This is my first MASH fic. It's been rewing and hopefully you'll all like it. If not I'll take it down.

Summary: She saved Margaret's son. Could she also bring the two MASHers together? H/M

minerva's-kitten


A Heroic Deed Makes a Family

Chapter 1: Coldness of Death or Not

It never occurred to me how I would die. I suppose thinking about it dying for someone I love means a lot. But then again dying because your first thought was to let someone younger live seems just as well. That was how I found myself with hypothermia and a monster of a cold; so thankfully I was not dead.

I remember it so well.

My high school was coming back from a last swim meet before the Christmas holidays. We had just come from Addison and were on our way to home to Jonesport. It was a stormy winter; not uncommon for Maine and the northeast sometimes so we were used to it. Our driver was easily heading through the ice and snow as the twelve of us swimmers and our coach sang a 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. We were on the thirtieth bottle when the bus skidded to a stop just past the Epical Lake.

"What'd you stop for?" Coach Howatt asked.

"There's a bus in the Lake! Look at all the cops!" Mr. Wilson stated.

We all scrambled to the front of the bus and looked out seeing the yellow bus sticking out of the lake. We hurried out and found out the bus held a bunch of kindergarteners from the elementary school across from our school. They had been coming from a museum in Addison oddly enough.

I'd helped out in the Elementary office and as I recalled there were thirty-two kindergartners this year. A quick count showed there was only thirty-one.

"Officer! Officer where's the other one? I think there is supposed to be thirty-two," I shouted loudly toward the men around the ice. There was no answer and being as slight as I am I was able to scurry around everyone onto the ice.

"What are you doing here?" a tall red headed policeman frowned at me.

"Is there a kid in the water?" I asked.

He was about to answer me when another officer came sliding over panting and looking worried.

"Capitan sir a boy just fell through the window shield in the front we can't get him with the bus there," the man gasped.

In a flash I was running toward the bus. I had my heavy coat off before anyone knew what happed and had climbed into the back end of the bus. I heard screams but all I was thinking of was helping the boy. My father was a surgeon and an ex-Capitan. It would be criminal for me not to try to save this one life when he saved so many in Korea.

Slowly I climbed down till I reached the icy water. It was so cold the moment I hit it the water was like knives stabbing into me. I quickly became numb to it though and pulled by goggles out of my sweater putting them over my eyes. As a swimmer I was always with the goggles around me. I dived into the water and through the busted wind shield. I felt the jagged edges rip by sweater and was sure I'd cut myself. I couldn't concentrate on that though. Farther and farther I went and by God's fair grace I saw a tiny figure in the fetal position limply in the water. As fast as I could I kicked to the child and grabbed him around the waist. I turned toward the bus and saw as it sunk further in. I knew there would be no way to go back that way. The flow of the lake was already pulling me away.

I kicked to the surface as hard as I could and hit the ice. Taking my pocket knife out of my jean pocket, something I always kept that with me when I was not in school, I hacked into the ice just enough so I could bust through with my feet. Thank God I was wearing my combat boots.

I was freezing but that first bit of air was welcoming. People were screaming again evidently having seen me bust through the ice. I heaved the little kid out of the water and tried hoisted by self out. The boy was blue and I was sure I was too.

"Come on kid don't let him win!" I called breathlessly as I gently tilted his head. I began CPR praying I was not too late.

After what felt like an eternity the boy showed movement and coughed up a bunch of water. The last thing I heard before I black out was the Police Officer telling me well done.