'Are you ok? You look paler than the mashed potatoes,' Trapper asked Alex
when they got back to camp. Henry and a nurse was fixing up Klinger's arm
properly, and Frank and Margaret were in Margaret's tent, 'praying thanks'
for their lucky escape.
'I think I need a pick me up,' Alex said, licking her dry lips. They took her to the Swamp, where she sat down on Trapper's cot and Hawkeye poured her a martini.
'You're not ok, we can see that. Want to talk about it?' Hawkeye asked, handing Alex a martini. Alex looked up at the surgeons and her hand fluttered to the scar on her cheek.
'Have you been held hostage before?' she asked them.
'No, not really,' Trapper said, looking at Hawkeye.
'Can't say we have,' Hawkeye added.
'I was taken hostage once, before I came here. You can see by my scar, it wasn't as lucky as this time round,' Alex said, gulping her martini down quickly in one go. 'I'll have another one, thanks.' Trapper refilled her glass.
'So, how'd it happen?' he asked, sitting down on Hawkeye's bunk. Hawkeye sat down beside him, and both stared at Alex.
'Our MASH unit was overtaken by enemy soldiers, I'm not sure who. They killed a lot of people, and I tried to stop them. Their leader gave me this cut on my cheek using a small knife. He would have killed me, if Andy hadn't killed him first,' Alex drank her martini in one go again. 'Fill it up,' she said. Trapper obliged. 'Andy was a doctor in our MASH unit. A bit like everyone here combined. He womanized about, like you two, followed his own set of rues, but expected everyone else to go by army regulations like Frank and Margaret, enjoyed fishing, like Henry, strong persistence, a lot like Klinger, and, well you get the idea. I could go on for ages. I guess that's why I felt so at home here. Andy was my closest friend, like Margaret and Frank closest friends. Well, when he killed their commanding officer, the enemy got angry. He was killed on the spot, in front of me. Blood have never looked so horrible to me before. Luckily, MP's came and stopped them before any more people were killed,' Alex told them, staring into her cup. She drank it as well, then took the pitcher from Trapper. She drank a lot from it, and handed it back to the shocked man.
'What happened then?' Hawkeye asked, equally shocked.
'A medal of honour was sent home to his fiancée. His fiancée! After how we loved each other, I found out he had a fiancée. I never hated someone so much before,' Alex said, a tear running down her face. 'I was sent to Tokyo to see someone about my ordeal at my unit. After about a month, I felt better. I had talked about Andy, and how he sacrificed himself for me, and I stopped hating him so much. Then was sent here. I was happy, confident, but after today, I feel as if I hate him even more. How dare he not tell me about his fiancée!' Alex's words were becoming more slurred as she talked. She went to take the pitcher from Trapper again, but Trapper moved it out of her reach.
'No way, you've had enough,' he told her. Alex began crying, and the two helped her to the supply tent, were it was quiet, and she could sleep the alcohol off in peace.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Choppers! Choppers, everyone, come on!' Radar was yelling and running around the compound. Hawkeye and Trapper began running for the helicopters which were now landing up on the landing pad. Alex came out of the supplies room, disorientated and still not herself. She began to run towards the choppers as well, going in a slightly crocked line. She banged into Hawkeye.
'What are you doing?' Hawkeye asked her.
'I'm here to help,' she said, shrugging away from Hawkeye.
'Alex, you're still drunker than me and Trap together on a day with no patients,' Hawkeye told her.
'I'm fine,' Alex slurred, and she ran ahead of Hawkeye to where the stretchers lay.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
After scrubbing up and putting the soldiers into some sort of order, Trapper and Alex were operating together on a patient.
'Are you ok? You look green,' Trapper said.
'I'm gonna be sick,' Alex said, and she ran out of the room, hand ripping the mask from her face.
'I need another nurse!' Trapper yelled.
'Henry, I think Alex should get an award, or a promotion, or something,' Hawkeye said, concentrating on the shrapnel he was trying to remove from the kid in front of him.
'What, for turning up on duty, drunk?' Frank asked snidely.
'Frank, she probably saved our lives. Margaret, Klinger and I would still be hiding behind that van now, if it hadn't been for Alex,' Trapper said, a new nurse coming up to his table.
'Didn't help Klinger much, though, did it?' Frank asked.
'Frank, shut up. Keep going, Pierce,' Henry said, ripping his gloves off and waiting for his next patient.
'She kept her cool while under fire, and wouldn't leave Klinger out there in the open with that Korean on the roof. Then, she risked her own life rather than sending someone else out, and then again when we were asked for a hostage. She's a brave kid,' Hawkeye said.
