Chapter 2:
Dances & Epidemics
In which a lovely evening leads to a not-so-pleasant morning.
The announcement spread and by 6:30 pm, the tent was already full of excited people. The tent had been decorated gaily with streamers of all colors and chairs stood near the walls of the tent. The piano had been rolled in and a small stage that had been erected - just enough so that the performer would be head and shoulders above everyone else. Most of the 4077th was already in attendance waiting for their entertainment to appear. Father Mulcahy sat down near Hawkeye and BJ and said amicably, "Well, this is certainly a nice change of events!"
Their response was cut short by the appearance of the entertainment. The four stood on the stage and attempted to introduce themselves but were cut short by raucous cheers from their over-eager audience. "Ladies first!" announced Jay. Hannah stepped forward, wearing a shin length light grey dress that looked attractive rather than matronly. Her dark brown hair was lightly curled. "Hello, I'm Hannah!" she announced, with a rather shy smile. Cassie stepped up next. Hawkeye let out a wolf whistle and Margaret elbowed him in the ribs and whispered shrilly, "Don't you have any self-respect, Pierce?!"
Cassie was wearing a form fitting black dress that flared at the hip and fell just above her knee. Her hair fell in loose waves around her face. She looked amused at Hawkeye's vocalization and said, "I'm Cassie." Jay stepped up beside her and put his arm around her and said, "I'm Jay! Cassie is my dance partner." Jay was wearing slightly loose black dress pants and a tight fitting black short sleeve shirt. Russ stood apart for a moment and then said, in a relatively quiet voice, "I'm Russ". Russ was wearing tight black pants and somewhat loose grey shirt.
"Now that you know who we are," Jay said, gesturing grandly, every ounce the showman, "allow us to provide you with some entertainment! We'll start the evening off with a lovely number danced by Russ and Hannah, performed on piano by myself, and sung by Cassie."
Russ and Hannah moved towards the floor and the members of the 4077th quickly cleared a large oval for them to dance in. Jay took a seat and Cassie remained on stage alone. A glance was exchanged among the four and Jay began to play a gentle piano melody. Cassie began to sing, quiet and somewhat breathy, "It's not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me. Oh no, it's just the nearness of you." Russ and Hannah were dancing slowly and gracefully together. Russ spun and turned Hannah with a skill so practiced that it appeared effortless. Though the dancing was enchanting, Hawkeye had eyes only for Cassie.
"It isn't your sweet conversation that brings this sensation. Oh no, it's just the nearness of you." Russ swung Hannah up and then pulled her close as Cassie sang, "When you're in my arms, and I feel you so close to me, all my wildest dreams came true." The dancing pair split apart briefly before rejoining. "I need no soft lights to enchant me. If you'll only grant me the right to hold you ever so tight and to feel in the night the nearness of you." The dance ended with Russ dipping Hannah, her leg in the air, and their faces only an inch from each other, looking longingly into each other's eyes.
The tent exploded with applause. Russ and Hannah bowed deeply, looking pleased, while Jay and Cassie smiled approvingly. Jay hopped up onto the stage and said, "Unfortunately, for this next number, we can't play the music live because there aren't enough of us to play all the instruments. But, we think you'll enjoy just the same." He winked. Russ carried a record player onto the stage as Jay and Cassie descended to the floor. The dancey swing rhythm of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" started up and Cassie and Jay began enthusiastically dancing.
Louie's distinctive voice filled the tent, "What good is melody, what good is music, if it ain't possessin' something sweet? Nah, it ain't the melody and it ain't the music, there's something else that makes this tune complete."
It became clear that all that Cassie's dress was so designed for a reason. The flair at the hips allowed her skirt to billow outwards whenever Jay would swing her around. Underneath, attached to the dress seemed to be some sort of black shorts. Radar's face was blushing red to the tips of his ears.
"Yes, it don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing. Well, it don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing. It makes no difference if it's sweet or hot, just give that rhythm everything you got!"
The song ended with Cassie spinning backwards into Jay's arms. The applause was even more explosive than it had been for Russ and Hannah's dance. Where Hannah & Russ' dance had been quietly romantic and elegant, Jay & Cassie's was passionately exuberant and alive with soul.
Jay took the stage once more, removed the needle from the record, and after catching his breath said, "Now that we've got you in the mood for dancing, how about we all dance!" He gestured everyone to the floor. He placed the needle back on the record and next swing track began to play.
The floor quickly crowded with the personnel of the 4077th, joining the four as they all got lost in the excitable rhythms of some swing-type dancing. It wasn't as complicated or as fast as what Jay & Cassie had just finished, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Partners were passed around as the record moved from track to track with breaks for polite applause in between. The four performers took turns taking breaks to have a snack or take a short rest.
Later in the evening, Cassie sidled over to Colonel Potter, who was happily seated, taking in the dancing and the rosy aura of the evening.
"That sure was some fancy footwork!" he said to her approvingly.
Cassie smiled and said, "Thank you." Then she suddenly looked a little distressed before saying, "We had planned some more routines for later in the evening, but everyone seems to be enjoying dancing. But we also don't want to disappoint them all...what do you think?"
