Disclaimer: all the usual apply.
Chapter 27
Amelia POV
Lying flat on her stomach she watched the town of Foy closely, making mental notes of the Germans running to and fro, carrying artillery shells and moving the batteries around. She tried not to think about what that meant for them, she did her best to look at it with cool detachment instead of the sickening dread that twisted and pulled at her stomach.
The men were busy digging in for the night, fortifying the foxholes. The Germans had already shelled their position extensively, but she had a feeling that was only the warm-up. Buck had ordered her to watch the Germans while the men dug in. She'd offered to shoot a few of them while she was at it. They were close enough, since only a hundred yards or so of open field separated the edge of the forest they were camped in from the German-held town. Buck had turned down her request saying he didn't want her drawing any more attention to herself than necessary.
She'd put a blanket down on the snow to provide some form of a barrier between herself and the cold, wet earth, but the water and the cold were slowly leaching into her uniform and her skin, making her muscles twitch and shiver uncontrollably. At least it gave her something else to think about besides the fight she'd had with the men. It had been almost two days since they'd found out about the opportunity she'd turned down. Most of them made a concerted effort to avoid her, or she them, she wasn't really sure, with the exception of George. He'd stuck close to her, making sure she ate and had someone to share her foxhole with. One by one the other men had found out, things never really stayed a secret for long in Easy. Most of them had a similar reaction to Bill or Babe's, but George told them to back-off and they quickly did. Joe'd gone off on her for almost an hour when he'd heard. Even George couldn't get him to drop it. In the end he'd thrown his arms in the air and stomped away from her, swearing under his breath as he went. George just shook his head and offered her a smoke.
She heard a deep thump a split second before a puff of smoke billowed from behind a large haystack placed just in-front of the town. She pushed herself up and started sprinting back to Easy's position just as the high pitch whine of an artillery round flew overhead.
A large tree to her right burst into a million pieces as the shell hit home, sending wood and smoke hailing down on her. She instinctively ducked her head, the second shell already kicking up dirt to her left. After that she couldn't hear the high pitched keen of the shells as they flew over, everything was drowned out by the consistent thunder of shells bursting overhead, destroying trees and blasting craters in the earth.
She could just make out the rim of a foxhole when she felt the air behind her move and the earth beneath her feet lift, throwing her forward. She fell hard onto her stomach, barely able to break her fall and hold onto her rifle. The force of the blast drove all the strength from her legs and she swore the Germans were trying to kill just her, because shell after shell exploded all around her.
She crawled forward, inching towards the relative safety of the foxhole. A head popped out over the rim of the foxhole and when Joe saw her crawling towards him she saw his mouth move, desperately screaming her name, but she couldn't hear him over the thunder and the blood rushing in her ears.
When she was just within reach of him he half climbed out of the cover and grabbed her hand, dragging her the rest of the way into the foxhole. He threw her down hard onto the bottom of the hole before covering her frame with his.
The explosions kept coming, the earth shuddered beneath her body with every hit. She could hear Joe screaming in her ear, a string of disjointed curses. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood, afraid that if she started to scream she'd never be able to stop.
An eerie silence descended over the area as the barrage stopped as quickly as it had begun. Her breathing was coming in short gasps as her lungs tried desperately to keep up with her racing heart. She felt Joe's weight slowly lift off of her and suddenly she felt naked and exposed. She pushed herself upright and crawled over to the side of the foxhole facing the Germans. Peering over the rim of the hole she squinted into the smoke filled air, trying to see if the Germans were making a break for their line.
She felt Joe settle in next to her and she glanced his way. He met her eyes and for a second they just stared as each other, too shocked to speak.
Taking a long, shaky breath, she said, "Thanks Joe."
He threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Sorry 'bout the other day. I'm still pissed you stayed, but I shouldn't have screamed at you like that."
With a lopsided smile she lightly bumped her helmet against his. "It's OK. I understand. I would've done the same if any of you did something as boneheaded as staying here."
He smirked and squeezed her tighter for a second before lifting his arm and turning his full attention back to the line.
