Get Well Soon

"What the hell are you doing here," Annie O'Reilly said to herself in the mirror as she tried to pin that stupid nurses hat on her head for the third time. After sticking herself with the bobby pins, Annie finally got the starched, old-fashioned cap to sit straight over her bun of scarlet hair.

She was in the bathroom, or as the German's called it,

der badezimmer,

stalling before she had to go out and start her shift at the U.S. Army hospital in Landstuhl. She had only been working there two months, and wasn't sure how much longer she'd last. She missed her friends back home in Chicago, missed deep-dish pizza, and even the windy days that would chill her to the core. She especially longed for her colorful scrubs, which were so much more casual and comfortable than the itchy white dress, ugly shoes, and stupid pointed cap they made her wear here. Just a formality, Annie was told, when she arrived on her first day of work. Since she didn't have a uniform, she had to borrow one from another nurse, who only managed to grunt at her after shoving it in her hands. Annie discovered that most of the German nurses were more businesslike than American nurses, which to her meant they were meaner. After two weeks of trying to get to know them, Annie gave up and kept to herself. The doctors, on the other hand, smiled at her, but Annie knew it was probably because the uniform she borrowed was extremely tight across her chest and occasionally would pop a snap, much to Annie's embarrassment, but the doctors' delight.

Annie had a feeling that the older German nurses didn't care for her much. Part of Annie's charm was not realizing how attractive she was, but to the German nurses, she was young, pretty, and thin; everything they weren't. Annie's fiery Irish roots were evident in her wavy, naturally red hair, her brilliant green eyes, and the slight Irish lilt to her voice. Plus the fact that she didn't speak the language fluently gave the native nurses a reason to make jokes about her in German. Annie knew they were talking about her, but didn't understand what they were saying. She

did

know that if one of them ever came to Chicago to help at

her

hospital, she and her American co-workers would have been much nicer. That's just one of the differences, Annie thought, as she smoothed her dress over her backside and headed into the hallway.

Since she was still the new staffer, and couldn't communicate well, the staff didn't allow her to assist with full nursing duties, so she was relegated to handing out medication, giving sponge baths, and generally comforting the injured. Luckily, the soldiers all spoke English, and Annie felt closer to most of them than the people she worked with. A few solders were her favorites. One, Tony, had been in an ambush in Afghanistan, and had probably lost his sight, although Annie didn't meet him until after his eyes were already bandaged, and the doctors wanted to keep them covered for another month. Annie loved reading to Tony and listening to him talk about his beautiful wife Theresa and his twin boys Andrew and Rico. Tony had the most amazing spirit, Annie thought, since he never wavered from believing he would see again. It always buoyed her spirits after spending time with him, and she kept reminding herself that if Tony felt it was going to get better, she had to think the same way.

The mundane duties in Ward 4 where Annie was assigned were divided between herself and one other German nurse who was young and homely, but like the others didn't seem to like Annie. In truth, she stuck out her tongue at Annie every time she walked by. Annie knew she spoke English because she overheard her talking to her patients, but she couldn't get this girl—Ulla—to even say hello to her.

Even though she'd been nursing for two years, Annie wasn't sure this was the correct profession for her. She felt too much of the pain; her nurse friends back home said she would harden over time, but Annie just couldn't see that happening. Whenever she heard that a soldier in the hospital didn't make it, she would go to the chapel, light a candle, and say a prayer for his soul; a byproduct of her Irish Catholic upbringing.

Annie and Ulla worked the graveyard shift, mostly because they were the youngest and could be pushed around the most, but also because little happened in the middle of the night, Annie actually preferred it because the other nurses weren't around to bug her, and even Ulla stayed away from the nurses station, doing who knows what, but Annie didn't care. She did her job, and by the time 7 a.m. rolled around, she was ready to head back to her small apartment—

Wohnung

—and go to sleep.

There were 10 men in Ward 4. Most of them slept odd hours because they were on various stages of medication, so Annie sometimes would give night baths or muscle massages to help the men relax and go to sleep. She had promised Gerry, one of the more seriously wounded patients, she would give him a scalp massage, since he occasionally got bad headaches, and her massages helped keep them at bay.

