He was in heaven.
Literally.
"Gosh, this place is so beautiful . . ."
"Isn't it?"
A voice startled Henry. It sounded vaguely familiar. Out from behind a cloud stepped another man and he LOOKED vaguely familiar.
"Henry Blake, right?"
Henry nodded.
The man took Henry's hand and shook it heartily. "You remember me, don't ya? Tommy Gillis!"
Henry suddenly smiled in recognition. "Tommy! It's great to see you again . . . in heaven."
"Oh, yeah . . ." Tommy said. "I have a welcoming gift for ya!" He held out his right hand, palm up, and a bottle of gin materialized.
"Here," he said, handing him the bottle. "Th . . . thanks," Henry replied, "Can you materialize anything?"
"Yep, you can too."
Henry concentrated on the image of a glass and nearly fell over with surprise when one appeared in his hand.
"This is fantastic," he murmured as he poured some gin into the glass. He was just about to take a drink from it when Tommy grabbed his shoulder.
"Not yet! Wait until God's not looking!"
Henry, who was unable to see God as of yet, was looking around for a tall man glowing brightly, but Tommy just stood, waiting patiently.
"Okay, he's not looking anymore. Safe to drink."
Henry swallowed a mouthful of gin before asking, "How do you know when God's not looking? I don't see him anywhere." "It depends on two things."
"Like what?"
Tommy said, "You haven't been here as long as I have, so naturally you don't know what God looks like and so can't see him. Also, it depends on how many times you went to church while you were alive."
"I never went to church. On Sundays, my father and I would toss a football back and forth in the yard."
Tommy nodded. "That explains it. When I was a kid, I was practically DRAGGED to church every Sunday."
He looked behind his shoulder. "Oh, I forgot! Henry, there's some people who'd like to meet you."
Henry turned around and saw two other people walking towards him, a man and a woman. The middle-aged woman didn't look familiar at all, but the sight of the old man nearly took Henry's breath away. "Radar . . ."
The squat man smiled. So did Henry. "You must be . . ."
". . . Walter's father, Eugene. You're Henry Blake."
Henry chuckled. "At least now I know where . . ."
". . . Walter got his ability from. Can hardly understand it myself!"
The woman stuck out her hand, and Henry shook it. "You don't know me. My name's Helen. I believe you know my son, Benjamin?"
"Benja . . .oh, Hawkeye!" Henry said, realizing who this was, "Mrs. Pierce, it's a treat to meet you!"
Helen grinned; Henry had seen that grin so many times on Hawkeye's face. "There's somebody else who wants to see you." She turned toward a nearby cloud embankment. "Sweetheart?"
A little girl shyly peeked out from behind the cloud. She looked exactly like her mother, the same dark blue eyes and light brown hair. "Come on, hon. Don't be shy."
Slowly, cautiously, the girl made her way over to Helen and clung onto her leg, her thumb in her mouth.
Detaching her daughter, Helen smiled and said, "Henry, this is my daughter. Cassie, this is your brother's friend, Henry. Say hello."
Cassie, who looked no more than four, the age she had been when she died of pneumonia, giggled nervously and waved at Henry. "Well, one thing's for sure; she ain't like Hawkeye at all!"
Tommy spoke up. "Sometimes, that's a good thing," and set the whole group, minus Cassie, laughing.
Henry sighed suddenly. "Boy, am I gonna miss them."
Tommy grew serious. "There was another reason why they came. We need to talk to you." "About what?" Eugene, quiet like Radar, said, "About how you're needed back on Earth."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Please don't go It's a Wonderful Life on me. Can't stand that movie."
Helen hoisted Cassie up. "Henry, be serious. My son's unit needs you, badly." "Walter needs you," said his father.
"Nah, they don't need me."
"You don't believe us? Have a look for yourself, then," Tommy replied. He led Henry to the edge of the cloud and had him look down on the Earth. To his surprise, Henry could clearly see the 4077th.
Tommy grinned. "Wonderful thing about being a spirit. You can observe everything that goes on down there."
**************************
Down below, Hawkeye, Trapper, and Frank were all in OR operating. As Henry watched, Radar entered the double doors, moving like he was in a trance.
Trapper looked over at him. "Radar, put a mask on!"
Without looking up from his patient, Hawkeye added, "If that's Herring's discharge, give it to us straight, we can take it."
Radar cleared his throat. "I have a message."
The OR grew quiet.
"Lieutenant Colonel . . . Henry Blake . . . died of a heart attack . . . around 0900 hours . . . this morning. He is survived by . . . his wife, Lorraine . . . his daughters, Janie and Molly . . . and his son, Andrew."
