Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Robyn. I'm just
playing with the characters. I promise I'll put them back.
As Henry sat down on his plane to the states, he started thinking how wonderful it would be to see Lorraine again. He pictured her, and his son that didn't even know him. He was lost in thought when he heard "Sir?! May I sit here?" The voice was one of a lovely young girl of about 13 or 14.
"Of course, young lady," he replied. She smiled and sat down. "What are you doing here? I mean in Japan," he asked the girl.
"I was visiting family," she answered. He had a feeling that she wasn't telling the whole truth though. He shrugged off the feeling and got into a conversation about his family and his home.
"I missed my wife so much that you probably have no clue how glad I am to be seeing her again."
"I'm sure I do," she said mysteriously. She shifted in her seat and brushed back her short, light brown hair. Henry looked at her and got the feeling that he'd seen her before. Where, he didn't know.
"So, where are you going?" he asked her.
"Maine," she replied. He immediately thought of Hawkeye. How was he going to cope with Frank Burns being the C/O of the camp? He'd probably get arrested for one thing or another. With that thought, Henry chuckled.
He also thought of Radar. That salute that Radar gave him was so heart- breaking. He almost was going to run away from that helicopter and stay with those who loved him. But something else made him leave...Lorraine.
She would hate him forever if he didn't leave. He was thinking of ways she might have changed, but he couldn't find many. He hoped that she was still the same old...not-so-old Lorraine he left behind.
"You really miss the people back at your unit, don't you, Henry?" the girl asked. He nodded, but then stopped.
"How do you know my name?" She just shrugged at his question, almost ignoring it completely.
"You might want to brace yourself, Henry," she told him, saying the 'Henry' so she would get his attention. He was about to ask, "Why?" but she cut him off with a slightly elevated "Just do it!"
Suddenly, the plane lurched. It had been shot, and was spinning into the watery depths of the Sea of Japan. Henry, quickly undid his seatbelt and braced himself, like the girl had said. She was also braced for impact that was imminent.
"So, you know my name, what's yours?" Henry asked, trying not to panic.
"Robyn," she answered. She put her hand on his shoulder when the plane lurched up when the ocean met it to keep him from hitting his head. She immediately ran to the exit and opened the door and a mob of people were fighting against the current, but the 13 1/2 girl seemed to have enormous strength, for she was able to pull her and Henry out into the water. Miraculously, she wasn't holding her breath..or breathing for that matter.
"How..." Henry mouthed.
"I'm your Guardian Angel, Henry. I was sent here to save you from this. I tried to keep you from coming on the plane but since my plan failed, I came up with this. Now, we have to get to the surface. You won't be able to stay down here much longer!"
Henry nodded and followed her with all his will to survive. He was close to tears, imagining his family and friends without him. His life was flashing before his eyes, when he felt a rush of oxygen force it's way into his lungs and he started coughing to get the water that had somehow sneaked in, out.
"Are you alright?" Robyn asked. Henry nodded. For the first time since he left the 4077th, he was overjoyed. He was the only survivor. At least from where he could see. His thoughts were interrupted by Robyn saying "I need to go now."
"No. Please stay," Henry pleaded. He wanted her to stay with him because he was afraid that a thing like this would happen and she wouldn't be there.
"No. I have to go. I will always watch over you though. It is my duty. You have your duty. That is to go home and see Lorraine. She misses you very much. She is very afraid that you have been killed right now. She needs you, and you need her. Go home Henry." And with that, Robyn disappeared.
In her place, though, was a photograph of her and Henry on the plane. He wondered how and when it was taken, but he grabbed it to allow him to remember the one who saved his life. He noticed that the seats were assigned by number and row. Hers was 7. His was 13.
Henry got home safe and sound. He and Lorraine shared a kiss that withheld all the emotions that were bottled up inside Henry. Something caught his eye though.
A really old photograph of Lorraine's great-great-grandmother as a teenager. He held out the photograph of him and Robyn. The resemblance was uncanny.
"Lorraine, who is this?" he asked, speaking of the old photograph.
"My great-great-grandmother," she answered, puzzled by the expression on Henry's face.
"I mean, what's her name?"
"Robyn. Why?" she was totally confused and worried. When she said 'Robyn', his face turned pale.
"She really was visiting her family. Robyn is my Guardian Angel," he said. At her very confused look he explained, "The plane was shot down, but I got off. I was the only one. This girl...Robyn got me out and told me that she was my Guardian Angel."
Lorraine still looked skeptic...until, that is, he showed her the photograph he saved from the wreck. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open.
*Somewhere around ten thousand miles away...*
Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly walked into the OR with a distant look on his face. "Radar, put a mask on!" yelled 'Trapper' John McIntyre.
"If it's my discharge, give it to me straight. I can take it," joked Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce.
Radar just said in a forlorn voice, "I have a message. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors."
The whole OR was silent on shock. They just went back to their patients. They didn't have time to mourn. That could wait. Little did they know, that they would get a phone call that would brighten their spirits.
*Later...*
Radar stumbled from his cot in the office to answer the phone. "Hello? M*A*S*H 4077th," he said very sleepily.
"Radar? What time is it there?" said the voice of Henry Blake.
"SIR?! Is that you?"
"Yea, Radar. It's me," Henry said laughing.
"You're alive?"
