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holdingforgeneralhugs · 4 months
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Bitter Pill to Swallow
Chapter 24 (Chapter Masterlist)
Screencap from the ever lovely @tvserie-s-world it's been awhile but I hope this chapter makes up for the very long wait 💕
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There was something off about that Colonel Dobey. Dick had been watching him since he'd walked into HQ with Nix, and though he couldn't put his finger on what the issue was, he'd taken an immediate dislike to the man. There was just something about him that put Dick on edge. It didn't take too long for Dobey to prove his suspicions correct.
"So chaps," he started once they were in the jeep back to batallion, "I'm to have Easy Company along on this excursion? "
"Yes," Nix replied, placing a hand on Moose's shoulder, "Easy are one of the finest outfits in all the army, ain't that right Dick?"
"Sure are," he smiled, a little bubble of pride forming in his chest at the thought of Easy. He may not be their CO anymore but they would always be his company, and he'd always be happy to sing their praises.
"Aren't they the company with the lady Lieutenant?" Dobey continued, a curious glint in his eye that put Dick's nerves on edge. Surely he wasn't going to make an issue of a female Lieutenant after he had asked for their help on his rescue operation?
"Yes," Dick replied, a sharp edge to his voice, "Lieutenant Landry has been with Easy from the beginning and she's a model officer."
"Oh I'm sure she's quite the model officer alright," Dobey smirked as the jeep pulled to a stop,"I shall look forward to working closely with her then. Who knows, perhaps we'll become rather friendly after all this. Now how about we source a spot of tea and run through the intelligence for this operation Nixon?"
"Eh...sure," Nix agreed after a moment's hesitation, his gaze lingering on Dick as he waited to see if he'd respond, "Moose and I will go through it with you in my office. Dick here has a mountain of paperwork to do so he gets a free pass." Nix spared a final glance at Dick before leading the British Colonel away, Moose falling into step beside them.
Dick remained silent throughout this exchange, his temper continuing to rise in response to the Colonel's flippant comment. Clearly Dobey had a few ideas about Valerie and how he could...befriend her, but Dick would be damned if he'd let him have the chance.
"Moose, can I have a quick word," he called at the retreating party as he finally climbed from the jeep. Nix glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow but continued on his way without comment. Dick knew he'd ask Moose about it as soon as he had a free moment.
"What can I do for you Dick?" Moose asked, straight to the point. Dick appreciated that about him, that and his all-in style of leadership. Dick had often seen him out on patrols and doing nightly checks on the outposts since he'd taken over Easy, and it eased his worries somewhat to know that they were in good hands now.
"Keep Lieutenant Landry out of this operation yeah?" Dick instructed. Moose's brows rose in momentary surprise before furrowing in confusion.
"But Lieutenant Landry would be -"
"I know she would," Dick agreed with a sigh, "but she can sit this one out alright? There'll be other operations."
"Yes sir," Moose conceded after a terse moment. He looked like he wanted to question the order but ultimately thought better of it and followed after Nix and Dobey.
Dick watched him go with mixed emotions. Knowing Valerie she'd be the first to volunteer for the operation, and she'd have no fear in questioning why she wasn't permitted to go. Moose would of course tell her the reason, and he fully expected her to be banging his door down by the end of the day to give him an earful about it. He stood by his decision though. Dobey clearly had plenty of ulterior motives when it came to Valerie, and Dick could not in good conscience let her walk into something like that. He'd happily take a hundred of her angry tirades if it meant she was safe from Dobey's wandering hands.
~~~~~~
"Alright listen up," Moose called as he walked into the barn, "The Brits are staging a rescue operation across the river in three days, and they want Easy to run it. Welsh and Shames, you'll be on this one with me so pick out fifteen men and bring them to CP for briefing at 1700."
Valerie knew it was irrational and childish, but she couldn't help her frustration at being left out of the mission. She'd been with Easy longer than Shames and Harry both, yet somehow she always seemed to be overlooked. This would be a hugely important mission for Easy and it grated that she'd been excluded. She tried to get Moose's attention then, but he quickly averted his eyes and looked anywhere but her before walking out of the barn. Valerie narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before following him out.
"Hey Moose, wait up," she called as she jogged to catch up with him. He came to a reluctant stop, sighing quietly before turning around to face her. "What's up Valerie?" He asked carefully.
