Chapter 10
Lena giggled, "oh you didn't know? He's married. Got a wife and kid waiting at home."
The slap to her face came so fast that Lena didn't have time to react. The interesting thing was it didn't hurt, she was numb to everything. She hadn't realized until that moment though how far she would go to hurt Marcie as badly as Nixon had hurt her.
Marcie stood for a moment breathing heavily before regaining control. "You know what, he may be married, but I have something that will fix that. Just wait till he finds out I'm pregnant, then we'll see who has him in the end."
"Why do you let her treat you that way?"
Lena turned to look at Renee and shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore."
Renee sighed and watched Marcie go back inside, "Yes, well it may not matter to you but it does to me, so I'll deal with it. This foolishness has gone on for the last two weeks."
She watched Renee follow Marcie and slowly she followed as well. It was better to know why someone would be mad at you.
"You there! Yes, I'm speaking to you. I need you to go and boil the bloody bandages and hang them to dry."
Marcie looked at Renee and narrowed her eyes, "Who are you to give me orders? I don't work for you."
"No, but I'm in charge of this hospital such as it is and you'll do as I say."
Marcie pointed a finger at Lena and whined, "Why can't she do it?"
Renee looked at Lena who was watching with a neutral expression, "Because I have her doing something else now you need to get moving."
Lena watched her walk away and sighed, "While I know you meant well, you've probably just made my life worse."
Renee shook her head, "No I haven't, because if she continues to act as a child I'll have her empty bed pans too."
It was a couple of hours later when Lena and Renee were working to save a soldiers life, that Marcie ran past them and up the stairs looking green. Renee gave a small smile and Lena just watched. There would be hell to pay for that one she was sure.
Both women were standing at the base of the stairs talking when a male voice from the top had Lena looking up in shock.
"Don't worry, it'll be okay. I'll take care of things, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard, not with the baby and everything."
Lena watched as Nixon and Marcie walked back down the stairs together his arm wrapped tightly around her pulling her into his side. She could vaguely remember what it felt like to have him hold her that way. Watching them, she waited for the stabbing pain in her chest that would signify how hurt she was, yet it never came. She couldn't even muster a response as his dark eyes found her briefly before returning to Marcie.
As they passed her, Marcie laid her head on his shoulder, "No its okay I've got to keep working and it's only morning sickness, it'll pass. I'm much better now that you're here."
Lena closed her eyes and shook her head. Deciding it was better to leave she turned and walked up the stairs and out into the cold biting wind with only a shirt on. She was fascinated that the pain hadn't come. She found the only thing she did feel was dismay that he was buying that line of crap.
The chocolate bar that appeared before her was the only indication Renee was beside her. "No thanks, I found something better than chocolate." She waved the packet of cigarettes she was holding. "Much more satisfying personally."
"So why did you walk out?"
"No reason just needed a smoke and some air." Lighting up she tried to focus on the burn from the smoke as it entered her lungs, anything to make her feel alive.
"Hmm, so the man she walked in with had nothing to do with you walking out?"
"Not really, why do you ask?"
Renee gave a snort and broke off a piece of chocolate. "Well I've never seen you look at anyone, especially a man the way you did, or at least for a very brief moment."
Lena paused, "No, I just can't stand listening to her lies. Too bad he won't listen or I'd try to tell him."
"Tell me what?"
Nixon's voice had Lena and Renee spinning to look at him. She really was going to have to pay more attention to her surroundings.
Nixon was shocked when Lena turned to face him. He'd thought the lighting downstairs had been playing tricks and that was what caused her to look the way she did, but now he could clearly see that wasn't the case.
She put him in the mind of the German dead he'd seen on the line, frozen beyond the reach of mortal man. The dark shadows under her eyes extended almost to her cheekbones and speaking of cheekbones…she'd lost so much weight he was sure she was nor more than a skeleton with skin under the uniform.
Still the thing that had him most concerned was her eyes. At one time, they'd been the color of amber reminding him of warm cognac. Now they were the color of the mud he was standing in, dirty brown.
He waited for her to respond but she seemed frozen in place. She wouldn't even speak to him. Looking back at the church, he let his anger rise. This entire mess with Marcie was her fault, if she hadn't called him Robbie he'd never have slept with her and she wouldn't be pregnant.
