The days that followed were rough. Defeat of the British carried a somberness throughout the area. The field hospital remained stationed in the location, yet the fear had begun to settle in the minds those who were there. The fighting was miles away. The sounds of war carried through the air, which did not help the feelings of the patients or nurses.

Eloise could not help but to think of her friend, Thomas, who was on the front lines. She knew not if he lived. The planes that soared above her head made her mind wonder about Albert. The confusion grew in her heart. Feelings for both men were present, each was different. She admired Thomas but did not love him in the way she loved Albert. With every rumble of a plane, her heart skipped a beat. She hoped that one day he would fly over and catch a glimpse of the man who had soared away with her heart.

The morning had brought a chill in the air. She cradled Ulrich in her arms. Every moment she got to spend with her son was a cherishment. Carefully, she watched him sleep. Not a worry was present in the resting child. She wished that she could have the same amount of peace.

"Eloise..." Adeline interrupted her moment.

Eloise did not make a motion, knowing what she wanted, "I am coming Adeline." She trailed her finger along his smooth cheek. "Just give me another moment with my child."

The quiet footsteps of Adeline were the only sounds to fill the empty room. As she sat down beside Eloise, the chair creaked and jolted Eloise into reality. She placed a tender kiss on Ulrich and gently passed him to Adeline.

The sight of Adeline with her son made her heart ache. She wanted to be the only mother he had, yet it seemed that Ulrich was the child of all the nurses. She could not pinpoint the feeling she had. She was grateful for their help, but something inside of her hated it.

"I will take good care of him," Adeline promised.

Eloise nodded, "Thank you." Her hands trailed down the front of her dress, smoothing the wrinkled linen fabric.

In the hospital the day was normal, just as any passing day. The routine remained the same. The recovering soldiers conversed among themselves peacefully, waiting for Eloise and the other nurses to tend their needs. Just as always, the time ticked by slowly.

The soldiers quickly became stirred as a loud commotion echoed through the silent walls of the hospital. The soldiers watched around carefully at the sounds of shelling coming from above head. Eloise knew the sound all too well. It was the songs of a plane, sung by that of a machine gun. Several of the men went to a window to see the scene unfolding in the air. Eloise fought the curiosity to look, but continued to listen closely to the conversations of the men.

"It is the Black Knight!" a man exclaimed, pointing at the dipping plane in the sky.

The conversations turned into excitement. Their cheers were clearly cried for the British pilot. Eloise knew not who the Black Knight was, but she knew that he was not favored among the soldiers. She glanced over at the other nurses; whose faces held no emotion.

"NO!" The voices of the men became loud and disheartened.

Eloise turned her full attention back onto the men gathered at the window. The look in their eyes showed defeat. Eloise finally let the curiosity take the best of her as she neared the door. With a delicate creak she looked out. Against the blue canvas she watched as a British plane exited the sky. The spiraling decent was followed by a thick cloud of black smoke. Fire blazed from its tail until it reached the ground. The scene caused no startle in Eloise, for it was a sight she had grown familiar with. She looked at the blazing sight for only a moment before bolting in its direction.

The scene reminded her of the poppy field. Instantly, she looked into the cockpit, dreading what sight might appear. Much to her surprise the pilot was still alive and coherent. A large piece of wooden shrapnel was imbedded in his thigh.

"I can't move, ma'am." His voice crackled.

"Don't worry, sir," Eloise offered him a kind smile. "We will get you out."

When she glanced up, she saw a group of men hurriedly approached the scene. She looked to the men who were beside her, "Lift him."

In an instant, three men began to hoist the pilot from the wreckage of his aircraft. They gently eased him onto the ground, where Eloise began to work on him. She removed his belt and tightly cinched it above his knee, staunching the flow of blood. He winced in pain as she touched the large chunk of wood protruding from his limb. With a gentle hand, she tugged on it. It was buried deep within his flesh. She knew that the surgeon had left for the day, leaving her with the task to help the man.

"Let's get him inside." She instructed rising from the ground.

The group of men lifted the pilot and carried him into the operating room. Eloise looked down at the frightened man that lay before her. The nervousness in his eyes grew with every passing second.

"This is going to hurt a bit," She informed the man as she wrapped her hands around the thick wood. "but once it is out you will be fine."

The man responded with a nod. With a stiff, clean jerk, Eloise pulled the shrapnel from his leg. The man let out a painful groan, reaching toward the injury.

"You did wonderful, sir." She reassured him as she began cleaning the wound.

"You have taken part in bringing down the Black Knight. You, too, will be a hero once I take him down." The man's words held arrogance—an arrogance that Eloise despised.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, sir. This war has a strange way of taking out the heroes."

As he rolled his eyes, a smug smile appeared, "Ma'am, I don't wish to be rude, but what do you really know of this war?"

