"How many times did I tell you? Bashira had nothing to do with those other kids. She tried to save us!" Molly stormed into the med tent and began to pack for their next excursion, only to be followed by a miserable and irate looking Smurf."Yeah and look where that got us. Her dad decided to blow us up and you almost died!" He gritted his teeth and his eyes suddenly went very cold and sharp. Molly stared.

"But I didn't, smurf. It doesn't help that you keep trying to piss that ANA bloke off, either." She scolded him

"He is on our side. You need to stop being so prejudicial...so up your own arse you can't see what the real picture is."

"What is the real picture here, Molly? Why did that little creep follow us around? Why did she lurk and sneak about, hm? And why the fuck did you keep luring her back with those bloody pens?!" He pointed at her chest pack, where she kept to Biros just in case. Molly was ready to slap him; it were as if they were in the school playground, ready to tell on each other. Smurf thought she told Bashira too much information, but since they could barely communicate it was hardly going to start another war.

"Because she obviously feels safer and happier than where she'd otherwise be! I only do the pen thing because it's what she expects... Captain James did it first, so don't glare at me! He says it's some sort of a peace offering-"

"Oh, yes, well," Smurf said snidely, "if captain James says so then everything's piss easy, no worries! We must do exactly the same as him all the time." He walked over to his rucksack and grabbed his suncream. Molly watched him incredulously.

"Oh, sorry, forgive me for thinking that you worshipped the ground he walked on; God knows where I got that impression from!"

"Mol, he's changed! He's abusing his power over us-"

"What-?!"

"Over you." Smurf looked at her pointedly. She frowned at him.

"I have no idea what that means." Molly shook her head and made to pack her own stuff away into her kit bag. Her ears, though muffled by the mixture of heat and tension in the tent, could still hear the barely audible sigh that fell from Smurf's mouth. She felt his eyes watch her every move, and she lost concentration, fumbling with the clasps of her bag as she stuffed medikits into it.

"Have you noticed the way he stares at you? The way he asks you questions? Or are you blind as well as ignorant?"

Molly's head snapped up. Her blood began pumping furiously up to her head and circulated her brain like her bloodstream was chasing its tail.

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry, Mols, I'm just frustrated and worn down. All I'm saying is you're crazy not to have noticed. He doesn't exactly make a point of hiding it."

"If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, then you can shove off. I've got more important things to think about than your shitty little theory that our captain, our commanding officer, the man who finds me ridiculous, has a crush on me." When she spoke these words, a little thrill of delight fluttered beneath her ribs, but she flattened it promptly when she remembered what a stupid idea it was and how that sort of crap literally never ends well. Smurf was lying because he couldn't find anything else bad enough to say about him. She fought the will to stab Smurf with one of the Biros strapped to her chest. "Mols, you're his new favourite."

"Says the best recruit at-"

"You know what, I thought I knew you, but I didn't realise you were such a stubborn arsehole until now." Smurf glared. He walked out of the tent, seemingly sick of looking at her. Molly felt the anger rise again, and she stuck her head through the tent door and yelled "WANKER!" after him. He didn't even turn his head. Instead, he loped over to Fingers and grabbed some water.

She looked around. The people who heard her looked up, watched Smurf and then carried on with what they were doing, pausing only to glance up at her and quickly avert their eyes. One person, however, continued to stare. She didn't need to focus on them to know who it was. She hurriedly went back inside the tent and began to clear away the documents containing all the information for each of section 2s medical history, desperately trying to avoid the glance of the very man Smurf accused of taking a fancy to her.

She only had limited access to the files, with the permission of captain James. They were having their monthly standard appointments, which she dreaded less, given that most of them had accepted her as "one of the lads".

At the top was Smurf's. He broke his arm when he was fifteen when he fell down the steps on a bridge. He narrowly avoided needing a serious operation. He had pneumonia as a baby. His brother had it worse. He had tonsillitis when he was ten. Other than that, he was healthy. No history of mental problems whatsoever, even when his brother died. Molly suddenly had a nosey impulse and scrambled through the files for captain James' profile. It wasn't there. She checked everywhere, in the draws, under the desk, down the side of the boxes, in the other files-

"Dawes." Captain James proclaimed himself. She lurched up and muttered

"sir".

He strode in slowly, looked around, then held out a file.

" I came to give this in." He slapped it down on the desk in front of her. She looked at it as he said "my medical file. Only received it this morning, I'm afraid. Some things had to be amended on it since my last tour."

Molly nodded. "Well, thank you, sir. I'll file it now. Is there anything else?"

He opened his mouth and stepped forward. They were now either side of the desk. She found it slightly strange, as if she was the one in charge this time. "You've been checking over everyone else here, Dawes, checking their emotional states as well as their physical ones, and yet no one has bothered to ask you. Somehow, this doesn't seem fair to me." He smiled at her. She contemplated telling him about her worries and how lonely she felt, but it was far too awkward to mention to a superior. Especially this one.

"I'm fine sir, honestly I am, but if you'd like to take a seat and talk anything over, I'm more than willing to listen."

"Dawes, it's not part of my job to need emotional support, though I'm grateful-"

"Just because it's not in your job description, doesn't mean you don't need it from time to time." Molly interrupted. He stared. She continued confidently, "No one here expects you to be superman. Well...apart from Smurf, maybe."

