FOUR


Nov 1st: 0200 hours

Hello, Mildred dear,

It's very early in the morning here and I just finished cleaning up after our last, of several, OR sessions.

I'm afraid our much anticipated Halloween party didn't go as planned. First of all, due to transportation problems, the 8063rd had to cancel their trip over here to help us celebrate the day. And then, even though we tried to continue with our fundraising activities, a rowdy bunch of Marines moved into Rosie's bar outside of camp. Their drunken escapades kept us busy. It was mostly minor incidents—scrapes and bruises from fistfights. Major Winchester even had one patient who had a billiards ball stuck in his mouth. I'm still not certain how that happened.

But then, the real casualties started coming in. I lost track of the number of times one of us had to leave our operating table to perform triage outside. Also, most of us weren't even able to change out of our costumes. (Although, I did remove the chaps I was wearing. They chafed.)

It was funny, in a bizarre kind of way. Winchester had refused to dress up, of course. He did not want to get into the spirit of things, as our Texan explained with her usual grin. But, there was Pierce, wearing a homemade Superman suit complete with a red cape, diagnosing a shoulder fracture. Hunnicutt, dressed as clown, carrying a litter. MacAllister, wearing a man's suit and a fake handlebar mustache, adjusting an IV bottle. Houlihan wearing a Mandarin dress with a slit clear up to her… Anyway, we were busy for a long time.

Even though we weren't able to participate in the activities we had planned, we did start telling spooky stories while we were working in the operating room. Pierce told an eerie one about a phantom boat that his uncle followed safely into port only to have it disappear into the fog. Baker told about someone she knew who had been awaken and led to safety from a house fire by a man who had died in a similar fire years before.

I hope you don't mind, but I told them about the time your brother Calvin visited you right after his passing. I still get chills thinking about that.

While we weren't able to raise much money for the orphans, we did some good work and saved a lot of lives this night. I am proud of this bunch of spook-tacular people.

Sorry, dear one; Sarabeth's puns are rubbing off on everyone—including me.

Speaking of raising money, Pierce has come up this rather hair-brain idea to fly Hunnicutt's wife and daughter to Tokyo for a visit. MacAllister tried to talk him out of it. Father Mulcahy tried to talk him out of it. I've tried to talk him out of it.

There's no reasoning with him, some times. Still, the idea does have its merits: especially since Sarabeth outlined some of their plans. I told them I would agree to give Hunnicutt a week's leave in Tokyo—provided they could raise the money. And, also, provided that B J has full knowledge and consent of their plans.

Pierce insists this must be a surprise. I have told him that is simply not acceptable. I caught MacAllister's wink and I know she's up to something. We'll see.

Houlihan is leaving the day after tomorrow for the 8055th. This is on orders from Colonel Blankenship. (I told you about her inspection last month.) Margaret will spend 2-3 days at each unit explaining her staffing procedures. Despite her words to the contrary, I think she is secretly pleased at all of the recognition the colonel is giving her. And it is recognition well deserved. She does work very hard for the good of this outfit.

Guess I'll stop now. I'm tired. And it will soon be daylight.

All my love,

Sherm.