Radar's Story
By
Krahmogh
A/N: We all know that Radar O'Reilly went back to Ottumwa, Iowa after receiving a hardship discharge after his Uncle Ed's death. Most of us assume that he found the courage to call Patty Haven (the pretty young nurse he had met at the airport in Tokyo), date her, and marry her (I know because that is what we read in most of the reunion stories). Here is my vision of how these events occurred. Also, the standard disclaimer applies here. The M*A*S*H characters are all owned by Fox and I am making no money from this story. The only characters I own are the ones I create (like the people of Ottumwa).
The sun had been shining brightly on that spring day in Ottumwa, Iowa. The young farmer looked up and groaned audibly. A large cloud was quickly moving in from the west. "Park Sung," he called to the Korean farm hand. "We'd better finish checking these last few rows and head for the house." The two had been looking over the corn field for signs of raccoons. Jack Wilder had seen Walter at the feed store that morning and had warned him to keep an eye on his crop. 'Coons could eat quite a lot of corn if allowed to run unchecked. So far, Walter's corn seemed untouched. It seemed that just as he reached the end of the row he was in, the bottom fell out of the sky. Walter and Park Sung ran for the house but to no avail. They were both drenched by the time they hit the front door.
"Stay where you are, I'll bring some towels," Edna, Walter's mother, called from upstairs. "I don't need you two dripping water through the whole house. Here," she said handing both men a nice clean towel, "dry off as best as you can and then go change. I'll fix some lemonade so come back down to the kitchen and then you can have your mail."
A few minutes later the two men both appeared in the kitchen in dry clothes where they each received a tall glass of lemonade and a letter.
"Thanks, Ma," Walter said as he looked at the return address on the envelope. "Hey, it's from Patty!" he exclaimed as he tore open the envelope and quickly scanned the contents of the letter inside. "Oh, boy," was all he had to say when he finished.
Park Sung looked up from his letter from Hawkeye and BJ who were still in Korea. "Is everything ok, Walter?" he asked with concern.
"Huh?" the other man responded. He'd been rereading the letter. "No, no everything's fine. It's just; she sends her phone number this time. She wants me to call her."
"Is that a bad thing?" the young Korean inquired. He'd only been with the O'Reillys for a few months and was still learning American customs. "I thought it was all right to call a young lady is she has first given her permission."
"Well, yeah it is. But gee whiz, I have trouble just writing to her. How am I gonna talk to her while she can hear my voice and everything?"
"You told me that you did talk to her when you met her at the airport in Tokyo.
"I know. But, I like her a lot more know that I even did that day. I had no idea when I talked to her in Tokyo that I would be headed back to the States myself within the next week. Now, we've been writing letters back and forth for five months. I don't know if I can actually talk to her. What if she's different on the phone than she is in her letters? What if I am? What if I can't think of anything to say? What if . . ."
"Walter," Park Sung said, laying a hand on his friend's arm to calm him down. "You won't find out unless you give her a call."
Walter looked at his friend for a minute and then said, "You're right. You know, Hawkeye would've said the same thing. Hey, how is he anyway? Does he say how everyone is?"
"He says that everyone at the 4077th is fine and they all miss us both. Now, go call her," the farm hand said as he directed Walter toward the phone on the kitchen wall.
* * * * *
"Hello?"
"Hello, Patty? This is Walter, O'Reilly."
"Hi, Walter. I'm guessing you got my letter."
"Yeah, it just came. So, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Listen, I actually have to come to the hospital there in Ottumwa to give a lecture to the nurses there in the ER and OR about some of the procedures we used in Korea and I was wondering if you might want to have lunch with me while I'm there. Could you spare some time away from the farm to see a friend?" she asked hopefully.
"Oh, that'd be great. Say, how long are going to be in town? Maybe you could come out and see the farm. I could show you what I do now."
"I'd really like that. I'm coming over there for three days and then I have the weekend free too. The hospital is booking me a room at the motel there near the hospital. They're even paying for it. All I have to do is find somewhere to eat."
"Gee, that sounds great. I know where everything is so I'll show you around. When are you coming?"
"In two weeks. I come on Wednesday and have to be back at work on Monday morning. Will that work for you?"
"Yeah, it will. Park Sung can take care of the chores for a few days." They finished making plans for lunch the Wednesday she would be there and then hung up with smiles on their faces. Walter then turned to his friend who had been listening to every word, "Thanks, Park Sung."
"Anytime, Walter, anytime."
A/N: End of Part 1. Ok, I'm going to work on this story while trying to figure out where to end the second chapter of "Surprises". I'm thinking of giving Hawkeye cold feet the morning of the wedding (in "Surprises") and Beej having to find him on the beach and give him a pep talk. Let me know if anyone likes that idea. Please r&r on this story as well. I'd like to know if anyone sees the potential here that I did when I first got the idea. Also, does anyone remember the name of any of Radar's other relatives? I seem to remember the watching of a home movie sent to Korea by Edna. If anyone can give me some more info on that home movie please email me. Thanks.
