Original fic. Chapter two is this same fic, but rewritten, because Charles
is way outta character!
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
About to follow his patient into the operating tent, Charles noticed someone getting down from the truck. It was a young, non-Korean girl of maybe 16, with dark black hair and grubby skin. Turning, she noticed Charles, and she bolted. Charles caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
'No you don't!' He told her.
'Let me go!' She said, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
'Colonel.' Charles said, taking her to Colonel Potter.
'What is it, Major?' Potter asked, obviously not in a good mood.
'I found this spy,' Charles pulled hard on the girl's arm to make his point. 'Getting down from the truck.'
'We'll have to deal with her later.' Potter told him.
'But she's a spy!' Charles protested.
'Major! The people in there are not getting healthier as we stand here!' Potter said. 'Get Klinger to watch her, and after we've looked after the patients, we'll see to the girl!' Grumbling to himself, Charles led the girl to another tent. The girl gave a small squeak at the sight of the person in the tent.
'Hi Charles.' The man inside said, looking up at the noise. 'Who's this?'
'Colonel Potter wants you to watch her, he has patients now.' Charles said with malice. Klinger nodded.
'I'll watch her.' He agreed. He and the girl were left in the tent alone. Her eyes flicked around the room, looking for an escape. She seemed a little frightened at the floral dress the man was wearing instead of uniform. Suddenly, she turned and ran out the door. Klinger jumped up from his bunk and followed her, trying not to trip over in his high heels. He caught her just outside the mess tent.
'Let go of me!' She shouted when Klinger grabbed her arm.
'Hey, what do you think you're doing?' He asked the girl, but she was surprised he hadn't used a harsh tone like Charles.
'You're not going to yell at me?' She asked.
'Why? You haven't done anything wrong, really.' Klinger said. 'Come on, come back to my tent. I just have to keep an eye on you so the Colonel can ask you a couple of questions later on.' Klinger took her back to his tent.
'Where're you from?' Klinger asked kindly.
'Australia.' She said after a little while.
'Sit down, I won't bite you.' Klinger said. The girl sat on the dirt floor of the tent. 'I'm Klinger.' He said finally.
'Why are you wearing a dress?' The girl blurted out. She looked ashamed of herself. 'Sorry.' She mumbled.
'I'm trying to get a discharge.' Klinger explained. 'Trying to look crazy. But Colonel Potter knows I'm faking, so he won't give me one.' Klinger explained. 'So, who are you?'
'I'm Kat, though, I'm getting the nickname, "Black Kat" because I'm unlucky.' Kat said, looking at the floor.
'Really? Why?' Klinger asked, interestedly.
'My parents died when I was a baby, and I've been adopted a few times. They've all died. During the war, I've had seven people look after me already.' Kat said quietly. 'The rest have all been killed. They usually have no family outside the war, and I have to keep on moving.'
'I think I've heard of you from one of the recovering patients.' Klinger said. Kat lay down after a while, and yawned. 'Wouldn't a bed be more comfortable?' Klinger asked. Kat made no movement, she was already asleep. Klinger got up and went to get a pillow. He lifted the girl's head up and put it under her.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Twelve hours later, Kat was taken to Colonel Potter's office.
'I don't know what all the fuss is about, Charles, she's just a kid!' Klinger said.
'She's a spy!' Charles yelled. 'I know it! What else would she be doing here if she isn't injured?'
'Her father.' Klinger replied.
'Adoptive father.' Kat whispered.
'That could just be a cover up story.' Charles told Colonel Potter.
'Ask the other soldiers.' Kat spoke up. As the entered the medical tent, Hawkeye came out.
'Colonel Potter, we lost someone.' He said gravely. Kat looked scared. They walked to one of the beds. Kat let out a stifled cry. Potter was talking to a few of the other patients.
'Your story checks out, but you can't stay here.' He told Kat.
'I'll sleep on the floor! Don't send me back!' Kat was almost crying.
'There's just no room for someone who can't operate on the injured. The next truck will be along soon to pick these guys up. You can go with them.' Kat nodded, giving up, and Colonel Potter left.
'I'm guessing this is the guy who was watching out for you before, huh?' Klinger said. Kat nodded.
'I don't want to go back out there. I've seen so many people die.' She whispered. Klinger thought for a few minutes.
