Disclaimer: I do not own MASH or its characters. I do not profit from my writing or this story.
Summery: Radar falls in love with a new Lady Lieutenant. Although, Radars adventure has its ups and downs, this not a tragic love story, I thought he deserved to fall in love and have his love returned. I wanted to give him a happy ending.
WARNING: I intend to have future chapters become sexually GRAPHIC as Radar eventually looses his infamous virginity.
Comments welcome, but be gentle. I will post more chapters soon and continue if the story is received well. Note that I am not a writer, this is the first piece of FF I have publicized, so don't get upset if I don't dot my I's and cross my T's ;-)
Love Has No Ending
Dedicated to GRB
Who I have adored since I was five
Introduction
No more than twenty and fresh out of nursing school, Nessa Blair joined the Army and trained as an Army nurse, only to be sent to Tokyo, where she was stationed for a few months before she got the bad news… She was to be shipped to the front to aid a MASH unit. Nurses were in short supply there and lucky her, she got the short straw.
Chapter 1
September of 1952 was when Lieutenant Nessa Blair arrived in Korea. Nessa sat unsteadily, bouncing up and down in the Jeep, as it sped along the dusty the road toward Uijeongbu. Tired, dirty and feeling a little stressed, Nessa took in the landscape, keeping one eye out for unfriendlies. The day was warm and sunny. The landscape was yellow, brown and dry. Its been a hot summer, she thought. I wonder how the winter will be.
Sergeant Lewinski, the driver, tried to make small talk by asking her where she was from. Nessa politely answered but, kept her distance. She was nervous about being shipped into a new situation with new people, not to mention that fact that the area was hostile.
Upon arrival in the olive drab world of the 4077th, she was greeted by no one. She pulled her duffle from the Jeep.
"Where is everyone?" Nessa asked the Sergeant.
"Dunno, maybe in O.R., but you should report to the Colonels office, it's over there." explained Lewinski as he pointed to a semi-permanent structure.
Nessa sighed, "Thanks, I'll take it from here." She smiled kindly and picked up her bag.
"Take care of yourself now, Ma'am." said Lewinski. He put the Jeep in gear and pulled off.
Boy this place is like a ghost town. She thought as she started for the Colonels office.
Suddenly a swarthy man, with a big nose, wearing a dress, an exaggerated nurse's uniform to be exact, urgently broke from the doors of what seemed to be the main medical building. Nessa just stood there, confounded by what she was seeing. He spotted her and approached her quickly.
"You the new nurse we've been expecting?" he asked his voice full of bravado.
Nessa nodded her approval with a look of stupefaction.
"Radar should be out any second to help you get settled, he knows your coming. We have been up to our elbows in wounded all day, give him a few minutes. I gotta rush and get more Penicillin from supply." He threw his cape behind himself with a flourish. He flashed her a friendly grin and rushed off to his task, his hairy legs carrying him as fast as they could go in heels and a skirt.
Nessa just stared after him, she just wasn't sure of what she was seeing. She stood perplexed a few moments.
"Hello." beckoned a small, dulcet voice from behind her.
Nessa was startled out of her amazement. She turned quickly to find a young Corporal standing expectantly in front of her.
"Lieutenant Blair?" He asked as he eyed her from behind smudged glasses.
"Reporting for duty." Nessa projected her voice militarily and saluted somewhat casually, knowing he was only a Corporal.
He stiffened then saluted, "Corporal O' Reilly, at your service."
Nessa nodded and smiled as she took him in. Humm, he doesn't look the Army type, she thought. He's a cute little thing.
He picked up her bag. "Co. Potter's in surgery right now, but I know where you're bunking. I'll take your bag there for ya."
"Corporal?" Nessa chimed after a moment as they started walking.
"Oh, you can call me Radar, if you want. That's what they call me around here." he glanced at her shyly.
Radar noticed Nessa smiling at him. He smiled back shyly, flashing his glorious dimples.
"Ok Radar, can I ask you, what the heck it was that I saw back there?" Nessa's voice cracked with amusement.