'Well, we'll see what we can do. I can't promise anything, keep that in mind,' Henry replied, looking over his next patient quickly as two nurses brought him in.
'I think I need a pick me up,' Alex said, licking her dry lips. They took her to the Swamp, where she sat down on Trapper's cot and Hawkeye poured her a martini.
'You're not ok, we can see that. Want to talk about it?' Hawkeye asked, handing Alex a martini. Alex looked up at the surgeons and her hand fluttered to the scar on her cheek.
'Have you been held hostage before?' she asked them.
'No, not really,' Trapper said, looking at Hawkeye.
'Can't say we have,' Hawkeye added.
'I was taken hostage once, before I came here. You can see by my scar, it wasn't as lucky as this time round,' Alex said, gulping her martini down quickly in one go. 'I'll have another one, thanks.' Trapper refilled her glass.
'So, how'd it happen?' he asked, sitting down on Hawkeye's bunk. Hawkeye sat down beside him, and both stared at Alex.
'Our MASH unit was overtaken by enemy soldiers, I'm not sure who. They killed a lot of people, and I tried to stop them. Their leader gave me this cut on my cheek using a small knife. He would have killed me, if Andy hadn't killed him first,' Alex drank her martini in one go again. 'Fill it up,' she said. Trapper obliged. 'Andy was a doctor in our MASH unit. A bit like everyone here combined. He womanized about, like you two, followed his own set of rues, but expected everyone else to go by army regulations like Frank and Margaret, enjoyed fishing, like Henry, strong persistence, a lot like Klinger, and, well you get the idea. I could go on for ages. I guess that's why I felt so at home here. Andy was my closest friend, like Margaret and Frank closest friends. Well, when he killed their commanding officer, the enemy got angry. He was killed on the spot, in front of me. Blood have never looked so horrible to me before. Luckily, MP's came and stopped them before any more people were killed,' Alex told them, staring into her cup. She drank it as well, then took the pitcher from Trapper. She drank a lot from it, and handed it back to the shocked man.
'What happened then?' Hawkeye asked, equally shocked.
'A medal of honour was sent home to his fiancée. His fiancée! After how we loved each other, I found out he had a fiancée. I never hated someone so much before,' Alex said, a tear running down her face. 'I was sent to Tokyo to see someone about my ordeal at my unit. After about a month, I felt better. I had talked about Andy, and how he sacrificed himself for me, and I stopped hating him so much. Then was sent here. I was happy, confident, but after today, I feel as if I hate him even more. How dare he not tell me about his fiancée!' Alex's words were becoming more slurred as she talked. She went to take the pitcher from Trapper again, but Trapper moved it out of her reach.
'No way, you've had enough,' he told her. Alex began crying, and the two helped her to the supply tent, were it was quiet, and she could sleep the alcohol off in peace.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Choppers! Choppers, everyone, come on!' Radar was yelling and running around the compound. Hawkeye and Trapper began running for the helicopters which were now landing up on the landing pad. Alex came out of the supplies room, disorientated and still not herself. She began to run towards the choppers as well, going in a slightly crocked line. She banged into Hawkeye.
'What are you doing?' Hawkeye asked her.
'I'm here to help,' she said, shrugging away from Hawkeye.
'Alex, you're still drunker than me and Trap together on a day with no patients,' Hawkeye told her.
'I'm fine,' Alex slurred, and she ran ahead of Hawkeye to where the stretchers lay.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
After scrubbing up and putting the soldiers into some sort of order, Trapper and Alex were operating together on a patient.
'Are you ok? You look green,' Trapper said.
'I'm gonna be sick,' Alex said, and she ran out of the room, hand ripping the mask from her face.
'I need another nurse!' Trapper yelled.
'Henry, I think Alex should get an award, or a promotion, or something,' Hawkeye said, concentrating on the shrapnel he was trying to remove from the kid in front of him.
'What, for turning up on duty, drunk?' Frank asked snidely.
'Frank, she probably saved our lives. Margaret, Klinger and I would still be hiding behind that van now, if it hadn't been for Alex,' Trapper said, a new nurse coming up to his table.
'Didn't help Klinger much, though, did it?' Frank asked.
'Frank, shut up. Keep going, Pierce,' Henry said, ripping his gloves off and waiting for his next patient.
'She kept her cool while under fire, and wouldn't leave Klinger out there in the open with that Korean on the roof. Then, she risked her own life rather than sending someone else out, and then again when we were asked for a hostage. She's a brave kid,' Hawkeye said.
'Well, we'll see what we can do. I can't promise anything, keep that in mind,' Henry replied, looking over his next patient quickly as two nurses brought him in.