The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

25: Do Not Freeze

"Charlie, wake up."

Someone was shaking her shoulders and kneeling on the edge of her bed. The mattress dipped where their knees dug into it.

"Wake up, Charlie."

Charlie teetered on the precipice between dream and reality, not quite sure which was which. A picnic at the lake close to her house, surrounded by her friends from school. A dark room with the blackout blinds drawn, someone jumping off the bed and hurrying across the room.

"Now, Charlie!"

The light flicked on and Charlie was awake. Mabs stood in her doorway, still racing to button up her fatigues.

"We're leavin' right now, Charlie. Get dressed, get ready, and let's go."

The fog in Charlie's mind cleared immediately as she launched herself out of bed. Her feet slapped the floor hard, the wood cold under her skin, as she hurried over to her dresser and started ripping her nightdress off.

Charlie was dressed in what felt like an instant. She was desperately thankful to her past self for having had her bag packed ever since seeing the boys of Easy Company off. They'd had so little warning. She didn't want to be caught unawares.

It had been well over a week since the paratroopers had left for whichever unknown airfield they'd flown from to Normandy, France. It had been four days since the invasion of France had begun. As Charlie hurried to throw the final things she'd need in her bag, the things she could only pack at the last minute, she couldn't help but feel relieved she was finally getting to go and do her bit.

The relief died very quickly when she remembered her fear.

Her carpet bag was full to bursting as she tugged it over her shoulder. Her bedsheets were messy, her nightclothes strewn all across the floor, the belongings she couldn't take with her left lonely in her wake. They were all under the impression they'd be coming back, but then again, Lieutenant Maddox had informed them they hadn't initially been deployed along with the boys because the army had been under the impression they'd only be over there for three days and three nights.

Charlie pushed the thought aside. There wasn't time to worry. She slammed the door and left her room behind her, her helmet banging against her leg and her footsteps rapid as she hurried down the stairs.

There was a military medical truck waiting outside for them, and after Charlie had joined the other girls they all bundled in. Autumn was the only one who remembered to lock the front door behind them.

They weren't the only people in the back of the truck. As the driver sped off towards who-knew-where, Charlie, Autumn, Mabs, and Boo came face to face with four other girls, who looked equally as rumpled, equally as tired, and equally as scared, though all of them tried not to show it.

"23rd Field Hospital?" one of them asked with a knowing smile. Through the darkness, Charlie couldn't really see her, but she thought she recognised the voice.

"Yes," Autumn replied for them. "Easy Company."

"Dog Company," replied the other nurse. "My guess is we're on the way to pick up the girls from Fox now."

Charlie had known, of course, that the 23rd consisted of all of the nurses tending to the paratroopers' Second Battalion, which was companies Dog, Easy, and Fox. But she hadn't really realised what that would mean. These were the girls she'd be working with once they got over there. When she'd imagined it in her head she'd only ever pictured Mabs, Autumn, Boo, and Lieutenant Maddox with her. She supposed it made her feel better to realise there would be other nurses there, too, even if they were caring for another company.