A NEW ARRIVAL AT CAMP
"Attention all personnel! Incoming casualties! Repeat incoming casualties! All personnel report to Pre-op immediately!"
With a groan BJ rolled out of bed and grabbed at his dressing gown.
"Hey! Up and at 'em! We gotta go Hawk. C'mon!"
Cursing under his breath, Hawkeye too rolled out of bed and fumbled for his trousers. BJ threw Hawkeye's bathrobe at him.
"No time for that Hawk."
They stumbled out into the night where they were joined by the rest of the camp, most of them clad in nightwear of various styles and colours, covered with dressing gowns of differing levels of modesty. Hawkeye grinned cheekily as major Houlihan's door opened and she stumbled out of her tent, something green painted over her face and frantically pulling rollers out of her hair. She put up a hand of warning.
"Don't you dare to say a word Pierce!"
"I was just going to say how lovely you look, Margaret!"
She rolled her eyes and hurried on.
The casualties rolled in thick and fast, and the hospital staff had their hands full trying to keep up. With Major Winchester in charge of triage, and Houlihan keeping the nurses on their feet, the turn over was quick and thorough, but despite the hard work, even once Winchester had left Major Houlihan in charge of pre-op, the incoming rate of casualties rose steadily. The surgeons found themselves working as if on a conveyor. Finish one operation, turn around for fresh gloves and find the next patient already waiting on the table.
Corporal Klinger came in clutching an X-Ray.
"Major, X-Ray for private Tuppin."
Major Winchester glanced at the picture, grunted and nodded.
"Very well Klinger. How many more have we got outside?"
"Forty-seven sir, thirteen urgent cases and more choppers arriving as we speak!" he replied, hurrying out. Winchester protested archly.
"Colonel, are we the only MASH unit in Korea? What about getting help from some of the others?"
The Colonel nodded.
"I agree. Radar!"
Radar's voice called from the doorway.
"I'm way ahead o' ya sir. I've just had the 8063rd on the line, and the 8055 before that, both screaming for help from us! Everyone's snowed under with casualties! They're all as busy as we are. I called ICORPS, and they said they've just had five new surgeons drafted in from home. They said that we're allowed another surgeon since Captain Jones was never replaced after he left. So they've sent us a Captain Lloyd. He's due to arrive within the hour."
Hawkeye frowned behind his mask.
"Captain Lloyd? Did they give you any more details about this new surgeon, Radar?"
Radar shook his head.
"Sorry sir."
He hurried out. Hawkeye fell silent, even his whistling had stopped and he seemed a little preoccupied. Colonel Potter looked up from his patient.
"What is it, son? You know this Captain Lloyd?"
Hawkeye shrugged.
"I know a doctor Lloyd...but there must be many of them. No, it's a coincidence, that's all."
BJ raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you didn't believe in coincidences, Hawk. Is this friend of yours a good surgeon?"
"Easily as good as I am, Beej. Certified in chest and general surgery, and a specialist in neuro-surgery."
"Sounds like someone we could use."
Hawkeye nodded but said no more.
Rain was starting to fall in sheets as a small two-man chopper set down on the lower helipad and disgorged a figure in a smart brown dress uniform, including brown jacket and skirt, heavy shoes and carrying a large duffel-bag. The figure saluted smartly to the pilot, who immediately took off again, flying low over the hospital roofs in order to give as much room as possible to the incoming casualty choppers. She slipped a little on the mud and was saved from landing on her rear by a swarthy man in a frilly pink dress and ladies fur-lined boots covered by an army all-weather poncho. The man grinned at the newcomer's startled expression.
"Hello ma'am. Welcome to the soggy 4077th. Corporal Klinger. Want a ride on the litter jeep?"
"Thank you Corporal. Captain Kerry-Ann Lloyd. New surgeon."
Klinger's heavy eyebrows disappeared almost beneath his hat.
"You're the new surgeon!? Sorry sir, Wow! You're a lot prettier than anyone here was expecting...that is, we were kind of..."
