Kooshball Note: I think I'll spoil my readers today, and put two chapters
up instead of one. And on another note, ages and ages ago, I rewrote "Black
Kat" if anyone is interested. No? Well, go read it anyway!
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Izzy's eyes shot open when she heard the knock on her tent door.
'Oh Private! It's Captain Kaufmann,' someone called through in a singsong voice. He didn't have seemed to have sobered up any. Izzy lifted the back wall of her tent and crawled under the canvas. She took a quick look around before heading to the Swamp.
'Hawkeye,' Izzy hissed, trying not to wake Frank.
'I thought you were in your tent,' Hawkeye said, still half asleep.
'I was, but Kaufmann knows where I live,' Izzy said.
'You can sleep in the spare cot here again, if you want. Until Kaufmann leaves,' Hawkeye muttered before rolling over.
'I might go to Post op. It's probably safer there,' Izzy said in an annoyed voice before left the Swamp. She made sure she couldn't see Kaufmann anywhere before jogging to post op. Margaret was on duty, and BJ was hunched over a patient.
'Kaufmann's being paying house calls. He came to my tent just five minutes before,' Izzy said after getting his attention by poking him in the back. BJ glanced around the room and looked a little ashamed of himself.
'Sorry, Izzy,' he said.
'It's ok, no harm done. Hawkeye said I could stay in the Swamp until Kaufmann is shipped out, but he was half asleep when he said it. Can I get the same offer from someone who isn't?' Izzy asked. BJ grinned.
'Sure, it'll annoy Frank,' he replied. Izzy smiled, and sat on the empty cot beside the patient BJ was checking.
'I hate Kaufmann,' Izzy said eventually.
'He just gave you a scare, that's all,' BJ replied, standing up. Izzy followed him to the desk in the corner.
'I can't believe Hawkeye hit him,' Izzy continued. 'Do you think Kaufmann will try and press charges?'
'Odds are, he won't remember. Plus, like I said, you and Hawk have four witnesses,' BJ said, sitting at the desk.
'Hawkeye hit someone?' Margaret asked, making Izzy jump.
'Yeah, Kaufmann. He was drunk,' BJ said.
'And trying to get into my pants,' Izzy muttered.
'Kaufmann,' Margaret said, scanning the tent. 'Where is he now?'
'As far as I know, outside my tent, wondering why I won't answer the door,' Izzy replied.
'Should we go get him?' Margaret asked, frowning with worry.
'Probably. He might jump one of the nurses,' Izzy replied. 'I'd do it, but I don't trust him.'
'I'll get him. Keep an eye on the man in bed three, Margaret, and I'll be back in a few minutes,' BJ said, standing up and leaving Post op.
'So what happened?' Margaret asked Izzy. Izzy glanced up at the Major to see concern etched on her face. She remembered how nicer Margaret seemed after the court-martial incident.
'Well, I went into Rosie's to just relax,' Izzy began, and she told Margaret more or less what had happened a few hours earlier that night. Margaret looked shocked when Izzy had finished, and she looked up angrily when BJ brought in the swaying Kaufmann.
'I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!' she exclaimed, going to get up, but Izzy stopped her.
'Leave it, Margaret, Hawkeye already belted him on the chin,' Izzy said. 'He doesn't need two bruises so Kaufmann can say we jumped him or something.'
'I asked Radar to organise Captain Kaufmann to be shipped out in the morning,' BJ said, coming over. 'He's leaving on the first helicopter.'
'Good,' Izzy muttered to herself. 'Where did you find him?' she asked BJ.
'Uh.' The man looked uncomfortable for a second.
'He was in my tent, wasn't he?' Izzy asked. BJ nodded, then pulled something from his pocket.
'He kinda got angry you weren't there, so he ripped one of your pictures down,' BJ said, holding out the tattered piece of paper. It was her only coloured picture of Australia, the one of the desert plain with the trees. Izzy sighed sadly to herself.
'It doesn't matter,' she said. 'I've never been there anyway.' The bitterness in her voice was warning enough to keep Margaret and BJ quiet.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Izzy spent the night in Post op helping Margaret and BJ, until dawn, when a single ambulance came into the compound to take Kaufmann to the chopper pad. A few corpsmen came to help Kaufmann into the back, and Izzy stood by watching. Klinger came up to her, looking nervous.
'The Captain says he wants to talk to you,' he whispered. Izzy moved forward cautiously, and looked at the man holding his head.
'Dang hangover,' Kaufmann said. He spotted Izzy standing there, and beckoned her. 'They say you're the reason I'm leaving early. How can I thank you?' he asked, holding a hand out to Izzy. Izzy's eyes widened a little, but she took his hand and shook it.
'Keep off the drink, and try not to come back to the 4077th again,' Izzy replied, pulling her hand away quickly. Kaufmann got onto the ambulance, and Izzy slammed the door as hard as she could. There was a muffled groan from inside, which made Izzy smile slightly before the ambulance moved off. It might teach him not to drink too much again.
'Does Hawkeye know Kaufmann has left?' Izzy asked Klinger as the two headed towards the Mess tent.
'Nah, he's still asleep,' Klinger replied.
'Don't tell him about what just happened. Just say Kaufmann left without any trouble, or something,' Izzy said, throwing him a sideward glance.
