Captain Dunne and his men escort us to the edge of the town, providing backup just in case we run into any trouble. But once we get there, we enter the forest and they turn back; we're now on our own.
It's dark out, around midnight if I had to guess, and I stick close to Wade. Being a medic, I'm put into the middle of the diamond formation the squad takes up. Even though I have a gun, medics aren't really supposed to have them. The Geneva Convention created a set of rules for warfare, one of them forbade firing on field medics, even if they are they are your enemies' medics. Because of this, field medics aren't issued guns. Personally, I think this is stupid. The longer a war goes on, the more cruel people get as their family, friends, and fellow soldiers are killed. A piece of paper isn't going to stop the Nazi's- or anyone- from firing on medics if they really want to. I think that's why Dunne gave me a gun in the first place. I may be a medic first- preferring to aid the wounded instead of creating more of them- but I think he knew I might have needed it on day. Plus, technically I'm just a nurse, one that happens to be traveling with a squad of Allied soldiers in enemy controlled territory. I'm not a field medic- technically.
No one is talking, not at night. Visibility is low and you can't see if someone is close by, not like you can during the day. You have to rely on your hearing instead of your sight, and talking could alert others to your position.
We've been walking for about an hour when lights erupt over Neuville, followed by what sounds like claps of thunder. Its explosions; probably bombs being dropped by fighter planes. If I didn't know that, I would say it was beautiful.
Hours later, after the sun has risen, Reiben starts a conversation with Mellish. It's just as much for entertainment as it is to keep them awake. Looking back at Upham, I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly fell over asleep, only to wake up upon hitting the ground.
"…so then he picks our ma's favorite vase and throws it at me. I duck and it hits the wall behind me, shattering into little pieces. Our ma runs in and we just look at her before my brother points at me and says I did it! Me!"
"Doesn't seem too farfetched to me," Daniel comments.
"Just like you being married wasn't farfetched. You didn't even tell us," Reiben shoots back.
Daniel sighs in exasperation. "You're never gonna stop with that, are you?"
"Hell no," Mellish says.
"Reiben?" I ask.
"Yeah doll," he says.
"Did any of you ever ask him if he was married?"
"Well…no," Reiben admits. "But he never even hinted, and he doesn't have a ring on."
"Really," Daniel says and takes out a metal chain from beneath his shirt. "So what's this then?"
On the chain is a gold cross, and a plain, gold ring.
Reiben just looks at it before turning back to the front, scowling.
"So, how exactly are we gonna tell you two apart. I mean, you're both called Jackson," Mellish says.
"Call Daniel by Jackson, and call me by my first name," I suggest.
"Good idea Lilly," Miller yells over his shoulder from where he's leading us in the front.
"Thank you sir," I call back.
A few seconds later Reiben speaks back up. "So… how did you two meet exactly?"
"At school, when we were kids," Daniel says shortly.
"So I'm guessing it wasn't love at first sight then," Reiben says.
I laugh and Daniel answers. "Nah, we were best friends. My sister, Alice, loved her. Lilly spent more time at our house than her own."
"Well it's not like I wanted to be at home," I remark.
"Just like I didn't want you to be there," Daniel says.
"Why?" Mellish asks.
"My… father wasn't a very nice person," I hint.
Nobody says anything, all getting what I'm trying to say- well everyone except Upham.
"I don't get it."
Mellish slaps the back of his head and tries, but fails, to whisper quietly, "He was abusive moron."
I flinch and Daniel walks closer to me, brushing his hand against mine.
"Oh," Upham says, blushing. "What about your mother?"
"She died, when I was eight. My father told me she had drowned. A day later we were going to Tennessee," I answer.
"Did she really drown?" Captain Miller asks and I smile at the fact he picked up that I didn't say that she did drown; just that that's what I was told happened.
"Yes, but it wasn't until I was sixteen that I found out my father murdered her, by drowning," I say.
There's a moment of silence before Upham hesitantly speaks up. "And… and how did your father get arrested?"
"How do you think Upchuck, the police carted him away in handcuffs," Mellish says.
"I found out about how…" Daniel trails off, looking at me for permission to tell them and I just nod. "…about how he hit her. He would usually do it in places no one would see, but that day the bruise was on her face."
"When he asked me what happened I just broke down and told him everything," I say giving him a small smile and taking his hand. "I had to physically stop him from going to my house and confronting my father."
"If you hadn't I probably would've killed him," Daniel mutters.
"Yes, I knew that then too, which is why I wouldn't let you, because then you would've been sent to jail instead of him," I scold.
I can tell that he knows I'm right, but just doesn't want to admit it.
