Author's Note:
Wanted to give a big thank you to Straight Edge Queen for the review and the follow!
The past few chapters have been following Donald Malarkey's book. The next few will follow the TV series a little more. Sorry if some of the dates are a little off. Thank you all so much for reading!
Aldbourne, England
September 1943 – May 1944
Shortly after 2nd Battalion arrived in England, Easy was set to do a sort of demonstration jump for Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Maxell Taylor and a list of other impressive names. Marie felt a little star-struck by these men and the fact that they were going to be watching them do their jumps. The jump itself was a cinch, it was just like every other jump they've done, but the pressure of trying to impress someone is what made this jump feel so heavy. After the jump everyone assembled at Greenham Common Airbase to await the inspection from the higher-ups. Marie was afraid that they wouldn't be too happy to see Emilia and herself there because they were women. Old military men like Eisenhower and Churchill were often stuck in the old ways of the Army.
Marie had butterflies and anxiously started to fidget. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, hoping that she wouldn't be caught not standing 'at ease.' Fidgeting was a bad habit of hers, she often had trouble standing still for long periods of time - especially when she was flustered. Marie saw that Malarkey was up in the front rank for reasons she didn't understand. He looked confused as well, it seemed like he'd be more toward the rear with the rest of the mortar squad. Eisenhower and Churchill went over to talk to him. They saluted him and she couldn't help but smile at that. It must've felt good to have dignitaries like them honor you and ask you questions. Marie marveled at how coolly Malarkey presented himself before them and answered their questions; he didn't look like it fazed him at all.
Marie nervously picked at the Red Cross on her left sleeve of her BDU as time ticked on. John Martin was standing to her right, watching her with his peripherals. She was so caught up in her anxiety that she didn't even notice him.
"Stop." Martin ordered in a hushed voice, nudging her with his elbow. She immediately placed her hands behind her back. The last thing she needed was to get lectured by General Taylor and Sobel about proper protocol when standing at ease. To Marie's relief, they never came to talk to her. She thought it was because she was too far back from the front of the line, but whatever the reason it made her feel relieved.
Back outside, some Easy Company members gathered around to talk about what happened. Marie walked over to join them. Malarkey saw her approaching, and extended his arm so he could welcome her. He wrapped his arm around her casually as the men laughed at their conversation.
"I can't believe an ROTC dropout like you got a salute from "Ike", Malark." Guarnere said mildly, shaking his head like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen.
"Lucky you were placed at the front of the line." Luz said, clapping Malarkey on the shoulder.
"Damned luck of the Irish." Muck added.
"I'm glad they didn't talk to me." Marie piped up.
"Why?" Lipton asked her.
"It's too intimidating." Marie replied, honestly.
"That's why you were squirming so badly?" Martin questioned with authority raising an eyebrow at her. It reminded her of when she did something bad when she was a child and her father would give her "the look." No matter what she did, the look would make her halt in her tracks.
"Yeah… sorry about that." Marie replied to the sergeant meekly.
"Don't apologize to me. Just don't let Sobel catch you doing that." Martin warned. He was right, Sobel already helicoptered around her so much as it is, she didn't need him to find an actual mistake that he could punish her for.
Malarkey and Marie made their way around the base, talking about their past week in England and how they were adjusting to life in another country.
"Churchill asked if I liked England." Malarkey told her. She listened curiously as they walked through the dew covered grass.
"Well, do you?"
"Honestly, not too fond of the weather." He replied flatly, looking up toward the sky. England always seemed to feel damp and overcast by clouds every single day. It was also very cold here, more cold than what Marie was used to. The chilly air forced Marie to hug herself to gain some warmth. She didn't mind all the rain, though. Rain meant lighter training with Sobel and more classroom lecture.
"Did you tell him that?" Marie asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Of course not. I'm also not very fond of the food, either."
Marie had to agree with him on that one. Two-thirds of the company had gotten food poisoning from eating here. Her face grimaced at the memory of the taste of the undercooked food, along with the memory of all the vomit she'd had to clean up at the infirmary the past few days.
"If I have to eat anymore mutton, I think I'm going to puke." Marie declared, sticking out her tongue. Marie couldn't stand the taste of sheep flesh. "But I am fond of the scenery and the history."
