Standard disclaimer applies.
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WINCHESTER RESIDENCE, BOSTON, MASS: AUGUST 10, 1953.
Charles hung up the phone. Some knucklehead graduate from…of all places, Southwestern. The hospital wanted him again, for God sakes he thought, can't anyone do anything right.
He put down his cognac and grabbed his coat. "I'm not there to come running at their every beck and call" he muttered.
Besides, he had a date with that nice girl he met at the country club yesterday; hopefully this won't take more than….he looked at his watch, an hour.
Despite popular belief in the aristocratic circles of the town, Charles Emmerson Winchester the Third would someday sire an offspring, if those Korean mumps didn't get the better of him.
Who, me? He thought as he headed out the door. Stupid intern, stupid Southwestern med school, nothing ever right came out of Texas, he concluded.
Although Charles liked being out of the Swamp and the 4077th, he did have some fond memories of MASH and Korea. Despite how wonderful it was to be in "a real hospital with research facilities" it did bring some drawbacks.
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O'REILLY FARM, OTTUMWA, IOWA: AUGUST 11, 1953
Radar sat at the kitchen table, he flicked thorough the phone book. The house was fairly old, with old furniture and a big '50s style TV cabinet in one corner of the den. On the walls hung pictures of the family, Radar, Uncle Ed and his mom.
Dishes were soaking in the sink, those really should be washed he thought. The bright sunshine bathed the entire room with that country feel.
Radar sighed, he couldn't find a trace of Patti in the phone book, it figured he thought, the one chance he gets to meet someone special, it up and vanishes.
Maybe he'd lost the touch the Corps of Signals instilled in him, he thought and picked up the phone and dialed the operator.
"Hello? Sparky" instantly realizing what he'd said "yes, operator, it's Radar, and before you ask, yes I'm back".
It was good to live in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else, except that old lady who lived at the end of his road, with the many, many cats.
"I'd like a number for Haven, H-A-V-E-N, Lancaster, Missouri".
Radar promised Patti that he'd look her up when he got home, and with all things going to plan, he was about to make good on his word.
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MILL VALLEY GENERAL HOSPITAL, MILLVALLEY, CALIFORNIA.AUGUST 12, 1953.
BJ slumped down onto a seat in the call room, he'd just come out of 2 hours of surgery, how could someone do so much damage with a bottle rocket he wondered, and didn't really want to know the answer.
He'd only been home from Korea for a few weeks and didn't really want any reminders of being there, if he could help it.
The clock on the wall read 5:21pm, well, only another few minutes and I can go home, and he wasn't on call that evening, he'd arrange for a sitter and spend a night with Peg. Just like old times.
The phone rang, it was someone from the Emergency Room, he was needed on a consult, sigh.
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FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA, QUARTERS OF COL. MARGARET HOULIHAN: AUGUST 12, 1953.
Margaret sighed; she took off her lab coat, shiny eagle proudly displayed on the collar. It had been a long day, too long. At least there was no more Korea, no more MASH and no more stupid antics of Pierce / Trapper / Hunnicutt.
God how she missed him – as much as she hated his lack of Army morale, unmilitary behavior and constant hooch hoarding, she knew that he was something very special.
But he's gone, back to Maine she assumed, back to his cozy civilian practice. Not her, she'd re-upped for another six months as a career army brat. She'd taken the assignment at Fort Rucker because it was somewhere new.
The cold, hard way of Army life was beginning to dawn on her, a memo circulated to all staff mentioned a group of advisors going to support the government of "Vietnam" – where was that?
If it was anything like the "aid" to the Koreans, she wanted no part of it.
Maybe it was time to get out of the Army, onto a real hospital; she sighed and lay down on her bunk.
Margaret couldn't help noticing the photo of the 4077th on her nightstand.
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RESIDENCE OF DR. SHERMAN T. POTTER, HANNIBAL, MISSOURI: AUGUST 13, 1953.
