Band of Brothers || To Hell And Back

Chapter Nine: Blabber

It was the twenty-sixth of December and Easy Company had successfully completed their jump training. Only a couple of men had refused to jump and they had naturally been transferred to the regular infantry. The rest of them would receive their jump wings from Colonel Sink later today and after that, they would have an earned ten-day holiday which meant going to home for the most of them. 

Elle wouldn't be going home. It was depressing to spend her holiday in military base in Benning surrounded by nothing but ragged sheds they had been sleeping for the past month. The cottages were old and drafty and like almost half of Easy, Elle was about to come down with pneumonia. Whereas the men could simply walk to see the regiment's doctor, Elle couldn't do that for obvious reasons and therefore she was getting sicker and sicker all the time. Especially the cold air was almost unbearable for her to breath in. 

"That cough of yours is starting to sound pretty bad", Dick said while they were in the cottage making sure their uniforms were presentable enough in front of Colonel Sink. Sobel had threatened to gut personally anyone who showed up in a dirty, unfitting or wrinkled uniform.

"Yeah, you should really get it checked by the doctor", Nixon continued looking apologetic. He must've known Elle couldn't just walk to the regiment's doctor. Besides, the doctor wouldn't be present tomorrow anymore and she didn't want to miss getting the jump wings from Sink since she had worked hard to get them. 

"It'll pass", she said lightly, hoping it actually would pass, and confirmed for the tenth time her uniform was neat enough. She doubted Sobel would do anything for her even if her uniform didn't meet his standards but she didn't want to risk it. It would be also healthy for her to remember Sobel really was her CO and it was her responsibility to do what he told. 

"I know what'll help you", Nixon grinned, "whiskey." Elle frowned at this. Whiskey could actually help, at least every time her father was about to come down with something, he had drunk a shot of whiskey. 

"Sure", she answered hesitantly. Drinking whiskey wouldn't be the best thing to do when having big secrets to keep safe since alcohol had a tendency to make people blabber but Elle was getting desperate. Even a total rest of ten days wouldn't help her if she was resting in the drafty cottage and frankly, she had no other place to go to. 

***

Colonel Sink's speech had been pleasantly short and sententious which was good thing considering how surprisingly sick Elle felt herself. Tiredness was about to take the best of her and at that point, the idea of the cottage was getting more tempting.

"Lieutenant Aldrin", her attempt to go to get some more sleep was interrupted by voice calling her name. She turned around and saw Colonel Sink smiling to her. She stared the older man for a while in surprise until she saluted him respectively.

"Good evening, sir", she greeted and forced a smile on her face.

"Excellent, very excellent young men", Colonel said and Elle nodded. The men were excellent, anyone to make through that training was excellent and the men had definitely deserved their holiday. 

"They are, sir", she answered firmly. She noticed Nixon on the bar and Dick next to him even though he was without a drink. Elle wondered why he never drank. 

"You'll start training combat and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to see your performance, lieutenant. You're quite young, a bit too young to be an officer if I'm asked, but I've heard you're a smart tactician", he said warmly. Elle smiled to herself, she was two years younger than Sink thought and the idea was rather amusing. A seventeen-year-old was a bit young to take the responsibility of a leader but Elle was certain she was doing a decent job and by the time they would go to war at same point of the future, she wished she had proven herself worthy of following.