A/N: Here's part 2. Thank you once more for the feedback. I'm glad people like Sally as much as I do! Enjoy!
We All Fall Down – Part 2
Sally and Father Mulcahy were singing at the tops of their voices as they drove along the road leading to the Orphanage. Sally loved these drives, where she was able to see Mulcahy shake off the confinements which his status placed on him when he was in camp. They would talk about all sorts of things, politics and their respective countries. They would chat about their families, as each was becoming familiar with the others folks back home. And they would sing like larks too, harmonising with each other as they muddled their way through songs they knew and songs they thought they knew. She knew she was lucky to have found such a good friend, and was pleased that he was a priest in a way, it took away all those nasty insinuations which she knew followed Hawkeye about like a bad small. Although fond of Hawk, she knew that a close friendship with him would be out of the question. He was too desperate for sex, and if she let herself admit it, she was too attracted to him for it to be safe. But with John, she knew she had found herself a soulmate.
Mulcahy turned and smiled at her as they bumped nearer their destination. Sally had certainly brightened up his life since arriving at the 4077th. She had sense of humour which matched his own, and a love of music which extended from opera to big band jazz. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such stimulating conversation, nor someone with whom he could share so much. Just having her to talk to helped release some of the burden he felt at being a priest in a war zone.
"Ready for Ho-Phi's 'Oh Holy Night' again?" Sally asked as they turned off the road and down the dirt track which led to the orphanage.
"Ready as I ever can be!" he chuckled, "Oh well, at least he's enthusiastic. And the Good Lord loves a trier!"
"I wonder what…" Sally began, before her train of thought disappeared at the sight of what was in front of her. As they drove nearer the house, the sound of screaming began to filter through the trees, piercing through the noise of the jeep engine. They rounded the last bend, and were greeted with half naked children running wild in front of them. Mulcahy brought the jeep to an abrupt halt as they struggled to comprehend what they were seeing. There were injured children everywhere.
As they sat there dumbstruck, one of the nuns came running up. She was covered in blood, and had a nasty head wound. In her arms she carried a little girl of about 3 years old. She lay limp, bleeding profusely from a gaping wound on her arm.
"Oh thank goodness you're here, Doctor!"she exclaimed breathlessly.
"What on earth happened?" asked Sally. She was treated to a brief explanation of what had caused the carnage, as they both looked in horror at the little blasted bodies stretched out on the ground before them. Sally took a deep breath, and then took charge.
"Right," she exclaimed, trying to keep the panic from her voice. "John, get the First Aid kit from the jeep. Sister, I'm going to assess all the injured children. Can you and the other Sisters bring them all out here and lay them out?"
"Shall I go and fetch help?" Mulcahy stuttered. He always felt so helpless in moments like this. What practical use could he be?
"No, I need you here," replied Sally. "One of the sisters can go back to camp." She turned to the nun nearest her. "Take the jeep and go back to the 4077th. Ask for Colonel Potter and tell him exactly what happened. They'll send help."
The nun nodded in response, and rushed off to instruct her colleagues. Meanwhile, Mulcahy had reappeared at Sally's elbow with the basic medical kit. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"John, if you've got a prayer handy I think we could use it right now." Sally smiled weakly as she stepped forward the first injured child, and her nightmare began.
She worked like a demon, moving along the lines of children assessing their injuries and shouting instructions to those around her. It wasn't heartening work. All she could hope to do was to ease the suffering of some children who were too badly injured to be helped by anyone. She would call a nun over and tell them to hold the little ones until their last breath ebbed away. She, meanwhile, treated those she could, with Mulcahy's help. Those less badly injured were dealt with by him on her instruction, and those very badly injured were treated by both of them - Mulcahy acting as 'nurse' while they performed makeshift surgery on the dusty ground. All thoughts of hygiene and proper practice were forgotten, and she went from child to child cutting, cleaning, stitching and bandaging as best she could. For the most part her best was working.
