The Latest War to End All Wars- Chapter One
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Request: I am new to fan fiction writing and would really appreciate some feedback...especially since I would like to know if anyone cares whether or not this story continues...constructive criticism is welcome, mean comments are not...Enjoy!
Stepping out of the dark office, Captain Alexandra Richardson blinked furiously as the bright sun hit her eyes. As she adjusted to the glare she began to search for the jeep that was to take her to the 4077th, her new home. The nerves in her stomach clenched as she remembered once again that she was no longer in the States. She felt horribly vulnerable, as the realization that she was now in the middle of a war hit her fully. She hadn't been naive enough to think that this would be a pleasant adventure, but the adjustment to everything new that surrounded her was proving to be difficult.
Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to compose herself as she saw a tall man walk towards her. He had blond/brown hair and was smiling down at her.
"Hi there." said the stranger. "Are you Captain Richardson?" Sticking out her hand, Alex firmly shook the man's hand and confirmed her identity.
"Who are you Sir?" she enquired.
"Capt. B.J. Hunnicut at your service ma'am. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Korea! Although I'm not sure welcome is the right word..."
"Thank you Captain." Alex interrupted, "But please, call me Alexandra, or Alex. I'm not a fan of titles."
"Great!" said Captain Hunnicut, "And that goes double for me. Just call me BJ or Beej. Now shall we head to the camp? Just climb into yonder sturdy jeep and we'll be on our merry way!" Alex piled her bags into the back, and sat next to BJ in the passenger seat. She liked him, and hoped that the others at the camp would be like this. With a rumble, the jeep started and they were bumping along.
As they drove, BJ filled her in a bit on camp life, and gave her a rundown of all the doctors and nurses who worked there. They all sounded friendly, and she hoped that they would be as nice in person as BJ made them sound. She asked him when he came to Korea.
"I was drafted 6 months ago." BJ said sorrowfully, "My first day here was not as nice as yours has been. At the time when I came, this road was being attacked by the North Koreans. I had been in Korea barely 4 hours and I saw a 12 year old die in front of me. I watched helplessly as this field was littered with bodies. Blood is something you fast become adjusted to here." Alex sat in horrified silence.
"Now don't get me wrong." He hurried on, "Everyone at MASH is wonderful and we all help each other out. Those people make the war bearable. But death is death, and when it's pointless it's worse. Not all of your life here will be awful, but the reason why you're here is not a pleasant one."
"I know." Alex nodded, "When my Dad heard I was drafted he told me all of his WW2 stories. I'm not naive Captain, but this is a lot to take in."
"I understand." BJ said, and gave her a gentle smile. Looking ahead again his face lit up in a grin. "We're here!" he cried, "Say hello to MASH. Best care anywhere!" The jeep stopped, and Alex stepped out.
Having glanced back at BJ, she failed to see that she was stepping almost on top of someone, and suddenly found herself face to face with another Captain. This one was taller than BJ, and he had graying hair with alert blue eyes. They twinkled down at her as he steadied her and said to BJ
"Nice delivery work Beej. She's all in one piece, and a nice piece it is too!"
Blushing, Alex stepped back, hitting against the jeep. The newcomer laughed. "Don't worry I'm not going to attack you. The name's Pierce. Hawkeye Pierce."
"Alexandra Richardson." she shyly replied. His look softened and he offered her his arm.
"Allow me to escort you to your tent." he said. Nodding and smiling up at him, Alex slipped her arm into his and they walked further into the camp, each carrying one of her bags.
"Welcome to the MASH resort and spa." Hawkeye proclaimed, "Your tent has been reserved for you from now until the end of the war." They stepped into a normal army tent and she saw a small cot set up with a few other simple pieces of furniture. It was very plain, and not very homey. Alex instinctively wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Please feel free to redecorate." Hawkeye quipped, not missing her grimace, "And if you need any ideas I would be more than happy to give you some. All you have to do is go to dinner with me tonight."
