Maybe One Day

Chapter Sixteen: Bastogne

I slept longer than I meant to in the foxhole I shared with Eugene and Spina on occasion, and I had a feeling they let me sleep in. I was roused from my sleep by the whistle and explosion of a shell close to where I had been snoozing and I was off and rubbing the sleep from my eyes when I heard someone screaming for a medic. Halfway there I was overtaken with a coughing fit, but I continued running. Nothing was going to stop me, not even me being sick. I couldn't afford to be sick when these men needed me. With the mortar fire and trees exploding all around me, I zig-zagged around foxholes and raining shrapnel until I jumped into the foxhole where Skinny and Perconte were. 

"Hey there, Skinny. You're gonna be alright. I promise." I kissed his cheek and quickly went to work on his lower leg. 

Embedded in his shin and calf were sharp splinters. I reached for my satchel and continuously hushed him and calmed him down to where I could work easily around him. 

"Skinny, I really need you to calm down okay? Try and calm down for me sweetheart." I said. 

Skinny was trying his hardest but to no avail. He was in a lot of pain and I couldn't keep him still enough for me to get the splinters out. 

"MEDIC FOR ASSISTANCE!" I shouted out above the artillery fire. 

Within seconds, Geney dove into the foxhole and went right to work holding him down for me. I withdrew the splinters from his leg and started pouring sulfa.

"Perconte, I could use a Jeep NOW." I yelled. 

When the Jeep finally came to get Skinny out of there, Perconte and Geney got him up and over the edge of the foxhole and went off running. I followed hot on their heels, ready to catch them if they went down. But when a shell hit the ground near us, we all went down. Skinny let out a guttural cry but we soon got him up and on the back of the Jeep. Bastogne was about three miles from the front and it was all there was. While Geney took care of Skinny in the hospital, I went around and found spare pairs of boots lying around. Turning them over and checking the soles, I found a pair of size 9's and was able to scrounge up some socks. I chatted idly with whatever townspeople were around, and some thankfully came back with small pillboxes of medicine for our men to take. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. I thanked them profusely and handed off a couple chocolate bars before hopping back into the Jeep with Eugene. 

"I've got the boots for Toye. What do you have?" I asked as the Jeep sped off.

"The nurse, Renee... she gave me some chocolate." he smiled. 

Cigarettes and chocolate were gold on the front. We all had cash from our pay but no way to spend it. It's not like we were being given passes to Paris or something. Not with the fighting going on around us. The fog still hung around the forest and there was still no hope for a supply drop. We pulled back up to camp when Father Maloney finished his mass. 

"Kraut hunting." said Spina. 

I nodded and was already off to the OP where I knew Toye would be. I slid into the foxhole next to him, smiling wide. 

"It's your lucky day, darling. I got a present for you, and not a moment too soon." I handed him the boots and new socks. 

"Size 9? Shit... Thanks, Lieutenant." he smiled. 

"And Toye? Try not to let these ones get blown up, alright?" I winked at him and jogged away, checking on men as I went. I passed a whole patrol of men, Geney following. 

I watched them all go by and then cocked my head at Eugene. 

"Combat patrol. Martin wants us to stick back, but I don't have a good feeling."