1.1 Chapter Six
1.1.1 Korea, 1952
"Can I get a stretcher over here?" Margaret Houlihan screamed over the din of another incoming chopper. The man lying on the ground in front of her was bleeding profusely from the head. He would have to go immediately to the O.R. "A stretcher please!"
About ten feet away from her BJ Hunnicut was checking a wounded man's pulse. It was weak and his leg was pretty bad off. "Klinger," he called to the nearest walking person, "plasma! Now!"
"Yes sir!" Klinger replied, his pearls clicking as he ran.
"This one's a lost cause!" Hawkeye told nurse Kellye. The man had been shot in the heart and had a weak pulse. "Give him something for the pain and then leave him here."
The man moaned. He understood what was going on. Hawkeye felt bad for him, but there was nothing he could do.
Father Mulcahy came over. "I'll take it from here, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye nodded and ran off to meet the next chopper that landed.
"Pray with me son." Mulcahy told the man calmly.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is…"
"I need some help over here!" Colonel Potter yelled. The man he was working on had started to have a seizure.
Three nurses came over to help sedate him.
Meanwhile, Radar was showing Sydney and Jack around the camp. He would point at something then say proudly, "That's the Colonel Potter's tent." Or, "That's the office. I work there."
He was scared to death of Jack, and tried to avoid standing next to him at all costs, but he seemed to take an extreme liking to Sydney, a pattern that followed the two of them no matter where they went. He looked at her every few steps, almost as if he was checking to see if she was impressed. It was sort of sweet really.
"And this," he said, stopping in front of a tent a little ways down from the Mess Tent, "is the VIP tent. You'll be staying here, Miss Bristow."
He was becoming more like Marshall every minute. "Please, call me Sydney."
"Sure thing, Miss Bristow." He looked at the ground. "I mean, sure thing, Sydney." The word seemed awkward to him. He shook it off. "Should we go see where you'll be staying, Mr. Bristow?" He asked not looking Jack in the eye.
"Yes. I think we should." Jack said, starting to walk towards him.
Radar yelped and stepped back even further. "F-follow me, Mr. B- Bristow." He looked up again. "Sydney."
The trio made their way around the surge of people who were still working on bodies in Triage over to a messy-looking tent with the word "Swamp" on the door in red letters. Jack looked at in distaste.
"This is where I'll be staying?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes sir, Mr. Bristow. You'll be rooming with Captains Hunnicut and Pierce and Major Winchester." He faltered. "If that's what you want, sir. I'm sure Father Mulcahy wouldn't mind you staying with him."
Sydney gave her father a look. He shook his head. "No. That's not necessary." He cringed. "This will be fine."
In the background there were shouts for plasma, adrenaline, stretchers, and Father Mulcahy. Sydney looked back at what was going on behind her and found that she had to look away. Men lay on the ground bleeding, some with body parts missing, others with them barely attached. Doctors ran to and fro, covered in blood and anything else imaginable. Nurses brought needles and IV's, while men not trained medically carried away dead bodies. It was the result of carnage and, though she had killed many men in her life, she felt like she was going to throw up.
"Are you all right, Sydney?" Jack asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine." She lied, putting a hand over her mouth. "I'm fine." And then she ran off to find the latrine.
When she emerged five minutes later, Jack took her by the arm and led her to the VIP tent. Someone had set up a cot for her inside and she lay down on it, tired and sick and worried all at the same time. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
******************
A few hours later a woman Sydney vaguely recognized woke her up. It was Margaret Houlihan, the only woman in the photo she had shown to Vaughn at the warehouse the night they had come here. She checked to see if Sydney had a fever, then checked to see if her pulse was normal. When she was satisfied she asked Sydney if she was feeling well enough to come and eat something because it was lunchtime. Sydney, who hadn't eaten in a while, nodded and sat up slowly. Her head started to hurt again and she remembered the bandage on the back of it. She checked to see if it was bleeding. It wasn't.
