Radar saw it all in slow motion. Mark's hand connected with Jessie's cheek, and she hit the ground. She looked up at Mark, terror mixed with anger as Mark glared back.
Radar didn't know what came over him. He ran to Mark, grabbing him by his arm and spinning him around.
In his drunken stupor, Mark didn't quite know what to make of this new threat. Before he could react, Radar slugged him.
Mark hit the ground, out cold.
Radar stood there, stunned, shaking his right hand against the pain. I actually knocked him out! Wow!
Hawkeye leaned over Mark's prostrate form. "He'll live. Unfortunately."
Margaret knelt on the ground next to Jessie. Jessie flinched as Margaret touched a spot on her cheek that was already beginning to discolor.
"Animal," Margaret mumbled as she helped Jessie onto her feet.
Jessie was livid. As soon as Margaret helped her up, she stalked to Mark and kicked him hard in the side. He was so drunk he didn't even flinch.
"Now, let him wonder where that bruise came from."
Radar was immediately by Jessie's side. "Are you OK?" he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and hugging her tight. "I saw him hit you, and I-I really don't know what happened." He released Jessie, then brushed at the bruise on her cheek. Jessie flinched again.
"I'll be OK," she said, giving him a wobbly smile.
******************************************
"Ow!" Jessie flinched away from Charles and his antiseptic.
Charles stepped back, more than a little frustrated. "Look Lieutenant. Jessamyn. You act like this is major surgery. It's just a little cut."
"But, it hurts! And, isn't this a nurse's duty anyway?"
Charles rolled his eyes. "It seems the entire nursing staff is falling all over themselves to treat Romeo out there. Just be still. Col. Potter won't have you getting an infection, no matter how insignificant the bruise. Just shut your eyes, and it'll be over soon." He smiled wickedly at her. "I'll even give you a lollipop if you're good."
Jessie pursed her lips, but obediently shut her eyes. She held her breath until the alcohol had dried.
Charles stepped back. "There, all done. You're going to have one impressive black eye, though." A dark look briefly passed over his face.
Jessie picked up a mirror and looked at her shiner. It was already beginning to turn black and blue. "That idiot!"
"You really do have an interesting taste in men, Jessamyn. Where on earth did you ever find that imbecile?"
She sat the mirror down and hopped from the table. "I swear he was never violent towards me before. My brother would have been on him so fast, he wouldn't have known what hit him."
"Anyone who willingly hits a woman deserves to be throttled. If O'Reilly hadn't reached him first, I'd have . . ." He trailed of, pretending to be interested in the bottles on the tray.
"What would you have done?"
Charles cleared his throat. "I would have done just what any other man in camp would have done. Punched him in the nose."
Jessie squeezed his arm. "Thanks, Charles. But, I think Radar got there first."
As if on cue, Radar poked his head through the door. "You ready for Mark, Major? You alright, Jess?"
"Fine, just don't let me near him. I might kick him again." With a wave, she was gone.
"I just might kick him myself," Charles muttered as they brought a prostrate Mark into the prep-room, nose bloody.
*********************************************************
"You mean you don't want to press charges?" Col. Potter sputtered, shocked. Jessie, her arms crossed in disgust, was sitting across from him. Mark, quite hung over and sporting an impressive black eye, was sitting next to her, his head in his hands. Radar was watching intently from the file cabinets across the room.
Jessie stubbornly shook her head. "No sir, I don't."
"Do you mind me asking why? The man hit you and had every intention of raping you, from what I can tell."
Jessie eyed Mark disgustingly. "Colonel, all I want this to be is over. I'm not hurt, but if he had actually done anything else, I'd be screaming from here to San Francisco. But, since he didn't, I'd rather not have my name plastered all over every news agency in the states." Let alone the gossip pool in half of Texas. She gave Mark a dirty look.
Col. Potter stood up. "Alright then, it's settled. Mr. Stewart, you are to leave this camp." Mark stood up wearily. "The next time you come near us, you better be bleeding from an impressive wound, or you won't get in."
Mark nodded. He looked at Jessie, sitting stoically next to him. She returned his gaze. The bruise on her cheek had been artfully covered with make-up, and it didn't look half as bad as his eye. Mark patted her fondly on the shoulder.
"You better hold on to that one," he said, motioning towards Radar. "He may be little, but he sure can hit," Mark said, tipping his hat at her. He threw a salute to Radar, who scowled, before leaving, the double doors swinging in his wake.
