A drop had come in the following days that brought it supplies the American paratroopers desperately needed. It gave the men some fraction of hope. They were still cold and miserable, but they had hope. For a short time at least.
The snow fell heavy the night before the tanks arrived from the German lines. Fresh snow littered the grounds and covered the trees. It was beautiful save for the unnerving rumble of enemy tanks. The unmistakable sound drew Lia from her foxhole quickly, running to the front of the lines and making sure everyone was up and ready.
"It's about to get real busy, Creed." Lip stopped next to her.
Lia only nodded in agreement, eyes glancing in the direction of the oncoming tanks. The tanks broke through the tree line, spitting up clouds of white behind them as they moved. As they pushed on forward to threaten the American line, Lia patted Lipton's shoulder and pointed in order to tell him to get a move on. She ran in the opposite direction, yelling for the machine gunners to open fire.
One single shot rang throughout the air on the American side of the line, alerting Lia to Piper's presence. She were somewhere alive and that's all that mattered.
"Train your mortar fire on those tanks, let's go!" She shouted.
Lia threw herself down into a foxhole at the front of the line and unleashed bullets on everything that moved for the rest of the day.
------
"Men!" General Sink shouted, his voice carrying over the group of soldiers trying to keep warm. The General arrived from a jeep carrying a message that would hopefully help boost the morale of the men on the line.
"General MacAuliffe wishes us all a merry Christmas. 'What's merry about all this, you ask? Just this. We've stopped cold everything that's been thrown at us from the north, east, south, and west. Now, two days ago the German commander demanded our honorable surrender to save the USA encircled troops from total annihilation." General Sink paused for a moment and everyone listened intently.
"'The German commander received the following reply. To the German Commander, nuts!" All of the soldiers let out soft laughs at a single word. More laughing than Lia had heard since they arrived, and the moment felt lighter than it ever has out in these woods.
"We're giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present, and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms, we're truly making for ourselves, a merry Christmas."
Lia nodded her head absentmindedly, looking down at her boots buried in snow. Nothing better than spending Christmas Eve on enemy grounds for yet another year.
"Merry Christmas to you all and God bless you." Sink spoke, glancing around to the soldiers.
The group exploded in a rounds of 'merry Christmas' and 'nuts'. The soldiers were smiling. Something Lia was hoping to see. She glanced around, her eyes landing on Roe who was the only man not smiling or joking around. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Lia saw Winters noticing the same thing.
"Think he'll be alright?" Winters asked her, staring at their medic.
"They see a lot more shit than we do. Takes it's toll not being able to cure every man who gets injured. I can't imagine what he's seen back in town. They can't evacuate those men." Lia spoke lowly, the images of that damned hospital flooding her mind. So many men were forced to stay put in those horrible conditions.
Winters only nodded, deciding he'd check on their medic later.
-------
A German rendition of 'Silent Night' broke out along the enemy line. Their voices carried across the open field, flooding the American's with the all familiar tune. A tune that Lia could faintly remember from the days spent back at home in Tennessee with her family.
Lia sat in her foxhole, head pressed against the hard dirt and staring across to the German lines. She glanced up at the sound of snow and sticks crunching beneath boots. Speirs came to a stop above her before sliding down into the open spot beside the brunette.
"Creed." He greeted.
Lia smiled slightly at him, thankful for the warmth of his presence next to her albeit his body still half a foot away. "Merry Christmas, Speirs."
He returned the smile. "Merry Christmas. How many does this make for you on enemy grounds?"
Lia looked back across to the tree line, hearing the Germans pick up in the tune. She knew he thought that she'd only been here for a couple more years than him, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
"Eleven." She whispered.
Lia couldn't miss the way Speirs' head snapped to face her, or the utter confusion displayed on his face. She fought the urge to spill her story then and there; why she had spent so many holidays on German soil. Still, she couldn't bring herself to explain anything to him so she kept quiet. Speirs, no matter how confused, knew that she wouldn't build on that so he didn't pry.
Christmas day. Days like this, when you're supposed to be surrounded by family hit Lia hard.
She missed her family dearly. After eleven years, Christmas was still the worst. Lia could still remember her mothers decorations, the cookies they used to bake every year, decorating the Christmas tree with the thousands of ornaments her mother owned. Things she would never get to do with her family again.
Speirs noticed the sudden change in Lia's demeanor and yet didn't have the words to help her. Not a single word in the world could change the way she was feeling. Instead, he shifted closer until his right arm was pressed against hers. He reached his left arm over, placing his hand gently against her cheek and slowly dragged her head down to his shoulder.
He felt her tense at the contact, wanting to pull back up against his hand. "Get some rest, Creed. Please."
Lia stopped for a moment, her head just barely above Speirs' shoulder. That same feeling of home dug straight into her heart and stuck there. It radiated off of him in every sense. She let out a small breath, allowing herself to fully press her head down into his shoulder. Breathing didn't feel so hard around him.
Nothing in this world could take her pain away completely or make her whole again, but maybe this soldier could help make the journey just a little bit easier.
