Hi All,

Thank you BobtheFrog for your review *hugs*. I rewatched Bastogne when writing Chapter 12 and breaking my heart all over again.

As usual, this chapter is un-beta-ed and since English is not my first language, if you have any ideas or see any mistakes, please poke. I'll really appreciate it.

This chapter will be a little different. It will take Easy men POV. I hope you like it ^_^

Babe

I slept in Doc and Spina's foxhole last night. Spina was from Philly so talking with him gave me some sense of 'Home'. I couldn't talk to Bill because last night he was guarding the OP with Buck. Doc come later and force fed me with chocolate. An honest-to-God Belgian Chocolate. Unlike that piece of shit the Army called chocolate in our K-ration.

I vaguely remember I woke up in the middle of the night because Spina was singing. Well…humming… but still, he's the worst singer/hummer ever. I heard Doc whispered angrily "Will ya shut the hell up?! You'll wake Heffron!" and then they talked about why they become medic or something. Somehow it calmed me a little. I don't know if it's because of the chocolate or Doc's soothing accent.

They finally brought back Julian's body this morning.

And I couldn't bring myself to look at his corpse.

"I failed him, Bill. I failed Julian." I said to Bill and George. I realized my voice was raspy. Maybe because I was crying all night or maybe because my cough was getting more severe. I don't give a fuck.

George rummaged his bag, pulled out a cigarette and gave it to me. At this point of time, cigarette was more valuable than dollar. And George was a well-known chain smoker. So...George sharing the cig was a great gesture. "Take it" he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Take it before he changed his mind." Bill nudged me with his elbow.

I shrugged and take it. George lit it with his lighter. A personalized lighter, I think. I can see his name carved on it.

"Nice lighter."

"From Becca." He said fondly.

Great! He got a personalized gift from a girl, while I'm here, single (Fuck you and your 'Dear Babe' letter, Doris!) and losing a friend because I'm too coward to save him. What a fucked up.

"I'm a coward. If only I'm not too afraid of the Kraut shooting at me…" I mumbled.

"Hey… You've done anything you can do to save him. Courage isn't about fear, kid, it's about overcoming it. And surely, you've display a lot of courage yesterday." Bill said.

"Babe…at least you're there, fighting your ass off…unlike a certain dumbass officer decided to disappear in the time of crisis." George said "You know, sometimes I think this entire war is a conspiracy…to get pompous-dumbass-dicks as far away from the US of A. You know…for eliminating, or at least reducing, the bad genes back home."

I can't help to snort. George always got these crazy conspiracy ideas.

"Are you making this shit up?" I said amused.

"Fuck yeah. I'm bored, you see. Too much time in the foxhole freezing my fucking ass, waiting to be shelled by the Krauts." He looked very pleased.

"Jesus! Bored George. Are there any two more dangerous words to put together?" Bill said.

"Your Mom." George offered.

I chuckled at that. George always had some ways to make people laugh.

Bill laughed too "Ha! You're right. Ma Guarnere is the most dangerous female there is. My ass still bearing the evidence. Wanna see?"

I laugh at George's "Jesus, Bill! Human mind was not meant to contain some images!"

We're talking mostly bullshits after that. I still think about Julian but the ache subsided a little. I thanked God for giving me George and Bill at this moment. Because, honestly, what can I do without them?

Doc

First rule of becoming a Medic: Not to allow the men we were responsible for to come too close, not to care for them beyond a professional relationship. They could die every moment, and losing friends was harder than losing a fellow soldier.

Easier said than done.

And there I was, arms buried deep in a soldier stomach, looking for the artery. But nevertheless…he's dead. I don't know his name, but the failure…my failure… to save him still gave me the pain as if I was losing someone I know very well. There's the usual ache in my lungs and then there's the usual heat in my eyes.

FUCK!

How many men will die in my arms?!

Renee looked at me dispiritedly. And I was pretty sure my face was looked just the same.

When we talked outside the aid station after that, she said that she don't want to be near a wounded man again. Me too, actually. I don't know why the Army appointed me to be a medic on the first place. Because I can run fast, maybe? Or because somehow they know that my Grandma was a Traiteuse?

I was watching Renee walked back to the aid station when I hear someone approaching.

"Gene? Are you okay?"

Becca. Maybe she wants me to deliver her letter to George again? I'm not following the gossip to know their current relationship situation. Perhaps they're a couple now. I just know that she's a fine and smart woman who somehow interested in one George Luz. And remembering George's antics, it's something.

It would be nice if you have someone as your anchor in this fuck up war.

Yeah…maybe I'm a little bit jealous.

"'m fine, Becca."

