A/N: Holy smokes! The reviews and the follows/favorites are amazing to see!

Thank you guest(s), BoB16234, and LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX for your reviews! I'm glad that you are liking this story! Hopefully, it will continue to be one that you keep coming back to and reviewing/loving!

With that said, here is the next installment! Enjoy!

Reviews make for happy days!

We were not so lucky. Sobel demanded that we run the massive hill anyways. The rain poured down upon us, so hard that it felt like we were being stabbed by pins. I was completely soaked to the bone, along with everyone else.

The trail was dangerous to begin with but with this sudden downpour, it became even more treacherous than we could bear. The massive amount of water had created rushing little streams on the trail. It brought debris from the trees onto the trail causing us to trip into the mud. Several men were already covered in mud from all of the falling they did, in addition to being soaked from the rain.

I pushed some of my wet hair from my face and slipped. I fell to the trail and struggled to get up, as it was so slippery that I couldn't get a good grip.

I felt several pair of hands helping me to my feet. I nodded my thanks to my helpers, Luz and Liebgott. They kept going once I was on my feet. I started to run again but I didn't get far.

I took a few steps forward. I saw what I thought was a massive puddle but it wasn't. I felt myself falling into a deep water-filled hole.

The hole had formed due to all of the rushing water and I sank into it. I was submerged up to my waist, feeling the water and mud sucking me down further. I shrieked. I struggled to claw my way out, fighting the suction, and I was embarrassed that this happened to me.

Some of the men stopped to help me out once more. This time, it was Randleman and Christensen. Once they pulled me out, they looked at me with such concern, it was heart warming.

"I'm okay!" I shouted over the storm, "I'm okay!"

They looked at each other then back at me, before they kept running.

I carefully ran behind some of the men, realizing that I needed to step where they stepped or I'd be causing all sorts of problems for them. I looked up the line and saw Winters heading down to me.

The concern was apparent on his face. He reached me and ran beside me the whole way up. We didn't speak and I don't think that we had to. He was there to make sure that I'd make it up to the top as ordered and I was glad to have his help.

The rain didn't let up and the lightning and thunder grew more and more. When we finally reached the last incline to the top, we had to help each other out by creating a chain.

When it was my turn to go, I reached my hand out and was pulled up to the top. I was caked in mud when I was able to touch the pedestal that sat at the top of the hill. Once everyone was able to get to the top and touch the stone, we had to make the treacherous trip back down.

As our luck would have it, the rain let up halfway down the hill. The men complained and I couldn't help but feel the same. When we walked off the trail back into the camp, we were greeted by Sobel.

He looked at each one of us but never spoke a word. We carefully walked passed him, hoping that he wasn't going to order us to repeat it but he never did. Instead, he just watched us. I grew anxious, feeling more uncomfortable by his following eyes.

The men started to disperse to their barracks to change and get cleaned up.

I turned to head to my barracks when a voice stopped me, "Emmeline!"

I turned and saw David Webster, who was also covered in mud, approach me. I liked Webster. He was a nice guy. Sometimes the others didn't treat him so well but he still treated them with the same respect, which I admired about him. Maybe it was because he treated me so kindly that I saw the kinder side of him.

"Hey Web," I spoke softly.

He smiled kindly at me as he always did. He asked, "I was wondering...are you coming to the party tonight?"

"Party?" I questioned. I didn't hear about any party.

He blinked, almost realizing that maybe he wasn't supposed to say anything to me. He continued, "Yeah...it's at the mess hall. They're serving drinks and food. I hear there's supposed to be some dancing too."

I didn't know why he was telling me this. I awkwardly started as I bit my lower lip, "Um..."

"I'm sorry that no one has told you yet. I hope you come. It'll be nice to see you there," he added with a warm smile.

I shrugged as I replied, "I'll think about it. Thank you for telling me."

He smiled awkwardly, realizing that he might have made a mistake and he turned to leave. I sighed once he was gone.

I turned to head to the barracks when I collided with someone behind me. I felt myself lose balance and strong hands grab my upper arms to steady me. I exclaimed, "I'm so sorry!"

"Miss Banks," a husky voice spoke to me. My heart stopped. I looked up to see who I had run into.

"Lieutenant Speirs...sir." I swallowed as my eyes grew wider.

He looked up and down at me. When he finished examining me, he held my wide eyed stare as he questioned, "Miss Banks, why are you covered in mud?"

My mouth fell open. I blinked and stammered, "I-I...fell."

"Fell?" he repeated.

"Yes sir," I managed to speak, "During the run up Currahee."

He released me. "I see. Well you better get cleaned up. We don't want you to catch a cold, do we?"

I shook my head, speaking in a whisper, "No sir."

He nodded as he looked over to his right then back to me. He ordered, "Get going then, Nurse. See you later this evening, I suspect."

I watched as he walked away from me. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. Lieutenant Speirs was the one person who made everyone scared. He hardly showed any emotion and he hardly spoke to anyone, including the nurses. He just was.

As I watched him walk away, a giggle came behind me. I turned to see Darla approach me. I sighed as she started, "I don't know which is funnier, you or him."

"What are you talking about Darla?" I questioned.

"Look at you! You're a mess! Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" she smiled.

I knew that she wasn't finished with her teasing but I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't about to talk about it in the open. She would wait until we were alone and I knew that place would be in the shower as I scrubbed the mud off of me.