September 23, 1957
Crabapple Cove, Maine

Shannon turned six years old the day before. It was a wonderful day. The sun shone and it was unusually warm. It was also a Monday and she was dragging her feet getting up to go to school. She went like she normally did and came home a mess. She had gotten into a football game with a group of boys after school and destroyed her dress again.

I was annoyed. I made her change and prepare herself for dinner. We had polite company coming over and I didn't want her to appear like a demon. Dad and Hawkeye had invited some of their colleagues over, one of them being Cochran. Appearances counted, especially since all of them came from the medical board in Portland. It was not just Shannon's birthday they came over for. They also chose to see me.

When everyone was present and drinking to their heart's content (from the still gin, no less), I served dinner. The birthday girl dug in with gusto as soon as I placed her food in front of her. She did not wait until everyone had a plate in front of them. I was slightly embarrassed, but nobody said a word. They talked and laughed at Shannon, like she was most darling girl in the world. Cochran was the only one who kept his counsel and only gave the most basic courtesies.

Afterward, dinner went without another incident and I served the cake. After their pieces had been demolished and the presents had been opened, the children were quietly content in the living room. Shannon was drawing the fireplace. Annabeth was reading another book and writing something in a blank schoolbook Shannon gave her. Patrick and Danielle were placed in the playpen, playing with the wooden ABCs between the wooden bars.

Many of the men already pulled out cigars and pipes and were smoking. Some continued to drink. I whirled between all of them with offers of conversation and drinks and didn't think twice about stopping. Eventually, one of them (I think it was Cochran) suggested that we sit outside. We all conceded and headed to the back porch. Shannon was placed in charge of her siblings and told to get one of us if there was something wrong.

So, it was me against four men (excluding Hawkeye and Dad). While they enjoyed the sea breeze and commented about how beautiful of a view we had, they also drew closer to the business at hand. I wrung my hand anxiously, waiting until one of them addressed me, Cochran most of all. When they did, I was surprised. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Mrs. Pierce, sit." One of them, Gerald Fielding, patted a chair next to me. When I obeyed him, he said, "Tell me. Where did you train as a nurse? Did you go through the Red Cross?"

"Women usually used the Red Cross," Cochran added. "It was the easy way out."

Some of the men chuckled. I didn't blame them. Cochran was actually correct. Some women chose to go through the Red Cross, only to understand the basics of nursing within months and hardly the head for the medical field. I did not and I hoped they believed me.

"My basic training was in Fort Meade, Maryland, for four weeks," I explained calmly. I took a deep breath. "I took all classes at Halloran General Hospital on Staten Island. When I finished, I was an officer."

"Second lieutenant, I assume?" Fielding peered at me over his glasses.

"Yes," I replied. "I was promoted to first lieutenant a year later and made captain a few years after that."

"The Army has made some of the best nurses there is. You have to be in order to care for our boys. But what makes you extraordinary is that you were also in combat."

"Yes, I was in Korea. I did not learn surgery there. I assisted in several prominent ones across the country. I was mainly in Boston, Washington, DC and San Francisco before being transferred to Europe and then Korea."

"What kind of surgeries are we talking about, Mrs. Pierce?"

I took another deep breath, understanding that everyone was watching me carefully for any sign of weakness. Luckily, I calmly went through most of what I learned and experienced and all of it without giving Cochran a single snicker (he actually seemed amazed). I didn't bother with Korea. With all of its ups and downs, I did not count it. These men did not need to understand the concept of war. I believed that they had enough of dealing with Hawkeye to know that it was insanity.

Another man, Victor Douglas, shook his head. "Yet, you stand here in front of us, in ill health." His voice carried some contempt, almost similar to Cochran.

"I am not in ill health," I corrected. "I've had some mishaps in the past. It does not mean I cannot return to the medical field."

Douglas pushed the matter. "Your father-in-law here has taken care of you several times. I know it is difficult to care for him too."

"If you had experienced carrying a child and flying half of the country to handle an estate, you would be exhausted too," I pointed out. "Although, if you were carrying a child, Doctor, I'd be questioning my eyes and my sanity."

All except Cochran and Douglas laughed. Hawkeye winked at me. Dad almost lost the beer he was drinking. I tried my hardest not to join in. I did not wish to make Douglas out to be some fool or engage Cochran in a negative way. It was a good point though. He did not live my life. He could not dictate my limitations.

