"So how did it go at the hospital yesterday?"
Earl asked, making Gooz groan into his pillow. It was tough enough trying to get to sleep with the thousands of unanswered questions already in his mind; he didn't need Earl chatting him up at all hours of the night as well.
It was already Monday, according to the clock, but as long as the sun hadn't yet risen, Gooz still considered it Sunday. Earl chuckled at his friend as he read the newspaper for the second time that day. He wanted to make sure he had gotten all the details right, and that he hadn't missed anything when he had first read it in the morning.
"Good,"
Gooz responded simply, wishing that closing his eyes would make him fall asleep instantly. Though he supposed in the long run that that would be a bad thing. What would happen if he blinked while he was on his motorcycle? Terrible things, he was sure.
"How are the new nurses?"
Earl asked.
"They're just fine,"
Gooz bit out with an edge in his voice. He was thankful he was finally beginning to feel sleep invade his mind, blurring out the rest of Earl's questions enough for him to hear the sounds but not understand the words. As he faded into darkness, one last thought ran through Gooz's mind. Echoing in near unconsciousness was Milly's voice asking him what a Fryburger was.
Gooz was grateful for the good night's rest, as that morning brought him a grievance as he had never had before. It went by the name Big 40; so named for the forty other men that had gone nuts trying to fix it, and that was when it had been named. It had added a few casualties since then. Supposedly the plane had a curse on it, and so the minute it was wheeled into Hangar 2, Gooz, Earl, and Joe all sucked in a breath. Would they lose their mind to the plane like the others before them? The answer was given to them by mid-day, when Joe threw down his wrench and yelled at the plane.
"If the damn thing don't wanna start them I'm not gonna waste my time tryin' ta start it!"
He then stormed off, leaving Gooz and Earl looking at each other with wild eyes, wondering who was going to turn on the other next, or if they would go mad simultaneously.
"Lunch break?"
"Yup."
Gooz was as quick with his answer as Earl was with his question. All they wanted to do was get away from the plane, and quickly.
They made their way over to dining hall where most of the soldiers took their lunch. They could go elsewhere if they really wanted to, but it was ill advised. A drill could be called at any minute. The two men got in line and were given a generous plate of spaghetti and a bun. Gooz gave a half-hearted smile, knowing it could have been a lot worse. He tried to avoid chilly days, because it felt as though you were swallowing sand paper. Relative to that, the pasta was delicious.
"There's Joe,"
Earl said, pointing to the far corner where the man was sitting, a Cheshire Cat grin on his face as he gazed at a woman that sat on the opposite side of the room from him. She had her hands up and was pulling her hair into a makeshift bun so Gooz couldn't see her face. He shook his head at Joe and went to sit down with him.
"You seem to have recovered nicely,"
Earl commented as he sat beside Joe. The man simply smirked before his face lit up like a light bulb. He smacked Earl's arm lightly and pointed to the woman across the hall.
"One guy's already tried to talk to her; he walked away in near tears."
Gooz highly doubted that a grown soldier would walk away in tears after being rejected, but still he turned and watched as a man approached the woman, covering Gooz's view of her. It wasn't thirty seconds later that the man walked away with a look of sheer defeat on his face. That was when Gooz noticed the big brown eyes following the man their owner had just scorned.
Gooz turned around and grabbed his tray.
"Where you going?"
Joe asked.
"To talk to her,"
He said standing and moving towards her. He half heard Joe's protests, but they were ignored completely.
He hadn't even sat down before she raised her head with a terrible glare, her mouth open and ready to slander anything and everything she could find until her gaze settled on his face. Her look softened immediately and she greeted him with a smile.
"Good afternoon, sir,"
She chirped, bringing herself up from the slouch she had previously been in. Gooz frown as he sat opposite to her.
"I thought you weren't gonna call me that,"
He reminded her, only to have her laugh.
"Any contract made while a person is not of sound mind shall be void. Isn't that the law?"
Gooz had never heard of that law, but hell if he was going to let her know that.
"That's not playin' fair,"
He noted, pouting as he broke open his bread. Milly just shrugged. He followed her eyes over his shoulder where Joe had a look of angered confusion on his face while Earl simply chuckled in amusement at him.
"He's thinking the same thing I take it?"
She asked, as Gooz turned back around. He nodded, letting out a chuckle of his own.
"Yeah, I think he likes you,"
Gooz said, focusing his attention on her face to see if there was any sort of reaction. Much to his chagrin, she seemed to consider the fact for a moment.
"He can like me all he wants, that's his business,"
She stated in a neutral tone, making Gooz wonder exactly what she meant by it.
"I can't exactly tell him he can't like me, sir,"
She clarified, reading his mind. It didn't occur to him that he had confusion written all over his face.
This girl must be psychic,
The thought to himself. That's when he noticed the dog tags that swung gently against the white fabric of her tank top.
"You're not a nurse?"
He asked, only now noticing the way she was dressed.
Like a mechanic...
"No, sir."
"Again with the sir!"
He cried, throwing his hands in the air, mocking the frustration he actually felt. She just chuckled as she ate the last bit of her food and stood to bring her tray to the racks.
"Want me to take yours too?"
She asked, hand outstretched. He placed the tray in her hands and watched her as she walked.
