Renee

"Florence?.......... Flo?" was the first thing she heard when she came round.

First thing she felt was cold. She was freezing. 'I'm still in the Ardennes' was her first thought. Then she felt relief as this meant she hadn't got sent away from the line, which was her worst nightmare.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Gene, Winters and Buck sitting next to her. A bit behind them she saw all the other boys. She guessed that Gene had told them to give her space and only the senior officers were allowed to stay next to her.

"Hey lads, everyone alright?" she managed to whisper as she looked at the men.

Winters smiled and Buck started laughing which made the others relax, but Gene still looked concerned. "Okay Flo we're gonna take this nice and slow, so I'm going to check you over for injuries", she nodded her consent and Gene started checking her bones.

She didn't wince once so Gene and Buck helped her sit up. "Okay Flo, you good?" Gene asked as he held her hand. She smiled in response but when she stood up she suddenly let out a yelp.

"Ow Ow Ow Ow Ow, okay okay my back is a little painful" she stuttered out.

They all crowded round her as she started to take small steps forward. Gene said "Flo, don't walk, it's gonna hurt your back more". She didn't listen and continued walking forwards and let go of Gene and Bucks hands. She walked to the next tree by herself and then put her hands on her hips and said "Lads I'm fine, I've just got a small bruised back, but it's not that painful".

They all looked doubtful, Winters then decided to step in "Florence, we can't risk your back, if it gets injured anymore you're gonna be in real trouble and probably be out for the rest of the war, which I know is not what you want. So I'm sending you off the line". All the men glanced at each other and most looked relieved.

Flo pursed her lips "Sir with all due respect.... No. Just no"

Winters then spoke firmly "Pvt Hilton I am sending you off the line until your fit for active duty. That is an order". Then she knew she was beaten.

***

She half hugged all the men and told them to be careful, most of them said they were pleased she was going to be safe. But she was fuming. She knew Winters was only looking out for her, but seriously she could have murdered him.

On the truck drive back to Bastogne, she sat there in angry silence until they arrived and she was ushered into a hospital that was set up in a church. Bastogne was a mess of rubble and dirty snow, 'Pity, I bet it was georgous' Flo thought as she was carried into the hospital.

She was put on a bed and a nurse came over and asked in French what the matter was.

Flo replied "J'ai de petites ecchymoses au dos. J'ai juste besoin d'analgésique." (I have small bruising on my back. I just need painkillers.).

The nurse nodded and brought over a syringe. Flo looked at it rather nervously but did as she was told and the nurse injected her in her arse.

"Ici vous allez, devrait travailler dans une heure environ" (Here you go, should work in an hour or so.) the nurse said. "Merci" Flo mumbled.

Flo then felt a cough coming, she looked round for a bucket or a toilet but saw nothing, she settled for stumbling out of the church and into a pile of rubble while coughing up flem and wheezing so much her chest was on fire. After about 5 minutes of violent coughing, Flo was finally sick. It was green as she didn't have anything in her stomach to throw up. She grimaced and took out a small handkerchief she had picked up in Paris, wiped her mouth and took a swig of her canteen to wash her mouth out.

She then took a deep breath and went back into the church. The nurse looked apologetically at her, but Flo knew she didn't have any penicillin to help her.

Flo looked around at the other patients, many of whom were missing limbs or other body parts. She walked over to the young nurse.

"avez-vous besoin d'aide?" (do you need any help?) Flo asked the nurse who looked surprised but nodded.

"Oui, cela vous dérangerait-il de changer les bandages des lits 5 à 9?" (Yes, would you mind changing the bandages on beds 5-9?) she asked, as Flo nodded her head and started standing up, using the bed frame for support.

"Mon nom est Florence, quel est le vôtre?" (My name is Florence, what's yours?) she asked the nurse who was still looking at her surprised.

"Me mom est Renee" the nurse smiled shaking her hand.

