty strands out of her eyes. What a day. I can't wait until we reach port.
The days crawled by as the large troop ship travelled across the Atlantic on a zig-zag course to evade German submarines. The soldiers were itching to get off the ship, the restricted living space and boredom making them restless.
Easy was especially tense. The attack on three of their own had been a stark wake-up call, reminding them that not everyone respected the women as their equals. Easy's men silently – and sometimes expressly – agreed to stay close to their female comrades, for everybody's peace of mind.
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It took a while, but slowly, the subconscious flinches, the brief tensing of muscles under an unexpected touch, the air of unease in a tight crowd disappeared again. Catherine, Mia and Theresa's bruises turned ugly shades of black, blue and green, making anger well up in their friends' hearts, but the marks faded and the three returned to their normal selves.
And if they happened to be sitting at the far back of the truck that took them to their new accommodation when they finally reached England on September 17, surrounded by a bunch of protective men and women, well… it might have just been a coincidence.
And even if it wasn't, they weren't complaining.