"Major Winchester, do you mind if we join you?" I asked politely. He
shifted slightly, allowing Hawkeye and I to fit on the bench.
"Charles, might I ask you a question?" He looked up, surprised.
"Well, apparently you already have Annabelle, but certainly, how can I help you?"
"Charles, do you remember the little scene I caused in the OR a while ago?"
"Well, I assure you, I shan't be forgetting it in a hurry." He almost laughed.
"Neither will I. But anyway Charles, I was wondering WHY you treat me like that? I mean you've stopped doing it so badly, but why did you?"
"Annabelle, you were a young lady whom I was not acquainted with and so I was acting in a manner that I felt appropriate."
"I see, common courtesy. But there was more to it, you were very condescending and you treated me basically like a little girl."
"Annabelle, nearly everyone here has called you a girl sometime and they all treat you with the manner I did."
"Oh, it's the relationship I have with them. They mostly worried about me when you were new because I'd recently been shot and then sick. Now, if you notice, most of them let me alone, they know I can take good care of myself."
"I understand, but yet if you dislike being treated like a girl, why do you allow yourself to be addressed as such? Honnicut I notice frequently calls you girl."
"Charles, it's just a nickname. It's like this. I came to the MASH 4077th September 4 1951. I was 25, I had never been kissed, and the first time I'd been on an aeroplane was to come here. I had spent most of my life raising my family and I had little to no idea of the real world, I barely even knew what being a woman was about. I was basically a girl then and in my simple, honest, innocence I was nicknamed 'girl'."
"I apologise Annabelle for misunderstanding, for it should have been obvious to me that you are now anything but a girl."
"I would like to think that. Do you know that it is March 16 1953, and I have been here for 503 days? In that time I have had my twin brother die in my arms, been kissed, fallen in love, gotten married, become pregnant, miscarried, been shot, been deathly ill, broken my wrist twice, seen local children lose their lives, watched patients scream while the morphine fails to work, had arguments and reconciliations with people, missed my new siblings being born, flown in choppers, been in a jeep accident, punched a Major, been punched by a Major, been promoted to Captain and worked my rear off in the process! I'm not a little girl Charles, am I now?"
"I definitely think not. You have obviously been through a lot more than I give you credit for and I apologise. But I would like it if you gave me credit too Annabelle."
"Name it Chuckles."
"You seem to think that I do not know what I am on about but I have had the finest medical training and I would appreciate it if you respected that a little more."
"Oh Charles, I respect your knowledge, it's just that you're so, well stuck- up about it, you make us feel like we know nothing, and so that is where I do not respect you."
"I'm sorry Annabelle, it is the way I have been raised. I think that we could save more patients than before if we worked together with your front- line wound expertise and my medical skills combined. Annabelle, are you prepared to join me?"
"Yes thankyou, I will, but I often assist BJ, you may have to call for my assistance."
"Never mind, we shall worry about that when the need arises. Now if you'll excuse me Annabelle, it was a pleasant talk but I must finish writing my patient reports."
"Not at all Charles, good night." I turned to Hawkeye, who was talking to Margaret.
"May I cut in? Hawkeye we have a shift in ten," We left quickly and with 24 hours to go, I had only 2 more people to chat up.
"Charles, might I ask you a question?" He looked up, surprised.
"Well, apparently you already have Annabelle, but certainly, how can I help you?"
"Charles, do you remember the little scene I caused in the OR a while ago?"
"Well, I assure you, I shan't be forgetting it in a hurry." He almost laughed.
"Neither will I. But anyway Charles, I was wondering WHY you treat me like that? I mean you've stopped doing it so badly, but why did you?"
"Annabelle, you were a young lady whom I was not acquainted with and so I was acting in a manner that I felt appropriate."
"I see, common courtesy. But there was more to it, you were very condescending and you treated me basically like a little girl."
"Annabelle, nearly everyone here has called you a girl sometime and they all treat you with the manner I did."
"Oh, it's the relationship I have with them. They mostly worried about me when you were new because I'd recently been shot and then sick. Now, if you notice, most of them let me alone, they know I can take good care of myself."
"I understand, but yet if you dislike being treated like a girl, why do you allow yourself to be addressed as such? Honnicut I notice frequently calls you girl."
"Charles, it's just a nickname. It's like this. I came to the MASH 4077th September 4 1951. I was 25, I had never been kissed, and the first time I'd been on an aeroplane was to come here. I had spent most of my life raising my family and I had little to no idea of the real world, I barely even knew what being a woman was about. I was basically a girl then and in my simple, honest, innocence I was nicknamed 'girl'."
"I apologise Annabelle for misunderstanding, for it should have been obvious to me that you are now anything but a girl."
"I would like to think that. Do you know that it is March 16 1953, and I have been here for 503 days? In that time I have had my twin brother die in my arms, been kissed, fallen in love, gotten married, become pregnant, miscarried, been shot, been deathly ill, broken my wrist twice, seen local children lose their lives, watched patients scream while the morphine fails to work, had arguments and reconciliations with people, missed my new siblings being born, flown in choppers, been in a jeep accident, punched a Major, been punched by a Major, been promoted to Captain and worked my rear off in the process! I'm not a little girl Charles, am I now?"
"I definitely think not. You have obviously been through a lot more than I give you credit for and I apologise. But I would like it if you gave me credit too Annabelle."
"Name it Chuckles."
"You seem to think that I do not know what I am on about but I have had the finest medical training and I would appreciate it if you respected that a little more."
"Oh Charles, I respect your knowledge, it's just that you're so, well stuck- up about it, you make us feel like we know nothing, and so that is where I do not respect you."
"I'm sorry Annabelle, it is the way I have been raised. I think that we could save more patients than before if we worked together with your front- line wound expertise and my medical skills combined. Annabelle, are you prepared to join me?"
"Yes thankyou, I will, but I often assist BJ, you may have to call for my assistance."
"Never mind, we shall worry about that when the need arises. Now if you'll excuse me Annabelle, it was a pleasant talk but I must finish writing my patient reports."
"Not at all Charles, good night." I turned to Hawkeye, who was talking to Margaret.
"May I cut in? Hawkeye we have a shift in ten," We left quickly and with 24 hours to go, I had only 2 more people to chat up.