Captain Lloyd grinned, showing a set of perfect white teeth and an engaging smile.
"Expecting your new surgeon to be a man? General Hamilton reacted the same way when I first arrived in Seoul! He did a triple take when he saw I was a woman. But don't worry. You'll find I can mend a man with the best of them. Where is everyone?"
"They're all in surgery, sir. We certainly need another doctor urgently right now. Casualties are backing up fast."
"Very well. Put this somewhere safe for now and show me where to scrub."
The man Klinger took her bag from her, showed her where to change her clothes and scrub and left her to it. She changed swiftly into trousers and smock and swept her long black hair securely onto her head and covered it with a protective surgeon's hat. She made her way through to the scrub room, where she found an older man, around sixty or so years of age sitting on a bench and taking a well earned breather. She smiled to herself. This would have to be Colonel Sherman T. Potter, her new commanding officer.
"Colonel Potter?"
He opened his eyes and jumped as he saw her.
"Hello Colonel. I'm Captain Kerry Lloyd. New surgeon."
The Colonel grinned at her.
"You're a might prettier than I was expecting, Captain."
"So I hear. I'm sorry for being a woman sir, but I am worth the wages, really!"
"Where are you from Captain?"
"Crabapple cove, Maine."
He nodded, smiling.
"Then you might know our chief surgeon; he hails from your hometown. Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce."
Lloyd stared at him, a look of surprise on her face.
"Hawkeye? Hawkeye Pierce is here at the 4077th? He's my cousin, sir. Our fathers were twins."
Potter's jaw dropped.
"You're Pierce's cousin? Well I'll be! I guess you'll not have seen him in a while"
"Its been at least five years sir."
"What about your working relationship?
"We're both adults sir, and professionals. I'm sure things'll be okay."
"I hope so Captain, because we have a lot of work to do out there. Let me know if you need me for anything at all. We'd better get to it."
Doctor Kerry Lloyd's reception in the OR was mixed to say the least. Hawkeye looked up and caught the newcomer's eye and gave her a nod, but said nothing at all. Major Winchester's only comment was a reference to the wisdom of allowing women doctors into a war zone. He was met with a chorus of boos and hisses from the nurses in the room, and a laugh from a tall thin doctor at the farthest end of the room.
"You really are prehistoric, Charles!" he said. "Personally I welcome a lady doctor to the 4077th. She'll make a pleasant change from staring at your ugly mug every day! Don't you think so Hawk?"
Hawkeye looked up and caught his cousin looking at him. He grunted.
"Ready to close nurse. 3-0 silk."
Pierce, Potter, Hunnicut, Winchester and Lloyd worked steadily around the clock, the four male doctors observing the work of their newest recruit, and against their expectations, they were greatly impressed. She was skilled and swift, and was able to concentrate regardless of the noise and confusion around her. She barely even looked up when a shell went off outside the building making the whole hospital shake. She merely leant over her patient until the dust had stopped falling, and then continued without a comment. When she spoke, it was in a steady, low tone, a calming voice that made the frightened nurse beside her calm down considerably. After twenty-six hours straight, she finally looked up.
"Captain Pierce, can you spare me for an hour or two? I badly need some sleep. I don't want to start making mistakes."
Hawkeye was surprised. He had been wondering how she would deal with the formal working relationship thing. She had even asked her chief surgeon for permission to take a break rather than telling him as she must have noticed the others doing. She was making it clear to him that she was accepting the situation, and ready to follow his direction. He nodded, twinkling at her for the first time.
"Of course doctor. Get a couple of hours sleep. We'll send for you if things get too hectic."
When she was gone, BJ finished with his patient and turned around to face his friend.
"You were very cool to her weren't you buddy? Didn't you see her legs? I could go for those legs if I weren't a married man! It's nothing to do with her being a doctor is it?"
Hawkeye rolled his eyes.
"BJ, there is no way I could ever fall in love with that doctor!"
