Trapper got and made his way to the Mess Tent. He got something gray to
eat and sat down with Radar. "Any wounded coming today?"
"Good morning Trapper."
"Oh yeah, morning Radar. Any wounded coming in today?"
"I haven't heard anything, but that doesn't mean much."
Henry and Margaret soon joined them. The conversation quickly turned to Frank. Trapper and Margaret were both really concerned about him. "His pulling further and further away Colonel," Margaret was fretting.
"Yeah, he hasn't shouted at me for the past couple of days," Radar piped up .
"He hasn't been back at the Swamp since the other night."
Henry looked confused, "Then where's he been sleeping?"
Margaret rolled her eyes, how could their commanding officer be ignorant but still be their commanding officer. "In the VIP tent sir."
"But he isn't a VIP."
Even Trapper was getting frustrated. "Henry have some coffee or something, I think your brain is still asleep."
"Okay, okay. I'll have a word with him, maybe get Sidney to talk to him tonight. Do we have any idea why he's behaving like this?"
Margaret spoke, "None."
"It started the other night so there's obviously something there. . ."
Margaret turned to Trapper, "What exactly happened?"
"Hawk lost a kid and was upset. I consoled him. He cried himself to sleep and I didn't want to wake him," Trapper was a little irate.
"Just asking, no need to throw a hissy fit."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to jump all over you like that. Henry isn't the only one who needs coffee." Trapper smiled guiltily.
"Try not to let it happen again Captain," Margaret turned and left.
"Henry, I am really worried about Frank."
"I promise I'll do something."
"A real something?"
"What else would I do?"
Trapper just rolled his eyes. "What times the conference tonight? I forgot."
"9 pm. Are you ready to lose?"
"Aren't I always?"
"Well, yeah."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have rounds to do. Make sure you do something about Frank. See ya Radar."
"Bye, Captain McIntyre."
"I will Trapper, I promise."
Trapper and Hawkeye did their rounds and duties and met in the Mess Tent again for lunch. Hawkeye was much brighter than he had been that morning, especially after Trapper informed him about the poker game that evening. "Hehe, another chance to take your money."
"You do seem to have a talent for it."
"No, you just have a talent for losing it."
"I'm no that bad."
"Yes you are, remember when the four leaf clover gave you a rash."
"It wasn't the clover that gave me the rash, I had a reaction to, uh, something else."
"Sure, that's what it was," Hawkeye winked at him, "Between you and Henry, I am going to be rich, rich I tell you."
"Oh, shut up and eat your glop."
"What are your plans for this arvo?"
"Drinking something extremely alcoholic and more rounds."
"I like the first bit."
"Me too. What about you?"
"Rounds and drinking and clearing some space to keep my winnings tonight."
"You sir are impossible."
"Yup, I practice everyday."
"Good grief."
They finished their meals in a companionable silence, each getting lost in his own thoughts. Trapper started thinking about Frank, again. This was turning into a nasty habit.
The afternoon drifted by. The surgeons didn't see get a chance to talk again until 8 pm. They lay holding each other on Hawkeye's cot, talking quietly. They started to kiss, but Hawkeye soon put stop to it. "The other's will be coming soon. We get busted; we get kicked out and disgraced. I don't think either of us really wants that to happen."
"I don't mind the kicked out part so much as the disgraced bit."
Hawkeye continued, "And banned from practicing medicine. You wouldn't be able to see your kids."
"Shhhh, we'll just be careful not to get caught."
The time passed quickly. At about 8.45, they started getting ready. By the time Henry and Sidney showed up at 8.55 they were up and ready for some serious poker. The game got under way when Sam showed up 10 minutes late. At some stage Klinger and Father Mulcahy came in and decided to try their luck. Radar brought some sandwiches and decided he wanted to play as well.
It was getting late when Pierce and McIntyre were called to the lab. "Finally, a chance to take a break from losing," Trapper said.
Sidney, who was cleaning up replied, "I'll miss you."
"Only because you got $70 from me tonight."
"I'm sure that factors into it somewhere."
Trapper and Hawkeye headed over to the lab to find out what they had been pulled away from their conference for. They walked in to find it in darkness. The door shut behind them. They groped for each other in the darkness, each grabbing the closest bit. A voice came from the darkness, "Well well well. What do we have here?"