"Me too. The people here are friendly." Malarkey added. He was right about that. Some English soldiers had seen her on base along with her Screamin' Eagle patch and went over to talk to her. One of them even started to flirt with her, his charming accent had taken her off guard. She wasn't used to that kind of attention, she had glanced around to see if he'd been addressing someone else, receiving a laugh from the British soldiers. He'd asked her to join him in the nearby pub and she said she'd think about it. The encounter made her smile to herself in a girlish giddiness.
"What are you smiling about?" Malarkey's voice broke through her thoughts.
She kept grinning as she sauntered her way next to Malarkey. He grew more and more curious the longer she didn't tell him.
"C'mon, Hun. Why you smiling?" He asked again, with an amused chuckle.
"I was asked on a date." Marie told him in a jovial whisper. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had stopped walking, causing Marie to stop and look back at him, tilting her head to the side in question.
"A date? Who asked you?" Malarkey asked her, he looked taken aback.
"I know it's unbelievable that someone would actually ask me out, huh?" Marie laughed, although she actually was surprised that someone asked her on a date. That had only happened once or twice in her lifetime.
"No! That's not what I meant." He said shaking his head. "I mean… who asked you? One of the guys?"
"It was one of the British soldiers on base." Marie replied, the light-hearted smile returning on her face.
Malarkey paused for a moment, glancing to the ground and working his jaw in thought. She studied him for a moment, swaying slightly side to side as she waited for him to speak.
"Did you say yes?" Malarkey's voice came out slow like he was almost pronouncing each word individually.
"I told him I'd think about it." Marie answered with a shrug.
"Good." Malarkey stated quickly. Marie raised an eyebrow at him, placing her hands on her hips. Malarkey's eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. "I mean… it's good that you didn't say no." He added hastily, but his voice trailed off slightly.
"We should be getting back." Marie brought up, trying to relieve the sudden awkward tension. "Welsh is going to be giving classroom lectures soon."
"Yeah. Let's head back." Malarkey agreed, scratching the back of his head.
Through the months Sink had everyone learning self defense with his or her bayonets and bare hands. Marie didn't mind, in fact she got really into it when it came to fake stabbing someone with a rifle bayonet right in the chest. She held the rifle steadily, and yelled every time she went to thrust the bayonet forward. Muck had been her partner, and he only laughed at her sudden aggression.
"Jesus, Hun. I don't think we have to worry about you on the field." Muck informed her, a little out of breath from her intensity. She blushed, feeling embarrassed that she'd gotten so into it like a little kid playing soldier. "It's fine, you're doing great." He added, noticing her reddened face. "Better than me, anyway."
Marie cocked her head at this. It seemed so easy to her, she didn't comprehend that others could be struggling with the simple action of blocking, evading, and jabbing with the piece of steel.
"All you do is aim for the solar plexus." Marie stated simply.
"Yeah, I don't know what that is."Muck said, giving his head a little shake.
Marie pointed her finger at the area slightly under the chest where the two rib cages meet on his body. "There's an area here called the solar plexus, or celiac plexus where a lot of nerve fibers and arteries meet. Including some of the big ones like the renal and abdominal arteries. You can feel that there isn't much protection there like the breastbone." She explained, Muck listened intently but was giving her an amused look as he attempted to follow along. "You can guess that a blow there would be fatal."
"Look at you, you little smarty pants." Muck chuckled in a mild admiration.
Marie looked down at her shoes, feeling embarrassed again. "I'm so sorry. Sometimes I go off on these tangents and I know it's annoying, but-"
"It's fine, Hun. Impressive, actually. I wish Sobel could see past the fact that you're a woman and focus on your intelligence." He told her, holding up his hands so she'd stop apologizing.
She beamed at his words. "Thanks, Skip." She said gratefully.
The rest of the days consisted of mortar practice and targeting for Muck and Malarkey with Guarnere leading, while Marie and Emilia attended lectures on their specialties. Marie had spent a lot of her time with Roe and Spina while Emilia was stationed mostly with the lieutenants and Tipper. She and Tipper were busily at work with maps and everything in between.
