I pulled away from the current child that I was looking at, feeling his neck softly to find that it was swollen and hearing that he had some fluid in his lungs. He looked up at me with his big eyes, showing that he was scared that he was scared that he was here. His parents were behind him, mother with her hand on his shoulder and his father next to the mother. This was the tenth child that I looked at that day, going at fast pace when it came to walking from child to child, yet taking gentle care and time with the child that was in front of me. By this time it was around 1500 and I had about a couple of hours left before I was going to head back with the rest of Easy Company before they would head out on the patrol mission at 0100. This young boy that I was working on was 8 years old, and his name was Christian.
"Nous allons lui trouver des médicaments pour la gorge et l' infection pulmonaire." I explained to the family as they were watching me. The parents nodded their heads, showing they understood as I looked back at the young boy in front of me, smiling at him with a big grin and seeing him give me a small smile.
"Vous vous sentirez mieux bientôt , d'accord jeune homme?" I asked him in a sweet tone, having me see him nod his head as I reached into my back pocket and gave him a small packet of chocolate that I snagged from the closet that was there, since I knew I was the medic that was on the children's wing and they needed it more than I did. The boy beamed, looking at the chocolate as if it was a piece of Heaven and then smiling at me.
"Merci!" He said in his childlike tone, having me giggle as the parents shook my hand.
"Merci delà des mots, madame." The father said to me in a chipper tone.
"Bien sûr , pas de problème du tout." I replied back, the small family then shuffling out of the way and I cracked my neck. It was getting a bit hungry since I haven't eaten since that morning when I was checking out of the hospital I was just in myself. Going over to my own Medic station, I grabbed my canteen and took a long drink of water. Working with children was its own breed of energy and patience, but most of these children were just happy that an American Medic was looking at them and was talking French to them. It must have been because I was a woman, compared to the other America Medics that were men and were just trying tog et through each patient quickly. Not me, I knew I had to take my time and make sure all the kids were taken care of. I loved kids to begin with; working with a handful of them back in Louisiana was a blessing for me. Some called me a natural with the kids, having me wonder if I would ever be a good mother. Did I even want to be a mother at all? Was I even going to live out of this war to be one? Oh, come on, get it together Marley. You would probably drop the kid the first moment you saw him in your arms. Oh great, him? Was I thinking that I was going to have a son? Good grief.
"Taking a breath?' I heard next to me, having me see an English speaking resident coming over. He looked like he was in his older twenties, maybe early thirties: still young to be around my age but with an aged presence around him. He was no doubt handsome, and he smile at me as he walked over with his own resident jacket.
"Just a bit." I replied back in a smile, trying to be nice to him.
"They love you, the children. Is it the American charm?" He asked me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his coat. I could tell he was trying something with me, but it was harmless none the less.
"More like an army charm to be honest. Thank you though." I replied to him, holding out my hand for him to shake, "Marly La Noux."
"I am Jonathan Fleu, 3rd-year resident here at this hospital." He explained, his accent was clear enough for me to hear him but it still give him that foreign aspect to my ears, "We are beyond glad that you and the other Americans are here to help."
"We are glad to be there to help out in any way we can." I replied in return to him. I looked past him to see Major Winters walking over to me, a determined look on his face. But I then saw Joe behind him, along with Martin as they were making their way through the children's area. I hopped away from the table I was leaning again, looking over at Jonathan again.
"Pardon me for a moment." I said to him, seeing him nod at me to show that he understood. He looked and saw the three Americans coming my way as I walked past him, over to Winters who was leaning the way. As soon as I was close enough to Winters, I gave him a salute.
"Sir." I said to him, quickly glancing over at Joe and Martin who both were behind him.
"Marley, we came over here to see how things were going." Winters said to me as I looked back at him from my spot in the middle of the main wise.
"Things are fine sir. I'm helping out with the children here since they are in need of the most help. There are more wounded here than on the main floor, and they need extra hands." I explained to him as he looked around at the area. Some of the doctors were already working on the children, and even some of the children looked horrid as they were covered in smoke and grime. They looked more like chimney sweeps than children, like ghosts and dead beings from horror stories.
