“You’ve changed address,” she said when she saw him, greeted him with a smile, and slipped him a cigarette. He smiled broadly when she did.

“Thanks for that.” He tucked it into the pocket of the pajama top provided by the hospital.

“How are you feeling today?” she asked him, and he smiled.

“Better now that I’ve seen you. I had bad news this morning. Whenever I’m back on my feet, they’re sending me back to the front, wherever it is at the time.” Alex was surprised.

“They’re not sending you home with third degree burns and a broken leg?” She was shocked.

“It takes more than that to impress the navy. They figure I’ll be up and back on my feet in a matter of weeks. That is not good news to me. I’ve been here for two and a half years. That’s a long time. I’m ready for this war to end.”

“We all are,” Alex added. “You’ll be with us for a while. You’ll be in that cast for six weeks at least.” So he’d be at the hospital until mid- or late July.

“I’ll be ready to go back into combat by then. I want to kill a German or two before I go home. They’ve given us enough grief.”

The Allies’ goal was to liberate Paris, but advancing through the French countryside, town by town, was going slowly. The Resistance was doing all they could to help.

“At least I’ll have a chance to see more of you before I leave,” he said, gazing at her longingly. He looked at her intently when he spoke to her, as though he wanted to see into her soul. It made her uncomfortable, but at the same time, his gaze was so piercing that she found she couldn’t resist. She was attracted to him, but she didn’t know why. He wasn’t handsome. He was powerful-looking, but there was a gentle side to him too. He made her laugh when she stopped to talk to him. And he made it very clear that he was attracted to her. None of the men she knew and had grown up with had ever been so direct.

“What does your father do?” he asked her one day, curious about her. She seemed intelligent and well bred.

“He’s a banker,” she said, feeling suddenly shy with him. He asked real questions and wanted real answers.

“Do you have a boyfriend here? Or one at home?” She thought the question much too personal, but answered it too.

“No, I don’t. They keep us too busy to have time for romance.” Although some of her fellow nurses managed it, like Lizzie. She and Ed had become a couple now in everyone’s mind.