charlotte tarvers is only 14 when the war breaks out, but 17 when she signs up. she's heard the stories from her parents, lovers who found each other by chance on the front lines in world war one in the country of france, now passing down the storie...
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" The word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."
- Dr. Carl Jung
***
She ended up getting sick again that night. She leapt up from her spot next to Gene, and barely made it out of the foxhole, before she found herself spewing her guts everywhere, and hacking up mucus as well. Gene was immediately at her side, coaxing her, and holding her braids back from her face, and rubbing her back. She finally finished and came out of it, and sighed, falling back into the snow against Gene, exhaustedly. She looked at Gene with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen on someone, and knew the girl wanted to be sick anywhere but here in the middle fo nowhere in the freezing cold. Charlotte used snow to clean her mouth, covering the mess, before she crawled back, curling up against Gene again comfortably. Gene wrapped an arm around the girl and held her tight into his side. It was Christmas Eve in 1944. They'd officially been in the war for over 6 months by this point and it was really wearing and tearing on everyone. Especially the medics. Sure, Charlotte tried to keep her smiles and small jokes coming, but in the past few days, they'd all but disappeared and more than just a few Privates were noticing. The whole company, eating chow noticed the two lone medics, sitting side by side in the snow, staring a 1000 miles away in no particular direction at nothing at all. The two were close together, attempting body heat, but only looking colder out of their holes. But they needed to eat, and Babe saw this. Winters watched as Babe walked over to the two quiet medics and offered them their containers for food.
" Docs?" Babe asked, holding the two containers of mushed beans out to them. Charlotte reacted faster than Gene, taking the hot food in her hands and seemingly sighing at the warmth. Gene barely moved, he barely noticed Babe placing the container into his hands. Winters watched as Charlotte looked sidelong, worriedly at Gene as he continued to stare forward, not making a single move to attempt to eat his food. Charlotte met Winters' earnest eyes and then shakily looked to Gene, which said it all. Charlotte, scooted closer to Gene and scooped the warm mush of beans into her mouth. A jeep rumbled closer by and she turned her head to see Colonel Sink jumping up from the truck with his jeep driver.
" Better than sitting down to a Christmas Eve dinner of turkey and hooch back at the division CP." Sink said walking forward, earning 2 or 3 chuckles. The medics didn't move, their dazes washing over their systems yet again.
" Damned if I don't like Old Joe Domingus' rancid-assed beans better." Sink called to the group, pulling a tiny paper from his pocket.
" Hello, Easy Company." Sink called walked forward to the center of the group.
" Hello, sir." came the answer with a few other straggled responses. Sink and Winters shook hands, and Winters nodded stiffly to the Colonel.
" General McAuliffe sent a message to the entire division. I thought maybe your people would like to hear it. " Sink said, handing the paper to Winters, who declined.
