Authors note: Hello lovely readers. I'm not sure how much interest this story is getting, so I would love to hear some reviews- helpful criticism, what you like about the story, what you'd like to see more of etc. Anything really. I would just love to hear your thoughts, and am always looking for ways to improve my writing.
A couple of weeks went by and familiar faces started returning. Cobb had returned not long after Alley, and Talbert and Gordon had gotten back earlier that day. Elsie didn't think anything could dampen her spirits. But she found negative thoughts drifting into her head and couldn't shake them. They had gotten back to doing drills but were now accompanied by new recruits. Their inexperience was evident in their training sessions. They're going to get themselves killed- she thought. The Taccoa men kept their distance from them. She understood why, she was doing the same thing- distancing herself from the new guys. She didn't want to get close to someone who was going to die. She felt guilty though. Maybe if she talked to them, told them what it was really like or gave them tips on what to do, maybe they would have a better chance of surviving. She watched a few of them walk by, huddled in a small group, not making eye contact with any of the other soldiers.
"See something you like?" Guarnere teased, sneaking up on her. She turned to face him.
"They're going to get themselves killed out there, Bill."
"you're worried about them?"
"It's not just that, I know why no one has talked to them, but what if something we say helps them in the field?"
"You think talking to them would make a difference?"
"I don't know, maybe." She sighed. "The support we have for each other stems from our Taccoa days. When we jumped into Normandy, we knew we had each others backs because we trained for two years together. These men didn't train that long and it probably wasn't as strenuous as our training was."
"They didn't have Sobel." Guarnere interrupted with a lopsided smile.
"The point is, they don't know who's going to have their back out there. They're probably terrified and we aren't doing anything to help."
"Look, I understand what you're saying, but we can't protect everyone."
"I know." She looked off in the direction the new guys went. "But we can still try."
More and Malarkey pulled up in front of them on a motorcycle equipped with a side cart. Guarnere let out a whistle.
"Where'd you boys snag that from?" He asked.
"We borrowed it, and can't say from where." Malarkey smiled mischievously. "Wanna come for a ride princess?"
"Absolutely." Her smile matched Malarkeys as she climbed into the side cart with him. It was only meant for one person so it was a tight fit, but she sat herself in Malarkeys lap anyway and he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her in place.
"Stolen motorcycles, right up your ally, eh princess?" Guarnere grinned.
"What can I say, I live dangerously." She laughed before More took off down the road. They sped through the town and out towards the countryside. They drove around for couple of hours enjoying the scenery and the sunshine. Elsie felt so free and relaxed as she leaned back into Malarkey's chest. She threw her hands in the air and shouted happily.
They made their way back to town and headed towards the mess hall. They rounded a corner quickly and almost got hit by a delivery truck. Luckily More took a sharp turn and the truck missed them by a couple of inches. All three of them burst out laughing.
When they pulled up to the mess hall they were still laughing. "Jesus Christ that sure was close," Malarkey said after him and Elsie climbed out of the side cart.
"nah, missed em by a mile." More said smiling.
"Stealing motorcycle's again, are we?" Elsie's head snapped up.
"Wasn't me." She said throwing her hands up in front of her but the smile on her face showed no innocence. Becker gave her a quick hug.
"Good ta see you kid." He smiled.
"you to Bec. I'll see you around." She said following More and Malarkey into the mess hall.
She budged in front of them to get a coffee. "Hey!" Malarkey said in protest. She just smiled sweetly and poured her coffee.
She saw some space between Liebgott and Talbert and headed in that direction with Malarkey and More right behind her. She kissed Talbert on the head before sitting down next to Liebgott who had one leg on either side of the bench. She sat the same way with her back to him. Gordon was preforming his poem he called 'The Night of the Bayonet'.
Upon a trooper, our hero came
Fast asleep, he called his name
Smith, oh Smith, get up it's time
To take your turn out on the line
Liebgott snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She peeked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. As expected he wore his usual smirk. She new she should put some distance between them, but she was comfortable so she went with it. Everyone knew she was close with the men of easy company. No one would think anything happened between her and Liebgott. But what if they do? She thought.
