I apologise for the delay in getting this chapter done. My thanks to anyone
who may still be reading it.
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Time passed. General Clayton sent in a team of investigators with the stated intention of finding out what had happened and whose fault it was. They were headed by a Lieutenant Dawson and tailed by a Major Martin. They seemed to be of the opinion that everyone in the camp was as guilty as hell and the only task remaining to them was to find out what they had done.
They questioned everyone several times, mostly by shouting and making strange insinuations and threats. Radar took to hiding in the showers whenever they were around. Matters were further complicated when a second group appeared to investigate reports of strange telegrams being sent to the president. After a lot of quick talking over many martinis however, Trapper got them to declare it an act of god and they left, confused but satisfied.
The group investigating the shooting were harder to deal with. Most of all they wanted to interview Frank and Hawkeye, but Frank wasn't talking to anyone and Trapper wouldn't let them anywhere near Hawk. He was slow to recover fully. Talking for any length of time exhausted him and he was on a strict - and decidedly unwelcome - regime of no booze, no poker and no nurses. And definitely, no probing interviews. Eventually, possibly feeling that they had spent far too much time on this, they left. The report came back saying that Major Burns was guilty of negligence and was demoted to captain but would remain at the 4077. There was outrage.
"How can they do that?" Trapper demanded angrily in the post op ward.
"Mcintyre, keep your voice down in front of the patients" hissed Henry.
Trapper ignored him. "Negligence is forgetting to wind your watch, not shooting someone. They demoted him? What does that mean? He should have been discharged at least."
"Sent home?" Hawkeye was the only one at all amused. "You think he should be rewarded for shooting me."
"The army thinks of it as a punishment." Trapper was calmer, looking down at his friend.
"Yeah, wouldn't want to get out of this lovely war." Hawkeye looked enquiringly and hopefully at Henry.
He shook his head slowly. "Sorry Pierce, you'll be staying here with us."
There was a pause. Hawkeye closed his eyes; he really had been hoping that he'd get sent home. "Well, at least I'm in hell in good company," he said finally.
"Right buddy," Trapper put his hand on Hawk's arm gently. "Try and get some rest, huh?"
"I've been doing nothing but resting. If this keeps up I'm thinking of trying out for the Olympic napping team." Despite the complaining tone his eyes soon closed.
Henry and Trapper moved quietly away. Trapper was still angry. "It isn't right. Frank could have killed Hawk and now they're supposed to work together again as if nothing's happened? Now we're supposed to work with him?"
"Get used to it. There's nothing we can do."
Trapper didn't bother answering.
Frank returned to duty. He didn't talk to anyone except with regard to medical matters. And, without any discussion or agreement, no-one talked to him. At all. Ever.
Radar, as subtly as possible, avoided him, leaving the room as soon as he came in and walking the other way if he saw him coming in the compound.
Klinger had been almost as outraged as Trapper on the news that Frank wasn't going to be punished (because no-one saw losing rank as a real punishment) for shooting Hawkeye and loudly made sarcastic comments within Frank's hearing, but wouldn't say one word to his face. Oddly, Frank never complained or even suggested pressing charges.
Henry would talk to him during surgery and on administrative matters, but apart from that avoided him as much as Radar did.
Father Mulcahy would have ended the silence if he could, but found himself entirely unable to think of a single thing to say to the man.
Even Margaret Houlihan wouldn't talk to her old lover. She couldn't believe how stupid and incompetent he had proved himself to be. She would have loved to deliver a crushing snub if he had knocked on her tent, and so was almost disappointed when he did not.
Trapper managed to completely ignore the fact that the Ferret-Faced one existed. No mean feat considering that they lived and worked in the same places.
Frank himself went around like a zombie. He worked in OR as normal - actually he seemed to do a better job than he ever had before - but apart from his shifts he hardly seemed aware that he existed at all. It was doubtful that he even noticed that he was being ignored by everyone.
