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A tick against the steer of the ambulance tapped off the burning edges of the cigarette sitting between the nurse's fingers. The burning of her throat and lungs coming from the smoke, were the only warmth Riley felt. It was her solution to the fight against the winter. Her white knuckles' tight grip descended down the wheel, the skin of her hands were a cold blue color, matching with the shade of her cracked lips and shivering feet. Belgium was really cold, especially for Easy Company who had to survive without enough winter coats and a lack of ammunition. The white snow laying on the side of the road, send shivers down the soldiers' backs, understanding well what the consequences were for having not enough warmth coming from thick jackets and knitted socks or gloves.
Eugene, who sat on the passenger seat next to the wheel, was blowing in his hands and rubbed warmth inside of them. He then placed the slightly heated skin against his cheeks and thought back to his time as a kid. Young and little Eugene, playing in the cold with the friends he had at that time. Throwing snow balls at each other and trying to build the largest snowman they had ever seen. The medic heard the laughter in his mind, he missed those days. The only worry the child suffered from, was if his mother didn't forget to make the warm chocolate milk she had promised him. Nothing else in the world could hurt him, that's what he had always believed. Now, he was stuck inside of war at the other side of the world and it didn't seem as if he was going back soon. The wrongs in the world did reach to him and pulled the young medic out of his home.
"Eugene, you're dreaming," Riley stated while breathing out some of the smoke she kept between her lips. She had been smoking less than what she used to, there was just no time for her to take out a cigarette and enjoy it. So, every moment she had were no one expected anything from her, was the moment that she would take out the opened pack and smoke a couple of them. Just until she felt satisfied and ready to conquer the wounded bodies and unsolved letters again.
"You can rest if you want. You haven't had a lot of sleep the last days."
"The last couple of weeks," he whispered loud enough for her to understand every word that slipped out of his mouth.
"Gene! Get some rest."
The medic started shaking with his head and pointed at the sign they drove past. 'Bastogne' was written in large red letters on the wooden board, the corners of the words smudged over the wood. The sign was a new sign, replacing the older one that was destroyed by a lost grenade that landed over the lines. Remains were shattered all over the road, Riley even spotted a corner of the old sign hanging in the highest tops of the still standing trees.
"Are you stressed?"
"Yeah, really badly. It's just, I don't think I can do a lot in those aid stations, you know. I can't patch up someone who is torn to pieces. I can talk to people, of course, but I can't save them from those wounds." Riley turned the wheel to the left side, following the officers car's trails to their destination.
"Don't worry about it, they know what you've learned and what you didn't."
"I worry all the time, Gene. That's just how I am," she laughed. "I do not want to disappoint anybody and I feel like maybe I will."
"You have never disappointed any of us."
"Wilson, you have to keep on going forward and follow the directions to Bastogne. There will be a church there for you. The other ambulances will stay close behind, so try not to lose the way," Nixon explained with a laugh on his face, pointing the direction that she had to drive.
"Thank you. Oh, and Nixon, try your best not to get hurt please."
"You don't want to see me in the hospital? Are you already tired of me?," the lieutenant joked.
"Yes, I can't stand your face anymore."
"Ready to become a real medic, Riley?" Malarkey came out of the back of a car and joined the conversation between his officer and a great friend of him. She had been such a support to everyone, but he noticed that not a lot of people returned that care. So, he and some other soldiers decided that they always had to make sure she was alright. Riley had enough reasons not to be, the loss of her friends, the fear for her family and now her friends. The terrifying thought of losing the person she finally admitted to love, they all quickly found out about the shared kiss between Riley and Joseph. She needed somebody to look out for her, even if she didn't know that herself.
"As ready as I can be. Have you seen Lieb anywhere?" Riley asked, trying her best to see his slender figure between the packed crowd.
"Want me to get him?"
"I have to leave, so don't bother. Just tell him to stay safe, alright."
"Oh and Malark, you as well. Don't want to see any of you in the church." She stopped the ginger haired soldier from leaving her too early. A smile crept on her face and made him mimic that facial expression, the cold inside his body already warming away from his upturned lips. He waved at the young medic while she rode away, many of Easy Company followed his lead. They waved away that one person who was able to get them through everything, even through the horrors of death. That one person that was always there for everyone, was now gone and thrown in her own nightmares filled with blood and injuries.