Colonel Potter appraised the situation for a minute and then said, "I think that if they're happy, they might as well keep dancing. This is the nicest this bunch have been in weeks and I'd hate to spoil it!" Cassie grinned. Colonel Potter excused himself to the refreshment table.
Cassie noticed Father Mulcahy sitting by himself and walked over to him. "Why you sittin' over here all by yourself, Father?"
He shrugged and said sheepishly, "Well, I never was much of a dancer..."
"That's alright. Why not enjoy yourself?"
"Well...I wouldn't want to look silly..." he said, looking uncertain.
"If you'd like to learn how we can teach you!" She looked around and yelled, "Jay!"
Jay appeared in a matter of seconds at her shoulder. His cheeks flushed and grinning broadly he looked at Father Mulcahy sitting alone and looking uncertain and said, "Why so glum, chum?"
Before Mulcahy could speak, Cassie said, "The Father here could use a dance lesson."
Jay smiled blindingly and said, "Now that is something we can do! Father, we'll go real slow. I'll show you the steps one by one. When you understand a few steps, Cassie will step in so that you can see them and practice them with a partner."
Father Mulcahy was pleased to find that the steps weren't nearly as complex as they looked and Jay was an extremely patient teacher. Perhaps 20 minutes later, he was able to dance a full song, somewhat slowly with Cassie. But, to her credit, she didn't seem frustrated at all by his slow dancing. He thought she looked just as pleased as he felt.
As the evening waned, the crowd died off as the 4077th began heading to their tents for bed or to Rosie's for a drink. Soon, it was only Hawkeye, BJ, Radar, Colonel Potter, and the four troupe members.
"Well kids," Colonel Potter said, looking extraordinarily pleased, "that was a slam bang evening. I can't remember the last time I saw this bunch in such good spirits!"
"Thank you, sir," Jay said, inclining his head. "We're happy to put on another show tomorrow night."
Hawkeye and BJ nodded vigorously. Colonel Potter pretended not to see them and considered for a moment before saying, "So long as you kids feel up to something else, we'd be real appreciative."
"Would you care to join us for a drink?" Hawkeye asked, putting on his most debonair smile.
Before the four could answer, Colonel Potter said, "Oh, leave 'em alone. They've barely been here 12 hours and had a very long day before that and they put on a show for you!"
Jay smiled appreciatively and said, "We really do appreciate the offer. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm bushed!" The other three nodded and Cassie, who had slept very little previously, stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.
The four stood and prepared to head to their guest tents. Cassie walked over to Hawkeye and BJ. She gave each a kiss on the cheek and said, "Thank you for the invitation. Maybe we can have a rain check for tomorrow."
Hawkeye waggled his eyebrows quite suggestively and said cheekily, "For you, anytime."
Cassie smirked and the four left.
It would seem that the night was not meant to be a quiet one. Cassie was awakened, what seemed like moments after she passed out, exhausted on the bed, by a strange sound.
Full consciousness and awareness quickly took hold as Cassie realized that the strange sound was Hannah. She was doubled over on the ground, on her hands and knees. Alarmed, Cassie hurried over.
"Hannah! Are you okay?" She asked, just in time to get close enough for Hannah to vomit all over the ground and her pant legs. Cassie stumbled back. A quick feel of Hannah's forehead and Cassie could tell she was burning up.
"Stay here," she said urgently. "I'll get the doctor!"
Cassie sprinted the short distance to the Swamp and banged on the door. "Hawkeye! Hawkeye!" The door opened quickly enough that it was clear that he hadn't been asleep. A similar situation was playing out in the Swamp. Frank was curled on the ground, crying piteously, holding his stomach. "I'm dying!" He exclaimed. "I'm dying!"
"Oh no," Cassie said, looking worried, "Him too?"
"Wait," BJ said, looking up from the ground where he was sitting next to Frank, "What do you mean, 'too'?"
"Hannah's not feeling so hot herself," Cassie said, gesturing with disgust to her pajama pant legs. "She just threw up all over the floor and she's got a pretty high fever."
Hawkeye sighed and said, "Great. Whatever it is, it sounds like it's spreading. BJ, you get Frank back into bed and I'll go check on Hannah. Then we can figure out what's going on and take care of it."
Cassie took Hawkeye's hand and tugged him out of the Swamp. He looked at her. Other than obviously tired, she seemed fine. "You feel okay, right?" he asked.
She nodded, "Just fine. I was sleeping. I woke up when I heard her gagging and starting to throw up."
He sighed, "Not a nice wake-up call."
Cassie snorted and opened up the door for him. Hannah was still lying curled up on the floor. The smell of sickness hung in the air.
Hawkeye bent down, felt Hannah's forehead with his hand, and asked, "How do you feel?"
Looking miserable, she mumbled, "Sick. Dizzy. Hot." He looked up at Cassie, who was standing nearby looking anxious and eager to help. "Go get Radar, tell him what's going on, get a stretcher, and help him bring it out."
She nodded and ran off. To her dismay, she found Radar in a similar fashion, sprawled on his own bed, a fine sheen of sweat covering his body. "Radar!" she exclaimed, feeling the small clerk's head.
