Note: I do not own M*A*S*H*!
Chapter 1: Hawkeye
Benjamin Franklin Pierce, better known as Hawkeye, had just received some awful news. So awful, in fact, that he had to talk to the one person that he hoped would understand: his father. However, this was not the kind of news that should be delivered over the telephone. That is why he stood nervously on his father's doorstep as he rang the doorbell, dreading the conversation that was about to happen. His father answered the door with a cheerful smile on his face.
"Hawkeye, what a surprise. What are you doing here…wait, are you ok?" he said as his smile fell when he saw the look on Hawkeye's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
"Dad…" Hawkeye said slowly. "I've been drafted."
"You've been drafted?" his father asked with a bit of shocked tone. That shock quickly turned to seriousness. "Well, you better come inside and sit down."
"You really don't sound all that surprised, Dad." Hawkeye answered as he stepped into the house, clearly upset by the situation at hand. "I mean, you're only son comes to your front door randomly and tells you he's being forced into the army. Doesn't that shock you just a little bit?"
"I have to admit, it catches me off guard, but it doesn't really surprise me." his father said sadly. "As soon as they announced this doctor draft, I was afraid you would be forced to Korea sooner or later. When did you get your draft letter?"
"Just today." Hawkeye replied as he pulled a crinkled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to his father. "I didn't know who else to turn to." he continued as he started to pace.
"Hmmmm…." His father said as he read the draft letter. "From the looks of this thing, you've read it and crumpled it up several times."
"You bet I did!" Hawkeye yelled in a frustrated voice. "I kept looking at it to make sure I wasn't having some kind of strange nightmare, or that this isn't some sort of cruel joke. I mean, can you imagine it? Me, over in Korea? I don't even support this war, and here I am being forced to help fight it."
"Hawkeye, calm down. You have every right to be upset, but yelling isn't going to solve anything. Sit down and have a drink to calm your nerves, ok?"
"Fine." Hawkeye grumbled to himself as he sat down. His dad got up and went into the kitchen to get Hawkeye a drink, bringing back a glass of scotch for him.
"Thanks dad." Hawkeye said as he took the drink. "I don't mean to take this out on you. I just really don't know what to do."
"Son, the problem isn't that you don't know what to do. It's that you don't want to do what you know you have to do. The government has drafted you, and you unfortunately don't have a choice." Hawkeye didn't say anything, so his dad tried making a more relaxed comment. "Well, when you're over in Korea, you won't get anything like that." he said as he pointed at the glass of scotch in his hand. You'll have to improvise and make your own. I'll tell you what, it will take some getting used to the homemade stuff. Much stronger, you see." Hawkeye still kept quiet. "C'mon, Hawkeye." his dad said pleadingly. "Where's that cocky sense of humor you've always got?"
"Cocky sense of humor?" Hawkeye replied as he looked his dad in the eye. "Dad, when they try to make me a soldier, the first thing they're going to take away is that cocky sense of humor!"
"If you want to survive in Korea, you'll be keeping that cocky attitude." his dad answered wisely. "Son, you're going to see things you can't even imagine while you are over there. Having a sense of humor is going to be one of the few things that keeps you sane."
"I don't know that I've ever seen a GI with a sense of humor, dad." Hawkeye replied.
"Hawkeye, they don't want you to be regular GI. Right now they've got soldiers for a dime a dozen. What they need are surgeons. They can't make you act like a soldier. You're a surgeon, and one of the best I might add. That's what they need you for, and they can't force you to be anything else. You're too valuable to them."
"You think so, dad? Hawkeye asked curiously, not sure what to think of his father's words.
"I guarantee it." he replied. They sat in silence for a minute, and then Hawkeye's dad kept talking. "You know something? I know that you are opposed to this war, but I honestly think that you will do more good over in Korea than you could here."
"How do you figure that?" Hawkeye asked, clearly confused.
"Because in Korea, you'll be saving lives. I know you would save lives over here too, but in Korea there's going to be a lot of killing. You'll be one of the few people whose focus is on saving people rather than killing them. They're going to need that kind of mentality."
"Hmmm…" Hawkeye said, thinking about what his dad was saying. "I guess you're right. Maybe part of the reason I'm struggling with this is because in order to go over there, I have to leave everything here behind."
"Yeah, but everything that is here will still be here when you get back. And you will get back. Hawkeye, you are one of the most selfless people I know. You would do just about anything for your fellow man. I think that's why you became a doctor. It won't be easy for you, but I think you are the right person for the job as opposed to anybody else."
"Gee, you're a bit prejudiced aren't you dad?" Hawkeye said with a laugh as he took another sip of his scotch. "First I'm one of the best surgeons, now I'm such a selfless person. I suppose next you'll be saying that I'm humble."
"Well son, you know me. I'm a man of few words, but when I say them, I mean them."
"Thanks dad." Hawkeye said, although the sadness that had left his face a minute ago was starting to come back. "I wish….nah."
"What, Hawkeye?" his dad asked expectantly. "What do you wish?"
