Chapter One: The Newcomer
Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce groaned as the sunlight streamed through the doorway into his line of blurred vision. Someone, he wasn't quite sure who, had opened the door to their squalid quarters. Known only as the Swamp to the rest of the 4077th, it had been his home away from home for the last year. Hawkeye, as he was known, was aware of someone shuffling quietly across the room but after a sixteen hour stretch in OR, he didn't have the energy to find out who.
He shifted his half open eyes across to the bed next to his. Captain 'Trapper' John McIntyre was snoring softly on his own excuse for a bed. Hawkeye squinted and lay silent for a moment longer, 'it's probably Frank,' was he conclusion.
Major Frank Burns was the only thing worse than the war itself. He was punctual, pushy, irritating and above all a hypocrite. He had to be getting one over on Hawkeye and Trapper at all times, when he wasn't getting one over Major Margaret 'Hotlips' Houlihan. Frank thought he was discreet about his secret affair with Hotlips but so far the only people who didn't know about their relationship were the Koreans themselves. Hawkeye was convinced that it would make headline news when he finally hit US soil again.
"Hey Frank, could you be a little quieter. Some of us have actually been working all night."
No response.
'Maybe he'd gone' thought Hawkeye, hoping he could finally get some sleep. No, there was someone still there, he could still sense a presence in the room. Perhaps his luck was in, it could be a beautiful nurse who had gone to the wrong tent by mistake. He should do the only hospitable thing and make her welcome.
He forced himself in a upright position to confront the intruder. Being so small in height, at first he thought it was Radar but then Radar could never have been so silent for so long. He was dressed in combats, complete with hat and oversized boots and seemed to be searching in their lockers.
"Do you mind, some of us live here you know."
The startled boy turned round and dropped the papers he had been holding.
"I didn't know that you were awake."
"Sorry to have upset your breaking and entering? Who are you?"
"I....I was looking for the Mess tent."
Trapper woke startled at the sound of voices and angry to have been disturbed from what little sleep he had managed to grab.
"Hey Hawk, have you been inviting guests around to disturb my sleep?"
"Not me. He claims to be looking for the Mess tent and thought it may be in our locker, whadda'ya think?"
Trapper let out a snort, he knew Hawkeye too well. The two of them had been partners in crime since they had been drafted out to Korea. They kept each other sane in amongst the madness, each with the same humour and practical jokes.
"Could well be. Does this mean we have been trekking over to the other side of the camp when all this time there was a secret door through our locker, damn it."
"Ok, ok," said the stranger. "You caught me, I was after some papers."
"What papers?" asked Hawkeye, sitting up and pulling his dressing gown around himself.
"Um...well I was sent here without my service papers and I thought that maybe they had come to you, I did look at the office but it was all shut up."
"Listen fella," said Trapper, "We'd like to help ya out but we're nobodies, we have no authority. You'll have to speak to Henry, I mean Colonel Blake if ya lost."
"Sure, I'll do that now. Say, you Sirs are doctors right?"
"Fraid so, we have a this affliction. We can't help saving lives," commented Hawkeye.
"Well surely doctors can tell the difference between a male and a female."
The stranger took their hat off to reveal that the young face hidden beneath was that of a girl not a young man. Hawkeye and Trapper gave each other a confused stare. Neither quite believing that this was happening and a such an early hour in the morning.
"You're a long way from home ain't ya honey," smiled Trapper after a moment of silence has passed.
"Not really, after all the stories my daddy wrote about the war, the front line feels like home to me. You see my daddy was in World War Two, the bravest soldier there was. He was killed in the conflict and my Momma told me he was a true hero."
"War isn't the glorious vacation the military would have you think it is," sneered Hawkeye with a hint of sarcasm.
* * * * * *
He had never been a patriot of the war unlike Frank. When he was drafted to Korea all he'd been able to think about was going home. He didn't care about patriotism, he only cared about saving lives, lives he wished weren't jeopardised in the first place. He had seen boys as young as sixteen admitted and operated on, so many soldiers that he'd lost count of the young faces filled with terror that he had encountered. Hawkeye wasn't a religious guy but he had to have the faith that he wouldn't be seeing these guys again. Some would be stitched up and sent back to the front only to return a few weeks later. Others weren't so lucky and had left under a white sheet. He wasn't about to let this young girl throw her youth away in the same way.
