A/N:

Thank you bloodredcherry for the follow and the review! Yes, I thought the same thing! There's a severe lack of Generation War fanfic's! And you're welcome, I really did enjoy your story! I'm glad you're looking forward to what happens next :)

Thank you ImplosionOfHeaven for the follow, favorite, and the review! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so much!

I finished the series two weeks ago, and it ripped my heart out. Sorry for not updating sooner, I've been so busy lately and have had very little free time for writing. I hope all of you enjoy! There's still another chapter or two to come :)

Charly was frozen, stupefied at the sight of Wilhelm being in her presence. Fear constricted her throat, realizing that he'd been hit around the abdomen. Usually being struck by a bullet in the midsection was an automatic death sentence, but Wilhelm still looked like he was hanging on to life with all his being. His face and body was covered with dust, dirt and grime; his normally crisp uniform was tattered, and his hair disheveled. His handsome face was contorted in pain; his eyes scrunched shut as he moaned in agony. The other nurses hurried by him, not paying the Lieutenant any mind. Another sharp cry from his lips shook Charly's joints out of submission, jolting her back to reality.

"He needs medical attention!" She heard a nurse say, but her voice sounded so far away.

She had to help him, if not he'd pass away right there on the gurney, right before her very eyes. She dashed over to him, kneeling so she could get a better look at his wounds. He squirmed as she tried to pry his arms off of his body so she could see. He was far too confused and overwhelmed to recognize who it was or to even realize what was happening to him. She bit her lip hard, almost drawing her own blood. Charly had never seen Wilhelm this out of sorts before. He was a calm and collected man, but in here he was panicked to the verge of hysteria. Charly could see that he'd been struck with a bullet on his left side, the blood draining and pooling over his uniform. But he continued to resist her, struggling against her gentle hands.

"Wilhelm, it's me, Charly!" She cried, attempting to calm down her bewildered friend. She continued to wrestle against him, until she finally craned her neck and yelled for another nurse. She needed to take him deeper into the hospital and possibly restrain him if it came to that. With her free hand she dug deep into her pockets, hoping to snag a syrette of morphine, but her pockets were bear.

"I need a nurse! Help!" She bellowed again, fear ringing strongly in her feminine voice. She saw Hildegard round the corner, looking alerted to her call for help. She spotted Charly struggling with a patient and immediately sprinted over to her to assist. She kneeled beside Charly, trying her best to calm Wilhelm down.

Hildegard's eyes flew open wide as she recalled the distressed Lieutenant's face. "Hey, isn't this your friend?"

"Yes! Can you please just get me some morphine to inject him with?" Charly snapped. Hildegard hopped up and ran off to find some morphine. Charly turned her attention back to Wilhelm, whom seemed to be convulsing now. "Wilhelm, it's me! Please calm down!" She pleaded, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Hildegard returned, holding a single syrette of morphine. Charly snatched it out of her hands and stuck it into Wilhelm's thigh. His muscles gradually stopped twitching and his breathing began to slow to a normal rate. Charly placed a hand over her pounding heart, exhaling in relief. The two nurses picked up his gurney and quickly brought him deeper into the hospital to get him situated. Wilhelm was still whimpering in pain, but his face had become more relaxed while his body was less frigid. As the two women set the gurney down, Wilhelm let out a sharp yelp that made Charly's heart lurch. She was at his side, her hands working on stripping off his uniform to get a better look at his wound. She could only see one bullet wound, but his body was covered with bruises. She gingerly ran her fingers down his side where the bullet had entered, she sighed with relief as she felt an exit wound on his back. She started gathering everything she could to dress his wound with, jumbling it all together on a tray. She gripped the tray so tightly that her knuckles had already started to turn white; the equipment rattled as her trembling hands carried the supplies over to his gurney. She swallowed hard, looking down at Wilhelm's pained and crumpled body.

She knelt down, trying to contain herself. She never felt this afraid when it came to treating other patients, but she knew Wilhelm well. She loved this man and was so afraid that she'd mess up and accidently hurt him, maybe even kill him. With her shaky hands she picked up a bottle of alcohol and dampened a cloth with it. Charly bit her lip, hating what she was about to do. The wound had to be clean, if not infection could spread and kill Wilhelm in a matter for days. She brought her hand up to his wound then pressed the soaked cloth against it. Wilhelm's body jolted instantly, his hands clenching into fists at the severity of the pain. He let out a groan, one that made Charly shudder. His muscles tensed as she continued to cleanse the wound. Sweat started forming on his body from the strain, finally Charly pulled the cloth away. Wilhelm grunted, the pain still stinging his wound.