"Nah…it's silly."
"Yes, because this will be the first time I've ever heard you say something silly. You've been saying silly things since you were born. Now spit it out."
"Fine…I guess I wish I had someone to write home to."
"A girl, you mean?" his dad asked with a teasing look on his face.
"Well, preferably." Hawkeye said with a tone of sarcasm and a cocky smile. "I don't know, maybe it would make being in Korea easier to know I had some nice girl waiting for me at home."
"What about that girl you were with back in med school…oh, what was her name?"
"Carlye?" Hawkeye asked as a shadow came over his face. "Yeah, that's not going to work. She left me dad. You know that."
"Well, maybe she'd like to hear from you again, and find out what she's missing out on. After all, you are a man in uniform now."
"No way." Hawkeye said firmly as he stood up. "She's one part of my life I'm trying to keep in the past. I'm not going to let Korea change that."
"Fine, be stubborn, then." his dad replied. "I guess the only letters you'll be writing will start with 'Dear Dad'."
"Heh, cause that's so romantic." Hawkeye said with a smirk. "Seriously dad, what should I do? I don't want to be lonely while I'm over there. Being over there will be bad enough in and of itself."
"Honestly, I think you shouldn't worry about that. Having a girl here would only make it more difficult for you to leave, and would only make you feel more lonely in Korea. This way you can focus on what you are doing over there instead of pining away for a girl back home. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone over there. And besides, I like the idea of some 'Dear Dad' letters coming my way."
"Well, you'll definitely be getting letters from me." Hawkeye said. "After all, I won't have all that much to do over there…besides patching up war-beaten kids, of course."
After that blunt statement, the two of them sat in silence for a minute. Finally, Hawkeye's dad continued talking.
"So where exactly are they going to have you stationed in Korea?"
"According to the letter, I'll be at what they call a mobile army surgical hospital. I think it's also called a M*A*S*H unit. The one I'll be at is the 4077, and it's just a few miles from the front.
"A few miles from the front, huh?" his dad said slowly, scared by the fact that his son would be so close to danger. He tried not to show his fear, but Hawkeye picked up on it instantly.
"Dad, you don't need to worry about me." he told him gently. "Be worried about the boys I'll be working on. After all, they are the ones that are going to be in real danger, and not just because I'll be the one operating on them." He tried to sound lighthearted, but it was clear that he was just as scared as his dad was.
"Well, it's my job to worry about you, Hawkeye." His dad answered honestly. After that, his dad asked the question that the two of them had been avoiding. "So, when will you be leaving the states?"
"I ship out in a few days." Hawkeye answered slowly.
"Hmm. That's really not that much time, is it?"
"Nope." Hawkeye replied quickly. "The army wants to make use of its new doctor toy right away. And the army has never been good with patience."
"Hawkeye, promise me something." his dad asked him as he looked him in the eye.
"What, dad?" Hawkeye replied, not sure of what to expect.
"Promise me you'll come back alive. I've tried to sound confident, but the truth is I'm scared for you. Hawkeye, you're all I have left. Please be careful…I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."
"Dad, I'm scared too." Hawkeye answered truthfully. "But I'll do everything I can to make sure I come back home safe." Then, in a humorous tone, he added, "I mean, I'm not making plans to die or anything. So don't start writing my eulogy…and you better not try and sell off my clubs."
His dad laughed, and said "see, that's exactly the humor I was talking about."
Hawkeye smiled and said, "Dad, I'm going to add to the promise I just made."
"Really?" his dad answered, thinking Hawkeye was about to make another joke. The truth was, Hawkeye was being completely serious.
"I just can't help but think how many other soldiers are making the same type of promise to their loved ones right now. So not only will I keep the promise I made to you about coming home, I'll help as many others as I can keep the same promise to their families."
"Sounds fair." his dad replied. "As long as you don't get a god complex like so many other surgeons have. Just do your best, and save as many as you can. You won't be able to save everybody."
"I know." Hawkeye said slowly, clearly aware of the amount of death and destruction he would see while over in Korea. Then, to lighten the mood, he started to joke around "Geez, dad, you sure are confusing. Earlier you were telling me I was one of the best surgeons, and now you're telling me I better not get a god complex. Which one is it?"
His dad laughed, and Hawkeye smiled. The two of them continued to talk for the rest of the evening. They didn't discuss Hawkeye being drafted and instead kept the conversation light, doing their best to enjoy what little time they had together before Hawkeye had to leave to begin his duties at the 4077.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is my first M*A*S*H* fanfiction, so I would really appreciate your reviews (whether it be praises, constructive criticisms, or both). I recently started watching M*A*S*H* and I love it, which makes writing a fanfiction about it a lot of fun. Since Hawkeye is the main character of the show (and also my favorite), I had to write about his draft first. I have ideas for other characters too, but feel free to let me know which character you would like to read about in the next chapter. Also, I tried to keep the writing in line with what happens in the show, but I have not finished the series yet. So please, no spoilers about anything past season six! Thanks for reading