Marie got the news that Winters was splitting up the four of them up. Marie and Malarkey were to be in second platoon while Muck and Emilia were to be in first. Marie would later find out the reason was because they'd gotten too close, with Muck and Malarkey being like brothers and Emilia and Marie being like sisters, Winters thought it would be bad if something happened and the other one would be too devastated. It wasn't the worst news Marie had ever received; they all still spent a lot of time together at the nearby pubs. The village of Aldbourne was quaint and had a friendly atmosphere enough to where it felt comfortable to wander around the streets. Weekend passes were out, just like it ad been at Toccoa the first few weeks, but that didn't stop everyone from enjoying themselves. When they did have a pass, the pubs had become a ritual to hang out at. This included a lot dart and poker games.
Soldiers from all over were seen walking around from places like Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Stories of bombings and war spread like wildfire, leaving the feeling that the war was right around the corner for them. That's why so many soldiers were investing in the poker games and playing darts, they would take anything to get their minds off of the days to come.
Marie tried not to think about the war, so she played darts with Muck as much as she could. Marie had gotten to be a pretty decent dart player and had the upmost confidence that she'd win a round against him, which was nice because she'd sometimes score some money. He'd accepted her challenges, feeling happy to have something to get his mind off of what was to come, too.
"Up for another game? I'm gonna whoop your butt!" Marie boasted, holding a handful of darts as she made her way up to Muck whom was waiting for her by the dartboard.
"All right, but after that, we're playing some darts." Muck teased. She nudged him playfully making a grin spread across his face.
She threw the first dart and made a close bulls-eye. "Boosh!" She exulted as the dart hit.
"You're a natural." Muck exclaimed. He threw his dart and it landed quite far from center target.
Marie laughed. "Pitiful."
"Bite me." Muck muttered, but cracked a smile.
Nixon came in then, and told them with reluctance that the plans had changed. Easy had to assemble and go over some combat maneuvers. Everyone groaned and left the pub feeling the sinking feeling return.
Sobel had grown nervous to the point that he looked scared most days. He bore down on everyone harder than before out of nerves, and how afraid he was as the war approached. He was screwing up simple maneuvers, which was bad news for everyone he was leading. If he couldn't handle the pressure here, then he definitely couldn't handle the pressure out where the Germans were actually fighting. 1944 was fast approaching and no one felt ready for it.
Sobel was late with first platoon one afternoon for a simple maneuver as Marie waited with Winters and Guarnere. Winters had had enough waiting so he decided to signal Guarnere's platoon to head to the left while Winters takes the right. They got in position behind a bush and ended up almost running into an elderly man with a bike. Soon enough Sobel's familiar "hi-ho silver!" echoed and they were seen approaching from behind. So much for this being a stealth operation.
Marie later found out from Muck and Emilia that the platoon had played a prank on Sobel. Luz impersonated Major Oliver Horton's voice when he was out of sight and ordered him to cut a barbed wire fence so they could get through. Sobel was given hell from Strayer and the famers because the livestock had escaped and was trampling all over HQ. Unfortunately for Winters, Sobel had taken out his anger on him. Winters had chosen to take a court-martial over his other option, taking Sobel off guard. Sobel was jealous of Winters' leadership abilities and often punished the poor man because of his envy. But this time he'd pushed Winters too far.
It was early 1944 at this point when the word spread of the court-martial, everything had unraveled. Buck Compton had joined Easy as a new lieutenant but even he couldn't help with the patch up work. Out of defiance from Winters court-martial and from Sobel's inability to lead the men, a group of Easy Company men that included Guarnere, Lipton, Martin, Randleman, and Talbert had wrote a letter turning in their stripes. Emilia told her the news and Marie's blood ran cold. They could be shot for such mutiny. The tension was thick and it only made Sobel feel cornered enough to where he'd spring in for the attack at any moment. And his target this time had been Marie.
Marie was playing another round of basketball with Malarkey, Perconte and Randleman one afternoon. The stress was starting to get to everyone, and they all needed an excuse to take their minds off of Winters court-martial and what Sink would say when he received the turn in letters from the noncoms. Since Marie was so short, Randleman had picked her and like a small child and placed her on his shoulders so she could reach the basket easier. She had been giggling the whole time, happy that she was enjoying herself, because lately it had been rare. She dunked the basketball through the hoop, while Malarkey and Perconte struggled to block the shot.