Captain James gave a small laugh and gestured for her to sit down. She sat across the desk from him as he also took a seat.

"Talking if Smurf, what was all that about?"

Molly's heart plunged. She couldn't explain why she yelled at him because there was no way she could discuss Smurf's little theory with him without there being some sort of 'unprofessionalism' being mentioned, or at least an embarrassing conversation taking place.

"Nothing sir."

"So, you called him a wanker... Just because?"

"Not exactly sir."

"Then why was 2 Section's medic yelling abuse at the top of her lungs?" He raised an eyebrow. She looked at him sternly. He was watching her mouth, waiting for her to justify herself.

"I have a feeling you'll agree with him, Sir. He told me I shouldn't have been talking to Bashira. At all. I wouldn't have minded as much if he hadn't..."

"Hadn't what, Dawes?"

"If he hadn't then called her a stupid kid and that AA bloke an ugly twat, Sir."

"...ah." He smiled. "Well then, I won't get involved again, but I agree that's a little harsh of him."

"Thank you, sir. It might just have been him saying it out of spite, so I won't take it too personally." Molly began fiddling with his file on the desk. He noticed. Instead of commenting on it, he asked "why would he say that? Because of his brother?"

"Yeah... Something like that."

"I can tell when you're lying, Dawes."

"Honestly, sir, it's nothing."

"Fine!" He raised his hands in mock defence and laughed. He looked down at the desk where her hand lay tentatively on his file. He sighed and looked at her. Molly didn't notice. She was thinking about Bashira... Where she was... Captain James said he didn't care where she was. He also said he didn't get emotionally attached, and there she was doing the exact opposite of both. Would he ever see her as someone other than a wet, mouthy girl who never shuts up?

"Shall we get it over and done with then, medic?"

"Sorry?" Molly said, alarmed.

"I believe it's time for my monthly check up." Captain James stretched out in his chair and said "check me out then! I'm fit as a fiddle." She laughed at what he said. He looked confused. "Is my physical fitness laughable to you, Dawesy?"

"No! No, I suppose I'll just...check you out, then, shall I?" She waggled her eyebrows and he realised what he said and how it sounded. His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth and laughed loudly. When he finally composed himself, she cleared his throat and muttered. "Sorry..."

"Don't be." She smirked. "Have you had any ringing in your ears, persistent headaches, pains in your muscles, aches or skin abnormalities?"

"Not a sod." He shook his head. There was a pause in which they just looked at each other. Molly nodded and headed over to him. He watched her intently, which made her feel slightly like she was doing the wrong thing, but when she stood over him, she told him to tilt his head back and made a point that she was actually doing something vaguely medical.

"I need to check your eye since that piece of shrapnel nearly blinded you."

"No need to waste anymore eye drops, Dawes, I can see perfectly well." He looked up at her. She raised her eyebrows. "Don't lie. I can tell when you're lying." She liked the feeling of using his own words against him. He looked slightly uneasy. She could tell his eye was still feeling irritated. She'd seen him rubbing it and blinking awkwardly. "Sir, I think you need some cleaning fluid in your eye, then we can put another drop in so it stays moist. Your eyelid's irritated, too. I'm gonna have to check for swelling." She grabbed her eye kit from behind her. "Could you close your eyes please?"

"I don't want to."

She stared down at him. He had a faint smile about him, a blush playing on his cheeks. Molly cleared her throat and said "This would be the time for me to make a witty pun about my face being even more of an eyesore."

He laughed at her and she joined in. He closed his eyes. She saw the redness near the tear duct in comparison to his other eye and practically whispered "Erm, I'm gonna put another drop in, okay? Open up."

She put the drop in his eye, breaking the tension as he winced and made uncomfortable noises. She fought the urge to snigger and wiped his eye.

"Why are you smirking like that?" He blinked awkwardly.

"You, Sir. You sound like a right numpty."

"You don't sound so great yourself, Essex girl!" He joked. "Might I gonna need a stitch?" He mimicked her words from earlier that week playfully and blinked over-dramatically, mocking her with fake innocence.

"No but you might gonna need a slap if you ain't careful." She laughed. He grinned, put his hand on her cheek and sat up slowly. She knew what was coming. It would have happened if it weren't for Corporal Kinders calling for him. He flinched. Molly's eyes couldn't remove themselves from his.

"Captain James, Bastion on the phone, Sir!"

Captain James blinked. Again and again. "My eye's better. I can see perfectly clearly now." He said quietly and smiled.

"I'm glad... Sir." She gave a sad smile. If he'd not been called off, nothing would have prevented him. He felt the same then? He kissed her cheek and held his lips there for what felt like minutes.

"I'll see you soon, Molly."

She was stunned. He used her first name. She was Molly, the woman, not Dawes, the incapable medic with attachment problems. He stood up, his hand still on her cheek. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. I hate it when they call because I'm always on the middle of something far more important." He was laughing as he spoke. She cheered up slightly. "Learn those lines, or I won't get to sing my favourite song!" He let go of her cheek an d she immediately felt disappointment flood her. "Believe me I will, sir."