She looked like she's not buying it. "I saw you and Renee back then…I'm really sorry, Gene."

Oh. "That's my job. 's okay." I shrugged, tried as nonchalantly as possible. Which fail quite miserably.

Becca stared at me for a moment, which was honestly a little bit unsettling, and then said slowly "For how long you want to distance yourself from these men? Pretending that they're not your friend? Pretending that you can survive this fucked up war alone?"

How you can answer those questions?

She held my hand and then said softly "What's Currahee stands for?"

"Stand alone…together"

She smiles and pat my cheek "It's about time to carry it out, don't you think?"

No wonder Easy men were a little bit falling in love with this woman. George's a very lucky man.

"I'll do my best."

"Good. Because Eugene Roe that I know has a badassery level that can easily whipped Officers' butt."

I can feel the heat on my cheek "Are you referring when I spat on Captain Winters and Lieutenant Welsh? Can't believe I did that."

"That's because you really care for them. You won't let anything happen to them. But you have to let them care for you too, don't you think? Let them protect you too."

I just nod at that. The question was whether they will accept me when I failed to save their friend.

Becca seemed can feel my gloom. She sighed "You're one of them too. You guys are together since Toccoa. Don't you ever think you're an outsider. You've been push them away, but they'll just push back and want to stay. I'm assured of this. Easy men are bunch of stubborn and persistent idiots."

I smiled at her. "Like George?" I asked

She smiled fondly "Especially George. By the way…I manage to scrounge a little supply from the officer supply. I think you boys need these more than those officers." She then gave a box that full of bandages, cigarettes, canned food, gloves and scarfs.

"Officer's supply? That would be stealing, Becca." I can't believe this.

"Semantics" she said dryly, which I can't helped to think that the way she said that was looked exactly like George. "You think I will let my boys frozen their ass off on the front line while this pompous officers eat cans of peaches and warming their ass over a fireplace? 'sides…the Colonel was conveniently 'looked the other way' when I…um…did the cleanup and scrounge these."

I managed to chuckle. George and Becca definitely a match made in heaven.

Colonel Sink

It's Christmas Eve and we're still in this frozen hell named Bastogne. At least the fog has been thinned yesterday, so the planes can drop supplies, especially ammunition and winter clothing. About damn time!

"Colonel, Division CP asked for you confirmation for tonight's Christmas Eve dinner." Becca asked. Her face was neutral but I know she will spat on the Turkey and hooch (or maybe to some stupid officers' face) if she had the chance. I taught her well.

"I'd better eat Joe Domingo's rancid ass beans with the boys."

"Agree, Sir." She smiled. "And there's a possibility there will be a group of reporter to film the soldiers to…um…raise morale back home. Maybe they will join us after New Year."

I couldn't hold myself to barked "Raise morale back home?! RAISE MORALE BACK HOME?! My boys freezing their sorry asses without adequate supply and ammo, risking their life and this fucker wanted US…US?!...to raise those civilian morals who sit around fireplace drinking fucking eggnog?!"

"Apparently that's the word, Sir." Becca said glumly.

This goddamn war was getting more and more absurd. I huffed. "Becca, I'm gonna go to Easy CP, delivering Christmas message from Gen. McAuliffe. You want to come with me?"

"Sure, Sir." She looked beaming.

"I'll give you 15 minutes to clean up the officer supply room. Use that box over there. I'll be waiting on the jeep. Now get!"

Exactly 15 minutes later, she came out from the HQ with a box full of supply that mostly contain of cigarette and canned food.

"All set? Got the cigs? Good. Get in the jeep!"

We ride in silence for a while when she asked, "Permission to ask, Sir?"

"Granted."

"Were you refused another promotion, Sir? I heard rumors."

"You bet I did! I have to leave Bastogne if I accept it. And I won't leave my boys freezing their ass here. Period!"

"No wonder they call us five-oh-Sink."

I laughed at that "I've been with them since Toccoa. I'll be with them until the end of this goddam war."

She chuckled "That's what I thought."

"I know every one of them. Well…most of them. So I'll have to ask…George Luz?" I cannot see her face, since she's sit on the back, but I know she must be blushing. I added "I've heard his reputation, you know. That kid is one hell crazy Portuguese, even if half of those stories are right. Smart, I admit, but crazy as hell. I found it's difficult to describe him."

I heard her snort, a very much un-ladylike-snort that I'm sure her mother won't approve, "There's no sufficient adjective that can describe him." And then she added "Sir."

"You and your Harvard language. And it's your Uncle Bob asking. Not the Colonel. Drop the 'Sir'. So why him? Damn sure it's not love at the first sight."

She chuckled "More like annoyed at the first sight."