Private Smith, so very weary
Cracked an eye, all red and bleary
Grabbed his riffle, he did not tarry
Hearing Floyd, but seeing Jerry
It's me cried Tab, don't do it, and yet
Smith charged toute de suite with bayonet
He lunged, he thrust both high and low
And skewered the boy from Kokomo
And as they carried him away
Our punctured hero was heard to say
When in this war, you venture out
Best never do it dressed as a kraut
Elsie watched as one of the replacement got up to leave but was stopped by Guarnere. She couldn't hear what they were saying though. The replacement smiled, shook Guarnere's hand then took the seat across from him. she knew what Guarnere was doing and she couldn't help but smile. He met her eyes and smiled back.
"Since you weren't wounded by enemy and thus didn't qualify for a purple heart," Gordon continued after his poem was over. "We've taken matters into our own hands."
He unpinned one of his three purple hearts and held it up. "Tab, this is for you."
The crowed erupted in cheers and laughter.
"I could have shot the kid a dozen times." Talbert said.
"Yeah right." Liebgott laughed.
"I just didn't think we could spare a man," Talbert said sheepishly.
"Couple of announcements men, and lady." Lipton stood at the front of the mess hall. "First, listen up, the training exercise for twenty-one hundred has been canceled."
Everyone cheered, but Lipton continued. "Secondly, all passes are here by revoked. We're heading back to France."
The mood in the room shifted to a sombre one. Elsie met Guarnere's eyes, then flicked to the replacements for a second before meeting his gaze again. The corner of his mouth curved up in a sad smile. There wasn't much they could do now.
The next day they were informed that General Patton had broken through and they were not needed back in France. Elsie was relieved they would not be jumping so soon. She only wished they'd found out before everyone was geared up and ready to board the C-47's.
"Well, I think this is cause for celebration," Guarnere declared when they were back in their barracks. The men all agreed. "Waddya say princess, you comin out tonight?"
"Yeah, why the hell not." She smiled and her bunk mates cheered.
That night she walked to the pub with Talbert, Alley and Liebgott. The room was crowded. Men from Easy, Dog and Fox company were there. She saw Welsh sitting with Nixon, Buck, Speirs and a Lieutenant she didn't know. She hoped Welsh wasn't looking for something to report back to her uncle. What if he kept digging and found out about her and Liebgott? She wasn't paying much attention until a drink was thrust into her hands. She looked up to see Guarnere with a big grin on his face.
"Bill, we are not going to have a repeat of the last time you kept handing me drinks." She scolded.
"You mean when Liebgott had to carry you back to barracks?" He asked innocently. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What's your end game Guarnere?" She asked suspiciously.
"To get her drunk so you can carry her back to barracks in hopes she'll share your bed?" Talbert joked. Guarnere smiled cheekily and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Not likely." Liebgott said throwing his arm around her shoulder. He was smirking. "She'd still crawl into my bed."
"Boys." She huffed and rolled her eyes as she escaped from Liebgott's arm. She heard them all laughing as she made her way to where a group of replacements were sitting. She pulled up a chair and sat down. They all shared the same look of wide eyes and slightly open mouths. She tried not to laugh, but couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto her face. "Hiya fellas."
"Hi." One of them said. It was the one who Bill had talked to. She had learnt that he was also from South Philadelphia, same as Guarnere.
"What's your names?" She asked with a kind smile.
"I'm Heffron, most people call me Babe. This here is Les Hashey, Tony Garcia and James Miller."
"I'm Elsie."
"We know." Hashey said.
"Course you do." She said.
"It's just, you're the only female soldier, people talk." His voice was a little shaky. She could tell he was nervous. They all were.
"Oh yeah? What do they say?" She was curious, and Hashey seemed like the chatty type when nervous. His buddies shared worried looks.
"Well, I.. Um." He stuttered.