The peace was short lived.
The artillery strike had both lieutenants shooting straight up. Speirs instinctively placed his hand onto Lia's knee as they both scanned the German line. The strike came so fast and out of the blue, catching the American's off guard. Lia grabbed her helmet quickly, shoving it back on top of her head. The shouts for a medic rang out, and she knew the voice. Winters.
She made a move to climb out of the foxhole, but a hand on her arm stopped her.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Speirs yelled over the still persistent barrage.
Lia turned slightly, smiling at the brown eyed lieutenant below her. "Yes."
Her feet pounded into the snow, following the voice calling for a medic and slid down beside the Captain. Thankfully he was unscathed. Harry Welsh, on the other hand, was not. Even Lia took a brief moment to stare in horror at the mangled leg Welsh now adorned.
"Shit, where's Roe?" She yelled, ducking down from a mortar blast close by. None of the men surrounding the injured lieutenant had any clue where the medic was and shook their heads. Lia put a hand on Welsh's face, forcing him to look at her. "You're gonna be just fine."
Lia turned and ran in the direction of Roe's foxhole, dodging the artillery strikes as she went. They slammed into the trees and snow in the very footsteps she left behind her. She came up upon Heffron attempting to get the medic up, but Roe was frozen in place.
Lia bent down, grabbing the clothing around his shoulder. "Roe! We gotta go, come on. It's Welsh, he's been hit."
He seemed to snap back to the world around him, climbing out of the hole with help from Lia and Heffron. The pair ran back towards Welsh, leaving the young private in the foxhole.
Roe stopped as Welsh came into his eyesight, causing Lia to stop her running and stare back at him. The medic could do nothing but just look at the would in the lieutenants leg.
Lia placed a hand on the side of his face, tapping his cheek slightly. "Doc, now is not the time to freeze up. I get it, but Welsh needs help right now." Roe blinked a few times and nodded his head before jumping into action. He bandaged up Welsh as best as he could.
The lieutenant pulled Winter's back from his friend on the ground. "Captain, he needs a break." She spoke low, watching their medic closely. Winters agreed, stopping a passing jeep and sending Roe into town with Welsh.
Lia watched as the jeep headed on. The medic had been through a lot since coming out to these woods. He had seen more injuries in the short span of a month than he probably has since dropping into Normandy. Gruel injuries at that.
Every soldier in Easy Company could see that their Doc just needed a break from the hell they were in.
------
The group of soldiers canvassed through the forest in the direction of Foy. Their mission was to clear the forest, which would lead up to the inevitable capture of the town. They had had small encounters with the German soldiers, but it was rare and lost two of the men in the process.
The soldiers stopped, digging in to their foxholes when a single shot rang out through the trees. Lia ducked down into her foxhole with Piper, listening.
"Sniper?" She spoke low.
Piper shook her head. "No, not the sound of a rifle."
"Ah, Jesus. It's Hoob, he's shot!"
"Sniper?" Buck called back.
"No, no. He shot himself!"
Lia turned to Piper, confusion on both of their faces. The pair jumped out of their foxhole, heading to check on Hoobler. There was a lot of commotion above the soldier, trying to keep him warm as Roe attempted to patch him up. He had shot the artery in his leg, something Roe couldn't see to close off.
Lia watched as the light left from Hooblers eyes, and she turned away. An eerie silence casted over the small group. She looked over at the Luger grasped in Buck Comptons hand; undoubtedly the cause of Hoobler's death. The lieutenant wanted to yell out. Lugers were notorious for misfiring, and keeping one loaded in your pocket was nothing short of a death sentence.
Lipton stood, running a hand over his face. She knew this was something that had to be reported back to command, to Winters, and she wasn't going to let him do it alone. She jogged to catch up, falling into step beside him.
Lip glanced down, his eyebrows furrowed. "You don't have to be the bearer of bad news every time. I got this one."
The sargeant offered her a small smile in thanks as they walked through the makeshift door, greeting Winters and Nixon. Lia told the two what had happened, and the unfortunate death of a great soldier.
"Well, we should get back and make sure the boys are all dug in." Lipton spoke up, turning away from Winters and Nixon with Lia in tow.
"Lip, Creed. Where's Dike?"
The two glanced at each other, running through their heads on the possible locations of the new CO. Neither knew where the Lieutenant was. "You want to see him, sir?" Lipton asked, returning his gaze to Winters.
"No, I just would have expected to get this kind of news from him."
"Well, we were there, sir. Figured it might as well be us." Lipton glanced down at the ground before leaving the tent.
Lia stood in place and watched the sargeant head back out in between the trees. "He's nowhere to be found, Winters. Like we said, he's just not fit to lead."
------
The group stood around Dike after he had finally been found, listening to his very loose directions.
"Now Battalion S-3 is planning a move. So, I will probably be called away regularly." Dike said, adding emphasis to the final word. Lia furrowed her eyebrows, watching the lieutenant. "Are there any questions?"
