Are You Still There?

Are you still there?

/Part 5/

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l yawned as I sat with Eugene Roe and Ralph Spina at the train wagon. My head was aching and my throat was sore. It was really getting tough to stay awake. I wasn’t going to ask for sick leave, but I felt like there was a spiky hairball stuck to my throat. So much for enjoying the train ride. No, Sonja, you are finally able to relax a little. I shouldn’t be ungrateful and take these moments for granted. 

I slowly take my cross pendant and give it a little kiss of thanks for the little moment of peace. Ralph raises his brows from across me. “You praying?”, he asks kindly. 

I shake my head: “I’m thanking God for being able to rest.” He nods and looks at me with a soft look. Eugene also smiles, they truly are a pair of truly empathetic men. “So you’re religious?”,Eugene asks. 

“Evangelical Lutheran”, I answer. “My whole dads side of the family is, with you know them being Finnish. I was actually confirmed there”, I explain. Religion was something I valued. It did not rule my life, but belief was something that gave me a feeling of contentment. I want to live a pure life, and as long as I keep my intentions pure, I want to belief that something out there is looking out for me. 

“Do you actually speak Finnish?”, the Cajun gentleman asks. I chuckle “Yhtä hyvin, kuin sinä puhut Ranskaa”, I answer and they look at me both very confused. I giggle at their expressions. “I just said that: As well as you speak French”

With Richard and Lewis

Richard Winters was calmly writing into his notebook as he heard a very familiar voice behind him: “Going my way?”

The red head stopped writing for a moment. “Where the train takes me”, he answered. Being the calm and collected man he was, he didn’t feel the need to pester his friend for information. Even if he seemed to be very adamant for him to take interest. 

“Where do you suppose that might be?”

“Haven’t got a clue”

“Yeah, come on. Take a guess. Atlantic, Pacific, Atlantic”, the button eyed officer hints. Richard continues writing to his notebook. He couldn’t deny being a little curious, but he could live without knowing. Lewis on the other hand couldn’t live without sharing. “I’m not the intelligence officer”, Richard interrupts his friends guessing game. 

“As such, I know, but if I told you, I’d have to kill you”, Lewis quips as he leans closer to Dick. 

“So don’t tell me”, Dick answers just as cool and collected as before. It truly amazed Lewis, the amount of self restraint the lieutenant in front of him had. It was admirable, but amusing as well. If your humor is sick enough of course. 

Lewis makes his way and sits in front of his friend. “New York City. Troop ship.England. We’re invading Europe, my friend”, he says seriously and pulls a flask from his back pocket. 

“Fortress Europa”, he salutes and pushes the flask towards his friend. Dick still looks as cool as before. “Since when do I drink”, he inquires dryly. The dry expression and amusement leave his face quickly after Lewis ends up admitting to hiding a case of his favorite whiskey: VAT 69, into his pristine friends footlocker. Dick was not sure which worried him more, the fact that his friend had just sneaked it in or the fact that his friend was so actively drinking. God knows he didn’t want to see Lew hurt. 

Dick looks very displeased as Lewis offers the flask to Harry, before a thoughtful expression takes over as he looks at the flask, making Lewis raise his brow. Was he really considering taking it?

“Sonja’s throat was sore. Might be wisest to get her here and offer some without the men seeing”, Richard says after a while. Lewis shakes his head: “She is a nurse! I’m not wasting my VAT on that” he chuckles. 

Richard raises his brow, looking very displeased again. “And since when was her health a waste”, he whispers looking very serious. Harry next to him laughs. “God Nix, go find her or he’ll be pissy all day”

Nix nods and stands up with a smirk attached to his face. Dick shakes his head, and people dared to say that traveling with friends was pleasant. 

Sonja

My brows furrow as I see Lewis Nixon make a very determined path towards me. And no there was no chance he was coming to see someone else. He locked his eyes with mine and you could see the mischief dancing in his brown orbs. 

He smirks as he stands next to me quickly nodding to Spina and Roe, before leaning closer and whispering into my ear: “Josef calls Mary, I repeat Josef calls Mary”

I pull a face and look at him like he had just gone crazy. He seems to be happy with that, and takes my arm helping me up, before taking a hold of my shoulders and literally pushing me where he wants. 

