...
After the world came into the New Year, Easy Company could function as a normal Company with the arrival of not only Lieutenant Meehan, but another Platoon Leader to take over 2nd Platoon – Lieutenant Lynn 'Buck' Compton. The men were quick to accept Buck, as he showed a caring, friendly, and fun side. Buck befriended a few of the enlisted men, Guarnere and Malarkey were who he was closest to. With a sunny smile and light hair, Buck seemed like a humble and good man with a friendly demeanour. Much like Winters, Buck didn't drink but he did like to play card games with the men. Winters disproved Buck's gambling with the men. However, they got along when it came to basketball, as Buck was assistant coach to the 506th team. Nora went along to watch their first game. Gordy won the game by breaking their tie with the Polish Airforce team…
…After January, February went by quickly and they soon found themselves in March. With the arrival of Spring, the warmer weather melted away any lingering frost and ice. However, they still had plenty of Spring showers to water the plants. On the 20th of March, Easy Company were preparing for their first night jump in England. They had endured a long march to a grassy field where they'd take off from. By 1800 hours, the men had arrived, and hot food was waiting for them. Slipping into a tent with a plate of hot food, Nora sat down with Winters and Welsh at one of the tables. Another thing about Buck, he never sat with the Officers and opted to sit with the enlisted instead.
"Do we smell or something?" Welsh said with a snort. "What's the guys' deal, huh?"
"Harry, it's been like this since Compton arrived". Winters reminded his friend. "There's no use in gripping about it now".
Though Welsh had made a few comments about Buck, Nixon had the most to say about their new Lieutenant. For whatever reason, Nixon couldn't bring himself to like the guy. While he thought Buck was just some dumb jock, Buck thought Nixon was a rich jerk. Nora thought it was plain stupid. For almost three months, she had heard nothing but complaints about Buck Compton and Nora was frankly sick of it…
"I like Lieutenant Compton". Nora came to Buck's defence. "He's very compassionate and he cares for the men".
Welsh mumbled, "Nice of you to raise your opinion, kid".
"Harry…". Winters's voice held a warning tone. He then turned to Nora and smiled. "I agree, Nora. Buck is very caring toward his men, and I appreciate that about him. My only concern is Buck growing too attached to his men and forming a friendship".
Nora cast Winters a small frown. "Officers are not friends with the men, sir?"
"No, Nora". Winters replied. "We care about our men, we like them, and we'll get to know them. But we can't form a friendship with them. Could you imagine giving out orders to your friend?"
Nora took a moment to think about it and soon shook her head. She couldn't imagine telling her friends to risk their lives in combat. "I understand, sir". Nora said, "Lieutenant Compton should not be their friend". And then asked, "What about me?"
"You won't be giving out orders". Winters reminded her softly. "You can still form and keep the friendships you already have with the men. In fact, I encourage it, Nora. I always have". He cast her a smile and Nora smiled back. Winters asked, "Have you ever done a night jump, Nora?"
"Yes, sir". Nora replied.
"Good". Winters asked, "And you've checked your chute?"
"Yes, sir". Nora said, "I checked it with Hoobs, sir".
Winters smiled again. He said, "You and Hoobler have become close, Nora".
"We have a lot in common, sir". Nora thought about Hoobler losing his little brother. She should have shared her pain with Hoobler, to make him feel less alone. But sometimes, it was best just to listen. Perhaps Hoobler just needed someone to listen. Nora said, "Joe is very good friends with Skip and Penkala, sir. They like Western songs, sir".
"Like you?" An amused smile soon met Winters's lips. "Can they yodel?"
Nora snorted out a faint laugh and shrugged. "Probably better than me, sir".
When dinner came to an end, the men went off to gather their gear and chutes. Marching across wet grass, the heavy gear weighed the men down as they approached the planes. The night's sky offered no light above them, as clouds covered the stars and the moon. It was just like any other jump. Climbing onto the plane, they took a seat on the bench and tried to get as comfortable as possible around their gear. With chin straps fastened to secure each helmet, the opening door was soon closed for take-off. Nora sat with half of 1st Platoon and Winters. Hoobler was in the same plane as Nora, as well as Johnny Martin and Luz. However, Nora wasn't sat next to any of her friends…
"I shouldn't have eaten so much!" Rudolph Dittrich complained to Nora – he was sitting next to her, being the man who would jump after Nora.
Nora could sympathise with Rudolph. Her stomach felt full and despite still being on the ground, the plane's engines rattled her body and upset her belly. "We'll only be in the air for forty minutes, Rudy!" She assured him over the loud engine cry.
Rudolph grimaced. "I hope I don't puke, Nora!"