Using that anger he pushed past any concern for her, "You need to back off Marcie. Right now, the last thing she needs is you riding her back. Can't you see she's sick, I thought you were supposed to be more compassionate or does that only apply to the dead?"
Renee looked between the two and only the faintest flicker appeared in Lena's eyes at the sound of the man's voice, but before it could grow, his words had dimmed the light. Lena was now watching the man with the same lifeless expression she'd worn since arriving in Bastogne.
The man then turned on his heel and began to walk off before pausing to turn back, "And eat something, you look like shit."
Beside her Lena took the last drag from the cigarette and tossed it into the ground. "Guess we should get back to work."
Renee grabbed her arm, "Lena, who the hell was that that you let him speak to you that way."
Lena watched Lew get back in the jeep and leave, expecting and hoping that any minute the pain would come only to fill the void, but as he passed out of her sight, she confronted the emptiness once again. Shaking her head, "he's no one. Let's go."
Days began to bleed into one another and Lena focused on one minute at a time. She'd not seen Lew again, but she was also working to stay out of Marcie's way just so she could avoid another run in with either of them.
When they brought the soldier in Lena and Renee exchanged looks over the medics head, knowing the man wouldn't live, but they had to try. Lena grabbed a nearby scalpel and began to cut away his pants and other clothing he was wearing. Moving quickly she paid little attention to what she was doing until Renee grabbed her hand to stop her cutting.
"It's no use he's gone. I'm going out for moment, can you clean this up?" Renee was looking hopefully at her.
Looking behind Renee, she saw Gene standing at the base of the stairs watching. She nodded her head and covered the soldier in the blanket they had brought him in and began to pick up the pieces of his uniform to see if they could use any of it for bandages.
Glancing down she saw fresh blood dripping on the floor and began to look around for where it might have come from. That's when she saw her hand. Somehow, she'd managed to slice it open from between her thumb and forefinger down across her palm. Holding it up she could tell it was deepest by the thumb area and was bleeding heavily but still she felt nothing.
Looking at it a moment, she stood fascinated and watched it bleed; once again the feeling of fascination crossed her at the lack of pain. Sighing she grabbed a rag and wrapped it around her hand to try to keep the blood off other things. She'd worry about cleaning it later. Unfortunately, it didn't hurt so it was easy to forget.
Gene was showing up about every three days usually with Easy Company wounded, but today he'd shown up trying to find supplies. For the most part, she'd been able to avoid him, but today she was the only one free to help him.
"How you doin' Lena?"
"Fine Gene, I've got some things set aside in the back if you want to follow me."
Bending down she picked up the box and tried to balance it between her hip and one arm, almost dropping it until Gene reached out and grabbed it. "Lena, what's wrong, not like you to drop things?"
"Guess I'm just tired, that should do you for a few more days; if we get another supply drop I'll try to grab a few more items for you."
He was about to turn away when he saw her holding her hand out to her side. Sitting the box down, he reached out and grabbed her hand. "How long ya been walking around with your hand in such bad shape?"
Lena shrugged, "I don't know. Now let me go I've got work to do." She tried to pull away only to feel him tighten his grip on her wrist.
"No way, not till I get a look at that. Now sit down here on this box and let me look then you can go back to work."
He gently pushed around the edges of the cut, seeing the discolored liquid ooze from the deepest portion of the cut. The hand itself was swollen and hot to the touch. Pushing a little harder around the edges, "Does this hurt?"
"I can't feel it." Sighing and in a quiet small voice, "I can't feel anything actually."
When he looked up at her eyes he saw that she wasn't lying, there was absolutely nothing there. "Well I need to open this up and clean it out is that okay?"
"Sure do what you want."
While Gene cut her hand open and washed it out, he noticed that not once did she flinch or even act like it he was doing more than holding her hand. Wrapping her hand, he gently laid it back in her lap. "Now, I'm going to be back in a couple of days and I expect you to be better, okay?"
"Sure Gene, whatever you want."
She felt him brush his lips across her forehead and watched as he rushed to catch Renee in between patients.
Doc finally caught Dick alone. "Sir, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure Doc, how are things in Bastogne?"
Gene rubbed his jaw, "Yeah that's what I came to talk to you about. I think there's something really wrong with Lena."
"Well why do you say that?"
