Hey my dear readers!
I'm very sorry this update took so long. I know I broke my promise of updating at least every two weeks. There are two reasons for the delay: First reason was that I was a bit lost about how to proceed with the story and I'm actually not that happy with this chapter. I know exactly where I want to go with this story, but I have right now some troubles sorting out how to get there. I really hope you like this chapter anyway. It's a bit shorter than the earlier ones and leaves off a bit abruptly, but I really felt like I had to update soon. I hope it isn't too bad. Second and very selfish reason for not updating was the beautiful summer weather we had here in Switzerland in the last few weeks. It was just too nice and warm to sit indoors all the time in my rather limited time off. I did all kind of things from going to musical festivals to hiking in the mountains and swimming in the river. Kind of makes it hard to get the feeling for getting in the mood of writing a story that is set in November... I always wanted to make my characters sweat in the summer heat and going for a swim before remembering they had to be cold...
Thanks to my wonderful reviewers who kept my bad conscience about not updating awake: beth-rodrigues.77 (Hehe, so happy you liked the last chapter and the Dick-Lizzie tension! And yeah, about Bill, he's certainly a bit of a loose cannon, no one really knows what he's going to do next... Thanks for your steady reviewing, you're awesome!), Jayden (Yeah, you're right, the boys have to be involved to make the story interesting. They're certainly going to stick around for the chapters to come. Hehe, and yeah, Dick was a bit harsh, but then I just love to raise the tension between him and Lizzie. Thanks so much for your steadfast reviewing, it keeps me writing!), ScarletLeon (Hehe, you just love the guys, don't you? So glad you enjoy when I write them in the story! *lol* And yeah, Dizzie tension! So happy you love their relationship! Thanks for your wonderful reviews, they always make me so happy!), ChocAndSnow19 (So glad you loved the part with Gene, I think it's rather hard to get him right. And yeah, Bill, he's a trouble-maker and he'll certainly create trouble in the future...;-) To answer your question about Easy listening to Dick: well, you know the guys, they're not lambs and they have their own minds what to do... :-) Nope, I won't say more than that. *ggg* Have a lovely, sunny day, too, and thanks for your steady reviewing, it's what keeps me going!).
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When Dick walked out of the examination room, he decided to make a small detour through the ward, maybe he would have a chance to talk to Lizzie again. He already regretted his last comment to her, she had really only wanted to help. If she had only asked him beforehand what he thought about a secret meeting with his sergeants, then he could have told her why he was against it.
It had been hard enough to realize he could not do anything to get back to Easy, but being forced to tell his former sergeants to their face that it was hopeless had been almost more than he could bear. Seeing their loyalty and devotion towards him had also made him painfully aware that his skepticism of the trust between them before he got sick had been totally unfounded. This insight, however, came too late and made it even harder to bear that he would now have no chance to let them feel his full trust in them.
Checking every last corner of the ward and finding no trace of Lizzie, Dick decided to accept defeat on all lines and return to the Barnes'. He could not lose her, too, just because of that silly argument! With his mood reaching its lowest point, he stepped out of the hospital into the dark November evening. When he came closer to the car, he suddenly noticed a figure leaning against the jeep.
"What took you so long?", Lizzie asked lightly, rubbing her arms through the thin jacket she wore. "I froze my butt off waiting for you."
Seeing her and knowing by the small smile on her lips that she was not mad anymore eased at least one of Dick's worries. Before he knew it, he felt his lips curl into a smile of relief. It really would have been one blow too many if she had just cut off relations to him after their argument.
"Actually I was looking for you", he replied and saw her eyes light up at that. If they had been a normal couple, living together in a normal place and with a bright future laid out before them, he would have enveloped her in a deep kiss. Just to make sure she was actually there, real and not mad anymore. To be certain he had not lost her, too, on top of everything else. But as it was, they were still living on a military base and if his superiors saw them together, they might get in trouble. Division was usually quite tolerant when it came to soldiers hanging out with local civilian girls, but they would definitely frown upon two officers kissing in public.
"Well, I wasn't in the ward because my shift is over", Lizzie explained, giving him a probing look and another smile that was only slightly more hesitant than her usual open smiles. She then stretched out her hand. "Give me the keys, I'll drive."
This made him smile a bit more, but he complied and they were off, driving down the dark streets. Soon enough, Dick realized that she had missed a turnoff and just as he wanted to point that out to her, she took another turn, taking the main road that led away from Aldbourne.
"You're abducting me?", he asked, quirking a smile.
"Yeah", she answered lightly and shortly looked at him to return his smile, before she concentrated again on the road. "I thought it would do us some good, to be away from everything for a few hours. I don't want to worry all the time about people overhearing what we're saying."
