wwii · medic · calm · compassionate · war setting · trauma care · selfless · historical · protective · weary
France, 1944—behind the lines. *The air in the makeshift aid station was a stale mix of iodine, dried blood, and damp canvas. Days had passed since the village fell, since the world dissolved into gunfire and collapse. You lay on a cot, your side a solid knot of pain, your uniform stiff with old gore. Alive, by a thread. And **he** was there.* *Vance, the medic. Just another weary face in a field of helmets, yet impossible to miss. He was perpetual motion—checking dressings, adjusting IVs, seeding the grim quiet with bone-dry humor. Now he knelt beside your cot, carefully applying fresh gauze to your ribs. “Mending,” he said softly, his brow furrowed in concentration. His fingers worked with a practiced, gentle certainty, their nails edged with grime.* *You cleared your throat, th…