UPDATED: 05/05/2022
* * * * *
A week later the 506th entered Aldbourne, England. Once they got there, the paratroopers were able to go to the homes where they were assigned to stay in. Madison ended up bunking with Smokey Gordon in a small home that belonged to an old couple. The husband and wife seemed surprised that Madison was there.
"Are you M. Klein?" the husband, Stephen, asked Madison.
Madison nodded. "Yes, sir, I am."
"My apologies, Miss. Klein, but we thought we were housing two men, not a man and woman," Stephen explained. He gave her the paper that was given to him with the names that he and his wife, Louise (which pained Madison just a bit, as she thought of her own Louise back in the states) were given so they knew who they were quartering. Madison scanned the paper quickly to find the names.
Gordon, Jr., Walter S.
Klein, Madison E.
"You see, we thought you were a man, as Madison is a man's name," Louise explained softly. "Is it a popular woman's name in America?"
"No, ma'am, my parents really wanted boys," Madison answered. If someone gave me a dime every time they asked me that question, I would be a millionaire, she thought. "And when my sister and I were born, they never bothered to pick different names. My sister is named Morgan."
"I see," Stephen nodded. "Well, come on now, sit down." Madison and Smokey didn't need to be told twice. They were both exhausted from their long journey. Smokey had almost fallen asleep in the chair. Once Louise had fed the soldiers, she asked, "Is it alright for you two to sleep in the same room?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Madison nodded. After all, she's been sleeping in the barracks with the men for awhile now. She was used to it. "Right Smokey?"
"Right," Smokey mumbled, fighting the urge to rub his eyes. Madison could tell he was exhausted and quite frankly, she was too.
The two friends didn't have a problem sleeping in the same bed. Smokey and Madison were both twins, Smokey had his sister Cleta and Madison her sister Morgan. ("Should have been born a woman, Smokey." "Should have been born a man, Klein.") In a way, it felt natural to sleep next to each other; it was comforting. The two friends often talked about their other half together, missing them terribly, whether they admitted it or not.
"I don't regret signing up, though," Madison told Smokey one night. "Do I miss my sister? Absolutely. Terribly so. But...I feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know?"
Smokey took a moment to chew his tobacco before he nodded. "Yeah, I know. Cleta was mad at me when I signed up, mainly because I had already failed a couple times because of my feet and my eyes. I finally got in because I faked my way through the eye test."
Madison couldn't help but laugh. "Morgan was mad at me too. She thought I was going to die. But as time went on and I explained to her how the training was, she told me that there was no way in hell that I couldn't survive. Well, kind of. She said 'if you can make it through the hell your captain puts you in, then I'm sure that you can hold yourself together out there.'"
* * * * *
It seemed like in Aldbourne, the training became even more strenuous. Madison would be so worn out that all she did when she got back to the house she slept. Stephen and Louise were concerned, but Madison told them not to worry.
As a medic, Madison didn't have to do any of the bayonet training. However, she did have to do some physical training, which wasn't her best forte. Lucky for her, many of her friends taught her tricks to take someone down. It was all about technique, Winters had told her.
Madison learned how to shoot a gun. She never thought that she would do that. She should have expected it, though. She was in the army, and her fellow medics knew how to shoot a pistol in case they were in a tight position. It was only fair that Madison learned how to do that, too.
Lieutenant Winters had helped her out at the shooting range. It seemed like he was training her more than Sobel had. Well, perhaps not. She didn't know. She knew that Winters was much kinder and gave her more input than Captain Sobel.
"That was a good shot for your first try," Winters said. She was close to the mark that she needed to hit. He took her left arm and positioned it. "Try it like this, relax just a bit, but not too much."
Madison nodded. She concentrated on her target and pulled the trigger. She missed again, but on the third time she hit her mark.
"Congratulations, Klein, you have good aim."
Madison paid real close attention to the lectures that Second Lieutenant Harry Welsh gave. He was a short and somewhat goofy looking man, but she liked him. She heard rumors (mostly from Muck and Luz) that he was an alcoholic and was often a violent person. In some ways, she could see it, but she never brought it up to anyone. It wouldn't do anyone good by spreading that sort of information around.
Madison also had to dig foxholes. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it wasn't the hardest, either. At least she usually had a partner helping her dig because if she had to do it by herself, it would take her years to complete the task. With her luck, however, Sobel made her dig a foxhole and then rebury it, especially when he felt like she offended him in some manner...which happened often. That son of a bitch. She couldn't help but picture some accidental death befalling on him when she felt extremely vexed with his behavior towards her or the other medics.
The tasks Madison didn't mind the most was her medic training, the lectures and sometimes the platoon training. Those were the fun times.
Madison was often switched in between platoons, but she didn't know why that occurred. Nor did she question it. She was a soldier, and soldiers follow their commanding leaders' orders. Madison didn't mind when she was with Lieutenant Winters' platoon but by God did she hate being stuck with Captain Sobel. That man could not read a map and she just knew that they were going to get killed out there if Sobel was to lead them.