After what seemed like an eternity they found themselves kneeling over a little girl, when there came a shout from the direction of the road. Sally looked up and saw a jeep come screeching to a halt, and she registered the faces of BJ and Hawkeye in the front seats. With them arrived the ambulances, and Sally almost cried with relief at the sight of them all. She turned to look at Mulcahy, who was obviously thinking the same thing. They spontaneously hugged one another as the other surgeons ran over to where they were. Sally quickly pulled her thoughts back to the job and did what she knew she had to.
"Nice of you to join us," she said sadly as Hawkeye put his arm around her shoulder.
"Well, nothing like a drive through a minefield on a winter's afternoon" he replied, "What've we got here?"
Sally ran through an assessment of the situation with Hawkeye and BJ, and directed the corpsmen on which children needed taking immediately. After she had finished, both men stood looking aghast at what they were facing, but swallowed their horror and moved off to carry on the work of stabilising the children for travel. BJ turned to Sally and Mulcahy before he went to his first patient.
"I think you two have done enough for now. Head back to base, you look exhausted."
Sally nodded. She knew she would have be in surgery later, but she needed half an hour to gather her thoughts. Silently, she headed to one of the jeeps which littered what used to be the children's playground but which was now a field hospital. Mulcahy was already sitting in the driver's seat. He smiled gently at her as she climbed in.
"Come on, John. Let's go home," she said softly. He put the jeep in gear and drove them away from the scene of their nightmares.
oOo
They travelled back in silence, neither able to find the words to express what they were feeling. As he drove, Mulcahy stretched out and took Sally's hand in his. He didn't have to say anything, they didn't need to speak to offer comfort to each other. She put her head on his shoulder and continued in silence until they arrived back at the 4077th. Both knew that it wasn't over yet, and there was still the gauntlet of surgery to run before they could let the world back in again. They were both still numb to what they had witnessed, but they knew they would have to face it later before they would be able to sleep that night.
oOo
Eight hours later Sally finally walked out of the Operating Room having been physically removed from her post by Hawkeye.
"You've had enough today, Li'l Miss." Potter had said gently, seeing her shoulders sagging lower with each patient and her eyes growing even darker than their usual chestnut brown. "Go find yourself a bed and get some shuteye. And that's an order."
She was in no mood to argue, and she silently washed up and changed into clean clothes before stepping outside into the biting November air. She walked across the compound towards her tent alone, before pausing at the sound of laughter and music coming from the direction of Rosie's Bar. She laughed out loud herself then, sinking to her knees by the flagpole and laughing like she was fit to burst. She became aware of someone at her side and she turned round to see Mulcahy looking down on her with a worried look on his face. He sank to his knees beside her.
"Sally, dear. Are you alright? You seem a little…" he paused while he searched for the right word. "Hysterical."
She smiled at him, and took his hand. She felt comforted to have him beside her and worried about her. She felt less alone when he was there, he understood.
"I am hysterical," she explained, "Because I'm scared that if I let the tears come they might never stop. Today was outside my radar, I have no idea how to deal with it. How do you keep so calm? I wish I had your temperament, you're so peaceful. I'm just a big mess of emotions. It's not good."
Mulcahy put a protective arm around Sally's shoulder and pulled her close.
"Oh Sally," he sighed, "If only you knew what it's like. I feel like yelling out sometimes, shouting at people and things just like you do. But I've had to learn to control it because that's what's expected of me. I don't what I'd do if I didn't have my punchbag to beat up when things get rough."
Sally laughed. "I guess it's going to see some serious action in the next day or so," she said.
Mulcahy smiled and nodded. "Sally, your enthusiasm and emotion are what I like about you. You're honest, and you say what you think. You're like a breath of air – to use a cliché. You're just, well… you're just you. And I love you for it. We all do."
Sally smiled up at her friend, before succumbing to a massive yawn which made them both laugh.
"I think it's time I went to bed. I'm exhausted," she said.
They both stood up, limbs stiff after kneeling on the hard ground.
"Well, goodnight, Sally!" Mulcahy said cheerfully.
"G'night, John." She stretched up and put her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she turned and trudged off towards the Swamp, leaving Mulcahy standing, frozen, feeling the imprint of her lips burning on his skin.
