1944
"Hold still or else I'm gonna nick your ear." I walked out of my quarters, stretching out my arms over my head as I blinked a few times. The sun was coming through the morning clouds and we were getting close to the invasion. With another year under our belts, we were training far more than ever before. I was getting my bearings together, learning to shoot and fight, even going through the paces of running up and down hills and going over drills. I was becoming more of a solider than I ever did.
The nursing training was getting more intense, having me learn the difference between powders that were pain killers and muscles relaxers. I knew all of this before, but this was creeping up in the back of my mind like a parasite, having me reevaluate over and over if this was where I was supposed to be. Georgia thought so, along with the rest of the men in my Company, but was if me? So much to learn with my brain trying to keep up, it made the notion of doubt come back to me again.
"Don't you dare get blood on the uniform, Joe." I grinned, hearing the annoyance in the tone of another one of the soldiers. Walked around the corner to where the soldiers were staying, seeing Joe looking over the head of another soldier with scissors in hand, trimming his hair and having an intense look on his face. I hardly saw that look on his face: forehead scrunched down and his tongue barely poking out on the side. I was used to his cocky face, anger, and the rare flirting face that I was trying to both avoid and remember. But this face showed that he was intense with what he was doing, and a couple of the soldiers were watching with intrigue in their eyes.
"Morning gentleman." I said to them, clapping a couple of them on their backs, seeing them all nod their heads at me.
"Morning, Red." They all replied, still tired and still waking up themselves. I watched with them as Joe was finishing off with someone's hair and then smiling at this achievement.
"He's been giving cuts for the invasion." another Easy Company member told me as the soldier got up, running his fingers in his nearly trimmed hair and smiling at Joe. Joe looked over at me, having me smile widely at him and see him wipe off the blade of the scissors on his pants.
"Good morning Marley." He said over to me though I stayed with the group of men away from Joe and his now open chair. That smirk was on his face again, the smirk that he would use with me.
"Morning Joe." I replied back to him, feeling both the heat in my cheeks from his smile and his tone with me, and the cool morning wind against my arms and hair. I then saw him look over at my own hair, the long french braid down my back and almost touching the middle of my back. I never had to trim my hair since I was in the army though I've tried to keep it simple and healthy as much as I could. It was never a real priority when you would have to train to be a solider.
"Want me to cut your hair for you?" He asked me, pointing to my own long braid over my shoulder as I looked at the end of my hair. There were split ends there, which made me glad my own mother wasn't here to see the tragedy of my hair.
"You do ladies' hair? Well, you are a jack of all trades." I joked with him, hearing the men around me laugh and Joe roll his eyes at me. I was glad to have a playful time with him, even in front of the men there.
"It does help when he is a barber." Malarky said back to the conversation, walking over to the seat and sitting in the chair.
"Alright, Malarky, What kind of cut you want?" Joe asked as he got the scissors ready and getting a spare towel around Malarky's neck. It was good to see him in his element: being a barber for the men in the army. It made him look more content, like he was being back in San Francisco. It made my heart flutter from just looking at him: head cocked to the side as he ran his fingers in the hair of the customer. This was his trade, and it suited them.
"Oi, gingembre." I heard my nickname from my close friend, having me look up and see who called out for me. I walked over to him, seeing him jog over to me with a letter in hand. The rest of the boys were joking around with each other as Malarky was getting his own hair trimmed.
"Morning Doc." I greeted him, having me see him hand me a letter with familiar handwriting on it.
"Letter from him, and we have training today in the medical wing." Doc reminded me as I grabbed the letter from him gently and saw where the letter was coming from: Colorado. It was from my brother. I grinned from ear to ear, having me look behind me and see the men talk some more before speaking up again.
"I think it's time for another round of Sign Language class." I said back to Doc in a small smile, since the last time I taught a class with the men was about three weeks ago and we were just finishing with simple words and how to put together a sentence. I looked back to Doc, seeing him place his hands up and I watched him in fascination as he signed to me.
Fine He replied his thumb with a spread out fingered hand touching his chest. I was quite proud of him, seeing that he too was picking up on the classes and what I was teaching him. I signed back Good job, rubbing his hair to have him annoyed and hearing him grumble, shoving me away playfully as I giggled.
"Cesser d'être un parasite." He scolded me as I stuck my tongue at him. I loved teasing him every once in awhile like a younger brother since we needed those moments of pure enjoyment than stress and worry. Doc wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me down, rubbing my head with his knuckles and chuckling as I tried to get out of his hold.
"Cesser d'être un sportif alors, crétin!" I snarled back at him, seeing him release my head and I shoved him to the side. He laughed at him, have me hear a laugh from him for the first time in awhile since he was so serious and so stern. I loved these moments between the both of us, acting like siblings more than anything. Before I went off with him, though, I had one more then I had to do. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Joe finishing off his own trim on Malarky's head, brushing off the extra hair that fell onto his neck.
