All Things Nice » Band of Brothers

47: Lake

"So when we get there -"

"All of us will stay outside and Wells will go in. That's the plan. Okay, Luz?" Johnny demanded.

Luz held his hands up palms-forward in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I was just askin'."

Conversation was sparse for the rest of the journey and, true to the plan, when they arrived at the RAF General Hospital the three men remained outside. Posey shot each of them a smile before heading straight into the building which contained Ward Number Five, walking with a purpose to minimise her chances of being stopped; whilst she didn't know for certain what visiting hours were, she was rather certain that they didn't encapsulate 2200 hours.

The hallways were eerie at night. The sound of her footsteps on the floor seemed to echo off of the walls regardless of how softly she walked. Blackout blinds prevented any moonlight from getting in through the windows at all - always a sharp reminder of all she'd experienced during the Blitz, though Posey had new memories to fill her nightmares by now - and the floor in front of her was only lit by flickering lights on the walls every few meters.

She wasn't much a fan of the hospital by day, but by night it was more unsettling than she let herself comprehend.

When she finally made it to the doors to the ward, she pushed them open as quietly as she was able. The curtains around each bed had been pulled for the night, the men they concealed either sleeping or attempting to. Posey tiptoed her way down the walkway, shooting glances back over her shoulder at the doors every few seconds. When she reached John's bed, she exhaled a silent sigh of relief.

She paused at the curtain. Now she was here, she wasn't sure what to say. What if he was sleeping? What if he was having a nightmare? What if he needed a nurse? Her worries rushed at her so fast her head spun. She pushed open the edge of the curtain before she could talk herself out of it any more than she already had.

She found an empty bed on the other side.

Posey's heart dropped and rolled across the tiles in front of her. But, like always, it carried on beating.

He'd left without her.

All of this effort, all of the risks she'd taken, even dragging her friends into her mess, and her brother had left her behind. Just like her father had. Just like her mother had, in a way. Just like people always did.

A weak sob wrenched its way out of her mouth before she clapped a hand over it to smother the noise. She was so sick of being left behind.

Posey closed the curtain once more and navigated her way back through the hallways as though in a daze. She kept as quiet as she was able, tiptoeing where she could and ducking beneath the windows on doors. Tears stung in her eyes. She held them back. If she started to sob she knew she'd give the whole game away, and she was sick of crying for a family who didn't cry for her.

When she made it back to where Johnny, Guarnere, and Luz were waiting, all she could muster was a shrug.

"What's wrong? Did you see him?" Johnny questioned immediately.

Posey's bottom lip trembled as she shook her head, slowly at first and then rapidly. "He left me," she admitted, the words riding an exhale which quickly turned into a gasp. She held back sobs by sheer force of will, continuing to shake her head in the hopes that she could keep all of her thoughts at bay. "He's gone. He left me behind."

"He what?"

"Wait -" Posey started, standing up straight and wiping at her eyes. "Wait a second." She turned on her heel and skirted around the side of the building, sticking to the walls and thanking God, for once in her life, for blackout blinds. When she made it to the hospital's garden, another sob left her throat. "John," she whispered.