Disclaimer: I don't own anything from MASH, no matter how much I would love
too, I don't, so please don't sue me!
Thanks
This was just a short story I cracked out around 2am so bear with me. R and R please.. It's my second story so be kind.
The Letter
It has been 3 weeks since Colonel Potter took over the M*A*S*H* 4077. It has been 3 weeks since Hawkeye had missed Trapper by 10 minutes. It has been 3 weeks since Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Blake's plane went down over the Sea of Japan. It has been 3 weeks since BJ Hunnicut has taken over Trappers place. It has been 3 weeks since Trapper left without saying goodbye. Hawkeye thinks as he lies down on his small army cot, not saying much after that day's surgery that had lasted well over 14 hours.
"Do you want a drink Hawk?" BJ asks, grabbing himself a drink, not hearing a response from his frazzled bunkmate, he turns his attention towards him, "Hawk? Hawkeye?"
As if startled from his world of thought, he looks at BJ, "Yeah?"
"Do you want a drink?" He asks Hawkeye again, holding up a glass.
"No thanks Beej." Hawkeye says to him, fixing his stare once again at the top of the tent.
"No? You are turning down your finest lighter fluid concoction?" BJ Says smiling. "You feel alright?"
"I feel fine." He says in a short manor.
"What's eating you Hawkeye?" He asks.
"Nothing, why?" Hawkeye asks him playing dumb.
"You've been moping around the place for the past week, you haven't been your normal self, and then you turn down booze." He says.
"Nothing BJ." He says. "Just leave it alone."
"Fine." He says, sitting back on his cot, downing his gin. "I'm gonna get some sleep."
"Night." Hawkeye says.
"Night." BJ says sighing, but knowing better than to pester the real truth out of Hawkeye.
Suddenly something dawns on him, "Is it because of Trapper and Henry?"
"I said leave it BJ!" He raises his voice.
"It is isn't it? What's going on?"
"Nothing is going on! Go to sleep!"
"I can't, this has sparked my interest!"
"Fine, you want to know what it is. My best friend, someone who I have lived with for well over a year leaves, with out a note, I miss him by 10 minutes! 10 lousy minutes BJ!"
"Hawkeye that was 3 weeks ago! It may as well be a lifetime."
"How would you react?" He asks his friend.
"I'd be annoyed by it, but there has to be a reason he didn't say goodbye."
"Yeah, but I deserve that reason. I deserve some sort of good bye. You didn't meet him, you wouldn't understand."
"I've had friends who lost touch."
"Yeah, but you never had someone you lived with in this hell of a place just up right go home and not leave a note. The only he let was a kiss that was given by the damn company clerk!" He says.
"You're right, I haven't, but once again it was 3 weeks ago."
"I know, and this will bother me for the rest of my life." Hawkeye says to him. "Now I want a drink." He says, getting up and grabbing his glass and downing 3 glasses with in a matter of a minute. "I should have been here, rather than out in Tokyo trolling for women! I should have been here to say good bye, and not running away from what happened the days before! I shouldn't have been on R and R!"
"Could have, should have, would have, Hawkeye." BJ says as he watches him take his 4th drink.
"I had to leave because Henry died and I couldn't take it! I couldn't take Frank taking over the place, and what did that get me? My best friend leaving without so much as a note." He says pouring another glass.
"Hawkeye, you better take it easy on them." BJ tells him.
"Without a note BJ." He says, throwing the glass down on the floor, surprisingly not breaking it.
"Hawk, go to sleep before that stuff hits you." He tells his friend. "Don't worry about what happened in the past. only look towards your future, and getting out of here. If Trapper left, you probably will be going home soon too."
"No, the army won't let me go; I'm too damn good of a surgeon!" He says, lying down. "I had to be certified in Chest and General Surgery! I couldn't have just stopped at General Surgery."
"Go to sleep Hawkeye." BJ says.
"I will be here till this damn war is over, and this damn war will never be over, so I will be here forever!" He says to BJ. "This war just keeps on going."
"Your babbling, go to sleep." BJ says, and rolls over. BJ hoping he wasn't too rough sounding with Hawkeye. The truth was, he would have probably reacted the same way Hawkeye was reacting if his bunkmate of over a year left without saying goodbye.
The next day, the sun was shining, and it was relatively warm out. Hawkeye wakes up to mail call.
"Hawkeye," Radar calls too him, "You have a mail." He tells him smiling.
"Thanks Radar, just leave it by the still." He says, not even opening his eyes.
"Alright Sir. Captain Hunnicut? You have mail also." He says, handing it to BJ. Frank isn't in the tent so he leaves his mail on his bed. BJ looks over to the still, and sees a letter from Boston.
