Three Spoken Words

Three Spoken Words

A Combat romance written by Rose Schrock (aka Hazelnut)

The sequel to the Combat episode Weep No More.

Dedicated to Bree for all of her help and to all the other proud members of the HHB who, from time to time, have often wished to be the ones held in Hanley's arms. :o)

Sometimes a true love can bring the impossible...

August: 1944

Second Lieutenant Gil Hanley was having the time of his life. He had not been able to enjoy a day of rest and relaxation for a very long time, but today was his chance to party. King Company had been granted one short day off from the fighting war; twenty-four brief hours to, as Kirby put it so plainly, "really live it up!" The officer walked down the street of the quaint French village feeling cleaner than he had ever been in his new uniform and with a fresh clean-shaven face. Although he was not as prone to drink all the wine in sight and raise Cain as Kirby was, Hanley did look forward to a little fun for a change. The morrow would no doubt bring a return to the nightmares of combat, so the lieutenant was determined to forget his troubles, if only for the present moment.

After purchasing a bottle of wine from the local pub, Hanley left the crowded building and set off to locate a secluded place to drink the beverage. Unlike all of the other American soldiers, Gil did not want any company on this hot August afternoon. What he did want was to find a nice, quiet spot to be alone and sleep. To be able to really lie down and feel at peace with the world would be just like heaven, Hanley decided. He was dang fed up with having to look over his shoulder for the enemy every minute of his life.

After traveling a short distance from the town, Hanley came upon the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. A lush, green meadow unfolded before his eyes, sprinkled with colorful butterflies and late summer flowers. Gil sank down into the tall grass, breathing in the outdoor scents and wishing that he could stay in the sweet haven forever. Here there was no war, no lonely dark nights, and no scared green recruits.

"I never want to leave here." The officer mumbled contentedly, stretching out his legs and closing his eyes for that long anticipated sleep. The warm sun bathed Gil's body with its heat as the lieutenant dozed on in complete peace, grateful to just be alive.

"Lieutenant." The single word was spoken almost reverently and with a gentle, female undertone. "I never believed that I would see you again on this earth, but here you are. What a lovely miracle." Her English was perfectly spoken, with only a hint of an accent to give away her French heritage.

Gil sat up abruptly and rubbed his eyes, trying his best to focus upon the strange image. The lady that stood before him was so familiar, but surely it could not be the woman he remembered. This French beauty was composed and dignified not the troubled, insecure child he had held in his arms. The girl had been frightened of the world, a little unsettled, so he had taken it upon himself to become her temporary father until necessity deemed it necessary to give her to the army medics. This proud, amazing creature was a mature woman, and Gil felt the temporary longing to hold her in his arms until he brushed it away. What he was feeling for this maiden was anything but fatherly.

"Annette, is it you?" Hanley finally found his voice, but the question came out from a hoarse throat burning with a deep aching to touch her. Realizing his attraction, the officer scolded himself for his desires. What is the matter with you? Gil's mind screamed at his heart. You've had lots of women, and you sure don't need this one now. She's just a child! You should be ashamed of yourself, Hanley. You had better watch yourself if you don't want to get into a big mess. There is no such thing as love at first sight.

"Yes, it is me, Lieutenant. Many days and nights I have thought of you and hoped to find you again, but I never dreamed it would ever be so." Annette placed one slender hand over Hanley's mouth when he started to talk. "I know what you are going to ask me, so allow me to explain to you, yes?" A nod from the officer gave her consent to continue with her story.

"You see, Lieutenant, after my parents were so brutally killed, my mind left me for a short period of time. I wanted to die so badly and end the pain I felt inside. Violence and grief seemed to be the only two things in my world. When you found me that day, I could have spoken English to you had I been myself. I have been capable of speaking English since I was a small child, but I refused to let anyone enter the wall I had built up in my soul. But you helped me, Lieutenant. At first, in my unstable mind, I believed that you were my father come back from the grave. But, the day that you left me, I began to understand. I remember that you looked at me with tender compassion before you disappeared in an army jeep. I cried and cried when you were no longer with me because I knew then how much I loved you for what you had done with your pity for a lost girl. I became myself a short time later, and moved to this village in order to start my life over again." Her long eyelashes dripped womanly tears of joy. "Now you have come and I will never let you go."