Trapper asked shakily, "Is that you Frank? Could you please turn on the light?"
"Shut up McIntyre."
When the light came on, Frank was standing in the doorway, pointing a pistol at them. "Not so high and mighty now are we?"
Hawkeye tried to negotiate, "Frank, what's wrong? Maybe we can fix it."
"You're what's wrong, you and your kind."
"What kind is that?"
"Homosexuals."
Trapper said, sounding infinitely stronger than he felt, "Frank, we are NOT homosexuals."
"Don't lie to me."
Hawkeye asked gently, "What if we were? Why is that such a bad thing?" Trapper elbowed him.
"They hurt people. They do perverted and unnatural things to people."
Trapper got the impression they were not talking about the same homosexuals anymore. "What have they done to you?"
"That's none of your bees wax. It's just sick." Already Frank's mind was starting to drift to his room again. He shook his head, now was not the time. He waved his gun, "Strip."
"What?!" Hawkeye exclaimed.
"You heard me."
Trapper and Hawkeye shared look of terror as they slowly removed their clothes. Trapper was almost begging, "Why Frank, why?"
But Frank was not there, in his mind he was in his room and he was pointing the gun at his father. "You hurt me," he sobbed, "You have to pay."
"Frank, we're sorry. We promise we won't do anything else to you, ever."
"You are a disgrace to everything. I was just a kid," Frank wailed.
Hawkeye and Trapper were slowly piecing together what was happening. It dawned on Trapper, "Holy f***."
The realisation hit Hawk at almost the same time, "Poor Frank," he whispered, "No one should ever, have to go through that, ever!"
Hawkeye asked him quietly, "Who is hurting you Frank?"
"Dad was, but not anymore, never again." He re-entered the present. "Now it's time to stop you, you degenerates."
By this stage they had been gone for about 45 minutes and everyone was getting impatient. Henry decided it was time to go investigate.
Trapper whispered, "Frank, no. Your father was a sick evil man, don't be like him."
"How dare you compare us! I will never be like him!"
He aimed the gun at Hawkeye's head, "You won't be perverting anyone ever again." As he cocked the gun, the door swung open.
"Good morning Trapper."
"Oh yeah, morning Radar. Any wounded coming in today?"
"I haven't heard anything, but that doesn't mean much."
Henry and Margaret soon joined them. The conversation quickly turned to Frank. Trapper and Margaret were both really concerned about him. "His pulling further and further away Colonel," Margaret was fretting.
"Yeah, he hasn't shouted at me for the past couple of days," Radar piped up .
"He hasn't been back at the Swamp since the other night."
Henry looked confused, "Then where's he been sleeping?"
Margaret rolled her eyes, how could their commanding officer be ignorant but still be their commanding officer. "In the VIP tent sir."
"But he isn't a VIP."
Even Trapper was getting frustrated. "Henry have some coffee or something, I think your brain is still asleep."
"Okay, okay. I'll have a word with him, maybe get Sidney to talk to him tonight. Do we have any idea why he's behaving like this?"
Margaret spoke, "None."
"It started the other night so there's obviously something there. . ."
Margaret turned to Trapper, "What exactly happened?"
"Hawk lost a kid and was upset. I consoled him. He cried himself to sleep and I didn't want to wake him," Trapper was a little irate.
"Just asking, no need to throw a hissy fit."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to jump all over you like that. Henry isn't the only one who needs coffee." Trapper smiled guiltily.
"Try not to let it happen again Captain," Margaret turned and left.
"Henry, I am really worried about Frank."
"I promise I'll do something."
"A real something?"
"What else would I do?"
Trapper just rolled his eyes. "What times the conference tonight? I forgot."
"9 pm. Are you ready to lose?"
"Aren't I always?"
"Well, yeah."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have rounds to do. Make sure you do something about Frank. See ya Radar."
"Bye, Captain McIntyre."
"I will Trapper, I promise."
Trapper and Hawkeye did their rounds and duties and met in the Mess Tent again for lunch. Hawkeye was much brighter than he had been that morning, especially after Trapper informed him about the poker game that evening. "Hehe, another chance to take your money."
"You do seem to have a talent for it."
"No, you just have a talent for losing it."