The former Colonel sat on his front porch, the rambling old home perched nicely to face the warm sun, with any luck, it would last longer than mother nature intended, which couldn't be much longer/
In the distance, he could hear a car, more work for ol' doctor Potter? he thought, hopefully not. No, it was only the mailman making his daily 3 mile drive from town.
Sherm looked up as the mailman waved to him "morning Doc" he said, depositing a stack of mail into the mailbox.
He was hust about to get up and see what the postal stork had bought. Aww, beaver biscuits, the phone's began a' ringing.
"Who could that be?" he grumbled, Mildred was off with the grandkids till later so hopefully he could get a dash of painting in before heading into the office.
"Hello?" Potter answered
"Oh, sir, mail's here" someone said, before Sherman even had the thought to think about who it was, he replied.
"oh, thanks Radar" he hung up…..wait a second!, "Radar?". What in the name of Sam Hill was he doing round these parts?
Potter dashed outside, and sure enough, there was Radar, pulling up the driveway in his uncle Ed's 1951 Studebaker, steam rising from under the hood.
"RADAR" he bellowed "what on earth are you doing here?"
Radar stepped out and waved his way thorough the cloud of steam shooting out of the engine.
"I was heading up to Lancaster to find an old friend and I noticed on the map that this place is only at ½ hour out of the way…so I thought I'd stop by and see you and Mrs. Colonel Potter"
Sherm gave Radar a hug; it was good to see him after nearly a year. He'd gotten taller and seemed to be on his way to growing up, he was definitely not the person that left the 4077th behind in Korea.
Sherman gave him a slap on the back and beckoned to the house "how about some lunch son? And what on earth took you so long to get here" he asked.
"You must have left three days ago, it's only an hour's drive" the grey haired doctor enquired.
"Ah no sir, I've got to stop for water every ten minutes" he explained, just as he had to Patti at Kimpo, yes, Patti.
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PIERCE HOME, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: AUGUST 17, 1953.
Hawkeye sat at the kitchen table, Daniel was busy making breakfast, it was a Saturday and nothing much of anything was happening in Crabapple Cove.
The words of the kindly of Mrs. Morgan still filed his head, he had to find Margaret, but where to start looking?
Daniel put a pile of pancakes on a plate and placed them on the table, he noticed that something was worrying Hawkeye, not being one to let something slide right by, he asked what was wrong.
"Do you remember, err….in my letters" Hawk began, Daniel looked at him.
"Ben, I remember lots of things in your letters, I've got three years worth of them, be a bit more specific son" he said.
"Well…..do you remember that nurse I described, Major Houlihan?" Hawk said, a weight finally off his shoulders.
Daniel began to smile, "Uh-huh, are you trying to tell me what I think you are?"
Pierce sat up, "I might be…are you thinking that I didn't tell Margaret how I felt for three years and now it's too late, and that I'm worrying that I might never be able to find her and end up alone and childless?"
He sighed, that was enough big revelations for one day.
Daniel looked at his son, with a bit of a surprised look on his face, "well….no Hawkeye, not exactly, that is a bit more than I was expecting"
Hawkeye looked at his dad, "I know I want to find her, but I'm just not sure where to start"
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MCINTYRE HOME, BOSTON, MASS: AUGUST 19, 1953.
"WELL!" bellowed Trapper, sitting in his study, charts and books coming out his ears "where do you want me to start?"
He sighed and leaned back in his char "well….I've got budget problems up to here, my kids are moaning I don't spend enough time with them, because boneheads like you won't give me the resources I need to run a surgical department and on top of that…..it's Sunday and I got to drag my work home with me!"
He slammed the phone down, grunted and turned to the door "SHARON! Boil some coffee! We're not finished yet!"
A medium sized Becky McIntyre came in to see what here daddy was so angry about "Daddy, why are you mad?" she said, in a way that only a child can, looking at him with her big blue eyes.