'Jump off the truck, just out of sight of camp. Come back, and I'll hide you.' He grinned, and left.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat got onto the truck quietly, and Klinger winked to her as the doors shut. About ten minutes later, Kat was back at the camp. She quickly hid in Klinger's tent and waited. Klinger appeared half an hour later, floral dress and all. Kat lasted a whole day at the camp, until she was found out by Colonel Potter. He found her in the kitchen, helping herself to a little food.
'I thought I told you to go home!' He thundered. Kat stood there, looking like a three year old who'd be caught with her fingers in a cookie jar.
'I have no home.' She replied.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
The whole story came out in Colonel Potter's tent, half an hour later. Kat was sent off again, not to return unless whoever was looking after her that time was injured.
'You couldn't have looked after her.' Potter told Klinger. 'This is for the best.' Hawkeye and BJ went to find Klinger in Rosie's bar later on.
'Do you think she'll be alright?' Klinger asked them.
'She's looked after herself for this long during the war.' BJ said.
'She'll be fine.' Hawkeye added.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week later, four patients came in. Three were soldiers, and the fourth was Kat. Kat was in bad shape, having lost a lot of blood from a head wound and had three bullet's in her, two in her arm and one in her leg.
'Poor kid.' Hawkeye murmured as he watched Charles begin to operate on her.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat woke up, several hours later, on one of the hospital beds.
'Hey Black Kat, I see you've recovered. We almost lost you back then.' Hawkeye said, reading her chart carefully.
'What happened to the others?' She asked, for the first time, feeling the pain in her arm and leg.
'Died. You're the only survivor.' Hawkeye said quietly.
'Ten. I've had ten adoptive parents, and they've all died.' Kat whispered.
'Sounds like you owe a cat an extra life.' BJ said from the doorway. 'Colonel Potter said you could stay a while, and if you don't want to stay, or if we decide there's no room for you, you go, otherwise you're allowed to stay permanently.' Kat sat up a little.
'Really?' She asked. Hawkeye and BJ nodded. Kat lay down again with a happy smile on her face.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat was limping around the camp in the next few days. She tried to be helpful, even cooking some of the meals. On her third day there, Margaret offered to share her tent with her so there'd be room for other patients. Margaret bonded quickly with Kat, finding her to be an excellent listener.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week after Kat had been brought in, BJ and Hawkeye were playing cards when Charles came in.
'I can't believe that. child is still here!' Charles said, sitting on his bed. 'She's a menace!'
'Careful Charles, the evil spirit living with Kat for her whole life will get you.' BJ said, smiling slightly.
'What nonsense!' Charles scoffed as a hand zapped out from under the bed and grabbed his leg. Charles ran from the tent, and Hawkeye, BJ and Kat, under Charles' bed, burst out laughing.
'It was worth sitting under there for half an hour!' Kat said, being helped out by Hawkeye and BJ.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat's arm and leg had almost healed up when Colonel Potter called her and several of the others into his tent to decide if she could stay.
'I think she should stay.' Margaret said. 'I don't mind that she has to share my tent with me.'
'Let the kid stay, she's been through so much.' Klinger pleaded.
'What he said.' Hawkeye pointed to Klinger and BJ nodded.
'I'm standing by what I said about her before.' Charles said stubbornly. 'What use does she have here?'
'She an excellent cook.' Hawkeye said.
'She knows when to keep out of the way.' Added BJ.
'She's a good listener.' Margaret said.
'And she's been taking very good care after Sophie, Colonel.' Klinger finished. Colonel Potter looked up.
'What?' He asked.
'I've been brushing your horse every day.' Kat said quietly.
'She stays.' Colonel Potter said. Charles was annoyed. He didn't want the girl hanging around.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat was sitting on the floor in Charles, BJ and Hawkeye's tent, reading one of the few books in camp. Charles came in and spotted her.
'I am going to get rid of her, if it's the last thing I do!' he thought angrily. Kat looked up.
'Oh, hi Charles.' She said, turning back to her book. Charles got some operation instruments and started to clean them carefully. He picked up the knife he used for making the incision in a patient and went to the door. He locked it, and Kat looked up at the click. She saw the knife in his hand as he walked toward her and gave a small scream, then ran. BJ and Hawkeye, walking past the tent, heard a clatter and managed to break the lock. Kat ran out and hid behind Hawkeye. Glancing at her, Hawkeye noticed some of the stitches on her arm had come undone.
