Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ９０ － Ｍｏｕｒｍｅｌｏｎ－ｌｅ－Ｇｒａｎｄ】

Chapter 90 - Mourmelon-le-Grand

Off the line meant back to Mourmelon-le-Grand. Which meant Peggy was still in France.

Of all the places to go...why'd it have to be back there?

On the outside, she was fine. Just as exhausted as everyone else. Just thankful to have somewhere warm and dry and safe to sleep.

On the inside? Where nobody could see? She hated it. There were too many memories with people no longer by her side than she cared to count. It hurt her heart. And her head. Everything just ached all the time.

There wasn't much activity from any Battalion for the first few weeks. Everyone slept, and when they weren't sleeping, ate. And when they weren't doing either of those? Showering or gambling amongst themselves. But mostly showering, people were too tired to do anything that meant engaging with their fellow man...or woman.

February passed and it began to warm, but still Peggy kept Alex's scarf about her shoulders – except when it came to doing her laundry. Then she took it off and washed it gently along with her pants and bras. It was good to finally have clean clothes again...but clean underwear was definitely better.

She started wearing bras again when she felt like being human. But they were still uncomfortable. Taking them off to sleep was bliss.

When the whole of Second Battalion got their first 48hr passes, Peggy declined. She still didn't feel ready to go out as if nothing was wrong or missing.

So that weekend, in the quiet of Mourmelon-le-Grand, she was alone. Completely and utterly alone. No one was checking up on her, making sure she was eating and sleeping and all that. It was both oddly freeing, and unsettling – unfamiliar.

Then came the memories.

Up until that point, she hadn't been hit that hard by them. The memories were always there, like whispers or echoes.

This time it was just like when Joe Liebgott first attempted to cut her hair.

The trigger?

That bloody phone box.

The missing window pane had been replaced with some old board.

Seeing that board set her off.

She'd just gotten the news...well actually just realised. Now every little thing that seemed off about her childhood made sense. Now she was bleeding, her heart, her hand.

And then there was Bill.

And along with him came warmth and kindness and smoke and love.

But the memories kept switching between his loving gaze and his mauled leg and she could not stop it, had no control.

Peggy Watkins was found crouched inside that very same phonebox two days later. She rocked herself back and forth and shook with sobs as tears raced down well marked tracks on her face. It was all just too much.

Actually, Shifty found her.

Everyone had returned and expected to find her on or around her bed but it looked like it hadn't been touched. No one from the mess hall had seen her, suggesting she hadn't eaten and the entire company flew into a panic. Major Winters was informed, and every officer orchestrated his own search party and they split up.

Shifty thought he'd heard something, so immediately went to check the sound out. He'd jogged over to the phone booth and ended up frozen, staring through the glass in the door at Peggy.

She hadn't noticed him, didn't hear him tap on the glass – Peggy just assumed it was another memory trying to encroach on her sanity – didn't hear him open the door and say her name.

She looked haunted and pale and...broken.

It scared Shifty.

He'd gently shaken her from it, getting Popeye to stand back so that she wasn't overwhelmed when she finally came out of whatever her head had her trapped in.

"Sh-...ifty?"

Her voice was hoarse and hardly even there.

"Yeah, it's me Peggy. It's me. C'mon, let's get you inside."

"Y- You're back al...ready?"

Then Popeye came over and helped support her, for her legs were a little weak and she looked like she might be feeling light headed.

"It's been two days. It's Sunday evening."

She let out a quiet oh but nodded anyway.

They took her to the mess hall, the closest place for her to sit down. A glass of water was fetched, which Peggy all but inhaled, and food put in front of her. She wrinkled her nose at it. The thought of eating made her feel sick.

Popeye went to go start letting people know that she'd been found.

It was decided that, at least whilst they were there, she wasn't to be left alone. That meant that when the next 48 hour pass rolled around, she was dragged out dancing and she thoroughly enjoyed herself - and got black out drunk. So drunk that she didn't have a hangover until they got back, because she was still drunk the following day. But she felt pretty good.

But they were only there for about 2 months, and then it was on towards Germany.

_

Another short and not sweet.

A mere 20 chapters left.