Dana's butt was sore, the jeeps wasn't as comfortable as they looked.
Nixon and Dana was on a LST on their way to England and Aldbourne. Dana got more and more quiet.
"Nervous about seeing Speirs again?" Nixon asked her
"Yeah well, I got a lot to tell him" Dana said and looked out at the water.
"Guess It's been a eventful couple of months" Nixon said
"You can say that again" Dana said and leaned against the railing, she lit a smoke and blew out the smoke.
"How the do I explain, Dobie and Moose to him? and what if he already know?" Dana said and looked at Nixon.
He studied her a minute, he wasn't exactly the one to ask for advice when it came to relationships.
"Hell if I know, the only woman I been faithful to is Charlie, because I know she would beat my ass and I love her more than anything" Nixon said.
"I know, but you might want to lie of the booze around her" Dana said and winked at Nixon.
"Will do, will do" Nixon said.
"Just tell him you missed him and you can't wait for him to get back to the battalion" Nixon said
"Guess so" Dana said.
When the LST landed on English soil, Dana practically ran of it and onto the waiting jeep, Nixon followed smiling.
"Guess someone has found her excitement" Nixon said
"Just let's go" Dana said.
Dana bounced around in the back of the jeep, when it stopped outside of the hospital, she jumped off and grabbed her bag and waited for Nixon to get his gear together. They walked into the hospital together and asked for Charlie and Speirs, they were in different rooms on the same floor.
They climbed the stairs together. Nixon looked at Dana and said" Good luck" and opened the door to Charlie's room, he saw her in bed, looking a lot better than the last time he saw her.
Charlie turned her head when the door opened and when she saw who it was her whole face lit up and she cried out "Lew, oh god you are here, I missed you so much"
Nixon sat down on the bedside "I missed you to Honey" He said and kissed Charlie with all his penned up passion and despair.
They pulled apart and Nixon tucked a strand of hair behind Charlie's ear, she looked at him "So tell me, what have I missed?" She said
"Well, we rescued a bunch of Brits, and their commander fell in love with Dana and have a tendency to show up in most unusual places." Nixon said and kissed Charlie again.
"we had a wedding a few days ago" Nixon said and played with the sheet on Charlie's bed, he was hesitant to tell her about the wedding, he knew she would be upset she wasn't there.
"Who got married? Luz finally got that nurse to marry him" Charlie said.
Nixon drew in a big breath "No, not Luz. Winters and Emma got married in a small church in France and right now they are on their honey moon in Paris" Nixon said and studied Charlie's face for some sort of reaction.
Charlie looked hurt for a brief second and then she just shook it up, she was upset they hadn't waited for her to get back, but on the other hand they were heading to hell on earth, so she guessed she couldn't really blame them, "Wow, that's, that's great, I am glad for them" Charlie said.
"Guess" Nixon said and hugged Charlie.
"So what else, Moose mumbled something about a kiss and a slap on the head" Charlie said
"Oh yeah, he kissed Dana and got a slap on the back of the head from Emma" Nixon said.
"Well, ought to teach him" Charlie said, she pulled Nixon to her. She pulled back and patted her bed, motioning for him to join her "I am so glad you are here, now I won't have to scramble thru Europe to catch up with Easy, when they let me out tomorrow" Charlie said
"They are letting you leave?" Nixon said, he was excited, but also scared, what if something happened to her again.
"Don't worry babe, I will be ok" Charlie said and put her hand on Nixon cheek.
"So what about you? what's going on with you?" She asked and looked Nixon in the eyes.
Lew quickly looked away; he was kind of ashamed of the fact that he had to tell Charlie he was drinking again.
"Lew, what? what aren't you telling me?" Charlie asked
She studied him for a moment, he looked puffy and he had the tell, tale sign of a man who drank too much.
"Lew have you been drinking again?" Charlie asked
Lew was embarrassed "Charlie I am sorry, it's just with what happened to you and the worry I slipped, I am sorry" Nixon said
Charlie could tell he was sorry, but she heard the song before from her mother.
Charlie grabbed a hold of Nixon "Lew look, my mom was a drunk and she left me, I won't marry one, so you have to promise me it stops right here" Charlie said and looked at Nixon with tears in her eyes.
Nixon's heart broke, he would stop drinking right then and there, just to keep Charlie from having to go thru more hurt, he nodded "Yes, yes I promise" he said
Charlie smiled thru her tears and they kissed again.
They just lay there holding each other and enjoying being together, they were happy, they would be together again soon.
Charlie knew it would be a tough time and she had started to hoard warm clothing and socks.