"Besides, what person can know suffering best than the one who has gone through it herself?" I added. It was a challenge to him and Cochran. "Empathy is what should make the nurse, not the profit."

The jab was pointed mostly at Cochran. When I peered at him, I saw nothing in there except revenge. He understood where I came from. He said nothing though. He put his drink down and twisted his fingers together.

"It is said that it will make people weaker," Douglas rebounded. His gauntlet had been thrown down and he was not giving up the fight. "There are instances of flashbacks that sicken the individual."

Oh, I knew where Douglas was going with his statement. He wanted to draw attention to the fact that military personnel who came home often believe that they are back in the war and relive their trauma. I was guilty of this and I was not going to stand for it. My mouth moved to accuse him of anything, but I knew better. I was not going to win points by being a bitch. I had to be smarter.

"I did not know you were a doctor of the mind," I countered. "I mean, I should have recognized a fellow colleague. However, I believe you missed something, Doctor. You would understand disturbances in the civilian world. Being in the Army brought me another, one of them being watching the agony of a soldier who has seen his buddies shot before his eyes. Has anyone talked to you about that? Or even about murdering his commanding officer?"

The remaining party, Hawkeye excluded, stared at me, mouths opened. Dad especially was a little taken aback by the harsh, blunt truth. The concept was considered utterly mad here. When we were at war in Korea, it was the norm. Hawkeye, of all people, could see that. My partner in all of this grinned at me, saluting me with crooked fingers.

Cochran was the first to speak. "You talk of death as if it were your best friend."

"Death and taxes, Doctors," I replied. My hands gestured widely, as if the concept were a huge unknown. "Those are the most inevitable things in life. Why should we deny its existence?"

"The Good Lord has taught us to appreciate life and to not take it."

"I never said anything about taking it, Doctor. The Good Lord also has nothing to do with it. I mentioned death because that it what I am best at seeing. However, I will work any way possible to keep it away."

Once more, I had these men in my hands, even Cochran. They could not deny that I was foolish and brave. They also could not take away the chance to be a nurse again. They grouped together and whispered amongst each other before separating. I didn't hear what they said, but the tone was hopeful.

"Well, I'd say this is a wonderful change amongst us," Fielding exclaimed awkwardly. It broke the ice and put the cards on the table. "Mrs. Pierce, we'd love you to join."

Right then and there, the terms were laid out before my feet and they were generous indeed. I was tied to the organization and its rules. Hawkeye was my partner. I was to defer to him in all things not only because he was my husband, but my senior. However, I had my own benefits. I had time off, about five weeks' worth. They offered to pay for any conventions and conferences I choose to go to. There was no union, but I was allowed to join the Maine Nurses Association, stationed in Waterville. This group will offer their own paybacks too.

When the fourth man, the quiet and studious Fred Sanders, presented me the full contract from his back pocket, I took it from him and read through it carefully. While everyone (Cochran and Douglas the loudest of all) urged me just sign it, I ignored them. I walked onto the beach, bold enough to sit in the sand and comb through every word. What they told me was true. I also saw a few things I did not like, but this was a civilian company. I could not complain.

I returned and handed it to Sanders. My eyes met his with respect. "Where do I sign?"

Hawkeye and Dad whooped and almost dropped their drinks. The remaining company stood there, either astonished or elated by the decision. Most of all, Douglas and Cochran were part of the former. Of course, they were the hardest on me and did not think I could stand up on my own. Douglas was not as hellbent as Cochran though. He seemed to be a lackey. I hoped to find out more about him later and use him to my advantage perhaps.

Fielding and Sanders were more than pleased. They felt that they caught a pretty damned big fish. I wished for nothing more than respect from them. However, I knew I earned it in minutes. Right then and there, I believed that their interest alone was enough to get me in. They just had to see me and talk to me before putting the final nail in the coffin.

"I'd say, you better find that real estate soon," Cochran commented snidely. "We cannot wait until you decide to pick out the curtains."

"I didn't think indecisiveness was an Army trait," I confessed. "As a unit, we moved over forty times in three years. I would not call that weak. To pick up a base and move with wounded was not a housewife's job. It required strength, skill and determination. You cannot make one wrong step or take too long to make that choice."

Sanders looked at Hawkeye for confirmation. My husband nodded. "Sometimes, we had to leave one or two behind for one man. There were times we could not and they became paralyzed."