She turned away from the line to see what damage had been done. Men were crouched down in their foxholes, nobody believing that the Germans were really done with them for the day. Through the smoke and snow she spied Lipton running between foxholes, checking up on the men and making sure everyone stayed down. She was just about to turn back to the front when she heard a faint cry. At first she dismissed it as her mind playing tricks, but then she heard it again. She strained forward trying to make out what was being said and who needed help.
She was already half-way out the foxhole when she finally heard the voice clearly.
"I need help!" Toye's broken voice carried over to her.
"Fuck, Toye needs help," she shouted over her shoulder before jumping out of the foxhole before Joe could stop her.
"Hurry would'ya!" he screamed after her.
She followed the sound of Toye's voice, dodging fallen trees and smoking craters as best she could. From the corner of her eye she saw Lipton trying to help a soldier that was trapped underneath a tree that had fallen over his foxhole. They seemed to have the situation under control so she didn't stop.
As she rounded a tree her heart froze as bile pushed up her throat as she finally found Toye. Bill was already with him, trying to drag him to the safety of a nearby foxhole as he left a trial of deep red blood on the white snow. Toye's right leg was gone below the knee, the skin, bone and muscle that was left was shredded. He must have been in shock because he kept mumbling, asking for his helmet and gun while Bill tried to get him to safety.
She slung her rifle over her shoulder as she willed her feet to move forward. Reaching the men, she locked eyes with Bill for a split second, his jaw set and brow furrowed.
"Hey Toye, you're gonna be just fine. Let's get you to a foxhole and then we'll get Doc," she said in the most soothing tone she could manage under the circumstances.
She lifted his good leg, trying to avoid knocking the injured one. He groaned but clenched his jaw to stop from crying out.
"Incoming!" she heard the call before the shriek of the shell.
A deep thud went off somewhere behind them, followed by another and another, each one coming closer.
Buck stood up in the foxhole they were heading for, screaming and waving franticly for them to hurry up.
The explosions kept getting closer until she couldn't hear Buck screaming anymore. They pushed harder, desperately trying to reach the foxhole.
Buck jumped out of the foxhole, ready to sprint to their aid when suddenly he disappeared behind a cloud of smoke and earth.
Another explosion hit right behind her, nearly knocking her over but by some miracle she kept her feet. The relief that washed over her was wiped out when Toye's leg was yanked from her grasp as she was thrown backwards, her eyes suddenly facing the sky as all the air was driven from her lungs and her head reverberated as explosion after explosion went off all around them.
As she lay there, feeling burned earth and wood splinters falling all over her, she wondered if she was dying, or maybe already dead, because she couldn't feel anything anymore. There was no fear, or cold or hunger. No sadness or regret. She was just numb, as she idly watched a puff of white cloud float by the tops of the shattered trees in a surreal break in the fog and smoke.
Slowly the noise faded from the world to be replaced by a ringing in her ears. She closed her eyes, her brain racking over her body to try and find the damage before her eyes had to see it. She still couldn't feel anything, which was either a really good sign or a really bad one.
"Me…medic!" the panicked call went up. She recognized Buck's voice and turned her head in his direction, relieved that he was probably alright.
He was standing on the edge of his foxhole, his eyes wide and terrified as his arms hung limply at his side.
Shutting her eyes tightly, she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. With a groan and more effort that it had ever taken her, she finally got upright. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she turned her head back to where Buck was standing, to where she'd last seen Bill and Toye.
The two men were lying face down, their limbs intertwined in a bloody mess. Neither one was moving, but she could barely make out a soft groan coming from Bill.
She tried to stand, but her legs shook and gave out underneath her, her knees slamming hard into the ground.
"Fuck," she hissed, starting to crawl over to Bill and Toye.
When she reached them she carefully tried to pull them apart as best she could. "Medic!" she screamed again, the numbness she'd felt moments before quickly being replaced by dread.
"Bill, honey, can you hear me?" she said, rolling him onto his back.
He groaned as his eyes fluttered open. "Jesus fucking Christ," he swore.
"I don't think he has anything to do with this," she joked.
"What the fuck happened?" Toye asked and her head snapped to him.
"Hey there sunshine. I got you two. Gene's on his way. We'll get you help now."