Alex was well aware of his arm, which had left its spot holding hers and was snaking around her waist. Oh no, she thought, a charmer. She had to admit, he was stunningly handsome and his sense of humour was great, but BJ had mentioned that while Pierce meant no harm, he did like the ladies. Alex thought she should steer clear of him for a bit.
"I bet you say that to all the new girls." she remarked slyly, and chuckled inwardly when his arm dropped from her waist. "Thank you for the offer Captain Pierce but I feel that I should take today to settle in alone." Smiling at him so he wouldn't be too hurt, she escorted him to the door.
"Well don't hesitate to ask." he said, "My offer holds as long as you want it to. Oh and one last thing. Call me Hawkeye."
Having got rid of the distraction of Captain Pierce, Alex set about unpacking. It wasn't overly exciting. Most of her nice clothes had been left in the States, she knew she'd just be in army fatigues over here. Most of her time was spent dealing with the little object she'd brought to make herself feel at home. Her favourite books were soon lined up on the desk in the corner, the nightstand next to her bed had pictures of her family, and her scrapbooks with pictures of home were tucked into a drawer.
Alex looked up sharply when a knock came on her tent door. Straightening her uniform she went over and opened it. A woman about her height, with light blond hair and an authoritative air stood there.
"Good afternoon Captain. I'm Major Margaret Houlihan. I understand you are a new surgeon." Alex smiled and stuck out her hand as she had with BJ.
"Yes that's right. Pleased to meet you Major. You're the first woman I've met on camp so far! Won't you come in?" Major Houlihan frowned. "You should've reported to Colonel Potter upon your arrival." Alex's grin dropped.
"I'm sorry Major I was taking some time to settle in. This is all very new for me."
"Nevertheless, come with me now and we'll check in with the Colonel."
Stepping out of her tent, Alex frowned at the retreating Major. This was not a good way to start. Suddenly she noticed Hawkeye watching her bemusedly as he walked toward the mess tent. Meeting his glance, she rolled her eyes in the direction of Houlihan before following her to the Colonel's tent. Hawkeye choked in a laugh, and ducked into the mess tent.
Walking into the Colonel's tent, Alex saw a young man sitting at the phone. He was the youngest looking man she'd seen in the camp so far, and his voice was still a little squeaky as he spoke over the phone. She grinned at his cute little face. She'd have to meet him later.
Walking into the next room, she saluted the older man at the desk, and announced who she was. Before Major Houlihan could get a word out, the Colonel dismissed her. The Major frowned quickly, but thought better of protesting, turned sharply on her heel and headed out. The Colonel smiled at her.
"I assumed that since Major Houlihan brought you in that our first meeting might not get off to a good start if I let her talk. I'm Colonel Potter as I'm sure you know, and you must be Captain Richardson." Alex grinned.
"That's right sir. Thank you sir, for listening to me and not to the Major. I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I was taking some time to settle in before reporting and she didn't like that." Col. Potter sighed.
"The Major likes her rules, but she's not a bad person. Give her some time to warm up to you. She has a great respect for talent. Which I'm told you have plenty of! I must admit Captain I was a bit apprehensive when they told us we were getting a female surgeon. Even with your excellent credentials I'm still unsure. But I'm not one to judge by appearances. I'll wait to see you in action before I decide what I think of you. For now, why don't you head on to the mess tent where I'm sure they're serving whatever is being passed off as lunch today. You want to get some food into you before the next batch of wounded come in." Sighing with relief, Alex nodded her head profusely.
"Thank you sir. I'll see you around." She walked out briskly and headed toward the mess tent.
The mess tent was crowded. Soldiers and surgeons were everywhere. Joining the line waiting for food, Alex quickly got her portions and searched for a place to sit. Suddenly a waving arm caught her eye and she saw BJ waving her over. Grinning, she went and sat down with him.
"How're things?" BJ enquired.
"Not too bad. I met Major Houlihan, and Col. Potter. Col. Potter was really nice!"
"And the Major?" Alex looked down uncomfortably. BJ chuckled.
