March 4, 1945

The days passed most of the same. Every day, the boys would have some sort of physical therapy, and every day, Liz would come by with their medication. She soon let slip that she was assigned to do this for every patient on the floor. It took her all morning to complete, longer if she couldn't find a soldier for awhile.

Toye was in his room alone when she came in. He was playing cards by himself and looked up when she entered. "Wanna play?" He wasn't even sure where that came from, but now that he asked it, he couldn't exactly take it back.

Liz looked at him in surprise. It took her a moment, but she shook her head. "I'm almost done with my rounds."

He nodded. "Exactly. We're near the end of the hall. Wouldn't you have all afternoon for a game or two?"

She hesitated a moment before sitting down in the chair beside his bed. She looked out the window. "I try and get all the medications out so I can have those afternoons free."

"To do what?"

Liz looked at him, a defiant glaze in her eyes. "To figure out a way to get out of this place."

Toye looked back at her, baffled. "You're a patient?"

She nodded slowly. "I've lost count the amount of times I've tried to go AWOL, but they get me every time. Doesn't help that I stick out."

"Stick out?"

She gave him a look as if it was obvious. "I don't want to be the one to give you a shock, but I'm a broad." He guffawed out a laugh, and she had to join him. He quickly stopped to study her face, a smile on it making a world of difference. When she noticed, she immediately hid it away again. "I even tried to sneak out in a stolen nurse's uniform, but I swear to God that woman can sniff me out." By "that woman," Toye knew she meant Nurse Mindy.

"Sounds like you're kinda stubborn."

Liz laughed again and nodded. "I guess so. They sent me here after France, figuring that the channel could stop me from getting back to the front lines, but hey, a little water never stopped me before. When that didn't work, they took away my papers, OD jacket, and basically anything else that defines me as a soldier beyond my dog tags, and they don't help me much. I could be a steward for all the checkpoint guards care." She sighed. "Right pain in the ass, but I'm still trying. Now they're attempting to keep me busy with medication duty."

It took Toye a minute to study her. "When were you wounded?"

Liz gave him a hard, twisted smile. "Operation Market Garden. Were you there?"

Toye nodded. "That was a clusterfuck."

"Damn Brits."

"You said it."

They laughed together again until she stood up abruptly. Before she turned to go, she gave him one last look. "How's the leg?"

His eyebrows shot up. She never asked anything after him before. "You mean what's left of it? It's fine. Just what's gone somehow itches like hell. Explain that one to me."

"Phantom limb," she murmured. She shook her head to clear it before raising her voice. "It's called a phantom limb. Massage the end if you're healed. It should help."

"Pickin' up on some stuff while you're stuck here, Liz?"

She tried to hide how much she enjoyed hearing his whiskey-over-gravel voice say her name. She fidgeted until she met his eyes again. "No, picked it up when I trained to be a combat medic." And before he could ask anything else, she left the room.

March 23, 1945

Over the next few weeks, Liz and Toye got to know each other more. After sharing the basics of their lives back home, he found out that she was chosen to become a medic in the company, something against her will, but someone had to do it. He thought briefly of Doc Roe, and his similar situation. The quiet man never chose to be Easy's medic, but he accepted the job without fuss. Liz reminded him a lot of Roe. Her quiet confidence. Her ability to assess someone while only just looking at him. Her quick mind didn't help rid him of the comparison.

Liz flipped up another card on his table and ruminated over her next move. "He sounds like a great guy. Wish I had his help in my company."

Toye nodded. "He was the best medic we coulda asked for." He paused. "But the war was hard on him, as I expect it can be on any medic, all of us dying and gettin' blown to pieces under his hands."

Liz chewed on her lip before answering, her eyes still on the cards. "Yes, it can be," she answered quietly. She cleared her throat. "But I would do anything to be back with my guys right now."

Toye looked at her a long time before staring back at the cards. He winced suddenly, and reached for his right thigh. Liz saw it and pushed the table aside. Before she touched him, she met his eyes. "Do you mind?" He shook his head.