"Listen to me, Annette." Hanley took both of her hands in his strong ones and gazed into her pleading eyes. "My name is Gil Hanley."

"Gil Hanley." She repeated slowly and the lieutenant enjoyed the way his name sounded on her tongue.

"Yes, Gil Hanley. And I am very glad that I have helped you out so much, and I do care about you, Annette. But, I don't think that---"

Hanley's kind speech of refusal was cut off by the woman's embrace. Leaning her soft, young body into the officer's chest, Annette wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly on the lips. All reasoning disappeared from Gil's mind, as passion shot through his lean frame. The minute that their lips met, sparks of pure chemistry shot between the two beings. Lightning flashed, angels sang, trumpets blasted, and all Hanley knew was that he wanted more. The handsome leader had kissed many women, but never had a simple embrace affected him this way. Holding Annette was the most satisfying and intense feeling he had ever felt. Fire raced through his veins and nothing mattered but the kiss and the treasure that had given herself freely to him in love.

The kiss deepened and suddenly Gil wanted Annette. All of his rational thinking was shoved into the dark corners of his mind as he savored the taste of her mouth against his own. He wanted to be one with this charming angel, and to carry the memory with him through the hard days to come. Hanley collapsed into the ground, pulling Annette down with him. Somewhere in his heart, Hanley knew that this would be her first time and he waited for the fear to come once she discovered his intentions. But, the resistance never came. With love shining out of her eyes like two beams of sunlight, Annette surrendered to Gil's advances and the world began to spin at a delightful pace.

"I love you." She whispered huskily. The three most thrilling words she had ever spoken. The phrase she had recovered to speak to this man who had healed her with his heart.

"Roll me over in the clover." Hanley muttered, as the two lay entwined in a tight embrace, oblivious to everything but the wonder of innocent, trusting love.

*****

One Month Later

"Hey, Lieutenant, there's somebody here who wants to talk to you." Kirby stuck his head inside of the doorway and shouted the message before heading down the street to join up with the other men.

"Just what I needed right now. " Hanley grumbled as he fastened the top button of his Class A uniform.

The officer had been twice blessed with more days off, this time a two-week furlough. This was Hanley's first long vacation from the war since he left home. Endless possibilities of what he could do with two weeks flooded his mind while Gil reached for a razor and began to shave off his stubble. He did not even turn around to acknowledge the intruder. Maybe, just maybe, if he ignored whoever wanted to waste his valuable time they would simply go away.

"Gil."

Hanley jerked around to meet the troubled face of his Annette. Seeing her here now after all the weeks apart made her breathtaking figure look like a fairy from a distant dream. She would not meet the man's emerald eyes and her hands trembled from her discomfort. The lieutenant felt a surge of compassion for his beloved and her obvious problem.

"What is it, Annette?" Hanley reached out to lovingly stroke her chin with his fingers. "You can tell me. I'll try to help you out if I can."

"There is nothing you can do to help." The lady lifted her downcast eyes to meet her lover's own. Her voice was flat and dull from unshed tears. "I have tried and tried to think of a way to avoid telling you, but I decided that you should know.'' Annette cleared her throat. "I am going to have a child, Gil. Our child."

Gil was too stunned by the news to speak. Annette took his silence for rejection.

"It is just as I had feared. " Moisture clouded her eyes as Annette leaned her head against Hanley's chest, the rapid beating of his heart sending her own emotions racing. "No young American wants to be burdened with a family, especially a foreign family. You want to go back to your home and marry a woman from your own country. I understand this and will not ask you to stay with me now that I will be a mother. I love you too much to expect it of you. But I will care for the baby until I am no longer alive. " Her tone grew fierce as she turned toward the door. "I think that you are the most attractive man that I have ever seen and I am proud to bare your child." Annette's shoulder's slumped with the sudden burden of her responsibility. "Goodbye, Gil."