"On account of Professional jealousy?" Winchester chuckled from behind. Hawkeye gave him a withering look.
"On account of the fact that she is my cousin, hotshot! Her name is Kerry-Anne Pierce Lloyd, daughter of the late Philip and Olivia Pierce, of Crabapple Cove, Maine."
BJ whistled.
"So that's why! I wondered why her style seemed so familiar! We have another Pierce on our hands here folks."
Hawkeye retrieved the last sponge and looked up.
"Ready to close now Margaret. Colonel, is Captain Lloyd here to stay or merely here to enjoy the scenery for a few days?"
"Nope, she's here to stay Hawkeye. Why? Is that a problem?"
"No sir."
That night Hawkeye sat brooding, hunched on his bunk staring at a dirty magazine perched on his knees. BJ was shaking his head in exasperation.
"Hawkeye, what's with you today? If you two have a problem, why don't you go and talk it out? She's your cousin isn't she? She's your own flesh and blood? I'd have thought you'd be pleased to see her!"
"I am Beej! But I'm not pleased to see her here! She should be at home knitting socks and making Dutch apple pie."
BJ rolled his eyes.
"There are a lot of women out here Hawk. Kerry has a bigger chance of getting killed back home in the states crossing a road than she has out here. You know that!"
Hawkeye growled.
"Don't quote figures to me BJ. I've been here too long. There are so many things here that can turn a man insane. The long hours working without sleep, shitty food, mindless boredom, bombs and shells going off any hour of the day or night, fears creeping up your spine in the dark hours of the night when you can't get to sleep after a forty-eight hour work-shift. What helps me keep going is the knowledge that my family is safely at home, waiting for me to get back there. Knowing that if dad needs anything, he need only pick up the phone and Kerry will be there for him. That is where she belongs. Why is she here with me feeding the fleas?"
BJ shook his head.
"I understand all that Hawkeye, but you're not worrying about your dad right now. I think you're worrying most about yourself! What is it that is really bothering you? What is the real reason you don't want her here?"
Hawkeye closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. When he replied, he sounded tired out, defeated.
"BJ, Kerry is more than a cousin to me. We have always been as close as brother and sister. Closer. We lived only a few doors apart when we were kids. We share the same birthday, we were in and out of each others homes all our lives. We liked the same things. We even looked alike when we were kids! We've been almost as close as twins. I am terrified of something happening to her. So scared I can't think straight. That's why I don't want her here. I'm glad to see her, of course I am, but if I...I just 't bear the thought of losing her. She must know how I felt about it. Why? Why?"
BJ was moved. He dropped the irritation from his voice.
"Hawkeye, maybe she had no more choice about coming here than we did. This is hardly a popular holiday destination after all! Anyway, you still ought to go talk to her. You'll have to sooner or later."
He nodded.
"I know Beej. Thanks. Listen, that stuff I just said...between you and me, huh?"
BJ nodded.
"Scouts honour. Now go!"
Hawkeye knocked at the door of the new tent that had been erected at the end of the compound. The door opened. Kerry stood there.
She had changed into her purple bathrobe, the one Hawkeye had bought for her that matched his own, loosed her hair and was wearing it around her shoulders. It was a great deal longer than when Hawkeye had last seen her, and to his surprise, it was wavy and inclined to curl about the ends. She stood aside without a word and he entered silently. He sat on her bed and looked up at her.
"You did great work in OR."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't do that."
"You started it Ben."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"I was wondering which of us would give in first. I was hoping it would be you. I had the distinct impression that you were not happy to see me!"
"I would have been delighted to see you back in Maine, but not here! Not like this, Kerry. Were you drafted, or did you volunteer?"
"I was drafted, not that it makes any difference now I'm here."
"And what if something happens to you Kerry? What if you die out here when you could have been safely at home?"
A tear rolled unbidden down her nose, and Hawkeye wiped it away in alarm.
"What's the matter?"