"I'm sorry…" Charly whispered. She placed a tourniquet on his wound, then bandaged around his body with gauze so it would be held tightly in place. She placed her hands against the newly covered wound, applying pressure so the wound would clot. She glanced down at her watch, timing herself for five minutes. Wilhelm's cries had started to subside much to her relief.

After five minutes, she pulled her hands away, seeing that the wound was already clotting nicely. She sighed deeply with relief. She stood up and went to get another cloth. She ran it under some water from a canteen then ran it back to her wounded friend. She gently placed the cloth on his forehead, hoping to prevent him from getting a fever. His eyes were closed tightly the entire time. She wasn't even sure if he knew it was her yet. She sat beside his gurney, watching him. She drank in his presence, somewhat happy to have him beside her, but she wished it were under different circumstances. Charly reached her hand out, wanting to sooth him. Her hand found his, intertwining her fingers around his calloused hand. Her eyes were growing heavy, her sleep deprivation was finally catching up with her both physically and mentally. She fought herself but her drowsiness was quickly taking over her body. Falling asleep couldn't be an option, not with Wilhelm in this state. With heavy eyes, Charly watched him like a sentry on duty, not letting her fatigue win over. The pitter-patter of footsteps rang in Charly's ears from behind her, but she didn't turn her head to see. She already knew what was coming. She continued to pretend to ignore the obvious presence of someone standing behind her as she kept her tired eyes trained on Wilhelm's form.

"Charlotte, we have a shipment of more soldiers that need care." She heard a nurse speak up from behind her. Charly didn't react; she didn't want to leave Wilhelm's side, even though she knew it was her duty. She pursed her lips, growing rigid as the felt the eyes of the nurse bear down on her. "Charlotte." The nurse pressed, more sternly this time.

She gripped Wilhelm's hand tighter in frustration; she swore she could see the crinkles beside his eyes tighten in a wince. She sighed in defeat, releasing Wilhelm's hand while standing up abruptly. Charly's stomach tensed unpleasantly at the fact that she had to leave her wounded friend alone. Charly strode past the nurse, casting her a wicked glare as she passed. As she marched down the corridors of the hospital, Charly's head buzzed with uncertainty for Wilhelm's condition. He was in so much pain, not to mention he took a bullet close to the midsection, too close for what Charly had liked. She shook her head, forcing herself to clear out her drowsy thoughts.

The dying men around her couldn't even shake her mind from Wilhelm. She could only see Wilhelm in their twisted, dying faces. With every wounded man screaming in agony for his mother, Charly felt herself become more hollow inside. One soldier had gangrene so bad that she had to hand him off to Dr. Jahn for amputation. She saw Hildegard prep the bone saw, making sure it was sterilized. Charly had to turn away, feeling bile rush to her throat. She hesitantly swallowed it down, clenching her trembling fists at her sides in a meek effort to calm herself down. Hildegard came up behind her, gently placing a hand on her forearm. Charly jumped, startled from the sudden touch. Charly saw her friend's dark eyes study her intently, studying every crease on her face. Charly averted her eyes from Hildegard's knowing stare, she could feel herself start to topple over under the intensity that Hildegard was silently unleashing. Charly's eyes caught that Hildegard was still holding onto the bone saw with her free hand.

"Go check on him." Hildegard stated, flatly.

Charly snapped her gaze in Hildegard's direction. "What?" Charly muttered.

"Go check on that Lieutenant of yours. I can tell you're worried to death about him." She said, cocking her head in the direction of the inner corridor. She was right, Charly was horribly scared for Wilhelm, and her duties had forced her to be away from him for a few hours.

