Blessed in life and death
Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce was sat cosily at the barstool, drink in hand, listening to the goings on around him. It had been a big day what with all the new nurses arriving and, so as not to feel the backhand of Major Margret Houlihan, he had kept out of the way of the organisations. After all the excitement he had retreated to the bar to sip away a quiet evening, but had found the tent to be busier than usual. The new arrivals had certainly found their way to the bar and were using the evening hours to work their way in socially.
"Ben!" a cry came as the door to the bar tent opened once again to another nurse.
Captain Pierce took a curious look around. As far as he knew he was the only one to be called Benjamin within the M*A*S*H unit yet nobody ever shortened his name to just Ben, he was known as Hawkeye, Pierce or Captain Pierce but not Ben. The only person who called him that was…
"Shayla?" Captain Pierce replied not really believing what he saw in front of me.
"Of course it's me, silly!" Shayla was almost right next to Hawkeye yet he still was sure whether to believe it. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a big hug, after all this was the first time they had seen each other since Hawkeye had left for Korea.
"What are you doing here?" Pierce asked finally bringing himself to believe she really was there in front of him.
"Well you didn't think I was going to let you have all the glory did you? I completed my training soon after you left and then progressed into the army medical unit, well, as you know, they needed all the nurses they could get and so I was shipped out here. Didn't think it would be the same camp though!" Shayla said in a fast paced manner which was suited to her personality.
Captain Pierce broke into a smile, he had a feeling that one day Shayla would follow in his footsteps or at least as far in his footsteps as she could get. As much as it pleased him to see her, he secretly wished she had stayed at home where it was safe. It was a warzone they were dealing with however amusing and light-hearted the events in the camp happened to be.
"Do you wanna drink? I'd offer you a seat but the place seems all of a sudden extremely busy!" Hawkeye offered, raising his voice at his comment of the sudden activity that had invaded his quiet alone time.
"No matter, I'm sure I can't be much heavier than last time, mines a brandy." Shayla said already manoeuvring herself onto Pierce's lap.
Hawkeye slammed his hand on the bar to get the bartender's attention. Corporal Klinger bounced up from behind the bar, momentarily having been organising glasses under the bar.
"Captain Pierce, what can I do for you, sir?" Klinger asked in a most official voice.
"One brandy, please, Klinger."
"Brandy? For the Lady? Coming right up sir!" Klinger said with a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he turned to pour out the desired drink.
Pierce had caught the end of the little glimmer in Klinger's eye and was about to correct him as he returned with the glass when his good friend and colleague sat down beside him.
"I thought you said you were keeping out of the nurses' way, Hawkeye!" Captain Hunnicut greeted.
Pierce narrowed his eyes and gave Hunnicut a big false grin.
"Don't do that Ben, you'll stay that way one day, you know!" Shayla piped up having now received her drink and turned her attention back to the action in front of the bar.
Hunnicut raised his eyebrows. It wasn't often he heard someone tell Hawkeye off for doing something that seemed to be his signature move and to call him Ben? Well there was clearly something going on here.
Ignoring Hunnicut's expression, Pierce shook himself out of his own expression and remembered briefly his manners.
"Oh, this is Captain B.J Hunnicut, he and I are tent buddies."
Shayla nodded in response and held out her hand as accustomed. Hunnicut accepted as Pierce continued
"And this is Shayla…"
"Pleased to meet you." Hunnicut said cutting Pierce of before he had a chance to finish his sentence.
Behind them a rendition of Happy Birthday had broken out, with Father Mulcahy banging the tune on the piano as the surrounding doctors and nurses and began to sing to one of the newest nurses who was turning rather red with embarrassment.
"She's my…" the noise drowned Pierce out as more and more people joined in the singing, he attempted again to get his voice hear but it was no use, the noise level was just too great. It would have to wait. It wasn't important at the moment anyway.
Shayla, Pierce and Hunnicut soon joined in the celebrations, more drinks piled on and the crazier the night became. Long after midnight the party died down, people began returning to their tents for a well-deserved sleep.
Major Charles Winchester had been one of the first to turn in, claiming he had a headache to die for, he retreated to the quieter quarters of the swamp where he could gain some rest. He would have been out like a light except just at the moment he was about to doze off, Hunnicut had entered the tent. A little tipsy, he had not been able to prevent himself from banging into Winchester's camp bed thoroughly waking and positively annoying the occupant.
"Do you mind Hunnicut? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Winchester exclaimed sitting up in his bed to confront his fellow tent mate. Hunnicut ignored the comment and continued towards his own bed flopping into it neatly.
Meanwhile Pierce was playing at being a gentleman and walking Shayla to her tent.
"Shay, why d'you do it? why d'you have to follow me here? You could have been anything, you could have been a nurse in a top class hospital, a district nurse, private even but you followed me here."
Shayla stopped walking and turned to face Hawkeye.
"This is where nurses are needed, you save lives on a daily bases, performing operations that a normal average nurse would probably only witness once a month. This war is wasting soldiers but you're saving them and I wanted to be part of that, of the team that saves the soldiers that are sent mercilessly into the battlefield. You inspired me to use my skills to do the most good that I feel I can do. So here I am, doing good."
Hawkeye rested his hands neatly on Shayla's shoulders.
"Very eloquently put." He replied with a rather teasing tone.
"Are you mocking me, Ben?" Shayla retaliated matching his playful tone.
"Me? Mocking you? Never! How could you think such a thing?!" Hawkeye over exaggerated his sarcasm just on the off chance that Shayla was too tired to recognise it which of course she wasn't.
Shayla broke into a smile as she was reminded how much she had missed his wit and humour and realise just how dull her life had been without it.
"Goodnight Ben."
Hawkeye planted a kiss on her forehead before replying with 'Goodnight Shayla'. He waited until she was in her tent before he made a move towards his. His mind full with a mixture of emotions he walked slowly back to the swamp. As much as he was thrilled to see Shayla again and was enjoying her company again after so long without it, he wished she had stayed at home where he knew she was safe and didn't have to worry about anything. He sighed there was nothing he could do about it now; she was here and here to stay. What could he help if he was such an inspiration to her?!