"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!"
Jo turned to find the young man running up to her. "Radar?"
"Lieutenant," he panted. In his hand he clenched a piece of paper. He took several deep breaths and held it up to her. "Lieutenant, this came for you. I thought you would want to see it right away."
Jo grabbed the paper. Holding it up, she began to read.
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE BIRTH OF EDWARD ANDREW BRYANT. LETTER AND PHOTO TO FOLLOW.
Jo grinned and grabbed Radar's shoulders. "Do you know what this means?"
"No sir. I mean ma'am. I mean I didn't read it. I mean I didn't mean to."
"It's okay Radar. And call me Jo. No, this," Jo shook the paper, "this means that I am an aunt!"
"Congratulations, ma'am - I mean Jo," Radar said. "Hey that's really terrific."
"I can't believe it. I've got to find Bonnie! I promised I'd tell her right away. Do you know where she is?"
Jo looked at Radar, but he stared back blankly.
"Radar? Did you hear me? Do you know where... No," Jo said, realizing what he was listening to. "It's the choppers, isn't it?"
"Choppers!" Radar answered, running toward the middle of the compound.
Throughout the night, the fighting drew closer. As shells exploded in the compound, more and more wounded poured in. Whenever there was a spare moment, Jo snuck a nap. Often she caught ten or fifteen minutes before someone was shaking her awake.
"Jo? Jo, I'm real sorry, but you gotta get up. There are more wounded coming in."
"It's okay Radar," Jo said, rubbing her eyes and getting up from the corner she had found to curl up in. She ran a hand through her hair. It was greasy and, Jo imagined, stringy. She couldn't remember her last shower. Her teeth were mossy and her stomach growled. She paused, leaning in the corner. She could feel her eyes rolling back as their lids closed.
"Jo?"
Her eyes snapped open. "Coming, Radar."
"We're ready for another one!" B.J. called.
Jo leaned against the table. Her eyes were heavy. States-side she never would have been allowed in the operating room if she were this tired. Here she was just one of many tired nurses and doctors. She gave her head a shake and forced her eyes wide.
"Scalpel!"
"Scalpel," Jo repeated. Her eyes couldn't focus on the instrument tray. She found the scalpel by instinct, rather than recognition.
"Jo, how long have you been on?" B.J. asked her.
"Not as long as you. Nearly sixteen hours, I think."
"I had a break four hours ago when things slowed down a bit."
"I was on-duty in post-op then," Jo replied.
"Take a break," B.J. told her.
"I'm fine," objected Jo.
"You're exhausted. Margaret, get me another nurse!"
Jo didn't move, even when the head nurse came up beside her at the table.
"Lieutenant, take a break. That's an order."
Jo stepped back from the table, and backed out of the operating room. Somehow she made her way back to her tent and found her cot. The camp was still being shelled and the artillery punctured her sleep. The tent was pitch black, with all the screens covered heavily.
The ground shook and Jo sat up from her sleep. For a moment she was blind as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Jo lay back down. It had been close - closer that Jo had ever experienced or wanted to experience. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the explosions all around her. Another one hit and Jo felt her cot shake. She pulled the covers over her head and began to pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven (another explosion), hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come (this time even closer), thy will be done (she pretended not to hear the screams and splintering wood) on earth as it is in heaven.
Jo paused. The door swung open and Jo could see the light streaming into the tent, even though she was under her blanket.
"Jo? You in here?" It was Radar, and his voice was shaking.
"She's sleeping, Radar," came the reply from across the tent. Jo was surprised to hear anyone else. It had been so dark when she had collapsed in her cot she just assumed that she was alone.
"Bonnie? Is that you?" Jo could almost hear Radar blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark tent.
"Yes Radar. What do you need?"
"Major Houlihan sent me to get Lieutenant Avery. They need another nurse and the Major said to get Jo."
"I'll go Radar. I'm already awake. No point in waking her up too." Bonnie paused. Jo could still see the light through the weave of her blanket. "I'll meet you over there Radar, I just need to put on some pants."
"Oh, gee. Right. I mean, yes sir, er, ma'am," Radar stuttered as he stumbled from the tent.
