Love You Till The End (Robert Zussman x Reader)

19 - Y/N L/N

February of 1944
Fort Devens
Ayer, Massachusetts

My platoon and I have been training for nearly two months now. It's definitely been difficult, but my body is slowly getting adjusted to it as each day passes. We run, march, jump, climb, crawl, and do a ton of other things, so we can pass the fitness tests they throw at us.

Even though training can be difficult, I absolutely love seeing how hard my platoon works together. We make sure to never leave a man behind and we help each other as much as we can even if our sergeant starts yelling at us.

Our sergeant can be a real asshole, but he has his moments where he'll try and motivate us. Since our regiment is a part of the 1st Infantry Division, he enjoys yelling out the motto to keep us moving. It seems to work a lot of the time and I enjoy hearing our voices come together.

"Don't you all start getting tired on me! What's our motto, soldiers? No mission too difficult!" he yelled one day, running beside us. We had already had a day filled with marching and now we were running.

"No sacrifice too great!" we yelled in synchrony.

"What comes first, soldiers?

"Duty first!"

I have to keep my hair short, so it doesn't get in the way. Miller took me the other day to get it cut. I wasn't too happy about it, but it was an order. Miller suggested I get used to keeping my hair in a bun to avoid having to cut it which I believe is a better option.

I expected to get made fun of by Aiello or Zussman, but Zussman said I looked very nice. Aiello had scoffed when he said that which made Zussman glare at him. I've learned to ignore Aiello's rudeness pretty quickly. Zussman, on the other hand, never seems to stay on good terms with him, yet they somehow still manage to tolerate each other without getting their fists involved. It's kind of funny since Zussman did tell me not to let Aiello make my blood boil, yet he lets Aiello do it to him all the time. Although Aiello can be a real pain in the ass most of the time, he's not always too bad to talk to.

We got issued our uniforms for field training a few weeks ago and they sure are heavy to wear, but we have to start getting used to carrying all that weight. The measurements on my uniform were just right, so I was glad that it wasn't too baggy.

We don't just focus on training our bodies. We are also taught how to handle all kinds of different situations on the battlefield. It's very interesting stuff and I always do my best to pay close attention. It's not always easy though since I sometimes sense Zussman's eyes on me. I usually don't mind, but at times it can be distracting and I have to fight the urge to look at him.

Today was going to be a field training day so we needed to wear our heavy uniforms. They were going to teach us first aid since a medic might not always be around to help.

I was sitting on my cot and talking to Zussman when our sergeant came up to us.

"Private L/N, I've been informed that you'll be doing medic training starting today. Head on over to the medical tent after the lesson in first aid," the sergeant said and walked away. I didn't like him very much. He was pretty rude and I wouldn't be surprised if he started to abuse his power someday.

"Medic training? That's odd. Did you sign up to be a medic?" Zussman asked.

"Nope, which means someone else did. I'll figure it out when I stop on by the medic tent later," I said. I immediately thought of Sergeant Miller. He would've told me if he put me into medic training, so something definitely didn't feel right.

We eventually got called out for roll call and headed to our training area. There were medics there waiting for us with supplies. They told us to pair up with another soldier, so Zussman and I immediately looked at each other and chuckled.

The medics taught us how to use the various supplies and medicines in the first aid kits. We learned how to bandage up wounds, apply sulfa powder to wounds, inject morphine properly, and a bunch of other stuff. It was quite scary learning about all this since it sure was going to be super important when I or a comrade gets wounded. I hoped to be able to remember everything I was being taught.

After we were done, I headed on over to the medic tent with Zussman. When I arrived, Sergeant Miller spotted us and walked on over to us.

"What are you doing going in there? Are you hurt?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I'm wondering that myself. My sergeant told me that I'm going to be participating in medic training, but I never even signed up," I explained.

"What in the world? That ain't right. You go on in there and figure out why the hell they want you training to be a medic. Come and find me if you manage to find out who the hell wants you in there," Sergeant Miller said and he walked off with a huff.

"Oh, man, someone's angry. Good luck findin' what you're looking for, L/N," Zussman told me with a smile before walking off and I waved at him.

I headed into the tent and explained to one of the older medics who I was. He already knew who I was and quickly led me to a medic who looked to be a few years older than I was.

"This is Medic Anderson. He'll teach you everything you'll need to know and hopefully you'd like to join us," the older medic said and walked off.

Everything had happened so fast and I felt so confused. I stood there awkwardly for a moment before shaking hands with Medic Anderson. He seemed a bit nervous which made me feel worried. I wasn't sure if being taught medical training by a nervous medic seemed like a good mixture.

Before he would start teaching me anything, I wanted to know one thing.

"Do you know why the hell I have to be over here? I never signed up for this."

"Um... yes. I m-mean no!" the medic panicked and smacked his head. "Goddammit!"

"Jeez, you sure are nervous," I told him, trying not to laugh at the scene in front of me.

"Yeah, well I ain't the best when it comes to secrets. I don't even know why they felt the need to tell me why I have to train you! I could've been way better off without knowing," he sighed.

"What's the reason then?" I asked.

"This might piss you off, but the 'genius' who came up with this idea thought it might make you wanna become a medic. I overheard another medic say that it's probably for the best because according to him, you're probably better at taking care of others rather than putting up a fight just cause you're a woman which ain't right," Anderson explained. He seemed less tense now.

"Such assholes."

"Listen, I don't really think you'll get in much trouble if you don't want the training since you don't even wanna become a medic. I am willing to train you still if you wanna know more about dealing with wounds and things like that. You won't be required to run around helping the wounded, but you'll at least know what to do if there's no medic around. What do you say?" Anderson asked.

It sounded like a really good idea and it could really come in handy. I was feeling pretty worried that I wouldn't be ready to deal with serious wounds since we really only get taught the basics. Having the knowledge of a medic could help save lives if a medic isn't around to help and I felt that to be important.

"I'd like that very much, actually," I finally said.

"Great! We start tomorrow," he said.

We said goodbye and I walked to my platoon's tent. I was still pretty angry at whoever ordered that whole medic idea. I found it funny that they thought it would work. I wasn't here to be a medic just so I could please the superior ranks. I was here to be a Private who instead pisses them off because I'm capable of being a good one.