Author: LaDonnaErrante
Title: A Ginza Mary
Pairing: Margaret/Kellye
Rating: T (mild femme slash)
Disclaimer: Not mine. No profit.
Note: Response to "swizzle sticks" challenge. Takes place during "Cementing Relationships"
"The nerve of some people," Margaret mutters to herself as she sits in at the end of the bar at the officers club. It has been a busy week, not that she's had a quiet one since the beginning of the war.
"Mind if I sit, Major?" Nurse Kellye asks.
"What? …oh, uh please." Margaret falls silent but continues to fume.
"Major Hoolihan, are you alright?"
"Fine. It's just that damn Ignazio.
"He sure is sweet on you."
"No means no. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell him that I don't love him. Meanwhile, I have a post-op full of staph infections. The surgeons are off in the OR pretending to be construction workers. Except Charles, of course, who doesn't have the decency to lift a finger in either place. The swooning Italian is just the icing on the cake," she sighs.
Kellye places a soft hand on Margaret's. Margaret is taken aback. She isn't sure what Kellye means by it. Her nurses have been showing more signs of kindness lately. They've all come to a kind of truce. But this is different. She can't tell if it's just a gesture of friendliness. She finds she is nervous.
"Sounds like you could use a Ginza Mary."
Margaret's voice catches in her throat and she hesitates a moment. Suddenly, remembering who she is, Major Hoolihan clears her throat.
"Lieutenant! That hardly seems appropriate"
Kellye laughs. "Relax, Major. It's just a drink. Igor: We need two Ginza Marys here."
The two women drink and swap stories long into the night. With every sip Margaret feels lighter in her boots. Slowly, the Major is forgotten again in favor of the human being. Her foul mood has lifted and they leave the officer's club giggling together.
They walk carefully through the silent camp, trying not to stumble. Margaret remembers the gentle touch of Kellye's hand on her own. Without knowing exactly why, Margaret slips her hand into Kellye's and pulls the lieutenant towards her tent.