"Ben, Mike was killed in action three weeks ago. All I have left is you and Uncle Dan. I know your dad will be fine. All of Crabapple Cove is watching out for him. After all, he brought most of them into the world. They're all worrying about you, too. At least whilst I'm here I have you where I can keep my eye on you. I've lost my husband, and I have no intention of losing my favourite cousin Hawkeye if I can help it. If anything should happen to you, I want to be right there beside you. I don't give a damn what happens to me, so long as you are alright. Whatever it is, so long as we go through it together, what the hell else matters?"
"Oh god, I'm sorry about Mike."
"His ship was hit by a torpedo. It went down, with the loss of all hands. That's another reason I'm not sorry to be here Hawk. At home, everywhere I go I see the ghosts of you and Mike. Places you went to together, the things you did, the pranks you played...and the places he took me in between all of that. I need to focus my mind on something other than myself. Keep busy."
He nodded.
"Hi Kiwi."
"Hi Hawk."
They hugged one another tightly, understanding one another perfectly, as always.
Hawkeye looked happier when he returned to the Swamp, to BJ's relief. Hawkeye was usually lots of fun to be with, but when he was worried or upset about anything, he became a real misery. Short tempered as well as hot-tempered, snappy, moody and depressed. BJ knew even he could really only guess at the real Hawkeye hidden behind the jokes and pranks, because it had become a mask that Hawkeye wore so well and so constantly, it had become almost a part of him. But inside, he was a great deal more sensitive and vulnerable than most people realized. Colonel Potter of course could see through a ten-inch plank. He was not deceived for one single minute. BJ suspected that besides himself, the Colonel was the only other person before whom Hawkeye sometimes allowed the mask to slip a little, and expose the person beneath...that is, with the possible exception of Major Houlihan.
Hawkeye and Houlihan had had a very up and down relationship off duty, frequently antagonistic, and although they evidently had always had great admiration for each other's skill and dedication, they had never hit it off socially...until recently.
The two of them had recently been in one or two tight spots together, and had been forced to rely heavily on each other. Those were the times it was inevitable that people would see more than just the surface. Margaret had had a glimpse or two of the real Hawkeye, and obviously with it, had received a profound insight into understanding him. That their off-duty friendship was now warmer and a lot less antagonistic was an indicator of how much more she now understood and admired him. It would be interesting to see how she would get on with the new doctor.
Kerry found it very hard to sleep that night. She recalled her first sight of Hawkeye when she had entered the OR that day, and the look he had given her, although it might have seemed very neutral to everyone else, it had been perfectly clear to her. It was a look that had said something like; `Oh god, I knew this would happen eventually! What in heavens name are you doing here?' The nod had been something of an afterthought. Well, she had predicted his reaction, but in the end, Uncle Dan had been right. He had accepted the situation, and even if they never said another word to each other, they each knew that they had each other for comfort whenever they needed it. They were in the thick of things together, and they would be there for each other. She was going to miss Hawkeye's father, but she knew how much he had been missing Hawkeye all this time. If he knew the two of them were together, even though stuck in a war zone, he would be reassured somehow.
She lay awake for most of the night, and as dawn crept through the crack in the door-frame, she gave up trying to sleep and got herself up. She had brought a jug of water into her tent the night before, so she washed and cleaned her teeth, made her bed and dressed in her army fatigues, as yet still highly pressed and unworn. She looked at herself in the small mirror she had brought in her bag, and wondered what the women did with their hair here. Finally, she plaited it tightly, and wound the plait tightly on the top of her head and covered it with an army cap. She grinned at the face that now looked surprisingly like Hawkeye's. Not too surprisingly perhaps, seeing that their fathers had been identical twins. Her parents were long gone now, and as Hawkeye was very much like his father to look at, he also constantly reminded her of her own father.
Her face was softer, more rounded of course, a feminine face. It was very much a feminine version of Hawkeye's face in fact. She grinned at her reflection and noted Hawkeye's impish grin in the glass. She rolled her eyes and giggled. What would the camp make of her?