"After that Daniel and his dad taught me how to defend myself against my father. When I turned eighteen I told my father I was moving into Daniel's house- his parents wanted me to come as much as I wanted to go. He was furious and beat me good before I managed to knock him out. I ran all the way to Daniel's house. When I got to Daniel's, this was the last straw and I told them to call the police. They came, arrested my father, and then a few days later we found out he had an outstanding warrant for my mother's murder in New York," I explain.
Again there's silence, just the sound of birds and insects, and the crunching of grass beneath our boots.
"I'm sorry," Wade says.
"Please don't, it wasn't your fault, and I got a new family in the end," I look at Daniel who squeezes my hand and smiles softly. There are tears just barely in my eyes.
"Jackson, fall back into formation," Miller says, although you can tell he's sorry for making us separate.
Daniel nods and pulls his hand from mine, both of us reluctant to let go. Wade walks up next to me, taking Daniel's place and reaches for my hand. It's not the same, but it helps after bringing up such painful memories. I look behind me at Daniel and he's just looking at us smiling softly.
After our story, no one is in a talking mood, including me. But an hour later Miller switches the squad around and Upham is near me. The others have shared about their lives, except Miller of course and Upham.
"Upham," I get his attention.
"Hmm?" he says.
"Tell me about yourself," I say.
"Yeah Upchuck, tell her about yourself," Reiben laughs.
"Reiben, do be quiet unless you have something to say that is becoming of the soldier you're supposed to be," I say.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asks.
"It means, Upham may not have as much experience as you, but he is still a member of this squad, he's in the same dangerous place as you. That in of itself deserves respect; I'm sure when you first joined you were just as nervous as him," I say.
Reiben sighs dramatically. "Fine, Upham go ahead."
I look at Upham and he starts to tell me about his family and things the squad didn't know before. His brother was also a soldier, but died, and his father died from disease years ago when he was just a kid. He didn't enlist in the army because his mother is sick, dying, and he knew that if he joined the army, he may not get back in time to see her again before she passed on.
I sling an arm around his neck and say, "Have faith, you'll see her again."
"Dead or alive?" he asks quietly.
"Only time will tell," I say, not wanting to make a promise I can't keep.
I pull my arm back and Miller tells Upham to tell them about his book. Upham starts talking again but a few sentences in Miller stops and holds up a hand. Upham was looking at me as he talked and so doesn't see, so I slap a hand over his mouth. He gets the message and stops talking so I take my hand back.
Miller moves forward, starting to run. We get closer and see it's a plane- a crashed plane in the trees. We start to hear voices, some shouts, and moans. We can see tents around the trees and go through the plane to get to the makeshift camp. There are bodies inside, wearing American uniforms, and the plane is painted with American tags.
There are canopies, under them injured soldiers.
"Wade, Lilly!"
"Yes sir?" Wade says.
"See what you can do," Miller orders and Wade is already moving to a soldier before he finishes his sentence. I kneel next to a patient beside the one he's working on and Reiben and Daniel join us.
"How we doing here?" Wade asks as I inspect a wound.
Daniel sits behind Wade's patient, putting his head up. "It's alright, it's alright. Don't worry fellas, the 29th Infantry's breaking through, they'll be here soon."
I wrap a bandage around the soldier's bloody shoulder and see he's already been given morphine, plus he's asleep anyway so can't feel anything at the moment.
"Reiben, help me with this," I say seeing Daniel's busy with Wade. With Reiben's help I treat a gash on a soldier's abdomen and move onto another wounded man.
Reiben and Daniel give the men cigarettes and hold the men's canteens up for them to take a drink if they can't themselves.
"Reiben," Wade calls and Reiben turns after lightning a cigarette for a soldier. "Smell that leg right there, find out if its south of cheese."
Reiben gives Wade a look of 'why are you making me do this?' but does as Wade asks, kneeling down and taking a sniff. He immediately pulls back and nods grimly.
I treat a few more soldiers, getting a few of the less wounded soldiers to help. They have some supplies; they just didn't know how to use them all.
The first few soldiers who I ordered to help me stood there for a few seconds, too dumbfounded by the fact I was a woman to move. Well, until I practically shouted at them, telling them to put their asses in gear. They pretty much scurried to obey me after that, realizing I wasn't just a girl, but one who could help them.
"Lilly, come help me with this," Wade says, voice full of authority. Even though I am technically his superior officer, I obey his command. He's working on a patient with a nasty stomach wound, and I help him stitch it up and wrap it, along with two other soldiers helping.
As I'm finishing I see Wade stand and use a piece of cloth to try to get the blood off his hands. He's looking at something and I look around him to see the rest of the squad sitting around a short table, looking through something. They must have walked right past us; I was so engrossed in my work I didn't even notice. I go to stand next to Wade and notice a glint off of the small items the squad is throwing around.
"What are those?" I ask a feeling of dread in my stomach.
