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

5: aldbourne

UPDATED: 05/05/2022

* * * * *

A week later the 506th entered Aldbourne, England. Once they got there, the paratroopers were able to go to the homes where they were assigned to stay in. Madison ended up bunking with Smokey Gordon in a small home that belonged to an old couple. The husband and wife seemed surprised that Madison was there.

"Are you M. Klein?" the husband, Stephen, asked Madison.

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

"My apologies, Miss. Klein, but we thought we were housing two men, not a man and woman," Stephen explained. He gave her the paper that was given to him with the names that he and his wife, Louise (which pained Madison just a bit, as she thought of her own Louise back in the states) were given so they knew who they were quartering. Madison scanned the paper quickly to find the names.

Gordon, Jr., Walter S.

Klein, Madison E.

"You see, we thought you were a man, as Madison is a man's name," Louise explained softly. "Is it a popular woman's name in America?"

"No, ma'am, my parents really wanted boys," Madison answered. If someone gave me a dime every time they asked me that question, I would be a millionaire, she thought. "And when my sister and I were born, they never bothered to pick different names. My sister is named Morgan."

"I see," Stephen nodded. "Well, come on now, sit down." Madison and Smokey didn't need to be told twice. They were both exhausted from their long journey. Smokey had almost fallen asleep in the chair. Once Louise had fed the soldiers, she asked, "Is it alright for you two to sleep in the same room?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Madison nodded. After all, she's been sleeping in the barracks with the men for awhile now. She was used to it. "Right Smokey?"

"Right," Smokey mumbled, fighting the urge to rub his eyes. Madison could tell he was exhausted and quite frankly, she was too.

The two friends didn't have a problem sleeping in the same bed. Smokey and Madison were both twins, Smokey had his sister Cleta and Madison her sister Morgan. ("Should have been born a woman, Smokey." "Should have been born a man, Klein.") In a way, it felt natural to sleep next to each other; it was comforting. The two friends often talked about their other half together, missing them terribly, whether they admitted it or not.

"I don't regret signing up, though," Madison told Smokey one night. "Do I miss my sister? Absolutely. Terribly so. But...I feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know?"

Smokey took a moment to chew his tobacco before he nodded. "Yeah, I know. Cleta was mad at me when I signed up, mainly because I had already failed a couple times because of my feet and my eyes. I finally got in because I faked my way through the eye test."

Madison couldn't help but laugh. "Morgan was mad at me too. She thought I was going to die. But as time went on and I explained to her how the training was, she told me that there was no way in hell that I couldn't survive. Well, kind of. She said 'if you can make it through the hell your captain puts you in, then I'm sure that you can hold yourself together out there.'"

* * * * *

It seemed like in Aldbourne, the training became even more strenuous. Madison would be so worn out that all she did when she got back to the house she slept. Stephen and Louise were concerned, but Madison told them not to worry.

As a medic, Madison didn't have to do any of the bayonet training. However, she did have to do some physical training, which wasn't her best forte. Lucky for her, many of her friends taught her tricks to take someone down. It was all about technique, Winters had told her.