In the days after her accident Nasty didn't do much, just resting - as the doctor recommended. She hadn't slept properly in months, so now was a good time to compensate. Simon was very busy, as it was high season for his adventure agency. Nevertheless, he found enough time to pamper his beloved brave little girl. There were lots of visits from friends, even old colonel Streitmeyer called in to greet his most extraordinary officer.

A week passed before Simon took Nasty to the hospital to remove her stitches. He dropped her off at the front doors before heading back to the agency on yet more business.

First Dr. Steiner took several x-rays of Nasty's ankle, "Everything is healing fine, Nasty – in fact I’m glad you convinced me not to operate. If you don't mind, I would like to include your case in my doctor's dissertation. I'd like to take some pictures of you too, if you agree."

"Only if I could get a copy for my album too," replied Nasty.

"No problem, but there won't be any pictures of your face, only of your leg."

"Why? Am I too ugly?"

"No, but..." the good doctor blushed a little, "I need serious medical pictures, not..."

He hesitated a while, "What the hell, I'll take some pictures just for your album, too.” He said eventually, “I just can't understand why you want to keep memories of such an embarrassing event."

Nasty hobbled into the castroom and the doctor took a few pictures of her cut and bandaged cast. He then carefully removed the elastic bandages and began to cut the cast on both sides, leaving only narrow cast splint under her leg. A few more pictures were taken and the stitches were removed. A nurse carefully supported Nasty's leg whilst Dr. Steiner covered it again with several rolls of wet plaster. Finally he neatly trimmed the edges so as not to cut into Nasty's flesh, smoothed the cast and after twenty or so minutes Nasty was ready to go.

"Wow, that looks nice," smiled Nasty staring at her cast. "I can't imagine why some doctors can't make such an even and smooth cast. Would you take some more pictures of me, doc? Please?"

Dr. Steiner just laughed and took his camera. Nasty was wearing a short white skirt that flared out from her body, a tasteless bright yellow tank-top with big garish butterflies and a Teva sandal on her good foot. She grabbed her crutches and stood up to pose for the doctor's camera. Nasty was smiling widely and swinging her casted leg up and down. They shot the whole roll of film and Dr. Steiner grinned when Nasty finally left the castroom.

"Well, I didn't know there are casted models too. I assume that you really enjoyed that. It will be hard not to share those pictures with my colleagues at the University."

"You can share them, I don't mind," chuckled Nasty. "Don't you doctors ever have sexual fantasies about your patients?"

"If we didn't..." the doctor blushed again, "I believe some would have them after seeing that."

Simon wasn't back yet and Nasty sat down on a bench to wait for him, settling her casted leg across her good one. The cast wasn't completely dry yet, so she soiled her right leg a bit – the bright white powder sharply contrasting with her tanned skin. A few minutes later a nurse wheeled out a little girl from the other castroom. She was approximately twelve years old, and Nasty’s eyes were drawn to the brand new long leg cast on her right leg. She looked at the nurse very darkly when she got her crutches, and when the nurse left the girl started to weep bitterly. Nasty was always very sensitive about children's tears, so she reached up on her crutches and hobbled over to the young girl.

She leant against her stretcher and asked with concern, "Hey hon, what's up with you? Does it hurt that much?"

The girl looked at Nasty sadly and moaned, "Yes, it hurts..."

"C'mon honey, don't cry, everything's gonna be alright," gently whispered Nasty and handed her a handkerchief. "You broke your leg?"

The little girl nodded to the other ‘little girl’, "I was... hit by a car..."

"What bad luck! I was hit by a car too."

"At the pedestrian crossing…" she snuffled and lost herself in tears again.

Nasty started to hold the little girl's hand gently in hers, when Dr. Steiner appeared.

"Hey, doc, what's going on with that girl?" asked Nasty. "Will she be okay? And why have you left her here like this?"

"I’m terribly sorry, Nasty, I'll call the nurse immediately. Her mother's on the way already," replied doctor. "She was hit by a car, but she was quite lucky - just a simple break. She'll be fine in few weeks."

"Don't bother those lazy nurses," said Nasty. "I'll keep her company for a while."

"Thanks a lot Nasty, you really are a good girl. She's quite upset, but if you talk to her for a while, it will help a lot."

So Nasty continued caring for the injured little girl,

"C'mon sweetie, you’re a big girl now. Stop crying and let's chat a little. By the way that’s a beautiful dress you’re wearing."

"You think so?" she looked at the smiling Nasty with red eyes. "But..." She was ready to cry again.

"But - what?" Nasty interrupted another outbreak of tears. "Forget about that accident right now. It's not a pleasant event, but these things happen every day and you passed  through it quite well in the end. The doctor said you'll be fine in no time. Just few weeks in the cast that’s all, it's not the end of the world."

"Were you... hit today too?" asked the little girl shyly.

