Thanks very much for your steady support, my dear reviewers! You guys rock! :-)))
Jayden (I hope you're better now and not ill anymore! I was so happy to see that I could cheer you up with an update last week, this is so sweet. :-))) Yeah, Shames, I don't think he'll ever get any more popular... *ggg*. And you got it exactly, Dick tearing his stitches will give me an excuse to get him together with Lizzie again. :-))), beth-rodrigues.77 (Hehe, poor Shames, you don't like him... :-)) Only kidding, he's a bastard. ;-) I guarantee you there won't be too much damage on Dick's part, but he'll get to see Lizzie again, so that's good, isn't it? :-) And yeah, if you had to sum up Lizzie's character, "straightforward" would definitely fit her very nicely. Thanks so much and have a very nice week, too!), ScarletLeon (Yeah, I love the Easy sergeants (Bull, Tab, Chuck), too, and I would actually love to bring them more often into the story! But I do try to make them appear as often as I can, I promise, because you said so fittingly, they're sweetheart teddy bears! *lol* And true, I asked myself whom you'd find fighting in a bar brawl and Guarnere, Martin, Cobb and Liebgott were the ones I thought of first. ;-)) Glad it fits! Hehe, there'll be even more tension between Lizzie and Dick in this chapter... :-))) Loved your wonderful review!), AnimeGirl 144 (Hey and welcome to the story, it's so wonderful to have picked up another reader on the road! :-))) Funny that you said you normally don't read pairings with OCs, because I normally don't write this kind of FF... :-))) My very first FF was an OC story, that was ten years ago, and only now I'm writing one again. Hehe, so that somehow fits and I can promise I'll never lose sight of the relationship between Dick and Easy, the OC is just one aspect of the story, not everything. And you're definitely right with the rally-around-the-flag thing, that was exactly what caught my interest, too, so my story can be seen as some kind of very long and very liberal missing scene story... :-))) I'm so happy to hear you got inspired to write some BoB story of your own! I know it takes some time for researches, because of all the military business (I'm really not an army geek myself...), but it's fun all the same. :-))) Thanks for your wonderful review and I hope to hear from you again!), ChocAndSnow19 (Yeah, you're definitely right, it was quite unfair what happened to the Easy men, it was pretty much out of frustration that they have even let themselves be taunted. And yeah, the silver lining in the cloud is definitely coming, but I hope you won't be too mad at me at the end of this chapter... Because it won't come right now... Sorry... :-))) And I'm afraid Shames has not got any more likeable in this chapter, he's still a scumbag... *g* Thanks so much for your review, I'm always looking forward to hearing from you!).
I'm sorry the updates are still rather slow to come, my time schedule is tighter than ever. It might cheer you up to know that I set myself a minimum of updating at least once every two weeks. I just can't make it every week right now, but I try to update every ten days or so. At least the chapters are rather long, right? :-)
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"What about Clotilde if it's a girl?", Lizzie asked innocently, taking a bite of the apple in her hand and trying to suppress a grin at the look of annoyance on Greta's face. It was a quiet evening in the emergency ward, so she and Greta had seated themselves at a small table close to the entrance during their shift while chatting and drinking coffee.
"No, Lizzie, for the last time, I won't give my child a name that has been popular more than thousand years ago and has never been used again since then", Greta replied with a sigh. "And I don't care if it was the name of a king or a queen, since the other children in school won't care about that either. So stop your so-called 'help', we'll find a name, Paul and I."
"Yeah", Lizzie answered around chewing, "but by the time you'll have decided on a name, the child will long have graduated from high school. Great, at least you can then ask him or her directly if he or she likes the name."
"Very funny", Greta answered, drumming her fingers on the small table in between them. "We'll find a name, we just don't want to rush things. We have plenty of time yet, I still got more than two months."
Lizzie was thinking of a comeback when she heard a car halting outside the emergency ward.