Radar looked at her, his brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly realization dawned on his face. "Tall, dark, hairy, in a dress?" he asked with a smirk.
"That's it." stated Nessa, her grin broadened.
"That would be Klinger, Corporal Klinger. He's tryin' to get out on a section eight." Radar sniffed with exasperation. "He's been tryin' for a while."
Nessa chuckled softly. "This isn't going to be your average military post, is it?"
"You can say that again." mumbled Radar.
He shook himself out of his brief pause and looked at her. Her smiling blue eyes stared into his, his heart skipped a beat.
They stopped in front of the nurse's tent. Radar shrunk away from Nessa's fascinating gaze. "This is where you'll be staying Lieutenant." he stated meekly.
"Please Radar, call me Nessa." Her voice was gentle and kind as it whispered her name.
It made Radars stomach flutter and his face felt hot. "That's a pretty name." his voice strangled as he avoided her eyes.
"Thank you." Nessa felt like she had no control over her body as she reached for his arm, she caressed it briefly.
Radar looked at her hand and his jaw slightly dropped. Nessa withdrew her affection quickly and they both straightened. Radar knocked on the door, there was no reply.
"They must all be on duty - the nurses I mean." He looked at her briefly and then opened the door for her.
She walked in and Radar came in behind her and put down her bag.
"Do you know which bunk is mine?" asked Nessa, she desperately wanted to sit down.
"Sorry, I don't." he replied.
Being in a woman's tent with a woman, Radar nervously inched backward toward the door. Nessa took off her cap from her dress uniform and tossed it atop her duffle and sighed. He could see she was tired and didn't know what to do with herself until Potter was ready for her.
She's beautiful, thought Radar as he watched her look around the tent, she looked exhausted.
Nessa was a good inch or so taller than little Radar with hair that fell just below her shoulders. She kept pushing it out of her face, now that her cap was off. It was light brown, almost blond with loose, wild curls that beautifully framed her face. Her lips were pink and pleasantly full like her body. Her eyes were kind and held a bit of fear and uncertainty.
"Uh - um, would you like to get a cup of coffee - with me in the MESS tent, while we wait for Colonel Potter to get out of surgery?" Radar shifted his feet and stuck his fidgety hands in his pockets to keep himself from touching his ears that growing hot.
"That would be nice." she smiled at him.
Nessa's response made Radar smile uncontrollably. He felt so self conscious making everything he did feel awkward.
"But aren't you busy now, with all the casualties?" Nessa pointed out as they walked from the tent.
"Their working on the last of the casualties now, I did what I needed to do. They should be done in about an hour." Nessa nodded in response to his soft puerile voice.
In the MESS, Radar sat Nessa at a table and went to get two coffees. He came back, handed her a mug and sat across from her.
"Where you from?" asked Radar quietly.
"New York, how bout you?"
"Ottumwa Iowa. New York's a pretty big city, huh?"
"Yeah, have you been there?"
"No, I never got much farther than the next town back home, till I got here." Radar looked up at Nessa to find her smiling at him and he looked into his mug bashfully.
"You grew up on a farm?" she smiled at how sweet and innocent he looked and although she knew not to judge a book by its cover, she felt she wanted to get closer to him.
His face mantled. "Is it that obvious?" he replied still looking into his mug.
"Well, what's in Ottumwa? I didn't mean anything by it. To be honest, I always wanted to grow up on a farm. The city was never for me. I like nature and animals."
Radar looked up at Nessa, his eyes lit up. He grinned excitedly at her. "You like animals?"
"Yes, very much, I think when I get home I may study to be a Vet." Nessa explained, smiling at Radars happy little round face.
"Oh wow, that's great! I love animals too." Radar looked into his mug again and tried to get a hold of himself. He felt like he was burning up as he noticed Nessa grinning with amusement.
It was quiet for a time while they sipped coffee.
Nessa looked at Radars innocent face and wondered at his age. She thought he had to be at least eighteen, although, she has heard stories about underage boys getting into the service.