"You can tell me." She egged him on. "Chances are I know about it any way. I know some people don't think I should be here, I found about the bet."
"You know about the bet?" Garcia questioned.
"Yeah, I'd overheard some of the guys talking about it."
"Must have pissed you off eh?" Babe laughed.
"Not really, it was kind of expected." She shrugged.
"You expect men to bet on who'd would sleep with you first?" Hashey looked skeptical.
"What?" Her smile was gone and her voice was deadly.
"The bet…" Hashey trailed off.
"You said you knew." Babe exclaimed.
"Yeah, the bet against me not making it through training." She was furious. "Who was in on this bet."
"A few guys," Babe said quietly.
"Like who?" she demanded.
"I don't know exactly. Gaurnere, Toye," Hashey said.
"Someone named Tipper," Miller added.
"Luz and Talbert," Garcia said.
"And Liebgott." Babe finished the list. But that was the name that hurt the most. That's why he slept with her. To win a stupid bet. Elsie's mind was racing and her heart felt like it was ripped out of her chest. Her friends, her brothers, only got close to her to try and win a bet.
"What would they get, if they had won?" She asked curiously.
"A months pay or something, I'm not really sure." Hashey's voice was trembling. He was more nervous now that he witnessed the sudden change in Elsie's composure.
"I assume since you lot know, it's not much of a secret amongst the rest of the men."
"We don't know who else knows," Babe said.
"Well, thanks boys, it's been a pleasure talking to you." Elsie drained her drink before getting out of her chair. She went straight to the bar and slammed another couple of drinks. And a couple more. And one more for good measure.
"Whoa, easy there." The voice made her blood boil. How dare he just walk up and talk to her like he didn't sleep with her for a months worth of pay. She turned around sharply and had to grab the counter for balance.
"Careful now princess," Guarnere laughed from beside Liebgott but they both sobered up when the saw the narrowed look on her face. "What happened?"
She opened her mouth to say something but clamped it shut before any words came out. She wasn't about to start yelling at them about the bet in the middle of a crowded pub. She pushed passed both men aggressively and headed for the door. Her livid mood didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the company, but she missed the angry comments and questions directed at Liebgott an Guarnere. She was about halfway down the street leading back to barracks when she heard them approaching. She kept walking. She was too angry. Angry at the men who made the bet, angry at the men who knew about the bet, and angry at herself.
"Princess wait up." Guarnere shouted. She ignored it and walked faster. They caught up to her easily enough.
"Jesus, would stop for one god damn second." Liebgott grabbed her arm and spun her around. Half of easy company had followed her out of the pub but she barely noticed them. She yanked her arm away from Liebgott like his touch burned her.
"Don't you touch me Joseph Liebgott." She spat. "I don't want to talk to you. Any of you! You can all stay the hell away from me."
"What the hells the matter with you?" Liebgott asked irritated. She was too drunk to deal with this. She just wanted to crawl into her bed. But her stubbornness took over and she stayed rooted were she was.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that my closest friends in this company only wanted to be friends with me so they could win some stupid bet about who'd get to sleep with me first." She was looking directly at Liebgott, who looked shocked and sad. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "What ever you have to say, I don't want to hear it."
"Princess, we," Guarnere started.
"I don't want hear anything from you either. Any of you." She said before turning to leave.
"Elsie wait," Malarkey tried his hand at calming her down. She turned to face him.
"I know you weren't part of the bet Malarkey, but you're just as guilty." She said. "You knew all this time and never said a thing."
"what?" Malarkey stuttered. "I.."
"I get it, I do." She sighed. The anger in her voice had dissipated leaving her words sounding desolate. "They're your brothers, you didn't want to betray them."
"Something like that, I guess," He met her eyes with a sad look.
"And who cares about betraying the skirt, right?" She left it at that and headed to the barracks. The tears she fought so hard to keep back now spilled down her cheeks. She ignored everything the men were saying to her. When she got to her barracks she changed into her night clothes, crawled on to her cot and pulled the covers up over her head. She didn't want them to see how much they hurt her. She didn't want them to see her vulnerable. She didn't want to be vulnerable.
