" Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions."

- Dalai Lana

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Within the coming days, Hazel was getting stronger, standing and moving by herself. She ate, she showered, she would get her bandages changed by Amelia who always spent her coffee breaks chatting with Hazel and Jem.

As the days of January passed, the trio spent more time then they thought they would together. And Jem was getting his weight back up to normal as well, he was eating and drinking and he smiled more.

Hazel remembered seeing him those days curled on the cot in Bastogne. He looked healthy and with help from Amelia, the trio would get their walk in around the place, getting Jem's bad leg up to speed. But Jem always said that if he didn't have his guardian angel, Hazel Parker, he felt he never would've gotten up on his feet and he would've let himself rot on that bed for the rest of his dwindling days.

Hazel sat down at breakfast on the 26th of January, and gently ate her fill of bacon and eggs. Until Jem slid in, in front of her and held up a picture. It was of a woman, standing with a little dog in her arms.

" Who's this?" Hazel asked reaching forward to gentle take the fragile pictures in her hands, eyes wide in awe.

" That's Phoebe, and her puppy, Emmy, back home in Pennsylvania." he said with a soft smile, looking fondly at the picture in her hands.

" Is she your girlfriend?" Hazel asked softly, a gentle smile on her lips. Jem smiled.

" Yes, yes she is," Jem said, " I've taken this from Normandy through Holland, Bastogne and now here, I've always loved her, since the 2nd grade." Hazel's heart melted.

" She's beautiful, Jem." Hazel said staring at the photo with a soft heart. Hazel handed Jem back the photo and smiled gently.

" What about you?" Jem asked, " I'm sure you have a few lucky men lined up back in America." Hazel blushed and shook her head almost bashfully.

" No, I don't," she said looking down, " I was only 18, and I was too young for all that." Jem watched her softly.

" Anyone in mind?" Jem asked, with a slight smirk but she just giggled and shook her head.

" No," she said, even though her heart gave a slight tug and she frowned a bit at the feeling.

" Where's home for you, Jem?" Hazel asked him, " I know you mentioned Pennsylvania." Jem smiled and leaned forward a bit, looking fondly into basically nothing.

" State College, Pennsylvania." he said with a nod, " Born and raised." Hazel smiled.

" What's it like out there?" Hazel asked him, with shining eyes.

" Well, my mom and dad have had a farm there, from their parents since the late 1890s, and I've just always lived on that farm, gone to the local school. It's real out there though, sorta that in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you have Penn State right there, but we lived out in the hills and fields. We used to travel down to Gettysburg, ya know?" Jem said and Hazel watched Jem's face sadden.

" I had family in the past wars, the Revolution, the Civil War, and so going to Gettysburg as a kid, I always said how I hoped I was the first member of my family, in my generation to not have a war in their lifetime," Jem said and then gently clasped his cold hands around his coffee mug, " I was wrong." Hazel felt her shoulders slump. Just a kid and he thought that. What sort world did they live in?

" But I was happy to fight until death for my country," he said nodding, " it's what unites us." Hazel nodded with a soft smile.

" It is truly." she said softly.

" What about you? You have the slightest hint of an accent." Jem said.

" Pigeon Forge, down in Tennessee." she said, " We live in a little cabin, that overlooks the Appalachian Mountains and the valley below with the town, I feel you couldn't grow up in a more beautiful place." Jem smiled at her.

" And you went to Church right?" he asked her and she nodded.

" Big Church go-er, it was my escape though, for the world when the outside world wasn't so kind. I just knew though, God was there and I could put my faith in him." Hazel said with a small smile. Jem nodded.

" What were you in your company, rifleman, machine gunner?"

" Sniper," Hazel said with a soft nod and she watched Jem's eyes go big.

" No way," he said, placing down his mug, " no way!" Hazel nodded, as a small embarrassed smile fell on her face.

" We heard all about you, we had a few Viragos, but not in my company and we've just always heard about you guys and we heard that they trained one of you to be a sniper." Jem said with a wide smile on his face where all his teeth showed, " Never thought I'd ever meet you, figured I'd just see in the paper or something when this war ended." Hazel smiled.

" Well, here I am." Hazel said as Jem laughed.

" I don't know if you know, but they showed most of the groups that were getting Viragos, videos of your training, and it looked intense. You're strong." Jem said with a nod, " Those icy mud pits, it looked like hell." Hazel laughed.

" It was," she said shaking her head, " hell on earth."

" But here you are," Jem said. Hazel frowned a bit.

" Didn't expect to be here exactly, maybe still with my company." she said with a slight shrug. Jem offered a soft smile.

" Yeah, same." he said, nodding and biting back his lip, " When I got hit actually, I didn't pass out until they had loaded me onto one of those trucks ya know? I saw my buddies, the looks they gave me as I was loaded onto that truck, I wish I hadn't seen them and had passed out earlier." Hazel watched Jem begin to stare hard at his coffee.

