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You were crouched down in a ditch in Holland waiting for your opportunity to find better cover. Operation Market Garden was a bust, and you and Shifty were separated from the rest of the company.
At first you thought you were on your own. You snuck past the German tanks as you made your way into a barn, adjusting your rifle ever so stealthily out the window. You heard a snap behind you and pointed your M1 at the figure instantly.
"Woah Thunder it's me!" Whispered Shifty Powers as he emerged from the darkness.
"Shifty!" You whisper-yelled. "You almost gave me a heart attack I thought you were a kraut!" You clutched your chest.
"I could say the same to you." He put his hands on his knees; catching his breath.
You noticed a piece of shrapnel lodged in his calf. "Ah man Shift that must hurt like hell." You crouched down to take a look.
"Yea...piece of kraut artillery came flying in my direction. Next thing I knew I woke up in a ditch, hearing German murmuring. I'm mighty glad to see you regardless of the current situation." He said giving you a sad but relieved grin.
"Me too Shifty. We're gonna get out of here and back to the company one way or another." Your confidence reassured him. "May I?" You extended your hand out to inspect the wound.
He winced as he sat down next to you in the hay. "Go ahead (y/n)."
You ever so gently touched the area as you placed your other hand on his shoulder. You could tell it was infected. "We're gonna need to get you to a medic Shifty." You looked up making eye contact with him.
"I know." He sighed. You saw his eyes fixed on the barn doors. "I have a plan. Follow closely behind me." He got up and offered you his hand.
"Alright I'm following your lead Shift. Don't mess this up." He looked back at you with a smirk and shook his head.
You liked to joke with Shifty. He followed orders to a T and never missed a shot. He was too humble to admit it, but you knew he was the best rifleman in the whole company. The men agreed.
The two of you stood in front of the barn doors staring into each other faces.
"On my signal." He nodded. "3...2...1...now."
You exhaled as if to mentally prepare yourself.
He opened the barn door ever so slightly as the two of you crawled out. You crouched down speed walking along the edge of the barn past what appeared to be at least 35 German soldiers. You could tell Shifty was lagging behind due to his injury, so you went back to help him, putting your arm around his shoulder. Luckily the pitch black night sky gave you cover.
You found better cover behind a bush. You and shifty were face to face in the dark. You could hardly see him through the black war paint on his face, but you could hear his breathing.
At that moment you couldn't help but appreciate the sound of your comrades breath. You knew it could be taken away in an instant. You and Shifty had grown a deep bond ever since Toccoa. You always stood beside him as you ran Currahee, his encouraging words carried you up that mountain. You felt the need to take care of him. Not that he couldn't take care of himself, he was more than capable, but he was precious to you and you wanted to make sure he was safe.
"Alright (y/n) if we continue North into the woods we can find our way back to the train tracks and hook back up with the Company at day light." He whispered.
"Whatever you say Shift. You're the expert. Lead the way." You got up from your position and began walking.
He chuckled. "I'm no expert. Now dad he was the expert, I was just following his lead. Taught me everything I know." He looked over at you.
"Your dad sounds like a great man, but c'mon Shift you gotta give yourself more credit. I'm pretty sure you've saved half the company at this point. I can think of five different occasions where you saved my ass just today alone."
You thought back to earlier that day when you nearly walked right into grenade impact during Operation Market Garden. Shifty grabbed you and put his arms over your head. As he removed himself, you looked up at him in awe. All he said was "Be Careful (Y/n)."
"Well you're always risking your life I figured someone might as well cover you." He said walking next to you, rifle in hand.
You chuckled at this remark. It was true. You could be rather reckless in the heat of battle. In Carentan, you pulled your side arm in the middle of the street and shot a kraut soldier with no cover whatsoever, and carried on with your day like it was normal. You hated that killing came so natural to you, but you were glad to have Shifty Powers by your side, and honestly, killing came just as natural to him too.
"I suppose you have a point Shift. I just-" your words were interrupted by footsteps crunching on grass.
You both stopped and raised your M1's in unison.
"Flash." Shifty said as you both put your finger on the trigger.
"Thunder." You heard a familiar voice whisper.
It was Bull Randleman.
"Man am I glad to see you." You were visibly relieved.
"I could say the same." Shifty said lowering his rifle.
"I couldn't leave two of my best soldiers stuck with the Germans like a bunch of sorry sad sacks." Bull whispered. "C'mon, rides this way."
You and Shifty looked at eachother in relief.
𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩:
You walked into the Aide Station to find Doc Roe stitching up Shifty's wound.
"Good as new huh Shift?" You handed him a Hershey bar.
"Thanks...Doc here got me all fixed up." He propped himself up on his right arm.
"Was it infected Gene?" You asked, crossing your arms.
"Not too badly. Nothing Powers here couldn't handle." Roe said as he wiped his hands.
"I guess you got your Purple Heart now Shifty." You smiled looking down at him.
"And here I thought I wasn't gonna get one. Lucky me." He joked.
Martin, Webster, and Malarkey entered the tent.
"Powers! (L/n)!" Martin exclaimed.
"What the hell happened we thought the Krauts got to you for sure." Malarkey said.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Malark." You replied sarcastically. "Actually Shifty here led us to safety despite having shrapnel shoved in the back of his leg. Pretty badass huh?"
"Sounds like Shifty Powers to me." Webster said as he patted Shifty on the shoulder.
His cheeks turned red.
"Sergeant (Y/n) here was the one who led us past the Germans." Shifty said. "Came back for me and everything." He was just being modest. That's how he was.
"Ok we get it we get it you make a great team." Guarnere said as he entered the tent.
Guarnere was the last person you saw before losing sight of the company. He told you to keep moving as a tank was right on your ass, about to mow you over in a ditch.
"I took your advice Bill. I kept moving." You said to him jokingly.
"You sure as hell did." He pulled you into a side hug. "Krauts got nothin on our woman soldier here!"
"You flatter me Bill." You patted his back. "Alright guys let's let the man get some rest. We had a rough night."
The men began to disperse. You grabbed Shiftys hand. "Glad we have each other's backs Shift."
"Always do." He said with a high pitch and gave you his signature soft grin you loved so much.
You stroked his bangs before you started to walk away.
"Wait." He gripped your arm. "I wanted you to have this." He placed the piece of shrapnel in your hand.
"The shrapnel from your injury?" You looked at him curiously.
"Yea...it's just something you could remember me by...I don't know...is that weird?" He was visibly embarrassed.
You laughed. "I'll cherish it forever. I mean it. Not that I could forget you anyways Shifty, I'm pretty sure you're stuck with me for life." You joked as you held it with both hands next to your chest.
"Stuck with you for life huh? Sounds like a plan." He replied, giving you a thumbs up.
You gave him a thumbs up as well. "Now rest Shifty, I mean it!" You started to walk away.
"Yes ma'am." He said sarcastically as he laid back down.
You fiddled with the Shrapnel in your hand and gave it a teethy grin as you walked away. He watched your back as you left.
You felt extra grateful for Shifty Powers that night, and now you had an irreplaceable piece of him with you forever.