I guess I'm making these 'filler' chapters before I get to any more real emotional ones since the funeral. But I hope ya'll will enjoy this one!
A hurried knock came on Margaret's door, banging several times until Margaret came dragging herself out of the bedroom. She was muttering to herself and putting on her robe and she stepped on something and looked around her living room and kitchen before going to the door and when she opened it, she got a surprise! It was 'Trapper' John! He wore a tan overcoat and she said:
"Trapper, I wasn't working today..."
He looked at her and said:
"Neither am I....look, can you meet me downstairs in ten minutes?"
She looks around then says:
"Make it fifteen"
He shakes his head then says:
"Deal"
She closes the door and shakes her head but smiles and goes on to her bedroom.
Trapper waits down stairs in the lobby but he can still manage to see Margaret's room since it is like the very first room up a small flight of stairs. He goes over to get the morning's newspaper out of a news stand in the lobby when he sees a much older Italian woman, he thinks he remembers Margaret introducing her as Mrs. Gergandy but he's not sure but what intrigues him is that the little old lady is going to Margaret's door:
'What's she doing? Margaret never lets anybody in....must be borrowing a cup of sugar'
He goes on to read the news of the day.
More than fifteen minutes later, Margaret comes out and Trapper sees her and goes and opens the lobby door for her and they both go down to his car and get in. Trapper starts the conversation by saying:
"Sure doesn't feel like spring is coming"
She closes the door and says:
"As far as the weather, I don't see much difference in Korea and Chicago"
He smiles and drives off and Margaret asks:
"Where are we going?"
He looks over at her and tells her:
"I called the mechanics about your car"
She looks at him and asks:
"I think they have all but given up...I think they are calling somebody to do last rites"
She stifles a giggle by putting one of her gloved hands to her mouth and says:
"It was a good car"
He scratches his head then says:
"I'm sure it was, in it's day...."
They stop at a traffic light and he continues:
"When I first got to Chicago, I had a different car..."
She looks at him and the traffic light changes color and they go on and Trapper continues:
"On the very first road into Chicago, I'm not sure what happened but I was in a traffic accident..."
She looks at him with her eyes wide and he continues:
"The car was totaled but somehow I walked away without a scratch, you can check with traffic control if you want to but here I was in Chicago, big city, no job and now no car but..."
He turns left then continues:
"I somehow find this car lot and got this..."
He hits the steering wheel then asks Margaret:
"It's a beauty isn't it?"
She really looks at the car and says:
"Yes, it is, what is it?"
He looks at her then says:
"1957 Chrysler 300 C"
She looks at the whole car then says:
"It really is a fine car, where did you get it?"
They pull into a car lot full of new and older models of the 1950's and he says:
"Here we are, they call themselves 'The Best Car Lot in town..."
She looks at him and he says:
"They really do give you good deals here"
They get out and Margaret looks at the line of new cars and Trapper asks:
"See anything you like?"
She smiles and says:
"Yes, let's go check this one out"
They go over to a 1957 Nash Ambassador Super Sedan 4 door and he says:
"That's a good car"
He goes around and kicks the tires and says:
"Good heavy tires"
She goes over and looks inside while Trapper looks around the lot then sees looking at the far end of the lot, a tall, beautiful blond haired lady with her hair bordering on red and he looks puzzled and he goes down to her. Margaret sees and tries and just continues to look over the car while watching Trapper, Trapper gets close to her and says:
"Excuse me but you seem familiar, do I…?"
She turns to face him and he sees her gold name tag-'Lorraine'
"Lorraine? Lorraine Blake?"
Her eyes widen and she says:
"Yes?"
He starts laughing and she looks at him as if he is crazy then he says:
"I'm 'Trapper' John McIntrye, I served with Henry in Korea"
She smiles and starts laughing herself and they hug and he turns and shouts to Margaret:
"Margaret!"
He waves her over after she gets some car keys from the salesman and cautiously walks over and he says:
"This is Lorraine Blake, Henry's wife!"
She says:
"Oh! Pleased to meet you!"
As Margaret and Lorraine shake hands, Trapper tells her:
"This is Margaret Houlihan, she was head nurse at 4077th"
Lorraine smiles and says:
"It's nice to meet you both, Henry wrote about the both of you"
Trapper asks:
"What are you doing here?"
Lorraine says:
"I just moved to Chicago a few weeks ago, I-I moved from Bloomington, just to many memories"
Margaret shakes her head and says:
"I understand"
Lorraine continues to say:
"I work over at the coffee and donut shop across the street until I get something else"
Trapper asks her:
"How are the kids?"
She shakes her head then says:
"The girls are doing okay, they had a hard time accepting that daddy wasn't coming home, I couldn't understand it either for a long time and Andrew never got to know his father"
Margaret and Trapper look at each other and Margaret says:
"It's so good to see you Lorraine"
Trapper shakes his head then asks:
"Where are you staying?"
Lorraine tells them:
"With my sister…she's also looking for me a better job"
Margaret says:
"Good, good"
Just then the salesman says:
"Ma'm!"
Margaret turns to look at him and she says:
"Oh!"
She turns back to Trapper and Lorraine and says:
"I'm sorry Lorraine to go but I am trying out this car…Trapper, could you come with me?"
He shakes his head yes then says to Lorraine:
"Yeah, it was great to see you Lorraine"
She smiles and shakes her head then says:
"It was good to see friends of Henry's"
Trapper and Margaret leave while Lorraine goes back to looking at cars.
A little while later, Margaret is driving the car and Trapper looks out the window wistfully and Margaret can't help but notice and says:
"Trapper?"
He asks:
"Hm?"
Worried what is on his mind, Margaret thinks before asking him:
'Is he thinking of her?'
She comes out of her thoughts and asks him:
"Are you okay?"
He doesn't want her to know his thoughts but he thinks:
'What is behind that door? Why won't she let me in?'
He quickly says:
"I was just thinking about that burn case at the hospital, it's the first burn case I have worked on since leaving Korea"
Margaret nods her head then he asks:
"What do you think of the car?"
Smiling like a little girl, she says:
"I love it but I also want to go try out that other one"
He nods his head and Margaret looks at him, then trying to lift his spirits some, she says:
"I think I'll try the radio"
Hoping for some good, smoothing music, the news comes on:
"This is Les Kestel with today's news, the Soviet Union launches Sputnik artificial Satellite. 9 black students were barred from entering a formally all white school- Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Eisenhower uses troops to secure the entry. And Britain tests it first hydrogen bomb. Locally, this station has just learned that Saint Angela Merici's hospital…."
She starts to turn it off when Trapper says:
"Hold it!"
She then really pays attention:
"Saint Angela Merici's hospital has just be awarded the best hospital in Chicago much in thanks to new administer Ronald Woods, Chief of Staff John McIntrye and Head Nurse Margaret Houlihan…this is a turn around for the hospital because a few short months ago this hospital was the doom of everybody in Chicago…."
Margaret clicks it off and they start shouting in joy and Margaret claps her hands quickly and then puts them back on the steering wheel and Trapper yells:
"This is great!"
She says:
"Oh, I can't believe it!"
Trapper turns to her and says:
"I can because we are the best!"
Margaret says:
"Oh, let's go back and try that other one now"
He excitedly tells her:
"Okay, we ought to drive all over the state!"
She turns the car around heading back to the car lot.
A/N—Okay, this is where you guys come in, should Margaret get the 1957 Nash 4 door or a 1957 Chevrolet? You guys tell me in your next review! I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the cars on my site but I don't know how to do that yet! Please google them and tell me! Oh, and all the news, all that did happen in 1957, I'm just not sure of the months. Hope you all liked this chapter!