Part 6

In the hospital the next day, Henry had a patient to visit, and an explanation to give. He sat beside the bed of his wife's doppelganger.

"Hello Miss," he began. "I'm Henry Blake, the guy who operated on you yesterday."

The young nurse began, "Hi. I remember you, from before they anaesthetized me.

"You'll probably remember me running out on you," Henry admitted. "I'm sorry for that."

"Can I ask why? Were you ill or something?"

"Ill? No, I wasn't. The reason was this." He fumbled in his pocket, producing a photo. "You and this person, you look so alike. You know, you could easily be her double."

"You're right. You obviously know this woman, so I guess it was a real shock to see me on the table."

"Especially since the woman in the photo is my wife."

The nurse drew a sharp intake of breath. "I can understand why you ran out."

Henry and the nurse talked for a few more minutes before Henry left and went to check on another patient. "Trapper? How are you?"

"Congratulations, Henry. You win a prize for being the hundredth person who's asked me that today."

"Feeling better, I take it."

"Well, a bit."

"Don't trust him, Henry. The last time he tried to convince me he was all right, I turned around five seconds later to find him on the floor, fighting for his life." Hawkeye said this, walking into Post-Op and over to the bed.

"He's such a drama queen," Trapper drawled.

"You can joke, but I'm not the one in the hospital bed. Again."

"Hey, I can't help it that bad luck just follows me around."

"No more, or I send you home," Henry warned jokingly. "I can't have you getting shot or whatever every week."

"Don't worry, Henry. People like me are here to keep an eye on people like him, keep him out of trouble and such," Hawkeye said.

"You've had three bits of bad luck, don't you feel cursed by now?" Henry asked.

"Not really, because I've had three bits of good luck, too," Trapper said. "Frank left, I gained a friend in BJ, and of course, there's Margaret." Trapper stopped and thought for a moment. "Actually, I've had another bit of good luck. I found out that I have a lot of good friends in this place, especially my best friend."

"That wasn't a bit of recent good luck," Hawkeye contradicted. "You've had that every since you got here." He punched Trapper playfully in the arm.

As soon as Trapper came out of the hospital, his first priority was to talk to Margaret, in private. Whilst he was in Post-Op with other patients and staff, he did not want to discuss what he wanted to with her.

He took her out to the field area of the camp, away from the others. It was a sunny afternoon, with a beautiful blue sky looking over Korea.

Trapper sat beside Margaret, and for a moment could not make words into sentences. Margaret gave her reassuring hand to him, and smiled.

"Margaret," he began. "Since my wife passed… I'm sorry, I've done it all wrong already. I know you didn't like it when Frank talking about his wife…"

"This is different, and I understand. Go on," she coaxed.

"Well, since Louise and the girls… people might have thought that me liking someone would be to do with that. Rebound or some way of coping. But, this isn't. You're something special, and you hold everything that I could ever hope for. When we, in the Supply Room, that confirmed it. I need to know how you feel now."

"I've never felt this way before. I've felt it for a while, and since then I've been feeling good."

Trapper squeezed her hand. "Now, I know that some people in my position right now would get down on one knee and get out a ring. But, I don't feel ready, not so soon after, you know."

"I know," Margaret said, kissing him.

"One more thing," Trapper said after the kiss. "I know how Frank treated you, and you deserve so much better. I'll do everything I can to try and give it to you."

He stood up, and she also. She rested against him, and they swayed gently. Trapper's voice provided all the music they needed. He sung softly to her.

"Ooh, they're dancing now," Hawkeye gushed comically, looking through the binoculars.

"Cute," Radar smiled.

"Pass the popcorn," BJ asked. The three of them were hidden behind a rock, watching their friends become an item. "When you told Henry that you'd keep an eye on him, I didn't know you'd go this far."

"Presenting Margaret Houlihan and Trapper John McIntyre in the newest romantic comedy, Against All Odds."

"Apt," BJ said. "For someone who's gone through all he's gone through and can still smile, it's very apt."

"Do you think that it's the beginning of the end for Trapper's story?" Radar asked.

"Au contraire," Hawkeye retorted. "This, my friends, may be the end of the beginning."

The End