October 5, 1944
The Island, north of Nijmegen, Netherlands
Easy remained in town for a few days, patrolling the line when needed until moving to another town on the island, Randwijk, to set up a command post. The Germans were only across the way. Easy and the rest of the 506th were in danger of being surrounded by the enemy, but that didn't stop them from relieving the British troops stationed there. While other regiments seemed to get a break, Easy trudged on.
Luz and Jaclyn were playing cards in an old barn late one night, waiting for the patrol to return before theirs began. Guarnere had been wounded in the leg recently, thankfully only a minor injury. It was much too quiet without him. Winters was there, cleaning his gun, as were a few others. Roe was packing medical supplies into his bag.
"Jesus, Mack. Remind me never to play with an intelligence officer again," Luz said, throwing down his cards.
Jaclyn grinned at him, sweeping her large pile towards her. "Glad my skills are working for something." It had been very quiet since Nuenen. It made her antsy.
Thinking of that night, she caught sight of Roe in the corner. She stood. "I'll be back, Luz. Try not to lose without me." He huffed, lighting a cigarette.
Jaclyn walked over to Roe, who was only just behind where she and Luz played. She motioned to the chair next to him. "This seat taken?" He shrugged and shook his head.
"I was wondering if you could teach me a few things, Doc. I couldn't help Bull with that shrapnel in his shoulder. I need some basic first aid lessons."
Roe shrugged again, still looking at his pack. "Anything in particular?"
Jaclyn frowned and shrugged back. "You're the expert, Doc." She waited for his response, but none came. "You don't like me, do you." It was a statement, not a question.
Roe dragged his eyes up to her, unsurprised. "It's not that I don't like you, Jackie. I don't know if I can trust you."
Jaclyn swallowed, unsure on how to continue. She had thought that Roe didn't like her, similar to Cobb, but in a quiet way. Without the sneering. Lack of trust was another story. "Well, maybe if you got to know me, we'd be able to trust one another."
Roe took a breath, his eyes softening a bit. "That's the thing. If there is one thing I pride myself on, it's that I can read people. Their emotions. My grandmother said it's a gift." He stopped, looking for the words. "It's like you have different faces, depending on the scenario. It makes me uneasy."
Luz pretended to watch Winters clean his gun, but his back stiffened when he heard Roe's words to her. Careful, Doc.
Jaclyn took a while before nodding. "You're right. It's how I was trained." Roe looked at her curiously before she continued. "Once I joined the special forces earlier this year, I became one of several female spies for the Allies. Our job was to infiltrate, fool the enemy, and gain intelligence. Depending on the need, I became someone new each time."
"Isn't that confusing?" Roe asked gently.
Yes. No. Can I tell anymore?
Jaclyn sighed. "It can be. I am starting to feel the effects of it. During the mission, it's an adrenaline high. But once complete, my body reacts. I usually fall into a deep sleep that can sometimes last days, depending on the length of the mission." Luz took this in, remembering her comatose form after Nuenen.
"So which is the real you?"
Is there a real me?
She sighed. "I'm honestly not sure anymore."
Roe nodded, but the stiffness in his body disappeared. "How about tomorrow? I can show you how to remove shrapnel safely, how to work with sulfa, the rest."
Jaclyn smiled slightly. "Thank you, Doc."
Just then, Talbert came in, a great, big, fluffy dog trailing begin him. Luz sucked on the cigarette in his mouth before he said, "Talbert, what's with the mutt? Can't find yourself a girl to do that?" He pointed back at Jaclyn with his thumb. "I'd offer you this one here, but the old girl is kinda attached to me. It's gettin' embarrassing."
Jaclyn smacked the back of his head as she walked by him. The dog came up to her as she knelt down, happily licking her face. She crooned to it, "Don't you listen to that bad man. You are beautiful, my darling. You and I can have each other."
Talbert and Luz grinned at her soft, breathy voice. "Why don't you ever talk like that to me, Mack?" Am I seriously jealous of a dog right now?
Jaclyn continued to looked into the dog's deep brown eyes before responding only to the pup. "Because he is only a man, my sweet. You and me, this is love." She ruffled the dog's ears and he closed his eyes, in heaven.
Luz rolled his eyes, but grinned at the exchange. Yep, totally jealous of a damn dog. "What's his name, Tal?"
Talbert smiled too. "Trigger."
"Trigger. I like it." Winters smirked in the corner, listening to the exchange.
Jaclyn wrinkled her nose. She murmured to Trigger, caressing his chin. "What a foul name. I'll call you… Sebastian."
Talbert choked. "Sebastian? No way in hell my dog is named Sebastian." Luz chuckled, taking another drag. Roe got up and stood next to them, a smile crossing his face.
They watched as Trigger aka Sebastian overcame Jaclyn with kisses. She cowered her head down, but surrendered almost immediately, giggling and shrieking. The men shook their heads at the scene, Luz's smile softening as he watched her carefree happiness. Winters grinned, happy to see some life out of this girl.
"I think we're seeing a glimpse of the real Mack, Doc," he murmured. Roe nodded, his smile growing.
With a bang of the barn door, Liebgott and his men arrived back bloody from the patrol. A severely wounded Alley was laid on the table. Roe immediately got to work.
"Germans. At the crossroads," Liebgott panted to Winters.
Immediately, Winters assembled a team, including Luz and Talbert. They were to go back out there and try to eliminate the enemy.
Jaclyn went to grab her rifle when Winters stopped her. "Not you, Jackie. You are still awaiting your orders from the Air Chief Marshall."
"Sir, I…"
"You're not going, Officer Mackenzie. Stay put."
