Ad Astra Per Aspera [2] - Band of Brothers

11 | haguneau

" Sometimes we need to be apart to understand just how much we truly love each other."

- Unknown

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Many thought they would be going back to Mourmelon, but that wasn't the case. They were moved to Haguneau, France, Alsace if you will, and the trek there was an exhausting one at that.

Each night they stopped, mostly to bed down and then they were moving the next day. By the time they were pulling into Haguneau, Easy was physically and mentally and emotionally destroyed. They'd lost so many people, so many men who had been friends of many of the soldiers in the company. They had to push back at the Germans, throwing more things for the Airborne to take care of, which was not unusual, Easy was worn out though.

Lizzie had surprisingly recovered from the nasty flu that had taken over her system, but it seemed Lip had picked it up and it had turned to pneumonia.

Poor Lip. He just tried his best and got sick in the end. B

ut Lizzie returned the favor and stayed with Lip where ever he went, a smile on that pale, face. The sickness had drained her but she was eating again and drinking and her eyes were much lighter.

But with Lizzie well again, Catherine saw a stress lift from Gene.

Catherine had known Gene had been stressed for Lizzie more so than anyone with that sickness, but seeing her well again settled people - until Lip got sick then.

Poor Lip.

In early February was when they arrived at Haguneau; even though it was nice to be back in France, it was still dreadfully cold and miserable to be there, out with all the weather.

Catherine, yet not sick, always was frozen like one of the popsicles her mother made in the summer, because of the fact her body couldn't produce body heat. Attached to 2nd platoon, she didn't travel with the officers because Winters had suggested that by staying with the rest of the men, there was still a snippet of humanity for her to experience.

Malarkey had been marked platoon leader. Malarkey had been through hell and back with all his friends deaths and losses, and he was struggling mentally, but he kept up a brave face since being put in the spot. Catherine just tried masking her emotions most of the time.

It had been almost a month with Hazel, and Catherine could tell that everyone missed the woman.

Especially Joe.

Catherine had seen Joe various nights, sitting with the tiny bracelet of Hazel's in between his fingers, staring at it, memorizing it, holding it delicately in his hands, just holding it. Joe's best friend was in fact the tiny sniper, who now had no marked date of a set return.