I forgot to put this in my first chapter. I OWN NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST OWN CHARLOTTE, AND I MEAN NO DISRESPECT FOR ANY LINES THAT ARE TAKEN FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S CHARACTER FOR MINE!!!!!!!!!! NOW ENJOY!!!!!!!

The Next Best Thing

"So where the rest of the boys?"

"Out in the barn", Winters pointed me towards a very run down looking barn.

'Oh great', I thought its the freakin' chain saw massacre all over again. I remembered the horror movie marathon I had with my friend just a week ago, I couldn't sleep all week, and going into a barn wasn't going to make my future insomnia any better.

"Once you get there ask Doc Roe for your uniform, and" he hesitated "a gun."

Damnnnnnn, I thought, I'm getting a gunn, I'm getting a gunn, and I'm getting a gunn. I sang a little song in my head and did a little happy dance, which landed me, face first into a tree.

"Ouf"

Winters sighed and rolled his eyes, then looked up to the sky as if asking God himself what to do with me. "Oh yah and one more thing Ms. Felton, don't get hurt"

"Trust me I'll be fine sir"

I burst in through the doors of the barn, only to be greeted by, dirty looking men, some of which looked around my age; others were probably in there early to mid twenties. It was very dim, and the boys were scattered around the barn, some sitting on the mud floors, and others hanging off the barns rafters. They looked very surprised to see a women, just waltz into a barn, a barn that was really close to the enemy, man I looked like an early Christmas present to these guys, on even whistled, and I glared over at him, he had the standard smart-ass smirk on his face, and the comb-over, that every man seemed to sport these or those days.

"Hello sweetcheeks get lost on your way to the nursing station?" He said with no hint, of kindness, and a hell of a lot of sarcasm. Some men started to snicker and laugh.

"You know I was just gunna ask you the same thing." I replied with false innocence. The men laughed, and slapped him on the back, his head turned sideways, and he turned back to me with hatred.

"We don't need no skirts here lady."

"Then why are you still here?" The room went deadly silent, he stood up and walked right up in my face, he stood about 2 inches taller than me, but I still felt taller.

"Watch yourself, sweetcheeks I'd hate to see something bad happen to that pretty face."

"Oh really, is that a threat?" I countered menacingly

"Yah........" he was about to say, when another man cut him off.

"Come on Guarnere give her a break." A man with red hair, stood up and slid in between me and put his hands on Guarnere's chest.

"Ouch no wonder he's steamed his last name is a disease, well it's not like he knows what kind of disease it is, with those looks I doubt he ever will." Guarnere pushed up against the red head, and he pressed back to try and stop him.

"You'd better get to go where do you need to be," he said with a kind yet exasperated look on his face, which really wasn't half bad looking, he was almost handsome.

I wasted no time to search out Doc Roe, because I was still wearing, my hospital gown, and standing in a barn full of men, with a look in their eyes, wasn't the most comfortable feeling in the world.

"Has anybody seen Doc Roe? I need to find him please"

The man with red hair pointed to the back of the barn, and with as much dignity as I could give whilst wearing a hospital gown, I waltzed up to Roe and asked him for a uniform. He presented me with the smallest thing they had and being 5'7 it fit pretty well, but the boots those were another story.

"You might wanna triple it up with those socks hun, or your going to be swimmin', in those things", he said as he pointed to the combat boots.

"Uhm sure….uh speaking of doubling up on socks, did I come here with anything…. I mean did the person who found me, bring anything with them? That was from me?

"As a matter of fact", he reached behind himself, and produced a little lilac bag. "Compton found you with this bag beside you."

