A/N:

Thank you MASHlover23 for another review! Thank you for what you said about the last chapter! It really makes me feel more self-confident with my writing :)

Thank you missavc34 for your review (well, two reviews ;P) I'm glad you think the part with Bill was "on point", I was hoping that the dialogue would match something he'd say. And I'm glad I got the medical accuracy down to where it is somewhat believable hopefully. I swear I spend more time researching than actually writing, but I'm glad it's paying off :) (I guess it helps that I'm a medical major, too lol)

Thank you Norsegirl17 for following the story!

Thank you Crazy Nymph for following the story!

For some reason the update alerts are really delayed for this story. Whenever I update, the alerts aren't sent out for about 4 hours after. I don't know why, but it's only doing that on this story :/ Oh well, maybe it won't do that for this chapter. Anyway, there's more dialogue and scenes from Malarkey's book. Enjoy!

It was cold and drizzly on the afternoon that the paratroopers had finally gotten a break. Marie huddled with the others under the cover of a ruined building to keep warm. They had a fire going, but the warmth didn't seem to fully reach them. The cold air was gobbling it up before the heat could do anything for the tired soldiers. It was only a few days before October, so the autumn air wasn't unusual, and neither was the damp weather; it rained in Holland quite a bit since Easy had arrived.

Easy Company was going to be moved to "The Island" soon, which meant they were going to get some relief from fighting, but first they had more battles to power through. They weren't off the hook just yet, but knowing that they were at the northern point of "Hell's Highway" was enough to set most of them at ease. But Marie wasn't feeling very optimistic; Operation Market Garden had been a complete bust.

"What was the point of all this, anyway?" Marie said aloud, staring into the fire. She wasn't asking anyone in particular, she was just thinking aloud.

"Of what? The war?" Muck asked mildly.

"No, Operation Market Garden."

"I was wondering the same thing." Luz piped up, lying on his back with his hands behind his head. "Holland hasn't felt like much of an accomplishment, has it?"

"A waste of time and men." Malarkey sighed. "You know, we've lost about two dozen since we jumped into Holland?"

There was a tense, pregnant silence before anyone spoke again. They were all calculating the numbers of losses in their heads. Two dozen since September 17th, that didn't seem right.

"I wasn't keeping count…" Marie shuddered, inching a little closer to the fire. A cold chill cut through her; but she was sure it wasn't from the rain, but from the number of deaths Easy had faced.

"I wonder what the numbers are for the other companies." Penkala wondered aloud, breaking a stick and adding it to the fire.

"I don't know. I hope Barb is okay." Marie muttered. She hadn't seen her friend from D Company in a long time.

"James Miller, Raymond Schmitz, Robert Van Klinken…" Malarkey mumbled, listing the names of those who died.

Klink… Only days before she helped bandage his hand that he sliced open on a jar.

"You're just full of sunshine today." Muck commented sarcastically.

"Not to mention Buck was wounded." Babe added.

"We didn't get the bridge at Son, the Germans beat us to that. We had to retreat in Nuenen; we couldn't even get through the village to reach Helmond." Penkala said, keeping his attention on the fire.

"Jesus Christ, all of you are making me depressed." Luz cut in. "Why don't we change the subject, please?"

"What else is there to talk about? About the rotten British food we keep being served? Or how the fruit we've been gettin' isn't even fresh anymore?" Cobb snapped.

"It's true, the fruit has been smelling rancid lately." Marie agreed.

"Okay, everybody, just relax. It's not that bad." Muck interrupted. He was right, things could be worse.

"Mail call!" A voice pierced the air. It had been ages since any of them received letters, Marie was sure she'd forgotten what they felt like. All the guys sat up as one of the replacements passed out mail to everyone. Everyone was eager to hear from home and get their minds off of the disaster that was Operation Market Garden. Marie only received one letter, and it was one from home. Malarkey looked at his letter with disappointment – he didn't even get a letter from Bernice, which made Marie feel mixed emotions in her heart. Muck was probably the only one who got something that was actually uplifting out of everyone. Faye never failed to keep in contact with him.

"So much for the emotional boost." Malarkey said while tearing open his letter. "All I got was an Oregon ballet."

Luz and Muck snickered.

"This is my first time voting."

"Who are you going to vote for?" Penkala asked.

"Why would I tell you?"

"Friends who want to stay friends avoid topics like religion and politics." Marie interjected. She hadn't even opened her letter yet, but part of her really didn't want to. Letters from home never really brought any extra happiness into the situation.

"Exactly." Malarkey nodded, he found a pencil and started to jot down his marks on the ballet.

"C'mon, Hun. Aren't you vaguely curious who he's votin' for? He could pick the wrong person to run the nation." Penkala asked her.

Marie only smiled; she knew Malarkey was voting for Thomas Dewey because one of Malarkey's favorite uncles, Hugh, couldn't stand Roosevelt. She decided to open her envelope while Malarkey was sealing his ballot and keeping the prying eyes away from his choices. What Marie found was her mother's will that had been written by a lawyer. It was mainly asking if Marie wanted the items that were being left to her. Marie felt that familiar sourness infect her mood; even dead her mother had the same effect on her.

