Maybe One Day

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Eagle's Nest

A few of us reached the Eagle's Nest long before any of the trucks did. We were a small group of Toccoa men handpicked by Speirs, Winters, and Lewis. With all the excitement, we ran almost all the way here. The weather around us was beautiful, and the smell coming off the trees and the surrounding wildflowers made me feel calm and at peace. 

"Y'all remember Blithe?" I said, squinting in the sunlight. 

"Yeah, I do. Shit, I hope he's doing okay." said Popeye. "He had the billet next to me in the hospital." 

"I write to him sometimes. It's not often because he's still in the Army Hospital stateside, but he's doing better. When he was wounded, I sang him this song... It's called Edelweiss. It's a type of flower that only grows in the Alps above the treeline. Seeing those mountains made me think of it." I sat up and took a sip of water from my canteen. 

The men around me gave me questioning looks, so I sighed and began softly singing it. They all sat captivated by my voice, and they clapped softly when I finished. After we finished taking our break, Speirs had us up and ready to take the Eagle's Nest. Grant and Malarkey quietly opened the doors and I stayed at the back. The inside was deadly quiet. Speirs sent the rest of the accompanying men to search the rest of the place before striding into another room. I wandered up the stairs and into a lavish bedroom with windows that faced the mountains. 

The view was absolutely breathtaking. I plopped down on the bed to take a seat for a moment. Holy Lord, this has got to be the most comfortable bed. I chuckled and strode over to the large vanity that stood next to the bed. Jewelry boxes stood tall, and a small tray held some of the finest earrings I had ever laid my eyes on. I poured them into a jewelry box and began stuffing what I could into my pack. What couldn't fit in my pack, when into my pockets, and a suitcase I had found under the bed. I couldn't care less for the style of the jewelry. I wouldn't be wearing it myself; It would all be sold when I arrived home. 

"Making out like a bandit, I see?" said Speirs, leaning in the doorway.

"I'm gonna sell it when I get home. Pay for my schooling and the boys, too. Good clothes for them, maybe if I find something for the Ackermann's I'll keep it." 

"What do you want to go to college for?" he asked. 

"Med school. I want to be a doctor." I smiled triumphantly. 

"There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to do it." he smiled. 

Smiles and compliments like that from Speirs were a rarity. Perhaps now that we had been out of combat for long enough he was letting some of his stony demeanor fall. 

"Thank you, sir." I smiled.

"You'll be billeted in the hotel back in Berchtesgaden. There's a nice room waiting for you." 

"Thanks, Ron."

He smirked slightly at the use of his first name and turned on his heel to leave. 

---

After packaging and sending off all the things I had raided from the Eagle's Nest and Berchtesgaden at the PX, I headed off to get my stack of paperwork. I went back to where I was billeted, and instead of working in my bedroom, I took a clipboard and a pack of pencils and parked myself on a chair outside. I had what seemed like a whole ream of paperwork to do but made quick work of it. 

"Where the hell did she disappear to?" 

"I found her, Dick."

My head snapped up from where I had been doing my paperwork to see Major Winters, Lew, Welsh, and Speirs striding towards me. 

"I swear I didn't do anything." I said, hopping to my feet. 

"We got something special for you from Colonel Sink." said Lew, handing me a small bundle. 

"Your brother died on D-Day from his wounds, and when you requested for your brother to be recommended for a Purple Heart, Colonel Sink did a short investigation." 

"You see, he went and asked around to find the two fellas that brought your brother to the aid station that day." said Welsh.

"Apparently selfless acts run in your blood, because while those boys were running, your brother was protecting them so they could get to safety. Colonel Sink felt that it merited something more than just a Purple Heart. He gave his life so that his friends could make it to safety, and he's been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross." said Winters as I pulled out the small velvet case. 

I opened it and ran my hand over the cool metal. 

"The other gift in there was our idea. We all had pictures taken of us after we had received our wings. Inside is your brother's." said Speirs.

I let the framed picture slide out and saw that my brother's bright and smiling face was staring back at me. 

"God, thank you." I said before bursting into tears. 

"Thank you, Meg. You often put your own health on the line to watch over and take care of everyone. You give up your rations, your coats, gloves, scarves, everything to make sure that the men are okay." said Welsh.

"Y'all are my family and I'd do it ten times over." I smiled a little, wiping the tears from my eyes. 

Setting the picture and medal aside, I stood on my feet and wrapped everyone in a hug. We all stood there together for a short time before an idea popped into my head. 

"Hold on a sec." I smiled, reaching for the camera I now always kept in my satchel. 

Setting it up carefully on the railing, I grabbed my brother's picture and lined everyone up and set the timer. I stood beside Lew and smiled when the shutter clicked and signaled that the picture had been taken. 

"Thanks, guys." I smiled brightly. 

---

The next day I found myself at the Eagle's Nest again, this time on a break I had been ordered to take. I chuckled to myself and enjoyed the champagne whilst writing in a journal I had found. Later, Speirs, Harry, and Lewis joined me. They all had been drinking, but I didn't mind. It made me happy to see them so jovial. I put down my journal after a while and sipped on the champagne before getting up to take a stroll down the balcony. 

"Hey, Meg! Get down here! Dick says he has some news!" shouted Lewis. 

I jogged back to where we all had been sitting and he read out the orders.

"All troops stand fast on present positions. Listen up. The German Army surrendered." 

"What?" I said, gaping at Winters. 

"The German Army surrendered." 

A smile broke out on my face and I threw my arms around Winters in a tight hug. He was shocked at first but smiled and hugged me back. I turned to the rest of them and gave all of them hugs.  It had been three years of fighting for them, but moreso five for me. I had three stars on my jump wings. I fought to keep myself and my family alive and now the fighting was over. Lew left with Winters and I was pulled into a dance with Harry who had found records and a phonograph to play. I switched between Speirs, Lipton, and Welsh before we finally decided to return to town. 

The rest of Easy company was already partying and cheered when I returned to them. I was pulled into countless group hugs, given kisses on my cheeks and head, or pulled onto people's shoulders and given piggy-back rides. The whole day was a blur and we spent VE-Day drunk off our feet. 

I think we deserved it. After a year of fighting our way all over Europe, the fighting was finally over.