3rd - Past Relations
"What happened?" She asked for the third time. "Where's Quinn?"
BJ looked at her. "He's gone already."
"What?" Then the past day's events came back to her. "Where's Jack?" She demanded, trying to sit up.
"Hey, slow down." BJ put a hand gently, but firmly on her shoulder and made her lie again.
"Where is he?"
"Look, Toni-"
"Corporal White." She corrected.
BJ frowned. "If that's how you want it." He shrugged, then sobered up. "White, he didn't make it."
Toni sank back into the bed.
"He didn't have a chance. Even if he could have gotten back here after the first shot I doubt his chances."
"Yes, sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to rest now."
BJ stood, defeated. He paused. "Oh, he gave me this to give to you." He passed Toni her knife, and left the room after stopping to consult her chart for a moment.
She closed her eyes, holding the knife tightly to her chest.
---
"Toni! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Yvette? Am I on the beach again?" She muttered, half incoherently.
The hand shook her harder. "Corporal White!"
She jerked up, and shook the hand off her. "Yes sir?" She asked formally, sitting carefully, keeping a firm grip on the knife.
"Don't call me sir. Here, the only person you need to call sir is Charles. But we'll get to the bad side of 4077 later."
"Alright, Hunnicutt."
"The name is BJ."
"Or not. Am I allowed out of here yet?"
BJ nodded. "Yes, but before you go you'll have to talk to Father Mulcahy."
"Why?" She demanded hotly.
"Hey, calm down. Just because of what happened back there with Jack and Quinn."
"Nothing happened, and I'll be fine." She swung her legs over the bed, and tucked the knife back into it's customary position in her boot. "Where do I go for orders?"
"Nowhere, until I say you can, which will be after the Father visits you."
Toni glared at him. "Fine. When will that be?"
"Right now if you want." A voice said from the door.
She sat up looked over at the man. "Now's as good a time than any."
BJ looked at Mulcahy, then Toni. "I'll leave you two to it." He stood and left, with a slight, almost ironic salute. Toni wasn't sure if it was directed to her or Mulcahy, but she returned it anyway. She stared at the Father. "So what happens now?"
"Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"Nothing happened, Father." She snapped. She had never liked counsellors.
---
"There's certainly no reason to keep her in the infirmary. She's fine, physically. But she just seems. I don't know. there's something about her. I don't know maybe I'm just crazy."
"Well we all knew that, BJ." Hawkeye interjected quickly.
BJ rolled his eyes.
"So is she fit for duty or not, men?" Sherman asked before BJ could reply.
"Fine by me." BJ said, looking at Mulcahy.
"Yes." He said slowly. "Though I wouldn't mind bumping in to her now and then."
"Alright then, she's on duty as of now." Sherman said decisively. "Klinger!"
"Yes sir?" The man's head poked around the half-shut door.
"Could you please get Toni for me?"
"Yes, sir."
---
Toni walked in a few minutes later, in a fresh uniform, with a slightly strained look on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she was barely holding back anger.
"Corporal Toni White, reporting for duty, sir!" She snapped, standing at attention in front of Potter's desk.
"At ease." He replied, surprised. He wasn't used to being greeted like that.
She ignored Hawkeye and BJ, putting her hands behind her back comfortably.
"Uh, Toni-"
"That's Corporal White, sir." BJ said, no trace of sarcasm in his innocent tone.
Toni glared at him. "Whatever you prefer, sir."
"Toni. Meet Captain Benjamin Pierce, also known as Hawkeye, and Captain BJ Hunnicutt."
"I have met Captain Hunnicutt, sir." Toni informed him coldly, while still sticking to protocol.
Sherman's eyes flicked from Toni's stony face to BJ's amused and innocuous gaze. "Good. You'll be working with him and Hawkeye more than others around here, so it will be good for you to get to know each other as soon as possible. I also believe you met Father Mulcahy. If there's any problems or anything you want to discuss of personal nature, he's your man. That's all for now, I'll give you two days to settle in before you start working."
"With all due respect, sir, that's not how it's supposed to happen. From the moment I step into the camp I'm on duty." Toni replied.
"Yes well, I'm sure you'll find that things don't exactly go straight to protocol around here. But I'm sure you'll get to learn your way around those things as you spend time around the camp. For now I'll leave you in the capable hands of BJ and Hawkeye, who'll show you to your tent."