"No, wait!" Finally the surprise began to wear off, and Hanley's mind sprang into action. "Annette, don't you ever try to leave me!" He grabbed the retreating woman and pulled her close. "You didn't even give me a chance to say a single word." He smiled with gentle reproach. "You have to listen to me, Annette. I didn't mean to take advantage of you. When I held you that day in the meadow I just wanted to love you. Frankly, Annette, I never expected anything like this, but that doesn't change anything. I still care for you, and if you'll still have me, I would like you to be my wife."

Annette began to cry and Gil clasped her tightly to his body. Her eyes glazed over from a memory as he looked over her shaking form.

"Let me tell you something, Annette. " Hanley confided, tangling up his hands in her flowing curls, savoring the feel of her silky tresses against his callused fingers. "I grew up in the ideal American family. I had a mom who liked to bake, a hard working dad who came home every night, a pesky little brother, and even a friendly dog that kept watch over our house. It was the stereotype perfect family, but something was missing. The love was never there, Annette. It was all business with my parents. My dad never taught me how to play baseball, helped me with my homework, or told me about the facts of life. He gave me food and a warm place to sleep. I guess he thought that was enough." Gil wrapped his arms around the woman he cherished in a protective embrace. "I want things to be different with my family. I know that I gave us a lousy start, but I want to be a good husband, Annette. And I want to be the father to my child that my dad never was to me. Do you understand any of this?"

"Yes, Gil, I understand. I understand it all." The two sealed the precious moment with a mutual kiss, and Hanley could not help thinking that the love they shared was a special gem indeed.

*****

The Next Night

Moonlight danced merrily across the clean white sheets of the large bed, giving the spacious room a romantic, almost otherworldly look. Annette's small shapely figure fit naturally into Gil's masculine arms, almost as if she had always been an extension of the lieutenant. The man's bare copper-colored back mingled with his bride's smooth ivory-white skin in a mixture of marbled hues.

"I am so glad that I we were married while you were given a furlough. Now we will have two weeks to spend together before you have to go back to your men."

"Tell me the truth, Annette. Does it bother you at all that we didn't get to have a proper wedding?" Concern flashed across Hanley's angular face. "I always thought that every girl dreamed of her wedding day." Sarcasm scented the officer's usual charming grin. "I'm afraid that our marriage was the farthest thing from a Cinderella wedding, and I'm not exactly Prince Charming either."

Newly pronounced Mrs. Gil Hanley placed her mouth on top of her husband's and silenced him with a lingering, endearing kiss.

"You're the closest thing to the man of my dreams that I have ever seen." Playfulness turned the corners of her mouth up into a genuine feminine smile that almost knocked the wind out of Hanley. "Every imagination that I may have ever had as a young child was more than fulfilled today. It was so kind of the captain to understand our situation and bring down the closest chaplain for the ceremony. Your friends all looked so handsome in their dress uniforms, and your sergeant was a striking best man." Annette giggled girlishly and snuggled closer to the warmth of her beloved. "If I had not been already spoken for, perhaps I would have been interested in Saunders myself. He has the most lovely head of golden hair God ever gifted any man with."

"Did I ever tell you that you turn me on when you're sassy?"

"No." Annette stifled another laugh as she feigned an innocent expression. "Tell me again, my darling."

"You turn me on when you are sassy, and you're a knockout when you're sweet. I love you so much it hurts, Mrs. Hanley, and I think I always will."

"Well, well, well, Lieutenant Hanley, so the suave platoon leader of King Company is capable of romance after all. I was beginning to think of you as a lost cause." Annette gave Gil's body a cool appraisal. "But then again, I guess it doesn't really matter much, does it? With looks like yours, who needs charm? You are an incurably attractive man."