The next morning Elsie was up before the men. She smiled at how peaceful they looked when they were asleep. Then she remembered what played out the night before and her smile faded. She didn't want to think about it so she went for a run. She was on her second lap of the perimeter of base when she ran into Babe.
"Hi." He kicked the ground lightly.
"Hi," She said.
"I, uh, I just wanted to see how you were?" He didn't meet her eyes.
"I'm fine, Babe."
"I'm sorry." He looked up.
"It's not your fault." She almost laughed.
"Kind of is, we told you."
"Well you didn't make the stupid bet."
"No, but I probably would have, if I was there for it." He winked in a teasing manner.
"So charming." It did make her smile though. It was nice to have someone to talk to. "ya know, I don't even know who I'm madder at, them or me."
Babe gave her a quizzical look so she continued. "I never had many friends, and when I joined the army, I didn't think I was going to have many more. I thought there were going to be complications."
"Like the bet?"
"Yes, like the bet. I should have seen it coming. I should've figured out the only reason they befriended me was to sleep with me. I mean I was the only girl in the damn army." She was getting worked up again.
"They didn't mean to hurt you. They care about. They're all sorry."
"Is that why you're talking to me? To apologise for them?" She asked. "Hold on, did they send you as their messenger?"
"It's not like that, I wanted to see how you were."
"But they did send you?" Fell for it again- she thought. Another 'friend' with an agenda. "Just forget about it Babe."
She walked to the mess hall alone, thankful Babe didn't follow her, he probably already ate. A few easy company men were still there finishing up their breakfast- she just ignored them and sat at an empty table with her tray. Just like her first few days at Taccoa. And just like those days her silence was broken by someone sitting across from her. It was Liebgott. The last person she ever wanted to see.
"Can we talk?" his eyes were pleading like a sad puppy. She almost gave in.
"No." She stood up with tray of half eaten food and left, dropping the tray in the dirty dish bin on her way out. Who needed breakfast anyway.
A week went by in similar fashion. Elsie continued to ignore the men when she could. While they were training, she would only speak when it was necessary. The men continued their pursuit to talk to her and apologise- she continued to turn her back.
Training was done for the day and she headed to her quiet spot. She sat on the fence at the back perimeter of base, closed her eyes and let the silence consume her. She wasn't alone for long though, and opened her eyes when she heard the footsteps. She stood tall and saluted when she saw him.
"At ease, private." Lieutenant Winters said.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
"I'm fine sir." She wondered if he knew about the bet.
"You've been spending a lot of time alone." His voice was calm.
"I like the quiet." It wasn't a lie, she just left out the part about avoiding the men.
"I don't know what's going on lately, but I do know, since Taccoa, you've been an important part of easy company. You helped push these men to be better. You boost their moral on a daily basis, and in Normandy you made it clear that you wouldn't give up."
"Thank you, sir." She didn't know where he was going with this conversation.
"I don't know if there is something going on, but it would be understandable with what you went through in Normandy." Winters said. "I'm here if you want to talk, but I'd understand if you were more comfortable talking to some one else. Just don't push the men away. To survive in this war you'll need them, and they'll need you."
"Thank you sir, but I really am okay."
"One more thing," Winters handed her something with a smile. "Congratulations corporal."
"Really?" She said in surprise. "I didn't think I was allowed, I…"
"I know you were told you weren't going to move up the ranks, but Coronel Sink pushed for it. In Normandy, you proved to everyone what you can do, Montgomery. You deserve this."
Elsie nodded and thanked him before he left. She was excited, she was now a corporal. She wanted to share her excitement and celebrate the good news. But she didn't have anyone to tell. Winters was wrong, they didn't need her, and she certainly didn't need them. Even if she did miss them. You were just a bet- she reminded herself. She put her new patch in her pocket and headed for the showers, hoping they would be empty. She was halfway there when she ran into Becker.
