Disclaimer: I do not own M*A*S*H, I just play with the toys.
Please R+R!
But you're a girl - chapter five
'Hey Sparky, yeah this is Radar over at the 4077th, ah, I was wondering if you heard anything from the 103rd EVAC about getting a replacement surgeon?'
Radar was on the phone to the 8063rd tying to find a replacement surgeon for Hawkeye. So far he had struck out, he had called Seoul, Okinawa and Tokyo.
'Nothing' Radar seemed downcast at this 'Ok, thanks anyway Sparky'
Radar put the receiver down and crossed the last name off his list off possible surgeons; they were really stuck now. There wasn't one American unit in the whole of Korea that could spare or lend them a surgeon. The only thing he could do was to get onto the supply department in Washington. As he dialled, he realised that the Washington base never sent temporary surgeons to Korea; everyone who was eligible was already being used. Radar leant back in his chair not knowing what to do. He noticed that he still had pass out the mail call so he heaved himself from his chair and picked up the bundle of letters and packages.
A strong November wind was blowing autumnal leaves around the compound and Radar had to try his hardest to stay up right. He battled to hold some doors open as he handed mail to its respective recipient. Some of the parcels were too heavy to carry altogether so he left them outside tents.
He reached the Swamp and looked down at the last remaining letter in his hand. It was addressed to John FX McIntyre. Radar hadn't spoken to Trapper much recently; Hawkeye being ill had really affected him. He noticed the shape of Trapper sitting on his cot inside so Radar took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Trapper sat on his cot with his head in his hands and didn't even notice Radar enter.
'Hey Trapper, mail for you' the corporeal mentioned as he held out the envelope.
Trap looked up, his eyes were red rimmed from a lack of sleep and his tone of voice was broken.
'Thanks Radar' he mumbled in a half-hearted manner as he tried to recognise the handwriting, 'from my wife'.
'I thought it might be important, you know, something from home' Radar added but he didn't have Trapper's full attention.
'Thanks Radar' Trapper repeated. He didn't hear Radar leave; his words were rushing around his brain 'something important from home'.
Trapper looked over to Hawk's cot, it hadn't been slept in for weeks. His gaze flicked to a piece of crème writing paper that was protruding from underneath. Something important from home? The words suddenly melded together in his brain and the mist of thoughts lifted. Hawkeye had received a letter from home directly before he was taken ill and it had made him act in an overly erratic way.
He jumped suddenly from his cot and gathered up the sheets of paper that had once been Hawkeye's letter. Trapper blew the layer of dust that had gathered on the pages away and sat on his bunkies cot to read. At first he though this an intrusion of his best friends privacy but as he read on, he understood just why they had not been able to make contact with his father.
'Henry, you're not listening to me' Trapper shouted as he banged Hawkeye's letter onto the CO's desk.
'I think I know why we cant get in touch with Hawkeye's father' Trapper was trying to keep his composure but it was beginning to falter.
'McIntyre, I'm trying to re-thread this fly cant you see that' Henry mumbled as he dropped his needle.
'We have never been able to get hold of him because he is in Korea, he's meant to be giving a series of lectures on elective surgery.' Trapper balled at Henry, he was determined to get his whole attention.
Henry looked up from his fishing reel and stared into Trapper's eyes.
'If you are joking about this McIntyre' Henry started.
'Would I joke about this Henry, I'm serious' Trapper exclaimed, gesturing at the letter. 'He says that he was going to be in Korea from the 10th September until the 14th November, Henry, it's the 13th we can still catch him'.
The look in Henry's eyes suddenly turned from annoyance to realisation.
'Does it say where he will be staying' Henry started as he ran out to Radar's desk.
'Ah yeah, at the Shang - La Plaza in Tokyo' Trapper read, his eyes desperately scanning the page for the required information.
Henry did his best to hook up the switchboard and pulled out the folder containing the dialling codes for the whole Korean theatre.
'God dang' Henry shouted 'how Radar understands this is beyond me'
'You need something Sir' Radar trilled as he walked though the door.
'Radar, can you get Tokyo on this thing' Trapper asked as he pointed to the radio.
'Ah sure, where do you wanna talk to?' he replied as he sat at the desk and plugged in the relevant cables.
'We need to get through to the Shang-La Plaza, Hawk's dad is supposed be staying there' Trapper was leaning over the corporal, showing him the letter.
'Hang on Sir' Radar charged the system and waited for a reply.
There was a tense silence hanging in the air while Radar established contact with Tokyo. Trapper didn't realise but he was shaking, he may be able to get Hawk's dad to him after all. After a few tense minutes, they both heard Radar's voice.
'Ah, is that the Shang-La Plaza, Tokyo?' he questioned the receptionist. 'I have Colonial Henry Blake on the line and he wishes to speak to Dr. D Pearce'
Another silence.
'Their putting us through sir' Radar exclaimed.
The light in the room seemed to dazzle his eyes but Hawk managed to keep them open. His head felt full of hazy fever, however much he shook his head; his thoughts did not clear. He could breathe easier; this was something that had proved quite a task over the past few weeks. It was almost as if this had been the first time he had used his eyes. He squinted around the room to find a figure he recognised; there was no one there. The room suddenly became lighter and he realised that a door had been opened. He peered up and saw Trapper gliding towards him.
'How you feeling buddy?' Trapper smiled as he sat done next to Hawkeye.
'The country has stopped spinning at last' Hawk joked and let out a small laugh that changed into a huge coughing fit.
'Hey don't get too over excited' Trapper exclaimed while he tried to sit his best friend up and tap his back to stop the coughing.
'You alright?' Trapper asked as his best friend nodded his reply. 'Cos we found someone that you might like to see'
Hawkeye felt confused and dazed but himself to continue looking at Trapper who was now walking towards the door and pulling it open. What happened next made Hawkeye almost fall out of bed. Another figure was approaching his bed.
'Dad?' Hawkeye mumbled 'Dad is that you?' the lump in his throat quivering his voice.
'Yes son' said a voice that he would recognise anywhere and Hawkeye felt a hand on his shoulder forcing him to lay back down again.
'Dad' Hawkeye's voice quivering more and he now had tears on his face. 'I thought you would never come'
'Well I couldn't come 12,00 miles and see my own son'.
Dr. Pearce's visit seemed to speed up Hawkeye's recovery. The time that he spent in the camp came to an end and Hawk managed to bid a final goodbye to his father. Supported by Trapper, Hawk managed to hobble out to the jeep where his father was waiting for him.
'So' Hawkeye mumbled.
'So' his father repeated. 'Goodbye son' as he climbed into the jeep.
'Dad' Hawkeye started but stopped himself. His father stopped to look at Hawkeye, and gave him an encouraging smile.
'I know son, I know' Hawkeye's father put a hand on his sons shoulder.
Hawkeye put up his arms around his father and buried his face in the material of his coat. He had not felt emotion this strong since his father had said goodbye at San Francisco airport. Hawk pulled away to reveal glassy eyes and a pained expression.
'You be careful dad, I'll be home before you know it' Hawkeye stammered.
'I will, at least I know that it'll take more then this war to kill you now' his father joked.
As the jeep speeded off towards Seoul, Hawk just watched until the jeep and its passenger could no longer been seen. Trapper looked to his friend and decided to give him a change of scenery.
'Come on buddy' Trapper broke Hawkeye's silent thought.
Trap led him back to the Swamp, Hawkeye's home from home.
'Hey' Hawk muttered as he walked in 'Someone has sneaked in her and committed a neatness'.
Trapper laughed at this as he eased his buddy down onto his cot.
'Its good to have you back Hawk' Trap announced.
'Its good to be back Trap, am I still going to get hot and cold running nurses' Hawk joked.
'I've told them to take it easy with you until you get back on your feet' the mischief was once again dancing behind McIntyre's eyes. It had been missing for a long time.
But you're a girl - chapter five
'Hey Sparky, yeah this is Radar over at the 4077th, ah, I was wondering if you heard anything from the 103rd EVAC about getting a replacement surgeon?'
Radar was on the phone to the 8063rd tying to find a replacement surgeon for Hawkeye. So far he had struck out, he had called Seoul, Okinawa and Tokyo.
'Nothing' Radar seemed downcast at this 'Ok, thanks anyway Sparky'
Radar put the receiver down and crossed the last name off his list off possible surgeons; they were really stuck now. There wasn't one American unit in the whole of Korea that could spare or lend them a surgeon. The only thing he could do was to get onto the supply department in Washington. As he dialled, he realised that the Washington base never sent temporary surgeons to Korea; everyone who was eligible was already being used. Radar leant back in his chair not knowing what to do. He noticed that he still had pass out the mail call so he heaved himself from his chair and picked up the bundle of letters and packages.
A strong November wind was blowing autumnal leaves around the compound and Radar had to try his hardest to stay up right. He battled to hold some doors open as he handed mail to its respective recipient. Some of the parcels were too heavy to carry altogether so he left them outside tents.
He reached the Swamp and looked down at the last remaining letter in his hand. It was addressed to John FX McIntyre. Radar hadn't spoken to Trapper much recently; Hawkeye being ill had really affected him. He noticed the shape of Trapper sitting on his cot inside so Radar took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Trapper sat on his cot with his head in his hands and didn't even notice Radar enter.
'Hey Trapper, mail for you' the corporeal mentioned as he held out the envelope.
Trap looked up, his eyes were red rimmed from a lack of sleep and his tone of voice was broken.
'Thanks Radar' he mumbled in a half-hearted manner as he tried to recognise the handwriting, 'from my wife'.
'I thought it might be important, you know, something from home' Radar added but he didn't have Trapper's full attention.
'Thanks Radar' Trapper repeated. He didn't hear Radar leave; his words were rushing around his brain 'something important from home'.
Trapper looked over to Hawk's cot, it hadn't been slept in for weeks. His gaze flicked to a piece of crème writing paper that was protruding from underneath. Something important from home? The words suddenly melded together in his brain and the mist of thoughts lifted. Hawkeye had received a letter from home directly before he was taken ill and it had made him act in an overly erratic way.
He jumped suddenly from his cot and gathered up the sheets of paper that had once been Hawkeye's letter. Trapper blew the layer of dust that had gathered on the pages away and sat on his bunkies cot to read. At first he though this an intrusion of his best friends privacy but as he read on, he understood just why they had not been able to make contact with his father.
'Henry, you're not listening to me' Trapper shouted as he banged Hawkeye's letter onto the CO's desk.
'I think I know why we cant get in touch with Hawkeye's father' Trapper was trying to keep his composure but it was beginning to falter.
'McIntyre, I'm trying to re-thread this fly cant you see that' Henry mumbled as he dropped his needle.
'We have never been able to get hold of him because he is in Korea, he's meant to be giving a series of lectures on elective surgery.' Trapper balled at Henry, he was determined to get his whole attention.
Henry looked up from his fishing reel and stared into Trapper's eyes.
'If you are joking about this McIntyre' Henry started.
'Would I joke about this Henry, I'm serious' Trapper exclaimed, gesturing at the letter. 'He says that he was going to be in Korea from the 10th September until the 14th November, Henry, it's the 13th we can still catch him'.
The look in Henry's eyes suddenly turned from annoyance to realisation.
'Does it say where he will be staying' Henry started as he ran out to Radar's desk.
'Ah yeah, at the Shang - La Plaza in Tokyo' Trapper read, his eyes desperately scanning the page for the required information.
Henry did his best to hook up the switchboard and pulled out the folder containing the dialling codes for the whole Korean theatre.
'God dang' Henry shouted 'how Radar understands this is beyond me'
'You need something Sir' Radar trilled as he walked though the door.
'Radar, can you get Tokyo on this thing' Trapper asked as he pointed to the radio.
'Ah sure, where do you wanna talk to?' he replied as he sat at the desk and plugged in the relevant cables.
'We need to get through to the Shang-La Plaza, Hawk's dad is supposed be staying there' Trapper was leaning over the corporal, showing him the letter.
'Hang on Sir' Radar charged the system and waited for a reply.
There was a tense silence hanging in the air while Radar established contact with Tokyo. Trapper didn't realise but he was shaking, he may be able to get Hawk's dad to him after all. After a few tense minutes, they both heard Radar's voice.
'Ah, is that the Shang-La Plaza, Tokyo?' he questioned the receptionist. 'I have Colonial Henry Blake on the line and he wishes to speak to Dr. D Pearce'
Another silence.
'Their putting us through sir' Radar exclaimed.
The light in the room seemed to dazzle his eyes but Hawk managed to keep them open. His head felt full of hazy fever, however much he shook his head; his thoughts did not clear. He could breathe easier; this was something that had proved quite a task over the past few weeks. It was almost as if this had been the first time he had used his eyes. He squinted around the room to find a figure he recognised; there was no one there. The room suddenly became lighter and he realised that a door had been opened. He peered up and saw Trapper gliding towards him.
'How you feeling buddy?' Trapper smiled as he sat done next to Hawkeye.
'The country has stopped spinning at last' Hawk joked and let out a small laugh that changed into a huge coughing fit.
'Hey don't get too over excited' Trapper exclaimed while he tried to sit his best friend up and tap his back to stop the coughing.
'You alright?' Trapper asked as his best friend nodded his reply. 'Cos we found someone that you might like to see'
Hawkeye felt confused and dazed but himself to continue looking at Trapper who was now walking towards the door and pulling it open. What happened next made Hawkeye almost fall out of bed. Another figure was approaching his bed.
'Dad?' Hawkeye mumbled 'Dad is that you?' the lump in his throat quivering his voice.
'Yes son' said a voice that he would recognise anywhere and Hawkeye felt a hand on his shoulder forcing him to lay back down again.
'Dad' Hawkeye's voice quivering more and he now had tears on his face. 'I thought you would never come'
'Well I couldn't come 12,00 miles and see my own son'.
Dr. Pearce's visit seemed to speed up Hawkeye's recovery. The time that he spent in the camp came to an end and Hawk managed to bid a final goodbye to his father. Supported by Trapper, Hawk managed to hobble out to the jeep where his father was waiting for him.
'So' Hawkeye mumbled.
'So' his father repeated. 'Goodbye son' as he climbed into the jeep.
'Dad' Hawkeye started but stopped himself. His father stopped to look at Hawkeye, and gave him an encouraging smile.
'I know son, I know' Hawkeye's father put a hand on his sons shoulder.
Hawkeye put up his arms around his father and buried his face in the material of his coat. He had not felt emotion this strong since his father had said goodbye at San Francisco airport. Hawk pulled away to reveal glassy eyes and a pained expression.
'You be careful dad, I'll be home before you know it' Hawkeye stammered.
'I will, at least I know that it'll take more then this war to kill you now' his father joked.
As the jeep speeded off towards Seoul, Hawk just watched until the jeep and its passenger could no longer been seen. Trapper looked to his friend and decided to give him a change of scenery.
'Come on buddy' Trapper broke Hawkeye's silent thought.
Trap led him back to the Swamp, Hawkeye's home from home.
'Hey' Hawk muttered as he walked in 'Someone has sneaked in her and committed a neatness'.
Trapper laughed at this as he eased his buddy down onto his cot.
'Its good to have you back Hawk' Trap announced.
'Its good to be back Trap, am I still going to get hot and cold running nurses' Hawk joked.
'I've told them to take it easy with you until you get back on your feet' the mischief was once again dancing behind McIntyre's eyes. It had been missing for a long time.