AN: Have a good weekend guys, I'll see you on Monday :)
Stepping off the train, Meredith felt elated to stretch her body out in the fresh air. It was very warm in South Carolina and Meredith's body didn't know what to make of the foreign heat. Taking the top two buttons off her shirt, she rolled up her sleeve and followed Winters and Trent towards a bus, which would take them to Camp Croft. Licking her lips, her mouth felt as dry as a desert. She was sure she could run a match across her gums and start a fire. The sun was glaring down on her pale skin, Meredith could already feel the top of her head burning.
Trent grinned down at her;
"hot, huh?"
"Drier than a camels arsehole in the Sahara Desert, Trent". She grumbled.
He laughed;
"Christ, Meri…is it really that bad?"
"Wasn't even this hot in Scotland".
"Welcome to the South". Trent smiled, "and watch out for mosquitoes".
"What are those?" Meredith asked.
But before either of them could answer, something bit her neck. With a tiny gasp, Meredith gave her neck a hard slap. Whatever had bit her, flew away with a buzz. Giving her neck a scratch, she looked up to find Winters and Trent's amused faces staring back at her. Rubbing her lips together first, she guessed;
"that was a mosquito, eh?"
"Yeah, it was". Winters replied, "you okay?"
"Fine". Meredith mumbled, "just wasn't expecting it".
Getting on the hot and stuffy bus, Meredith was disappointed to find the windows didn't open. Still, she sat next to a window, praying the smallest breeze would offer her some relief. Winters sat next to her, with Trent in the front. There were a lot of buses outside of the station, waiting to take the new recruits to camp. Each bus held around sixty men. But even still, they didn't have enough seats and men were left to stand or sit on the ground.
Meredith stretched up in her seat, trying to locate the exit. Her eyes went to the front of the bus and then towards the back, where she spotted the emergency exit. Even if they did have to get off the bus quickly, it would take a while. Men were blocking the doors and the strip. Chewing on her bottom lip anxiously, she sat back down with a shaky sigh. Having watched her behaviour, Winters asked;
"something wrong?"
"Nah…just crowded". She said.
"Oh…do you get strange in crowds?"
"Guess so".
"It's only two hours". Winters assured her, "it's hot in here but it's just two hours".
With a hum, she told him;
"aye, suppose so, eh?"
Smiling, he reached into his pocket and brought out a picture;
"this is my parents, my Aunt Lottie and little sister, Ann".
Meredith looked at the picture.
A tiny smile met her lips;
"oh, aye…that's nice". She complimented softly, "lovely bunch, eh?"
"Thank you". Winters said, "Ann was only nine at the time".
"She's wearing a nice dress". Meredith said, "you look like your dad".
"Yeah, I get that a lot".
"Just the one sister?"
Winters nodded;
"yeah, just Ann. No brothers".
Meredith smiled small;
"just a wee family".
"You got any brothers or sisters?"
Rubbing the back of her neck, Meredith mumbled;
"eh – no, no…just me".
"Have you got a picture of your parents?"
She shook her head;
"wasn't allowed to take any pictures with me".
Winters frowned;
"that's odd…why's that?"
Meredith shrugged;
"just the war and that, eh? They were worried the enemy would take our photo and use it against us".
"Oh, I guess that makes sense". Winters said, "I'm sorry you don't have a picture".
"I'll see them when the war ends". She said quietly, "not long now, eh?"
"You believe that?"
Shaking her head, Meredith snorted;
"nah…it's just what I tell myself to stop me from missing them".
Winters placed his picture back into his pocket. Casting a small frown towards Meredith, he then jerked slightly, when the bus came to life and moved forward. She could sense his frown. Meredith wasn't sure if he felt sorry for her or was concerned. Clearing her throat, she assured the young man;
"it's fine, Dick. I don't get homesick".
She looked up at him and smiled, trying to prove her point.
"Not been home in two years". She explained, "was homesick at the start but it goes away".
"Two years?" Winters couldn't help but frown again, "that's a long time".
"I just don't think about it". Meredith said lightly, "never do. And if I'm talking about home, I pretend that I was only just there yesterday, you know?"
He nodded;
"yeah, I get what you mean".
Meredith tapped the top of her head;
"tricking my own head, Dick".
He huffed, with a tiny smile;
"does it work?"
"Always".
Staring out of the window, Meredith tried to distract herself from the crowded and hot bus. She saw plenty of fields on the journey to camp. Horses grazed in the fields, as well as cows and sheep. It was a beautiful place. The roads were very quiet too. Meredith lost herself in the view. She ignored the loud chatter around her and found a quiet place in her head to settle. Whenever Meredith needed to escape, she thought of the whales in Iceland. They brought so much peace to her. They were large, majestic animals. Who had friendly faces and moved so gracefully in the ocean. She hadn't lied before, when Meredith first saw a whale, she was terrified. But as time went on, Meredith grew to love and cherish them.