Jo waited for the door to slam shut a second time, as Bonnie left the tent, and closed her eyes again. Here in her cot she was safe and she didn't plan on moving.
There was another explosion, perhaps the closest one yet. Jo gripped the sides of her cot, waiting for the shaking to subside. It took her a moment to realize that the ground had stopped shaking and that it was her own trembling that was continuing to shake the cot.
The door to the tent crashed open again and Jo flinched under her blanket.
"Jo, you gotta come quick!" There was a note of urgency in Radar's voice.
Reluctantly, Jo left the safety her cot and blankets provided.
"They said to go straight to the O.R.. That last blast injured a couple of people on the compound." Radar ran out of the tent as Jo quickly shoved her feet into boots.
Under the bright lights in the O.R., Jo saw something that made her heart stop. On one of the metal operating tables, lay a paler version of her friend. Bonnie's clothes were covered in dirt and soot and blood. Jo's face drained of colour.
"Jo! Get over here," Hawkeye instructed her. "Give me a hand."
Jo helped to pull back Bonnie's shirt to reveal the source of the blood. "Oh God," she gasped.
"There's nothing we can do," Hawkeye said quietly.
Jo watched as the corpsmen moved her friend from the operating room and fill her space with another wounded soldier.
"Go with her," Hawkeye said. "Stay with her... Stay with her until..."
Jo sat down next to her friend. Bonnie's breathing was shallow and ragged. It wouldn't be much longer. Jo wasn't even aware she was crying until she unconsciously wiped a teardrop from her nose. When she looked up, Father Mulcahy was standing on the other side of the bed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want to interrupt, but..."
"Of course," Jo said, moving to the end of the bed. She watched quietly as Father Mulcahy administered the last rites to her best friend.
Bonnie's chest struggled to rise and fall with each breath. Then it just stopped. It was as if one moment she was there, and the next she wasn't.
Jo stood there, watching as the pain eased from her friend's face. It was almost as though Bonnie were smiling.
Gently a hand touched her shoulder.
"She's gone, Lieutenant," the head nurse softly said.
"I know," Jo answered.
"We need you in the O.R.. There are some soldiers who are living who need you."
Jo turned to find the young man running up to her. "Radar?"
"Lieutenant," he panted. In his hand he clenched a piece of paper. He took several deep breaths and held it up to her. "Lieutenant, this came for you. I thought you would want to see it right away."
Jo grabbed the paper. Holding it up, she began to read.
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE BIRTH OF EDWARD ANDREW BRYANT. LETTER AND PHOTO TO FOLLOW.
Jo grinned and grabbed Radar's shoulders. "Do you know what this means?"
"No sir. I mean ma'am. I mean I didn't read it. I mean I didn't mean to."
"It's okay Radar. And call me Jo. No, this," Jo shook the paper, "this means that I am an aunt!"
"Congratulations, ma'am - I mean Jo," Radar said. "Hey that's really terrific."
"I can't believe it. I've got to find Bonnie! I promised I'd tell her right away. Do you know where she is?"
Jo looked at Radar, but he stared back blankly.
"Radar? Did you hear me? Do you know where... No," Jo said, realizing what he was listening to. "It's the choppers, isn't it?"
"Choppers!" Radar answered, running toward the middle of the compound.
Throughout the night, the fighting drew closer. As shells exploded in the compound, more and more wounded poured in. Whenever there was a spare moment, Jo snuck a nap. Often she caught ten or fifteen minutes before someone was shaking her awake.
"Jo? Jo, I'm real sorry, but you gotta get up. There are more wounded coming in."
"It's okay Radar," Jo said, rubbing her eyes and getting up from the corner she had found to curl up in. She ran a hand through her hair. It was greasy and, Jo imagined, stringy. She couldn't remember her last shower. Her teeth were mossy and her stomach growled. She paused, leaning in the corner. She could feel her eyes rolling back as their lids closed.
"Jo?"
Her eyes snapped open. "Coming, Radar."
"We're ready for another one!" B.J. called.
Jo leaned against the table. Her eyes were heavy. States-side she never would have been allowed in the operating room if she were this tired. Here she was just one of many tired nurses and doctors. She gave her head a shake and forced her eyes wide.
"Scalpel!"