"Are we playing basketball or chicken?" Perconte protested, but couldn't help cracking a smile himself. Marie was laughing too hard to realize that Florence was watching them, looking skittish. Something was on her mind, and she had picked Marie of all people to confide in.
"Marie? May I speak to you?" Florence called to her. Marie looked over at Florence and saw the fear and desperation in her eyes. Marie's smile faltered instantly. She signaled for Randleman to let her down. She ran over to Florence, whom gripped her arm tightly and pulled her further away from the guys.
"What's going on?" Marie asked her, concerned.
Florence glanced around, making sure no one was listening in. "I need a favor. A big favor, Marie. I don't know who else I can turn to."
"What?"
"I need you to do something for me."
"What do you need?" Marie asked.
"I need you to give me a pregnancy test in the infirmary." Florence told her in a low voice.
Marie's face drained of color. "Oh, Florence…"
"You know how to do one, don't you?" Florence asked her desperately.
"Yeah, I know how it works. Getting the hCG from your urine will be simple enough, but after I've got a urine sample I'll need to-"
"Let's just get it over with." Florence interrupted. Marie only nodded, hating this but she was Florence's only chance.
Lipton was given instruction to teach the soldiers about properly making a foxhole. Everything from how to dig them quickly, to the correct depth they'd gone over. They all stood with shovels in their hands, penetrating the damp ground with the ends then scooping up the dirt and throwing it overhead. Marie's hands had already started to blister; her hands practically screamed in protest as she gripped the shovel as she continued to dig into the ground. They'd been digging foxholes for well over an hour, and the men were starting to get fractious. Marie felt bad for Lip being given this assignment; it wasn't his fault that digging holes was so boring and yet physically grueling.
The constant friction on Marie's hands started to get worse. She had to take a break, her hands felt like they were going to fall off. She placed the shovel on the ground then looked down at her hands. The blisters were bad and some sections of her skin even started to bleed.
"Oh for crying out loud." Marie groaned to herself. Lipton saw her distress and went over to checkup on the female medic.
"Everything okay?" He asked her.
"I've got vesicles." Marie sighed, showing Lip her hands. "It's going to take a long time before the fluid seeps back in with these ones…" She muttered to herself, observing the blisters again.
Lipton gave her a sympathetic smile then patted on her shoulder.
"Go to the infirmary." He ordered her in a gentle voice.
Inside the infirmary she got bandages wrapped around her hands, there wasn't much that could be done for blisters. Marie also had a paper waiting for her given to her from one of the nurses. She stared at the folded paper, puzzled on what it could be. It was Florence's pregnancy test. Marie's eyes widened and her heart rate sped up as she quickly took the paper. She anxiously left the infirmary so she could run the results over to Florence, but little did she know Sobel had assembled Easy to go for a run. He had finally found his opportunity to pounce.
"Docherty!" His voice shouted, she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to see everyone lined up in formation with Sobel in front, eyeing her dangerously. She reluctantly went over to him. "Get on your gear and-" He stopped when he saw the folded paper she was holding. "What is that, Docherty?"
Marie's flesh went cold. She looked down at her bandaged hands realizing that she was still holding Florence's pregnancy results out in the open. She cursed herself in her head for not slipping it in her pocket.
Sobel extended his hand. "Hand it over." He ordered. Marie looked up at him, her mouth agape from the order. Easy was watching the situation carefully from behind Sobel, her eyes locked with Emilia'. She looked confused. Marie didn't even tell her best friend about Florence's condition. Part of her wished she'd told her, Emilia would know what to do if she was in her shoes. Malarkey and Muck were also amongst the men, they looked just as lost as Emilia.
"Hand. It. Over." Sobel demanded again through gritted teeth. With a trembling hand, she gave the paper to her CO. He snatched it away from her then opened it to read it. A sneer appeared at the end of his lips as he read it silently, then he let out a laugh that made Marie shudder. Marie stood there, visibly shaking at this point. She wanted to cry at her stupidity for not being more discreet with Florence's results.