* * * * * *
"So you've been drafted then?" asked Trapper passing Hawkeye their usual morning beverage of a gin martini from their very own still.
"Kinda, I signed up as soon as I finished high school. But they say that girls can't fight. So I had to settle for the next best thing, working in a M*A*S*H unit."
"You a nurse?" said Trapper.
"No, I didn't complete my training, so they shipped me to Tokyo. Thought I could help with recovering soldiers in the hospitals."
"So shouldn't you be there now?" asked Hawk sipping his drink.
"I should, but that's the problem. What action is in Tokyo? All the soldiers there only stay a few days, there was nothing for me to do. I heard about you guys, so close to the front and all and decided that is where I wanna be. So I hopped aboard a jeep carrying supplies and here I am."
Hawkeye couldn't believe the nerve that this girl had. Here she was barely out of her teens and she wanted to be in the place he was most trying to get out of. He knew what Henry would say, the more staff the better as far as he was concerned. But as for Frank, who was still sleeping through all this, he wouldn't stand for any military disruption.
"Well I suggest that we should speak to Henry and fast," warned Trapper.
The last thing he wanted was problem stowaways. He had received word from his semi-estranged wife that she wasn't happy with the quantity of money he was sending home and she demanded more to raise his children.
* * * * * *
Although Trapper hated life in Korea, after this last letter life away from civilisation seemed bearable right now. Unlike his footloose and fancy free drinking buddy, Trapper had responsibility, though he never felt grown up enough to handle it. He'd married young, just out of med-school and settled down to the pipe and slippers life way ahead of his time. He adored his two girls, they brought him a joy he'd never known before but his marriage was slowly careering down the divorce path.
Before he'd been drafted, his marriage was on the rocks, sure Trapper was no saint. He wasn't a stranger to the nurses tent as was Hawkeye. But that wasn't the problem, his wife was too demanding, too pushy, always trying to make him better himself. Trapper was content with his small practice back home, he didn't want the high praise of chief surgeon, he just wanted to help people. Being sent to Korea had only shown him that there was more to surgery than just having letters after your name.
* * * * * *
Trapper and Hawkeye quickly scurried out of the Swamp with the young girl in tow. Fortunately Frank was still sleeping in his bed and they wanted him to stay just so for as long as possible. Frank was a headache they could do without right now.
"Do you have a name or do we make one up for you?" asked Hawkeye, as the girl obediently followed the two officers across the camp.
"Alex, Private Alex Chapman, TF02468539."
"Very good Private, I guess that's short for Alexandra," grinned Trapper.
"I prefer Alex."
"I'm sure you do. Well, I'm not promising anything but Henry is a fair man and if he wants you to stay, you'll stay. But don't think we'll be backing you up if he says no. After all you should be in Tokyo," muttered Hawkeye as he stifled a yawn.
He was tired. Maybe this was displaying his more irritable side but he wasn't about to jeopardise his own little freedom in this hell hole for a runaway teenager. He had soon pieced together a logical history for this girl, most kids like her are the same. Often having with no stability in their lives, they go looking for the discipline and find it in the army.
Trapper on the other hand was less interested in what this girl had told them. He wanted to unload this problem on Henry and get back to his own worries. The letter he'd received yesterday was praying on his mind. Why did she need more money? He gave her plenty. Trapper was concerned, he didn't want to get his kids involved in a custody battle and with him where he was, he was hardly in a position to do anything about it now, but he wasn't going to lose them without a fight. Why had she threatened him with divorce?
* * * * * *
As they approached the office they could see the lights still on. Radar was a early riser. Hawkeye guessed he'd be about, if anyone could talk Henry Blake around it was him.
Corporal Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly was sat at the desk that he occupied for most of the army, outside Colonel Blake's office. He was sifting through the mass of papers that covered every inch of space. His young face screwed up as he tried to make sense of his task.