The two women walked to the Mess Tent in silence. Margaret didn't know what to say and the same went for Sydney as well. What do you say to someone you weren't ever supposed to meet? Did you dare say anything for fear of giving away some hint about the future and what was in store? What if what she had told the men in Post-Op earlier changed the course of time? Would she even be born? These questions and more played on her mind. It was the first time since she had arrived at the 4077th that she even thought about what might happen as a result of their going back in time. She had seen Back to the Future. She knew about paradoxes and what happens if you mess around with the past. It scared her to think that she could start a chain of events that could have cataclysmic results. So she kept silent.
When they entered the tent she saw that Jack was sitting at a table with Hawkeye, Potter, and three others from the photo: Father Mulcahy, BJ Hunnicut, and Charles Winchester III. They were laughing at something Hawkeye had said but stopped when they saw Sydney and Margaret approach.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bristow." Colonel Potter said, standing up as a sign of respect.
"Oh, please. Sit down." He did so and she added, "And it's Sydney, Colonel."
She sat down next to her father. "Sydney, I take it you're feeling better?"
"Yeah. I just had to rest a bit. That's all." She looked at the food on her father's tray and thought about skipping lunch.
"I'm glad to hear it." Hawkeye said. "How's your head doing?"
She smiled at him. "It's better, thank you."
He smiled back.
Potter suddenly realized something. "Oh, where are my manners? Sydney, I'd like you to meet Father Mulcahy…"
"How do you do?" She asked.
"Fine, thank you. Your father's been telling us about you." He seemed a little wary of both of them, but as a man of the cloth, that was understandable.
Potter continued. "BJ Hunnicut…"
"At your service, ma'am. I certainly hope you find yourself as comfortable as you can here." He grinned. "It's hard, but we manage."
"And Charles Winchester." Potter concluded.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear." He reached over the table and took hold of her hand. "If you need anything, anything at all, please, feel free to come to me."
Sydney started to thank him, but Hawkeye cut in. "Hey, Chuckles, you're drooling all over the table. Stop it before we have to send for the Coast Guard."
Charles pulled his hand back. "Ah, I should've known it, Pierce. Even in the presence of a lady you find it impossible to behave yourself." He looked at Sydney. "Well, you know what they say. You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
"They also say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe if you leave we'll start to like you more." BJ said.
"That's a pretty big maybe, Beej." Hawkeye replied.
"Would you two shut your yappers?" Colonel Potter snapped. "Now we've got to figure out what to do about these two." He turned to Jack who was sitting directly to the right of him. "Now, I don't know about you, but I feel it's imperative that we get the two of you back to your own time. Too many people know about you. I think the less time you spend here the better."
"I agree." Jack said. "I know better than anyone here the impact that our being here could have."
"Was there any information in the book about how to go back?" Sydney asked, being careful not to give out too much information.
"None so far. But the text hasn't been completely decoded yet." Jack said, being equally as careful.
"Besides that," Hawkeye reminded them, "you've got someone else to worry about here."
Sydney look confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The other man that was with you still hasn't woken up yet."
"Oh my gosh, I forgot about Vaughn."
Jack sighed. "So what do we do until then?"
"You try and figure out what to do while we try to figure out how to patch up this Vaughn character." Potter decided. "Radar's shown you where you'll be staying?"
"Yes. He has." Jack said. "We're so grateful for your hospitality. It's been more than we could ever repay."
"Aw, that's okay." Hawkeye assured them. "We here at the 4077th are known for hospitality."
Potter gave a short laugh. "That's a hoot, Pierce."
Sydney stood up. "I think I'll go get something to eat."
"Try the Filet Mignon." Hawkeye told her. "It's heavenly."
BJ joined in. "And don't forget the Chicken Cordon Bleu. Igor's got a knack for fine French cuisine."
She smiled as she walked away. This was a completely unreal situation but it could've been worse. She could've ended up at Khasinau's and gotten herself killed. But she sort of regretted not finding her mother. She wanted so bad to get revenge. She didn't like that about herself but it was the truth. She got in line, had slop dumped on her tray and sat down at the table to "enjoy" her lunch.
Back at Post-Op Vaughn was still out cold and didn't show signs of waking up anytime soon.