"Scalpel," Jo repeated. Her eyes couldn't focus on the instrument tray. She found the scalpel by instinct, rather than recognition.
"Jo, how long have you been on?" B.J. asked her.
"Not as long as you. Nearly sixteen hours, I think."
"I had a break four hours ago when things slowed down a bit."
"I was on-duty in post-op then," Jo replied.
"Take a break," B.J. told her.
"I'm fine," objected Jo.
"You're exhausted. Margaret, get me another nurse!"
Jo didn't move, even when the head nurse came up beside her at the table.
"Lieutenant, take a break. That's an order."
Jo stepped back from the table, and backed out of the operating room. Somehow she made her way back to her tent and found her cot. The camp was still being shelled and the artillery punctured her sleep. The tent was pitch black, with all the screens covered heavily.
The ground shook and Jo sat up from her sleep. For a moment she was blind as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Jo lay back down. It had been close - closer that Jo had ever experienced or wanted to experience. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the explosions all around her. Another one hit and Jo felt her cot shake. She pulled the covers over her head and began to pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven (another explosion), hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come (this time even closer), thy will be done (she pretended not to hear the screams and splintering wood) on earth as it is in heaven.
Jo paused. The door swung open and Jo could see the light streaming into the tent, even though she was under her blanket.
"Jo? You in here?" It was Radar, and his voice was shaking.
"She's sleeping, Radar," came the reply from across the tent. Jo was surprised to hear anyone else. It had been so dark when she had collapsed in her cot she just assumed that she was alone.
"Bonnie? Is that you?" Jo could almost hear Radar blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark tent.
"Yes Radar. What do you need?"
"Major Houlihan sent me to get Lieutenant Avery. They need another nurse and the Major said to get Jo."
"I'll go Radar. I'm already awake. No point in waking her up too." Bonnie paused. Jo could still see the light through the weave of her blanket. "I'll meet you over there Radar, I just need to put on some pants."
"Oh, gee. Right. I mean, yes sir, er, ma'am," Radar stuttered as he stumbled from the tent.
Jo waited for the door to slam shut a second time, as Bonnie left the tent, and closed her eyes again. Here in her cot she was safe and she didn't plan on moving.
There was another explosion, perhaps the closest one yet. Jo gripped the sides of her cot, waiting for the shaking to subside. It took her a moment to realize that the ground had stopped shaking and that it was her own trembling that was continuing to shake the cot.
The door to the tent crashed open again and Jo flinched under her blanket.
"Jo, you gotta come quick!" There was a note of urgency in Radar's voice.
Reluctantly, Jo left the safety her cot and blankets provided.
"They said to go straight to the O.R.. That last blast injured a couple of people on the compound." Radar ran out of the tent as Jo quickly shoved her feet into boots.
Under the bright lights in the O.R., Jo saw something that made her heart stop. On one of the metal operating tables, lay a paler version of her friend. Bonnie's clothes were covered in dirt and soot and blood. Jo's face drained of colour.
"Jo! Get over here," Hawkeye instructed her. "Give me a hand."
Jo helped to pull back Bonnie's shirt to reveal the source of the blood. "Oh God," she gasped.
"There's nothing we can do," Hawkeye said quietly.
Jo watched as the corpsmen moved her friend from the operating room and fill her space with another wounded soldier.
"Go with her," Hawkeye said. "Stay with her... Stay with her until..."
Jo sat down next to her friend. Bonnie's breathing was shallow and ragged. It wouldn't be much longer. Jo wasn't even aware she was crying until she unconsciously wiped a teardrop from her nose. When she looked up, Father Mulcahy was standing on the other side of the bed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want to interrupt, but..."
"Of course," Jo said, moving to the end of the bed. She watched quietly as Father Mulcahy administered the last rites to her best friend.
Bonnie's chest struggled to rise and fall with each breath. Then it just stopped. It was as if one moment she was there, and the next she wasn't.
Jo stood there, watching as the pain eased from her friend's face. It was almost as though Bonnie were smiling.
Gently a hand touched her shoulder.
"She's gone, Lieutenant," the head nurse softly said.
"I know," Jo answered.
"We need you in the O.R.. There are some soldiers who are living who need you."