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.
Toni stood at attention and saluted him before following Pierce and Hunnicutt out of his office.
"Alright, general introductions should be first-"
"If you don't mind, Captains, I have already looked through 4077's files. I know who is who. Maybe we could hold off the introductions until I've settled in first."
BJ and Hawkeye exchanged a look.
"Alright, whatever you say, White." Hawkeye replied, attempting to sound cheerful.
The walked silently to Toni's tent.
Her bags that had been sent straight from her old base were already there.
She picked two of them up, and BJ reached for the third automatically.
Toni opened her mouth, about to protest, then shut it quickly. She stepped into the dark tent and opened one of the flaps which covered a window.
"Who had this before I came?" She asked out of curiosity.
"No one. We erected it just for you."
She raised her eyebrows. "We?"
"Me, BJ, and Klinger."
One side of her cheek twitched. "Thank you, then."
She opened one of her bags and started unpacking.
"Do you want us to go, or...?" BJ asked.
Toni shrugged. "I don't mind. I've got nothing in here you've never seen before."
Hawkeye shrugged and sat on the other bed.
"Am I sharing?" She asked, pointing to the spare bed.
"No, but you will probably end up sharing sometime."
Toni nodded. "Are there room inspections?"
BJ and Hawkeye laughed. "I sure hope not."
"Yeh, they might discover the still." BJ added.
"Worse than that they might use the still."
"Or even steal the still. Can't let that happen."
Toni just looked at them. "You have a still in your tent?" She shook her head. "Why does that not surprise me?"
"Because nothing surprises you." A voice said from the doorway.
----
Toni spun to face him. "You still don't knock, do you Maxwell." She snapped.
"Well it's not like you would have let me in or anything, Corporal."
"Get out of my tent now."
"Well that's changed. It used to be 'get out of my room!'."
Toni narrowed her eyes. "Just get the hell out. And take your friends with you."
Klinger shook his head. "She's crazy." He told the others.
Toni burst out laughing. "Hey, you're the one in the dress, Maxwell."
BJ and Hawkeye, who'd been silent up until the point started edging toward the door.
"So what? I'm doing for a reason at least."
"Yeh, you're a coward looking for any reason-"
She was stopped short when Klinger's fist connected with her jaw. "Take that back!" He yelled, standing over her.
BJ grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the tend quickly.
Hawkeye helped her off the floor, and looked at the bruise. "Are you okay?" He asked.
She jerked away. "I'm fine." She turned her back on him and continued unpacking.
"Hey, that's not way to talk to a fellow officer." Hawkeye commented.
"Sorry, sir." Toni replied with a bitter edge to her voice.
"That's not what I meant, Toni, and you know it." He turned her back around to face him. "What happened back there? I think that's the first time I've ever seen Klinger angry, let alone hit anyone."
"Look, Pierce, it's none of your business. It's between me and Maxwell."
"It is my business. You were my patient back there, and that makes you my responsibility for the rest of your career here. You know what that means? That all you little problems, are my big ones, and that I want to help."
Toni almost laughed. "Yeh, I've heard that one before."
For once Hawkeye didn't know what to say. "Alright Toni, I'll see you in the mess tent at seventeen hundred." He turned and walked out, leaving Toni alone to unpack.
---
"I don't care! What happened back there Klinger?"
"It's none of your business."
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Oh, bad case of déjà vu here."
"Well it's not any of your business!" Klinger retorted.
BJ and Hawkeye looked at each other. "Do I have to repeat what I told Corporal White? Whatever is her business is mine. She is still my patient, whether or not she's injured."
Klinger turned away from them and started to walk off.
"Hey! We're not done yet. Toni isn't saying anything about what happened and I want to know why you got so worked up about what she said. Surely other people have made those kind of comments before."
"Of course they have. It's just-" Klinger stopped, realizing what he was about to say.
"What?" BJ pressed.
Klinger shook his head. "I can't say."
"Well if you don't we're going to Colonel Potter about it. You can't just assault members of this camp. You know that, Klinger."
Klinger shook his head. "It won't happen again, sir." He said, and walked away.
"You just gonna let him go like that?" BJ demanded.
Hawkeye waved his hand. "Don't worry. We'll get the real story sometime. You can't come into a camp of over fifty people and expect to keep secrets like that."
BJ sighed, and they both went back to The Swamp.
