Alex was being shaken awake.
'Alex? Are you ok? What happened? Why are you sleeping in here? Are you hurt?' Margaret was firing hundreds of questions at her disoriented nurse.
'Huh? Margaret, calm down. I stayed a little too long in the Swamp last night, and I didn't want to disturb any of the nurse's, so I chose to come sleep in here. I'm not injured,' Alex explained, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Margaret stood back and let out a grateful breath.
'You had me worried,' Margaret told Alex.
'Sorry,' Alex said. She got up and went to the mess tent. Klinger was waiting there already, looking tired.
'You promised me you wouldn't miss this meal,' he said, pushing an almost overflowing tray towards her. Alex groaned, but she laughed when she did so. She began to eat the fried eggs on her plate (At least, she hoped they were fried eggs) and looked up at Klinger.
'Having much luck with your section eight?' she asked.
'Well, no, but next time a general comes, I have this great dress that'll make his hat spin!' Klinger exclaimed. Alex laughed as Hawkeye and Trapper came in.
'Hey Alex, coming in for a drink tonight?' Trapper asked.
'No, I thought I might give myself a chance to sober up,' Alex replied.
'Sober? What's sober?' Hawkeye asked Trapper. Alex laughed and turned back to her breakfast.
'Good to see you're eating properly,' Trapper called as they went to get their own trays of food. Alex glanced up at Klinger and the two smiled at their secret.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Henry was on R and R. Frank was in charge, and ordering people around as if they were a major part to the winning of the war. Klinger's dresses, Hawkeye's and Trapper's Still and anything else "un-military" had been taken away from camp. Alex hadn't seen the morale in camp down so low before.
'It picks up once Henry gets back,' Hawkeye told her while they were in the supply room.
'He'd better be back soon, I don't think I can take much more of marching all day,' Alex replied. She glanced at her watch and groaned.
'What?' Hawkeye asked.
'I have Post op in about half an hour and I haven't had dinner yet,' Alex said, standing up. 'I'll see you later, Hawkeye.'
'Yeah, see you Alex,' Hawkeye replied, watching her leave the tent. Before she left, Alex took the coat hanger off the door and put it on a shelf. In the mess tent, a few minutes later, she sat down opposite Klinger with a half filled tray.
'Sorry I can't stay long tonight. I have post op,' Alex explained, scooping a heap onto her fork and eating it.
'It's ok,' Klinger said, looking strange in army greens. Radar came up to the table, looking nervous.
'Er, lieutenant? I've found it,' he whispered. Alex looked up quickly.
'Are you sure? It's not a false alarm like last week?' she asked. Klinger was staring at the two, trying to figure out what they were talking about.
'No, it's definitely it,' Radar said, glancing around the mess tent. Alex got up after shoving a few more mouthfuls into her mouth and went to leave.
'Sorry, Klinger, this is really important. See you tomorrow,' she called over her shoulder as she and Radar ran out the tent. Knowing how much trouble he'd caused by assuming something the last time, Klinger dismissed Alex running out of the tent as if her life depended on it and continued eating. She'd tell him what was going on when she wanted to.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Wait, Radar, stop,' Alex skidded to a halt outside post op. 'I have duty. Just wait here, and I'll be out in a sec.' Alex ducked into the building and found a nurse sitting at a desk at the very end.
'Oh, Alex, I wasn't expecting you to relieve me for a while,' she said.
'I have something really, really important to do. Can I please ask you to do my duty tonight and I'll pay you back later, somehow,' Alex said. The other nurse thought for a second.
'Alright, but don't you dare forget,' she said as Alex bolted out the door again. She and Radar went to Radar's office and Radar gave Alex lolly paper.
'It was the only paper I could find,' Radar explained when Alex gave him a questioning look. She held it up with a slightly shaking hand and read the message on it. Her face broke out in a huge smile and she looked at Radar.
'Thanks, Radar, I knew I could count on you to get this for me. You didn't tell anyone?'
'No, not a soul. Oh, except Sparky, he's the one who really found it,' Radar said.
'I'm going to have to get him something for his trouble,' Alex said.
'Nah, it's ok. He told me since it was for a good cause and all. . .' Radar shrugged.
'Well, thank him from me next time you talk to him. And don't forget, don't tell anyone else about this,' Alex said, waving the paper in her hand. She looked over at Henry's office door. 'Frank in?' she asked.
'Yeah, did you want me to announce you or something?' Radar asked. Alex shook her head.
'I'm just going to ask for a couple days pass,' she said. She walked in without knocking and found Margaret and Frank standing behind Henry's desk, looking awkward.
'Haven't you heard of knocking?' Frank snapped.
'Sorry, Majors,' Alex said, saluting. She knew if she wanted a few days off, she'd have to be respectful and not annoy either Frank or Margaret.
'What do you want?' Margaret asked harshly.
'A couple of days R and R, while the war is quiet,' Alex said.
'No,' Frank said. 'You've already had three days in Tokyo this month.' Alex's face fell.
'Frank, this is important!' she said, slamming her hands onto Henry's desk.
'You heard him. You're not having a pass,' Margaret said.
'Did I mention this was important? As in an emergency?' Alex asked, trying to keep calm.
'Why is it so important you go on leave, lieutenant?' Frank asked cruelly.
'I can't tell you,' Alex said stiffly.
'Then you can't have a few days for R and R,' Frank said. Alex went to storm out of the office without saluting, when Margaret called her.
'Salute your superior officers!' she snapped. Alex turned around, a sarcastic smile on her face and gave them the finger before running out. Margaret and Frank were outraged.
'LIEUTENANT!' Frank yelled at the swinging doors.