Charly mumbled a gracious thank you before hurrying off to where she left Wilhelm. She weaved through the staff and the gurneys, her heart hammered in her head the entire way. She was so afraid that he'd been moved, or that he had passed away and was declared dead by someone else. The morbid thoughts only made Charly's mouth become dry and her already trembling body quaked with even more intensity. As she reached the deeper chambers of the hospital she came to where she'd left Wilhelm a few hours before. To her immense relief he was still lying on his gurney. She brought her shaky hand up to her chest, letting out a prolonged sigh. She watched Wilhelm's chest rise and fall as he slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"Wilhelm?" She said so quietly that she could barely even hear herself. He was sleeping so peacefully for the first time since he was brought here; part of her didn't want to wake him, but she had to talk to him. She wanted to know what happened and if Friedhelm was okay. She slowly kneeled beside his gurney, pulling up a chair and placing her hand lightly on his forehead, brushing away some of the loose bangs that hung over. He felt a little warm with a low-grade fever, but nothing that was drastic enough for her to panic. She removed her hand, feeling on the verge of collapse from the built up stress that had bottled itself up inside her all day; part of it was also from lack of sleep. She felt herself slump forward and her head start to loll, unable to fight back sleep any longer. She eventually succumbed to her exhaustion.

Charly could hear someone calling to her, the voice was sweetly familiar, but it seemed too far away and too hazy. Her vision was clouded and her senses seemed stalled. Where was she? She looked around, straining her eyes to see someone else, but she could only hear the voice calling to her.

Charly?

"Where are you?" She shouted, her voice echoing across the vastness of the mysterious environment. She blindly reached her hands out, groping for anything solid. "I can hear you, but I can't see you!"

Charly… Charlotte…

The voice sounded alarmed now, making Charly start to panic. The voice sounded so desperate, making her quicken her pace through the haze to try to locate the source. She knew that voice, she knew it as well as her own, but she couldn't match a face to it in this distorted mess.

"Where are you? I can't see you!" She repeated it again, fully aware of the strained crack in her voice. "I'm trying to find you, just tell me where you are!"

Charly? Please wake up…

"What?" She yelled, confused by the voice's words. What did it mean 'wake up?' Was she dreaming? She started to run, she could feel her legs pumping and her lungs taking in air as she tried to control her breathing. It definitely didn't feel like she was dreaming.

Charlotte.

Suddenly Charly's eyes flew open, she was no longer in the strange, cloudy world. She realized she was laying facedown on some kind of blanket, or some sort of fabric. The familiar smells and sounds of the hospital came flooding back to her senses; she sat up, noticing the dim lights and gurneys that surrounded her. She rubbed her tired eyes, letting out a small moan in exhaustion. The overpowering smell of eucalyptus filled her nose, and she knew she was in the hospital she'd been spending two years of her life.

"You were having a nightmare…" A familiar voice drawled. She froze, keeping her fists balled up to her eyes. She slowly removed them until her eyes fell upon Wilhelm. He was awake, his blue eyes open and staring directly at her. He was still laying down on his gurney. A small smile twitched at the end of his lips.

"Wilhelm!" She exclaimed. She had fallen asleep on her chair and had slumped forward right onto his gurney. She felt her face turn red from embarrassment, she knew she must've looked awful. She absentmindedly touched her face, feeling out of sorts under his kind stare.

"You must be tired." He chuckled, coughing slightly. She instantly lifted his blanket, checking his bandages. He took in a sharp breath, the skin around his wound was still tender.

"I'm sorry." She apologized meekly.

"No, no. Don't worry." He rasped, a content smile spreading on his face. She carefully peeled the bandages back, hoping that she wouldn't hurt him too badly. He sat up so she could reach all the way around his body. The tourniquet had held nicely to her satisfaction, and the wound had continued to clot leaving only dried blood around the bullet wound.

"The ballistic trauma you faced seems to be healing well." She interjected, happy to see everything was falling into place. He lay back down, his eyes never leaving her face. She could feel herself continue to blush; she busied herself with checking the rest of his body as an excuse not to peer directly into his eyes. Puce colored bruises littered Wilhelm's body, all around his midsection up to his chest. She glanced at him, asking an explanation in silence. Wilhelm only blinked, his eyes darting down to his own battered body. He looked reluctant to speak about whatever he went through. Charly studied him as he sat there in a thick silence. He closed his eyes, breathing a heavy sigh that made his whole body shudder.

"The war… it's not what I pictured, Charly." He finally said. He looked over at his friend as she waited patiently for him to continue. "I don't want to tell you the stories, they're far too gruesome."

