A/N: sorry guys! I know it's been ages since I updated and your all
probably not reading this anymore, but I have had an acute case of writers
block, excess of homework, starting Uni, and...stuff... ... ... ok fine, I've also
been incredibly lazy, but anyway, this is the fourth chapter, I hope you
enjoy. (Bribes with fantails and minties ;) )
Disclaimer: even if I broke into the place that owns M.A.S.H and stole all the paper rights to the series, they still wouldn't legally be mine. *Sigh*
Quick summary: for the first time since 1953, Trapper and Frank (and Sam) show up to a reunion. Everyone is shocked to see them, but even more shocked to find out that they are friends, and there is more to their past than meets the eye. (PS. If you have any ideas on how you want this to end up, or more conflicts please let me know! I will give you virtual money!)
CHAPTER FOUR Frank was the first to notice Trapper approaching them over Sam's shoulder. He grinned.
"Hey, glad you could finally tear yourself away from the degenerated to say hello!"
Trapp grinned back at his lover and his granddaughter.
"Actually, I came over here to wonder when you two were coming over to join the 'degenerates'! Seriously, I think it's time we told them."
He locked eyes with Frank. "You ready?"
Frank smiled at his John. "I've been ready since I got here, now let's go tell them already!"
Trapp still looked nervous thought, and he glance back over his shoulder at the others who were watching them curiously.
Sam's eyes widened. "You're planning on telling them everything aren't you!"
Frank looked worried. "Are you sure about that?"
"I have to." Trapp said simply, "and anyway, I only plan on giving them the edited highlights."
They walked back to the bar, Sam in between the two men. After all, they didn't want them to die of shock.
Trapp slid back into his bar stool. Hawkeye eyed Frank warily.
"So Ferret Face, long time no see," he said casually, "How's the family?"
Frank bristled. He hated being called 'Ferret Face'. The only time he was ever called that now was when Trapper was especially mad at him.
"You haven't changed! You ..." "Frank!" he was cut off by Trapper's sharp rebuke.
He turned back to the rest.
"Give him a rest Hawkeye. I thought you wanted to know why we haven't been to any reunions?"
BJ noticed the use of the word 'we'. Did he mean him and his granddaughter? Or him and Frank?
Trapper took a deep breath to steady him and began.
"Well, I guess I should start when I left the 4077. Hawkeye, I know you were upset that I didn't say goodbye, but I waited as long as I could. I couldn't reach you in Tokyo, Radar tried everywhere. And I didn't know what to say in a note. I was planning on writing to you when I got home." "Why didn't you?"
Trapper sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Things got really crazy. I got home, and for a few weeks it was okay. I got a job at a local hospital, got to spend time with my kids, my wife..." he trailed off.
Frank put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Trapp resumed his story. "Then the nightmares started, I guess I figured that if I could just forget about Korea and everything, they would stop, so I did. I pushed everything into the back of my mind. You guys included." He looked apologetically at Hawkeye, Margaret and Radar.
"And it worked for a while. I got to see my kids grow up and go to good colleges. I was successful in my job. All in all we seemed like we had the perfect life." He stopped again. This time Margaret leaned forward, concern in her blue eyes. "But?" she asked gently. Trapper gave her a small smile. "But Louise and I weren't happy. I through myself into my work, even made head of surgery, and then I came home one day to find her gone. She'd left a note saying she'd run off with some guy she met at the golf club."
Hawkeye interrupted, "Trap, I'm so sorry."
He smiled and shrugged. "We would've divorced eventually anyway. It just wasn't working, and, um, I just couldn't really give her what she really needed..." he blushed, not sure how to put it.
Hawkeye looked confused. "But you loved her, even when you were chasing other nurses in Korea, you were still always thinking of her." Trapper blushed even more. "Yeah, I loved her, I've never stopped loving her, but it wasn't enough. And not in the was she deserved."
Unseen by all, a light of comprehension pinged on in BJ Hunnicutt's eyes.
Trapper resumed his story. "After that I hit a low. When I got the invitation for the twenty-year reunion I just tore it up, I didn't even open it. I felt worthless. I guess that was why I went to Josh."
This comment caused a stir. BJ raised an eyebrow, Frank made a noise and looked pained, Sam looked shocked and exclaimed "Granddad!" Hawkeye, Radar and Margaret all said, "Who's Josh?"
Trapper gave Frank a reassuring look and squeezed his hand, which was still on his shoulder. Then he took the plunge.
"Josh was my boss and the hospital, at first he was just my friend and mentor. After a while he became my lover. We were together about ten years. He was...we were...lets just say it wasn't the healthiest of relationships." Frank emitted a low growl and narrowed his eyes. "Healthy! It was anything but healthy! The guy abused you mentally and physically! If it was up to me he'd be rotting in a cell by now!"
The group at the bar looked at Frank with shock and surprise. Hawkeye narrowed his eyes at him. "Okay, just how do you fit into all of this Frank?"
Frank looked at Trapper before taking over the story, in his own words. "Eight years ago I ran into John at a conference in Vancouver. I have to admit I didn't even recognize him at first. He was there with Josh, acting like his bloody sex slave or something." This last statement was said with so much venom that everyone flinched and Trapper placed his hand on Frank's leg and made a soothing sound. Hawkeye's eye's locked on this display, but he didn't say anything.
Frank continued. "He didn't speak unless he was spoken to, and he was drinking pretty heavily. When I met him, I expected him to insult me, or even talk to me about the old days at M.A.S.H, but nothing, he was pretty much a wreck. I was worried that something was wrong, so one night I managed to get him out of the conference and to a bar. He opened up a bit and began to seem a bit more like...well...like 'Trapper'."
