"Linda?" I said, knocking on the door of her tent.
"BJ?" I heard a muffled voice ask from within. Putting my ear to the door, I heard a ruffle of blankets and heavy footsteps as the bolt slid and the door opened.
Linda stood there; pajamas ruffled, hair askew, and sleep still in her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't realize you were asleep."
"It's ok," she said, smiling. "What's going on?"
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." She pushed the door aside and walked into her tent. I closed the door behind me and looked around, realizing that I had never been in her tent before. The extra bed that I assumed was the one Sherry wasn't using anymore, was heaped with folded laundry, papers, and other assorted knick-knacks. Linda's side table was covered in books and more papers, leaving little room for the small lamp perched precariously on the edge. The walls had flair to it, but it wasn't very personal. Instead of pictures there was a Japanese fan, unfolded to show an intricate dragon stitched into it, some clippings from Stars and Stripes about the 4077th, and a few dried flowers from the fields around the camp. The only identifying part of the tent was the extra pair of dog tags hanging from a hook. If those weren't there, this could have been mistaken as almost anyone's.
"Sorry the place is a mess," she said, snapping me out of my observations. "I haven't had a lot of time to clean." She laughed. "Actually, I've had nothing but time. I'm just not very motivated lately, I guess."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said, trying to remember exactly what I had rehearsed in my tent. I didn't want it to come out too harsh or condescending, but I wanted to get my point across.
"How I've been a crazy person lately?" she asked, throwing my whole plan off. I laughed.
"Not crazy, just lonely."
"Is it that obvious?" She leaned against her bed table, the lamp wobbling dangerously.
"Not to the untrained eye," I replied. "But I've been watching you-"
"You have?" she asked. I was a little taken aback at the urgency of those words, the hunger she had when she said them.
"-and you look like you could use more than just a few kind words and a shot of gin," I finished.
"I appreciate it, BJ, but I don't think I can do this anymore. I don't fit in anywhere. The other nurses hate me, I try my best but I can't seem to do anything right, I'm in love with a doctor whose only goal in life is to get as many conquests as he can in before he's too old, my friends are either too busy or married or uptight to care-"
"Married?" I asked, catching the one word that didn't make sense.
"What?"
"Did you say your friends were too married to care?"
She seemed confused. "Did I?"
I shook it away. "Look, let me help you."
"How?"
I smiled a sly grin. "Get dressed."
She raided an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Just get dressed."
She paused for a moment, no doubt assessing my offer and trying to see an ulterior motive in it.
Finally, she caved. "Close your eyes and turn around."
I turned towards the door, excitement building up inside me. I listened to her change before it occurred to me that I was straining to hear her undress. I was perplexed and then shocked at my own behavior. I tried to block it out, to think about something else, but all that filled my ears was the sounds of her clothes rustling.
Stop it, I thought to myself. But before I could scold myself more, I heard her say, "Ok, I'm ready."
Turning around and looking at her transformation, I couldn't help but hold my breath. She had, somehow, converted from a sleepy girl in her pajamas to a woman. Her fatigues were clean and pressed, a sharp contrast to her bedraggled pajamas, and her hair was combed and pulled back into a ponytail.
"What?" she asked, noticing my stare.
"Sorry," I said. "You...clean up really well."
I immediately winced at my own words but she, thankfully, laughed. "I try to look good for you, dear," she replied, giving me a playful push. "So, where are we off to?"
I took her hand and led her from the tent and to a jeep. She, probably guessing where we were off to, got into the passenger seat without question and I started the jeep and gunned it. We rode in silence, her with a little smile on her face. She knew what was coming, where the road was leading and I accelerated faster, trying to get to our destination.
