Chapter Text
“What d’ya think you doin’ up, Sledgehamma?” is the first thing he hears as he peaks out of his tent.
The strong sun of the Pacific winter stings and burns his eyes and he blinks rapidly, trying to adapt his vision back to a more illuminated scenery than the cot and tent he’d been secluded in for the past two or three days.
As soon as he can muster a glance around the Pavuvu camp, he immediately spots Snafu and Jay lazing under the sun, sitting down to a game of cards and smokes, both looking up at him with matching gazes of apprehension.
Even Snafu’s voice had sounded worried, despite his usual dragging of vowels and loose way of speaking.
“I’m bored.” he replies, opening the flap of his tent completely to take two more wobbly steps out under the sun.
It’s morning, but the temperatures are already high.
The sun shines bright and white and it’s already making his pale skin burn and break in a sweat.
“Get back ta bed, you not healed yet!” exclaims Snafu, looking strangely conflicted, like he wants to sound intimidating but doesn’t want to upset Eugene.
Which, for Snafu, it’s an event of the unbelievable kind.
“But I’m bored.” he whines, rubbing the back of his hand on his forehead to wipe the sweat and fatigue: “I’ve had enough of sleepin’.” he adds, shaking his head and feeling all the muscles of his back and neck hurt from the long inactivity and the sickness.
Snafu shrugs and sighs and sends a look to Jay that’s probably the most insecure the boy must have seen him, since the younger recoils slightly and gets up, picking at the cards to put the deck back together.
Five minutes later, the three of them plus Burgie are back inside the tent.
Sledge is once again laying on his cot, having found it too tiring to be standing up while still fighting his fever.
Snafu and Jay have resumed their game, sitting right by Eugene’s side on the dirty wooden boards of the tent’s floor.
Burgie is sitting up on Snafu’s cot, reading a book.
When Sledge falls back asleep, losing his personal stubborn battle against the jungle fever, his pale arm is hanging off the bed in a very unnatural position.
Snafu lets his cigarette hang between his lips and gets up to help the sick soldier, repositioning him and making sure he’s not too hot or too cold.
(Burgie and Jay share a look and say nothing).
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Notes:
Did you know that Sledge caught the heebie-jeebies - or actually just the malaria - when they were back in Pavuvu after the battle of Peleliu? That’s what you discover reading ‘With the Old Breed'!