Realistic or Modern 𝑩𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒔 & 𝑩𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 (𝘞𝘺𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘩 & 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢)

[captain_bumblebee]

Soldier x Nurse RP

Two countries at war. France and Italy - sworn enemies. Bullets and bombs flying around, it's nowhere safe to hide anymore.

An Italian nurse, finding herself in the middle of the battlefield, not knowing a way out. A French soldier impulsively coming to her rescue, catching a bullet on the way - and what now?​

 

[Alleluia]

“It’s starting again!” someone called out. “Take cover!”

Aria Russo swore under her breath. She was in the middle of trying to insert an IV into the arm of a boy so badly dehydrated it was impossible to find a vein. Now the bombs started again. “It’s ok, carino” she said. “We’re just going to try one more time. Look at me, don’t close your eyes. Don’t look at the needle. There! It’s in. Good job”. The boy had no business being here, so close to the front line. His state though, indicated he’s been hiding somewhere. Someone else will interview him later, trying to find out who he was and why he was here. Later, once he’s a little better.

The IV now in, she helped him up and the two of them stood under the room’s doorpost. Hardly ideal, but they didn’t have time to get anywhere else. She held him close with one hand, and the IV pole in the other so that it doesn’t slip away. This one lasted only a few minutes. Maybe they’re running out of ammo, she thought.

Aria hated the war. With every fiber of her being she hated it. She hated the reasons, hated the politics, hated the killing and the blustering that came before and after. She hated that it disrupted her life, her brother’s life, everyone’s life. And still, she was here. In the middle of it all.

She helped the boy back to bed and updated his chart. By the time she left the room, he was already asleep. If they damned French could keep from bombing them in the next few hours, he’ll have a chance to get some rest.

She left the room. Her shift was almost over. The nurses’ quarters were far, and she was too tired to walk all that way. She had been on her feet for the past twenty-six hours. Maybe I should just sleep in the lounge. The thought was unappealing. If she was in the hospital, she’ll work. There was no way of avoiding it. She needed a bed to lay in and a door she could close.

She stopped at the nurses’ station to sign off. “Anyone heading out that can give me a lift, you think?” she asked the head nurse. An officer passing by heard her.

“You can come with me” he said. “I’m heading toward the barracks now. Fair warning though, if I get called, I have to turn around right away. But that’s not likely to happen.”

Aria thanked him and said her goodbyes. She had twelve blessed hours to herself.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Bombs were being dropped all around, leaving nothing but rubble and ruines in their wake. The frontlines were devastating to look at if one remembered their previous glory from before the war. Sadly war was something now which everyone in France and Italy knew. There was no peace, no quiet, so inch left of the country where on could hide. If bombs didn't find you, then the groundtroops would.

Sebastian Durand was carrying his rifle in his left hand, a wounded soldier slumped around his right shoulder and arm, trying to get them both under cover before a bomb would take them out.
"Allez-y," the Captain mumbled softly, straining his entire body to keep on moving, the soldier he was carrying with him slowly losing color in his face.

Durand's squadron had been on the frontlines ever since before sunrise, not yet having received an order to get back to base so the next troops could be sent back out. They were exhausted, miserable, and most were either injured heavily or already buried under collapsed buildings.

As Sebastian found himself under a still standing rooftop of an old café, the soldier he had brought to safety dropped to the ground, Durand sighing in frustration upon noticing that he had died from his wounds. Although he was used to privates dying by now, it still left him feeling rather empty inside.

He however didn't have a lot of time to rest since as soon as the bombing stopped, an entire new troop of French soldiers jumped out from behind their covers and charged for the Italians, Sebastian jumping up and joining in.

 

[Alleluia]

And wouldn’t you know it, five minutes away from the barracks and the captain gets a call over the radio. Aria had nearly dozed off, and it sounded too garbled for her to decipher anyway. But he braked hard. “Gotta go”. He said. “You can to get off here and walk the rest of the way if you want”

“Injured?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. He nodded. “I’m staying”.

He grunted in reply, put the jeep in gear and turned it. “Let’s hope we won’t regret this” he muttered.

He drove recklessly, heading toward where the battle had been raging all day. “The enemy pushed our boys back a ways earlier” he shouted over the roar of the engine. “We’re trying to gain the ground back, but things are very confusing over there and it can go either way. There’s an outpost with sensitive materials we need to get out of there, in case we have to beat a hastily retreat. I’m the only one around from intelligence. They need me to know what’s what.” She understood he was talking through his fear. Laying out the reason he was defying all logic and driving toward danger.

She knew what it felt like. She will soon be getting much closer to the front lines than she was supposed to. “Sounds like it’s very important that you do it” she said, hoping that helps both of them to hear that out loud.

And just like that, it was over.

A shot rang out, a bullet going clean through his forehead. The officer sighed and slumped forward. Aria screamed, looking frantically around her. To her luck, his foot slipping off the gas pedal, making the car first as the car slow and then stop. She sat in the car, breathing heavily for a minute, before the danger she was in sunk in. Where the hell was she? How close to the front line? She slid from her seat, and pressed up against the car, panting. She needed to get out of there and in order to do that, she needed to think.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian was tired. Although he was pumped with adrenaline, his body was exhausted from the daily struggle of surviving whatever was thrown at him - which sometimes ended up being a grenade - and begging him to rest. He couldn't though, no matter how badly he wanted to. There was no way he was going to get a good night's sleep for a while, not that he had really gotten any ever since the war had started years ago.

