Chapter 52

Stringfellow Hawke followed the two Captains into the mess tent next. He spied Dom sitting with the company Father and Colonel Potter and gave a slight pause wondering if Dom already spilled the beans. He shook the thought from his mind and went to the line. He found himself standing between Hawkeye and BJ.

The cook, Igor was at the waiting with a spoon full of slop. He looked like he had seen a ghost and was rather pale.

Hawkeye took it upon himself to give a tour of the camp to the pilot. He introduced, "And this is Igor, Captain. The food isn't edible but the entertainment is superb." Hawkeye handed String a tray and then BJ. He noticed Igor was staring at Dom. "Igor…slop this way…" he pointed towards his tray.

Igor stood wide eyed, "Did you see, Dom?"

He looked over at the Colonel's table. "You mean Colonel Santini?"

"That's Dom!" he insisted. "The pilot! You remember. You stitched him up a few weeks ago."

Hawkeye shook his head, "That's impossible, Igor. That man is at least 30 years older than Major Santini."

BJ figured, "Maybe they are related."

String mouthed the name, "Igor?" He found the camp rather laid back and nearly amusing.

Igor insisted, "I'm telling you that's Dom. That's the same man."

BJ countered, "How could that be Dom? Heck, we don't even know Colonel Santini's first name."

Igor doubled down on his claim, "I serve Dom and John all the time. They are the only two chopper pilots who treat enlisted like a friend. I'm telling you that man is our Dom. Just ask Nurse Baker. She can tell ya."

BJ stated, "We can settle this right now, Igor." He turned to String, "What is Colonel Santini's first name, String?"

"Dominic." he replied. He thought about coming up with a fake name but figured that would be too risky if they slipped up.

BJ and Hawkeye traded glances.

String wondered, "Who is Nurse Baker?"

The door opened again to the mess tent and in walked a group of nurses with Caitlin and Sam. Leading the pair was a tall attractive nurse with blonde wavy hair and bright blue eyes who was rather chatty.

BJ pointed, "Right there."

String turned and looked at the tall blonde beauty. He cocked an eyebrow, "Nurse Baker?"

Hawkeye confessed, "She could have been mine…"

BJ smirked, "If it weren't for Major Santini."

He agreed, "Ah-ha."

Sam and Caitlin found themselves befriended by a very chatty nurse. She spoke to Sam and Caitlin as they entered the line.

"So where are you girls from?" Nurse Baker asked.

Caitlin replied, "I'm from Texas."

"California." Sam stated.

"I'm from California too." Baker stated. She noticed Dom sitting with Colonel Potter and Father Mulcahy. She asked, "Where is…Colonel Santini from?"

"California." Sam told her.

"I swear…" she tried to wrap her mind around why the older man looked just like a pilot she knew ever so intimately.

Caitlin asked, "What?"

"He looks just like Dom." she told them. "My boyfriend."

Sam puffed out her cheeks, "Oh' boy."

Caitlin asked amused, "Your boyfriend?"

She nodded with a grin, "Dom Santini. He's a pilot. He was in World War Two. Was a fighter ace. Pierce is jealous of him and is always hitting on me. Dom is so sweet and thoughtful. He looks just like him, acts like him, sounds like him. I mean…it's like he's him but older. I can't figure out why."

Before Caitlin could suggest a cover of a relative Sam spoke up, "Maybe he is him."

Caitlin let out a deep sigh as she knew Sam and Dom could both be rather blunt. She miffed, "Must be a Santini thing."

Margaret Houlihann marched into the tent next with Major Winchester. They too made their way to the line for dinner. She watched as Hawkeye and BJ had already corralled Stringfellow Hawke between the pair and escorted him to a table. She was not enthused as she wanted to sit with the handsome pilot.

Margaret miffed, "They already got their paws on him."

Caitlin overheard the Majors talk.

Charles replied, "You mean Captain Hawke?"

"Who else?" she agreed. "Of course Pierce and Hunnicutt have already circled him. They want to get on his good side so they can see inside the top secret chopper." she assumed.

"I want to see inside that top secret chopper, Margaret." he confessed. "That is…" he glanced behind him to make sure no one was close, "That chopper is years ahead of aviation. I want to know who is the manufacturer."

"So you can invest in the company?" she asked knowing.

"Of course." he agreed. He spied Sam and Caitlin nearby. He figured the two might be able to give him some inside information. He whispered, "If Pierce and Hunnicutt have already got the pilot, then maybe we can get the two lieutenants. They would have information on who is behind that chopper too."

Margaret could have cared less about the money. Her mind was wrapped in a fantasy about a love affair with a handsome pilot flying a top secret chopper. Her imagination swept her off her feet mentally.

Nurse Baker led Sam and Caitlin through the line and then went to the table where Colonel Potter sat. She wasn't sure how to ask for permission to sit with them but she wanted to know if that older man in camp was indeed the same pilot she was dating. Her eyes settled on Dom for a minute.

