June 5, 1944

Although I became by no means an expert on everything Normandy, that extra night of studying with Joe at least gave me the confidence that I would be able to somewhat navigate my way to Easy if I jumped off course. After refusing to allow me to thank him for his kindness with a bottle of Lew's whiskey, and telling me to shut my yap after referring to him as a heavenly being from above (and damn handsome at that) one too many times, Joe and I meandered to breakfast together, trading life stories, mostly on how we ticked off our old men.

"Joe," I repeated, gesturing wildly with my hands towards my legs, "nothing can top the look on my father's face when I showed up to his important dinner in trousers. I didn't even do him the courtesy to wear heels and pretend the pants were tailored for a woman."

Joe huffed out a soft laugh and grinned. "I dunno, Ellie. If you coulda just witnessed my pop exploding when I told him I ain't going back in those mines no more. My ears are still ringin'."

I guffawed as we sat down with our dishes, an uncommonly good meal of eggs, sausage and biscuits. But then again, the sun was shining and the sky was clear. Unless the weather changed drastically later today, we were definitely jumping tonight. We deserved those damn eggs.

Joe and I had been playing "Fuck Off, Father," back and forth since calling it quits at the sand tables last night. Although fun and entertaining in its own regard, it was also sad how alike our supposed parental figures were to one another.

I noticed when he stopped a forkful of eggs towards his mouth, his eyes trailing after someone beyond my shoulder. Turning I looked, and sure enough it was Allen, his arms loaded with mail. Joe and I waited silently as he made his way towards us. When Allen looked up, he placed a single envelope on the table and then kept moving.

I could feel Joe's breath still as we both looked to the script, and then he exhaled harshly when he read that it was for me. Ignoring the letter for a moment, I placed my hand on his wrist, stopping him from taking his next bite of food. His eyes slowly connected with mine. I smiled kindly. "Who were you waiting on?"

At first I didn't think he was going to answer, but when he did his voice was even raspier than usual. "This gal back home."

I grinned, leaning back. "You sly dog. You told me there was no one pining over your rugged good looks -."

"Quit the suckin' up, lieu, you don't owe me nothin'."

Continuing as if he didn't interrupt, I leaned forward again, wagging a finger. "You know, you lied to an officer."

Smacking my finger down with a scowl, Joe fidgeted. "She ain't my gal." He fidgeted again, staring grumpily into his food. "At least she ain't no more." He paused a moment and I could feel his pain. "Haven't heard from her since Toccoa."

I blinked at him a few times. How the hell any girl could let Joe Toye get away was beyond me. To myself, I scolded her as a fucking idiot. Out loud, I touched his wrist again."Have you written to her?"

For whatever reason, this only made him look more uncomfortable. "I tried," he finally replied.

I snorted. "Well try harder, Toye! Write more often. Shit, get poetic or something." I crossed my arms over my chest and shrugged. "Broads apparently like that."

Joe cracked a grin, giving me a look. "What like you don't know? Christ, no wonder you stick to trousers."

Sending a flying forkful of breakfast his way, it was awhile before we remembered the letter on the table. Joe gestured to it with the tip of his knife. "Gonna open it?"

I peered at the handwriting and immediately rolled my eyes hard. But I could feel that Joe was still hurt by his lack of correspondence, so I grabbed the envelope and tore it open. I gave him a look as I unfolded the single sheet of paper. "Are you ready for this?" He only nodded, intrigued.

I read the entirety out loud:

"Eleanor,

Please regard this letter as my official termination of our engagement. You have left me with no other choice but to move on in hopes of finding a proper wife for an undoubtedly most happy marriage with me. Your mother was kind enough to give me back your ring, although I was surprised to find it stowed away for 'safe keeping' at the bottom of your laundry hamper. She assured me you guarded it with the utmost care, however, and I must not understand you as she does. Although I am afraid for your personal reputation at the moment, you are no longer under my wing, and therefore I cannot worry about you anymore. I doubt there's a man on earth who would be willing.

Wishing you good fortune,

Matthew Cornelius Bradley"

I looked to the heavens for strength, regretting not burning the letter immediately, but I took that all back in the next moment.

At first Joe just snorted out a chuckle. But then it turned to more, and then more, until he began laughing loudly, his head thrown back, fist in his mouth to try and calm himself. I had to grin. "Just what the fuck is so fucking funny, Toye?" I asked, sarcasm dripping off every word.

Joe had trouble catching his breath. Every time he tried to answer, he began laughing harder still. "You...you were...Jesus Christ… engaged to that guy?"

