Half Sick of Shadows » Band of Brothers [2]

47: A Brief Life

"This is a brief life, but in its brevity it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures." - Rudyard Kipling, Kim

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Everything seems to start happening very quickly all of a sudden. A replacement named John Janovec gets killed in a car crash after relieving Webster at a crossroad checkpoint, news comes a few days later that Shifty has been rushed to hospital in England after a car crash on his way home, and Chuck Grant, a very well-liked NCO, gets shot in the head by a drunk American soldier. It all seems to happen within such a short space of time that no one can even really begin to comprehend it.

All of this has a huge impact on Gene. He tries not to show it but I can tell that it does, so I try my very best to be there for him. When he first became a medic he made a conscious effort not to get too close to the men because he knew he'd have to save their lives one day, but even still, he cares. He cares about them an awful lot and what happened to Chuck, especially, hit him hard. I think it affected him the most largely because there was nothing he could do for him. But Chuck's in hospital now and he's recovering which makes things a little bit easier for Gene.

The Americans' training also seems to pick up. Floyd steps down as company First Sergeant where Malarkey takes his place, and through it all they seem to be training harder and longer with each passing day. They all traipse back to their rooms in the hotel exhausted everyday, and how they find the energy to wake up and do it all over again the following morning I have no idea. The increased fervour of their training only makes me worry they'll be sent out to the Pacific sooner than anyone thinks.

"When do you think the yanks'll be sent off, then?" Martin asks around a yawn whilst we're all lounging in his and Will's room. Will and I are sitting on the floor with his radio between us whilst Tom and Martin lay on each of the beds, chatting idly between them. When Martin's voice pitches to address all of us, however, I tune in to the conversation.

"No idea," Tom replies with a short shrug.

Everyone looks to me and all I can do is shrug as well. "They don't know yet. I don't even think the officers do, let alone the enlisted. I asked Malark if he's got any advanced information and he has no clue. Could be any day, I suppose, though I think they should get a fair bit of forewarning."

"I'm worried for them," Will comments quietly. He doesn't raise his eyes from the radio, just continues his fiddling. "The Pacific front sounds nasty."

I nod and don't reply; the thought keeps me up at night.

"What will you and Gene do?" Martin asks me curiously.

I share a look with Tom; Tom and I have discussed it a few times - as have Gene and I, of course - but everything's draped in such a thick layer of uncertainty that we can't draw any viable decisions. The four of us have to stay here until we're either discharged or sent out again, and no one knows when that'll be, whilst Gene'll be going off to fight again. There's no way to decide what we'll do because we have no idea what the situation is yet.

"We don't know," I answer eventually. I offer up nothing else because there's nothing else to say.

Martin nods and then wonders, "How far into your confession are you now?"

I laugh a little bit. "VE-Day. But I'm going to carry on writing until we're discharged. I'm hoping later today I'll get to Austria."

Tom smiles to himself. "Has Gene read any of it yet?"

"Yeah," I reply through a laugh. "I'm embarrassed to think what I wrote when I was in interrogation - I haven't looked at it since. He says he's up to D-Day so he's got a ways to go yet, though."