Fielding stood up. "Well, gentlemen, my hat's off to Mrs. Pierce, for a wonderful evening and her brutal honesty."

Each man stood up and thanked us for inviting them to our daughter's birthday dinner. Dad talked with each of them in turn and thanked them for coming. Hawkeye and I did the same when it was our turn, even though it was hard. We saw them to the door and waved goodbye from the front porch. When all four of them disappeared from our street, Hawkeye wrapped his arm tighter around me.

"You did great," he told me. There was pride in his voice.

"I loved it when Jeanie mentioned the difference between civilian and military," Dad added.

"There was something of am imp when she took the contract out."

"The drama behind telling Fielding she was in was the best."

They both talked around me like I was not there. Oddly enough, I did not mind. I enjoyed it. I also had more things to pay attention to. Patrick needed a diaper change. Shannon was trying to help, but could not carry him from the playpen to his room upstairs.

"I've got that, Mite," I said to her when I rushed to the playpen. "You go back to your pictures."

Dad and Hawkeye were still talking when I returned downstairs with Patrick. I changed Danielle next and put her and her brother to bed. Annabeth and Shannon were close behind them. I had to call Hawkeye a few times to get him to say good night to them.

All the while, my head spun tales of guilt. I was leaving all of this for nursing again. I would not have as much time with them. I might be too tired or up all night with someone else.

At the same time, I have to believe that I wanted more out of my life. It was a steady life being home with the children. Now, I was being forced out of retirement and the men in my life were encouraging it. I was putting more than enough energy into the children. Now, I had to focus on myself.

~00~

My exam was shortly after the meeting with the Portland board. The morning Hawkeye drove me to Waterville was cloudy and chilly. Already, there was talk about a cold rain and snow coming in towards the evening. It meant that I had limited time and had to consider the ride home. We both agreed that we did not want to stop at a motel and attempt to drive home the next day. It was all or nothing.

We left long before dawn, with Mrs. Pettigrew and Larry sleeping in our living room and Dad drinking coffee in the kitchen. Hawkeye navigated us out of town and was soon was the fairly-new I-95 and heading into the cold north. Some hours and many stops for moose and deer later, Hawkeye slowed down and took a right off of the interstate highway. He had me read the directions to the Maine School of Practical Nursing. We arrived an hour later. With just minutes to spare before my appointment, he dropped me off and I was in a classroom, taking my test.

I thought dealing with male doctors was not that hard and I'd await a fateful quiz that will fail me. I was sadly mistaken. The butterflies in my stomach were strong, but my confidence grew with each question. The test was easy enough, I noted, and I was adding details and diagrams that some might not have made important. I wrote the answers with fluency and went through several pages in so many hours (and with a hurting hand the whole time). By four o'clock, seven hours after I began, I was done, long before the other women. I handed my packet to the facilitator and went outside to wait for Hawkeye.

He was actually sleeping in the Packard in the parking lot. I had to knock on the windows to wake him up. Hawkeye could not wake up. Even then, I had to move the twins' car seats to the back and shove him over to the passenger side. I started the vehicle and drove out. By the time I was on I-95, I was completely elated, so much so that I was trembling. This wake Hawkeye up.

First, he was upset about not being waken up. Then, when he realized that I was just bringing us home, he remembered that we were in Waterville and that I took the test. He did not complain about me driving yet, but I was sure it will come later. Hawkeye waited a few minutes before calmly asking the question he was burning to utter.

"Well, how did it go?" He peered at me nervously.

I thought about making it a joke and turned serious. "Well, it was horrible. I think I failed."

"What?" Hawkeye was incredulous. "Jeanie, how could you?"

"Well, there was this question –" I began pathetically.

"Yeah, what was it?" Now, Hawkeye was panicking. "I can fix it. We can go back."

It was quickly getting out of hand. Hawkeye was growing more and more anxious and talked to both himself and I about the possibilities now. Then, he thought about somehow driving back himself and begging them for a retry. It was ridiculous.

I managed to interject, laughing. "Hawkeye, Love, it wasn't hard. I am sure I passed."

It took a few seconds for Hawkeye to catch on. When he did, he smiled and laughed. He patted my back. Then, when his celebratory mood was finished, his fingers moved down to another area. I had to slap away his hand many times as I shifted and concentrated on not hitting an animal. I was not ready for that kind of intimacy in the Packard. This was the reason why I could not drive well to begin with.

