" Once women find sisterhood, there's nothing stronger."

- Zoe Kravitz

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" Hazel!"

" Hazel!"

" Hazel!"

" Hazel!" Catherine yelled, her voice strained, as she cupped her hands around her mouth, calling out for the sniper, her heart racing. Hazel hadn't been in her foxhole with Shifty and after the shellings she was no where.

" Hazel!" Catherine yelled again. Catherine's hands were shaking.

" Hazel?" Catherine whispered, her voice shattering into shards like a vase on concrete.

" Lieutenant McCown." a voice said and Catherine looked over her shoulder to see Gene there, body ridged, eyes firm and cold. Her heart sank into her chest.

" What? What it is? Did you find Hazel?" Catherine said, taking a few steps towards Gene. Gene met her eyes, his lips formed into a thin line across his pale face.

" Gene." she whispered.

" Follow me." he said simply before turning.

Catherine froze for a moment before eventually gaining her footage and hurrying after Gene.

As the duo walked through the trees, Catherine began to see people standing in a huddled group, talking quickly. There was yelling, there were frantic calls, and there was the sound of an oncoming jeep in the distance. With each step grief filled Catherine's system and more tears threatened to rush to her eyes.

No, no, no, she kept whispering to herself.

This wasn't how it had to be.

This wasn't what it was going to be.

As they rounded the corner to the clearing, Catherine's heart caught in her throat.

It was Hazel.

She was lying on her back, hands limply pressed against the side of her chest, face too ungodly pale for Catherine's liking, eyelids gently shut over the blue brightness that was usually underneath. Catherine's knees went to jello as she watched Lizzie, working dutifully to wrap the wound pierced in Hazel's side. There were others there, mostly medics, but Catherine noticed Foley there, as well as Lip, Malarkey, Tab and Shifty all talking softly together. Catherine watched Gene gently bend down next to Lizzie and begin to help her as a jeep slowly began to drive up through the snow patches. Catherine's heart stopped. That's when she met Lip's eyes and the man was already making his way over towards her, picking up his pace as he watched the Lieutenant crumble into pieces.

" Lip, no, please she can't be, please, please! Lip NO!!" Catherine cried, as the tears crawled down her face as she collapsed into his arms, shaking and trembling, sobs crawling past her chapped lips and into his shoulder.

" She's alive." Lip whispered, and that's all it took for Catherine to let out a sob, as she struggled to hold onto Lip, to let him keep her in that hug, to let him hold her.

" She's alive." cried Catherine, hot, boiling tears streaking down her face, as sobs escaped her lips like a waterfall, only making her cry harder. Lip slowly pulled back and gently cupped Catherine's face, as tears ran from her eyes, blinding her vision in the night.

" Will she be okay?" managed Catherine, hiccuping through the tears as the medics and some of the other guys over there looked her way.

Catherine loved Hazel with her whole heart. Hazel was a sister, a woman who didn't need to be told she were strong, who didn't need to be humbled or told she was doing something wrong. She was powerful in her own way and all she had ever been was pure and innocent, to pure and innocent for this war. And now, she lay right beside death's bed, almost rolling off into the abyss. Hazel had been kind to everyone; she always had been and now watching her lying there pale, almost lifeless, Catherine couldn't help but press a hand to her mouth again and let another sob pass her lips.

" She'll be okay, Cath," Lip whispered, wiping at the hot tears that pressed down her cheeks like wax, " she's going to be fine." Catherine let out another aching sob, that ripped raw from her core. Hazel had been nothing but pure and now this is what she got.

War was cruel.

When Catherine had cleared herself, Lip gently let her grip his arm as he led her toward Hazel. Catherine gently bent down beside Lizzie who sat silently beside Hazel, tears in her own eyes, even though she fought so hard to keep them from running down her own pale face. Catherine watched Hazel's youthful face, laying so deafly still.

When would they see her smile again?

When would they see her dimples, or the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the stars?

When would they see Hazel again?

Hazel's hands were covered in her own blood and the area where the wound was had been hastily cleaned and tied up as well as it could for the Ardennes forest. Catherine slowly reached forward, sitting right by Hazel's head and cupped her cold check, gently brushing her thumb over it.

" Hey Hazel," Catherine whispered, her voice shaking as she spoke, " I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Catherine's throat tightened up, and her eyes had never filled quicker with tears.

" I promised I would from the day we were shoved into paratrooper training, I vowed it to myself," Catherine whispered, the urge to start sobbing again, plummeting through her throat like lava, a hot, horrid, truth, " and I couldn't even do that. You don't deserve this. No one does." Catherine looked down again, squeezing her eyes shut, praying, praying she wouldn't break again. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Lizzie. Catherine gently reached up to place her hand over Lizzie's and gently squeezed it. Lizzie felt a tear crawl down her cheek.