The captain was aiming at anything and anyone which was coming too close to him and his fellow soldiers, the last thing hit being a driving car which had slowly come to a stop a few meters away from him. He ran over to the driver's seat of the jeep to make sure the man he had shot was really dead and not calling for more backup.

Durand nodded to himself upon seeing that his bullet had gone straight through the male's forehead, actually rather proud of that achievement since he had shot from quite a distance. Seeing the dead didn't phaze him anymore, he'd seen much worse than a little bloody hole in someone's forehead. He'd seen entire bodies exploding from land mines, limbs flying all around the place. He himself had had horrible wounds too already, some from which he still carried some nasty scars.

The blonde's ears perked up as he heard some heavy panting, lifting his rifle and carefully walking around the car to its' other side, aiming his gun at the figure pressed up against the jeep - rather confused to see that it was a nurse. He had seen medics run around, however nurses were usually seen at the hospital tents and barracks way further away from the frontlines. What this woman was doing so close from them, he had no idea. Just as what he was supposed to do now.

Sebastian wasn't able to think long, as a bullet grazed the back of his neck, leaving a little scratch, the male turning around to face some Italian soldiers marching up to his position, blazing their guns and apparently not caring that one of their own could get hurt. Without hesitating, Durand grabbed the nurse's wrist, pulling her away from the jeep into the direction of some buildings where she would be safe.

He kept hearing the sounds of rifles going off, unsure wether the French or Italian were shooting, not even knowing who the bullets were meant for.

The French soldier was panting heavily as he and the nurse came to a stop just in front of a building which was one of the few still standing in the area, grabbing his rifle and attempting to lift it back up so he could run back to his troops when a sudden sharp pain in his abdomen area made him drop it, his hand instead immediately reaching for his vest, letting out a shivering breath as he felt a warm, wet liquid when pressing it against his skin.

"Merde-", he cussed to himself, pressing his teeth together as his breaths started getting heavier, Sebastian stumbling backwards and pushing himself against the wall of the building so he wouldn't fall down to the floor. While his hand was slowly turning red as well, he tried to reach for his rifle so that the nurse wouldn't take it and get the idea to kill him after he had just brought her to safety.

His knees were wobbly, his eyelids slowly getting heavier and harder to keep open, feeling as if a firecracker had exploded inside of him. He felt a stinging sensation all through his body, not sure how he would describe the pain he was feeling from the bullet inside of his belly area. Sebastian gasped for air, by now slowly sliding down the fall and dropping onto the floor, all the while keeping his hand pressed against his wound and still trying to reach for his rifle, even if he didn't have the energy left for even pulling the trigger anymore.

 

[Alleluia]

She had never been this scared in her life. Aria always prided herself on keeping a head on her shoulders even when things got out of hand. When they things were hard back home, when her mother died, when her brother enlisted. Later, when the ward was filled with screaming, dying soldiers.

But now she was terrified. The officer was dead, she didn’t even ask him for his name. He was dead and she was here, and she didn’t even know where here was. All she knew was that whoever shot the officer had to be near by and they were coming. Coming for her.

And then they were here. She felt the vehicle rock when someone mounted it. Heard voices raised in French, the harsh sound of metal against metal. The jeep rocked again, and she heard thudding footsteps on the ground. Aria looked up and locked eyes with the man she was sure is going to kill her. She couldn’t run, she couldn’t scream. She just looked at him, at the gun he was holding, pointed at her. She thought of home. They’ll have to do without me…

But the bullet she heard wasn’t direct at her. Instead, the French soldier ducked, then grabbed her hand and started pulling her, running for cover.

Aria was so confused; all she could do was follow. Was he kidnapping her? Saving her? His grip was iron, but he was taking her away from where bullets were flying. He took her toward shelter. In the chaos around she didn’t know if these building were currently being held by her army or his. But he couldn’t know for sure either.

She saw the bullet hit him, tear into his flesh, and push him. Blood sprouted from the wound, then began soaking his uniform. He managed another step or two, miraculously still dragging her along, before the adrenalin that fueled him ran out. He cursed, she knew that much French at least, and reached for his rifle. He didn’t get to it. His consciousness was slipping.

He needs help. Aria’s nurse instincts kicked in. She wouldn’t let him die, not if she could help it. They were relatively safe here, shielded by the wall of the partially ruined building he had gotten them to. Outside, the fighting continued, but he had saved her. She was sure of that now. If he hadn’t grabbed her to lead her away, he wouldn’t have gotten shot. She would try and save him, she owed him that much at least.

Kneeling over him, she felt around for the wound. There was an entry wound but no exit. She swore, and pushed him on his back, trying to peel back the vest but she couldn’t figure out how to get it open. It wasn’t like the kind they used. “Don’t die!” she said in Italian. “Do you hear me? look at me”. The light in his eyes was fading, but he was stubbornly holding on to consciousness. Good, she thought wildly. Stubbornness is good when you’re fighting for your life. She grabbed his chin forcing him to look into her eyes. “Non mort!” she said, in what she assumed is very bad French spoken in an Italian accent. “You understand me? Non mort!”