It was midnight; Annie's shift had started two hours ago. She was a little hungry, and decided to eat the salad she'd brought from home before going into the ward. She had only seen Ulla once that night, about an hour ago, and didn't give it a second thought because there wasn't a thing she could do about it anyway. As far as she knew, Ulla was sleeping in a broom closet somewhere.

Annie popped open the top of her salad container and realized she'd forgotten to bring a fork. That meant she had to run over to the cafeteria and grab a plastic one. It was only a five-minute walk past Wards 2 and 3, so she walked quickly yet quietly in her crepe-soled shoes so she wouldn't disturb any of the patients who might be sleeping.

As she was walking between 3 and 4, she heard a moaning noise. She didn't see anyone at the nurse's station there, and wasn't sure if she should check on the sound, since this wasn't her assigned area. But being the conscientious nurse she was, Annie peeked inside the ward and barely stopped herself from screaming out loud. She discovered where the noise was coming from, and was shocked at what she saw. It was Ulla, on her knees, giving one of the soldiers a blow job. That slut! Annie was stunned, disbelieving what she was seeing. Now I know what she does all night, Annie thought, shaking her head back in forth in disapproval. She looked around to see if the other patients were seeing this, but the rest of the ward was asleep. Probably drugged by Ulla, thought Annie.

At this point she didn't know what to do. Break it up? Tell on Ulla? Mostly what she did was watch, frozen in her steps. Ulla had the sheet pulled down on the bed, and the soldier, who had both arms in casts and in traction, was arching his back and licking his lips. His cock was huge; even in the shadows Annie could see he was bigger than any man she had ever been with. Ulla was licking him up and down like an excited kid enjoying a lollipop. It reminded Annie of summers when she was younger. She and her girlfriends would buy those multi-flavored big stick popsicles, licking and sucking the juices, pretending they were cocks. Sometimes they'd let the sweet, sticky concoction melt just enough to get runny and drippy, which they'd then lick off their faces slowly with their tongues. The teenage boys would watch them, their mouths hanging open, and the obvious bulge (although little ones) in their pants.

What Annie was seeing now wasn't pretend at all. Ulla took that enormous cock in her mouth and pushed it in and out at a speed Annie could hardly believe. Ulla stopped abruptly, pulled her tits out of her uniform, and began rubbing his cock between her breasts. The soldier was moaning so loudly now, Annie was stunned he didn't wake up everyone else. You could see the frustration in his face that he couldn't use his hands to touch Ulla, which probably only teased him more. Finally, Ulla stuck his cock in her mouth and grabbed his dick with her right hand, running it up and down the shaft at the same time she sucked on him. The patient bucked a few times, and Annie could tell he was cumming in Ulla's mouth. Shit! Annie back out the door and headed back to the nurse's station, forgetting all about the fork for her salad. When she got back to her ward, she was so shaken from what she'd just witnessed that she began pacing the hallway trying to think what to do next.

About an hour later, Ulla walked by, first smiling at Annie (who had finally regained her composure—but not her appetite—enough to sit back down at the nurses station) then sticking her tongue out like she always did, unaware of what Annie had seen.

"What a cunt," Annie muttered under her breath, making sure Ulla was out of earshot. Annie finally decided she wasn't going to say anything. Maybe it was a one-time event, maybe the two of them were a couple, and since she couldn't prove anything, and the other nurses weren't going to believe what she said anyway, what was the point. As usual, Annie finished her shift and went home, but slept fitfully, dreaming of giant penises chasing her through a dense forest.

For the next five nights Annie followed Ulla around and watched her service at least 18 other men, sometimes one right after the other. It was unbelievable to Annie. Sometimes Ulla would give them head, other times she'd let them feel her up and lick her tits, and one guy she even climbed on top of and fucked him, even though he wasn't as responsive as the rest.

On the fifth night, she saw Ulla go into Ward 4. Annie didn't want to get caught, but she just had to know what, or who, Ulla was doing. When she saw Ulla with her tongue down Tony's mouth, and Tony grabbing Ulla's ass and fingering her pussy, Annie almost threw up. All that bullshit Tony fed her about how much he loved Theresa and the kids; it was all crap. He was fucking that slut Ulla just like the rest of the guys. As Annie started to close the door she'd been peeking through, she caught a glimpse of the guy in the bed across from Tony. His name was Chris, Annie thought, and then she panicked because he caught her eye; damn; Chris caught her watching Ulla and Tony.