"Nix, what do you think we will do when the war is over?" Charlie asked Nix
"I think, we will go home to New Jersey and get married and spend our time traveling" Nixon said and kissed Charlie on the nose.
Charlie smiled "Are you sure you want to marry a broken ex army Captain?" Charlie asked
"I don't want anyone else, you are who I was made for" Nixon said meaning every word.
"I know, it's just sometimes I wonder if this war have changed me, us, all of the men, you know" Charlie said
"I don't think any one goes thru a war without getting hurt emotionally or physically" Nixon said
"I guess you are right" Charlie said and snuggled up to Nixon
There was complete silence until they heard someone yelling "HE DID WHAT"
"Guess Dana told Speirs about Moose" Nixon said
"Please come down, nothing else happened and it's not like I enjoyed it" Dana said and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Dana he kissed you, he shouldn't do that, not when he knows you are with another man" Speirs was pissed off and he wasn't going to let himself get talked down. He didn't care if was nothing, it just made it worse that Moose hadn't asked for Dana's consent and the fact a fellow officer would move in on his girl and a fellow officer. Speirs was pissed beyond believe, he just wanted to get up and beat the shit out of Moose.
Dana could tell Ron was pissed off, like nothing she had seen before, not even after he shot that sergeant back in Normandy, had she seen him that pissed off.
"Ron please let it go, Moose has suffered enough, he doesn't need any more grieve" Dana said trying to come down Ron.
Ron was about to respond when the door flew open and Colonel Dobie stepped in the room, he thought it was the room of one of his lieutenants.
"David what are you doing?" Dana asked
Dobie stopped for a second of all of the places he had thought he would see Dana again; it hadn't been at the hospital.
"Dana what are you…" he started and then it dawned on him "You must be Ron" he said and stuck his hand out to Speirs.
Speirs took out of the respect for the rank "Sir" he said and looked between Dana and Dobie, "How do you know each other" he said
Dana was totally stunned "We…" she started
"Easy company saved our butts in Holland" Dobie said
Dana still just stared at Dobie, she blushed which didn't escape Ron's attention.
"Well I best be going then, nice to meet you lieutenant, Dana" Dobie said and walked out.
The room went silent "So, how are you?" Dana asked
"I am fine, I am getting out of here tomorrow, but there is something you are not telling me" Ron said
"David and I we got close in Holland, and he saved my ass at Emma's bachelorette party" Dana said
"Why did he have to rescue you?" Ron asked
Dana told Ron what have happened since he had left her in Holland, Speirs got somewhat upset, he was downright angry by the time she finished her story.
"Ron say something please" Dana said.
He looked at her "I don't know what to say; I guess I can't blame you, can I? it's not like you led them on or came on to them, did you?" Ron said.
Dana took a moment had she led Moose and David on? she hoped not, she hadn't done it intentionally, she was being her friendly self, had she send some signals that could have been miss interpreted.
"I haven't done anything intentionally, I do care a lot about you, and Ron I love you" Dana finally admitted to herself and Ron.
Speirs pulled her into his bed, "I know, babe and I love you too, it's just a lot to take in and if you don't mind, please get out of here and go see Charlie, I want to catch whatever sleep I can, before heading back out on the line" He said and slapped Dana on the butt.
What Ron really needed was time to come down and think about all he had been told.
"Oh and Winters and Emma got married" Dana said before she closed the door.
Dana walked into Charlie's room Nixon was sleeping and Charlie was studying him like he was a precious piece of art.
"You know it's just an army captain, not Michelangelo's David" Dana said and pushed of the doorframe.
"Oh no, I will leave the David's to you" Charlie said with a smirk
"So he told you, did he?" Dana said and hugged Charlie, trying not wake Nixon.
"How are you?" Dana asked Charlie
"I am good, I am getting out of here" Charlie said.
"Awesome" Dana said
"I am heading out see you tomorrow" Dana said and kissed Charlie on the cheek.
Dana stepped out of the hospital, she was summoned to the HQ, and she knew Strayer was in Aldbourne wonder if he was the one who needed her.
She stepped into the HQ and walked straight to the commander's office, the door was closed so she waited outside.
She looked at the clerk who was typing away and she starred at him, he looked familiar, she saw his last name was Kahne, Dana was sudden he must be related to Charlie somehow, maybe a distant relative Dana thought.
The door opened and Strayer called her in, Dana walked in and stood at attention, "At ease captain" Strayer said
Dana looked at Strayer, expecting him to say something first "How are the lieutenants" Strayer asked Dana
"Good, just Fine, they are being released tomorrow" Dana said
"Great, you and Nixon can escort them back to France then" Strayer said.
