Chapter Text
Laying in the bed of a military vehicle. That’s where you were right now, but that was never how you thought you’d spend your 20th birthday. When the war started, you made the patriotic and selfless choice to volunteer as a nurse. You figured that the bit of prior medical training you had could be useful, and it proved to be, just not how you expected.
American troops were already all over the globe, you had heard it all over the news and in the papers. Though, as they entered into Europe, they needed nurses. That’s when you, Y/N Moore, and a few other women from your civil nurse’s group got sent to aid the American men as they fought on your continent.
So, after signing the papers and hugging your parents for what you hoped wasn’t the last time, you got in the bed of a cold tan Bedford MW. The ride painfully was long, lasting the longest three hours of your life. Everything was hazy when you thought about it too hard- and anxiety mixed into an unwanted cocktail of emotions that was quickly dismissed as you pulled up to the village in Aldbourne for the first time, the place where Easy Company, your new company, was currently stationed. There was no formal introduction to everybody, just a “Get out and grab yer bags” from the cab as you and the other nurses scrambled to your feet and then out of the truck.
It was almost night, ergo almost time for rations. It was a hodge-podge blend of various food sent from across the UK to help support all the troops on English soil. Currently, you were eating a crumbly, though slightly sweet, slice of bread alongside a ration of mixed vegetables and beans. Dinner of champions.
Despite it being a horrendous combination, it was better than nothing, so you graciously chowed down whilst sitting with other nurses. It didn’t take long before men started to gravitate towards you, like moths to flames naturally. Men who knew the odds weren’t in all of their favors talked big and sweet, and though some were more… vulgar… most weren’t threatening. The men whistled and sat beside some of the women beside you, sliding their arms around them and talking smoothly without even asking for their names. While the attention was probably nice, it wasn’t a terrible desire of yours. In fact, you aimed to not get attached to anybody. War wasn’t a game of dodgeball where everybody got up and off the sidelines when it was over, it was life or death, and occasionally in-between if you had the right medical supplies. Regardless, it was best to care as a nurse and not as a friend. After thinking that thought to yourself, you got up and moved to a slightly more secluded area, one filled with men who were already preoccupied with talking to one another, showing photographs of their families to each other and pointing out to put names to faces.
“M’ wife Jill… that’s my son Dustin… my house…” One man said to another.
“They look real sweet, my kids would love the yard you got.” The other man replied.
You scooped your spoon into your beans and diverted your attention from the men to a man sitting across from you.
This is when you met him. Eugene Roe.
A quiet man with dark eyes and hair, and almost mouse-like facial features who was sitting across from you, currently crossing himself and praying in a quiet mumble before repeating the motion of the cross and eating, looking off into the distance as he did so. As he looked around, he eventually took notice of you, giving a small nod and smile.
“Nurse?” He asked, his voice unlike anything you had ever heard before. It was a very odd accent, something you had never heard of until now.
You didn’t reply with words at first, just smiling and nodding slightly before finally swallowing a spoonful of beans and speaking up.
"I'm with the civil nurse volunteers. Just got sent here today." He looked at you for a moment before nodding again and looking down at his tray, staring at his food as if it would turn into the queen's meals if he stared hard and long enough.
"You guys must have shitty medics if you need this many nurses, hm?" You said, huffing a little breath of something similar to (but not quite) a laugh at an attempt of humor. He looked up from his tray and smiled, chuckling a bit with you.
"Our medics ain't worth a damn.. shit they do is worse than back-alley surgeries. You'd hate t' see the shit they do in the field." He said, dropping his smile and nodding as if to say trust me. You sigh and shake your head, taking his words seriously as you looked down at your food and ate. He then laughed a bit, and made sure to stretch his arms slightly when you looked up, enough to catch the details of his jacket... including the red cross band against his arm. One that signified he was a medic.
"Doc Roe. I'm one of the shitty medics you'll have to work with," He smiled, though his words weren't serious, just playfully firing your absent-minded insults back at you.
"Sorry for the inconvenience."