"Come here, boy." I called out to Archer as he ran over to me, a baseball was in his mouth and his tail was wagging back and forth in glee. I giggled from seeing him, bigger than before and looking more like a teenage dog than a puppy. He was leaner now, longer legs but still a young pup in his eyes and face. I was having a solo morning with Archer before I would meet up with the rest of the Easy Company, the sun shining over the mountains and giving us a sense of warmth in the spring. I decided to give Archer some time outside, throwing the ball around with him and getting his legs out to stretch.
After I declined the promotion from Dr. Kent to move to the Pacific, I was waiting to hear when I was going to head home. I knew the rest of the boys were waiting as well since we had nothing else to do. I was mostly waiting to go home to see what kind of life I was going to have with Joe. He was more excited about the both of us getting together once we were on American soil, but we both had to see our own families before we dropped the bomb that was "marriage". Once I told him that, he reluctantly agreed. We were both going to be at our own home for a bit, be with our families, and then meet up and figure out how this was going to work. There was never one ounce of doubt about us being married, that was still solid and happening in our minds. But it was how we were going to get there that was the main obstacle. I would want my family there, of course, and I would think Joe would want his there too. But then who else? I couldn't think of anyone else than all of Easy Company, my brothers so to speak.
"Got get it!" I urged Archer, throwing the baseball and seeing him gallop after it, stretching his legs and barking as he sped along the short grass on the camp. I watched a big grin on my face as I was squatting down on my feet. I was wearing my army shirt and pants, my jacket was off and on the floor since it was so warm out and my hair was down and over my shoulders. I noticed when I woke up that day, I looked so different from when I went into the war four years ago in Camp Toccoa. My hair was longer and brighter from being in the sun, my skin was now touched by scars from the battles along my arms and fingers, my face too looked more worn out and more mature. It was as if I was an innocent child before going into the war and into mass chaos, and now I was a elderly woman with a dark past. I didn't even feel like I was in 27 years old anymore, I felt older and with more burdens.
Archer hopped onto the baseball, grabbing it with his teeth and jogging back to me, dropping it at my feet and having me pet his face and head lovingly. He licked at my face, having me just rub his back as I heard footsteps approaching me and I looked up and over my shoulder. Walking over to me was Nixon who was looking rather content in his walk as he approached me. I got up from my spot, facing him and saluting him before he saluted be back.
"I was looking for you, La Noux." he said to me as I threw the baseball once more for Archer, who ran after it with glee.
"Just sitting here with Archer. He needed some exercise." I explained to him as Nixon watched Archer with a small grin on his face. He always smiled, showing that he had some optimism in his life though we were fighting.
"Well, I was told that you turned down the promotion from Dr. Kent to go to the Pacific as one of the Head Medics." He explained, having me feel a bit of a grimace on my face as Archer ran back over to me with the ball in his mouth, "May I ask why?"
"You may." I retorted at him, grabbed the ball and throwing it again, though this time I threw it pretty far so I can have time to tell Nixon what I was feeling about it. As Archer ran off, I faced Nixon to see him look at me in confusion.
"Sir, I've been through enough when it comes to war. At first I didn't even really think I would be out there on the battle field with you men, only waiting for ya'll on the sidelines for anyone who was hurt. But sir, I had to deal with the defiance of a captain whom didn't see me as a equal because I was a woman. I also went MIA for one whole night and almost got killed alongside Bull, got shot in the head with a bullet but was spared because of my helmet, witnessed a sergeant get shot in the head mere inches away from me, and I fractured a rib because of a grenade that should of killed me." I explained to him in a bold tone, then lifting my shirt slightly for him to see the scar on my stomach along my rib where I was slammed into the tree in Bastogne. Nixon looked, not even caring if this looked awkward for others to see. I lowered my shirt, having me hear Archer run back and drop the ball at my feet. Archer laid down there, taking a break.
"I've been through far too much to go through it again in another place, Sir. I'm flattered and thankful that yourself and Winters consider me a great candidate as a Head Nurse, but I have had enough." I ended with him, my voice was a bit more sincere and less declaration. It was true: I needed a break. I had a nervous breakdown at least three times, had a huge fight with Joe, was traumatized by the concentration camp that we found on accident, and just having blood on my hands too many times made me never want to look at blood again. Nixon watched me as I said this, showing no sign of anger or confusion on his face as I spilled out all that was harboring my heart. I hated saying it to him, but he had to know. After I said it all to him, he only stood there for a moment and just watched me, my hands at my sides and my face showing my tiredness of the thought of being a medic again. He then nodded his head, slowly but surely as he then shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, shifting from one foot to another.