1.1.1 Korea, 1952
"Can I get a stretcher over here?" Margaret Houlihan screamed over the din of another incoming chopper. The man lying on the ground in front of her was bleeding profusely from the head. He would have to go immediately to the O.R. "A stretcher please!"
About ten feet away from her BJ Hunnicut was checking a wounded man's pulse. It was weak and his leg was pretty bad off. "Klinger," he called to the nearest walking person, "plasma! Now!"
"Yes sir!" Klinger replied, his pearls clicking as he ran.
"This one's a lost cause!" Hawkeye told nurse Kellye. The man had been shot in the heart and had a weak pulse. "Give him something for the pain and then leave him here."
The man moaned. He understood what was going on. Hawkeye felt bad for him, but there was nothing he could do.
Father Mulcahy came over. "I'll take it from here, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye nodded and ran off to meet the next chopper that landed.
"Pray with me son." Mulcahy told the man calmly.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is…"
"I need some help over here!" Colonel Potter yelled. The man he was working on had started to have a seizure.
Three nurses came over to help sedate him.
Meanwhile, Radar was showing Sydney and Jack around the camp. He would point at something then say proudly, "That's the Colonel Potter's tent." Or, "That's the office. I work there."
He was scared to death of Jack, and tried to avoid standing next to him at all costs, but he seemed to take an extreme liking to Sydney, a pattern that followed the two of them no matter where they went. He looked at her every few steps, almost as if he was checking to see if she was impressed. It was sort of sweet really.
"And this," he said, stopping in front of a tent a little ways down from the Mess Tent, "is the VIP tent. You'll be staying here, Miss Bristow."
He was becoming more like Marshall every minute. "Please, call me Sydney."
"Sure thing, Miss Bristow." He looked at the ground. "I mean, sure thing, Sydney." The word seemed awkward to him. He shook it off. "Should we go see where you'll be staying, Mr. Bristow?" He asked not looking Jack in the eye.
"Yes. I think we should." Jack said, starting to walk towards him.
Radar yelped and stepped back even further. "F-follow me, Mr. B- Bristow." He looked up again. "Sydney."
The trio made their way around the surge of people who were still working on bodies in Triage over to a messy-looking tent with the word "Swamp" on the door in red letters. Jack looked at in distaste.
"This is where I'll be staying?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes sir, Mr. Bristow. You'll be rooming with Captains Hunnicut and Pierce and Major Winchester." He faltered. "If that's what you want, sir. I'm sure Father Mulcahy wouldn't mind you staying with him."
Sydney gave her father a look. He shook his head. "No. That's not necessary." He cringed. "This will be fine."
In the background there were shouts for plasma, adrenaline, stretchers, and Father Mulcahy. Sydney looked back at what was going on behind her and found that she had to look away. Men lay on the ground bleeding, some with body parts missing, others with them barely attached. Doctors ran to and fro, covered in blood and anything else imaginable. Nurses brought needles and IV's, while men not trained medically carried away dead bodies. It was the result of carnage and, though she had killed many men in her life, she felt like she was going to throw up.
"Are you all right, Sydney?" Jack asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine." She lied, putting a hand over her mouth. "I'm fine." And then she ran off to find the latrine.
When she emerged five minutes later, Jack took her by the arm and led her to the VIP tent. Someone had set up a cot for her inside and she lay down on it, tired and sick and worried all at the same time. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
******************
A few hours later a woman Sydney vaguely recognized woke her up. It was Margaret Houlihan, the only woman in the photo she had shown to Vaughn at the warehouse the night they had come here. She checked to see if Sydney had a fever, then checked to see if her pulse was normal. When she was satisfied she asked Sydney if she was feeling well enough to come and eat something because it was lunchtime. Sydney, who hadn't eaten in a while, nodded and sat up slowly. Her head started to hurt again and she remembered the bandage on the back of it. She checked to see if it was bleeding. It wasn't.
