"Sergeant Valentine, Private Jacobi." the voice of Vest spoke up, the two women out on the tarmac with the others the next day preparing for the jump. It was June 5th and today was the day they were finally jumping into France. Roe was soon going to be passing out airsickness pills while Jamie and Peggy kept an eye on Bill from a distance. The man had yet to approach Jamie yet, all three very well knew how close Jackson and Henry had grown through their letters to their siblings. They had become brothers, best friends and with Jackson's friend Kenny, a trio. Jamie and Peggy's gazes were snapped from Bill to Vest who stood near the women. "Colonel Sink needs to see you both in his office." He informed them, the two women exchanging looks before nodding. They followed Vest to Sink's office before stepping inside where the older man sat at his desk.
"Sergeant, Private." Sink nodded his head, the two saluting the man. "Please sit, I have some news." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, Peggy and Jamie frowned and shared a look that made him chuckle. "Don't worry, it's good news." Sink assured them calmly.
"Oh." they both said.
"First to start with you, Sergeant Valentine." Sink smiled and looked over at Peggy. "Lieutenant Winters and Nixon have both given you high regard and compliments, I've heard the same from Meehan as well." He explains to Peggy who glances at Jamie with a frown, the woman merely shrugging in return. "In return, I have seen fit based on their recommendations, to promote you to Second Lieutenant," Sink announced with a wide smile, Jamie grinned and beamed while Peggy sat there in shock.
"I-I-I..." She stuttered unsure of what to say, Jamie nudging her with her foot. Peggy cleared her throat and stood up, shaking Sink's hand when he stood as well. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret it." Peggy smiled widely.
"I know I won't, Lieutenant. Your file of your previous work and your work with Easy and Lieutenant Nixon shows this." Sink smiled back, shaking her hand in return before looking at Jamie. "Now, Private Jacobi. I've gotten recommendations from the Lieutenant's as well, but the field surgeons you have clinical with, they are very impressed and proud of you." He started to say to Jamie while Peggy smirked widely. "I've seen fit to promote you to Corporal and I'd say it's about damn time. You've earned it." Sink smiled proudly while Jamie gaped in shock and Peggy looked down at her.
"Get up and shake his hand. You should be proud!" Peggy exclaimed, forcing her friend to stand up and Jamie shook his hand.
"Thank you so much, sir. I'm...shocked, honestly." Jamie admitted to Sink who chuckled lightly.
"Your father would be proud, very proud, Corporal." Sink complimented which made Jamie beam and he glanced at Peggy. "Yours as well, Lieutenant. I'm quite proud of you both, everyone should be." He tells them honestly, the two women sharing smiles and the man nods. "You are dismissed, good luck to you both." Sink nods and the women saluted before leaving the room where they headed back to the tarmac where the others were, passing by Winters and Nixon on the way.
"Lieutenant Valentine. Corporal Jacobi." Nixon grinned and called out. "Right? Just want to make sure I'm calling my partner and our wonderous medic the right ranks." He and Winters stepped over to the two women who stopped.
"Yes, Lewis. Don't worry, you're correct." Peggy quipped which made Winters snort.
"Congratulations, Margaret. And to you too, JJ." Winters smiled at them, Peggy smiling and patting his arm.
"Thank you, Dick. I heard you gave us high regards." Peggy smiled back, Winters shrugging while Nixon laughed.
"Yeah, because you deserved it. Both of you." Nixon replies.
"I do, don't I. I've busted my ass at this work." Jamie says smugly, grinning and crossing her arms. Nixon snickered and started laughing while Winters rolled his eyes but smiled and Peggy chuckled.
"You missed out on the boring debrief, Mags. Truly lucky the promotion came now." Nixon commented, Winters shaking his head at his best friend.
"Okay, okay, Nix. They need to finish getting ready, let's go." Winters cut in and gave Nixon a look, the man shrugging. "Good job, to both of you. Your fathers would be proud." He told them with a smile before he and Nixon walked away. The two looked over when they spotted Buck Compton walking their way, the LA native smiling widely at them.
"Congrats, you two!" He called out to them. "Glad to be working side by side with you, Peggy." Buck adds with the wide smile still on his face.
"Thank you, Buck." Peggy smiled back with a nod.
"Oh, and I'm sure Doc Roe is proud of you too, JJ." Buck nodded to the medic who smiled.
