Title: Wounded Soldier
Rating: T for Teen
Author: XxXHeartbrokenTearsXxX and Magical Little Corner
Summery: [SSTLS He was so young to be a Vietnam soldier, and she was so young to be an Army nurse. Could they be each other's medicine for their wounds?
Author's Notes: I decided to write another historical romance, this one set in the time of the Vietnam War. They did have a lot of young people fighting, so I thought 'Hey, why not an SSTLS?' Enjoy!
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Every bed was filled in the hospital wing. Some beds had sheets surrounded them, others held tied down soldiers who thought they were still in the battlefield, fitting for their lives. Other beds held sleeping soldiers, or soldiers writing home to families and sweethearts. There wasn't a body in the hospital that didn't have a bandage or stitch on it, and most of them were wearing barely enough to call clothes.
That was what Kristin Harrow was doing- handing out freshly laundered uniforms out to soldiers who would be out in the battlefield on the morrow. The olive green of the woolen cloth felt soft against her hands as she handed them to eager soldiers. She smiled weakly at each thank you, thinking of how young some of these soldiers looked. A lock of deep read hair fell into her face from her messy bun. It had been an exhausting day today, one full of epilepsy and sickness and gore. Kristin felt that as soon as the war was over, she would never like the sight of blood or wounds again.
"Nurse…" a voice called from behind her. Kristin turned, looking for the wounded owner of that hoarse and unused voice.
"Nurse…" he called again, and this time Kristin found the owner.
She walked quickly over towards his bed, setting the uniforms at the foot of it. She advanced on the soldier, studying his face. He was quite handsome, but he looked so young and innocent. But oh, how far from innocent…Kristin now remembered when this one came in.
He was on a stretcher, and being rushed to the operating room. His knee was blown out, and bleeding profusely. He was grasping her hand so tightly, it hurt. But to Kristin, as long as it didn't kill her, the soldier could squeeze her hand as hard as he could so he wouldn't be in pain.
The soldier looked up at her and tried to sit up, using his elbows as support. "Whoa, hold on there…let me help you."
"No, I've got it, but thank you for the offer." He replied, smiling up at her though his eyes as well as his mouth. "I'd offer you a chair, but my knee the doc fixed up is pretty useless to me right now."
"It's alright. How is your knee?" Kristin asked, sitting down in the chair that was closest to the soldier's bed.
"It could be better." He grunted, now sitting straight up in bed. He looked at her, studying her face like a map, making Kristin feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't tare her eyes away from the soldier. His breathtaking green eyes were twinkling and his under kept Army-style hair cut revealed locks of dark brown hair. Remnants of a farmer's tan could be traced on his skin along with the tropical tan of Vietnam. His Oklahoma accent told of where he came from, along with his easy grin and gallantry. Kristin would've loved to get to know and see him at home. "So, may I ask a pretty girl what her name is?"
"Kristin. Kristin Harrow, sir." She answered before stopping herself. Oh, she was hopelessly caught into those emerald depths!
Kristin Harrow…the name sounded vaguely familiar, like something he knew a long time ago, but Andy pushed it out of his mind. The woman appeared very young, probably in her early or middle twenties. She had layered locks of silver-red hair that fell from her bun and nurse's cap, and her hazel eyes where very expressive. Her ivory skin- he had no idea how she managed this- appeared flawless, smooth, and utterly soft. When she spoke, she had a southern-belle accent, most likely from Alabama or somewhere around there, it was sweet and soft. But there was edginess to her, sadness, which Andy had seen in many during the war.
"Well, ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you." Andy replied to her.
"And it's a pleasure to meet you also, sir." Miss Harrow replied, thrusting out her hand. Her boldness first startled Andy for a quick second, but he didn't hesitate to shake her hand. He was right- it was as soft as cotton. "If you don't mind my asking, what is your name?"
"Private Andrew St. John Junior, ma'am. One of four boys off here in Vietnam."
"Your mama must be happy."
"You could say that. She and Dad are proud of us and miss us none the less though."