She paused her work and looked at the man. Images of war flashed through her mind, yet her mouth refused to speak of the horrors. Seeing the decorated pilot angered her, knowing that he knew nothing of life in the trenches. She did not wish the horrors of the foot soldiers on any man. She only offered prayers for them and hoped that her words worked.

Emotionless she replied, "I know enough."

As she dressed his wounds, she knew that his injuries were not critical. Thankfulness came from knowing that. She wanted him to leave as soon as possible, for she could not stand his demeanor. He continued to speak, yet Eloise ignored his words. She needed not to know what he spoke.

In a matter of minutes, she had finished with him. "We are finished. One of the men will return you to the airfield."

A disappointed look came to his face, "You mean I am leaving already?"

Without speaking, Eloise nodded coldly.

He eased from the table with a groan, meeting eye to eye with Eloise, "I was hoping for a little more time with you."

"Goodbye, sir. I have nothing more to offer you." She kept her words thin, and her posture tall. She could sense the annoyance in the man after her rejection. There was no care, instead she turned and left the man alone.

♠

The days that followed brought no excitement. Many of the soldiers who were there had been relocated back onto the front. The talk of The Black Knight remained circulating among the men that remained. According to them, he was a living legend. With the continual talk of the German pilots, Eloise could not help but think about Albert.

The door creaked open, stealing the attention of the nurses in the hall. A well-dressed man appeared before them. Eloise could tell he was a pilot from the patches and medals on his brown uniform. His eyes roamed the area for a moment, looking at each of the staring nurses.

"Which nurse is accredited to saving my friend's life?" A smooth British voice asked.

Eloise exchanged a quick glance with Adeline and nervously shook her head. The group of women remained silent. Some ignored the man and continued their work, while some instantly looked at Eloise. Eloise felt her face turning red under the pressure. Her eyes met with his for a moment but was swift to avert them. The women continued conversing among themselves, leaving the man on his own.

"Is no one going to answer my question?"

Eloise nervously ran her hands down the front of her dress and hurried out of the room. She did not wish to answer the man's questions, for knew not his intentions. She had saved many men during her time at the hospital and praise was nothing she desired. Before she could make her escape, the man had caught up to her.

"You are the woman to praise for saving my friend's life?" he addressed Eloise, removing the hat from his head. He bowed obeisantly to her. "I cannot thank you enough for your assistance. He is my best flyer and I don't know what I would have done if he had been killed. The Germans are far too difficult to beat in the air without experienced men."

She looked up at him meekly and nervously brushed away the loose strands of her hair. "I did nothing special; I only did my job."

"He, along with a few other exceptional fighters, is our only chance to bring down the Black Knight."

"Who is The Black Knight?" Eloise finally questioned, raising a brow.

"He is the best German flyer they have. His name is Albert von Brandt and he is invincible."

Her eyes grew wide as a chill ran down her spine. The world around her stopped for a moment at the sound of his name. The thought of him in the area made her heart soar with excitement.

"You mean he was here?"

He nodded, "Yes, that was him."

Eloise let out a deep breath. She tried to hide the emotions that she felt growing. Albert was close to her and did not even know.

"It's exciting, isn't it?" his voice went hushed. "You witnessed one of the greatest flying legends. He will go down in history, that is for certain. When you are old, you can say you saw The Black Knight fly in person."

Eloise could not help the smile that formed on her face. It was true The Black Knight had made an appearance at the field hospital, but it was Albert who showed up in her heart. Little did they know that she could tell them of the tender side he had. She could tell them that every night she held his son in her arms and prayed that he would reappear. She could make them look into the eyes of Ulrich and see Albert was no monster. Those were all tender memories that she kept locked away inside her heart. No British Tommie would ever know of her secret. Now with Albert feet above the air, she was closer to him than ever. She closed her eyes and imagined herself back in his arms.

"What is your name, miss? I don't believe I caught it." the British accent of the man brought her from her German dream.

She hesitated with the response, "Eloise, and you are?"

"I am Captain Everett Bradford. It is a pleasure to meet you Eloise." A wide smile came onto his face, flashing a set of perfectly whitened teeth. "Lieutenant Anderson was right; the most beautiful woman saved his life."

An uncomfortable silence fell among them. Eloise felt her cheeks growing increasingly warm. No words came to mind for a response. She was tired of only being known for her looks, she wished she could be known for her job instead. She knew that he could see her discomfort, yet he kept it awkward.

"You are a fine lady. I hope that we can see more of each other." He finally spoke.

"It was nice meeting you as well." She kept her words vague, knowing the attention of him was the last thing she wanted. "I should be returning to my work now, sir."

As she turned to leave, he caught her by the hand. "I will see you around, Eloise."

Her eyes pierced into him. He lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on the knuckles. She forced a smile onto her face and gently nodded.

