Two weeks later:
Radar was always taught by his mother to look the other way when it came to bullies. In the army, however, that we next to impossible – especially when it came to officers like Major Burns and Houlihan.
He was dialling the number to the aid station where Captain Morango was stationed at. Both Majors' Burns and Houlihan were bent over each of his shoulders trying to hear what he was hearing. In few transfers, he finally reached the aid station and the Corporal on the phone put it down temporarily to go and fetch Major Fowler – the head surgeon of the unit.
"Major Fowler here."
Radar perked up at the sound of his voice. Before he could say anything, Frank grabbed the phone out of Radar's hand.
"Yes, this Major Burns here. I'm a surgeon with the 4077th M*A*S*H. I'm calling about a Captain Morango."
"What's going on? Did she not make it?" Fowler's tone was to the point, but Frank could tell that there was a hint of concern present.
"No – I mean yes she did make it," Frank growled. His frustration over the incident of his mistake enticed anger in him.
"Well, what is this about then?" Fowler demanded.
Listening in on every word with her ear to the other end of the phone, Margaret was quick to snatch the phone from Frank before he ruined everything.
"Major Houlihan speaking. I'm the head nurse at the 4077th. The Captain is doing just fine. We are just inquiring about what kind of position Captain Morango held your unit."
There was a dead silence over the phone. For a moment the trio at the 4077th thought the line had been cut.
Major Fowler gruffly spoke up though and said, "if you know what is good for you – you'd leave that matter alone." With that statement, the call was cut off, as he hung up the phone.
Both Major Houlihan and Major Burns stood up simultaneously and looked at one another. More than ever, they were then convinced that Captain Morango was a spy.
Back in Major Houlihan's tent, Margaret and Frank stewed over the phone call they just had made.
Margaret paced back and forth across the small canvas covered tent. Meanwhile, Frank, sat on Margaret's bed, with his arms crossed against his chest and a pout on his face.
Margaret had been in the military almost a decade and she knew by the manner that Major Fowler had acted, he was covering up classified information.
"Frank, I didn't want to have to do this, but I think we must," Margaret stated as she stopped her pacing.
Frank uncrossed his arms and sighed, "I agree, Margaret." Frank knew exactly what she was referring to.
"Right while I'll make a call and hopefully, he'll turn up soon."
Each day Bobbi felt as if she was getting stronger and stronger. Her morphine was dwindled down to the bare minimum. Two days ago, Trapper announced that there were no longer signs of infection in her bloodstream.
Bobbi did not have much of an appetite. She did not know if it was the cocktail of painkillers and antibiotics she was on or the stench that wafted throughout the ward when the other patients were delivered their meals. She picked at bread and some of the cooked vegetables and canned fruit. Other than that, she refused to touch the meat and other miscellaneous food on the tray. This, in turn, frustrated the nurses greatly because when Bobbi wouldn't eat a decent amount; Trapper would inevitably follow up with the nurses. His attitude would mostly resemble a that of doting mother figure mixed with the ornery side of him that was present when he was involved in an intense case. Bobbi would have a sour attitude when any of the nurses would go back and try to get Bobbi to eat more. It would usually end up in Bobbi staring the nurse down with an icy cold glare until they rolled their eyes and left with the tray. This was of course, after several verbal pleas by the nurses and Bobbi replying no to their requests.
Bobbi's attitude towards the nurses during meal time just the tip of the iceberg. She was a barely acknowledged their presence when they monitored her vitals, changed her bed sheets and so forth. When Bobbi had to receive a sponge bath, she was as miserable as a wombat. If there was one thing that Bobbi hated in the world more than anything – it was people (especially strangers) – touching her body with her wanting them to. She had dealt with that enough in her life already. Bobbi did let them clean her, but she constantly cursed them for their lack of speed and scoffed their attempts of distracting her with small talk as they touched her.
For Bobbi, the root of disdain for her sponge bath was (for the most part) due to the fear of the gossipy nurses discovering the small scare engraved on the small of her back. It was left the by the Kraut pigs that violated her body that fateful night she was put in a cattle car bound for god nowhere with Jack and Nikolai.
Between Trapper's constant hovering over the nurses regarding Bobbi's case and Bobbi incessant temper; a good chunk of the nursing staff ended up complaining to Major Houlihan at various times about Bobbi. This resulted in a meeting between Trapper and Margaret in Henry's office. Henry invited Father Mulcahy to the meeting, in hopes that his neutral opinion of the female Captain in Post-Op, would deter the certain screaming match that would ensue. The meeting consisted of twenty plus minutes of Margaret screaming over everyone, that Captain Morango should be evacuated as soon as possible to the 121st field hospital. The yelling ended when Father Mulcahy spoke up and asked Margaret if he could try and coerce Bobbi into easing up on the nurses before any drastic decisions were made.