Now Annie had two problems: Ulla the whore, and Chris, who could rat her out. Annie didn't know much about Chris, just that he had been injured in one of the raids in the war, and had a leg that was broken and in traction. She never really noticed him before, but she was sure he would say something to someone about both her and Ulla.

Maybe it was just time to pack up and move back to the States, thought Annie, as she hid out at the nurse's station and hoped nobody needed anything before the morning shift came around.

After a couple more nights, no one reprimanded or fired Annie, so she assumed that Chris was going to keep quiet. She felt uncomfortable when she was in the ward because she knew he watched her. Once she caught his eye, and he just smiled at her. Thinking about Chris when she was safe at her apartment, she realized his smile wasn't a creepy one, but kind of nice and innocent. Maybe she would confront him and get the air cleared so she didn't have to feel so self-conscious every night.

What did change drastically was the time she spent with Tony. Although she felt bad at first that she wasn't keeping him company as much, and couldn't tell him the truth when he asked her why, he seemed to get over it, since Ulla was spending more time with him now.

Around 2 a.m. of her shift, Annie went into the ward to make a quick bed check, and when she got to Chris, she saw that he was awake. Annie went over to his bed, and began fluffing his pillow and making sure he had enough water on his bedside table.

"Hi Annie," Chris said softly, turning his face toward her.

"Hi, um, Chris, right?" Annie replied weakly.

"Yes. Thanks for making sure I'm comfortable." Chris could tell the last thing Annie was feeling right then was comfortable, but he knew if he didn't broach the subject, he might miss his chance. "Hey, do you wanna talk about what happened in here the other night?" he suggested.

"I'm not sure," Annie eyed him warily.

"Well, let me put your mind at rest. I'm not going to tell anyone anything. Besides, this has been going on for a long time, and definitely ever since I've been here, which is a little over two months ago, just before you started."

"Do you mean Ulla and Tony?" Annie responded wide-eyed, now more curious than panicked.

"Ulla, Tony, and every other guy in this ward, along with probably the rest of the floor."

"Why did it take me so long to realize this is what she's been doing at night?" Annie asked, probably more to herself than Chris.

"I guess we care to know only what we want to know," he answered, smiling at her. Chris loved watching Annie, but this was the first time he really had a chance to study her up close. Her eyes, even in the dim light of the ward, were like sparklers on July 4th: green with gold flecks that made his heart dance just gazing into them.

"I'm sorry I saw it; I really don't know what to do."

"Don't do anything; just let it be. Most of the people here know it happens, and in all honesty, some of the doctors think it might be helping morale, and possibly helping some heal faster. Try not to be angry with the men. It's pretty scary getting shot, and these guys are a long way from home without family to comfort them while they heal. Besides, it does relieve stress, you know," Chris grinned at her. He thought he saw a little smile from Annie in response, but couldn't be sure because she turned away from him.

Annie still felt uncomfortable, and did what she knew best: began nursing. She grabbed a bottle of lotion, the extra-strength kind, and massaged some into the exposed part of Chris' bad leg. It was important to keep the skin supple, because the air was dry in the hospital, and skin problems, especially itching, could exacerbate some of the other conditions.

"Thanks, Annie, that feels good," Chris said, his eyes closed, enjoying the touch of her soft hands on his skin.

"Can I ask you a question," Annie said bravely, knowing Chris' soft brown eyes weren't watching her.

"Shoot."

"How do you know all this? I don't recall her visiting you in all the nights I've watched her."

"I know what goes on here because this hospital is like a prison. Guys talk; word gets around. We're not behind bars, but when someone's handing out free blow jobs, everyone wants a piece of the action, and Ulla is willing to oblige. Personally, I don't care to be one of the many. The though of her going from guy to guy is enough to know I don't want to come home with a disease I've never heard of and probably couldn't pronounce, since all I know in German is

danke

and

Auf Wiedersehen

. Plus, I've seen the way she treats you, and I think it sucks."