'Come on Black Kat, we'd better get these fixed up again.' He said kindly. As they walked toward the medical tent, all Kat could hear was Charles menacing laugh.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'So what happened in there?' Hawkeye asked as he looked at the cut on Kat's forearm.
'I think Charles was going kill me.' Kat stuttered a little. Hawkeye looked at her intently.
'Charles is a pain, but somehow I don't see him doing that. I think it was just a prank. You know, he's really peeved you're still hanging around.' Kat nodded.
'He frightened me though. I thought he really was going to.' She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, hoping Hawkeye hadn't seen it.
'I'll talk to him.' Hawkeye said. 'And I promise it won't happen again.' Kat nodded again and got up.
'Thanks Hawkeye.' She said before slipping quietly into the darkening camp.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'It was a joke.' BJ told Hawkeye. 'To try and get rid of old Black Kat. Or so he says.'
'She'll be scarred for life if we're unlucky.' Hawkeye shook his head. 'Having nightmares about mad men running after her with guns and knives.'
'He really doesn't like her for some reason.' BJ said. 'I mean, she's just a kid. Heck, she's not even Korean!'
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat tried to avoid Charles as much as possible after that. She made sure she was always with someone if she knew she'd see him somewhere. Suddenly, small items around the camp began disappearing.
'Where's my mirror!' Margaret demanded.
'I can't seem to find my shoes.' BJ said.
'Has anyone seen my hat?' Klinger asked. This was plan two of Charles'. He had hidden the missing items under Kat's bed. It was only a matter of time.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'I left my socks here just ten minutes ago, and now they've gone.' Hawkeye said, pulling the covers off of his bed. Margaret burst into the tent, Kat following her.
'I just found all this under Kat's bed.' She said, holding out all the missing things. Charles smiled secretly from his bed. Klinger came into the tent.
'My hat! You found my hat!' he exclaimed, shoving the yellow, wide brimmed sun hat on his head. 'Where'd you find it?'
'Under Kat's bed.' Margaret said stiffly.
'My socks are here, too. I only put them down ten minutes ago.' Hawkeye said.
'Kat can't have stolen these things then. She's been with me all morning.' Margaret looked at Kat. 'I'm sorry for accusing you.' She apologised.
'It's ok. But I told you I didn't take those things.' Kat said.
'Then who did?' BJ asked.
'Who hasn't had anything stolen in the last two days, and who has a grudge on Kat?' Klinger glared at Charles. Charles stuck his nose in the air and stalked out.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
For the first time in a few days, Kat went up to Charles alone.
'You don't like me, do you?' She asked.
'Who told you?' Sniffed Charles.
'I already know, but I need to know why you don't like me.' Kat said.
'I don't know! Leave me alone!' Charles snapped.
'If you want me to leave, all you had to do was ask me to.' Kat said.
'I have.' Charles replied.
'No you haven't. you've told everyone I should have to leave, but you haven't asked me to leave.' Kat told him.
'Fine. I ask you to leave.' Charles said. Kat stood there for a moment.
'I'll be gone in the morning.' She promised.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat's things were gone in the morning, along with Kat, just like she said.
'Why'd that poor kid have to leave?' BJ asked. 'She was welcome here.'
'Maybe she was tired of being around here, seeing all the dying people.' Hawkeye suggested.
'I think she's heading back to her own headquarters to tell the enemy all she found out while she was here.' Charles growled from his bed.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A mangled body was brought in the next day. It was Kat. She had died on the trip to MASH 4077, but they had brought her the whole way back anyway. Charles was sitting on a log near the edge of camp, blaming himself. If he hadn't told her to go away. Klinger joined him.
'She respected everyone here, you know.' He said as he sat beside Charles. 'She thought we all had so much courage for what we were doing, trying to save so many people's lives. She thought everyone here deserved a medal, even you, even when you hated her so much.'
'Why would she?' Charles asked.
'Why do you think she left? Really, tell me why you think she left.' Klinger asked. 'Before she left, she told me, and it was because you asked her to. You saved her life, and she thought she owed you.'
'I feel sorry for that young child now.' Charles said after a while. 'She had her whole life in front of her.' Klinger and Charles stood up.