"Yeah, that makes sense", he replied, then watched her from the side. "Look, Lizzie, I'm sorry if I was too harsh back there, I really didn't want to lecture you on the horrors of war."
"It's fine, Dick", she told him, sending him a wry grin. "It was my fault, I really messed up. You have every right to be angry with me." She paused, then added with a sigh, "This is probably why I'm just a nurse and not a spy."
"Well, let's just say you'd need lots of training to become a spy", Dick stated drily. The sound of her snort of amusement was like balm on his soul. "At least you managed to plan everything behind my back, so I guess you're not totally untalented."
"Why, thank you", she answered sarcastically, then turned more serious. She was silent for a moment before she gave him a hesitant look. "We're good, then?"
"Yeah, we're good", he replied with a smile.
"We need to stop arguing all the time, you know", Lizzie answered after a short pause and shot him a look from dancing eyes. "I think we're pretty insufferable for everyone around us."
"Well", Dick replied with mock seriousness, but made sure she saw his grin. "If you wouldn't make everything more difficult all the time..."
"Hold it right there, mister!", she warned him, the indignation in her voice making him chuckle. "You always need two people to start an argument. You're not all innocence either, no matter what your stainless reputation or that show of bashfulness might suggest."
"I was joking, Lizzie", he said smilingly.
She gave another huff, just for good measure, but it was not long before he felt her warm hand on his. Her long fingers caressed the calluses on his palm which he had acquired from shooting practice. Even a month-long rest had not been enough to make them disappear. Her hand felt soft and delicate, but he knew from experience the strength that lay in her hands. Being unable to hold himself back, he squeezed her fingers gently, then brought her hand up to his lips, brushing a kiss on the back. He was rewarded for his boldness with an almost inaudible sigh from her lips and a smile that lit up her whole face. It was definitely the happiest moment of his day so far.
They drove some time in silence, the dark landscape flitting past them, before he suddenly asked, "I guess it's your doing I received my clearance for light duty today?"
"Oh, good, then Greta actually kept her promise", she just answered.
"Yeah, and judging from her disgruntled mood, she wasn't too happy about it", Dick replied wryly. "Thanks, by the way."
"You're welcome. It's the least I could do."
They drove for another twenty minutes before they reached a small city and Lizzie parked the car in front of a dimly illuminated pub. Dick had been unable to make out a place name sign, he guessed all signs had been removed to make orientation harder in case England was invaded by the Germans.
He got out of the car and followed Lizzie into the pub that was quite crowded for a Thursday evening. The noise died down a bit as soon they entered, some heads turning in their direction since they were obviously the only two non-civilians in the room, as Dick noticed immediately. He was quite used to this reaction by now, but he could not help feeling a bit uneasy about the attention they received. A male and a female officer, under the week, all by themselves in a pub. Rumor might reach the base. And the fact that there were not too many red-haired officers stationed in Aldbourne did not make things easier.
"You're taking a beer?", Lizzie asked when they had found a quiet spot in the back of the pub. He had to admit to himself that she seemed much more at ease in these surroundings than he.
"No, just a Coke", he answered, then suddenly noticed the way some of the men were looking at her, and added, "I'll go to the bar, just stay here."
"It's fine, Dick. I'm a big girl, I can manage", she replied and shook her head smilingly. "Just relax, you're all tense."
With that she was off and he knew better than to start a new argument with her right now. He followed her with his gaze and looked sharply at a group of young men that stared unashamedly after Lizzie, but they were probably too preoccupied with the way her hips swayed and ignored him completely. When one of them catcalled as she came back with the drinks, it took all of Dick's willpower to stay seated and not confront them directly.
"Stupid boys", Lizzie just commented when she came back, then probably noticed him gripping the edge of the table tightly. "Dick, they're looking for trouble, if you react now, you'll give them an excuse to start a fight."
"Yeah, you're right", he managed to get out, then willed himself to concentrate on her and forget everything around him. "Thanks for the drink."
"You're welcome", she replied cheerfully and offered him the beer she had bought for herself. "You sure you don't want some of my beer?"
"No, thanks."
"God, you're just too virtuous to be true", she commented with a grin that showed her dimples. "Is it because you'll be working again tomorrow?"
"No", he answered and bit on his lips to keep from smiling at the pensive look on her face.
"If you think the alcohol will mess with your meds, I can calm you down, it's fine if you have a drink or two", she told him and lit herself a cigarette.
"It's not because of the meds", he replied and now smiled openly to see her give him a puzzled look. It took a while before it dawned on her.