She tried to stand again and even though her legs were shaking this time they didn't give out.
"Buck, I need your help," she said. When she was met with silence she glanced in his direction.
He hadn't moved, his rifle and helmet lay on the ground at his feet as his eyes stared unseeing at the mess of men and blood in-front of him. He was gone she realized.
Tearing her eyes away from her broken friend she grabbed Bill under each arm. "OK Bill, we gotta get you sitting against that tree right there."
"Sure thing doll," he replied through gritted teeth.
As she pulled him away from Toye she was able to see the damage done to his body for the first time. His right leg, from the knee down, was completely shredded, his foot hanging on by a few last tendons and a shred of bone.
"Fuck Bill, what a way to get yourself taken out of the game," she tried to joke and was rewarded with a half-hearted laugh from the wounded man.
Gene came skidding into the clearing just as she leaned Bill against the tree and started to move to Toye.
He expertly looked between her and the two wounded soldiers before digging into his medical bag, tossing her a bandage and sulfur powder.
"You take care of Bill. Sulfur then apply as much pressure as you can," he ordered her.
She nodded and fell down to beside Bill's injured leg.
Digging into her jacket she pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Quickly lighting the smoke with oddly steady hands she handed it to Bill who took it with a grateful smile.
"This is gonna hurt like a son-of-a-bitch Bill," she warned him.
He gave her a steely nod as he took a long drag.
Pouring the sulfur over as much of the wound as she could she tried to ignore his groan or the way his leg twitched whenever she touched it.
She pressed the bandage down hard on the open wound, trying not to flinch away from her friend's warm blood slicking her fingers.
"See, done. Now we just wait for the jeep to take you and Toye back to the hospital and all the pretty nurses. It's time for the two of you to go home."
Footsteps sounded behind her and she peered over her shoulder to find Don coming to a halt next to Gene. His eyes widened as he took a moment to register what he was seeing. Almost shaking himself out of it he asked, "Doc, what can I do?"
"Hold this," Gene said, pointed to the bandage that was pressed to Toye's open leg.
Two more medics appeared out of the smoke and fog, carrying a stretcher between them. Gene glanced over at Bill and ordered, "Bill, you're going first."
"Whatever you say, Doc," Bill replied.
As the medics moved in beside Bill she moved out of their way. As they lifted him onto the stretcher she flinched when he groaned in pain as his wounded leg was jostled.
The guys were about to lift him when he reached out a hand to stop them, "Wait fellas."
He held out his hand to her and she took it, squeezing his fingers as hard as she could.
"Em, you gotta take care of yourself and that knucklehead too. He loves you, he just doesn't know how to say it yet. I'll be waiting for you and Babe in Philly."
Bending down she kissed his forehead, willing the tears not to fall just yet. "I'll see you in Philly Bill," she whispered before they carried him off.
As he was carried past Toye Bill couldn't help but make one final joke, "Hey Joe, I told you I'd beat you back to the States," he said.
Toye groaned in reply, a smoke dangling from his lips.
She started to move to Gene's side when he glanced up at her. "We got this."
She nodded but didn't move.
His eyes flicked over her body, searching for any injuries, "You hurt?"
"I…I don't think so," she managed to stammer out.
"OK. You need to sit down, you could be in shock. I'll come find you later."
She nodded before taking a small step forward so she could smooth over Toye's hair with one hand. The man instantly relaxed and gave her a hazy smile through the cigarette and the pain.
"I'll see you on the other side of this mess, hun. Try not to break the hospital down," she teased softly.
"See you 'round Em. Be careful," he replied.
With one final stroke and a soft smile she turned around and walked away. She knew she had to find Babe. It would be best if he heard the news from her.
Two soldiers talking quietly caught her eye and she slowed her pace. Buck was sitting on a log, body bent forward as his head hung in his hands. Lipton was crouched in-front of him, talking even though she couldn't hear the words he was saying. He must have sensed her standing there, because he briefly glanced in her direction. His eyes were brimming with sorrow and resignation. In a matter of moments, they'd lost three good soldiers. Two to artillery fire and one to the demons that followed them all.
She dropped her eyes to the ground and continued her walk back to where she'd last seen Babe.
