Their Fizz- Band of brothers

One left

Flo was letting Joe squeeze her hand as Gene patched him up,  the cold seeping through her body as she tried not to let her teeth chatter. She barely noticed as Luz made an appearance telling Lip to talk to Buck. 

Gene was giving her glances every now and then as he worked on Joe's leg ensuring that it wouldn't get infected. Flo knew she looked terrible and she didn't give a flying rats arse about it. Greasy hair, under-eye bags, blue lips, and smelling like a waste heap didn't matter to her anymore like it would have done in the past, she would never have let people see her like this but now, well her dignity was long gone. 

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Lip returned "Fizz? Fizz? Can you talk to Buck please? I'm concerned he's not in the right mindset to be here"

Flo nodded silently and then said with a stuttering voice "Cccould youu tttake over here then" she got out as she handed Joe's hand over to Lip and made her way to Buck who looked like he had shell shock. She couldn't blame him. 

Flo took a couple of sips of water and a few deep breaths to ensure she sounded normal to Buck and then she walked over the where he was sat on a log "Hey Buck, how you feeling"

Buck just nodded and put his head in his hands like he was blocking out the world. She put a hand on his shoulder and whispered "It's okay Buck, I'll get you out of here". 

As Flo walked to CP she remembered she had said the same to Blithe and look what happened to him, she wouldn't take any chances, Buck was leaving straight away. 

She knocked on the tent pole and watched as Winters and Nix turned around to face her, small smiles at seeing her on their faces. 

"Florence, what can we do for you?" Winters asked as he and Nix settled themselves on their logs. 

"Sir, I'm taking Buck off the line. He's got a serious case of trench foot"

Winters smiled a little at the authority in her voice "Very well Doc Hilton, write him up a medical note and bring him here so we can put him on the next red cross van"

Flo saluted "Yes sir".

***

With 3 friends gone in the space of an hour, Flo felt despondent and wanted to keep herself busy, luckily she had letters to write home and she wanted to write to a few friends like Smokey, Bill, Joe, and Buck so they knew she was thinking of them, as she was writing she suddenly realized that Webster had been absent since Holland, 'odd his injury didn't seem that serious' she thought to herself but shrugged, she didn't know what had gone on. 

All she needed was Lt Dike to come and put an even bigger dampener on her low mood and unluckily for her, he did just that. 

They had cleared the woods west of Foy and were preparing for the final assault on Foy itself, Flo had just finished her meds rounds and was walking back to her foxhole when Dike stepped in front of her. 

She sighed and saluted "Sir, how can I help you"

"You can help me by not slowing me and my men down during the fight. If you die I won't be sorry, because you brought it on yourself" with that he walked off.

Before the war comments like that would have caused Flo to doubt herself and knock her confidence, however now she could see it was just a selfish little man wanting to try and intimidate her because he lacked his own confidence. Flo almost laughed and rolled her eyes after him, she knew she could keep up with the boys with all her experience. 

***

Flo was stood in a little group consisting of Luz, Penk, Malark, and Muck, they were laughing at Luz's impression of Dike "You fellas and lady know I've got no reason to bullshit you right? This is what I saw, it was so unbelievable you might not believe me, so you know who comes running up to Lipton, he's got no helmet, no gear, no nothing"

Luz then started his impression and Flo couldn't help but think how believable it was of Dike "Ah first Sergent Lipton, you organize things here and I'm gonna go for help. I need to polish my Oakleaf clusters"

Flo was holding her belly, his impression made her laugh so much. It was Dike to a t. As they were laughing Lip came up behind them and called Luz over, making them all disperse as Flo took the arm Malarky had jokingly held out to escort her to the medic foxhole. 

"Night all" Malark called out as he left her at the foxhole, she responded cheerily "Night Malark, Muck, Penk"

Muck then  equally cheery called out "See you Luz, Malark, Fizz"

And everything was quiet.........for about 10 seconds. 

***

The incoming artillery had Gene holding Flo close and holding her helmet to her head she peeked over the top just in time to see Luz crawling to Muck and Penk's foxhole. 

And then in the blink of an eye Muck and Penk were blown to kingdom come as a shell landed right in their foxhole. 

Flo couldn't help but scream as the blood went all over her face and ODs, "Gene! Gene!" she shouted as she tried to wipe off the blood of her friends. 

Gene took her firmly by the shoulders and made eye contact with her "Flo" he said sharply "Calm down" he then said more gently as Flo regulated her breathing and nodded. 

Gene then took a bandage out of his medical bag and wiped her face and ODs as best he could, "Its gonna stain, but hopefully god willing we'll have new ones soon" he said as Flo nodded shaking slightly from what she had just witnessed. 

Flo and Gene then heard the "MEDIC" shout and she made sure her helmet was on before running to where she saw Hashey lying on the ground. Gene right beside her as she shouted over the explosions "Hashey where you hit?", her eyes examined over him and noticed bleeding coming from his shoulder. 

"My shoulder!" he shouted back while Flo and Gene were dragging him to a foxhole. Once there they both got to work with Gene cutting the fabric and Flo ripping sulpha open with her teeth and pouring it onto the wound as Gene was looking for an exit wound and grabbing bandages. 

Luckily it wasn't too bad and they sent him off in a jeep to the aid station, both the medics then walked around their base taking in the bust trees and wrecked men. 'How are we ever going to successfully assault Foy with this dipstick leading us' Flo thought in her head as she watched Luz giving Malark Penks rosary beads. 

Her heart grieved for Malark as in a week he'd watched his best friends either die or leave. Out of the little gang, Flo had called the 'spitfires' there was only one left in the company. 

That's when Flo had to face the very real possibility that they could all die in the snowy tomb.