1 Hour

Walking into Battalion the first person Flo saw was Lip lying on the sofa coughing, unfortunately he had caught pneumonia on their way to Hageanau, she entered the small room he was in and took her thermometer out of her med satchel.

"Come on Lip, open wide for me" she smiled weakly as she spoke in her hoarse voice while she popped the thermometer in his mouth. After a minute she took it out and shook her head "Still a temp of 103°, is there nowhere here you can get some proper bed rest?" she asked looking around as she took her helmet off.

Lip shook his head "I'm needed here Fizz, but I'm fine just need to sit down for a bit" he was almost asleep with exhaustion, Flo just sighed and tucked a blanket around him. While she started to look around for supplies "Florence can you relax please, youre the one we should concerned about, your not well and if you don't sit down you're gonna faint and I'm not having that on my head let me take your temp as well" he gave a weak smile taking the thermometer out of her bag and popping it in her mouth, after a minute he took it out, it read 104°, Lip shook his head and ordered her to rest he couldn't do anything else to help her. It didn't take Flo much convincing to move over to the sofa, she sat down and took her helmet off, shook her braids out and started redoing them while Lip shared some of his blanket.

Luz came strolling in then ticking off his supply list "Oh here are the pneumonia twins, not in bed as they should be. Oh well at least your sitting down" he laughed at himself and pottered around making jokes to which the two on the sick bed didn't find as hilarious as Luz himself found them.

"Luz as much as I love your jokes usually" she started saying dryly "I would appreciate if you would shut up for five minutes so Lip can look through his papers and I can.... Oh hi web" Flo cut herself off after noticing Webster standing awkwardly at the door.

"Hey look who it is, nice digs huh Web" Luz said spotting Web at the door.

"Yeah, Sergeant Lipton?" Web said a bit hesitantly, obviously he was concerned seeing Lip in such a condition "Feeling alright?".

Luz replied for Lip as he was adjusting the blanket over Flo and Lip "Yeah he's alright, got pneumonia, Fizz as well"

"Oh I'm sorry" Web replied before Luz started up again

"Why you sorry, he's alive, got a blanket, he can sit down, he's got a great girl looking after him, snug as a bug, same goes for Fizz except she's got the cajun looking after her"

Flo just rolled her eyes and gave a small smile as Web continued "Sergeant Malarky said to check in with the Co to see if I should be in 2nd platoon"

"Sure, take a seat Webster we'll get you situated" Lip said exhausted as he slumped back on the sofa looking at his papers, while Web took an uneasy seat.

Flo laid her head on the sofa arm and let her eyes close for a minute, she didnt hear the new Lieutenant enter, she did hear Lip shift though but just thought he was getting comfortable.

The new Lieutenant Jones was young and wanted to prove himself, so when he entered and didn't get the 'respect' for being a senior officer from the young medic or any of the other men he spoke up "Private Hilton" he said sharply waking her up, she glanced around and saw disapproving faces staring at the new Lieutenant as she looked over to him and immediately went to stand up, even if she was weak on her legs "Sir. Forgive me" was all she said and saluted as Jones nodded and replied "As you were, Lieutenant Jones looking for Captain Winters" he said trying to show his authority as Flo was pulled back down to the sofa by Luz who was continuing to give death glares to Jones.

"He'll be here in a minute Sir, sit down" Lip replied as he went back to looking at his papers.

Standing up again Flo looked to Lip "I'm getting you a coffee, Sir do you want a coffee? Web?" she asked tiredly, from the other two it was a resounding no but Lip was rolling his eyes "Fizz let Vest do it" but Flo shook her head.

"I'm up, Vest is sorting through things, I'll be back in a minute" Flo said walking out and making her way to the makeshift kitchen as she heard Vest call out to her "Thanks Fizz", 'I need to check on Malarky, Lieb, Babe, Gene.... Find those med supplies, do a stock list, see to any immediate injuries before I can go to sleep' Flo was thinking as she made her and Lip a drink. She closed her eyes and sighed as she made her list, all she wanted to do was sleep but she had a job to do and this was what she signed up for, holding onto her daisy necklace she waited for the kettle to whistle, smiling at what it reminded her of.

