A/N: Okay so these updates are coming really fast but I'm so in love with this story that I can't stop writing it. Just to clarify, this chapter and 1 and 2 all take place on the same day. The next chapter will take place two days later.

Olivia headed for the shower area and began distributing clean clothes to the men waiting. Jake smiled at her as he took his uniform, making sure their hands touched. She snatched away from him like he was on fire.

"Come on baby, don't be that way," he crooned. Olivia's skin crawled. Fitz, standing a few feet away at the sink where he was trying unsuccessfully to shave, frowned at Ballard. He'd had enough of his accosting Olivia.

"Hey Ballard, why don't you cool it? The lady's just trying to do her job," he said. Olivia looked at him, surprised at him coming to her rescue, and even more surprised at how unbelievable he looked with a towel wrapped around his waist. She had never seen abs so chiseled or biceps so perfectly sculpted. He was like Michelangelo's David, right down to the perfect coffee-colored curls slicked back off his face.

"Why don't you go to hell Grant?" Ballard spat back.

"Pardon me, private?" Olivia didn't know when Fitz had advanced on them but he was suddenly very close to Jake's face. "You already have a broken leg. Unless you'd like to spring for two, I suggest you take your clothes and move along."

Jake wanted to put up a fight but he did in fact have a broken leg. And there was something terrifying about Fitz's gaze and stance, like he was the kind of man who'd put your ass in a sling for sport. Jake frowned then turned and limped away. Olivia looked at Fitz as he walked back to the sink.

"Thank you," she said softly. "No one's ever done that for me."

Fitz shrugged. "No big deal. I have two sisters back home and stuff like that just gets under my skin." He went back to trying to shave but he was used to doing it with his left hand and was subsequently having trouble. He sighed, aggravated, as he cut himself for the second time. His left arm was throbbing. He put the razor down then frowned at Olivia. "My arm hurts."

She walked over to him and peeled the gauze from his wounded shoulder. "You ripped your stitches." She took a washcloth and cleaned the river of blood streaking down his arm. Fitz wiped the shaving cream from his face. "Let's get you back to bed so I can see about fixing this."

Fitz liked the feeling of her little warm body brushing against his as they walked back to his bed. She undid the sling and took it off his arm, frowning when he winced at her stretching his arm out. "You're probably gonna have to leave this thing off if you want to use your arm again."

"That's probably a good idea since I'm left-handed. I need this thing," he replied, flexing his arm. Olivia tried to ignore the defined musculature of his bicep but couldn't pull her eyes away. She was pulled out of her daze by him asking, "Are you going to re-stitch my arm or is the doctor coming?"

"I'm gonna do it," she replied then smiled teasingly at him. "Scared?"

"Well I took a bullet to the shoulder and my arm made it out okay so I figure you can't do too much damage," he replied, smiling at her. Olivia chuckled as she got off the bed to get a stitch kit. Abby was waiting near the front desk, smiling at her devilishly.

"Well you two are hitting it off," she said.

Olivia smirked. "I'm taking care of a patient, Abby. That's kind of what we do here."

"I'd take really good care of him," Abby replied, staring appraisingly at Fitz. "God, look at him…"

Olivia glanced at him and immediately wished she hadn't. In her absence, he was getting dressed, stepping into long muddy green pants and pulling them up his sinewy legs. His back muscles flexed and Olivia's mouth went dry. She knew she had no business ogling him like a horny teenager, but she couldn't tear her eyes away as he put on a white tank top undershirt. She finally snapped out of her daze when he sat down on his cot. She looked back at Abby. "I'm going to tell your husband on you."

"I'm going to tell yours on you too," Abby replied with a smirk.

"He's not my husband!" Olivia snapped then added, "Yet."

"Given your aversion to the term, I don't think he ever will be," Abby replied, shaking her head. She grinned. "Need some help with Captain Grant?"

"His name is Fitz and no I don't," Olivia answered, picking up the stitch kit off the counter.

"Fitz… When did you get so personal with the patients?" Abby was enjoying herself teasing her uptight friend about the handsome soldier.

"Shut up Abby." Olivia frowned as she walked away from Abby, but her smile quickly returned when she got to Fitz's cot. She asked, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he answered. She put on gloves then swabbed his wound with betadine, apologizing softly when he winced. She removed the torn stitches then threaded her sterile needle. Fitz watched her beautiful face as she concentrated on stitching up his wound, wondering if he'd ever met a woman with such long, thick eyelashes or such a cute little nose. She was done in a few minutes and tied a little knot in the thread then clipped it. She threw the needle away then came back to his cot to find him lying on the cot, grimacing. He announced, "My head hurts now."

"Well you're just tearing up on us, aren't you?" she teased in a gentle voice. He managed a little smile. She put a blanket on him then went to the medicine station to get him something for his headache. When he returned, he was lying on his back, beautifully asleep. She placed the pills and water on the little table next to his cot then stood for a moment watching his chest rise and fall. There was no denying that she was attracted to him, and that he was to her. But she was engaged and she wouldn't allow herself to even fantasize about being with the dashing man. Still, he was certainly a breath of fresh air, so different from Edison and every man she'd come in contact with since signing up to be an army nurse. She told herself that there was nothing wrong with being his friend. They were both far from the comforts of home and humans needed companionship.

Companionship… she kept repeating to herself as she went about the rest of her shift, even as she found herself passing his cot unnecessarily to have a look at him. Companionship… she reasoned as her hand hesitantly lingered over the errant curl hanging on his forehead. She brushed it back gently and he stirred, giving what she could swear was a smile as he turned his head away from her. She shook her head and walked away. By the end of her shift, she had repeated the word to herself no less than a thousand times.