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Short chapter, but its more of a bridge than anything else. Please review.
********************************************************************
Time passed. General Clayton sent in a team of investigators with the stated intention of finding out what had happened and whose fault it was. They were headed by a Lieutenant Dawson and tailed by a Major Martin. They seemed to be of the opinion that everyone in the camp was as guilty as hell and the only task remaining to them was to find out what they had done.
They questioned everyone several times, mostly by shouting and making strange insinuations and threats. Radar took to hiding in the showers whenever they were around. Matters were further complicated when a second group appeared to investigate reports of strange telegrams being sent to the president. After a lot of quick talking over many martinis however, Trapper got them to declare it an act of god and they left, confused but satisfied.
The group investigating the shooting were harder to deal with. Most of all they wanted to interview Frank and Hawkeye, but Frank wasn't talking to anyone and Trapper wouldn't let them anywhere near Hawk. He was slow to recover fully. Talking for any length of time exhausted him and he was on a strict - and decidedly unwelcome - regime of no booze, no poker and no nurses. And definitely, no probing interviews. Eventually, possibly feeling that they had spent far too much time on this, they left. The report came back saying that Major Burns was guilty of negligence and was demoted to captain but would remain at the 4077. There was outrage.
"How can they do that?" Trapper demanded angrily in the post op ward.
"Mcintyre, keep your voice down in front of the patients" hissed Henry.
Trapper ignored him. "Negligence is forgetting to wind your watch, not shooting someone. They demoted him? What does that mean? He should have been discharged at least."
"Sent home?" Hawkeye was the only one at all amused. "You think he should be rewarded for shooting me."
"The army thinks of it as a punishment." Trapper was calmer, looking down at his friend.
"Yeah, wouldn't want to get out of this lovely war." Hawkeye looked enquiringly and hopefully at Henry.
He shook his head slowly. "Sorry Pierce, you'll be staying here with us."
There was a pause. Hawkeye closed his eyes; he really had been hoping that he'd get sent home. "Well, at least I'm in hell in good company," he said finally.
"Right buddy," Trapper put his hand on Hawk's arm gently. "Try and get some rest, huh?"
"I've been doing nothing but resting. If this keeps up I'm thinking of trying out for the Olympic napping team." Despite the complaining tone his eyes soon closed.
Henry and Trapper moved quietly away. Trapper was still angry. "It isn't right. Frank could have killed Hawk and now they're supposed to work together again as if nothing's happened? Now we're supposed to work with him?"
"Get used to it. There's nothing we can do."
Trapper didn't bother answering.
Frank returned to duty. He didn't talk to anyone except with regard to medical matters. And, without any discussion or agreement, no-one talked to him. At all. Ever.
Radar, as subtly as possible, avoided him, leaving the room as soon as he came in and walking the other way if he saw him coming in the compound.
Klinger had been almost as outraged as Trapper on the news that Frank wasn't going to be punished (because no-one saw losing rank as a real punishment) for shooting Hawkeye and loudly made sarcastic comments within Frank's hearing, but wouldn't say one word to his face. Oddly, Frank never complained or even suggested pressing charges.
Henry would talk to him during surgery and on administrative matters, but apart from that avoided him as much as Radar did.
Father Mulcahy would have ended the silence if he could, but found himself entirely unable to think of a single thing to say to the man.
Even Margaret Houlihan wouldn't talk to her old lover. She couldn't believe how stupid and incompetent he had proved himself to be. She would have loved to deliver a crushing snub if he had knocked on her tent, and so was almost disappointed when he did not.
Trapper managed to completely ignore the fact that the Ferret-Faced one existed. No mean feat considering that they lived and worked in the same places.
Frank himself went around like a zombie. He worked in OR as normal - actually he seemed to do a better job than he ever had before - but apart from his shifts he hardly seemed aware that he existed at all. It was doubtful that he even noticed that he was being ignored by everyone.
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Short chapter, but its more of a bridge than anything else. Please review.