Jaclyn bit the inside of her cheek as she watched them leave. Right before Luz was going out the door, she called to him. "George." He turned towards her voice as he strapped the radio onto his back. "Be careful."
He gave her a small smile before leaving and not looking back.
Jaclyn paced the rest of the night. The platoon left at about 0300 and the sun was just starting to rise. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days. Roe watched her go back and forth, giving up on his plasma tutorial for the time being.
"I should be out there, Gene," she grumbled. "What good am I sitting here?"
Roe gave her a commiserating smile. "Captain Winters knows what he's doing. If he didn't need you for this one, then there's a reason behind it."
She sighed, seething. "I know, but bloody hell, you saw Alley. He was torn to bits." She stopped pacing when she saw Roe's face. Fuck. She walked over to him and sat down. "I'm sorry, Doc. You did the best you could."
Roe nodded, but fell silent. Surprising them both, she put her hand in his. Jaclyn took in a breath. "I'm trying to open up more. Show emotion." She waved their hands together gently. "This is me opening up." Pathetic, girl.
Roe smiled. She noticed his eyes crinkled when he actually gave a full smile. "You're doing great, Jackie." She smiled back and they waited out the rest of the early morning together.
Luz returned with the rest of the men later that morning, minus Dukeman, who died last night. Filthy, he didn't head to the showers with everyone else. He went looking for Jaclyn first. The woman can worry more than a new mother. The thought warmed his heart a bit.
He opened the barn door, trying her last known location first. Inside, he found both Doc Roe and Jaclyn asleep on some bales of hay. His lips twitched upward at the sight until he saw their hands loosely clasped together. He felt his stomach drop before he slipped away unnoticed.
What's wrong with you, Georgie? She ain't yours. Luz dropped his gear outside the showers before starting to strip off his clothing.
But she ain't Roe's either, he argued to himself. Or is she?
Lukewarm water poured over his head and he angrily searched for a bar of soap. She barely hugs me. Even then, I have to hug her first. And despair seems to be a prerequisite for a hug.
He stole a bar from the hands of a replacement. Snarling, he chased the kid away. But you know how she is with touching. She's getting there. Ice queen is melting. Her holding hands with Doc is a good thing. She's opening up to us.
Luz scrubbed his face hard, as if trying to rid himself of the internal debate. It didn't work. Stop being such a bastard, Luz.
He stood there for a long time, trying to wash the madness in his head away. Finally after a line started forming outside the showers, he dressed and left, his attitude changing from anger to melancholy.
She's just your friend.
She's my best friend. When did that happen?
Best friends aren't this jealous.
Fuck off.
Jaclyn and Roe woke up a few hours later to find everyone had returned without their knowledge. She ran out from the barn, immediately running into Perconte. "Frank," she cried. "Is everyone OK? How did it go?" She realized then just how much these boys meant to her. She had only been with them for a few weeks, but she was closer to them than she had been to anyone in years.
Perconte nodded. "For the most part. We lost Dukeman. Few other injuries. SS we wrangled up are in the main building down the way."
She gasped. "SS?"
He nodded again. "Yeah, two companies of them. You should have seen Captain Winters, the man is a legend."
Jaclyn nodded numbly before turning and walking down the road. SS? she cried to herself. She shuddered to think of the last time she'd seen an SS officer. Then as quickly as the fear overtook her, anger replaced it.
She marched towards the main building and to the front door. Inside, Webster and Liebgott were translating for Nixon and Winters. They eyed her curiously, but didn't say anything. Her eyes only saw the two German officers sitting in the chairs.
"Tell us where the rest of your battalion is," said Webster, icily.
The SS officer shook his head wildly, replying in broken German that they weren't Nazis, but Poles. Webster relayed this to Winters and Nixon.
Jaclyn marched forward, pushing Webster aside. "Jackie," Winters said, a warning tone in his voice.
She ignored him. "Polish, huh?" she said in English, looking the prisoner up and down. "What is a Pole doing in an SS uniform, you filth?" she added in German.
The man widened his eyes at first, but shook his head again, stumbling over German words feebly. Trying to play me at my own game.
She grinned at him without mirth. Switching to Polish, "Nie mówisz po niemiecku? (You don't speak German?)" she asked, her grin widening. "Co powiesz na polski? (How about Polish?)" she continued, as the SS officer's eyes widened further, realizing his mistake. He couldn't answer her.
"You are a Nazi fuck," she added before switching back to English. She turned to Winters and Nixon, their eyes wide and still. Nixon had even stopped writing notes. "They're as Polish as I am."
Nixon blinked. "You seemed really Polish just now."
Jaclyn smiled slightly. "I'll teach you a few curses sometime." With that, she turned and left, the men silent.
Outside, she gave into her nerves. Her hands started trembling as she tried to catch her breath. Nazi fucks. She leaned against the building until she felt steady.
Straightening up, she saw a familiar figure heading back from the showers. Her heart leapt into her throat. Running to him, she almost took him out.
"Christ! I surrender!" Luz cried, holding up his hands. Before he could look to see who attacked him, Jaclyn had her arms around his middle, hugging him close to her.
His eyes widened when he felt her tiny frame squeezing the life from him. "Jesus, Mack, try and kill a guy after the krauts try and kill a guy? Harsh." But he grinned widely, wrapping his arms around her and leaning his cheek against the top of her head.
Jaclyn giggled but took another moment in his arms before letting him go. She looked up at him and smiled. "Just glad to see you in one piece, Luz." She smiled again before turning back to where she came from.
Luz watched her go, the smile never leaving his face. Christ, I'm in trouble.