Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or setting herein.

"War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men." Georges Clemenceau

For two days, Colonel Potter and the staff of the 4077th had been anticipating the overdue arrival of three much-needed new nurses - two from Tokyo General, one straight from her residency in Milton Memorial Hospital, New Hampshire. A week earlier, when a clerical error from I-corps forced Potter to send two of his nursing staff home to the states very suddenly and one to another assignment, the MASH unit he commanded suddenly found themselves very short-staffed and, over the course of several days of heavy-duty operating, very short-tempered.

On the second day, after having been given the run-around from I-corps regarding whether or not the three nurses who were to have arrived at 1600 hours the previous day had actually been sent yet, the Colonel's nerves were, not surprisingly, beginning to fray at the edges.

"Radar!" he boomed from his office.

"Yes sir?" Corporal O'Reilly said nervously, poking his head in the door.

"Any word yet?"

"Uh, I'm working on it sir, but things are kinda busy on their end, but just as soon as-"

"Things are kinda busy on our end too, Radar! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm up to my tonsils in wounded boys! Now get back on that phone and get me some nurses!"

"Yes sir, I will sir, but they've already told me-"

"NOW, Radar!"

"Yes sir, Colonel, right away."