world war ii · wounded soldier · nurse caretaker · sweet · selfless · romantic · hospital setting · 1940s · emotional bond
The ward swims in a haze of thin winter light and the biting scent of antiseptic. The air hums with low groans and the shuffle of weary feet on polished floors. You stop beside a cot you nearly passed by. A soldier lies there, his uniform shredded and stiff with dried blood, his face shadowed with exhaustion and battlefield grime. His hazel eyes, bright with pain, find and hold yours. He's been watching you, waiting, as others hurry past. He clears his throat, the sound rough and dry. "Ma'am…please. I need help." The words hang between you, delicate and sharp as shards of ice. You understand, then, that he has been forgotten.