I was one of five women chosen to serve our country, fighting side by side with the men, and only some of us had come home. Being surrounded by friends and enemies, having to choose who you can save, who you can love, and how to survive is something...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A few weeks after the incident with Robert Lerner, I sat on the hood of a nearby Jeep, watching the men play a friendly game of baseball on the warm sunny afternoon. It was nice to see them play and have a good time, making it feel like we were finally home where we all belonged. There didn't seem to be a care in the world for any of them - surprisingly myself included.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Speirs, dressed in his dress uniform meandering over to me. I glanced over my shoulder to watch him as he neared, smiling warmly as he leaned against the Jeep I was perched on. His dark eyes studied my face for a moment before he reached forward, barely touching my face. He spoke with a gentle voice, "Your bruises are healing quite nicely."
I didn't shy away from him and my smile didn't falter as I nodded slightly in agreement. "Yeah, they're almost gone." It wasn't entirely true as they marred my flesh in splotches of yellowish-green hues, giving me a sickly appearance. They were far improved from the nasty deep reddish-purple they had been when Lerner attacked me. Even the pain associated with them had gone away as the days drifted by.
Tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, he lowered his hand away from my face. His eyes remained on mine, allowing me to see the ocean of emotions rolling by. In a hushed tone, he asked, "How are you doing?"
I was nearly lost in the deep pools of his eyes when the question brought me out of my hypnotic daze. I released a short sigh. "For the first time in..." I paused to think before quietly chuckling, "quite a while... I feel great," I admitted as I stared into the intense gaze he held me under. My voice dropped low, "I owe you my life... in more ways than I can count."
A silence fell between us as he stared back at me for a moment, almost thinking about what to say or do about my recent confession when Winters and Nixon approached us. Winters smiled at Speirs, asking him to gather the men around. Speirs pushed himself off of the Jeep to approach the men who were still playing their game. He shouted across the field, "Easy Company! School circle!" As he waited for them to gather, he stood at attention while Winters and Nixon neared.
Dropping their game, the men rushed over, kneeling around the officers to listen intently to what they had to say. Winters smiled proudly at every one of them, his cerulean eyes drifted across each one as he spoke, his voice warm and gentle, "The Japanese have given their official surrender," he paused, smiling wider at them with admiration, "War's over."
The men blinked at him for a moment as they processed his words, unsure if he was pulling their legs or not. They exchanged glances before the elated smiles spread across their expressions. I couldn't blame them - this war felt like it lasted a lifetime and then some. We only dreamed for the day we'd be told to go home... and now it was here. After Winters told them to go, the men cheered, racing off to the barracks to gather their things to prepare for the long trip home.
I remained where I was on the hood of the Jeep, carefully observing Winters and Nixon as they watched the happy, excited men race off before they turned to walk away, talking about life in Pennsylvania. My eyes drifted back to Speirs, who watched the men like a proud father as they left to pack. His head dropped to his chest, a smile on his face. He lifted his gaze to me as he slowly returned to me.