"Well, that is quite a laundry list that you just gave me," He said finally, his voice was light again as I only shrugged my shoulders, "And I would hope that Joe Liebgott would have something to do with you not wanting to go to the Pacific." I said nothing as soon as he mentioned Joe, having me wonder why he would bring Joe into the conversation. Did he know about the both of us? Was he watching from afar?
"Oh, come on, La Noux. By now, at least half of the Company knows about you two and how you both are smitten with one another by now. It's been a good four years, and you're surprised?" He asked me with a smirk, having me shake my head and try to hide the fact that I was beyond embarrassed in the face.
"How long have you known?" I asked him a groan, hiding my face in my hands and hoping to God he was not seeing through my fingers that were sprawled out on my face.
"Long enough, but Winters and I weren't gonna say anything." He replied in a shrug, having me stare at him now with a raised eyebrow.
"Why not?" I asked in confusion.
"Well for one thing we didn't think it would last long between the two of you. Since Normandy, we saw how you two were watching each other, and I knew there was something going on. But we both thought it would be over sometime throughout the war, though we were wrong. Another thing was that it was nothing that was considered against the rules, not to Winters and I anyways." Nixon explained to me, having me watch him intently, "You both were still soldiers, first and foremost. Besides, I thought it was cute." I glared at him then, seeing the smirk back on his face since he made that joke.
"Should I be thanking you then for not getting us in trouble?" I asked him aloud, hearing him chuckle in front of me and shaking his head slowly as he squatted down to Archer, rubbing his head with the grin never leaving his face.
"Don't thank me, Red. Just be glad that we kept our mouths shut the whole time while we were at work in the war." Nixon replied, going back up to my level and then placing a hand on my shoulder, giving me a proud stare like a parent to their child, "Come with me."
"Where are we heading, sir?" I asked him, following him as we starting walking over to a jeep that was parked a bit away. Archer trotted to be next to me, his tongue out as Nixon had a grin on his face. For some reason, I was glad we had that talk about Joe and how he was no mad about it. He knew, along with half of the men, and they had nothing bad to say about it.
"There's a game we're missing out on."
Nixon and I pulled up in the jeep on a clearing on the other side of camp, having me see that there was a baseball field that was made on the grass, and the Easy Company men were playing on the field. I smiled from seeing the sight, the men laughing and playing baseball as if it was another day in the sun. Though they were wearing their emery uniforms, which consisted of regular shirts and their army pants, they looked like school boys in how they were acting. They were egging each other on, smiling with big grins and the look of innocence on their faces. I wanted to remember this for the rest of my life, since the rest of the memories that I had of them were stained in blood and pain, in mourning and in anger, in lost and tears. But this, what was in front of me, was nothing of those.
I could see Frank at the mound with the bat in hand, Luz with a mitt ready for him to hit the ball, Bull near first base with his cigar, Doc against the fence with his arms crossed, Buck as the catcher's end with a backwards cap on, Joe on the third base line with his lanky figure against the cool sun, and the rest of my brothers were, enjoying their moment together.
When the jeep was turned off, Archer in the back of the jeep barking from seeing the men, I saw a couple of them look over as I was hopping out of the jeep. Nixon got out as well, though some of the men cheered as they saw us.
"Red! Come on, Red! Come play!" Frank said aloud, the others joining in with him by trying to get me to come out. I was still stuck there next to the jeep, just smiling at the sight of my boys there in their own time of happiness. It was Bull who jogged over, his cigar in his mouth and his big grin on his face as he stood in front of me, towering over me and then scooping me into his arms, over his shoulder and having me squeal out in retaliation.
"Bull! I'm gonna hurt you!" I said to him in protest, but I couldn't help but smile at how he was acting as he was walking us back over to the field, the rest of the men cheering from him literally lifting me to carry me to the game. If was like they didn't want me to be left behind: they wanted me to play with them and be a part of their memory.
"Don't fight it, Red." Bull replied back to me, having me hit him on the shoulder as he then placed me back on the ground, having me glare at him with a smirk and he laughed, breathing in his cigar and then having me look at the guys all out on the field.
"Come on, Red. I need backup here on the outfield!" Luz beckoned me, having me roll my eyes from hearing the desperation in his voice.
"Here, take the spare glove." Bull tossed me the glove, though it was bigger than my own hand. I smiled at him, shoving him with my hand in a playful banter as I jogged over to Luz and the others started cheering on Frank to miss. It was a simple moment, a frozen moment in time that we were needing at the end of this journey. As I joined Luz out on the field, looking at each batter going up and trying to run, I felt like a child again playing in the tall grass of Louisiana with the other children. There was nothing bad that was going to touch us, nothing was going to scar us and make us cry or scream. This was the same thing, though we were older and we literally went through hell and back.