" Hey," Hazel said leaning forward, forcing him to meet her eyes, " you'll see them again, I promise."

" The second I'm able to walk around without so much as a limp and without a bandage, I'm going AWOL to get back to my company." she said, " Would you want to join me? I know you miss your company, we all do, with how long we've all fought together, I can see it in your eyes." Jem looked at her.

" I saw it in your eyes, the way they lit up." Hazel said, " I know that feeling."

" When do you say?" he asked her.

" Well," Hazel said leaning forward and waving Jem closer, " it's the 26th now, and Amelia thinks that in two weeks, my bandage can finally be removed, at least during the day." Jem nodded.

" And she told me about your files, you might have a slight limp, but it'll go away but you've been healing up and it seems you'll be good in two weeks time." Hazel said and she watched Jem smile, a genuine smile, " And I figured maybe February 8th wouldn't be a bad day to break out of here and get back to our company." Jem grinned.

" I like the way you think, Hazel," Jem said leaning back and gleefully sipping his coffee. Hazel grinned proudly.

" We rest up this week and next, we eat and rest when we can, do what we're told and heal up the best we can and bust out of here." Hazel said, " I miss my company."

" You're not the only one," Jem said with a joyful smile and Hazel grinned at him.

Hazel began physical therapy officially the next day with help from Amelia. Amelia had opted to be one of her almost personal nurses when she didn't have other duties to attend to. Amelia had told Hazel that she had seen the look in the eyes of Gene and Lizzie, the two medics that had brought Hazel in and knew she had to do anything to get Hazel back up on her feet again. Hazel's heart had swelled just hearing their names and then she realized how much she missed them.

Hazel's physical therapy was to make sure the wound hadn't penetrated enough to start immobility on her leg right below where the impact had been initially made. A lot of the things Hazel practiced were basic things, like sitting up, lying down, standing up, sitting down, swinging her legs back and forth to make sure her knees were okay and that she could hold herself up in sitting position.

Simple things like that to make sure everything was still intact. Her and Amelia got time to talk while they did it thought and it helped Hazel not focus on her wounds for a little bit and to just focus on the joyful conversation she had with Amelia.

Amelia was someone Hazel had admired from the beginning; Hazel had seen Amelia in the field hospital in Bastogne doing what she could to save peoples' lives but then making sure Hazel and now Jem got food and were okay as well. She cared about everyone - she was a lot like Lizzie and Gene who Hazel admired and adored so much.

With each passing day, Hazel got stronger and she watched Jem get stronger as well, building up his leg strength and eating his fill each night. He no longer talked about not wanting to eat, but instead her showered, he ate, he drank his water, took his medicine, did his physical therapy, it was a relief to Hazel, to finally see him doing what he needed.

Hazel and Jem ate every meal together and then they'd talk for a while, telling stories from both their companies and having a good laugh or two at the same time. Hazel felt like she knew every friend of Jem's in his company, he always talked about them with such love and passion in his eyes, and it made Hazel realize that each company was just like Easy.

Each company had gone through training like that, and it had bonded them because of it and it carried throughout the war.

A bond like that lasted a lifetime.

Hazel had been heading to the mess hall for lunch on the 1st of February when she saw a familiar face down the hall, walking alone, a bit of a limp. Her eyes widened.

" Frank?" Hazel called, picking up her pace a bit, as much as her limpy leg and side could handle,

" Frank Perconte!?" She watched the man slowly look up and meet her eyes, and a smile spread across his lips.

" Tiny!" he called, as the two hurried faster toward each other before Hazel reached him and wrapped her arms around him, in one of the tightest hugs she'd ever given someone. Hazel shut her eyes, as tears threatened to pour from them, as she hugged Frank.

An Easy Company member. Easy. Her company. Someone from her company. He smelled clean and from the looks of it was all clean with fresh ODs, fresh boots, fresh everything. It was wonderful to see another member of Easy all clean, happy, upbeat especially after Bastogne. Bastogne had opened more mental wounds than physical wounds. Hazel slowly pulled back and met his eyes, but he had a smile on his face. Hazel grinned.

" How are you? What are you doing here?" she asked him, gently holding onto his shoulder. He was still in shock it seemed watching her with big eyes.

" What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Tiny? I thought I wouldn't be seeing you for a while." he said, a smile spreading on his face and Hazel giggled. She couldn't help but hug him again.

" I missed you," she said, " I miss everyone."

" They miss you like crazy, Tiny, you can't even imagine." Frank said as Hazel pulled back and watched him, " Cath, Lizzie, Joe, I'd never seen the 3 of them that way, never." Hazel watched Frank as he spoke and her heart broke inside her chest.

" What are you doing here?" Hazel asked him, searching for a sign of a wound.

" Oh you'll like this, bullet right through the ass." Frank said turning a pointing to his ODs. Hazel couldn't help but let a tiny smile on her lips as Frank laughed.

