Chapter 4

Captain Pierce had just finished the last of his surgery and was now taking off his bloodstain garments in the prep room adjacent to the communal surgery. He was about to take his trousers off when Major Houlihan strolled through.

"Margaret! There are some people, namely me, trying to undress in here! Unless of course you're up for that sort of thing, then carry on!"

"Oh Pierce, shut up. It's just that sort of behaviour that I want to speak to you about."

"Oh yeah, what did you have in mind? A stroll in the woods? A quick peck behind the mess tent?"

"Pierce I'm being serious, the nurses are in for a tough few weeks, I don't want to see their work failing because of you, do you get me?"

"Major, I wasn't planning to…"

"What so you were just going to string that poor nurse along, were you? Just when were you going to tell her you didn't have plans to go any further?"

Flustered Hawkeye frowned, trying to see how Margaret was finding this elaborate tale.

"No, she's…"

"Oh you men are all the same! Same tiny, selfish, minds!" Margaret raised her voice as she turned on her heel and stormed out. Not leaving Hawkeye any chance to explain himself.

Stunned but slightly amused he made a mental decision not to tell anyone else who Shayla was. They would all find out sooner than later and he couldn't wait to see their faces when they did. It would be worth the jokes and jests and harsh comments that he was receiving now, just to see those faces when they realise just how wrong they were.

"Ben, are you free?" Shayla popped her head round the door.

"Yeah, sure come in, why don't we have a tea party, invite everyone in, they all seem to come in any way!"

Shayla entered into the room and simply stared at her brother, now was not the time to be jesting.

Quickly sensing that there was something wrong Pierce sat down on the bench and beckoned Shayla to sit beside him.

"What's up?"

Shayla took his offer and sat down beside him.

"Have you treated, seen or even heard of a Lieutenant Frazer Green?" She asked getting straight to the point.

"No. Why? Should I have done?" Pierce answered her in a very light upbeat way, contradicting Shayla's sincerity.

"Yes, actually, it would have been a great relief if you had. I can't find him."

Hawkeye answered her with a frown. It was at this point the door from the surgery opened and Hunnicut walked into the room, already removing his face mask, and undoing the back of the garments.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Pierce finally voiced his thoughts.

"What's this?" Hunnicut interrupted eager to learn the gossip.

"There's a patient missing." Shayla informed him briefly.

Interested and now concerned, Hunnicut perched himself as he was on the bench to hear what Shayla had to say.

"The young lad in post-op, Private William Green, he asked me to see how his uncle was doing, Lieutenant Frazer Green, he said he hadn't seen him since the explosion and as he knew everyone had survived the incident, wanted to know how he was doing. But I can't find him." Shayla explained.

"That is a worry; no one's reported him missing as yet. The explosion was apparently too weak to have caused any deaths, so that must mean he's still trapped under some rubble, perhaps badly injured. We should find out." Hunnicut said snapping straight into the problem and seeing what needed to be done.

"Look, how can we be sure of this? Give me that." Hawkeye snatched the list of patients from Shayla's hand, he had seen the title of the document with the corner of his eye as he talked to her and he wanted to see for himself, before they took any sort of step towards finding this man.

"I've double checked it, Ben, and Radar was there with me, he swears he didn't miss anyone off." Shayla told him, annoyed that he was still treating her as if she was a child and didn't trust her professional observations.

After scanning through the document, Pierce handed it solemnly to Hunnicut, Shayla was right. Hunnicut, trusting both colleagues' observations, barely needed to skim through the document to know the name they were looking for was not on the list. He did anyway, just to make sure.

The three of them looked at each other and sighed. Their professional instincts were not going to let this incident pass without doing something about it.

"I think a visit to Colonel Potter is in order." Pierce spoke for the group. Nodding their heads in agreement, Shayla and Hunnicut stood up, momentarily waiting for Hawkeye and then together they walked out of the hospital tent and towards Colonel Potter's office.

They walked a little way in silence, each doting on the problem they faced. Pierce had his head down and hands stuffed in his pockets, Shayla clutched the list with both hands and kept it close to her body so as it wasn't damaged. Hunnicut was looking up into the sky for inspiration.