Two hours later, they had arrived at Camp Croft. It was a large compound, with many brick and wooden barracks, most of which were two stories high. The new recruit's checked-in for duty, they were issued coveralls and clothes for the duration of training. Everything was piled up in their arms like a small mountain, one which Meredith couldn't see over. After, they were split up into Platoons. Meredith found herself with Winters, Trent and forty-seven other men, all led by a man named Sergeant Slusher. After he briefly introduced himself, Slush led them into one of the two-story barracks. Twenty-five bunks were downstairs, twenty-five were on the next level. No one wanted to go upstairs. Meaning, Winters, Meredith and Trent got upstairs with twenty-two other unlucky recruits.
Croft had a lot of luxuries that Meredith hadn't seen in any other camp before. They had three large Post Exchange barracks, two movie theatres, a Red Cross Centre, a library, a post office and weekend passes. In her last training camp, no one was allowed to leave. If they left, they'd get arrested. Taking the bottom bunk, Winters climbed on top. Trent was above a man named Eugene Zerbe. He was from Pennsylvania, a small town outside of Lancaster. Like Trent, Zerbe had a wife. But unlike Trent, Zerbe and his wife had a kid.
"How the hell did you do it?" Trent asked, "me and Dorothy have been trying and trying".
Zerbe smirked;
"well, Trent…it's pretty easy-"
"yeah, I know". He cut him off, "but how come my fellas ain't working?"
With a tiny grimace, Meredith commented;
"I don't really 'wanna hear about your seminal fluid, Trent. No offence".
"Is that what you call it?" Zerbe chuckled, "listen, you don't have to be so formal about it".
"Can we not, fellas?" Winters asked, coming to her rescue. "How about we discuss something else?"
"I'm pretty hungry". Trent said, "why don't we grab a bite to eat?"
Meredith nodded in approval;
"that's a great idea".
"You ever had a burger, Meri?" Trent asked.
She shook her head;
"nah…what's that?"
"Oh, you're in for a treat".
"You've never had patty in a bun?" Zerbe looked shocked, "Jesus…what're they feeding you in your country?"
"Fish, mostly". Meredith replied, "lots of fish".
"She needs a cheeseburger". Trent decided, "she hasn't lived until she's had one".
"With bacon". Zerbe added.
"Oh, man…I'm starved now".
Zerbe grinned;
"you three have fun, huh? I'm 'gonna stick around here".
"See you, pal". Trent said, "I'll have one for you".
Winters chuckled;
"I'm 'gonna stay here as well, get to know some of the guys". He told them, "don't overeat".
Leaving the barrack, Trent and Meredith went in search of food. She was starving. There was hardly any food on the ship to America and they only had a few snacks on the train. Moving around camp, Meredith had never seen so many recruits in all her life. Walking by a few stores, they soon reached the mess hall, where lunch was being served. However, it wasn't burgers, it was hotdogs. Trent was still eager about the meal because Meredith had never tasted a hotdog before.
"This is crazy". Trent said, "can't believe I'm standing in line for a hotdog in camp, with a girl".
With a soft snort, Meredith said;
"can't believe I'm in America, waiting for a dog hot".
Trent chuckled;
"hotdog". He corrected her, "you basically just called a dog hot…you freak".
Meredith smiled;
"ah, fuck".
She was standing behind Trent, with many men behind her. The man right behind her heard her accent and feminine voice. Because of this, Meredith received a shove. Lightly bumping into Trent's back, he turned to look down at her;
"what's that for?"
Inwardly groaning, Meredith shook her head and mumbled;
"nothing, just tripped".
Trent snorted;
"alright".
He turned around again.
The man behind her pushed Meredith again. Only this time, she stumbled to the side, instead of bumping into Trent. Seeing her almost fall, Trent looked at her;
"you thirsty or something? Hell, I hope you're not getting heatstroke".
"Nah, just – eh – lost my balance again". Meredith said.
Trent grinned;
"you'd best work on that, huh? The assault course will probably test our balance".
When Trent turned around, Meredith got shoved again. Planting her feet hard into the ground, she didn't stumble. The man behind her pushed even harder and Meredith ended up falling to the side, landing face-first in the concrete. Trent's eyes widened a little. He cursed under his breath, before reaching down to help her up;
"man, what's going on?"
Once on her feet, Meredith faced the grinning man behind her.
"Name?" She almost demanded.
He laughed;
"what's that doll face?"
"Your name". Meredith repeated, "what is it?"
Arms crossing over his chest, he asked;
"why do you 'wanna know?"
"I want to know the name of the man I'm about to knock out".
He cracked up again.
While Trent stared down at her, with a confused and worried expression;
"don't start trouble, Meri…we've not been here long-"
"this guy thinks he's funny". Meredith cut Trent off, "he's laughing like a clown. I've seen better-looking clowns at the circus. Can't wait to wipe that smug smile off his ugly puss".
The guy raised his hands;
"go for it, doll face".
Nodding, Meredith rolled up her sleeves;
"right, let's do this".
She stepped out of the line, beckoning him forward;
"come on, don't be shy".