"I know he is." She replied, the man chuckling and shaking his head while Peggy snorted.
"See you two on the plane soon, good luck." Buck waved to them.
"You too, Buck!" Peggy waved back with a smile, the two women shaking their heads. Nothing brought Buck down ever, the former baseball player was for sure a literal beam of sunshine. They don't know how he was, especially Peggy wondered how he was one.
"Oh, this is going to be great. We have got to tell the others." Jamie grinned, grabbing Peggy's hand and rushing towards the others on the tarmac who were making sure everything was set before they took their airsickness pills and prepared to get to their assigned planes. "Oh, gentlemen!" She called out, grabbing all of their attention, especially with the wide smirk on her face.
"Oh god, what'd you do this time?" Malarkey sighed, looking at her. Jamie shot him an offended look while Peggy snorted.
"I didn't do anything, excuse you!" Jamie huffed.
"Alright, alright, what's the news?" Lipton cut in with a soft chuckle.
"I'd like to introduce you to your new Lieutenant and Corporal," Jamie smirked smugly, gesturing to Peggy then herself. They all stared in surprise for a moment before they congratulated their friends on their promotions.
"No shit, that's great!" Skip beamed with happiness, going over and giving his two friends a hug. "I mean, Peggy was already in higher rank than all of us but you know she can-" He started to ramble but Malarkey nudged him which made Alex snort.
"Congratulations." Malarkey smiled at them.
"Nice one, ladies. Good for you." Bill nodded his head to them.
"So, once again, I'll never have a chance with sweet Maggie, she's still higher than me." George sighed with fake disappointment, Jamie shooting him a weird look while Peggy laughed.
"You never had a chance, to begin with, Luz." Toye commented dryly, the other chuckling at his words.
"You can say that again, Toye, but just like Rita...he'll never let go." Jamie mocked George who pretended to be wounded and everyone laughed at their antics.
"Alright, alright, let's finish up preparations, we have a jump to make soon." Peggy cut in with a small chuckle leaving her lips, glancing over at Lipton who nodded.
"She's right, fellas. Let's move." Lipton called out, Peggy walking over to her stuff while Jamie did the same. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. You deserve it. You both do." He smiled at his friend, patting her shoulder.
"Thank you, Lip." She smiled back before getting back to her stuff.
"Nice job, Harriet." Joe smirked at Jamie, the man to her left and working on his own provisions. "Didn't think you'd outrank me first." He commented, Jamie just shooting him a smirk.
"I outrank you on a lot of things." She retorted, Joe chuckled and smirked as Jamie finished up, right when she spotted Eugene going around and giving the airsickness pills. Bill stood up and walked over to the woman, nudging her to get her attention. "Oh, Bill, what do you need?" Jamie asked softly, turning to the man with a small frown.
"I know about my brother, in the letter Johnny received...there's was an extra note from Jackson. He talked about Henry and the jokes and stories he told in his last days." Bill explained to Jamie who's face fell in sympathy, seeing in her friend's eyes he was taking this hard but holding back from showing it. "When you write him again, thank him for me. I owe him. He was there for my brother when I couldn't be." He tells her, Jamie stepping forward and squeezing his arm.
"Henry was like a brother to him, he'd never leave him alone, Bill. Trust me." Jamie assured him softly, the man nodding. "I'll tell him, but write to Jackson too. He'd appreciate it." She added.
"Yeah, yeah, I think I'll do that, thanks, JJ." Bill cleared his throat, nodding again before going back over to his stuff. Jamie turned to Peggy and helped the woman stand up.
"You good?" She asked Jamie.
"Yeah, I'm good, you?" Jamie replied, Peggy chuckling.
"Absolutely." Peggy nodded when Eugene headed over and handed them each their airsickness pills. "Good luck, Eugene. I'll see you down there." She smiled at the medic, taking the pill before stepping away.
"See you there." Jamie smiled softly at her friend, taking the pill as well.
"Stay safe, Jamie. Please." Eugene says quietly, Jamie nodding.
"You do the same." She said, giving him a quick hug, Eugene smiled back before heading off to give more of the men their airsickness pills. Once Eugene finally finished up giving out the airsickness pills to everyone, Winters finally stepped over to those assembled on the tarmac under his command, the man ready to talk to everyone before they jumped.
