Oh Suzannah, Don't You Cry For Me

Chapter Sixteen: Marksman

I apologize for the wait. I had writer's block for a bit and I did not know what direction I wanted this chapter to go, so this one took a bit longer. I've got a bunch of little ideas. Piecing them together into something that makes sense takes some time. I appreciate your patience and any support. I think I've got a good sense of where the next few chapters will go. :)

Chapter Sixteen: Marksman

The following week in the infirmary passed like a snail on a blistering hot day. For the most part, Alice kept any extra remarks to herself and let Suzie rest. Alice even offered to let Suzie use the nurses' showers so that Suzie would not have to continue sharing with the men.

Richard visited every day and showed Suzie how to take apart and clean their issued guns. It gave Suzie something to do instead of lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

A letter from Becca arrived midway through the week talking about the horses on the farm and how she worried about her older sister. Suzie wrote back saying that she would return to training by the end of the week and to say hi to Shadow for her.

On Monday, Suzie moved back to the barracks. Only Richard expressed his excitement about Suzie returning. Stone gave Suzie a quick "welcome back" before ordering everyone to head outside for drills.

Again, Suzie landed in the back of the group. Being bedridden from illness for over a week knocked her physical capabilities down a bit. As much as she wanted to start training as she had done before, Alice had instructed Suzie to take it slow and Stone, oddly, enforced it.

Aside from the marching, Stone made Suzie perform fewer tasks, run a mile instead of two, and refused to let Suzie try the obstacle course again until Alice gave the "go-ahead."

Years of knowing Sarah Rogers made Suzie realize that jumping back into the swing of things could make the illness worse. Still, even if it prevented Suzie from overexerting herself and landing back in the infirmary, Suzie hated the joking and ridicules that the men made.

They called her a pansy and crude variations of "Bleeding Barnes." She hated the nickname the most and she hated that she could do nothing about it. And she thought the girls in her high school could come up with the worst, cruel nicknames. Some of the men in her unit outmatched the girls at her school. Of course, Lemay and Garcia came up with the nickname, "Bleeding Barnes," except they tended to stick another "B" word between the two.

Doing her best to ignore them, Suzie focused her attention on training. In the classroom-like training sessions, Suzie caught up. Now only if she could do the same with the physical training.

The week she spent in the infirmary did provide her with a jumpstart with gun care and safety. Between Alice's checkups, Suzied learned the inner workings of her issued gun and could take it apart and put it together again faster than anyone in her unit. Considering that she had never held a gun before in her entire life, Suzie prided herself on that accomplishment and reveled in the looks of jealousy from Lemay and Garcia.

She also excelled on the gun range.

Stone led the unit to the gun range for the first time during the last week of January. After a lengthy introduction, he let the unit shoot away at the targets lined up along the far side of the camp. Haybales with rings painted on made up the targets. A dusty hill sat behind them to block any stray bullets.

Standing in line, Suzie rested her rifle against her shoulder and stared down the sight. To her right, she heard Richard let out a little "ow" when his gun recoiled.

Richard rubbed his shoulder and frowned. "Why do they have to hurt?"

"Stone warned us about that," Suzie replied while lining up the target along the end of her gun's barrel. The instructions Stone gave scrolled through her head and she checked her mental list for the correct posture.