I began to distribute duffel bags as Captain Cooper asked the medical team to only bring what they could fit in the bag. I noticed that girl. The girl with wild, shoulder length, black curls and bright blue eyes. I somehow recognized how her lips were slightly pouted, her posture, and the way her hair flowed in the wind. She was so familiar, but I couldn't place where I knew her from.

I handed her a bag, and that's when I saw it. The silver bracelet embellished with cherry blossoms. And it all came back to me. The blue eyes, the smile, the dark curls, the dress, the bracelet: Ella Anderson.

"Ella?" I asked before I could stop myself. "Ella Anderson?"

She looked at me, her eyes wide. I saw recognition begin to take over her eyes, before she she murmured, "Gabe Whit."

Time seemed to stop for a moment. We met again. The girl who I had shared a romantic night with, the girl I had regretted losing contact with for the past, and now she was standing in front of me again. She looked as pretty as ever, but her hair was much shorter. Her eyes were locked with mine, and I could tell that she had thought of me as well.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked, gruffly.

She shook her head no.

"Are you married?"

"No," she murmured, breathlessly.

"It seems that we're all set."

"Sergeant Whit?" Captain Cooper called out to me. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, sir!" I called back as I stepped away from Ella, leaving her standing, still in shock. The girl next to her with the long dark hair asked her if she was alright and Ella nodded her head slowly.

I chuckled to myself as I went back to Captain Cooper. "Captain, you have no idea what just happened."

Captain Cooper raised an eyebrow, "You see a girl for a few seconds and you absolutely lose it."

"No, no. She's the girl from the wedding."

"That one? With the blue dress?" I had told Captain about Ella when we had been drunk together. Sadly, the Captain never forgot anything even when he was drunk. I was grateful that he never made fun of me for pining after a girl from eight years ago.

I nodded my head, "Is she looking at me?"

"Negative. She's chatting with an Asian girl while packing her bag. Currently she is pulling a pair of mint green panties out of her suitcase and into her duffel bag. She also has a matching br--"

I smacked him lightly, "Sir, you have no social awareness. Don't describe a woman's undergarments!"

He blinked. "I was just giving a report for a comrade."

"This guy..." I groaned. "Sir, you're lucky you have me to guide you socially."

"Shut up," he turned to the medical team and called out. "We will be departing now. The first group will come with me. The second group will stay with Sergeant Whit until the chopper returns." He muttered to me, "You're welcome." Before leading five of the doctors to the chopper.

I approached the other five, "I am Sergeant Whit. If you need anything, you can ask me."

"Nice to meet you, Sergeant," a young man with blonde hair and brown eyes greeted me. "I'm Dr. Bradley."

"It's a pleasure."

A blonde girl smiled politely, "Hello, I'm Dr. Baker."

The Asian girl who was standing with Ella, smiled, "I'm Nurse Lee, and she's Nurse Anderson."

"Nice to meet you," I responded.

Nurse Lee muttered under her breath, "You and Ella seem to know each other quite well..." Ella flushed and smacked her friend, and I chuckled at how cute she was when she was flustered.

A doctor with brown hair muttered under his breath, "I guess nobody notices me..."

I grinned and held my hand out to him. "Sergeant Whit. Nice to meet you."

He shook my hand, his eyes lighting up, "I'm Dr. White! Nice to meet you Sergeant."

I chuckled, "Was your flight over alright?"

Ella nodded, "Long."

"Have you eaten?" We both held eye contact, not shying away. Her eyes held surprise, shock, and, to my surprise, relief.

"They served us on the plane."

Dr. White muttered to Nurse Lee and Dr. Bradley, "Why is it so tense?"

Nurse Lee whispered back, "Just let it happen."

Dr. Bradley cut in, stepping up beside Ella, "It was very bland, wasn't it?"

She broke eye contact with me, turning to smile at Dr. Bradley, "The only thing I've ever had that was blander was your chicken noodle soup."

"Don't tease me!" Dr. Bradley laughed.
"Have you finished packing your bag?"

"No, I haven't. I probably should."

"Yes, I'll help you!" he led her back to her bag, and I could've sworn that he shot me a nasty glare as he helped Ella off.

~oOo~

I stood outside the Medical Team's living quarters, holding two cups of coffee, debating whether or not to talk to Ella. On one hand, it had been eight years since our encounter, perhaps we were just old friends getting to know each other again. But it had felt like much more than old friends meeting each other! We had been in our own world until that Dr. Bradley had interrupted. Who was he to her anyway! Were they in a relationship?

No, she had said she was single. She was single right now and we meet again. It must be fate. That two-faced bitch.

I finally decided that I should talk to her, but just as I went to knock on her door, it swung open. Ella stood in the doorway in a pair of old sweatpants that read "Ravenclaw" on the side of her left leg and an old T-shirt with the phrase "You're so perfect, I'm surprised you're not a fictional character" written across it. She held a tooth brush in one hand, and toothpaste in the other. She immediately threw her hands up over her face, "You surprised me!"

I chuckled. "Are you okay? Why are you covering your face?"

"I already took off my makeup!" She flushed. "I was gonna go to bed and so I took off all my makeup and changed my clothes for bed and--"

I chuckled and moved her arms away from her face, handing her a cup of coffee, "You always look pretty. Would you like to have coffee with me?"

"This late at night? The caffeine will keep us up all night..."

I rolled my eyes and pulled her away from her quarters, to an empty field, where I sat on a large stone, inviting her to sit with me. She embarassedly sat beside me, crosslegged on the stone. We sat beside each other for a few minutes, staring at the stars, taking in the sight of the landscape. "It's beautiful here," she smiled at me.

I looked back at her, and I was so relieved that she was here. "How have you been?"

She broke eye contact with me and looked back down at her mug, "I've been busy." She paused, "I'm glad that you've been promoted."

I sipped my coffee, "I am too. I'm close to being promoted again. I'm glad that you're a nurse now."

She nodded, "It looks like we've both been well."

A silence fell over the two of us, a meaningful silence which felt comfortable. We both sat and sipped our mugs. "Do you see those stars?"

I nodded, looking up at them with her.

"There are so many of them. They look so close from here. At home they look so far away..."

"When did you move to Los Angeles?" I asked suddenly.

"Last year, right after I graduated."

I turned towards her, "Why? I thought you wanted to stay in Ohio."

She turned to look at me, her blue eyes looking deep into mine, a serious look. "I have my reasons."

There was another pause. Another comfortable silence that settled upon us. One that was broken by my murmur, "I'm glad you came."

"Me too," she whispered.

"Come on," I got up, extending my hand out to her. "It's cold tonight, you might catch a cold, Nurse Anderson."

She took my hand, and I helped her up. "Thank you, Sergeant Whit."