The whole rest of the day and the next morning, Samantha tip toed around Edith like she was dancing on egg shells. With pleasant one word replies and refilling her coffee mug, she did her best to stay in the background. Edith tried to ignore the guilt for dumping her emotional baggage on the girl.
Around noon, Edith sent her to fetch the supply lists from Lieutenant McKay so to avoid him. She cringed as she surveyed an inventory from Dog Company. Her grip on her lukewarm mug tightened as she remembered her outburst in front of him. He must have thought she was a silly, temperamental girl. At least she had held it together in her father's office. The thought of Colonel Dixon's criticism was unbearable.
The edge of her mug was halfway to her lips when Samantha burst into the office. Her face flushed red and jaw tight, she unbuttoned her coat and threw it on the coat rack. Edith set down her coffee and studied Samantha. She had never seen her in such a state.
"Have you read these yet?" Samantha marched up to her desk, her eyes widening in the weak winter light. She slapped the paper on Edith's desk, "They are being kept like beggars."
Edith's brow furrowed as she lifted the paper. Samantha huffed out a breath, brushing back a few brunette curls from her face. Edith surveyed the paper. She sighed.
"I fear this is the way the paratrooper companies will be kept for the time being, Samantha." She shrugged and glanced up, "There really isn't anything we can do."
"Barely any winter clothes, very little K-rations. What are they expected to do if anything was to happen, God forbid? Eat their boots?" Samantha crossed her arms over her chest and arched her dark eyebrows.
Edith shook her head, "We just have to hope nothing will happen. But if it does, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. They aren't expected to see action until spring anyway."
"Expected." Samantha snorted, "Irresponsible is what it is. Those boys put their lives on the line and the brass assumes they'll to make due if anything happens. We are in the middle of an invasion! Anything could happen!"
Edith bit her tongue from telling her to calm down. After her display the day before, she didn't feel she had the right.
"Would this outburst have anything to do with the well-being of a certain paratrooper?" Edith ventured as Samantha sank into the chair across from her desk.
Samantha paused, her breathing evening out, "Maybe a little."
"I understand your feelings for the young man, but you said it yourself. We are in the middle of an invasion. Personal feelings combined with your work is a recipe for disaster, believe me. I'm not saying you shouldn't be allowed your flirtations but you can't let it interfere with your job."
Samantha drew herself to her feet, "Of course, Lieutenant. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that."
"Please don't apologize," Edith smirked, "I think you know I am as guilty of doing the same exact thing."
Samantha attempted a grin before returned to her desk. Edith looked back at the report in her hand but soon her eyes returned to I Company's inventory. She reached over to the sheet of paper and surveyed the list. It was meager, almost pathetic. She knew it was nothing that McKay could help. Her father wasn't responsible either. He was a practical man who knew the sacrifices the boys made couldn't be done without the proper support. However, the General was another story. Edith had her opinions on the man and they were not positive.
Tapping the eraser of her pencil on the typed sheet, she shook her head. They could only hope events wouldn't travel down unforeseen paths. But they were in a war. The unexpected was the only thing they could expect.
The day dragged on. It was well past their quitting time but Edith wanted to finish the reports for the next morning. By early evening, Edith insisted that Samantha head home and get some rest.
"I will do my best." Samantha answered with the hint of a grin.
Edith gave a knowing look at she handed her a folder, "Tell the young man hello for me. What was his name again?"
A pretty shade of rose fanned across Samantha's fair cheeks, "Eddie. But his friends call him Smooch."
"Smooch?" Edith's eyebrow quirked. "I suggest you find out the reason for his nickname before you get too involved."
Samantha laughed as she walked over to her coat, "Please just give me a ring if you need anything. But try not to make too late a night of it."
Edith's attention was on her typewriter, "Goodnight, Sergeant."
"Night, Lieutenant."
Once alone, she leaned back in her chair as she reviewed what she had written. Kicking off her Oxfords underneath the desk, she loosened the tie on her uniform. Edith stood, stretched out her back and meandered over to Samantha's desk. She picked up Item Company’s detailed inventory.