"Second platoon, listen up." Winters called, grabbing their attention. Everyone facing him and listening intently to their leader. "Good luck. God bless you. I'll see you in the assembly area." He tells them and one by one the brave Lieutenant Winters grabs each man or woman by the hand, lifting them up from their sitting position on the ground Winters gave Jamie a smile, the woman returning it before heading to the plane and climbed inside. "Stay safe, Margaret." Winters says lowly to his friend when he helped Peggy up, the woman squeezing her friend's hand.
"You too, Dick. I'll see you soon." Peggy nodded, following after Jamie into the plane. Jamie grimaced when she was stuck in a position near Roy Cobb but said nothing of it while Peggy found herself near Joe and Eugene. They both wondered what each person was thinking about right now, but Peggy and Jamie shared one last nod when the plane jerked and began moving down the tarmac. Peggy squeezed Eugene's hand, knowing exactly what the medic was thinking about. Eugene shot the Lieutenant a thankful yet nervous smile and she nodded. She knew just like Jamie of him and sweet Vera obviously, so she knew he needed support while in those thoughts, she would give it. However, Jamie caught Joe's gaze and sent him a small smile, the man returning it with his own. Unbeknownst to Jamie, just as Jackson asked, Joe was gonna look after her. Well, he had to now, especially since he wrote a letter to the man and promised to look after his only sister. Joe couldn't break it and let his friend get hurt or worse killed. No, he wouldn't break it, not now. Peggy would kill him. His mother would kill him.
-8-
The plane ride was silent for everyone, minus the sounds of the propellers and engine and someone lighting a cigarette every so often. Jamie could feel her hands sweating with nerves while Peggy kept herself calm with controlled breathes, all she could think about was her time in Europe with her old company. They were her family, they still are but...now she was going in there with a new family all over again. The woman glanced in the direction of Jamie, seeing her swallow hard and rub her hands together. Jamie's jaw clenched while Peggy just focused on the wall above her when distant explosions were heard. Someone could believe those sounds were something else, but Jamie and especially Peggy knew those were bombs and they were France, about to drop into it. Jamie and Peggy glanced over when the red light buzzed and flashed on. "Get ready!" Winters yelled to the platoon, Peggy exhaled sharply and focused on controlling her thumping heart while Jamie tapped her foot on the ground nervously.
"Hook up!" the words were shouted by Buck and everyone immediately did as ordered. Jamie hooking up in front of Cobb while Peggy hooked up between Eugene and Joe. "Equipment check!" Jamie checking the man in front of her and Peggy reaching forward to check Eugene. Joe checked Peggy, however, if this was normal practice Jamie would be less than pleased with Cobb's hands all over her, checking her. "Sound off for equipment check!"
"Twenty okay!"
"Nineteen okay!" everyone screaming out the numbers for the equipment check, Jamie practically hearing her blood rushing and pumping through her ears. They were getting closer and the explosions were louder and worse, both she and Peggy could see white flashes from the explosions in the sky.
"Thirteen okay!" Cobb shouted, Jamie patting down the man in front of her before nodding content.
"Twelve okay!" She called out, Joe patting Peggy down before shouting out the number as Peggy patted down Eugene.
"Five okay!" Peggy yelled out with a firm nod, Eugene checking the man in front of him. "Be safe, Eugene. Good luck." She whispered to her friend, squeezing his shoulder before standing straight.
"You too." Eugene gave her a nod back.
"One okay!" the voice of Winters broke through and now was just waiting for the red light to buzz green and then they would jump. Jamie would be in a warzone for the first time ever and Peggy would be right back in Europe, right back into that warzone again. She could do it, she knew Jamie, Winters, Nixon...others...they believed she could. She knew Nixon and Winters knew of her time in Europe, but Peggy barely divulged any of that information to Jamie or George or any others. So right now while Jamie feeling her blood rushing, Peggy's throat was dry as they waited to jump in a country where many of her old family died.
Suddenly the plane was jolted and everyone was thrown to the side, from what was obvious to Peggy as an explosion. Peggy grimaced and Jamie could feel her left-hand shake, the older woman glancing back at her and giving her a comforting nod and smile. Jamie had this. The plane finally leveled again and the platoon was able to regain their balance, Jamie and Peggy hearing someone scream. "Jesus Christ! Let's go! Let's go!"
"The light isn't green yet!"
