Back across the field
"Help mister. Please. Help me." The woman begged with her big brown eyes. Her hair was drenched with sweat. Klinger could see that her bare feet were badly blistered, but she never once complained.
Klinger looked around to see if anyone was close by. He looked down and saw that she was hemorrhaging. It would take three hours to make it back to camp at best. At least he had some food and water with him. He was hungry and feeling a bit dehydrating but it was obvious what he had to do. He opened his backpack and pulled out his canteen.
"Here. Drink."
She looked frightened and a bit confused.
"Drink." He motioned with his hands for her to drink. "Drink. For the baby." He rubbed his stomach." Baby."
"Okay. Yes." She nodded then sipped the water.
"Not so much. We have to save it for the trip." He took the canteen back and placed it in his bag. He helped her up and placed her arm around his neck. Before they took their first steps he said a silent prayer, hoping no one would see them.
Back at the camp everyone is tired and cranky at the mess hall.
"I'm ready to kill Klinger myself. Said Hawkeye. "I'm expecting my magazine my dad said he sent out three weeks ago."
"I'm waiting on some new pictures of Erin. I think she scrawled me a letter." B.J. said wistfully."
"And I'm waiting on the new Sears catalog. My roots are getting a little too dark for my liking. Well they are." Margaret declared.
Father Mulcahey spoke up. "Has anyone stopped to think that perhaps Klinger could use our prayers?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. No one had allowed themselves to think the worst, but they knew in a war zone anything was possible.
"I'm sorry to bring this up but perhaps he's in trouble. It's not like Klinger to dis…"
"It's not like him to do what, Father?" Hawkeye asked sarcastically. " Try to get out of the army? To leave as soon as he get the chance? Chances are he's half way to Toledo by now. And I say good for him. In fact, let's make a toast." He stood up and raised his glass of milk, taking his fork and tapping it against the glass. "Here's to Klinger and his AWOL self. May he never see the likes of war again."
"Here here." Echoed B.J.
"That's enough you two." Charles sighed. "How you two can joke around when Klinger is probably…"
"Shut your trap!" Hawkeye pounded on the table, causing his fork to flip in the air, landing on Margaret's plate.
"Sit down Pierce!" she exclaimed. "Charles! How dare you say something like that when you know full well that he's just fine? Now everyone just calm down and eat your chow." Ever the voice of reason, she refused to allow anyone to believe for one second that anything bad had happened to Max Klinger. If someone said that aloud, then it might make everyone's fears more real. And she could not- would not- allow that to happen. No, Klinger was off on some kind of stunt, trying to get out of his duties. He would pay a price for his actions, she would see to it.