"Hey Hawk? You have a letter from Boston." He says, hoping that he'll come over and read it. He knew it had to be from Trapper. "Hawkeye, did you hear me?" I call again.
"No, what did you say?" He mumbles, half asleep.
"You have a letter from Boston."
That grabbed his attention, and he sat right up, and grabbed the letter off of the still. He flips it over in his hand a few times, not really sure if he wanted to open it or not. "Are you gonna read it?" BJ asks.
He sits down on his bed and opens it.
Dear Hawk,
I don't even know if you will read this after I left without saying goodbye, but I figured I had to try and write to you. I got home alright. The flight was long, but worth it. My girls were very excited to see me, as well as my wife. Who ever thought that only having one woman to come home too would still be so much fun? (A faint smile comes across his lips when he reads this.) How is everything back at the 4077? Do they miss me yet? Haha. You haven't killed Frank yet have you? How is my replacement? Is he qualified? Is he like Frank?
Well, I guess you are awaiting my explanation for why I didn't say goodbye, and left without a note. Honestly, it was because I really didn't have time to write all that I wanted to say too you, and even now, I can't. I tried to wait as long as I could before my flight, but I guess you came back later than you had planned. I don't know what I would have done with out you being at the M*A*S*H*, we were two of a kind. Even in the horrors of war, we still managed to have some fun, which I think is what everyone needed. I wish I could have said goodbye to you, but I couldn't. Did Radar give you my kiss? I know he wasn't too fond of having to do it in the first place, but hey, it was from me to you! Train this new guy in the eyes of me. You need to still have some fun over there. Do me a favor, and come home safe pal, alright? I am looking forward to staying in touch with you once you get back stateside. Don't forget about me, because I sure as hell can't forget about you. Let me know how you are on occasion alright?
Talk to you soon,
Trapper
Hawkeye, placed the note down at his side, and smiled. BJ looks over at him, and says,
"And you were worried that he would never talk to you again."
"Can I buy you a drink Beej?" He asks him.
"Certainly, as long as it's at Rosie's." He says smiling at his friend.
"Let's go." He says, as the 2 of them walk out the door.
From that moment on, Hawkeye seemed happier; he seemed like his normal self. Trapper and he kept in touch over via mail, and once he got home, made arrangements to visit each other.
The End
This was just a short story I cracked out around 2am so bear with me. R and R please.. It's my second story so be kind.
The Letter
It has been 3 weeks since Colonel Potter took over the M*A*S*H* 4077. It has been 3 weeks since Hawkeye had missed Trapper by 10 minutes. It has been 3 weeks since Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Blake's plane went down over the Sea of Japan. It has been 3 weeks since BJ Hunnicut has taken over Trappers place. It has been 3 weeks since Trapper left without saying goodbye. Hawkeye thinks as he lies down on his small army cot, not saying much after that day's surgery that had lasted well over 14 hours.
"Do you want a drink Hawk?" BJ asks, grabbing himself a drink, not hearing a response from his frazzled bunkmate, he turns his attention towards him, "Hawk? Hawkeye?"
As if startled from his world of thought, he looks at BJ, "Yeah?"
"Do you want a drink?" He asks Hawkeye again, holding up a glass.
"No thanks Beej." Hawkeye says to him, fixing his stare once again at the top of the tent.
"No? You are turning down your finest lighter fluid concoction?" BJ Says smiling. "You feel alright?"
"I feel fine." He says in a short manor.
"What's eating you Hawkeye?" He asks.
"Nothing, why?" Hawkeye asks him playing dumb.
"You've been moping around the place for the past week, you haven't been your normal self, and then you turn down booze." He says.
"Nothing BJ." He says. "Just leave it alone."
"Fine." He says, sitting back on his cot, downing his gin. "I'm gonna get some sleep."
"Night." Hawkeye says.
"Night." BJ says sighing, but knowing better than to pester the real truth out of Hawkeye.
Suddenly something dawns on him, "Is it because of Trapper and Henry?"
"I said leave it BJ!" He raises his voice.
"It is isn't it? What's going on?"
"Nothing is going on! Go to sleep!"
"I can't, this has sparked my interest!"
"Fine, you want to know what it is. My best friend, someone who I have lived with for well over a year leaves, with out a note, I miss him by 10 minutes! 10 lousy minutes BJ!"
"Hawkeye that was 3 weeks ago! It may as well be a lifetime."
"How would you react?" He asks his friend.
"I'd be annoyed by it, but there has to be a reason he didn't say goodbye."
