Eliza stays as close to the ground as possible, just like her father told her. The defense system fell hours ago.
The explosive sounds of weapons firing nonstop deafens her for a minute. She recovers.
She takes the bullets out of the pocket sewed to her attire with ease, precise. She struggles with her gun for a second before getting ready.
Somebody screams at her left. Somebody falls to the floor at her right.
There are many. Too many. Bullets miss her body in what can only be a lucky strike.
Might as well take advantage of it.
Eliza fixes her gaze in her target and shoots once. Twice.
She fails. Her grip is not strong enough. She hasn't been eating properly for days, and her body is starting to resent her.
Her vision gets blurry as the wind hits her face directly, carrying tons of dust that the enemy forces lift with their feet.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
It's not an excuse to stop fighting. Nothing is an excuse to stop fighting.
Impulsively, she pulls her body off the ground to get into a kneeling position.
It's risky, but it's all she can do to protect the territory until the arrival of the reinforcements that were promised two weeks ago.
An enemy soldier manages to throw a fire bomb meters away, just at the center of the counterattack. The sudden light and the noise of people screeching make Eliza loose her balance.
She feels a sharp pain in her left thigh and a broken scream escapes from her throat.
Her agony lasts only for some seconds.
Then, her world turns black.
-
Jenna walks quickly along the dirt road, tightening her uniform around her waist. It's too big for her.
She's late. She knows she's late.
She only hopes that her coworkers don't realize how late she is. She has just lost her home -or at least that's what the passive-aggressive letter sent by her landlord said. She doesn't feel like losing her job as well.
She opens the wooden hospital doors as sneakily as possible, but she realizes soon that nobody is really paying attention.
Health workers in white uniforms move quickly from one place to another, their hands full of bandages, scissors and alcohol, their faces masked all the way up their noses. Patients are being taken care of right there, in the waiting room, which is an event that only has place when every other room of the building is occupied.
Jenna stands dumbfounded for a second, before a voice snaps her out of her stupor.
"Kim, where were you?"
Jenna flinches and turns around ready to receive a heated scolding mixed with the ice of a petulant stare.
Instead, her boss moves besides her, still talking.
"The soldiers of the Hansado platoon arrived this morning. Wear your damn mask! You have it for a reason!"
Jenna puts the mask up her nose, frowning. Her boss comes back in a matter of seconds, a piece of paper and a bunch of medical equipment in his hands.
"1408. That's the number of the soldier you got assigned".
Jenna's stare changes. Her eyes narrow and start to shine with the spark of purpose.
There is a reason why she has not been fired yet.
"Only one?", she asks quickly, already thinking about the list of things she'll need from the storing room.
Alcohol, cotton, bandages, scissors.
"It's a bad one", the boss explains, and rushes pasts her.
Jenna follows, diligently.
"What happened to him?"
"Her. A bulled penetrated in her leg. She almost bleeds to death".
Needles, suture thread.
"How did she survive?", Jenna asks, and reaches the door of the room.
Her boss doesn't stop.
"We have no idea".
-
Jenna enters the emergency room with her hands full. She's been reciting the number of her patient all the way there.
She realizes, taking at glance at the place, how vital that information is. Hospital beds and improvised stretchers are placed one besides the other, making at least a hundred. Soldiers come and go in a whim. The noise of muffled words and quick step are mixed with groans of pain. The strong scent of war makes Jenna happy of the fact that she's wearing her mask.
The beds are not numbered, but the patients are. Many call her in need but she remains stoic. She needs to do her work. And sometimes, as selfless her work was, it meant sacrifices.
1408, 1408...
A woman, she thinks, a woman, and makes the effort to search for a female face among the mass of male soldiers.
And suddenly, she finds her.
Jenna hesitates briefly.
The woman is not looking at her, but through one of the few windows that can be found at the emergency room, flashing a profile that Jenna could swear is the prettiest she has seen in her life. She shakes her head when she realizes that she's staring when she's supposed to be working. She tells herself that the abnormal beating against her chest is caused by the adrenaline of the moment. It's half true.
"Patient 1408?", Jenna asks.
Of course it's me. Isn't the sign against my chest big enough? Where were you, anyway? the nurse expects to hear.
Instead, the woman- the girl turns around slowly. When her eyes set on Jenna's face, they widen a bit, as if startled.
Jenna is about to speak again, thinking oh my god it's worse than they told me it would be, but the soldier shakes her head lightly, like waking herself up from a daydream.
"It's me", the patient says with a raspy voice.
Jenna nods and gets closer, immediately inspecting her leg.
"My coworkers told me that a bullet impacted against your leg", she says, and puts her hand on the patient's knee, "can I see?".
The soldier pulls the light blanket covering her body away, mentally praising her nurse's politeness.