With that, Radar walked out.
It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
**************************
Henry's heart broke at watching Radar struggle with that message. "Poor kiddo . . ." he whispered.
"That's not all though," Eugene said, coming to Henry's side. "You oughta see their CO."
Henry grimaced. "Something deep down inside tells me I don't want to."
"You're going to anyway," said Helen.
**************************
"Corporal O'Reilly!"
Radar winced as Herring's yell cut through the air like a machete. "Ye . . . yes, sir?"
"In my office, NOW!"
Radar's hand automatically covered his jaw, just in case Herring hit him again. His own mother wouldn't recognize him with all those yellowish- purple bruises.
He tentatively opened the door to the CO's office and saluted Herring, trying not to let the colonel see his hand shaking.
"Who just called?"
Radar gulped. "Th . . . the hospital in Seoul. Colonel Blake . . . well, he died."
Herring smirked. "No big loss. Looks like your 'second father' won't be covering you after all, O'Reilly!"
As he left, it was all Radar could do to keep from crying.
**************************
"See?" Helen said, stroking Cassie's hair.
"Unfortunately," came the response.
Henry was shocked; no, beyond shocked!
"Wow, that Colonel . . . uh, name?"
"Herring," Tommy supplied, "but they call him Colonel Hitler."
Henry snickered at that.
"Well, anyhoo, as I was saying, that Colonel Hitler makes me look like the perfect CO!"
The others couldn't agree more.
"Come on, do it for Walter."
"Do it for Benjamin."
Tommy grabbed Henry's shoulder.
"Do it for the whole damn 4077th!"
With a sense of purpose in his eyes, Henry formed his right hand into a fist and held it in the air. "Look out, Colonel Hitler! Here comes Colonel Blake."
**************************
Captain Douglas and Captain Browning stood at the hospital's side entrance, watching the corpsmen carefully bring out the table that held Henry's body. Douglas signaled to an ambulance driver to bring it around, and as the corpsmen began to lift Henry's body into the ambulance to be taken to Kimpo, a sudden movement startled one of them, making them drop their corner.
"What the hell?" exclaimed Browning, as the previously dead Henry Braymore Blake tossed aside the white sheet that had been over his head, jumped down from the table, and took off running.
"Gotta get back! Don't worry, Radar . . . I'm coming!"
Literally.
"Gosh, this place is so beautiful . . ."
"Isn't it?"
A voice startled Henry. It sounded vaguely familiar. Out from behind a cloud stepped another man and he LOOKED vaguely familiar.
"Henry Blake, right?"
Henry nodded.
The man took Henry's hand and shook it heartily. "You remember me, don't ya? Tommy Gillis!"
Henry suddenly smiled in recognition. "Tommy! It's great to see you again . . . in heaven."
"Oh, yeah . . ." Tommy said. "I have a welcoming gift for ya!" He held out his right hand, palm up, and a bottle of gin materialized.
"Here," he said, handing him the bottle. "Th . . . thanks," Henry replied, "Can you materialize anything?"
"Yep, you can too."
Henry concentrated on the image of a glass and nearly fell over with surprise when one appeared in his hand.
"This is fantastic," he murmured as he poured some gin into the glass. He was just about to take a drink from it when Tommy grabbed his shoulder.
"Not yet! Wait until God's not looking!"
Henry, who was unable to see God as of yet, was looking around for a tall man glowing brightly, but Tommy just stood, waiting patiently.
"Okay, he's not looking anymore. Safe to drink."
Henry swallowed a mouthful of gin before asking, "How do you know when God's not looking? I don't see him anywhere." "It depends on two things."
"Like what?"
Tommy said, "You haven't been here as long as I have, so naturally you don't know what God looks like and so can't see him. Also, it depends on how many times you went to church while you were alive."
"I never went to church. On Sundays, my father and I would toss a football back and forth in the yard."
Tommy nodded. "That explains it. When I was a kid, I was practically DRAGGED to church every Sunday."
He looked behind his shoulder. "Oh, I forgot! Henry, there's some people who'd like to meet you."
Henry turned around and saw two other people walking towards him, a man and a woman. The middle-aged woman didn't look familiar at all, but the sight of the old man nearly took Henry's breath away. "Radar . . ."
The squat man smiled. So did Henry. "You must be . . ."
". . . Walter's father, Eugene. You're Henry Blake."
Henry chuckled. "At least now I know where . . ."
". . . Walter got his ability from. Can hardly understand it myself!"
The woman stuck out her hand, and Henry shook it. "You don't know me. My name's Helen. I believe you know my son, Benjamin?"