"Yeah, but I deserve that reason. I deserve some sort of good bye. You didn't meet him, you wouldn't understand."
"I've had friends who lost touch."
"Yeah, but you never had someone you lived with in this hell of a place just up right go home and not leave a note. The only he let was a kiss that was given by the damn company clerk!" He says.
"You're right, I haven't, but once again it was 3 weeks ago."
"I know, and this will bother me for the rest of my life." Hawkeye says to him. "Now I want a drink." He says, getting up and grabbing his glass and downing 3 glasses with in a matter of a minute. "I should have been here, rather than out in Tokyo trolling for women! I should have been here to say good bye, and not running away from what happened the days before! I shouldn't have been on R and R!"
"Could have, should have, would have, Hawkeye." BJ says as he watches him take his 4th drink.
"I had to leave because Henry died and I couldn't take it! I couldn't take Frank taking over the place, and what did that get me? My best friend leaving without so much as a note." He says pouring another glass.
"Hawkeye, you better take it easy on them." BJ tells him.
"Without a note BJ." He says, throwing the glass down on the floor, surprisingly not breaking it.
"Hawk, go to sleep before that stuff hits you." He tells his friend. "Don't worry about what happened in the past. only look towards your future, and getting out of here. If Trapper left, you probably will be going home soon too."
"No, the army won't let me go; I'm too damn good of a surgeon!" He says, lying down. "I had to be certified in Chest and General Surgery! I couldn't have just stopped at General Surgery."
"Go to sleep Hawkeye." BJ says.
"I will be here till this damn war is over, and this damn war will never be over, so I will be here forever!" He says to BJ. "This war just keeps on going."
"Your babbling, go to sleep." BJ says, and rolls over. BJ hoping he wasn't too rough sounding with Hawkeye. The truth was, he would have probably reacted the same way Hawkeye was reacting if his bunkmate of over a year left without saying goodbye.
The next day, the sun was shining, and it was relatively warm out. Hawkeye wakes up to mail call.
"Hawkeye," Radar calls too him, "You have a mail." He tells him smiling.
"Thanks Radar, just leave it by the still." He says, not even opening his eyes.
"Alright Sir. Captain Hunnicut? You have mail also." He says, handing it to BJ. Frank isn't in the tent so he leaves his mail on his bed. BJ looks over to the still, and sees a letter from Boston.
"Hey Hawk? You have a letter from Boston." He says, hoping that he'll come over and read it. He knew it had to be from Trapper. "Hawkeye, did you hear me?" I call again.
"No, what did you say?" He mumbles, half asleep.
"You have a letter from Boston."
That grabbed his attention, and he sat right up, and grabbed the letter off of the still. He flips it over in his hand a few times, not really sure if he wanted to open it or not. "Are you gonna read it?" BJ asks.
He sits down on his bed and opens it.
Dear Hawk,
I don't even know if you will read this after I left without saying goodbye, but I figured I had to try and write to you. I got home alright. The flight was long, but worth it. My girls were very excited to see me, as well as my wife. Who ever thought that only having one woman to come home too would still be so much fun? (A faint smile comes across his lips when he reads this.) How is everything back at the 4077? Do they miss me yet? Haha. You haven't killed Frank yet have you? How is my replacement? Is he qualified? Is he like Frank?
Well, I guess you are awaiting my explanation for why I didn't say goodbye, and left without a note. Honestly, it was because I really didn't have time to write all that I wanted to say too you, and even now, I can't. I tried to wait as long as I could before my flight, but I guess you came back later than you had planned. I don't know what I would have done with out you being at the M*A*S*H*, we were two of a kind. Even in the horrors of war, we still managed to have some fun, which I think is what everyone needed. I wish I could have said goodbye to you, but I couldn't. Did Radar give you my kiss? I know he wasn't too fond of having to do it in the first place, but hey, it was from me to you! Train this new guy in the eyes of me. You need to still have some fun over there. Do me a favor, and come home safe pal, alright? I am looking forward to staying in touch with you once you get back stateside. Don't forget about me, because I sure as hell can't forget about you. Let me know how you are on occasion alright?
Talk to you soon,
Trapper
Hawkeye, placed the note down at his side, and smiled. BJ looks over at him, and says,
"And you were worried that he would never talk to you again."
"Can I buy you a drink Beej?" He asks him.
"Certainly, as long as it's at Rosie's." He says smiling at his friend.
"Let's go." He says, as the 2 of them walk out the door.
From that moment on, Hawkeye seemed happier; he seemed like his normal self. Trapper and he kept in touch over via mail, and once he got home, made arrangements to visit each other.
The End