She had been the oddest woman out amongst the nurses. He had been the most unique surgeon in the camp. They also were not in the same circles, but worked together often enough. It was not like she could have been there outside of their professional sphere anyway. Spearchucker was always hanging out with the surgeons. She was an ugly duckling amongst the nurses and she will never find love with a man unlike her.

Kellye almost cried to think that. She was not as slim as the other women and worse, she was part Chinese and Hawaiian. While this normally would not have bothered her, this made her a target of ridicule. She was called a traitor. She was teased for not securing a date. She was accused of not being good enough as a nurse and aiding the enemy.

When Spearchucker was transferred to the 4077th, Kellye thought she found a kindred spirit. After all, he was the only black surgeon the camp. While he was far from being the only black person (there were three dark-skinned orderlies), he still managed to find solace in those he bunked with. Nobody dared to accuse him of anything, not when Trapper and Hawkeye were there.

Kellye could not find out his secret. Someone as odd as Spearchucker should have been harassed and thrown out of the camp. He should have been lynched by now. No, his fellow surgeons welcomed him with open arms and treated him like their own.

This depressed Kellye. She did not have the same resolution and continued to work as she always did. As she saw it, she was lucky to still have her position, the way people treated her. Major Houlihan could have done something, but Kellye did not want to tell her. She did not bother bringing it to Colonel Blake's attention either. It will bring more trouble to her door. She did not need it.

One day, everything seemed to change. At dawn, Kellye had finished her long Post-Op shift. She was going back to her bed for some well-deserved sleep. It was better to be in her dreams. She had heard enough whispers from the other nurses that she could not bear it. At least, her mind will provide her solace.

She did not see Spearchucker in front of her, she was so tired from the overnight run. She bumped right into his back as he was tossing a football to Trapper. She knocked him right into a puddle of mud and her right with him. Kellye remained on top of Spearchucker's back until she too rolled into the mud.

Trapper ran over. "Are you ok?" he asked them both.

"Arg, I've had better mornings." Spearchucker moaned and pulled himself up. "That was some push though."

Kellye did not expect any help. She was surprised when both Spearchucker and Trapper held out their hands and pulled her out of the hole. They held her for a moment, to make sure that she was steady on her feet, but Spearchucker lingered. His dark digits were hesitant in leaving her arm. Trapper noticed this.

"Do you, umm, want to save this game for later?" he asked Spearchucker. "I am sure we can make teams once everyone is up."

"Huh?" For a moment, Spearchucker did not hear Trapper. "Oh, yeah. Sure. We can play later."

Trapper walked away, mumbling about some people and their love and needing to shower. It left Spearchucker alone with Kellye. Kellye had to look up at him to talk, but her tongue and lips could not move. That did not matter. His brown eyes lighted on her like they found her to be too entrenched in the darkness. He had to take her home.

"My folks aren't in," Spearchucker said. "Do you want to…you know…come back to the Swamp with me?"

"What about Major Burns?" Kellye always worried about him. "Wouldn't he mind?"

"No." Spearchucker waved his hand dismissively. "He's with Major Houlihan in her tent."

Kellye was going to ask how he knew, but somehow did not care anymore. Giddy with the prospect of being with this man, she took his hand and allowed him to guide her back to his tent. Spearchucker was an ardent person, she noted. Despite them both being so dirty, he stopped every so often and kissed a different spot on her body. Kellye giggled. Each touch was like a tickle, light as a feather.

By the time they reached the Swamp, all was quiet. Spearchucker opened the door and entered. By this time, he let go of Kellye's hand and held the entranceway open for her. She walked in and glanced around. She did not find a place to sit down. Everything was covered in garbage, clothes, dirt and more. She reached over to a chair and tried pulling some things off of it…only to find that she was transplanted.

I can't move!

Her panicked eyes sought Spearchucker's. Kellye was so scared, she hoped that this translated to Spearchucker. She found that it didn't. He went to the still and poured himself a drink. He filled another glass and offered it to her.

"What wrong?" he asked her when she did not take it.

"I'm stuck!" Kellye screamed. "Help me!"

"You have to help yourself," he explained. He put down her portion and gulped down another mouthful. "I can't pull you out. I had to work hard to be who I was. What about you? What did you do?"

"I hoped being different did not matter," Kellye cried. Tears fell from her eyes. "I need you, Spearchucker. Please, please help me!"

Suddenly, she began to sank. The more she struggled, the worse her situation grew. Before long, Kellye only had her head and arms above the pit that sucked her down. Her fingers waved in a final attempt to beg Spearchucker. He ignored it. No more was he the lover. He was now the indifferent. As her eyes no longer beheld the Swamp, Kellye wished a silent goodbye to the man she thought she loved and lost so quickly.

With a jump, Kellye woke up. She was in her bunk in her tent, rubbing away the sleep in her eyes. Around her, the other nurses slept in a peaceful silence. None of them noticed that she was awake.

What a dream!

It seemed the opposite of what she experienced now. She was loved in the camp and men asked her for dates. Nobody made fun of her for her heritage and thought she was wonderful, no matter where her family came from. Just the night before, Klinger brought her flowers and escorted her to the movie. After they parted ways, she found the night to be too young and sought more entertainment. Then, another surgeon took her hand and decided to abandon his date because she decided to pick a fight.

Kellye did not remember Spearchucker coming back to her tent with her. They went to have drinks at Rosie's. They had a little too much, she remembered, but had a good time playing darts and ducking to miss the fight the Marines started. Then, they went back to the camp together, hand-in-hand.

Smiling, Kellye got up. She figured she had time to go to the latrine before everyone woke up. She expected wounded today, since the fighting was picking up. Just when her feet began to walk, something tripped her. Kellye stood up, cleaning herself of imaginary dirt, and looked down to find the trouble.

And there Spearchucker was, sleeping on the floor.