"Mornin' Radar," called Hawkeye making the young Corporal jump.
"Mornin' Sirs," he replied.
"Is the Doctor in?" asked Trapper, as Alex peered curiously round his shoulder.
"He is but I think he has a lot of papers to sign and.," but Trapper and Hawkeye were already past him and heading for Henry's office. They knew exactly what he meant when he said papers.
"Wait here," commanded Trapper to Alex.
"Ok, Sir."
"Radar, this is Alex, make sure she stays put whilst we talk ta Henry."
Radar sat uncomfortably in his chair across from the young girl. He tried to get on with his task at hand but he felt himself staring. Radar never had much luck with girls, he never knew what to say and was always being helped out by Hawkeye and Trapper but with little success.
"I'm Alex Chapman," she said extending her arm. "You're Radar right?"
"Um.yeah, nice to meet you. I'd better get these papers to the Colonel, excuse me." Radar hurried into the office.
* * * * * *
Inside Colonel Henry Blake's office, Henry was where Hawkeye and Trapper expected to find him, asleep on his desk. Henry was a kind man, his somewhat unorthodox manner of authority upset some of the officers, namely Frank and Margaret, but to most he was a fair and decent leader and a good surgeon too.
Hawkeye leaned forward across the desk, with a faint smile on his face. The opportunity to startle Henry was too good to pass up.
"General McArthur to see you Colonel," he yelled at deafening volume.
"Wwhhaatt!!! Radar why didn't you wake me." Henry jumped up and almost fell off his chair, then he heard the laughter.
"Very funny Pierce. What do you want so early in the morning?"
"We have a problem," began Hawkeye.
"Yeah a big problem in the shape of a stowaway," added Trapper.
"Oh, well where is he now?"
"Outside and it's not a 'he'. She wants to join the 4077th."
"Well that is what we like to see," said Henry happily. "We always need volunteers to join our happy brigade."
As predicted by Hawkeye, Henry was willing to take this girl on. The army was so desperate for staff and Henry knew it made sense to allow people who wanted to join up to come and work for them.
"Henry, this girl is barely twenty. She is impulsive and has a very idolised version of war thanks to her father. She should be as far away from the war as possible not four miles from the front."
"Pierce, come on. You know how short we are for staff. For the amount of wounded we treated recently, we can't send help away."
"Henry's right Hawk," agreed Trap. "You said yourself, the nurses are tired all the time and mistake are being made."
"Radar!" called Henry to be confronted with the small Corporal before the words had barely left his lips.
"Can I have.."
"Here are the transfer papers, Sir," answered Radar. "Shall I send Private Chapman in?"
"Yes, Radar, show her in."
Alex followed Radar through the swing doors and smiled graciously at Hawkeye and Trapper.
"Ah, so you're our stowaway then?" asked Henry smiling at the young girl.
"Yes Colonel," replied Alex meekly. "I am sorry if I caused you or the Captains any problems. I just wanted to help."
"Well I have discussed it with my officers here and despite the fact that the way you went about coming to us was wrong, we are short of staff at present and I am signing your transfer papers so you can work for us."
"Really," exclaimed Alex, her eyes wide with excitement. "Oh thank you Colonel Blake, you won't regret this."
"I hope I don't have to Private. You're belongings will be sent from Tokyo in the next couple days. Well let me introduce you to Captain Pierce and Captain McIntyre."
"Nice to meet you Sirs," she said shaking each officer's hand.
"Ok Private, you're dismissed."
Alex saluted and marched out of the office, closely followed by Hawkeye and Trapper.
"I don't know what you said to Colonel Blake, but thank you, Captain Pierce, you to Captain McIntyre," said Alex, her face breaking into a grin.
"It was nothing and call me Hawkeye"
"And I'm Trapper," said Trapper smiling.
"Hawkeye and Trapper, ok. Does everyone have nicknames?"
"Yeah," said Hawkeye. "We'll be thinking one up for you over breakfast, care to join us?"
"Sure," she said following them into the Mess tent.
Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce groaned as the sunlight streamed through the doorway into his line of blurred vision. Someone, he wasn't quite sure who, had opened the door to their squalid quarters. Known only as the Swamp to the rest of the 4077th, it had been his home away from home for the last year. Hawkeye, as he was known, was aware of someone shuffling quietly across the room but after a sixteen hour stretch in OR, he didn't have the energy to find out who.
He shifted his half open eyes across to the bed next to his. Captain 'Trapper' John McIntyre was snoring softly on his own excuse for a bed. Hawkeye squinted and lay silent for a moment longer, 'it's probably Frank,' was he conclusion.
Major Frank Burns was the only thing worse than the war itself. He was punctual, pushy, irritating and above all a hypocrite. He had to be getting one over on Hawkeye and Trapper at all times, when he wasn't getting one over Major Margaret 'Hotlips' Houlihan. Frank thought he was discreet about his secret affair with Hotlips but so far the only people who didn't know about their relationship were the Koreans themselves. Hawkeye was convinced that it would make headline news when he finally hit US soil again.
"Hey Frank, could you be a little quieter. Some of us have actually been working all night."
No response.
'Maybe he'd gone' thought Hawkeye, hoping he could finally get some sleep. No, there was someone still there, he could still sense a presence in the room. Perhaps his luck was in, it could be a beautiful nurse who had gone to the wrong tent by mistake. He should do the only hospitable thing and make her welcome.
He forced himself in a upright position to confront the intruder. Being so small in height, at first he thought it was Radar but then Radar could never have been so silent for so long. He was dressed in combats, complete with hat and oversized boots and seemed to be searching in their lockers.
"Do you mind, some of us live here you know."
The startled boy turned round and dropped the papers he had been holding.
"I didn't know that you were awake."
"Sorry to have upset your breaking and entering? Who are you?"
"I....I was looking for the Mess tent."
Trapper woke startled at the sound of voices and angry to have been disturbed from what little sleep he had managed to grab.
"Hey Hawk, have you been inviting guests around to disturb my sleep?"
"Not me. He claims to be looking for the Mess tent and thought it may be in our locker, whadda'ya think?"
Trapper let out a snort, he knew Hawkeye too well. The two of them had been partners in crime since they had been drafted out to Korea. They kept each other sane in amongst the madness, each with the same humour and practical jokes.
"Could well be. Does this mean we have been trekking over to the other side of the camp when all this time there was a secret door through our locker, damn it."
"Ok, ok," said the stranger. "You caught me, I was after some papers."
"What papers?" asked Hawkeye, sitting up and pulling his dressing gown around himself.
"Um...well I was sent here without my service papers and I thought that maybe they had come to you, I did look at the office but it was all shut up."
"Listen fella," said Trapper, "We'd like to help ya out but we're nobodies, we have no authority. You'll have to speak to Henry, I mean Colonel Blake if ya lost."
"Sure, I'll do that now. Say, you Sirs are doctors right?"
"Fraid so, we have a this affliction. We can't help saving lives," commented Hawkeye.
"Well surely doctors can tell the difference between a male and a female."
The stranger took their hat off to reveal that the young face hidden beneath was that of a girl not a young man. Hawkeye and Trapper gave each other a confused stare. Neither quite believing that this was happening and a such an early hour in the morning.
"You're a long way from home ain't ya honey," smiled Trapper after a moment of silence has passed.
"Not really, after all the stories my daddy wrote about the war, the front line feels like home to me. You see my daddy was in World War Two, the bravest soldier there was. He was killed in the conflict and my Momma told me he was a true hero."
"War isn't the glorious vacation the military would have you think it is," sneered Hawkeye with a hint of sarcasm.
* * * * * *
He had never been a patriot of the war unlike Frank. When he was drafted to Korea all he'd been able to think about was going home. He didn't care about patriotism, he only cared about saving lives, lives he wished weren't jeopardised in the first place. He had seen boys as young as sixteen admitted and operated on, so many soldiers that he'd lost count of the young faces filled with terror that he had encountered. Hawkeye wasn't a religious guy but he had to have the faith that he wouldn't be seeing these guys again. Some would be stitched up and sent back to the front only to return a few weeks later. Others weren't so lucky and had left under a white sheet. He wasn't about to let this young girl throw her youth away in the same way.