"At the risk of insubordination," she started, "I was wonderin' why you passed me up for the rescue mission?"
"Well I..." he started, clearing his throat awkwardly before stumbling on, "I just..."
"If you think I'm not capable or somethin' then I....."
"Jesus no Valarie," he interrupted, shaking his head vehemently, "you're one of the most competent officers in this outfit."
"Then why did you pass me over?"
"You're not going to like it..." he sighed, defeated, "and if I tell you you have to promise to not get angry..."
"Moose," she deadpanned, "spit it out."
"Well y'see Dick he.....he told me to leave you out of it. I dunno why but..."
"He what?" She whispered, deadly calm. She clenched her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood. The pure unadulterated rage was rising so quickly inside her it burned in her chest, and her body began to tremble with the effort of holding it all in.
"Now Valerie you promised you..."
"I promised no such thing," she quipped sharply, "now I'm sorry, but I have somethin' I need to do."
Without waiting for a response she marched purposefully towards the house where the batallion officers had set up shop. She drew immediate attention as she stormed into the house, but nobody made a move to stop her, too wary of drawing her obvious ire in their direction.
"I'm looking for Captain Winters," she said tersely to the first aide she came across, "can you point me in his direction?"
"Uh...in the attic ma'am. Only door on the top floor," the aide replied warily. She gave him a rigid nod in thanks before purposefully marching up the stairs, her heavy, stomping footsteps rattling the wooden frame. When she finally reached the top floor she rapped her knuckles on the door and barely waited for the 'come in' before entering the room and closing the door harshly behind her.
Dick stiffened as his eyes met hers, his fingers crumpling the edges of the report he was holding in his hand. "Valerie..." he started warily.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" She cut him off abruptly, "what goddamn right do you have to tell Moose to exclude me from that operation?"
"Valerie please..."
"I've been here since the goddamn beginning, and I've worked my goddamn ass off every goddamn day for this goddamn company and you," she spat furiously, pointing an accusatory finger at him, "have the goddamn gall to order Moose to cut me out of an important mission."
"Valerie if you'll just..."
"How dare you," she hissed, "I knew you were on some kinda newfound power trip but this just takes the..."
"Dammit Valerie I did it to protect you!" He snapped, slamming his palms on the desk with an audible smack, his chair banging off the wall as he stood up abruptly. Valerie was stunned into silence by the sudden outburst, and Dick's heaving breaths were the only sound to pierce the thick blanket of silence that had come between them.
His eyes softened when they met hers, and he pushed himself away from the desk with a sigh before coming to stand in front of her. "I knew you'd come storming in my door to chew me out the minute I made the call but I had to alright? Colonel Dobey was a little too interested in the 'Lady Lieutenant' from Easy and he heavily implied he wanted to get a bit more than friendly with you. And after what happened in London...I didn't want you to be in a position like that again so I made the call. I'm sorry I upset you and made you feel like you're being overlooked, but I won't apologise for trying to protect you from unnecessary discomfort or harm."
Valerie found that for once in her life she was unable to speak. Her heart was hammering a mile a minute in her chest and her throat was tight. This wonderful man, despite all the grief she had given him and all the spiteful comments she had thrown at him, had without hesitation done his best to keep her safe from harm. It was the most thought anyone besides Gene and his family had ever given her, and her heart felt like it was going to burst with the weight of it.
Before she could second guess herself, she flung her arms around his neck and burrowed her face in his shirt. She closed her eyes and exhaled shakily as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against him. She turned her head slightly, her nose brushing gently against the edge of his collar, and she heard his breath hitch. "Thank you Dick," she whispered against his neck, and he gave an involuntary shudder, "Thanks for lookin' out for me."
"No need to thank me Val," he murmured, his thumb rubbing small, gentle circles on her spine, "just doing the right thing. I....I care about you too much to let someone take advantage of you."
Valerie could feel his heart thumping against his ribs, and her own started to beat in tandem with it. She knew they had been holding each other far too long for it to be considered normal, but she didn't want to be the one to break away first.
"I'm sorry for what I said the other day," she said quietly after a moment, "I didn't mean any of it. You know me by now, sometimes my mouth starts runnin' before my head catches up. I just...I guess it just took me by surprise and I worried that with your fancy new desk job...well I guess I worried I wouldn't see you no more because you wouldn't have the time."
