Alex was taking a quiet walk by herself. There was a cold wind blowing, and
she stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket to keep them warm. Her
finger's brushed on paper, and Alex pulled it out to see what it was. It
was the letters Radar had brought to her while she was talking to Hawkeye
in the supply tent. One was from the army, one from her mother and the
third one was from the psychiatrist in Tokyo. Opening the one from her
mother first, Alex put the other two under her arm and she began to read it
to herself. She read about what the milkman had done to the stray cat after
it had knocked the milk bottles out of his hand for the umpteenth time, how
her younger sister was doing in school, and the fact that her mother had
visited her father's grave a while ago. Alex sighed when she read this. Her
father had died when she was only twelve, and she didn't get to know him as
well as she would have liked. Alex shook her head to clear it of memories
and continued reading. The last paragraph of the letter was ripped and the
ink on it had run, but Alex tried to read it anyway.
'It can't be that important, otherwise it wouldn't be at the bottom of the letter,' Alex told herself after giving up on trying to decipher it. She put the letter in her pocket and opened the one from the psychiatrist. She put that in her pocket after scanning it quickly, as it was just full of the usual 'You are doing very well,' blah, blah, blah. Alex stared at the letter with the army's seal on it, wondering what it was. Opening this one, she read the first few lines.
IDear Miss Dustin,
We are sorry to inform you that your brother was killed on the front line at. . ./I
Alex's heart stopped. She read it over quickly, and sat down on a fallen log beside the road. Isaac couldn't be dead, he couldn't. Alex read the letter again. Her older brother had died at the hospital six days before. Their mother had already been contacted, and may mention it in her next letter. . . Alex quickly took her mother's letter from her pocket again, hands shaking.
I . . .Isaac died a few days ago. I don't know if you know already but I was told he died in a MASH unit, I'm not sure which one. . . /I
It was obvious to Alex now what the letter read. The young nurse put her head in her hands and began to sob her heart out.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'I'm a doctor. I shouldn't have to be getting things from the supply tent,' Frank was grumbling as he opened the door to the supply room. He went to the back, and was looking along the shelves, when he heard a sob. Turning around, he saw Alex, laying on the spare cot in the corner, crying. She looked up at him from where she lay, but didn't say anything.
'What's the matter?' Frank asked, vaguely remembering when Alex had seemed so understanding towards him when he got a letter from home.
'My brother . . . he's dead,' Alex said, hiccuping quietly. Frank was a little shocked. He never knew Alex had a brother, and he never knew Alex could cry quiet like she was crying now.
'How'd it happen?' Frank asked, sitting beside her. Alex sat up. Her psychiatrist was always telling her it was good to talk, it might as well be Frank.
'Fighting, up the front. Died in the hospital,' Alex said through her tears. She collapsed onto Frank with a new wave of tears, and Frank put her arms around her awkwardly. Suddenly, Klinger burst in, looking for something he had put into the supply room two weeks ago. He sort of gasped, and Alex pulled away from Frank to see who it was.
'Alex, I thought you and Hawkeye. . . you said you hated. . . Alex!' Klinger yelled, and he stormed out.
'What's his problem?' Frank asked conceitedly.
'He thought we were. . . oh god,' Alex said, getting up and running out after Klinger.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
At dinner that night, Alex found Klinger, and she sat beside him. Klinger went to get up, but Alex pulled him down again.
'Before, in the supply room, it's not what you think,' Alex told him.
'Oh? Then what was it?' Klinger sounded very hurt.
'I . . .' Alex swallowed as she tried not to think about Isaac.
'Like I thought,' Klinger replied before getting up and leaving the mess tent. Alex sat there and stared ahead, trying not to cry at the unfairness of it all.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'We've had word from HQ that the enemy will be bombing targets in this area, and he wants people to start digging fox holes,' Radar told Hawkeye, Trapper and Alex.
'We don't have a thing to worry about if it's Five o'clock Charlie,' Hawkeye said, taking a sip from his martini glass.
'Five o'clock Charlie?' Alex asked.
'He's a North Korean pilot. Couldn't hit the roof of the White house if he were flying a metre above the roof,' Trapper explained. Alex grinned.
'Great,' she said, leaning back in her chair a little.
'Uh, the fox holes?' Radar asked.
'Don't worry, Radar, we'll be out to help later,' Hawkeye told him. Radar nodded and left.
'Tell Major Burns when you see him,' Radar said through the fine mesh wall of the Swamp.
'Can do,' Hawkeye replied.
'Frank will be drilling us at all hours of the day if he finds out,' Trapper complained.
'Frank is very GI. He expects us to take these sorts of things seriously when they're not happening yet,' Hawkeye explained when Alex gave them a questioning look.
'Oh, come on, he can't be that bad,' Alex said, remembering how he comforted her while she was upset. Trapper and Hawkeye laughed.
'Hey, Hawk, she's serious,' Trapper said when he notice Alex wasn't laughing with them.
'Alex, Frank is worse than he is now when we're expecting something like this,' Hawkeye said.
'I'm just saying, I can't see him doing something stupid like that,' Alex said.
'Klinger was right, you two do have a thing going on!' Trapped said gleefully.
'What? No, it's not like that! I was upset about something. . .' Alex tried to explain.
'Yeah, and you went to Frankie,' Trapper said.
'Did he kiss you and make it all better?' Hawkeye asked in a babyish voice.
'Look, nothing happened. How could you think I'd do something with him like that?' Alex asked, getting distressed.