"No, a week ago. Actually, I was riding my motorbike when some stupid jerk came in my half of the road and I had to swerve into a ditch. He didn't really hit me, but I still broke my ankle. The doctor changed my cast today. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself - my name is Anastasia, but everybody calls me Nasty. That is, except for one particular hillbilly boy, who calls me Chelsea. And what's your name?"

"I'm Heidemarie, but you can call me Heidi." Finally the tears subsided. "Does your cast hurt a lot?"

"Of course not, Heidi. Casts don't hurt, your broken leg will be throbbing for a while, but in the cast the pain diminishes quickly, don't worry. After a week or two you won't feel anything at all. You'll be fine in no time, I promise. You can believe me, I've broken my bones several times and I always survived," smiled Nasty.

"But..." snuffled Heidi. "That cast's so terrible, and doctor said I'll have to walk on crutches for two months, everybody will laugh at me."

"You are terribly wrong, Heidi," grinned Nasty. "Nobody will laugh at you and you'll get a lot of attention from the boys, believe me. By the way, how old are you? Maybe you have a boyfriend already?"

"I'm twelve," replied Heidi. "I don't have a boyfriend yet, but..."

"...But there is someone in your heart already?" guessed Nasty.

The little girl blushed and nodded with shy smile.

"How did you know?"

"I was a teenager, too, not so long ago," answered Nasty with a shrug. "When I was twelve, I had already…” Suddenly she stopped and changed the subject quickly back to Heidi’s situation.

"Well, that's cool. The boy will come to visit you and he will autograph your cast. I think that's a good opportunity to start something with him."

"I'm afraid not," replied Heidi sadly. "Who on Earth will fall for a casted girl?"

"Every boy on Earth, I've told you already. Especially if there's such a cutie like you in question," chuckled Nasty. "Believe me, boys get crazy about casted babes, I know them well enough. Boys appreciate girls in casts, they become so willing to help and pamper us. When they see a babe on crutches, they feel like a knight in shining armour whose only mission is to take care of his helpless princess... But! You mustn't be ashamed of your cast, you must go out and show yourself, you know. And you have to dress yourself up nicely. Remember, no loose sweat pants, no socks over your casted foot, no ugly cast boots. You have to paint your toenails on your injured foot, too, of course."

"Well, if you say so, but I'm not sure..." smiled Heidi.

"Believe me, it works," Nasty lifted her casted leg and wiggled her toes, still dotted with white plaster spots. "Aren't they cute? Who the hell could resist something like that?"

Just that moment Simon arrived and although he was a hillbilly, he wasn't stupid. He had already guessed out what the two girls are talking about.

"Chelsea, are you recruiting another caster? Please, don't end up in a jail for harassing a minor."

"Piss off, Hillbilly, we're just talking. Girl's talk, what's wrong with that? By the way, that's my new friend Heidi. Heidi, that's my hillbilly boyfriend, Hillbilly."

"Nice to meet you..." smiled Heidi. She didn't dare to call an adult guy just 'Hillbilly'.

"Nice to meet you too, Heidi. Well, my real name is Simon."

Nasty's casted leg was still lifted onto Heidi's stretcher and she wiggled her toes again, "Hillbilly, isn't my cast marvellous? Tell her how you boys admire girls with casts, she doesn't believe me."

"If you say so, Chelsea..." Simon laughed. "Yeah, I like my casted babe very much, that's absolutely true."

"I do believe you, Nasty," replied Heidi. "But it's just so strange... Okay, I won't hide my cast, I promise."

"That's right Heidi, that's how the things should go," smiled Nasty. "Don't be sad about your cast, it's just...a bit awkward, but at the same a very funny thing, you'll find that soon."

"And I'll paint my toenails, too. If only my mother will let me borrow some of her polishes, I'm not sure she would."

"No problem," chuckled Nasty. She rummaged in her backpack, before producing not one, but four bottles of nail polish - yellow, green, black and pink. "Keep them, Heidi, I have a plenty of them at home. Hillbilly is always angry with me for having too many cosmetics... stupid men, you know."

"Wow, thank you very much Nasty. You really are nice," beamed Heidi.

"You're welcome," answered Nasty and turned to Simon: "Heidi has great dress, doesn't she? I want one like it too, Hillbilly. Where did you get it, Heidi?"

"In KidFashion World, in the shopping centre downtown," blushed Heidi. "It's nothing special."

"Well, I’m small enough to wear children's clothes, that's the benefit of being short. That, and having enough space in the tank," chuckled Nasty. "KidFashion World, can you remember that, Hillbilly?"

"Your clothes are nice too," Heidi replied. "And your hair is funny and cool. My parents would never let me to paint my hair like that. Are you a raver, Nasty?"

"Well, I don't like techno or house music actually. I like punk, hardcore, goth and so on, but I do like rave parties, and the image, of course. The soldiers call me ‘Tank Girl’ behind my back."

"Did you say soldiers?" asked Heidi.