"How are you and the girls holding up?" Strayer said
"Good, fine" Dana said
"Good, I…" Strayer said, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door "Bob are you about done" a female voice said, a woman who looked to be about thirty years old pocked her head in, Dana sucked in a breath, the woman looked exactly Camilla only older.
She looked at Dana when she heard her suck in her breath, she then looked at Strayer
"We are done Captain" Strayer said and dismissed Dana.
Dana walked out of the building and headed straight for her old billet, she found a vacant room, and she fell on the bed and slept in her jumpsuit.
Speirs was unable to sleep; he was still upset about what had happened in his absence. He believed Dana hadn't started anything intentionally, but she wasn't completely innocent he knew that, he had to decide if he could let it go, or if he should hang on to the disappointment and anger.
He would have a little talk with both of the men ,that's for sure and then he would decide.
Speirs fell asleep thinking about Dana and what his life would be without Dana in it. It was hard for him to imagine after spending so much time thinking about her while he had been in the hospital, she had been one of factors keeping his spirit up and wanting to return so bad, she was a big part of that and then his men, who he knew needed him.
In time Speirs would figure shit out and get his ducks in a row again.
The nurse on call looked in on Speirs, the lieutenant slept like a baby for the first time in a long while, must have something to do with the pretty lieutenant who visited him earlier.
The next day Dana was lingering around the officer's billet, she wanted to talk to the woman from Strayer's office, she knew she had to find out the connection between Camilla and the woman.
Finally she heard the woman's voice "Fine, make sure we have the supplies by the time we get back to France" The woman said to someone outside the billet.
Dana smiled at the woman and saluted her when she noticed the Major insignias on her collar.
The woman saluted her back "What can I do for you Captain?" The major said.
"I was wondering what your last name is?" Dana said
"Why do you want to know that?" The major said
"Well it's a long story, but you look a lot like our Doc" Dana said
The major looked at Dana "Well that must be a co incidence, I have no family" The Major said and started to walk away.
Dana looked at the Major's back "Does the name Camilla mean anything to you?" She asked the major.
The Major walked back to Dana "who are you? and how do you know about Camilla?"
"I am captain Dana Grey, west point class of 2011 and apparently time traveler extraordinaire" Dana said
"Is… is she here as well?" the Major asked Dana
"Yes, she is in France with her company" Dana said
"Don't tell me you girls hooked up with Easy" the Major said
"Yeah, how you know that?" Dana said
"Please, Camilla have been studying anything Easy for years" the major said
"Just like the rest of us" Dana said
The Major went quiet for a second, she had to let it sink in her baby sister was here in this damn war.
"Well I am Ella-Marie Hamlin, or major Hamlin or to my friends El" Ella said
"So how did you end up here?" El asked Dana
"We were at Danish base in Afghanistan and there were an explosion and we ended up in Normandy on D-day" Dana said.
"Sounds kind of like it happened to me, except the fact I ended up in 1939 and had to explain how a woman ended up in the army in 1939, oh and I had the pleasure of participating in formation of the airborne, which wasn't easy by the way, fun fact I got to train Sobel and I gave him all kind of hell" El said.
Dana looked at El "So you and Strayer?"
"Yeah I don't know, we have just went out a couple of times, he is sweet" El said.
"Strayer is a fair commander" Dana said
The two girls have started to walk and had ended up in the mess with a cup a coffee, they sat together and gossiped
"So how about you girls you said there was more of you" El said
"Well there is four of us, Captain Hunter, Captain Kahne, who is in the hospital after getting shot after Market-Garden, Camilla who is still a lieutenant, she denied her promotion" Dana said
"And which men have you twisted around your fingers" El asked
"Well Hunter is now Captain Winters actually, Camilla have Lipton wrapped around her pinky, Kahne is with Nixon and me well its complicated, I am in love with Speirs, I think, however Heyliger kissed me and then there is Dobie who keeps proposing to me" Dana said
El let out a laugh "Well you are trouble; I knew when I saw you in Bob's office"
Nix was at the hospital getting ready to take Charlie home with him, they would have to leave for France later that evening.
He was helping her out of the bed, when he heard the door to the room next to Charlie's slam shut; it was the room Speirs had been in. Nix knew Speirs was back in excellent shape and he guessed he was on his way to have a word with Heyliger.
They had packed all Charlie's stuff and were planning on getting her refitted with some winter clothes, when Dana pocked her head in the door to Charlie's room.
"You guys know where Ron is" she asked
"I don't know for sure, but I think he is with Heyliger" Nixon said
Dana just made a face and nodded, "guess I better head down stairs then" She said and turned around.