"No, wait", she began, narrowing her eyes to give him another close look. "Don't tell me you're a teetotaler!"
He shrugged his shoulders as an answer and took a sip from his Coke.
"You've got to be kidding me!", Lizzie exclaimed, making a show of burying her face in her hands. "Greta will roll on the floor laughing if I ever tell her about that. Me and a teetotaler!"
Her show of disbelief made him smile even broader to himself. He loved to see her like this, happy and playful, even when it was on his expense. Cheerful moments of lightheartedness seemed to become painfully scarce with each passing day that brought them closer to battlefield. He tried to soak it all up and stow it away like a treasure, to have something to remember in the hard times ahead.
"You're not a quaker, are you?", Lizzie asked suspiciously, but her dancing eyes told him that she was having great fun teasing him. The sight brought a cozy warmth to his heart.
"No, I'm not", Dick replied, making a show of rolling his eyes at her. A peal of laughter from her throat rewarded him for his efforts. "You're worse than the boys. And believe me, you'd have to face some tough competition, there are some real smartasses in my platoon."
Just as the words slipped from his lips, he realized his error. They were not his boys anymore. That was all in the past now. He could practically feel his mood sinking at this realization. Before he knew it, he felt slender fingers on his hand that he had inadvertently balled to a fist. He looked up and saw Lizzie give him a sympathetic smile.
"I'm really sorry, Dick", she told him with eyes that shimmered with sympathy. "I hardly got to know them, but they're great guys and fine soldiers. Don't give up all hope yet, your superiors will eventually understand that they made a mistake and that you're the best man to lead Easy."
"Thanks", he replied quietly and looked at her with new eyes, full of amazement. The cocky girl she had been just moments before had disappeared and suddenly she had become his cornerstone of hope. Source of strength indeed, Dick thought and remembered Nix's words about her just a few days ago.
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The evening with Lizzie was a much-welcomed respite for Dick. Although they had only known each other for some weeks, he already felt a deep connection to her, as if he had known her all his life. As a token of trust, he had encouraged her to ask him all kind of questions, about his life now and before the army. Lizzie had made good use of the time and had asked him about his family, about his education and the reasons he had joined the army as an officer. It had amused him greatly that she would not believe he had enlisted in order to shorten his time in service and he had needed a good part of their way back to Aldbourne to convince her that he had never actually wanted a military career as an officer. Before they had parted, they had shared another kiss. It was a chaste and romantic kiss, that reflected both their wish to go at this slowly.
Still, it had been passionate enough to make Dick think about it every time he stared off into space while he sat at a desk in headquarters – department intelligence – the next morning, a report in front of him.
"Aww, soon you'll draw little hearts on that report", Nix, who sat opposite of him at another desk, goaded with a lazy smile.
Dick sighed and shot his friend an annoyed look. Telling Nix about the evening with Lizzie had been his biggest mistake since not listening to Roe the night he got sick. The teasing was already going on for hours, but Dick should have known that his friend had always been amazingly resourceful when it came to making fun of something. Or someone.
"You should name your firstborn son after me, you know", Nix continued with a smirk. "After all I predicted your cute little romance the moment I saw Lizzie buzz around you after your surgery. Hell, you were probably sitting somewhere on a pink cloud and were only interested in counting sheep, with the amount of morphine they had pumped into you, but I knew already you'd make a sweet couple."
"Lew, please", Dick begged, feeling exasperation rising in him and laying down his pen. "I need to focus on this report and you're not making it any easier. It's my first day here and I really don't want to disappoint Captain Norton on my very first day. So could you please, please just shut up?"
"Ah, the office job isn't as easy as you thought", Nix remarked smugly and lit himself a cigarette. "Maybe you'll need a massage later on. These beautiful hands of your nurse could..."
"Nix", Dick growled, now definitely getting fed up with the mocking of his friend. "That's enough."
"Or what?", Nix challenged, smirking. "You'll draw hearts on my reports, too?"
Giving up, Dick let his head sink down on his folded arms and resisted the urge to either cover his ears with his hands or bang his forehead on the table until he had knocked himself unconscious. Oh Easy! How wonderful it had been, being shooed up a mountain, hearing one of Sobel's tantrums or inspecting the latrines!
"Lieutenant Winters?", a new voice asked mildly. "Are you alright?"
Snapping up instantly, Dick was met with the appearance of Captain Norton standing in the doorway. The other officer had raised one eyebrow, the soft and slightly chubby face showing concern.
"Everything alright, sir, I just got tired for a moment", Dick answered uneasily and he heard Nix give an almost inaudible snort at that. Dick tried to send him an inconspicuous look to get him to shut up.
