Izzy was back in the streets of Sydney. She knew it was Sydney, because the
last shop she stole from was across the road. Somehow, to Izzy, it didn't
seem like Sydney, it was just too empty. There were no cars, no people on
the usually busy street, and the sky was dark from clouds. Izzy knew that
these clouds weren't from rain or a storm, they were from something more
dangerous. Izzy looked around, a little scared, and saw the 4077th standing
at the end of the street. She could see people milling around there,
seemingly unaware they were in the middle of Australia's biggest city.
Suddenly, a plane flew over head, something dropping from it, and the camp
blew up. The blast made Izzy fly backwards, onto her back, and she
struggles to sit up, half sobbing, half screaming, staring at the canvas
wall in front of her.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Izzy, what is it?' BJ was beside her cot, looking worried.
'Nothing. A bad dream, that's all,' Izzy said. She noticed she was shaking, and her breathing was hard, so she tried to calm herself down.
'Do you want to talk about it?' BJ asked. Izzy shook her head, but changed her mind and started nodding.
'Just don't tell Hawkeye,' she said. 'He worries about me too much to be bothered with nightmares.'
'Hawkeye knows you have nightmares,' BJ said.
'I know,' Izzy said. 'But he thinks I've stopped having them. They're worse now, though.'
'Come on, tell me about it,' BJ said. Izzy retold BJ her nightmare, trying to leave as much detail out as possible. 'Didn't you talk with Sidney about your nightmares?' BJ asked after she'd finished.
'No, I didn't think it was worth it,' Izzy said. 'They started after the army said Hawkeye was dead.' BJ nodded.
'It's understandable,' he said. 'I think you're just worried that the war is going to leave you alone.' Izzy was still shaking, so she looked at her favourite picture on the canvas tent wall to calm her down. It was a coloured photo of central Australia, with a few trees scattered over the red dirt. BJ followed her eyes and smiled at the picture.
'Have you ever been there?' he asked, pointing to the desert landscape.
'No, I've been in Sydney all my life. I'd like to go one day, though,' Izzy said. She stopped shaking and lay back down.
'You going to be ok?' BJ asked. Izzy nodded.
'I think so,' she replied.
'You need to do something about those nightmares.' BJ said.
'I know,' Izzy replied. 'I just don't know what.'
'Well, try to get back to sleep and we'll figure something out in the morning,' BJ told her, getting back to his own cot.
'I might go for a walk,' Izzy said, getting up.
'Alright. Watch out for snipers,' BJ said. Izzy went out into the cold and instantly wished she had Klinger's giant mink coat. She walked to the edge of camp, and watched the sun come up.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'You buy something?' the Korean peddler asked. Izzy looked at the cart waiting in the compound with the nurse's crowed around it. Izzy edged nearer, and looked at the items he had for sale.
'You got some nice things here,' she told him, eyeing a necklace. 'Good quality.'
'Thank you,' the Korean smiled, and sort of bowed. Izzy picked up a small bottle of something and looked at it. There was no label, so she turned to the peddler.
'What's this?' she asked.
'Keeps bad spirits away. Also helps with sleepless nights,' the Korean man told her. 'Twenty dollars.'
'I don't have twenty dollars,' Izzy said, annoyed at the army for not organising her any pay. Luckily, she didn't participate in anything that needed money, like weekly poker games, or the rat races on Friday nights.
'Seventeen dollars,' the Korean said.
'I'd love it, and would buy it, but I don't have any money,' Izzy said. BJ came up to them.
'What are you looking at, Izzy,' he asked pleasantly.
'Perfume stuff. It's supposed to keep away nightmares,' Izzy said. 'Only problem, the army hasn't given me money, so I have to pass it up.'
'How much is it?' BJ asked the peddler.
'Fifteen dollars. Final offer,' the Korean said.
'Ten,' BJ said.
'Done,' grinned the man, and he handed Izzy the bottle after receiving a few notes of money from BJ.
'You didn't have to,' Izzy said to BJ as they walked off.
'Oh, but I wanted too,' BJ replied.
'You just don't want your sleep disturbed,' Izzy teased.