I tried to make it funny though. "I thought we'd take over the back seat."

"Not while you're supposed to be driving," Hawkeye said. There was a pause. "Wait, you're driving?"

"It's a safe speed," I pointed out. I had to slow down when a row of deer passed the road. When I stopped, I continued. "It's not like we're going to the aid station. There's no hurry."

"And no gin," Hawkeye mourned.

This was when he should have persuaded me to move out of the seat. Hawkeye usually did not like me driving. However, he said nothing. I was utterly surprised. My driving was not an issue anymore. Oddly enough, I was glad. I did not wish to relinquish my role. I intended to get us back home in one piece and before any storm grew worse. Already, there was a steady rain on the windshield.

We arrived home long after the children went to bed. I was disappointed not to see them, but I knew that they would crowd me in the morning and lavish me with love and care. Quietly, I went to their rooms and kissed each forehead gently before returning downstairs. Hawkeye already pulled out the gin and was drinking heavily. He had settled in my rocking chair. By the time I put my shoes and coat away, he was three glasses down and well on his way to getting drunk.

Dad was sitting on the couch. "How did it go?" he asked me.

"Cochran will never complain," I announced proudly.

"I don't think he will," Dad replied. "He's not a bad person, just misguided."

Hawkeye was going to say something contrary, but I shushed him. To get his attention elsewhere, I sat in his lap, almost making the rocking chair tip over. However, it made one hand free to roam and the other putting gin to his lips. Dad said nothing about this.

"Anything happen while we were out?" I asked.

Dad went into the day's events. Shannon went to school and came home with three boys from her class, wanting to pull her hair. The twins spoke more words and started reciting some of their letters. Annabeth said hi to Mrs. Bretton without being prompted. He also mentioned something about seeing another dead animal on the porch. Annabeth had discovered it and was crying to Mrs. Pettigrew and Larry about it and could not stop.

"Oh, no," Hawkeye moaned. "When is this going to end?"

"We didn't see anything when we left this morning," I pointed out.

"No," Love conceded. "They must have come afterward."

"I would have dismissed it as a senseless prank, but this is going too far and for too long," Dad said. "We need to find the pattern and pinpoint our culprits."

Now, this was unusual. Other than preventing Mrs. Pettigrew from being a bitch to me and helping me out with Hawkeye, Dad had not schemed so much. He seemed to burn with a sense of urgency to end this. Now, instead of doing nothing and protecting his grandchildren, he sought to find a solution. Seeing Annabeth cry over an animal again was enough.

"What do you have in mind?" With me in his lap, Hawkeye leaned forward a little.

"Booby traps," Dad simply replied. "Nothing fancy. Maybe a few tacks in the driveway and a harmless trip wire on the stairs. Someone watching from the second floor. Another in the attic. I thought about involving the little ones, but I think it'll be too much. Larry volunteered."

Oh, he already put this into play.

Now, Hawkeye was excited. "When do you want to get this going?"

"As soon as possible," Dad revealed. "I think we should wait a few weeks. We will need to make sure Jeanie is recertified as a nurse. This will bring the dogs out. Then, we plan for a few nights without sleep."

Then, Dad went into more details about what he was thinking. We carefully listened. It was not perfect and we had to ask questions and provide some fillings to the holes in his plans. We required several practice runs, to make sure height and positions will work. Most of all, we had to cooperate and work together.

"This will bring Cochran to his knees," Hawkeye declared.

"If it is him," Dad reminded him. "He is innocent until proven guilty."

"Who else could it be?" Hawkeye challenged. "There is nobody else."

I recalled the previous conversation about enemies. It was a possibility that Dad finally received his due or that we were being targeted. Cochran being our bandit was another. We had a lot of work to do before reaching that point though. I agreed with Hawkeye. Cochran was certainly our best person of interest.

Dad was right too. He was innocent until proven guilty. But this time, we were sure it was the other way around. Cochran was guilty until he was proven innocent.

To Mistress Twist: This should be the 7th chapter you're reading. At this point, until I post another, you are caught up! Thank you for listening to all of my madness. I know it's been difficult for you lately. Please stay safe!

To momoflanda: Thank you so much for all of the support you've given! Please understand, I do post other things on this board and am quite well. I will continue to add to the story as much as I can. I hope you are safe!