Trent pulled a face;
"Meri…what the hell are you doing?"
The guy was twice her size. Meredith was only just over five-foot. He was a whole foot taller than her and not to mention, he was very muscular. Meredith looked like a pea, compared to him. Trent ran a hand down his worried face;
"oh, God". He mumbled, "she's 'gonna die…he's 'gonna kill her".
The man assured Trent with a smirk;
"I ain't 'gonna fight her, pal…she's a girl-"
"come 'ere 'ye wee prick". Meredith snapped, "you scared of little old me?"
"What'd you call me?!" The guy yelled, stepping towards her, "what was that?!"
Nodding, she said;
"you heard me…come on, what've you got, eh? Bet the only action your hands have ever seen, is from wanking, you wanker".
His hands clenched into fists;
"oh, you asked for it, doll face".
He went for her and Meredith didn't duck. His fist collided into her lip. Tasting blood, Meredith ran her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip, it was already starting to swell. She didn't seem too bothered about the blood. The only person who looked startled was Trent. Standing between them, he pressed his hand against the man's chest and told him;
"get away from her".
"Get away, Trent". Meredith said, "it's not finished".
"It is". Trent argued, "screw the hotdogs, we're heading back".
"Let the girl fight". The guy smirked, "I'll let her have one hit and we'll end it".
Trent shook his head;
"no, that ain't happening".
Meredith tutted;
"come on, Trent…just one hit".
Trent looked between the two of them;
"you'll shake hands after?"
"Of course, Trent". Meredith promised, "we'll shake hands after. Water under the bridge and that".
"Fine".
Trent reluctantly took a step back, while Meredith took a step forward. Giving the guy she was fighting a nod, she asked him;
"if I'm 'gonna hit you, can you lean down a bit?"
He smirked;
"sure…hey, I'll even tell you where to hit".
He was mocking her.
But Meredith remained calm.
"Can't wait to shake your hand after".
He snorted;
"right…come on, I got plans. Get it over with".
Right hand balling into a fist, Meredith nodded;
"alright, I'll do it now".
"Sure thing, doll face. You-"
Whatever he was about to say was silenced when her fist made contact with his jaw. She could feel the bruise already forming on her knuckles from the punch, but the man was now lying on his side, barely awake. Unclenching her first, Meredith grimaced and looked at her knuckles.
"Meri…". Trent whispered.
"Yeah, you're right". She mumbled.
Crouching down, Meredith took the man's hand and shook it;
"there. Now we're friends".
…
Sitting on the counter by the sinks, she pressed a wet paper towel on her lip. Winters was leaning against the wall, watching her. His arms were crossed over his chest, a disproving look about his face. Meredith tried to smile but it hurt. So, she mumbled through the towel;
"it's fine".
"We've only been here forty minutes, Meri". He reminded her.
"He started it".
"I thought you were a calm person?"
"I am". Meredith said, "I was really calm about the whole thing, Dick".
He tried not to smile;
"Meri, calm people typically don't start fistfights".
"Okay…so, ninety-five per cent of the time, I'm calm". She told him, "I think that's pretty good. Don't you?"
Pushing himself off the wall, Winters approached her.
Standing in front of Meredith, his hand gently took her wrist. He moved her hand away from her lip, checking the injury;
"it's swelling".
His breath was hot against her face.
With a tiny nod, she whispered;
"yes".
"You need ice".
"No, it's fine".
"Meri, you-"
"had worse". Meredith cut him off quietly, "it's fine. Honestly".
He took a step back and sighed;
"I hope Slusher doesn't hear about this. What if he kicks you out?"
"He won't do that". Meredith mumbled, "I was sent here, remember?"
"So, they can't get rid of you?"
She shrugged;
"not on these terms, no. I didn't kill the lad, did I?"
Shaking his head, Winters hid a smirk;
"you're unbelievable".
"Come on…you're smiling". Meredith taunted, "it's funny, eh?"
"It's not".
"But you're laughing".
Winters coughed, trying to cover a laugh;
"I'm not…and if I am, it's because a tiny woman managed to knock out a huge man".
"Aw, that sounds funny". Meredith said lightly, "wish I saw that".
Shaking his head, Winters chuckled quietly;
"Meri…you've 'gotta be careful. That guy could have seriously hurt you".
"He didn't". Meredith said, "it's best not worrying about the what if's".
Staring at her for a moment in silence, Winters then asked;
"you learn how to fight in your old unit?"
"Yeah". Meredith replied, "we did a lot of sparring".
She then added;
"and once, I wrestled a polar bear".
Winters pulled a face;
"no, you didn't".
Meredith grinned;
"nah, I'm kidding".
"Yeah, I know". He said bluntly, "you never had me".
"Aw, I did for a second". She said, "right? Just for a second?"
Winters huffed out a laugh;
"no…a bear would kill you, Meri".
Shaking her head, she smirked;
"nah…I had you for a second. You believed me for like, one second".
He laughed;
"not even a millisecond, Meri".