'Gee, taking orders from a Private. Next thing you know, I won't be wearing dresses no more,' Klinger said, grinning. Izzy smiled back as she pushed the door open to the mess tent.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Izzy's eyes shot open when she heard the knock on her tent door.
'Oh Private! It's Captain Kaufmann,' someone called through in a singsong voice. He didn't have seemed to have sobered up any. Izzy lifted the back wall of her tent and crawled under the canvas. She took a quick look around before heading to the Swamp.
'Hawkeye,' Izzy hissed, trying not to wake Frank.
'I thought you were in your tent,' Hawkeye said, still half asleep.
'I was, but Kaufmann knows where I live,' Izzy said.
'You can sleep in the spare cot here again, if you want. Until Kaufmann leaves,' Hawkeye muttered before rolling over.
'I might go to Post op. It's probably safer there,' Izzy said in an annoyed voice before left the Swamp. She made sure she couldn't see Kaufmann anywhere before jogging to post op. Margaret was on duty, and BJ was hunched over a patient.
'Kaufmann's being paying house calls. He came to my tent just five minutes before,' Izzy said after getting his attention by poking him in the back. BJ glanced around the room and looked a little ashamed of himself.
'Sorry, Izzy,' he said.
'It's ok, no harm done. Hawkeye said I could stay in the Swamp until Kaufmann is shipped out, but he was half asleep when he said it. Can I get the same offer from someone who isn't?' Izzy asked. BJ grinned.
'Sure, it'll annoy Frank,' he replied. Izzy smiled, and sat on the empty cot beside the patient BJ was checking.
'I hate Kaufmann,' Izzy said eventually.
'He just gave you a scare, that's all,' BJ replied, standing up. Izzy followed him to the desk in the corner.
'I can't believe Hawkeye hit him,' Izzy continued. 'Do you think Kaufmann will try and press charges?'
'Odds are, he won't remember. Plus, like I said, you and Hawk have four witnesses,' BJ said, sitting at the desk.
'Hawkeye hit someone?' Margaret asked, making Izzy jump.
'Yeah, Kaufmann. He was drunk,' BJ said.
'And trying to get into my pants,' Izzy muttered.
'Kaufmann,' Margaret said, scanning the tent. 'Where is he now?'
'As far as I know, outside my tent, wondering why I won't answer the door,' Izzy replied.
'Should we go get him?' Margaret asked, frowning with worry.
'Probably. He might jump one of the nurses,' Izzy replied. 'I'd do it, but I don't trust him.'
'I'll get him. Keep an eye on the man in bed three, Margaret, and I'll be back in a few minutes,' BJ said, standing up and leaving Post op.
'So what happened?' Margaret asked Izzy. Izzy glanced up at the Major to see concern etched on her face. She remembered how nicer Margaret seemed after the court-martial incident.
'Well, I went into Rosie's to just relax,' Izzy began, and she told Margaret more or less what had happened a few hours earlier that night. Margaret looked shocked when Izzy had finished, and she looked up angrily when BJ brought in the swaying Kaufmann.
'I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!' she exclaimed, going to get up, but Izzy stopped her.
'Leave it, Margaret, Hawkeye already belted him on the chin,' Izzy said. 'He doesn't need two bruises so Kaufmann can say we jumped him or something.'
'I asked Radar to organise Captain Kaufmann to be shipped out in the morning,' BJ said, coming over. 'He's leaving on the first helicopter.'
'Good,' Izzy muttered to herself. 'Where did you find him?' she asked BJ.
'Uh.' The man looked uncomfortable for a second.
'He was in my tent, wasn't he?' Izzy asked. BJ nodded, then pulled something from his pocket.
'He kinda got angry you weren't there, so he ripped one of your pictures down,' BJ said, holding out the tattered piece of paper. It was her only coloured picture of Australia, the one of the desert plain with the trees. Izzy sighed sadly to herself.
'It doesn't matter,' she said. 'I've never been there anyway.' The bitterness in her voice was warning enough to keep Margaret and BJ quiet.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Izzy spent the night in Post op helping Margaret and BJ, until dawn, when a single ambulance came into the compound to take Kaufmann to the chopper pad. A few corpsmen came to help Kaufmann into the back, and Izzy stood by watching. Klinger came up to her, looking nervous.
'The Captain says he wants to talk to you,' he whispered. Izzy moved forward cautiously, and looked at the man holding his head.
'Dang hangover,' Kaufmann said. He spotted Izzy standing there, and beckoned her. 'They say you're the reason I'm leaving early. How can I thank you?' he asked, holding a hand out to Izzy. Izzy's eyes widened a little, but she took his hand and shook it.
'Keep off the drink, and try not to come back to the 4077th again,' Izzy replied, pulling her hand away quickly. Kaufmann got onto the ambulance, and Izzy slammed the door as hard as she could. There was a muffled groan from inside, which made Izzy smile slightly before the ambulance moved off. It might teach him not to drink too much again.
'Does Hawkeye know Kaufmann has left?' Izzy asked Klinger as the two headed towards the Mess tent.
'Nah, he's still asleep,' Klinger replied.
'Don't tell him about what just happened. Just say Kaufmann left without any trouble, or something,' Izzy said, throwing him a sideward glance.
'Gee, taking orders from a Private. Next thing you know, I won't be wearing dresses no more,' Klinger said, grinning. Izzy smiled back as she pushed the door open to the mess tent.