"And you, Sweetheart, are the most lovely, patient, loving wife that a man could ever hope for."

"Is this going to go on for the next two weeks?"

"No, Honey, I vote that we stop all this mushy chatter and just enjoy being together."

"You are a fresh one, aren't you, Gil?" Mischief made Annette's pretty face appear ever more youthful than her years.

"I was never the kind for talking. I am a man of action."

"I see, Lieutenant Hanley. Is that an order?"

"If you want to make it one."

"Yes, Sir."

Although it was their first day together as man and wife, Annette and Gil Hanley shared a common bond that can only be found among a choice few couples joined in matrimony. Their motives were pure and unselfish, undaunted by mistrust or selfish pride. Needless to say, the Hanleys did not have any more lengthy conversations for the remainder of the night, or in any of the weeks that followed thereafter.

*****

October: 1944

Dead leaves fell in rhythmic unison to the ground below, the chilling northern wind making them flutter in an autumn dance. The squad moved along to the musical melody of the forest sounds, taking in the delightful scents and crunching the dried leaves beneath their GI boots. It was another routine mission with a simple, uncomplicated objective: they were to collect some important information from the French underground and then report back to company as soon as possible. A virtually uninhabited village could be seen about a mile from the soldiers, but orders were to keep away from locations where the enemy might be found. Their rendezvous with the marquis was in the woods on the other side of town.

"Hey, Lieutenant, " Kirby said as they drew nearer to the village. "Isn't this the place where your wife is living?"

"Yes, Kirby, this is the place." Hanley's icy voice registered annoyance at his private's brash behavior.

"Boy, if my girl was staying here and if I was the one in charge I would be takin' some time to see her, if ya know what I mean."

"Shut up, Kirby. " Saunders snapped from the rear of the squad. "You talk too much. We're not permitted to go into that town and you know it."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Kirby apologized quickly.

"Just forget it, Kirby. We have a mission to finish." Hanley waved away the soldier's comments and traveled on in silence.

"Krauts have moved in the village, Lieutenant!" Caje returned to the group after scouting ahead for Germans. "There are only a few French citizens left still living there, so the krauts are making themselves right at home. I think that they're going to set up a command center there as soon as their brass arrives."

"Alright, this changes things a little." The officer frowned in thought at the new arrangement, trying with all of his might not to worry about his Annette being left almost alone to handle the Nazis. "We're gonna have to be very careful and sneak past the town to our contact. He may not be able to come out of hiding with all of those Germans around. We'll just have to wait and see.

Got it?"

Nods all around from the Americans assured Hanley that they were all prepared to go wherever he would lead them.

"Good. Let's get this show on the road."

"What the heck are they doing, Sir?" Caje demanded, hot rage at the German's inhuman conduct apparent on his face. "What good could burning down those Frenchmen's homes possibly do?"

"I don't know, Caje. You'll have to ask the Germans." Hanley stated, his features paling considerably at the sight.

For no logical reason, several of the invading Nazis on the southern end of the village had taken it upon themselves to burn the local houses to the ground. Perhaps they thought that once the buildings were gone, all of the people would choose to vacate the location altogether, leaving the plunder for their enjoyment. Hanley had warned his men to stay out of any fight, but the squad could not resist stopping to witness more German brutality of the defeated French. Caje spat in the dirt to relieve some tension and murmured a few choice words in French between gritted teeth.

"Lousy Germans." The others glanced wearily at their friend as his gaze glinted like tempered steel. "Why do they always have to destroy everything, anyway? I have seen people like these. They're good people and some have worked all of their lives here. Now, they will have to leave." No one could think of the proper response to these accusations.

"No! Please, Sergeant, do not burn my home! Where will I stay if my humble cottage is taken from me? Is it so much to ask of a soldier? It means nothing to you!"

Hanley's head snapped up at the loud pleas, and the map he had been studying crumpled in the palm of his large hand. If he never saw her again for the rest of his life, the officer could never forget her voice. That German was pulling his wife out of her home while he had to stand by and watch!

