The Hospital Nurse Affair

Disclaimer: I do not own The A Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A Team.

Chapter 2 Not Always a Soldier

Murdock scanned the room and located Hannibal on the far side, helping a kid reassemble a small electric motor.

The Colonel did not often come to the youth center. Murdock suspected he wasn't very comfortable around children and used his acting schedule as an excuse to avoid contact with them.

He wasn't like B. A., who had a giant teddy bear type of concern for the kids. It wasn't that the Colonel wouldn't help a kid in distress. He just wasn't wired like B. A. to work well with kids.

The pilot walked over to Hannibal and stood beside him, hoping to get his attention. A minute went by and Murdock coughed gently. "You wanted a word with me, Colonel?"

Hannibal looked grim-faced like something that he had to tell Murdock was going to hurt the pilot and he knew it but had to say it anyway. Murdock's stomach turned sour.

That bad, huh?

"Let's go outside where we can talk." Murdock was good at knowing from vocal inflections what people seemed to be feeling but the Colonel's tone was inscrutable. There was a stern cast to Hannibal's face like he was about to deliver a reprimand. Puzzled, the pilot followed his CO out the door and into the narrow alley.

"Face tells me that desk nurse Donna wants to cooperate with us, let us know when she's on duty so we can get you out when we have a mission."

So that's the problem.

Murdock shrugged, feigning indifference. His heart was racing and he wondered where this conversation was heading. He hoped Hannibal would not ask the most obvious next question but knew he would.

Clients were carefully screened before a mission was accepted and definitely before all of the team were allowed to meet them. That was true for anyone allowed to get close enough to the team to know anything about them. Donna had not been screened.

I breached security.

"Why is she being so cooperative, Captain?" Hannibal made eye contact, probed for the truth with flinty blue eyes.

Murdock felt a spark of anger rise within him.

I'm not a child. I'm a man with grown-up thoughts. If I want to get to know Donna better . . .

"Well, Captain?"

Murdock tensed, set his jaw firmly, muttered, "I guess she just likes me."

Is there anything wrong with that? I'm not always a foot soldier or a crazy fool or a man with delusions.

"Face mentioned the two of you were planning on having lunch together. Said Donna mentioned Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? Explain." The no-nonsense tone of Hannibal's voice was unmistakeable now.

Don't know how Faceman got that info except through Donna. No explanation should be needed, Colonel. Am I an individual or just a cog in your team machine? Even as he thought that, Murdock knew how untrue it was. Hannibal cared. He cared like a father would.

But even fathers have to allow their sons to grow up and make decisions of their own.

"It's just a private joke between us. Nothin' more to it." It was a white lie, something Murdock disliked having to use but he wanted to end the probe into his privacy. He avoided Hannibal's eyes, squinting into the sunlight at the end of the alley. He leaned up against the wall, hands in pockets.

He remembered Donna and Hannibal kneeling beside him as he lay on the ground with the knife wounds. Hadn't his angel whispered to Hannibal, "Captain Murdock's friends' secrets are safe with me?" Why couldn't Hannibal believe that and leave them alone?

The Colonel was staring at him, trying to break through his defenses. "Nothing more?"

"Nothin' more. I'm just another patient. Heck, Hannibal. What would someone like her want from someone like me?"

"Okay, Captain. Just be careful." The Colonel seemed to accept Murdock's word and began to walk away. Over his shoulder he added, "And don't sell yourself short. You have plenty to offer a woman."

Murdock laughed bitterly to himself.

Yeah, but when and how can I ever prove it to her?