"Looks like we'll finally have work on our hands", Lizzie commented, chucking the rest of her apple into the trash and getting up. No one was screaming for help, so she just waited close to the entrance, watching two shapes get out of the car in the darkness of night.
"It's fine, Lip, I can walk on my own", a familiar voice murmured, the two figures slowly coming closer and stepping into the well-lit emergency ward.
"Dick!", Lizzie exclaimed, his appearance taking her by surprise. She worriedly noticed his limp and the blood stain on his uniform. "What happened? God, are you alright?"
He looked up and gave a tight nod with his lips pursed into a thin line, "Yes, nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?", Greta now interrupted with raised eyebrows. "Of course, it's the normal thing to do, happily bleeding into your clothes in the evening. Why am I not surprised? It only took you four days out of hospital to tear your stitches."
For one moment it seemed like Dick was actually going to snap at Greta, the look on his face downright thunderous.
"I'm not in the mood for this", he instead chose to reply through gritted teeth. Lizzie realized something bad must have happened, she had never seen him this furious. Greta probably noticed his anger, too, because she stopped rebuking him further and led him to one of the examination tables in silence.
"Dick, what happened?", Lizzie asked again, slowly getting really worried. He just shook his head and lowered himself on the table. God, why couldn't he just tell her what had happened? Since he stubbornly refused to even talk to her, she looked to his companion, Carwood Lipton. She remembered him from their encounter about two weeks ago at the pub and she also knew he was aware of her feelings towards Dick. However, she had no intention of letting Dick in on that.
"I'm Second Lieutenant Weiss", she introduced herself, hoping Lipton would play along. "I was tending to Lieutenant Winters during his time here."
"Sergeant Lipton", he in turn introduced himself, his kind eyes giving her a wink.
"Sergeant, can you tell me what happened?", Lizzie asked again, while she observed Greta revealing Dick's bleeding wound. Hell, the wound was well into healing, it would have taken quite a bit of force to split it open again.
"It was a bar fight", Dick finally answered grimly, relieving Lipton of the task to answer for his superior.
"You were in a bar fight?", Lizzie could not help herself from bursting out.
"I was splitting up a bar fight", he specified, giving her a frown that clearly communicated that he would never be found in such a situation. Okay, that seemed more like him and it calmed Lizzie down a bit.
"And who was fighting?", she dug deeper, seeing Lipton open his mouth for an answer, but Dick was quicker.
"I don't think that's medically relevant", he said with a scowl. It was said in such a cold voice that Lizzie had the sudden urge to shake him. What had they done to her gentle and funny Dick? He seemed like a completely different person and he could as well have lived on Mars, he certainly would not have felt more distant than right now.
"Lizzie, can you hand me some swabs and disinfectant?", Greta asked her, voice all professional, tearing Lizzie from her thoughts. She handed her friend the things and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Everything else had to wait until later.
"Do you think he has torn the internal sutures, too?", Lizzie asked quietly when Greta had dabbed away the blood and inspected the wound.
"I'm not sure", her friend replied slowly. "I think it's just the superficial stitches, but I can't see the muscle properly. I'll check it again when he's sedated. Prepare a local anesthetic and morphine." Greta waited for Lizzie's nod, then addressed Dick, "Lieutenant Winters, please get in that bed over there."
"Why can't you just stitch it back up here?", Dick asked with a frown.
"Because the meds can mess with your walking abilities and I'm not in the mood of carrying you to your bed. This way you'll be able to rest just after the procedure", Greta answered with determination.
"I won't stay here for the night", Dick replied, scowling in turn at Lizzie and Greta.
"Yes, you will", the doctor replied. "You might be bleeding in your abdomen, so I certainly won't take the risk and send you home."
"I have a meeting tomorrow morning", Dick informed them through clenched teeth.
"Dick, be reasonable", Lizzie tried to get through to him. "It's better you stay here for the night. If you're well enough by tomorrow, you can still go to your appointment, right Greta?"