" I'm sorry I couldn't save you." whimpered Catherine, keeping her eyes closed, forcing them to remain closed, " You're my sister, Tiny, you know you are, you've always been. And I love you, I love you so much." Catherine remembered when Hazel walked into Fort Bragg in through that dark oak door on the first day in Camp Athene, how bright eyed and young she was, how quiet yet humble she remained. How she held herself, how there was this silent pride that swelled and burst from her. Catherine felt like she was watching a movie, every moment that Catherine could remember spending with Hazel, flying through her head.

" You taught me so many things," Catherine whispered, " I just can't believe you're hurt." A small whimper left her lips. It grew quiet in the night, as the snow silently fell as if in mourning for the innocent that slowly slipped from its grasp.

" The jeeps here." Gene softly whispered.

" Cath," a quiet voice whispered and Catherine looked up to see Malarkey there, " how about you come back to my foxhole?" Catherine watched him with tear filled eyes.

" Don..." she whispered.

" C'mon," he said softly, gently wrapping an arm over her shoulders. Catherine cast a desperate glance back at Hazel, praying that her eyes would flutter open that she'd sit up and she'd smile again. But she lay still, the shallow rise and fall of her chest barely visible. Lizzie met Catherine's eyes.

" Go, Cath." Lizzie whispered. Catherine sucked in a breath and nodded. Malarkey slowly helped her to her feet, leading her away. Lizzie watched Catherine go, her body trembling. Lizzie turned her focus away from her to Hazel. Her main priority. The stretcher bearers approached from the jeep.

" Help me move her." Lizzie said softly, her pained eyes looking at the stretcher bearers. Gene gently moved to Hazel's shoulders as Lizzie took to her side as Oates and another stretcher bearer took to her legs and side. The 4 slowly lifted her body up from the crimson snow and onto the worn stretcher.

" Let's get her moving." Gene said as the two stretcher bearers slowly lifted her up and began moving her towards the jeep. Lizzie gently walked to Gene's side, looking up towards him.

" Hey," Gene whispered, placing a hand on her back, his fingers warm," she'll be okay, she's strong." Lizzie softly nodded, swallowing gently her heart racing. The medic stature kept her from fulling breaking down at the sight of Hazel lying there in the snow, motionless, but it didn't keep the emotions from the pounding in her heart.

Once Hazel's stretcher was moved onto the jeep, Lizzie felt herself crumbling as she slowly climbed up into the jeep to take the woman who was like her sister to a field hospital. It hurt. Lizzie slowly sat down in the back of the truck, as Gene followed in beside her and the stretcher bearers took over the driver's and passenger's seats. Lizzie could feel herself, holding in her tears, her whole body was shaking and this time it wasn't from the cold or the sickness. She watched Gene gently grab her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze as Lizzie shut her eyes and felt another tear crawl out, her bottom lip trembling.

She was a medic for God's sake, she wasn't supposed to be crying.

She wasn't supposed to be this ungodly upset because it was war.

But it was Hazel.

The girl who had already been through so much in her life, so much pain and fear and trauma, that forced her to grow up as a young child.

And her she was, wounded and unconscious.

Lizzie gently squeezed Gene's hand back, reaching up a shaking hand to wipe at her eyes as she bit back her trembling lips. The drive to the aid station back behind the lines where Buck, Bill and Joe Toye had all gone was emotional. Her body was just limp and even with all the bumps of the road, she didn't wake.

Lizzie was in a daze as the jeep rolled up to where a few members of the Nurses' Corps came running out to retrieve her. Lizzie watched from the back of the jeep as the stretcher bearers seemed to move in slow motion helping the stretcher move from the front to the tent inside, as the nurses led them inside.

" Lizzie," Gene whispered at her side. Lizzie bit back a trembling lip. Stay strong. Stay strong. Lizzie blew out a trembling breath as her throat tightened up.

" Come on," Gene said, gently standing and hoping out of the truck before turning and making sure Lizzie could hop down. Lizzie moved in after the stretcher bearers following where they went. They moved Hazel onto a nearby cot, where a few medics were that immediately began working on her unconscious body. Lizzie stopped a bit farther back, watching as they cut open her ODs and began dressing the wound. Lizzie's heart broke into pieces.

" Excuse me?" a voice said and Lizzie looked up with tear filled eyes to see that it was one of the nurses that had helped bring Hazel in, " I need to fill out a report for her, what happened?" Lizzie stared at her, lip trembling, trying to get herself to speak, to get words to move out of her mouth. That's when a hand pressed against her back and a voice spoke up at her side.

" During the shellings," Gene said, " she took a hit. The pain was too much, so she passed out." The nurse nodded, writing down a few things on her slip of paper.