"Benja . . .oh, Hawkeye!" Henry said, realizing who this was, "Mrs. Pierce, it's a treat to meet you!"
Helen grinned; Henry had seen that grin so many times on Hawkeye's face. "There's somebody else who wants to see you." She turned toward a nearby cloud embankment. "Sweetheart?"
A little girl shyly peeked out from behind the cloud. She looked exactly like her mother, the same dark blue eyes and light brown hair. "Come on, hon. Don't be shy."
Slowly, cautiously, the girl made her way over to Helen and clung onto her leg, her thumb in her mouth.
Detaching her daughter, Helen smiled and said, "Henry, this is my daughter. Cassie, this is your brother's friend, Henry. Say hello."
Cassie, who looked no more than four, the age she had been when she died of pneumonia, giggled nervously and waved at Henry. "Well, one thing's for sure; she ain't like Hawkeye at all!"
Tommy spoke up. "Sometimes, that's a good thing," and set the whole group, minus Cassie, laughing.
Henry sighed suddenly. "Boy, am I gonna miss them."
Tommy grew serious. "There was another reason why they came. We need to talk to you." "About what?" Eugene, quiet like Radar, said, "About how you're needed back on Earth."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Please don't go It's a Wonderful Life on me. Can't stand that movie."
Helen hoisted Cassie up. "Henry, be serious. My son's unit needs you, badly." "Walter needs you," said his father.
"Nah, they don't need me."
"You don't believe us? Have a look for yourself, then," Tommy replied. He led Henry to the edge of the cloud and had him look down on the Earth. To his surprise, Henry could clearly see the 4077th.
Tommy grinned. "Wonderful thing about being a spirit. You can observe everything that goes on down there."
**************************
Down below, Hawkeye, Trapper, and Frank were all in OR operating. As Henry watched, Radar entered the double doors, moving like he was in a trance.
Trapper looked over at him. "Radar, put a mask on!"
Without looking up from his patient, Hawkeye added, "If that's Herring's discharge, give it to us straight, we can take it."
Radar cleared his throat. "I have a message."
The OR grew quiet.
"Lieutenant Colonel . . . Henry Blake . . . died of a heart attack . . . around 0900 hours . . . this morning. He is survived by . . . his wife, Lorraine . . . his daughters, Janie and Molly . . . and his son, Andrew."
With that, Radar walked out.
It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
**************************
Henry's heart broke at watching Radar struggle with that message. "Poor kiddo . . ." he whispered.
"That's not all though," Eugene said, coming to Henry's side. "You oughta see their CO."
Henry grimaced. "Something deep down inside tells me I don't want to."
"You're going to anyway," said Helen.
**************************
"Corporal O'Reilly!"
Radar winced as Herring's yell cut through the air like a machete. "Ye . . . yes, sir?"
"In my office, NOW!"
Radar's hand automatically covered his jaw, just in case Herring hit him again. His own mother wouldn't recognize him with all those yellowish- purple bruises.
He tentatively opened the door to the CO's office and saluted Herring, trying not to let the colonel see his hand shaking.
"Who just called?"
Radar gulped. "Th . . . the hospital in Seoul. Colonel Blake . . . well, he died."
Herring smirked. "No big loss. Looks like your 'second father' won't be covering you after all, O'Reilly!"
As he left, it was all Radar could do to keep from crying.
**************************
"See?" Helen said, stroking Cassie's hair.
"Unfortunately," came the response.
Henry was shocked; no, beyond shocked!
"Wow, that Colonel . . . uh, name?"
"Herring," Tommy supplied, "but they call him Colonel Hitler."
Henry snickered at that.
"Well, anyhoo, as I was saying, that Colonel Hitler makes me look like the perfect CO!"
The others couldn't agree more.
"Come on, do it for Walter."
"Do it for Benjamin."
Tommy grabbed Henry's shoulder.
"Do it for the whole damn 4077th!"
With a sense of purpose in his eyes, Henry formed his right hand into a fist and held it in the air. "Look out, Colonel Hitler! Here comes Colonel Blake."
**************************
Captain Douglas and Captain Browning stood at the hospital's side entrance, watching the corpsmen carefully bring out the table that held Henry's body. Douglas signaled to an ambulance driver to bring it around, and as the corpsmen began to lift Henry's body into the ambulance to be taken to Kimpo, a sudden movement startled one of them, making them drop their corner.
"What the hell?" exclaimed Browning, as the previously dead Henry Braymore Blake tossed aside the white sheet that had been over his head, jumped down from the table, and took off running.
"Gotta get back! Don't worry, Radar . . . I'm coming!"