“Lewis, could you kindly explain, why you decided to kidnap me?”, I ask with mock kindness. “As I said, Josef needs Mary”. I roll my eyes at his joke. 

“You really aren’t as funny as you think you are”, I point out, before I let out a small cough. “Shut up, holy Mary, I’m absolutely hilarious. Though you sound a little rough”, he says and I do hear the actual care in his voice. 

I look at him tilting my chin up and smile gently. “Just a little sore throat. I’m a nurse I know how to work it out”, I soothe. He just shakes his head and says under his breath: “Don’t I know it”

When we make it to their seat Harry jumps up from next to Dick and he and Lewis maneuver me over to his old place. 

“Okay, Maiden fair rescued from the wolves, and Knight Lewis Nixon just got off the hook, thank you” 

So much for being subtle boys. I look around and see no alarming faces. With that I slouch a little and lean against my husbands shoulder. Richard seems to do the same check and brushes my thick brunette locks back before planting a kiss on my forehead. Harry is looking at us with a soft grin, he really was such a romantic. As was I, him talking about Kitty made me feel all kinds of joy for them.

Then he does the most surprising thing, he holds his hand out for Lewis’s flask. I open my mouth to ask why was he offering his teetotaler wife a drink, but I don’t get the chance. “Drink, it’ll ease your pain”, Richard whispers and holds the flask near my mouth. 

My mouth comes to the most loving smile as I look into his eyes. This caring angel of a man. “You noticed, huh?”I whisper tenderly.

 I raise my other hand to tip the flask with his and take a small ladylike sip. The taste is..not my favorite and I pull a face. It felt like those shivers you get when you drink cold tea from the bottom of the mug. 

“Thank you”, I whisper and we pass the flask back to Lewis. Who looks positively horrified. “I just gave you five star liquor and you pulled a damn face. No woman, you don’t say thank you. You apologize”, he scolds. I can’t even tell if he is serious or not. 

“oh forgive me oh lord of sin”, I say tiredly and lean against Dick even more heavily. “that’s more like it”, I hear the pleased answer. Richard takes my hand and intertwines our fingers. I sigh and sleep better than I have slept since I left Lancaster. 

Huge thank you to @iilovemusic12us​, our chats really mean the world to me! :)

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just absolutely living for bull’s face when lieb says “why don’t we just shoot bull here, feed the company for a whole week?”

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Are you still there?

/ Part 3 /

Later in the chapter, the medic names are made up from the fact that what names were common!

The following morning was interesting indeed. Lewis had been very productive and gotten me PT gear and my WAC dress greens, which included a hobby jacket, “garrison” cap and a pretty skirt. I was extremely grateful, until he gave me my OD’s, which of course were made for men. The issue of being unhappy didn’t come to place until he saw me in them. And he laughed so loud it startled the men who wear near our barrack. 

“Oh my, my, you look like you’re gonna spread your wings and take off like a flying squirrel”, he snorts coming over to me and playfully flaps the sides of my jacket. I look at him very unimpressed, and then quickly slap his hands away. But then sigh. “I should’ve kept the skirt”, I giggle. But all in all it isn’t so bad, I have my medics patch and good pants. They are a little tight on the hips, but nothing unbearable. 

And off we went, him escorting me to my first field exercise with Herbert Sobel. Oh boy. 

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“Nurse Winters, what is the meaning of this, you look more unpresentable then any of these men!” 

The screaming of Sobel starts straight away as I stand with the men from the second platoon. “No excuse, sir”I say knowing he was commenting on my jacket. He looks ready to snarl, once again. “I’ll let you off, since you are only a woman after all, find a belt for tomorrow, or I will have to find an adequate punishment.” I just look ahead my eyes cold, so that’s how it is. “yes, sir.”

I feel like he assigned me with the second platoon just to torture my husband. And me. He was in for a surprise, if there was one thing me and Dick would not waver from, that was our duty. 

-------------------

I quickly started learning that I already had some knowledge to the matters we were going through. Enough for me at least. My main job for now was keep up with the men and when needed, have a plan on how to transport the “wounded” and if that was not possible, how to make a good long term plan for their health and the stamina and safety of the other men. 

