I'll always remember the day that our Medic died. It was a day of great loss and heartache for the RED team, and the somber silence that filled my heart was echoed throughout the squad. He was a great friend, our Medic. A bit doting at times, but always near to my heart. And then there was Heavy. He and Medic were never far from each other, especially in battle. Heavy was devastated, to say the least, and I know he blamed himself for the loss of our companion. Despite all of this, I found a friend and lover in the long weeks to come...

Being the only female on a team of men is a unique experience. It was tough at first; everyone underestimated me like crazy. But as I proved myself, I was quickly welcomed into the ranks with open arms. It seemed like I had something in common with everyone. Medic would make sure that I was the first one taken care of, though I told him to stop treating me differently because I was a girl. He would simply shrug and say, "I could never let anyzing happen to my favorite Sniper!" I know that everyone admired the fact that I broke the mold, and that killing came naturally to me. I was also pretty to look at; a shapely girl of 21.

It started out as an ordinary day, with Soldier barking at everyone and no one at the same time, Demoman throwing empty bottles at him, and Scout running circles around all of us. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, looking around. I saw Medic putting on his glasses, his hair awry. Though he was 20 years older than I, I couldn't help noting his attractiveness. I gave him a wave, and he smiled. The happiness in his eyes at that moment brings me to tears even now. I realize that I loved him, if only as a friend. I got ready for battle with a smile on my face.

While the attack siren blared through the speakers of '2fort', as we had dubbed our little piece of hell, I made my way to the battlements of RED base. Placing myself behind the metal barrier on the right, I surveyed the battlefield through the scope of my rifle. There was Scout, already on the BLU battlements, heading for the Intel; Demoman, shooting stickies at the BLU doorways; Heavy and Medic, charging forward and mowing down everyone in their way; everything was going according to plan. I caught a glimpse of BLU's Sniper searching for me; we would have a sort of "Sniper battle" of our own, most days. I sighted in quickly and brought my laser dot to his forehead...BOOM! I just barely caught him on the ear with that shot.

"He's good, that one," I thought to myself.

"Move Up!" Soldier barked, and I gathered myself to take a better position. Running back through our base, I jumped down the stairs and charged through the front door. I dodged a shot or two from the BLU Sniper as I charged across the small bridge in between the two bases, keeping my head low. As I got to BLU base I crouched near the twin doors in the front, aiming inside and hitting a BLU Pyro right in the face. His gurgled cry alerted a nearby BLU soldier to my presence, and as I got out my submachine gun, Heavy and Medic reduced him to mere shreds of flesh and cloth. I nodded to them in thanks.

We were gonna win this one, I knew it. If Pyro and Scout were doing as well as I was, then our victory would be assured in a matter of minutes. With Heavy and Medic clearing the narrow center passage, I entered BLU base and took a right. My path was free of enemies, and I jogged toward the courtyard. I saw Medic's back to me, and I allowed a smile to come to my lips.

"We won," I said to myself.

And then I saw the silhouette of the BLU Spy, uncloaking behind our Medic; I opened my mouth at the sheer horror of what was happening. I managed a cry of, "Medic!", and my friend had barely turned his shoulder when the BLU assassin's knife caught him right in the back. Our RED Medic sank to the ground silently as Heavy went forward, not knowing yet what had happened.

I unsheathed my kukiri and with an anguished scream, I charged forward and hacked at the BLU Spy, not stopping until I saw the look of horror and surprise on his lifeless face. I sank to my knees, dropping my machete and allowing the tears to flow freely. To my surprise, Medic was still alive, but just barely. I think he was holding on to say goodbye.

I cradled his head in my hands, and he tried to say something. I brought my head closer to his lips, and I barely heard him say: "Be careful..." I bit my bottom lip to hold back a wrenching sob, and whispered to my dying friend, "Please don't leave!" He looked up at me with those wise blue eyes one last time; they said everything. A lone tear rolled down his dust streaked face, and he smiled, as sincerely as he had just that morning and so many times before. His eyelids closed, and I knew he was gone. In the midst of this scene, my comrades had secured BLU base and won us the battle...at a price.

I clenched my eyes closed, screaming at the top of my lungs, "HELP! SOMEONE!" I couldn't hold back my grief any longer, and my gut wrenching cries of anguish caught everyone's attention all at once. They got to us as fast as they could, Heavy being the fist to arrive. I looked up at him, his face blurred behind my hot tears. His face contorted into a mask of pure suffering, and he crouched on the opposite side of Medic's body. He scooped up the limp form of our comrade into his arms, and his body shook with silent sobs. Engineer removed his hardhat; Scout kicked idly at a small patch of grass in the dust, and I saw a tear dampen the ground at his feet. The whole team was mourning, in their own way.

We buried our friend behind our base; I made sure that he was dressed just as he had been that morning. The ceremony was simple. No one said anything, and one after one everyone on the team paid their last respects. Under the sun of our wasteland, we grieved as a whole. Heavy lingered the longest, barely able to remain standing under the weight of his anguish. My heart broke for him.