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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 11:55:40 GMT -5
Pvt. Tyler McGowan was laying flat on his back in a hospital bed in a clinic somewhere in southern Vietnam, staring up at the ceiling. His leg was propped up in a sling. At least it still existed. He'd been shot in the thigh, then busted his knee cap when he fell on it. He'd been helicoptered out just in time, and been in bed for the last week. In other words, Pvt. Tyler McGowan was miserable and bored.
Maggie Martin was in D.C. She'd saved enough money and hitch-hiked her way across the country from Berkeley with friends to make it to the protests on the Washington Mall. Her friends had scored some pot and booze, but she'd decided to stay in the park, saying she'd meet them later. She sat cross-legged on a bench, a guitar on her lap, strumming and singing. She'd left the case open on the ground, hoping to make a few bucks for her trouble. She'd been there an hour and made a grand total of $1.57. Wonderful.
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Kathryn
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set me free so i can feel
Posts: 854
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Post by Kathryn on Oct 8, 2011 12:08:31 GMT -5
Kathryn had been a nurse at the Fort Beaufort Army Base for over a month now; it was hard work, but she was in her element. She'd grown up listening to her mom's stories of being a nurse in World War II, and once she'd heard there was a nurse shortage in Vietnam, she wasted no time packing her bags and getting on the first flight there. She picked up her clipboard to see if any new patients had come in today. Thankfully, it was still just the six guys who'd been there for a while. She started with the one nearest her, Pvt. Tyler McGowan. "Morning, Private," she said with a small smile.
Teddy stepped off the plane at the Washington DC airport, his heart soaring. He was finally back on American soil - if only for three weeks. Then it was back to Vietnam, back to guns, back to hiding in foxholes trying not to get shot... He shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head before hoisting his bag higher on his back and following the crowd. He caught a taxi and decided the first thing he wanted to do was see good ole Abe Lincoln.
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 12:15:34 GMT -5
Tyler rolled his head to the side to look at her, flashing her a grin. He tried very hard to hide the wince of pain when he shifted. "Well, howdy, Sugar. Be a doll and help me sit up? I wanna look at ya better." He'd made it his mission to flirt with Nurse Kathryn every chance he got. She was hot. And she was a distraction.
At this point, Maggie had given up her spot on the bench and had decided to just stroll. D.C. was awfully pretty. Especially here. Too bad it was over-run with war mongering Capitalist pigs. But still, pretty. She found herself at the Lincoln Memorial and plopped down on the steps, taking out her guitar again. "All the leaves are brown...and the sky is gray...I've been for a walk...on a winter's day..."
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Post by Mush on Oct 8, 2011 12:25:11 GMT -5
Kathryn ignored him, bending over his leg to get a better look at it. She started to take off his bandages to change them, her fingers working deftly. If she had to choose a soldier to hook up with, it would definitely be Private McGowan. But she wasn't there to fall in love. She was there to help heal injured soldiers.
Teddy stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He knew people were looking at him because of his uniform; one older man even stopped to shake his hand and give him a salute. "We really appreciate your service, son," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "Well, it's my duty as an American, sir."
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 12:32:01 GMT -5
He grunted a little as she worked, not able to help it. "Aw, come on, Kat. Please let me sit up today." He winced. "If I keep havin' to lay like this I'm gonna kill somebody." He was about to get whiny. Kathryn hated it when he whined, and he knew it. He was hoping this time he'd actually get his way. Maybe.
Maggie stopped mid-lyric, but kept strumming, eyes on the young soldier only a few feet away. He looked so...sad. She frowned, frustrated. See, this is what war did to people. Old men sitting around a table chomping on cigars, sending little boys to fight their battles for them. Maggie was nothing if not idealistic, but deep down held a bitter resentment of the military. Her father died in Korea when she was a baby, her mother had never been the same.
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Kathryn
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set me free so i can feel
Posts: 854
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Post by Kathryn on Oct 8, 2011 12:39:44 GMT -5
Kathryn shot him a look quickly before turning her attention back to redressing his wound. "That's Nurse or Nurse Kathryn to you, Private," she replied in a low tone, not wanting the other soldiers to hear her admonishing him - though she was sure they'd heard one of them by now.
Teddy stood there for a few minutes, gazing up at President Lincoln, his heart swelling with pride. He wanted to remember this feeling; he wanted to keep it with him when he went back to Vietnam. Because he sure didn't feel like this when he saw a Vietnamese soldier die by his gunfire. He slowly turned around and walked past a guitar strumming girl. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a few quarters, dropping them into her open case.
