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Re: A Never-Ending War Brings New Surprises

Margo stood very still at the foot of his cot.

For a second, she just watched him breathe.

He looked pale under the harsh post-op lights. Bandages wrapped around his head, shoulder immobilized, ribs taped tight. Too still for her liking.

When his eyes finally fluttered open, she didn't rush forward.

She didn't smile.

She exhaled.

"You are either the luckiest man in Korea," she said quietly, "or the most stubborn."

Her voice wasn't teasing. It was tight — carefully controlled.

"You flipped a jeep. Took shrapnel. Lost consciousness. And somehow you still have the nerve to open your eyes like you just woke up from a nap."

She stepped closer then, arms folded loosely as if she needed something to hold onto.

"Driver didn't make it."

The words were gentle. Direct.

Her gaze softened just slightly when he focused on her.

"You scared me," she admitted, the edge finally slipping. "I watched them bring you in covered in dust and blood and I thought..." She stopped herself. Straightened.

"But you're here," she finished, professional tone sliding back into place. "Concussion. Two cracked ribs. Dislocated shoulder. You'll live."

A small pause.

"And don't you dare try to sit up again unless you want me to personally knock you back down."

She met his eyes steadily.

"You're not going anywhere for a while, Ryan. So rest."

Re: A Never-Ending War Brings New Surprises

Margo stood there for a long moment after the door swung shut behind him, the soft thunk echoing louder than it had any right to. Her hand lingered in the air where his cheek had been, fingers curling slowly as if she could still feel his warmth there.

"Don't go loving nobody but me..."

She huffed out a breath that was half-laugh, half-sigh, shaking her head at the tent flap as if he could still hear her.
"As if that were even remotely possible," she muttered under her breath.

Then the smile faded.

Margo straightened, instinctively pulling her shoulders back, the Major snapping into place—but her eyes betrayed her. She crossed her arms, grounding herself, the way she always did when fear tried to creep in.

She walked a few steps toward the doorway, stopping just short of following him. That was the rule. This was his part. Hers was waiting.

"I don't call her Margaret because the Army already took enough from her," she said quietly to the empty space, voice softer than she ever let it be around anyone else. "And because 'Major Houlihan' reminds me she survived."

Her fingers brushed her lips where he'd kissed her, a small, private smile returning despite herself.

"Dinner under the stars," she murmured. "You'd better live long enough to regret promising that."

Margo took a steadying breath, then lifted her chin and turned back toward the ward. There were charts to review. Orders to give. Wounded men who needed her steady hands and sharper voice.

But just before she disappeared behind the canvas wall, she paused.

Looking toward the road he'd taken, she spoke softly—no rank, no armor, just Margo.

"Come back to me, Ryan," she whispered. "I'll be right here... loving nobody but you."

Re: A Never-Ending War Brings New Surprises

Margo's breath caught the second Ryan's lips brushed hers — quick, soft, but enough to send a flutter all the way down her spine. When he pulled back, she stayed close, her hands still resting against his chest as she looked up at him with that half-smile she only ever gave him.

"Oh, is that right?" she teased lightly, her eyes sparkling. "The best gal in all of Korea? I ought to warn you — flattery like that might get you kissed again, Captain."

She slid her hands to his sides, fingertips curling into his shirt as they swayed in their little improvised dance. She lowered her voice, leaning in a little closer.

"And just so you know... I've been missing you too."

When he mentioned Colonel Blake, she let out a soft laugh and shook her head.
"Henry? Please. He's too busy tripping over his own feet to notice much of anything these days — especially romance." She gave him a playful bump of her hip. "Trust me, you're safe."

But when Ryan mentioned jealousy, she raised a brow with a mock sternness that didn't hide her amusement.
"Oh, don't you start trouble in my nurses' station," she warned, poking a gentle finger into his chest. "I swear, Captain, if you cause another fuss between the gals, you're the one explaining it to Major Houlihan."

His hands moved behind her, and she softened immediately, her expression warming. The teasing melted into something gentler, more honest.

Dinner under the stars. With him.

Her heart stumbled a little.

"I'd love that," she said quietly, sincerity replacing the playful tone. "More than you know." She looked up at him, brushing a loose curl behind her ear. "Just promise me you'll come back in one piece. I don't want to eat alone out there."

She rose on her toes, giving him one more soft kiss — slower this time, lingering.

"Go on," she whispered against his lips. "Do what you have to do. I'll be right here waiting for you,

Re: A Never-Ending War Brings New Surprises

Margo had been in the middle of giving a chart update to Nurse Able when she suddenly felt a warm pair of lips at the back of her neck and strong arms slide around her waist.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Her breath caught—every single time he did that, she felt that same flutter in her chest she'd felt the first week she met him. Even after a year and a half together, after sharing a tent, a bed, a life in the middle of a war, Ryan still made her blush like a brand-new nurse fresh out of school.

A slow smile tugged at her lips as she tilted her head slightly to give him better access.

"Well, good morning to you too, soldier," she murmured, her voice soft but warm.

Nurse Able smirked, muttered something about "getting a room," and walked off.

Margo turned in Ryan's arms, looping her hands around the back of his neck and pulling him closer. She looked him up and down—clean shirt, hair a little mussed, eyes soft and full of something she never thought she'd get in a place like this.

"You look handsome," she said with a grin that was just for him. "And suspiciously awake. Did you come all the way over here just to make the rest of us jealous? Or..."

Her fingers brushed lightly along his collarbone as she leaned in, whispering just for him—

"...were you missing me already?"

She kissed him gently, lingering just a second longer than she should while on duty. When she pulled back, her eyes were playful, but there was that unmistakable love there too—the kind only someone who'd chosen him again and again could hold.

"Careful with that neck-kissing," she teased softly. "I might drag you into the supply closet, and I don't think Colonel Blake would appreciate losing both of us at once."