I had to bite the inside of my cheek hard to keep from laughing with him. "No, asshole, I never accepted him, no matter what he says." I straightened my back with indignation. "But the ring was pretty."

Joe howled, tears forming in his eyes. People were beginning to look over at the commotion. Whenever I thought he had calmed down, he looked at me and cackled, the words "proper wife" being repeated over and over.

I couldn't last any longer. I joined him, mostly because of how he was laughing, blatantly full of joy at my former situation. Whenever we calmed down for a moment, we noticed more men looking at us as if they should perhaps call the local asylum. That only fueled our fire.

Finally George stopped by, too curious for his own good on what the hell could be happening. "What I miss?"

Joe and I ignored him, wiping tears from our eyes. Our gaze met again through chuckles. "What…" Joe rasped, "what was his name again?"

I cleared my throat. "Matthew Cor-" I started laughing again, unable to keep my lungs from hitching or my side from stitches, "Cornelius…"

And Joe and I died again, but this time George joined us, unable to keep a straight face. "Christ, some guy named Cornelius broke you two?"

And this time when Joe and I howled with laughter, I swore the Germans heard us across the way in Normandy.

Our humor was short lived however. Reality came rushing back in the form of Bill finding out that his brother was killed in Africa, Carwood reminding everyone again to sign up for the Army life insurance policy, and Tom confirming that tonight was the night - we were jumping.

As they had the day before, the men began grumbling about these leg bags the Airborne sprung on them last minute. I couldn't say I blamed them - each weighed almost as much as I did, but thankfully as a medic I didn't need to worry about carrying one. I had to contend with another Army surprise.

I stared at the package of small brown boxes in disgust. Inside each square were six air sickness pills. I was supposed to hand each man two pills to take before and during the flight. Why these were sprung on us last minute, I had no idea, but I didn't like the sound of them.

I read the label out loud to Eugene and Ralph. "Motion Sickness Preventive. Instructions: Take one 30 minutes before and one at the time of embarking. Take one not more often than every four hours. Do not continue taking longer than necessary." I paused a moment before reading the last bit. "Caution: These tablets contain a sedative and cause drowsiness if taken in excess."

Ralph said what were were all thinking. "A sedative? Shit, just what we need. For the fellas to fall asleep in enemy territory."

Pursing my lips into a frown, I couldn't disagree. I glanced over at Eugene and our eyes connected. After a moment, he shrugged, also at a loss. Sighing, I stood up from my squat, brushing my pant legs. Ralph and Eugene joined me, waiting for orders. Sighing again, I shook my head. "Let me talk to Meehan before we hand them out."

They both nodded. Before I turned to go, Eugene cleared his throat. "Lieutenant?"

I looked at him expectantly, his face carefully void of emotion, as it usually was - still, pale and calm. As I waited for him, I didn't notice Ralph from my other side until it was too late.

Crying out a groan at the cold grease paint on my cheek, I whined but giggled as he attacked, covering any exposed skin. "Jesus Christ!"

Eugene grinned smugly as Ralph continued the assault. "Can't have our fearless leader be found by some damn krauts tonight. 'Specially if she gets lost."

I glowered at them both, but allowed the mess to be painted across my face and neck. "You'll both pay for this," I replied, but with no heat. And they knew it.

With my skin itching like mad, I left in pursuit of Tom. Finally, I found him shaking Dick's hand by 2nd platoon's plane. Seeing the men lined up on the ground, I knew I didn't have much time before I needed to join them. I fell into step with Tom as he made his way to his own C-47, which would be holding the majority of Easy company headquarters troopers.

"These airsickness pills," I began.

He cut me off. "Give them the pills, Ellie."

I grunted, annoyed that I was that easy to read. I jogged to keep up with him. "They're a sedative, Tom! And we jumped plenty of times before without incident. Why spring them on us now when it's the most important jump of our lives?"

He stopped short, giving me a grim look. "I don't disagree with you, but we got orders. Leg bags and airsickness pills. If we had time to question it, I would bring it to Sink myself, but if you didn't notice, we are about to take off." Tom leaned closer, his eyes softening. "I know it's not ideal, Ellie, and I know that you're just looking out for the men. But our hands are tied."

I bit my lip but then nodded. "I understand." Breathing out hard in one whoosh, we looked over the airfield together as everyone hurried to finalize preparation. "Hell of a day, isn't it?"

With that, Tom looked at me and smiled. "And it hasn't even begun." He held out his hand and I immediately grasped it. "Take care of yourself, Lieutenant."

I gave him a quick smile. "I'll see you there, Tom."