" Aw no, Frank." Hazel said as Frank just laughed.

" I got a week in this place and then I'm out," he said, " you wanna come with? I'm sure I can get you out of here."

" One step ahead of you," Hazel said and Frank smirked grandly.

" What're you thinking in that mind of yours?" he said with a laugh.

" Let's talk over lunch," she said, as she wrapped an arm around his back and he did the same to her shoulders.

" It's a deal," Frank said and Hazel smiled as the two moved towards the dining hall. Hazel had never been happier to see Frank despite the hole in his butt from a German, but the entire way to the dining hall, he cracked jokes about it, making Hazel laugh harder than she had in a few weeks and grasping her wound, tightly to keep the stitches there in place. Frank apologized for making her laugh but he couldn't keep the laugh in his own mouth inside. Hazel couldn't stop laughing, and she knew if Amelia found a torn stitch she'd rip Hazel a new one.

When Hazel and Frank entered the mess hall, Hazel saw Jem sitting with the morning paper that was delivered each morning, reading through it and eating what looked like meatloaf. When Jem noticed her coming over and wide smile spread across his face as he noticed the man beside her. Hazel had talked in length about many of the men of Easy and when Jem noticed the man, he figured it had to be either Frank or Bill, most likely Frank because of Bill's wound.

" Frank Perconte." Jem said as he stood holding out a hand.

" Yeah, how'd ya know?" Frank said shaking his hand.

" She loves talking about you guys," Jem said and Frank grinned at Hazel who smiled softly.

" Jem Rossi," Jem introduced.

" Fellow Italian?" Frank asked him.

" Yeah, grandparents are from Venice," Jem said, " traveled in the late 1880s." Frank grinned.

" Told ya we're the best." Frank said as he slowly, grimacing a bit, eased himself into a seat in front of Jem and Hazel took her spot. Jem chuckled.

" Jem and I have been helping each other through all this, it's been rough," Hazel said, " but it's nice to have friend there, especially ones who understand you." Frank smiled genuinely and then looked at Jem.

" She's one of the most beloved of the company," Frank said his voice surprisingly gentle and quiet as he spoke, like it physically hurt him, " no one could take her being wounded, seeing her being wounded, it took a lot to keep moving on. She's always been there." Jem's eyes turned soft and he looked at Hazel who smiled softly.

" None of the guys liked hearing you were wounded, a lot of the guys I saw cry for the first time since war," Frank said honestly, and Hazel gently reached forward to place a hand on Frank's shoulder. Hazel gently smiled at him as Frank met her eyes. He gently placed a hand on hers and nodded.

" I'm just glad to know you're okay," Frank said, " all the guys will be so happy." Jem smiled.

" You're just so innocent, you know? Everything a war isn't, hearing you got hit, it was hard." Frank said. Hazel's eyes widened and she took his arm.

" How's Cath? Lizzie?" she asked him. Frank watched her.

" Lizzie better than Catherine, but they were actually the ones who brought us out of the slump for Foy." Frank said, " Both went around to all the foxholes, talking to people, making sure they were okay, encouraging others, I'd never seen people remain so strong. They love you a lot Hazel, and it hurt them to see you like that, but they kept going. You guys are so incredibly strong." Hazel watched with slightly tear filled eyes as Frank spoke. Hazel wiped at her cheek and then met Jem's eyes who watched softly.

" The Viragos are something special." Jem said with a gentle nod looking at Hazel. Hazel smiled softly.

" They've always been my sisters," Hazel said and the two men smiled.

" Yeah, closest things to sisters out here." Frank said with a smile at Hazel and Hazel grinned brightly. Then her heart missed a beat.

" How's Joe?" Hazel asked, watching as Frank's eyes turned sad.

" He didn't exactly take it well, if that's what you're asking," Frank said with a sad smile, " George went and told him, he was upset." Hazel slowly looked away and at her shaking hands in her lap. She shut her eyes.

Why did she feel like this?

Why did her heart ache as much as it did just thinking of him? Her heart ached.

" He has my bracelet, I told him if I get hit to return it to my mother," Hazel said softly, " he probably thinks I'm not coming back."

" I don't think anyone thinks your coming back," Frank said with a small smile, " it'll be great to see their faces though when you step in front of them for the first time in a month." Hazel laughed lightly, Joe sitting in the back of her mind, like a lingering thought. They all laughed. It was nice to laugh.

" So, what's this about going AWOL?" Frank said leaning forward as Jem and Hazel looked at each other with a smirk.

" Let us enlighten you." Jem said, pulling out a piece of paper.

Frank smirked.

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hi! so i've never seen the storyline where it diverges with frank's storyline of getting a med-evac and i went WHY NOT!! and i really really love this chapter so much, and i hope you did too! and jem is an adorable lil bean as well, i love him! thank you sm for reading!! <3