"It looks like you're doing a fine job." Winters replied back as he looked back to me from the whole group of children that were in need, having me see the glint of pain and reality behind those eyes. With Martin, he was trying to keep his composure and not give a hint of feelings on his face. But I could see Joe looking around with his own eyes, seeing what I was seeing and somehow understanding from where he was. I could tell this was bothering him, in some sense.
"There's still more work to be done here sir, and I hope we can help out more in any way we can," I said some more.
"Perfect, since I also came here to see if you were ever able to get into contact with a doctor about receiving some supplies for us." Winters came back to the conversation that I knew was going to happen.
"The head of the hospital is the person to talk to: Doctor Tresé. He would know how much to give us." I replied back, pointing over his shoulder and the other two boys as they were waiting me as well. The had Doctor was talking to few of the patients there, he was in his mid fifties and had his own burdens showing on his face as he was trying as hard as he could to help the people there.
"Then I'll go have a chat with him then. Well done La Noux. Be sure to report back to base when you're done here, we might need both you and Doc in case something does go wrong with our patrol." Winters explained, having me nod my head in agreement. He then turned around and started walking to the Head Doctor, Martin following him without saying hello to me. It left me there with Joe, who walked over to me a bit more so we could be closer together in the midst of the hospital.
"You look like you have your hands full here." Joe said to me in a gruff, taking my hand in his and having me squeeze it tightly.
"It's not looking good for these people, Joe. I only thought it was a routine check up, but this….this is worse." I explained, looking around me at the children and families who were still waiting for someone to help them. It made me afraid, that I would no reach all of the people there in time if something were to happen to the building.
"At least they have the best Medic in Easy Company here to look at them." Joe said in a light tone.
"Oh please, then you mean Doc." I replied back in a counter remark, but I smiled from his attempt to make me feel better.
"Can you ever take a compliment?" Joe asked me with a raised eyebrow and a shrug of his shoulders, having me smile bigger at him since he was calling me out with this. I could tell where he was coming from, but he was still smiling at me.
"Not from you I can't." I replied back, seeing him shake his head with the grin on his face. But our meeting together was short-lived when I saw a French family come over into the room. They were a young couple, almost the same age as both Joe and myself, and they were holding a infant in their arms who was crying and the poor mother looked like she was in tears with blood on his face and covered in dirt and grime. The father was the same, the both of them looking like they survived as bombing that happened. My nursing side came in, having me then grab Joe's jacket quickly and kiss him on the lips. He kissed me back quickly, seeing that I had to go off and do my duties.
"I have to go." I said in a rush as I ran away from him over to the young couple. I stood in front of them, seeing them stare at me and looking as if they were lost in a fog.
"Vous Arlight?" I asked them, having me see the mother shake her head and she was on the verge of sobbing.
"Notre fils, nous ne savons pas quell est le problème aver lui." The mother replied, having me then gently take the child in my arms as a French Doctor was talking to them both in a hurried state to see what happened.
"Nous étions sure le chemin de la ville quand nous avons été frappés." The father explained to the doctor in a rush as I was looking down at the child in my arms. He was so young, looking so scared he was still in the blanket. Immediately I started rocking him in my arms, hearing the piercing screams that he once had slowly die down, very slowly. For what I learned watching my mother when she was a nurse for new mothers or babies who were left for dead in the road, I tried to do the same with the young infant in my arms who was very slowly calming down. It made me smile, holding him there at the moment and having me see the parents watch me now. Somehow this moment made everything else about that day that was crappy more enjoyable, just seeing a baby being affected me.
"Stupéfiant." the mother said in a gasp as I looked up at the both of them, having me them motion with my head to their son.
"Quel set son nom?" I asked them both, having me see the father take the mother's hand gently as they watched me help their son. They were still in stunned silence with what they were seeing, and I was only helping them by holding the infant to give them free hands.
