Laura

Philippines, 1945

Some gunshots and bombs were still roaring all around the city. The dying hilarious sounds of the battle means to an end very soon.

Screams and shouts from my fellow nurses, busy taking care of these wounded soldiers that keep coming, were heard all around the Filipino-American barracks where we are and is a few meters away from the war area.

I was busy preparing the gauges when my attention was caught by a soldier, trying hard to help himself crawl.

I ran to him when I saw blood all around his face. He was a Japanese soldier who was badly wounded that he can't even stand up

"Someone help!" I immediately called

"Ms. Laura what are you doing?!" my assistant came along trying to hide the wounded soldier from the other soldier's attention

"Quick! help me carry him" I didn't mind what she'd told me as I helped to stand the dying soldier

"Ms. Laura are you out of your mind? He's an opponent" as soon as I hold up the soldier I lead him to the tent without minding my assistants warn

"Hey please help me!" I called when I can't manage to carry the soldier on my shoulder

A fellow Filipino soldier immediately came and carry him to the tent.

"Thank you " I watch him as he helped the opponent soldier lie on the safe ground.

I swiftly get my equipment and cleanse his wounds

Now my assistant had nothing to do but to help me heal the Japanese soldier

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" a loud voice from our camp soldier came

He looks so mad and now all their attention were on us

I didn't bother minding what our fellow soldier means and continued what I'm doing

"Hey you! " the mad soldier was about to touch me when the fellow Filipino soldier stopped him but he was just pushed away

"You're crazy! You betrayed your side!" this time he pushed me so hard as I was still doing my duty as a medic

The Filipino soldier who helped me and my assistant can't do anything when a crowd of soldiers was starting to build-up

Maybe they feel really bad that I was helping an opponent

The mad soldier was so annoyed that I wasn't taking attention to him.

I was still busy taking care of the Japanese soldier suffering in pain.

The mad soldier finally had his temper and forcefully pushed me to the ground

"Hey stop!" my assistant cried

I just looked at him sharply and continued what I was supposed to do

Now the troupe started to rant. Some are on my side but some are not. I can't blame them but I was just doing my duty

The mad soldier keeps physically hurting me now. Others were trying to stop him but I can't help but try saving the dying Japanese soldier that was babbling something I don't understand. I need to get the bullet out from his chest before he loses all his blood

I was successfully done treating the ill Japanese when the mad soldier who keep on ranting, pushed me again on the ground while the crowd keeps stopping him. Though they didn't bother to help me stand.

The fellow Filipino soldier who helped me tried to stop him once again but the mad soldier was stronger than him so he was also pushed away

He raised his palm to slap me in the face so I had nothing to do but to close my eyes and wait for his hand to land on my face

The noise swiftly turns to silence and I can feel my assistant helped me fix myself.

As I opened my eyes, I saw a tall lean bodied soldier with some blood on his uniform carrying a wounded soldier on his shoulder. He was immediately assisted by others and took his comrade to be healed immediately. He was still gripping the hand of his fellow soldier that was about to slap me

He sharply looked at the crowd then it immediately dispersed.

"What is happening here" he sharply exclaimed and look between me and the mad soldier

I still manage to be calm though I was nervous inside

The mad soldier aggressively removed his hand from being gripped and firmly looked straight to me

"Asked that treacherous woman!" He was so angry and he walked away

I managed to stand up through my assistant's help.

"Are you okay Ms. Laura?" she sounded nervous than I

"Yeah, just keep on helping others around. I'm okay" I give her a genuine smile to give her relief then she nodded and go back to her work.

The soldier who just came and saved me was still looking on us as he is standing in front of me with his arms crossed

I noticed that he has still his eyes on me so I looked at him straight

"I was just doing what I am supposed to do. Whether he's an opponent or not, as long as there is someone who's in pain, I can't afford to watch him die without doing nothing "

I explained as I quickly fixed my medical things

"I don't blame you for doing so, I'm just concerned that you can't fight for your self while you were being troubled" he plainly said and handed me the fallen medicine bottles on the ground.

I saw him gulped and simply put his hand on his stomach as soon as he stands back

"Are you okay?" I ask him with furrowed brows

He just nodded

"Go help others" he turned his back but I can feel him being uneasy as he walked away

I make sure the Japanese soldier was stable before getting to other patients

"Hey! Ma'am are you the head nurse?" a soldier with a bandage around his head approached

"Yes I am, are you okay?" I immediately approached him when I feel him aching a little

"Yeah, I'm okay. But please come quickly and see my captain, quick!"

I immediately ran with him as he leads me to the tent of the captain he's saying

He showed me to the soldier I was talking with a while ago. The one who saved me from being slap a while back was now panting so hard while his fellowmen were trying to prevent the blood from coming out from the side of his stomach

"Out of my way," I rapidly stepped closer to him. I tried my best to stop the blood from bursting out before he loses it all

Through my assistant's help and the eagerness of the fellowmen around to save their captain, I managed to rescue him from dying.

Now he's peacefully fallen asleep for being exhausted from the battle he came from.

"Mr?" I asked the soldier who leads me from here

"Oh, It's George Boston ma'am. Thank you for saving the captain's life ma'am!"

