A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

SIXTY

Explosions and gunshots had already started going off by the time the Jeep caught up with the tanks. As she scrambled from the jeep with the other three, mind racing, focused only on the threat before her, she heard calls for a medic. It surprised her not to see Gene rushing around. Dick, Harry, and Nixon started getting troops in order.

Spina and Mampre came into view. One helped a limping soldier, the other dragged a body. Alice rushed to them, past the tanks. Her sniper rifle was no use at the moment. Before long she reached the two medics, but realized it was actually three. Gene Roe limped with Spina's help.

"Give him to me!" Alice ordered, grabbing the taller Eugene Roe. He didn't protest, and neither did Spina, so soon enough she had the head medic at her side. "Damnit Gene."

The sounds of shouting and bullets filled the air. Alice couldn't look back. She, Gene, Mampre, and Spina limped to the protection of one of the jeeps. All around them, chaos. Down the gravel road they went. Alice's breathing became erratic as she just prayed no one would shoot them from behind.

At last they reached a safe distance back. Mampre and Spina dropped beside the man they'd been dragging. Lowering Gene to the ground, she looked at him closely. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. As she realized she'd be getting no help from the other two medics, Alice nodded.

"Give me your bag," she ordered.

Gene looked at her. "You ain't a medic."

"No shit. Give me your bag, Gene. Walk me through this."

He didn't protest any further. Easing his medical bag off his shoulders, he handed it to her. The first thing she took out were scissors. It didn't take instructions for her to know she needed to get the wound visible.

With the medic scissors, she cut the pant leg on Gene's left. As they both peered down at the wound, Alice and Gene sighed in relief. It looked minor. Bad enough to bleed, but just a bullet wound.

"Didn't hit the artery," he assured her. "You need sulfa for the wound. And you need to get the bullet out."

"Right."

But Alice hesitated. She looked at Gene again, could see the pain in his eyes. "Do you want morphine?"

Eugene huffed, then gritted his teeth again. "No. I need 'a be able to walk you through this just in case."

"Right." Alice made the mistake of glancing to her right. Mampre and Spina worked fast, trying to stop the bleeding from the soldier's neck. Blood spurted everywhere as they had to keep replacing bandages. A bit of it sprayed across Spina's face. Her stomach churned.

"Alice. Focus."

With a nod, she took the sulfa packet Gene gestured to. She ripped it open. As soon as the white powder began to fall on the open wound, Gene groaned. She watched his jaw set in defiance, silencing the discomfort. With the sulfa applied, she took out some tweezers.

"No morphine?"

"Bon sang! Simplement fais-le!"

Alice huffed but nodded. Putting a bit of sulfa on the tweezers for good measure, Alice moved to take the bullet out. A massive explosion behind them jolted her. She ducked. As the sound faded, she looked at Gene again. He nodded.

The tweezers pushed between Gene's skin. Alice saw him throw his head back in pain, but moments later he got control of himself. She started to apologize. "Je suis désolé! Je suis vraiment désolé!" As her french murmuring continued, Alice finally found the bullet and pulled it out.

The wound began to bleed more. Her training for how to tie a bandage kicked in, and she worked on memory. Gene watched her, whole body tense. Alice hated seeing him in pain. As she did the tie, the world seemed to slow. Her anxiety had shot through the roof. She couldn't let her fear control her though. When the bandage had been tied, she looked up at Gene.