'Come on, Dustbin, show us what you got. All rubbish, right?' Hawkeye
asked.
'Nope. Full house,' Dani said, showing Hawkeye, BJ, Alex and Major Davids her cards.
'Damn!' Hawkeye said, slamming his cards onto the table. Dani laughed and pulled the money towards her.
'I told you not to mess with her, she never has to bluff,' Alex said to Hawkeye.
'I know, but it was the best hand I'd got all game. I thought I had her,' Hawkeye said.
'I've never met anyone who could play cards like you,' Davids said enviously.
'I bet you've never met anyone like us, either,' Alex said as Dani dealt the next hand.
'It's so casual here. . . doesn't anyone mind us playing cards like this?' Davids asked.
'Just Frank, the guy who wouldn't operate on you,' BJ said. Davids turned to Alex.
'Just curious, who is, or was, Isaac. You mentioned him when that doctor refused to operate on me,' he asked.
'Our brother. He died a while back,' Alex said shortly. Davids nodded, and they all looked at their cards quietly for a while. Halfway through that hand, Sidney Freedman walked in.
'Be with you in a second, Sidney,' Hawkeye said.
'I'll just watch until the next hand then,' Sidney replied, looking over his shoulder to see what Hawkeye had.
'HA!' Alex slammed her cards onto the table. 'Four of a kind beats your pair, Dani!'
'That's the first time I've seen her lose,' BJ commented. Alex leant over the small card table to shake Sidney's hand.
'I'm Alex, and that is Dani,' she said. Sidney nodded as he looked over them.
'Well, it's a little late to be doing anything now. Deal me in this round,' he said.
'You realise, Dani, Klinger will hate you if you get out of the army before he does,' Alex said as she picked up her next hand.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Tell me, Dani, how do you feel about the war?' Sidney asked.
'The war? I thought it was a fancy dress party,' Dani said. 'No, Hawkeye told me to say that if you asked about the war.'
'You enjoy Hawkeye's company?' Sidney asked.
'Great guy. Alex adores him. She's the reason I know him. She came over to Korea last year, and was sent home. She told me all about the people here, so I signed up for the laughs she had. She never told me it was a living hell hole,' Dani said.
'You came over because your sister told you all the good things about it, not the bad?' Sidney asked.
'Yeah, I was thinking of suing the army for brining me here under false advertising,' Dani said.
'Why do you want to go home?' Sidney said after writing something on his notebook.
'Alex wants me to go home. We lost Isaac a while back, our brother, and she doesn't want to be an only child. She doesn't want me dead,' Dani shrugged.
'But do you want to go home?'
'Yes, I can't handle Korea. I can't handle the war. Heck, I can't even handle nursing.'
'What do you think you would do when you go home, if you don't want to do nursing?' Sidney said interestedly.
'I'd like to become a decorator. Fix up people's houses, splash colour around everywhere, except red or green. I can't stand those two colours any more,' Dani said. Sidney smiled a little.
'How do you feel about Isaac's death?' he asked her.
"Well, bad I suppose. I'm over the most of the grief, I guess, but it still sucks,' Dani replied. Sidney smiled again at how Dani put things. 'Anyway, Hawkeye reckons you can get me home. That's why you're here,' Dani said.
'Yes, it is. I'm going to tell Colonel Potter that you're not fit to be in nursing, not mentally, anyway,' Sidney said. Dani grinned.
'Good,' she said. 'I can't stand to see any more kids younger than me die.'
'Younger than you?' Sidney asked.
'One guy came in, fractured skull. Died within two hours of being operated on. I helped, and I somehow feel it was my fault he died,' Dani explained.
'That's not true,' Sidney told her.
'Everyone says that, but it's harder when you helped the doctors operate on a guy,' Dani said.
'What makes you think some of the soldiers here are younger than you?' Sidney asked.
'Because they are. Someone I knew through family was in here a while back, and he was younger than me. Told me he had friends that lied about their age to join. So there are a lot of them,' Dani said.
'What's been hardest on you during this war?' Sidney asked.
