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

Ready for the Future

A/N: Well...this is it. This is the last chapter. I'm pretty sad that the story ends, it's been a great ride, but I don't want to drag it out.

I wanted to thank all of you for reading it, voting on it, sharing it and commenting on it. I am happy that you liked my writing and maybe I'll hear from some of you in the future :)

George eventually decided that he had to go home – well, to his home in Rhode Island. He brought it up one evening as he and Ella sat up on the roof, watching the sunset.

The brunette was quiet for a while, but then, a smile blossomed on her features. "You'll be fine", she said, an unwavering confidence in her voice. "And if it gets too crazy again, you know you can always come here."

He chuckled, looping an arm around her and tussling her soft locks. "Yeah, I know, kiddo", he answered. "Promise me something?"

The small woman looked up at him, a questioning expression in her searching gaze.

"Promise you'll come visit some time?"

Her smile widened, warmth and fondness glowing in it. "Promise", she spoke solemnly, leaning against him. Although she was a bit sad that he was leaving, Ella was mostly glad that her brother was ready to return to his old life.

"When are you leaving?", she asked, brushing a few stubborn strands from her eyes. Above them, the sky slowly turned dark, the first stars already twinkling.

"In about three weeks", George replied. "When all the work is finished."

Ella nodded, signalling she had understood. She snuggled closer, head resting against his shoulder, and inquired: "What's Rhode Island like?"

He smiled at her and began an animated description of his home state, gesturing with his hands and making the young girl laugh as he imitated the voices of his family and friends.

"I'll see you soon", George said three weeks later, after he had put the last piece of luggage into the boot of his car. "Real soon."

Isabel smiled and hugged him, telling him to drive safely and to greet his family from them. Ella hugged him, too, whispering something in his ear that made him cackle.

"Sure thing, Shorty", he replied, winking at her.

Then, George grinned at them and gave them both another big hug before getting into the car. As he drove off, the two Sawyer women waved, laughing when he jauntily beeped the horn in farewell.

***

Sickness struck Ella at the end of May. At first, it had just been a dull throb behind her temples, nothing unusual. She had ignored it, even the headache went from mildly irritating to painful enough to be distracting.

But by midday, there was no more denying that she was sick. Her head pounded as if it had its own heartbeat, her entire body ached and she had started coughing. If she hadn't had any experience pushing through exhaustion, pain and illness, she would have fallen asleep then and there.

The afternoon dragged on and the small medic had a hard time concentrating on her lessons. To make matters worse, they were talking about the war in History and Mrs Audrey was trying to evaluate how much they knew already.

Ella resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes when the teacher reminded them for the hundredth time that the anniversary of D-Day was just around the corner. She shared a long-suffering look with Tim, who was sketching rank insignia on his notepad.