Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ３７ － Ｍｉｓｓｉｎｇ】

Chapter 37 - Missing

Almost everyone was hungover. Some did not wake up until well into the day.

But at one end of the barn, a bed lay empty, made with a military precision not uncommon there.

Watkins wasn't there.

And no one could remember whether he'd come with them the night before.

Well, most didn't know. A few did but said nothing.

Luz in particular.

He had no idea where she'd gone and though he was hungover, the moment he registered that she was missing he was up and out of bed.

Her needles were gone from where he knew she kept them, her pumps from last night weren't shoved under the bed anymore. Her jump boots sat at the foot of her bunk.

It made him anxious, and that could do one of two things, make him obnoxiously loud and chatty, or very quiet. It really depended on the situation. This time it was the latter.

At first, people didn't really notice, too caught up in their hangovers and grateful for the quiet. But when people began to realise how uncharacteristically quiet he was, they began to wonder. And though the pounding of their heads made it difficult, they thought and wondered and wanted to know. What had happened?

No one really batted an eye about Watkins being gone. It was assumed that he'd gone wherever he went. Like every other weekend.

He went to pace nervously just outside, not wanting to disturb the others as he wrestled with what to do. She probably didn't want to talk to him. He'd forced her, though not that he knew at the time, to open up about something that she was never going to be ready to talk about. But he needed to apologise to her when she was awake. He needed to make it right. But she needed space. He was sure of that.

"You'll hurt yourself thinkin' that hard. I don't know how t' patch that up."

Luz jumped. He hadn't heard Roe come out. But he couldn't even smile at the Doc's jibe. And that caused Roe to frown.

"What's goin' on?"

Running a stressed hand through his hair, George sighed.

"I'm worried about Watkins. I'm worried about her. I don't...I don't know where she's gone, an' I need to know she's ok." Eugene didn't reply, wanting to let him get it all out first. "I fucked up, like really bad. I shouldn't've-"

"What happened? Y' make a move on 'er or somethin'?"

That made Luz stop. Finally stop his pacing, facing away from the medic. He ran a hand through his hair again.

"I... I fucked up, 'kay? I messed it up because I was drunk and wasn't thinking about what I was saying, thinking it was just a joke asking if she was deflecting Tab cuz she was a virgin. I didn't...I didn't think that...that she'd...tell me..."

Roe moved to stand in front of him, forcing Luz to at least look in his direction.

"What'd she say?"

Luz's chest felt tight and he wasn't sure he'd be able to get the words out so shook his head. Then, when he found his voice, all he could say was I can't, she didn't even want me to know, I can't... can't- she'll hate me even more if I tell.

There wasn't much the medic could do, but he offered the radioman a cigarette and a light, hoping it would at least calm him down.

"She'll be back. In the afternoon, tomorra, she'll be on the last bus in if she can help but she'll be back. 'sides, she'd catch hell if she missed the trainin' exercise at 0900 on Monday."