Erin pushed open the door of the nurses quarters. It wasn't very large, a small tent with four bunks, a table, and a lamplight. Besides her, the quarters were occupied by two other nurses, Darlene Bradly, and Josephine Arnold, who had been serving at the 2087th before she and Darlene came along.
She really hadn't gotten the time to meet the other two nurses, since she had only came in late the previous night.
Erin sat down on her cot and looked to the still unpacked bag beside her. She figured with an hour to spare she might as well make herself at home. Or however close to 'home' she could get.
Darlene had the same idea, except she added small talk to her list of plans. She thought she might as well get acquainted with one of the people she'd be living with.
"So you're Erin, right?" She asked while spreading a thin blanket over her cot.
"Yeah... and you're Darlene?"
"That's right," she looked over to Erin after smoothing our the creases in the blanket, "So where you from, Erin?"
"Mill Valley, California. And you?"
"Britton, Michigan."
"Can't say I've heard of that place before, I never was one for geography."
"It's a small town just outside Deerfield."
"You miss your home?" Erin asked, herself still in a state between adventurous and homesick.
"Yeah, there's a lot to miss. For instance, the farmhouse back in Britton didn't have a front row seat to the war. This place is..."
"Not what you expected?..."
Darlene leaned up against the wall and shook her head. "I just thought serving my country was the right thing... but when I first came in last night," she slid onto the dusty floor and sighed, "...I don't know if I'm ready for this."
Erin sat up from her bunk and took a seat next to Darlene on the floor. "I don't think anyone was ready for this."