"If we go too early, we'll all die! Do you want that?" Peggy shouted back to whoever had said that before turning forward again. There was a reason with training that they waited until it was green and clear to jump. Too high, you die, too low, you die. Too many fucking explosions near you...you goddamn die.
"I really wish we could jump right now, I really do." Jamie muttered only to herself when out of nowhere there was a white flash, glass and shrapnel breaking through the windows. Jamie could feel a cut on her cheek and forehead, but Cobb got the worst of it by the shout of pain from the man. "Shit!" She cursed with wide eyes.
"I've been hit!" Cobb cried in anguish, Jamie quickly moving with the paratrooper that was behind Cobb and helping set the man down.
"Unhook him!" someone ordered, the man behind Cobb doing exactly as ordered...just when the light turned green.
"You've got to be shitting me," Jamie grumbled in irritation at the sight of the light.
"JJ!" Peggy called back with worry.
"Go! Go!" everyone was ordered, Peggy glanced back at Jamie with worry but with a small nudge from Joe and a reassuring look from the man. She knew was he was saying, she'd be fine, Winter's would make sure she'd jump. One by one everyone jumped out of the plane except Jamie who unhooked herself and moved over to Cobb.
"JJ! What can you do?" Winters yelled to her, Jamie licking her lips while assessing Cobb's wounds as quickly as possible. The wounds were too severe for him to continue, he couldn't jump and she needed to right now.
"Nothing, sir! He can't jump! These wounds are far too deep, he'd die out there!" She called back to her superior who nodded, Jamie knew Cobb would hate her even more for this.
"I want to jump, sir!" Cobb insisted over the roaring engine and explosions. "I can make the jump!"
"You can't! Your wounds are too fatal! You heard the medic!" Winters shook his head and told Cobb, turning to Jamie. "Go, JJ! Jump! Now! You need to!" He ordered her, Jamie nodding and standing back up. She stumbled slightly but steadied herself as Buck stepped forward and hooked her up with a nod.
"Go! Let's go, move!" Buck yelled, pushing Jamie forward and she moved to the door before jumping. For Peggy, the experience was exactly the same as Jamie's. Both women were in complete darkness with the earth below them burning with fires as explosions flashed above them. Once the planes were getting smaller and smaller, that's when they pulled the shoots and hit the ground.
-8-
Peggy grunted when she hit the ground, she shook her head and let herself get together before releasing her shoot. She let out a breath and looked around for anyone, she didn't see anyone not even Jamie or Winters. Peggy cursed to herself but allowed herself to gain her bearings before she decided to head out through the woods. She would find a road eventually and follow from the woods, she knew that. Peggy could probably handle herself better in the French woods than most of the company. She was more worried about Jamie. "Bloody drop didn't go perfect, obviously." She scoffed to herself, rolling her eyes as she walked through the woods. It took some time before she found a dirt road in the distance and continued her option of following the road from the woods, and she crouched/walked through the woods. However, when Peggy got some distance she heard the crunched of footfalls on the gravel and cursed quietly. She moved to lay on her stomach, grimacing and wincing when her foot caused a twig to crack. "Dammit..." Peggy whispered.
"Flash?" a voice called out, her eyes widening. It sounded like Lipton, Carwood Lipton. "Flash?" He tried again and Peggy exhaled in relief, she was really hating being out alone.
"Thunder! Thunder!" Peggy exclaimed, standing up and facing Lipton with relief. Lipton grinned in relief at the sight of his friend and she smiled.
"Lieutenant? Peggy?!" Lipton said with relief.
"Yeah, it's me, Lip." Peggy nodded and replied, she glanced momentarily at the men behind him. She didn't know who they were and obviously, they had no idea who she was. She walked over to the man and gave him a short hug of relief, Lipton happily accepting the hug, glad to see her okay. "Who are these two? And have you seen JJ?" She asked him.
"These men are Private McDowell and Private Olson. They're from the 82nd." Lipton answered her, Peggy's eyebrows raising in surprise. To find men from 82nd? She was surprised. "And no...I haven't seen JJ." He shook his head glumly.
"Damn, she was one of the last off, I know it. Cobb got hit and she stayed back to check him." Peggy informed him, Lipton's eyes widening at that. That wasn't good. "Well, at least we have back up...from the 82nd? Really?" She said flabbergasted, Lipton nodding silently.