Her friend nodded and she looked expectantly at Dick. His eyes were a frosty blue and she could see a muscle clench and unclench in his jaw. God, he was tense, he looked like he was about to throw something around. Finally, he gave a nod of consent and walked over to the bed. Lizzie noticed Lipton staying at his side all the time and made a mental note to ask the sergeant about the fight later on.
"Is this really necessary?", Dick asked Lizzie when she was about to inject him with the morphine.
"Are you joking?", she replied lightly. "Putting sutures in your abdomen isn't the same as, let's say, putting stitches in your arm. You've got much more nerves in your belly, the local anesthetic alone won't be enough to keep you from jerking away from the sting of the needle. And I guess Greta's finger poking around in your wound won't be much fun, either."
He just gave a tight nod, then she continued with the injection. She could practically see him relax under the influence of the morphine, the tension draining from his body. He slowly leaned back in bed and let his head rest tiredly against the pillow. Good, he was finally calming down, her generous dose of the pain killer did wonders on him. After all, the more relaxed he was, the less it would hurt.
"Come, lie down completely", she told him gently and guided him down to rest flat on his back. He blinked sleepily up at her, making her smile. For one short moment she was tempted to touch his face, but she instead chose to squeeze his hand lying on his stomach. His heavily lidded gaze came to rest on her hand before he dragged his eyes back up to her face.
"'r hands are soft", he murmured drowsily. "White 'n soft... 't feels good... touchin' you."
It was the drug talking, she knew, but she still found herself smiling warmly. Maybe she had been a bit too liberal with the morphine, judging from the drooping of his eyelids and the scowl on Greta's face.
"How much did you give him?", her friend asked pointedly.
"Enough", Lizzie just answered, seeing that Dick's breathing was strong and regular. "He's fine, just a little dopey."
When she made a move to draw away her hand from him, his fingers immediately latched on hers again.
"Don't leave", he muttered sluggishly, eyes falling close. "Don't go 'way... Need you... love..."
His voice had trailed off into a whisper and she was not sure she had heard correctly his last words before falling into a drugged doze. She could feel her heart beating madly in her throat all the same. Could it be? Could he really just have said what she thought to have heard?
Suppressing with all her might the jittery smile that threatened to break through, she leaned down to him and whispered in his ear, "I'm not going anywhere, Dick, I'll stay with you."
He gave a sigh of content and only then she slowly disentangled her fingers from his. The sound of someone clearing his throat brought her back into the present. Looking up, she found both Greta and Lipton staring down at her. Lizzie was sure they had not heard Dick's words or her own, but she guessed her feelings were pretty much on open display for everyone to see. And Dick's too, for that matter.
"Okay, he's well sedated, I'll give him the local anesthetic now", Lizzie said, struggling for a professional tone.
The rest of the procedure passed as if in a haze. Lizzie handed Greta whatever was needed, her hands automatically obeying her friend's orders, but her thoughts were all the while circling around Dick's whispered words. Had he really called her 'love'? Maybe she had misheard. And even if he had said it, in his drugged state he could as well have imagined someone else sitting there with him. Maybe he had not really meant her. And perhaps he had wanted to say something else, but the drug had made him slur the words beyond their actual meaning. Damn it, the more she thought about it, the less sure she was about what she had heard.
"All done", Greta pronounced, cutting off the ends of the thread. "You should get some rest now, Lieutenant Winters."
Dick murmured something unintelligible in response, eyes already firmly shut. He had been more asleep than awake for the better part of the procedure, only wincing occasionally.
"Lizzie?", Greta asked. "Could you clean up here and then stay with him for another half an hour or so? I need to go and sit down, my back is killing me."
Lizzie nodded and watched her friend leave. There was no actual need for her to stay with Dick, he was stable, but she knew Greta well enough to recognize her friend's effort in letting her stay with him for a while without raising suspicion. Especially from Lipton, who was still standing beside Dick's bed. It came to her mind that she had wanted to question him earlier on.