Frank cleared his throat. "The next day I found out he was in the hospital, black eye and multiple fractures and bruising. He refused to see me. Two days he was discharged and he and Josh went back to Boston. I didn't see him till two years later."
Tbc – honestly, stay tuned!
Disclaimer: even if I broke into the place that owns M.A.S.H and stole all the paper rights to the series, they still wouldn't legally be mine. *Sigh*
Quick summary: for the first time since 1953, Trapper and Frank (and Sam) show up to a reunion. Everyone is shocked to see them, but even more shocked to find out that they are friends, and there is more to their past than meets the eye. (PS. If you have any ideas on how you want this to end up, or more conflicts please let me know! I will give you virtual money!)
CHAPTER FOUR Frank was the first to notice Trapper approaching them over Sam's shoulder. He grinned.
"Hey, glad you could finally tear yourself away from the degenerated to say hello!"
Trapp grinned back at his lover and his granddaughter.
"Actually, I came over here to wonder when you two were coming over to join the 'degenerates'! Seriously, I think it's time we told them."
He locked eyes with Frank. "You ready?"
Frank smiled at his John. "I've been ready since I got here, now let's go tell them already!"
Trapp still looked nervous thought, and he glance back over his shoulder at the others who were watching them curiously.
Sam's eyes widened. "You're planning on telling them everything aren't you!"
Frank looked worried. "Are you sure about that?"
"I have to." Trapp said simply, "and anyway, I only plan on giving them the edited highlights."
They walked back to the bar, Sam in between the two men. After all, they didn't want them to die of shock.
Trapp slid back into his bar stool. Hawkeye eyed Frank warily.
"So Ferret Face, long time no see," he said casually, "How's the family?"
Frank bristled. He hated being called 'Ferret Face'. The only time he was ever called that now was when Trapper was especially mad at him.
"You haven't changed! You ..." "Frank!" he was cut off by Trapper's sharp rebuke.
He turned back to the rest.
"Give him a rest Hawkeye. I thought you wanted to know why we haven't been to any reunions?"
BJ noticed the use of the word 'we'. Did he mean him and his granddaughter? Or him and Frank?
Trapper took a deep breath to steady him and began.
"Well, I guess I should start when I left the 4077. Hawkeye, I know you were upset that I didn't say goodbye, but I waited as long as I could. I couldn't reach you in Tokyo, Radar tried everywhere. And I didn't know what to say in a note. I was planning on writing to you when I got home." "Why didn't you?"
Trapper sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Things got really crazy. I got home, and for a few weeks it was okay. I got a job at a local hospital, got to spend time with my kids, my wife..." he trailed off.
Frank put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Trapp resumed his story. "Then the nightmares started, I guess I figured that if I could just forget about Korea and everything, they would stop, so I did. I pushed everything into the back of my mind. You guys included." He looked apologetically at Hawkeye, Margaret and Radar.
"And it worked for a while. I got to see my kids grow up and go to good colleges. I was successful in my job. All in all we seemed like we had the perfect life." He stopped again. This time Margaret leaned forward, concern in her blue eyes. "But?" she asked gently. Trapper gave her a small smile. "But Louise and I weren't happy. I through myself into my work, even made head of surgery, and then I came home one day to find her gone. She'd left a note saying she'd run off with some guy she met at the golf club."
Hawkeye interrupted, "Trap, I'm so sorry."
He smiled and shrugged. "We would've divorced eventually anyway. It just wasn't working, and, um, I just couldn't really give her what she really needed..." he blushed, not sure how to put it.
Hawkeye looked confused. "But you loved her, even when you were chasing other nurses in Korea, you were still always thinking of her." Trapper blushed even more. "Yeah, I loved her, I've never stopped loving her, but it wasn't enough. And not in the was she deserved."
Unseen by all, a light of comprehension pinged on in BJ Hunnicutt's eyes.
Trapper resumed his story. "After that I hit a low. When I got the invitation for the twenty-year reunion I just tore it up, I didn't even open it. I felt worthless. I guess that was why I went to Josh."
This comment caused a stir. BJ raised an eyebrow, Frank made a noise and looked pained, Sam looked shocked and exclaimed "Granddad!" Hawkeye, Radar and Margaret all said, "Who's Josh?"
Trapper gave Frank a reassuring look and squeezed his hand, which was still on his shoulder. Then he took the plunge.
"Josh was my boss and the hospital, at first he was just my friend and mentor. After a while he became my lover. We were together about ten years. He was...we were...lets just say it wasn't the healthiest of relationships." Frank emitted a low growl and narrowed his eyes. "Healthy! It was anything but healthy! The guy abused you mentally and physically! If it was up to me he'd be rotting in a cell by now!"
The group at the bar looked at Frank with shock and surprise. Hawkeye narrowed his eyes at him. "Okay, just how do you fit into all of this Frank?"
Frank looked at Trapper before taking over the story, in his own words. "Eight years ago I ran into John at a conference in Vancouver. I have to admit I didn't even recognize him at first. He was there with Josh, acting like his bloody sex slave or something." This last statement was said with so much venom that everyone flinched and Trapper placed his hand on Frank's leg and made a soothing sound. Hawkeye's eye's locked on this display, but he didn't say anything.
Frank continued. "He didn't speak unless he was spoken to, and he was drinking pretty heavily. When I met him, I expected him to insult me, or even talk to me about the old days at M.A.S.H, but nothing, he was pretty much a wreck. I was worried that something was wrong, so one night I managed to get him out of the conference and to a bar. He opened up a bit and began to seem a bit more like...well...like 'Trapper'."
Frank cleared his throat. "The next day I found out he was in the hospital, black eye and multiple fractures and bruising. He refused to see me. Two days he was discharged and he and Josh went back to Boston. I didn't see him till two years later."
Tbc – honestly, stay tuned!