Nixon looked at Charlie, "now this is going to be interesting" Charlie looked at Nix "with Dana it always is, she attracts men and trouble"
"How are you doing?" Nixon looked at Charlie
"I am good, I can't wait to get back to the men and harass Guarnere" Charlie said.
Bill had been a frequent visitor in Charlie's room and they had formed a tight friendship.
"Yeah well, you know wild Bill he came back asking for the nearest whore house" Nixon said and pulled Charlie in for a hug.
Charlie kissed Nix and looked him in the eye "And did you or any of the other officers point him in the right direction?" Charlie asked
Nixon just smiled at her and kept his mouth shut, Nix and Welsh had visited Lulu's but only to get a drink or ten.
"Lew, you don't know that place do you?" Charlie asked with a stern tone in her voice
"Well…" He started, he never got to explain himself to Charlie before she pushed by him and slammed the door shut.
"Shit" was all he said and stormed after Charlie, he found her sitting in the hall sobbing, he sat down next to her "Hey, hey don't cry, yes I know Lulu's, what soldier in France doesn't, that don't mean I ever touched any of the girls, I learned my lesson, I would never give you any reason to leave me, I love you, Charlotte Kahne and don't you ever forget that" Nixon said
Charlie looked up at Nixon "You love me? No one has ever said that to me before" Charlie said
"No one, not even your parents" Nixon said
"I don't have parents, my mom was a drunk, who never knew who my father was, I have spend my child hood in orphanages, because no one wanted to adopt me" Charlie said
Nixon felt like an ass, he decided right there and then he would protect Charlie from everything, he would be the constant in her life she never had as a child.
"I love you to" Charlie said and let Nix help her up
"let's get you refitted and find the two lovebirds, so we can get out of here" Nixon said
Charlie was holding on to Nixon like she was never letting go of him, she loved him and knowing he loved her back was just the best feeling ever.
Right before they reached the door of the hospital they heard some yell "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? YOU ASS"
Nixon and Charlie looked at each other and Charlie said "Dana"
"Yeah let's go see what is happening" Nixon said
They found Dana poking her finger into Speirs chest and telling him exactly what she thought of him.
Charlie went over to Heyliger and sat down on his bedside, she took his hand "What happened here?" She asked and looked at Moose
"Dana found Speirs here, chewing my ass out for kissing her, Dana went bat shit crazy and started to tell Speirs what she thought of him and his possessiveness" Moose said
The people in the room not fighting, just looked at the couple and waited for them to kiss and make up.
They got a big surprise "I can't believe I thought I loved you, you ass" Dana said and stormed out.
She was really pissed at Speirs; she would never forgive him for acting like he had toward Heyliger.
Evidently he wasn't the man she thought he was.
Dana stormed out of the hospital and ran smack into a hard body "Wow there love, why are you in such a hurry" Dana looked up and right into the eyes of Dobie.
"Why are all men idiots?" She asked him
"I don't know why all yank men are idiots, but I know I am not an idiot, let me show you" Dobie said and guided Dana towards the mess.
They both grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down
Dobie let Dana rant about Speirs and what had happened in the hospital, he put his hand over hers and waited for her to finish.
"You know love, there are men out there who aren't controlling and scary and who would love to have you, to marry you" Dobie said
Dana looked at Dobie, he was a good looking man and he was kind and a great soldier and leader.
She could love him, if she just gave him a chance.
"Look Dana, I would love for you to come join the first airborne and there may even be a promotion in it for you and it would give us a chance to see, where this thing there is between us is going" Dobie said.
Dana nodded "yeah I guess you are right, it could be fun, I guess" Dana said
"Great, I will get it settled with Bob then" Dobie said
They both got up, Dana needed to find Charlie and let her know what was going on, and staying in England would give her a chance to get to know Ella better.
Dana found Charlie at the mess "Hey can I talk to you? Outside please" She said
Charlie got up "yeah what is up" Charlie said
The two girls walked out of the mess and sat down on a secluded part of the camp.
"I am staying here with the Brits" Dana said
"Why?" Charlie asked
"I need sometime for myself, away from everything that has happened" Dana said
"Well if you feel like that, just get back to us, before Bastogne please" Charlie said and hugged Dana
The two girls talked for a long time and suddenly they realized it was time for Charlie to leave for France.
Dana walked Charlie to the Jeep, Nixon and Speirs was there. Speirs just looked right thru Dana and Nix realized that Dana didn't have her gear with her.
"Where is your gear?" he asked her
"I am not going with, you I am staying with the Brits" Dana said
"Right" was all Nixon Said?
Charlie hugged Dana "write" she said and climbed in the back of the jeep, as it took off she turned to Speirs "You know this is all you doing" She said, Speirs just nodded.