"Carwood, please, just tell me what happened", Lizzie tried again. "I've never seen him this angry."
"Me neither", the sergeant replied simply, studying Dick intently. "He's usually pretty impassive."
"So?", she pried, getting impatient.
Lipton sighed, running a tired hand across his face.
"Look, I can see you're close, very close", he slowly answered. "He cares for you deeply and I really don't see why he wants to leave you in the dark about this, but fact is: he doesn't want you to know. And I certainly won't be the one going against his wishes."
"Damn you, Lipton!", she blurted out, her temper getting the better of her. "Are you a company of fucking saints?! Just tell me!"
"Ask him again when he's better", he replied patiently, his kind eyes showing compassion despite being the target of her tantrum.
She grunted at that, barely holding herself back from cursing him even further. It was not his fault, he was just being loyal and under different circumstances she would have hugged him for his devotion towards Dick, but right now she struggled to reign in her temper and stay fair. It was all Dick's fault. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?
Looking down at him, she saw him sleep peacefully, his face relaxed. At least he was going to be alright, she thought with a sigh. Seeing him all bloody had really scared her and the sudden thought of losing him had brought her for a very short moment to the brink of panic. And if there was one feeling that should be banned from a hospital, it was panic. Lizzie sighed again. What was he doing to her?
"Well, I'm leaving, then", Lipton said with a slight uncertainty.
"I'm sorry for shouting at you", Lizzie replied, looking up at the sergeant and giving him an apologetic smile. "I forgot myself for a short moment."
"It's alright", he answered, giving her a smile that made his eyes almost disappear in laugh lines. "Good night, Lizzie."
"Take care of you, Carwood."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
When Dick woke up the next morning, it felt like emerging from some deep, dark place that only reluctantly let him leave. His head was heavy and thinking was quite an effort with his thoughts sticking together like honey.
Why hadn't his mother woken him up for school? He was probably late already.
Looking around in the half-dark, he slowly realized he was not at home in Pennsylvania, but somewhere completely else. The surroundings seemed familiar, but before he could pinpoint where he was, he noticed a figure sleeping beside his bed, feet propped onto his mattress. Lizzie! The name immediately brought a warmness to his heart. She had reclined deeply into a chair with her arms crossed in front of her and her chin resting almost on her chest. Dark bangs covered her eyes and he could hear her deep and regular breathing. She must have stayed up with him the whole night. Seeing her resting peacefully, he suddenly remembered the events of the night before. The bar fight. He had a meeting with Sink and Horton that would decide whether his Easy men would face court-martial or not. He could not be late for this and he had no idea what time it was. The thought made him sit up straight in bed. His movements seemed to disturb Lizzie's sleep, because she murmured a protest, then slumped even deeper into her chair. Dick winced at that, the chair looked downright uncomfortable.
"Lizzie", he softly called out to her, touching her leg resting beside him on the bed. "Wake up."
"What? Why?", she muttered and run a hand over her face, then her eyes opened slowly and found his. "You're awake."
"Yeah, I am", he replied, smiling tenderly. "What time is it?"
"How should I know? You're the one awake, I'm not", she groused around a yawn, then winced at a crink in her neck.
He smiled again at her grumpiness. Looking around, his eyes came to rest upon his watch on the nightstand and he took it in his hand. Five o'clock in the morning. He had the meeting at nine, so he could sleep another two or three hours.
"Go to bed, Lizzie, it's five o'clock", he told her gently. "You shouldn't have stayed up with me the whole night."
She looked at him with eyes that shimmered softly in the half-dark, then after a while she replied quietly, "You asked me to stay. Don't you remember?"
Had he really? He remembered getting tired from the morphine, but everything else was pretty much a blank. With some alarm he wondered what else he had said.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember that", he answered hesitantly.
