More Work [Liesl]

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

Location: French German boarder
Time: June, 1940

Friedrich had ended up sitting still waiting for a job to do, he had bin ordered to wait here until he could get some work done, he had earlier bin asked to go to the mix of warehouses and HQ waiting for an errand, he had gotten close to being hit earlier making his forehead being covered in bandages to stop the bleeding.

While he sat on the ground an officer came over to him and he quickly got on his feet and snapped to attention, "Are you able to drive Rottenführer?" The officer had asked and Friedrich nodded "Ja, Herr Offizier." He quickly answered, one thing he had learn was to quickly accept orders and he had bin driving a couple of times before, and it only helped having bin a Kradschützen before he was transferred away from his original company. "Schön... Take that truck and drive some medical supplies back to the hospital, and get looked at your wound." Friedrich nodded and gave a quick salute feeling some joy going through his body getting away from this place. He felt like he needed to relax, and get out of boredom "Javel Herr Offizier." he got dismissed shortly after.

He helped with getting the last crate on the truck and closed the back before moving to the drivers seat and starting the truck, making a deep sigh of relief getting away from this boring place. Then he made his way to the field hospital it was a small trouble cause of the rain had made the dirt roads a bit tough but it got forward.

After some time he could see the hospital tents, he hated being such places but it surely was better then sitting waiting, and maybe he could even get hold of some food, it was a field hospital after all. As he came to the place where he knew there was room for the truck he stopped it before getting out and stretching his body before moving to the back of the truck opening it. He took a cigarette out of his chest pocket, one he had gotten earlier from a soldier, some French one but it served its purpose, he lit it up taking on his field cap to cover for the rain although the bandage didn't make it sit to well. Then he moved to the entrance to the tent "Sanitäter!" He called into the tent "Medical supplies" he stayed under the shielding of the tent until someone came and responded.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl sat quietly comforting a dying soldier, gently stroking his forehead with her pale callused hand. She hummed slightly, a small hidden smile playing across her lips bitterly as she tried to make the last moments of this soldier comfortable. She gripped his hand lightly as the light in the soldier's eyes began to fade, he exhaled his last breath and expired.
Liesl swallowed dryly, putting the soldier's hands together. She muttered a short prayer and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand as she stood up. after a short moment she heard someone near the entrance of the tent. She called a nurse over and gestured to her hastily to come over.

"Please take care of the rest fraulien, we seem to have a fresh delivery of medical supplies." said Liesl in a soft spoken voice and made her way to the soldier.

"Guten tag..." she said greeting the soldier.

She waved her hand in front of her face a little, waving away the smoke of the cigarette away from her. Liesl didn't particularly like the smell of the cigarette smoke, she pretty much had a slight distain towards it.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He stood outside waiting taking another drag from his cigarette as he saw the young nurse come out from the tent and she greeted him. He corrected the bandage on his head and extinguished the cigarette before putting the rest in his pocket for later. "Guten tag Fraulein Sanitäter" He said with a hesitant smile for a short moment before his neutral facial expression covered his face again, him not wanting to let to many feelings out although he felt it nice to talk to someone, although it was long ago he talked to one of the opposite gender.

He looked to the truck for a moment before looking back at her "Entschuldigung fraulein" He apologised for the smoke she obviously disliked it, which he could understand, cause he had himself before he started training, it calmed his nerves although he had heard all the 'smoking is dangerous' back home a 'stop smoking' campaign had bin initiated when the nazi party had come to government, although they didn't remove it from the soldiers which he was glad enough for, it had helped him some times.

"I bring medical supplies from the HQ they told you were in need here..." He said with a light shrug and like he had his mind elsewhere, he had learned the routine from last time he had to deliver anything. "And i was asked to get my head checked... Though its nothing" He said with a bit of doubt in his blue eyes which stood out cause of the mud in his face although it hid his obvious young look, he didn't like when many questions was asked. "Right over here..." He continued before walking back into the rain over to the truck which was opened, where he took out a paper which told what he had with him.

He handed her the list with all the items on it "All should be here... Just give me some people to unload it and all should be done" He said with a silent shrug, being away from the front was nice, though hearing the screams of agony from the dying nerved him out, not enough to make him unclear but he had to be here for now. "Names Friedrich" He said with a polite smile

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl nodded silently at the soldier before her. Her eyes scanned him over resting on the bandaged part of his head.
She tilted her head slightly smiling as he apologized for the cigarette smoke, "No need to apologize...." she said quietly, she paused for a moment letting him speak.