'All we can do now is remember her.' Klinger said as they looked at the cross, near the border of camp.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
About to follow his patient into the operating tent, Charles noticed someone getting down from the truck. It was a young, non-Korean girl of maybe 16, with dark black hair and grubby skin. Turning, she noticed Charles, and she bolted. Charles caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
'No you don't!' He told her.
'Let me go!' She said, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
'Colonel.' Charles said, taking her to Colonel Potter.
'What is it, Major?' Potter asked, obviously not in a good mood.
'I found this spy,' Charles pulled hard on the girl's arm to make his point. 'Getting down from the truck.'
'We'll have to deal with her later.' Potter told him.
'But she's a spy!' Charles protested.
'Major! The people in there are not getting healthier as we stand here!' Potter said. 'Get Klinger to watch her, and after we've looked after the patients, we'll see to the girl!' Grumbling to himself, Charles led the girl to another tent. The girl gave a small squeak at the sight of the person in the tent.
'Hi Charles.' The man inside said, looking up at the noise. 'Who's this?'
'Colonel Potter wants you to watch her, he has patients now.' Charles said with malice. Klinger nodded.
'I'll watch her.' He agreed. He and the girl were left in the tent alone. Her eyes flicked around the room, looking for an escape. She seemed a little frightened at the floral dress the man was wearing instead of uniform. Suddenly, she turned and ran out the door. Klinger jumped up from his bunk and followed her, trying not to trip over in his high heels. He caught her just outside the mess tent.
'Let go of me!' She shouted when Klinger grabbed her arm.
'Hey, what do you think you're doing?' He asked the girl, but she was surprised he hadn't used a harsh tone like Charles.
'You're not going to yell at me?' She asked.
'Why? You haven't done anything wrong, really.' Klinger said. 'Come on, come back to my tent. I just have to keep an eye on you so the Colonel can ask you a couple of questions later on.' Klinger took her back to his tent.
'Where're you from?' Klinger asked kindly.
'Australia.' She said after a little while.
'Sit down, I won't bite you.' Klinger said. The girl sat on the dirt floor of the tent. 'I'm Klinger.' He said finally.
'Why are you wearing a dress?' The girl blurted out. She looked ashamed of herself. 'Sorry.' She mumbled.
'I'm trying to get a discharge.' Klinger explained. 'Trying to look crazy. But Colonel Potter knows I'm faking, so he won't give me one.' Klinger explained. 'So, who are you?'
'I'm Kat, though, I'm getting the nickname, "Black Kat" because I'm unlucky.' Kat said, looking at the floor.
'Really? Why?' Klinger asked, interestedly.
'My parents died when I was a baby, and I've been adopted a few times. They've all died. During the war, I've had seven people look after me already.' Kat said quietly. 'The rest have all been killed. They usually have no family outside the war, and I have to keep on moving.'
'I think I've heard of you from one of the recovering patients.' Klinger said. Kat lay down after a while, and yawned. 'Wouldn't a bed be more comfortable?' Klinger asked. Kat made no movement, she was already asleep. Klinger got up and went to get a pillow. He lifted the girl's head up and put it under her.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Twelve hours later, Kat was taken to Colonel Potter's office.
'I don't know what all the fuss is about, Charles, she's just a kid!' Klinger said.
'She's a spy!' Charles yelled. 'I know it! What else would she be doing here if she isn't injured?'
'Her father.' Klinger replied.
'Adoptive father.' Kat whispered.
'That could just be a cover up story.' Charles told Colonel Potter.
'Ask the other soldiers.' Kat spoke up. As the entered the medical tent, Hawkeye came out.
'Colonel Potter, we lost someone.' He said gravely. Kat looked scared. They walked to one of the beds. Kat let out a stifled cry. Potter was talking to a few of the other patients.
'Your story checks out, but you can't stay here.' He told Kat.
'I'll sleep on the floor! Don't send me back!' Kat was almost crying.
'There's just no room for someone who can't operate on the injured. The next truck will be along soon to pick these guys up. You can go with them.' Kat nodded, giving up, and Colonel Potter left.
'I'm guessing this is the guy who was watching out for you before, huh?' Klinger said. Kat nodded.
'I don't want to go back out there. I've seen so many people die.' She whispered. Klinger thought for a few minutes.