"It's alright, that's quite common. It's the morphine", she replied, giving a smile that did not reach her eyes. She cast down her eyes to her hands, her face suddenly vulnerable, and her frame seemed to have shrunk in the chair.
"Did I say something else?", Dick wanted to know, watching her closely. She did not react, so he tried to make light of the situation, "I hope it wasn't too embarrassing for anyone."
She snapped up her head, her brown eyes crashing into his, and for one moment she looked like she wanted to spill her thoughts, then she just sighed.
"You were drugged, Dick", she replied simply. "No one will take you up on what you said."
If he had not been alarmed already, he certainly was now. What the hell had he said? And why was Lizzie so serious right now? She normally was the one joking about everyone and everything.
"But you stayed when I asked you to", he gently pointed out.
"Yeah", she replied, her voice finally losing its seriousness and turning dry. "But then I never was a fully consistent person. And I didn't mean to fall asleep." She made a show of wincing and rubbing her back. "Damn it, these chairs are uncomfortable! And there's no point in going to the barracks, I need to be up in an hour anyway."
Before he had really thought about it, he offered, "Come here, the bed is big enough for both of us. It's certainly more comfortable than your chair."
"Dick, I'm working here. How would that look, snuggling up with my patients?", she said lightly, but with an undertone of uncertainty.
"True, the hundreds of people passing though here between five and six in the morning would all stare at you", Dick replied drily, making her snigger.
"You're really adamant to get me into bed with you", she answered with a cheeky grin that all of a sudden made Dick realize how improper his offer had been.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean it that way", he stammered, fumbling for words.
"Just move over", Lizzie replied smilingly, getting up from her chair and slipping under the sheets beside him. He was acutely aware of her warm body so close to his, making his blood rush in his veins. The scent of lavender wafted to his nose and he breathed it in deeply, imagining the softness of her hair beneath his fingers. He only had to stretch out his hand a tiny little bit and he would feel her skin on his... Swallowing hard, he cursed himself for this stupid idea. He was only torturing himself with her presence this close but still beyond his reach.
"Hmm, that's better", she sighed, almost instantly relaxing beside him, while Dick was still struggling to keep his thoughts from straying too far. It was not before long that he heard her breathing grow even.
He just lay there and did not dare to move a muscle because he was afraid he would wake her. Every thought of sleep was far from his mind although it was not because of bodily discomfort. He felt no pain, his side was still numb and he could feel the remnants of the morphine in his blood. His whole world had narrowed down to the single goal of letting Lizzie get some rest, even thoughts of what waited for him as soon as he had to get up and face the world could not trouble him right then and there.
The minutes trickled by and just as Dick was about to check his watch for the time, the curtain around his bed suddenly swished open, revealing Dr. Paul Coombs. If the situation had not been so awkward, Dick might have felt amused at the astonishment on the doctor's face, but he was sure he probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights, too.
After a short silence that felt pretty much like eternity in Dick's estimation, Dr. Coombs just shook his head, muttering, "I'll come back in ten minutes."
With that, he drew the curtain close again. Dick lost no time and went about to wake Lizzie, who had slept through the encounter.
"Hey, it's time to wake up", he told her softly, nudging her shoulder. "Maybe snuggling up with your patients really does look odd."
"Hmm?", she sighed, then stretched her body. One of her feet touched Dick's thigh and he used all his willpower to not twitch away from the tension that sensation created. "Is it six o'clock already?"
"Yeah, in a few minutes", Dick replied wryly. "But you got to move, Dr. Coombs was here."
"What?", she exclaimed, suddenly wide awake. "Greta was here?"
"No, her husband."
"Okay, that's not much better. What did he say?", she inquired while getting up.
"That he'd be back in ten minutes. Just that", Dick answered, also getting out of bed. There was no way he would be able to go back to sleep after having Lizzie so close to him for an hour and then being surprised by the doctor. He might as well get ready for the day.