Dom looked up and his eyes settled softly on the nurse. A smile crept across his face, "Jan Baker."

She plopped down right across from him and looked him dead in the eye, "Dom! It is you! I knew it the minute I saw you get out of the chopper."

Colonel Potter held a hand, "Keep it down, Baker."

Sam and Caitlin then sat down as well as they wanted to find out more about Dom's past and his friends in the camp.

Nurse Baker asked, "How is this possible, Dom?"

"Ask Sam." he motioned. "She's my great niece." he introduced.

Baker looked at Sam and cocked her head, "His great niece?"

She nodded as she tried the food. She found it not bad and began to eat. "Dom's my uncle." She looked across to Dom, "Main squeeze, huh?"

He nodded, "Jan and I were very close during Korea, Sam." He regretted losing touch with the nurse for she stood out in his memory of ex flames. "This is Father Mulcahy, Sam. He's a good friend of mine. He helped me through some tough times. Helped your grandpa too."

She held out a hand, "Nice to meet you, Father."

He kindly shook her hand, "Who is your grandfather?" He could not phantom who he helped.

Dom informed, "John Hawke is her grandfather. He's String's father. String is one of his little boys."

Father Mulcahy asked, "That man is John Hawke's young son, Stringfellow. His other son, Saint John is…" he looked to Sam.

She nodded, "My dad."

"Your name is not Beckett?" Colonel Potter asked.

"Uncle String made it up because my last name is Hawke too. There is a Sam Beckett that I know. He's my friend." she replied.

Colonel Potter asked, "Just how is it that a Major who flies in wounded is now 30 years older and with the little boy, who is now a grown man of another pilot who flies in wounded?"

Sam explained, "I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong. We were testing an new kind of engine. The chopper is actually outdated. It's obsolete where I am from. If I can get this engine to work it would make traveling through space possible. We were trying to fly from California to New York on a test flight. If the engine worked like it was supposed to, we would made the flight in seconds. Instead, we ended up here and I have no idea what went wrong. It's my engine. I have to find a way to fix this and get back home."

Dom insisted, "We just need a place to lay low until Sam can figure it out. We ended up on the other side of the globe in a war zone. Our options are limited. I couldn't believe what I saw when we flew overhead. I hadn't seen this camp in decades."

Father Mulcahy sat beside himself, "That young pilot is John Hawke's son." he looked to Sam, "And you are Dominic Santini's great niece." He then looked to Caitlin and wondered, "Are you related to John or Dominic as well?"

Before Caitlin could answer Sam nodded, "She's String's fiancée."

Caitlin's shoulder's slunk and she rolled her head back, "We have not decided to get married yet."

Colonel Potter found the ages off. "I find this a bit off. You are same age as your uncle?"

She shook her head, "There is another time gap. I'm the furthest from the future. This is the second engine we are testing. The first engine had a little…hiccup and um…how do I explain this to you?"

Dom spoke up, "I went to the future. Beyond my life time, to 2022. The first engine connected 2022 to 1984, which is where me, String and Caitlin are from."

Father Mulcahy and Colonel Potter both seemed a bit confused. The Colonel stated, "I'm not sure I follow…"

Jan baker stated, "Oh…I get it. It's like a car ride! Sam is Dom's great niece from the future. From the year 2022. Dom went to Sam's time and since Dom is 30 years older the time he was in was 1984. Then they made another engine, put it in that chopper and somehow ended up here when the test flight failed." She came up with an analogy, "It's like a car ride, Colonel but instead of addresses think years. Sam's house is 2022 and she gets in her car and goes to another house but that house is the year 1984. She picks up Dom, Caitlin and Stringfellow at the house in 1984 and then the car goes back to the 4077th in our time. Imagine the years as a house and they are all in the same car."

Sam and Caitlin traded glances surprised.

Caitlin stated shocked, "You actually got that! I mean this is complicated."

"I can follow." Nurse Baker told her.

Sam looked to Dom, "Why are you two not married?"

"Things happen." he shrugged.

Sam looked to Colonel Potter, "I need you to do us a huge favor and not tell anyone else in this camp. The chopper is decades ahead of anything you have here and there is an experimental engine onboard that could alter the course of history if it falls into the wrong hands. Can you help us, Colonel?" She gave a pleading look.

"I'll do everything I can to help you get back home." he promised. "Baker, Father…Let's keep this between us only."

Father Mulcahy agreed, "I think that would be for the best." He glanced up as Hawkeye and BJ escorted String to the table next.

"Father, Colonels…" Hawkeye started as he took his seat. BJ greeted, "Colonels…" his eyes settled on Dom unsure what to make of Igor's claim. He looked to the girls, "Lieutenants" and took his seat.

Hawkeye looked to Nurse Baker, "Igor thinks the Colonel is an older version of your flyboy boyfriend. What do we tell him?" He expected her to say he's a relative.