Annie looked at Chris' face, eyes still closed, and thought that was nice of him to say. He wasn't a bad looking guy, actually kind of cute, with his wavy blond hair starting to grow out a bit from the buzz cut. He had a kink in his nose that looked as if it might have been broken at some point when he was younger, perhaps during a football game. His body still looked strong, even though he was stuck in this bed on and off for almost three months now. Annie mentally reminded herself to check his chart when she went back out to the station.

"Thanks for the honest response," she said, flipping the lotion bottle closed and returning it to its place on the bedside table. "Try to get some sleep, now."

"I will, but only if you promise to visit me again tomorrow night so we can chat about something more pleasant, okay?"

"Sure," Annie said, and meant it. Chris seemed like a truly nice guy. She pulled the blanket up around him, staying by his side until she heard the unmistakable sound of relaxed, deep breathing.

The next night, and every night after that for three weeks, Annie and Chris continued their 2 a.m. chats, with Annie rubbing lotion on Chris' back or arms or legs, as they talk about everything important to them. They even became good enough friends that they giggled and placed bets on who Ulla was doing that night. Ulla knew that Annie was chatting with Chris, and knew that Chris didn't care to partake of her angel-of-mercy services, so she just made sure to visit the needy ones in Ward 4 before 2 a.m. Ulla didn't know if Chris and Annie were doing it, and thought to herself that uptight cunt was probably still a virgin, and in all honesty, Ulla didn't give a damn. She was getting paid for what she loved to do, and hadn't received any complaints from the servicemen about it, either.

Annie learned that Chris was from California; the typical surfer/athlete guy like most guys who live by the ocean, but unlike most since he was smart, too. He joined the army because he had plans for college but didn't have the funds. His goal was to work with computers, but since he'd been injured, he decided to focus on working to improve artificial limbs that might benefit some of the guys he'd seen in the wards here. He had one brother and one sister, and his dad lived in Arizona. His mom passed away five years ago from cancer. He had only had one serious girlfriend, who dumped him when he told her he was joining the army. He told Annie that Casey, his then girlfriend, said she didn't want to wait for him; she wanted a man who was there for her all the time, which Anne thought was extremely selfish of Casey, but didn't say that to Chris in case he still had feelings for her.

Chris loved talking to Annie. She was so down to earth, and so beautiful. He loved her red hair, and even though he had never seen it out of the bun, he fantasized about running his fingers through it, and even tugging on it while he was making passionate love to her. Annie was from Chicago, where her dad and her brother were cops. Annie laughed when she told Chris that, since it was so stereotypical for Irish men to become police officers. But it was a tradition in her family that no one seemed to be able to escape. Both her uncles were cops, and even two of her cousins were as well. Chris made a mental note not to get them angry if he ever met them, which he truly hoped he did. He was crazy about Annie, even though they had never even kissed. He wondered how she felt about him, but was too afraid to ask, just in case he was just a patient to her. It was less painful to fantasize than confront the truth, for now.

Chris also learned that Annie had taken the job at her father's suggestion. She had broken up with her fiancé and was at a loss what to do. At his urging, she quit her job and flew over here. Her mom was mad at her dad for suggesting such a wild idea, and worried about her constantly. Annie told Chris if she didn't call once a week on Sunday morning, her mom had threatened to call the President to find out where she was. Being a good American citizen, she knew the President had more important things to worry about then what this little Irish girl was up to in Germany. The funny thing is, Chris remembered Annie tell it, she knew her mom would keep calling the White House until she had an answer.

Once, when Annie was massaging Chris' leg, her hand accidentally brushed against his cock, which sent an involuntary shiver up his spine. It was like a small surge of electricity raced through him. He looked at Annie, but she was so wrapped up in a story from her childhood about her brothers chasing after her with a dead spider they had found in the front yard she probably had no idea what she did. But Annie did notice, and kept on with her story. If she had stopped, there was no telling what might have happened.

Sometimes Annie would purposely lean across Chris' chest, just barely touching her breasts on him, feeling his heartbeat pound and his breath close to her ear.