John sighed, "Yeah daddy, and who's Sharon?" a confused Louise McIntyre asked, leaning in the doorway.
Looking rather dumb, Trapper looked at his wife "she's my secretary at the hospital, why do you ask?" he said.
"Because" explained Louise "you just asked 'Sharon' to boil some coffee, and that 'we're' not finished yet….John, is there something you're not telling me?"
"No, no" said Trapper "its just Price, that shithead of a hospital administrator"
"Ooooh!" retorted Becky, "Mommy, daddy said a naughty word!!"
Louise frowned at him, John rubbed his eyes and closed a thick book on his desk "I know sweetie, say, why don't I take you and Kathy out for ice-cream?" he said, bending down to pick her up.
He kissed Louise on the cheek and walked out into the den.
"Good" muttered, "it'll give me time to figure out how to kill Price"
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HUNNICUTT HOME, MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: AUGUST 20, 1953.
BJ was relaxing in the front yard; he'd been cutting the grass all morning and was taking some time out with his wife.
Erin played in her playpen. BJ was glad to be home, he hadn't seen his family in over three years and he enjoyed being on staff at a real hospital, with real people and this neighborhood was perfect.
He and Peg watched Erin playing, she seemed happy.
"Hey Peg?" he asked, leaning back in the lawn chair "seeing as how I was late home last night, what's say we go to the movies tonight, just the two of us?"
Peg sat up; she leaned over and gave him a big kiss "sure thing BJ".
"You know…" she began, "I know how much you missed Erin's first birthday, and I was thinking now that you're back for good, what about giving her a little brother to play with"
BJ sighed, "Not just now….wait a while".
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FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA, OFFICE OF MAJ. GEN. KELLEY: AUGUST 22, 1953.
The big, white haired General sat behind his large oak desk, medals and ribbons thickly lined his back wall, as did a medical degree from Harvard and a commissioned officer award from the USMA at WestPoint.
Margaret sat on the other side of him, waiting for him to say something. Just seeing this sleazy old coot made her want to run off with Hawkeye even more, he was just like all the other top brass, along comes a nice blonde nurse and they all clamber over each other for a sight of her.
The Colonel still couldn't figure out exactly what she saw in Pierce, but whatever it was, she wanted it.
"Now listen Colonel" the General began, "I'm a veteran….three wars, and I know what kind of crazy ideas vets like yourself get an…."
Margaret cut him off, "what do you mean 'crazy ideas'? You think I'm some kind of messed up 18 year old draftee or something?"
The General tried to get his foot out his mouth, but was jamming it in tighter "Err. ga,a..aaa,, bbbb…yy.." he spluttered out, sounding like Five O'clock Charlie.
Margaret sat up "I know why you asked me here, you heard I wanted to leave, and yes, you're right. I know I could make General some day and be in your position, but at least I won't be a dirty old sleazebag in charge of a base hospital full of young nurses" she seethed at him.
Major General Thomas looked shocked "Dirty…..old……just WHO do you think you're talking to Colonel, notice these stars on my shoulder, I outrank you, so I'd be very careful to whom you spit abuse at. You never know what I might decide to do" that ought to shut her up, he thought.
She looked at him "I wouldn't worry about what you can do to me, because…. I QUIT – you can shove your stars in your ear, I don't want to hear it!"
Margaret got up, did a 180° on her heel and stormed out as the General tried to splutter something in retaliation.
This was the last straw, she was out of here, and off to find Hawkeye.
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RESIDENCE OF MS. PATTY HAVEN, LANCASTER, MISSOURI: AUGUST 22, 1953.
Radar felt like a big blob of Jell-o as he stepped out the car and up to the front porch of the nice little home where Patti lived.
Freshly mowed lawns and colorful gardens surrounded the house, it was something out of a storybook.
He walked up to the front door and knocked, not sure what to expect.
After several seconds, Patti answered.
