Chapter Six

Colonel Potter sat behind his desk looking at his wife's picture. His mind was pre-occupied with all that Father Mulcahy had told him, including the fact that Ellen and he had had lain together not once, but twice. And then, just as he, was about to write his superiors and tell them he was going to leave the priesthood and marry Ellen, the nurse had dropped a bomb on him and told him she'd put in for a transfer. Father's Mulcahy's words still rang in Colonel Potter's ears.

"She was crying as she begged me to forgive her, said she'd never stop loving me, only I was too good of a priest to turn my back on my calling, and that she wouldn't be the cause of my leaving." Father Mulcahy put his hands over his face as finally let out the one fear that had haunted him, and had come back full force after talking to Private Miller. "I couldn't shake the feeling she wasn't telling me everything, only, may the good Lord forgive me, I couldn't ask her either." He lifted up his head and looked at the colonel who saw the torment in his friend's eyes as he asked, "What if she left because she was carrying my child? And yes, it's real possibility as I found out later, when I tried to find out, she'd been sent stateside. No one would ever tell me why, but it's haunted me ever since."

Deep in thought, Sherman T Potter didn't say anything for a few minutes. He'd seen many things since his days in the cavalry and many situations. The ones that always turned out for the best were the ones that were dealt with head on. That being the case, when he finally spoke, Father Mulcahy went into shock.

"She was right about one thing, Father. You are a good one. That being the case, you deserve an answer to your question. Let me do a bit of digging, without handing out names or circumstances. Let me see if I can find out if anyone can tell me anything about the exact reason she put in for a transfer and why it took place so fast. If you are to put this behind you, or deal with it, you need to know which way the road is going." He quit talking and waited for Father Mulcahy to answer, hoping the whole time he would consent to letting the colonel find out what he could.

For his part, Francis Mulcahy felt as if he'd just been told judgment day had come; that is, if the colonel did as he wished and found out the answer to the question that had plagued him for close to two years. Slowly he nodded, "Find out if you can, please."

The colonel was brought out of his thoughts as Major Margaret Houlihan walked in. He'd sent Klinger to tell the head nurse he wanted to see her. Colonel Potter just hoped that the rumors that Father Mulcahy had heard during the period of time Ellen Chapin had been in the unit had some merit to them. If they did, Margaret just might be able to shed some light on the sudden transfer of a very good nurse.

"Klinger said you wanted to see me." Margaret stood in front of the colonel's desk half afraid he was going to say her nurses were creating some sort of problem.

"Yes, I did. I was hoping you could tell me what you knew about one Ellen Chapin and just why she put in for a transfer."

To say that Margaret was stunned would have been an understatement of the year s her eyes widened in disbelief. The colonel had sent for her to ask about a nurse he'd never met? What on earth had brought this on? "I don't see why it should matter now."

"I didn't ask if you thought it mattered." Colonel Potter gave her one of his stares that made everyone jump and do what he said. "I just need to know what you know about her and the reason for the transfer." He hoped the head nurse would not question him further. He was relieved when she didn't.

Margaret shrugged her shoulders and replied. "She was a fine nurse and did her job. She had a problem with her brother becoming a priest, but she didn't talk to me about it; you'd have to ask Father Mulcahy about that one." If Margaret hadn't been so busy answering the question she might have looked and seen look that flew across the colonel's eyes; as it was, she didn't. "Any way, one day she shocked me by coming in and telling me she wanted a transfer, said if she was to continue doing her job and keep her record spotless, she just had to leave. I could tell she was hiding something, but she wouldn't budge when I pressed for answers. Personally, I think maybe Hawkeye was hitting on her again and not letting up. Of course, he denied it at the time, and Ellen wasn't saying a word. I need my nurses to be able to do their job. Ellen was as honest as they come. If she said she could no longer do her job here, then she couldn't. So, I approved the transfer."

Colonel Potter didn't like it. It sure sounded like maybe, just maybe, Father Mulcahy was right. It was time to start making a few phone calls to people he knew. Naturally, he didn't need Margaret around while he did that. That being the case, he excused her. "Thank you. You can go now."

Still confused, Margaret turned around and left. She had too much work to do at the moment to push the colonel to tell her what was going on. After she left, the colonel started making phone calls…but he was careful of the words he used, as he didn't want to chance Klinger getting it into his head to listen in on the conversations and overhearing anything.