'Jump off the truck, just out of sight of camp. Come back, and I'll hide you.' He grinned, and left.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat got onto the truck quietly, and Klinger winked to her as the doors shut. About ten minutes later, Kat was back at the camp. She quickly hid in Klinger's tent and waited. Klinger appeared half an hour later, floral dress and all. Kat lasted a whole day at the camp, until she was found out by Colonel Potter. He found her in the kitchen, helping herself to a little food.
'I thought I told you to go home!' He thundered. Kat stood there, looking like a three year old who'd be caught with her fingers in a cookie jar.
'I have no home.' She replied.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
The whole story came out in Colonel Potter's tent, half an hour later. Kat was sent off again, not to return unless whoever was looking after her that time was injured.
'You couldn't have looked after her.' Potter told Klinger. 'This is for the best.' Hawkeye and BJ went to find Klinger in Rosie's bar later on.
'Do you think she'll be alright?' Klinger asked them.
'She's looked after herself for this long during the war.' BJ said.
'She'll be fine.' Hawkeye added.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week later, four patients came in. Three were soldiers, and the fourth was Kat. Kat was in bad shape, having lost a lot of blood from a head wound and had three bullet's in her, two in her arm and one in her leg.
'Poor kid.' Hawkeye murmured as he watched Charles begin to operate on her.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat woke up, several hours later, on one of the hospital beds.
'Hey Black Kat, I see you've recovered. We almost lost you back then.' Hawkeye said, reading her chart carefully.
'What happened to the others?' She asked, for the first time, feeling the pain in her arm and leg.
'Died. You're the only survivor.' Hawkeye said quietly.
'Ten. I've had ten adoptive parents, and they've all died.' Kat whispered.
'Sounds like you owe a cat an extra life.' BJ said from the doorway. 'Colonel Potter said you could stay a while, and if you don't want to stay, or if we decide there's no room for you, you go, otherwise you're allowed to stay permanently.' Kat sat up a little.
'Really?' She asked. Hawkeye and BJ nodded. Kat lay down again with a happy smile on her face.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat was limping around the camp in the next few days. She tried to be helpful, even cooking some of the meals. On her third day there, Margaret offered to share her tent with her so there'd be room for other patients. Margaret bonded quickly with Kat, finding her to be an excellent listener.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A week after Kat had been brought in, BJ and Hawkeye were playing cards when Charles came in.
'I can't believe that. child is still here!' Charles said, sitting on his bed. 'She's a menace!'
'Careful Charles, the evil spirit living with Kat for her whole life will get you.' BJ said, smiling slightly.
'What nonsense!' Charles scoffed as a hand zapped out from under the bed and grabbed his leg. Charles ran from the tent, and Hawkeye, BJ and Kat, under Charles' bed, burst out laughing.
'It was worth sitting under there for half an hour!' Kat said, being helped out by Hawkeye and BJ.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat's arm and leg had almost healed up when Colonel Potter called her and several of the others into his tent to decide if she could stay.
'I think she should stay.' Margaret said. 'I don't mind that she has to share my tent with me.'
'Let the kid stay, she's been through so much.' Klinger pleaded.
'What he said.' Hawkeye pointed to Klinger and BJ nodded.
'I'm standing by what I said about her before.' Charles said stubbornly. 'What use does she have here?'
'She an excellent cook.' Hawkeye said.
'She knows when to keep out of the way.' Added BJ.
'She's a good listener.' Margaret said.
'And she's been taking very good care after Sophie, Colonel.' Klinger finished. Colonel Potter looked up.
'What?' He asked.
'I've been brushing your horse every day.' Kat said quietly.
'She stays.' Colonel Potter said. Charles was annoyed. He didn't want the girl hanging around.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat was sitting on the floor in Charles, BJ and Hawkeye's tent, reading one of the few books in camp. Charles came in and spotted her.
'I am going to get rid of her, if it's the last thing I do!' he thought angrily. Kat looked up.
'Oh, hi Charles.' She said, turning back to her book. Charles got some operation instruments and started to clean them carefully. He picked up the knife he used for making the incision in a patient and went to the door. He locked it, and Kat looked up at the click. She saw the knife in his hand as he walked toward her and gave a small scream, then ran. BJ and Hawkeye, walking past the tent, heard a clatter and managed to break the lock. Kat ran out and hid behind Hawkeye. Glancing at her, Hawkeye noticed some of the stitches on her arm had come undone.
