The OR clattered with the usual noise of 4077th surgery. There was the
constant rattle of instruments, the orders from doctors and occasionally
nurses for whatever was needed, and the steady stream of wisecracks from
the surgeon's mouths, particularly the tall, dark and handsome one that
stood at his usual post.
"Scalpel, Margaret, and suction; I can't see a thing."
"Scalpel and suction doctor," came the terse reply.
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow towards BJ at the next table, who shrugged. Apparently, his colleague had no more of an idea than he did about what was up with Margaret. She usually wasn't this cool towards them unless her underwear was up the flagpole.
Realizing that he was taking his life into his own hands as he finished stitching the Corporal back together, Hawkeye nudged against Margaret gently, then gauged her response. Apparently, she didn't have one.
"Margaret, why so glum?" he asked carefully, snapping off a bloodstained glove.
"Not glum, tired," she answered shortly. Hawkeye smiled to himself. At least it wasn't something he had done. He didn't particularly want a scalpel thrust through his hand today.
"Ahhh, the ever growing exhaustion. Why don't you take a break and go back to your tent for a few minutes?" he asked. "We can handle it from here."
"Because my tent is the problem. The rain last night leaked right through the hole in the ceiling of my tent."
"I didn't know there was a hole in your tent."
"Neither did I, until last night."
"Ahhhh, I'm getting the picture. Why didn't you get it fixed?"
Margaret rolled her eyes. "Oh, I like the scenery, the fresh smell of rain inside my tent."
"It grew on you."
"Like a fungus. And the guy who usually does this stuff is on R&R for the next week. By then I'll have mildewed."
Hawkeye grinned through his mask as the next patient was wheeled in. "I feel your pain. I'll tell you what. Since I was usually the one who ended up fixing the roof at home, I'll make a house call for you. After the shift, I'll come over and patch up your upside down floor."
Margaret looked up gratefully as the nurse put a fresh pair of gloves on her. "You'd really do that for me?"
"Oh, come on now Margaret, let's not get gooey. Sure, I'll help out. You just owe me."
Margaret paused and looked over at him. "I owe you what?"
"I'll think of something."
Margaret sighed and went back to work. "Puberty."
"Margaret, this isn't just a hole!"
Margaret looked up through the tear in the canvas above her head. "What do you mean??"
Hawkeye's head appeared through the hole above, laughing as he stood high up on a ladder. "Check for nearby asteroids that may have flown through. This thing is a crater!!"
Margaret shook her head. "Now you know of my torment!" she called back up.
"Ahhh. I feel your pain. could you hand me a nail?"
Margaret walked outside of her tent and picked up a box that carried an assortment of nuts, bolts, nails, and other such items of the brand. "How do you propose I get it up there?"
"Fly."
"Oh, you're a riot, Pierce!"
"I know I am," he answered and then paused, leaning over the tent's top further.
"Be careful up there, I don't want you to fall and go splat all over my tent!!"
"How reassuring, thank you for that vote of confidence!" A moment later, however, Margaret's jab proved to be the painful truth.
Margaret had turned around to answer a nurse's question when there was a resounding crack as the ladder's main hold gave way, sending Hawkeye flying to the ground, not even giving him time to scream. His flight, however, and the split second before anyone time to react, however, gave Margaret plenty. Her resounding shriek of horror brought Colonel Potter from his office and BJ on his tail from Post Op.
"What the hell happened here??" Colonel Potter asked abruptly when he had skidded to a halt in front of Margaret. BJ had flung himself down to the ground next to Hawkeye's limp form, and was now screaming for a litter.
"He. promised to help with my tent.. and then he fell." Margaret managed, before she abandoned all majorly status and walked gratefully into Colonel Potter's open arms.
"There there Margaret. it'll be all right. Won't it BJ?" he added over Margaret's shoulder.
"Oh, he'll be just fine," BJ replied casually, standing up with the stretcher. "Just took a bash to the old coconut, and it looks like he might have banged up his leg a bit, but don't worry, he'll be fine. Might have knocked some sense into him." Still, he looked very pale, and eyes held something like frantic worry. Potter nodded and made a mental note to ask the Padre to thank God that Margaret couldn't see all of that. With a fatherly arm around her shoulder, he lead her to his office to calm her down.