Jan Baker replied, "Tell him that's classified." She gave wink to Dom.

The two doctors paused as String figured the woman knew the truth.

Sam finished eating her food and stated, "This is stuff is pretty good. Can I get seconds?" she wondered.

Hawkeye gasped, "You think this stuff is good!"

She nodded, "Way better than a TV dinner." For Sam a TV dinner was often cooked in a microwave and never as good as the picture on box.

BJ soured as TV dinners were a new thing on the market that he didn't enjoy.

Colonel Potter smiled, "I'm sure Igor will appreciate you liking his cooking. Help yourself…Lieutenant."

"Great!" she cheered and stood up to go get another helping.

Dom asked, "Got any rations left over, Colonel?"

"I have some in supply." he nodded.

"Canned egg?" he requested.

"I do." he recalled.

"Let's let Sam try that." he suggested with a laugh.

String smiled, "Don't know…she might like it. I've seen what those kids will eat."

Caitlin recalled and internet challenge she watched, "Laundry detergent."

Dom countered, "Sam never did those challenges."

"Thank god." Caitlin agreed for some were just too risky.

The Father asked, "What does Sam like to eat?" He found the crew must be referencing to some kind of future trend.

Caitlin stated, "Mainly cinnamon rolls and coffee."

Jan Baker stated, "Nothing wrong with that."

Sam soon came back with a tray loaded up with slop. She sat back down with a grin and dug into the meal.

Hawkeye assumed, "With you getting seconds, Igor will think he found the girl of his dreams."

She shrugged the comment off, "Whatever."

Dom spoke, "How about a full day's ration, Colonel."

Sherman gave a nod, "We can do that."

Sam asked, "You mean a M.R.E.?"

Dom shook his head with a grin, "Oh' no…the real rations. Like what I got during the war."

She blinked unsure, "Hardtack?" For to Sam World War Two was ancient history.

Hawkeye busted out laughing.

Potter stated, "I had hardtack for my rations during the W.W. One. You could break your teeth on that."

Sam came to attention, "I watched this Youtube channel with a guy who does historical cooking and he made hardtack and then cooked it up in salt pork. That was cool to watch."

BJ asked, "What is Youtube?"

Caitlin miffed, "You don't want to know."

String came up with a cover, "It's a private television channel."

The doctor puckered in thought, "Oh."

Sam asked Colonel Potter, "What did you get for rations back then?"

"Hardtack or crackers. Canned meat, cheese or eggs. Some tobacco and water tablets. Sometimes we got some fresh meat or salt pork." he reported. "Once you broke the hard tack up you soaked it in water or fat to soften it. Not much taste to it. Kind of bland." He noticed she ate all the food off the tray. "You must be hungry today, Sam."

"I skipped breakfast and lunch for the flight." she agreed. "Was too nervous to eat. Guess it caught up with me."

"I understand." he agreed.

Curious she asked Dom, "Is there a big difference between a M.R.E.'s and what you had during the war?"

"And how." he cheered. "We'll set ya up with a few rations tomorrow so you can taste them." He looked to Caitlin, "You and Sam can do one of them taste test like on those channels."

Caitlin looked to String.

He bluntly stated, "I'm not taste testing rations."

Sam grinned, "Come on, Cait. It will be fun."

Hawkeye sat baffled, "Taste testing rations is fun."

Margaret and Charles came to the table next. The pair sat down upon greeting the officers.

"Colonels, Captains, Lieutenants." Margaret greeted. She looked upon Sam's empty tray. She was surprised to see the food was gone for most could not finish the meal. She smiled, "I see you bide by the rule of take what you will eat and eat what you take."

"Huh?" she asked a bit confused.

Hawkeye interrupted, "Oh' no! Lieutenant Beckett actually likes the food here."

Charles asked, "Does she have a fever?"

"You can call me, 'Sam'." she requested for she hated lying about her name.

Charles asked, "Sam is short for Samantha?"

She nodded, "It is."

He became chummy, "I always liked the name Samantha. You should go by your full name. It's very charming."

"Thank you for lovely compliment." she replied with no intention of going by her full name.

The officers understood what Charles was doing. He was trying to get access to information on the chopper.

"That's a very interesting chopper you got there." Charles added as he began to eat.

Sam nodded, "Airwolf is one of a kind."

"Who is the manufacturer? Lockheed…" he suggested.

"Bell." she replied without much thought.

"Bell." he asked surprised.

She nodded.

String called, "Sam!"

She looked at him unsure as she was growing tired.

"Wilton." he reminded her.

"Oh," she nodded as she understood Charles was looking for investment info.

"Wilton?" Charles asked.

"Friend of mine." she told him.

"I see." he gave a nod as he figured String was onto him. He pondered how to get Sam alone as she seemed to be willing to talk about the backers of the high tech chopper that peaked his financial interest.