"Hey little lady." He smiled. "Where ya headed?"
"Showers."
"Still in a mood are we?" he mocked her.
"Shut up." She pushed passed him.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked following her.
"Haven't you heard?" she asked bitterly.
"about the bet?" He asked rhetorically. "Everyone's heard about the bet."
"Great." She muttered.
"If you want my opinion," He started but she cut him off.
"I don't."
"I think you are over reacting." He said it anyway. They stopped outside the shower facility. She glared at him. "Look, whether there was a bet or not they would have tried to sleep with you. You're the only woman here, did you really expect anything else?"
"No, and that's part of the problem. I should have realised I was nothing more than a broad they thought they could sleep with." She looked to the ground.
"Now that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth." He was smiling. She glared at him.
"Why do you find this so amusing?"
"I don't," He said. "But it's stupid and you know it. Those men would do anything to protect you, and it's not just because they want to get you in bed. They care about you."
"Whatever." She walked into the showers leaving Becker outside. The silent tears washed away as the warm water cleansed her. Winters' words floated through her thoughts.
"You'll need them, and they'll need you."
Was he worried about what would happen when they were back on the line? What if they were distracted? She shook her head. No, surely they weren't that upset. They were the ones who lied to her after all. She finished her shower and was surprised to see Becker waiting outside.
"You waited?"
"Yeah, you chased away all your other shower guards, so I figured I'd step in until you came to your senses."
On there way back to her bunk she pulled out her patch. "I was promoted today."
"It's about time." Becker patted her back. "Congratulations."
"Thanks."
"You don't sound to excited about it."
I am, it's just..." She trialed off.
"You want to share this news with your friends." He finished for her. "You still can."
"No, I can't." She said goodbye and walked into her barracks.
That night, the men had once again gone to the pub, and Elsie stayed on base. And like every night for the past week, she pretended to be asleep when they got back. She could sense someone standing near her bed but she kept her eyes closed and focused on keeping her breathing normal.
"Ya know, Babe said she was mad at herself?" She recognised Guarnere's voice. "Can you believe that?"
"We screw up and she blames herself?" Liebgott snorted. "Go figure."
"You think she'll forgive us?" Toye asked.
"I donno." Liebgott sighed and crawled into bed.
She tossed and turned all night. She wasn't just angry or sad anymore, after her talk with Winters and Becker, she also felt guilty. Was she making them as miserable as she felt? She shouldn't even care how they felt. But she did, because she cared about them- they were her brothers.
The next day after training she was back at her quiet spot. She liked it because it was far enough away that she didn't have to see the men. Unless they came looking for her- which is exactly what Cobb did. He was the last person she expected to try to reason with her.
"Can you get your shit together?" he asked irritably.
"Go away Cobb."
"You need to stop acting like a little brat and pull your self together."
"Excuse me?" her voice raised.
"Do you really think that bet influenced them getting to know you?"
"Yes, they only started talking to me because of the bet."
"Don't be stupid." Cobb scolded. "They would have talked to you whether they made the bet or not. We trained together for over two years, it was bound to happen. And they still would have tried to sleep with you. Just because they placed money on it doesn't mean it wouldn't have played out the same way. Besides, it's not like anyone won."
"Well, gee, thanks for the pep talk." She said sarcastically. But maybe he's right- she thought. Becker had said the same thing. "Now go away."
"Look, we're going to the pub tonight, just stop acting like a little shit for one night and come out. You're making the men miserable." He said what he'd come to say and left.
"What the fuck Cobb?" She said it growled quietly to herself, then kicked the fence post. She missed her boys. She never felt lonelier in her life. She was making herself miserable and she new it. Maybe they really were sorry. Liebgott even said they'd screwed up when he thought she wasn't listening.
Cobbs words suddenly hit her. "It's not like anyone won." Liebgott didn't tell them. He'd won and he didn't tell them. She couldn't stop smiling. Maybe the bet didn't mean anything after all.
