When Radar got Married
A/N: The sequel to "When Radar Came Home". This is for Hippiechick19. If you have seen the episode "The Party" then the guest list makes sense.
I don't own the rights to MASH. Original names for some of the characters are my invention.
Haven Family Farm
Lancaster Missouri
May 1954
Lloyd Haven finished putting on his Sunday suit for his youngest daughter Patty's wedding. She was getting married this day to an Iowa farmer named Walter O'Reilly.
Lloyd was listening to the news on the radio:
The western nations continue to react to the defeat of French colonial troops at Dien Bien Phu in northern French Indochina.
"Damn Frenchman. They let the Germans kick their tails twice and now a bunch of rice farming commies" Mr. Haven swore to himself.
Mr. Haven shook his head as he remembered that night back in 1953 when the young Mr. O'Reilly made his first telephone call to the Haven home and asked to speak to Patty.
He had never seen his daughter look that happy before. They talked on the phone for an hour. The next day Walter O'Reilly showed up at the Haven home just after breakfast.
Mr. Haven met his future son-in-law for the first time and to be honest he wasn't very impressed. The boy was short, wore glasses and was younger than his daughter. He looked like he still needed to grow up some more. Mr. Haven went to work wondering what his daughter saw in the boy.
Patty and Walter spent the rest of that day sitting on the porch talking. They were still there when Mr. Haven came back to the house for lunch. That evening when Mr. Haven came in for dinner Walter was gone and after dinner Patty's mother Maddie told her husband something very important.
"Your daughter said Walter is the man she is going to marry." Maddie said with a calm voice while washing dishes. It took a lot to get Mrs. Haven excited. Her calm demeanor at that moment meant that she had accepted the fact that her youngest daughter was in love and she found Walter an acceptable future son-in-law.
The wedding was over and Patricia Adele Haven was now Mrs. Walter Eugene O'Reilly.
The ceremony and reception were both held at the Haven farm under large tent. In addition to members of both the O'Reilly and Haven families there were members of Walter's unit from Korea and some of their families. As a matter of fact Charles Winchester's mother helped plan the ceremony.
"We went ahead and let her plan the wedding in because no one could get her to be quiet bless her heart". Maddie Haven explained to her husband.
Lloyd Haven was enjoying a glass of lemonade mixed with some good whiskey along with Sherman Potter. They were sitting at a table under the tent where the reception was being held.
During preparations for the wedding it became known that Sherman's wife Mildred and Maddie Haven were cousins. So now Lloyd, Sherman and now Walter were now family.
The two women were now sitting at a nearby table with Mrs. Edna O'Reilly discussing their family history.
"Mildred and I are kin to Josey Wales. He's just as famous as Jesse and Frank James or William Munny here in Missouri. Maddie Haven said with pride.
"Except he never robbed any banks or trains or killed woman and children." Mildred told Mrs. O'Reilly.
Maddie Haven continued: " Josey fought the Red Legs out of Kansas during the Civil War. He never surrendered and outran a whole federal army sent to catch him. Some people say Josey got killed in Texas but my daddy told he Josey lived to be an old man."
"It was a fine wedding Lloyd. You're damn lucky to have that boy for a son" Sherman told his cousin.
"That's what everybody tells me these days" Lloyd said. The father of the bride took another sip of his drink. "The little guy does grow on you."
Dr. Daniel Pierce joined the two men. This was Dr. Pierce's second trip out of the state of Maine in decades.
"I guess this is the old man's table. You mind if I join you?" Dr. Pierce asked.
"Pull a seat doc" Lloyd said gesturing to an open chair. "Thanks for coming to the wedding. I hope you enjoyed your time in Missouri."
"Finest kind". Dr. Pierce said with a smile. "All of you are welcome to Maine. We'll do some fishing or maybe some hunting if the season is right. My boy never did take to that. He always was the sensitive type. He gets it from his mother. It's a Funny thing for a boy whom I call Hawkeye who is also the Deerslayer. That Irish nurse will be good for him."
At that moment the younger Dr. Pierce was sitting at a table with the Hunnicutts and Major Margaret Houlihan, currently head nurse of the Army hospital at Fort Devens Massachusetts. Fort Devens wasn't too far from Crabapple Cove Maine. Hawkeye went down there every chance he got and Major Houlihan would visit Maine when she got time off at the hospital.
"To Doctor and Mrs. Pierce, I'll drink to that" Sherman Potter said and he took a swig of his drink.
"Easy does it Sherman, we still got to celebrate my daughter and your cousin's wedding". Lloyd said and he took a sip of his drink.
A/N: The idea of Josey Wales being in the MASH universe just popped into my head. If you know who William Munny is I'll treat you to dinner at Adam's Ribs (and I'll remember the cole slaw!).