Walking from foxhole to foxhole she never stayed long enough for any of the men to ask her what had happened. She was pretty sure she'd only be able to get the words out once so she had to save it for the person who needed to hear it the most.
"Em!" she heard Babe calling her name.
She turned her head in the direction of his voice just in time to see him jump out of a foxhole and jog towards her. He scooped her up into his arms, enveloping her in a long embrace that crushed the air out of her lungs.
He pulled away from her and took her face in his hands, his eyes frantically searching hers for any signs that she was hurt.
"I'm fine Eddy," she tried to reassure him, but her voice cracked.
He took her hand and led her to the nearest foxhole. Climbing in he placed his hands around her waist, lifting her in after him.
She sat down, legs crossed in-front of her and he took the space next to her.
Closing her eyes, she tried to scrape together enough courage to tell him what had happened.
She felt his fingers intertwine with hers, his hands feeling warm against her frozen skin.
"Amelia, what happened? What's wrong?" he whispered.
Taking one final breath she opened her eyes and turned so she could face him.
"During the first shelling…" she trailed off, closing her eyes again to stop herself from crying even before she got the words out.
She could feel him looking at her, the worry coming off of him almost palpable, but he didn't rush her.
Slowly opening her eyes, she continued, doing her best to keep her voice steady, "Toye got hit and Bill went to help him. I got there just before the second round started, but we got caught out in the open."
His fingers tightened around hers, but he still didn't say anything.
"Bill….Bill and Toye both got hit badly. They both lost a leg. I think they'll live, but, it was really bad," she finished.
He stared at her, his expression blank and his eyes unseeing as her words sunk in. Just when she wasn't sure whether or not he'd heard her he pulled her onto his lap and buried his head in her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his head.
He didn't make a sound, but she felt his chest shake as sob after sob ran through his body.
She felt something warm run down her face and hurriedly brushed it away with the back of her hand. Looking down she saw a clear liquid glistening in the dim light and that's when it hit her that she was crying.
She didn't try to stop the tears; she was way past that now. All the men stayed away. What had happened had already started to spread amongst the camp and everyone gave them what privacy they could.
She made a list in her head of all the friends that were gone, reciting each name like it was a prayer. She just didn't know what she should be praying for anymore.
XXXXXXX
Babe POV
He sat huddled in the foxhole, his body pressed into the dirt as he tried to stay out of the freezing wind that had kicked up hours earlier. Amelia was curled up between his legs, her head and body covered by the thin blanket Gene had insisted they take when he'd made his rounds for the night.
From the way she was breathing, deep and steady, he assumed she was sleeping. The soft, rhythmic sound and her body pressed against his soothed him, providing some relief from the constant cold and fatigue that seemed to have seeped into his bones.
At the sound of snow crunching beneath boots he glanced up to see Winters and Nixon approaching the foxhole. For a second he considered waking her, but decided against it. She needed the sleep and the officers would understand.
"Heffron," Winters greeted him as the two officers crouched down on the edge of the foxhole.
"Sir," he replied.
Nixon's dark eyes darted down to the bundle in his lap and a faint smile crossed his lips. "She sleeping?"
He glanced down at the blanket, "I think so, sir. Hope so."
"Good," Winters said, a thoughtful expression on the commander's face.
"How are you holding up Heffron?" Nixon asked.
"Fine, sir. Cold, tired. The usual. But fine."
Winters looked off into the distance for a moment before turning his attention back to him. "I'm sorry about Bill. I know you two were close. And I know he was very close to Amelia."
"Yeah, I guess it could've been worse. At least he's still alive," he glanced down at Amelia before adding, "She took it pretty hard, 'specially 'cause she was there. But she's a real fighter, she'll make it."
Both officers nodded, their eyes darting from his to Amelia's sleeping form.
Winters slapped Nixon's back as he stood and the other officer followed. "You take good care of her Heffron," Winters said, it sounded like an order.
"That's my every intention, sir."
Winters pursed his lips and gave him a small nod before turning to leave. He glanced a knowing smile on Nixon's face before he followed his friend.
He tilted his head back and stared up at the black sky. A thick blanket of clouds had come over that afternoon, bringing fresh snow and blocking out the stars and the moon.