The more she had thought about it, the more concerned she had grown. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring. She decided to speak to her father about it the next morning and see if there was anything they could do. The paper drifted from her fingers down onto Samantha's desk as the clock chimed seven.
The door flung open without a knock. Alex strode over the threshold, a fierce determination written on his long face. "Have you heard?"
Edith's heart jumped up her throat, "Heard what?"
"About the German surprise attack on the Ardennes forest."
Edith blinked. The unexpected event that she and Samantha dreaded had come to pass. Her eyes snapped over to the scant supply list and her heart leapt up to her throat.
"What can I do?"
"Is there anything that can be done? I’ve already been to the supply officer but he’s digging in his heels." He raked his fingers through his combed waves. "Lieutenant Dixon, some of the men don't even have weapons for heaven's sake. I know I might be wrong in asking for your help but I was thinking with your father’s influence…"
Edith set her jaw and met his dark eyes, "Maybe something can figured out under the table. Give me an hour."
"Good because that's all we've got until they send us out."
"I'm surprised it's you coming to see me and not one of your company Captains." She admitted, rushing over to her desk and stepping into her shoes.
Alex scoffed as Edith came out from behind her desk, "Some of them are... found wanting."
"Like Item Company's new CO?"
"You know him?"
"Burk Lane?" Edith paused in front of him, "Yes. Nice enough to me the one time I met him but I’ve heard the rumors. I believe I heard the word ‘Tyrant’ tacked on to him. I would be able to lead your old company better than that man and I've never seen the front."
"I would have preferred it to be you if it had been possible."
He met her eyes, his tone so serious she almost believed him. It made her take a step back. The man really thought her capable of anything handed to her. She had never met someone with so much faith in her abilities.
She managed a nod, pursing her lips as she turned to leave, "I will do my best, Lieutenant McKay."
"Edith."
Alex reached out, his worn fingertips grazing the underside of her wrist. Edith grasped the space with her other hand and held it to her stomach. She met his eyes as he studied her countenance.
"Thank you." He said with a hint of a smile.
"One hour." She breathed before marching out into the night. The sensitive skin at her wrist still burned with his touch.
The chilled air cleared her thoughts of Alex's attention. Edith raced through the camp. Clouds of exhaust billowed from transportation trucks as the paratroopers prepared to move out. Edith buttoned her coat against the cold snap. She raked her mind, struggling to remember anything about supply and ammo dumps in the area. All she could recall was that there weren't many.
She skipped the middle step hopping up to the apartment's front door. The small cottage in the village was a five minute walk from the camp. She knocked and waited, listening to the muffled sounds of a record player coming from inside. Samantha and her roommates, two other WACs based at Mourmelon, couldn't hear her. Edith let herself in.
"Samantha?" She hollered.
Marching into the kitchen, she whirled away as Samantha and her new beau sprung apart. If it had been different circumstances, she might have laughed.
"I am sorry to barge in like this-"
"Lieutenant Dixon! No! We were just –dinner!" Samantha sputtered, pointing to the pot on the stove like evidence.
The red faced young man wiped the lipstick stains from around his mouth. He managed a half-hearted smile as he brushed back his ruffled curls.
"Lieutenant! Sergeant Quincey has told me a lot about you-" He exclaimed in a thick southern drawl.
"Corporal, I wish I had more time for pleasantries but I fear you need to return to camp now." She nodded towards his coat on the kitchen table, "There have been some developments."
Samantha’s face blanched as Edith gave her a pointed glance.
"What kind of developments?" Smooch asked as he pulled his arms into his coat sleeves.
"The Germans have broken through the line. Eisenhower has ordered your regiment north."
Samantha backed up against the counter, her eyes darting over to Smooch. He stared hard at the tiles on the floor, digesting the news.
“Quincey, we have some things to take care of." Edith motioned to the door.
Samantha tore the apron from around her hips. The three of them strode out into the night without turning off the record player. Smooch gave Samantha a quick kiss on the forehead then sprinted off towards the camp.
