'What are you wearing, Parker?' Frank demanded when he saw Izzy. The girl
glanced up, pretending not to hear the sniggers and leers around the mess
tent.
'Uniform, sir,' Izzy replied, spooning mashed peas onto Frank's tray.
'Well it's not fit for someone of the army!' Frank yelled loudly, making more people look over.
'Didn't you hear? I quit. I'm now a homeless street kid again. It's appropriate for me,' Izzy said in a matter-of-fact voice, before turning to the next person in line.
'I order you to get a new uniform!' Frank said, refusing to budge.
'You'll have to talk to Zale about that, you see there's a problem with the requisition sheets, and if I'd had filled out the forms yesterday, my uniform would have arrived in six months,' Izzy said, keeping her gaze away from Frank. Frank gave up and went to sit with Colonel Potter.
'Why do you let that child get away with everything!' Frank hissed.
'Who?' Potter asked, most of his attention on the side dish that just moved on his tray.
'Parker! She's running around in rags! I demand you do something about it!' Frank said.
'I'll talk to her,' Potter replied, nudging his tray away.
Izzy finished work, and dished up her own breakfast. She walked over to a quiet table in the corner, still getting stares from every side. She poked at her food, not really hungry before standing up. A new round of laughter went around the tent and Izzy tried hard not to swear at the top of her voice. She'd forgotten about the rip on her thigh again, and it had worsened the longer she was in her uniform. Her pant leg was practically falling off her. She held it up against her so the men couldn't see her leg and ran out of the tent. She was sick of it. She'd been put through all sorts of abuse, and there was no way she was going to put up with any more. She went to Klinger's tent and began to go through his dresses.
'Are you alright?' Klinger asked when he followed her in. Izzy jumped, but didn't turn around.
'Is it ok if I borrow a dress, or a skirt?' she asked Klinger. Klinger turned her around, and found she was crying a little bit.
'Izzy, what's wrong?' he asked.
'It's nothing,' Izzy said. 'I should have known this was going to happen when I found my uniform like this. I should have come to you for clothes in the first place. But I feel like a little kid, and I've been trying hard to tell everyone I'm not.' Klinger nodded, trying to look like he knew how she felt. Izzy took a few deep breaths, then turned back to the dress stand.
'Go for the pink skirt,' Klinger said, taking a pale pink item down. 'I'm afraid I don't have anything that'll fit you to go with it, though.'
'It's ok,' Izzy said hurriedly. 'I still have my top from when I arrived, remember? It'll look good with this.' She smiled thankfully at Klinger before looking down at the skirt in her hands. 'Uh, Klinger?' she said, holding it up to her waist. 'I think it might be a little big.'
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
There were a few unhappy double takes when Izzy walked into the mess tent with her off white top and Klinger's skirt.
'That's not uniform,' was the general murmur around the tent.
'Colonel! Parker is not wearing full uniform!' Frank screeched into Potter's ear.
'No, I'm wearing civilian clothes, like what they wear back home,' Izzy corrected as she walked past. Potter glanced around seeing the dissatisfied looks on most of the men's faces.
'Major Burns is right, sir,' Zale said from the table behind Potter. 'Private Parker should be punished.' A few of the other enlisted men nodded in agreement. Sighing, the Colonel stood up.
'I understand,' he said, looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention, 'that you're not happy with what the Private is wearing. I saw what she'd been wearing for the last twenty eight hours, and honestly, I'm disgusted with you. I've talked to Izzy about her clothes, and I'm allowing her to wear them until her new uniform arrives, or her old one is returned. Anyone who tries to sabotage the clothes she has on now, will be on report. And if I ever find out who did what they did to Izzy in the first place, they'll be digging latrines for the rest of the war.' Hawkeye stood up as well.
'As well as digging latrines for the Colonel, you'll be tied up and sent over to the other side of the front line, driven personally by me,' he said seriously. No-one said anything. Most had heard what Hawkeye had done to Captain Kaufmann, and some had seen the bruise and the x-ray of the man's chin.
'Thank you, Pierce,' Potter said as both sat down.
'And I never heard any of you complaining when someone else like Klinger is outta uniform, so there,' Izzy said loudly, collecting a tray and joining the line for her daily ration of slush. The nurses clapped, and some even called out encouragement to Izzy. The girl smiled to herself.