"Good day, sir," She bluntly remarked.

In an instant she vanished from the man, hoping that he would not follow her. She found a hidden corner and retreated. Taking deep breaths, her only thoughts were on Albert. He was her Knight in the air, and she was a princess that needed saving. She hoped that fairytales were real, yet all she knew was Grimm.

♠

Rumors of another battle in Ypres circulated among the few remaining men. All had regained their strength and awaited the orders of their commanding officers. Eloise knew that their brief time for peace was coming to an end. She had saw the letters of officers and knew that the soldiers would be relocated within a week.

Eloise sat on the step with Ulrich, bouncing him cheerily. Momentary happiness beamed from the eyes of the remaining recovering soldiers. Several of the men cooed at the child, making the lilting laughter escape from him. Eloise could not help but to smile at the scene. For a moment she could see that some peace could be found during war.

"I have son as well," one of the men shared. "I have yet to see him. I have only read about him in letters."

"Would you like to hold him?"

The man's eyes grew wide. "May I?"

Eloise responded with a quick nod and lifted Ulrich to the man. His face instantly melted once the child was in his arms. His deep voice became smooth and gentle as he began to talk to Ulrich. A tender smile was the only response the child could give, but it was the greatest in the man's eyes. The other men watched, some in jealously. Their conversations turned to reminiscing on their own children who were home. The reactions of the men were priceless. The longing in their voices made Eloise ache inside. She could not imagine being parted from her son.

Another man asked for the permission to hold the child, which Eloise obliged him. She gently closed her eyes, imagining that it was Albert who held Ulrich. She wondered if he would admire the boy just as the other love-deprived soldiers did. She hoped that he would...

"Excuse me, Eloise." A soft voice came from behind her. She rose to the attention of a nurse. "There has been a patient brought in. The surgeon has requested your service."

The woman's eyes roamed onto the pleasantries that were taking place and quickly turned. "I will tell him that you are busy."

Eloise raised her hand, halting the woman. "Tell him that I will be there soon," she said. "But might I ask you to do something?"

The woman silently nodded.

"Stay here and keep my son with the soldiers. They need this peace to recover more than anything."

The woman looked at the men who were enjoying themselves, then back at Eloise. Eloise could see the reluctance written across her face. Upon a moment of thought the woman agreed and joined the circle of men.

Eloise turned and entered the building. Inside stood a man, bleeding from the head and legs. Confusion line the man's face, just as it did Eloise. His puzzling garments made Eloise question the stranger standing before her. A linen undershirt stained with blood covered his top—an unusual sight for soldiers around. His baggy trousers were mangled and appeared unfitting to his small frame. A series of pins and medals were attached to the fabric of the brown pants. Eloise recognized them as those of the Germans.

The surgeon sat him down on the table and inspected him. Every question that was asked remained unanswered by the stranger. Eloise assumed that English was not his native language, but she dared not to speak a word in German. The man seemed desperate and she did not wish to risk him being punished.

♠

Within the next mornings, the recovered soldiers had been removed from their beds. Each were dressed once again in a military uniform. The smiles she had remembered had vanished from their faces. Bitter, tired men were all that remained.

Eloise could hear the commands being dictated through the officers. The men that Eloise had grown to enjoy was being deployed back onto the western front. Something ached within her as she watched them line up in a single file. She looked onto their faces, painting the images of men young to old in her mind.

"I thought that you might like to have this," a soldier called to her.

She recalled seeing the man play with Ulrich. To her memory, he adored her child. He reached out a brown card that Eloise reluctantly took. She looked down at the paper she held in her hands only to see a photograph of Ulrich and herself sitting on the step. Her eyes quickly met with the man and smiled.

"How did you get this?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "The photographer that was here a few weeks ago had taken this of you with your son. He gave it to me and told me that he hoped it would make me happy. It brought me much happiness. It was like I finally had a family," a paused came to his voice, "But I think that you need to keep it. A woman needs a photograph like that. Like for me, it will serve as a reminder as to why you are fighting."

Astonished, Eloise glanced back down at the image. A smiling Ulrich was looking back at her. "Thank you, sir. I shall cherish this." She pulled the man into a simple embrace.

"Thank you, miss, for saving my life."

Eloise nodded at his kindness. Before she could reply, the man had bid her farewell and left her alone. She watched as the man disappeared into the row of marching soldiers. She knew that she would never see those men again—and if she did, she hoped they were alive. A mutual friendship had blossomed with her and the ragged group of soldiers. She wished the best for each of them and hoped that they could see their families once again.

Her eyes left the men and went back to the at the image in her hands. A grateful sensation spilled from her heart as she stared down at the brown picture. It was just as the man said, a reminder as too why she was there. She was fighting the battle with death in the hospital—a battle that was far from being over.