#fic:unlikely places

[justthinkingofwaystoavoidbusses]

Unlikely Places

Hi! I was wondering, if you do take requests for the pacific - would you do one with Hoosier? Like he meets reader while healing from his injury? - anon

A/N- Okay so sorry this took so long, I was putting off doing the Pacific requests because I didn’t have as good a grasp on the characters and plot line because I’d only watched it once. I rewatched it this week so now I have a slightly better understanding so I hope you enjoy it!

---

You washed your hands off as quick as possible, flicking the water off to keep them as sterile as possible. Some days you wished you had never signed up to be a nurse, even working in the hospital away from the battlefield had it's challenges. Even though the corpsmen in the field had done the first bit and bandaged the wounds as best as they could, the amount of men who had died and bled out under your hands was phenomenal. "Nurse!" You answered the call and raced over to the new influx of wounded men. "Where do you need me?" The doctor pointed at one of the stretchers and you followed the man as he was placed onto the bed. "Get me some clean bandages," you ordered the  nurse next to you and pressed down hard on the man's thigh where he had already bled through the bandage. "Is the shrapnel removed?" "Yes." "Good," you grabbed the offered clean bandages and rewrapped the man's leg tightly. You pressed two bloody fingers to his neck to check his pulse. "He'll live." You took a fresh chart and checked the man's dog tags to scribble down his information. William J Smith. Mortar round to upper thigh. You hooked the chart onto the end of the bed and moved onto the next bed, "Who's next?" ---

It was a relatively calm day at the hospital, which meant havoc would undoubtedly break when the wounded could finally be transported in. But for now you were glad for the calm, you made your rounds to your patients and only one died from his serious wounds. "N-nurse?" A crackly, dry voice caught your attention. You saw one of the soldiers blinking his eyes slowly open and trying to sit up. "Lie down," you ordered, pushing gently on his shoulders so he wouldn't attempt to sit up. "Do you want some water?" He nodded, seeming to be in a daze which was not uncommon. You quickly fetched a small glass of water and helped him drink it. "What's your name?" You prayed that war hadn't made him lose his memory or his mind, another common occurrence around here. "Hoosier." You frowned and glanced at the dog tags around his neck. "That a nickname?" You asked hopefully. 'Hoosier' nodded. "Yeah it's Bill. Smith. Bill Smith." "Good," you sighed in relief, "What's the last thing you remember?" "Cape Gloucester." "Excellent," you gave him a happy smile. "A mortar round hit your leg so you're at the hospital. It's your ticket home. Rest up and you'll be back to normal soon enough."

He blinked a few times, “I’m going home?”

You nodded and gave him a  comforting smile. A tired, relieved smile came across his face and the thought that he looked quite handsome crossed your mind but you quickly pushed that aside. “Soon enough, within the next few weeks. We’ll fix you up as best as we can then you’ll get the next boat out.”

---

You had just finished your rounds when you got called into the head doctors office, “Y/N, come in, come in.”

“What is it, sir?”

“I just received a letter from the hospital, they’re short staffed so I’m going to be sending you on the next ship over there to help.”

“But, sir, I’m needed here. There’s so many wounded men here, we’re at the front lines for god's sake, we can't spare any nurses!” you protested.

He sighed, “I’m sorry, it’s not my decision. They asked for one of the more experienced nurses and that’s you, if it was up to me I’d keep you here but it’s not. That’ll be all.”

“Yes, sir,” you swallowed and walked out of the office without another word. You had become a nurse to help at the front lines, or as close as you could get, not in the hospitals far out of danger where the wounded cases were no longer urgent, where most of them would already live. You wanted to help, to actively prevent the deaths of the soldiers and instead you were being pulled back to work in a safe hospital. By all accounts you should be relieved that you would be out of danger and under less stress but you felt like you were letting down your fellow nurses and yourself by leaving them behind on scattered Japanese islands.

---

You had been in a sour mood all week, thankfully you had kept yourself busy so as not to accidentally snap at someone and take your anger out on them. You were rewrapping Hoosiers bandage, “Your wounds looking better,” you commented dully.

“What’s got you down?” he asked.

“Hm?” you asked, surprised he noticed because no one else had.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said, “You’re not as happy.”

You sighed and tied off his bandage, “I’m being shipped off with the next batch of soldiers to a hospital in Melbourne.”