"Oh, I see", the captain replied and sent him an understanding smile that made Dick immediately feel bad about fibbing to his superior. "You're still recovering. You should take the afternoon off and rest, I wouldn't want to wear you out on your very first day."
"It's fine, sir, I think I can manage for another few hours", Dick answered.
"Just take your time, son", Norton said mildly. "No need to force things."
Having said that, the captain nodded at both Dick and Nix, then slowly walked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Dick could not help himself and just stared after his new superior. Then he gave his friend a questioning look.
"It's quite the culture shock, isn't it?", Nix said grinningly and propped his feet up on his desk. "Being used to Sobel's torture and all. Thing is, Captain Pudding's good side is also his bad side: there isn't even an ounce of authority in him."
One part of Dick was aghast at the nickname his friend had given his superior, the other part was still marveling at the fact that someone like Norton had joined the army.
"How did he become captain?", Dick asked, shaking his head to himself.
"The only reasonable guess is connections or family", Nix replied. "I like him, really, but the whole intelligence staff trembles at the thought of going to war with him. He can't hurt a fly, let alone a Kraut. He'd probably offer Hitler coffee if he saw him."
Dick shuddered a bit at that. He hated the thought of using humiliation or brutality as a means to discipline his men, but then he had never been a big fan of laxity either. An army without discipline and a just form of authority could never work.
"Good thing Sink promised to get me into operations, then", Dick answered innocently, unable to keep this piece of information to himself. Operations was after all the most popular position at staff and highly prestigious. Still, he would exchange this commission in a heartbeat for receiving back command in Easy, together with everything he possessed. But that was out of his hands. At least the look of outrage on Nix's face made up for the teasing Dick had to suffer through in the last few hours.
"He didn't!", his friend exclaimed, then his eyes narrowed when Dick nodded. "You lucky bastard. How did you do it?"
"By not propping my feet up on the desk, I guess", Dick replied, looking pointedly at Nix's dirty shoes that were lying only a hair's breadth beside the sheets of his report.
"That comeback wasn't too bad, considering you normally wouldn't recognize humor if it bit you in the ass", Nix drawled, flashing a grin. "Do I sense a trace of nurse humor? Which would lead us back on topic..."
Dick just groaned.
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It was early. Much too early to be up und outside anyway, Lizzie thought, while she stood shivering on the open field. It was a grey and misty morning and would probably become another one of those English days that made it futile to look out for the sun. The brownish fatigues she wore were slightly too big on her lean frame and the unfamiliarly rough material chafed her skin.
"Do you really think we're learning how to shoot today?", Jean asked her timidly, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other and giving Lizzie a look out of wide eyes. The young nurse looked like she would bolt at the first sound of a gun being fired.
"Well, I hope so", Lizzie just answered grumblingly. "Or I could've slept for another few hours."
She looked around to the other ten nurses and about thirty other women, all enlisted in different parts of the army from mess hall to administrations, standing shivering on the field and waiting for their instructor. Half the nurses of the military hospital were receiving their first shooting practice today, while the other half was taking over the shift at the hospital. Just as she wondered if their instructor had forgotten about their training, she saw Captain Teller, walking through the mist to their position. He had so far been responsible for their theoretical classes as a preparation for battlefield. Although Dick had snorted in amusement when she had told him about Teller reciting military history from the Ancient Greeks over the Prussian army reform to nowadays in the first two hours of their theoretical class, she had actually enjoyed the history lesson. Of course all this background information would not help her in the unlikely situation she would ever be caught close to enemy fire and Dick probably knew that only too well.
Thinking of Dick and his practical side brought a smile to her lips. Their short trip a week ago had kind of settled their relationship, although they had never really talked about it. They had seen each other twice since then and every minute spending with him made her happy, which was why she just went with the flow of her emotions and enjoyed the time with him. Maybe they would define what they had going on, maybe not. Time was just too precious to waste it with brooding, and her feelings for him could not have been any clearer. And there really was no doubt in her heart about his feelings for her. So why make everything more complicated with tedious talk about relationships? It would only get them to think about the future and this was a train of thought she forbid herself thoroughly. After all, she knew he would be going to war soon. And there was the chance he would not be coming back...
"Ladies! Could I have your attention, please?", Captain Teller interrupted her thoughts, for which she was glad. Her chest became tight with dread whenever her mind wandered in the realms of thinking about Dick and battlefield. She shook her head once, to get rid of these unwanted thoughts, then focused on her instructor.