"It's Annette, isn't it, Sir." It was a stated fact, not a question, as Saunders noted Hanley's expression and the folded map he was squeezing into a ball.

"What? That's your wife, Lieutenant?" Kirby jumped up and peered over Saunders' shoulder for a better look. He was the only one of the men who had not been present at the wedding. "Boy, what a looker!" The private whistled in appreciation, purposely ignoring the death stare he was getting from his sergeant. He did not even recognize the lady as the mute child Hanley had once fathered.

Private William G. Kirby studied the woman for another minute, taking in her full lips, blushing cheeks, and shapely legs.

"Well," He demanded at last when the lieutenant did not move from his spot. "Ain't you gonna go over there and help your wife, Lieutenant? There's only one of them over there right now. If she was mine, I wouldn't be lettin' no kraut treat her like that, no sir."

"KIRBY!" Saunders was at his last ounce of patience. "Can't you shut your big mouth today?"

"Don't yell at him, Saunders. For once Kirby is right." Hanley stood to his feet as he clutched his carbine to his abdomen in an iron grip. "You go ahead and find our contact. I'll finish with my business here and get back with you when I can."

"But, Lieutenant," Saunders sputtered, "We aren't supposed to engage the enemy! It could jeopardize our entire mission."

"Don't give me that "by the book" stuff, Saunders. Don't you think that I know this is contrary to everything an experienced officer should be doing?" Hanley's outburst lowered to a confidential whisper. "That's my wife out there, Saunders. Did you hear me? My wife. This isn't just some no-name French mademoiselle I've taken a shine to. She's family and I refuse to allow her to be threatened."

"It could be trouble, Hanley." Saunders retorted tartly, before realizing he had forgotten to use the military title.

"That's why it's my problem, Sergeant, and I want you out." Hanley did not mention the oversight in curtesy. "So get the heck out of here before I have to really pull rank on you."

"OK, Lieutenant, you win." The privates, who had all been following the argument with bated breath, scrambled to get going again. Saunders tapped his helmet before taking the point. "Catch up as soon as you can, Lieutenant. And take care of yourself."

"You know I will."

The normally calm and collected Annette was at her wit's end by the time Hanley came to her aid. The German soldier, who had been amused at the start by her antics, was growing angry and forceful.

"Listen, fraulin," The infantryman snarled, giving her slender arm a hard tug forward. "I am loosing my temper with you. If you do not wish to be thrown out, you will have to move now!" English was the language used because both Annette and the German were bilingual and English was their only shared tongue.

"Please, soldier, do not be so cruel! Have I done something to hurt you or your men? Just leave me in peace! I do not wish to harm anyone!"

"I will show you what I will do with..." The extent of the German's hateful intentions was never discovered because the offending private suddenly toppled to the dusty street, the end of a bayonet buried in the small of his back.

Annette took two steps backward and collapsed, covering her hands with her eyes to block the view. Great sobs shook her body from the pressure, fear, and blatant carnage. Hanley sat down noiselessly beside her, lips brushing over her neck in subtle comfort. The split second that Gil made contact with her body, Annette flung herself into the shelter of his affections.

"Oh, my sweet, soft-hearted Annette." Hanley buried his face into her fragrant locks of hazelnut-brown hair. "I had forgotten how caring you are, even in the midst of this war. I will never forget how you looked at me when I had to kill that German in the barn and then hid his body. I'm sorry to upset you, my love. I'm sorry. Please don't be with me."

"Take him." Four strong hands reached down to grab Hanley and drag him to his feet. His carbine and side arm were confiscated by a third German while Annette sat, paralyzed with horrible fascination of the capture. Hanley had made a reckless decision in coming to his wife's rescue. Now he was going to have to pay a high price for his error in judgement.