What time did the Mess tent open? She wondered. She was on duty in post op in an hour or so, so maybe she could at least get herself a coffee first? She left her tent and made her way round the compound, looking with interest at the various tents, noting their varying uses.
There were three nurses tents, each housing between four to six nurses, a number of larger tents housing the enlisted men, and several smaller ones housing the sergeants, corporals and the camp priest. Major Houlihan had her own tent, evidently. As she passed the door, it opened and the head nurse herself came out and smiled at her.
"Good morning Captain."
"Good morning Major. I was just exploring this place a little. You seem to have everything you need around here within easy reach. Even to the river I notice."
Houlihan nodded, beaming.
"I've been in worse places, captain. Tell me, are you really Captain Pierce's cousin?"
Lloyd shrugged.
"You won't hold it against me will you?"
Houlihan smiled.
"I'll try not to. By the way, you can call me Margaret."
"Margaret? Well, I'm Kerry. Tell me Margaret, can I get a coffee before I go on duty?"
"Sure. Please join me!"
When Hawkeye and BJ arrived in the Mess tent twenty minutes later, they saw doctor Kerry Lloyd sitting beside Margaret, with six other nurses around her and chatting away as if she had known them all their lives. BJ nudged his friend.
"She won't be giving away family secrets will she? Anything embarrassing?"
Hawkeye shook his head immediately.
"Never. Kerry's not like that Beej. She'll tell the funny stories, or the sad ones, or embarrassing ones of her own, but she'll give them nothing embarrassing about me unless I say its okay. She's alright."
"Well, she's lost no time settling down has she? Center of attention, everyone hanging on her every word...reminds me of someone else I know!"
Hawkeye grinned.
"What else do you expect? She's a Pierce! Come on."
Hawkeye eyed the powdered eggs and toast and shook his head in distaste.
"Ugh, no thanks! I'll stick to coffee!"
He filled a mug with hot strong coffee and wandered over to the nurse's table. He stuck his head between nurse Kelly and nurse Able.
"Can anyone join in?"
Kerry smiled inwardly as she noticed their reaction to him. They all seemed to blush slightly at his touch or his smile, and they willingly shuffled aside to make room for him. Obviously Hawkeye was quite the favourite around here. He sat down, sipped his coffee and winced.
"This coffee is worse than usual. Almost as bad as yours, Kiwi."
Kerry raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Then why don't you mop it up with a little toast? Here Kid, have mine!"
Before the eyes of her delighted table-sharers, she picked up a slice of toast, folded it in half and stuffed it in his coffee. Hawkeye stared at his mug, full of soggy, coffee drenched toast and remembered the last time he had tried that trick. It was the last time they had breakfasted together, before he had left Crabapple Cove to come to this awful place. They had had a minor disagreement, which he had won by stuffing his toast into her coffee. He considered briefly getting his own back with another trick, several possibilities of which were very tempting. He discarded the idea. Revenge was sweeter when it was served up cold. He merely laughed.
"Touche! Sleep well last night?"
"Not a wink. You?"
"Like a top. You'll get used to the cots..."
"I'm sure I will Hawk. What I won't get used to is having you as chief surgeon! Last time we worked together it was me..."
Hawkeye grinned.
"I remember! You were the head of surgery, and managed to get yourself lost on your way to the hospital!"
"Hey Kid, I may have been driving, you were navigating!" Kerry replied with a chuckle. She turned to Margaret sat beside her. "He took us sixty miles in the wrong direction before he realized he was holding the map upside down!"
The nurses hooted with laughter, and Hawkeye joined in. What neither he or Kerry had bothered to mention was the fact that the map had been borrowed from a Chinese associate, and that all the place names and directions on the map had been written in Chinese figures.
Soon Kerry looked at her watch.
"Hey, I'd better go. I'm doing post op in ten minutes. It was good to meet all you guys. I'll see you later."
She stood up and gave her cousin a wink.
"See ya Kid."
"Kiwi!"
She left the Mess tent, and Margaret turned to face Hawkeye.