Margaret, Henry and Trapper all agreed to give the Padre a shot, which led the Bobbi's most recent irritation, which happened to be Father Mulcahy seated in a chair beside Bobbi's bed, as he tried to engage her in conversation. After the Father realized that asking about her welfare wasn't going to get her anywhere – he began to inquire about life beyond the army. The conversation Klinger had had with him when Bobbi first arrived on base was present in his mind. The Father made sure not to bring up the Klinger, sensing that Klinger and Bobbi were not on the best of terms.
"Tell me Captain, growing up were your parents the church going sort?" Mulcahy inquired, banking up the more natural route of topic for a priest.
Bobbi's distant demeanour distinctly changed into a present one, at his comment. She met the Father's gaze and with a smile, upon her face, she answered, "My Momma would have whopped me if I ever missed a Sunday. One of my first memories was standing beside Mom on the risers, singing Power in the Blood in the Holy Baptist Church, in my hometown of Glensdale."
Father Mulcahy perked at her comment. He saw an opening and ran with it.
"Where is Glensdale?" Mulcahy heard the slightest hint of a southern accent in her voice, but he wasn't exactly sure.
Bobbi closed her eyes for a moment and pictured the mossy green pines and rolling mountainsides of her hometown. For a moment she could smell the sap from the trees in the late autumn.
"Tennessee, way back in the Blue Ridge mountains. Only a few hundred people call it home."
"Ah the Blue Ridge mountains," Mulcahy smiled, "I've never been to that area of Tennessee, but I've heard from a few men that have passed through the unit and said they are evidence of God's ingenuity."
"You have no idea, Father. I'd challenge that it is the most beautiful place God created."
"Well, out of ignorance I would have to agree," Father Mulcahy laughed lightly.
Just then Trapper slipped through the folding screen and interrupted the two. "Ah I see the good Father is healing heal your funny bone," Trapper joked as he sat down on the side opposite of Mulcahy on Bobbi's bed.
"Captain Morango was just telling me about her hometown in the mountains of Tennessee, and the church she used to attend," Mulcahy added. He was not at all surprised by Trapper's intrusion.
Trapper smiled, more elated on the inside than what his smiling face portrayed. He was glad that Bobbi was finally speaking to more than just himself and Klinger. Though it had been almost a week since Klinger had bothered to stop by the check on Bobbi.
"I myself wound up every Sunday as a child, at St. Stephan's church on Clark St., in Boston," Trapper replied.
"You're a good ole' Catholic boy then, Doctor?" Bobbi asked with a smirk.
"Catholic, yes – good? That's disputable," Trapper couldn't lie.
"The Captain was telling me that one of her first memories was singing in church with her Mother," Mulcahy brought Trapper up to speed further.
The Father noticed the undeniable twinkle reflected in Trapper and Bobbi's eyes as they looked at one another. He, however, put his observation aside and continued with his and Bobbi's original conversation. "So, your Mother sang in the church choir I gather?" he asked.
"Not only sang - but assisted the Preacher in directing the youth choir too," Bobbi replied. "That was between her time teaching music lessons out at home.
"I bet you have a lovely voice if your Mother taught singing," Mulcahy commented.
"I'm not the best – but I there are some songs I sure can sing," Bobbi spoke her mind.
"And which are those?" Trapper beat Mulcahy to the question.
Bobbi blushed, finding the Doctor and the Priest's intrigue a bit much.
"Oh, I don't know. Nothing fancy. I mostly learned from the Heavenly Highway Hymns songbook my Ma gave me. I know most of the words to the old fiddle tunes too."
"Heavenly Highway Hymns," Mulcahy mumbled to himself in thought. After a moment he remembered learning a few piano tunes from the pocket-sized book in seminary school. "Ah yes, I own a copy of it. It's back in Philadelphia somewhere though. Either my sister the Sister has it in the convent, or my Mother has it stashed away in my childhood room back at home."
Trapper placed his hand on top of Bobbi's without thinking, and said, "I'd love to hear your voice once you're out of this bed."
"Yes, if you're able to be moved about, it'd be wonderful if Captain McIntyre could arrange for you to attend my Baptist sermon at 09:00 on Sunday," Mulcahy remarked.
"Consider it done," Trapper exclaimed as he gave Bobbi's hand tender squeeze, sending warm tingles down her arm and into her heart.
Father Mulcahy was halfway out of his chair ready to leave when he remembered the reason as to why he was supposed to speak with Captain Morango in the first place. "Say, Captain, in the Christian spirit could you ease up on the nurses?"
Bobbi felt her cheeks flush slightly and simply nodded in response, knowing the priest had a point.
"Get some sleep Captain," Trapper interjected, "If you're up to it tomorrow, I'll take you for a tour around the camp."
The cheesy wink Trapper gave Bobbi made her giggle softly. She didn't know what it was, but the way Trapper spoke to her made her feel light – lighter than she had felt since the last time she was stateside with Max, in 1949.