The Latest War to End All Wars- Chapter Three
Alright, so the chapters are going to get a little shorter now. I had written a lot of this story in advance which is why the chapters were so long, but now I'm out of pre-written stuff and am struggling to get nine pages typed and ready to go for each new chapter. So the chapters will be shorter, but hopefully just as good!
I'd love some more reviews. I've enabled the anonymous review feature so any comments, suggestions, etc you guys could give me would be appreciated. Thanks!
Dear Mom and Dad:
Today I was looking at the calendar you sent with me and I realized that it's been 2 months since I arrived at the 4077th! Two months since I've seen you. I miss you both so much. Dad, I can't wait for this war to end so we can swap stories. Mom, you have no idea how much I miss your cooking, and your advice.
Speaking of cooking, I'm writing this in the mess tent, home of the "ultimate mystery meat", and decade-old bread. I swear there must be something in the Geneva Convention about feeding us this stuff, but it's all we've got. You get used to it to an extent. Radar complains the least out of all of us. He just eats and eats. What a cute little guy.
Remember last time I wrote, and I told you Radar had been promoted to Lieutenant? Well it didn't take long for that to die. Radar's so cute; he just hated not being one of the guys anymore. So he somehow got himself demoted. Anyway, after the excitement died down BJ told me that he and Hawkeye had arranged the whole thing! It was the payment they accepted from a guy who couldn't pay his IOU's from their weekly poker game.
Don't worry- I'm not gambling. I'll admit I watch, but I don't play. It's one of the few things I don't join in on. Most of what the guys do I can do too. We putt golf in the supply room, crack jokes in O.R., dance in the Officer's Club and Rosie's Bar, and enjoy homegrown martinis. Did I tell you that Hawkeye and Trapper (the surgeon here before BJ) built a still in The Swamp? It's always running, and you can pop in for a drink just about anytime.
I guess I'm scaring you guys huh? Gambling, drinking. Dad, I know you at least have some idea of what war is like, can you help reassure Mom? I wish I could look into your eyes and tell you in person just what it's like over here, to help explain why we do this stuff. I guess I've settled into as much of a routine as is possible so maybe if I tell you what my life is like, our choices will make more sense.
I take the morning shifts which means I'm up at five so that I'll have enough time to shower and eat before shift change. A shower usually consists of cold water and soap. Shampoo is a luxury, as is a razor (hints for Christmas!). I've already told you about mess food, so I won't get into that again. The only advantage of being up that early in the morning is that the food hasn't had a chance to get cold yet.
Once I'm fed and showered I make the rounds of post-op. I check up on patients, make sure no one's getting any infections, that sort of stuff. It's also a time for boosting morale. I can joke with the men and try to lift their spirits. I'm not too good at it yet, but I try, and I am getting better.
Once the post-op rounds are completed I have essentially nothing to do. I can read in my tent, or spend time with the others. I also spend some time scrap booking too. I know it sounds like I could never be bored considering who I work with, but being with the same people day after day, in a tiny compound, with nothing new does get boring. Tedious, dull, etc.
On Sundays, the evening boredom is relieved by a movie. Other nights Col. Potter might have a lecture, but for the most part we sit and watch the patients. This is part of where the gambling and drinking comes in. We can get so, mind-numbingly bored.
But then again, we can get onslaughts of wounded that make you want to go to sleep and never wake up. When we hear the announcement that choppers, or a bus, or an ambulance (or sometimes all of them) are coming, we have no idea how long we could be in surgery. It could be two simple hours, or marathon twelve hour runs. Your life literally becomes an assembly line of bloody men and boys. You want to shut your brain down and stop thinking about it, but if you stop thinking about it then you can't focus on the surgery and you lose the patients. I've been in the middle of cutting into a guy's leg, and stopped for ten seconds so a nurse can pull down my surgical mask and feed me a bite of food. Everything else goes on hold when the wounded arrive.
So there's the other reason for the playing of cards and consuming of alcohol; we get so tired and stressed and frustrated and demoralized…drinking takes the edge off.
At the end of it all, be it a boring day or an exhausting one, I'm back in my tent, which is very often too cold, and try to warm up enough to get to sleep.
I marvel at BJ, who's been here eight months now. I have no idea how he wakes up in the morning and keeps going. He has a wife and a daughter at home and misses them terribly, and yet he goes on. He is such a comfort to me. We remain very close friends, and help each other out. He and I don't drink as much as some, but he does gamble with the others.
Hawkeye is the resident alcoholic. I joke about it, but it is a problem. It's not healthy, as you both know, and it scares me. And yet, how can you blame him for becoming addicted to the one thing that can take him away from everything, even if only for a few hours. Of the three of us, he's been here the longest. He was drafted at the beginning of the war, a year and a half of living in this place. It's just his luck that he also happens to be compassionate and very sensitive. Some people seem to get thick skins from being here, but not Hawkeye.
