Catch Her If You Can | Band of Brothers

VII. Friday, December 25th, 1942. Fort Benning, Georgia.

Friday, December 25th, 1942. Fort Benning, Georgia.

She had dreamed she was back in New York. Georgia had awoken with a gasp, thankfully not waking any of the other women around her. Still breathing heavily and rubbing her temples, she tried to remember. Blood, Lew, pounding in her head. Loneliness. She was alone. But was she? No. She was at Fort Benning, not in New York City. Not at the house in Norfolk.

Georgia sighed. If she ended up visiting her family, then the upcoming furlough was going to be the longest ten days of her life. But whether or not she was ready, the day was waiting. So, Georgia stood.

It was a rare day off, so she put on her dress uniform. She took her time pinning her hair back. Glancing in the mirror, she stared deeply into her own eyes. Georgia shook her head and pinned up one last strand of red hair. She took one last long, deep breath, then turned to jog down the stairs.

The air was cool, but still a bit humid. The tree branches were bare against the cloudy sky. She walked briskly around the dirt streets, searching. Searching for what, she wasn't exactly sure. After a while, Georgia found herself seated on the steps of the Second Battalion HQ building.

"Georgia!"

Dick's voice cut sharply into her silence.

"Merry Christmas," said Dick.

Georgia bit her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Dick," she said. Her gaze turned skyward. She thought she saw a snowflake.

"So, what are your plans for the furlough?"

"Oh, I'm- I'm planning to visit family in Norfolk." Georgia exhaled slowly and kept her face calm. "What about you?"

"I'm going back to Lancaster to see my parents and sister," said Dick.

"That sounds lovely," Georgia said. When she had been a girl, she'd wished for a sister, just so she wasn't alone. But alas, she didn't have a sister. Well, she had Marian. But Marian was still in North Africa, or at least Georgia thought she was. Georgia pushed the thoughts from her mind as she rose to her feet.

Georgia nodded to Dick, then turned and stalked off towards her barracks.

She had intended to pack and then go talk to Sparky, but Georgia had ended up just sitting on her bed with her head in her hands for an hour or so. Most of her clothes were back in Norfolk anyways, so it was just a matter of preference in terms of what she wanted to bring with her.

Georgia glanced out the window at the setting sun. Sighing, she stood up and began to make her way out of the barracks. She had adjusted to the smell of pine and cigarettes, as well as the rough hardwood floors and uncomfortable beds.

Before she knew it she was at the mess hall. Someone called her name, and she turned to see Ron Speirs approaching her.

"Merry Christmas," he said. He even offered her a rare smile.

"Merry Christmas, Ron."

The two got their meals together in companionable silence before Ron spoke. "How's life up at Battalion HQ?"

Georgia shrugged. "Alright, I suppose. Strayer just lets us do what we need to do, and Sink stops by now and again."

Ron nodded. "The company misses you, you know." Georgia moved to speak, but Ron cut her off. "You were a damn good platoon leader and you know it, Georgia."

She sighed. "I know. But I also know that my area of expertise is intelligence."

"You always were the smart one out of all the Dog Company officers," Ron said with a smirk and a roll of his eyes.