"I could borrow a jeep, drive out there and take a look." Hunnicut suggested, his eyes falling on a particular jeep parked near the entrance of the hospital tent.

"I'll go with you, you might need some help." Shayla offered.

"Oh no you're not Shay, you're staying right here." Hawkeye interjected.

"I owe it to that boy in there, to help find his uncle, I'm going. It's my decision." Shayla replied trying to keep calm about it, although she couldn't help but feel annoyed at her brother's protection.

"Yeah, it would be helpful to have someone else with me. Someone who knew the situation." Hunnicut backed Shayla up, sensing there was going to be a big disagreement over this.

"Don't you side with her, you're not her big brother, I know what I'm doing and she's not going." Hawkeye stated.

"Ben, I'm an adult, I don't need your protection. Like it or not I can make my own decisions." Shayla added her voice flecked with irritation.

Hunnicut, feeling very much the third wheel in this argument, tried to assist it by suggesting they put the argument up for Colonel Potter to determine. That way it wasn't either of them winning or losing, it was simply being chosen for them. Agreeing that it was the only way it was going to be sorted, they picked up the pace, neither being able to contain their difference in opinion until it was finally solved for them.

Bursting through the door, Pierce, Shayla and Hunnicut filed hastily into the room. Radar almost dropped his document due to the suddenness of their entrance.

Ignoring the presence of Radar, Pierce and Hunnicut headed straight to the office door.

"Um, Guys, you can't go in there, the Colonel is, er, busy." Radar warned them although the two captains paid him no attention.

Shayla snapped her head around when she heard him. She tried to grab her brother's arm to prevent him from going into the office and disturbing the Colonel at his work but she was too late. He had already pushed through the door, Hunnicut close behind him. Giving Radar an apologetic smile, Shayla followed her brother in, not wanting to give him much of a chance to persuade the Colonel to be on his side.

When inside the office, Shayla was surprised. When Radar had said the Colonel was busy, she had assumed with paperwork, going through official documents, writing reports etc. Yet what Colonel Potter was actually 'busy' with was his painting. He had an easel set up in the corner and he was dabbing away at his canvas with his oil paints.

"Tell her, she can't go, Colonel." Hawkeye said.

Colonel Potter poised his paintbrush and frowned at his leading surgeon.

"You're going to have to give me more information than that, son." He said.

"We have technically got a missing patient." Hunnicut began.

Intrigued, the Colonel put his paintbrush down on the table with his paints and manoeuvred himself closer to his desk so he could use it as a temporary seat, whilst urging Hunnicut to 'Go on'. Hunnicut opened his mouth to begin the tale, but changed his mind, deciding that Shayla would tell the problem best as it was her who discovered it. He handed it over to her swiftly and she quickly summarized the situation for the Colonel's benefit.

"So you see, Colonel, she can't go." Hawkeye repeated his original statement.

"I don't see why not. If she feels she is doing right by that boy by helping find his uncle then I don't see why I should stop her." Colonel Potter disagreed.

"I told you Ben! I came here to do good and that's what I intend to do and I intend to do it how I see fit." Shayla reminded him of her reasoning for being where she was now.

"Well I'm coming with you then. Seeing as I can't beat you might as well join you!" Hawkeye replied finally settling on the idea.

"Oh No, as my leading surgeon, Pierce, you need to check the surgery supply lists. They don't get done by themselves you know! Or have you forgotten that?" Colonel Potter contradicted Hawkeye.

"Looks like it's me and you after all Shayla!" Hunnicut commented just to rub Pierce's nose even more out of joint.

Pierce, saying nothing, turned sharply and pushed open the office door. He had a look on him that could kill. His eyebrows creased into a deep frown, his eyes conveyed so much frustration it was hard to believe that they hadn't burst and his lips were dead straight without a flicker of the famous smile he was known for. Radar caught the sight out of the corner of his eye and gulped. He turned quickly back to his work. Hawkeye could be very scary when he was in a mood and Radar was all for staying well away from him until he calmed down.

"Where's the surgery supply list?" Hawkeye asked monotonously.

Not daring to say anything Radar hastily found the required document and handed it to Hawkeye. Radar instantly busied himself in his typing.