'How'd you see through my clever plan?' BJ asked in mock anger. He smiled at Izzy. 'I got it so you'd have a better nights sleep. Hawkeye isn't the only one who has to worry over you.'
'Thanks, BJ,' Izzy said gratefully.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Author Note: Yes, yes, I know. It was very convenient of that peddler to have something to fix nightmares. But what are ya gonna do? It's a fanfic!
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Izzy, what is it?' BJ was beside her cot, looking worried.
'Nothing. A bad dream, that's all,' Izzy said. She noticed she was shaking, and her breathing was hard, so she tried to calm herself down.
'Do you want to talk about it?' BJ asked. Izzy shook her head, but changed her mind and started nodding.
'Just don't tell Hawkeye,' she said. 'He worries about me too much to be bothered with nightmares.'
'Hawkeye knows you have nightmares,' BJ said.
'I know,' Izzy said. 'But he thinks I've stopped having them. They're worse now, though.'
'Come on, tell me about it,' BJ said. Izzy retold BJ her nightmare, trying to leave as much detail out as possible. 'Didn't you talk with Sidney about your nightmares?' BJ asked after she'd finished.
'No, I didn't think it was worth it,' Izzy said. 'They started after the army said Hawkeye was dead.' BJ nodded.
'It's understandable,' he said. 'I think you're just worried that the war is going to leave you alone.' Izzy was still shaking, so she looked at her favourite picture on the canvas tent wall to calm her down. It was a coloured photo of central Australia, with a few trees scattered over the red dirt. BJ followed her eyes and smiled at the picture.
'Have you ever been there?' he asked, pointing to the desert landscape.
'No, I've been in Sydney all my life. I'd like to go one day, though,' Izzy said. She stopped shaking and lay back down.
'You going to be ok?' BJ asked. Izzy nodded.
'I think so,' she replied.
'You need to do something about those nightmares.' BJ said.
'I know,' Izzy replied. 'I just don't know what.'
'Well, try to get back to sleep and we'll figure something out in the morning,' BJ told her, getting back to his own cot.
'I might go for a walk,' Izzy said, getting up.
'Alright. Watch out for snipers,' BJ said. Izzy went out into the cold and instantly wished she had Klinger's giant mink coat. She walked to the edge of camp, and watched the sun come up.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'You buy something?' the Korean peddler asked. Izzy looked at the cart waiting in the compound with the nurse's crowed around it. Izzy edged nearer, and looked at the items he had for sale.
'You got some nice things here,' she told him, eyeing a necklace. 'Good quality.'
'Thank you,' the Korean smiled, and sort of bowed. Izzy picked up a small bottle of something and looked at it. There was no label, so she turned to the peddler.
'What's this?' she asked.
'Keeps bad spirits away. Also helps with sleepless nights,' the Korean man told her. 'Twenty dollars.'
'I don't have twenty dollars,' Izzy said, annoyed at the army for not organising her any pay. Luckily, she didn't participate in anything that needed money, like weekly poker games, or the rat races on Friday nights.
'Seventeen dollars,' the Korean said.
'I'd love it, and would buy it, but I don't have any money,' Izzy said. BJ came up to them.
'What are you looking at, Izzy,' he asked pleasantly.
'Perfume stuff. It's supposed to keep away nightmares,' Izzy said. 'Only problem, the army hasn't given me money, so I have to pass it up.'
'How much is it?' BJ asked the peddler.
'Fifteen dollars. Final offer,' the Korean said.
'Ten,' BJ said.
'Done,' grinned the man, and he handed Izzy the bottle after receiving a few notes of money from BJ.
'You didn't have to,' Izzy said to BJ as they walked off.
'Oh, but I wanted too,' BJ replied.
'You just don't want your sleep disturbed,' Izzy teased.
'How'd you see through my clever plan?' BJ asked in mock anger. He smiled at Izzy. 'I got it so you'd have a better nights sleep. Hawkeye isn't the only one who has to worry over you.'
'Thanks, BJ,' Izzy said gratefully.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Author Note: Yes, yes, I know. It was very convenient of that peddler to have something to fix nightmares. But what are ya gonna do? It's a fanfic!