As Flo walked back into the makeshift office she noticed Speirs was now in the room saying for Lip to go in the back and sack out, she smiled and added to his argument "I agree with everything Speirs says Lip, go now, have your drink, ill be in to take your temp in an hour" she said pushing his shoulder as she was standing at the back of the couch

Speirs gave her an incredulous look "Florrie you as well, go now. That's an order" he said but Flo could see the softness in his features so she shook her head "Sorry Sir, I will once I've done my chores. There are a few men I need to check up on and I need to do the stock list and help Doc Roe in triage" she said with a slight sigh at the end of her words.

He just nodded as she settled back down on the sofa "I don't care what you're doing but in an hour I'm going to frogmarch you back here to sleep" he said looking through his loot that he had collected.

Flo smiled "Of course Sir, I wouldn't expect anything less, now Lip what are you still doing here?" She asked the man who was still sat on the sofa.

He just sighed "Captain Speirs this is Lieutenant Jones" but before he could go any further Winters walked in with Nix and Jones reacted as he had been taught with a straight back and salute while the others barely looked up "Listen up, Regiment wants patrol for prisoners"

"This one came straight from Col. Sink so nothing to do with me" Nix said making sure he had deniability, making Flo roll her eyes and Nix give her a joking punch on the shoulder while Winters continued "Since the rivers the main line of resistance we're gonna have to cross it to get to them"

"What do we need to do?" Speirs asked, "There's a 3 storey building on each side up the embankment, we know it's occupied you can have 15 men think very hard about who you want to lead the patrol, we'll need a lead scout, a translator, a medic" (at which they all glanced at Flo) "I've got the whole battalion in covering fire"

"When" Speirs said short and clipped clenching his jaw, Flo knew this wasnt an angry look this was a worried look but he covers it well.

"Tonight 0100" Winters replied.

"Yes Sir"

"Speirs, I want this one to be as foolproof and as safe as possible" Winters said a hint of urgency in his tone, Nix added "Yeah don't take any chances on this one we're too far along for that" he then patted Flo on the shoulder and walked up to Jones "Ahhh our West pointer" she heard him say but then tuned out of the conversation as she stood up with a hand from Lip and went over the where Speirs and Winters were discussing the patrol.

"I think a noncom could lead this, Martin, Malarky, Grant?" Winters said to Speirs.

Speirs seemed to muse for a minute so Flo jumped in "Sir, I think most of the NCOs could use a rest, but if needed I think Martin would be the wisest choice" Flo shook her head at the thought of any of them having to go.

"While we're on the subject, Florrie tell Roe I want him for this patrol when you see him. Tell him to report to CP 1700 hours" Speirs said while Flo gave him a head tilted look.

"Sir, I'm going on patrol. I won't take no for an answer, so don't try arguing" she said firmly and the two seniors just looked at each with defeat while Speirs nodded "Okay, but Florrie this means you need to sack out, I mean it 1 hour." he said with his authoritative tone while she nodded and gave him as bright a smile as she could manage before she clutched her stomach wincing which made Speirs and Winters give each other uneasy looks before they were interrupted by Lt. Jones.

"Sir I'd like to volunteer for the patrol" he asked while Winters ignored him and said "Speirs talk to you in an hour, Fizz get some rest"

"Yes sir" she smiled and moved back over to Lip where Speirs was already talking to him, she grabbed her helmet and med satchel before saying "Come on Lip let's get you settled before I head out" she smiled tiredly at him as Speirs gave her a hand walking him to the bed at the back of the building.

"Right, put Lip to bed, tick" she smiled at Speirs as she started to head out picking up the box of med supplies she originally came in for.

"I mean it Florrie, an hour and then I'm coming to find you" he said after her.

She simply looked over her shoulder flashing him a smile before heading out to check on her boys.