"The men only have the leftover ammo from Holland." Edith recited to Samantha, "They don’t even have their issue of winter clothing."
Samantha let out her breath as they made it to headquarters. Edith hoped Colonel Dixon hadn't left yet. Without a doubt, he would be going with his troops into the fray. Edith convinced herself that her father would support her crusade. He’d have to, he knew their condition.
"Do they know exactly where they are heading? Are they flying them in for a parachute drop?" Samantha pushed the door open.
"In this weather? I really hope not."
Orderlies and officers buzzed about like disturbed hornets. The women shoved their way through the chaos. Colonel Dixon was making his way to the door when Edith ran into him.
"Edith, what are you-" Colonel Dixon exclaimed.
"Colonel, that supply dump the next village over, was it completely cleared out?" Edith dove into the subject without hesitation.
Her father eyed her for a moment, ignoring the orderly hovering at his elbow. He grimaced, looking over her shoulder at the door, "I can't say, Edie. But I have to go now."
Edith gripped his sleeve, "Please dad, some of those boys don't even have helmets. Anything will be a help, we need to try."
Colonel Dixon leveled his eldest daughter with the same eyes she shared with him. A surprising half smile tugged at his mouth. Edith was speechless. She couldn't remember the last time he had looked at her with such pride. She swallowed hard.
"Here, it's parked at the curb." Colonel Dixon pressed a key to an army jeep in her palm, "Be safe. I can't promise anything."
Edith set her chin, studying her father with the same awe as when he had rescued her eight year old self from the roof of their tool shed. She squeezed his hand and skipped back a step. Grabbing Samantha by her forearm, the women skirted the crowd out the door.
Traffic leading out of Mourmelon was dead. The other side of the roadway was a different story. Dozens of vehicles from the Transportation Corps headed towards camp. The faces of the drivers were grey with exhaustion and their journey to the front hadn't even begun. Edith wondered how long they had been on the road already.
After parking the jeep, the women raced up to the huge double doors. The greenish yellow glow of overhead lamps illuminated the snow drifts. Only a couple soldiers guarded the warehouse that had been an army supply dump. One of the men sat loose legged at a nearby fence. He smoked a cigarette with his weapon propped between his knees. The other turned to them with a leer.
"I’m Lieutenant Dixon. We have come from Mourmelon for whatever we can get for supplies for the 101st and 82nd." She explained to the sour faced infantryman still standing. She noticed that he wasn't even an MP.
"That isn't possible, whatever is in there is getting sent back to England by the New Year." He snapped. His fingers tapped his belt as his gaze lingered over Samantha's curves.
"Soldier." Edith tried to keep her tone calm and authoritative. "We have come directly from Colonel Dixon-"
"But I don't see him with you now, blondie. So I suggest you broads make your way back to Mourmelon. Those boys will do fine on their own. They're paratroopers, right?" He snorted and spit into the dirt.
Frustration swelled in Edith’s chest. Before she could reply, Samantha stomped forward.
"Well that just doesn’t cut it, you smug, little bean pole!" Samantha's voice rose into the frigid air. Her thick Kentucky accent coated her anger like strong moonshine. "This woman is your superior officer! Those boys need any help they can get and your skinny behind will not stand in my way tonight!"
His jaw sagged opened, his cigarette falling to the ground. His buddy off to the side collapsed on the frozen ground with laughter. Edith pulled Samantha back once she had recovered from witnessing her cut the cocky GI down to size.
"I think you had better listen to the girl, bean pole. She's ready to take that sidearm right off your hip and pistol whip you into submission." The other soldier hooted he approached the door. He opened the warehouse door and waved an arm in, "Help yourself, Lieutenant."
They loaded a couple boxes of mortars, M-1 ammunition and one box of grenades into the jeep. Edith huffed with disappointment. They found three containers of summer socks and a dozen helmets but nothing else to help keep the boys warm. After finding one last box of d-rations, they concluded there wasn't much else at the dump.
