The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

51 | companions

" How beautiful it is to find someone who asks for nothing more than your company."

- Brigitte Nicole

✰✰✰

Easy stayed in barns usually as they moved closer to Arnhem and the density of towns became thicker and more farms were prominent. Casualties, sickness and disease were what riddled Easy from winning now. 

Bill Guarnere was evacuated, he'd taken a hit from a sniper on a motorcycle he had stolen for a joyride. It was funny at the moment, but now Easy was losing one of the best NCOs. 

Lizzie was still off the line, many of the replacements were taking hits easily. 

Hazel had heard from Babe Heffron that one of his buddies he had trained with, had taken an easy shot on one of the patrols and was dead instantly. Babe was quiet for the rest of the day. 

Morale that remained low was never good for a rather elite and strong-headed company. The company continued to move through the country of Holland with low moral. They continued to run into stalemates with the Germans, and everyone was beginning to grow tired of these blocks in the road. Hazel's sickness was slow in improving because of the battles they had to continue to fight daily, as well as the cold and the lack of sleep and food. 

Hazel had tried to get Winters to send her on the mini night patrols that the others went on, but Winters, even thought one who got a thrill from the fight, was like Catherine said, a human and when someone was sick or hurt, and refused to be pulled from the line, he made sure they weren't worked as hard as they usually were. 

When October came, they had moved on past Nijmegen, which sat on the Waal River and close to the German border and up towards the outskirts of the city of Arnhem. They stayed in the countryside mostly, resting nightly in nearby barns that had been abandoned by the citizens that lived there and towns buildings were provided for the officers. 

Hazel slept fitfully at night and so whenever she began to feel tired, she pretty much laid down where ever there was a surface and passed out. 

This time it happened to be right beside George Luz and his radio on a bit of hay bail, as she curled into a ball, shivering ever so slightly, cold sweat sprinkled across her forehead. 

Joe Liebgott was right next to her though, passed out as well, tiny snores leaving his lips as chatter and K-ration making ensued in the tiny barn. Joe and Hazel, the two peas in a pod they were, were practically inseparable after the events of Nuenen and especially her ongoing sickness which fought her throat like a dragon in a cage. 

So there they were, passed out and exhausted as they snored silently side by side curled in balls like those cats you saw in the window shops on Main Street. 

But Joe, being the person he was, cared for his friends in any way he could. He agreed, he was an asshole, but he was asshole for specific reasons most of the time. But with his friends, that was different. Especially a friend, a best friend at that who was sick and was kept up at night by coughs or a fever or the chills.