I lived in that moment, cheering on the men as they were running the bases and being tagged out with cheers on their tongues. It reminded me of my brother Owen and how he would play with the boys some baseball, I would only watch from afar. For some reason, when we were children, they didn't want a girl to play with them because they didn't think I would be able to handle playing with them. But now, it was different, playing with the army men that I fought to protect for four years. They saw me as equal to them, far beyond that to be fair. I saw myself as nothing more than equal to them since I joined them in Camp Toccoa. So we played, for what seemed like forever in the sun and in the peace that was around us, having me then see Nixon walk over in his uniform and Spiers with him, they both were in their Officer uniforms as the rest of us looked feather grungy and worn down.
When they approached the side of the diamond, we were called to join them at the middle. Luz and I jogged over, having me stand behind him and the rest of the men as Winters looked at all of us, having me see glint of hope in his eyes as he then gave a small smile. We were all on bended knees and bent over, both from playing the game with each other for what seemed like forever and from wanting to know what he had to say to us.
"Got some news." He started, looking at each of us in his uniform, "Today, President Truman received the surrender from the Japanese." It was as if he dropped a bomb on all of us since we were all stunned from the news. I was lost for words, since we were looking at the war with the Japanese in regards to what was left with the war we were in. We were down, but the rest of the world was still fighting. This news was now the end of it all, of all that we went through for the past four years and what I signed up for when I was 20 years old
"War's over." He ended the news, no one was moving from their spot as we were drinking in what we heard. It sounded so simple, yet it was the one thing that we were looking forward to since we came to Europe in the first place. For the longest time, we were waiting to hear those two words and then be filled with joy and relief. But now, being out there in that field and covered in sweat from baseball, that feeling was no longer there anymore. No, it was more sinking under my skin and slowly coming over us, like a blanket we would have over us at night. It took so long for each of us to realize that this was real, that the war was over and we were no longer needed.
"Wow." I heard next to me finally, having me look over and see Luz looking off in a daze, but a big grin was on his face none the less. Something behind his eyes was showing that he was on the brink of tears then, since the news was coming over him and making me want to be in tears then. I wouldn't have blamed him.
"We're going home." He said finally, as if out of breath. I smiled widely at him as he looked over at me, his eyes big with wonder. I nodded my head, seeing him then rush over to hug me, lifting me off the floor as the others were celebrating with one another. We were all beyond glad to be done with this war, the shock was done and the cheers and slaps on the back were happening. I hugged every I could, everyone hugging each other and being so happy and glad.
We all then started jogging back over to the tents, together, still wrapped up in the thought of going home and being safe again. I was next to Luz when I felt Joe grab my hand in his, having me stop and look behind him as he stopped as well, a big grin on his face.
"What is it?" I asked him, out of breath from playing and laughing from hearing the news we were going home. Joe just smiled at me, walking close to me and then having me see that this was happiest he has been in what seemed like forever. Maybe even after he proposed to me in Germany in the apartment.
"I'm just glad we can go home, you and me." He said to me, also out of breath as I saw how handsome he looked in front of me. Something inside of me just had to let go, no longer worrying or caring about anyone else that was watching as I leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth. Joe instantly wrapped his arms around me, holding me in place as he kissed me back, having both of us eyes closed as we kissed on the green grass. This meant that we were going to be going home together, no longer having to sneak around to kiss or hold hands. There was no more fear of one of us behind away from the other, and that made me even happier that the war was ending.
Once we pulled away from each other, I could hear the rest of the men hooting and hollering over what we just did. I should be petrified, since they all saw us kiss right in front of me and no longer hiding, but then again I was just blushing like a mad woman as they all ran over to the both of us. I was greeted by a swarm of men, hugging me and reminding me of the moment I came back from being MIA with Bull back in Holland. It looked like they were glad that we were together, even having me hear catcalls.
"I KNEW you two were together!" Luz joked with me as he pinched my cheek, though I shoved him off of me in retaliation.
"How sappy!" Bull joked along with him as he then hoisted me in the air, having me feel him hold me up with his arm around my legs. It looked like I was floating amongst the sea of men who were still cheering and laughing. A big grin on my face and I just closed my eyes with a sigh of relief on my lips. I was no longer afraid of my worth with these men, since they were all loving on me and wanting me with them. This was going to be hard, to leave them all behind when I would go home. But I found who I belonged to.
My Band of Brothers.