"Me too!" Nora sent him a tiny grin. Puking in a plane wasn't ideal. With the door closed, there was nowhere for the smell to go…
Moving onto the makeshift runway, the plane gathered up power before shooting off along the field. Soon, the vehicle lifted off the ground and into the night sky. There was always a variety of emotions while on the plane – nerves, adrenaline, and excitement, mostly. Nora tried to keep herself as calm as humanly possible because all three of those common feelings tended to make her feel a little queasy. And with Nora's stomach already full, she really couldn't risk the queasy feeling. Thankfully, they were only due to be airborne for forty minutes. With her jaw wired shut, Nora concentrated on breathing for forty minutes until the red light flickered on and Winters had given the order to stand up and hook up…
Chutes were checked and soon, the green light turned on and it was time to leave the plane. After Winters jumped out first, it didn't take long until Nora was standing by the doorway and jumping out next. Out in the night sky, Nora allowed the sensation of falling at a great speed to take over. It wouldn't last, her chute would deploy, and Nora would slow down. Once her chute opened, Nora's descend to the ground slowed down. She could relax and breathe normally again…
However, a blurry shape soon plummeted down toward the field right in front of her. At first, Nora thought it might have been a bird, who had spotted a mouse in the grass below. But she could have sworn the blurry shape had let out a scream. Through the light breeze, Nora could hear a few loud voices calling out in confusion – it seemed Nora wasn't the only one to spot the blurry shape falling. As she neared the ground, Nora saw a few men gathered on the grass. Once knees touched the earth, she tucked and rolled to the side…
"He's fucking dead!" Roy Cobb exclaimed.
With her heart beating loudly against her chest, Nora unravelled herself from the chute and quickly ventured toward the scene. Lying lifeless on the grass, was Rudolph Dittrich. There was sign of trauma to the head, blood seeped out from his nose, ears, and the back of his head. He was dead. Rudolph's chute must've failed to open. Acting quickly, Nora shrugged off her jacket and carefully draped it over the top half of Rudolph's body. The chaos simmered; men's voices quietened to a whisper. And soon, they stood in silence and grieved their first loss. It happened so quickly…just over an hour ago, they were all eating dinner. And now Rudolph was dead…
"Call for a jeep, Welsh". Meehan quietly ordered Welsh before turning to Winters. "Get the men out of here, Winters".
For those who were friends with Rudolph, they stood in silence for a moment longer. Nora saw tears rolling down their cheeks, and she heard wet sniffles into sleeves. Crying was something Nora used to witness daily. But the men weren't used to tears…
"Come on, pal". Talbert soothed a grieving man. "Let's get going, huh?"
Morale was low and the men moved away from Rudolph's body. Leaving the field and their friend behind, they began setting up camp in a nearby forest. 1st Platoon was quiet, they dug themselves foxholes for the night in silence. Rudolph's death was the first Easy had experienced but it wouldn't be the last…
"Hey, Nora…". Joe Lesniewski quietly called her over.
Leaving her half-dug foxhole, Nora moved over to Joe and joined him. "Yeah?" She kept her voice quiet and got inside Joe's foxhole.
"You think they'll be alright?" He asked, referring to the men.
Nora gave a faint nod. "Yeah, I do". She drew out a quiet sigh and said, "We weren't expecting that, Joe".
"No, we weren't". Joe mumbled. He asked, "Did you know him?"
"Not very well". Nora said quietly. "Sergeant Guarnere said he was eighteen when he enlisted in Toccoa…and that it was his birthday in eight days".
Joe sighed heavily. "Well…if that ain't the saddest thing ever". Joe looked down at Nora and gave her side a gentle nudge. He asked, "What do you think of Buck?"
Nora shrugged and replied, "I think he's fine. Why?"
"He cares about the men". Joe said, "Do you think he's a little…". His question was carried away by the wind because Joe didn't finish it.
Nora stared up at him with a tiny frown. "A little what, Joe?"
"I 'dunno…". Joe sighed and tried to explain himself better. "Weird?"
Nora tried to joke. "Weirder than you? No…definitely not".
Joe snorted. "Asshole…".
Looking away from Joe, Nora got up and climbed out of his foxhole. "So long, Joe". She bid him her usual farewell and began making her way back to her own foxhole. However, along the way, Nora bumped into Hoobler and Bob. For once, they weren't smiling and Hoobler didn't look like his usual happy-go-lucky self. The three of them stood there in silence for a moment, while men around dug muddy holes in the ground. Despite having lost a friend, they kept working, and they kept digging…
"Hope is everything". Nora said to Hoobler and Bob. "I lost Boris, my friends…my mama. And there was nothing…but now I see everything, right out in front of me. Hope is everything". She said, "I still feel sad about it sometimes…but then life throws you little hopeful moments, and it's letting you know that things might be okay again".
There was a pause. And then Hoobler asked quietly, "Who's Boris?"
Nora replied softly, "My brother".
Closing the gap between them, Hoobler opened his arms. "I'm 'gonna give you a hug, okay?" Hoobler sounded as though he was warning Nora.
"Why?" Nora asked with a tiny frown.
Hoobler shrugged, with his arms still open. "Because you're my friend, Nora. And you might need one…hell, I need one".
"Yeah, okay". Nora accepted the hug and soon, Hoobler's arms were wrapped around her tightly. He was a lot taller than Nora, so her head ended up snuggled somewhere below his chest. After a moment of just standing there, as stiff as a board, Nora's arms went around Hoobler's waist, and she hugged him back. A smile met Nora's lips, besides from Winters's unexpected hug, Nora couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged her…
Before Hoobler pulled away from the hug, he gave Nora's back a pat. Hands placed upon her shoulders, Hoobler stared down at the girl and faintly smiled. "That shit you said about hope, it's true, Nora. We're 'gonna be fine one day".