"Shit", was Lizzie's matter-of-fact response. "I hope he's too embarrassed to give me hell. Hey, what are you doing out of bed? Get back in there."
"I'll need to be up soon anyway", he replied.
"How's your side?", she softly inquired.
"Still numb. I can't feel much", he answered, trying out his range by bending down and stretching his back. There was a tweak of pain at that, but he had expected it to be much worse.
"Come back here after you're done with whatever is so urgent to require your presence while still on sick leave", Lizzie said, a frown coming to rest on her brow. "Greta wants to make sure everything is fine."
"Okay, I'll come back", he promised, although reluctantly. There was so much to do, he hardly had time for another check-up. But he realized he was not forgiven yet for his tightlipped behavior the night before, so he at least tried not to aggravate her any more by going against her directive.
"See you later, then", she replied with a tiny smile and a nod, before she walked away.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It was shortly before nine when Dick walked down the corridor of HQ to the small hall that had been converted to a courtroom. When he entered the antechamber, he saw Bull, Talbert, Grant, Guarnere, Martin, Liebgott and Cobb sitting on narrow benches on the right side of the room, while the infantry soldiers that had been involved in the fight sat on the left side. An MP sergeant and six soldiers kept guard between them. The Easy men got up from their benches when Dick passed them by and saluted. Dick returned their salute and forced himself to give them a small reassuring smile, because they all looked tense and rather nervous. However, he was not supposed to talk with them before the meeting, so he just walked on and entered the courtroom.
Sink and Horton were already there, as well as the MP officer Gregory West that had been on duty the night before. The other lieutenant wordlessly appointed Dick a seat up front. On the other side of the room sat the CO and higher officers of the accused infantry soldiers. After another minute or two, Sobel came in with Shames. Sobel just ignored Dick and took a seat beside Horton, while Shames went to sit down beside Dick.
"You got your belly patched up?", Shames asked with a smirk instead of a greeting.
Since Dick had sworn beforehand to not let himself be taunted again and to stay calm, he nodded his head and answered impassively, "Yes, nice of you to ask."
Shames obviously was not a friend of irony, because Dick's answer made him scowl and he resorted to ignore him from then on, which gave Dick some satisfaction for his success in shutting up Shames.
After a few more minutes, another officer came in, who looked rather mousy with his thick glasses and seemed to spend most of his time behind a desk. Dick guessed he was a member of the court and was sent to oversee this preliminary meeting. Sink opened the meeting by reading down a list of the alleged crimes of the different soldiers. Then Dick was asked to tell his account of the incident, which he did minutely. Although he wished for his Easy men to get off lightly, he did not whitewash his men's involvement, but stated everything exactly as he had seen and heard.
"But, Lieutenant Winters", the infantry major addressed Dick sternly after he had finished his report, "you're not exactly a neutral observer, are you? These are your men we're talking about. Every officer tries to make his own soldiers look as good as possible."
"Sir", Dick answered coolly, "I swear I speak only the truth. My highest goal isn't to have my men escape punishment, but for them to receive a just trial. I never said all of them are innocent."
"And how can we believe you?", the major asked again, almost skewering Dick with dark eyes.
Just as Dick was searching for an answer that was both respectful and made clear that he did not like to be accused as a liar, he received help from an unexpected side.
"Lieutenant Winter's report is supported by the testimony of the barkeeper", Lieutenant West intervened and gave Dick an approving nod. "And the statements of Sergeant Lipton are consistent with both Lieutenant Winters' and the barkeeper's account of what happened. Sir, as far as I can tell, all that Lieutenant Winters says is true."
Dick returned the nod of the of the other lieutenant, suddenly realizing that maybe he had found a kindred spirit in West, who seemed dedicated enough to ignore all the intrigues that took place daily in the higher ranks of the army.