Releasing the chin, she fumbled again with the vest. Clean the wound and bandage it, she told herself. Stop the bleeding first of all. He’ll die from that if you can’t stop it.

But she could, she knew she could.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian was trying to concentrate on all the things he needed to do, as expected struggling with all the tasks of staying alert, trying to regulate his breathing, keeping his eyes open and listening to what the woman was telling him.

He noticed her struggling to open his vest, weakly lifting his hand up to pull down on a small latch which parted the vest in two, his hand immediately dropping down once he had opened it for her. He wasn't entirely sure why she was trying to help him, after all she was still Italian and he was French. Then again, he had saved her - although impulsively.

Durand often struggled with impulsivity, something he couldn't do much about even with knowing that it was quite dangerous to just run off or literally decide anything without thinking about it first. A prime example was saving an Italian nurse and getting shot in the process. Were his brother here he would've already gotten a palm against the back of his head.

The thought of his brother made him smile weakly, not having seen him in months since their squadron was split into two different ones. He didn't even know if he was still alive. Would his brother be notified should he die now?

The nurse's shouting brought Sebastian back to reality, blinking a couple of times before he was able to hold his eyes open long enough to catch a glimpse of her face. He couldn't help but chuckle weakly at her telling him to "non mort", something he found rather adorable in his last moments.

"Go-", the soldier suddenly sat up, coughing up some blood before dropping back down. He lifted his hand from his wound, weakly waving it towards the direction she had come from with the car.
"Go... su casa-", Sebastian mumbled, his voice silent and raspy from the exhaustion of fighting against his body's urge to drift off to sleep.

 

[Alleluia]

“Idiot,” Aria muttered to herself, as the French solder slipped in and out of consciousness. “Do you really think I’ll leave you here?” His attempt to send her away was touching. First, he saved her and at great cost to himself. Now, he was giving her permission on what he probably thought were his final breaths, to run and leave him behind. Not bloody likely, though. He was not dying. Not if she had anything to do with it.

He had shown her how to unfasten his vest, and she now unclasped the other latch and pulled the thick padding aside. It had only been partially successful in its designated role of stopping bullets. The angle and trajectory of the bullet had made it lodge itself into the Frenchman in one of the vest’s vulnerable spots. But it did slow the bullet, making its impact less devastating. Small mercies.

She tore open the man’s bloody uniform with a force she didn’t know she had and studied the wound. The bullet was inside, she couldn’t get to it without the proper equipment. It didn’t matter, stopping the bleeding was the main priority. If he bled out, it wouldn’t matter much if he had some extra lead still inside of him.

“Listen to me, soldato.” she said, her fingers worked deftly to assess the location and size of the injury. “you are not going to die; do you understand me? Aria Russo pays her debts.” Talking to him calmed her, and she hoped it served to keep him fighting for consciousness too. “You want to die? You can die tomorrow, or next week. Not today. Not here.” Absentmindedly, her other hand stroked his face. He was young. They were all young.

She needed bandages. His clothes were filthy with blood, dirt and sweat. Hers would have to do. She tore both sleeves of her nurse’s uniform, tying them together. They would be wide enough to go around his chest, but only barely. If only she had some ointment to fight infection… she took nothing with her at the end of her shift. Last time I let that happen, she thought as she looked around frantically. “Oh!” she called out. “You’re one lucky bastard!”. Leaving his side for a minute, she crawled on her hands and knees to the ruined wall next to the one they were taking shelter against.

“You know what this is, soldato?” she asked when she returned half a minute later. She noticed the marking on his uniform for the first time. “Oh, my apologies, Captain. You know what this is?” As she spoke, she placed a handful of something she had torn out of the ground, after first separating the roots from leaves so that she doesn’t add dirt to the wound. “This is Moltkia coerulea. Ugliest flower I know. But it keeps infections away. Sometimes. If we’re lucky.” She wished she had flax or chamomile. But you really couldn’t be very picky on the battlefield.

She pressed the flowers and leaves against his chest, hearing him gasp. Gasping is good, she told herself as her heart clenched and tears filled her eyes. Gasping means he’s breathing. “So, you and I start praying now, you hear me, Captain?” She tied the makeshift bandage and took his hands in hers. “To god, and the blessed mother and all the saints. Don’t die on me, you understand me?”

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian raised his eyebrow in confusion at the woman, rather surprised that she spoke in English to him, and absolutely bewildered that she stayed to help him. It had been his impulsive decision to save her, he however never would've expected her to now remain by his side while taking care of his wound.

Had she been clever, she would've run towards some Italian soldiers to snitch on his position. They would then either decide to take him with them to their base or to shoot him on sight, and seeing how he was badly injured it would probably be the latter. Although that was also the preferred option, Sebastian did not at any cost want to land in one of the Italian holding cells where they would interrogate him for days and get rid of him when he would be no longer of any use.

Durand watched the nurse pull his bulletproof vest aside, flinching at her fingers touching the sensitive skin around the area of where the bullet had wrangled its way through his flesh. She kept talking to him, and although he couldn't reply anything else than some silent groans, he did note down on her name for some reason. Not that he would need it in the future, she would probably just leave him here after she was done fixing him up. His eyes closed for a mere second at the woman stroking his face, a long lost memory of his mother doing the same to a way younger version of him popping up in his mind.