"Oliver." The father said, finally founding his voice as I looked back down at the boy. Oliver, it seemed to fit him as he was now watching me, still in tears and his cries were getting softer by the minute. Maybe it was the way that I was rocking him, back and forth with a hint of a dip. Or how I was holding him, keeping him close and not letting him show that I was afraid. But it felt like he was fine with me holding him close, and I could see the hint of blue in his eyes as he was watching me now carefully with observant eyes.
"Je jeux le regarder pendant pue vows deux fêtes pris en charge."I explained to the parents, having me see them look at me as if I was crazy. But I smiled at him, hearing the Doctor agree with them. The mother reluctantly nodded her head at me, the father as well as they thanked me over and over for what I was doing. When they were being ushered away to mend their own wounds, Oliver's cries were now so soft that they sounded more like bells than rage. I walked over with him to an empty chair that was alone against the wall, sitting down and reaching over with one hand to stroke his face. He was cold, beyond cold, but he then nuzzled against my finger and I grinned.
This was what it must feel like to be a mother, if I was ever going to be one. That was still undecided for me, since I still had to survive this whole damn war. But holding an infant in my arms made me feel more like a woman again, and it felt grew tot me. I tried to think of something to do to make him stop crying since it would take more than rocking him back and forth to clam him down. My grandmother, when I was still young enough to he held, would sing to me. My mother did as well when I was too scared of the dark and my thoughts would plague me. I remembered the song then, having me start to sing to him softly.
Go to sleep little babe
Go to sleep little babe
Your momma's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
I could feel myself rocking back and forth on my heels to help with the song, in which Oliver was no longer crying but hiccupping in my arms and he was watching me with his intense blue eyes. This reminded me, again, of times when I was a child and I had simpler things to worry about. There was no war, no worry of if I was going to wake up in the morning with all my limbs and my whole mind. And no scared notion that I was going to loose another friend and comrade who would die in my arms. No, this reminded me of when my mother would hold me in my arms in the warm summer nights, her voice filling me with the sweet dreams of a bright future ahead of me.
Go to sleep little babe
Go to sleep little babe
Everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
You're a sweet little babe
You're a sweet little babe
Honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop
Gonna bring a bottle to the baby
As his eyes went to sleep, I had to remind myself that I was in this war for the long haul. Why would I think of my past so much when the future was right in front of me, ready for me take. So much of my fear for not being good enough for Easy came from the burdens of my past: not being able to let go of past mistakes and past failures. But the future was there, right in front of me and watching me to see if I would take it. Maybe it meant having a future with Joe. Was that even in the glimpse of the future? It seemed so clear with me: the two of us together and having our own lives as one. It seemed like a dream at first, when we first met. But the more I was with him, hearing his voice against my skin and seeing him smile at me, the more it was real. The more we spook of our secrets and the more we grew under each other's skin, I couldn't imagine a life without him in it
Oliver was fast asleep now, having me grin and just rock with him in my arms. I didn't want to move from my spot in the chair, though I moved my head up and I saw Winters and Martin back with Joe in the area, probably talking about the next move that was going to happen. I watched them, having me see that they had a plan and they walked out of the area. Joe was in the back, and I saw him look over at me with a small smile on his face. I smiled back, nodding my head once before he looked forward once more. But underneath Oliver, against his blanket, I was giving a sign that I felt as though I was going to reserve for someone that would eventually steal my heart. I was holding up my pinky and pointer finger, along with my thumb
I was signing to Joe Liebgott I love you.
Going onto the second floor of the building, I looked down the hall into the room where I knew he would be. Joe was there already, sitting at the window in his combat gear and an extra coat, though his helmet was off and he was right next to the machine gun, waiting for anything to happen. He was watching the river and the plot of land on the other side, having me hear nothing but silence in the area as I walked over to him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed up at first, but he kept his eyes on the area as he knew my touch by now. My own helmet was off, having me put my hair back in a messy french braid and it was flowing in the cold wind of the early morning.
"Anything happening yet?" I asked him from my spot next to him, seeing him shake his head.