Yes, I thought, and everything was still inside, I was planning on going camping today, so I brought everything with me, but fate has a way of doing really fucked up things, so I was sent back in time to the 1940s during WWII, now how's that for a soap opera twist? I looked through my bag: a thermal blanket, a flare, an automatic fire starter, waterproof matches, waterproof lighter, a tiny tin pot, solar powered flashlight and batteries, a dozen instant hot and cold packs, some gauze and band-aids, as well as bandages, some non-perishable food, extra warm clothes socks, painkiller, my I-pod, my portable I-pod doc, and some toiletries, and beauty aids. Plus some extra things a girl would need on a camping trip.

I put on my clothes, and tied my hair up in a bun; I didn't want my hair to fly in front of my face when I was shooting. I tripled up my socks like I was told to, and they fit me fine after that, I also put on a pair of gloves because it was getting cold out.

"I'm finished", I hollered out

"Okay", Doc gave me a once over, "Now its time to meet Easy"

"All right boys, to I got a tale for ya'll"

He told them my story, and some of them smirked when he told them about the part when I insisted it was 2009, and not 1944, and that I was not in WWII. Some of them, slapped Bull on the back when, he told me of my ill-fated attempt and escape, from the hospital. While others, had no idea what to make of the story or of me for that matter.

"That's Don Malarkey", he pointed to the man that had pointed me in the direction of Roe, and who had stood up for me infront of Guarnere,when I first entered the barn. "The guy that slung you over his shoulder is Denver "Bull" Randleman, but we just call him 'Bull', 'cause he looks and acts like one, not to mention he's got the personality of one". Everybody laughed at his joke, but I gave him a once over, burly, but not fat, short blond hair, brown eyes, and a beauty mark, over the left side of his lip.

"Ha-ha, your too kind on me doc" he replied, and everybody once again laughed.

"That's Floyd Talbert, we call him "Tab", and George Luz, over there", he pointed to some men on the rafters. "That's 1st Lieutenant Lipton, and those 3 are, Skip Muck, "Wild" Bill, and Joe Toye. "You stay away from those 3 there bad new ya'here", he said as he gave me a wink, and a crooked smile, which made me laugh.

Then I remembered what would happen to those three, Skip would die when a shell, would hit his fox hole. Toye would have his right leg blown off, and Bill would have his right leg blown off too; as a result of trying to help out Toye, and this would all happen in Bastogne, which we were nearing, at a steady pace. Supplies would run short really soon, so I would have to make sure I had my bag with be at all times.

"Babe is sittin' over there, by Talbert, and Liebgott went on patrol but when he comes back I'll introduce you."

"Thanks doc", I paused and looked down.

"Oh, it was my pleasure missy" he said with a smile.

"No, I mean for everything thank-you".

He looked a little uncomfortable, and after an awkward silence he said,

"Well if you need anything I'll be in the back." I smiled and thanked him again, and a few seconds later, Winters walked in and sat right beside Talbert, and George.

"I trust Doc Roe, gave you a briefing, and an introduction to the men?"

"Yah, he gave me a uniform too."

"Alright, well it's all quiet for now, so sit tight, and I'll call you when we need to move out."

"Hold it", said George. "She's comin' with us, since when did they let girls in the army, captain?"

"Since now", I retorted with self-satisfaction.

"How the hell is she gunna fight, her hairs going to get in the way, she'll cry every time she sees a dead guy, and she'll faint at the sight of blood."

I was sooo, overwith taking every bodies BS, up until now so I just let him have it, and set an example for anyone else that decided to be feminist. "Okay first of all, George, my hair is not going to fly in front on my face, because of a magical thing called a fuckin hair tie. Second of all, aren't all nurses here women, and I've not seen or heard of one that has fainted, have you? And third of all, I could kill you right now and not shed a single tear, you son of a bitch!"

It went totally quiet after that, he stood there in total shock, his face completely blank; I knew I had won that one so I went to sit down on the floor on the opposite side of where Luz was sitting.

After a while a German Shepard came up to me, and I freaked out I loved dogs. "Hello puppy, your soo cute, yes you are, yes you are, and yes you are." I babied as I petted it, and scratched it behind the ears. Talbert came up to me cautiously. "I'm not gunna bite you Tab, get ova here", and then I asked. "Does it have a name?"

