All Things Nice » Band of Brothers

22: Improvising

It was just Posey's luck to have been put in Bill Guarnere's squad. There was only one possible explanation for it and that was that the universe had it out for her. Either that or Sobel knew they didn't get along and did it to punish her. Either way that's what it was: punishment. She could barely stand being in the same room as Guarnere and now she had to take orders from him? It was enough to make her gag.

"I'd rather stick forks in my eyes than do what he says," Posey complained to Roe once she'd found out.

Roe rolled his eyes, slumping into the chair beside her in the mess hall. "Too bad," he said, tearing off a piece of bread and taking a bite.

"Where's my sympathy, Roe?" she whined, turning to face him fully where she sat.

Roe laughed. "Where's mine? Don't forget they lumped me in with the both of ya."

"Sucks to be you," Posey replied, chuckling to herself as she turned back to the table once more. "At least it'll only be in training," she added quietly, staring down into her water for a moment and imagining the Thames.

Roe cleared his throat and, when she glanced up, she found his eyes on her. He was a difficult man to read but Posey knew from the furrow of his brows that whatever he was about to say wouldn't be anything comforting or reassuring.

"Have you heard from your family yet?" he asked, voice low to prevent eavesdroppers.

Posey avoided his eyes and began to cut up her food. "No."

"Nothin'?" Roe asked.

She shook her head.

"Not even from your mother?"

"No, Roe," Posey snapped. She sighed and ran a hand down her face, careful to keep her eyes trained on her food to avoid having to look at him. "Nothing," she added, her voice softer now.

"What if -"

She cut him off immediately. "Don't say it."

"You gotta have a plan, Wells. Just in case."

Posey dropped her cutlery and rested her elbows on the table, letting her head fall into her hands. She screwed her eyes shut and nodded, her lips pulled into a thin line. "I know."

"So what if they're already gone, then?"

"I don't know."

"Would you go find your father?"

"No," Posey answered immediately. She lifted her head from her hands to show Roe the certainty on her face and shook her head quickly. "No. As far as both my father and I are concerned I don't have one." She sighed and dropped her head back into her hands again. "He wouldn't want me, anyway."

"Wells..."

"He wouldn't," she said with finality. "And that's not me being dramatic, or stubborn, or whatever you think it is. It's the truth. He decided he didn't want to be a father anymore. My best bet would be..." She shrugged. "Going back to Mrs. Daniels, I suppose."

"How are you gonna get back across the ocean, though?"

"I don't know."

"You know, when you leave, the army'll probably try to get you for desertion."

Posey laughed entirely without humour. When she looked up at Roe her despair was written all over her face. "I know."

Roe nodded and tapped her once on the shoulder before turning to his food. "Just -" he began, and faltered for a moment, perhaps searching for the right words. "Just think about everythin' before we leave. Make sure you know what you're doin' just in case..."