"Yeah, my rookies, pheasants, lizards... on the first days in the barracks they laughed at me, but when I showed them how to disassemble and reassemble an MG3 machine gun with my eyes covered..."

"Good Lord, Nasty, what are you doing with machine guns? That's definitely not a girl's toy, I assume."

"I'm not an ordinary girl," Nasty laughed. "I'm a professional soldier, a commander of a tank platoon, believe it or not. I promise that when our legs both heal, I'll take you for a ride in my Leopard. It's an awesome feeling rushing along at 60 kph with more than sixty tonnes of killing armour at your disposal. You'll enjoy it like nothing else - It's just a matter of emancipation, you know."

"The hell with emancipation Chelsea. Tell me, how's your ankle?" Simon finally got the right to speak.

"Everything is going well. The doctor said he would give me a short leg cast in two weeks," explained Nasty. "I think my cast is already dry enough to decorate it a little. Did you bring the felt tip pens, Hillbilly?"

Simon reached the pocket on his thigh and took out a wad of colour magic markers. Nasty lifted her casted leg and put it onto Heidi's stretcher.

"Sorry, babe, but Hillbilly has the exclusive right to decorate my cast first."

Simon laughed, took a red marker and drew just below Nasty's knee a large heart, pierced with an anti-tank rocket. Then he took a blue one and wrote below the heart, 'I love you, my sweet Chelsea, 4ever'. He was awarded with a long hot kiss, then Nasty handed the markers to Heidi: "It's your turn, babe." Heidi hesitated a while, then she wrote just simply 'Heidemarie'.

"Add 'wenn wir am Rhein marschieren' and my brigade commander will go crazy," chuckled Nasty.

"Stop it, Chelsea," Simon reminded her seriously.

"C'mon, I'm just kidding Hillbilly," she replied. "Do you remember the scandal last year, when I broke my arm and Uli sketched the shield of SS-division Hitlerjugend on my cast? I thought Streitmeyer would have to be taken to the mental institution."

"Stop it Chelsea," repeated Simon embarrassedly. "Your sister is a fucking nazi, but you aren’t."

"Let's change the theme," agreed Nasty and knocked on Heidi's cast. "I'm stating as an expert that your cast is dry, too. Would you mind if we decorate it a little?"

Heidi just shrugged her shoulders with a smile, Nasty started with the dull green marker. She drew a tank, then a shield with unicorn's head.

"That's the sign of our armoured brigade - I designed it. The unicorn is a symbol of innocence and virginity. You know, tanks are always virginal - when they meet a penetrator, they die, just like unicorns." She finished by autographing her drawing, '2nd lieutenant Nasty Baranowski'.

Simon autographed Heidi's cast as Dr. Steiner appeared with Heidi’s anxious mother. "Here is your daughter, Madam. You can take her home now, she'll be fine. Heidi, I'm glad you are okay now. Thanks again Nasty, if you get bored of your tanks, I'll hire you as a patient-animator."

"I won't, doc, but thanks anyway," smiled Nasty. "Would you like to autograph your masterpiece?"

The doctor just laughed at first, but eventually he autographed both girl's casts. He also helped Heidi to get off the stretcher. Both girls left the hospital on their crutches, although Heidi was much clumsier than Nasty.

Heidi's mother seemed very concerned and upset, she carefully supported her little girl's arm as she hopped to the parked car nearby. Though it wasn’t her place, Nasty couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"There's no need for grieving, Ma'am. Your daughter was quite a lucky one and the doc said she'd be all set soon. If she doesn't mind about having a broken leg, you don't need to either."

The woman turned to Nasty already prepared to reply with something like 'Mind your own business, you little punk,' but instead she said icily, "I hope she won't miss too much school."

"Of course she won't," answered Nasty assuredly, “there's no reason to. The school starts in two weeks or so. She'll be very good on crutches by then."

"She can't go to school in a cast," protested Heidi's mother.

"Yes she can!" blurted out Nasty.

"Please young lady, don't tell me what's good for my own child." The anger was growing in Heidi's mother.

Nasty realised she would spoil her own intentions, so she smiled in apology.

"Please forgive me my boldness, Ma'am. I just wanted to say... You see, I had broken my leg a few times before and I always went to school on crutches, it's nothing special at all. I just thought," she leaned to the older woman and lowered her voice, "well, it's better for Heidemarie. If you don’t confine her to the house, she can lead an almost normal life. She'll forget about the accident quicker, which is very important for her morale... and it would really be a shame to miss her first days of school."

Heidi's mother hesitated a while: "Well, maybe you have a point, too. I'll keep that in mind, thank you for your concern. Now you’ll have to excuse us. It was nice to meet you, Miss..."

"...Anastasia Lorelei Baranowski. Nice to meet you, too, Ma'am," smiled Nasty. She winked with mischief to Heidi.

"I'll call you soon, babe! Take care."