* * * * * *
"So you've been drafted then?" asked Trapper passing Hawkeye their usual morning beverage of a gin martini from their very own still.
"Kinda, I signed up as soon as I finished high school. But they say that girls can't fight. So I had to settle for the next best thing, working in a M*A*S*H unit."
"You a nurse?" said Trapper.
"No, I didn't complete my training, so they shipped me to Tokyo. Thought I could help with recovering soldiers in the hospitals."
"So shouldn't you be there now?" asked Hawk sipping his drink.
"I should, but that's the problem. What action is in Tokyo? All the soldiers there only stay a few days, there was nothing for me to do. I heard about you guys, so close to the front and all and decided that is where I wanna be. So I hopped aboard a jeep carrying supplies and here I am."
Hawkeye couldn't believe the nerve that this girl had. Here she was barely out of her teens and she wanted to be in the place he was most trying to get out of. He knew what Henry would say, the more staff the better as far as he was concerned. But as for Frank, who was still sleeping through all this, he wouldn't stand for any military disruption.
"Well I suggest that we should speak to Henry and fast," warned Trapper.
The last thing he wanted was problem stowaways. He had received word from his semi-estranged wife that she wasn't happy with the quantity of money he was sending home and she demanded more to raise his children.
* * * * * *
Although Trapper hated life in Korea, after this last letter life away from civilisation seemed bearable right now. Unlike his footloose and fancy free drinking buddy, Trapper had responsibility, though he never felt grown up enough to handle it. He'd married young, just out of med-school and settled down to the pipe and slippers life way ahead of his time. He adored his two girls, they brought him a joy he'd never known before but his marriage was slowly careering down the divorce path.
Before he'd been drafted, his marriage was on the rocks, sure Trapper was no saint. He wasn't a stranger to the nurses tent as was Hawkeye. But that wasn't the problem, his wife was too demanding, too pushy, always trying to make him better himself. Trapper was content with his small practice back home, he didn't want the high praise of chief surgeon, he just wanted to help people. Being sent to Korea had only shown him that there was more to surgery than just having letters after your name.
* * * * * *
Trapper and Hawkeye quickly scurried out of the Swamp with the young girl in tow. Fortunately Frank was still sleeping in his bed and they wanted him to stay just so for as long as possible. Frank was a headache they could do without right now.
"Do you have a name or do we make one up for you?" asked Hawkeye, as the girl obediently followed the two officers across the camp.
"Alex, Private Alex Chapman, TF02468539."
"Very good Private, I guess that's short for Alexandra," grinned Trapper.
"I prefer Alex."
"I'm sure you do. Well, I'm not promising anything but Henry is a fair man and if he wants you to stay, you'll stay. But don't think we'll be backing you up if he says no. After all you should be in Tokyo," muttered Hawkeye as he stifled a yawn.
He was tired. Maybe this was displaying his more irritable side but he wasn't about to jeopardise his own little freedom in this hell hole for a runaway teenager. He had soon pieced together a logical history for this girl, most kids like her are the same. Often having with no stability in their lives, they go looking for the discipline and find it in the army.
Trapper on the other hand was less interested in what this girl had told them. He wanted to unload this problem on Henry and get back to his own worries. The letter he'd received yesterday was praying on his mind. Why did she need more money? He gave her plenty. Trapper was concerned, he didn't want to get his kids involved in a custody battle and with him where he was, he was hardly in a position to do anything about it now, but he wasn't going to lose them without a fight. Why had she threatened him with divorce?
* * * * * *
As they approached the office they could see the lights still on. Radar was a early riser. Hawkeye guessed he'd be about, if anyone could talk Henry Blake around it was him.
Corporal Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly was sat at the desk that he occupied for most of the army, outside Colonel Blake's office. He was sifting through the mass of papers that covered every inch of space. His young face screwed up as he tried to make sense of his task.