'Alex? Are you ok? What happened? Why are you sleeping in here? Are you hurt?' Margaret was firing hundreds of questions at her disoriented nurse.
'Huh? Margaret, calm down. I stayed a little too long in the Swamp last night, and I didn't want to disturb any of the nurse's, so I chose to come sleep in here. I'm not injured,' Alex explained, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Margaret stood back and let out a grateful breath.
'You had me worried,' Margaret told Alex.
'Sorry,' Alex said. She got up and went to the mess tent. Klinger was waiting there already, looking tired.
'You promised me you wouldn't miss this meal,' he said, pushing an almost overflowing tray towards her. Alex groaned, but she laughed when she did so. She began to eat the fried eggs on her plate (At least, she hoped they were fried eggs) and looked up at Klinger.
'Having much luck with your section eight?' she asked.
'Well, no, but next time a general comes, I have this great dress that'll make his hat spin!' Klinger exclaimed. Alex laughed as Hawkeye and Trapper came in.
'Hey Alex, coming in for a drink tonight?' Trapper asked.
'No, I thought I might give myself a chance to sober up,' Alex replied.
'Sober? What's sober?' Hawkeye asked Trapper. Alex laughed and turned back to her breakfast.
'Good to see you're eating properly,' Trapper called as they went to get their own trays of food. Alex glanced up at Klinger and the two smiled at their secret.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Henry was on R and R. Frank was in charge, and ordering people around as if they were a major part to the winning of the war. Klinger's dresses, Hawkeye's and Trapper's Still and anything else "un-military" had been taken away from camp. Alex hadn't seen the morale in camp down so low before.
'It picks up once Henry gets back,' Hawkeye told her while they were in the supply room.
'He'd better be back soon, I don't think I can take much more of marching all day,' Alex replied. She glanced at her watch and groaned.
'What?' Hawkeye asked.
'I have Post op in about half an hour and I haven't had dinner yet,' Alex said, standing up. 'I'll see you later, Hawkeye.'
'Yeah, see you Alex,' Hawkeye replied, watching her leave the tent. Before she left, Alex took the coat hanger off the door and put it on a shelf. In the mess tent, a few minutes later, she sat down opposite Klinger with a half filled tray.
'Sorry I can't stay long tonight. I have post op,' Alex explained, scooping a heap onto her fork and eating it.
'It's ok,' Klinger said, looking strange in army greens. Radar came up to the table, looking nervous.
'Er, lieutenant? I've found it,' he whispered. Alex looked up quickly.
'Are you sure? It's not a false alarm like last week?' she asked. Klinger was staring at the two, trying to figure out what they were talking about.
'No, it's definitely it,' Radar said, glancing around the mess tent. Alex got up after shoving a few more mouthfuls into her mouth and went to leave.
'Sorry, Klinger, this is really important. See you tomorrow,' she called over her shoulder as she and Radar ran out the tent. Knowing how much trouble he'd caused by assuming something the last time, Klinger dismissed Alex running out of the tent as if her life depended on it and continued eating. She'd tell him what was going on when she wanted to.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Wait, Radar, stop,' Alex skidded to a halt outside post op. 'I have duty. Just wait here, and I'll be out in a sec.' Alex ducked into the building and found a nurse sitting at a desk at the very end.
'Oh, Alex, I wasn't expecting you to relieve me for a while,' she said.
'I have something really, really important to do. Can I please ask you to do my duty tonight and I'll pay you back later, somehow,' Alex said. The other nurse thought for a second.
'Alright, but don't you dare forget,' she said as Alex bolted out the door again. She and Radar went to Radar's office and Radar gave Alex lolly paper.
'It was the only paper I could find,' Radar explained when Alex gave him a questioning look. She held it up with a slightly shaking hand and read the message on it. Her face broke out in a huge smile and she looked at Radar.
'Thanks, Radar, I knew I could count on you to get this for me. You didn't tell anyone?'
'No, not a soul. Oh, except Sparky, he's the one who really found it,' Radar said.
'I'm going to have to get him something for his trouble,' Alex said.
'Nah, it's ok. He told me since it was for a good cause and all. . .' Radar shrugged.
'Well, thank him from me next time you talk to him. And don't forget, don't tell anyone else about this,' Alex said, waving the paper in her hand. She looked over at Henry's office door. 'Frank in?' she asked.
'Yeah, did you want me to announce you or something?' Radar asked. Alex shook her head.
'I'm just going to ask for a couple days pass,' she said. She walked in without knocking and found Margaret and Frank standing behind Henry's desk, looking awkward.
'Haven't you heard of knocking?' Frank snapped.
'Sorry, Majors,' Alex said, saluting. She knew if she wanted a few days off, she'd have to be respectful and not annoy either Frank or Margaret.
'What do you want?' Margaret asked harshly.
'A couple of days R and R, while the war is quiet,' Alex said.
'No,' Frank said. 'You've already had three days in Tokyo this month.' Alex's face fell.
'Frank, this is important!' she said, slamming her hands onto Henry's desk.
'You heard him. You're not having a pass,' Margaret said.
'Did I mention this was important? As in an emergency?' Alex asked, trying to keep calm.
'Why is it so important you go on leave, lieutenant?' Frank asked cruelly.
'I can't tell you,' Alex said stiffly.
'Then you can't have a few days for R and R,' Frank said. Alex went to storm out of the office without saluting, when Margaret called her.
'Salute your superior officers!' she snapped. Alex turned around, a sarcastic smile on her face and gave them the finger before running out. Margaret and Frank were outraged.
'LIEUTENANT!' Frank yelled at the swinging doors.