I was thinking and whispering with Eugene Roe as two of our men: Joe Toye and “Popeye” Wynn were “wounded”. Joe had a shoulder wound and Popeye had an upper thigh wound. Both we’re now patched up with Popeye having a syrette tied to his jacket. 

“We have to take one man off the line, to help Popeye near the Jeep, and once we drag Joe far enough he can start walking. One of us has to stay here, in case there comes an urgent need for a medic”, I whisper. 

Roe looks at me little uncertain, but nods. “We’re gonna need to call the jeep towards the edge of the woods, but still near enough, we can’t wait too much, since Popeye’s wound is a heavy bleeder”, he backs up with his Louisiana drawl. 

We report our plan, and luckily, we get the knowledge that we just saved more than two men, we the good decision of one of staying near the line. 

“But Winters, Roe, next time call for back up, we need all the good men in the line, when someone needs to be carried, try and get help along with the jeep. Even if it feels obvious, remember clear orders”, Dick says nodding as he looks over our work. 

I feel pride swell up in my chest, not because we did surprisingly well, but because I got good objective critique. Learn, Sonja, learn everything you can. 

--------------------

When the maneuver is over,  everyone looks more or less annoyed. Sobel turned out to be the epitome of good in theory, terrible in practice. My thighs were also on fire, even if I had good physical training, the crouched running in high speed for surprisingly long distances is rough. 

“So, how does it feel now?”, Skip asks as we sit together to eat. I was once again chatting with Skip. It felt good to have people who actually reacted well to my arrival. 

Joe was apprehensive still, but yesterday when we talked, he realized that I was just a proper farm girl from Minnesota. Nothing fancy even I used pretty words, I was just a curious soul. 

I shrug: “I was scared it was going to be worse, with all you told me yesterday. Apart from the reprimands I got for my height and lack of muscle tone, I feel like I got very just treatment”, I smile and take a mouthful of the food on my plate. 

Skip snorts and looks at me like I had gone crazy. “The man screamed at you, because you aren’t able to carry a man thrice your size, but instead you dragged him, come on “, he shakes his head. I shrug once again. 

“I’m here to do a duty, I’m assigned with you because I was deemed fit, and if I want to be fit enough I have to work for it. He cannot let me off”, I explain my side. Sobel had yes screamed at me for dragging Denver Randleman when he was wounded, but Christ I was happy I was even able to move him. I knew I should do better, but for now I just need to work harder. 

Bill shakes his head : “You’re a fucking skirt, ain’t no man carrying Bull from this company either” And continues to shovel down his food. 

Skip grins at me. “you see Nurse Winters, we fight your corner, even if you are green and weak”. I glare at him playfully. I know that’s what most of the men thought, but Skip was not one of them. He really had been there for me today on the field. Him and Penkala. If I did something wrong, they quickly did something to make me correct it. 

But when it comes to others, it had been a tough day. Joe Liebgott was constantly on my neck, I heard the way he spoke about me, I heard the way him and some of his friends said I did not deserve my place here. In all honesty, I couldn’t blame him. I was a woman, it was easy for them to think that I was just some hussy who crawled up the right thigh. I needed to deserve my place here, i needed them to see that I was more then just big doe eyes and pinned up hair. 

“What will you do when we are jump training?”, he asks suddenly. I was not jumping into Normandy, so I was not taken in for the parachute training. I swallow quickly and answer: “I’ll be doing PT or then preparing at the hospital. I cannot believe how big that hospital is, it truly is wonder”

Skip smiles at my happiness. It was easy for me to talk to him like this. One-on-one. I was still too nervous to open my mouth when I was in the middle of all the men. “You really like helping people, huh”,he chuckles. 

I nod and continue eating quietly.

------------------

Couple weeks later, I was a new woman. I knew my routine and I was dedicated to make it perfect. I still had very few friends, but they all seemed to have accepted my presence at least. Skip was still my safety blanket among the men. Me and Richard had made the decision of being very chaste and professional, even in private. Lewis decided it was a good reason to tease us for being the epitome of purity, but we saw it as a fair and responsible thing to do. 

