Hell Hath None 5 100 suns
Thank you guys so much for sticking with this and reading and reviewing. I hope you guys like this chapter, it's going to be a bit happier for you guys!
Jack seemed to have taken the nickname "Ghost" to heart. She recovered as fast as humanly possible and began working on the tan the moment she got out of the Medical Tent. She insisted on doing anything the men in her platoon were doing. That wasn't unusual but she had just recovered and they didn't want to over work her. She fought with them on it and eventually won. She fought more with Grady and Gordo. Boyd and Collier had been wise and kept out of it. Not only had she seemed to improve physically, but her spirit had returned as well.
Jack was eating better, sleeping better and life was returning to her. When they had to go off to fight, she was gambling cigarettes with Gordo, the first out of the tank and clearing the area, almost as if she had been looking for a fight. As time went on, McMurphy gave her less sedatives so her body can learn to stay asleep on its own. Once she stopped taking the sedative completely, she slept well enough. Some nights she woke startled, a habbit formed from two months of being woken by cold water every time she slept. Some nights, yes there were nightmares but she kept them quiet. The group of fove had returned to normal.
When they were shipped out for a weekend to take a town nearby, they were there quickly. Most civilians had left but there were still a few. Once the German army was taken care of, Jack sat on the tank and watched as the soldiers ransacked the town that had been turned to nearly rubble. Someone had pulled a large piano out into the square others had grabbed bottles of various types of liquor. One soldier had actually found a phonograph. He had also found a few records and set to playing them. The destroyed town square was filled with upbeat and happy music. It was an odd thing to see. Jack didn't question it. She took the time to enjoy the music, the alcohol, everything. She was desperate from an escape, they all were.
That evening, she drank. She had some wine before, of course, but the men in her group had never seen her drunk. She knew her limits well and that night, she went past them. It seemed as if everyone intended to celebrate. There was music, there was laughter, some men played soccer. Men brought out card games, others sang and drank. Grady had come over to the tank with a few bottles of hard liquor for them to enjoy. Jack had been feeling daring that day and after she finished eating, challenged him to a drinking contest. The challenge was literally who could drink the most the quickest. Grady handed her a bottle and he took his. They both began chugging. It was a close call, but Grady won in the end.
Boyd remained sober and sat on his crate, smoking and playing cards with Collier. Collier had his own bottle, but didn't try to see how fast he could get drunk. He was actually planning on staying fairly sober. The two watched the other three drinking. Jack drank more than Grady and Gordo. The two men were still partially sober, only slightly slurring and still able to walk for the most part. Jack was a fucking mess. She was giggling and stumbling everywhere. She had some how managed to talk Grady into dancing with her again.
"Come one, you fucking coward." She jested. "Fucking danced with me once. Do it again." She urged. Her and grady danced drunkenly to the music playing through the square. Gordo cut in and took his turn dancing with Jack. She danced with him and laughed when Grady looked slightly put out. Grady went and found a German woman to dance with instead. Boyd and Collier watched. Collier kept his eye on Jack. Part of him justified it buy saying he was worried for her, needed to make sure she stayed safe, she was still a woman. Another side of him knew she could handle herself, even if she was slightly intoxicated. Truth be told, he couldn't bring himself to look away. The flush of her cheeks from a mix of alcohol and the chilly weather, her bright smile, the sound of her laugh, the way her hair (now reaching close to her shoudlers) bounced around her face all captivated his attention. She was an odd girl, strong and brave.
Boyd knew how Collier looked at her. He had looked at her like that even before she was taken. Boyd was also aware that Collier didn't ever say or do anything about it. Boyd looked up from his cards and saw Collier was looking at the dancing men and women, specifically Jack.
"Go dance with her." He stated bluntly. Collier turned and looked at him with a blank face. Boyd shrugged. "I see how you look at her. Ask her to dance. There is a time for everything, like the good book says. I do believe now is a time for dancing." Boyd suggested. "Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort." He joked. Collier smiled his small smile and stood, setting his weapon on the ground, before walking over to Jack and another soldier from another unit.
"Mind if I cut in?" He asked the gentleman, pinning him with a stare until he backed off. Jack turned to him and smiled brightly.
"Hiya, WArdaddy." She slurred before wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He chuckled before taking her arms away from his neck. He took one of her hands in his and placed his other hand on her waist. She was still a bit on the thinner side, but she was beginning to gain weight and was almost back to her original size. She rested her hand on his shoulder and let him lead. She was grateful he knew how to dance. A slow, calming song had come on and the two danced together in silence for a small while until Jack broke it. She was beginning to sober up so her speech wasn't so impaired. She leaned her head against his chest before speaking.
"I lied." She stated. Collier frowned. What did she lie about? "I was twenty-two. I'm twenty-three now." She stated, pleased with herself.
"Thought you said you were twenty." He said to her quietly. She hummed.
"I lied." She paused. "Missed my birthday." She said absentmindedly.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Collier asked. "I'm sure the boys would have loved a reason to get shit faced." He felt her chuckle.
"I was busy." She laughed quietly. "Kinda wasn't here for it. Celebrated with the fucking Krauts." She laughed quietly. Collier frowned again. He wasn't she had to spend it with them, but there wasn't much he could do. He bent his head slightly and kissed her head.
"Happy birthday." He said quietly. She hummed and listened to his heart beat. She breathed in his scent. Collie had always been a calming presence to her, even when he was pissed. He was strong and sure. He would do everything he could to keep them safe and his loyalty was to his group first. Collier looked out for them. It was nice to know she had a sturdy person like him on her side. Jack often felt inadequate and drew from his strength. He didn't treat her different most times. He had expectations that would have been the same for anyone. Jack made it her duty to exceed those expectations. She was fond of Collier and enjoyed being in his presence. On the days where she was this close to him, dancing, hugging, or just being physically close, her mood brightened. Those were the days that kept her going. She had been missing that closeness to another human being since the car accident.
Jack liked Collier and she wanted more of him. She wanted to know everything about him. She already knew so much. He was divorced, no kids, only thirty-one (though he looks significantly older) no siblings, she knew what he did for a living before the war, and other things. She knew so much about him and he knew so much about her. Out of everyone else in the group, she was closest to Collier.
"You're a good dancer." She mumbled. Collier chuckled.
"Glad to know I'm better than Grady." He stated. Jack scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Fucking monkey can't stop stepping on his own damn feet." She grumbled. Collier laughed quietly at her attitude towards grady. She looked up to him with a small smile. "Thanks for dancing with me." She whispered and stood on her toes to quickly leave a small kiss on his cheek. It was as light as a butterfly and lasted less than half a second. Collier wished it had lasted longer, wanting to have her closer. "I'm going to go pass out." She stated and swayed slightly. Collier and her returned to the tank and she crawled up and passed out ontop of the tank. Gordo had fallen asleep in a similar fashion and Grady was elsewhere, probably still drinking.
Boyd smiled as Collier sat back down. Collier caught the grin and immediately found himself getting defensive.
"What?" He asked. Boyd chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Nothing." He smiled to himself. He saw how Collier was around Jack, he had always seen it. But Jack had given him a kiss and that meant she had similar feeling for Collier. If they made it through this war, Boyd was going to do his damnedest to get them together.
That night, they all felt a little more human, a little more normal. But the next day, they had to move out and returned to the reality of guns and bombs and gore. The only reminder they had of the little reprieve were the painful hangovers.
Hope you guys enjoyed this. Wanted something small and nice and happy before it gets sad again. Thought this would be something cute and kind of give you a peek into their growing friendship/ soon to be more.
Lemme know what you think.