Swallowing down the twinge of failure, Edith checked her watch. They had fifteen minutes to get back to camp. With the prospect of the heavy traffic, her stomach lurched. Samantha read her mind.
"You get in the passenger seat, Lieutenant." Samantha directed in her bubbly chirp. She hopped up onto the running board by the driver's side.
Edith smirked and tossed her the keys, "I'm not going risk your temper. At least not tonight, Quincey."
Samantha threw her a playful wink. Hitting the ignition, she skidded out onto the main road. Edith hung onto the dashboard. Scooting in and out of traffic, Samantha wound the steering wheel like a race car driver.
"I have older brothers, a 1930 sedan and lots of country roads back home." Samantha explained over the drone of engines after catching a stunned glance from Edith.
They pulled into the camp. The men were herding into the trucks like cattle. There were no benches in any of them so to fit as many soldiers as possible. In the chaos, she caught a glimpse of Alex standing by a barrel fire as the snow began to fall. She jumped from the jeep before Samantha had brought it to a complete stop.
"Lieutenant McKay!" She hollered, walking to the back hatch and unhooking it.
She glanced over as she lifted the bin of rations. He was striding towards them. The determination on his face from earlier had bloomed into downright doggedness. He exuded authority, giving the air of a controlled yet effective leader. Despite herself, Edith was winded by his magnetism. Without a word, he took the box from her arms. A burst of electricity sizzled in her chest as he met her eyes with an effortless intensity.
"You made it." He stated as though he always knew she would.
"I did my best."
"And it's more than I could have asked for."
Edith stirred as Samantha brushed past her with a box of socks. She glanced over to see a couple of men from Item Company trotting through the flurry to help. One of them was Smooch who took the box from Samantha and then proceeded to plant a firm kiss on her lips.
"Do you know yet where they are sending you?" Edith asked as she picked up another box.
"We are heading out blind as far as I know. I'm pretty sure General McAuliffe doesn't even know where the 101st is going." Alex explained as they walked side by side towards one of the trucks.
As Edith set her container down, a figure appeared at Alex’s side. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of Lieutenant Porter, the man who had drenched her in tomato juice just that week. At least he looked somewhat sober that night.
“We still can't find Captain Lane.” Porter huffed, breathing hot air onto his hands and rubbing them.
With a sigh, Alex gritted his teeth and studied his friend. "I'm sure he's somewhere ripping some poor GI to shreds. I'll be there in a moment."
"Sure thing," Porter winked at Edith before leaving, "Good to see you, Lieutenant."
Edith sneered like a school girl. Alex caught sight of the look and gave her a quizzical smile. Edith waved a hand, “Don’t ask. Let’s just say, Lieutenant Porter and I are not exactly on good terms at the moment.”
Alex smirked, “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
Edith laughed as silence descended between them, "How do you know him anyway?”
“Old friends,” he shrugged, “went to the same high school and everything.”
“Well that makes sense now. I couldn’t understand how you two were friends, you two are so…” Edith paused, hoping she hadn’t said anything to offend him about Porter.
Alex grinned, “Different?”
“Yes, exactly.” she exclaimed. Her breath plumed between them in the firelight, “Well, I’ll leave you to it then."
She held out her gloved hand to him with a small smile. She hoped he would think she was trembling from the cold. Her words to Samantha echoed back in her mind. Personal feelings combined with your work is a recipe for disaster. She still believed that statement. But she was having a hard time reminding herself of it. Especially with the thought of Alex driving into the waiting arms of a desperate enemy.
Alex razed her with that same look that struck sparks in her brain. He reached out and grasped her hand. Giving it a firm shake, he paused. Looking down, he covered her hand with his other fingers.
"I don't know when I will see you again, Edith." He breathed without looking at her, "But I hope you know, I will miss your company."
Edith's heart thudded in her ears. Unable to find the words to reply, the wind caught a swirl of snow in the silence between them. Alex released her hand and turned away without another word. She watched him walk away through the snow and firelight.
ns 15.158.61.39da2
