The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

77 | 5 am cigarettes

" I think so." Malarkey told her quietly. Lizzie looked up at him, and saw the sadness that filled his eyes.

" I wish I could've done something though." Lizzie said, " Especially because of Buck, and you and Babe."

" I know." Malarkey told her and she nodded as her bottom lip trembled a bit. Malarkey gently rubbed her back and nodded to her with a small smile.

" You did what you could." Malarkey told her and she nodded, having to trust him on that one. She did what she could. 

Everything began to weigh heavy on Easy Company. 

Hazel missed Bill, Joe and Buck more and more, and with each moment she found herself thinking of them, any memory she could grasp of them, trying to just keep their faces in her mind. And with that, Hazel found herself having trouble sleeping at night; all she could imagine was the hit Bill and Joe took, the voice in her head repeating the words just so she could believe it fully, convince herself, tell herself, it was real. 

Meals were a quiet affair; she missed that Bill and Joe weren't there to greet mostly everyone and then to lead the group in some of the funniest stories and retellings of Easy's time in Aldbourne. 

Now, it was quiet. 

Catherine found herself, the day after Bill and Joe had been pulled from the line, leaned up against a tree, a frown etched onto her features. Her arms were crossed and her gaze was far off, as if it were in another world.

" Lieutenant." a voice said and Catherine glanced up softly to see George coming towards her. After the emotional hug between the two, there had been this heightened mutual respect between the two, more than it ever had been.

" George," she said pushing up from the tree, her eyes anything but bright. George stopped in front of her and pulled something up in front of him. He raised a brow. Catherine smiled sadly and took the cigarette from him. She placed it on her lip and George gently lit it, as she breathed it in with a sigh.

" A cigarette for a thousand problems." she said with a small sigh, pulling the cigarette from her lips. George let a tiny laugh past his lips.

" They have dinner up and running." George said, " Came looking for you when you didn't show up." Catherine slowly glanced up at George and shook her head.

" I'm not hungry." she said softly, shaking her head, " I think I'd throw up if I had to eat something." George watched her.

" If you can't do it yourself, I'll spoon feed it to ya." George said with a light, joking tone and Catherine looked up to see a small smile on his face. She smiled the best she could, an ache still perpetrating her heart.

" Would you really?" she said with a laugh as George snickered, " I'm just kidding."

" You sure? I got a spoon," George said pulling it from his front pocket, " for two?" Catherine just laughed lightly and shook her head.

" I think I'll work on this cigarette for a bit." she told him. George have a gentle smile to her.

" You do that, Lieutenant. You need me, you know where I'll be." he said to her slowly stepping back from her with a smile, waving the box in his hands.

" If I see that white box flying, I'll know it's you." she called lightly back and she smiled at George's chuckle which filled the air. She smiled as her heart fell. 

Throughout the following days, Easy tried to adjust to life without Bill, Buck and Joe in the company. Just not seeing their faces and such and even Joe Toye's singing. Hazel occupied her time by sitting with her friends, just being with her friends. You never knew when someone would have their last day of life. And she looked at the stars when they would show and she'd pray. She prayed so much now, she prayed this would end soon and that they would stop losing the lives they lost, to death or wounds. She just wanted it to stop.