No. He gets his hot meal.

Graeber eats his hot meal in silence. Katarzyna sits beside him, observing. She had an expression that he could not read. It was like she was curious with questions but also aware of everything he had seen.

When he finished his meal, she took his bowl and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, looking quite motherly as her cheeks bled into a warm pink shade. “I’ll take you out for a walk tomorrow.”

Graeber screwed his eyes up at her, feeling small and pointless. “May I ask a question?”

Katarzyna lowered her face and smiled. “Mm?”

Graeber looked around the room. “Closer, please.”

She lowered herself to his mouth. Her ear presented to him. He swallowed and moistened his lips. “Stalingrad. Has anyone else made it here from here?”

When she pulled away, she looked waxy. Finally, she simply shook her head and walked out of the room. Graeber was left alone again. He felt the lingering cold in his bones from Stalingrad. He shivered and tried to relax but couldn’t until the following nurses made their rounds. It was night by then, which gave Katarzyna a reason to visit him with another meal. Soup, this time, vegetables and chicken in yellow broth.

She remained with him for a while. She sported some conversation to make with Graeber, subjects away from war, away from gore— even the weather that made it all so much worse. They ignored the cold, the wind— all of it.

The young girl and wounded man spoke about France, Germany, and even Poland as if there was nothing wrong with the nations. Russia was forgotten, and England was on another planet. Japan was isolated, and the continent of Africa was untouched by 88s and Spitfires. When the last word is ushered out, the adults look at each other quizzically. Too much has happened to them these last four years, and everything they just spoke about seemed like a fantastic story somehow.

Germany is without its fanatic energy. France without occupation. Poland with no Jewish ghettos. Was that once real? The girl before Graeber was only in her mid-twenties. The boy before Katarzyna was as young as her. So why did they look so mature and old?

Again, Katarzyna places a hand on his forehead. She spoke softly to him. Her eyes were wet, and her nose was still pink. “Sleep well, Sam.”

He didn’t worry about anyone else hearing his first name. “You too, Kat.”

A smile as small as the primer of a round spread on her lips. She stepped back and then out, leaving Graeber for the night to take…

…

…

“Herr Graeber,” a voice called out. It wasn’t loud enough to drag him out of his sleep, but when it spoke again, there were hands. “Herr Graeber!”

“Katarzyna?” Graeber whispers.

“Nein,” the voice says. “Ich bin es. Alicen!”

“Oh,” Graeber’s voice gives away his disappointment, so Alicen growls somewhat.

“You haven’t been bathed in weeks,” Alicen tells him. “I’m here to take you to the showers.”

“Can’t this wait?” Graeber sighs. “Ich bin sehr müde.”

“We might not be so lucky to be alone if we wait, Herr Graeber.”

The sound of the nurse's voice is incredibly lewd. It sounds like a weird form of German— it paints a sexy beast with blonde hair and blue eyes, all on an hourglass figure. His eyes open, and he spits a vague outline in the darkness. It stands erect beside his bed. It’s darker than anything else, and it doesn’t match the direction. This is unsettling, to say the least, but for some peculiar reason… Graeber has become erect himself…

“Ja,” he mutters. “Wenn du darauf bestehst.”

The nurse helps him out of bed and holds onto him. He suspected her touch to be sensual, but she was gentle with him as he removed himself from the sheets. The cool air warped around his body, but it almost felt like his clothes rejected the cold as no warmth parted from him.

There were only a few lights inside the building that was on. It gives an isolated look to the halls and a surreal look to the walls. Alicen guided Graeber until he was walking straight on his own. Amazingly, none of the fatigue or muscle loss has affected his walking ability.

Alicen looks back and smiles. It was friendly– maybe even a little eager. He swallows and then cranes his neck. “H-how is everything?”

Their footsteps echo, but then his companion turns back again. “You want my honest answer?”

Again, he swallows. “I would like honesty.”

Alicen opens and door and turns on the light. She waves him inside and bows her head slightly. “We’ll talk about it later, Herr Graeber. But, for now, let’s get you cleaned up.”

The bathroom is white and surprisingly clean. The window, despite being night earlier, expressed sunlight and summer weather. He heard birds and saw clear blue skies. He wanted to explore how it was possible, but Alicen placed a hand on his chest.

“Don’t worry about it,” she promised and stepped back to sit on the toilet. “Get undressed.”

Graeber didn’t have to worry about being indecent in front of the nurse. If there were Katarzyna, he would have shaken his head, but with this nurse, he followed the command and was naked instantly.

He looked down, expecting to be skinny and battered, but his body looked as good as it did when he left training. Muscular, strong, fed, and fresh. Alicen cooed as she approached Graeber. “You look amazing, Herr Graeber.”

“Danke,” he said with a weird smile. “I thought– well, you know, after all that–”

“Sshh~” Alicen reached for the knobs for the shower and turned them on. “You deserve some good R&R. Even the strongest soldiers need a break.”

Graeber looked at the shower and reached for the water that sprayed out. It was the perfect temperature. Warm, but not scolding hot. He looked at Alicen and found her naked too suddenly. Heat washed over his face, and he stammered.

Alicen giggled and pushed him gently into the shower. “What were you expecting? You thought I was going to let my uniform get all wet?”

“Of course not, but I thought you were going to wash–watch, I mean.”

“Nein,” she giggled again, joining him in the water. “I’m going to wash every inch of you and make sure all that grim is gone.”

“You’re too kind to me,” he says, gasping slightly as he feels her hand travel around his body. She watched, her eyes now red as they watched where her fingers glided to. There are horns coming out of her hand; there’s a forked tail swaying behind her perfect body. “What are you?”

Alicen didn’t answer. She spun him away from her and reached for his head, rinsing his hair in the water as she kicked his legs apart. She moved to his ear and whispered. “You don’t need to worry about what I am. Just relax and let me do this to you.”

Graeber felt dizzy, but he decided to follow the commands anyway. Despite how odd everything had just become. His mind tried to drift to the war again, but it was impossible to recall the combative situations when he felt Alicen’s fingers rinse and rub him. He opened his eyes and was alarmed by the discoloration of the water that was being drained.

“Relax,” Alicen whispered. “Relax…”

Graeber pressed his hands against the wall and exhaled; he felt the hot water shower him. He also felt Alicen’s fingers getting suggestively close to his cock, which was stiffer than a stick grenade.

“Fuck,” he said. “Thank you.”

Alicen grabs his cock and starts to jerk him off while fondling his balls. “Do you want me to take care of you?”