'You're serious?' Klinger asked.
'But you refused point blank before. . .' Trapper said.
'I know, but what you don't understand is that my brother, in his last letter to me, requested me to go home if I was offered a hardship discharge. He didn't want me to die in this little hell hole called war,' Alex said.
'Wow. . . I mean. . . Alex, we're going to miss you,' Hawkeye said, giving her a hug. Alex hugged him back, and gave him a quick kiss.
'I'm going to miss all of you as well,' she said, a tear escaping down one cheek.
'Did you want a farewell party or something?' Trapper asked.
'I could order in fresh stuff from headquarters,' Radar offered. Alex shook her head.
'You know me. I don't like those big fancy honours. Plus, you've held one party for me this war already. I don't need another one. Hold one after I've left if you want an excuse for a party,' Alex said, smiling.
'Alex, I'd just like to say what an inspiration you've been while at this camp,' Frank said.
'Like what? Like going AWOL?' Alex laughed.
'No, for saving lives on more than one occasion,' Margaret said.
'I told you, I could get an award for you to take home to your folks,' Henry said. Alex shook her head again.
'I don't want that. The only thing I want from this camp are all the people in it to come home with me,' she said before adding 'oh, and maybe the Still.'
'Well, you're not getting it,' Hawkeye said, pretending to be angry. Alex laughed.
'This war has been hell, but I sure won't forget the people I met in here in hell,' she said, half crying, half laughing.
'We won't forget you either. Every time we see a martini in a nurse's hand, or a young woman winning at poker, we'll be thinking fondly of you,' Trapper said. Alex smiled at the group and stared at each one of them as if to burn their image permanently in her mind. Hawkeye and Trapper in their bathrobes with a martini in hand, Radar with his glasses, Frank and Margaret secretly hugging while they thought no one was paying them any attention, Henry with his fishing jacket and hat on, and Klinger, wearing the first dress Alex had ever seen him in.
'I'm gonna miss you guys so much,' she said, breaking down and crying.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Alex left for the airport in Seoul three days later. Henry had given her the lure used to pry the bullet from Klinger's arm to remember them by, Hawkeye and Trapper had filled up a few canteens with martini's from the Still to take back home, Margaret and Frank had saluted her strongly when she left, Klinger had ordered her a simple dress from one of his catalogues, and even Radar came up to her shyly to give her a present.
'Hawkeye, since I don't really need them any more, I want you to have these,' she said as Trapper threw her bags in the back of a waiting van. Hawkeye and Trapper were the only ones who'd come to see her leave, as everyone else had said their good byes in the mess tent. She pressed something small and cold into his hand. He looked down.
'You might need these again, one day,' he said, holding up her dog tags.
'Nah, no chance,' Alex replied, grinning briefly. Hawkeye looked at them again and read Alex's name a few times. He noticed they seemed to be stained with something, and he knew it was from her first military outfit.
'Have a good journey, Alex,' Trapper said, patting her on the back as she got into the jeep.
'Hope to see you all back in the states one day,' Alex replied. Suddenly, she laughed. 'I promised myself I wouldn't cry,' she said, tears running down her face. 'But here I am, crying, and sad to be seeing the last of this dump.' Hawkeye moved forward and hugged her before the jeep lumbered off out of camp.
'I'm going to miss her,' Hawkeye said as Alex went through the sign.
'Yeah, it means you'll have to find a new nurse,' Trapper said, grinning. Hawkeye wrestled him to the ground for the remark, and both were dusty and untidy when Frank and Margaret ordered them to stop it.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week later, a jeep drove past the Swamp. Hawkeye and Trapper looked out.
'Alex's replacement,' Trapper grunted.
'Come on, we promised Alex we'd treat them with respect,' Hawkeye said, standing up. Henry was helping a nurse down from the jeep while Radar tried to drag the heavy bags from the back.
'Lieutenant Paula, this is Captain McIntyre and Captain Pierce,' Henry said when they reached Henry and the new nurse.
'Call us Hawkeye and Trapper,' Hawkeye said, shaking her hand. She was short and had cropped brown hair. Her eyes were brown, almost black, and she had a look of someone who can smell something disgusting on her face.
'I don't care for nicknames on military bases. And you two are out of uniform,' she snapped. She followed Henry to where Frank and Margaret were standing.
'Majors Burns and Houlihan,' Hawkeye and Trapper could hear Henry introduce.
'This camp is a disgrace!' Lieutenant Paula was saying. 'What are you going to do 'bout it?' Trapper sighed heavily.
'I miss Alex,' he said.
'So do I,' Hawkeye replied as they slouched back to the Swamp.