Radar wasn't sure who se was for a few seconds, the last time he saw her was months ago and this time she wasn't in an USANC uniform.
"Radar!" she yelled "Wow! Is this a surprise, I am sooo glad to see you"
Patti stepped forward and gave Radar a great big hug, he felt like a favorite teddy bear. "Well…..come on in!" she said, gesturing toward the door.
"So?" Patti asked, sitting down on the sofa "what brings you to Lancaster?"
Radar looked at her "well…" He began "you told me to look you up when we got home and here I am".
Patti got up, "would you like some lemonade?" she asked.
"Hmm….oh, sure" said Radar
He wasn't sure how to react, was she after something serious or not, did she want kids, did he???
His head swirled with thoughts.
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GREYHOUND BUS STATION, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: AUGUST 23, 1953.
Margaret stepped off the bus, she was in a daze.
She could smell him, Hawkeye was close by. The Colonel had taken a week off to think things thorough. She'd had enough with the Army.
It was getting dark and she wanted to find the Pierce home before it got too cold, the town population sign had quoted 7,258
Even still, it was strange and unfamiliar so she wanted to be safe.
Yes, she though, safe in the skilled hands of "Hawkeye the Sailor Man" as he once put it….although his yellow rubber duckee could wait its turn.
She picked up her two bags and walked to the information desk.
"Excuse me?" she asked the clerk on duty, "you wouldn't have a copy of the phone book I could borrow do you?"
The clerk, without batting an eyelid, grunted to a Bell Atlantic sign with "public phone" written on it, she thanked him and walked away.
"Peters, Preminger, Pierre, ah, Pierce!" She said, busily searching the phone book, "here we go, 'Pierce, Drs. D. J. and B.F., 1250 Seaview Lane, Lobster 8-4247'".
Boy, she thought, 'Seaview Lane' and the phone extension 'Lobster', what a cute little town. She could really settle in here.
Margaret walked outside and hailed a cab.
"Where to?" asked the cab driver "I can't say I've seen you round, from out of town?"
She smiled "yes, I'm visiting a friend, Hawkeye Pierce".
The cabbie shifted gears and drove off, no need to explain her destination.
"Yeah, Dr. Pierce, great guy, you know he just got back from the war. He did a great job on my stomach surgery and my wife told me he's even snagged himself a girl, wow, Hawkeye Pierce, married….that'll be the day!"
Margaret's heart began to do quadruple time, was she too late, did Hawkeye already have someone else….nah, not Hawkeye, surely.
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PIERCE HOME, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: AUGUST 23, 1953.
"Hawkeye" asked Daniel, who was sitting on the couch. "do you hear that?"
The younger Pierce looked up from adjusting the TV aerial "yes Dad, I do hear that, but who could it be at this hour?"
Hawk looked out the lounge window, the operator hadn't called to tell him that he was needed (911 was ten years away) he saw a cab coming down the road.
"What is it?" asked Daniel, annoyed that the TV had gone kabluooe again
"It's a cab, and wait a minute….." said Hawk, "its turning in here, who on earth could this be?"
Both Pierce men walked to the foyer, the cab pulled into the driveway and killed the engine….
The house was exactly as Margaret had imagined, a large and rambling country estate, with gardens and ferns all around. A deck that ran right around the entire house with great sea views.
She paid the cab driver and stepped out, Hawkeye opened the door to the house and….no, he must be imagining things.
The taxi backed out of the driveway as she ran to Hawkeye and threw his arms around him, Daniel Pierce just stood there, unable to process everything this quick.
"Margaret?" he asked, "what on earth are you, of all people, doing here!"
She squeezed him tighter "I needed to see you…" she said, her voice happy and full of vigor.
"I know" said Hawk, "I needed to see you too….."
This made all those horrible times in Korea seem worth it. All the nights they'd spent in the cold, wet tents or when it was too hot to imagine now seemed to have been the price to pay.