Trapper's Letter

First of all I don't own the characters to MASH blah, blah, blah. This story is set in the

Episode that began season five when the MASHERS all had to bug out to avoid a Chinese attack. We'll

call this an added scene and start it after Frank Burns told BJ that the still will not be transported to the

new MASH site.

BJ continued to take apart the still.

"That damn Ferret Faced Burns. Doesn't he realize that if it wasn't for the liquid gold this thing produces,

Hawk and I would have sold him to the black market by now. Of course we probably would have had to

pay them to take Burns off our hands."

BJ pulled a tube from the still causing the glass parts to fall over onto Hawkeye's cot. The table

was dusty where the glass parts were. Under the year of dust BJ saw a folded piece of paper. It had

Hawkeye's name on it. It was handwriting that he didn't recognize. Though he never got to meet him, he

knew who it was from.

BJ found Radar tending to his animals preparing them for the bug out.

"Radar! Is Hawkeye still in surgery?"

"No, he and Major Houlihan are in post-op. Oh by the way, I found a way to haul all the stuff

Major Burns won't let us haul to the new MASH including your still."

"That's great! I'll be back in a minute! I got to get this to Hawkeye."

BJ ran to post-op and found Hawkeye with Margaret and their patient.

"Hawk! Hawk! I found it! I found it!"

"Found what?"

"The letter! Trapper's letter!"

"What? Let me see."

Hawkeye grabbed the letter from BJ's hands it was from Trapper.

"Well I'll be damned. Look I'm going to read this will you excuse me."

Hawkeye walked outside back to the Swamp. He reached under his cot and pulled out a bottle of

homemade gin. This was a special bottle. It was the first batch He and Trapper brewed upon their arrival

in Korea. Hawkeye recalled how terrible it tasted a year and a half ago. He sighed opened the bottle and

took a sip. It tasted no better, but the still was taken apart and this was all he had. And this was a special

occasion meant for a special bottle. He read the letter

Dear Hawkeye,

I guess you know by now, I'm going home. I'm sorry I couldn't do this in person. I waited as

long as I could. This letter will never so justice in telling how much your friendship has meant to me. I'll

never forget all the good times we've had in this dump. All the nurses. All the times we made Frank and

Hot Lips suffer for how they treated us and Henry. Speaking of Henry, if something should happen to me

like it did Henry, promise me when you come home that you'll check on Louise and the girls. Until I got

the letter saying that I was going home, I thought I'd never see them again. When I get home I'm never

letting them out of my sight again. Look my jeep is ready I got to blow, look me up when you get home.

Your Former co-Swamp Rat,

Trapper.

Hawkeye finished the last bit of gin, smiled and said:

"Goodbye Trapper."