"Mornin' Radar," called Hawkeye making the young Corporal jump.
"Mornin' Sirs," he replied.
"Is the Doctor in?" asked Trapper, as Alex peered curiously round his shoulder.
"He is but I think he has a lot of papers to sign and.," but Trapper and Hawkeye were already past him and heading for Henry's office. They knew exactly what he meant when he said papers.
"Wait here," commanded Trapper to Alex.
"Ok, Sir."
"Radar, this is Alex, make sure she stays put whilst we talk ta Henry."
Radar sat uncomfortably in his chair across from the young girl. He tried to get on with his task at hand but he felt himself staring. Radar never had much luck with girls, he never knew what to say and was always being helped out by Hawkeye and Trapper but with little success.
"I'm Alex Chapman," she said extending her arm. "You're Radar right?"
"Um.yeah, nice to meet you. I'd better get these papers to the Colonel, excuse me." Radar hurried into the office.
* * * * * *
Inside Colonel Henry Blake's office, Henry was where Hawkeye and Trapper expected to find him, asleep on his desk. Henry was a kind man, his somewhat unorthodox manner of authority upset some of the officers, namely Frank and Margaret, but to most he was a fair and decent leader and a good surgeon too.
Hawkeye leaned forward across the desk, with a faint smile on his face. The opportunity to startle Henry was too good to pass up.
"General McArthur to see you Colonel," he yelled at deafening volume.
"Wwhhaatt!!! Radar why didn't you wake me." Henry jumped up and almost fell off his chair, then he heard the laughter.
"Very funny Pierce. What do you want so early in the morning?"
"We have a problem," began Hawkeye.
"Yeah a big problem in the shape of a stowaway," added Trapper.
"Oh, well where is he now?"
"Outside and it's not a 'he'. She wants to join the 4077th."
"Well that is what we like to see," said Henry happily. "We always need volunteers to join our happy brigade."
As predicted by Hawkeye, Henry was willing to take this girl on. The army was so desperate for staff and Henry knew it made sense to allow people who wanted to join up to come and work for them.
"Henry, this girl is barely twenty. She is impulsive and has a very idolised version of war thanks to her father. She should be as far away from the war as possible not four miles from the front."
"Pierce, come on. You know how short we are for staff. For the amount of wounded we treated recently, we can't send help away."
"Henry's right Hawk," agreed Trap. "You said yourself, the nurses are tired all the time and mistake are being made."
"Radar!" called Henry to be confronted with the small Corporal before the words had barely left his lips.
"Can I have.."
"Here are the transfer papers, Sir," answered Radar. "Shall I send Private Chapman in?"
"Yes, Radar, show her in."
Alex followed Radar through the swing doors and smiled graciously at Hawkeye and Trapper.
"Ah, so you're our stowaway then?" asked Henry smiling at the young girl.
"Yes Colonel," replied Alex meekly. "I am sorry if I caused you or the Captains any problems. I just wanted to help."
"Well I have discussed it with my officers here and despite the fact that the way you went about coming to us was wrong, we are short of staff at present and I am signing your transfer papers so you can work for us."
"Really," exclaimed Alex, her eyes wide with excitement. "Oh thank you Colonel Blake, you won't regret this."
"I hope I don't have to Private. You're belongings will be sent from Tokyo in the next couple days. Well let me introduce you to Captain Pierce and Captain McIntyre."
"Nice to meet you Sirs," she said shaking each officer's hand.
"Ok Private, you're dismissed."
Alex saluted and marched out of the office, closely followed by Hawkeye and Trapper.
"I don't know what you said to Colonel Blake, but thank you, Captain Pierce, you to Captain McIntyre," said Alex, her face breaking into a grin.
"It was nothing and call me Hawkeye"
"And I'm Trapper," said Trapper smiling.
"Hawkeye and Trapper, ok. Does everyone have nicknames?"
"Yeah," said Hawkeye. "We'll be thinking one up for you over breakfast, care to join us?"
"Sure," she said following them into the Mess tent.