'Davids, the man we were playing poker with last night. Just like Isaac, my brother. Same age, same looks, same height, almost the same name and personality. It's just too weird,' Dani said.
'Well, thanks for letting me talk with you,' Sidney said, standing up.
'Thanks for agreeing to get me out of here,' Dani replied, leaning over and shaking his hand. Sidney left and headed for the Swamp, where Alex, BJ and Hawkeye were drinking martinis.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'You sure that'll work?' Alex asked.
'Positive,' Sidney confirmed.
'Hawkeye, do you think we should? What if we're caught? I don't want you to get in trouble, Sidney,' Alex said, suddenly worried.
'Come on, we'll go talk to Dani and Colonel Potter,' Hawkeye said, hooking his arm through hers.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'So you believe she shouldn't be in the army, huh?' Potter asked.
'No sir,' Sidney replied. 'She is mentally unfit to be a nurse, especially in these circumstances, and she is still not fully over her brother. One of the boys you just fixed up, Davids I think his name was, she thinks he's her brother.'
'Hmmm.' There was a twinkle in Potter's eye. 'Radar?' Radar ducked quickly into the office.
'Get Lieutenant Alex Dustin, yes sir,' Radar said before the Colonel got a chance to say anything.
'Quite remarkable, that boy,' Sidney observed.
'Maybe, but it gets just a little annoying sometimes,' Colonel Potter muttered loudly. Alex came in a few minutes later.
'Colonel Potter, you wanted to see me?' Alex asked.
'The boy in Post op, Davids, is he in anyway like your brother?' Potter asked.
'No, sir,' Alex replied.
'Does Danielle think he's your brother?'
'Yes, sir,' Alex replied again.
'I know what you're doing,' Potter said.
'I have no idea what you're talking about, sir,' Alex said, trying to hide her nervousness.
'You call me "sir" every time you want something,' Potter said. 'I'll send her home, if you want her sent back stateside so much.' Alex's face split into a smile.
'Really?' she asked. Potter nodded. 'Thank you, sir,' she said.
'You also call me "sir" after you've gotten your own way,' the Colonel smiled as Alex skipped out.
'Nope. Full house,' Dani said, showing Hawkeye, BJ, Alex and Major Davids her cards.
'Damn!' Hawkeye said, slamming his cards onto the table. Dani laughed and pulled the money towards her.
'I told you not to mess with her, she never has to bluff,' Alex said to Hawkeye.
'I know, but it was the best hand I'd got all game. I thought I had her,' Hawkeye said.
'I've never met anyone who could play cards like you,' Davids said enviously.
'I bet you've never met anyone like us, either,' Alex said as Dani dealt the next hand.
'It's so casual here. . . doesn't anyone mind us playing cards like this?' Davids asked.
'Just Frank, the guy who wouldn't operate on you,' BJ said. Davids turned to Alex.
'Just curious, who is, or was, Isaac. You mentioned him when that doctor refused to operate on me,' he asked.
'Our brother. He died a while back,' Alex said shortly. Davids nodded, and they all looked at their cards quietly for a while. Halfway through that hand, Sidney Freedman walked in.
'Be with you in a second, Sidney,' Hawkeye said.
'I'll just watch until the next hand then,' Sidney replied, looking over his shoulder to see what Hawkeye had.
'HA!' Alex slammed her cards onto the table. 'Four of a kind beats your pair, Dani!'
'That's the first time I've seen her lose,' BJ commented. Alex leant over the small card table to shake Sidney's hand.
'I'm Alex, and that is Dani,' she said. Sidney nodded as he looked over them.
'Well, it's a little late to be doing anything now. Deal me in this round,' he said.
'You realise, Dani, Klinger will hate you if you get out of the army before he does,' Alex said as she picked up her next hand.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'Tell me, Dani, how do you feel about the war?' Sidney asked.
'The war? I thought it was a fancy dress party,' Dani said. 'No, Hawkeye told me to say that if you asked about the war.'
'You enjoy Hawkeye's company?' Sidney asked.