"Ah!" said Liesl letting out a surprised gasp, "Danke...we've been short on medical supplies lately...it's a good thing you came." she said as the corner of her mouth curved slightly into a shy hidden smile. She paused briefly, eyeing the bandages on his head again, "Nein...you shouldn't say such things....an injury...especially now shouldn't be taken lightly." replied Liesl in a serious tone and followed him outside of the tent.

Liesl pushed her dark chocolate brown hair over her right shoulder, using her hands to try and shield herself from the rain. When they reached the truck, she great fully took the list reading it over as he spoke. She averted her eyes from the paper when the soldier introduced himself. She was put back slightly, she has taken care of many soldiers but never actually learned their names. Though she felt it was better not to know them, for fearing she may become too attached to them.
She frowned to herself slightly, as some of her dark wavy hair fell in her face, "It's nice to meet you Herr Friedrich." she said a bit flatly and continued to look through the list.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He shrugged silently at her, one didn't need to be that good to understand humans to understand she didn't care much for his name, and he understood it to well, though he did feel a bit of irritation cause of it. "Rottenführer... If we're going all formal" he said with an irritated tone. He seriously disliked when people didn't have the curtesy to return with a name or at least make an attempt to care which she obviously didn't. He started to remember what he had bin told just before he was promoted, to care for all the men in his squad. "I'm sure common curtesy will be better when this is over" he muttered silently to himself, though still loud enough for it to be heard, while he looked at the sky for a moment.

He jumped up in the back of the truck and sat on the edge "Now i only got four boxes with me but it will suffice I hope" He said to her with a tired voice "And concerning my wound you could check it I guess. But there is people in much more need then me, I can still walk and talk" he sighed silently, him not planning to get shot at any point, he wanted to get home when this war was done and Germany stood on the field of victory. "I was lucky that the mortar grenades didn't hit closer then it did i'm sure it's only a scratch" He spoke with an optimistic tone having seen what those grenades was capable of when they made a hit wasn't a pretty sight.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl heard the irritation in his voice when he spoke, she sighed a bit Folding the list into her pocket of her apron. She looked up at Friedrich hesitantly, fidgeting a bit. She didn't really know how to start small talk, especially with a boy...normally she'd just ignore them.
She watched him climb back into the truck.

"four boxes?"she repeated quietly, "Well, it will do for now..." she paused again to let him finish speaking, "I should still have a look at it before it will become infected and start to fester...." she replied simply

"Follow me please..." she said in a bit of a kinder tone

She then took a few boxes and began walking back to the tents. When entering the tent she place the boxes on a wooden crate and hastily walked over to her medic bag, pulling out a few gauzes, bandages and some rubbing alcohol. Taking the items in her arms she walked over to a bench and sat down setting the items right next to her.

"Sit please, I promise to be quick so you can return to your other duties..." she said with a curt nod.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He sighed and guessed he couldn't get around it in any way and therefore just complied with a simple nod and a sigh "Javel, Fraulein... Sanitäter" he said with a bit of an amused tone making the bad half-hearted attempt at a wannabe salute. Then he jumped down from the truck with the last of the boxes before following her into the tent.

As he reached the entrance to the tent he made a regretting shrug, he disliked having to go into a field hospital when he wasn't wounded hard. There was something cursed about that place, all the lost lives he old Obergefreiter had died in such a place, as well as an old friend.

He placed the boxes in the crate before quickly following after her taking a deep breath of the clean air. And hiding his feelings about this disturbing place. "You're not very good at talking to people who aren't wounded or dying are you?" He asked jokingly, hoping she wouldn't get to mad about it. Then he sat down where she told him to. He wasn't going to disobey a medic, if he ever got in deep trouble with wounds she could end up being the one saving his life. "I'm still sure this is bad enough for me to seek a nurse help... Though i suppose you insist..." He said with a hesitant smile at her.

"And When I'm done here I don't know what to do... Gotta get back to the fight I guess" He said a tone of doubt in his voice, all this fighting was getting on his usual calm nerves although he couldn't let them affect him when he got back.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

A small smile crossed Liesl's lips. She was some what amused by the soldier's comment.
"It's one of my faults..." she mused, "I feel as though I'm better off not knowing the soldier's names...it...how do you say...makes my job as a medic easier." she said quietly removing the hat off Friedrich's head.

