All Things Nice » Band of Brothers

59: Reunions

The sound of birds chirping jolted Posey awake. She spent a moment wondering where she was, why she was so uncomfortable, before the events of a mere few hours ago came rushing back to her.

Beams of sunshine slipping through the cracks around the barn door told Posey that the worst night of her life was finally over.

"Germans are movin' out," Bull said, his voice quiet from his place beside her. They'd taken it in turns going on watch throughout the night once it had become clear that both of them were struggling to keep their eyes open. Posey felt like she hadn't slept at all and one look at Bull told her he felt much the same.

"That's good," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. Her hands and face were both covered in dried blood and mud, and rubbing at her skin only made it itch more. She grimaced, realising she'd have to stay like this until they came off the line. That was, if they ever found Easy.

"Been at it for about fifteen minutes, I'd say," Bull added in a murmur. "Gotta be almost all gone by now."

Posey nodded. "We'll wait it out," she said redundantly, aware of the fact that they had no other choice.

Bull sat forwards, wincing, and Posey noticed the huge bloodstain on the shoulder of his ODs. "You're hurt?" she asked, sitting up straighter herself.

"Shrapnel," he replied, giving a stiff nod. "The Dutch fella from last night got it out."

"Causing you much pain?"

"Not really."

Posey knew that was a lie but didn't push him on it. She'd thought last night had been bad for her, but to add being wounded onto the pile of things that had gone wrong... She really didn't know how Bull had done it.

The pair of them sat in silence a while, listening to trucks and tanks moving out of the town outside. Every now and then German voices would get louder as krauts would walk past and the pair of them would tense up, but each time the voices would pass. With every scare they settled a little bit less into the silence that followed.

When it had been quiet for a while, they chose to stay longer, just in case. They needed to be sure before they ventured outside. Into the quiet, however, Bull asked suddenly, "Wells, what the hell are you doin' here?"

Posey's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why on earth it mattered now. They'd covered the basics last night and she couldn't see why the details were important anymore. "I was set up in a building -" she started, before Bull cut her off.

"I mean in the army," he said, shooting her a glance.

Posey blinked at him. In the chaos of the previous night, she'd forgotten that she'd told him the truth. It had seemed imperative at the time. She couldn't help but wonder if it was stupid now.

"It's a long story," she admitted, wearing a sheepish smile.

Bull shrugged his good shoulder. "We got time."

Posey laughed, albeit reluctantly, because that was true. Still stranded in occupied territory as they were, the pair of them had nothing but time. Hopefully.

"I was evacuated from London during the Blitz..." she began, and explained everything to him. From cutting all of her hair off at Mrs. Daniels' house to deciding to stay with Easy, she lay everything bare. Not even any of the others had gotten the story in such depth as this. It was quite cathartic to get it all off her chest. In the wake of the terror of last night, she didn't feel as sad telling the story, either. She felt strangely at peace about it all.

Once she was finished, Bull was quiet for a few moments. He'd stayed silent the entire time she'd been talking, letting her tell her story however she wanted and waiting patiently until the end. Now, Posey watched him expectantly, wondering how he was about to react; each of the men who knew had reacted differently and after last time her teeth were set on edge.