The young man hadn't really noticed Aria leaving his side, assuming he had just slipped back into his unconscious state. It was difficult to stay awake, his entire body aching and begging him to just go to sleep - his mind however racing with random thoughts and already imagining how depressing a funeral would be during these times.

The nurse was right. It indeed was the ugliest flower Sebastian had ever seen in his life, at the same time asking himself who in their right mind thought about picking flowers when someone was dying beside them. Little did he know that she was going to press it against his chest. And boy, did it hurt like hell.

He gasped, his breath still shaky, clenching his teeth together as he threw his head back in pain, wishing he would've just died instantly instead of now having to experience a slow and painful death. She was trying though to save him even if she didn't have to. She didn't owe him anything.

The captain once again raised his eyebrow at the woman's actions, especially when she mentioned praying to anyone, Sebastian being far from religious. It was a rather thoughtful idea though, and he believed it was rather adorable that she even held her hands in the right position.

"Sébastien.", the man muttered under his breath in French, still fighting to keep his eyes open and trying to find something he could focus on which would hopefully make it easier.
"My name is Sebastian.", he repeated slowly, now having switched to English, "You need to get to safety... even if Italian soldiers see you, they'll probably take you down since you're kneeling next to me. They'll see you as a traitor."

 

[Alleluia]

“I’m not leaving you,” Aria said simply. “No one’s getting shot. Now hush and let me pray”. Her hands were still wrapped around his, fingers entwined. She lowered her head, whispering in a quick, fervent prayer to Saint Agatha of Sicily, patron saint of nurses. Saint Agatha, eloquent witness of Jesus Christ as Savior, pray for us. Saint Agatha, the martyr who says to Jesus, “possess all that I am,” pray for us. Saint Agatha, concerned with the welfare of all God’s children, pray for us. Pray for this stubborn fool Sebastian. Don’t let him die. Guide my hand and help me save him as he saved me.

When she raised her head, she saw his eyes were closed. She moved her face closer, to see if he was still breathing when he opened them again. They were the most startling shade of blue. “Don’t scare me that like, Sebastian” she said, not able to quite pronounce the name in the French way, but giving it a try.

Up close, she could see he had a long, faded scar. Starting from somewhere below his ear and etching downwards toward his shoulder until it disappeared underneath his uniform. She touched it without thought, it was old. “This isn’t the first time you got into trouble, is it?” she said.

Was it her imagination, or were the sounds of shots becoming less frequent? It seemed to her she was no longer hearing shouting in French, only Italian. Was her army coming out with its hand on top? What would it mean for the captain? She didn’t save his life just to have him shot by some over eager private out to prove something. She’ll have to come up with a plan.

She checked the bandage. He hadn’t bled through which was a good sign. He had a canteen strapped to is waist, and she released it with some difficulty. “Take a drink,” she said, opening it and tilting it toward his mouth. “Just a little one”.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

The soldier listened carefully to the woman's prayer, not telling her that he didn't believe in anything out of respect for her. After all she was endangering herself to stay by his side and save him when she could've just run off into safety. She was extremely stubborn, just like him - and although sometimes it had served him some advantages, it would probably get her killed.

The young man clenched his jaw together as Aria went to touch his scar, watching her run her fingers over it before staring back up at her.
"I get into trouble a lot, if you want to call it that.", Sebastian admitted, breaking the eye contact out of his own awkwardness. "Tried to save my best friend from a grenade, but I was too late. It exploded and a huge piece of shrapnel flew straight into my skin."

He didn't know why he was even explaining the origin of this one particular scar to her, let alone why she would even care about it. Then again he was rather prone to oversharing thanks to his impulsiveness, and he'd probably regret it in a few hours.

The captain noticed Aria drifting off from the conversation, seemingly observing their surroundings. The firing of bullets had seemingly died down, which could only mean that more and more people were dying leaving less to actively shoot at one another. He should be out there, helping his fellow soldiers and looking out for the newcomers.

His attention was redirected to the matter at hand when the nurse told him to drink, Sebastian happily obliging and sipping on the water. It hurt to swallow, probably because he had to change his breathing to be able to drink from the canteen.
"You too.", he mumbled softly, gesturing at Aria to drink as well.

Some loud Italian shouting made Sebastian abruptly sit up, cussing to himself in French at the new wave of pain that was cursing through his body, having no other choice than to ignore it if he wanted to live.
"You have to go.", he said, not wanting the woman to get hurt in the crossfire when an Italian soldier would walk around the corner.

He had no idea what to do from here. He would never make it to the French side, let alone even walk a few meters on his own. He wouldn't survive, but at least he would die knowing he saved an innocent person from getting killed - even if they were Italian.

The man reached for his rifle, straining his entire body and trying to keep his pained groans to a minimum. He heard footsteps approaching, feeling how his heart started racing, be it from anxiety or adrenaline - either way it was heavily pumping blood, his breathing once again fastening. Sebastian cocked the weapon, making it ready to fire again with a new cartridge, his eyes quickly glancing to his left and right before back at Aria.

"They're coming, go. They won't hesitate to shoot you."

 

[Alleluia]

Aria accepted the canteen and took a few swallows of the tepid water. It was good, comforting. Shaking it, she determined it was still about half full. She closed the lid and put the canteen next to him, within comfortable reach. Or as comfortable as it gets with a bullet still lodged in you. An idea was coming to her. It was a long shot, but it was all she had.

