Chapter 1
"Full house! Read 'em and weep boys. Hey Beej, pass me another drink." Hawkeye Pierce had luck when it came to most things. He was a skilled surgeon, good looking, usually won at poker, and used to be a favorite with the ladies. He didn't know what was with these girls anymore., All of his favorite nurses had turned him down for the past couple of... well, hell he hadn't been counting. BJ Hunnicut, an easy going guy with a funny mustache was Hawkeye's tent mate and best friend, passed him a fresh drink from their homemade still. "Hey Hawk, what's with all the luck. You lose the past couple of times we play and than you take every cent. If I didn't know you any better I would say that you're cheating."
"Hardly, Pierce isn't that competent. He would need a Genius IQ to outsmart a Winchester." Charles Emerson Winchester III, the third occupant of the tent, was a wealthy well to do type of person that loved to flaunt his wealth, family history, and skill in the OR to anyone who would listen.
"Hey Winchester! I won this money by playing fair and having Lady Luck by my side. If you don't like it you can blow it out your…"
" Now Pierce, let's keep it civil. Winchester if you have a problem losing some of your pocket money than I suggest that you stay in your bunk nice and quiet next time we come over to play." Colonel Sherman T. Potter, the CO (commanding officer), was an elderly gentleman who liked to keep his camp casual and loved to ride his horse, Sophie. He was also a very talented painter.
"Personally sir, BJ might be onto something. I mean, Hawkeye's a nice guy but I've never seen someone come back so fast. Anyway, I'm out. I have just enough money to get a drink at the Officer's Club." Maxwell Q. Klinger was the company clerk with a nose a mile long. He loved to do favors and often snuck behind the Colonel's back to get the occupant's of the Swamp, the meager living accommodations set up for the three resident surgeons, rare and sometimes illegal items. "On second thought, I think I might go to Rosie's. Who wants to join me?" Rosie's was the local bar, run by a South Korean woman with a mouth on her the size of Texas.
"I have some paper work to finish up and I have to call Mildred. In her last letter she said that she wanted to redecorate the front sitting room. I have to talk her out of anything too outrageous. I can't stand wild patterns." Colonel Potter slowly got off the stool and stretched. "These bones can't handle much more. Like another 12 hour shift." At that moment a voice came over the loud speaker. "ATTENTION ALL PERSONELL! INCOMING WOUNDED! THEY'RE DYING TO GET IN!"
Colonel Potter looked at his companions. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get to work. Maybe we can get through this before the Chinese decide to send some more friends over to play." He signaled to Klinger to follow him and went to Pre-OP to scrub. Charles got up, grumbling, and followed him. Hawkeye and BJ bent over to put their boots on. "You know Beej, this is getting boring. I mean it's the same everyday. Operate for 12 hours, get some lousy food in the mess tent, get turned down by a nurse, go to bed, sleep for 2 hours, and get up and do it all over again. We need something new. Something out of the ordinary." They began walking towards the compound.
"Hawk, ol' buddy. I think you're right for once. Maybe something different will happen."