"Thank you for your assessment, Lieutenant West", Colonel Sink said with a small smile. "I don't think a court-martial is necessary for the paratroopers of company E. They'll receive an adequate punishment all the same."
Dick found himself release a pent up breath. While Sink, Horton and Sobel discussed a fair punishment for the transgressions, Dick gently pressed a hand to his side. His abdomen was waking up from its comfortable numbness and started to throb more viciously with every passing minute. Maybe it was not all that bad that he had promised Lizzie to get back to hospital as soon as he was done here. He could spend the day in bed with her close by and receive some pampering from her soft hands...
With his thoughts wandering, Dick almost missed the pronouncement of the sentences for the Easy men. Bull, Grant and Talbert were declared innocent and received no punishment, while Guarnere, Martin, Liebgott and Cobb were penalized with the reduction of one paygrade. However, Guarnere received a warning that he would be busted back to private if there was one more minor transgression on his part, because this was his second punishment in the span of six months. They still got off lightly. It was decided that the infantry men in turn would face court-martial, for their crimes were judged as being more severe.
The meeting was closed and Dick got up immediately. He had no desire to sit beside Shames only one moment longer than he absolutely had to and he wanted to see his men before he went back to the hospital. But first there was something else he needed to do.
"Lieutenant West?", Dick addressed the other officer, who was packing together his things. "I was very grateful for your support and you have my thanks for it."
"It's no trouble", West answered simply and gave a minute nod. "It isn't anything personal, it's my job to find out who's saying the truth and who isn't. I'm on no one's side."
"That's exactly what I'm thanking you for", Dick replied and he saw the other give a short smile at that.
"Then I accept your thanks", West replied. "Let's just hope we won't see each other again too soon."
"Or at least not under similar circumstances", Dick answered, giving a small smile, before West nodded again and left towards the exit.
Just as Dick wanted to leave the courtroom, another voice held him back.
"Lieutenant Winters?", Sink called for him. "A short word, please."
"Yes, sir", Dick answered and slowly walked back to the colonel. The hall had completely emptied besides Sink and him, and Dick gingerly lowered himself on the chair the colonel had gestured to.
"Two things", Sink began, coming straight to the point. "First, I wanted to let you know I'm glad you were there with the men last night and prevented them from doing something even more stupid. It seems like Easy is a bit struggling at the moment with its assignments and it wouldn't have looked very good if there had been a court-martial on top of it all."
"I only did my job, sir", Dick answered and funnily enough found himself answering in almost the same way as West only minutes before.
"Yeah, you did, but you did it extraordinarily well. Like everything you do, which leads us to the second matter", Sink continued, the rare praise taking Dick by surprise. The colonel was usually quite tightlipped when it came to words of approval. And had he just imagined Sink's voice turning softer? "How would you like becoming a staff officer? I can offer you a position at intelligence for a few weeks and after that, I would eventually like to have you in operations. I was told you're a brilliant tactician."
Dick could do nothing more than stare at Sink. It was an honor to be considered as staff officer, but all that he could think of was that he would lose command of the Easy men. He did not want any other position, he was right where he belonged. Could Sink not see that he just wanted to get back to the men as quickly as he could?
"Sir, I'm very grateful for the offer", Dick replied slowly, forcing himself to say something because the silence had stretched too long. "But what about my current position as platoon leader? For more than a year I was trained to lead men in battle."
"I think you were able to get enough experience as a leader", Sink answered, face impassive so that Dick had no clue what the colonel was thinking. "Your career will certainly profit from being on the staff."
"We haven't even been to war yet, so I'm not sure I've gathered enough experience, sir", Dick replied. He realized too late that his voice had turned a tad desperate and he saw Sink narrowing his eyes at that. "Sir, with all due respect, I would like to stay with the men."
"Dammit, Dick, don't be obstinate!", Sink suddenly exclaimed, smashing a hand on the table. Dick also realized that the offer of the colonel had not actually been a question, but an order, nicely disguised. No one was really interested in his opinion and things had probably been settled already. The thought made him bite his lips in desperation. They were going to take Easy away from him!
