Elizabeth had fallen asleep at Mark's bedside and was awoken when he stirred

A/N: Sorry I've been so slow lately! With the school year started I won't be able to post as often but will as much and as soon as possible. Thank you for all of the support you've shown me! You guys are the reason I keep writing! I love you guys!

Elizabeth had fallen asleep at Mark's bedside and was awoken when he stirred.

"Elizabeth?"

She quickly grabbed his hand. "I'm right here, Mark."

His breathing was labored. "If I don't make it… I want you to go on with your life. Fall in love again… promise me you won't-"

"Oh, Mark, stop it! You're going to be just fine!"

"I dunno…" he kept his eyes closed. His skin had taken a rather yellow hue and his face was sticky with sweat. Elizabeth glanced down at his leg where the bullet had entered and realized that the red stain on the bandage hadn't been as large before. She hurried to get another injection of antibiotic but Mark waved his hand. "It's too late… It used to hurt so bad. Now I can't feel it anymore."

She looked at his face intensely for a moment then began to pull off his bandages. The wound was dark and the flesh around it was sallow. Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying. God, why couldn't she help him?! Ever since Carol's husband, the camp doctor, had been hit by a stray shell the nurses had to handle things on their own. She had never doubted her medical abilities until that day. The day she watched Jason Hathaway die.

It was now late afternoon and Luka watched the faint shadows grow as Dave, Doug and Sven slept on the ground. Luka resisted the tendrils of sleep that seemed to grab him at odd intervals. He wanted to keep guard in case something happened. However, he was growing increasingly tired and decided to rouse Dave for his shift, since he had fallen asleep first.

"Hey, Malucci," he gently pushed his friend's shoulder with his boot since his hands were still bound. "Hey," he pushed a little harder and spoke a little louer. When Dave still didn't wake up Luka became frustrated. "Hey!" he tried not to wake up his comrades and pushed Dave more roughly this time. The young man still showed no life. Now Luka was worried. "David? David! Can you hear me?" he wished his hands were untied so he could feel for his friend's pulse. "Hey! Guard!" he yelled in English, surprising all within earshot.

"What's a matter?" the nearest Brit turned.

"He needs a doctor," he jerked his head towards Dave. "He was hit in the head and something's wrong."

The Englishman nodded, deciding on what to do. He looked over to the closest guard who inclined his head, giving him a go.

"Wit here, I'll go fetch a nurse."

A few long minutes later he reappeared with Jing-Mei and Carol in tow. It only took her a second to realize who the fallen enemy was. Her heart had gone out to him earlier. He reminded her of people back home; people caught up in this mess. She quickly glanced him over from outside.

"Bring him out."

"What?"

"I need to treat him in the clinic. Bring him out." The Brit and nearest guard exchanged glances then moved to open the gate. Jing-Mei looked at the blood on the cloth of Luka's sleeve. "Him, too."

Romano propped his feet up on a crate and lit a cigar. He exhaled a cloud of smoke that appeared alive as it caught every microscopic breeze and wafted outward, upward, inward, sideways and down. After another puff in which he savored the rich taste with his eyes closed he turned his attention to his company.

"Lieutenant Carter. You wanted to see me?"

The young lieutenant with a heavy five-o-clock shadow stepped forward and saluted. "It's about the prisoners, Sir. With all due respect I feel-"

"You feel what, Carter?" Romano snapped. "Don't feel anything. They'll hopefully be dead within forty-eight hours."

Carter looked puzzled. "Sir, our orders are against executing any prisoners. Word is-"

"Do you live your life by orders, Carter?"

The young man was confused by hearing this question from a commanding officer in such a pensive tone and didn't know how to respond.

"You see… following orders is what got me this limp. Following my orders is what got my son killed," he looked away painfully to a photograph of a young man in uniform.

John followed his gaze. "I never knew Michael, Sir. Bit I'm sure he was a good man," he offered, after a pause.

