Back In the World
Ch. 16
"Now What?"
**
His wife watched him as he rustled around the kitchen searching for a pen and paper. She sat at the couch quietly rereading the letter from the infamous Frank Burns. She shook her head at both the letter and her husband.
"Got It!" He screamed throwing his hands in the air. He quickly took a seat at the kitchen table. He put the pen against the paper then let it rest. He didn't know what to write. Its as if the moment between reading Franks letter and finding the pen completely wiped out what he wanted to say.
'Should I say I'm sorry...I mean this is Frank Burns…I guess I just might be waiting for another letter from him that says 'Ha-ha Jokes on you.' Hawkeye thought and thought, then finally had an epiphany and began….
"Dear Frank,"
'Well that's a start.' He thought to himself.
***
Hours passed and no one came to rescue them or torture them some more. It was almost deathly quiet and the men could do nothing but sit in silence, praying to whatever it was they prayed to, to return home…alive.
Within seconds of the last 'Amen' a group of men stormed into the tent.
The soldiers slowly opened their eyes to meet their fate.
***
"Honey, I'm stuck here, what would you write?" He asked his wife who was now resting comfortably on her bed.
"What do you have so far?" She asked with a smile.
"Dear Frank…" He replied.
"That's it? Ben, it's been three hours…"
"I know I know, it's crazy… I just…"
"Just write what you feel, ya know how you feel about what he wrote to you. Like, Thank you would be a good start."
"I've never said Thank you to this man in my life, I can't believe I'm starting now, hell must be freezing over at just the thought of it."
"Ben…" She replied eyeing her husband.
"Yeah yeah, I gotchya." He nodded in return and put the pen once again against the paper.
"Dear Frank,
Thanks."
'Okay now what?" He thought again
***
"Now what Pierce?" A solider asked the young man beside him.
"Now, we do what we were taught to do…fight."
With a nod from his friend, they watched with agony as the enemy untied each soldier, in wait for an execution. They started with one man at a time, each shot brining more and more misery to the soldiers who remained. It was their friends out there, and they couldn't do a thing.
After what seemed like hours of screams and wailing for mercy, Blake Pierce and Donald Bradley were the only two men left. Pierce laid on the ground as he heard his friend screaming for them to let him go, that he had a little baby…he couldn't take it…
He swung his legs around and knocked the soldier to the ground. In that second, Donald grabbed his weapon and without a moment's hesitation, shot the enemy, dead on in the forehead.
No commotion would start immediately, as the others thought they just shot the American prematurely. Bradley lifted Pierce off the ground and slowly the two exited underneath the back of their tent, and could see the forest only a few feet away.
Suddenly a shot rang out.
"Come on Don, we can make it." Pierce hollered trying his best to hop a little faster.
Donald slowly turned his head towards Blake, "No sir, you can." And his legs buckled causing him to fall to the ground.
"No, no, no." Blake said as he laid down his friend's body. He could hear the soldiers making their way towards him. He grabbed the letter from his friends pocket with a picture of his little boy, and then grabbed the gun, slowly crawling his way by the last few feet to freedom.
Then to his sorrow he couldn't make it. They were gaining on him and there was no more time. They grabbed him, lifting him up and putting the gun right up to his chest. As he heard the gun cock, and trigger release. He closed his eyes; his last thought was of his mother and father sitting with each other at home.
***
"Finished Ben?" Jen asked flipping the channels in the other room.
"Just about." He slid the pen across the paper signing it, it was complete. "Finished."
He slid it into an envelope and licked it closed.
"I don't get to read it." Jen said watching him close it.
"It's nothing really…I'll put it in the mail tomorrow." He said standing up and going to sit next to his wife, so happy today was a good day.
**
In the envelope were words only Hawkeye Pierce could express to his old pal, Frank Burns, words that would last a lifetime to Frank.
"Dear Frank,
Thanks."
Your friend,
Hawkeye Pierce"
Little did Hawkeye know what the word "thanks" really entailed.
**
THE END. CH. 16
AN: Please review…it helps me help you. –Take care
Ch. 16
"Now What?"
