Sorry about the wait on this one - I've been wrestling with a case of writer's block...
******************************************************************
The corners of Jo's mouth twitched, as she tired not to smirk. The man she was handing the samples to was wearing a light pink dress.
"Take these straight to the lab, please, Corporal," Jo told him. Even after all this time she felt strange about giving orders to people older than her.
"It's a lovely dress, Klinger," the nurse across the room called.
Jo grinned, and so did the man in front of her.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said on his way out the door.
"You know," the other nurse said, "we're almost off. Do you have any plans for tonight?"
"I'm going to the movie tonight," Jo answered, blushing.
"Why don't you take off early? I can cover for you until our replacements shows up," she offered.
"Thanks, Bonnie. Are you sure that's okay?"
"Sure, Jo. I'll catch up with you later."
"I really owe you one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know why he invited me to the movies. In truth, I don't know why I accepted. I felt like such a fool after last night. I am so naïve. I feel so embarrassed about how I acted - like I expected him to be different from the stories that circulate around camp. Why didn't I realize what he wanted? And why do I feel the way I do when I'm around him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jo busied herself with her hair. There was still half an hour before she was supposed to meet Hawkeye for the movie. She had finally settled on an outfit, but now she struggled to style her hair. After months of ponytails, Jo couldn't remember how she used to do her hair for special occasions.
"Come here," Bonnie said, gesturing for Jo to sit.
Jo obeyed, and sat on the floor in front of Bonnie. Bonnie took Jo's hair in her hands.
"Who are you going to the movies with?" she asked.
Jo's cheeks coloured, and she looked down at the ground.
"Keep your head up," Bonnie admonished. "So, who is he?"
"I'm meeting up with Hawkeye," Jo admitted.
"I never figured you for one of those nurses," Bonnie said.
"What do you mean?" Jo asked, her face burning.
"As if you don't know," Bonnie said cheekily. Before Jo had a chance to ask again, Bonnie gave her hair one last tug. "There," she declared, "finished."
Jo stood up and carefully felt her hair, as she made her way to the small mirror hanging on the tent pole. Bonnie had pulled her hair back out of her face into a tidy French roll. Jo smiled at her reflection when she saw how much older she looked.
There was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it." Bonnie jumped up. She opened the door a crack and poked her head out. "She's just about ready," Jo heard her say.
Bonnie handed her some lipstick. "Final touch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't remember much of the movie. What I do remember is the warmth of his thigh resting against mine that seemed to make me feel both hot and cold at the same time. I remember the way his breath felt on my neck when he leaned in to whisper to me. I remember how tight my stomach felt and how I didn't seem to know how best to sit for the movie.
Victoria, I don't remember feeling like this when I am with anyone else. I think that the war intensifies everything here. Sometimes it almost scares me. When I used to go out with William, I remember feeling butterflies in my stomach, but it was nothing like how I feel when I am with Hawkeye.
I did find out why he invited me...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jo stiffened when he kissed her, but she didn't pull away. Hawkeye slipped his hand around, onto the small of her back and gently pulled her in closer. Jo was keenly aware of the heat given off by Hawkeye's hand. Her mind raced. She shouldn't be doing this, or at least, she shouldn't be enjoying it so much.
Between kisses, Hawkeye mumbled, "I know this place..."
Jo let him draw her in even closer. He gave her shirt a tug and she could feel his skin on her own. Jo pulled away, her eyes wide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes I worry that I won't be able to control myself. I feel so helpless when I am close to him and I keep making excuses to be near him. War changes people. It has changed me. I feel like I have grown years older, even though I have only been here a few months. I am trying to remember the person that I was, and the person I am supposed to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How was the movie?" Bonnie asked.
Jo looked up from her letter. "Hmm?"
"I'm sorry - did you even see the movie?"
"Of course," Jo answered, looking curiously at Bonnie. She could feel the heat of a blush making its way up her face and settling into her cheeks.
"Right," said Bonnie, winking. "What was it about then?"
"It - I..." Jo stammered.
"You're blushing," Bonnie told her and Jo's cheeks reddened even more. "I never thought you would be one of those girls, but I guess I had you wrong."
"What do you mean?" Jo asked, staring blankly at Bonnie.
Bonnie looked at her carefully. "You really don't know?"
"No," said Jo, exasperated. "Please tell me, what kind of girl do you think I am?"
"Don't take this the wrong way. You just seemed so innocent, so, I don't know, clean. I don't know... you seem so virginal."
"You think I slept with him?" asked Jo. She didn't think her cheeks could get any redder, but by now, she imagined, they were so red the enemy could probably see them and was getting ready to target their tent.
"Didn't you?"
"No!" exclaimed an indignant Jo. "I believe that's something a man and woman should wait until marriage for." She sounded so much like her father she almost turned to see if it was actually him speaking instead of her. "I mean, he tried... But, I would never..." Jo moaned, realizing what a fool she'd made of herself.
"You know, Jo, not everyone here will be alive to get married. Things are different here. It's not like back home where you have the luxury of waiting to really live. Here you take everything one day at a time and you don't take a single moment for granted."
Jo looked at Bonnie. The other nurse's face had become serious. "What are you talking about?" Jo said, giving her friend a playful shove. "Of course we'll get married. Just you wait and see. I expect an invitation, too, you know."
Bonnie smiled back at Jo with her mouth, but her forehead was still wrinkled. "Of course. I expect an invitation from you, too."