"It's alright Alex, most people get off to the wrong start with Major Hot-Lips Houlihan. She'll warm up to you." As Alex glanced up, she noticed Hawkeye standing in the line for food with a nurse, and they were looking pretty cosy. Her grin dropped away. Checking over his shoulder at what Alex was staring at, BJ smiled sympathetically.
"He just likes a good time. Wait till you see him in surgery though. It's a whole different side of him. Despite his love of women, and his fondness of alcohol, Hawkeye is an intense, passionate, considerate man, and he cares about his patients more than any of us. Every loss of a life is personal to him, and the only way he counteracts that deep caring is with his crazy behaviour. He jokes around a lot, and puts us all at ease. If it weren't for him we would probably all go crazy." Alex nodded thoughtfully. She liked the sounds of Hawkeye, but she really disliked how cosy he was with that nurse.
"Why don't you have lady friends?" Alex asked Beej, "You're certainly nice enough, and good looking enough."
"Well thanks, but I'm married."
"Does that actually stop anyone other than you?"
"Sadly, no."
"Is Hawkeye married?"
"No." Alex thought about this for a while when-
"Attention all personnel! We've got choppers coming in in 5 minutes, lets get moving folks the party's getting started!"
"Guess that's our call." BJ said. Hawkeye came striding over.
"You ready for this Alexandra?" he asked.
"Lets do this." Taking a deep breath, Alex followed the two men out of the mess tent into the camp.
Alex's body quivered with anticipation, nerves, and adrenaline as she scrubbed up, pulled on the clean, white surgical clothes, and followed Hawkeye and Beej into the Operating Room. It was cool and brightly lit, and it smelled faintly of cleanser. Taking another deep breath Alex stood next to a table that already had a body on it, prepped and ready to go. Alex hadn't seen the face, she had no idea who she was operating on. Steeling her resolve, she peered down at her work surface.
A bullet wound stared back at her, and she sighed with relief. She had a fairly easy first patient, she'd operated on bullet wounds before in the States. She worked quickly, and soon the bullet was removed and the patient stitched up. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice BJ keeping an eye on her in case she needed help. She didn't notice Col. Potter come in and share an approving glance with Hawkeye, and she didn't notice how hot the room was becoming. Straightening up from leaning over the body, she announced that she was finished and to bring in the next patient.
The patient was laid on the table as she got new gloves. This patient had shrapnel in their leg. Feeling more confident after tackling her first patient, Alex dove in and soon had finished her work with a skill and accuracy noticed by everyone in the room.
Soon she was once again announcing her completion. Before turning away to get gloves she glanced at the patient's face. She was startled to see how young he looked. He couldn't be more then 24. She shook her head sadly. The poor men forced into this. She felt a little queasy, thinking about how lucky the man was to be alive, but she shrugged it off, glad she had finished operating on him already. She made the mistake of looking at the face of the next patient she received.
He hadn't been anaesthetized yet, and with a shock Alex realized she was looking in the eyes of a young man no older than 17. He was obviously in pain and while his mouth was shaking as he tried not to scream, his eyes were pleading with her to help him, save him. With a desperate cry, wanting to end his pain, she ordered the nurse to put him under. In relief he relaxed and a gut wrenching cry came from him, followed by a weak plea for his mother. Alex choked in horror and sadness.
Moving over to look at his wound, she stared weakly at the mess of shrapnel in his stomach. She tried to get a grip but his cry kept echoing in her ears, and against her better judgement she thought of her own mother. She stood there over his body, breathing heavily, missing home, trying to get control of herself, but she couldn't hide how upset she was. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her.
"There, see? I told you women couldn't handle surgery! Look at her. She's balking under pressure. I warned you Colonel!"
Alex started blinking furiously, cursing under her breath. She didn't know who this guy was, but the last thing she needed was him on her case. She tried desperately to breathe and focus on the task at hand, but the irritating whine kept on in her ear.
"I never understood why the army approved her to come over here. Women are just not suited to surgery. Even back home I would never trust a female surgeon, much less here." Alex could feel herself start to panic. She was upset, crying softly, and couldn't remember anything with this jerk yelling at her. She was incredibly grateful when she heard BJ speak up.