"Yup, Trigger"

"Oh, hello Trigger", I said as I petted it all over again. "Does he fetch?"

"Yah, here I use this stick", he said as he handed me a branch.

"Ok Trigger, see the stick, see the stick", I flung it across the barn. "Now go get the stick. Trigger raced across, the barn and brought me the stick in his mouth. "Okay, Trig now drop it, drop it boy", but he didn't. "Okay don't know how to drop huh?" So I wrestled with him until he dropped it, and threw it over to Talbert who was calling him over. A couple minutes past and then I heard Winters respond to someone question.

"It's all quiet"

Just at that moment, there was a huge amount of confusion; someone shouted "We have penetration", as some men carried in a blooded man. Lipton, jumped down from his rafter, and Winters told someone to get Doc Roe. Someone else shouted, "Alright get him on the table. Alley its Alley"

"Where am I, something happened, what happened, where am I?" asked a confused Alley.

"It's okay, it's okay" responded Lipton

"Where did this happen?" asked Winters

A man with brown hair answered "At the crossroads sir". Everyone was talking to Alley and reassuring him he would be okay.

"It never would have happened if it wasn't for you loud mouth, he'd had never known we were there", said an anger soldier.

"Hey you know what Joe back off", retorted the brunette one, who was know placing a bandage over a cut on his neck.

"First lieutenant, assembly me a squad please" said Winters

"Yes sir, first squad on your feet", said Lipton

Where do I go sir?" I asked Winters

"You stay here and help Alley, time to put some of those medic skills to the test Felton"

Doc Roe came running in, and rushed to the table. "Gimme room, More get the boot off that other leg. Leibgott, use the sulfur, not to much, hey Alley", he said as he checked into his eyes, and looked at the man beside him. I decided to make my presence known, and help out.

"What do we have?"

"A grenade hit" replied Roe

"Okay, well it doesn't look too bad, some cuts to the head due to shrapnel, minor, a burn to the abdomen, treatable, and no major bleeding. Looks like your going to make it Alley" I laughed and grabbed his hand, trying to use humor, to get him to focus on me not the pain. "We need some water to see how we can clean this up, uhm Liebgott, do you mind getting some?"

"Sure", the brunette man answered

He returned with a pail of water and a cloth. I wiped his forehead while Roe administered the sulfur.

"Hey there Alley got into quiet a mess huh? Just at look at me hun, just keep your eyes on me." Doc Roe finished with him in record time, but I knew there was something I could do to get him better quicker.

"Doc, in my bag there's something called Poysporine, get it out for me please." Doc gave me the tube, and I told he Liebgott could go we were down, but I wanted Roe to stay and watch what I did for future cases. I washed away all the blood on his body, and used my shirt to dry him.

"Okay, Doc this is Poysporine, in my time it will be invented and used to disinfect, minor scrapes, cuts and heal burns faster. I'm just going to take some out and place it on his burns, like this", I squeezed, the clear gel out of the tube, and put it on Alleys' burn spots, layering it heavily. "Make sure not to work it into the skin, his skin will take it in, on its' own time, now pass me a bandage, and we'll cover it up, and pass me my band-aid box." He passed me my huge band-aid box, with over 1000 assortment of sizes, and laughed mentally for my pro-activity. I placed band-aid's on Alleys head and pronounced him a success. "Okay Alley, if your in pain you tell me, but I need you to tell me if its bearable of not, 'cause I have to use my painkillers sparingly." He moaned in response. I stood there beside him, stroking his bandaged head, I grabbed up his arm, and put my hand in his, and hummed so he could fall asleep. He would still need to be sent back to Battalion to make sure he was fine all around.

"Where did you get this stuff Felton?"

"I told you guys already I'm from the future remember." I said with a laugh and a smile on my bloodied face.