"Yes. Yes he was. A better man than I'll ever be. And what good did it do him, following orders?"

John was silent.

"When I first got word I didn't know what to think. Marge is probably still crying. You don't know what pain is like until you've lost a child. And why? Because some damn fat German sent in one more brigade of Italians. They say he was killed when that wave attacked. It's been almost a year now, and it still hurts all the same." He'd almost forgotten that John was there. "Whenever I see the face of one of those damn wops I can't help but think if it's the face of the man who killed my Michael," his voice cracked.

After a long pause he snapped out of his reverie and turned back to Carter, his voice soft. "Well… what did you want?"

The cook had sent him to ask if the prisoners should get hot soup like the rest of the soldiers and he had entered Colonel Romano's tent in certainty that he would have to argue for it. After all, if he was a prisoner of war, he'd like hot soup on a day like this. Yet now, however, he thought it was best to just leave. "Nothing, Sir. Nothing."

The binds on Luka's hands had been cut and he now sat in silence and the frizzy-haired nurse wrapped a bandage around his arm. He kept his gaze on Dave. He was lying on a bed and the Asian nurse was cleaning the blood and dirt from his face.

Colonel Romano entered. "Lieutenant Chen, you asked for me?"

She rose from her position at Dave's bedside. "Yes. I was hoping you could explain something."

"And what would that be?"

"The wounds on the Italian prisoner were obviously not inflicted in combat. Lieutenant Carter says you took these prisoners peacefully. So how'd he get a concussion?"

Romano looked past her to the unconscious soldier. "You should ask him," he turned back to her. "He did it to himself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

"Colonel Romano, if I find out that you beat another soldier unnecessarily, I'll have you-"

"Don't worry your pretty head, Miss Jing-Mei. This is war. War is a man's work." He spun on his heels and left her flustered.

"That man needs a kidney stone," Carol finished off Luka's bandage.

"More like two."

"Hey," Carol nodded towards Dave. "Look at his dog tags, find out who he is."

Jing-Mei approached Dave.

"His name is David Malucci."

Both nurses reeled around at Luka's voice in English.

Jing-Mei stumbled for words. "U, a, oh. What's you name?"

"Luka Kovac."

"Well…" not knowing what else to do she extended her hand. "I'm Jing-Mei Chen. This is Carol Hathaway."

"How do you know English?" Carol placed her hands on her hips.

"I studied in a university."

"Oh."

He jerked his head toward Dave. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Are you two friends?"

"Yes."

"Hopefully. He has a concussion and a fever is developing. However we're short on supplies…"

"And you wouldn't waste them on a prisoner?"

"No, I didn't say that," Jing-Mei furrowed her brow. "So tell me Luka, how did this happen?"

Luka shrugged. "I don't know. We were separated."

Just then a bawling Elizabeth ran in from the second medical tent.

"Lizzie, what's the matter?" Carol hugged her friend.

"It's Mark. We have to amputate his leg below the knee!" the woman was shaking.

"Oh no…" Carol rubbed her back. "It'll be all right. At least he'll live."

"But without a leg! It's not all right! It's all because some stupid bastard-" she caught sight of Luka. "Is he one of them?"

"Lizzie, this is Luka Kovac, he's-" Jing-Mei began but was cut off when Elizabeth pushed past her. She looked Luka in the eye and delivered him a swift backhand. "You pathetic bastard," she muttered vilely.

Luka kept her gaze. "He was about to kill my comrade, he-" Lizzie was not shocked by his English words and before he could finish she'd grabbed him by the shoulders and was screaming at him hysterically.

"Lizzie!" Carol and Jing-Mei pulled her away and Carol dragged her out of the tent.

Jing-Mei turned back to Luka and gave him a hard stare for a moment, not trusting herself to speak knowing he was the man who shot Lizzie's fiancée. Instead she walked out and told a soldier that she wanted guards to be posted at the medical tent at all times.