we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

16: haguenau

UPDATED 05/11/2022. Made some good revisions here. I'm excited to update chapter 17, though! I like those revisions a lot.

This chapter is dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, and everyone who participated in this major event. I watched Saving Private Ryan around the anniversary date...what a movie, am I right?

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There was a rumor that they would have been sent back to England, but instead, Easy Company went to Haguenau. It was inconvenient for Madison, for she had a fever. It wasn't pneumonia like Lipton had, but she was ill nonetheless. She had a constant headache, her eyes felt as they were burning, and she generally felt weak. Of course, after all that she had gone through, she had to go through this. Whoever spread their germs, Madison was going to kill them.

On the trip to Haguenau, Madison was one of the members of Easy who were able to catch a ride in the jeeps. She slept most for most of the ride, snuggled into Liebgott's side for warmth. It felt nice, being able to sit down and rest after all that has happened.

Madison started having trouble sleeping since Foy. Before, her nightmares weren't too frequent. The only major recurrence was when she went MIA in Holland. She could not get that one event out of her mind. Lately, however, she had been having more nightmares that consisted a lot of how she had spent her winter: in the cold with constant flashes of blinding light. She saw Bill and Toye, Skip and Penkala, Julian, Web; all the ghosts of Easy Company. It was unpleasant.

Madison wasn't sure when they arrived in Haguenau, but it was sometime in early February. Haguenau was a small commune, damp and cold and gray; destroyed by arterially. If it wasn't so war torn and still winter, it could have been a beautiful little village.

Madison was fully awake by the time Easy Company entered the town. She was staring off into space when she heard someone greeting them. She turned her head to find David Webster, the Company Scholar, back from months of rehabilitation from...was it the crossroads he was wounded at? It had to be, because Madison didn't remember him getting hit in Eindhoven, and she had not seen him when she and Bill returned to the men before setting off for Bastogne.

Seeing Webster made something burn in Madison. Something unpleasant.

"Hey, guys!" Webster greeted. "Some guy told me to report to Second. You're Jackson, right?"

Private Eugene Jackson was giving him a hard stare. All of them were. Nevertheless, Jackson still answered.

"That's right."

"Who's leading the platoon?" Webster asked. The more he talked, the more Madison became agitated. Can he just can it already?

"It's Don," Madison answered shortly; moodily. Webster glanced at her, before looking up to Malarkey. Malarkey had been standing up on the entire ride to Haguenau, staring out into the horizon, just like how Madison was.

"What, no officers?" Webster asked. Madison internally groaned.

"I guess you didn't hear," Liebgott started.

"No. What's that?" Webster asked.

"They're making Malarkey lieutenant," Liebgott said. "He's on the fast track now."

Madison shot him a perplexed look before looking up to Malarkey, who had yet to interact or even move. He seemed to be frozen in place. The winter had not only been hard on Madison, but it had been hard for Malarkey, too. Truthfully, it had been hard for everyone.

"Really? That's great," Webster nodded, before looking at Jackson. "Jackson, help me up will ya?" he requested, throwing his army-issued bag into the truck, climbing on as Jackson gave him a hand.