Humanity of the Broken [ Band of Brothers ] 2

THIRTY-TWO

The look on the faces of the men, both the soldiers and the victims, when he ordered the prisoners back into the camp would never leave Dick's mind. He knew it had been necessary. It would keep them safe. They'd be helped.

He knew he'd have to thank Harry and Lipton for convincing Alice to stay behind in Landsberg. Watching Liebgott crumble before his eyes, something he'd never anticipated, had been hard enough. Nixon had voiced the same thoughts on the way back to the town. At least, he had until they'd both fallen into silence.

With every click of the typewriter, Dick typed up his report. Though the words formed on the page, he couldn't help but think about how inadequate the paragraphs were. They couldn't capture the scene that had greeted them in Kaufering. And from what he'd heard from the other Battalions, the scene that had greeted them at the women's camp.

Dick sighed as the typewriter dinged for the last time. He pulled the paper out of the machine and glanced down at it. Insufficient to describe the sheer evil they'd encountered. But it would have to do.

He got up from the circle table in the study and back into his bedroom. Laying the three page report on the dresser, he took off his jacket and lay it on the chair of the desk. Dick closed his eyes as he stood in the center of the room.

Footsteps in the hall forced him to pay attention again. Dick moved to the foyer. It didn't surprise him to find Doc Roe walking towards him. "Doc," he said. "Report."

"Just finished speakin' with the medics from 3rd Battalion," said Gene. He walked over to Dick and offered him a cup of coffee. "Figured you might need this, sir."

Dick flashed him a small smile. "Thanks." He took it. "Have you checked on Alice?"

Gene nodded. "Yes, sir. She's asleep, which is prob'ly good. I checked on Liebgott as well. He's doin' better. I made everyone aware to watch for feelin' ill. Who knows what the prisoners were sick with, sir. Could'a all been exposed."

"Right, right. Good." With another deep breath, Dick nodded more to himself than to Gene. "Report any signs of sickness to me immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Dick watched Gene leave. The medic didn't say anything else, just nodded and turned away. Dick didn't miss the sag of his shoulders. With a sigh, he went back into the bedroom. The coffee tasted good; trust him to know what absolutely everyone needed at any one time.

Sitting down at his desk, Dick worked on taking a few deep breaths. He took a moment to jot down a few goals for the next few days, things he didn't want to forget. But before long, more footsteps made him turn in his chair. Nixon, looking worse for wear, strode inside.

"Turns out, I'm staying in the only dry frickin' house in Germany," he muttered.

With a tiny scoff, Dick shook his head. "I thought you weren't drinking the local." He watched as Nixon looked through several different bottles of alcohol.

"Yeah, well."

At his bitter smile and pour of a drink, Dick bit his cheek. Nixon had been doing better for several days, drinking a little less. Dick had a feeling he'd started seeing the positives of Kathy's divorce. As much as Dick had warned Nix time and time again about the problems with letting himself fall for Alice not only as a married man, but as officers in the Army, recently he'd wondered if they needed each other more than he or any of them realized.

Now, though. Now, Dick worried that Alice had experienced one too many heartbreaks. And Nixon, well Nixon seemed about as lost at what to do as he did. He sighed. "Heard from Division. They've been finding camps like this all over the place."