She went silent again and began removing the bandages off his head and setting the old ones on her lap. Taking some gauze she wet it daintily with some rubbing alcohol. Once the gauze was wet with the rubbing alcohol she began lightly dabbing Friedrich's wound.

"It might sting a bit..." she said in a gentle voice as she began cleaning his wound.

"Well...it seems you don't have pieces of sharpel embedded into your wound...you're very lucky to have escaped with only a scratch...." said Liesl after a moment of silence.

She took the used gauze and old bandages and place then on the other side of her, then reached over for the new bandages.

"Do you have any plans after the war?" she asked trying to brighten the mood.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He shrugged a bit silently when she said it was one of her faults, it was sad that it would affect her so much to know a name, it might be not needed but he felt it was nice although it ended up him having a lot of names "Well don't worry, Fraulein Sanitäter... I don't plan on returning here, at least no wounded" he said with a faint smile, if he could stay clear of this place it would be good although the sanitäter seemed polite.

he sat still as she removed his hat, and bandage, although he didn't trust field hospitals he knew that he would have to specially in war. As she started to clean his wound with the rubbing alcohol he grid his teeth, as she had told it stinged. Although he did feel something amusing over that this had bin the worst wound he had gotten and the thing that hurt the most was getting it cleaned. The wound itself had only hurt when he had bin hit and after that he hadn't really thought about it although it had disorientated him shortly and made an annoying ringing in his ears. "Well Sanitäter It's the Lübeck luck" He said with an amused tone.

As she had finished putting on the new bandage and asked what he planned after the way the faint smile came back, cause now she did attempt to small talk. "Well I plan to... hm.." Now that he was actually asked he didn't quite know what he would do, he had never thought that far. "Finish school?" He said while pulling on his shoulders "Though in a year or two when this war is over I'm sure I'll be certain, maybe i can become an officer?" He said with a shrug, it was a nice dream but he didn't quite know if he was officer material. "How about you, Fraulein Sanitäter?" he asked ponderingly.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl couldn't help but just smile in response. She picked up the gauze she used, alcohol and bandages and place them away. She paused for a moment when he asked her what she was going to do after the war as well.

"Hmmm....I haven't really thought of it...." she said pondering, "I suppose...I'd return to Austria...own my own clinic and continue nursing...." she said softly as she place the rubbing alcohol back into her medic bag.

"Though...I think you might find it strange why I'd want to continue nursing after seeing all of this...." she said as she dug through her apron pocket.

She then pulled out a wrapped chocolate bar and sat back down next to Friedrich, "Chocolate?" she asked, "We don't have much to offer...would you like some?"

She then began to peel some of the foil and paper off with her fingers that were covered in dried blood. Hastily she broke the chocolate bar into bite size pieces and offered some of the chocolate bar to him again. A small smile crossed her soft pink lips breifly before disappearing.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He nodded a bit as she said that he might wonder why she'd want to continue after this although he did have a guess on why. He had after all wanted to stay a soldier, or that he supposed he would stay in any case. But nothing was sure at current moment they still had a war to fight. An easy way to gain ranks, was a thought that crossed his mind "Cause it's what you know?" He guessed.

As she offered him some chocolate he smiled "ja, bitte" He said with a polite tone, one thing that he hadn't gotten for a while was sugar at least not in that manner. He sat looking around in the part of the tent he was in, he could hear the noise of the rain against the tent. Then he looked back at the Sanitäter and took some of the chocolate he was offered, "Danke schön" he said with a smile, not minding the dried blood on her hands.

He took some of the chocolate he had gotten from he and took a bite of it and a happy smile crossed his lips for a second as he tasted chocolate for the first time in a year. "I wish i had something to offer in return... for your friendliness... Though all i have is standard rations, sure you get better yourself" He said with a silent shrug before coming to think of something "you said that you didn't want to know soldiers names... which i understand... But i can't see any harm in a soldier knowing yours?" He asked hesitantly while looking her in the eyes.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

”I suppose you can say that…” she mused, ”Though…my mother once told me…one touch from a nurse calms, I want to believe that is true.” she said with a small smile grew on her face when she thought of her mother.

