The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

78 | gone

" People are never really gone because they live on in the hearts of those they leave behind."

- Mary Louise Wright

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The day was spent fortifying foxhole covers that had been blown up or for Lizzie, resting in a foxhole as Gene spoon fed her some of Joe Domingus' soup. Lizzie watched as Gene slowly brought the food to her lips, his eyes sunken in still, his gaze rather far off, and his hand shaking slightly. Lizzie had reached the stage of sickness with her fever where by this point she was more pissed off she was still dealing with it then by the fact it had been almost a month since the bullshit started.

" You're doing it again." Gene whispered softly as he lifted a spoonful to her mouth. Lizzie looked down, the tapping. The nervous tapping on her leg. When she fixated on something she couldn't move from it or she tapped anxiously. Yay.

" I sick of this, Gene, feeling like utter shit." she said, as Gene slowly scooped the spoon to her mouth and she took it.

" I know you are." Gene said, " But if we keep trying, we can hopefully get you feeling better real soon."

" I hope you're right Gene," she said, frowning as she swallow, " I'm just, I feel horrible, lying here in the cold, miserable and angry that I'm sick, even with the penicillin shots." Gene gently reached forward and placed a slightly warm hand on her shoulder.

" I know you're upset, but if you think about it," Gene said, as she took another spoonful of food," you don't have to feed yourself." And Lizzie watched to her surprise as a small smirk fell on Gene's face. She swallowed her food, grinning.

" Gene Roe, you're getting smart with me aren't you?" she said, gently shoving his shoulder and Gene chuckled to himself.

" I guess that's what I get," he said.

" You calling me a bad influence?" Lizzie said as she took another spoonful, sniffling a bit.

" No," Gene said, " a good one at that." Lizzie grinned proudly. 

Catherine's run to CP that afternoon was uneventful but she got to see Nixon chugging coffee at 1600 so it did brighten her day to say the least.

" How is your throat not burning, Nix?" Catherine asked him.

" Well, drinking your coffee in one sip with Sobel, back at Toccoa, because he would pull that sorta shit? Runs up Currahee, as I'm sipping my coffee? You chug that thing and then move. You get pretty damn good at it." Nixon said and Catherine laughed lightly.

" Yeah, well, you didn't always fare well." Winters said stepping into the CP. Nixon chuckled.

" Dike shown up?" Catherine asked.