"Hey, Liebgott." I called out to him, somehow a boldness was coming over me like a flame since I found myself not being too meek for the moment. Joe looked over at him, seeing me and grinning since I called I'm out in front of the men, all who were looking at me as well. If this was the first time we met two years ago, then I wouldn't have done something like this. But I didn't mind now since I knew these men so well, and I knew that they weren't going to judge me.
"You can cut my hair." I said to him, seeing him look at me with a stare as though he was hit with a ton of bricks, I turned back to walk with Doc again, hearing the playful cat calls and woos from the other men who heard. I felt Doc wrap his arm around my neck, pulling me close to him as I wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Votre audace est affiché, gingembre." Doc muttered into my ear as we walked away from the men, having me roll my eyes as we smiled at each other.
"I want you to sign this sentence to me, at least three times so you know how to do it." I explained to the men as I pointed to the chalkboard that was set up in one of the spare rooms on the campus. There were at least 10 men in there that day, and I knew most of them by now very well since we would train together. I had a few sentences set up on the board, holding my chalk in my hand and pointing to the one sentence that I wanted them practice. It was midday now, and the boys had a couple of hours of free time before they went off to training again, as well as I.
Locate the enemy camp. It was written on the board big and clear as I saw the me trying to sign it out together and in front of me, They knew most of the words now and buy now their fingerspelling was beyond basic for them. I was quite proud, seeing the want they had for learning the language. I and to start teaching them new words that we would have to use in the army, army terms and phrases that would be appropriate.
Looking away from them at the moment, I walked over to the window and I could see the gentle breeze blowing through the trees and haunting sense of peace in the area. My mind went back to the invasion that was going to happen soon, how it was going to be planned out and where I was going to go. I knew I had a different plan since I was not trained to jump out of a plane like the boys where. Winters explained to me that I was going to go in with the other medics and meets up with our company as soon as I could. It dared me, not being there with my boys and seeing that they made it. Anything could go wrong, they could be killed or land in a different place. It shattered me, having me wonder where Doc was going to be and if he was going to be alright. What of Malarky? Or Toye for the matter? Even worse, Joe.
What of Joe.
I blinked a few times, trying to come back to reality and look back at the men, seeing them all concentrate with their fingers flying and trying ti quit each other. They had more at state than I did, much more. They were literally fighting for their lives, and I was merely a nurse who was going to be there in case of a fallen comrade on the field. Yet they were here, acting as if they had care in the world They were hiding it well, I could see it in their faces and eyes as they were smiling, the masks of fear and wonder of what was coming ahead to them.
I had to do the same.
I walked out of the cabin again, cracking my neck and sighing in relief that I had a few moments of peace before I would go training into the night. The sunset was coming through the camp, having me see a tint of orange and gold morphed with the purple of the sky. It was nice to have a fee moments free since my body was slowly morphing into solider mode. I was getting toned, though I stayed curvy with my hips and I still had a bit of a belly and thighs. Compared to other girls, I was no skinny woman, yet it didn't mind with me. I had muscles behind me now under my skin, showing me that my strength was more importance than my appearance.
Walking out onto the lawn for a few steps, I looked back at my french braided hair that was now looking messier from the day, having me see the plots end yet again. It made me miss home again since my mother would help me with my own hair and get it styled right for the nursing career. Now all of that was out the window and in the wind.
"Hey Marley." I looked up and over, having me see Joe walk over at me with his cigarette in his mouth, my smile back on my face as I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, "You look out of it. You alright?"
"Just a long day." I replied back to him in a warm tone, having me see him give me a reassuring smile before pointing to my ruined hair that had some loose curls flowing in the wind.
"Maybe a haircut will feel better." He suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, having me cross my arms in front of me and smiled. I had no more energy to try and start a new flirting battle with him, let alone turn him away to sulk in my now bed and somehow wonder if I would ever make it out of the war alive. Joe was trying to somehow comfort me, even in his own way.
Who was I to refuse?
"How short?" He asked me as I felt him get some of my hair in his fingers and hear the scissors in his hand. I was sitting in the chair, looking out in the cool sunset sky as Joe was behind me, cutting my hair.
"To my shoulders, since I would have to pull it back for nursing." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders, not really being a hair person to begin with.
"Nothing too special then?" He asked with cockiness in his tone. I grinned, hearing the first snip from his shears on my hair.
"Not really," I replied, hearing my hair being cut some more as I thought back to myself again, "I doubt Winters would care if I had a great hairstyle when he wants me to save lives."