The men did not know about him being my husband either, for the record the army had so many people with the same name, that it was not surprising that they didn’t even suspect it. Although it was harder and harder for me every day to hear one nameless sergeant keep pestering people about my husbands calm and correct ways. 

Today was my day, well it was a field exercise designed for medics. Many simulated casualties so that we could practice our bandaging, improvising and so forth. 

“Come on, I’m wounded plant me just a little one”, George tried pursing his lips as I bandaged his leg, making a improvised splint. I shake my head and bring two of my fingers first onto my lips then plant them on his. 

“There you go”, I say as I finish the bandage. He looks at me in mock horror, “You just put your dirty fingers into my mouth!”, he gasps. I roll my eyes smiling. 

“I put them on your mouth, you’re wounded, you have bigger worries”, I reason and look at him like a mother would look at a misbehaved child. He just mouths words mockingly and pats my head like I was his best dog to torture. 

Then what I see next makes me freeze, some of the medics truly sedating Sobel. Oh Christ no. I stand up and job over to them. “What do you think you are doing?”, I ask sharply at the two medics, Webb and Jackson, who are now trying to pull down Herbert’s pants. 

“Fuck of broad”, they snort and try to keep going. I purse my lips and kneel next to them. “I may be a nurse, but I am a part of this company. You are risking this mans health, which goes against every vow you’ve made. You may think I am just an ignorant woman, who wants to play a soldier, but I’m here to do my job. You might not care about him, but this is not the way to go”, I quietly advice them. 

They look at me raising their eyebrows as if they had to care what I’m saying. Webb then shakes his head and snorts grasping the front of my collar to bring me closer. 

“Oi, hands off the lady Webb!”, comes a raspy voice. Behind us comes Joe Toye with a makeshift sling. Webb doesn’t move at first not thinking Joe could be series. 

But once Joe stands behind us and growls “What did I just say?”, the hand comes off right away. “Nurse Winters had the balls to tell you off. I don’t care the fuck you are doing to that on the floor, but you ain’t disrespecting her”, he says seriously while looking at Webb and Jackson both. 

“Sorry Winters”, they both mumble. I sigh and stand shaking my head. “Just don’t hurt him”, I whisper and go to help with the evacuating. 

Joe stops me before I can go. I smile at him tenderly “Thanks for that Joe, it means a lot.” He shakes his head and one corner of his mouth raises up: “Just fighting for your corner, Bambi” 

I walk to the litters with a smile on my face. The nickname is ridiculous, but hey, I was finally fitting in. 

--------------------

“So no one reported?”, Nixon asks as we sit on our bunks. I shake my head: “Nope, I tried to tell them off Lew I really did”, I sigh and look at my hands. 

He chuckles: “Don’t say that anywhere else, they’ll ask you to identify”. The door opens and Dick steps in. Straight from the latrines. I smile at him in my PT gear. It felt nice, the shorts. I was not really a fan of anything restricting me from the waist down. Oh no Sonja, do not phrase things like that ever again. 

He smiles at me too and then does something surprising, he walks over to me and lays a kiss on my forehead. “You really impressed the men yesterday, I heard what you did”, he whispers. I shrug, it was nothing he wouldn’t have done. 

“Wanna plant one on me just as congrats?”, I ask in a tender whisper. He chuckles and gives me a sound kiss. I grin widely and take a look at my book Seitsemän veljestä. The Seven brothers, a Finnish novel. My brother send it to me one Christmas. Now the spine looked torn, Sobel had had his fun looking at it while throwing our things all over the place. When I saw the state of my books I almost cried. Luckily one of the soldiers from F-company, David was his name, was able to tell me where to get some cheap books. 

“You sicken me you know, ever since she came in you’ve become a freaking dog”, Lewis throws from his bed. Dick once again rolls his eyes and starts to neatly fold his clothing. “She is my wife, Nix. And we have been perfectly professional, you of all people know that”, he grunts taking his boots off. 

Nix chuckles, the sound a strange thing on it’s own. “I hit a nerve”, he sings and happily plops down once again.

And once again thank you @iilovemusic12us ❤️