"Another nurse stitched me up already", she explains, and Jenna kneels to inspect the wound closer.
"I see", she concedes, "It's fine", and she keeps analyzing it, thinking that whoever worked on her leg could've done it with a bit more of care. Stitched like that, the wound will definitely leave quite a prominent scar.
"It's bigger than I thought", the patient says, and Jenna smiles softy.
"Well, you almost die from it, you know?"
The girl hums.
"How is the rest of your body? How do you feel...in general?" the nurse asks. She sees wounds here and there, but nothing too urgent.
"I feel fine. I'm just sore. Especially my legs".
Jenna nods, her mind still analytic.
Sore muscles because of the physical effort and improper alimentation. Rest.
"Alright, I'll take a look at them now", the nurse tastes, and begins to inspect.
I might have to put a bandage there. It can get infected. And there. The ankle seems swollen. The shin is too thin. The...
"When do you think I'll be ready to enroll again?"
Jenna stops suddenly.
"What?", she asks, absolutely taken aback.
The patient stays neutral.
"I want to enroll again, as soon as possible. I was wondering when would that be".
Jenna blinks twice.
"I... it depends on the way in which the gunshot wound recovers... and your whole body, honestly, is in an unsuitable state for war".
The girl nods, but purses her lips tightly.
"Do you seriously want to go there again?" Jenna asks.
Not professional, she thinks, not professional, but c'mon this girl must not be any older than me...
"Yes. Because it's my duty", the girl answers simply, and Jenna looks at the way her doll eyes shine with the strength of passion only for a second.
The nurse is about to say something back, but a voice behind her calls her.
"Kim, when you are done there, move to the waiting room!"
Jenna shouts an okay before turning to her patient.
"I'll bandage some wounds on your legs and leave. Then, I'll come back to give you further instructions. The hospital is so full today you might be able to go home before the evening", the nurse explains, "is that alright?".
The girl only nods, but gifts the nurse her first smile in months.
Jenna does the impossible to hide her blush.
-
Eliza looks through the hospital window for the nth time in the day.
A bullet in her leg. Damn her luck.
Not even the nurse could tell her exactly how much time she was going to need to recover.
She would be annoyed, really, just because of the frustration of the moment, but the short girl has been so sweet with her she cannot bring herself to be impolite.
Eliza lets her mind focus on the sharpness of her nurse's eyes. Almost cat-like. A stare that meant care, but also strength.
Easily the most beautiful eyes Eliza has seen in her entire life. She's completely sure she hasn't seen the girl before. She would remember.
But yet... there was something there...
"Miss?" Eliza hears, and turns her head quickly to see the focus of her thoughts standing right there, wearing an eye-smile.
The tallest girl straightens her body quickly, desperate to seem casual. In the hurry oh her movements, she feels a sharp pain crossing her leg, so she lets out a hiss.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!", the nurse exclaims softly, and puts her hand on Eliza's knee, "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm back to check on you. Are you okay?"
Her words come rushed, and Eliza can't help but to chuckle lightly.
"I'm alright. I'm... clumsy, that's all".
The nurse keeps staring at the tallest girl with those eyes, making it hard to hide the blush coating her cheeks.
"Alright. I'm sorry again. How are you feeling right now?", the shortest girl asks, clearly relieved, already back in a professional headspace.
"Good. It only hurts when I move it", Eliza explains. She's very careful not to mention the soreness of the rest of her body again. She needs to get out of that place.
"Can I see your leg again?", the nurse asks, and kneels besides the tallest girl's bed.
Eliza nods and the girl analyzes the wound for a while, her fingers careful against sensitive skin. She hums lightly as she works, and Eliza finds it weirdly soothing. She hasn't slept in what it seems like months, the sound of fire playing again and again in her head whether real or not, but the velvety voice of her nurse seems to drown everything else like a spell.
When the humming stops, Eliza feels her eyes already heavy.
"I'm sorry to tell you this", the nurse begins, and the tallest girl waits for the worst, "but I'll have to let you go".
Eliza looks at her in confusion.
"Isn't that good?"
The nurse sighs against her mask.
"There are not potential risks of your wound getting infected, but you will definitely need some assistance cleaning it up, and eventually, getting those stitches off. Not to mention everyday tasks..." the girl makes a pause, "are you married?"
Eliza makes an effort so as not to snort.
"I am not".
The nurse remains neutral.
"Do you live with your family... friends?"
The tallest girl feels a light tug in her heart, but denies patiently nevertheless.
"I don't have any. I live alone".
The nurse's eyes are immediately tinted with a concern that Eliza feels compelled to wipe away.
"It's fine, really. I'm sure I'll manage. What's a gunshot wound, anyway?"
The girl stares at her in what could only mean reproach.