"You are a dirty American pig" The third German waved Hanley's carbine in his face, "You have killed Otto Schiller." With a large, stocky hand he made an abrupt gesture, indicating the dead sergeant sprawled out in the crude street. "That was your mistake, American. Otto was my closest kamerad. He was like a brother to me. When I am through with you, you will beg me to kill you and end the misery. And I will show you as much mercy as you gave Otto." He moved his formidable bulk to address the two privates holding Hanley. "Come, we will take him to the forest."

"Ja, Leutnant."

"Annette, go and get help!"

"Oh no, Lieutenant. " The officer's lips curled into a sneer when he discerned his enemy's desperation. "The fraulin is going along with us. If you were so determined to impress her that you stole my sergeant's life from him, then I think that the lady should be shown what will happen to a man like you." The Nazi reached for the frightened Annette, and put his stocky arms around her waist. "You are most beautiful, Fraulin." Lust vibrated from every pore in his body. "I see why the lieutenant was so captivated by your seductions that he was willing to kill for you. Perhaps you encouraged him in this, yes?'

"No!" Annette screamed, terrified by the hatred she saw plainly in the German's every move.

"We shall see, Fraulin." The Nazi lieutenant bent down to place a wet kiss on her neck where Hanley had just caressed her. "When my time with your American lover is finished, I may wish to speak with you all alone. You interest me much, my rustic French beauty."

"YOU GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY WIFE, KRAUT!" Hanley shouted, the volume of his command louder than any words he had ever spoken before. All three of the Germans were taken back, even the lieutenant. But, he quickly recovered from the information grinned broadly at the thought of the scheme his mind was concocting.

"Your wife, Lieutenant? Oh, then you must forgive me, Madame. You are not a fraulin after all. Let us go, Soldats." After the incident, the Nazi leader seemed to keep a respectful distance from Annette, touching her only when absolutely necessary.

In the Forest.

"Halt." Once out of earshot of the town, the odd party stopped in a sizable clearing. A lump formed in Gil's throat as he recognized this place as the meadow in which he had been reunited with his Annette, the location where their love affair had all began.

"I never want to leave here." Hanley's own words drifted through the air and came back to haunt him. This was where the magic began and this is the place that it could all end. The irony of the situation was almost sadistically comical.

"I have decided not to torture you, or even injure you in any way at the present moment, Lieutenant." The German again grew intimate with Annette, his wolfish gaze taking in every line and curve of her body. "I intend to break your spirit by taking what every man is most protective of." He paused for dramatic effect. "His woman."

"NO!" Hanley grew frantic as he struggled fiercely to free himself from the two Germans holding him back. "You can have whatever you want from me, Lieutenant. Just leave my wife alone."

"What I desire, Lieutenant, is your wife. We will see how much of a man you are when what is most precious to you is stripped away forever." He picked up Annette and began to carry her off.

"GIL!" The wail for protection tore at Hanley's heart. "Gil, please don't let him have me!" Annette began shrieking and clawing at the officer's face with her fingernails, etching thin scratches on his cheeks. Instead of angering her abductor, the Nazi only laughed, his feeling of power fueled by her feeble attempts of escape.

"Annette!" Never had Lieutenant Hanley felt so utterly helpless as he did watching the girl he loved more than life itself being taken from him. ''Annette!"

The privates laughed maliciously and yelled encouragement in German to their lieutenant. Gil gave an animal-like cry and began beating his head on the nearest tree, trying to expel the sharp pain attacking his soul. He rammed his head into the trunk until his dark hair became matted with bark and blood. The jeering of his enemies grew distant as his senses became dulled. The sickening taste of warm blood filled his mouth where he had bitten his tongue nearly in half.

Crack! Hanley dimly heard the sound of gunfire and felt his body slide to the forest floor as his captors dropped their hold on him. Shaking himself and forcing his mind to function properly, Hanley saw that the Germans had all been shot, including the lieutenant, who was lying dead a few feet away. Annette was sitting alive and unharmed under a shade tree, weeping with relief.