"It's quiet, as expected." I nodded my head from his reply, sitting down next to him and watching as well. It was real quiet, having me see no movements and make me think of how they were going to do this mission without being caught. It felt out of place, me not being there as extra hands. But then again I knew that they only needed 15 men and no more.
"How long do they think it'll be?" I asked him, looking over at him finally and see him shake his head.
"Who knows, but they want it quick enough for no mishaps or bumps in the plan." He explained.
"And you're fine with just sitting here by a machine gun?" I asked him.
"Better here than there, freezing my ass off." He replied in a short down.
"Though it would have been you if Webster didn't volunteer himself." I added, having me see him finally look over at me and see that I was dead serious about what I said. Webster was there, going over freezing waters and being the translator. It would have been Joe, which scared the shit out of me, but he was spared. However, I still cared for not only Webster but the others who were there.
"Don't tell me you have a heart for the guy." Joe said to me in a groan.
"I always like him, Joe. But you and the guys are giving him shit because he wasn't there at Bastogne or Foye." I explained in a short tone, having me see him shake his head and try so hard not to argue with me.
"He didn't go through what we went through ourselves. We went through hell, and he was in a bed nice and cozy—"
"Like how I was?" I asked him, seeing him stop his rant and stare at me as if I was on a landline and was how slapping him in the face. I was in a hospital bed too, missing Foye and what happened there. I wasn't there when Muck died, or when Buck almost had a nervous breakdown. But I wasn't getting the cold shoulder from the boys because of that.
"Oh, come on Marley…" Joe trailed off, but I shook my head.
"Don't start with the 'it's not the same' bullshit, Joseph Liebgott. It is the same in my opinion, and you boys aren't howling down my ass for not being there. So it's not fair for you to do the same to him. He was injured, like me, and he had to go heal, like me." I said to Joe, defending Webster and his right to be with his men in Easy again. Webster, to me, was too good to be put through a personal hell with the guys. Joe just sighed, letting the argument die and look ahead of us again, back at the plot of band behind the river. I looked as well, no longer wanted a Round 2 of our ranting that almost ended our relationship.
"You know, when you were holding a baby in the hospital earlier today, and singin' to him, "Joe started in a softer tone, after a minute of silence between us, "I like what I saw." I looked back at him, seeing him smile as he was still looking at pan in front of us. I smiled too, liking that we were back on a different subject that was not laced with bitterness.
"Did you?" I asked him in a surprised tone.
"Well yeah. Never took you as a mother-type of gal." He replied, having me scoff at him and shove him in the arm and receive a chuckle on his end.
"What? I mean I didn't think of you as a total hermit and all, but you….you looked good holding that kid." Joe said in a stammer, as if he was trying to say it right. I grinned from ear to ear as he said this, having me see him more of a softy than I gave him credit for.
"And you think I should keep that look in the future?" I asked him in a curious tone, as if I was hinting of wanting that future with him. He looked back at me again, as if he was just shocked to hear me say that to him in such a simple manner. But the smile never left his face, it was so soft and so true that it made me want to tell him then and there that I loved him. Suddenly, an explosion happened, and rapid gunfire. We both looked, having me realize that something went wrong, very wrong.
They were in trouble.
I shot up as Joe got to the machine gun, hands on it and ready for the signal to shoot. He needed to hear a whistle, but nothing yet. I couldn't wait there with him, not while I knew that they would need a medic sometime soon since this was getting scarier and scarier.
"I gotta get down here." I said to him as he was still waiting for the whistle to be blown. He nodded his head as I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the head, holding it there for a brief moment before I jogged out of the room. My rib was on fire because of the jog, but I had to ignore it since the moment the cry for a Medic was going to come soon.
"Jesus Christ, come on blow the goddamn whistle!" Joe practically shouted from his spot as I was jogging down the steps, grunting from the stitches in my skin threatening to burst and I would have serious trouble. But I jogged out of the building and over to where the other men were going to be stationed at, having me see the gunfire fly over my head in the morning darkness of the city. It was all coming back to me now: the haunting aspect of reality. The future had to be seen another day, right now I had to fight into the night for my men to stay alive.
Fight for my brothers.