Charly scoffed. Wilhelm's brows furrowed, he gave her a quizzical look. It was far too late for her innocence to be tarnished, she'd lost her innocence to war two years ago when she'd become a field nurse.

"I've seen every kind of wounded and mentally unstable soldier. I'm used to the gruesome nature of war." Charly told him. She didn't want him to view her as a child, she wanted him to see her as a grown woman that had endured and witnessed the suffering that this war was bringing.

His face softened with her response. He looked almost sad by her words. "I wish things hadn't of changed, Charly."

Charly took a canteen of water off one of the stands, holding it out to him. "You need to drink some water." She suggested. He took a few grateful sips, then handed it back to her. He looked disgruntled now; Charly bit her lip, her mind reeling with a topic to discuss. "How's Friedhelm?" She asked, attempting to change the subject.

Wilhelm swallowed hard, she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down. His hesitation to answer her made her nervous. Did something happen to Friedhelm? Her heart constricted with the thought of his younger brother, her good friend, dying on the front.

"How's Friedhelm?" Charly pressed, unable to take the uncertainty any longer.

"When I was taken off the line, he was fine." He muttered, his voice weak. "I'm just… worried. I don't like not being able to keep an eye on him." She could feel her heart physically lurch at how saddened he looked. She wanted nothing but to hug him, just hold him for hours and tell him 'it's all right', but she couldn't.

"Charlotte." A terse voice spoke up from behind her. Charly turned her head to see Dr. Jahn standing idly by, his posture exhausted from being overworked. She swallowed thickly, standing up in front of him to appear professional. "You need to get some sleep." He added.

"But-" She started to protest.

"I can't have you assisting with patients when you haven't slept, it's not safe. Go get some sleep." He interrupted, sharply. Charly glanced back at Wilhelm, his eyes flickered back and forth between her and the doctor. She sighed, not wanting to leave Wilhelm's side, but she knew she didn't have a choice. She nodded curtly to Dr. Jahn, then proceeded to her quarters. She stole one last glance at Wilhelm; he was staring at her, tiredly as she retreated deeper and deeper into the hospital.

The crowded, barrack-like room was dim and the bunks were uncomfortable. Charly had grown accustomed to sleeping on the thin mattresses for two years, but tonight seemed especially hard. She pulled her thin, wooly blanket over her, tossing and turning as she tried to get comfortable. She'd fluffed her pillow so many times, but nothing was working. Charly had been so tired before she arrived, but her mind wouldn't stop thinking of Wilhelm. She clenched her eyes shut, burying her face in her pillow to try to smother the sleep into herself. She felt her hair fall around her shoulders, and her blanket tug forward as she held it, now only covering half of her body. Charly sighed in defeat. She flipped back over and laid on her back, hearing the springs from the bunk squeak harshly as her weight shifted. She stifled a yawn, drawing her hands up to her face. Her body buzzed with a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety; she was so worried about Wilhelm that she couldn't fall asleep, no matter how tired she was. Her senses were very in tuned to those around her, she could hear the steady breathing of the other nurses around her, coughing from the next room, the buzzing from the dim lights that hung from the high ceiling of the room. She glanced toward the shelves that lined the walls of the room, holding the personal items that the nurses had brought with them from their homes. Charly thought of the photograph and felt her stomach and head swim with the sickly heavy feeling of nostalgia. Wilhelm's words repeated again and again in her subconscious, making her feel even more restless than before.

'I wish things hadn't of changed, Charly.'

She let out a low groan, her emotions were practically eating her alive as she lay on her bunk. Sleepless nights were not uncommon, but tonight felt longer than normal. Knowing that Wilhelm was in the same vicinity as her, wounded and hurt was unbearable. She wanted nothing more than to spring out of her bunk and run to him and make sure he was safe and sound. She longed to be next to him; she needed to be beside him, even if it meant a harsh scolding from Dr. Jahn. She pushed her covers off of her and swung her legs over the side of her bunk. She gingerly clutched the side of her head, feeling it spin from sitting up too quickly. Charly took a deep breath, not believing what she was about to do. She stood up and quietly weaved her way around the other bunks, careful not to wake up any of the other nurses. She didn't even bother changing out of her nightgown, all she knew is that she had to get to Wilhelm.