"Annette, what happened?" Gil's brain was still reeling from the confusion.

"Oh, Gil, it was this wonderful soldier. He came barging in here and killed all the Germans. The lieutenant hit him with a bullet before he died." Only then did Hanley see the wounded American whose head was cradled in his beloved's lap.

"Kirby?" Hanley kneeled down to inspect the injury. "Can you hear me?"

"I hear ya, Lieutenant." Kirby grimaced, noticing the crimson flow for the first time. "Boy, I'd better get a medal for this one."

"Why did you come back, Kirby?"

"When ya took so long gettin' back, the Sarge told me to go and make sure was all right and everything." The private closed his eyes. "I hurt pretty bad, Lieutenant. I---"

Without even an ending to his last sentence, William G. Kirby died.

Tears moistened his eyelashes as Gil Hanley took one final look at his BAR man. A thousand joys and sorrows jumbled together in his heart, creating total emotional chaos inside.

"Thanks, good friend. I'll never forget what you did for us."

*****

V-E Day

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne? And days of auld lang syne, my friend,

And days of auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

The five men swayed back and forth to the beat of the music with their arms draped over the closest buddy's shoulder. For them, the war was over and it was time to rejoice. All of the hardships that had become a part of the squad's daily routine were now only fading nightmares of the past. Europe had been turned upside down the past few hours with the Allied victory; the rigid, discipline so common to the United States Army melted into one big jubilant free-for-all celebration.

Kirby. The thought of his lost comrade put a damper on Hanley's soaring spirit. Could he forget how his private had looked forward to this very day? So many good men had fallen during the God-forsaken havoc loosely labeled as "war". But Private Kirby was different than the rest of those who were KIA. He had not given his life fighting for freedom or country, but for his officer. Hanley felt that he could never show his gratitude to its fullest extent, no, not if he lived to be a hundred years old.

And ther's a hand, my trusty friend,

And gie's a hand o' thine;

We'll take a cup 'o kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my friend,

For auld lang syne

We'll take a cup 'o kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

As the last refrain of the old, familiar song came to a close, all of the former soldiers of King Company grew misty-eyed. As much as they had despised the killing, they had all held an unexplainable respect and regard for each other. A moment of silence presided over the veterans as they each paid a tribute in their own way to the boys that would never go back home.

"Doc Walton." Saunders' declaration, straight from his heart, did not catch any of the others by surprise. They were all thinking about the dead.

"Braddock." Caje echoed reverently.

"Billy." Doc's southern drawl lamented over the baby-faced private they had all grown to admire.

"Kelly." Littlejohn wiped a tear from his face as he remembered the senseless death that had befallen Kelly and many GIs like him since Omaha Beach.

"Kirby." The pain of separation hung thick in the air as Hanley's baritone vibrated with sorrow. Thinking about their spunky friend, and the loss of his life was almost unbearable.

"GIL!" Annette's tinkling, sweet soprano voice filled Hanley's ears once again, relieving his mind of the gloomy memories. His wife was running toward him, almost stumbling in her haste to reach his side. All the men grinned at their leader as he held out his arms open wide to receive her love. Cradled in her loving embrace cried a tiny newborn baby boy. His mop of thick, black hair and large, inquiring green eyes proved that Hanley's son was the splitting image of his proud father.

"Isn't he a handsome baby?'' Doc cooed, sticking out his index finger for the child to grasp.

"It's a good thing he didn't take after his dad."

"Now, Sergeant Saunders, you know quite well that little William G. Hanley looks just like his father. "Annette sternly matched Saunders, stare for stare.

Gil Hanley gave a hearty laugh and held up his boy for everyone to see.

We'll take a cup 'o kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

No, it was not the beginning of a new year, but it was the start of a whole new life for Gil and the end of an old era. The war seemed as long ago as another lifetime. Faith. Hanley chuckled. He could get used to that word. Love. Now Annette and Gil could enjoy each other without any interruptions. Hope. That was perhaps the finest word of all.