Yvette watched him swallow. It was important to make sure he did not choke on the fluid. He didn't need any other complications. She placed the glass on the small table. He was drifting off again, a wave of medication sweeping him away.

Like many, he talked in his sleep. Like many, the things relived were not often pleasant. 

She placed a hand on his forehead. Low fever but nothing too worrisome. Yvette made a mental note to wash his face after rounds were done. It was a small thing that they could do to help keep the patients comfortable and cleanliness helped to stave off the germs that could make the injuries worse.

German. He was talking in German. Not that it was surprising to her but something about the language always gave her a small start. One would think she would be almost oblivious by now. Perhaps war stayed with you even if you never set foot on the battlefield.  Yvette did not think about the war very much. She tried very hard to push it all down and away. She did not want to think about the past. She found no good in that. Her focus was her husband and the hospital. There was enough of the past relived here already.

She tucked a piece of dark hair back up under her cap. She plucked her little watch out again. Time for rounds. She nibbled on her lower lip. Did she leave him and join rounds or stay a few minutes more?

Yvette opted to stay to ensure he was comfortable.  She moved around the bed, tucking and fixing the blankets. 

"Try and relax. The medication will help the pain. You have been through a great deal of trauma and surgery. The doctors have taken good care of you though."  Her voice was soft and even.

"I will not leave until you are settled."  Yvette moved towards his head once more, pulling the sheet carefully onto his chest. "This is the best hospital in Hanoi. Rest now."  She looked down at him. 

Yvette did her best to ensure every injured soldier was treated as carefully as possible. Sometimes due to caution but mostly because if her husband was ever injured she hoped that a nurse would show him the same caring and compassion. She couldn't fall in line with some of the harder nurses, the ones so focused on their duty that all empathy was stripped away. No, that was not her at all. She knew that a kindness and caring could do a lot to help a person heal body, mind and soul.

She took that belief with her, in her heart every day she walked into this place. It was that that carried her through even when madness came or death took them. If she could offer a glimmer of humanity to them in all of this than she had done the best she could.