Today Madison was stuck with Winters' platoon, which she didn't mind. As a medic, the best Madison could do was lay low and stay behind unless someone yelled out for her. At least she had enough patience for this job.
Currently, the platoon Madison was in were crouching down behind shrubs. Madison couldn't help but think what the English thought of them when they saw American soldiers during their training, but shook the thought away from her quickly. Their opinions didn't matter, not now. What only mattered now was that Sobel was late, which wasn't a surprise to anyone, really.
"Sobel's late," Lieutenant Winters told Sergeant Lipton, who said nothing in response. Madison said nothing as she kept quiet to herself, wondering how her friends and family were doing. She wondered what Stephen and Louise were doing at the moment.
Winters checked his watch. "We have to move," he told Lipton, noting that it was a little past eleven.
"Sir, without Captain Sobel and first platoon?" Lipton questioned, not sure if he heard the Lieutenant right.
"It's a T-intersection, we improvise."
* * * * *
Stephen was riding his bike down the road when, suddenly, the American soldiers were crossing the road, cutting him off. Deciding that it was best to not interact with them, he turned his bike around and started to go back down the route he was originally on when again, he was cut off by the infantry.
"Well isn't this great," Stephen muttered to himself. He once again turned his bike around when this time, even more soldiers came. This time, they were running to him. He noticed that Madison Klein, one of the soldiers he and his wife were quartering, was among them. Madison gave him a little smile and he happily returned it. She was a sweet girl who wanted to do the right thing. She had strong passion and values, which would allow her to would go far in life.
Stephen noticed Winters (he recognized the man from the descriptions Madison had given him—she couldn't help but tell the old man about all the men she were with) and took his hands off the bicycle handles, and holding them up in a surrendering manner.
"You've done it now, Yanks," Stephen started. "You've captured me."
Madison was crouching down behind the bushes in between Tab and Bill, watching her lieutenant and the old man who was housing her and Smokey. She heard his comment and couldn't help but snicker. Bill took a hand off his rifle and elbowed her.
"Why are you laughing for?" Bill whispered somewhat loudly to her.
"It's nothing," Madison shook her head but then she had to suppress her laughter once more when she heard Sobel's shouts of "HI-YO, SILVER!" Although she could barely see them, Madison could tell that first platoon were finally coming their way. It was about time.
"Would that be the enemy?" Stephen asked Winters.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Winters answered as he stared at Sobel, then back at Stephen. The lieutenant tipped his helmet ever so slightly at the elderly man before rejoining second platoon. Stephen stared after him. He knew that in Lieutenant Winters' hands, Madison would thrive just fine.
As he stared at the infamous Captain Sobel, Stephen couldn't help but worry for his young houseguest and the rest of the company that she belonged in.
* * * * *
"Who is the idiot who cut that man's fence?" Colonel Strayer barked at Sobel who was hot on his heels. Strayer had a good idea who it was, but he just wanted Sobel to admit it.
"I was ordered to sir," Sobel answered.
"By who?"
"Major Horton, sir."
Strayer stopped in his tracks. "Major Horton?"
"Yes, sir," Sobel nodded.
"Major Horton told you to do that?" Strayer repeated.
"Yes, sir."
"Major Horton ordered you to cut the fence?" Strayer said once more, turning to face the captain.
"Yes. He did," Sobel repeated sternly.
"Well Major Horton is on leave," Strayer told Sobel as he put on his garrison cap. "In London."
Captain Sobel stared at the men who stalked away from him in disbelief. He stared after Strayer for a few moments before he felt someone watching him. Hesitantly, he glanced around until he found Klein staring right at him, blue eyes shining. No doubt that the young woman saw the whole thing.
His only female soldier in the company must have snapped out of her trance, because finally, it seemed, that she appeared to notice him. Her eyes widened in what could have been in awe but sometimes, he really couldn't figure out the girl was truly thinking, which frustrated him to no end.
Finally, Klein started to sprint away from the scene and Sobel turned away to go back inside. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to tell her friends what she had just witnessed.
Sobel would just have to get under Klein's skin some other time.
* * * * *
Madison hadn't meant to stare at Sobel getting his ear chewed off, but she couldn't change what she saw now. She had to find someone from Sobel's platoon and ask them to tell her what had happened.
To Madison, it felt like she had ran all over the town until she found Luz and Perconte bickering about something. She knew that the two friends were in Sobel's platoon and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was George that had done something. After all, he was the class clown.
Madison skidded over to them, "Frank! George!" she called out. She was panting heavily. Madison thought that she had never ran so fast before in her life. "You guys were with Sobel today, right?"
"Yeah, why?" Perconte asked.
