Alex was looking at the notice board along with all of the other nurses who
just got off their Pre-op shifts, and Frank, who'd been operating on a
wound that went sour. A couple of planes flew over head, and Alex looked
up. They were very low and something was dropping from them.
'BOMB!' she yelled.
'Get to the fox holes!' Frank ordered, and everyone around her started running. Alex ran after them. She overtook Frank Burns and fell thirty seconds later when the bombs hit the ground. A few of the tents fell, and all Alex could do was watch. Suddenly, she realised she couldn't see Frank any more. She called over to a few nurses, who were crouching beside a jeep.
'Did you see where Major Burns went?' she asked.
'He went into that building before it collapsed,' one replied, pointing.
'Go find somewhere safer to hide. And if you see Radar, ask him if he could please ring up HQ to tell them we're under fire now,' Alex instructed. A few of them nodded, and ran off in the direction Alex was running before. Alex ran over to the debris and tried to lift something without luck. She looked around the compound, trying to look for help. Everyone seemed to have disappeared.
'Typical,' she muttered. 'We've been warned of the enemy dropping bombs about a million times, but we're caught off guard this one time.' The door of Klinger's tent moved, and Alex ran towards it. Inside was Klinger, grabbing his survival pack of food, water and dresses.
'Shouldn't you be in the fox holes?' Klinger asked her.
'Major Burns is stuck under a tent. It fell down in the bombing, and we need to get him out before they drop more bombs,' Alex said a few seconds before the whole tent shuddered slightly from the next bomb a plane had dropped.
'What do you want me to do about it?' Klinger asked. Alex stared into his dark eyes and was a little scared at how cold they looked. She knew Klinger and Frank were complete opposites and anything but friends, but she felt this went a little deeper than that.
'Klinger, this is a man's life we're talking about! Can't you just put behind you what you thought you saw?' she asked. Klinger swung his survival bag onto his back. 'Please, Klinger!' Alex pleaded as he went out the door. The door was about to swing shut behind him when the next bomb landed in the compound, and the whole camp shook. Alex screamed, and suddenly, Klinger was there, throwing her to the ground and protecting her with his body. The dust settled and the two got up.
'Are you ok?' Klinger asked Alex as they checked themselves over.
'A few scratches, not much. I'll be fine. Are you alright?' Alex replied. Klinger nodded. 'Will you please help me get Frank out from under the tent?' Alex asked him. Klinger nodded again.
'I'll help get him out, but I'm not carrying him to the fox holes if he's hurt, or dead,' Klinger said. Alex swallowed hard. She never thought he could be dead.
'Come on, we'd better go get Ferret Face out from there,' she said, and they left the tent quickly. Together, they lifted a few pieces of timber and threw them aside. 'Major? Can you hear us?' Alex yelled. There was no reply, but the two continued to drag the scraps away. Eventually, Klinger found him.
'It's either him, or a shoe someone left in there,' Klinger said, pointing. They moved some more of the wreckage away, and found Frank, laying in the dust, unconscious. Alex dragged him out carefully, and checked him over, bombs falling still, but a little further away.
'Nothing major, just a little concussion, I think,' she said. She tried lifting him up and dragging him, but only got a few metres away before she had to put him down again. 'He's such an awkward shape,' she complained. Klinger bent down and pick up the Major's feet. 'Thought you weren't helping?' Alex asked him.
'Only if you solemnly swear there is nothing going on between you two,' Klinger said.
'I swear on my brother's grave,' Alex grunted. Klinger almost dropped Frank's feet. Alex looked up. 'I got word a few days ago that he'd been killed on the front, a few miles towards Seoul,' she explained. A tear ran down Alex's face, but she wiped it away quickly before taking the letter she received from the army out from her pocket. She handed it to Klinger and he read it quickly.
'I'm sorry,' Klinger said.
'Frank found me in the supply room, crying, and he was comforting me when you walked in,' Alex continued, as if Klinger hadn't apologized.