The two women walked to the Mess Tent in silence. Margaret didn't know what to say and the same went for Sydney as well. What do you say to someone you weren't ever supposed to meet? Did you dare say anything for fear of giving away some hint about the future and what was in store? What if what she had told the men in Post-Op earlier changed the course of time? Would she even be born? These questions and more played on her mind. It was the first time since she had arrived at the 4077th that she even thought about what might happen as a result of their going back in time. She had seen Back to the Future. She knew about paradoxes and what happens if you mess around with the past. It scared her to think that she could start a chain of events that could have cataclysmic results. So she kept silent.
When they entered the tent she saw that Jack was sitting at a table with Hawkeye, Potter, and three others from the photo: Father Mulcahy, BJ Hunnicut, and Charles Winchester III. They were laughing at something Hawkeye had said but stopped when they saw Sydney and Margaret approach.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bristow." Colonel Potter said, standing up as a sign of respect.
"Oh, please. Sit down." He did so and she added, "And it's Sydney, Colonel."
She sat down next to her father. "Sydney, I take it you're feeling better?"
"Yeah. I just had to rest a bit. That's all." She looked at the food on her father's tray and thought about skipping lunch.
"I'm glad to hear it." Hawkeye said. "How's your head doing?"
She smiled at him. "It's better, thank you."
He smiled back.
Potter suddenly realized something. "Oh, where are my manners? Sydney, I'd like you to meet Father Mulcahy…"
"How do you do?" She asked.
"Fine, thank you. Your father's been telling us about you." He seemed a little wary of both of them, but as a man of the cloth, that was understandable.
Potter continued. "BJ Hunnicut…"
"At your service, ma'am. I certainly hope you find yourself as comfortable as you can here." He grinned. "It's hard, but we manage."
"And Charles Winchester." Potter concluded.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear." He reached over the table and took hold of her hand. "If you need anything, anything at all, please, feel free to come to me."
Sydney started to thank him, but Hawkeye cut in. "Hey, Chuckles, you're drooling all over the table. Stop it before we have to send for the Coast Guard."
Charles pulled his hand back. "Ah, I should've known it, Pierce. Even in the presence of a lady you find it impossible to behave yourself." He looked at Sydney. "Well, you know what they say. You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
"They also say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe if you leave we'll start to like you more." BJ said.
"That's a pretty big maybe, Beej." Hawkeye replied.
"Would you two shut your yappers?" Colonel Potter snapped. "Now we've got to figure out what to do about these two." He turned to Jack who was sitting directly to the right of him. "Now, I don't know about you, but I feel it's imperative that we get the two of you back to your own time. Too many people know about you. I think the less time you spend here the better."
"I agree." Jack said. "I know better than anyone here the impact that our being here could have."
"Was there any information in the book about how to go back?" Sydney asked, being careful not to give out too much information.
"None so far. But the text hasn't been completely decoded yet." Jack said, being equally as careful.
"Besides that," Hawkeye reminded them, "you've got someone else to worry about here."
Sydney look confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The other man that was with you still hasn't woken up yet."
"Oh my gosh, I forgot about Vaughn."
Jack sighed. "So what do we do until then?"
"You try and figure out what to do while we try to figure out how to patch up this Vaughn character." Potter decided. "Radar's shown you where you'll be staying?"
"Yes. He has." Jack said. "We're so grateful for your hospitality. It's been more than we could ever repay."
"Aw, that's okay." Hawkeye assured them. "We here at the 4077th are known for hospitality."
Potter gave a short laugh. "That's a hoot, Pierce."
Sydney stood up. "I think I'll go get something to eat."
"Try the Filet Mignon." Hawkeye told her. "It's heavenly."
BJ joined in. "And don't forget the Chicken Cordon Bleu. Igor's got a knack for fine French cuisine."
She smiled as she walked away. This was a completely unreal situation but it could've been worse. She could've ended up at Khasinau's and gotten herself killed. But she sort of regretted not finding her mother. She wanted so bad to get revenge. She didn't like that about herself but it was the truth. She got in line, had slop dumped on her tray and sat down at the table to "enjoy" her lunch.
Back at Post-Op Vaughn was still out cold and didn't show signs of waking up anytime soon.