As Time Goes By Chapter 7: Good Times and Bad, a m*a*s*h fanfic

(Yes ………I'm still stuck in the '70s despite the face I was never in the '70s)

------------

RESIDENCE OF SHERMAN T. POTTER, HANNIBAL, MISSOURI: NOVEMBER 25, 1963.

That sweet country smell filled the air, the breeze blew gently and the sun shone. The funeral procession proceeded outside to the lawn, where the rolling country side engulfed the eye.

All the 4077th were in attendance. Radar, Hawkeye, BJ and Margaret along with Charles and Trapper acted as pallbearers

Everyone gathered around the casket, Father Mulchay stepped up to begin the service.

There was not a dry eye in the gathering, as the father finished, Hawkeye stepped up to deliver his eulogy as a bulgur cracked a high note on the taps.

"It was a little over ten years ago that we said goodbye, and now we must say goodbye forever. When we got word that a new 'regular army' man was coming as our new CO, everyone cringed at the thought of cold showers, marches, calisthenics and parades. We were however, thankfully misinformed, Sherman Potter was a very nice, caring person and guided me out of the dark many times when I felt that I was at the ropes' end"

He paused.

"Now, it brings me great sadness to think that such a great person lays there in the dark, unable to the guided into the light. Goodbye Sherm."

With that, Hawkeye stepped down.

On that day, the nation buried its President, the Dallas Police buried an officer and a select few, old war buddies, buried one of their own.

This was truly the day the music died, with no time to start again for the times they are-a changin'.

------------

PIERCE HOME, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: CHRISTMAS, 1963.

Once again, the snow was falling. Everyone had gathered at Pierce home with exception of Sherman, Mildred had managed to find solace within the group from the 4077th.

Everyone's kids played together in the den, the Klinger's two sons, Ben and Jane Pierce and the McIntyre children.

Erin Hunnicutt, now almost 11, insisted on helping Margaret, Peg and Louise make dinner.

"So" asked Trapper, "What's the big Pierce Christmas thing-a-magig for the year?"

"Wait and see" said Hawkeye.

With the latest events, there was no real great Christmas surprise, everyone ate dinner and sat together, thinking about all that had happened.

The assassination of the President, the ever escalating civil rights movement and the death of their gallant leader had sunk the morale of the 4077th.

------------

MCINTYRE RESIDENCE, BOSTON, MASS: APRIL 14, 1964.

The tube played in the background as Louise fixed dinner. John was working on a report for the surgical team, the kids were no were to be seen. It was the '60s and what with all the free love and radical colors it was no great surprise.

Trapper looked up from his work and watched as President Johnson announced the signing of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution –in the document, lay the Vietnam War.

------------

HUNNICUTT HOME, MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: SEPTEMBER 16, 1966.

"Oh, God it horrible" said Peg. She and BJ along with their two kids, Erin, 15 and Ben, 11, were watching the latest TV news on the Civil Rights movement.

The police, with batons and gas masks, attempted to stop protesters in Selma, Ala. from marching to Montgomery and be it Birmingham, Watts or Chicago, they saw it.

"Why?" asked Erin "why are they doing this".

"Because" explained BJ "if the rich and powerful can crush the blacks, they can get more powerful. The war doesn't help and it all figures with that pole-cat Lyndon in the White House n' all them hippies runnin' roun' on drugs"

It was late in the evening; BJ went upstairs to see what the kids were doing. Ben was focusing on homework.

Erin was sitting on her bed, guitar in hand badly strumming out the tab to The Times They Are-A Changin'

She softly whispered "that if your time to you is worth saving, then you better start swimming before you sink like a stone for the times they are-a changin".

BJ paused for a moment and stood in the doorway, it took a few seconds for her to notice her dad.

"Hi Daddy" she said.

BJ went in and sat down on the bed. "You know" he said "you are becoming quite the rebel in the family; I think it's good that you are standing up for what you want, but just be careful"

Erin looked at her dad and smiled "OK dad, I'll be careful, because after all, I'm your darlin' young one"

BJ smiled, "that's right honey, say, if you enjoy his records, why don't you go and see Bob Dylan play sometime"

"OK"

With that, BJ left and pulled the door to.

------------

BOSTON GENERAL HOSPITAL, BOSTON, MASS: FEBRUARY 2, 1967.

Trapper John McIntyre sat at his desk. It was a relatively slow morning.

Down in the highly controlled chaos of Emergency, the phone rang at the nurse's station.

The voice asked for John McIntyre.

It's amazing how a split second can see someone's life change.

"Dr. McIntyre you have a call from emergency" said Sharon, sticking her head in the door.

John picked up the phone. "yeah?" he asked.

