I want to dedicate this story to Jon; I love ya! I would also like to dedicate it to all those at the Best Care Anywhere site, and especially to those at the Hawkeye's Haven forum. Thanks for all of your support with the site! This is for you guys!
Over the roar of gunfire she could hear the shouts of the injured who were scattered in various parts of the battered aid station. On impulse, she ducked her head as the window that was not five feet away from her imploded. A shower of glass and ripped fabric rained down on her.
"Mel!" Someone had shouted her name over the din of at least a dozen guns firing. The noise was cut off abruptly, and the shout cut through the humid air before being cut off once again by the heavy gunfire.
Mel did not attempt to respond to the person who had shouted to her. Instead, she crawled on the ground until she reached the nearest soldier's bed. Grabbing the end of the bed, she stood with caution. Nearly half of the ceiling had caved in and all of the windows in the building had been blown in.
Mel walked, squatted, to the side of the bed. She felt for the soldier's pulse, but the comforting, strong beat was absent. She could have cried for him, but knew that she must go on and finish what she had come here to do.
A second blast rocked the disheveled building, blowing out the wall nearest to Mel. She was thrown against the bed behind her, falling off of the side. Attempting to raise herself from the dirt floor, she was immediately pushed back down by a firm hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" The voice came from a medic who was unfamiliar to her. His face was coated with patches of dirt and drops of dried blood. Sweat beads glistened on his forehead, and Mel noticed that he winced slightly each time he took a breath.
"You're injured," she stated to no one in particular. She tried to get up a second time, but the medic's hold remained surprisingly strong.
"And you're not goin' anywhere!"
"I just want to check you out!" Mel yelled, frustration seeping into her tone.
"No, no I don't need that. It's too late." With those words, Mel stopped struggling. Swallowing past the growing lump in her throat, she continued.
"What about the men?"
"They're all dead. You, me, and a few other medics who just happened to be passing through are the only ones left." This silenced her completely. In the back of her mind she always knew that she would find herself in a situation like this. She thought that she had seen enough death to be able to cope with it, but now that it seemed to be surrounding her, she couldn't help but be afraid.
"Listen to me!" The medic shook her by the shoulders, pulling her from her reverie. "You can get out; maybe bring some help to the one's who are left." Mel shook her head as if she understood, but in reality her thoughts were completely scattered. She could feel herself slowly slipping into a mode of panic and forced herself to listen to the instructions the medic was giving her.
"The Jeep I drove here in should still be behind the building. It's outta the way of the shelling. I left the keys in the ignition. As soon as there's a break, you need to get out there and start up the Jeep. If you drive up the road 10 to 15 miles, you should run across the MASH 4077. You can get help there." Pushing all thought of failure out of her mind, she sat up, propping the medic up against the side of the bed.
"I'll be back soon. I promise." Mel squeezed his shoulder, lightly, before beginning to crawl toward the back entryway of the aid station. Someone had barred the doors shut in an attempt to keep the fighting out. Mel scoffed at the idea. It hadn't helped them in the slightest.
Hastily, and with considerable effort, she cleared away the crates that had been stacked up against the door. Mel settled into the niche she had created for herself with the crates, and leaned closer to the door. She listened carefully for any sign that the fighting had finally stopped. Each time an explosion rocked the small, wooden building, she could feel the bile rise to her throat. Mel knew in her mind that she would have some difficulty in coming out of this alive.
Nearly a half hour passed before the thunderous noise outside stopped, suddenly. A few moments passed before Mel dared peak her head outside. She could hear the fighting start up again a distance away from the station, but the area around her seemed to be completely quiet. On impulse, she grabbed the first aid bag that hung next to the door before sprinting towards the Jeep.
The keys were still in the ignition just as the medic had said they would be. Mel fumbled with the keys for a minute while she tried to will her hands to stop shaking. Pausing, she took a deep breath. She reminded herself that the 4077th was only about 30 minutes away. She would be able to make it there, unharmed, without any problem.
Filled with a renewed sense of self-assurance, Mel started the Jeep and carefully drove it onto the road that the medic had told her would lead her straight to the 4077th. She drew in another deep breath. Within a few minutes, she would be safe, once again, and able to get help for the men she had so hastily left behind. Mel felt herself relax as she steered the Jeep further toward the direction of the 4077th. It wouldn't be long until she could permanently escape from this hell.
Colonel Sherman Potter attempted to rid himself of his pounding headache by massaging his temples, hoping this would alleviate the tension. When this didn't work, he got up from his desk and reached for the liquor cabinet that he kept in the back of his office.
"Radar!" He shouted toward his open office door.
"Yes, sir?" Corporal Radar O' Reilly hurried through the office door, a file folder clutched tightly in his grasp.
:"Get me Pierce and Hunnicutt, pronto! I have an assignment that needs attention, now."
"I think they're sleeping in their tent, sir."
"Well, go wake 'em up, and tell them to get to my office immediately."
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." Radar walked quickly out of the office, but not before depositing the folder on the end of the Colonel's desk.