With that, they got on with their various jobs. It wasn't long before men started coming in with more serious injuries, Flo raced to the aid of these men and assisted the experienced medics and nurses by giving morphine, sulphur, bandages and holding plasma for them. Her OD's were dripping with blood by the end of it, but she had completely forgotten about her back and it wasn't giving her any trouble at all.

That night Renee made Flo lie down and try and sleep, but Flos mind was still racing with the thoughts of what was happening to her boys. She bet she was the only one who wished to be back in the snow covered forest, she could help them that way. Here she felt useless and felt she kept getting in the way.

She fiddled with her daisy necklace "remember there is always good and happiness in the world". Thats what she needed to remember. One day it will all be over.

***

The next morning Flo jumped up from her relatively small sleep, but still more rest than she had, had for the last 3 weeks they had been in the forest.

She jumped to work straight away and helped Renee do her morning rounds.

That was until a man came in with both his legs blown off and half his face missing. Every available hand rushed over to try and staunch the bleeding. Flo came to his face and with a breath she realised she didn't recognise him, "Hello, my names Florence and we're gonna try and fix you up okay. Your in good hands, these nurses are all well trained". She said while holding bandages to the man's face that was bleeding heavily, she had no idea how but the man managed to stutter out "Florence Hilton, the combat medic?".

"Yeah, yeah that's me mate" she said while focusing on the damage around and watching the nurses.

"Everyone knows about you back home. All the girls are routing for you to come back safe" he slightly laughed but that led to him coughing.

"Are they? That's nice to know" she smiled "But at the moment let's focus on you, what's your name?" she asked while grabbing and ripping open a sulphur packet and pouring it in his wound.

"Micheal Warburton" he stuttered out.

"Okay Micheal, I need you to hold on, we'll get you back to Paris, then England, just hold on for me please". But she could plead all she wanted, he took his last breath shuddering and then went still. Flo went to attempt CPR but the matron pushed her away.

"Pas de point" (No point) she said. Flo had never been more disgusted in her life.

***

For the next day Flo went on helping the patients and ignoring her back ache. Renee was giving pain killers which helped but still everytime she walked there was a shooting pain.

However, Flo decided she had, had enough. She was going back to her boys. They needed her.

She went to Renee and said she was returning to the front.

Renee shook her head "Non Florence, vous devez être vu par un médecin" (No Florence, you must be seen by a medic) was the reply she received and Renee grabbed her blood covered hands with hers.

"Mes hommes ont besoin de moi" (my men need me) Flo replied softly. She took her hands out of Renee's and walked out of the hospital. She asked a truck driver where he was going, he replied the Ardennes forest and she asked for a lift, which he was only to happy to oblige with.

As she was about to climb in Renee called her name and gave her 3 syrettes of the pain meds she needed for her back. As well as 2 shots of morphine and 4 rolls of bandages. "Merci" Flo smiled at the young nurse and waved as she got into the truck, she had also nicked an extra blanket but they didn't need to know about that.

In all she had been away from the front for a day and a half.

It had been hell.

***

She arrived back to the forest with open arms and the men ensuring she was okay to come back. They asked her to do star jumps and run from tree to tree to test her. All of which she did with the pain covering mask she had perfected.

"Okay Flo, you can stay" Gene gave the all clear and the men gave silent cheers.

She walked with Shifty and Tab to their foxhole and settled down into Shiftys side, before her eyes flew open and she walked as fast as she could to Bill and Bucks foxhole. "Hey sarge, here's your pain meds" she said giving him a syrette, "If that one doesn't work, I've got a couple more for ya". She gave him a wink and he replied with a hug saying "Your a 24 caret diamond Floss, you really are". She injected the syrette for him and he settled down to relax as much as possible.

She decided to do that herself and went to the medic foxhole where Gene was sitting after just sending Spina off.

She sat next to Gene and cuddled his side and pulled the thin blanket over her.

She could feel Gene giving her a look, so she sighed and said "You know I had no choice Gene. I had to come back".

He sighed heavily and just replied with

"I know"