Wade doesn't answer, he just storms forward. I look away and move onto another wounded soldier, but keep looking back at the squad. Wade has gone over and starting shoving whatever they were looking at back in a bag.
"…these aren't poker chips, put em' back in there," I can hear him shout and the others start to help him do just that. I can guilt on their faces and Miller holds up a handful of the metal objects. I then realize what they are- dog tags. I think I'm going to be sick. They were going through dog tags… and they were laughing. They were laughing at the only thing left of men who had died fighting in this stupid war.
I finish up with the patient, handing over the metaphorical reins to another soldier. I go to stand by Captain Miller, who has a look of horror on his face as he realizes what he and the others were doing. He still has the handful of dog tags and I place my hands over top his. Everyone watches as I take them from his hands and gently place them in the bag, before gathering the remaining ones on the table and placing them inside as well, my face full of an insurmountable sorrow. "These were people. They all had friends, families, homes that they will never be able to visit again. Have some fucking respect."
The last part I say with a bit of venom and finish with the tags, tying the bag and gripping it as I stand back. I wrap my arms around myself and stand apart from the others, trying to distance myself from this harsh reality of this war. One of these tags could've easily been Daniel's. He could've died and the only thing that would've been left of him would've been that small piece of metal.
"He's not here," I vaguely hear the Captain say. He walks around me and Daniel stands up, coming closer.
"I'm sorry darlin'," he says quietly. Ever since my father's beatings got worse, when I think about things that terrify me- I mean like Daniel, or Alice, or Ruth dying- I start to zone out, retreating into myself to escape those thoughts. Daniel was always the best at getting me back to reality, and during the war it was either Dunne or another nurse that would pull me out of it. It never happened when I was on duty, for I would never have time to for I would always be too busy to think.
Daniel must see it on my face because he moves behind me and puts his arms around my waist, hugging me.
"Your tag could've been one of those," I whisper.
"I'm sorry sweetheart," he says and kisses my temple. "I didn't think."
I relax into him and close my eyes, only to open them when Captain Miller starts shouting.
"Ryan! Anybody know Ryan, Ryan? You know a guy named Ryan? Private James Ryan from lowa? Anybody know a Ryan? James Ryan?!"
"Hey Joe, doesn't Meddleson pal around with a Ryan from C company?" a guy says to someone else- Joe- who nods.
"Well bring him up here," the first soldier says. Joe runs back to get him and Daniel straightens and I grab his arms and he comes back, pressing another kiss to my head.
The next few seconds is a bunch of shouting as Meddleson explains how his hearing is horrible because a German grenade went off right next to his head.
"Do you know a Private Ryan?!" Miller shouts.
"Who?"
"Private Ryan! James Ryan!"
"Jimmy Ryan?!"
"James, James Francis Ryan!"
"No, no, no, James FRANCIS Ryan!"
"Alright, give me a pencil, something to write on, something to write on. Quick, quick, come on, a pencil," Miller says and Upham goes over, taking out a pencil.
"Write this down, James Francis Ryan, question mark. Iowa, question mark. Do-do you know him? Does he know him? Read the message, look," Miller says.
Meddleson does and says, "Yeah, of course I know him sir."
"Do you know where he is?" Miller asks.
"Yeah, yeah, we missed our drop zone by about twenty miles; ended up way over by Bumville or some damn place. Him, me, and a couple of other guys were coming here to the rally point. Ran into a colonel, who was gathering up men to go to, uh… Ramelle, to babysit a bridge. That's the last I've seen of him sir," Meddleson explains.
"Great, great, thank you, thank you, write thank you. Read, read, thank you," Miller says as he walks back toward us.
"You're welcome!" Meddleson shouts and my lips twitch up in amusement.
Miller walks back toward us and we let him pass. Daniel and I are still exactly where we were next to the table and when the others start to come back, Daniel kisses my head again before letting go of my waist. He takes my hand, pulls me down to sit, and picks up his gun. The others reach us and sit around the table we used earlier. Miller takes out a map and kneels.
"Thank you Lieutenant," Miller says. "Ramelle. We're here-" Miller points on the map-"There, Ramelle is on the Mandarin River right here, just to the south of the west of us."
"Know anything about this bridge he was talking about Cap?" Horvath asks.
Miller takes out a compass and holds it in his left hand. "Yep. The target has always been Shareborg. We can't push on Paris until we take a deep water port and Rommel knows that."
I then notice that Miller's hand is shaking by how much the compass moves. I look at the others and see that they all notice it too.
"So he's going to try to get his armor across the Mandarin River anywhere he can. That way he can hit our invasion forces at the flank when we make the big right turn to Shareborg. That makes any village on the river with an intact bridge solid gold real estate," Miller explains. He then looks up and realizes all of us have noticed his hand and looks at it, then us again before closing the compass and putting the map away.
"Let's go."