"Ya see sir, that's the thing; she's lost a lot of weight and well people tell me she seems to work around the clock. I'm not sure what happened, but something did. When I went in today, she had a horrible cut on her hand that was infected and she told me she didn't feel it. That she couldn't feel anything, and I was wondering if maybe you could talk to her?"
Dick thought for a moment. The last time he'd seen her was when she'd gotten the telegram and then he thought he'd see her on a truck heading into Bastogne. Frowning he nodded, "Sure I'll head in tomorrow and try to catch her."
"Thanks sir, if I thought she'd have talked to me, I'd have done it, but maybe you'll have better luck."
Dick watched Gene head back to the line. He didn't think he'd have any better luck than him, but maybe he might now a few soft spots Doc didn't.
Marcie sat in the corner watching Lena move around the room doing her job but saying nothing. It was kind of strange, before Bastogne she'd always smiled and tried to be positive, now it was just like watching a doll go through the motions.
Frowning she thought about this new development. There had to be some way to snap her out of this. So far she'd been able to keep Lew away from Lena, but if he saw her now he'd start to ask questions and might want to spend time with her and that was something that Marcie couldn't allow.
Getting up she stepped in front of Lena gaining her attention. "Look I have no idea what your problem is moping about like your miserable, but this needs to stop. You're perfectly fine and no one here is going to care any way."
Lena stood and stared at Marcie waiting for this little tantrum to end. She knew better than to say anything, she'd just be blamed for it any way.
Marcie glared at her, "What is your problem? I'm sick and tired of you acting like some kind of walking statue. What do you think this is going to get you Nixon? I've already told you he's mine." Pausing Marcie felt her temper rise even further. "You little bitch." Lifting her arm, she slapped Lena across the face.
Dick came down the stairs to hear a woman's voice raised and turned in that direction in time to see Marcie slap Lena across the face. Moving quickly he was close enough to hear Lena which stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Are you done?" The voice was cold and distant, as if the person speaking wasn't there.
Marcie cocked her hip to the side propping her hand on it, "Yeah I'm done…for now. But don't think I'm going to let you get away with this."
Lena turned her head to watch Marcie walk off confused as to what she'd done this time.
"Lena let me look at your face." The gentle touch of Dick surprised her. She stood and let him brush her face where the angry red hand print had formed. "Are you okay, does it hurt?"
"No Dick, it doesn't hurt, nothing hurts any more. If you'll excuse me I need to get back to work."
Stepping to move past him Dick grabbed her arm. "No Lena, I want to talk to you. What's going on? You've never been this way, talk to me, and tell me what happened."
Lena stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, it would be so easy to open up to Dick and tell him everything: her pain over losing Frank, her sleeping with Lew, him turning around and sleeping with Marcie. Yes, it would be easy, but it wouldn't be fair. When she opened her eyes and met his concerned ones, she saw a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders and she wasn't about to add to it.
"Dick I'm fine, trust me. It'll be okay I promise."
"Lena, I know this has been a hard month for you. The anniversary of your husband's death, losing your brother, but you can't keep it bottled up or something bad is going to happen. Please just talk to me about anything."
Dick watched her closely and he saw nothing behind her eyes. He had to do something to get a reaction and quickly did the one thing he knew would cause a reaction in a woman, he kissed her.
Lena stood arms by her side and Dick pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her logical brain acknowledged he wasn't bad, but it stirred no passion within her, which he must have sensed because he pulled back and looked at her smiling a little.
"Nothing huh?"
He saw just a ghost of a smile cross her lips, "Sorry, nothing." Placing her hand against his face, she stepped around him and froze.
Turning Marcie was standing there staring at them with a smug smile on her face. "Well thank you so much Captain Winters, you just made everything so much easier for me by kissing that little tramp." Turning she flounced off leaving them to wonder what she was talking about.
Of course, a HUGE shout-out to captain ty who wrote out this brilliant masterpiece. I made a few adjustments, but it's pretty much all her genius. So, if you have the time, we'd really love some feedback. Thank you so much guys for reading. And thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: AivieEnchanted and captain ty!
We are in no way, shape, or form trying to disrespect those amazing soldiers on which this story is based. We only own Lena and Robbie and Frank. Oh and Marcie, whom I have officially disowned. And yeah Marcie went there that little whor-I mean brat. Anyways, we really hope you liked this chapter.