The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

95: Sunsets in the Alps

"A balcony!" Charlie exclaimed, her voice pitched loud enough for Mabs to hear it above the shower water she was testing.

The balcony was made of light brown tile, with a black wrought iron railing which created three sides of a rectangle to cage them in. There was a matching wrought iron table with two chairs pushed beneath it and Charlie sat down in one for a little while to admire the view. Mountains and trees and greenery and the lake. The perfect view. It was all so beautiful.

"I think I could stay here forever," Charlie declared.

Mabs laughed as she finally turned the water off and emerged from the bathroom drying her hands on a white towel. "Me too."

Charlie chose the bed closest to the window and Mabs the one closest to the bathroom, an agreement they came to naturally and didn't have to debate. They made quick work of unpacking their belongings, each taking one half of the wardrobe and placing all other personal effects into their respective nightstands, before pushing their carpet bags beneath their beds and heading down to the basement where Henry had told them to meet her to start setting up the field hospital. No one expected to need it and, indeed, Charlie hoped they didn't, but they'd been ordered to anyway, 'just in case', so they made quick work of it and left it at that.

"Let's go down to the lake," Boo suggested as they climbed the stairs back up to the hotel lobby.

"If only we had swimsuits," Autumn lamented as they all agreed and headed out of the hotel in the direction of the lake. "I want to swim."

"Maybe we can buy some," Henry said. "There'll be stores and stuff, I'm sure."

Charlie smiled at the thought. "I haven't been swimming since I was little," she said, thinking of memories of vacations in the South of France.

"I've never," admitted Mabs. "I'm a city girl through and through."

"So's Autumn," Boo pointed out.

Mabs heaved a laugh of surrender. "Alright, then I got no excuse."

The nurses followed signs which took them to a trail through the woods. The sunshine was warm on Charlie's skin and prompted her to roll her sleeves up and tie her hair back off her neck, and as it cut through the gaps in the trees it made patterns dance on the ground.

After only a couple of minutes of walking they heard voices and splashing, and emerged onto the edge of the lake. There was a wooden pier stretching out into it covered in piles of khaki, and in the water were men. Shirtless men. Potentially naked men.

"Oh my goodness!" Charlie exclaimed when she realised.

Mabs laughed loudly. "Well, what d'ya suppose we have here, girls?"

"It must be bath time at the zoo," Autumn remarked with a smirk, coming forward to stand beside her.

"Would ya look who it is," Don declared from where he was paddling in the water, thankfully concealed from the neck downwards. "Come to watch the show?"

"What show?" Henry retorted. "Did the menagerie come to town?"

"So rude," Don replied with a tut. "Why don't you come join us?"

"Why don't you put some clothes on and then we'll talk," she fired back.

"Aw, Henry, don't be that way."

"We don't have swimsuits," Boo supplied helpfully.

George scoffed, wading through the water toward them. "Swimsuits," he echoed. "Who needs 'em?"

"Do you suppose we get in naked?" Boo asked sarcastically.

Mabs laughed. "Oh, I bet they'd love that."