"And his opinion about you in the WAC and tagging me along?"

"He's worried at first, but he respects my decision. And very supportive."

"He's nice to you?"

"Very."

"You come to me if he's messing around."

"He won't." She sounded so sure.

"Good. Because he'll be a dead meat if he does. What would your parents think about him?"

She laughed "Oh…Mother will faint gracefully, hands over her forehead and all that, and Father will be cursing rainbows."

I can't help to laugh along with her "As much as I love you parents, I would love to see that."

Bill

I definitely like McAuliffe more than Taylor. I mean, seriously…who wouldn't like a man who tell the German Commander "Nuts!" when told to surrender to prevent annihilation?

Ha! Surrender. Like fuck. Didn't the Krauts learn anything after Normandy? We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded. Idiots!

Buck's snore startled me a little bit. Thank fuck we're not in the OP tonight. Freezing your skidonies off in Christmas Eve while listen to the Krauts singing Silent Night was depressing enough.

I pulled out Frannie's picture from my pocket; the one with her in a grass skirt. I didn't dare to pull it out earlier because Buck said that his girlfriend dumped him, right before Christmas. Jesus! First Babe's Doris and now Buck's girlfriend. Didn't these broads know that their support was everything for these guys? Thank goodness I have Frannie. I promised to God to be faithful to Frannie after those 'pissing needles' episode. I should listen to George not to go to Lulu's. Not that I would tell him this. I would never hear the end of it.

"Hey Bill. You awake?"

Speak of the devil.

"Yea…'m awake." I scooted a little so George could jump into my foxhole without waking up Buck.

"Merry Christmas, Bill." He grinned. "Since you've been a good boy this year…you know, killing Krauts and shit…Jolly Old Saint Luz brings you presents. You have to share with this Aryan perfection over here when he's wake up though."

And then he gave me two sticks of cigarettes (LUCKY FUCKING STRIKES!) and a blanket. Holy fuck! How did he get those?!

Apparently he can read my mind because he said "Becca."

I blessed the day when Becca and George were born to this world and Easy was destined to meet them.

He added "Sorry I can only give you two sticks. I have to share it with others too."

"Are you shitting me? This is more than generous, George. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you too."

We sat and smoke our cig carefully so the smoke won't tell our location to the Krauts.

"What are you doing after this, Bill?" George asked.

"What? After the war? Marry Frannie, 'course."

"Right." He drawled. "You're lucky if she's still accepting your dick after it made introduction to anything with skirt in Europe."

This fucker. "That's the past, dickhead! I won't do that again."

He raised his one of his eyebrow "Good. It's about fucking time your penis shouldn't make decision for you."

I smacked him up in the head "And how about you and Becca?"

He sighed "Honestly? I planned to propose to her after this shit over. But she's way out my league, Bill."

"You just realize that?" He flipped me off. I shrugged and added "But you're a fool if you let her go."

"I know that. What the fuck should I do?"

"You're seriously asking me?"

"Yeah, Bill. I'm seriously asking you."

"Oh, I'm seriously touched. In my opinion, though, you're fucked."

"You son of a bitch." He scoffed and shook his head "You're not helping…at all. God, you're such an asshole."

"Yeah, but you love me."

"Just because you outranked me, Sarge."

"Back to the business…You're pretty good at killing Krauts but you're scared to shit with her so-called 'society'?"

"I'm not scared! Just…self-conscious. "

"Like fuck! Pull your head from your ass and kick some rich ass instead."

George opened his mouth to retaliate but he's cut short by the shelling.

Fucking great! Christmas present from the Panzers. And look! Their 88s were joining the party too. How Charming! Cue for screaming meemies! It's not fair that Krauts' Panzer has equipped with night vision devices while our Army still developing those shits. But since when the war is fair.

There's nothing you could do when the Krauts decided to showering you with their artillery. You could only make yourself as small as possible in your foxhole and pray not to turn into Tomato Man (not a pretty image, I admit); which we did.

Captain Winters appeared from the woods with blood on his hand. I didn't want to think whose blood it was. He ordered George to contact Regimental HQ in Bastogne to ask for artillery backup, since no way in hell our rifles and machine guns can deal with those armors and arties.

George grabbed his radio and started to call. "Kidnap, Kidnap. This is Easy Six. Urgent. German armor has attack Easy OP. Request for Artillery back up. Over."

George had to repeat the request two more times before finally they answered back "Easy Six, Easy Six. This is Kidnap. Request denied. Repeat. Request denied. Bastogne under attack."

George's face went pale. I heard he whispered "Becca" before we dropped our head and clutch our helmet with our hand since a shell exploded on a tree above us.

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