" Her name?"

" Hazel Parker." Lizzie said softly. The nurse smiled.

" She's a Virago isn't she." the nurse said and Lizzie nodded slowly. The nurse smiled as she began to fill out other bits of information.

" We've had a few in here from the 82nd in the past month," the nurse said, " they've all made a safe return to the front line and I have a feeling Hazel Parker will too." Lizzie let out a shaky breath and nodded as she felt Gene look towards her.

" Left lower abdominal wound," the nurse said, " no morphine?"

" No," Gene said, " she passed out on her own, when we had gotten there at least." The nurse nodded as Lizzie's eyes trained on Hazel, as the medics worked with ease. It was like they were numb. Lizzie sniffled.

" The shrapnel has been removed," the nurse confirmed, " but she'll need to heal, and we're not sure how long that could take. I'd say your goodbyes for now when they're done." Lizzie and Gene nodded before the nurse gave them a smile and then stepped past them moving towards the surgeon. Lizzie met Gene's eyes, and he watched her softly as her eyes glossed over. The gaze was soft, but filled with tension.

It would be like telling everyone all over again that Donald Hoobler was gone, or that Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye had taken a hit or Buck was being pulled from the line or Skip and Penkala were gone. It was a horrible feeling that Lizzie was scared to break the news of.

Lizzie and Gene sat outside in the blistering snow at 0100, waiting for when they could be allowed inside to see Hazel. Conscious or not. Lizzie sat beside Gene on the bench, arms crossed over her chest, staring forward, eyes blank. Gene was beside her, his worry filled eyes keeping his own watch on the blonde medic. He watched Lizzie let out a tiny sigh, her whole body heaving with the movement.

" My heart hurts," Lizzie whispered, her voice like a a flower blooming in snow. Lizzie sat curled into herself, her nose bright red, her lip giving a tremble every so often, her body shivering. Lizzie shook her head.

" None of them deserved this," Lizzie whispered, " to get the injuries they did." Gene watched Lizzie reach up to presumably wipe at her cheek. Her watched Lizzie lower her hand then and looked at her fingers, before balling them into a fist and putting them back into her crossed arms over her chest.

" You know," Lizzie said, a small laugh leaving her mouth, a bit tear filled, but a small laugh, " she was the one back in Camp Athene that inspired all of us. She never knew it, but she got up and got moving, even if she was having a bad day. And she'd do her 5 miles, crawl through the mud, aid in the practice patrol session with Thermes and run the obstacle course like a piece of cake. It was like there was no fear in her. It was so inspiring." Gene watched Lizzie faintly smile, her eyes on the ground as she did so.

" I wish I could've told her." Lizzie said and that's when Gene looked at her.

" She's going to be fine," Gene said softly as Lizzie glanced his way, a small smile on her lips.

" And you'll tell her yourself when she comes back to the line, whenever that may be alright?" Gene said softly and Lizzie nodded. A tearful smile adorned her lips, but it settled Gene's nerves for a moment.

When they were finally led into where Hazel was, her side was all cleaned up, yet she was still unconscious, her chest slowly rising and falling. Lizzie and Gene just sat on opposite sides of Hazel for a while, looking at her, praying she'd wake up, that her body would shift and she'd be awake, saying she's fine, that she's okay.

That everything would be fine.

But instead she lay still.

It was like the two medics were in mourning, looking at Hazel, who would be fine at the end of this, who would survive who would live a life after this. But it felt like a mourning because they had no clue when her return to Easy would be. She'd come back, but would it be in a month, 2 months?

Who knew.

Hazel didn't wake the entire time that Gene and Lizzie sat there with Hazel, in a soft silence. Eventually they had to move back to the line, they had a company to take care of. So, tearfully, Lizzie left Hazel, lying on the cold cot in the corner, unconscious. And getting back to the company was even worse.

Because when Lizzie and Gene got to the CP, Catherine was already there, her eyes red and puffy, an indication of what they had suspected. Winters and Nixon were quiet, stone-faced almost. Catherine had told them. It didn't take long for Lizzie's emotions to set off Catherine's and before you knew it the two women were sobbing, holding each other close together, hiding their emotions from the world the best they could.

The 3 men in the CP, were hardly bothered by the tears of the two women.

Hazel had seemed untouchable, but now that was the horrid truth, everyone could be touched and sometimes they burned out, like even the brightest star.

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hi! ok when i tell you i've been keeping this secret for so long by now, it's been quite some time. i wrote her injury a while ago and i knew it would be pivotal to her character and you'll see why in her upcoming solo chapters which i'm excited for. i am excited to finally get a start on this book and head out through the end of the war and into post-war life with this group!! it's going to be so fun :) thanks for reading and thanks for joining me on this little adventure as well!!