'So you weren't. . .' Klinger began to ask. Alex shook her head.
'We need to get out of here,' she said, looking up as another plane flew over. They carried Frank towards the fox holes that the 4077 had prepared before, and threw him down into hole on top of Margaret. The head nurse began to scream.
'It's ok, Major, he's still alive,' Klinger said, jumping in beside her. Alex climbed in carefully, and with Margaret's and Klinger's help, moved him into a safer position. Alex didn't blame Margaret for screaming, Frank looked horrible with his face all bloodied up and bruises starting to come up.
'We had to dig him out from under a tent after it fell on him, just after the first bombs,' Alex explained as the ground shuddered and dust swirled around them.
'You risked your life to save Frank?' Margaret asked.
'It's this annoying habit she has,' Hawkeye said, squeezing along the narrow trench. Trapper, Henry and Radar were following him.
'I didn't do anything. She made me feel guilty, and made me help,' Klinger said.
'Frank mightn't have done the same for me, we all know what a yellow bellied coward he is, but I couldn't just leave him there,' Alex said. A bomb landed very close to the fox hole, and everyone ducked.
'Radar, have you gotten through to head quarters yet?' Henry asked. Radar had the small phone box hanging from him, and he was tapping the little button on it quickly.
'Not yet, sir,' Radar replied. The group huddled together in the fox hole, and waited, the only sounds were the bombs exploding and Radar tapping the button on the phone for all he was worth.
'There probably isn't much we can do except wait, anyway,' Trapper said.
'Everyone get their survival packs?' Henry asked.
'I didn't. I was too worried about getting Frank back,' Alex said.
'You can share with us,' Hawkeye said. He was sitting between her and Trapper, and he pulled out a flask. Alex took it gratefully, and took a mouthful from it, savouring the gin that Hawkeye had taken from the Still earlier. She gave it back to him, and Hawkeye and Trapper each took a swig each before putting it away. Suddenly realizing how tired she was, Alex put her head on Hawkeye's shoulder, and somehow, with all of the bombs going off every three seconds, fell asleep.
'BOMB!' she yelled.
'Get to the fox holes!' Frank ordered, and everyone around her started running. Alex ran after them. She overtook Frank Burns and fell thirty seconds later when the bombs hit the ground. A few of the tents fell, and all Alex could do was watch. Suddenly, she realised she couldn't see Frank any more. She called over to a few nurses, who were crouching beside a jeep.
'Did you see where Major Burns went?' she asked.
'He went into that building before it collapsed,' one replied, pointing.
'Go find somewhere safer to hide. And if you see Radar, ask him if he could please ring up HQ to tell them we're under fire now,' Alex instructed. A few of them nodded, and ran off in the direction Alex was running before. Alex ran over to the debris and tried to lift something without luck. She looked around the compound, trying to look for help. Everyone seemed to have disappeared.
'Typical,' she muttered. 'We've been warned of the enemy dropping bombs about a million times, but we're caught off guard this one time.' The door of Klinger's tent moved, and Alex ran towards it. Inside was Klinger, grabbing his survival pack of food, water and dresses.
'Shouldn't you be in the fox holes?' Klinger asked her.
'Major Burns is stuck under a tent. It fell down in the bombing, and we need to get him out before they drop more bombs,' Alex said a few seconds before the whole tent shuddered slightly from the next bomb a plane had dropped.
'What do you want me to do about it?' Klinger asked. Alex stared into his dark eyes and was a little scared at how cold they looked. She knew Klinger and Frank were complete opposites and anything but friends, but she felt this went a little deeper than that.
'Klinger, this is a man's life we're talking about! Can't you just put behind you what you thought you saw?' she asked. Klinger swung his survival bag onto his back. 'Please, Klinger!' Alex pleaded as he went out the door. The door was about to swing shut behind him when the next bomb landed in the compound, and the whole camp shook. Alex screamed, and suddenly, Klinger was there, throwing her to the ground and protecting her with his body. The dust settled and the two got up.
