Pitschen ma en gamba - Small, but powerful [A Band of Brothers Story]

Regrouping

By nightfall, they were in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Most of the company was still unaccounted for.

Ella tried not to think about it as she scrubbed the last of the grease paint off her face. They would come. They had to. After all, they were the best.

She ambled through the streets when she heard some familiar voices and laughter.

"Jesus! Let me outta here!

Liebgott hopped down from the back of a truck and disappeared into the night. From the brief glimpse the girl got, she could see her friends sitting there, a small fire in the middle. Grinning, she shook her head. Only her boys would light a fire in the bed of a covered truck and cook something.

Ducking under the tarp and leaning against the tailgate, she was greeted by grinning faces.

"Hey, Shorty. Want some food?", Malarkey asked, brandishing a pot.

"Only if it tastes better than it smells." She fully understood why Liebgott had taken flight. The stench was most unpleasant, not to say awful.

The men snickered.

"It is", the cook said, pretending to be offended.

Ella gratefully accepted the hands Buck and Guarnere extended and let them pull her up. Sitting down in the space Guarnere and Lipton made for her, she turned to face Malarkey. "You do realise that the tarp is smouldering?", she asked innocently.

They just laughed.

The tarp moved again and Lieutenant Winters appeared. "Evening", he greeted.

"Hello, sir", Guarnere replied.

Their leader crinkled his nose in disgust and questioned: "Did something die in here?"

"Yeah, Malarkey's ass", Petty answered, making them cackle again.

"Any word on Lt Meehan, sir?", Buck wondered. They sobered a little.

"No, not yet."

Guarnere looked at Winters. "Don't that make you our commanding officer, sir?"

Ella turned her head to study him. It seemed that whatever beef Guarnere had had with the lieutenant was now a thing of the past. He was relaxed and smiling lightly. And that wasn't just because of the alcohol somebody had managed to find.

"Yeah, it does", Winters confirmed.

Toye offered him a drink. "Sir."

"Joe, the Lieutenant don't drink", Guarnere reminded his friend.

The girl smiled at his way of showing his respect for Winters. The smile soon turned into a yawn, which she quickly smothered. Sleep could wait another hour, food couldn't. Gene would be upset with her when he found them and discovered she hadn't eaten properly.

Winters accepted the bottle. "It's been a day of firsts." He took a gulp and made a face. "Don't you think, Guarnere?" He handed the bottle over to him.

The Philadelphian nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Carry on."

"Good night, sir", Ella chimed in with the others.

He stopped and turned back again. "Oh, Sergeant?"

Guarnere looked up. "Sir?"

There was a half-smile on Winter's face. "I'm not a Quaker." Then, he left.