Alex was walking along a quiet road with her belongings in a bag, wondering
if anyone had noticed she was gone yet.
Klinger might have, she thought, he'd have missed me at breakfast. Then he would have gone to Hawkeye and Trapper, and they would all look for her, getting the rest of the camp to help. Frank and Margaret wouldn't find out for ages, she didn't have to worry about them sending MP's after her for a while.
A van was coming up behind her, and it slowed down.
'You alright, miss?' the guy driving said.
'My jeep broke down, you might have seen it a couple of miles back. I'm trying to get to this MASH unit,' Alex replied, showing him a piece of paper.
'Well, I'm going there, I can take you to that MASH unit if you want,' the man said.
'Yes please,' Alex said, going around the front of the military van and getting into the passenger seat. The van drove off, and Alex sat back in her seat, thinking.
'So why do you have to get to that unit?' the driver asked.
'Uh, visiting,' Alex said the first excuse that came into her head. 'I got a letter from a nurse there that I went to school with and we thought it'd be fun to catch up while I'm on R and R.' The driver nodded.
'The name's Monty, by the way,' he said. 'I'm driving supplies to each unit.'
'Really? When do you go to the 4077? That's my unit, I might be able to catch a trip back with you,' Alex said.
'In two days,' Monty replied.
'Great, I only have three days leave,' Alex said.
'What did you say your name was?' Monty asked.
'Oh, sorry, I'm Alex,' Alex said, watching the Korean landscape slip past.
'I think I've seen your picture somewhere before,' Monty said.
Shoot.
'Really?' Alex asked nervously. 'Where?'
'I'm not sure, it was a photo, someone showed it to me. . . Oh, that's right! A Major showed it to me, said you were his sister. Major Dustbin, or something strange like that,' Monty said.
'Major Dustin, yeah, that's my brother,' Alex said, feeling relieved.
'Nice guy. When you see him, tell him Monty says hello. We played poker together once. Said he was a hopeless player, but his sisters were both excellent at cards,' Monty said.
'Well, I am pretty good,' Alex shrugged modestly. 'But you should see our youngest sister, Danielle. She has unbelievable luck when playing cards, could probably clean out a whole casino in one night.'
'Yeah, how old is she?' Monty asked interestedly over the roar of the van.
'Oh, eighteen next month,' Alex replied. 'What else did my brother say about us?'
'He told me you and him were close, very close, like best friends. Told me after your dad died, he acted like a father to you two girls,' Monty said. He paused for a while. 'Isaac is a good kid. I'd like to see him amount to something great after the war.' Alex nodded numbly.
'He would have,' Alex said quietly to herself.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
After a few hours, Alex noticed a road block up ahead.
'Hmm, wonder who the MP's are after?' Monty said. He flagged down a jeep coming in the opposite direction.
'They're after some nurse who went AWOL,' the person in the jeep said when Monty asked.
'They're after me,' Alex said. 'I can't believe how quick they've acted.'
'You're the nurse who went AWOL?' Monty asked.
'Yeah, but before you turn me in, just listen,' Alex said desperately. 'I got word a week or two ago that Isaac died in the MASH unit we're heading for. I got the clerk from the 4077 to track down where they buried him, but couldn't get leave to see him. So I ran off. I swear I'm going to go back after I see Isaac's grave.'
'Isaac Dustin's dead?' Monty said faintly. Alex nodded, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
'All I want to do is say good bye to him, and I won't be able to if I'm sent back,' Alex said. Monty looked thoughtful.
'Get in the back, quickly. I'll get you past,' he said. Alex nodded and jumped out of the jeep after checking no one was watching. She got into the back of the van and hid behind the supplies.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Whoa, we need to check for someone,' an MP stopped Monty from going through.
'It's just me in the van. I'm taking supplies to a MASH unit,' Monty said. 'You can check if you like.' The back was opened and scanned quickly.
'No one in there. Go on through,' the MP waved the van through. Once out of sight of the road block, Monty stopped and let Alex get back into the cabin.
'Thanks,' Alex said gratefully.
'No problem. As long as you do go back to your unit afterwards,' Monty said.