A fresh gust of wind blew over them and his arms tightened around Amelia. He allowed his eyes to float closed and his mind to wander back to the last conversation he'd had with Bill.
It had been the night after they'd found out about Amelia's decision to stay with Easy instead of going home. He'd been livid, his brain refusing to see the sense in her decision because all he could imagine was her somewhere far away from the war instead of in the middle of it. Bill'd been angry as all hell, spending a good hour swearing and talking about what a stubborn broad she was. It was late that night, when the fight had left both of them exhausted, that Bill had kicked his foot with his booted toe.
"What?" he'd snapped.
"What's the plan here kid?"
"Uhhh…try not die," he'd retorted, not sure what Bill was getting at.
"Don't be a wise-ass. I meant you and Em."
"I don't know Bill."
"The hell you don't! Quit bullshitting me."
"Fuck Bill, the woman's impossible!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, but you knew that going into this."
"I know, I know. I just didn't think…" he'd trailed off, unwilling to say the words out loud.
"Hey, didn't think what?"
He'd taken a long breath, running his hand over his tired eyes. "That I would end up feeling about her the way I do. Whenever I think about home, she's always there with me. She's part of every plan. But then she does something like this and I can't help imagine home without her and….fuck Bill it doesn't feel like home anymore without her."
He'd dropped his head into his hands. Now that the words had been said there was no taking them back.
Bill had stayed quiet for a long time. So long in fact he'd lifted his head out of his hands expecting to see him laughing at his confession.
Instead he'd found a pensive look on Bill's face, like he was studying him, weighing up every word. Finally, he'd leaned forward and said, "All you can do is treat her right and take care of her to the best of your abilities. You can't protect her from everything, especially herself, but you have to make sure she knows she's part of your plan so that she has something to fight for. That woman loves you, remember she chose you after all."
Still deep in thought he felt Amelia move and when he looked down he was met with a head of blonde hair followed by a pair of bleary, dark green eyes staring up at him.
"Everything OK?" she whispered, her voice muffled by the blanket that was still pulled up to her nose.
He smiled, she looked so small and innocent. This adorable little thing curled up on his lap. Miles away from the soldier he knew she was.
"You're here and safe. Everything's perfect."
The corners of her eyes wrinkled as she smiled from beneath the blanket.
He reached underneath the blanket and lifted her chin, lowering his head to softly brush his lips against hers, before deepening the kiss. She laced the fingers of her one hand into the hair at the nape of his neck while the other curled around the material of his jacket.
His mouth melted into hers as he held her even tighter.
She pulled her lips back slightly, so that as she whispered he could feel them moving against his, "If I'd left, and something happened to you while I was gone. I'd never have forgiven myself."
He lifted his head so he could look into her eyes. "If something happens to you while you're here I'll never forgive myself. I know how good you are at your job Amelia. Fuck, your fearless, but that just makes me more scared. Because I keep waiting for the day you don't come back to me."
She held his gaze, and he hoped she found what she needed to see in his eyes. That she could see everything he was so scared to admit to her.
Her hand on the back of his neck pulled his face down to hers and she placed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. As she pulled away she whispered, "I'll always fight to come back to you."
She curled back up, her head dropping against his chest and he knew she'd hear the way her words and her closeness made his heart pound.
Making sure she was covered by the blanket, he closed his eyes and dreamt home.
XXXXXXX
Amelia POV
She woke up with her heart sitting in her throat as the earth shook around her and the night's sky lit up with bursts of white and orange as shell after shell hit their position.
Babe flipped them around so he was covering her with his body, pressing her deeper into the ground. She could still see the flashes of light behind her tightly shut eyelids as the trees above them exploded into millions of pieces. Her muscles were shaking and she was struggling to breathe as her heart pounded uncontrollably. Adrenaline was flooding her system, amplifying every horrifying blast and scream.
She could hear Babe praying, but she didn't recognize the language, but then, for some unfathomable reason, her brain reminded her that he was Catholic so it must be Latin. She almost laughed at the absurdity of it. On the one hand she was panicking, waiting for the shell that would kill them, and then on the other her brain could remind her of such a non-consequential little fact.
