Disclaimer: I don't own MASH. Check back with me tomorrow.
A/N: I think it's quite simple really. If you read, you should review. Seriously though, tell me what you think. I write these for you after all.
I step off of the plan, amazed that I am finally on American soil, and look around. There is a sea of faces, but he is easy to spot. I inherited my height from him after all.
Dad. There he is. Finally, after so long. I can see his face smiling. Beaming. It looks at odds with the tears that are pouring down his face. The tears fall down like rain, to splash at his feet. I can not take my eyes off of him. I am paralyzed. Tears well up in my own eyes and my sight of him is blurred.
"Dad." I whisper, hardly daring to believe that this is true. Can it really be? I am in an airport in Maine. Maine. I never thought that I would actually be back here. Back home. I had hoped and I had dreamed, but deep down I do not think I had ever really believed I would be back. It is a miracle.
Finally I can move. I drop my suitcases and run to him. I must look incredibly odd as I push and shove people out of my way, hurriedly saying sorry every time I bump into someone. It must have been a bizarre sight to see a grown man in an army dress uniform, running into the arms of his daddy. But I did not care. I was home. And I had missed my daddy.
"Ben!" He throws his arms wide open and engulfs me in a huge bear hug, almost lifting me off my feet.
"Thank God you are home. Thank God you are finally here. I was so scared." I can barely understand him. He is fully crying now. I can fell the warm water drop onto my back. I am not sure if they are tears of happiness or if he is crying because he has finally allowed himself to think about what could have happened to me in the war.
"It's okay dad! I'm here! I'm home!" I can not stop the tears from pouring down my own face. I was openly sobbing. I do not think I had realized how much I had truly missed him.
A crowd starts to form around us. Some of them are also crying, others are laughing. Most are doing both.
"Welcome home son." Such a simple statement, but it means the world to me. The people surrounding us suddenly start to clap and cheer. I look around at them, grinning.
"I'm home!" I can not help shouting it to the world. The clapping seems to get louder.
After I had retrieved my bags, dad puts his arm around my shoulder and together we walk out of the airport. This is heaven. It always was, but it took me a trip to hell before I could realize it.
Once we are outside, we start to walk towards the car. I will finally be able to see my home again. My Crabapple Cove. I can't wait. As we walk, dad hugs me close—
"ATTENTION! ATTENTION ALL PERSONEL! THE DANCE HAS STARTED! PUT ON YOUR SHOES AND GRAB A PARTNER! WOUNDED IN THE COMPOUND!"
"Hawkeye! Wake up." I was startled out of my dream by BJ. He was shaking the life out of me.
"I'm up! I'm up." I groaned as I pulled myself into a sitting position.
"Man you were sound asleep. Good night?"
"No. It was torture. I hate dreams." I bowed my head as I slowly came out of my dream. I was home! With my DAD! And now I'm back HERE! IN KOREA! Bye dad
God how I hate those dreams. It's not fair. First I'm home, with my dad, and then all of the sudden I'm thrust back into the war, this stupid bloody war. Thrust back into taking care of wounded, bleeding, dying boys. Damn this war! Damn the dreams! It is so much easier to put up with hell when you are not reminded of heaven.
"Seriously. Are you okay Hawk?" BJ looked at me, his eyes full of concern.
"Yeah. It just gets to me every now and than. Sometimes it's so hard to wake up."
"Don't I know it, but the wounded call." He helped me up and together we ran out to the compound. We had a whole batch of new wounded to deal with. The war is never in short supply of injured kids. It starts to become routine though. I think I would be shocked if I woke up and I wasn't here in Korea, with a war raging around me and kids lying on a table before me. I can't imagine that the war will ever end.
Will it ever end?
THE END