At least there was a breeze in the night, making the heat left over from the day slightly more bearable. Kik took a long drag of his cigarette and tapped away some ash. He looked down at a small pill bug moving around in the dirt. He was careful not to crush it with his combat boot, but he would block a little space, have it try to move around him. He watched it quietly and finally let it on its way. He was out a little ways from the thrown up medical tent, taking a break before starting up his night shift.

"So doctors really do smoke?" A voice behind him asked. There was snark when the man spoke.

Kik looked over his shoulder at a man with his arm wrapped up, but in his fatigues.The sleeve with the injury was rolled up passed it. He stood up, putting his cigarette between his lips, instantly walking over, checking on the doctor's work.

"What are you doing out of bed? Who let you leave?" Kik sighed.

"Relax, I'm set to leave in a few hours. Thought I would get some fresh air. My vitals are fine. Don't look so scared!" The soldier took a seat where Kik was at previously, patting the rock to get Kik to return.

Kik walked over, a touch hesitant, but took a seat. The soldier's hair was slicked back unlike when he was brought in, hair disheveled, arm bleeding even after the attempt to close it off. From one of his pockets, the other man slipped out his own pack of cigarettes and a zippo to light it. He took a long drag of his and a few shorter ones. Kik wanted to tell the blond solider to slowdown, the cigarette isn't going to run off, but he decided to just look at the sky. At least you could see the stars.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked.

"I feel fine, really. I just need to get back to my men. This was a bullshit injury, I think it could have been dealt with it at the action."

"Well thank you Doctor," Kik gently picked up the other man's dog tags, finding the name. "Donovan. We'll be sure to check in with you first."

Donovan looked back at him for a few moments and scoffed, a large smirk on his face. He took another drag before talking. "Fair point. But I really do hate being away from them, I'd feel like shit if something happened while I was gone."

Kik nodded along, never knowing what to say to soldiers. He never fought, and he was very happy to say that. He refuses to even hold a gun, he's suppose to be healing people, not causing the pain. He has been around the action, before being transferred to a MUST unit.

He hated the war, he didn't want to be in it. He knew that didn't make him special, most didn't want to be here. There was a handful of things that could have, or should have gotten him exempt from going but none of those things seems to really matter as they're checking you. If you're in shape, that seems to do it. It doesn't matter if you're, dumb, homosexual, even seeming to have sympathy towards the communists. Especially not when you're a doctor. They desperately needed doctors. You got the brains, you're in shape, you have the skills, they really can look over the other things. Especially when they can tell you're true and strong about your practice. You'll help whoever needs it. Then, they really pretend they have never heard the bad things.

Kik kept thinking about Donovan's tags, an 'O'. He was an officer, and the three followed after. He's from the same coast as Kik.

"You're an officer, what are you a major? I don't see your oak."

"Doesn't matter, my name works just fine when trying to get my attention. But, now I get to know something." He put his cigarette in his mouth and reached over, grabbing Kik's own set of tags.

"Keith...José..." He muttered, but a smile crept on his face as he kept reading. "Kennedy. Nice last name to have right now."

This got a chuckle out of Kik and he shook his head. "Depends on who sees it."

"Yeah I would imagine. Let's see...Drafted and ah!" He pulled away, and raised a brow. "Where from?"

"Seattle Washington, you?"

"California." He moved the cigarette from his mouth after taking a puff. Kik noted he made sure to leave out the city he's from. Donovan flicked away some ash. "I could never live somewhere that rainy, the rain here is god damn awful."

"It's not the best, but it's what I'm use to."

Donovan nodded along. "It's humid there, right?"

Kik had a warm smile on his face, talking about home here either made that entire day or made it one of the worst. But this was nice. "Yeah, Spring time sucks, you have the overcast keeping in the heat, the humidity because it rained last night and might start up again all while being mid seventies."

"Sounds like torture, been there only once. It was summer so the temperature wasn't too bad. Do you guys have any place where the ocean actually is somewhat decent?"

"No, but we have some nice lakes."

"I'll have to take your word for that one." Donovan tossed the bud of his cigarette to the ground. He really smoked as much as he possibly could before tossing it. Kik looked down at his own, he hasn't tapped away the ash in awhile, and it burned through a lot of it. It wasn't much to save, so he let his own drop to the ground.

"Oh, your beginning question about cigarettes. I shouldn't smoke them, I don't think you should either. I only when I'm stressed out."

"So you've been chainsmoking lately?" Donovan grinned, reaching into his own pocket to light another.

"I try to save it for when I really need it."

"So why today? Long shift?"

"Bad surgery."

Donovan sucked his teeth and gave him firm slap on the back of understanding or comfort. "That's rough, not enough credit goes to you guys, the shit you're able to do?" He whistled, "It's amazing. I know this isn't enough but." Donovan began to trail off.

Kik stood up, tugging his tags into between his undershirt and his fatigue. "Are you gonna let me walk you back to your bed, Donovan?"

Have I mentioned, though I'm debating on whether he will be Kik's boyfriend? I think that would be a fun way to keep my characters sort of intermingled. But who knows they may not work out lol, so we will see once I start developing.