Becca awoke slowly, realizing that she was in a place that she didn't recognize. There were things she was hearing and smelling that were unfamiliar to her. When she finally opened her eyes she saw why.
She was lying on a cot of sorts, staring at a wooden ceiling. She sat up slowly and looked around the room. There were cots lining both sides of the room with several of the cots filled up with men, most wrapped in bandages.
She looked around the room and then at her arm. There was a needle poked into her arm attached to a bottle on a pole. She looked up at the bottle and then back down to her arm.
"It's an IV. You were dehydrated which is why you fainted."
Becca looked up at the voice and found herself looking at a man in a white lab coat. He was tall, taller than Potter had been, with a bald head and firm hazel eyes fixed firmly on her.
He stood tall, his back straight. She recognized this as something that the higher ups in the World Order did, the Regency class. She was in the upper Science class so she often had to talk and associate with members of the Regency class for donations. She sat up taller and met his gaze.
"I know what an IV is, I read about them in school," she replied. The man's eyes narrowed slightly and he fixed a scowl upon his face. "What I don't know is where I am."
"This is a hospital and I am a doctor, incidentally your doctor at the moment."
She was tempted to roll her eyes at him. He may be Regency class level but he was definitely in the lower sections. Only those in Lower Regency forgot their manners and treated others so rudely. Middle and Upper Regency tended to show a bit more decorum and grace. They may not like you, but you would probably never know it.
Luckily Becca's mother was born to Upper Regency parents and had taught Becca well. She offered him a gracious smile, one that seemed to throw the man for a loop.
"Thank you so kindly for providing me that information," she said. "It is good to know that I am in such capable hands."
The man blinked, obviously confused. He hadn't been expecting this, which is why these lessons were so useful. The Middle and Upper Regency understood that if you treat anger and bitterness with kindness, chances are you would confuse the other person and you would ultimately gain what you desired in the process.
It was a lesson she used quite often and with near perfect results.
The man took a deep breath and resumed scowling at her smile. "I will inform the Colonel that you are awake now. He had a few questions for you."
"Thank you so much Dr... um..." Becca couldn't help it but she blushed slightly at the fact that she hadn't used proper manners and learned the man's name. It was a mistake she would have made early in her career but never now. The dehydration must have thrown her off. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask my doctor's name."
He turned back to her with those hazel eyes that seemed so warm in comparison to his cold demenor. "Winchester. Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester the third."
Becca smiled again. "Thank you Dr. Winchester. My name is Becca Coals. It is a pleasure to meet you."
She seemed to throw Dr. Winchester off yet again as he didn't respond to her and walked away quickly through a set of double-doors at the end of the the room.
Charles didn't know why that girl unnerved him, but she did. From the minute she passed out and he caught her in the mess tent she had messed with him.
She had looked dirty and worn out when she passed out in front of Colonel Potter. He had caught her on reflex alone. She was small in his arms, probably standing no taller than his chest when she stood, with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that was already starting to come apart. She was covered in dirt and sweat, her with sleeveless top covered in mud stains and dipping lower in the front than he had realized. Her shorts were khaki colored and only went to mid-thigh. She had socks on her feet covered with shoes that must have been white at some point but no longer were.
He had been tasked to taking her to Post-OP and hooking her into an IV. It was obvious that she was dehydrated to some degree and he hadn't complained when the Colonel made his order.
The nurses had cleaned her up a bit before they placed her in the bed. She was still in her dirty clothes, but her body had been cleaned and her hair taken down so she could lay more comfortably.
Once the dirt and grime was wiped away, Charles wasn't surprised to find that the woman was attractive. He just hadn't expected her to be that attractive.
She had long lashes, a petite nose and pouty full lips. When she had awoken he had found that her eyes were a dark green that was focused on him firmly. She had spoke to him like she had grown up in Boston society, which was ridiculous because he had never seen her before and his mother had introduced him to all the eligible women before he was forced to come to Korea.
He walked into Potter's office without bothering to knock. He knew the man was waiting on an update on the woman.
"Winchester," Potter said firmly after the man entered the room. "I'm guessing she's woken up?"
Charles nodded. "Indeed she has Colonel. She's awake and coherent."
"That's good," Potter replied before standing. "Let's go talk to this little lady and find out what she's doing here in the first place."
Charles followed the Colonel back to Post-OP. They stopped just inside and looked over at the woman, at Becca.
She was talking to a soldier in the bed next to her. Someone had acquired paper and pencil for her because she was writing things down feverishly as the two spoke. For a moment, neither Potter nor Charles moved towards here, choosing instead to just observe.
Charles couldn't believe that this was the same woman who had just been talking to him. He watched as she looked up at the soldier and smiled at him, a completely different smile that the one she had shown him The smile she had given him was a fake one, but the soldier was receiving a real smile. For a moment he was blinded by the bright openness of her smile as she talked with the soldier followed immediately by wishing that same feeling was directed at him.
Then those green eyes moved and fell on the two men watching her. He saw the moment when the smile changed. If he hadn't realized the difference before he never would have noticed it.
Potter walked over to the girl and took a seat next to her on the cot. "Now little lady, I think it's time you answered a few questions for us."
Becca looked up at Charles and then back at Potter, her smile remaining in place. "I believe I can accommodate your request, but would you also listen to one of mine beforehand?"
Potter smiled at the girl, causing her own smile to change to a real one. It baffled Charles how Potter didn't even seem to notice the difference between those smiles. Potter nodded.
"Could we have this conversation in a place with a few less ears? No offense to these lovely gentlemen and great lady nurses, but I think it would be best if I explained the situation only to you and your senior staff."
Potter looked at the girl intensely, almost as if he was trying to get a read on her. Becca's smile never faltered and eventually Potter nodded his head. "I can work with that." He pointed to Charles over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the girl. "Winchester here will look you over and remove the IV. He'll bring you to my office right after that." He lowered his hand and smiled again. "Must be quite a tale you have."
Becca nodded as the Colonel stood. Potter turned to Charles. The two started walking back to the door. "Bring her by when she is able. I'm going to have Major Hoolihan and the Padre meet in my office while you take care of her. I have a lot of questions for that little lady. I don't even know her name."
"Becca Coals," Charles said suddenly, surprising himself with speaking so freely. "Her name is Becca Coals."
Potter rose an eyebrow but said nothing before he left Post-OP.
Charles wasted little time examining Becca. It didn't help that every ghost touch of her skin sent electric pulses through his fingers and up his arms. He couldn't understand his reaction to her and decided to ignore it as best he could. He was a doctor for goodness sake, he could handle examining a woman.
Becca was finding everything so fascinating. She was in 1952, in Korea, during the Korean War. There was no way to deny it now. Sherman Potter was alive, there were things around that she didn't recognize that look way too new to have been salvaged for a re-enactment group.
Although she now had come to terms with where she was, and when, the real question still remained.
How was she going to get home?