"And we have no idea where we are, we're far off from our DZ," Lipton stated, Peggy groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose. When Lipton didn't say anything about what to do next, the two privates looked from him to Peggy.
"Alright." She exhaled and thought for a second. "I'm assuming you were heading towards the DZ and hoping to find others along the way?" Peggy asked the man who gave a short nod. "Okay, your plans perfectly fine, Lip." She concluded, Lipton bobbed his and looked at the two privates.
"Alright, come on, we need to find the others," Lipton informed the other two and the four started moving, Peggy biting her lip nervously and glancing back in the direction she came. "Hey, she's fine. JJ's tough, she'll be good." He reassured her softly when he noticed her anxiousness, it was obvious she was thinking about Jamie.
"I hope so." Peggy breathed. While they walked Lipton brought her up to date with what happened to him when he dropped and she shared hers. It was thankfully uneventful for her, she was grateful for that. Though she also had the experience of being in occupied territory before, she was much more prepared than most. "I dropped...maybe less than two hours ago?" She said unsure with a small shrug, Lipton could see she was fine minus a scratch here and there.
"Glad we found you, though I'm sure you can handle yourself better than most." Lipton nodded and glanced at his friend.
"I was hoping, the tiniest hope JJ was behind me, but god...I don't know how long after me she jumped." Peggy clenched her fist and Lipton squeezed her arm comfortingly. "I should've stayed behind but...I couldn't." She sighed and he gave her a sympathetic look when she suddenly heard a clicking noise. "What the fuck? Do you hear that?" Peggy quickly moved into a whisper, all four of them halting to a stop at the sound.
"Yeah, I hear it." He nodded, his voice quiet and there was silence before they heard the clicking noise again. He and Peggy looked in the direction it was coming from. "It's coming from the other side. Follow me." Lipton informs her.
"We're following you, Sergeant." Peggy bobbed her head and the four went together through the trees, Lipton dropped in front of Peggy and she heard a loud splash from the water. Peggy followed into the river as quietly as possible, but the flashes were still loud. McDowell and Olson followed suit and Peggy swallowed hard, everything she had known and learned prior to Easy coming upon her.
"Lieutenant Winters? Is that you?" Lipton called out hushedly, Peggy knowing it was a 50/50 chance that it was actually Winters in this occupied territory. However, she was really hoping it was her friend right now. Two men suddenly popped out from behind the bushes and Peggy exhaled in relief at the sight of Winters. She smiled widely as the four of them ran up to the high ground and joined Winters. Winters ordered the others to stand down when they made it to them.
"Dick, thank god you're alive, have you found JJ?" Peggy immediately asked, not allowing her friend or anyone else to speak a word.
"She jumped before me and Buck, she got off. I haven't found her though, I'm sorry, Margaret." Winters apologized, his face falling slightly when Peggy looked heartbroken at the news. "She's okay, Margaret, she's tough. I know she's okay, she'll show up." He assured her quietly, Peggy cleared her throat and nodded.
"Thank you." She merely whispered, Lipton placed a comforting hand on his friend's back and Winters changed the subject.
"Any weapons?" He asked Lipton and Peggy.
"No, sir." Lipton shook his head, Peggy knowing he had lost his leg bag like everyone else. "All I got is a knife and some TNT." He informed the man who looked to Peggy.
"I have a knife and handgun with limited ammo, that's it. I lost my rifle." Peggy shook her head and Winters sighed before looked over at McDowell and Olson.
"Olson and McDowell. They're from the 82nd." Lipton told him.
"Lip found them before he found me," Peggy added with a small nod.
"The 82nd? Man, where the hell are we?" the man with Winters exclaimed.
"I apologize for my punctuality, but who are you?" Peggy's thick British voice cut through, Lipton chuckling quietly.
"Private Hall, ma'am. I'm Able Company's radioman. Until I lost my radio." Hall explained to her, he was shocked and taken aback to see the British woman in front of him, but the way she spoke so casually with Lieutenant Winters. He didn't want to say anything. Though he'd heard of the women in Easy Company.
"Lieutenant Valentine from Easy Company. Glad you're alive, Private." Peggy offered a soft and comforting smile, Hall immediately relaxed at her words and smiled back.