The voice identified itself as that of the school principal. He related how that his son had been tackled during a game of football in PE class. The paramedics (yes, such a system existed in large cities in the late '60s) told the school to call Dr. McIntyre and tell him that it looked like a neck injury.

Without uttering a word, Trapper dropped the phone and proceeded out of his office.

"SHARON!" he bellowed "get hold of my wife, tell her to get her ass down here right now, get the emergency room and tell them to hold all incoming ambulances then get Mercy and Methodist on the phone, tell 'em that if my kid turns up, I want to know about it!"

Trap transported himself to the ambulance entrance in a speed not to be seen again until the teleporter on "Star Trek".

"How do you feel?" he asked his son who was laying on a gurney in one of the trauma rooms.

"I feel funny" said James McIntyre.

"Well" said Trapper, examining x-rays on the light board "it looks like its just some bruising. There is no damage to anything major"

Louise looked at her husband "so he can walk again?"

John smiled "yes, he will be able to"

------------

AN UNDEFINED HOOTENANNY, NEWPORT, RHODE IS: MARCH 5, 1968.

September 1966 was along time ago, a few years in the '60s was like a lifetime to those that remember the decade of change. As a huge crowd of peace activist, hippies and fans chanted and screamed, a haze of pot smoke filled the air.

A guy with greasy hair, in a leather jacket and sunglasses carrying a guitar strode onto the stage. The legendary Bob Dylan stopped as a series of yellow, red and blue lights on the sides of the stage began to flash and the music began.

------------

PIERCE HOME, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: APRIL 11, 1969.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Janie, happy birthday to you!"

Everyone sung and celebrated the 14th birthday of Jane Elizabeth Pierce. She looked at Hawkeye.

"Dad, aren't I a little big for this" she asked

Margaret and Hawkeye smiled "as long as you live, you'll always be my little girl, and if I want to give my little girl a birthday party, then so be it!"

Klinger bought in the cake from the kitchen and handed it to Hawkeye. He put it in front of his daughter and asked her to make a wish.

She did and blew out the candles, "what was it?" asked Margaret.

Jane smiled and looked up at her mother "there are some things you taught me to never tell, this is one of them" she said.

Everyone laughed, "well……..I see you have done a fine job raising them" said Charles.

"Thanks Charles" said Hawkeye.

------------

O'REILLY FARM, OTTUMWA, IOWA: JULY 27, 1969.

A short, plump man with glasses and a receding hairline stood at the mailbox to welcome everyone to the 16th annual reunion of the MASH 4077.

Patti and Soon-Lee were setting out the tables on the lawn while the kids, Max Jr. and the O'Reilly's two daughters, Kate and Rebecca helped with the lunch.

Hawkeye and Margaret arrived with the kids and got out of the car "wow, its amazing what you have done with the place" said Margaret.

"Yea, and who is that handsome stranger at the mailbox, the milkman?" joked Hawkeye.

Patti giggled "no, that's Radar; he looks a lot different that he did when I first met him!"

Hawk nodded.

Everyone did what they do every year – talk about memories, the future and what was happening in the world.

------------

WINCHESTER ESTATE, BOSTON, MASS: AUGUST 26, 1969.

Charles, his parents and sister along with his wife and daughters, Christine and Mary sat in the library.

Charles Emmerson Winchester IV was at a dinner date with his girlfriend Anna; they had been seeing a lot of each other lately.

The Winchesters along with Eugene "Tex" Burghoff, political strongman and former advisor to Dwight Eisenhower, sat and discussed the running of Charles for the Senate in 1970.

"Well?" asked Tex, taking a bolt of his whiskey "what do you stand for?"

"S……st…..stand for?" asked Charles, "How fast can you come up with something?"

Edna shot a look at him "Charles! If you want to be a senator, you should at least stand for something that YOU have come up with"

"Well" said Charles "how about this. Higher employment, better health care and education for all"

Tex chewed his whiskey then swallowed it "Winchester! You're a genius, stick with me and you can't go wrong, people said 'I like Ike' so how about 'I like Chuck' – any good?"

Charles looked at him "'Chuck' sounds like some slimy redneck poker player in a drunken tavern with his drinking buddies getting into brawls and fights with the police. I on the other hand graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School and am Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Boston Mercy, not some swine redneck!"

Tex looked at Mr. Winchester who promptly said "find something more wealthy sounding, what am I paying you, $200 an hour?"

"$375"

------------

PIERCE HOME, CRABAPPLE COVE, MAINE: NEWS YEARS EVE, 1969.

Everyone stood around the TV waiting for the new year.

"10…..9…..8…..7……6……..5…….4……3…….2……1…..HAPPY 1970!" every yelled.

The turbulent and swingin' 60s had come to an end, it was time to enter the '70s. only if you be believe in rock n' roll and music can save your mortal soul that is.