**
His wife watched him as he rustled around the kitchen searching for a pen and paper. She sat at the couch quietly rereading the letter from the infamous Frank Burns. She shook her head at both the letter and her husband.
"Got It!" He screamed throwing his hands in the air. He quickly took a seat at the kitchen table. He put the pen against the paper then let it rest. He didn't know what to write. Its as if the moment between reading Franks letter and finding the pen completely wiped out what he wanted to say.
'Should I say I'm sorry...I mean this is Frank Burns…I guess I just might be waiting for another letter from him that says 'Ha-ha Jokes on you.' Hawkeye thought and thought, then finally had an epiphany and began….
"Dear Frank,"
'Well that's a start.' He thought to himself.
***
Hours passed and no one came to rescue them or torture them some more. It was almost deathly quiet and the men could do nothing but sit in silence, praying to whatever it was they prayed to, to return home…alive.
Within seconds of the last 'Amen' a group of men stormed into the tent.
The soldiers slowly opened their eyes to meet their fate.
***
"Honey, I'm stuck here, what would you write?" He asked his wife who was now resting comfortably on her bed.
"What do you have so far?" She asked with a smile.
"Dear Frank…" He replied.
"That's it? Ben, it's been three hours…"
"I know I know, it's crazy… I just…"
"Just write what you feel, ya know how you feel about what he wrote to you. Like, Thank you would be a good start."
"I've never said Thank you to this man in my life, I can't believe I'm starting now, hell must be freezing over at just the thought of it."
"Ben…" She replied eyeing her husband.
"Yeah yeah, I gotchya." He nodded in return and put the pen once again against the paper.
"Dear Frank,
Thanks."
'Okay now what?" He thought again
***
"Now what Pierce?" A solider asked the young man beside him.
"Now, we do what we were taught to do…fight."
With a nod from his friend, they watched with agony as the enemy untied each soldier, in wait for an execution. They started with one man at a time, each shot brining more and more misery to the soldiers who remained. It was their friends out there, and they couldn't do a thing.
After what seemed like hours of screams and wailing for mercy, Blake Pierce and Donald Bradley were the only two men left. Pierce laid on the ground as he heard his friend screaming for them to let him go, that he had a little baby…he couldn't take it…
He swung his legs around and knocked the soldier to the ground. In that second, Donald grabbed his weapon and without a moment's hesitation, shot the enemy, dead on in the forehead.
No commotion would start immediately, as the others thought they just shot the American prematurely. Bradley lifted Pierce off the ground and slowly the two exited underneath the back of their tent, and could see the forest only a few feet away.
Suddenly a shot rang out.
"Come on Don, we can make it." Pierce hollered trying his best to hop a little faster.
Donald slowly turned his head towards Blake, "No sir, you can." And his legs buckled causing him to fall to the ground.
"No, no, no." Blake said as he laid down his friend's body. He could hear the soldiers making their way towards him. He grabbed the letter from his friends pocket with a picture of his little boy, and then grabbed the gun, slowly crawling his way by the last few feet to freedom.
Then to his sorrow he couldn't make it. They were gaining on him and there was no more time. They grabbed him, lifting him up and putting the gun right up to his chest. As he heard the gun cock, and trigger release. He closed his eyes; his last thought was of his mother and father sitting with each other at home.
***
"Finished Ben?" Jen asked flipping the channels in the other room.
"Just about." He slid the pen across the paper signing it, it was complete. "Finished."
He slid it into an envelope and licked it closed.
"I don't get to read it." Jen said watching him close it.
"It's nothing really…I'll put it in the mail tomorrow." He said standing up and going to sit next to his wife, so happy today was a good day.
**
In the envelope were words only Hawkeye Pierce could express to his old pal, Frank Burns, words that would last a lifetime to Frank.
"Dear Frank,
Thanks."
Your friend,
Hawkeye Pierce"
Little did Hawkeye know what the word "thanks" really entailed.
**
THE END. CH. 16
AN: Please review…it helps me help you. –Take care