"You might wonder", Teller continued, "why you're going to learn basic combat skills in the next few weeks, since none of you are supposed to be stationed even close to enemy lines. However, war is unpredictable and ground can be lost quicker than you can imagine. This is why your superiors decided to teach you the military basics: some endurance training, orientation in the field, shooting practice, looking for adequate cover when under attack, first aid in the field and so on. Although the army will do its best not to expose you to the immediate danger of combat, it's better to be prepared than to send you to the theatre of war without any training at all. I'm also aware of the fact that some of you plan to stay here in England for the duration of the war, but it was decided that every member of the army should be taught the basics, because plans can always change. So I ask you to pay close attention to your training in the following weeks and months."
Lizzie nodded her head in acknowledgement, like the rest of the women present.
"Good", Teller said, then gestured behind him. "Since we'll not be able to finish in time if it's only me leading you through the training, I brought some help."
Lizzie could make out the shapes of soldiers emerging through the mist. As they came closer, she suddenly recognized Lipton, Guarnere and some other familiar faces among them.
"Colonel Sink from the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was kind enough to offer us the service of second platoon of Company E for half a day every two weeks in the following three to four months, to help with the more demanding parts of training", Teller continued and gave Shames, who came to stand beside him, a nod of thanks.
Lizzie felt her eyes narrow at the sight of the lieutenant, who had stolen Dick's rightful place in the company. Shames let his eyes roam over the column of women and Lizzie could see a derisive smirk taking hold of his angular face. When his eyes came to rest on her, she noticed him pause visibly. It seemed like he remembered their short encounter in the bar a few weeks ago when she had refused to follow his orders, because his smile disappeared and he sent her a dark look. It took every bit of willpower on her part not to smirk at him in a show of insubordination, but she knew it would be a childish move and would only get her in trouble.
"Do they know how to stand at attention yet, Captain Teller?", Shames asked their instructor imperiously.
"They don't need to stand at attention here, so it's not our task to teach them", Teller answered frowningly, which almost made Lizzie cheer loudly. "They're mixed together from many different divisions and their respective units are in charge of making them stand at attention. Besides, Lieutenant Shames, some of them are higher ranking than you."
On the verge of laughing, Lizzie looked to her side where Betty was standing. The blonde sturdy nurse, which had been accurately dubbed "Valkyrie" by Dick, had been raised to the rank of captain not two weeks ago and gave Shames, who probably stood a feet shorter than the big nurse, a scathing look that probably had him trembling in his shoes. It was too much, Lizzie could not fully bite back the snort that escaped her throat. Of course Shames noticed, and his small, watery blue eyes skewered her alive.
"Yes, Lieutenant Weiss, is there something you would've liked to add?", Captain Teller asked pointedly.
"No, sir, I think you said it all", Lizzie replied, doing her best to sound abashed and contrite.
"Good", the captain replied curtly, then addressed everyone, "To get you in shape, we'll start every training from now on with PT, starting today with running twenty minutes before we move on to shooting practice."
They set off. After a few minutes of jogging over the field and up the low hill just outside the base, Lizzie noticed Lipton falling in beside her.
"Making friends with our platoon leader already?", he asked her lightly instead of a greeting, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard by the others.
"Yeah, his charm is just so irresistible", she answered sarcastically, already a bit out of breath. It had been years since she had last spent time working on her fitness, must have been in high school. She had been good in all kinds of sport back then, but now she was hopelessly out of shape. Shooting an envious look over to Lipton, she realized that the sergeant was not breathing heavier than usual and there was not even one drop of sweat on his brow.
"God, I need to smoke less", she gasped out, making Lipton grin. Her thighs were already burning under the strain and the fatigues would definitely leave sore spots on her legs and hips.
"You'll get used to it", Lipton said and gave her an encouraging smile. After a short pause he asked quietly, "How is Winters?"
Lizzie almost sighed in exasperation, then decided that she needed her breath to keep running. So she instead shot Lipton a look of reproach.
"Could you at least pretend it wasn't that obvious that I'm seeing him?", she panted. The hill was definitely getting steeper and she hoped Teller, who was running up front, would spare them the top for today.
"Sorry", Lipton answered lightly, looking not at all contrite. "How about that: Would you by any chance know anything about how Lieutenant Winters, our former platoon leader, is doing? Maybe you know him: tall, red hair, rather quiet..."
"Yeah... that's better", Lizzie wheezed, forcing her legs to keep moving. "He's fine... Much better than I right now, I guess... Bored already by intelligence... Misses Easy..."
Lipton's brilliant smile made up for the breath she lost on talking. Just when she thought her heart would give out under the strain, Teller took mercy on them and slowly ran back to the field where they had started off. Drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Lizzie came to a halt.
Shooting practice was about to begin.
-tbc-