She began to break off more pieces of chocolate, placing some in Friedrich’s hand. She took some chocolate herself and nibbled on a piece. She sighed a bit relishing in the silky taste that blanketed her tongue. She hadn’t had chocolate since the start of the war, so this was the first time in a while to actually taste chocolate again. Slowly she began to relax a little, taking advantage of her free time before another patient is brought in.
After a few seconds she averted her attention back to Friedrich who began to speak to her again. She fidgeted a bit rubbing her hands a little to rub off some of the dry blood from her fingers.

”Ummm…nein…I don’t need anything in return.” she said simply, ”It’s hard to find such kindness nowadays…no?” she half joked

She paused for a second to let Friedrich finish speaking. She bit her bottom lip, pondering weather or not to give him her name. I might as well….what harm will come of it? she thought.

”Liesl…”she said after a brief moment, “It’s Liesl…” she repeated looking at Friedrich hesitantly.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He nodded agreeing as she said it was hard to come by such kindness, although she sounded half joking, it was. It was a while ago since he had received anything from his comrades, it was all about keeping the 'rarities' to yourself. Or trade which some did, it seemed rather primitive but then again coins wouldn't do you much good in the field, coins wasn't the most useful thing when fighting the enemy or patrolling, a cigarette or the rare candy in the Nahkampfpäckchen which he hadn't really gotten any of.

He smiled friendly at her as she told her name, now they finally had formally exchanged names although he considered that she most likely had forgotten his, which didn't matter, tomorrow he would after all just be another soldier who passed by the tent and talked to her. "Ein schön Name... Although i guess you hear that a lot"" he said with a silent chuckle.

He looked into the rain for a moment "So you were from Austria?" He asked at a hopeless attempt at small talk, long conversations had never bin his strong suit. "How is it there? Never bin much else then Lübeck, rest has bin 'business' or how you see my job" He said with a curious tone, he liked the idea of seeing a lot of places, he liked to travel around seeing the world although it had only bin short confines of the 'near by' area, France until Dunkirk, although it had taken him through Holland for one. After having looked into the air for a short moment he returned his gaze upon Liesl.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl’s cheeks flushed a shade of dark pink at Friedrich’s compliment. She quickly turned her head away from him to hide her blush.

”Ermm…nien…you’re the first to say that….” she said fidgeting again.

Actually it’s her first compliment she had gotten from the opposite sex. She didn’t find herself quite as appealing as other German girls. She frowned a little at the thought and sighed slightly, looking down at the ground. She jerked her head to the side, facing Friedrich when he mentioned Austria, quirking her eyebrow slightly, ”J-Ja…I’m from Austria, to be more exact…I come from the state of Carinthia…well use to.” she said loosing her self in thought.

She closed her eyes slightly recalling her memories of her home, ” Where to begin…I suppose it’s…hmm…I guess it’s similar to Germany…but not quite.” she said with a small laugh escaping her lips, ”Vienna, wasn’t as lovely as my home in Carinthia…well…what I remember of it.” she said with a bitter sweet smile as she folded the foil over the rest of the chocolate bar that was left uneaten.

”Why? Do you like traveling? Friedrich?” she teased slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

A smile grew across her soft pink lips as she waited for his reply, not realizing that she remembered his name.

[Friedrich Falkenbëck]

He smiled at her as he saw she blushed, he wasn't going to comment on it since she seemed to want to hide it which he accepted, although it surprised him that she hadn't gotten a compliment on her name before. But then again she didn't seem like the person who usually small talked with most people and since she didn't tend to want to hear soldiers names. He shrugged silently though still with a happy smile at his lips.

He nodded as she told where she was from in Austria and smiled friendly at her when she laughed. She was a very bright person, she smiled and laughed even though she had a job which involved a lot of death, and seeing the true brutalities of war and not the fighting he did but the ones that had bin hit by the fighting he was a part of. Which again made him think of what other skills he possessed that he could use when this war was over he hadn't even finished school.

He nodded as she asked if he liked travelling "Ja... Haven't bin doing it much though... Been in Schleswig and Dänemark... And my line of work took me to France... Never even bin in our glorious capital" He said with smile as he remembered that she had mentioned his name "You remembered my name..." He said with a satisfied smile, it was more then he had expected, so it was quite satisfying that he had made such a good impression that she actually remembered him.