A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

THIRTY FIVE

George let his legs dangle off the side of his bunk. The cigarette he'd lit before the big fight now almost burned too low. No one in Easy Company had said anything for a while. The silence without Guarnere or Alice over the past few minutes spoke volumes instead.

"What the hell happened down here?" Alex Penkala looked around as he squeezed between the rows of bunks. He climbed up into the one just above Joe Toye. "Gonorrhea looked like he'd been chewed up and spit back out! And Alice looked about ready to shoot him."

No one responded at first. Shuffling bodies in the suspended cots and the occasional flick of a lighter made the only sounds in the otherwise fairly quiet area of Easy.

George took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know. Doc sent me and Shifty away before I could see her do any more damage." 

He chewed on the inside of his lip. With another few breaths of the last bit of the cigarette, he just looked down the row of bunks. Up one row and to his right, Lieb lay with his arms over his forehead. He seemed to be fascinated by the cloth bunk above him. Other men rested or played cards with each other.

Scooting out of his bunk, George clambered down the levels until he hit the ground. He stamped out his cigarette. Bodies filled every inch of the boat, so that George couldn't even begin to imagine a place to just go think. 

"You gonna go find her?" Joe Toye moved next to him as he stood in the small walking space. His own cigarette newly lit, smoke blew from his mouth as he spoke. 

George hesitated. "I don't know." Taking a few more moments to look around, he sighed. "I'm gonna go find Lip, first."

Together he and Joe picked their way through the belly of the ship. They passed through Dog Company's first and second platoons, and Baker's third. It had only been about six hours and already the mass of male bodies had begun to smell. 

Before too long, they came upon more men of Easy Company. Popeye, Hoobler, Blithe, and Mampre chatted together, and down the line, they found the man they were looking for. O'Hara, Grant, Ranney, and Harris sat on two cots and played cards between them, but below, Lipton lay reading a book.

"Evening, boys," George called, in his best Colonel Sink impression. 

Everyone turned to him and Joe. Various choruses of hellos and a few well intentioned insults were shot their way. Leaving Joe chatting with the men playing cards, George leaned in to Lipton's bunk.

"Hey, Lip, got a minute?" he asked.

Lip closed his book. He sat up and eyed him curiously. "Yeah, boy. What's up?"

"Not here."

Lip immediately frowned. He put his book to the side and shot up. George led the way for Lip and Joe until they reached some stairs going up onto the deck. Wind had picked up, and the waves moved a bit choppy across the horizon. As they moved, a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey, do you guys know what's up with Alice?" Talbert, looking much better than the deep green he had been glowing earlier, moved towards them as they ascended outside. He frowned. "She absolutely tore into Guarnere about him being anti jew or somethin'."

Lip turned from Talbert to George and Joe. The former sighed, pulling out a new cigarette, and gestured for them all to follow. There weren't nearly as many men above the deck as below, and it didn't take too long to locate a small corner to chat in. As they leaned against the walls of the rooms above deck, George shuffled in place. 

"What happened?" Lipton finally prompted.

"Alice punched Guarnere," said George.

Talbert interjected. "Doc said she broke his nose."