"Did you kiss your boyfriend goodnight?" Abby asked as they got their purses from their lockers to leave.

"Shut up, Abby," Olivia replied as they exited the hospital. They began the 10 block walk to the tenement where a few American nurses lived.

"Seriously Liv, I've never seen you smile so much," Abby pointed out. "You might not want to believe it or accept it, but you and that Captain Grant have something going on."

Olivia shook her head. "He's just nice."

"Yeah that's it. You spent the whole day drooling over him because he's just nice," Abby replied.

They got to their tenement, owned by an old Italian widow. The place housed 10 other nurses in small bedrooms whose walls were covered in the most horrifically gaudy pink and purple floral wallpaper. Olivia and Abby walked to their room and Abby squealed at the sight of mail on her bed. Olivia barely registered her own mail because she was so intrigued by Abby's excitement.

"It's from my mom!" Abby boomed. She tore the box open and squealed again. "It's cookies!"

Abby thrust the box out to her best friend and Olivia took a cookie. It had been what seemed like ages since she'd had chocolate. She moaned, "Oh God, I've missed chocolate."

"What did you get?" Abby asked, her mouth stuffed with multiple cookies.

Olivia looked down at the box and envelope on her bed. She picked up at postcard and turned it over, smiling as she read aloud, "I miss you ladybug. It's been raining nonstop here but you're all the sunshine I need. I love you to the moon and back, George." Olivia grinned at the surprised smile that warmed Abby's thin face. "That is too cute."

"He's the sweetest thing," Abby replied as she took the postcard and taped it to the mirror along with the others.

Olivia opened the box from her mother. She smiled hard at its contents: two tubes of red lipstick, eyeliner, and nylons. She looked at Abby and asked, "How sad is it that I could cry over the fact that she sent me makeup and pantyhose?"

"My mom sent me blush last week and I cried," Abby answered. "It's just one of those home comforts that doesn't mean anything until you aren't at home."

Olivia set aside the box of goodies, making a mental note to write to her mother. She picked up the envelope underneath it and saw that it was from Edison. They talked so infrequently. She opened the envelope and began to read his neat blockish handwriting.

Dear Liv,

I miss you. I can't wait for you to come home. Then we can be together every day like we used to before you took off. How are things there?"

My mother has been looking at churches for the wedding. She said your church is nice but she wants something a little grander. I told her the choice is up to you, but she showed me a new church in Atlanta that I really like. It seems like it would suit us. She also wants you to please reconsider wearing white. I know you want to be unique but the color of your dress isn't really the place for that. People will talk about why you decided to wear something else. And you look so good in it.

All this wedding business is stressing me out. I can't wait for you to get back so you can get everything right. I really miss you.

Love,

Eddy

Olivia held the letter for a long time, staring at it in disbelief. It was like he thought she was on vacation. She was serving her country, saving lives. He was the one back home with nothing to worry about except his mother's wedding suggestions. The idea of planning her wedding made Olivia's stomach churn with anxiety. She brushed it off as cold feet. Abby looked at Olivia looking at the letter. She knew from her friend's frown that it was from Edison.

"Throw it away, Liv," she suggested. "Don't even reply." Olivia didn't answer, just thrust the letter out to her friend. Abby took it and read it quickly, frowning the whole time. When she finished, she balled the letter up and tossed it in the garbage. She sat on her bed and looked at her friend. Olivia was 5 years younger than her, but they had bonded like sisters. "You know, it's not really my place to say, and my opinion is only based on what I've witnessed so I can't say how you two are when you're with each other, but I don't think he's the one, Liv. He just… He doesn't get it. He doesn't get you. I think the one for you is still out there."

"I don't know what to think anymore," Olivia replied. "We're happy together but it's not like it used to be. It's like we're stuck in one moment all the time and I don't know how to move us forward."

"Maybe there's nowhere else to go," Abby suggested gently. "Maybe he's one of those people who blew into your life to stay for a while and teach you a lesson. He isn't meant to stay forever."

"Do you love him?"

"I don't know." Olivia began pacing back and forth. "I think I do. I don't have much to compare things to. He makes me happy enough." She stopped pacing for a moment then started back. "But marriage is more than that right? It can't be constant rainbows and butterflies. That's not what life is."

"Life isn't settling either, Liv." Olivia looked at her in surprise, like she'd forgotten Abby was there. In truth, she almost had.

She gave a deep sigh. "I don't know."

"Well, sweetie, you might want to find out. You're supposed to go home at the end of the month."

They got ready for bed in silence. Olivia paced the room as she undressed then put on her night clothes. Abby had known her long enough to know that that meant something was bothering her. Olivia was putting things into place in her mind, compartmentalizing all her worries. She didn't have time to deal with Edison's shenanigans. She had a job to do. She decided they would have a long conversation when she got home before she decided on anything final. She climbed into bed and felt herself relax. Abby's soft snoring was oddly relaxing. It reminded her of her father's snore, a sound she'd grown used to hearing all her life.

She was almost asleep when Fitz's face swam into her mind. She normally thought about home before she fell asleep, all the things she wanted to do when she got back, but tonight she couldn't think of anything but those eyes and those curls and that smile. She knew she was in deep shit.

A/N: It's going to get messy—well messier—in the next update. I really love hearing from you guys. It keeps the creative juices flowing. Please review!