Humanity of the Broken [ Band of Brothers ] 2

FORTY-EIGHT

July 6, 1945

Alice always seemed to find her way back to the water. The sun had yet to rise, a gentle darkness still over the world as she walked down the dock to the edge. Just as she settled down, taking her boots and socks off, the sun began to cast rays of light into the sky. She took a deep breath.

A breeze rustled the trees and disturbed the surface of the lake. Birdsong echoed around her, increasing as the sun continued to rise. No voices, just the harmony of nature. Alice took another breath. She let the cool, clear air settle in her lungs.

She dangled her legs off the edge. The water shocked her system briefly, the lake still chilly despite it being midsummer. As the sky lightened, the lake became the near-glass she'd gotten used to. The birds sang louder, more frequent. Alice moved her feet to keep inquisitive fish away. The ripples spread out into the lake, endless.

Rolling her neck, Alice tried to relax her muscles. She shifted off her shirt leaving just the tank top underneath. The sun, now above the horizon enough to light the whole area, warmed her skin. Dozens of songbirds echoed around her now. It was almost deafening.

Alice figured she must've been there an hour. With her knees bent and the bare pads of her feet against the slate dock, she laid back and used her top shirt as a small pillow. Her eyes closed against the bright sun. She breathed.

A few minutes later, footsteps against the stones made her sit up and twist around. She relaxed a bit. Malarkey strolled over towards her, hands in his pockets. Alice smiled. Crouching down next to her, he looked out over the water.

"Nice spot," he said. "Is this where you always are?"

Alice smiled. She shrugged. "I like it." Scooting over a bit, she gave him a bit more room on her right. "How's life been acting as a First Sergeant?"

With a small laugh under his breath, he settled down on the dock. "Well, I don't blame Tab for stepping down."

She nodded. They sat in silence for a while, the birds quieting down to a manageable level with the morning wearing on. Laying back down, Alice closed her eyes.

"Are you going to the party tonight?" Malarkey asked her.

She opened her eyes again. Above her blue skies and a few white clouds filled her view. "There's no way not to go, Malark."

He let out a tiny laugh. "Yeah, guess that's true."

Sink had planned an American Independence Day party for the 506th, but the weather had been downright awful the 4th and the 5th. But Sink had other ideas. Never one to be told no, the Colonel had gotten it all organized for that night, and the enlisted and officers would be able to party all night. Alice didn't like it. The last thing they needed was more alcohol.

Grant had been sent to Paris, and would probably be moved to England soon. As much as thinking about that night still pained her, Alice had been working as hard as she could to forgive, more for her own sake than anything else. She did nothing but herself by holding onto it.

Then news of Shifty's car accident had gotten to them. Alice had hugged him for half a minute when he was ready to leave. She hadn't wanted to let go. But she'd bit back her tears as he thanked her for her kindness and her dedication and everything Alice felt she didn't deserve to hear. But because of some drunk jackass, he was laid up in a hospital.

Janovec had been killed in an accident a few days previous. Alice hadn't even gotten to see his body. Webster had explained it all. If she thought Webster would've accepted it, she'd have given him a hug. He looked so sad. As much as she was loathe to admit, though, Alice felt almost numb to the death at this point. And that upset her more than anything.