******************************************************************
The corners of Jo's mouth twitched, as she tired not to smirk. The man she was handing the samples to was wearing a light pink dress.
"Take these straight to the lab, please, Corporal," Jo told him. Even after all this time she felt strange about giving orders to people older than her.
"It's a lovely dress, Klinger," the nurse across the room called.
Jo grinned, and so did the man in front of her.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said on his way out the door.
"You know," the other nurse said, "we're almost off. Do you have any plans for tonight?"
"I'm going to the movie tonight," Jo answered, blushing.
"Why don't you take off early? I can cover for you until our replacements shows up," she offered.
"Thanks, Bonnie. Are you sure that's okay?"
"Sure, Jo. I'll catch up with you later."
"I really owe you one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know why he invited me to the movies. In truth, I don't know why I accepted. I felt like such a fool after last night. I am so naïve. I feel so embarrassed about how I acted - like I expected him to be different from the stories that circulate around camp. Why didn't I realize what he wanted? And why do I feel the way I do when I'm around him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jo busied herself with her hair. There was still half an hour before she was supposed to meet Hawkeye for the movie. She had finally settled on an outfit, but now she struggled to style her hair. After months of ponytails, Jo couldn't remember how she used to do her hair for special occasions.
"Come here," Bonnie said, gesturing for Jo to sit.
Jo obeyed, and sat on the floor in front of Bonnie. Bonnie took Jo's hair in her hands.
"Who are you going to the movies with?" she asked.
Jo's cheeks coloured, and she looked down at the ground.
"Keep your head up," Bonnie admonished. "So, who is he?"
"I'm meeting up with Hawkeye," Jo admitted.
"I never figured you for one of those nurses," Bonnie said.
"What do you mean?" Jo asked, her face burning.
"As if you don't know," Bonnie said cheekily. Before Jo had a chance to ask again, Bonnie gave her hair one last tug. "There," she declared, "finished."
Jo stood up and carefully felt her hair, as she made her way to the small mirror hanging on the tent pole. Bonnie had pulled her hair back out of her face into a tidy French roll. Jo smiled at her reflection when she saw how much older she looked.
There was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it." Bonnie jumped up. She opened the door a crack and poked her head out. "She's just about ready," Jo heard her say.
Bonnie handed her some lipstick. "Final touch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't remember much of the movie. What I do remember is the warmth of his thigh resting against mine that seemed to make me feel both hot and cold at the same time. I remember the way his breath felt on my neck when he leaned in to whisper to me. I remember how tight my stomach felt and how I didn't seem to know how best to sit for the movie.
Victoria, I don't remember feeling like this when I am with anyone else. I think that the war intensifies everything here. Sometimes it almost scares me. When I used to go out with William, I remember feeling butterflies in my stomach, but it was nothing like how I feel when I am with Hawkeye.
I did find out why he invited me...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jo stiffened when he kissed her, but she didn't pull away. Hawkeye slipped his hand around, onto the small of her back and gently pulled her in closer. Jo was keenly aware of the heat given off by Hawkeye's hand. Her mind raced. She shouldn't be doing this, or at least, she shouldn't be enjoying it so much.
Between kisses, Hawkeye mumbled, "I know this place..."
Jo let him draw her in even closer. He gave her shirt a tug and she could feel his skin on her own. Jo pulled away, her eyes wide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes I worry that I won't be able to control myself. I feel so helpless when I am close to him and I keep making excuses to be near him. War changes people. It has changed me. I feel like I have grown years older, even though I have only been here a few months. I am trying to remember the person that I was, and the person I am supposed to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How was the movie?" Bonnie asked.
Jo looked up from her letter. "Hmm?"
"I'm sorry - did you even see the movie?"
"Of course," Jo answered, looking curiously at Bonnie. She could feel the heat of a blush making its way up her face and settling into her cheeks.
"Right," said Bonnie, winking. "What was it about then?"
"It - I..." Jo stammered.
"You're blushing," Bonnie told her and Jo's cheeks reddened even more. "I never thought you would be one of those girls, but I guess I had you wrong."
"What do you mean?" Jo asked, staring blankly at Bonnie.
Bonnie looked at her carefully. "You really don't know?"
"No," said Jo, exasperated. "Please tell me, what kind of girl do you think I am?"
"Don't take this the wrong way. You just seemed so innocent, so, I don't know, clean. I don't know... you seem so virginal."
"You think I slept with him?" asked Jo. She didn't think her cheeks could get any redder, but by now, she imagined, they were so red the enemy could probably see them and was getting ready to target their tent.
"Didn't you?"
"No!" exclaimed an indignant Jo. "I believe that's something a man and woman should wait until marriage for." She sounded so much like her father she almost turned to see if it was actually him speaking instead of her. "I mean, he tried... But, I would never..." Jo moaned, realizing what a fool she'd made of herself.
"You know, Jo, not everyone here will be alive to get married. Things are different here. It's not like back home where you have the luxury of waiting to really live. Here you take everything one day at a time and you don't take a single moment for granted."
Jo looked at Bonnie. The other nurse's face had become serious. "What are you talking about?" Jo said, giving her friend a playful shove. "Of course we'll get married. Just you wait and see. I expect an invitation, too, you know."
Bonnie smiled back at Jo with her mouth, but her forehead was still wrinkled. "Of course. I expect an invitation from you, too."