'We're just kidding you. We know you well enough to know there is no way you'd do something like that with Frank,' Hawkeye said.
'Klinger doesn't think so,' Alex muttered.
'He was there. It's one of those things that you've got to see it to believe it, and we weren't there,' Trapper said.
'I can't even get him to talk to me any more,' Alex said, swallowing the last of the gin in her glass.
'He'll get over it, once he realises you and Frank aren't compatible,' Hawkeye comforted her.
'It can't be that important, otherwise it wouldn't be at the bottom of the letter,' Alex told herself after giving up on trying to decipher it. She put the letter in her pocket and opened the one from the psychiatrist. She put that in her pocket after scanning it quickly, as it was just full of the usual 'You are doing very well,' blah, blah, blah. Alex stared at the letter with the army's seal on it, wondering what it was. Opening this one, she read the first few lines.
IDear Miss Dustin,
We are sorry to inform you that your brother was killed on the front line at. . ./I
Alex's heart stopped. She read it over quickly, and sat down on a fallen log beside the road. Isaac couldn't be dead, he couldn't. Alex read the letter again. Her older brother had died at the hospital six days before. Their mother had already been contacted, and may mention it in her next letter. . . Alex quickly took her mother's letter from her pocket again, hands shaking.
I . . .Isaac died a few days ago. I don't know if you know already but I was told he died in a MASH unit, I'm not sure which one. . . /I
It was obvious to Alex now what the letter read. The young nurse put her head in her hands and began to sob her heart out.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'I'm a doctor. I shouldn't have to be getting things from the supply tent,' Frank was grumbling as he opened the door to the supply room. He went to the back, and was looking along the shelves, when he heard a sob. Turning around, he saw Alex, laying on the spare cot in the corner, crying. She looked up at him from where she lay, but didn't say anything.
'What's the matter?' Frank asked, vaguely remembering when Alex had seemed so understanding towards him when he got a letter from home.
'My brother . . . he's dead,' Alex said, hiccuping quietly. Frank was a little shocked. He never knew Alex had a brother, and he never knew Alex could cry quiet like she was crying now.
'How'd it happen?' Frank asked, sitting beside her. Alex sat up. Her psychiatrist was always telling her it was good to talk, it might as well be Frank.
'Fighting, up the front. Died in the hospital,' Alex said through her tears. She collapsed onto Frank with a new wave of tears, and Frank put her arms around her awkwardly. Suddenly, Klinger burst in, looking for something he had put into the supply room two weeks ago. He sort of gasped, and Alex pulled away from Frank to see who it was.
'Alex, I thought you and Hawkeye. . . you said you hated. . . Alex!' Klinger yelled, and he stormed out.
'What's his problem?' Frank asked conceitedly.
'He thought we were. . . oh god,' Alex said, getting up and running out after Klinger.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
At dinner that night, Alex found Klinger, and she sat beside him. Klinger went to get up, but Alex pulled him down again.
'Before, in the supply room, it's not what you think,' Alex told him.
'Oh? Then what was it?' Klinger sounded very hurt.
'I . . .' Alex swallowed as she tried not to think about Isaac.
'Like I thought,' Klinger replied before getting up and leaving the mess tent. Alex sat there and stared ahead, trying not to cry at the unfairness of it all.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'We've had word from HQ that the enemy will be bombing targets in this area, and he wants people to start digging fox holes,' Radar told Hawkeye, Trapper and Alex.
'We don't have a thing to worry about if it's Five o'clock Charlie,' Hawkeye said, taking a sip from his martini glass.
'Five o'clock Charlie?' Alex asked.
'He's a North Korean pilot. Couldn't hit the roof of the White house if he were flying a metre above the roof,' Trapper explained. Alex grinned.
'Great,' she said, leaning back in her chair a little.
'Uh, the fox holes?' Radar asked.
'Don't worry, Radar, we'll be out to help later,' Hawkeye told him. Radar nodded and left.
'Tell Major Burns when you see him,' Radar said through the fine mesh wall of the Swamp.
'Can do,' Hawkeye replied.
'Frank will be drilling us at all hours of the day if he finds out,' Trapper complained.
'Frank is very GI. He expects us to take these sorts of things seriously when they're not happening yet,' Hawkeye explained when Alex gave them a questioning look.
'Oh, come on, he can't be that bad,' Alex said, remembering how he comforted her while she was upset. Trapper and Hawkeye laughed.
'Hey, Hawk, she's serious,' Trapper said when he notice Alex wasn't laughing with them.
'Alex, Frank is worse than he is now when we're expecting something like this,' Hawkeye said.
'I'm just saying, I can't see him doing something stupid like that,' Alex said.
'Klinger was right, you two do have a thing going on!' Trapped said gleefully.
'What? No, it's not like that! I was upset about something. . .' Alex tried to explain.
'Yeah, and you went to Frankie,' Trapper said.
'Did he kiss you and make it all better?' Hawkeye asked in a babyish voice.
'Look, nothing happened. How could you think I'd do something with him like that?' Alex asked, getting distressed.
'We're just kidding you. We know you well enough to know there is no way you'd do something like that with Frank,' Hawkeye said.
'Klinger doesn't think so,' Alex muttered.
'He was there. It's one of those things that you've got to see it to believe it, and we weren't there,' Trapper said.
'I can't even get him to talk to me any more,' Alex said, swallowing the last of the gin in her glass.
'He'll get over it, once he realises you and Frank aren't compatible,' Hawkeye comforted her.