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

The Battle of Bloody Gulch

A/N: Hi guys :) Thank you so much for all your fav's, comments and votes! You are amazing and I am so happy that you like this story :)

Ella had slept fitfully. She had heard every word of what Speirs had told Blithe and it had taken her a long time to drift off.

She woke up way before dawn after far too little sleep when somebody tapped her on the shoulder. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs of fatigue, the girl carefully got up without disturbing Johnny, who was dozing. Grabbing her gear and scrambling out of the foxhole, she gave Gene a smile as they walked side by side.

"You get any sleep?", she asked innocently.

He nodded. "Got a few hours. You?"

"Not much. How'd it go with Talbert?" He had been evacuated during the night.

Gene scratched at a spot under his helmet. "He'll be fine. Missed everything vital."

"Yeah."

They were silent for a while, walking by the foxholes and checking on the men, most of them still asleep. Ella looked in on Liebgott and Smith while Gene set off to track down Winters and probably get the lieutenant to sit down long enough for the Cajun medic to change the dressing on his foot.

Liebgott was awake and gave her his signature smirk. "Hi Shorty."

She smiled and crouched down at the foxhole. "How's it going, Lieb?"

"Eh, alright. Took me almost an hour to calm the idiot down", he grumbled, but there was no heat behind it.

"It was a mistake. Could have happened to any of us", the girl said.

"Yeah, well... wearing a Kraut poncho wasn't exactly the smartest thing either", Liebgott allowed. Then he really looked at her. "Jeez, did you get any sleep?", he asked incredulously.

Ella shrugged. "Some", she hedged.

Liebgott's eyebrows creased. "Something happened last night."

It wasn't a question. She could deflect. She could lie. She could walk away. But she didn't. He cared and just tried to look out for her. She saw it, right there in his eyes. It wouldn't be fair to him to not give him an answer.

Sighing, the girl sat back on her haunches. "I ran into Adrian Michaels", she admitted.

Liebgott's mien turned downright murderous. "Did he do something? I swear to God, I'm gonna find that bastard and kill him", he growled, already moving to grab his weapon.

"No, please." She looked at him pleadingly. "Nothing happened. Just... seeing him... it brought some stuff back." When he didn't react, Ella put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Lieb. It would only make things worse if you got into a fight with him. I'm...I'll be okay."

Slowly, reluctantly, he nodded. "Alright. But if he ever, ever, touches you, I'm gonna kill him."

She smiled. His concern made her feel all warm and fuzzy. "I don't think you'd be alone with that, Lieb", she replied.

"Damn right I won't be."

***

When the artillery hit, Ella narrowly escaped death. She heard the mortar shell only a second before it hit. The blast knocked her off her feet. Searing hot shrapnel flew through the air, bouncing off her helmet, tearing her jacket and one piece leaving a deep gash across her left forearm.