Col. Potter leaned back in his chair. "Well, Radar, it looks like we may need to start a boxing team."
Jessie covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing a giggle. "Did you see his eye? And I bet his hangover didn't help matters any."
Radar sat in the empty chair next to Jessie. "To tell you the truth, if he wasn't drunk, he probably would have jumped up after I hit him and creamed me."
Jessie rolled her eyes at him, but grinned. She picked up his bruised right hand and inspected it.
Col. Potter laughed. "You two get out of here!"
Jessie and Radar jumped up. "Will there be anything else, sir?" Radar asked.
"Bring you any lunch?" Jessie added, standing in the doorway.
"Go on ahead. I'm not ready to be tortured just yet," the Colonel said. "That'll be all, Corporal."
************************************************
The mess tent was full when the walked through the door. They got their food and squeezed in at a table with Charles, Hawkeye, Margaret and Father Mulcahy.
Margaret stared hard at Jessie. "I saw that creep get in a jeep and leave. You should have thrown the book at him."
Jessie shrugged. "Wasn't worth it. Didn't seem fair to kick a man when he was down. No . . . wait, I did that already, didn't I?" Everyone at the table laughed, except Margaret and Radar.
"I'd have thrown him under a jeep," she muttered.
Radar leaned over. "Me too," he whispered.
Charles pointed at her with his fork. "I'm glad he's gone. That continuous country music was giving me a headache."
"What, Charles, you don't like country music?" Hawkeye asked, poking his spoon at something resembling Jello.
"It sounds a lot like a bunch of cats in a bag screaming," Charles grimaced.
Jessie laughed. "You're such a snob."
"Just a better taste in music," Charles added regally. "With your voice, you ought to use it for better genres of music, like classical for instance. But, I bet you've never even heard an opera."
Jessie finished chewing and studied Charles. "You don't think I can do it, do you?"
"Oh, I think you could," Father Mulcahy said. "I've heard you sing hymns, and you do have a beautiful voice."
"Thanks, Father," Jessie said. "But, Charles here has insulted me." She coolly eyed Charles, but her eyes sparkled.
Charles laughed, clearly amused. "It takes years and years of practice to sing some of the grand ones. There's no way you could just belt one out right here."
"Wanna bet?"
"Bet? Sure!" Charles said. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out several bills. "This will be the easiest $50 I've ever made."
Jessie matched his bet. By then, they had gathered the attention of several others in the room.
*******************************************
Radar watched Jessie closely, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Umm, Major? I don't think you know that Jessie has . . ."
Charles just waved his hand at Radar.
Hawkeye leaned in closer to the corporal. "She can, can't she?" Radar just nodded. Hawkeye slapped his hands together. "This is gonna be good!"
***********************************************
Jessie stood up in the middle of the tent. "What shall I sing? Remember, I've never even been to an opera, so go easy on me."
Charles studied Jessie for a moment. "How about the aria from 'Ascanio in Alba'?" He chuckled merrily. "You even heard of it?"
Jessie smirked back at him. She took a sip of water, then a deep breath and began the Mozart aria.
The tent fell silent. The beautiful notes about a lover lost flowed through the room. There wasn't a dry eye when the last haunting words faded away.
Margaret stood up and led the applause. "That was just gorgeous! I didn't know the words, but I could feel the emotion!"
Hawkeye laughed uproariously at Charles's expression. "You've been had!" He gripped his sides. "Oh, B.J. will be upset that he missed this!"
Jessie ambled across the room to a shocked Charles. She slapped her hand on top of the pot and leaned down in front of him until she was inches from his face.
"I've been taking classical singing lessons since I was seven," she whispered. "You don't think Daddy would pay for country lessons, did you?" She handed the bills to Father Mulcahy as she sauntered out the door.
"I tried to tell you, sir," Radar said, rather enjoying his discomfort.
Charles ran a hand over his face. "Good Lord, I haven't heard anything like that since Boston. Her voice is magnificent. She should be onstage."
Radar shrugged and resumed eating. "Her father and voice teacher tried to get her to tour Europe, but she wouldn't do it. Said it was presumptuous."
Hawkeye clapped Charles on the back. "You know all about being presumptuous, don't you, Chuckles?"
Charles didn't reply. He just stared at the door Jessie had left swinging.
***********************************
Yes, it's a real aria by Mozart. Good stuff. Just because I'm from the south, doesn't mean I don't know my classical music! Oh yeah, and I don't own it.