"Well, what does it sound like?" The two talked, laughed and cried all night long.
As Henry sat down on his plane to the states, he started thinking how wonderful it would be to see Lorraine again. He pictured her, and his son that didn't even know him. He was lost in thought when he heard "Sir?! May I sit here?" The voice was one of a lovely young girl of about 13 or 14.
"Of course, young lady," he replied. She smiled and sat down. "What are you doing here? I mean in Japan," he asked the girl.
"I was visiting family," she answered. He had a feeling that she wasn't telling the whole truth though. He shrugged off the feeling and got into a conversation about his family and his home.
"I missed my wife so much that you probably have no clue how glad I am to be seeing her again."
"I'm sure I do," she said mysteriously. She shifted in her seat and brushed back her short, light brown hair. Henry looked at her and got the feeling that he'd seen her before. Where, he didn't know.
"So, where are you going?" he asked her.
"Maine," she replied. He immediately thought of Hawkeye. How was he going to cope with Frank Burns being the C/O of the camp? He'd probably get arrested for one thing or another. With that thought, Henry chuckled.
He also thought of Radar. That salute that Radar gave him was so heart- breaking. He almost was going to run away from that helicopter and stay with those who loved him. But something else made him leave...Lorraine.
She would hate him forever if he didn't leave. He was thinking of ways she might have changed, but he couldn't find many. He hoped that she was still the same old...not-so-old Lorraine he left behind.
"You really miss the people back at your unit, don't you, Henry?" the girl asked. He nodded, but then stopped.
"How do you know my name?" She just shrugged at his question, almost ignoring it completely.
"You might want to brace yourself, Henry," she told him, saying the 'Henry' so she would get his attention. He was about to ask, "Why?" but she cut him off with a slightly elevated "Just do it!"
Suddenly, the plane lurched. It had been shot, and was spinning into the watery depths of the Sea of Japan. Henry, quickly undid his seatbelt and braced himself, like the girl had said. She was also braced for impact that was imminent.
"So, you know my name, what's yours?" Henry asked, trying not to panic.
"Robyn," she answered. She put her hand on his shoulder when the plane lurched up when the ocean met it to keep him from hitting his head. She immediately ran to the exit and opened the door and a mob of people were fighting against the current, but the 13 1/2 girl seemed to have enormous strength, for she was able to pull her and Henry out into the water. Miraculously, she wasn't holding her breath..or breathing for that matter.
"How..." Henry mouthed.
"I'm your Guardian Angel, Henry. I was sent here to save you from this. I tried to keep you from coming on the plane but since my plan failed, I came up with this. Now, we have to get to the surface. You won't be able to stay down here much longer!"
Henry nodded and followed her with all his will to survive. He was close to tears, imagining his family and friends without him. His life was flashing before his eyes, when he felt a rush of oxygen force it's way into his lungs and he started coughing to get the water that had somehow sneaked in, out.
"Are you alright?" Robyn asked. Henry nodded. For the first time since he left the 4077th, he was overjoyed. He was the only survivor. At least from where he could see. His thoughts were interrupted by Robyn saying "I need to go now."
"No. Please stay," Henry pleaded. He wanted her to stay with him because he was afraid that a thing like this would happen and she wouldn't be there.
"No. I have to go. I will always watch over you though. It is my duty. You have your duty. That is to go home and see Lorraine. She misses you very much. She is very afraid that you have been killed right now. She needs you, and you need her. Go home Henry." And with that, Robyn disappeared.
In her place, though, was a photograph of her and Henry on the plane. He wondered how and when it was taken, but he grabbed it to allow him to remember the one who saved his life. He noticed that the seats were assigned by number and row. Hers was 7. His was 13.
Henry got home safe and sound. He and Lorraine shared a kiss that withheld all the emotions that were bottled up inside Henry. Something caught his eye though.
A really old photograph of Lorraine's great-great-grandmother as a teenager. He held out the photograph of him and Robyn. The resemblance was uncanny.
"Lorraine, who is this?" he asked, speaking of the old photograph.
"My great-great-grandmother," she answered, puzzled by the expression on Henry's face.
"I mean, what's her name?"
"Robyn. Why?" she was totally confused and worried. When she said 'Robyn', his face turned pale.
"She really was visiting her family. Robyn is my Guardian Angel," he said. At her very confused look he explained, "The plane was shot down, but I got off. I was the only one. This girl...Robyn got me out and told me that she was my Guardian Angel."
Lorraine still looked skeptic...until, that is, he showed her the photograph he saved from the wreck. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open.
*Somewhere around ten thousand miles away...*
Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly walked into the OR with a distant look on his face. "Radar, put a mask on!" yelled 'Trapper' John McIntyre.
"If it's my discharge, give it to me straight. I can take it," joked Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce.
Radar just said in a forlorn voice, "I have a message. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors."
The whole OR was silent on shock. They just went back to their patients. They didn't have time to mourn. That could wait. Little did they know, that they would get a phone call that would brighten their spirits.
*Later...*
Radar stumbled from his cot in the office to answer the phone. "Hello? M*A*S*H 4077th," he said very sleepily.
"Radar? What time is it there?" said the voice of Henry Blake.
"SIR?! Is that you?"
"Yea, Radar. It's me," Henry said laughing.
"You're alive?"
"Well, what does it sound like?" The two talked, laughed and cried all night long.