Sebastian pulled the rifle close. She shook her head. She didn’t blame him. He was behind enemy lines, with a serious injury. He was probably hoping to go out shooting, so that he can avoid captivity. Her plan was desperate, and not likely to work, but if it succeeded, he’d be alive and free. Well… the bullet will still be there for a while.

She crouched next to him, taking his face in her hand again. She had meant to grab his chin the same way she did before, the same she did when she was trying to get one of her brothers to pay close attention. Somehow, the gesture came out different though, softer. “Listen to me, Sebastian” she said “I’m keeping you and me alive. Stay here. Don’t make a sound. Don’t start shooting. I’m going to get the soldiers away from you and then I’m coming back. If you shoot me by mistake when I come back, you’ll go straight to hell. So, don’t”.

With that, she stood up. Tore at her nurse’s uniform some more, so that the missing sleeves weren’t all that conspicuous, and started running toward the soldiers on the other side of the wall, crying and calling out in Italian.

“Grazie Dio!” she yelled. “Don’t shoot. I’m a nurse. Sargent Daniel’s Russo’s sister!” One of the soldiers grabbed her by the shoulders, and she slumped against him, sobbing. It wasn’t hard. The day has been awful. She allowed all of her fear and stress to spill out of her. “The officer was giving me a ride to the barracks” she said between sobs. “Someone shot him. I ran and hid. I fell. Oh, god. Please, please get me out of here”.

The fighting had stopped by now. The Italians has the field. In the distance a few last shots rang out. A few soldiers crowded around her, but they didn’t seem worried or suspicious. They just seemed tired. “I know her,” one of them said. “I know her brother. What are you doing here?”

Aria repeated her story. “You need to get those papers” she said urgently. “The office died for them. I don’t even know his name…”

“It’s ok, we’ll find them.” the one who knew her, she didn’t remember his name, pulled her for an embrace. He was probably trying to comfort her, but it looked like he was also taking advantage of an opportunity. “Come on, lets get you to the barracks”.

“No” she shook her head vehemently. “Take me to the hospital. Please. I don’t want to be alone and there I can help.” What she was going to do was treason. Taking supplies to care of an enemy solider.

But he wasn’t the abstract image of the enemy. His name was Sebastian, and he had saved her.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian watched Aria run off, a dumbfounded look resting on his face for a while. That woman just kept surprising him. First, she took care of his injury, then she didn't want to leave his side and now she ran off to lure Italian soldiers away from him? There was something extremely weird about the entire situation, but what could he say - he was the one who had put them there.

The young man had his rifle pressed against his body, his eyelids dropping from time to time, either from exhaustion or because his body was finally giving in to the injury. He was in pain, no doubt about it, but that wasn't what was bothering him. The thought of having left some of his friends to fend for themselves while he was hiding behind a blown down wall irritated him more than he had anticipated.

They were all used to follow him into battle, to have him tell them what to do and where to go. Having someone by their sides who wouldn't leave anyone behind even if it meant perhaps getting shot and killed in the process. What had become of them now? The shooting had stopped. He didn't know if they had made it out alive or if they had laid down their lives.

A sudden noise made the captain reach for his rifle and immediately aim it into the direction of it, only to observe a rather large rat struggling to fit through a tiny hole in the building. Did rats know about the war? Did they care about all the destruction? They perhaps were just happy that they had so much dirt to roll themselves in.

The Frenchman tried his best to keep himself awake for as long as possible, his breaths sharp and more painful with every inhale, struggling to keep his fingers wrapped around his firearm. He was tired, so incredibly tired. Perhaps he could close his eyes for just a mere second...

 

[Alleluia]

Getting what she needed was the easy part. Aria packed disinfectant, tweezers, a scalpel and plenty of bandages, as well as other items she thought she might need to care for Sebastian’s wound. Ideally, a doctor would do that, and in safer conditions that in the dark, on ground. But she knew what would happen if she told any doctor he was there. Assuming he won’t get shot on sight, he’ll be cuffed and interrogated before anyone treated him. And then he’d be a war prisoner.

It might end up happening anyway. Hell – it might have happened already if anyone found him. But she couldn’t be the cause of it.

No, the hard part was finding a way to get to him again. The Italian army had pushed back the French to where the day’s fighting had started from. Neither side gained a single yard and only the dead and wounded bore testimony to the fact anything had happened at all. But it was still a little close to the frontline for anyone to be willing to drop off a nurse there, no questions asked. She only had one course of action, that she could see. Not without its own risks.

*****

“I need a car, Daniele”

“I told you to call me Daniel” her brother said. “Also – no”.

“You’re the quartermaster”.

“That doesn’t mean the army’s supply is my personal inventory, Sorella.” he laughed fondly. “I can’t just give you a car”.

“Daniele Russo, you can talk circles around anyone in this base, in the army and in the whole entire Italy if you want. But you can’t con me. I know damn well how you run this little warehouse of yours. Half the reason people here are so nice to me is to get on your good side so you’ll hook them up with whatever they want”.

“The other half of the reason is that they want to get under your skirt” He teased.

“Yes,” she flung back. “But only one of those things will happen.”

