Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters. The rest are property of someone else. No monetary gain will be had from this work.

Splintered

BY CP (with a huge assist from KT and Rico)

A box of his possessions arrived yesterday. She was torn. Part of her wanted to open it and part of her said put it away and never look at what’s inside. She sat it down on the small kitchen table and went about her daily routine.

When she woke up the next morning and went in to the kitchen, the sight of the box on the table caused her to stop.

The last part of Bill’s life was in that box.

She finished her breakfast putting the plate and juice glass in the sink. She returned to the table and placed her hands on the lid. Stroking it, she closed her eyes and lifted the lid, setting it aside.

The first things she saw were his watch, dog tags, ID bracelet, wallet, and a pack of crumpled cigarettes. Taking each item out carefully, she set them in the lid.

Taking the shirt out, she held it up. Pulling it to her face, she breathed in his scent. It was still strong. She began crying as her heart broke into a million pieces. What was she going to do now? How could she go on? Gaining control of herself, she set the shirt down, and continued to go through the items in the box.

There was a photo lying on the pants. She picked it up and sat down in the chair. It was a group shot. These must have been the men he died for. Bill was sitting in the front with a medic and smiling his sweetest smile. She ran her hand over the photo. She turned the photo over and read the names on the back, Sarge, Billy, Littlejohn, Caje, me and Doc. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her first love. He looked so old. His eyes still had that twinkle though. He was skinny and filthy but he was still Bill. The weapon in his hand looked huge.

The doorbell rang making her jump. She set the picture down and went to answer it. The two men from the photo stood in front of her in their dress uniform. She covered her mouth with her fingertips and stepped back.

“Barbara Kirby?” The blond sergeant asked. She could only nod. “May we come in?”

“Yes,” she whispered, and stepped aside so that the two men could enter.

They removed their hats. She cleared her throat, suddenly nervous. Whatever they were here to say would hurt either way. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Only if you have it ready,” Saunders replied.

“Yes,” she turned and headed for the kitchen. The two men followed her into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway at the sight of the items they had carefully packed a week ago.

Walking over to the cupboard, she paused when she opened the door. There on the shelf sat Bill’s favorite coffee cup. Blinking back tears, she pulled out two cups. “How do you take your coffee?” she asked the men. “Black, please.” responded the dark one. At his accent, she knew that he must be Caje, the company scout that Bill had often mentioned in his letters. Saunders nodded his agreement. She placed two steaming mugs in front of them. The soldiers savored the smooth brew. A definite improvement over the battery acid they had become accustomed to in the field.

There was a long pause, and then Barbara spoke.

“Tell me how it happened.”

Saunders set his cup back on the table. Caje spoke first. “Mrs. Kirby..”

“Please call me Barbara.” She gave them a wry smile. “I feel as if I know you. Bill spoke fondly of the both of you.”

Caje swallowed hard, honored that Kirby thought enough of him and their friendship to write to his wife about him.

“We were on a recon patrol. A lead pipe cinch they told us. Observe a German position and report back on their strength.” A faraway look came into his eyes as he continued. The loss of another friend had hit him especially hard, first Theo, at Omaha Beach, now Kirby.

“The day started out like any other. The lieutenant gave Sarge our orders, and we headed out. We had only gone about 5 miles, when we ran into a German patrol. Sarge signaled for us to take cover. The idea was to let them pass by and continue our mission. That’s when things started to fall apart. One of our new guys, Holden, tripped while trying to get off the road.” Caje fell silent.

“Please, go on.” Barbara implored.

“We thought that maybe the Krauts hadn’t seen anything, but we were soon to be proven wrong. They opened fire and Holden was gunned down before anyone could help him to safety. The squad returned fire, but we were outnumbered and the Germans had a machine gun as well. The one thing that went our way that morning happened when their big gun jammed, and we were able to take out a few of them.”

