Can't fall even harder (Band of brothers/Richard Winters)

XIII. The first is forever the first

She stood there, immobile, looking at his figure going away, again.
She shook her head, she needed to be concentrated. She found Eugene and together they started making an inventory of what they had.

"I got one gauze, you?"
"I got three, here take one," she said giving him the gauze.
"Doctor Cooper!" As Isabelle heard her name being called she turned her head and met the face of a boy, she saw him coming with Richard, but she didn't know his name.
"Who calls me Pvt.?"
"I'm private Hall, Ltn. Winters requested your presence and he sent me to call you", she nodded.
"Roe we'll finish later, now Hall let's go", they started walking.

Isabelle had so many questions that needed an answer, she didn't know what Dick wanted to tell her, she didn't know what happened to him, she didn't know who was that boy and she didn't know what she was going to do.

Well, during her brief walk towards the redhead man, she thought and thought, so much that when they arrived she didn't even notice.

"Doctor?" Asked the boy, waking her up from her dreams.
"We've arrived", she nodded and started entering the building. There in the middle stood Lewis, Compton and Richard, they were discussing, but stopped when they heard her arrival. "Hello boys, you needed me," she asked looking at Nixon, she couldn't even give a glance at him.
"Yes", answered Richard, "Easy company's going to do a mission, we have to take down three or four cannons that are obstructing our way from the beach." He said looking at the map and gesturing the place of their mission for her to understand. "And you need me to come with you I assume", "Yes, but you just need to stay near, it should be easy, but we don't know; take Roe too", she nodded, "We go in thirty minutes.". She walked away, she had to prepare her medical equipment and to call Eugene and tell him the plan.

Thirty minutes later she was laying against a tree, she was far from them, but she could see the situation, Eugene was some metres away, she couldn't see him because of the trees. Everything was peaceful, Richard gave her an idea of what they were going to do, she saw his signal that started the assault, then she heard lots of screams, cries and really a lot of shoots. She was breathing slowly, trying to be calm and ready to intervene, her mind was set on her job, saving lives.

"DOC.! DOC.!"
As soon as she heard a voice calling her she sprinted.
She ran, but soon had to throw herself on the ground because of the bullet that was desperately trying to kill her, she started slipping on the ground protecting herself from the bullets. She heard her name being called again "ISABELLE! ISABELLE!" She continued to approach as fast as her body could go, between al the noises.
She managed to arrive where she was needed, she found Compton and Popeye, he was shot.
"OK what do we have?" she said jumping into the trench where he was laying"I was shot." "I can see," she said cutting his pant where there was a stain of blood, "Buck, go, I think Dick needs you, I can manage" Isabelle's hands were trembling she was treating her first-ever wound, she was able to cut his trousers and was now trying to take off the bullet."Are you sure?" Compton asked looking concerned, "Yes, go," She let out, still concentrated on the man's injury.
Buck nodded and left them alone, "DO you need morphine? Or you can manage, it's not that bad, the bullet didn't go that deep" "No, I don't need it, leave it for someone else."; after a moment she found the bullet, as she thought it didn't go that deep.
She then took one of her herbs and after chewing it she applied the paste on the wound: "This will help you heal faster" she added.
"Perfect, now you're all patched up" "Kiss it better" he joked, "Another time hun, right now let's take you to the aiding zone. Ok, now you need to slip on the ground, can you do that alone or do you need me to pull you?" "I can do it myself" "Ok perfect, go first, I'm right behind you", he started going and she followed after a while, when they were out of the fire area she said: "Now we can walk, do you think you can walk" "Yes, It doesn't hurt that much" "Ok now I need you to stand up, I'll help you," she said standing up and help him stand on his feet.
"Ok perfect, now let's go," she said, putting her arms around his shoulders and walking with him.
They arrived at the aid station, she left him there and started going back, she turned her body in the direction she came.
She was running, she trusted Eugene, obviously, but she wanted to be helpful. She arrived at the position she was before and met Roe, "Eugene, what's happening? Did someone get hurt?" he answered: "They're assaulting the second cannon, nobody got hurt, but I think that dog company is going to come here to help", she nodded and stayed there laying her body on the tree behind them.

The wait was wearing, she played on her mind the images of what she had done, she actually didn't do that much, but she didn't feel so good either. There were still many noises coming from the combat area, but her mind was still pondering over the last events, she couldn't stop her body as she kneeled and vomited. Eugene acted immediately, he put one hand on her head to sustain her and the other on her back to calm her. She wasn't just throwing up her dinner, lunch or whatever, she was spitting out all the adrenaline, all the fear and all the sensations she felt during that experience.

When she finished she sat on the floor and cleaned her face with her right sleeve, but stopped when she saw how red her hand was, she didn't even think about cleaning herself. Eugene stared at her studying her emotions "Is, everything fine?" she looked at him, was it? was all fine? How stupid she was for reacting like that, overall what she did was nothing, she was going to go through more stuff, worst stuff, was she ready, could anyone be ever ready?
"Isabelle?" Eugene repeated, "Yes, everything's fine, I did my first treating today, it wasn't that much, but it felt horrible," She said looking on the floor. "Now I'm fine, It was a momentary thing, don't worry".
She was calmer now. "Eugene, don't worry, now I'm ok, I just needed to relieve all the stress" "Are you sure?"Well I don't know, but I'm positive, right now I think I need something for my breath" she said searching for a cigarette in her pocket. When she found it dog company arrived and the assault to the last cannon started, she watched, smoking her cigarette.
She repeated herself that this was now what she was going to do, and man she was going to do it well.

It took a while for the men to finish the mission. Exiting from the trench they started going back to the gathering zone, she saw how all of them, she included, were dirty from head to toes, her hands were full of filth, and on her right hand there was some of Wynn's (Popeye) blood.

When they arrived they were given some time to eat and rest, the next day they were going to secure the city of Calouville.
Isabelle stayed in the medical centre for some hours, then went to rest for a little bit, she spotted where her friends were and started walking towards them, it was late and the sky was dark but was soon stopped by a strong hold.