It was a rare moment of vulnerability from Valerie, and she felt embarrassed that she'd perhaps been a bit too honest, that he'd read between the lines and see the feelings she was hiding. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped he wouldn't notice the blush rising rapidly on her cheeks, but alas he pulled back far enough so he could give her an earnest look.
"There's no deskjob they could put me on that would allow that to ever happen," he promised quietly, and Valerie felt the knot in her stomach tighten as though he'd grabbed it and tugged it sharply.
"Well I'm glad about that," she whispered.
They were far too close together, she realised, with her arms around his shoulders and his hands resting on her spine. It was all far too cozy, just the two of them in his tiny attic office, and her heart began to thump so hard and fast she was certain he'd feel it through her back. For the first time she noticed the subtle little flecks of darker green in his eyes. She was so intently focused on his eyes that she noticed when they briefly flickered down before coming back up to meet hers again. If she didn't know better she'd think he'd glanced at her lips, and they parted unconsciously at the thought.
"Val I..."
A loud bang from downstairs caused them to spring apart, their eyes widening. Valerie's cheeks felt like they were about to melt straight off, and Dick ran his fingers through his hair roughly.
"We'd better go check that out," Dick said hoarsely, clearing his throat and looking anywhere but at her.
"Uh yeah, we should," Valerie agreed, her voice pitching. She spun around and made to grab the door, Dick following behind her, but she stopped abruptly in her tracks as the door swung open and Nix appeared at the other side. Her sudden stop sent Dick crashing into the back of her, and he instinctively put his hands on her waist to steady both her and himself.
Nobody spoke for a beat. Nix's eyes flitted between them and a slow, amused grin lit up his face. "Well, if I knew I was interrupting something I'd have come back later."
"You're not," they said in unison, and Valerie cringed as Nix's grin widened.
"In fact I was just leaving," she continued, side stepping around Nix and out the door, "I'll see you both around." She walked down the stairs and out the door without a backwards glance, her heart stuttering unevenly in her chest. For a brief second she'd thought maybe he was going to...no. That was a completely ridiculous thought which she needed to forget all about.
~~~~~~
Dick watched her go down the stairs, pointedly ignoring Nix and his ridiculous, smug expression.
"Hell Dick, about time you made a move," Nix chuckled.
"Nothing happened," Dick insisted, the tips of his ears burning red hot.
"Sure, whatever you say," he teased, "but based on how flustered you both looked I think it's safe to assume something almost happened."
"Shut it Nix," Dick said tersely, rubbing the back of his neck and walking back towards his desk, "she just came to chew me out about leaving her out of the rescue mission. When I explained why I'd left her out she was actually grateful."
"Yeah, a regular knight in shining armour you are Dick Winters," he snorted, "never thought you'd let jealousy get the better of you."
"It was not jealousy," Dick huffed,"Dobey had less than professional interests in Valerie and I didn't want her to end up in an uncomfortable situation so I stepped in."
"Yeah I know," Nix agreed, "he did seem a little too interested in Val. Kept asking about her in the briefing too. Was a good call you made on that one."
Dick stayed silent for a beat, and Nix knew there was something else on his mind that he was debating telling him.
"Val she...." Dick started, scuffing his boot on the floorboard, "she apologised for what she said the other day..."
"Val's spent an awful lot of time apologising to you lately," Nix laughed, "she say why she lost it?"
"She..." Dick hesitated, "she said she was worried that she wouldn't see me anymore, that I wouldn't have the time now I've got a 'fancy batallion deskjob'. But I don't know, maybe I picked her up wrong. She's probably worried that Easy will.... "
"Christ Dick," Nix laughed incredulously, shaking his head, "the woman basically told you she has feelings for you and you're standing here trying to explain it away. She couldn't have made it more obvious if she'd slapped you with it."
"Nix we've been over this," Dick sighed, "I can't.."
"Yeah yeah yeah, duty and honour and commanding officer and all that crap, I know. But Dick, she clearly likes you so..."
"So nothing," Dick insisted, "I can't put her in that position. Its bad enough I almost..."
"Almost what?" Nix jumped in, raising an eyebrow, "You may as well spit it out Dick because I knew the minute that door opened and I saw your guilty looking face that something had happened."
"I...almost...well what I mean is I considered..." he stuttered before his shoulder sagged in defeat, "for a brief moment I thought about kissing her...but it was a stupid idea and I..."