Begrudgingly, I relayed the news to Eugene and Ralph. Individually, we separated to hand out the pills to the platoons with the agreement we would meet once more before boarding our planes. I would be riding with 2nd platoon, Ralph with 1st, and Eugene with 3rd.

Weaving my way around the men on the ground in front of my plane, I murmured instructions to them on what to do with the pills, their looks of shock at this new surprise made the rock in my stomach inflate. I gave Joe a commiserating look when he arched an eyebrow my way, but he took the pill all the same. Suddenly, the plane's engines began to roar.

Hurrying to hand out the rest of the pills, I rushed back to the meeting point to see Ralph and Eugene again. We were running out of time.

I found Ralph no problem, but as the seconds continued to tick by and as each plane began to kick to life around us, it was becoming increasingly clear that Eugene was nowhere in sight, 3rd platoon all the way down on the airstrip from us.

"What should we do, lieu?" Ralph shouted in my ear. Even then, I barely heard him.

Trying and failing to find Eugene, I bit my lip again, but this time so hard that I tasted blood. Closing my eyes in defeat, I turned and gave Ralph a quick hug. "I'll see you on the ground!" I shouted back.

With a quick nod, Ralph ran towards his platoon and I ran towards mine. There, Dick was waiting, helping me wiggle into my gear, the rest of the soldiers already in the plane. "Cutting it a little close, Ellie!"

Giving him a bright smile, I spread my arms and legs wide to allow him to check the tightness of all the straps. "And you're surprised, Dick?"

Chuckling, he patted my shoulder to let me know I was good to go. Hustling over to stairs, he helped me with a leg up, and I began my descent into the plane's cavity.

"Well, well, well," chided Don with a grin as I walked towards the back. "Look who decided to show up!"

Joe popped him on the back of the head and I gave him a wink for his trouble. Skip nervously played with his cricket, the clicking echoing somehow even with the extreme noise from the engines around us. I put my free hand on his, stopping the motion. "Try not to break it before we even get in the air, Skip!"

Continuing on my way, I finally found my spot at the end, the last in a long line of paratroopers, of brave men, all of whom I prayed I'd see again on the other side. I sat down next to Chuck.

He gave me a soft smile. "Alright, Lieutenant?"

Just as I was about to reply, the plane lurched; we were on our way.

The rumble of the aircraft literally shook me to the core. I swore it hadn't done that when we'd jumped back at Benning. Hot damn, that seemed a lifetime ago.

As the sun disappeared, it became increasingly harder to make out the faces of the men down the column of the plane. I knew that Dick was sitting in the lead spot, and that Joe was somewhere in the middle. I could hear the distant clickety clank of Skip's cricket for a bit, but then he must have taken my advice and stopped, or else the sound was also swallowed by the plane's roar. In the end it was for the best that their faces disappeared from my view. More than one of them looked queasy, and mutterings about the damn airsickness pills made its way to my ears. Fuck the Army and its surprises.

Chuck's eyes remained closed for the majority of the flight, whether trying to calm his nerves or to quell his own side effects to the pills. Without a rifle to grip in my hands, my fingers fluttered with adrenaline. Antsy for something to do, I was about to nudge my neighbor and wake him up, but the krauts beat me to it.

Sudden booms echoed at first in the distance, but within a minute or two, they surrounded us, jostling the plane if the explosion got a little too close for comfort. Lew was right; they knew we were coming.

Chuck and I exchanged a glance a moment before a bomb went off just behind us, causing me to lift off my seat and practically land in his lap. Gathering myself, I hardly had time to sit my ass back down before another hit and then another. And then another.

Red flooded the plane and I briefly caught Dick's lanky frame standing all the way in the front. I couldn't hear anything he was saying, but I knew automatically, our training ingrained in us. I hooked up, then checked Chuck's equipment. He then checked mine as I had no one behind me. Like clockwork, we sounded off. We were ready.

As if the krauts were taunting us from down below, we might have been ready, but that didn't mean we could jump yet. The light remained red.

My heart thrummed heavily in my throat making it hard to breathe. Just when I thought I couldn't stand just standing there much longer, the color of changed and we were washed in green.

Shuffling forward, following Chuck, eagerly I waited my turn. Just when only a few of us remained, another blast hit under the belly of the C-47, this time causing me to fall backward, the heavy pack weighing me down. My cry for help was lost in the chaos and the men continued to filter out.

Breathing out my finest curses, I twisted and turned every which way until finally I was able to get to my hands and knees and haul myself to my feet, cold sweat dotting my forehead. I hurried forward to the door, and without another thought, I jumped.