…
With the arrival of Spring, Mr Barnes's garden could flourish and bloom. Colourful flowers soon sprouted up from the dirt and different kinds of flowers merged beautifully together. There was a sense of pride about Mr Barnes's garden, he had planned the seeds he wanted to plant months in advance. And his hard work paid off. In a pair of old jeans she found in the Barnes's attic, Nora helped Mr Barnes in the garden one Saturday afternoon. Knelt down in wet mud, she de-weeded the garden while Mr Barnes found spots in the soil to plant other seeds…
"Did you know, the sunflower follows the sun?" Mr Barnes questioned Nora. "Wherever there is light, no matter how weak, the sunflower will always find it".
Nora looked over at the glorious sunflowers and smiled. "It will, Mr Barnes?"
"Oh, yes". Mr Barnes said, "In order to survive, the sunflower needs the light. It'll take whatever light it can find. How admirable". He smiled. "It's the reason why the sunflower, is my favourite flower. In bloom, it stands tall and reminds us of the sun. They're truly something special".
Nora said, "My mama liked sunflowers too". She looked over her shoulder and stared at Mr Barnes, who had stopped planting seeds. "Maybe that's why she liked them, Mr Barnes".
"It's quite the shame you don't have a garden back home, pet". Mr Barnes said, "They can be quite magnificent". There was a short pause, where Mr Barnes covered a seed with soil before getting up on his feet. Taking off his gloves, he looked over at Nora. "Dick told me about that lad you lost in March…such a shame".
Nora frowned softly and nodded. "It is, Mr Barnes".
"I'm sure Dick will set you all right again". He said, "He tells me the men are beginning to act more like themselves again". Pocketing his gloves, Mr Barnes moved over to a table where he picked up a glass of water. "I lost a lot of friends during the Great War".
Nora looked back up at Mr Barnes. Of course, he would have been a part of the Great War, along with his friends. Mr Barnes must have been in his thirties when he enlisted as a soldier…
"You got uncomfortably used to being around the dead…". Mr Barnes said, "Out in the front, not much could be done about the dead right away. We were forced to sleep next to our friends' bodies. It got too much for some, they lost their minds down in the trenches". Drawing out a sigh first, he then took a sip of water.
Nora rose to her feet and wiped her muddy hands against the old jeans. She suspected Mr Barnes seldom spoke of his time during the Great War, Nora couldn't imagine Mrs Barnes knew much about it. Nora's country remained neutral during the Great War; they had been spared the horrors of combat…
"I mostly remember the rats…". Mr Barnes scoffed. "As big as cats, some were".
Nora felt a shiver roll down her spine. She was no stranger to large rats…
Mr Barnes continued, "And the mud…Goodness, we were sick of the mud. We saw it in our sleep". Setting the glass of water down, Mr Barnes turned to face the girl and smiled, when noticing Nora's muddy hands, fingernails, and jeans. "Robert would always get covered in mud out in the garden with me…Mrs Barnes threatened to hose him down outside a few times".
A tiny smile met Nora's lips. She said, "I like to garden with you, Mr Barnes".
"We had a lovely afternoon". Mr Barnes agreed with a smile…
…Nora washed the mud off herself before entering her shared bedroom with Winters. Like most lazy afternoons, Winters was sat at the desk, writing a letter to DeEtta. Nora ventured over to her bed and propped up the pillows. Lying down, she leaned against the propped-up pillows and craned her neck to the side, to stare out of the window. Clouds were beginning to hide the blue sky. Nora hoped the sunflowers would be able to find any sort of light…
"DeEtta's a Wave now". Winters informed Nora with a smile. He said, "She's disappointed that she didn't make it as an Officer, but I think she'll do well as a Sergeant".
Nora asked, "Did DeEtta send you a picture of herself in the new uniform, sir?"
"Yes, she did". Winters confirmed. He kept his voice as a matter of fact. "Very nice uniform, very pressed…".
Nora smiled small. "You can say she is pretty, sir. I won't tease you".
"Thank you, Nora". Winters chuckled quietly. He turned back to his letter and said, "I hope she'll come to me with any concerns or questions. I'd be happy to help".
Silence fell between them for a moment, until Nora remembered her conversation in the garden with Mr Barnes. She turned to face Winters and asked, "Did you know Mr Barnes fought in the Great War, sir?"
Winters faced Nora. "He talked to you about it?"
"A little, sir". Nora replied. "Mostly about mud…and rats, sir".
"I hope he finds peace about it all one day". Winters said with a small frown.
Nora said, "I think he already has, sir…maybe that's why he's a Pastor".
Winters smiled and nodded. "Yeah, maybe".
Nora drew out a sigh and lay on her back to stare up at the ceiling. "Maybe Mr Barnes was trying to assure me that one day, we can go on living a normal life again…just like he has".