"Well, well, Miss Docherty. You've been quite busy lately?" Sobel told her with a sickening grin. She averted her eyes and stared down at her shoes, her face growing hot. He would think that they were her results, she didn't print Florence's name on them for anonymity. "I think Lieutenant Colonel Sink would be very interested to read this."
"What are you talking about, sir?" Marie's voice came out low and mechanical. She knew denying it was futile.
Sobel cocked his head, and sneered again. " 'What am I talking about?' I'm talking about this paper. It looks like the results of a pregnancy test, and look at this, it says the results have come out positive." He said it loud enough for the entire company to hear.
Everyone in Easy Company's mouths dropped open. Emilia gave her a look of utter disbelief. Muck and Malarkey stared back at her, slack-jawed. She bit her lip as she felt their stares bear down on her. Marie opened her mouth to tell Sobel that it wasn't hers, but she knew she couldn't rat out Florence. She closed her mouth and lowered her head in defeat.
"Go wait for me back in HQ, Docherty. We have much to discuss." Sobel ordered her, slipping the results in his breast pocket.
"Yes, sir." Her voice came out hoarse.
"I knew you were a little slut the first moment I'd met you. This is why women can't be on the front." Sobel spat. Marie openly glared at him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from shouting obscenities at him. Her face had turned scarlet while angry tears welled up in her eyes.
"Did you hear me? You're dismissed. Get out of here and wait for me." Sobel barked.
She saluted him briskly then turned to walk to HQ. Her mind was racing, she didn't know what to do in this situation. If she covered for Florence then her entire military career would be over, she'd have to leave Easy Company. It was only a matter of time before Florence would start showing as well, but Marie knew that she couldn't live with herself if she revealed that the results were hers. Marie headed over to HQ as if she was walking the last mile.
But Marie never met with Sobel that day. Sobel had met with first Sink and that was it. Marie ended up waiting for hours outside of Sink's office, growing grimmer the longer she waited. Finally Sink's office door opened, but Sobel wasn't the one who came out, it was Florence.
Marie gaped. "Florence? What are you-"
"I couldn't let you take the fall for me, Hun." Florence said in a soft voice. "I told your commander everything." Florence walked over to Marie, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a good friend, Marie." Marie watched her leave, too stunned to move.
It turned out that Marie would never have to face Sobel. She wouldn't have to deal with Sobel for the rest of her life. Marie was so happy to rid herself of that bully once and for all.
Sobel was gone. He was sent off by Sink to teach parachute jumping in the village of Chilton Foliat. Sobel was replaced by 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan, whom seemed like an okay guy. Winters was free of the court-martial, while all the noncoms that had written the letter turning in their stripes was given a second chance. Although one was dismissed and some lost their ranks, but at least they were still in Easy and were still alive. Things were starting to turn around, but everyone's spirits were still low. Florence had been discharged for fraternizing, so now Diana was the only woman in Fox Company. It was sad to watch her go, but Marie hoped for her sake that the pregnancy was a false positive. She was so thankful to Florence that she'd went and told the truth to Sink, Marie didn't know what she'd do if she'd been discharged. She never wanted to leave Easy.
1944 was greeted with the men getting serious colds from the weather, and were still getting sick from the food. Spring quickly approached, and before Marie knew it, it was already April. One more month and they'd be sent to Uppottery. That would be their last stop until the real fighting began. 1944 wasn't starting out as a very promising year. Malarkey had gotten really sick and was sent out to the hospital and ended up being held there for two weeks. Everyone was worried sick about his condition, he'd left Easy with a fever of 105 and was having serious aches and pains in his ears.
"I heard the doctor doesn't want him to jump out of planes anymore." Marie told Emilia one night while they were lying wide-awake in their barracks. "He's got some kind of serious infection, they've been shooting unbelievable amounts of penicillin into him."
"God…" Emilia gasped.
"It almost went to his head, Em. He could've easily died if it wasn't caught in time." Marie informed her.
"It's been a crazy few months." Emilia said with a deep sigh. "And it's only gonna get crazier."
Marie didn't answer.
"I know you're scared for him, Marie. He'll come back, he'll be fine." Emilia soothed.
"I hope you're right." Marie whispered.
