Hi fellow M*A*S*H lovers!
Here is my first attempt at a M*A*S*H fanfiction! I hope that you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, I have a sequel to this story, and, if enough people want, I'll post it!
Very sadly, I do not own M*A*S*H, and am merely borrowing these characters for my story. I do, however, own this story. So, please leave it alone, and I will be happy!
Enjoy!
No One Said It Would Be Easy
Father Francis Mulcahy knelt on his knees in his tent, praying fervently. While the sight of the priest praying might not have surprised an onlooker, the cause of his prayers certainly would have. Francis Mulcahy had devoted his life to his faith in God. He had been forced to give up any possibility or marriage, but he had always thought that his faith would be enough. And it was enough.
Until she came.
He had vowed his life to the church and the furtherment of God's kingdom on Earth. He had been willing to give up marriage. He occasionally wondered if he had made the right decision but, for the most part, he was content.
It had all changed when Nurse Mary Cooper had been transferred to the 4077th a few months prior. She was young and had just graduated from nursing school when she had signed up to come to Korea. She was very intelligent, and was the best nurse on staff, although she was far too humble to ever think so herself. In addition, she was a very devout Catholic. She was probably the most devout Christian in the camp, other than himself. She never missed a Sunday service, and would switch shifts to ensure that she was always at Sunday worship. She had a strong faith, and often would seek his guidance on different matters.
And, she was beautiful. Not in the stunning, flashy way that would cause men to chase her, but very pretty in her own way. That suited Francis Mulcahy just fine.
When Mary had first arrived, Father Mulcahy had admired her for her intelligence and her faith. At least, he told himself it was merely admiration.
Then, Hawkeye suddenly realized that Nurse Mary Cooper existed. And he pursued her like Father Mulcahy had never seen him pursue any other nurse. He was constantly asking her over to the Swamp or to the Mess Tent or the Officers' Club. One night, Mary had gone to the priest to ask for guidance. She admitted that she enjoyed being around Hawkeye, and that she liked him, but that he had made some lifestyle choices which should could never agree with. As she confessed all of this to him, and asked him what to do, Father Mulcahy finally realized that he was in love with the nurse. His distress over this realization rendered him speechless for a moment. She asked him for guidance, and all he was able to say was that he would pray for her and for God to guide her in making a decision.
And now, here he was, praying for God to show him what to do. He had never felt so lost before in all of his life. As he concluded his prayer, he heard the sound of Mary's laugh. Getting up, he peered out the window on his door, just in time to see Mary and Hawkeye walking past.
Francis backed away from the door and sat on his cot, laying his head in his hands. No one said that being a Catholic priest was going to be easy. He had expected it to be difficult.
But no one said it would be this hard.
The first time Mary Cooper met Father Mulcahy, she had liked him – his gentle yet awkward mannerisms, his ready smile, his sense of humor.
But she had never expected to fall in love with him.
Mary knew right from the start that she liked the priest more than was proper. Yet, the more she tried to convince herself that she should not love him, the more she found herself falling in love. It terrified her, because she knew that it could never work out between them. She tried to distract herself with her work, but all she thought of was him. She tried talking to him in confession to see him more as her priest, but found that she loved him all the more for his faith.
She had prayed more in the two months since she had realized that she was in love with Francis Mulcahy than she had in the last year. Every other breath was a prayer for these feelings to stop. She prayed desperately for a miracle, or for some divine intervention. Instead, her feelings only continued to grow.
And then, suddenly, Hawkeye Pierce had realized that she was alive.
Mary liked his jokes and sarcasm. She liked how he could always find something to joke about, and how beneath his care-free, indifferent façade, he truly cared about every person in camp. And yet, despite these qualities, she could not bring herself to like Hawkeye as anything more than a friend. He drank to excess. She only drank wine during communion and did not support drinking. Of course, there was also the matter of his womanizing. She did not want a man like that. But, she had prayed for a little help. Maybe this was the intervention she had prayed for. She needed guidance. Mary sighed, realizing that there was only one man who she could go to for that.
So, she told the priest everything – or, as much as she could. She had to rewrite a few things to hide her real feelings from him.
All the guidance he offered was prayer.
She didn't know what made her do it, but the next time Hawkeye asked her over to the Officers' Club, she said yes. She had an enjoyable evening but, try as she might, her thoughts kept going back to a certain gentle chaplain.
That night, Mary stood outside of her tent, looking up at the stars, wondering why she had to be in love with a man who could never be free to love her back.
No one said that it would be easy, she mused, as she saw Father Mulcahy enter his tent.
But no one said it would be this hard, either.
Did you like it? Do you want part two? Please review!
OnMyOwn1832