"What happened?" She asked for the third time. "Where's Quinn?"
BJ looked at her. "He's gone already."
"What?" Then the past day's events came back to her. "Where's Jack?" She demanded, trying to sit up.
"Hey, slow down." BJ put a hand gently, but firmly on her shoulder and made her lie again.
"Where is he?"
"Look, Toni-"
"Corporal White." She corrected.
BJ frowned. "If that's how you want it." He shrugged, then sobered up. "White, he didn't make it."
Toni sank back into the bed.
"He didn't have a chance. Even if he could have gotten back here after the first shot I doubt his chances."
"Yes, sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to rest now."
BJ stood, defeated. He paused. "Oh, he gave me this to give to you." He passed Toni her knife, and left the room after stopping to consult her chart for a moment.
She closed her eyes, holding the knife tightly to her chest.
---
"Toni! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Yvette? Am I on the beach again?" She muttered, half incoherently.
The hand shook her harder. "Corporal White!"
She jerked up, and shook the hand off her. "Yes sir?" She asked formally, sitting carefully, keeping a firm grip on the knife.
"Don't call me sir. Here, the only person you need to call sir is Charles. But we'll get to the bad side of 4077 later."
"Alright, Hunnicutt."
"The name is BJ."
"Or not. Am I allowed out of here yet?"
BJ nodded. "Yes, but before you go you'll have to talk to Father Mulcahy."
"Why?" She demanded hotly.
"Hey, calm down. Just because of what happened back there with Jack and Quinn."
"Nothing happened, and I'll be fine." She swung her legs over the bed, and tucked the knife back into it's customary position in her boot. "Where do I go for orders?"
"Nowhere, until I say you can, which will be after the Father visits you."
Toni glared at him. "Fine. When will that be?"
"Right now if you want." A voice said from the door.
She sat up looked over at the man. "Now's as good a time than any."
BJ looked at Mulcahy, then Toni. "I'll leave you two to it." He stood and left, with a slight, almost ironic salute. Toni wasn't sure if it was directed to her or Mulcahy, but she returned it anyway. She stared at the Father. "So what happens now?"
"Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"Nothing happened, Father." She snapped. She had never liked counsellors.
---
"There's certainly no reason to keep her in the infirmary. She's fine, physically. But she just seems. I don't know. there's something about her. I don't know maybe I'm just crazy."
"Well we all knew that, BJ." Hawkeye interjected quickly.
BJ rolled his eyes.
"So is she fit for duty or not, men?" Sherman asked before BJ could reply.
"Fine by me." BJ said, looking at Mulcahy.
"Yes." He said slowly. "Though I wouldn't mind bumping in to her now and then."
"Alright then, she's on duty as of now." Sherman said decisively. "Klinger!"
"Yes sir?" The man's head poked around the half-shut door.
"Could you please get Toni for me?"
"Yes, sir."
---
Toni walked in a few minutes later, in a fresh uniform, with a slightly strained look on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she was barely holding back anger.
"Corporal Toni White, reporting for duty, sir!" She snapped, standing at attention in front of Potter's desk.
"At ease." He replied, surprised. He wasn't used to being greeted like that.
She ignored Hawkeye and BJ, putting her hands behind her back comfortably.
"Uh, Toni-"
"That's Corporal White, sir." BJ said, no trace of sarcasm in his innocent tone.
Toni glared at him. "Whatever you prefer, sir."
"Toni. Meet Captain Benjamin Pierce, also known as Hawkeye, and Captain BJ Hunnicutt."
"I have met Captain Hunnicutt, sir." Toni informed him coldly, while still sticking to protocol.
Sherman's eyes flicked from Toni's stony face to BJ's amused and innocuous gaze. "Good. You'll be working with him and Hawkeye more than others around here, so it will be good for you to get to know each other as soon as possible. I also believe you met Father Mulcahy. If there's any problems or anything you want to discuss of personal nature, he's your man. That's all for now, I'll give you two days to settle in before you start working."
"With all due respect, sir, that's not how it's supposed to happen. From the moment I step into the camp I'm on duty." Toni replied.
"Yes well, I'm sure you'll find that things don't exactly go straight to protocol around here. But I'm sure you'll get to learn your way around those things as you spend time around the camp. For now I'll leave you in the capable hands of BJ and Hawkeye, who'll show you to your tent."