Eliza feels lightly nervous, which is definitely new.
"And, also, it's getting late, and I'm sure you would like to go home before the evening".
Suddenly, something happens.
Cat-like eyes lose light in a way that it makes Eliza's chest ache. The nurse stares at her with a look of complete sorrow before blinking, trying to tune her feelings down.
But the tallest girl has already seen it.
"What's wrong?"
The nurse shakes her head.
"Nothing, really. My mind just...drifted".
"You can tell me, you know, as a part of the... nurse-patient relationship", Eliza pauses as the girl looks at her, clearly unsure, "I won't tell. You've got some family issues? Your husband, perhaps?"
Of course a girl with eyes like those needs to be married. What kind of idiot would not propose to her?
"I am not married. There is no family issue... I am..." the girl struggles for a second, "I am currently...homeless. I mean, I will be, after tonight".
Eliza lets the words sink in for a second.
"Is it because..." she stops herself. The least she wants is to be impolite with the girl who took care of her.
However, the nurse chuckles slightly watery, making Eliza aware of the fact that she's on the verge of tears.
"It is because of money. The economic situation is not the best right now and... this job is not the greatest paid".
The whispers the second part, clearly afraid of her boss hearing, and Eliza has never felt more inclined to be of someone's assistance as in that moment.
The solution was clear from the moment the nurse confessed what was bothering her. However, she's afraid of stepping boundaries.
An idea crosses her mind as the shortest girl sheds some tears.
"Do you happen to work privately?"
The nurse stares for her for a moment.
"What?"
"You know, if someone was to hire your nursing services privately... someone who needed a nurse to stay at home for many hours a day, would you say yes?"
I'm really about to invite a girl I don't know anything about to live with me, huh?
The shortest girl's eyes shine firstly with puzzlement and then with gratitude.
"Oh, miss, you really don't need to..."
"But I need a nurse", Eliza protests, "and you are nurse. One that is already familiarized with my condition. I cannot think of anyone more suitable. I will need assistance at home, you said it yourself. Besides, I think I can provide with a payment good enough for you live comfortably".
She sees the way the girl hesitates.
"I will do it for free", the nurse states.
"Of course not. It's your job, and I respect it. Also, it would be nice to have someone at home" Eliza shuts her mouth, surprised at herself for letting something as private as that escape from her mouth.
The nurse seems unfazed. She understands. And she really, really needs somewhere to sleep.
"Thank you", she murmurs, and Eliza shines with pride.
They stare at each other for a moment before the tallest girl speaks again.
"Oh, would you tell me your name?"
"I'm Jenna. Kim Jenna", the girl answers, "what's yours?"
"Manoban Eliza", she answers, and extends her right arm so the girl can shake hands with her, "lovely to meet you".
Jenna chuckles adorably against her mask and Eliza feels the sudden need to pull it away to see it all.
"I'll tell my boss that you are ready to go so we can make it before the sun sets", the nurse explains, "I'll have to go to my house to get my stuff".
Eliza nods.
"I can go with you".
The nurse hesitates.
"I don't want you to push yourself too hard. I can search for my things and come back quickly".
Eliza frowns and feels her lips pursing against her will. The nurse is able to make her feel like a petulant kid.
"Please. I leave far away", the nurse insists. Then, her expression changes, "It's for your health. As your nurse, I'll have to tell you to wait".
The soldier looks at the shortest girl amused.
"Alright", she finds herself mumbling.
She would feel annoyed if complying hadn't won her another eye-smile.
Jenna seems content
"Thank you again, Eliza", she says, her gaze soft again.
When the soldier's nurse leaves, she feels impatient for her return.
-
Jenna keeps her promise. She sits Eliza carefully, close to the front door of the hospital and runs home to gather her stuff.
Eliza waits for her, the ache in her leg more insistent now that she has moved, but she's too distracted because of the buzzy feeling blooming in her chest.
She plays with her house keys in her hand. She's glad her superiors had the gesture of sending her belongings back along with her bleeding figure.
She knows what it means. She knows that they don't expect her to come back. Not with a hole in her leg.
Eliza tries not to think about that. She thinks about summer days with her knees deep in pale sand. She thinks about her father's gentle voice, honor and sacrifice. She thinks about sharp eyes staring at her tenderly.
She tries to remember her house. Oh, she really hopes everything is clean. Or at least semi-clean. She hopes there isn't anything lying around embarrassing enough for Jenna to pack up her things again and run away as quickly as she can.
Eliza keeps playing with her keys, her head starting to palpitate with restless thoughts.
Then, Jenna comes back.
She does so running, still in her hospital uniform. Her small hands are carrying a mid-sized leather bag that, Eliza guesses, contains her belongings.
When the nurse reaches her patient, she bows slightly, her eyes shining with uncontained excitement.