"You make it sound more like a burden." Joe commented, smoothing my hair with his fingers as he moved to another part of my head. That part made me quiet for a moment or two, having me wonder if it really was a burden for me. Joe said nothing as well, having me feel his scissor pause against my hair.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He said in a solemn tone, having me mentally see him look rather grave about what he said to me since I was saying nothing. I shed, shaking my head slowly.
"It's fine, Joe," I replied, feeling him snip some more of my hair as I went on, "I'm still trying to figure it all myself really. Why I'm here, and really…if I'm good enough."
"Good enough." Joe stated, having me freeze when I felt his fingers against my neck, "Good enough for who?"
"For everyone here, Joe," I said back boldly, "It's one thing being a nurse here in the army, but it's another going into the war with you guys and making sure you guys stay alive. You can only take so much before you break."
"And you think you're the only thing going through this?" Joe asked me casually, though I knew he was trying to have a point with me, "going through the fear that they're not good enough for the war."
"It's not that." I countered with him, "It's the fact that I could go out there in the field, have of your guys dying in front of me, and me doubting if I could save you." Joe paused again, having me wait for some kind of cocky comment from him after I poured out what I was fearing in front of him. It was a long time that I waited for him, but I then heard him walking around to face me completely, looking down at me with a serious look on his face and me almost on the brink of a meltdown from having all of these doubts haunt me. Joe then squatted down to look at me face to face, having me see him face clearly as he stared at me, the look of intensity.
"I think you are good enough for this." He said in such a declaration that it made my heart ache.
"This?" I asked in almost a whisper.
"All of this, this whole shithole of a situation that we are inWe're all in over our heads, so I don't want you to think you're the only one," Joe explained to me, still talking as if he was making some kind of proclamation, "Everyone in our company has faith in you, Marley. We all trust you with our lives."
"Why would you?" I asked him suddenly, almost cutting him off as I waited for an answer from him, "I'm just a nurse."
"Not to us you're not." He said back, the tone of his voice was gentler and sincerer since we were so close to one another, "You're a good friend to us, a fierce one really. Not to mention you are willing to put your neck out on the line for something you think is right. I mean, going against Sobel?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and shock in his tone. I giggled slightly from hearing it, having me bit my lip from the mere memory.
"That took more balls than anyone of us combined, Marley." He said now in his grin, having me watch him as he carefully moved my newly cut bangs from my eyes and kept his own eyes on me, having me see the warmth brown orbs in the sunset light.
"You are good enough for this, for Easy Company. We trust you with our lives, and I don't want you to think you're not good enough ever again, okay?" He asked me softly, having me, hopefully, see through his eyes what he was saying. He never wanted to see me suffer, to be closed off by my doubts. He must have said all of this because of what happened on the ship, me running off into the sanctuary and being alone. It was this moment when he told me what he was feeling about the situation, about me. A part of me wanted to lean in a kiss him, to finally show him what I was feeling and how I was feeling it. But I was still so grounded into the chair that I couldn't move at all, my body telling to me not do anything stupid in front of him.
However, he beat me to it by placing his lips gently against my own.
Everything inside of me was scorching hot, beyond that when our lips were together. It was so gentle and so careful, how he kissed me. He must of thought I was in a fragile state, yet he chose this time to kiss me. I never realized how much my feelings for him were overcoming my senses until that point, Joe Liebgott kissing me while I was still in the chair with short freshly cut hair. After a moment of holding one kiss, I reached up, finally after waiting, and placed my hand on his neck carefully. I could feel his pulse against my fingers as I returned the kiss back just as carefully. The second kiss was just as intense but twice as better as we both pulled away from each other. His eyes on me were almost in a daze, more warmth in those chocolate brown eyes and a small smile on his lips, the lips that were against my own. My cheeks were warm again, and my hand was still on his neck as I smiled widely at him, feeling nothing abut love towards him.
"Sie nehmen mir den Atem." Joe uttered to me in almost a whisper, having me look at him in almost a daze since not only I was still trying to get over the kiss, but now he was talking to me in German about something I didn't know. I had the feeling though it was intimate, the same way he spoke German to me in Camp Toccoa after he dropped of Toye.
"You need to stop flirting in me like that, Liebgott." I reminded him, having me smirk at him and see him smile back, "You're gonna get yourself in trouble."
"I don't mind anymore." He said back, placing his hand on my wrist that was still touching his neck, having me love this moment we were having together. A part of me thought this was some kind of trick, but who was he to trick me. He kissed me, in the army of all places, and I know that he would never do something so cruel as to play with my heart. No, not Joe.
But we heard people walking over our way, having the both of us move away from each other and see a couple of our men coming to us with determined looks on their faces. We both looked rather confused and concerned then, having me wonder what happened. It was Luz, Malarky and Bull, all who were note looking more like soldiers than the regular boys that I was used to for the past two years.
"We're jumping tonight."
Oh lord.