Caje looked at Saunders. This was the part that he dreaded most, telling her how Kirby died. Sarge gave him a look as if to say ‘Want me to take it from here?’ Caje nodded at the sergeant.

“Knowing that we had to get out of there and soon, I gave the order for my squad to fall back. Doc, our company medic, stepped in a small hole in the ground and fell. Kirby was behind him, and stopped to help him up. We were almost in the clear, when Billy got hit in the shoulder. Again, Kirby tried to help his squad mate to safety, and that’s when it happened. As he pulled Billy out of harms way, he got caught in the crossfire of the Krauts who were trying to flank us.”

Saunders paused and took a drink of coffee, trying to move the lump that had formed in his throat.

Noticing the look on Sarge’s face, Caje picked up where he left off. “After we had taken care of the Kraut patrol, we went back to find Kirby. He was in a pretty bad way. Doc did every thing in his power to try and save him, but his wounds were too severe.” The scout turned to Barbara. “I was with him at the end. He made me promise to come to you and tell you what really happened out there that day. Kirby gave his life to save two of his fellow soldiers. But his main concern was that you know the truth.”

They sat in silence for a time, with Barbara speaking first. “So Bill died a hero. Funny, he was always talking big about how he was going to make short work of the war. Then, when he came home, we were going to have a big party, for the whole neighborhood.”

It was then that Caje noticed the picture lying on the table. He reached for it, just as Kirby’s wife did. She placed her hand on the Cajun’s and looked at him and Saunders with gratitude.

“I want to thank both of you for coming here today. You will never know how much it means to me that you honored Bill’s last wishes.”

Standing, she picked up the mugs and placed them in the sink. She turned to the men seated at her table. “If you don’t mind, I would really like to be alone right now.”

Saunders and LeMay stood, and giving her a parting glance, made their way to the door.

When they reached the living room, Caje stopped and spoke to the widow. “Mrs. Kirby, should you ever need anything, please know that all you have to do is call, and I will do everything in my power to help you.”

As the men walked out her door, the sun came out from its hiding place behind the clouds, and the most beautiful rainbow appeared.

Holding the picture next to her broken heart, she spoke to her one true love. “Thank you Bill. Thank you for letting me know that everything will be okay now.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saunders and Caje arrived at the bus station a little while later.

“You know Sarge, that went a lot smoother than I thought it would.” Caje said as he lit his cigarette, offering Sarge one as well.

Taking it from him, Sarge lit it and felt his nerves begin to calm almost immediately. “It was always hard to write those letters to the families, but this was the last thing that I ever expected to have to do.”

The men sat quietly for a moment, remembering their fallen comrade.

After a time, Saunders turned to his scout and asked, “So, where to now, Caje?”

The Cajun gave a huge grin. “Where else Sarge? Home to the Bayou!” The two men shared what seemed like their first laugh in weeks. “What about you? Where are you headed?” Caje inquired.

“Me? I’m going to surprise Mom and the brat. They think I won’t be coming home for a couple more weeks.” Saunders exhaled a stream of blue smoke.

The announcement was made for the last bus to Louisiana, and Caje picked up his duffle bag. Extending his hand to his former NCO, he smiled as he said, “It was a pleasure to serve with you, Sergeant Saunders.” Sarge returned the smile and grasped the man’s hand. “It was a pleasure to serve with you as well, PFC LeMay. Take care of yourself.”

Saunders stood and watched as the bus pulled out of the terminal. The war had taken a lot from him, but he had gained some things from it as well.

Lowering himself back down to the bench, he thought of home. He also thought of all his men who wouldn’t make it home, their faces running through his head like the movie projector at the drive in back in Cleveland. Among them, Grady Long, William G. Kirby, and countless others who would forever be a part of his memories. Good men, all of them.

“Bus 76, now boarding for Cleveland at Gate 16.” Crushing out his cigarette, he lifted his satchel and made his way to the gate.

Sergeant Chip Saunders, 361^st King Company, First Squad, was finally going home.

- The end -