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With Henry gone for a few days to Tokyo, Frank comes into power in all his tea totaling glory. To the dismay of Trapper and Hawkeye, Frank takes the men's still keeping them from surviving their forty eight hour surgeries, rainy weather, and current lack of a movie.
"'They were furious when I took away their still'," Frank tells Margaret when he is in her tent the next day.
"'You took away their still?'" Margaret asks uneasily knowing how the men will act without it.
"'And moth balled it'," Frank announces proudly. Then, finding out that the man is outlawing all liquor, the nurse sneaks to supply that night.
Finding out from Radar where their still is hidden, the surgeons sneak into supply to look for it . Not finding anything, the men turn when they hear a noise come from the other side of the building. Turning on the light, they catch Margaret staring at them holding a flask and some wine. Once she is caught, she, Hawkeye, and Trapper head to The Swamp to drink their contraband.
"'I didn't know you could sing'," A drunk Margaret states slightly enamored by Hawkeye's voice. She knows her husband can carry a tune, but not that he can sing so well. Margaret easily follows suit in Hawkeye's song with Trapper coming in behind and are too drunk to care about Frank's whining once he appears in the tent. Waking up to a hangover the next morning is less than fun, but the trio considers it an act of rebellion as they wish Henry back sooner rather than later.
"Who knows what Frank will outlaw next?" Trapper complains.
"Dancing probably," Hawkeye remarks as he picks up one of his magazines. Thankfully by the end of the week, Frank repeals his asinine order and the camp returns to its usual state of alcoholic codependency.
With a new batch of wounded one day comes a soldier suffering from hysterical paralysis. Charged with the young man, Hawkeye quickly seeks Syndey Freedman's advise on how to deal with him and decides to treat him as an invalid. Running the scenario by Trapper, the other surgeon agrees.
"'Captain Pierce, I want a word with you'," Margaret demands of her husband in Post Op one afternoon. Going toward her, Hawkeye flirts, "'Fine. You want to act it out or whisper it in my ear?'"
Dismissing the remark, Margaret complains that her nurses are working twenty- four seven just on one patient that Hawkeye is in charge of.
"'So, move the clock'," He deadpans and starts walking away. Following her husband, Margaret again complains about how tired her nurses are to which Hawkeye flippantly dismisses. With another snide comment from her husband, Margaret goes to check another patient. Time away from her husband for even a few minutes will probably do her temper some good. Hawkeye simply goes over to the patient and tries to reason him into walking on his perfectly functional legs. When the soldier keeps fighting him, Hawkeye tells Margaret that the soldier will be taking his meals in the mess tent.
"'He can't eat in there'," Margaret states knowing regulations.
"'Who can? I hear the special today is Trench Toast'," Hawkeye quips causing his wife to add, "'Doctor, the patient can't walk.'"
"'Well then he can crawl, or go hungry'," The surgeon states turning to his patient adding, '" Whichever you prefer'."
Heading back to Trapper when the young soldier makes more excuses, Hawkeye turns away from everyone else in the room knowing how much of an outburst he causes.
"'Not easy is it?'" His friend asks.
"'Did you know Hitler and I have the same answering service?'" Hawkeye morbidly jokes before leaving the room. All he wants is for a soldier to admit he can walk because everyone else except Trapper is on his side even though the surgeon knows better than anyone what this young man is capable of. Frustrated, Hawkeye takes a long walk hoping to clear his head. After a full lap around the compound going the longest route possible, Hawkeye stops in the middle of the compound between his tent and Margaret's. Making sure no one is looking, Hawkeye slips into his wife's tent. When she comes in on a break, she nearly screams finding her husband sitting at her vanity.
"Hawk, what are you doing in here?" She nearly exclaims. Shrugging, Hawkeye answers, "Thinking. Margaret, I want to apologize for yelling at you."
Shaking her head, Margaret answers, "You don't have to be sorry, except to my nurses. I may not understand what you're doing, but Trapper told me Sydney advised it."
"Ah, so you'll listen to Sydney's advice, but not mine?" Hawkeye teases. Walking toward her husband, Margaret teases with a smirk, "There was no mention of listening in the marriage vows."
Standing beside him now, the nurse runs her fingers through her husband's hair stating, "Love, honor, cherish, even obey, but never listen."
Taking his wife's other hand, Hawkeye kisses it. After a small silence, Hawkeye asks, "How much time do you have left on your break?"
"How much time do you need?" Margaret asks with a grin. Her husband matches her expression wickedly before pulling his wife into his lap.
Fifteen minutes later when she is back in Post Op, Margaret is surprised to find Radar in one of the beds. Asking Kellye what he is doing there, the young nurse answers, "The Colonel wanted to give him a shot for rabies in case the dog that bit him is infected."
Nodding, Margaret makes a note to stop by the boy's bed.
"Hi," Margaret states when she notices the clerk's sweating. Taking a rag, she pats any sweat off his brow as Radar mumbles, "Hawkeye was supposed to give me a shot, but we couldn't find him."
Thankful that Radar's eyes are closed and he cannot see her face redden, the nurse answers, "I bet The Colonel did a fine job."
"Thank you, Major," Colonel Blake states startling the woman. "Mind if I sit with him?"
Shaking her head, Margaret tells them she will be back and goes to check on Hawkeye's patient instead. Hearing through Frank that the man is degenerate, Margaret decides to talk with him. The young man is still awake, so she asks how he is.
"Fine, I guess," The man remarks. Margaret gives a tight lipped smile before commending him, "I heard you crawled into the mess tent today."
Shrugging as best he can in a bed, the soldier answers, "You'll do just about anything when your hungry."
Nodding, Margaret states, "The mind does wonders. Get better, soldier."
"Yes, ma'am," The soldier answers as Margaret walks away.
Close to dinner, Hawkeye, Colonel Blake, and Trapper have to listen to Frank's complaining about their patient while Margaret backs him up. Only Hawkeye knows she is less than thrilled with him anymore. While the staff argues, they never register a knock, only a voice calling for Pierce. They all turn to find Hawkeye's patient in the doorway announcing he can stand. Trapper and Hawkeye immediately go to congratulate him. Margaret watches the action with a smile while Frank whines, "'Margeret, I was wrong!'"
Ignoring him, Margaret walks over to the men to talk to the patient. They all have celebratory dinner in the mess tent and actually get to know the young soldier from Boston. Leaving the mess tent after dinner, Margaret lightly grabs her husband's arm to keep him back from the others for a second. With an expression of pure adoration and awe, Margaret looks her husband in the eyes and tells him what a great job he did. Matching her gaze, Hawkeye answers, "Thanks."
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