Her touch was surprisingly gentle, but then again, she was a medic. Liz rolled up the cuff of his hospital pants until the angry red and new skin was shown. "Tell me if anything hurts," she murmured, "and I'll stop."

Her fingers massaged his leg, slowly getting the blood moving again. Careful not to push too hard, the pads of her fingers glided over his skin, rolling out the pain.

Toye took the opportunity to look at her, really look at her, especially since the aches began to disappear almost immediately. Her brown hair was braided and thrown casually over her shoulder. A small wrinkle appeared between her brows as she focused on her work at hand, and her teeth chewed thoughtfully into her bottom lip.

I could just lean in and replace those teeth with my lips.

When that thought struck him, his breath caught in his lungs and and he pulled back, as far as he could on his bed. Liz noticed and looked up. "Does that hurt?" Toye could only shake his head.

"Christ, how can I get me one of those massages, dollface?"

Liz jumped up to her feet at Guarnere's loud voice and glared at him in his wheelchair. Grabbing her clipboard, she deposited his pills on his bed before stalking from the room.

"What I say?"

Toye didn't answer. Only watched her go. Guarnere caught it and grinned gleefully. "Jesus, Joe, you got it bad."

Toye turned to him and sneered. "Shut your yap, Bill. It ain't like that. She's just a friend."

Guarnere shrugged before pulling himself into his bed. He noisily cracked his pills onto his teeth. "Friends ain't look like they wanna jump each other's bones, buddy."

He rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide any embarrassment that might be showing on his face. "How come you ain't afraid of her no more? She's still a lethal paratrooper with access to plenty of stuff that can slit your throat in your sleep."

Guarnere shrugged. "Figured if she hadn't done it already, I'm good. Besides, I think she likes me."

"Oh yeah, it's love, buddy. I can feel it."

Toye needed to punch something. Something or someone. Of course Liz would walk in that moment.

She stopped short. "What's with the face?"

He snarled. "It's only the face of a man that needs a second amputation. Seems those Frenchie quacks didn't get it right the first time!"

She watched him quietly, and when she didn't respond, he looked at her. She raised her eyebrows. "Will it help you in the long run?"

"That's what they said. Says I can't work a prothsetic with the way it is now. Right when they were gettin' me ready for the goddamn stick!"

She shrugged. "Then what's a few extra weeks?"

He gave her a hard look. "Says the woman tryin' to break out daily."

Liz walked up to him and sat on the end of his bed. "If you're looking for pity, you've come to the wrong broad." She gave him a smile and crossed her arms. "Besides, doesn't that keep you with yours truly a bit longer before they ship you out?"

He scowled. "Unless they ship you out with me."

It was her turn to scowl. "You're going to regret that."

"Whaddaya gonna do? Overdose me?"

"Not like you can get away if I tried."

Toye laughed loudly at that. Besides Guarnere, everyone tiptoed around the fact that he only had one goddamn leg. Liz didn't beat around the bush.

He kept on chuckling. "Just wait. Once this surgery is over and Nurse Mindy beats me up properly again, I'll get ya someday."

Liz gave him a wink. "Looking forward to it."

Toye ignored the wriggle in his stomach when he saw it and focused back on his situation. He sighed. "Fuck."

She scooted closer, not touching him, but the closeness was different for her all the same. She gave him a commiserating smile. "You're allowed to be upset, but don't let it get in the way of your healing. Now that you know what you're in for, show that woman you can do it and faster than she thinks you can."

He studied her for a moment before grinning, although a bit sourly. "Thank God you ain't a nurse. Terrible bedside manner."

Liz chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe I'll improve when Guarnere and his sweet talk leave in a week. He's staying on track?"

Toye scowled again. "Yeah."

She stood and began walking towards the door. She stopped before going and turned back. Giving him another wink, she added, "Let's see if I can fudge some paperwork to make sure you aren't stuck with a new roommate. Or at least stick you with someone alright. Some of these guys whine so much, you have no idea."

He gave her a slow smile. "I have a little bit of an idea. I am bunking with Bill after all."

"True. Very true."