Colonel Potter set the folder on top of the growing "To do" pile. After nearly 24 hours straight of meatball surgery, all he wanted was some hard earned rest. He hated to interrupt Pierce and Hunnicutt's much needed sleep. He made a personal vow to give them a short holiday in Tokyo when all this was over. He wouldn't ask the two men to do this for him if he didn't know that they could handle it. He needed his best men out on this, and Hawkeye and B.J. undoubtedly fit his expectation.
"Colonel, please tell me that you didn't wake me from my wonderful sleep just to have a little chat in your office. I hope this is important, or else I'm going back to bed!" Pierce's clearly irritated voice floated through the open office door, announcing to Colonel Potter that Radar had been successful in pulling the surgeons out of bed. A moment later, Pierce strode in followed by Hunnicutt. Radar hung back behind them, making sure that they reached the Colonel's office. They both took small, measured steps toward his desk. Apparently, they were not yet fully awake.
"How 'bout a small drink to get the blood movin'?" Colonel Potter questioned, pouring himself and the two surgeons a bit of Scotch from the bottle on his desk.
"Why not a big drink with an umbrella? You know, like the ones they give you when you go to the beach. If Radar hadn't woken me up when he did, I would still be there!" Pierce's bunkmate gave a slight smirk at his words.
"Just a small drink for now. I have an important assignment for you two that can't wait."
"What is it, Colonel?" B.J. asked, a look of concern spreading slowly across his features.
"What is it? We can take it," joked Hawkeye, drinking down what was left of his Scotch.
"An aid station not 15 miles down the road was hit by some heavy shelling early this morning. I got the call from ICOR about it, five minutes ago. The shelling's finally stopped, but there seems to be a considerable amount of wounded unaccounted for that had been waiting treatment in that aid station; at least 15 to 20 men. I want you two to go up there and see if there are any survivors. The 8063rd is also going to be sending two of their best, so you won't be at this alone. If there are survivors, bring as many as we can afford back here. We'll be waiting for them. They need to be top priority." Both Hawkeye and B.J. nodded their heads in understanding.
"We'll bring back all that we can in one piece, Colonel," B.J. promised.
"You can count on us," Hawkeye added, giving the Colonel a mock solute.
"I'll have Radar get everything set up for you. Just promise me you'll both come back safe."
"Have we ever let you down?" Hawkeye asked, giving the Colonel a small smile before he walked out of the office, B.J. trailing close behind.
"Beej, are you sure we're on the right road?" Hawk asked from the passenger's seat, anxiousness creeping into his voice.
"Absolutely, Hawk. Although, I do admit that this is taking a bit longer than I would have thought."
"I wouldn't be surprised, considering who's sitting in the drivers seat at present."
"Are you implying something, Captain Pierce?"
"No, I'm just asking you, subtlely, if it would kill you to drive faster!" They had launched into one of their mock fights that they often had to ease the tension in a situation. Both of them could feel the anxious air that had settled around them. Neither wanted to dwell on this feeling, so they continued on with their senseless banter.
"If I was driving, we could have been there by now."
"If you were driving, we would have winded up in a ditch by now."
"Why you little…"
"Ah, ah, ah, don't say anything you can't take back later." B.J. flashed Hawk a victorious smile.
"Fine but… Beej look out!" Looking up, suddenly, B.J. swerved to miss a newly overturned Jeep that was positioned in the middle of the road. Thick smoke plumed up from the wreckage, and from this both of them knew that it couldn't have been there for long.
Hawkeye jumped out of the Jeep before B.J. had completely shut off the vehicle. The driver's side of the overturned Jeep was facing away from the road, and through the intense smoke Hawkeye couldn't see if there was anyone inside from his present angle.
"Doesn't look like there's anybody here," B.J. stated, giving the Jeep a quick once-over.
"Don't be so sure," Hawk answered, slowly working his way to the other side of the vehicle. Despite the dark smoke that had settled around their heads, it only took Hawkeye a minute to spot a head of flaming auburn hair within the vehicle.
"Beej!" He called, frantically. "Get my kit! There's a woman trapped inside here!"
From what Hawkeye could see, getting to the woman wouldn't be all that difficult. The crash had tilted her slightly toward the passenger's side of the car, but Hawk figured that he could still get a decent grab on her to pull her out. B.J. was at his side almost instantly, willing to help him with this. It took them several minutes, but they were finally able to pry the still body of the woman from the wreckage of the Jeep. Hawkeye felt for her pulse almost immediately. It was still there; surprisingly strong for all that this body had just been through. They found a first aid bag next to where she had been sitting in the Jeep. Apparently, she had been attempting to escape from the aid station when a blast turned her Jeep over.
"She's just a girl!" Hawk exclaimed, studying her features more closely now that he had her cradled in his arms. He glanced sideways at B.J. who returned his look with a grim expression. "What was she doing out here?"
"I don't know, but if we don't get her back soon she's not going to survive much longer." Hawk nodded in agreement, carrying her to the Jeep. He settled her on his lap as he sought a comfortable position to sit down in. B.J. nearly jumped into the driver's seat, quickly starting the car.
"The 8063rd can take care of the others at the aid station. As much as I'd hate to say it, I don't think that there will be many survivors." B.J.'s words made Hawk shiver, unexpectedly. He glanced down at the girl, marveling at the strange calm that her features had worked themselves into. Slowly, he brushed a lock of her vibrant hair away from her face.
"You don't know how lucky you are."