All Things Nice » Band of Brothers

64: Birthday

"You must've been rich, huh?" Johnny asked, examining the picture. "That your house?"

"Used to be," she confirmed, nodding and suddenly looking past the two figures in the foreground, instead staring closely at their surroundings. The chandelier in their front hallway was lit behind them, its crystals dancing in the light. Posey hadn't seen such grandeur in a long time - it felt like a lifetime since it had been something she was entitled to, something that belonged to her - but she still felt the warmth of recognising home. That had been the home she'd imagined in boot camp, when she'd been fighting so hard to get back. That had been the hallway she'd dreamed about hugging her mother in, reunited after a long, long time away. It looked exactly as she remembered, a relic of the life she'd lost. When Johnny passed her the picture back she cradled it in her hands.

The pair of them were silent a while, listening to the world go by around them. Men came and went from stints on watch whilst others talked amongst themselves. Trigger the dog barked from somewhere on the other side of the barn, making Posey laugh quietly to herself. She couldn't believe that dog was still around, really, but he certainly had taken a strong liking to Tab, for whatever reason. He'd be heartbroken when they eventually had to leave.

Out of the companionable silence, Posey asked, "Has Pat written recently? Have you been sending her my love?" She was talking about his wife, as he'd made the mistake of telling her once that he'd written about her in a letter home. He hadn't heard the end of it since, and every time Posey caught him writing a letter she insisted to be included as sending her love. It had gotten to the point where Pat had even taken to asking after her in her letters, checking she was still well. It made Posey grin every time Johnny begrudgingly informed her so.

Johnny rolled his eyes but his reluctant smile gave him away. "Yeah, I have, and I bet she's confused as hell about it every time."

Posey giggled, delighted by the thought. "When she eventually finds out, everything is going to make so much sense," she said, and laughed a little bit more. "At the moment she must think I'm trying to steal her from you or something, since she thinks I'm a man."

"You'll have to come visit once all of this is over," Johnny replied, chuckling under his breath. "Tell her in person. She won't believe me otherwise."

Posey positively beamed and had to physically restrain herself from throwing her arms around him. "Really?" she said, her eyes shining. "I can visit you after?"

Johnny ducked from her gaze. He never liked talking feelings or being sentimental. "Sure," he agreed.

"I'd love that," Posey told him, her sincerity making her voice soft. "I really would."

"Well, you're always welcome. If you ever wanted a place to stay or anything."

That meant more to her than she could even attempt to give voice to. Her smile made her cheeks start to hurt. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

The second thing Posey got for her birthday was a briefing on the company's next assignment, Operation Pegasus, which would be taking place on the day itself - that was, the early morning of the day. In two days' time, Easy was to cross the river Rhine to help rescue one hundred and thirty-eight British soldiers who had been trapped in occupied territory. Posey knew that feeling all too familiarly. What was it with Brits and getting stranded in occupied Holland?

By the sounds of things, it was a large scale but very covert operation, wherein they were to be present in case the need for combat support arose. They would travel across the river with Canadian engineers, where the gathered troops, ferried to that position by the Dutch Resistance, would meet them and go with them back across the Rhine. It sounded easy enough. Whether or not that would actually be the case come the night of the endeavour was yet to be seen.