“Still can’t give you a car”

She didn’t answer, just gave him a look. She was about to open her mouth again, when her brother lifted his arms in mock surrender. “Don’t curse! What do you want form me, Aria? You realize there are only so many cars. People here can count”.

“I only need it for a few hours. I’ll have it back before morning, no one will know.”

“They’ll kill me”

“If they catch you,” she conceded. “I’ll kill you for sure”.

****

She wasn’t a very good driver, and it wasn’t a very good road. Still Aria was able to amble the piece of junk her brother entrusted her with to the place where the ruined line of buildings began. She stopped the car there, thinking if she got near Sebastian with it, he’ll shoot at her. He had no reason to believe she’ll come back with transportation. That if he isn’t dead already, she thought, and the thought pained her.

Patrols were further off, closer to the French army. She could hear them in the distance, but only faintly and intermittently. She prayed as she walked, a bag in hand. “Let me find him, Saint Agatha. Let him not be dead”. The place was pitch dark. Even the sky was mostly overcast, offering little in the way of light from the moon or stars.

“Sebastian? Sebastian where are you?”

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian had drifted off to sleep pretty quickly after Aria had left him on his own. Not only had he been fighting since dawn, the exhaustion of struggling to stay alive when a bullet was lodged into his flesh wore him out pretty much. Perhaps he was also just slowly giving up, believing that would be easier than fighting for his life and in the end succumbing to his wound either way.

He was dreaming of his childhood, thinking back to how much fun he used to have playing war games with his friends during lunch breaks. Little did he know that about a decade later they wouldn't be playing anymore. He was from a pretty poor neighborhood, so none of the children that used to live there had many toys to play with. Instead they used their fantasy to create games, using sticks and stones as weapons and amusing themselves like that.

He doubted there were children left who would enjoy playing anything war-related. Be it outside using sticks as rifles or be it inside behind a computer screen playing videogames.

The sudden rather familiar shouting of his name made the Captain wake up from his slumber, his grip tightening around his rifle in case danger was around the corner. However instead, the Italian nurse seemed to be looking for him, a soft smile spreading across Sebastian's face.

She came back, he thought to himself, pushing himself up against the wall into a sitting position before calling her to him.
"Over here!", he managed to shout, hoping the woman was able to navigate her way through the dark over to him. Or should he try to get up to look for her himself?

 

[Alleluia]

“Shh! you fool,” she said in a raised whisper, though her smile was evident even in what little light the night afforded them. “Are you trying to get shot a second time?” Still alive, she thought with glee. Still alive.

She ran over and knelt next to him. Right away her fingers went to his wrist to sense his skin and assess his pulse. He didn’t look very good, but his heart was beating well. A tad fast, but that was to be expected. She touched his face and smiled. For the first time she noticed he was handsome. “I told you I’ll come back” she said. “And I brought some things”.

Laying down her bag, she opened it and started removing equipment. “We have to get the bullet out of you first,” she said. “Then we can start thinking about getting you back to your people. When I was bandaging you earlier, I could feel where the bullet is lodged. I brought what I need. I wish I knew a doctor I could take you to safely. At least I think I can get it out myself. But, Sebastian… it’s going to hurt.” She stopped midway. She couldn’t do it, wouldn’t do it, unless he was willing. “Do you trust me?” she asked. “Do you want me to try and do it?”

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian smirked playfully at Aria's shushing, his impulses yelling at him to talk loudly once again, his logic luckily refraining him from doing so.
"Got shot once for you, it would be your turn now.", he joked at her comment of him wanting to get a second time, his voice indicating that he was more than just exhausted at this point.

The young man closed his eyes for the mere second that the nurse's hand was stroking his skin, taking in the little bit of affection he could get, which seemed to calm him down as well. As she took her hand back, his eyes shot open again, watching her open up the bag she had somehow been able to fill with medical equipment, not even wanting to know how she had put herself at risk to get it to him.

It was especially dangerous to be out on the battlefield at night, since that's when most bombings took place. Although both countries had now started bombing villages and cities far away from the frontlines, they were still keen on throwing them down to kill the last few survivors of the day. Sebastian crossed his fingers, wishing it would not be Aria, nor himself.

His hearing was a little off, seeing the nurse's lips move but only being able to make out a few words of what she was saying. Perhaps it was the exhaustion kicking in once again. What he was able to process was that she was going to try to take the bullet out, and that it would hurt. Sebastian could only imagine that what she was about to do would hurt a dozen times more than the few hours he'd already spent in excruciating pain before.

"Do it.", the soldier said, giving her a nod to solidify his reply.
"I trust you."

 

[Alleluia]

Aria nodded solemnly. This won’t be easy.

She brought a flashlight with her, which she now took out of the small bag, but kept it turned off. She’ll only use it when she had to, so that they lessen the risk of drawing attention to themselves. She had the tweezers and the scalpel, both sterilized and kept tightly wrapped to remain that way. And alcohol to clean the wound, bandages and ointments to redress it.

“I brought two things for you,” she said, handing him something. “This was almost as hard to get as the car.” It was a small, tarnished brass hip flask. “Whiskey,” she said as she unscrewed the top, bringing it to his lips. “Not very good, I’m guessing. But it’ll help numb the pain”.