A/N: We all know that Radar O'Reilly went back to Ottumwa, Iowa after receiving a hardship discharge after his Uncle Ed's death. Most of us assume that he found the courage to call Patty Haven (the pretty young nurse he had met at the airport in Tokyo), date her, and marry her (I know because that is what we read in most of the reunion stories). Here is my vision of how these events occurred. Also, the standard disclaimer applies here. The M*A*S*H characters are all owned by Fox and I am making no money from this story. The only characters I own are the ones I create (like the people of Ottumwa).
The sun had been shining brightly on that spring day in Ottumwa, Iowa. The young farmer looked up and groaned audibly. A large cloud was quickly moving in from the west. "Park Sung," he called to the Korean farm hand. "We'd better finish checking these last few rows and head for the house." The two had been looking over the corn field for signs of raccoons. Jack Wilder had seen Walter at the feed store that morning and had warned him to keep an eye on his crop. 'Coons could eat quite a lot of corn if allowed to run unchecked. So far, Walter's corn seemed untouched. It seemed that just as he reached the end of the row he was in, the bottom fell out of the sky. Walter and Park Sung ran for the house but to no avail. They were both drenched by the time they hit the front door.
"Stay where you are, I'll bring some towels," Edna, Walter's mother, called from upstairs. "I don't need you two dripping water through the whole house. Here," she said handing both men a nice clean towel, "dry off as best as you can and then go change. I'll fix some lemonade so come back down to the kitchen and then you can have your mail."
A few minutes later the two men both appeared in the kitchen in dry clothes where they each received a tall glass of lemonade and a letter.
"Thanks, Ma," Walter said as he looked at the return address on the envelope. "Hey, it's from Patty!" he exclaimed as he tore open the envelope and quickly scanned the contents of the letter inside. "Oh, boy," was all he had to say when he finished.
Park Sung looked up from his letter from Hawkeye and BJ who were still in Korea. "Is everything ok, Walter?" he asked with concern.
"Huh?" the other man responded. He'd been rereading the letter. "No, no everything's fine. It's just; she sends her phone number this time. She wants me to call her."
"Is that a bad thing?" the young Korean inquired. He'd only been with the O'Reillys for a few months and was still learning American customs. "I thought it was all right to call a young lady is she has first given her permission."
"Well, yeah it is. But gee whiz, I have trouble just writing to her. How am I gonna talk to her while she can hear my voice and everything?"
"You told me that you did talk to her when you met her at the airport in Tokyo.
"I know. But, I like her a lot more know that I even did that day. I had no idea when I talked to her in Tokyo that I would be headed back to the States myself within the next week. Now, we've been writing letters back and forth for five months. I don't know if I can actually talk to her. What if she's different on the phone than she is in her letters? What if I am? What if I can't think of anything to say? What if . . ."
"Walter," Park Sung said, laying a hand on his friend's arm to calm him down. "You won't find out unless you give her a call."
Walter looked at his friend for a minute and then said, "You're right. You know, Hawkeye would've said the same thing. Hey, how is he anyway? Does he say how everyone is?"
"He says that everyone at the 4077th is fine and they all miss us both. Now, go call her," the farm hand said as he directed Walter toward the phone on the kitchen wall.
* * * * *
"Hello?"
"Hello, Patty? This is Walter, O'Reilly."
"Hi, Walter. I'm guessing you got my letter."
"Yeah, it just came. So, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Listen, I actually have to come to the hospital there in Ottumwa to give a lecture to the nurses there in the ER and OR about some of the procedures we used in Korea and I was wondering if you might want to have lunch with me while I'm there. Could you spare some time away from the farm to see a friend?" she asked hopefully.
"Oh, that'd be great. Say, how long are going to be in town? Maybe you could come out and see the farm. I could show you what I do now."
"I'd really like that. I'm coming over there for three days and then I have the weekend free too. The hospital is booking me a room at the motel there near the hospital. They're even paying for it. All I have to do is find somewhere to eat."
"Gee, that sounds great. I know where everything is so I'll show you around. When are you coming?"
"In two weeks. I come on Wednesday and have to be back at work on Monday morning. Will that work for you?"
"Yeah, it will. Park Sung can take care of the chores for a few days." They finished making plans for lunch the Wednesday she would be there and then hung up with smiles on their faces. Walter then turned to his friend who had been listening to every word, "Thanks, Park Sung."
"Anytime, Walter, anytime."
A/N: End of Part 1. Ok, I'm going to work on this story while trying to figure out where to end the second chapter of "Surprises". I'm thinking of giving Hawkeye cold feet the morning of the wedding (in "Surprises") and Beej having to find him on the beach and give him a pep talk. Let me know if anyone likes that idea. Please r&r on this story as well. I'd like to know if anyone sees the potential here that I did when I first got the idea. Also, does anyone remember the name of any of Radar's other relatives? I seem to remember the watching of a home movie sent to Korea by Edna. If anyone can give me some more info on that home movie please email me. Thanks.