"Lay off, Frank. In case you weren't watching her before, she's a better surgeon than you."
"Yeah Frank," Hawkeye piped up, "She's so good we'll probably end up giving her your patients after you've finished making them worse, and then she can give them a second chance at life."
"Oh nerts to you!"
"Ah such wit!" Hawkeye praised sarcastically.
"As clever as he is beautiful." BJ chimed.
While appreciative of the help, Alex was still in no condition to do surgery. She desperately wanted to get out and be alone. Noticing her distress, Col. Potter told her to go and take a minute outside. She fled quickly, her distraught mind barely registering Col. Potter's order to Hawkeye to follow her out.
Bursting into the sunlight outside the O.R. Alex finally let the sob escape her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the full horror of the war hit her. Wheeling around in anguish, she leaned against the wall of the O.R., her forehead resting on the cool building as she tried to calm her shuddering shoulders. The hand on her shoulder and the voice calling her name softly seemed very far away.
Turning, she looked up into Hawkeye's blue eyes, searching her face with a concern that touched her despite her upset state. Desperate for someone to make her feel safe again, she resisted the urge to fall into his arms, and instead sank down onto the bench near by. He came and sat beside her, and just listened to her sob for a while. Suddenly he spoke.
"I know it's awful. It doesn't make any sense does it?"
She shook her head desperately, how would sending young men to get shot solve anything? Gently, Hawkeye spoke again.
"I know how you feel. I've been there myself. The injustice of it all is enough to make you want to quit. But you can't. You can't change how many of them get hurt, but you can change how many of them will die from it. You're a brilliant surgeon, all of us could see it. You have the ability to save so many lives here." He paused.
"Without you, that boy will die. You have the ability of save him, and give him a chance at life again. You've just got to think of that. Every time you get someone so young or so beat up that you just want to throw in the towel, think of what throwing in the towel will mean to him, and any other boys you could operate on in the future."
Alex sat quietly. Her sobs had stopped, and she sat listening to Hawkeye's voice, feeling the human contact soothe her.
"Alexandra?" Hawkeye's voice broke in.
Looking up at him, Alex nodded, and slowly stood up. Her legs felt weak, and she must've swayed on the spot because Hawkeye's arm went around her waist. Her mind flashed back to his arm around her waist earlier in the day, but she knew this wasn't the same. He wasn't trying to flirt with her, he was genuinely concerned. And she was grateful for him helping her.
"Thanks Hawkeye. I needed that. And thanks for your help with that other surgeon. I don't know how I would've dealt with him without you and Beej there."
"Ah, yes. Frank "Ferret-Face" Burns. You can see why he's not part of our welcoming committee. If I had my way, he wouldn't be a part of the war at all, but desperate times and all that. Frank gives everyone a hard time, which makes him not only a jerk, but a hypocrite seeing as he doesn't have the surgical skill he was born with. You'll get used to him. He's wonderful for practicing quick comebacks on." Alex smiled gently.
Glancing away, she noticed a young man heading towards them. She recognized him from when she'd walked into Col. Potter's office earlier. How long ago it seemed now.
"Um, Sir?" the young man said, "I just thought I'd come see how she is Sir. And I thought she'd like a glass of water. Sir." Hawkeye grinned.
"Radar O'Reilly, meet Alexandra Richardson."
"Pleased to meet you ma'am."
"Oh please, call me Alex. Everyone does. And thank you for the water, that was very nice of you. How'd you know I was out here?"
"We don't call him Radar for nothing." Hawkeye told her. Radar was shifting nervously back and forth. Alex wanted to set him at ease.
"Well you're obviously very special Radar. Thank you." At this he blushed, and quickly left, mentioning something about taking care of his rabbits. As he walked away, Alex downed the glass of water. Pausing for a deep breath, she became aware of the fact that Hawkeye was still holding her, and it was now making her uncomfortable. Extracting herself from his grip, she turned toward the doors of the O.R. again.
"I'd better head back in there. No time like the present to prove that there is room for women surgeons in this war."