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.
Toni stood at attention and saluted him before following Pierce and Hunnicutt out of his office.
"Alright, general introductions should be first-"
"If you don't mind, Captains, I have already looked through 4077's files. I know who is who. Maybe we could hold off the introductions until I've settled in first."
BJ and Hawkeye exchanged a look.
"Alright, whatever you say, White." Hawkeye replied, attempting to sound cheerful.
The walked silently to Toni's tent.
Her bags that had been sent straight from her old base were already there.
She picked two of them up, and BJ reached for the third automatically.
Toni opened her mouth, about to protest, then shut it quickly. She stepped into the dark tent and opened one of the flaps which covered a window.
"Who had this before I came?" She asked out of curiosity.
"No one. We erected it just for you."
She raised her eyebrows. "We?"
"Me, BJ, and Klinger."
One side of her cheek twitched. "Thank you, then."
She opened one of her bags and started unpacking.
"Do you want us to go, or...?" BJ asked.
Toni shrugged. "I don't mind. I've got nothing in here you've never seen before."
Hawkeye shrugged and sat on the other bed.
"Am I sharing?" She asked, pointing to the spare bed.
"No, but you will probably end up sharing sometime."
Toni nodded. "Are there room inspections?"
BJ and Hawkeye laughed. "I sure hope not."
"Yeh, they might discover the still." BJ added.
"Worse than that they might use the still."
"Or even steal the still. Can't let that happen."
Toni just looked at them. "You have a still in your tent?" She shook her head. "Why does that not surprise me?"
"Because nothing surprises you." A voice said from the doorway.
----
Toni spun to face him. "You still don't knock, do you Maxwell." She snapped.
"Well it's not like you would have let me in or anything, Corporal."
"Get out of my tent now."
"Well that's changed. It used to be 'get out of my room!'."
Toni narrowed her eyes. "Just get the hell out. And take your friends with you."
Klinger shook his head. "She's crazy." He told the others.
Toni burst out laughing. "Hey, you're the one in the dress, Maxwell."
BJ and Hawkeye, who'd been silent up until the point started edging toward the door.
"So what? I'm doing for a reason at least."
"Yeh, you're a coward looking for any reason-"
She was stopped short when Klinger's fist connected with her jaw. "Take that back!" He yelled, standing over her.
BJ grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the tend quickly.
Hawkeye helped her off the floor, and looked at the bruise. "Are you okay?" He asked.
She jerked away. "I'm fine." She turned her back on him and continued unpacking.
"Hey, that's not way to talk to a fellow officer." Hawkeye commented.
"Sorry, sir." Toni replied with a bitter edge to her voice.
"That's not what I meant, Toni, and you know it." He turned her back around to face him. "What happened back there? I think that's the first time I've ever seen Klinger angry, let alone hit anyone."
"Look, Pierce, it's none of your business. It's between me and Maxwell."
"It is my business. You were my patient back there, and that makes you my responsibility for the rest of your career here. You know what that means? That all you little problems, are my big ones, and that I want to help."
Toni almost laughed. "Yeh, I've heard that one before."
For once Hawkeye didn't know what to say. "Alright Toni, I'll see you in the mess tent at seventeen hundred." He turned and walked out, leaving Toni alone to unpack.
---
"I don't care! What happened back there Klinger?"
"It's none of your business."
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Oh, bad case of déjà vu here."
"Well it's not any of your business!" Klinger retorted.
BJ and Hawkeye looked at each other. "Do I have to repeat what I told Corporal White? Whatever is her business is mine. She is still my patient, whether or not she's injured."
Klinger turned away from them and started to walk off.
"Hey! We're not done yet. Toni isn't saying anything about what happened and I want to know why you got so worked up about what she said. Surely other people have made those kind of comments before."
"Of course they have. It's just-" Klinger stopped, realizing what he was about to say.
"What?" BJ pressed.
Klinger shook his head. "I can't say."
"Well if you don't we're going to Colonel Potter about it. You can't just assault members of this camp. You know that, Klinger."
Klinger shook his head. "It won't happen again, sir." He said, and walked away.
"You just gonna let him go like that?" BJ demanded.
Hawkeye waved his hand. "Don't worry. We'll get the real story sometime. You can't come into a camp of over fifty people and expect to keep secrets like that."
BJ sighed, and they both went back to The Swamp.