“So you’ll be treating me? Can I have your name then?”
Edwin’s lips twitched. “Well, you are in my section so yes but for the most part it’ll be nurses caring for you.”
“A pity.”
Edwin swallowed down his embarrassment and cleared his throat. “I’ll try to find the time to check up on you. I have other patients to attend to.” He stood.
“And what of your name?” Maxwell asked before Edwin could make his escape.
“Dr. Keller.”
Maxwell smiled. “We’re not well acquainted enough for first names?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
“Not yet, Mr. Cox.” Edwin left with an unfamiliar fluttering in his chest.
* * * *
30 July 1918
Usual day today. Breakfast of biscuits and plum pudding. Received much needed supplies so morale is up. Continued goodnews of our troops pushing Germans back. An end to the horrors seems possible for the first time but no one dares speak it out loud.
Maxwell is healing well. He is pleasant company. I suspect he prides himself on being distracting.
* * * *
5 August 1918
I have long since become accustomed to the sound of men’s screams. The cries of a soldier in pain and shouts of panic at a sudden bomb shell would never lose their horror. Getting a proper amount of sleep can be a struggle with the constant noise.
Last night, I tried to get some shut eye near Maxwell (I have to admit it’s a more than regular occurrence), and he woke me with a blood curdling scream. I shot awake, as did a few others. Nightmares are commonplace here but I still went to his side. He didn’t seem to know where he was.
…Maxwell scrambled for purchase on his cot like a frightened animal, his breath coming out in wheezing pants. Edwin grabbed a hold of his shoulders and he jumped with a panicked shout. His whole body was shaking, his skin slick with sweat.
“Maxwell, Maxwell,” Edwin tried to reach him with a hushed voice. “You’re safe, you’re okay.” His main concern was getting Maxwell to calm down so he didn’t reopen his wound.
His eyes were wide and darted every which way. “I need…I need to get back,” he rasped. “H-Help me. Where—I…”
The darkness. It must be making the panic worse. Edwin lunged for a nearby gas lantern, the flame blinking on. He brought it up to his face and urged Maxwell to look at him.
“Maxwell. Look, it’s me. It’s Dr. Keller.” He gestured around them. “You’re in the hospital. You’re okay.” He tookMaxwell’s trembling hand and squeezed. Recognition reached Maxwell’s eyes, the cloud slowly lifting from his mind.
“Keller…?”
Edwin smiled in relief at the sound of his name. “Yes, I’m here.”
The tension left Maxwell’s body and he slumped over himself, tears soon rolling down his face. He held his head in his hands and sniffled, trying to stifle his crying.
Edwin set the lantern down, the soft glow flickering over the pair, and sat next to Maxwell, awkwardly perched on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on Maxwell’s back and rubbed small circles into his damp shirt. It took a few minutes before Maxwell was calmed enough to talk.
“S-Sorry about that. You can go back to sleep,” he muttered into his hands.
Edwin gave him a baffled look he couldn’t see. “I’ll do no such thing. Plus, your crying will keep me up.”
Maxwell let out a watery laugh and straightened up, wiping the tears and snot from his face. “Fair enough.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“You sure you want to hear about this?” Maxwell looked at Edwin seriously, his eyes still red and puffy. His hair was a mess from restless sleep, matted in the back and hanging in his face. The lantern cast dramatic shadows on his face, and even in this state he was absolutely gorgeous.