"Scalpel, Margaret, and suction; I can't see a thing."
"Scalpel and suction doctor," came the terse reply.
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow towards BJ at the next table, who shrugged. Apparently, his colleague had no more of an idea than he did about what was up with Margaret. She usually wasn't this cool towards them unless her underwear was up the flagpole.
Realizing that he was taking his life into his own hands as he finished stitching the Corporal back together, Hawkeye nudged against Margaret gently, then gauged her response. Apparently, she didn't have one.
"Margaret, why so glum?" he asked carefully, snapping off a bloodstained glove.
"Not glum, tired," she answered shortly. Hawkeye smiled to himself. At least it wasn't something he had done. He didn't particularly want a scalpel thrust through his hand today.
"Ahhh, the ever growing exhaustion. Why don't you take a break and go back to your tent for a few minutes?" he asked. "We can handle it from here."
"Because my tent is the problem. The rain last night leaked right through the hole in the ceiling of my tent."
"I didn't know there was a hole in your tent."
"Neither did I, until last night."
"Ahhhh, I'm getting the picture. Why didn't you get it fixed?"
Margaret rolled her eyes. "Oh, I like the scenery, the fresh smell of rain inside my tent."
"It grew on you."
"Like a fungus. And the guy who usually does this stuff is on R&R for the next week. By then I'll have mildewed."
Hawkeye grinned through his mask as the next patient was wheeled in. "I feel your pain. I'll tell you what. Since I was usually the one who ended up fixing the roof at home, I'll make a house call for you. After the shift, I'll come over and patch up your upside down floor."
Margaret looked up gratefully as the nurse put a fresh pair of gloves on her. "You'd really do that for me?"
"Oh, come on now Margaret, let's not get gooey. Sure, I'll help out. You just owe me."
Margaret paused and looked over at him. "I owe you what?"
"I'll think of something."
Margaret sighed and went back to work. "Puberty."
"Margaret, this isn't just a hole!"
Margaret looked up through the tear in the canvas above her head. "What do you mean??"
Hawkeye's head appeared through the hole above, laughing as he stood high up on a ladder. "Check for nearby asteroids that may have flown through. This thing is a crater!!"
Margaret shook her head. "Now you know of my torment!" she called back up.
"Ahhh. I feel your pain. could you hand me a nail?"
Margaret walked outside of her tent and picked up a box that carried an assortment of nuts, bolts, nails, and other such items of the brand. "How do you propose I get it up there?"
"Fly."
"Oh, you're a riot, Pierce!"
"I know I am," he answered and then paused, leaning over the tent's top further.
"Be careful up there, I don't want you to fall and go splat all over my tent!!"
"How reassuring, thank you for that vote of confidence!" A moment later, however, Margaret's jab proved to be the painful truth.
Margaret had turned around to answer a nurse's question when there was a resounding crack as the ladder's main hold gave way, sending Hawkeye flying to the ground, not even giving him time to scream. His flight, however, and the split second before anyone time to react, however, gave Margaret plenty. Her resounding shriek of horror brought Colonel Potter from his office and BJ on his tail from Post Op.
"What the hell happened here??" Colonel Potter asked abruptly when he had skidded to a halt in front of Margaret. BJ had flung himself down to the ground next to Hawkeye's limp form, and was now screaming for a litter.
"He. promised to help with my tent.. and then he fell." Margaret managed, before she abandoned all majorly status and walked gratefully into Colonel Potter's open arms.
"There there Margaret. it'll be all right. Won't it BJ?" he added over Margaret's shoulder.
"Oh, he'll be just fine," BJ replied casually, standing up with the stretcher. "Just took a bash to the old coconut, and it looks like he might have banged up his leg a bit, but don't worry, he'll be fine. Might have knocked some sense into him." Still, he looked very pale, and eyes held something like frantic worry. Potter nodded and made a mental note to ask the Padre to thank God that Margaret couldn't see all of that. With a fatherly arm around her shoulder, he lead her to his office to calm her down.