"I saw a sign back there, sir. It said 'Sam Merrick Lee's,'" Lipton informed his leader, butchering the french which made Peggy grimace. The privates snickered at the very obvious grimace on her face, he obviously didn't speak it well to her. Peggy watched Winters who seemed to get an idea and reach down to his crotch which made Peggy snort.
"Dick, please, there are children." Peggy couldn't help herself, the privates biting their lips to keep from laughing while Winters gave her a dry look but she grinned. However, the man merely pulled out a compass but Peggy knew she and Jamie were crafty like that as well. Keeping things in their bras and such, Jamie kept her smokes and lighter in hers among other things.
"Flashlight." Winters requested from Lipton and the man gave him one. "Raincoat?" He asked, Lipton looking at Peggy who shook her head before he looked at the others. She didn't have hers, it was in her leg bag...which she lost.
"Yeah." Olson nodded, turning around while McDowell pulled it out of his pack and handed it to Peggy who passed to Winters. The woman helped Winters put it over his head before he turned on the flashlight and began observing the map. Peggy's eyes flickered in the direction of distant gunfire but she kept herself calm. Seconds later Winters flashed off the light and threw off the raincoat.
"An update, dear?" Peggy asked, raising an eyebrow as Winters ignored the pet name. He knew her joking was just to cover her worry for Jamie right now.
"We're about seven kilometers away from our objective, under four hours away from we need to have it secure." Winters announced to the group, Peggy humming quietly and nodding along. "So, we got a lot of walking ahead of us." the man concluded before handing back the flashlight. "You two will stick with us until we find your unit. Let's go." Winters ordered everyone.
"Four hours is better than twenty," Peggy commented, Winters helping her up before they all head out, following Winters. She could hear the 82nd men whispering to Lipton while she walked next to Winters. However, she ignored them, though she scowled when they called her friend a looney and she could hear them voicing doubts about the female Lieutenant walking next with them.
"Ignore them. You're doing great, ma'am." the voice of Hall spoke up from behind her.
"Thank you, Hall." She glanced back and nodded before looking forward.
"He's right, you're doing great, Margaret. Even though I know you're worrying about JJ." Winters said hushedly to her, Peggy giving him a thankful smile. It wasn't long later when Peggy heard familiar voices when they reached train tracks and rolled her eyes, they really needed to work on being quiet sometimes. "Flash!" He called to them.
"Thunder!" the men blurted immediately in reply, Winters gestured for all of them to emerge from the bushes and move to the tracks, all of them doing as he ordered.
"Lieutenant, is that you?" Malarkey asked, Peggy grinning in relief at the sight of another friend. They were also greeted by Popeye, Toye, and Bill as well. "Peggy!" He exclaimed at the sight of her.
"Hello, Don, how are you?" Peggy smiled, stepping over to him and giving him a quick hug before greeting the other three.
"I'm alright, have you seen JJ? Or anyone else?" Malarkey asked with a smile, Peggy's slowly fading which made Malarkey, Popeye, Bill, and Toye tense.
"You haven't found her?" Bill frowned.
"No, I was hoping you had, she was one of the last to jump because Cobb got wounded," Peggy explained with a frown of worry, the four exchanging a look while Lipton and Winters glanced at her.
"I'm sure she's fine, Peggy. She's a tough nut." Toye's raspy voice attempted to reassure her.
"Joe's right, JJ can handle herself. She sure handled Sobel and worse." Popeye spoke up, patting the woman's shoulder while Malarkey squeezed her arm. Peggy was a strong and tough person, but she had such a sisterly bond with Jamie and they knew it would hurt her if something happened to Jamie.
"Yeah..." Peggy exhaled and nodded, she was taking in all their words. She knew she had to stay level-headed. "But what about you all, have you found anyone else?" She inquired.
"I haven't." Malarkey cleared his throat, attempting to change the mood. "But I know our friends, they've found each by now." He assured her with a small smile.
"Malarkey, Peggy, we're moving. Let's go!" Lipton called out, Peggy gave him a small smile before turning and following after the others. Malarkey, Bill, Toye, and Popeye following behind her. Peggy was really hoping Jamie was at the DZ point, okay and alive, that she made it there with others because the longer she went on without knowing what happened to her friend...the more she got scared and nervous and she always pushed those dreaded feelings down. It was for the best she do that. But the last thing she wanted to hear was her friend dead or worse...missing in action.