'Great guy. Alex adores him. She's the reason I know him. She came over to Korea last year, and was sent home. She told me all about the people here, so I signed up for the laughs she had. She never told me it was a living hell hole,' Dani said.
'You came over because your sister told you all the good things about it, not the bad?' Sidney asked.
'Yeah, I was thinking of suing the army for brining me here under false advertising,' Dani said.
'Why do you want to go home?' Sidney said after writing something on his notebook.
'Alex wants me to go home. We lost Isaac a while back, our brother, and she doesn't want to be an only child. She doesn't want me dead,' Dani shrugged.
'But do you want to go home?'
'Yes, I can't handle Korea. I can't handle the war. Heck, I can't even handle nursing.'
'What do you think you would do when you go home, if you don't want to do nursing?' Sidney said interestedly.
'I'd like to become a decorator. Fix up people's houses, splash colour around everywhere, except red or green. I can't stand those two colours any more,' Dani said. Sidney smiled a little.
'How do you feel about Isaac's death?' he asked her.
"Well, bad I suppose. I'm over the most of the grief, I guess, but it still sucks,' Dani replied. Sidney smiled again at how Dani put things. 'Anyway, Hawkeye reckons you can get me home. That's why you're here,' Dani said.
'Yes, it is. I'm going to tell Colonel Potter that you're not fit to be in nursing, not mentally, anyway,' Sidney said. Dani grinned.
'Good,' she said. 'I can't stand to see any more kids younger than me die.'
'Younger than you?' Sidney asked.
'One guy came in, fractured skull. Died within two hours of being operated on. I helped, and I somehow feel it was my fault he died,' Dani explained.
'That's not true,' Sidney told her.
'Everyone says that, but it's harder when you helped the doctors operate on a guy,' Dani said.
'What makes you think some of the soldiers here are younger than you?' Sidney asked.
'Because they are. Someone I knew through family was in here a while back, and he was younger than me. Told me he had friends that lied about their age to join. So there are a lot of them,' Dani said.
'What's been hardest on you during this war?' Sidney asked.
'Davids, the man we were playing poker with last night. Just like Isaac, my brother. Same age, same looks, same height, almost the same name and personality. It's just too weird,' Dani said.
'Well, thanks for letting me talk with you,' Sidney said, standing up.
'Thanks for agreeing to get me out of here,' Dani replied, leaning over and shaking his hand. Sidney left and headed for the Swamp, where Alex, BJ and Hawkeye were drinking martinis.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'You sure that'll work?' Alex asked.
'Positive,' Sidney confirmed.
'Hawkeye, do you think we should? What if we're caught? I don't want you to get in trouble, Sidney,' Alex said, suddenly worried.
'Come on, we'll go talk to Dani and Colonel Potter,' Hawkeye said, hooking his arm through hers.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
'So you believe she shouldn't be in the army, huh?' Potter asked.
'No sir,' Sidney replied. 'She is mentally unfit to be a nurse, especially in these circumstances, and she is still not fully over her brother. One of the boys you just fixed up, Davids I think his name was, she thinks he's her brother.'
'Hmmm.' There was a twinkle in Potter's eye. 'Radar?' Radar ducked quickly into the office.
'Get Lieutenant Alex Dustin, yes sir,' Radar said before the Colonel got a chance to say anything.
'Quite remarkable, that boy,' Sidney observed.
'Maybe, but it gets just a little annoying sometimes,' Colonel Potter muttered loudly. Alex came in a few minutes later.
'Colonel Potter, you wanted to see me?' Alex asked.
'The boy in Post op, Davids, is he in anyway like your brother?' Potter asked.
'No, sir,' Alex replied.
'Does Danielle think he's your brother?'
'Yes, sir,' Alex replied again.
'I know what you're doing,' Potter said.
'I have no idea what you're talking about, sir,' Alex said, trying to hide her nervousness.
'You call me "sir" every time you want something,' Potter said. 'I'll send her home, if you want her sent back stateside so much.' Alex's face split into a smile.
'Really?' she asked. Potter nodded. 'Thank you, sir,' she said.
'You also call me "sir" after you've gotten your own way,' the Colonel smiled as Alex skipped out.