New MASH story!! This one maybe hard to accept but it is fiction after all. I hope everyone enjoys!! Oh and this is set sometime before Donald is even thought off.
minerva's-kitten
p.s. the parentheses are the translations and i retrieved them from igoogle.
Chapter 1: The Youngest Corporal and POW
"Margaret do you hear that?" Hawkeye asked as he suddenly stopped arguing with the woman and looked around.
"No I don't. And another thing Pierce if you think…"
The head nurse of the 4077th was grabbed around the waist by the chief surgeon and pulled into a bush.
"Margaret shut up!" he hissed.
The two MASHers crouched quietly as five North Korean soldiers came up on their broken jeep. Four of them worked on fixing the metal death trap as one poked his gun in the bushes.
Margaret and Hawkeye held onto each other praying the man wouldn't find them. Unfortunately they weren't that lucky. The solider shouted excitedly to his friends and the next thing the two hospital workers knew they were being held at gun point riding in a jeep to God knew where.
"This is all your fault Pierce. What kind of man can't fix an engine!?" Margaret hissed.
"Margaret will you shut the hell up! We're in enough trouble," Hawkeye snapped.
One of the Koreans shouted something at them and cocked his gun. The two silenced and Margaret moved closer to the swamp rat.
After driving for what felt like hours the Koreans pulled into a dilapidated bunk house and pushed the two into the darkness locking the door.
"Well Major looks like you're safe for now," Hawkeye sighed seeing the men just outside the little window in the door; but for that there was no light.
"Hawkeye this is serious!" Margaret shouted.
"They won't hurt you," a small voice called. The two whipped around and squinted in the dark to see. "Who's there?" Hawkeye asked.
"They won't hurt you," the voice repeated.
"Do you speak English?" Margaret asked.
"English, Italian, Chinese, Korean, French, and Russian," the tiny voice replied.
They heard chains rattle and into the small bit of light a child of nine stepped forward.
The little girl was skin and bones dressed in ratty dirty army fatigues with matted hair. Her face and hands were covered in bruises, dirt, and dried blood.
"They won't hurt you as long as you don't run," the girl sighed.
"Oh you poor thing," Margaret gasped as she and Hawkeye knelt in front of the girl.
Hawkeye looked at the dog tags around the girl's neck frowning.
"Margaret…Margaret she's employed by the army!" he exclaimed.
"How can she be employed by the army?" Margaret asked.
"She's a translator. And I thought the army could sink no lower," Hawkeye sighed angrily, "Okay…Corporal Candace Bradshaw…Candy do you have any broken bones?"
He was gently prodding her arms and chest.
"Candy?" the girl asked and smiled, "No Captain I don't sir. I like Candy though…no one's ever called me that."
"How long have you been locked in here?" Margaret asked as the three sat on the ground in the only light they had. They could just make out the girl had blue green eyes and reddish blonde hair.
"Um two weeks I guess," the girl shrugged, "my Major was trying to get me back to the states and he was killed. My daddy was a Lieutenant Colonel that died in battle. I've been bounced around being a translator for people and when my Major was killed I was captured and here I am."
"That must be so awful for you," Margaret stated.
"Could be worse…I could be dead," the girl stated, "So where are you two from…Captain, Major?"
"Call me Hawkeye," Hawkeye smiled, "I'm a doctor at Mash 4077th. Margaret here is our head nurse."
"MASH 4077th has a survival rating of about 98 percent the highest around Korea. You two must be a great team," the girl smiled.
"You flatter me. The fact is me and Hotlips can't get along to save our lives," Hawkeye chuckled cynically.
"Ah ma scommetto che non è del tutto vero in sala operatoria," the girl giggled in Italian. (Ah but I bet that's not entirely true in the operating room.)
Hawkeye snorted and nudged the girl playfully.
"What's so funny captain?" Margaret snapped.
"Just a little joke. Tell me something Candy; how does a little kid like you speaks Italian like a native?" Hawkeye asked.
"All the languages I know I learned when I was two to when I was four. I'm sort of a certified genius kid. Because I was so smart daddy got me into the army to be his translator. I hate the army though," the little girl sighed.
"Why?" Margaret asked.
"Because you move all the time and don't get to play," the child stated before falling into a coughing fit.
"Hang on now breathe real slow kid," Hawkeye stated as he scooted closer and felt her back. After a few minutes the girl quieted and tiredly leaned into him whimpering softly.
"Ho avuto questo stesso problema per due settimane ed è sempre peggio," she cried in Italian. (I've had this same problem for two weeks and it's getting worse.)
"Beh penso che potrebbe essere trovato sweetie polmonite. Venire qui e cercare di dormire bene. Prometto Hawkeye sta andando a tirarti fuori," Hawkeye said quietly in Italian as he pulled the girl into his lap as best he could with the chains. He rubbed her back till she quietly fell to sleep. (Well I think you might be getting pneumonia sweetie. Come here and try to sleep okay. I promise Hawkeye is going to get you out.)
"What's wrong with her?" Margaret asked quietly.
"Pneumonia I think by that cough. Margaret we've got to get her out of here do you have a bobby pin in your hair?" Hawkeye asked.
Margaret nodded and pulled the pins out of her bun letting the blonde curls cascade over her shoulders.
"What are you going to do Pierce?" she asked handing them to him.
"At least unchain her I hope," he hissed.