"Don't feel so good," he mumbled, looking sweaty and disoriented.
"Stay here," she said. "I'll be right back with someone to check you out."
"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, running outside and nearly into Father Mulcahy. "Sorry, Father."
"It's alright. Accidents happen. What are you doing up this time of night? Though I must admit, I am relieved to see you. One of the nurses just stepped out of the latrine and she's terribly sick."
"Throwing up and a high fever?" she asked. He nodded. "This is turning into an epidemic!" Cassie exclaimed, looking frustrated.
"An epidemic?" he asked, looking worried.
"Now that's Hannah, Frank, Radar, and the nurse you found!"
Jay, awakened by the commotion, trotted over. After a few minutes, everyone who was sick had been corralled into post-op. The nurses were getting the sick people settled while Hawkeye, BJ, Colonel Potter, Father Mulcahy, Jay, and Cassie gathered into Colonel Potter's office.
"Now what in Sam Hill is going on here?!" Colonel Potter asked, looking frustrated. "Everyone was fine when we went to bed and now we've got chaos!"
"Stomach bug?" BJ suggested.
"Maybe," said Hawkeye, "But why aren't the rest of us showing any symptoms? Whatever it is, it hit these people fast and hard and the rest of us seem fine." He looked over at Cassie and asked again, "You feel fine, right?"
Cassie looked thoughtful for a second, and then said, "Yeah. Tired, but otherwise fine." She looked at Jay, who nodded in agreement.
The doctors sat discussing for a moment while Cassie was running an idea through her head. She tentatively raised a few fingers, hoping to get their attention, but without actually interrupting. After all, they were doctors…and she was just guessing. Colonel Potter noticed her hesitation and held up a hand to silence Hawkeye and BJ.
"Any comments from the peanut gallery?" Hawkeye joked.
"Well..." Cassie began, looking uncertain, "I was just wondering...if maybe they all have food poisoning? On account of the meat that was sitting out on the food table didn't smell so good to me...so I didn't eat any...but maybe they did?"
Potter stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "I didn't have any meat. Pierce? Hunnicutt?" They both shook their heads no. Jay also shook his head. Cassie continued, "I know I saw both Hannah and Radar eat the meat." She shrugged and then minimized, "I'm just guessing."
"You may be onto something," Potter said. "The symptoms and time frame of illness fit. And those of us who aren't sick didn't eat the meat and we know at least some of our sick people did. It's a start." He turned to Hawkeye and BJ. "You two, go speak with the patients. See who ate the meat. Ask the people who aren't sick too. See if we can be reasonably sure it's food poisoning."
He turned to Cassie and Jay, "You two, if you don't mind, can help me out."
"Of course," they chorused.
"We need to get around to the rest of the camp. Check on everyone. Talk to them. Find out if anyone else is sick and see who did and didn't eat the meat." He pulled out some personnel rosters. "Check off whomever you talk to. Mark off the list so you can report back on who's sick, who's not sick, who ate the meat, and who didn't."
They grabbed their lists and were out the door. Cassie popped back in and said, "...Except maybe I'll change my pants first." Colonel Potter nodded and she left.
The report was not pretty. The majority of the nurses were sick, except for Margaret and Nurse Able. Radar and Frank were down. As was Hannah...and apparently Russ, who turned up vomiting violently in the latrine during Jay and Cassie's search of camp. The group reconvened inside Potter's office.
Potter ran his hands over his face in a tired sort of way. "This is a nightmare," he said. "God help us if we get choppers now. We wouldn't have enough room for everybody in post-op."
"It's definitely food poisoning," Hawkeye said. "Every sick person we've talked to had the meat. And nearly all the healthy people didn't. We're watching the ones who are still feeling okay, but said they had the meat." He nudged Cassie playfully, "Nice thinking, good-lookin'''.
She smiled tiredly. A knock on the door interrupted the banter. The doors swung open and in walked Sidney Freedman.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite Sigmund Freud," Hawkeye said affectionately, rising and shaking his hand.
"Doc," BJ said, with a nod in his direction.
"It's good to see you, Sidney," Colonel Potter said, "Things've been pretty rough lately around here and we could use the extra hands on staff."
Before Sidney could ask, Colonel Potter gestured and said, "Meet Cassie and Jay. They're half of the acting troupe that came to entertain us."
"Half?" Sidney asked. He thought the girl looked exhausted.
"The other half is in post-op. We've had an unfortunate outbreak of food poisoning. More than half the camp got it," BJ said, sighing through his nose.
Sidney sighed too. Colonel Potter exchanged meaningful glances with Hawkeye and BJ, who took their cue to leave. "Well, why don't we leave you two to some catching up?" Hawkeye said. He turned to Cassie and Jay. "Care to join us for a game of poker?"
Jay shrugged and said, "Sure." The four left the office, leaving Colonel Potter and Sidney alone. "Those the ones?" Sidney asked quietly, looking at the still-swinging doors. Colonel Potter nodded and said, "I don't know what that manager saw or thought he saw. They seem okay to me...but something in my gut tells me you'd better be here."
Sidney nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on them."