“So?” he frowned.

“So it means I’m leaving behind the other nurses, my friends, and leaving this aid station understaffed, I won't be making a difference over there.”

“But you’ll be away from all of this,” he pointed out, having been on the front lines himself he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to stay.

You sighed, you knew that a nurses and soldiers perspective where different, you hadn’t been on the front lines of combat but you saw the aftermath of what happened to the men. “You joined to serve your country, you were told of the bravery and respect, all the good things about joining the fight and when you got here you saw the reality. I joined the nurses to help, we were told from day one the true horrors of war and how badly wounded men would get, we couldn't afford to crack under it all when we got here. I've always wanted to be right here, in the thick of it, since the start to help out. As much as I wish I never had to see a wounded man again I don’t want to leave until it’s over for everyone.”

“Huh,” he raised his eyebrows, “That makes sense, I guess. I don’t relate, but I understand what you mean.”

You quirked a smile, “That’s more than most.”

“Hey doesn’t that mean you’ll be going back with me?”

“Yes, it does,” you smiled, “I imagine you’ll be sick of me by the time we get over there.”

“Never,” he smiled sincerely and you couldn’t help the blush.

“I’m holding you to that.”

He winked, “I hope you do.”

You swatted his arm with a barely resisted laugh, “I’ll see you at my next rounds.”

---

You hadn’t quite found your sea legs just yet, you doubted you ever would, the ship was constantly rocking side to side and you swore the ocean was purposefully trying to make your life a living hell. Thankfully you had a strong stomach, many of the men did not and you were mopping up more vomit than you had before in your life. One good thing was that there weren't any new wounded men each day, which meant you got more free time to relax on the deck.

Currently, you were leaning against the railing under the shade of the large tarp which displayed a large red cross on the top. “Fancy seeing you here.”

You looked to your left and saw Hoosier standing a few feet away from you with crutches, “Who let you out of bed?”

“One of the nurses,” he grinned and came next to you, you were slightly jealous of his ability to keep steady on the rolling ship, especially in crutches.

“Glad to be going home?” you asked.

He nodded, closing his eyes to bask in the sunlight and breathe in the salty air, “More than anything. I suppose you’re not?”

“It’s too peaceful out here,” you replied, “But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

All you could see for miles around was the ocean, the late evening sunlight reflected off the water casting you and Hoosier in a soft yellow glow.

---

The hospital in Melbourne was busy, all the men got sent here and while you missed the girls overseas you rarely had time to dwell on it. Although these injuries weren’t as pressing and urgent there was a hell of a lot more infections and men who had to be comforted through nightmares.

You spent most days on your feet, it was a light afternoon of work when you stumbled upon a familiar soldier. “I was beginning to think I wasn’t gonna see you around here,” Hoosier grinned up at you.

You couldn’t help the fond and relieved smile at the sight of him, “They’re keeping me busy.”

“I can see,” he smiled cheekily, “If anyone comes by I’ll pretend to be in pain to justify you being here.”

“Thanks,” you laughed. “How’s the leg doing?”

“Are we still doing that whole check up thing? It’s getting better. What are your plans for when you get home?”

“I don’t know,” you sighed, the war seemed destined to never end.

“Ever think about getting married?” he asked.

You raised an eyebrow, “Someday. Why? You asking?”

He smirked up at you, “Not yet, we haven’t gone on a date yet.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm,” he nodded confidently, “When we’re both out of here I’m gonna take you to the finest place in town. We’ll dress up real nice, order the best wine and I’ll take you dancing.”

You blushed and ducked your head, “I’m holding you to that.”

---

You had been stuck in the hospital long after Hoosier finally got shipped back to the states and for several months after VJ-Day. Hoosier had kept in contact, surprisingly, you had little time to spare to write letters but you wrote to him as often as you could.

Now back in America and living an almost painfully slow life was beginning to grate on you, but tonight your heart was pumping in excitement. You carefully applied some rouge lipstick and blusher to your face and slipped on your jacket as the doorbell rang.

You swung open the door and saw Hoosier there, a bouquet of flowers in his hand and looking handsome dressed in a sharp suit. “You ready for that date?”

***

A/N- Sorry for the initial long wait then the longer wait after you sent in the ask. I'm sure you all realise how bad I am at keeping on schedule! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Requests are closed xx