He stands straight and saluted on me as well as the remaining soldiers inside the tent

"Oh, please just call me Laura, and this is my fellow nurse, Liza. It's our pleasure to do our duty to save your Captain " I give them a genuine smile to make them at ease

"He'll be okay, just let him rest," I told them before me and Liza, my assistant nurse came out from there tent.

As the days passing by at the barracks, I can feel that many survivors from the war keep coming.

I feel happy when they told me the battle was temporarily at ease for now. Japanese troupes are being killed rapidly when the back up from other regions came, so the Japanese troops tried to pull out from the battle before they were all get killed.

"How was the Japanese patient?"

"He's okay, I asked some soldier to hide him out of here before others will find out" Liza answered while cleaning the medicinal apparatus

"Good, I'll go take a look at the Captain" Liza gave me a big smile before I could step out from our tent

"What?" I asked her with a wrinkled forehead

"Your look so worried about him Ms. Laura" she's straight forward

I faced her and smiled back

"What's gotten into you, Liza? He had his men to lead, and he needs to stay alive"

"Okay, I understand " she answered and still smiling like there's something she wants to point out

I shrugged and went to the Captain's tent. He was being asleep for the whole three days.

When I entered the tent, there is no one inside but the half-naked man who is standing from the bedside.

I hesitated to enter but he finally noticed me when he heard a creek from where I stand

He turned around at me and I can now barely see his lean upper body but not totally since he still had a bandage on his stomach

"I should...wait outside " I tried not to look at him

"There's no use of being awkward, you've seen this body every day, for three days" he straightly said as he firmly looked at me

I sighed and showed him a confident smile

"So, how are you, captain?" I asked as I put down my medical cleaning supplies in the table.

He reached for his shirt lying on the bed and put ut on to lessen the awkwardness

"I'm good, thanks to you" he flashes a little smile on me

"That's good to hear Captain " I smiled back to him and prepare my stuff for me to cleanse his wounds again as what I did for the past days

"Please, just call me Grayson, Grayson Dewey by the way" he offered his right hand to me

I just tilt my head to make make sure he's aware that he has wound in his palm

"Oh it's okay, it doesn't hurt that bad" he gave me a little smile and draw his hand closer

I gently reached his hands making sure I won't hurt his wound

"I'm Laura Hudson" I smiled at him as he tightens his grip on my hands

"You'll hurt yourself with that tight grip, you know?" I told him when keeps on gripping my hands so tight

"Oh I'm sorry, I can't feel it, actually" he immediately removed his hands in mine and he sat down to his bed

"Really? Do you feel numbness?" I immediately reached back for his hand and looked at it while I also sat at the chair in front of him

"What? No, I don't, I think we should just proceed"

he was about to draw back his hand but I didn't let it go

"Can you close it?" I asked without looking at him though he was just watching me

I straightly glanced at him when he didn't move

He then sighed and do as I say.

"We should loosen this thing a little" I gently loosen the bandage from his palm when I noticed he really can't close his palms properly

He was silently looking at me while I was busy fixing his bandage

"There you go" I exclaimed when I noticed he keeps on staring at me

"Thank you" he immediately comes to his senses

I smiled at him and welcomed

"Okay, time to clean that wound up," I said preferring to his gunshot at the side of his stomach

He simply nodded and managed to raise his shirt a bit. He leaned backward so I can easily clean it up

As I leaned closer to his fresh wound, I can't keep staring on his tight abs that were still on there formation

I inhaled deeply before continuing what I am supposed to do but I was distracted to his lean body.

The past days that I was doing this, it wasn't that much uncomfortable since he was an asleep patient, but now that I can feel his deep breath, close to my head, it makes me a little bit unfocused

He groaned a little when I accidentally pinned firmly the cotton to him

"Oh I'm so sorry" I freaked when he accidentally moved his body a little bit closer

"No no, sorry. Please keep going" he gently answered and tilt his head back.

"Sorry" I murmured and tried my best to focus

After a few minutes, I immediately fixed all my stuff when I had done all the things I have to do

"Thank you" he sounded, still having those gentle voice

"You should get enough rest. You've been in the war for almost months"

"Thank you, Laura" I can't help but to look straight to him when he stated my name

"Thanks for saving my life" he repeated

I don't know but words won't come out from my mouth when he keeps staring at me so I just nodded

He came closer to me as I froze standing beside the post at the middle of his tent

We keep on staring with each other the whole time

He was just inches away from me when the voice of a soldier that was about to enter the tent interrupted us from keeping an eye contact

"I'll call him!"

I deeply inhaled and he sharply turned his face at the newly entered soldier.

"H-hey C-cap" now he's stammering so I just chuckled a little

Right next to him was George Boston who also entered the tent

I caught his fellow soldier simply slap him on his lap so they both immediately stand straight and salute

"C-captain, Miss Laura" George seemed to be surprised to see us both so I simply scratch my neck and smiled at them

Grayson let them at ease by saluting to them too.

"I should get going" I picked my things from the table and leave a smile to all of them.

Grayson assisted me up until I came out from his tent and his two soldiers were still standing straight beside the door which I caught the other one gulped.

I glanced and smiled at him for the last time before I leave and visit the other patients of barracks.