Madison thought about how she was going to answer for a moment before she opened her mouth. "Well you see, I just saw Sobel getting chewed out by Strayer—"
"You saw Sobel getting yelled at?" Luz asked, a smile growing on his face.
"Yes, but that's not the point," Madison easily skidded over that topic. She lowered her voice down to a whisper before asking, "Did he really cut the fence?"
Luz's smile grew even more while she saw the laughter dancing in Frank's eyes. What happened?
"Here, let me tell you what happened," Luz said as he threw an arm over Madison's shoulder. Surprisingly, Madison didn't shove him away. "Let's take a walk, shall we, Klein?"
* * * * *
First Sergeant William Evans was a man on a mission. He needed to find Lieutenant Winters. He had someone driving him all over Aldbourne to find the lieutenant. He noticed that Madison Klein (it was easy to spot her) was talking to some of the other soldiers. Perhaps she knew where Winters was.
"Stop up here," Evans commanded the jeep driver. "Stop where that little girl is."
The driver nodded and stopped where Klein, Luz, Muck and Penkala were sitting.
"Miss Klein!" Evans barked. He was never going to call her by a soldier's title. "Have you seen Lieutenant Winters anywhere?"
Klein shook her head. It looked to appear that she was holding in her laughter, which made Evans suspicious of her.
"No, sir, I haven't."
Evans didn't reply to her. Instead, he told the driver to speed away. Five minutes later he spotted Winters with his right hand man, Nixon. The driver of the jeep noticed him too because he had stopped almost immediately near four soldiers who were playing basketball nearby.
"Lieutenant Winters!" Evans called out as he hopped out of the jeep. Winters looked away from Nixon to notice that Evans was coming to him. The three men saluted each other in greeting before Evans got to the point.
"With Captain Sobel's compliments, sir," Evans told Winters, holding out the folded paper in front of him for Winters to take. Nixon stared at it, having a good idea of what the paper was going to say. Nixon watched as his friend took the paper from Evans. Nixon never liked the man.
"Lieutenant," Evans acknowledged Nixon, saluting him. Nixon returned the gesture, as did Winters, before Evan hopped back in the jeep and his driver sped off almost immediately.
Nixon and Winters watched as the jeep sped off. When it was no longer in sight, Winters looked back down and scanned the paper.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Winters said quietly to himself.
"Misspelled 'court martial'," Nixon observed, before putting a cigarette into his mouth.
* * * * *
"No, sir, I do not understand," Winters said to Sobel who was walking at a fast pace like a madman with Winters following him. "Your orders to me were..." Winters told the captain that he had done his latrine duty as he was told, but Sobel was not having it.
"I changed the time to zero-nine forty-five," Sobel told Winters as they jogged up the stairs.
"No one told me, sir," Winters began.
"I telephoned," Sobel said curtly.
"I'm quartered with a family who has no telephone," Winters explained.
"And sent a runner."
"No runner found me, Captain."
"Regardless, when given a task to perform by a ranking officer..." Sobel began ranting. In his eyes, Sobel found that the first lieutenant failed his task and therefore, must be punished.
In the end, Winters requested a court martial. That was not what Sobel had expected.
* * * * *
Sergeant Talbert and Sergeant Ranney heard about what happened to Winters. Easy had lost him and it was all because of their captain. No one wanted to follow Sobel in the battle. All of the sergeants in Easy had decided to do the same thing—to write that they were not going to follow Sobel into battle and if they were to be executed for this, then so be it. It was going to be worth it.
I hereby no longer wish to serve as a noncommissioned officer in Easy Company.
* * * * *
When Madison heard about what her friends had done, she hit them. Hard.
"Were you out of your mind?" She had all but yelled at Bill. Gott, she was so furious with him, and everyone else who had done the deed. "You could have gotten killed!"
"Well, we didn't! See? We're fine!" Bill returned the fire. "Do you honestly want to follow Sobel out in the field?"
"The hell I don't! But that doesn't mean that you all had to do something so stupid to get yourselves killed out! You could get shot for this, do you know that?!"
"Of course I do! I ain't no fat-head!" Bill returned the fire. Madison was about to yell again, he could tell, but he was able to cut her off. She was just scared, that was all. "Look, Madison, I'm sorry. I really am. All of us are; I'm sure. But you see, we did this for everyone. And I can tell you right now that I am sure what we had just done is going to give us something."
Madison knew that it was futile to argue with him. They were too much alike. After about a minute of them still wanting to tear the other's head off, Madison promptly gave him a seething look and gave him the bird, storming off. She was done talking to him.
Madison would later find that Bill was right. While she and Smokey were in the house they were quartered in, Sergeant Grant had dropped by.
"Did you two hear? We lost Sobel!"
As much as Madison couldn't help but feel overjoyed, she also felt dread dragging her down. This revelation had also meant that she have to go apologize to Bill.
Verdammt.
* * * * *
TRANSLATIONS
Gott - God
Verdammt - Damn it