'Are you ok?' Klinger asked Alex as they checked themselves over.
'A few scratches, not much. I'll be fine. Are you alright?' Alex replied. Klinger nodded. 'Will you please help me get Frank out from under the tent?' Alex asked him. Klinger nodded again.
'I'll help get him out, but I'm not carrying him to the fox holes if he's hurt, or dead,' Klinger said. Alex swallowed hard. She never thought he could be dead.
'Come on, we'd better go get Ferret Face out from there,' she said, and they left the tent quickly. Together, they lifted a few pieces of timber and threw them aside. 'Major? Can you hear us?' Alex yelled. There was no reply, but the two continued to drag the scraps away. Eventually, Klinger found him.
'It's either him, or a shoe someone left in there,' Klinger said, pointing. They moved some more of the wreckage away, and found Frank, laying in the dust, unconscious. Alex dragged him out carefully, and checked him over, bombs falling still, but a little further away.
'Nothing major, just a little concussion, I think,' she said. She tried lifting him up and dragging him, but only got a few metres away before she had to put him down again. 'He's such an awkward shape,' she complained. Klinger bent down and pick up the Major's feet. 'Thought you weren't helping?' Alex asked him.
'Only if you solemnly swear there is nothing going on between you two,' Klinger said.
'I swear on my brother's grave,' Alex grunted. Klinger almost dropped Frank's feet. Alex looked up. 'I got word a few days ago that he'd been killed on the front, a few miles towards Seoul,' she explained. A tear ran down Alex's face, but she wiped it away quickly before taking the letter she received from the army out from her pocket. She handed it to Klinger and he read it quickly.
'I'm sorry,' Klinger said.
'Frank found me in the supply room, crying, and he was comforting me when you walked in,' Alex continued, as if Klinger hadn't apologized.
'So you weren't. . .' Klinger began to ask. Alex shook her head.
'We need to get out of here,' she said, looking up as another plane flew over. They carried Frank towards the fox holes that the 4077 had prepared before, and threw him down into hole on top of Margaret. The head nurse began to scream.
'It's ok, Major, he's still alive,' Klinger said, jumping in beside her. Alex climbed in carefully, and with Margaret's and Klinger's help, moved him into a safer position. Alex didn't blame Margaret for screaming, Frank looked horrible with his face all bloodied up and bruises starting to come up.
'We had to dig him out from under a tent after it fell on him, just after the first bombs,' Alex explained as the ground shuddered and dust swirled around them.
'You risked your life to save Frank?' Margaret asked.
'It's this annoying habit she has,' Hawkeye said, squeezing along the narrow trench. Trapper, Henry and Radar were following him.
'I didn't do anything. She made me feel guilty, and made me help,' Klinger said.
'Frank mightn't have done the same for me, we all know what a yellow bellied coward he is, but I couldn't just leave him there,' Alex said. A bomb landed very close to the fox hole, and everyone ducked.
'Radar, have you gotten through to head quarters yet?' Henry asked. Radar had the small phone box hanging from him, and he was tapping the little button on it quickly.
'Not yet, sir,' Radar replied. The group huddled together in the fox hole, and waited, the only sounds were the bombs exploding and Radar tapping the button on the phone for all he was worth.
'There probably isn't much we can do except wait, anyway,' Trapper said.
'Everyone get their survival packs?' Henry asked.
'I didn't. I was too worried about getting Frank back,' Alex said.
'You can share with us,' Hawkeye said. He was sitting between her and Trapper, and he pulled out a flask. Alex took it gratefully, and took a mouthful from it, savouring the gin that Hawkeye had taken from the Still earlier. She gave it back to him, and Hawkeye and Trapper each took a swig each before putting it away. Suddenly realizing how tired she was, Alex put her head on Hawkeye's shoulder, and somehow, with all of the bombs going off every three seconds, fell asleep.