Chapter 9: Scared
It was late November now and instead of Thanksgiving the 4077th were trying desperately to survive massive shelling, wounded, and freezing conditions.
It had even gotten so bad there were black out conditions and people had to squeeze together in tents.
A loud explosion filled the air and blew out the windows in OR.
"Get the windows covered!" Hawkeye shouted as he leaned over the patient.
The orderlies raced to get blankets over the windows as more bombs and shots rang in the air.
There was a shrill scream outside as Candace raced in bundled from head to toe and suctioned cupped to Hawkeye's leg cry and mumbling in an array of languages.
"Nurse I seem to have something attached to my leg," Hawkeye called.
"Candace…Candace sweetie you've got to let go of his leg so he can operate," Able stated.
Candace gripped tighter shaking her head and crying as more shells exploded around the compound.
"I can't work like this. Margaret!" Hawkeye shouted.
"I'm coming! Bigelow take over," Margaret snapped handing her instruments to the nurse. She ran over to Hawkeye's sighed and kneeled by Able.
"Corporal Bradshaw you have to let go of the Captain," Margaret snapped in her most Major like tone.
"Mama!" Candace cried and let go of Hawkeye wrapping her arms tightly around Margaret's neck.
"Major take her out of here and get her calmed down!" Potter snapped arms deep in a kid's stomach.
"Yes sir," Margaret nodded standing with the little girl in her arms as she headed into the scrub room.
Margaret sat the girl on her lap as she sat on the bench.
"Come on Candace shush…shush its okay," Margaret cooed softly stroking the girl's hair.
Candace's sobbing suddenly stopped and she looked up at Margaret.
"I….I'm sorry it's just…I just don't like loud noises," Candace sniffed as the tears still cascaded down.
"That's okay I don't either," Margaret stated and cringed as another explosion went on.
"Is daddy mad at me?" Candace asked.
Margaret was struck shocked at what the girl said first in OR and now here.
"Uh…no baby he's not. It's just hard to operate when he has to worry about you is all. He still loves you," Margaret stated.
"Do you mama?" Candace asked.
"Yes baby. I love you very…very much," Margaret stated pulling the girl into a hug.
"I love you too mama," Candace replied.
Margaret shut her eyes and just enjoyed having the girl so close.
"Colonel it is not right for the Major and the Captain to continue this charade," Frank stated some weeks later.
It was just a few days before Christmas and Candace had continued to call Margaret, mama, and Hawkeye, daddy.
"I don't see it doing any harm Colonel. They're the closet things she's had to a family in a long time I think," BJ stated.
"We've tried talking to her," Margaret stated, "she seems in some world of her own."
"She's a scared child in the middle of a war. If she wants to pretend I'm her daddy I'm letting her," Hawkeye snapped.
"I didn't say it was wrong Hawk…I just want to know why she does it," Margaret stated putting a hand on the man's shoulder.
Hawkeye sighed and nodded.
"Well Sidney what do you think?" Colonel Potter asked turning to the psychiatrist.
"I think I'd like a private word with the Corporal if that's all right," Freedman stated standing.
"I'll take you," Margaret replied jumping up and heading out the door.
Sidney Freedman followed her out of the office to the compound. It was cold that day but not to bad so the two didn't have to run to the tent.
Candace was in hers and Margaret's tent drawing pictures and humming to the Nut Cracker music playing softly on her phonograph.
"Come in!" she answered to the knock at the door.
"Hello Corporal Bradshaw. I'm Major Freedman," Sidney greeted entering the room with Margaret.
"Hi Major…hi mama," Candace smiled and went back to her work.
"Candace, Major Freedman wants to talk with you a little while. If you need anything Hawkeye and I will be in the mess tent," Margaret explained and left the tent.
"Bye mama," Candace called.
Once Major Houlihan had left Major Freedman put a chair across from the cot Candace was on drawing and sat down.
"You're a head doctor aren't ya," Candace replied.
"I guess you could say that," Sidney laughed.
"Then you need to take Major Burns off to the funny farm," Candace stated.
"And why is that?" Sidney asked.
"He's crazy. He thinks he and my mama are dating and they aren't. Mama would never cheat on daddy," Candace stated.
"And you think Major Houlihan is your mom?" Sidney asked.
"I know it. She wouldn't keep being nice to me if she didn't want me…I just don't want to leave them," Candace stated.
"Why would you?" Sidney asked getting rather interested.
"Well…when mama and daddy get married they own me and when they do they can force the army to let me go live with grandpa…but I don't want to leave them incase something happens. I want to stay till they leave and then go home to the house and pets and maybe some little brothers or sisters," Candace stated.
Sidney laughs leaning forward.
"Then this is all make believe," Sidney stated.
"The whole world is make believe Major. God made it up in his head," Candace smiled sweetly.
Sidney laughed and shook his head.
"You really are something else you know that," he smiled.
"Are you done analyzing me?" she asked.
"Yes I think so. For now at least," Sidney replied standing.
"Okay you take this and have a nice day," Candace replied handing him a folded piece of paper.
Freedman took the paper and unfolded it to find a picture of what he guessed was himself lying on a cot and Candace sitting in a chair making notes. Sidney laughed again as he waved good bye to the girl and left her alone.
The Major crossed the compounded to the mess tent and found BJ, Potter, Hawkeye, and Margaret sitting at a back table drinking coffee. Sidney fixed himself a cup and headed over.
"Any room here?" Sidney asked.
"Pull up a seat," Potter nodded sliding down.
Sidney sat by the old Colonel and looked at the couple across from him.
"Well what did you find out?" Potter asked first.
"She's a very clever child I'll give her that. I'm pretty sure she reversed this whole thing on me," Sidney laughed showing everyone the picture.
"Then you don't know why she thinks we're her parents?" Hawkeye asked.
"No I do. It's because she wants you to adopt her…but not till after the war," Sidney stated.
"Oh I get it. She wants them as her parents but if they adopt her now they can send her state side and she doesn't want that," BJ stated.
Sidney nodded.
"My advice is to leave her alone and let her play family as long as it isn't doing anything to the two of you," Sidney replied looking at the Captain and Major.
The two nodded unsure.