Grace

"... Major Hawkeye was also injured in the incident, along with most of her battalion staff. Total casualties come up to three dead, twenty critically wounded, and seven walking wounded..."

Ed's foot tapped dully in the antiseptic white of the hospital. His nerves grated like steel wool – he hated waiting to see if someone he cared about would be okay.

A dark blue uniform sat next to him. Don't care, don't care... White gloves invaded his field of vision, nudging his own gloves out of the way to reveal the title of the heavy book on his lap. World of don't care...

"Magic Bullet Marksman?" the uniform asked, slight amusement in its voice.

"I just thought Havoc would like something to read when he woke up," Ed replied, chilly and noncommittal. "So I brought his favorite –"

"Book, yes. I know. I gave that to him for his birthday some time ago."

"Major Elric, you may see the patient now."

Ed got up hastily, not wanting to hang around a place contaminated with the scent of sandalwood and cloves.

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Yes, I know, it's the second author's note I have. Sometimes you need these things. Anyway, someone asked me as one point, "What's the distinction between walking and critically wounded?"

Simple. Walking wounded is just that; the injury sustained isn't enough to keep you off the lines. Something that one can just slap a dressing on and it'll be okay until one's able to head back to an aid station. Critically wounded (in my view) is when one has to be rushed back to an aid station for treatment and the soldier is unable to keep fighting.

Magic Bullet Marksman is actually an opera. I can't remember the German name, but I thought that it would be an appropriate faerie tale for Havoc to like.