'Come on Black Kat, we'd better get these fixed up again.' He said kindly. As they walked toward the medical tent, all Kat could hear was Charles menacing laugh.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'So what happened in there?' Hawkeye asked as he looked at the cut on Kat's forearm.
'I think Charles was going kill me.' Kat stuttered a little. Hawkeye looked at her intently.
'Charles is a pain, but somehow I don't see him doing that. I think it was just a prank. You know, he's really peeved you're still hanging around.' Kat nodded.
'He frightened me though. I thought he really was going to.' She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, hoping Hawkeye hadn't seen it.
'I'll talk to him.' Hawkeye said. 'And I promise it won't happen again.' Kat nodded again and got up.
'Thanks Hawkeye.' She said before slipping quietly into the darkening camp.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'It was a joke.' BJ told Hawkeye. 'To try and get rid of old Black Kat. Or so he says.'
'She'll be scarred for life if we're unlucky.' Hawkeye shook his head. 'Having nightmares about mad men running after her with guns and knives.'
'He really doesn't like her for some reason.' BJ said. 'I mean, she's just a kid. Heck, she's not even Korean!'
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat tried to avoid Charles as much as possible after that. She made sure she was always with someone if she knew she'd see him somewhere. Suddenly, small items around the camp began disappearing.
'Where's my mirror!' Margaret demanded.
'I can't seem to find my shoes.' BJ said.
'Has anyone seen my hat?' Klinger asked. This was plan two of Charles'. He had hidden the missing items under Kat's bed. It was only a matter of time.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'I left my socks here just ten minutes ago, and now they've gone.' Hawkeye said, pulling the covers off of his bed. Margaret burst into the tent, Kat following her.
'I just found all this under Kat's bed.' She said, holding out all the missing things. Charles smiled secretly from his bed. Klinger came into the tent.
'My hat! You found my hat!' he exclaimed, shoving the yellow, wide brimmed sun hat on his head. 'Where'd you find it?'
'Under Kat's bed.' Margaret said stiffly.
'My socks are here, too. I only put them down ten minutes ago.' Hawkeye said.
'Kat can't have stolen these things then. She's been with me all morning.' Margaret looked at Kat. 'I'm sorry for accusing you.' She apologised.
'It's ok. But I told you I didn't take those things.' Kat said.
'Then who did?' BJ asked.
'Who hasn't had anything stolen in the last two days, and who has a grudge on Kat?' Klinger glared at Charles. Charles stuck his nose in the air and stalked out.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
For the first time in a few days, Kat went up to Charles alone.
'You don't like me, do you?' She asked.
'Who told you?' Sniffed Charles.
'I already know, but I need to know why you don't like me.' Kat said.
'I don't know! Leave me alone!' Charles snapped.
'If you want me to leave, all you had to do was ask me to.' Kat said.
'I have.' Charles replied.
'No you haven't. you've told everyone I should have to leave, but you haven't asked me to leave.' Kat told him.
'Fine. I ask you to leave.' Charles said. Kat stood there for a moment.
'I'll be gone in the morning.' She promised.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Kat's things were gone in the morning, along with Kat, just like she said.
'Why'd that poor kid have to leave?' BJ asked. 'She was welcome here.'
'Maybe she was tired of being around here, seeing all the dying people.' Hawkeye suggested.
'I think she's heading back to her own headquarters to tell the enemy all she found out while she was here.' Charles growled from his bed.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
A mangled body was brought in the next day. It was Kat. She had died on the trip to MASH 4077, but they had brought her the whole way back anyway. Charles was sitting on a log near the edge of camp, blaming himself. If he hadn't told her to go away. Klinger joined him.
'She respected everyone here, you know.' He said as he sat beside Charles. 'She thought we all had so much courage for what we were doing, trying to save so many people's lives. She thought everyone here deserved a medal, even you, even when you hated her so much.'
'Why would she?' Charles asked.
'Why do you think she left? Really, tell me why you think she left.' Klinger asked. 'Before she left, she told me, and it was because you asked her to. You saved her life, and she thought she owed you.'
'I feel sorry for that young child now.' Charles said after a while. 'She had her whole life in front of her.' Klinger and Charles stood up.
'All we can do now is remember her.' Klinger said as they looked at the cross, near the border of camp.