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 12:44:59 GMT -5
He sighed, then grit his teeth as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows. "Fine, Nurse Kathryn. Help me sit up." His back was sore, his leg hurt, and he had a bad case of cabin fever. He couldn't get out of bed, so the least she could do was let him sit, for his own sanity.
"You can keep it. I don't need it." She felt bad for him, and her sympathy was currently at war with her spite. And it was true, she really didn't need the money. Sure, she had taken on the life of a vagabond co-ed, much to her mother's chagrin, but even so, her mom let her come home when she needed to and even wired her money occasionally.
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Post by Mush on Oct 8, 2011 13:00:42 GMT -5
After taping the bandage on his knee down, Kathryn straightened up and took the few steps up to his head. "All right, up we go," she said, bending to help him sit up as he requested. Once he was sitting comfortably (she hoped), she turned to the tray beside him to get his pain medication.
"Nah, it's yours now," Teddy said with a nod. "You're pretty good. How long you been playing?" He clapsed the strap of his pack before putting it down on the ground beside him. It was too heavy to hold for too long, plus people walking behind him kept knocking into it.
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 13:05:26 GMT -5
He grimaced the whole way up, ashamed she had to help him at all. "Thanks, Sugar." He took the medication when she handed it to him, swallowing the water that came with it, making a face. "Why they gotta make those pills taste so damn bad?"
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, but kept her eyes on him. "Since high school, I guess. Mom wanted me to learn the piano. I did. But I hated it." She sat there, looking up at him a minute. "Are you on leave?"
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Kathryn
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set me free so i can feel
Posts: 854
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Post by Kathryn on Oct 8, 2011 13:10:37 GMT -5
"I don't know. I just give out the pills, I don't make them," she replied, no humor in her voice whatsoever. "Anything else you need, Private?" She had already turned to leave, one foot in the direction of the next injured soldier.
"Yep," Teddy replied, smiling brightly. "Three weeks. I'm one of the lucky ones that got to go home for Thanksgiving."
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 13:13:20 GMT -5
He immediately reached a hand out, clasping it around her wrist. "Kathryn, wait, " He looked up at her, eyes pleading. "Don't go...sit with me..?"
She chewed on her bottom lip, then patted the spot beside her. He might as well sit down instead of continuing to tower over her in that damn uniform. "Where's home?"
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Post by Mush on Oct 8, 2011 13:20:23 GMT -5
Kathryn looked down at him, her eyes scolding him silently. "I have work to do. I'm your nurse, not your friend."
Teddy sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him and lounging back on the steps. "Fairfax. Virginia. Not too far from here. I just wanted to spend some time in DC before all the craziness begins at home," he chuckled, tipping his hat to a passerby who dropped a penny in her guitar case. "I'm Teddy, by the way," he said, reaching his hand across to invite her in a handshake.
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 13:26:08 GMT -5
He looked up at her, a little desperately. He was in pain and homesick and...shit, he was going to cry. He let go of her hand and rolled his head away from her, voice tight. "Fine."
She hesitated for a split second, but took his hand, offering him a small smile. "Maggie." She set her guitar down, gathering up the few coins she'd been tossed and shoving them in her shoulder bag. She pushed her long hair out of her eyes. "Your folks'll be glad to see you."
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Kathryn
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set me free so i can feel
Posts: 854
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Post by Kathryn on Oct 8, 2011 13:30:03 GMT -5
Kathryn felt a pang of guilt, but she pushed it down. She went about her business, tending to the other injured soldiers in the ward. Once she was done, she went back to Private McGowan's bed. "Do you need anything? Water? Coffee? A book?" she asked, trying to sound as comforting and sympathetic as possible.
"Yeah," he replied, chuckling and looking down at the ground. He couldn't wait to see them. And his little sisters. "So, Maggie, what're you doing in DC? You live here?"
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Post by Script on Oct 8, 2011 13:37:32 GMT -5
He kept his face turned away from her, fingers tugging at a loose thread in the blanket idly. "Nope. Don't need anything, Nurse Kathryn." He said her name on a frown, a hard edge to his voice. What he wanted was to go home. He wanted his mother, he wanted his dog, he wanted his life back. None of those things could she give him.
She nearly snorted, but just shook her head. "I'm from California. I'm a junior at Berkeley." She glanced up at him, playing with the end of a piece of her hair. There was no point in lying to him. "I'm here for the protest on Saturday."
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