"Do you get many letters from Oklahoma?"
Ah…so she could read accents too. "Yeah, Ma sends us one practically everyday. We get them a couple weeks late though because of our locations. Do you get many letters?"
"No, not many. My parents died a couple years ago, and I got sent off into an orphanage until a couple of months ago. The Army was looking for nurses with some medical experience, so I joined up."
Miss Harrow was just over eighteen! Good God, since when did the Army start hiring young ladies as nurses? At that, Andy couldn't help but blurt, "So where'd you get the medical experience?"
She sighed before answering. "Daddy was a doctor, fourth generation. Mama was his nurse, and they worked together until the day they died. Nicky, Johnny, Danny and I grew up around medicine."
"Are your brothers fighting?"
"Yes, Nicky and Johnny are near the capital when I last heard. Danny's too young to even consider fighting yet. I just pray that when he turns eighteen the war will be over and they won't have to draft him. What about yours? Where are they stationed?"
"Well, Peter and Joe are out at sea with the Navy and Marines, so I couldn't tell you where they are. And as far as I know, Keith just arrived on the southeastern border with the Air Force."
"Wow, a brother in every branch."
"Yeah, and when this war is over, we all plan to spend a couple years at home and talk about which one was the best. We divided it up with straw when Peter and Joe turned eighteen."
"Twins?"
"Yep."
"Nicky and Johnny are twins too."
"That's swell."
"I used to think so. I don't know anymore because I haven't heard from them or Danny in a while."
"Don't worry so much," Andy took her hand again and patted it, "If your brothers can get into the capital they can do just about anything, I reckon."
"Thank you, Private St. John. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"No, thank you, Miss Harrow. And please," He smiled up at her, "call me Andy, like everyone else does."
"Then please call me Kristin." And she smiled back, her hazel eyes bright with something Andy couldn't name.
Kristin and Andy talked for gosh knows how long before Kristin's replacement entered the wing. The older woman had ebony colored skin, and midnight eyes that had the stars twinkling in them. Unlike Kristin though, her perfectly straight hair was prim and proper along with her uniform.
"Kristin, Doctor Johnson said you're dismissed for tonight. He, along with everyone else in this here hospital, thinks you've been working like an animal since you've came here. You need a break, sweetie. I'll take care of everything."
"Thank you, Georgia." Kristin again focused her attention towards Andy. "It was nice talking to you Andy."
"It was even better talkin' to you Kristin."
Color flooded Kristin's cheeks as she stood up from her chair and turned away from Andy towards Georgia. Once the two women were out of Andy's earshot, Georgia turned to Kristin.
"Girl, you look like you took a tumble with that young man."
"What?"
"Just look at you! Your beautiful hair is all mussed up and your dress needs some of my mama's good starch to get all the wrinkles out! Don't tell me you took pity on a needy soldier boy."
"Georgia, all I did was talk with Andy, nothing more, nothing less."
"Hmm…Andy is it? What's his full name darlin'? And where is he from?"
Kristin sighed and continued walking. "Private Andrew St. John from Oklahoma."
"Does this boy know you're only eighteen?"
"Yes, and I know he's just turned nineteen."
"Lordy, that boy's just barely a man! You better watch out, girl, 'cause he'll trap your heart and brake it just as fast."
"Oh, but Georgia, I think that's too late…" Again, Kristin sighed. "I think I do love him."
"Well, nothing can be helped with that…just as long as you don't take a tumble with him…"
"Georgia!"
"Kristin…" Kristin turned around at Andy's voice before she reached the door leading out of the hospital wing.
"Yes?"
"Will I ever see you again?"
Kristin smiled and walked back over to his bedside, and took his hand. "Yes. If not tomorrow or after the war, then in each other's dreams."
Before anyone knew it, Andy moved up and kissed Kristin on the lips.
Never before had Kristin tasted or even enjoyed something as happy or pleasurable as Andy's kiss. When they broke the kiss, he blurted out. "I'll certainly remember that in my dreams."