we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

2: camp toccoa

UPDATED 05/11/2022.

* * *

The train ride was a long and lonely one to Georgia. Madison had sat by herself, no man daring enough to sit next to her. Either they were scared of her (which she highly doubted), or maybe it was because she was a woman (girl, she mentally corrected herself). She had no clue.

Throughout the ride to Georgia, Madison stared out the window to watch the scenery. Before being relocated to Toccoa, Madison had rarely been out of Ohio. The only time she would leave the state was when she would go down to Alabama to see her father's brother and his family. The last time that happened was probably two, almost three, years ago. Her father would drive (nonstop, of course. If you're a Klein you never stop to rest. You kept on going until you arrived at your destination.) the family down to the southern state and the only thing Madison could really remember was either she was talking to her sister or she slept the whole way down to Alabama. This time, though, she decided to stop and smell the roses. Who knew if she'll ever get the chance to do so again.

Madison also took the time to write. Madison had gone to visit her grandparents the day before she had left. Madison's grandfather had given her a journal to write in. He had told her that whenever she would write in it, she would feel much better about it afterwards. She really wouldn't know what he meant by that until she was deployed to Europe, facing the horrors of war.

Madison got off the train in Toccoa and hopped on a bus that would take her to basic training, Camp Toccoa. As Madison came closer to her designation, she grew more anxious. She had never been separated from her family like this before. Would the company she was assigned to like her? What if they didn't want a girl to travel around with them? Would they try to do something to her?

That was the moment when Madison understood why her father was upset that she was leaving to be with a bunch of men. Oh, God, what was going to happen to her?

* * *

"You're Klein?" Colonel Sink asked her.

"Yes, sir," Madison replied, her voice somewhat wavering. She was really hoping that the Colonel couldn't tell that she was scared shitless, because she was terrified.

"You're Madison E. Klein?" the colonel repeated.

"Yes, sir, I am." Madison repeated.

"Do you know why I am asking you this, Klein?"

Madison took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, sir, I do."

It was that the people who had her papers switched up. It turns out that she just wouldn't be Easy Company's nurse. It seemed to be that she signed up to be a part of the paratroopers and be the in the field. She would be a combat medic. They would put her directly out in the field, which was something that she didn't sign up for! How in the hell could this ever happen? Damn her parents for giving her a boy's name.

"Now, I'm not sure how we can handle this, but we do have options," Colonel Sink started, shuffling through papers, scanning them. "It says here that you are Madison E. Klein. Why did your parents give you that name? Don't they know that it's a boy name?"

"They really wanted a boy, sir," Madison told him mock sincerity. She always did when someone asked her this question. "My sister is named Morgan, too. They just really wanted boys."

"Do you have any brothers?"

"Yes, sir, I do. I have an older one who signed up to be with the Marines as soon as he could. He's named after our father, Matthew. Morgan is my twin sister and she is younger than me. Then we have a little brother named Michael, who will turn seven in August."