The Captain, the Sergeant, and the Nurse || B. Barnes

Star-Spangled

"Yes, it's nice to meet you all," he nodded.

"Wilson was in the 107th with Bucky," Allie informed Evelyn and Louise. Neither she nor Mary had had the heart to tell them much more than she had found out that he had died.

Wilson almost seemed as if he was ready to say something more as music poured from the stage. Instead, he dismissed himself for a seat a few rows away, sitting down and glancing at Evelyn. Allie grinned widely, turning to her.

"Is someone smitten?" she teased.

"What?" Evelyn's cheeks flushed. "No! Although, I will admit, he is awfully handsome. Don't you think?"

Allie seemed satisfied as she turned her attention to the stage. A number of showgirls had flooded the stage, dancing in a precise routine before a star-spangled man walked out onto the stage.

"That's my brother?" Allie muttered to herself, gawking in surprise at seeing him in person for the first time since the spring. Looking at him clad in his tights, she had to stifle a small laugh. A song and dance routine? She couldn't wait to tease him afterwards.

Watching as the women left the stage with Steve standing center stage, Allie felt a chill as she heard the complete and utter silence that took place. He had a microphone placed directly in front of him, but looked petrified as he stood there.

He spoke. There was silence. Pushing her amusement over his tights to the side, she watched as he attempted a smile only to watch it fall once again. Soldiers around her began to jeer and mock as Steve could only stand there. At the sounds of their laughter, Allie felt her blood boil. Tights and new size be damned, that was her older brother on that stage. Steve looked to the side, seemingly at a loss for words or what to do.

Calls for bringing back the girls sounded amongst the soldiers, many of them cheering at the suggestion. Steve stammered as he looked for guidance offstage, saying he would do see what he could do. More jeering took place, one soldier even going as far as calling him "sweetheart" as those around him snickered.

"Nice boots, Tinker Bell!" a soldier shouted to the stage. As Allie looked for the culprit, she quickly realized that it had been Hodge. Her suspicions that he was a jerk had been confirmed.

Steve tried to speak to the soldiers, telling them that they were on the same side, but it was to no avail. Allie began to stand, ready to defend him, but for a moment, Mary yanked her back down. She complied for a moment before seething at the sight of a soldier pulling his trousers down flashing his bare ass at her brother. Several soldiers threw tomatoes, which Allie was certain they had brought from the mess hall, at him. Steve left the stage embarrassed as Allie stood and faced the soldier with his pants still down.

"Put your pale ass back in trousers and shut your damn mouth!" Allie spat.

There was a brief pause. Mary, Evelyn, and Louise looked up at her with dropped jaws and widened eyes. The soldiers around her turned to her in surprise. Allie had a good reputation with the soldiers. She was known as one of the friendlier nurses, calm and collected when she took care of them. She was patient and listened to them when they needed to talk to someone or if they were having terror attacks. They liked her.

She was aware of there being some amongst the soldiers that had a less innocent liking for her. She had been asked to go to the local town with a number of the soldiers as the rested and healed, each time declining each invitation. While some accepted the defeat, others still pursued her. Those were the soldiers she took note were the most surprised that she had spoken up.

"Looks like Nurse Rogers has a thing for Mr. Tights," a soldier jeered from the back.

"He's my brother you fat head!" she roared defiantly. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves."