Disclaimer: I do not own M*A*S*H, I just play with the toys. Please R+R!
Hawkeye's Seductress: Hey hun! Am soooo sorry for torture upon your weak state of mind and that this will make up for what I have done to you!
Sweet Preserves: Hope you are enjoying the story so far; Frank is a bad egg huh??? Do we think he will get what is coming to him?
Mirandabelle: Thanks so much for the encouragement! Finally, as promised about a year ago; here is your next fix of Chrissie and Hawkeye.
But You're A Girl - Chapter 16: Solitary Solitaire
"Hawkeye? Hawk?" nobody was home as Chrissie quickly discovered.
Sighing to herself, she pulled open the Swamp's weather beaten door. It creaked loudly in the morning air, how long was it since Radar agreed to oil the hinges? After pouring a rather large measure of raw sprits into a vaguely clean martini glass, Chrissie sat herself down on Trappers cot.
Glancing around, he gaze fell upon an unfinished game of solitaire. Trapper, bless him; he may be a wonderful surgeon and terrific doctor but when it can to solo card games he seemed to lose a little of his charm, and his temper. Shaking her head with a sigh Chrissie lowered herself from the bunk and sat crossed-legged in front of the half played-out cards.
The lingering burn of gin tinged her throat as Chrissie picked up the remaining draw cards. Rolling the bitterness of the olive around her mouth she removed a three-card draw from the deck and surveyed the top card. The eight of spades was not a card that was particularly useful at that point.
Taking another draught, she knew another three cards, success! Chrissie had uncovered the last ace in the pack and placed it above the other cards with the previous suited sets.
"Excuse me Miss!" In all the time that Chrissie had known Trap, his faux British accent had not improved much if at all "but I do believe that that is my game!"
Swaggering forward, Trapper ruffled her hair as he sat in his chair. Said chair had only just been repaired after being broken for 3 weeks. Hawkeye thought it would more then amusing to slowly remove ½ inch lengths from each of the chair legs in turn. It was only when Trapper, in a highly intoxicated state, fell forward out of the chair and cracked his head on a corner of a table upon which the still sat. Three stitches later and only when a point had been conceded in default to Trapper had the madness stopped.
"Oi! Watch it you, there will be no touching of the hair" Chrissie waved a mocking finger at her drinking companion.
Taking faux offence to the beasting, Trapper wiped his eyes and slunk into the corner conveniently dragging a booted foot over the current card configuration.
"Ha!" He cried, sticking out his tongue.
In response Chrissie stuck her nose in the air and crossing her arms over her chest she gave a loud 'hmpf!' In unison both party's turned to one another and both laughed.
"No bother Trap" Chrissie grinned, "your hand was terrible anyway!"
Making the cards into a pile in front of her, she proceeded to re-shuffle the deck. Patience card games were something the Army had given her time to perfect despite Trappers frequent accusations that she cheats!
Running a finger across the creases in the backs of the cards, Chrissie found herself recounting the previous days events in her mind. She didn't even hear Trapper speaking, everything around her seemed to slow to a crawl, colours and shapes blurred around her. The only thing that anchored to a reality was the deck pressing into the creases of her fingers.
Feeling warm hands on her shoulders jolted her from the unpleasant reverie in which she has caught. Instinct told her to stiffen and shy away from the grasp but the sound of another familiar voice halted any movement.
"Chrissie?" Hawkeye had taken the deck of cards from her cold grasp and replaced with his own hands.
She blinked slowly as if trying to process what seemed to be an alien situation. Her hands trembled slightly in Hawkeye's grasp as a shiver whipped down her spine.
"Chrissie?" Hawk repeated, gently caressing her cold skin.
Christmas looked up at him with a surprised expression as if she had only just realised that he was there. Inadvertently pulling her hands from his, Chrissie backed away into Trapper and jumped. After the goosebumps had subsided, Chrissie realised where she was and that the arms holding her did not belong to Major. F. M. Burns.
"I….I….erm….." Chrissie stuttered, shivering again as if she were enveloped by a shadow. Reaching towards her right shoulder, Chrissie ran her fingers across the wound site made by Frank Burn's scalpel.
Hawkeye was at a lose for what to do or say, looking to Trapper for a prompt. Following his bunk mates lead Trapper slowly bent down and placed both arms around her and pulled Chrissie into what he hoped would be interpreted as a friendly yet reassuring hug.
"I'm..I'm sorry, I don't know what just happened" Chrissie stammered, raising a hand to wipe away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks.
"It's okay, its okay Chrissie" Trap mumbled into her ear, pushing stray lengths of hair from her eyes.
"All because you ruined the cards" Chrissie joked, a sad smile bending her features but her eyes still told a story of misery and fear.
Trapper grinned, knowing that he should try to lighten the tension; he pushed himself to his feet, placing thumbs into imaginary braces and puffing out his chest in the manner of a cartoon mayor.
"No if you'll excuse me, Klinger and I have a date this evening" Trapper puffed on an imaginary pipe while he gesticulated his plan.
"I thought I was your date for this evening" Chrissie cleared her throat and grinned up at Trap.
"I'm a married man honey, I only go out with women that don't know that" Before Trap could stop him, Hawkeye had thrown the pack of playing cards at his bunkmate, scattering them everywhere.
"Hey!" Trapper retrieving the card stuck in a shirt button and continuing "the ace of hearts, what are the chances!" With this pronouncement Trapper turned, saluted the still and promptly frog-marched from the tent.
Hawk and Chrissie sat in silence long after the door had banged shut. She felt as if something was lodged in her throat, she was lost in thought. The tears that had threatened to fall overwhelmed her senses as they spilt over her cheeks.
"Oh Chrissie" Hawk sighed as he pulled her into tight embrace; running his fingers through her hair as she sobbed.