"You're completely hopeless," Nix sighed, rolling his eyes fondly, "trust you to over complicate it. You like her and she likes you, it shouldn't be so difficult."
"Yeah, I know," Dick sighed in defeat, "but we've had this discussion before and I'm too tired and too busy to have it again, so just drop it alright?"
"Fine, fine," Nix conceded, holding his hands up, "but just think about it alright? Now why don't you hand over those reports you have due before the good Colonel gets a stroke. You know he loves his paperwork."
Dick was glad the subject had circled back to work matters, but he knew the warm feeling of Valerie in his arms would be haunting him long into the night.
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just-an-ant17 · 3 years
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I know the world hasn't ended and things are as well as they can be. Yet why can't I shake off the feeling that something has died?
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stephiewoodcock · 4 years
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#truth #bitterpilltoswallow https://www.instagram.com/p/CCeQ2aTp3y_/?igshid=2aew8x6btfo0
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777wave · 5 years
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Above the law mentality. — #BitterPillToSwallow — Photo : CTTO https://www.instagram.com/p/B0E55iNnodX9eGgZbZR-fr9NhFaiEOFEzGz3Gk0/?igshid=dz2sn38g2p27
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iamreeky · 6 years
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Yep ju big mad now huh mane #youStoopid #bitterpilltoswallow https://www.instagram.com/p/BnjT4nEHIxb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c0le27vtf2r5
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fuck-itshithappens · 6 years
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💊 #Medicine #Taste #BitterPillToSwallow #Poison #TasteOfYourOwnMedicine
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rjack2136 · 7 years
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Sad. ##Repost @slyngstad_cartoons ・・・ With Trump on a "working" vacation I can take time to do cartoons not about him! So on a more serious note, here's an issue that can hopefully get support and help from both sides of the aisle. Opiates affect people all across the socioeconomic spectrum. They've taken celebrities like Prince from us, down to someone like a neighborhood kid. In the age of Trump certain things can be lost in the news cycle and I hope this is not one of those times. An Opioid Task Force was recently launched so let us hope some good comes from this . #opioid #opioids #opioidcrisis #opioidepidemic #opiate #opiates #opioidaddiction #opiateaddiction #opioidtaskforce #painkiller #painkillers #pk #bitterpill #bitterpilltoswallow #jeffsessions #beauregard #bipartisan #trump #workingvacation #trumpvacation #politicalcartoon #editorialcartoon #johnkelly #stephenmiller #republican #democrat (at Phoenix, Arizona)
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ianpamensky · 7 years
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Dinner preparation and #lovecraftbeer after being inspired @zdvoaus #fundraiser 🍺 @hopnationbeer #thedamned #pilsner 📝 The 2 talkers at tonight function may have had a #bitterpilltoswallow BUT have many lessons to teach us all #inspirational #beithalochem #danlayani #moransamuel #zdvoaustralia (at Mrs P's Kitchen)
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bitterpillofficial · 2 years
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Everyone say happy birthday to our very own banjo player. Happy Birthday, Michael, we love you! #bitterpill #bitterbirthday #banjo #banjoplayer #banjoplayersofinstagram #justthebanjoplayer https://www.instagram.com/bitterpilltoswallow/p/CY1ZtfnLUfg/?utm_medium=tumblr
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butlerbilly · 3 years
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What a beautiful day to celebrate the life of my dear friend Kit and play musics with my band @bitterpilltoswallow https://www.instagram.com/p/CRMmo1_rNSA/?utm_medium=tumblr
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#missher #memories #happytobeapart #bitterpilltoswallow
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holdingforgeneralhugs · 4 months
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Working on the next chapter of bitter pill and honestly the excitement I have to write this bit needs to be studied🤣 These two beloved idiots need their heads banged together to get some sense
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jadefilms · 6 years
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#youknowitstrue #guncontrolnow #blacklivesmatter #keepourkidssafe #changenow #bitterpilltoswallow
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bitterpillofficial · 2 years
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There was green alligators and long-necked geese Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees Some rats and bats and elephants, but sure as you're born The loveliest of all was the unimcron #bitterpill #unicorn #covid #omicron https://www.instagram.com/bitterpilltoswallow/p/CYZMMA8rkx6/?utm_medium=tumblr
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