"Why do you call her Kiwi?"
Pierce grinned suddenly, turning pink at the ears.
"Well, when I was very tiny, I could never say `Kerry' properly. It always came out as `Kiwi', and it stuck."
"Hawkeye and Kiwi Pierce. Why do they sound so perfect? Honestly Hawkeye, she seems very nice and very sensible, so why do I get the feeling that we have somehow inherited another Hawkeye?"
Colonel Potter, cautious as ever, kept a discreet eye on his new doctor for the first few days. What struck him almost more than anything else, was how much she appeared to care. When a patient was in pain, she appeared to be in pain along with him. Even with a patient unable to receive any immediate pain relief, she seemed to know just what to say, (and what not to say), and was often able, by applying very gentle pressure, and massage, to take away the edge of pain. The patients quickly learnt to look out for her, and responded well to her treatment.
Some of the nurses had worried a little about how they would relate to her, but they were all pleasantly surprised. They found her relaxed and un-flurried manner refreshing. She was softly spoken, and never seemed to show any fear of the shells, or jump at the sudden bangs. Finally, the fourth day after her arrival, Potter invited her to his office for a drink.
Kerry sat in Potter's office, sipping her drink, listening with amusement to her commanding officer's recital of some of Hawkeye's funniest pranks. Finally, they finished chuckling and Potter leaned forward in his chair.
"You know Captain, I've been watching your work for the past few days."
She nodded, her eye fixed on the liquid in her glass.
"I noticed that sir. Do I pass the test?"
"With flying colours, my dear. You know, up until now, I'd have had no hesitation in saying that Pierce was my best surgeon. Now I'm not so sure. You are damn good. Nothing to choose between you from what I can see."
Kerry shook her head.
"Hawkeye's better than I am Colonel. I am a very good surgeon, but I chose a broader base knowledge, rather than specialize at brilliance. Hawkeye is brilliant at everything he does in surgery, he is able to turn his hand to any surgical problem and is inspired rather than phased by new challenges. I took the liberty of looking through some of the 4077th's patient histories yesterday, and I found that although Hawkeye is not officially a trained neurosurgeon, he has more than once tackled severe surgical cases that would have made a specialist blench! I am trained in neurosurgery, and I can safely say that there is very little I learned formally, that Hawkeye has not picked up through experience."
Potter raised his eyebrows.
"That makes sense I suppose. Hawk is definitely the most versatile surgeon I have ever worked with, bar none! But you do yourself an injustice. I told you I've been watching you work. Your surgery is technically perfect, your manner is professional, but I am most impressed by your performance in Post-Op. You seem to have the gift for putting people at ease and helping patients relax better than a dose of sedative. You seem to steady people's nerves!"
Kerry giggled.
"Learning how to be calm under pressure is something I had to learn at an early age, Colonel. If you're waiting to see how much I can take without breaking or reacting, don't hold your breath. I will let you into one little secret, Colonel. The more the pressure I'm under and the harder it is for me to cope, the more I concentrate on my work. If I appear to be ignoring everyone else, if someone speaks to me about something irrelevant, and I ignore him, the likelihood is that I am feeling the pressure and concentrating extra hard. I will not have even heard anything."
"Any clue as to when to force you to let go?"
"If I begin to obsess...that might be a good clue. Other than that, I couldn't say, sir."
"Well, I'll keep it in mind Captain. I'll give you a piece of friendly advice though, from someone with a lot of hash marks. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't be afraid to accept it either, even if you think you don't need it. Everyone keeps an eye on everyone else here at the 4077th. If someone offers to help you out, it's often because they can see the problem you can't see because you're too close to it, if you see what I mean."
"I understand what you're saying Colonel, and thank you. I'll keep it in mind."
Kerry left the Colonel's office and stepped into the compound. She looked around. This was the first day since her arrival that no new patients had come in. The few patients left in the hospital were almost ready to leave. Now was time to relax a little and have some fun. What did they do around here when they wanted to relax? She smiled and headed towards the swamp.