It felt as if I was hit with a load of bricks. Something snapped near my face, and it took me a moment to realize that my helmet was gone. The crop blast snapped the neck strap. Artillery surrounded me, but luckily I landed without harm, tucking my feet underneath me and landing softly to the grassy field. I immediately gathered my chute, wide eyes taking in every direction before choosing a path towards a quieter expanse of trees.

Blood pounding in my ears made a beat to almost go in tune with the variety of gun fire and mortars. Ducking low, I clenched my fists in an attempt to feel as if I had some sort of weapon, but who was I kidding. If I was found by the enemy, I was dead, even if I still had my helmet.

In the cover of low hanging branches, I checked what I had left of equipment. All my medical gear was gone. Anything not found in my pockets had disappeared once I hit the air. Luckily I still had my cricket, a compass, and my canteen. Depending on how far I was from the assembly point, I could survive if I figured out where I was, of course.

Shuffling as quietly as I could, compass in one hand and cricket in the other, I kept my ears open and my eyes wide as I delved deeper into the woods. It was clear I was nowhere near any beach. The air was crisp and fragrant of pine. It reminded me of home.

Up ahead, the trees thinned. I had found a road - a goddamn road! I couldn't believe my luck. Five more minutes of solitude and I was convinced I would be lost in the French forest forever. Looking at my compass a moment, I made a decision and turned right, staying off the beaten track, but close enough to follow it.

Not even another hour later and no enemy in sight, I came across an intersection marked with a variety of signs. Waiting a few moments to make sure I was in fact alone, I walked to the signs and blinked. And then I had to blink again.

Sainte Marie du Mont - 3.5km

I was seriously the luckiest goddamn paratrooper to ever jump into freaking Normandy. I thought for sure after my stumble and delay on the plane that I was royally fucked. Turned out I was that much closer to the assembly point than I could ever have imagined.

Still not believing my luck, it was then that I heard a crunch of twigs underfoot behind me. Shit. Well there goes that.

Timidly, I fingered the cricket, emitting a few clicks, hope straining my heart.

"Flash."

I let all the air I didn't know I was holding out in one great whoosh. "Thunder."

I was never so happy to see fucking Sparky Speirs in my life.

He walked towards me slowly, rifle hugged to his chest, paint smeared on his cheeks. "Survived another day, I see."

I grinned. "Not quite yet. Still early."

Behind him, more snaps of twigs were heard, but Speirs didn't move a muscle, so I figured it was safe. To my happy surprise, Danny appeared first, followed by Ed, the shy private from Dog, and another sergeant from the regiment that I didn't recognize.

Danny rushed forward with a huge smile. "Ellie!" he exclaimed, although it was more of a breath. We did have to be quiet after.

I gave him a tight hug, smiling back. "Damn, am I glad to see your ugly mug again."

I looked over at Ed and moved to give him a hug as well. What I remembered to be a warm, yet timid boy when I was in Dog stiffly hugged me back, his face carefully blank and somehow much older. "Good to see you, Lieutenant."

I blinked a few times in surprise, but maybe I was imagining his coldness. "You too, Ed."

Speirs impatiently gestured towards the last man. "Sergeant Shames from I company. Now if we are done with the happy reunions, I will lead us towards the assembly point. No talking."

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes because I knew he was right (never going to admit it though), I fell into step with Danny as we descended back into the woods and moved slowly towards Saint Marie du Mont.

"How was your jump?" I murmured to him.

He replied quietly from the corner of his mouth. "Uneventful, thank God. Ed," he gestured to the sergeant from Item company, "and I were on the same plane. I wouldn't be surprised if we see any one else from 3rd Battalion."

Silently we moved, the trip quick and under an hour. We picked up a few more soldiers from 3rd, just as Danny predicted, but no one else. I acquired a helmet along the way, but from a fallen trooper of another regiment. It would have to do. I was eager to get there already and find Easy, counting on that most of them probably beat me there. I grinned to myself; I was sure to get hell for being late for the party.

Eventually we encountered the Allied line just outside the town. Without another word, Speirs moved forward towards the commanding officer to find where he was needed. Ed followed, but Danny and I remained behind a moment to take it all in.

There were dozens of soldiers gearing up to attack the town and the enemy hiding inside, but they weren't just paratroopers. I could make out infantry uniforms, with a smattering of Screaming Eagles here and there. For the most part, any trooper I found was from 1st or 3rd Battalion. Besides Speirs, Ed, and I, I could find no one from 2nd. And absolutely no one from Easy.

The rock of dread was back in my stomach, but I didn't have time to worry about it. Pushing forward to find another like medic to hopefully share in some supplies, I had to get ready. Easy company or no Easy company, we were going in.