Buck glanced around the group. "Uh, yeah. What's the formation you want us to go for?"
Dike stared at Buck. He was lost, so utterly lost. "At present, as per usual, but I'll clarify that with you at a later time, Lieutenant Compton."
Lieutenant Dike then yawned, excusing himself because he had to make a call. Each of the soldiers watched as he walked away in sheer confusion. He had no direction, no leadership abilities but he was to walk these men into battle. Lead these men into battle. How was a man to do that with no leadership qualities.
Some replacements came in on the following morning as Easy Company ate in the Bois Jacques. Private Webb was curious of the wounded men in the group, listening intently as Malarkey pointed out the injuries among the group.
"Don't worry, there's enough crap flying around here you're bound to get dinged sometime." Malarkey spoke up, pointing around to the group of soldiers around him. "Almost every single one of these guys has been hit at least once.
He stopped in front of Alley. "Except for Alley, he's a two timer. He landed on broken glass in Normandy, and got peppered by a potato masher in Holland."
Malarkey passed on through the men. "Now Bull, he got a piece of exploding tank in Holland. And George Luz here, has never been hit. You're one lucky bastard."
Luz spoke through a mouthful of food. "Takes one to know one, Skip."
He moved through Leibgott, Popeye, and Buck, talking about the company tradition to get shot in the ass. Lia bent down over her food, letting out a small laugh. It sure was a crazy coincidence.
"Hey, even 1st Sergeant Lipton over there, he got a couple pieces of tank shell burst in Carentan. One chunk in the face, another chunk almost took out his nuts."
Malarkey's eyes landed on Lia, and she could see he was debating on whether or not to speak on the things that she's been through. In the end, he decided to go for it. Malarkey moved over, standing beside their lieutenant and placing a hand down on her shoulder.
"Lieutenant Creed here, has been through it all. Two bullets in the legs before we knew her, shrapnel from Holland, another bullet in her thigh and one in the shoulder, and one hell of a beating from a Kraut."
The recruits eyes grew wider as the list went on. Malarkey continued, "And yet, she's still here fighting with us."
The men around them smiled, the respect for their lieutenant fell heavy.
"One badass motherfucker. I'd just be glad we have her on our side. Believe me, you don't want that woman on the on the other end of a gun pointed straight at you."
"Easy Company, we're heading out!"
The men were moving back to their old position overlooking Foy, leaving behind a few men with Dog Company. Lia listened to the small quips from the men in the line in front of her at a small group of men getting situated in a foxhole.
"Hey, be careful if he offers you a cigarette."
"What are they talking about? If who offers us a cigarette?" The new recruit asked, laughing slightly. Lia held back, noticing Speirs who was already listening in. She knew he would mess with them, the same as she did months ago, and grinned.
"Speirs." Christenson told the replacement. "Lieutenant Speirs. The stories about Speirs are probably all bullshit anyway."
"What stories?" The Private asked.
Perconte jumped in, holding his toothbrush to the side. "Well, supposedly Speirs shot one of his own men for being drunk."
The Private was baffled. "You're kidding. That's unbelievable."
"Yeah, and there's another one about him giving cigarettes to twenty German POWs before killing them." Christenson spoke up.
"He shot twenty POWs?" The replacement was shocked at the story.
"Well, actually, I heard it was more like thirty." Perconte added.
Lia watched as Speirs walked closer to the men in the foxhole. "Christenson."
The three men snapped their heads around, their gazes landing on Speirs. Perconte stopped in the middle of brushing his teeth and stared at the feared lieutenant.
"I got the name right, didn't I, Christenson?" Speirs spoke while crouching down on the edge of the foxhole.
"Yes, sir."
"What are you men doing out here?" Speirs asked, glancing at the men. Lia could see the fear struck on each of the mens faces, and she smirked.
"We're watching the line, sir." Christenson told him, pointing out to the forest.
Speirs looked out, nodding his head. "Well, keep up the good work. While you're at it, you might want to reinforce your cover."
Perconte cut in. "Oh, actually, sir, Lieutenant Dike said not even to bother, that we're only gonna be here for a day."
"Lieutenant Dike said that, huh?" Lia could see the annoyance on the lieutenants face, no matter how small. He didn't like Dike either. "Then forget what I said. Carry on."
Speirs stood up moving to walk away from the group, but stopped a few steps into his venture. "Oh, anyone care for a smoke?" He asked turning back around and holding out a pack. Lia nearly broke out laughing at the look their faces. Terrified was an understatement.
She jogged through the snow to catch up to the lieutenant. "Scaring the men now, are we?" She mocked, referring to something he had said to her before. Speirs looked down at her, a smile plastered on his face.
"You gotta admit, that was pretty good."
Lia let out a small laugh, and Speirs smiled wider at the sound. It was rare to hear as much from her, and he decided right then and there he didn't love a sound in the world any more than her laugh. Lia pulled to a stop, snatching the pack of smokes from Speirs' hand and taking one.
"I have to get back to Easy. Try not to offer them any more smokes." She smiled as she waved hers around in the air.