Her gate was steady, though she limped slightly, favouring her left leg. At least she wasn't wobbly in the knees as she had been when he had first met her.
"Hey, Gooz. You gonna introduce us to your friend?"
Joe's voice floated to Gooz's ears from behind, making him cringe. He looked up at Milly, who had the single most unreadable look on her face that he had ever seen. She looked like a master chessman, or poker player, or politician; someone who's job it was to reveal nothing of their true intentions. It was not enough, however, to scare away his friends. Standing up, Gooz touched his forehead, as was his custom if he had no cap on. It was his sign of defeat.
"Milly, this is Joe, and Sgt. Sistern."
"Sirs,"
She said, saluting them.
"Please, Earl,"
The man said, extending his hand. She gripped it and smiled delicately at him.
"Milly; that's my new favourite name."
Joe said offering his hand. She took it, and blushed when he brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"Last night it was Barbara, and the night before that it was Sue,"
Gooz noted. Joe shot him a spiteful look before he put his other hand over Milly's, holding it captive.
"Ignore him, he's prone to dishonesty,"
He said, honey dripping from his every word.
"Where are you working, Doll? I'll walk you there."
He offered, only to have her take back her hand and steel her eyes on him.
"I am not a doll. Nor am I fragile, or inanimate, and I will not bend to your will. Try your act on another woman. One who's spineless,"
She spat, before making her way out. Gooz and Earl looked over at Joe, whose jaw and fists were clenched. Several of the men behind them snickered, though they swiftly silenced themselves as Joe rounded on them.
Outside Gooz and Earl found Milly at Hangar 2 surrounded by fresh suited young men. Gooz sighed as he made his way over, wondering how one girl could get herself into so much trouble. Contrary to his belief, however, she seemed to be enjoying their company.
"You guys new?"
He asked, to which the men nodded. They introduced themselves as Lieutenants Red Winkle, Billy Thompson, Anthony Fusco and Danny Walker.
"We're supposed to be working in Hangar 2 with y'all."
Milly cringed.
"You alright?"
Earl asked, noticing the act.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold,"
Milly said rubbing her arm. Gooz knew better. She hated that word, or rather that combination. Why he didn't know, but he was interested in finding out. For now, however, he was content to let her get away with hating it.
"Boys, meet Big 40!"
Earl exclaimed, opening his arms towards the plane.
"Why is it called Big 40?"
Milly asked, cocking her head slightly to the left. Earl got up onto the wing and motioned for the men to gather around. He cleared his throat and began the tale of Big 40.
"It was a clear day, just like today,"
Earl began stretching out his hand to the hangar's open doors. The men turned to look at the sky before looking back to Earl.
"Big 40 here was brand new, not a chip in her paint, nor a dent in her shell. A man named Bradley Hunts was to be her first pilot, and he couldn't wait to test her out. It was his first day on the job, and he was eager to make an impression with the General. He was just about to get her onto the taxi when heavy, black storm clouds came rolling in."
"'It's just a bit of rain!'"
Gooz interjected as the voice of the pilot.
"He thought to himself,"
Earl said.
"'I can fly through rain no problem!'"
Again Gooz's voice rang out through the hangar. Milly had a sort of amazed look on her face that made him inwardly proud. She thought his little part in the story was totally cool, and he knew it.
"He can fly through rain,"
Earl continued, a sort of mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"The pilot assured himself, only to find a mechanic dashing towards him. It was his Italian friend, Carlo Demarco, coming towards him with grave news."
Earl paused for effect.
"Your wife has been cheating on you, Carlo cried. Unable to believe his ears, Brad asked Carlo to repeat himself. He had heard right, his wife had been cheating on him. Mad with rage, Brad gunned the engine into life and took off into the skies, leaving Carlo behind on the runway. It was three months time before they found Big 40, on none other than Easter Island amongst the great stone heads. When they found it, the plane wouldn't start, and supposedly over forty men have gone insane trying to get it to work. Upon one of the inspections, they found a note, lodged way down in one of the guns that read-"
"'No man will ever start this plane again, not so long as I'm around.'"
Gooz recited. He was standing close enough to Milly that he saw her skin rise with goose bumps. He took her arms and rubbed them lightly. It wasn't all that cold in the hangar, Gooz thought until he noticed the grateful look on her face as she looked up at him.
She's scared.
Gooz mentally smacked himself on the forehead for being such an idiot. He hadn't thought the story would really scare her though. She didn't seem to be the type to be spooked by a story; then again Gooz couldn't exactly disprove said story.
"We've made this plane perfect. There is no reason it shouldn't start. Anyone care to try?"
Earl asked, motioning to the cockpit. The man named Anthony went first, and came up empty handed. The engine never fired no matter what any of the pilots did. Gooz was just about to have a go at it himself when he felt the tug of Milly leaving his arms.
"Joe was it? Would you mind giving me a leg up?"
She asked, focusing those big brown eyes on the man she had earlier cussed out. Dutifully, he approached and laced his fingers together, wincing as she lifted her. With his and Earl's help, Milly was up on the wing in no time. She settled herself into the plane and went through the motion. Gooz felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as Milly's lips curled up in a wicked grin.
"I win,"
She called and pushed the starter, and the plane roared as it came to life.
