Hawkeye and Trapper were sitting in the mess tent. They had agreed with
Klinger and Radar that if she hadn't shown up by 2100 hours, they'd tell
Henry and organise a search party. Alex came in a little bit after eight.
Without collecting a tray, she sat down with the four of them.
'Hi guys,' she said, looking down the table. No one replied.
'We've been looking for you all day,' Hawkeye told her.
'Have you? I had no idea. I've been up on the hills,' Alex lied.
'Radar tells us you haven't been eating,' Trapper said.
'I've been eating!' Alex exclaimed.
'You haven't had a proper meal since I was shot,' Klinger said bluntly.
'I.' Alex faltered for a second.
'Come on, Alex, what's the matter?' Hawkeye asked. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to get away, and realised how thin it had gotten.
'You wouldn't understand,' Alex said, a few tears breaking through her closed eyes.
'Come on, sit down,' Klinger pleaded. Alex sat back down after a while, but refused to look at any of them.
'Alex, why haven't you been eating?' Trapper asked. Alex sent a few angry looks at Radar when she realised he had dobbed her in.
'I just haven't felt like eating,' Alex said. She got up, but this time, no- one tried to stop her.
'What are we going to do?' Klinger groaned.
'I think we need to trick her into eating,' Hawkeye said.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Alex came into the Swamp, where Hawkeye and Trapper were sitting, shuffling cards.
'Oh, hey Alex. Want to play poker?' Hawkeye asked. Alex sat down suspiciously.
'What's the catch?' she asked.
'No catch,' Trapper said. 'Just a friendly game of cards.'
'Who else is playing?' Alex asked.
'We've asked Henry to come and play. Radar is getting him right now,' Hawkeye said. Henry came in a few minutes later and Hawkeye dealt. Alex was doing well for the first half, but then her game began to slip.
'It's not eating, that's what it is. You don't eat, you don't win,' Trapper commented. Henry raised an eyebrow, but he didn't ask what was going on. Alex began to lose chips quickly. Soon, she was writing out IOUs to Hawkeye and Trapper.
'You're cheating somehow, aren't you?' Alex asked. She looked over her shoulder to peer into the darkness around the tent.
'We're not cheating!' Trapper exclaimed.
'Sure you aren't,' Alex said sarcastically under her breath. Eventually, Henry called it a night.
'You guys have cleaned me out tonight. I'll be going before I have to write my own IOUs,' he said before standing up and leaving. Alex also stood up to leave.
'Uh-uh, you have to pay your gambling debts,' Hawkeye told her.
'I don't have any money,' Alex said. 'You cleaned me out like you did Henry.'
'We'll make you a deal. We'll forget these IOUs,' Trapper said, ripping the pieces of paper up.
'If you eat something,' Hawkeye finished. Klinger came into the tent, wheeling a trolley with half decent food on it.
'You rigged this game, didn't you?' Alex asked.
'Maybe,' Trapper replied. 'Now eat.' Alex stared at the trolley with the food on it. She took up a fork and began to eat it slowly. Her eating got faster as she realised how hungry she really was. Trapper and Hawkeye stopped her.
'Slow down, you'll make yourself sick,' Hawkeye told her.
'Eat, don't eat, make up your mind,' Alex said. She stepped back away from the trolley and Hawkeye and Trapper let her go.
'Are you going to eat properly, or are we going to have to force feed you every meal?' Trapper asked. Alex looked at her friends.
'I'll eat properly, if you promise not to trick me like that again,' she replied.
'It was either that or kidnap you on your way to the nurse's showers and make you eat it that way,' Hawkeye replied. Alex gave a short, dry laugh and left the Swamp.
'Hi guys,' she said, looking down the table. No one replied.
'We've been looking for you all day,' Hawkeye told her.
'Have you? I had no idea. I've been up on the hills,' Alex lied.
'Radar tells us you haven't been eating,' Trapper said.
'I've been eating!' Alex exclaimed.
'You haven't had a proper meal since I was shot,' Klinger said bluntly.
'I.' Alex faltered for a second.
'Come on, Alex, what's the matter?' Hawkeye asked. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to get away, and realised how thin it had gotten.
'You wouldn't understand,' Alex said, a few tears breaking through her closed eyes.
'Come on, sit down,' Klinger pleaded. Alex sat back down after a while, but refused to look at any of them.
'Alex, why haven't you been eating?' Trapper asked. Alex sent a few angry looks at Radar when she realised he had dobbed her in.
'I just haven't felt like eating,' Alex said. She got up, but this time, no- one tried to stop her.
'What are we going to do?' Klinger groaned.
'I think we need to trick her into eating,' Hawkeye said.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Alex came into the Swamp, where Hawkeye and Trapper were sitting, shuffling cards.
'Oh, hey Alex. Want to play poker?' Hawkeye asked. Alex sat down suspiciously.
'What's the catch?' she asked.
'No catch,' Trapper said. 'Just a friendly game of cards.'
'Who else is playing?' Alex asked.
'We've asked Henry to come and play. Radar is getting him right now,' Hawkeye said. Henry came in a few minutes later and Hawkeye dealt. Alex was doing well for the first half, but then her game began to slip.
'It's not eating, that's what it is. You don't eat, you don't win,' Trapper commented. Henry raised an eyebrow, but he didn't ask what was going on. Alex began to lose chips quickly. Soon, she was writing out IOUs to Hawkeye and Trapper.
'You're cheating somehow, aren't you?' Alex asked. She looked over her shoulder to peer into the darkness around the tent.
'We're not cheating!' Trapper exclaimed.
'Sure you aren't,' Alex said sarcastically under her breath. Eventually, Henry called it a night.
'You guys have cleaned me out tonight. I'll be going before I have to write my own IOUs,' he said before standing up and leaving. Alex also stood up to leave.
'Uh-uh, you have to pay your gambling debts,' Hawkeye told her.
'I don't have any money,' Alex said. 'You cleaned me out like you did Henry.'
'We'll make you a deal. We'll forget these IOUs,' Trapper said, ripping the pieces of paper up.
'If you eat something,' Hawkeye finished. Klinger came into the tent, wheeling a trolley with half decent food on it.
'You rigged this game, didn't you?' Alex asked.
'Maybe,' Trapper replied. 'Now eat.' Alex stared at the trolley with the food on it. She took up a fork and began to eat it slowly. Her eating got faster as she realised how hungry she really was. Trapper and Hawkeye stopped her.
'Slow down, you'll make yourself sick,' Hawkeye told her.
'Eat, don't eat, make up your mind,' Alex said. She stepped back away from the trolley and Hawkeye and Trapper let her go.
'Are you going to eat properly, or are we going to have to force feed you every meal?' Trapper asked. Alex looked at her friends.
'I'll eat properly, if you promise not to trick me like that again,' she replied.
'It was either that or kidnap you on your way to the nurse's showers and make you eat it that way,' Hawkeye replied. Alex gave a short, dry laugh and left the Swamp.