Malarkey had returned feeling better, but not in the best of spirits. Malarkey had started writing Bernice again and now their relationship was back on. It seemed like a lot of men were rekindling old relationships as the invasion of France drew closer. Marie had mixed feelings about him being back with Bernice, but she'd never let him know that. She had to be happy for him. Emilia saw right through Marie's feelings, but she didn't say a word about it for once.
In early May Easy Company did their last practice jump. This jump was to be done in full gear, and none of them had ever jumped in full gear before. After that, all the practice jumps were over. Malarkey told her that they'd done about "three dozen total" and that was hard to take in. Now when they'd jump again, it would be the real deal.
Marie thought everyone would be cheery since Sobel was no longer leading the men, but she was wrong. Morale was worse than ever before. The stories of the fighting in North Africa and Italy were spreading around amongst the base. Everyone had spent well over a year preparing for the invasion, but no one truly felt ready. Marie wished that she was back in Toccoa for a brief moment, back when things were simpler and they were all wet behind the ears. The past few months at Aldbourne had been a whirlwind of chaos, Marie wished that everything would just slow down for a moment so she could catch her breath.
The night before the big move to Uppottery, Marie, Malarkey, Emilia and Muck all sat outside, staring up at the sky. This had become a sort of a nighttime ritual for them when they could all find the time. Emilia, Muck, and Malarkey were smoking, but Marie wasn't. She didn't enjoy cigarettes that much. When the war finally came, she wouldn't be seeing much of Emilia or Muck because they would be in a different platoon. She had to take every precious moment she could with all of them together and cherish it while she could.
Emilia removed the cigarette from between her pouty lips, and blew out a steady puff of smoke. She held it in her elegant fingers and glanced over at Marie, whom was slouching over, looking like she was in a slump.
"You sure you don't want one? It really takes the edge off. Not as much as alcohol, but it's a good substitute." Emilia told her with a small smile. Marie only shook her head.
"I wish we could've hit London together before all hell broke loose." Emilia sighed, regretfully.
"I know. That would've been fun." Muck agreed.
"At least we had the pubs to keep us sane for a short while." Malarkey said, taking a drag of his cigarette.
"I never did get to verse you in that last dart match, Hun." Muck added, looking over at Marie.
Marie smiled.
"You okay? You seem extra quiet tonight."
"Huh? Oh… yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Marie said in a distant voice.
"You thinkin' 'bout that whole pregnancy thing with Flo? You really had me scared for a minute that it was yours. I thought that Brit that asked you on a date that one time knocked you up or something'." Malarkey told her, shaking his head at the memory. He looked a little disgusted by the thought.
Emilia and Muck both looked over at Marie. "What Brit?" Emilia questioned.
"It's nothing." Marie said, leaning close to Malarkey to get her point across and to signal him to keep his mouth shut. "I haven't seen that soldier since that day, anyway."
"You really thought Marie would get pregnant at a time like this?" Emilia asked Malarkey, eyeing him skeptically. "Our little saint here would never do that."
Marie rolled her eyes at the Puerto-Rican.
"Not before marriage, right Hun?" Muck said with a grin. "That's what my ma always used to say."
"But in all seriousness, I can't believe you'd take the blame for Florence." Malarkey brought up again, contorting his face at the very idea.
"I… It was the right thing to do." Marie concluded.
"No, it wasn't." Malarkey retorted. Marie only rolled her eyes at him. He didn't understand.
"Hey, be happy everybody. I want to go out tonight on a high note." Muck interjected. He blew his cigarette smoke in Malarkey's face. Marie and Emilia laughed as Malarkey waved the smoke away. Maybe Uppottery wouldn't be so bad, well as long as they'd be able to have their chats from time to time.
"I love you all." Marie suddenly heard herself say. All of them looked over at her, giving her funny looks. "I mean it… I don't know what I'd do without any of you."
Emilia wrapped her arm around Marie, pulling her into a side hug. Malarkey did the same, and Muck also joined in. They stayed in the group hug for a long time.
"You'll never have to find out." Malarkey soothed.
"Yeah, we'll always stick together." Muck said.
"Everything will be all right." Emilia added, her voice soft.
For once, Marie actually believed them. Everything truly felt like it would be all right.