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ed tipper !
╚═══════════════╝ angst, fluff
war is hell. there is no way around it. it didn't matter where you served, what country you were from, or how long you had been fighting. everybody suffered. children or the elderly, grocers or bankers, soldiers or nurses. warfare could take the biggest and best part of someone and make it seem like it was nothing.
it was easy to feel like nothing in the midst of such a great big war. the trust is, everyone was important. everyone did something. no one was left untouched by the war. especially the people fighting on the front lines.
it wasn't put on display to the public, but the nurses in the european theater were far from little. they worked tirelessly to save the soldiers that gave their lives fighting the real battle. losing a soldier, was difficult. it could hit you like a bus. saving a soldier, was absolutely life changing.
you were one of the best nurses in your regiment. you were as tough as nails. there wasn't anything that could knock you off your feet. yes, the job was extremely harrowing, yet somehow you got it done. it was rewarding to know another soldier was going home to their family. you had seen some brutal things. things you'd never be able to unsee. nonetheless, you were saving lives. it had to all be worth it, or you wouldn't be able to live with yourself.
"nurse y/l/n! big hit!" a medic in easy company yelled to you, guiding in a man that was being supported by another soldier. he was in terrible condition. "missing an eye, clear damage to his face and both his legs! maybe severe damage to his spine as well."
you handed the gauze in your hand to another nurse as you gestured to the cut on the other soldier you were tending to. you had crossed the room in seconds, eyes wide. this man was covered in blood and you weren't exactly sure if he would make it or not. that was the toughest part of the job, being unsure.
"set him here please!" you ordered, helping lift him onto a spare table. "what's his name, doc?"
"tipper. edward tipper."
"got it. thank you, eugene."
the medic gave a quick nod. he looked back at the soldier with worry written all over his face. these men had trained together. they had known one another for years. it was especially difficult for the medics when they had been with the company since day one. how horrible it must've been to have your hand inside a friends chest just for them to pass on in the end.
the other soldier that helped guide in your newest patient, placed a hand on doc roe's shoulder. they shared a sad look for a moment before exiting the bombed out building the nurses had made into their station. the two men left reluctantly. most soldiers did anything they could to stay with their potentially dying comrades. however, this was war and it is hell.
"hey edward, i'm gonna fix you right on up." you said softly to the man in front of you. he gave out a feeble whimper at your words as you got to work.
this soldier didn't put up much a fight with you. most of them did. they wanted to get back out there and return to their company as soon as possible. some just wanted to go home. you knew this man was in too much pain to even move. you weren't even sure if he could even see you.
"edward," you stated, feeling a leap in your chest as his head turned slightly to try and look at you. "do you mind if i tell you a story?"
he nodded hesitantly. the soldiers would always listen when you began to talk. some didn't have a choice. this soldier must've realized he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. all that was left, was to listen.
you begun your story. you'd recount the story of how you had come to join the airborne. why you had volunteered as a nurse. they seemed to always get a kick out of the mention of your stubbornness and the joking manner of your parents that would support you forever. towards the end of your story, you could feel the melancholy drifting into the room and leering over your shoulders so you'd begin another story.
"when i was much smaller without any care in the world, my father would take my older sister and i up to the meadows on our property. we'd run around for hours while my dad got to work building us a tree house. sooner or later, he'd finish that tree house. we absolutely loved it there. my sister and i would sneak out of our rooms late at night and go up there to catch lightning bugs. we weren't so great at it. our parents would come up ten minutes after us to scold us a bit before climbing up to the tree house and watching the two of us." you sighed as you paused. "sometimes i wish i were back there. when it's as dark as can be here and the only sound is artillery, i'd like to think i could hear the crickets and see the little lightning bugs again. you know, one day i'd like to own all that property, tree house included. maybe i'll have my own kids catching lightning bugs when they should be sleeping. as long as i'm not here anymore, then i think it'll all be just fine."
edward tipper seemed too focused on your story to grimace at you stitching up his wounds. maybe he was praying too hard in his own mind to think of how much pain he was in. he was too badly wounded for you to be able to help him in full. you did what you could, but you knew you weren't much help to him.
"looks like you've got a one way ticket home, my friend."
he looked to you, staring for quite a bit as he tried to recollect his thoughts. "thank you."
"thank you for your service, edward."
"i hope you get home to catch some fireflies soon."