"I'm no that bad."
"Yes you are, remember when the four leaf clover gave you a rash."
"It wasn't the clover that gave me the rash, I had a reaction to, uh, something else."
"Sure, that's what it was," Hawkeye winked at him, "Between you and Henry, I am going to be rich, rich I tell you."
"Oh, shut up and eat your glop."
"What are your plans for this arvo?"
"Drinking something extremely alcoholic and more rounds."
"I like the first bit."
"Me too. What about you?"
"Rounds and drinking and clearing some space to keep my winnings tonight."
"You sir are impossible."
"Yup, I practice everyday."
"Good grief."
They finished their meals in a companionable silence, each getting lost in his own thoughts. Trapper started thinking about Frank, again. This was turning into a nasty habit.
The afternoon drifted by. The surgeons didn't see get a chance to talk again until 8 pm. They lay holding each other on Hawkeye's cot, talking quietly. They started to kiss, but Hawkeye soon put stop to it. "The other's will be coming soon. We get busted; we get kicked out and disgraced. I don't think either of us really wants that to happen."
"I don't mind the kicked out part so much as the disgraced bit."
Hawkeye continued, "And banned from practicing medicine. You wouldn't be able to see your kids."
"Shhhh, we'll just be careful not to get caught."
The time passed quickly. At about 8.45, they started getting ready. By the time Henry and Sidney showed up at 8.55 they were up and ready for some serious poker. The game got under way when Sam showed up 10 minutes late. At some stage Klinger and Father Mulcahy came in and decided to try their luck. Radar brought some sandwiches and decided he wanted to play as well.
It was getting late when Pierce and McIntyre were called to the lab. "Finally, a chance to take a break from losing," Trapper said.
Sidney, who was cleaning up replied, "I'll miss you."
"Only because you got $70 from me tonight."
"I'm sure that factors into it somewhere."
Trapper and Hawkeye headed over to the lab to find out what they had been pulled away from their conference for. They walked in to find it in darkness. The door shut behind them. They groped for each other in the darkness, each grabbing the closest bit. A voice came from the darkness, "Well well well. What do we have here?"
Trapper asked shakily, "Is that you Frank? Could you please turn on the light?"
"Shut up McIntyre."
When the light came on, Frank was standing in the doorway, pointing a pistol at them. "Not so high and mighty now are we?"
Hawkeye tried to negotiate, "Frank, what's wrong? Maybe we can fix it."
"You're what's wrong, you and your kind."
"What kind is that?"
"Homosexuals."
Trapper said, sounding infinitely stronger than he felt, "Frank, we are NOT homosexuals."
"Don't lie to me."
Hawkeye asked gently, "What if we were? Why is that such a bad thing?" Trapper elbowed him.
"They hurt people. They do perverted and unnatural things to people."
Trapper got the impression they were not talking about the same homosexuals anymore. "What have they done to you?"
"That's none of your bees wax. It's just sick." Already Frank's mind was starting to drift to his room again. He shook his head, now was not the time. He waved his gun, "Strip."
"What?!" Hawkeye exclaimed.
"You heard me."
Trapper and Hawkeye shared look of terror as they slowly removed their clothes. Trapper was almost begging, "Why Frank, why?"
But Frank was not there, in his mind he was in his room and he was pointing the gun at his father. "You hurt me," he sobbed, "You have to pay."
"Frank, we're sorry. We promise we won't do anything else to you, ever."
"You are a disgrace to everything. I was just a kid," Frank wailed.
Hawkeye and Trapper were slowly piecing together what was happening. It dawned on Trapper, "Holy f***."
The realisation hit Hawk at almost the same time, "Poor Frank," he whispered, "No one should ever, have to go through that, ever!"
Hawkeye asked him quietly, "Who is hurting you Frank?"
"Dad was, but not anymore, never again." He re-entered the present. "Now it's time to stop you, you degenerates."
By this stage they had been gone for about 45 minutes and everyone was getting impatient. Henry decided it was time to go investigate.
Trapper whispered, "Frank, no. Your father was a sick evil man, don't be like him."
"How dare you compare us! I will never be like him!"
He aimed the gun at Hawkeye's head, "You won't be perverting anyone ever again." As he cocked the gun, the door swung open.