The second thing was a thick leather strap. “You’re going to have to keep very still while I do this” she warned. “And bite on this. It’ll keep you from swallowing your tongue” It would also muffle the cries of pain, but she left that unsaid. The knowledge she was about to hurt him dismayed her. It had to be done, though.

She opened the bandages carefully. The blood began pumping out again, but slowly. His condition hadn’t worsened, at least. “Ready?”

Aria turned on the little flashlight and held it with her mouth. Concentrating, she unwrapped the scalpel and used it to very carefully enlarge the entry wound a little. She heard him hold his breath. I’m sorry, she thought. This is nothing. The real pain will start soon. Taking a long, steadying breath, she grabbed the tweezers.

His whole body tensed as soon as she inserted them into the wound. She was impressed with his self-control. The pain must have been terrible. She could hear him breathing heavily. She started lifting her head to meet his eyes, provide some comfort then stopped herself. The biggest comfort she could offer him was to finish this quickly. Her fingers moved the tweezers slowly, methodically, so that she covered every inch and won’t have to do again. Then they touched something hard. She tapped against it lightly. The bullet.

“Here we go” she muttered around the flashlight. The clouds have shifted, and wan moon light illuminated them. Thank you, saint Agatha. Under the light his skin was pale, and she noticed a slight tremor in her fingers. She forced herself to still them. Carefully she felt around for the body bullet and caught it with the tweezers. Then, slowly began extracting it from Sebastian’s body.

It felt like it took hours, but it was only a few minutes. The bullet was out. “Here,” she said, pressing it into his hand. “For good luck”. Breathing easy, at long last, she quickly cleaned the wound and wrapped it with clean bandages. It was over.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

The soldier could barely hold his excitement as Aria pressed the bottle of whiskey against his lips, not caring that it didn't really taste well. It was still better than anything he'd eaten and drunk for the entirety of being on the frontlines. He was sick of eating canned food and drinking dirty water. He wished the woman would've let him get some more sips before taking the bottle away.

He'd had bullets removed before, just never while he was still awake. Wounded French soldiers were always brought to the nearest medical tent, where anesthesia and morphine was waiting for them while they were getting operated.

Sebastian bit down on the piece of leather the nurse put in his mouth, nodding at her to let her know he was ready. Or so he had thought. The second she used the scalpel to enlarge the entry wound he held his breath, a silent 'Merde' escaping his lips. It stung terribly, and the feeling of tweezers being inserted into his flesh made his entire body tense up, the man cussing to himself in both French and English.

He never would've thought that getting a bullet removed would hurt more than receiving it, or more than all those hours it had spent inside of his body.

Sebastian pushed his head back, furrowing his brows and painfully closing his eyes until Aria had finally finished. The soldier took some deep breaths, regaining his posture and managing to smile at her when she gave him the bullet.
"Will look nice in my collection.", he joked, regretting the second he had let out a soft chuckle that he had spoken up at all. He wasn't fit enough yet to do anything which needed lots of air, such as laughing.

"Thank you, Aria.", the Frenchman whispered, gazing up at the Italian's face, tracing her facial features with his eyes before looking away.
"You saved my life."

 

[Alleluia]

She was so relieved it’s over; she was almost giddy. Her fingers checked his pulse at the wrist again. “Don’t laugh,” she said when she saw him wince, laughing herself. He has a nice smile, she thought, then shook her head. What was she thinking? She’ll never see him again.

“Non è niente,” she said. Her fingers were still in his wrist. Even though his pulse as well known to her by now, she didn’t pull them back. “You saved mine first. Besides, I’m not done yet. Or did you think I will leave you here to be found? Oh, no. This doesn’t count unless you live a long, healthy life. You’re my proof that I would have made a good doctor, if it wasn’t for this damn war”.

Pulling away, she sat next to him to explain her plan. “I have a car. Well… I have heaps of metal and gears held together by prayer and duct tape that is in the general shape of a car. It’ll have to do. You’ll rest here a little longer. When you’re up to it, we’ll get to the car and I’ll drive you as close to the border as I can. You’ll get off, I’ll distract the guards and you do you damnedest not to get shot as you sneak back across”. To what end? her heart asked her. So that tomorrow he’ll pick up a gun and come for her people again? And still she could think of no other alternative.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian sighed silently at Aria's stubbornness, still not understanding what she was doing here. She could've just left when she had the chance to earlier, but she came back, and now when the soldier believed her debt was paid - she still wanted to go on. That Italian sure was something.

"If it wasn't for this war I'd still be in the military.", the Frenchman admitted, smiling softly at her comment, "But I'm sure you'll get to being a doctor one day. I'll just ask the French to hoist the white flag and capitulate."
He glanced over at the woman when she sat next to him, not being able to ignore how beautiful she looked in the dim moonlight which was hitting her face, wishing he had paid more attention to her when the sun was still shining.

He scurried a little closer to the wall behind him to get into a better sitting position, thinking about her suggestion of a plan.
"Wouldn't it be saver for you if I just took the car and drove back myself?", he asked, turning his face away to let out a small yawn, furrowing his brows at the stinging sensation of his wound which reappeared once he moved. How was he supposed to get back to the French side if everything he did hurt like hell?

"You should get some sleep, you did enough today.", Sebastian mumbled softly, "I can stay awake and make sure nobody approaches us."