'I will,' Alex said, keeping an eye out for any other MP road blocks.
Klinger might have, she thought, he'd have missed me at breakfast. Then he would have gone to Hawkeye and Trapper, and they would all look for her, getting the rest of the camp to help. Frank and Margaret wouldn't find out for ages, she didn't have to worry about them sending MP's after her for a while.
A van was coming up behind her, and it slowed down.
'You alright, miss?' the guy driving said.
'My jeep broke down, you might have seen it a couple of miles back. I'm trying to get to this MASH unit,' Alex replied, showing him a piece of paper.
'Well, I'm going there, I can take you to that MASH unit if you want,' the man said.
'Yes please,' Alex said, going around the front of the military van and getting into the passenger seat. The van drove off, and Alex sat back in her seat, thinking.
'So why do you have to get to that unit?' the driver asked.
'Uh, visiting,' Alex said the first excuse that came into her head. 'I got a letter from a nurse there that I went to school with and we thought it'd be fun to catch up while I'm on R and R.' The driver nodded.
'The name's Monty, by the way,' he said. 'I'm driving supplies to each unit.'
'Really? When do you go to the 4077? That's my unit, I might be able to catch a trip back with you,' Alex said.
'In two days,' Monty replied.
'Great, I only have three days leave,' Alex said.
'What did you say your name was?' Monty asked.
'Oh, sorry, I'm Alex,' Alex said, watching the Korean landscape slip past.
'I think I've seen your picture somewhere before,' Monty said.
Shoot.
'Really?' Alex asked nervously. 'Where?'
'I'm not sure, it was a photo, someone showed it to me. . . Oh, that's right! A Major showed it to me, said you were his sister. Major Dustbin, or something strange like that,' Monty said.
'Major Dustin, yeah, that's my brother,' Alex said, feeling relieved.
'Nice guy. When you see him, tell him Monty says hello. We played poker together once. Said he was a hopeless player, but his sisters were both excellent at cards,' Monty said.
'Well, I am pretty good,' Alex shrugged modestly. 'But you should see our youngest sister, Danielle. She has unbelievable luck when playing cards, could probably clean out a whole casino in one night.'
'Yeah, how old is she?' Monty asked interestedly over the roar of the van.
'Oh, eighteen next month,' Alex replied. 'What else did my brother say about us?'
'He told me you and him were close, very close, like best friends. Told me after your dad died, he acted like a father to you two girls,' Monty said. He paused for a while. 'Isaac is a good kid. I'd like to see him amount to something great after the war.' Alex nodded numbly.
'He would have,' Alex said quietly to herself.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
After a few hours, Alex noticed a road block up ahead.
'Hmm, wonder who the MP's are after?' Monty said. He flagged down a jeep coming in the opposite direction.
'They're after some nurse who went AWOL,' the person in the jeep said when Monty asked.
'They're after me,' Alex said. 'I can't believe how quick they've acted.'
'You're the nurse who went AWOL?' Monty asked.
'Yeah, but before you turn me in, just listen,' Alex said desperately. 'I got word a week or two ago that Isaac died in the MASH unit we're heading for. I got the clerk from the 4077 to track down where they buried him, but couldn't get leave to see him. So I ran off. I swear I'm going to go back after I see Isaac's grave.'
'Isaac Dustin's dead?' Monty said faintly. Alex nodded, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
'All I want to do is say good bye to him, and I won't be able to if I'm sent back,' Alex said. Monty looked thoughtful.
'Get in the back, quickly. I'll get you past,' he said. Alex nodded and jumped out of the jeep after checking no one was watching. She got into the back of the van and hid behind the supplies.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Whoa, we need to check for someone,' an MP stopped Monty from going through.
'It's just me in the van. I'm taking supplies to a MASH unit,' Monty said. 'You can check if you like.' The back was opened and scanned quickly.
'No one in there. Go on through,' the MP waved the van through. Once out of sight of the road block, Monty stopped and let Alex get back into the cabin.
'Thanks,' Alex said gratefully.
'No problem. As long as you do go back to your unit afterwards,' Monty said.
'I will,' Alex said, keeping an eye out for any other MP road blocks.