She opened her mouth to scream and it was instantly filled with earth and soot. But she screamed anyway. She screamed and screamed and screamed because there was nothing else she could do against the endless barrage.
Finally, what felt like a lifetime later, all the noise died down and the light faded, the forest falling back into darkness.
Babe slowly lifted himself off of her. She used her hands to push herself upright, her arms shaking.
"Here," Babe said, holding out a canteen to her.
She took it and washed out her mouth before taking a big drink.
Handing it back to him she reached inside her jacket and took out two cigarettes. He reached over taking both from her trembling fingers. Lighting them he handed her one.
Taking a long drag to steady her nerves and slow down her heart she watched him closely, looking for any signs that he'd been hurt covering her.
He must have sensed what she was searching for because he cocked his head to one side and said, "I'm fine."
Taking another drag, she asked on the exhale, "Were you praying in Latin?"
"Yeah. The nuns beat it into us."
"If we make it out of this thing alive, I need to go to church with you. Can't remember the last time I was in one."
He blew out a long stream of smoke, "I'll take ya."
"Hey, you guys OK?" Lipton's weary voice came from above her head.
She craned her neck back so she could look at him and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw a cigarette in his hand. "Since when do you smoke?"
"Since now," he replied, taking a long drag.
"Seems like a reasonable life choice," she said, taking a drag of her own smoke.
"So, you two OK?" he repeated his earlier question.
"Yeah Lip, we're fine," Babe replied on their behalf. "Anybody got hit?" he asked.
There was a beat of silence from above her head and her heart sank.
"Muck and Penkale's hole took a direct hit. They're gone."
"What a fucking waste," she groaned into the night air.
"Fucking Krauts," Babe swore, kicking the ground for good measure.
"Yeah," Lipton replied and she could hear how tired he was.
"Lip, why don't you spend the night here with us? It's awfully cold in a foxhole by yourself."
"Nah, I'm fine Em. I need to check on the other guys."
She stood up in a huff and swung around so she could face him. "You listen to me Carwood Lipton. You keep running around the way you do, and you're going to kill yourself. You are the only thing keeping this company together, so even if I have to follow you around all night and then drag you back here by your collar, you will share this foxhole with us just so that I can see you rest or so help me God."
Lipton's eyes widened and she thought he was going to object when he opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say Babe cut off, "May as well listen to her sarge. She ain't gonna take no for an answer."
His face softened and he gave her a small nod. "OK Amelia. Give me one hour and I'll be back here. I may bring George with me."
"Good, there's space for four people. Nice and snug and toasty. I will be waiting," she promised him, making sure that it sounded like the threat it was.
He nodded and turned to run the rest of his rounds.
Sitting down in the foxhole Babe quirked an eyebrow at her, a smirk on his lips.
"What?" she asked, kicking his boot.
"Remind me never to cross you."
Her face split into a smug smile and she shrugged her reply.
He laughed, holding out his hand to her. She took it, allowing him to pull her over to his side of the foxhole where she snuggled into his side.
"I can't believe they're gone," she whispered as the news of Muck and Penk finally registered in her exhausted brain.
Babe's arm around her shoulder tightened and he pressed his lips onto the top of her head.
True to his word, an hour later Lipton and George dropped into their foxhole. She took one look at George's washed out complexion and unblinking eyes and squeezed Babe's hand as she extracted herself out from under his arm to move to George's side.
"Hey handsome."
"Hey beautiful," he said, draping an arm over her shoulder as she laid her head down on his chest.
Babe smiled at her, he understood why she'd gone to George.
"Glad I didn't have to come and fetch you Lip," she teased the sergeant.
"I wasn't planning on crossing you Em. I didn't much feel like getting another talking to," he said, but she could hear the smile in his voice.
"M'hm," she mumbled, her eyes already closed as she started to drift off.
The last thing she felt was George settling into the foxhole as he kissed the top of her head.