Izzy, one.
Men of the 4077th, zero.
'Uniform, sir,' Izzy replied, spooning mashed peas onto Frank's tray.
'Well it's not fit for someone of the army!' Frank yelled loudly, making more people look over.
'Didn't you hear? I quit. I'm now a homeless street kid again. It's appropriate for me,' Izzy said in a matter-of-fact voice, before turning to the next person in line.
'I order you to get a new uniform!' Frank said, refusing to budge.
'You'll have to talk to Zale about that, you see there's a problem with the requisition sheets, and if I'd had filled out the forms yesterday, my uniform would have arrived in six months,' Izzy said, keeping her gaze away from Frank. Frank gave up and went to sit with Colonel Potter.
'Why do you let that child get away with everything!' Frank hissed.
'Who?' Potter asked, most of his attention on the side dish that just moved on his tray.
'Parker! She's running around in rags! I demand you do something about it!' Frank said.
'I'll talk to her,' Potter replied, nudging his tray away.
Izzy finished work, and dished up her own breakfast. She walked over to a quiet table in the corner, still getting stares from every side. She poked at her food, not really hungry before standing up. A new round of laughter went around the tent and Izzy tried hard not to swear at the top of her voice. She'd forgotten about the rip on her thigh again, and it had worsened the longer she was in her uniform. Her pant leg was practically falling off her. She held it up against her so the men couldn't see her leg and ran out of the tent. She was sick of it. She'd been put through all sorts of abuse, and there was no way she was going to put up with any more. She went to Klinger's tent and began to go through his dresses.
'Are you alright?' Klinger asked when he followed her in. Izzy jumped, but didn't turn around.
'Is it ok if I borrow a dress, or a skirt?' she asked Klinger. Klinger turned her around, and found she was crying a little bit.
'Izzy, what's wrong?' he asked.
'It's nothing,' Izzy said. 'I should have known this was going to happen when I found my uniform like this. I should have come to you for clothes in the first place. But I feel like a little kid, and I've been trying hard to tell everyone I'm not.' Klinger nodded, trying to look like he knew how she felt. Izzy took a few deep breaths, then turned back to the dress stand.
'Go for the pink skirt,' Klinger said, taking a pale pink item down. 'I'm afraid I don't have anything that'll fit you to go with it, though.'
'It's ok,' Izzy said hurriedly. 'I still have my top from when I arrived, remember? It'll look good with this.' She smiled thankfully at Klinger before looking down at the skirt in her hands. 'Uh, Klinger?' she said, holding it up to her waist. 'I think it might be a little big.'
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
There were a few unhappy double takes when Izzy walked into the mess tent with her off white top and Klinger's skirt.
'That's not uniform,' was the general murmur around the tent.
'Colonel! Parker is not wearing full uniform!' Frank screeched into Potter's ear.
'No, I'm wearing civilian clothes, like what they wear back home,' Izzy corrected as she walked past. Potter glanced around seeing the dissatisfied looks on most of the men's faces.
'Major Burns is right, sir,' Zale said from the table behind Potter. 'Private Parker should be punished.' A few of the other enlisted men nodded in agreement. Sighing, the Colonel stood up.
'I understand,' he said, looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention, 'that you're not happy with what the Private is wearing. I saw what she'd been wearing for the last twenty eight hours, and honestly, I'm disgusted with you. I've talked to Izzy about her clothes, and I'm allowing her to wear them until her new uniform arrives, or her old one is returned. Anyone who tries to sabotage the clothes she has on now, will be on report. And if I ever find out who did what they did to Izzy in the first place, they'll be digging latrines for the rest of the war.' Hawkeye stood up as well.
'As well as digging latrines for the Colonel, you'll be tied up and sent over to the other side of the front line, driven personally by me,' he said seriously. No-one said anything. Most had heard what Hawkeye had done to Captain Kaufmann, and some had seen the bruise and the x-ray of the man's chin.
'Thank you, Pierce,' Potter said as both sat down.
'And I never heard any of you complaining when someone else like Klinger is outta uniform, so there,' Izzy said loudly, collecting a tray and joining the line for her daily ration of slush. The nurses clapped, and some even called out encouragement to Izzy. The girl smiled to herself.
Izzy, one.
Men of the 4077th, zero.