'But you refused point blank before. . .' Trapper said.
'I know, but what you don't understand is that my brother, in his last letter to me, requested me to go home if I was offered a hardship discharge. He didn't want me to die in this little hell hole called war,' Alex said.
'Wow. . . I mean. . . Alex, we're going to miss you,' Hawkeye said, giving her a hug. Alex hugged him back, and gave him a quick kiss.
'I'm going to miss all of you as well,' she said, a tear escaping down one cheek.
'Did you want a farewell party or something?' Trapper asked.
'I could order in fresh stuff from headquarters,' Radar offered. Alex shook her head.
'You know me. I don't like those big fancy honours. Plus, you've held one party for me this war already. I don't need another one. Hold one after I've left if you want an excuse for a party,' Alex said, smiling.
'Alex, I'd just like to say what an inspiration you've been while at this camp,' Frank said.
'Like what? Like going AWOL?' Alex laughed.
'No, for saving lives on more than one occasion,' Margaret said.
'I told you, I could get an award for you to take home to your folks,' Henry said. Alex shook her head again.
'I don't want that. The only thing I want from this camp are all the people in it to come home with me,' she said before adding 'oh, and maybe the Still.'
'Well, you're not getting it,' Hawkeye said, pretending to be angry. Alex laughed.
'This war has been hell, but I sure won't forget the people I met in here in hell,' she said, half crying, half laughing.
'We won't forget you either. Every time we see a martini in a nurse's hand, or a young woman winning at poker, we'll be thinking fondly of you,' Trapper said. Alex smiled at the group and stared at each one of them as if to burn their image permanently in her mind. Hawkeye and Trapper in their bathrobes with a martini in hand, Radar with his glasses, Frank and Margaret secretly hugging while they thought no one was paying them any attention, Henry with his fishing jacket and hat on, and Klinger, wearing the first dress Alex had ever seen him in.
'I'm gonna miss you guys so much,' she said, breaking down and crying.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Alex left for the airport in Seoul three days later. Henry had given her the lure used to pry the bullet from Klinger's arm to remember them by, Hawkeye and Trapper had filled up a few canteens with martini's from the Still to take back home, Margaret and Frank had saluted her strongly when she left, Klinger had ordered her a simple dress from one of his catalogues, and even Radar came up to her shyly to give her a present.
'Hawkeye, since I don't really need them any more, I want you to have these,' she said as Trapper threw her bags in the back of a waiting van. Hawkeye and Trapper were the only ones who'd come to see her leave, as everyone else had said their good byes in the mess tent. She pressed something small and cold into his hand. He looked down.
'You might need these again, one day,' he said, holding up her dog tags.
'Nah, no chance,' Alex replied, grinning briefly. Hawkeye looked at them again and read Alex's name a few times. He noticed they seemed to be stained with something, and he knew it was from her first military outfit.
'Have a good journey, Alex,' Trapper said, patting her on the back as she got into the jeep.
'Hope to see you all back in the states one day,' Alex replied. Suddenly, she laughed. 'I promised myself I wouldn't cry,' she said, tears running down her face. 'But here I am, crying, and sad to be seeing the last of this dump.' Hawkeye moved forward and hugged her before the jeep lumbered off out of camp.
'I'm going to miss her,' Hawkeye said as Alex went through the sign.
'Yeah, it means you'll have to find a new nurse,' Trapper said, grinning. Hawkeye wrestled him to the ground for the remark, and both were dusty and untidy when Frank and Margaret ordered them to stop it.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week later, a jeep drove past the Swamp. Hawkeye and Trapper looked out.
'Alex's replacement,' Trapper grunted.
'Come on, we promised Alex we'd treat them with respect,' Hawkeye said, standing up. Henry was helping a nurse down from the jeep while Radar tried to drag the heavy bags from the back.
'Lieutenant Paula, this is Captain McIntyre and Captain Pierce,' Henry said when they reached Henry and the new nurse.
'Call us Hawkeye and Trapper,' Hawkeye said, shaking her hand. She was short and had cropped brown hair. Her eyes were brown, almost black, and she had a look of someone who can smell something disgusting on her face.
'I don't care for nicknames on military bases. And you two are out of uniform,' she snapped. She followed Henry to where Frank and Margaret were standing.
'Majors Burns and Houlihan,' Hawkeye and Trapper could hear Henry introduce.
'This camp is a disgrace!' Lieutenant Paula was saying. 'What are you going to do 'bout it?' Trapper sighed heavily.
'I miss Alex,' he said.
'So do I,' Hawkeye replied as they slouched back to the Swamp.