XXXXXXX
Amelia cautiously slipped into Don's foxhole the following morning. He was thumbing Muck's broken rosary, the only thing left of his friend after the shell that had hit his foxhole. His face was drawn, haggard and his eyes were looking at the rosary but not really seeing it. Muck and Penk had been two of Don's closest friends, losing them and Buck in a matter of days, had taken their toll on the jovial Irishman, ageing him before her eyes. Of course Buck was still alive, but whatever he'd seen after the bombing that had wounded Toye and Bill had broken something deep inside of him. Officially he was taken off of the line with a bad case of trench foot, unofficially he just needed some time away from the front. Everybody understood, no one blamed him.
She settled in on Don's right, her shoulders gently touching his, but he didn't look up. She didn't say anything, rather opting to rest her head on his shoulder and wait. Sometimes words weren't enough to express what you felt, and saying them out loud felt like a betrayal of the friends you still had, but having someone there, anchoring you to the here and now was the lifeline you needed.
The heavy weight of his arm settled on her shoulders. Glancing up to look at his face, his eyes were still focused on something she couldn't see, rosary in hand.
"Hey Malark," Lipton's voice appeared from over her shoulder.
She lifted her head from Don's shoulder and his arm tightened around her shoulder, keeping her pinned to his side. She met Lipton's worried eyes over Don's head, sure her own eyes mirrored his.
Don barely shifted when Lipton crouched down on his other side. Eyes remaining fixed to the rosary and the ground at his feet.
"Hey, didn't I hear you say you wanted to bring a Luger home for your kid brother?" Lipton asked and Don slowly moved his head to look up at Lipton.
"Yeah."
Lipton reached inside his jacket a pulled out a Luger, holding it out to Don he said, "Well, why don't you give him that?"
Don rested the rosary in his lap and reached up for the pistol with his free hand, carefully turning it around to look at it. "It's Hoob's, right?"
"Yeah….I was….I was gonna get rid of it, but I don't know."
Don stared at the gun, done talking, lost again in his own world.
She pressed her body tighter against his, trying her best to comfort him.
"Listen, uh," Lipton started to say, sounding unsure of how to continue. She had a good idea what he wanted to ask, so she caught his eye and gave him a small nod in encouragement. He set his jaw and continued, "Captain Winters was wondering if you want to go back to Battalion and work as his runner for a few days?"
Don blinked, his eyes focus returning to the gun and his surroundings. "Tell him thanks. I'm….I'm gonna stay here."
Lipton nodded, "Well, look, why don't you at least come back for an hour or so, say goodbye to Buck? I'm sure it'll mean a lot to him."
Don nodded, looking over his shoulder to Lipton, "All right."
As Lipton stood to leave he patted Don's shoulder and quirked his head at the Luger, "You be careful with that."
Don nodded as he tucked the gun away.
"There's a jeep waiting," she said.
"Yeah," Don replied, not moving.
"It'll do you some good to be away from the line for a little while. And Buck will want to see you."
"Yeah," he said absentmindedly.
She settled back in next to him, content to wait for him to let her know when he was ready to go.
Minutes later she felt his head move and she could sense his eyes watching her. "How'd you do it? After Derek, you just came back and went on. Never missed a beat."
She closed her eyes, Derek's final moment playing out behind her eyelids. Snapping her eyes open she replied, "I didn't. When I was alone out there, just after he'd died. I broke. If those Dog boys hadn't found me, I'm not sure I would have made it back. God knows I didn't want to fight anymore. But…." she trailed off and Don squeezed her arm, silently encouraging her to continue.
"But I'd made him a promise to try and make it out alive. And I still had all of you. So I did what I had to, kept moving and fighting, even when it tore me up inside."
Don kissed the top of her head before resting his head on top of hers. They stayed like that for at least another hour. Finally, he shifted, and with one final squeeze of her shoulder he let go of her and climbed out of the foxhole, ready to go say goodbye to another friend.
He'd taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at her. "I'm glad you made it back to us Em."
She replied with a weak smile and an air of deep understanding passed between them.
XXXXXXX
Wow, so that was (for me at least writing and reading it) quite and intense chapter! Lots happened, most of it heartbreaking, but I also wanted to show the continued growth in Em and Babe's relationship. Anywho, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. To those of you who recently added me to your alerts, thank you! And to my great reviewers, I always love t hear from you.