 

[Alleluia]

He wasn’t wrong about the car; it would be safer for both of them if he could drive it past the border. But she couldn’t do that to her brother. Daniel will get in serious trouble if she didn’t bring the vehicle back before morning inspection. “I have to take it back by day break” she said. Sebastian’s expression told her a spasm of pain went through him again and her heart went out to him. The one thing she wasn’t able to get for him was pain medication.

Steal. The one thing you weren’t able to steal. To help the enemy.

“I’ll sleep when you’re safe” she said with determination. His suggestion to keep her safe was well intended, but only served to remind her of how awful what she was doing really was. He was offering to keep her safe from her own people. And what would he do if someone come close? Shoot them to protect her? No, she couldn’t have that on her conscious. They needed to get out of there. This needed to end.

“Here,” she said, twisting the cap off the flask of whiskey again. “Take another sip. We have to get moving. The longer we wait the more dangerous it is. I parked the…,” she made a contemptuous gesture with her hand “whatever you want to call that thing that isn’t quite a car, right at the line where the ruins begin. We have to move quietly, but we can take it slow and rest in between”. For once, the bombs had served a useful purpose in creating a landscape of dark, misshapen silhouettes. As long as no one was looking directly at them when they were moving, they should have enough coverage to make the short journey. “Lean on me”

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian nodded at the nurse's words, still believing it was rather foolish of her to be staying by his side, however also appreciating the effort she was putting into keeping him alive and well. He graciously accepted the whiskey she offered, the burning alcohol rolling down his esophagus making him feel all warm inside. He never used to be a big fan of alcohol, just didn't like the taste, but with the war going on and the disgusting resources soldiers had to live with, some whiskey was a welcoming change of taste from time to time.

The soldier knew that moving at night was incredibly dangerous, as it was harder to spot enemies and a policy of 'shoot on sight' meant not even taking a second to try and figure out if one would be shooting at their own. Especially now with the Captain being wounded it would be a difficult task.

Sebastian grunted as he pushed himself up against the wall behind him, using it to lean on while he got up on his shaking legs. His entire body was aching, every movement sending another jolt of excruciating pain through every fiber of his being. He was panting, feeling as if his heart was about to collapse because of it beating way too fast, his head spinning a little. Probably iron deficiency.

The man ducked down to pick up his rifle, keeping one hand pressed against the area of his injury, before sighing silently to himself and taking up Aria's offer to lean on her. He knew he'd never be able to make it would he walk on his own.
"Are you ready?", he asked, "Remember to always keep your head low."

 

[Alleluia]

He was heavier than she thought he would be, and for a moment Aria staggered under his weight. Then she corrected her stand and nodded her head. “You too” she said in a low voice. She knew whispering was more audible than a low murmur.

They began walking. They went slowly, and broke to rest often. Twice aria changed sides, moving from supporting his right to his left and back again. Her muscles ached, as did her back. She recalled suddenly just how long she’s been on her feet. She was due back at the hospital in a few hours. The thought sent shivers down her spine. She was exhausted.

Finally, thankfully, they arrived at the car. She helped him take his seat, then checked the wound again, carefully. The sutures held. She looked up at him, proud. “My best work,” she said, “And I’m sending it to the French side.” Shaking her head, she resisted the urge to touch the side of his face again, slide her fingers along his jawline. She had more sense than that, even if she had a feeling that smile will come back to haunt her in her dreams and not in a bad way.

She climbed to the driver’s seat and with some difficulty managed to ger the engine started. “I don’t suppose you know who the patron saint of drivers is, do you?” she asked when it finally came to life. Thankfully the noise it made was not too loud. “Didn’t think so. Well, Saint Jude seems a good choice. He’s the patron saint of lost causes. Seems fitting, doesn’t it?”. She began driving the vehicle toward the border, staying as close as she could to the line of buildings, her eyes peeled for soldiers. She’s never been this scared in her life. How would she distract the soldiers when it was time to do so? She hadn’t the faintest idea.

 

[captain_bumblebee]

Sebastian struggled to walk, letting out some silent whinces with every step he took. He tried his hardest not to lean too much on Aria, knowing he was heavier than her and that she wouldn't be able to carry him entirely would he shift his entire weight against her. The rests were greatly appreciated, using them to regulate his breathing and give his body a break before continuing a rather painful journey.

The soldier let out a sigh of relief once they arrived at the piece of junk Aria dubbed a 'car', scoffing silently at her remark of sending her best work off to France. He believed if they had met under different circumstances, without a war raging on, they could've been good friends. He knew he wouldn't easily forget about her, especially not her beautiful eyes.

Sebastian watched Aria start the wreck, one again having no idea what she was talking about when she mentioned patron saints and whatnot, however understanding she had just insulted him.
"Pff, a lost cause?", he repeated, smirking, "I sure hope you're talking about the car."

He leaned back in the chair, trying to rest for a bit before they would arrive at the border where she would drop him off, when he suddenly went to pull the manual brakes, making the car come to an immediate stop.

He shushed her so she wouldn't make any noises, glancing around to try and figure out where the sounds were coming from. It appeared as if some heavy engines were coming closer, and once they got louder, Sebastian's eyes shot wide open. He finally understood why he hadn't seen any French soldiers patrolling the area.
"Planes!", he yelled, nudging the nurse's shoulder, "Drive, drive, drive! To the tree line!"