Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ １０ － Ｈｏｍｅｗａｒｄ】

Chapter 10 - Homeward

Though she did not like waiting for the shower, it was worth it.

The warm water was the best thing she'd felt, and she got the showers to herself. It was brilliant. Marvellous. Absolutely magnificent.

She got to feel clean! The dried blood on her face could finally be gone. Twisting and bending, and sitting to some extent, still hurt. So showering was uncomfortable in that respect. But at the moment she was always uncomfortable unless she didn't breathe, or move, or sit down, or stand up for too long.

Clean was good. It felt so good.

And she got to see her face for the first time in ages. It didn't look how she remembered. More tired, less stressed, a scar across the bottom of her eyebrow, one just under the same eye, and a smattering of little ones towards the back of her right jaw. The little ones would soon fade, the big two wouldn't. They were all reminders of Carentan. That she'd served with the Men of Easy Company and made it home.

So despite them making her face different, she didn't mind them so much.

Out of the showers she strode, in clean ODs and her short, wet hair hanging limp where it didn't stick to her face, she really could've used a hairband. Nothing fancy, just an alice band. Clean clothes felt just as amazing as the shower. Her only complaint, having to put the boots back on. Florence did love them, it was just that her feet hadn't been used to wearing such unforgiving shoes, and so ended up with a lot of hotspots, blisters and bleeding. Her feet had swollen so getting them off was a job, and she did not want to put them back on.

Her feet were sore.

So she was wandering around the field camp, wet haired, bare footed, and in wingless, stripeless ODs.

And she wandered with purpose. Flo, she'd taken to calling herself that lately, sought a tree to sit under so she could take advantage of the last of the sun's rays and let her short hair dry in the sun.

When she did find a tree, she laid down on the floor and looked at the sky. It was just starting to grow dusky with shades of orange and pink and purple. Evening was approaching and Flo wanted to enjoy the last of the sunshine before the temperature dropped quickly and she became cold.

It was wonderful to lie in the grass again and because she wanted to, not because she was being shot at or hiding from just about everyone in the country. The grass was a bit prickly though, nothing like the soft green fields of home.

Home.

She hadn't thought of it as often as she did now, because there had been no hope. Now it flickered within her heart and eyes, for all to see.

It unsettled the men. Though her attitude towards them had not changed, they could see she was different.

Flo was having a wonderful time running her hand through the prickly grass, until she realised something. It was late.

She sat bolt upright, and out of the corner of her eye saw the group she had felt watching her flinch. But they were obsolete right now.

Why was it late?

When had it last...?

Flo counted on her fingers, trying to remember every day that had passed since her last.

Then, bending further than her body was prepared to go and crying out in pain, she inspected her new ODs. Why was she not bleeding? She had no idea when her period was due but knew that it was late. She wasn't bl- what day was it? Maybe it was fine, and she was just finding something to worry about now that she was content. That had to be it.