"Sir, yes, sir", Dick answered quietly, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands. "To whom do I owe the honor of being considered as staff member?"
"Captain Sobel recommended you", Sink replied more gently, the answer only confirming what Dick had suspected already. "He has requested Lieutenant Shames to be appointed permanently as leader of second platoon."
This had been Sobel's plan all along, Dick slowly realized. Sobel had been afraid of Dick's influence on the men right from the beginning and now he had found a way to transfer him out of the company. Shames was the perfect puppet for Sobel, they seemed to work together quite nicely. And now this so-called "promotion" would bind Dick to the desk somewhere far away from Easy. He pretty much felt like crying.
"Lieutenant Shames has failed his first solo-maneuver with second platoon, sir", Dick could not hold himself back from pointing out bitterly.
"Yes, I'm aware of that", Sink replied with slight annoyance. "This is why nothing is definitely settled yet. Major Horton first wants to make sure Lieutenant Shames is up to the task."
Then there still was hope, Dick thought. If only he could somehow get the men to...
"But Dick", Sink interrupted his thoughts, looking at him sharply, "Lieutenant Shames accused you of flirting with fraternization when it comes to the enlisted men and Sobel supported him in that notion. Shames said it was your fault he has failed the maneuver, because you've convinced the men to only listen to you..."
"Sir, that's not true!", Dick blurted out, the wrong accusation stirring up his blood.
"Don't interrupt me!", Sink snapped with eyes blazing, getting Dick to shut up immediately. "I didn't say they are right or we would discuss this matter at court-martial instead of me offering you a position at staff. But their suspicions are enough to have me convinced that everyone would profit from separating you for a time from the men of Easy company. Some distance will do you good, because it's really difficult for a new officer like Shames to get on with these men that only count the days until you're back. Besides, you're still on sick leave and intelligence would be happy to have someone help them out."
Sink's voice had turned gentle, almost fatherly, and Dick knew that the colonel did what he thought was best for the company. And still, Sink was so completely wrong! Dick did not dare to imagine the Easy men's reaction to this news. This could destroy everything.
"Dick, have I been clear enough?", Sink asked.
"Yes, sir", Dick answered meekly.
"Good", the colonel said, giving him what was supposed to be an encouraging smile. "You'll start working in intelligence as soon as you're cleared for light duty. Shames will stay on a two-month trial period with second platoon of Easy company. If he succeeds this trial period and Horton is content, he'll receive permanent command of second platoon."
"Yes, sir", Dick answered again, voice turning into a whisper.
"That's all, then", Sink concluded their talk and they both got up simultaneously. Dick saluted him and he received a salute in return, then the colonel walked out of the room.
Feeling his twenty-six years weigh double and threefold on his shoulders, Dick slowly exited the courtroom. In the antechamber, the Easy men together with Nix had waited for him to come out. They were smiling widely, the relief of their light punishment clearly visible on their faces. Seeing them approach him cheerfully sent a fierce stab of pain to Dick's heart. They did not know yet and he was unable to tell them right now.
"Thanks for the support, sir, we would've...", Liebgott began grinningly, but Dick cut him off right away.
"It's okay, I'm glad you got off lightly", he told them tonelessly, then looked to Nix. "Lew, can you drive me to our billet? I don't feel so good."
"Weren't you supposed to go back to the hospital?", his friend asked with raised eyebrows, his eyes shining worriedly.
"Just take me to the Barnes, please", Dick begged. He was not fit for any company right now.
A stunned silence followed Dick to the door and he was relieved he could leave the presence of his men... his friends. He might never have the pleasure of training with them again and that thought hurt more than he would ever have imagined.
-tbc-
I hope there's someone reading this out there in the far world who doesn't hate me right now... :-)