"I think Skip's the only one who got a letter from his girlfriend." Babe chuckled.

"Sweet Faye always writes me, bless her heart. Hun, who wrote you?" Muck asked, diverting the attention away from himself to keep the guys from reading his letter.

She folded the letter and starting ripping it into pieces. She didn't give a damn about her mother's possessions, nor did she want anything to do with them when or if she returned home. Marie then threw the shredded paper into the fire, not giving it a second thought. "My mother's will." She stated simply.

"Shit…" Muck cursed, shifting uncomfortably.

"You okay?" Luz asked her.

Marie nodded. "Yeah, it's just annoying that they sent it to me now. Why couldn't they of sent it to me back in July when I first found out? Damn sharks… they should know we're going through enough over here, already."

Babe glanced frantically back and forth between all of them. He had joined Easy a couple weeks ago – he didn't know that Marie had lost her mother. Malarkey sat beside her and patted her on the shoulder. He joined her in watching the paper burn up and curl in the flames. There was something satisfying about watching the will burn into ash.

"Christ! I had no idea! I'm so sorry!" Babe apologized sincerely.

Before Marie could answer him, a gunshot rang out nearby. Everyone jolted, instantly getting to their feet to see where it came from. Sergeant Ranney's voice filled the air, cussing and swearing like there was no tomorrow. Marie grabbed her medical kit and went off to find him, everyone else following her close behind. They found Ranney laying on the ground, holding his leg and grimacing as they approached. A gun lay beside him as he rocked slightly back and forth in the dirt. Marie squatted beside him, knowing that a German didn't hit him – he'd shot himself.

"There goes my damn battlefield commission." Ranney's voice strained through his clenched teeth.

"What the hell happened?" Cobb exclaimed.

"Ballistic trauma." Marie answered, quickly putting her pack down and going through it.

"What does that mean?"

Malarkey shushed him. "Go get help. Ranney shot himself."

He shot himself right below the knee. The bullet had passed through and was now lodged in his anklebone. Marie took out a bandage and wrapped it above the wound, applying direct pressure before she stopped the bleeding.

"Someone get hit?" She heard Roe's Cajun drawl call from the dark.

"Over here, Doc!" Muck called him.

Roe found them, then crouched beside Marie and started to help her with fixing up Ranney. The poor man was in extreme pain, but neither of the medics could give him morphine until they were done with the basics of securing the wound. Roe held up his leg, elevating it above the heart. The wound was still bleeding, so Marie had to apply pressure to his femoral artery. He was lucky the bullet hadn't pierced the artery, if it had there wasn't anything anyone could do. His leg and ankle started to swell rapidly and was turning a sickly puce color. The bullet most likely shattered some of his bones, especially his anklebone. His leg was in bad shape; there was no question that he was going to be shipped home.

"He needs a splint." Roe informed her.

"The swelling could also be from internal bleeding." Marie replied, she took out a tourniquet and applied it over the bandage while Roe got a splint ready. When they were finished, Marie injected him with some morphine, making Ranney relax. With help from the guys, she carried him to a truck where he'd be shipped off the line.

Back at the fire, no one spoke to each other. Ranney had claimed that pulling the trigger on his leg was an accident, but due to the amount of psychological stress the company was going through, Marie wasn't so sure. Marie noticed Malarkey wasn't sitting with the rest, so she got up and went out to find him. She shielded herself from the drizzle as she went through the ruins to find him. Old foxholes had started to fill up with water and turn muddy, making the ground slippery as she walked. She hoped she wouldn't lose her balance and fall in the mud – she felt dirty enough as it was. She hadn't been able to shower in a long time.

She found Malarkey, leaning against a building, deep in thought as he stared out into nowhere. He noticed Marie approach him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn to her as she stood beside him. He was acting strange and quiet.

"It's strange. Ranney's headed home, away from all this, just because he pulled the trigger on his own leg." Malarkey said, still not facing her. "One little thing, and now he doesn't have to fight anymore."

Marie listened silently, a sickening feeling bubbling in her stomach.

"It really makes you think." He finished.

"What are you saying?" Marie questioned cautiously. "You know what happened was extremely risky. He could've severed his artery, and he might lose his foot or leg."

"I know."

"Don't tell me you're-"

"Relax. I'm not going to shoot myself in the leg on purpose. But I'll tell ya, I'm not the only soldier curiously contemplating it." Malarkey dismissed coolly.

"It's a cowardly move."

"That it is." Malarkey agreed, turning to face her. "You know I wouldn't leave you to face the Germans alone."

Marie smiled, that familiar warm feeling spreading in her stomach and her heart. His genuine smile made her return the smile, and blush slightly. She was still worried about him, but she believed what he said: he wouldn't leave her alone out here. He gently took her hand and smiled.

"Let's head back." He suggested.

Marie nodded and followed him back to the campfire. The boys looked a little shaken by what happened to Ranney, knowing that it was most likely going to be the last time they would see him. She sat down where she was sitting before, staring into the fire. Malarkey sat down beside her. Part of her wanted to say something to the guys about Ranney, but it was still too raw. They had lost too many men for something that was supposed to be simple. Malarkey was right, this whole operation was nothing but a waste of time and men; but not just men, friends.