"Hello again. I'm sorry for the delay", she pants.
The tallest girl smiles in reassurance, standing up.
"It is fine. We have plenty of time", she peeks at the way the sun is reaching west. They do not have plenty of time really, but, well. They can walk under the stars for a while. "We should leave now, though. Do you want me to carry your bag?"
Eliza reaches with her hand towards Jenna's, but the nurse looks at her with an exaggerated exasperated look. She ignores the soldier's offer. Instead, she grabs the arm Eliza has extended out and interlocks it with hers, holding the tallest girl securely against her body.
"No. I want you to lead the way".
Eliza feels a sudden heat covering her cheeks.
She starts to walk home.
-
They arrive when the last bits of orange and purple light up the sky. Eliza stops walking, her arm still intertwined with Jenna's, and gestures vaguely towards her home.
The nurse looks at her with confusion, and then, with surprise.
Her mouth opens slightly as she tries to take in the beautiful building the tallest girl is showing her. It's big. Not the biggest Jenna has seen, but still really big.
"This is like a castle", she murmurs, analyzing the decorations of the wall in fascination.
It kind of is, Eliza feels tempted to say, it was the castle of a minor duke, but she decides not to.
"Shall we go inside, then?", she says instead, and Jenna nods eagerly without thinking.
Eliza moves, her body still pressed against her nurse's, and she tries not to flinch at the aching tug that comes from the wound in her leg. It will get better. It needs to get better.
Jenna steps carefully, managing to be a fair support as she stares at the inside of the house-castle with complete bewilderment. Her eyes are stuck on the massive windows letting in the rest of the day's sunlight before they move to the flower-themed walls, the wooden armchairs, the royal purple carpet on the floor. It's unlike anything she has seen before, and she stands there, in the middle of the main hall with her patient still under her grip, and lets out a breath muffled by her face mask.
Eliza looks at the way Jenna's sharp features light up once again at the sight of the chandelier, and she can't stop smiling. She has known that her house was probably more extravagant than the one of her peers, but she never thought of it as beautiful, particularly.
Inconvenient, sometimes. Cold, in winter and after her father left, but never beautiful.
Her moment of reflection, however, is interrupted by another pang on that damned leg, and she is forced to wake her nurse up from her daydream.
"Jenna?", she asks tentatively, and the shortest girl turns towards her quickly.
"Yes? Oh, yes! I'm so sorry".
She walks again, but doesn't let Eliza go.
"Is it okay for you to wait here as I light a few candles? You have got candles... right?"
The tallest girl flinches in pain.
"I think so... in the store room. I can get them myself as you make yourself comfortable".
The nurse looks at her with a stubborn expression.
"Absolutely not. This is my job. You can wait here as I..." she looks around once more, "figure which room is the store room".
The soldier looks at the girl with a sarcastic expression.
"Am I supposed to sit here forever, then?"
"Oh, no", Jenna answers, and smiles lightly, "just until I prepare you a bath".
Eliza opens her mouth in disbelief.
"I do not think- hey!"
But the nurse is gone in a whim, in what Eliza guess is a race to the nearest candle box, as the sunlight ends up leaving them until the next day.
Jenna comes back fairly quick with the illuminating treasures in her hand and an eye-smile that Eliza has already grown fond of.
She works with energy, a faint light now making the hall look bigger. When she finishes, the brunette turns towards the dark bookshelf against one of the walls of the room.
"Do you want to read a book as you wait?", she asks, "There are so many", and Eliza is about to protest until she gets an idea.
"Yes, please. Can you look for A midsummer night's dream?", she asks, smiling to herself.
However, Jenna turns towards her with a look that mixed an apology and slight embarrassment.
"I don't know how to read".
Oh, Eliza thinks, and feels deeply ashamed of herself.
"It's huh, the greenish-yellow one... at the top shelf".
Jenna's squints her eyes, now glinting with the light of a challenge.
"Alright", she says, and Eliza immediately protests with a smile, claiming that she doesn't mind about the book, that she was just teasing her.
But the challenge is already there, and Jenna is no loser. She uses a coffee table to reach the very top of the bookshelf, retrieves the greenish-yellow book with determination, and hands it to her patient with a triumphant smile.
Eliza merely stares, stunned.
"I will prepare you a bath, now".
"Don't you want to have one for yourself first?"
Jenna is about to decline the offer, but Eliza thinks quicker, "I want to enjoy a bit of my book now".
The nurse purses her lips and finally smiles and nods.
"Oh, by the way, you can leave your belongings at the room across the master one", Eliza opens her book, "I hope you find it comfortable there".
Jenna chuckles slightly and bows before leaving. She's pretty much sure that every single room in the house is two times bigger than the hut she was living in.