One of the thick skins is Major Houlihan. She comes from a military family and it shows. I know I wrote to you about her when I first got here. We're still a little on edge around each other, but we're getting by. She assisted me once in surgery and I was amazed by her skill as a nurse. I can tell she still feels protective of her status, but she's getting better. We've been able to talk a bit about her wedding plans; she's going to be married very soon. Talking over our dreams about husbands and families is a good way to bond. If you can break through the army side of her, she's really very decent.
Speaking of dropping everything when the wounded come, I'm continuing this letter the next day. I'm surprised I even have the energy to lift a pen; we worked for seven hours last night, and then five hours this morning. Hawk and Beej are still sleeping. I'd be in the swamp now (it's nicer then being all alone in my bare tent) but Frank is there, also sleeping.
I haven't said much about Frank in previous letters have I? Well, since my initial problem in surgery he's been backing off with the taunts. Partly because BJ and Hawkeye take good care of me, but also because I'm better at taking care of myself. And he knows I'm a better surgeon. I'm not being stuck up! I'm serious. Hawkeye said it best on my first day when he said that Frank is an example of desperate times calling for desperate measures. And not only is he a bad surgeon, he's also very "army" and whiney. Ugh…
I should stop complaining I suppose. I'm sure I'm not making you guys feel any happier about my time over here. My next letter will be a little more cheerful, I promise. Next time I'll focus on how wonderful everyone is. I'm so lucky to have Hawkeye, BJ and Colonel Potter (I'll talk about him more next time too). Let me know how everything's going at home!
I miss you both so so so so so much. Please write me the minute you get this. Heaps of love, hugs and kisses
Alex
Alex sighed sadly as she put her pen down and looked over her letter. Being away from her family was the hardest thing about this whole experience. As she stood up she stretched and yawned loudly. She'd forced herself to stay up and finish the letter but she needed sleep desperately. Stumbling over to her cot, she fell onto it and was asleep before she could get under the covers.
Suddenly she jerked awake as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she rolled over and looked up into Hawkeye's blue eyes.
"Hawk? What are you doing here? What time is it?"
"It's about 1:30 AM. You up to coming outside Alexandra? I want to show you something."
How can I say 'no' to those eyes? Alex thought. Slowly she sat up and with his help she was soon on her feet. Grabbing a jacket from her desk, she stepped out of her tent.
"What's this all-" she paused to yawn, "about?"
"Just follow me." Puzzled, Alex followed the doctor, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. When they got to the edge of the camp, she stopped.
"Hawk, should we leave the camp?"
"Come on, who's going to know. Besides, the further away from the lights we get, the better it is." Alex raised an eyebrow, but kept walking. They were following the road that curved through the hills. He strode ahead of her, intent on finding something. Determinedly she kept on behind him until they got to a field about 5 minutes away from the camp.
"Alright, now this is not a minefield so don't panic, just keep following me." With that, he headed out into the middle of the tall grass. Keeping her head down to watch her step, she followed behind. When they were in the middle of the field he stopped. Coming up behind her, he put his hands over her eyes.
"Hawkeye? Come on now what is all this about?"
"Tip your head back." Doing as he said, she had just tilted her head back when she felt his hands come off her eyes.
Above her, thousands of stars glittered on a black background. It was an exceptionally clear night, and the sky sparkled. Alex felt her eyes water; it was so beautiful.
"Oh my gosh! Hawk, this is incredible."
"I think so too. I used to watch the stars in Maine. I haven't been able to do it as much out here, but I'm always trying to find stargazing buds. I brought Beej out here one time, but he doesn't think it's too special. Trapper came with me a couple of times, and one time Radar tagged along, but no one's really liked it enough to come back over and over. You a star fan?"
"Oh yes. My family has a cabin in Canada. We used to go out there and I would spend hours on the deck just lying on my back watching the stars. For some reason, I never thought I'd see stars in Korea." She paused and drank it all in again. "Man, isn't it awe-inspiring?"
Hawkeye nodded. She could see the goofy grin on his face. They were side-by-side, shoulders touching. Suddenly a breeze swirled around them and Alex shivered. Before she knew it, his arm was around her shoulders, and he pulled her protectively towards him, her head on his chest. She stood there, listening to his heartbeat. A nice, warm feeling was coming over her. Her weariness came flooding back and before she knew it she had closed her eyes. Sometime later, she felt him brush her hair back and call her name softly.
"Alexandra? Come on, we've got to head back and I can't carry you."
Sighing, Alex roused her body, shook her head to clear it, and walked ahead of him back to the camp. When they reached the door of her tent, she turned and impulsively squeezed his arm.
"Thank you so much. Keep me in mind the next time you head out."
"Will do. Glad it was worth it. 'Night Alexandra."
"Goodnight Hawk."
As the door shut behind her, Alex turned on her light and saw her letter still sitting on the desk. Picking it up, she grabbed her pen and began to write again.
P.S. Hey Dad, I have a favour to ask. Do you remember we used to star gaze at the cabin all the time? Could you send me my constellation chart, my astronomy books, and my little red flashlight? Hawkeye's shown me the perfect stargazing spot. You always said 'the best of friends are the ones who can share with each other.' Well he shared the spot; I'll share the tools. Thanks Dad! Alex