"If I may, how old were you when you joined the army?" Nessa asked carefully.
"I was eighteen. I just turned twenty last month." offered Radar with a serious and mature note to his voice then he looked down into his mug again.
Radar knew very well Nessa was twenty two. Being the company clerk he had access to all the files. He most certainly read Nessa's file, curious of a new nurse coming into the camp.
People started slowly filling the camp and a few found their way to the MESS.
"Looks like things are wrapping up in OR." said Nessa.
"Yep, I'll take you to the Colonel in a few minutes, just give em' some time to clean up." explained Radar.
Nessa nodded her approval.
After a minute Radar timidly continued, "Your name is different, but-but nice."
"It's Scottish; you know like Loc Ness, the Scotts call her Nessy, like me." Nessa explained with a smile.
Radar smiled at her, amused by her comparison.
"You can call me Nessy or Ness if you want. So, you're Radar O'Reilly?" she asked with a smirk knowing that Radar wasn't his real name.
"Walter, they just call me Radar." He just couldn't get himself to look her in the eyes.
"I like Walter, why do they call you Radar?" Nessa asked casually.
He thought a moment on how to answer that correctly. "They think I know about things before they happen." Radar really didn't want to say anything to Nessa to put her off.
"Do you?" asked Nessa intrigued by where this was going.
"I guess so." He replied quietly, looking into his coffee.
She saw he looked a little uncomfortable with the subject so she dropped it. "I like Radar too." she added with a friendly smile.
He looked up at her and smiled back. She just couldn't get over his wonderful smile.
"I think its time for me to get you over to the Colonel." said Radar after a last sip from his mug. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." said Nessa as she got up.
Radar sent Nessa into the Colonels office. The Colonel stood to greet her as she entered. He was stern looking little man but his eyes were kind and a bit tired.
"Lieutenant Nessa Blair reporting for duty, Sir." She stood stiffly presenting herself to him in proper military fashion.
"At ease, have a seat." he gestured toward the chair in front of his desk.
They both took their seats and the Colonel opened a file folder on his desk.
"Says here your fresh out of nursing school and you have only been in the Army for a little over two years?" He looked up at her scrutinizing her.
"Yes Sir." respectfully replied Nessa, trying to keep her appearance calm and strong.
"Why'd you join the Army?" the Colonel asked?
"I wanted to serve my country and gain nursing experience, Sir." Potters face softened as he listened to her answer.
"Well, you'll get your experience here. It says here that you are a capable nurse and you have a flawless military record. It's going to be tough, you've never been this close to the front, but if you do as Major Houlihan says, you'll get the hang of it. She's a tough lady, stickler for Army protocol, and one heck of a nurse. She should be here soon to help get you settled." Just as he finished, Radar peeked through the door.
"Sir? Major Houlihan is here for Lieutenant…" Before Radar could finish his sentence, a stern looking blond pushed him out of the doorway and purposefully entered the Colonels office.
Radar quickly left and the Colonel stood. Following his lead quickly, Lieutenant Blair also stood.
"Colonel?" The Major inclined her head to him as she entered.
"Margaret, this is Lieutenant Nessa Blair, reporting to you for duty. Lieutenant, this is Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse." he introduced and Nessa stood stiffly.
The Major extended her hand, Nessa took it firmly.
"It's a pleasure Major. I look forward to working with you and your nurses. I hear the nurses of the 4077th are the best. I'm honored to be here." Nessa looked into her steely eyes trying not to become intimidated, and as always, exhibit Army obedience and will to serve.
"Very good, come with me. We need to get you settled and introduce you to the other nurses. We'll start your orientation tomorrow. It's been a long day for all of us." The Major then turned to leave and Nessa followed suit.
As they exited the Colonels office through the clerk's office, Nessa noticed Radar sitting at a desk doing paperwork. He nervously looked at her, and before following Major Houlihan out the door, Nessa turned to him and gave him a warm smile. Radar wistfully smiled in return as he admired her departure.