Hang in there, children. Just wait till Thanksgiving. Thats when the pot starts boiling.

Happy reading!

Chapter 47

Swamp was vacant. Frank was hiding somewhere, it seemed. Maybe giving Cate lessons. I did not mind it one bit. His absence, I meant, not the part about lessons. That still made me feel bad for her and brought up a twinge of guilt for being unable to stop her from ...getting too close to Frank, I guess. She did not see it that way despite my vehement effort. She somehow translated my efforts into jealousy and a desire to control who met and went out with whom. Maybe she had a point. Anything I said about Frank somehow did turn into something personal. People who did not know him too well took that as a loss of objectivity on my part. She was no different. The thought never crossed my mind that maybe she did know him and liked what she knew. It just seemed so...irrational.

Later!

I had shaved earlier and decided not to do it again. I was tired enough to do that. It felt like a lifetime ago when I left the Swamp to go to those villagers. And my shouting at Col. Potter, Radar and the mess with Dad. A lot had happened in last few days and more so since yesterday. All of it had left me somewhat tired even if it had turned out fine later, or was going to be OK. But it had taken a toll on me and that was a fact.

Part of sprucing up involved changing into a new set of bilious schmata and I had none left that could even remotely be considered clean. That meant a visit to laundry room. Groaning inwardly for this unwanted yet much needed commute, I sauntered towards the opposite end of the camp where my destination lay. The snow had completely melted and the ground had the slushy feel that meant another cleaning session for my boots.

There was a clothes hangar hanging on the door handle of the laundry room but I did not realize what it was supposed to mean since it was the laundry room, of all the places.

"HAS NOBODY TAUGHT YOU HOW TO KNOCK?" I was startled by this scream coming from a lipless wonder. He was sitting next to Cate on a pile of laundered clothes.

"Uhhh, I am sorry Frank. I did not know..." I was not really sorry but considering my earlier resolute and the statement I had made to BJ, this seemed like the right thing to do.

"The hell you didn't." He said acidly.

"I just came to get some clean clothes, Frank. I did not know you were..." I tried to keep calm and cool despite an urge to laugh out loud for catching him with his pants down, so to speak.

"Yeah, sure. You never know, right? And still you manage to walk in on me everytime I am trying to talk to someone." The same old indignant whining. How he mastered that tone was beyond me. How he survived past school was beyond me as well.

"You were not doing any talking yesterday, buddy!" I tried to contain my smile as I saw Cate turn red.

"Pervert! Degenerate!"

"Watch your mouth, Frank. There's a lady present." I started looking for the pile that belonged to me though I was having second thoughts about their cleanliness now that laundry room was being used for extracurricular activities.

"Ben, I thought you were better than this. You sure have the nerve."

"Nerve is my middle name, Lt. O'Hara. Besides, sometimes, however diabolical a person seems to you, he may really only be looking for some clean shirts."

Frank snorted and then started again, "Why? You couldn't find any clean shirts in my footlocker?"

"I did not check. Besides, yours are tight and loose in all the wrong places and my head is still hurting from your shoving from earlier on." I said meaningfully while searching for the damned bag.

He swelled with pride as if he had won a fight in Madison Garden. Cate just looked at him quizzically.

"There. Found it." I picked up my bag of laundry before looking at them again. "Seems you haven't told your girlfriend about your earlier exploits. I am surprised, Frank. Anyway, I really am sorry. I did not know!" I saw him getting all puffed up with pride and righteous indignation, however ill-placed it was before walking out of the tent. Before I closed the door I heard Cate, 'I think he was telling the truth, Frank. He was just as surprised.' I did not wait for Frank's reply.

When I got to the Swamp, I saw someone familiar. He was the same kid I sent to bed after finding him bungling orders on one of my patients all those weeks ago.

"Good afternoon, Captain Pierce. Radar told me to wake you up."

"Did you?"

"Huh?"

"Did you wake me up? I am still waiting for my call."

"Oh." He smiled, a little confused.

"I am up and awake, Corporal..."

"Mathis, sir. You got me out of laundry duty and bread and water."

"I know. I remember. Tell Radar thanks. I hope you have been staying away from Frank."

"Oh yes sir. He is..."

"He is what? Acting crazier than usual? Yeah, I noticed. Helps if you bunk with him. He makes sure you don't miss his mood swings." That elicited another smile.

"Uhh, Sir. I cleared up the clutter that was on your side of the tent."

That was when I noticed the relatively clean side of my tent.

"Thanks, Mathis. Hey, any idea who is on Laundry detail now? I saw a hangar outside the door. Don't think its a good idea to indulge while lying on people's clean underwear, right?"

"I will pass it along, Captain. Anything else, sir?"

"Just one thing. Its not Captain or Sir. Its Hawkeye."

"Uhh, yes sir. Thank you sir." And with that he left.

I made a mental note to check for Private Hendricks at 121 Evac. The kid had some of my finest embroidery in his belly and I had completely forgotten about him after getting incarcerated twenty days ago. That elicited another pang of guilt. I did not want this!

I again looked at my side of the tent. I had not a single really personal item outside. Just never felt like putting Dad's picture here. And I did not have any of Mom's pictures either. They all stayed in Crabapple Cove, on my original nightstand, where they belonged. So Frank's atrocities did not really harm me in any way. The only damage was to tent's general level of cleanliness but that was never really a matter of interest for me.

I quickly changed out of my dirty clothes and tossed them away to change into a clean pair of pants and shirt.

Boy that felt good.

It was then that I heard a soft knock at the door.

Finally!

"Hello Captain."

"Soldier Hawkeye, remember? Come on in."

"Oh yeah. Soldier Hawkeye. I once had a patient called Soldier Hawkeye."

"Must be a charming fellow. Want a drink?"

"Charming? Maybe. Gallant he was not. Screamed like a little boy when I stabbed him. And isn't it early for a drink?"

"Cela fait mal, mon amie. I am very gallant. Ask Frank. And I won't have one. My liver is still in its protest mode."

"French? And yeah, alright. Just one."

"Yeah, French. Here!" I handed her a martini with an olive.

"I am not good at French, Soldier."

"Neither am I, despite my father's urging. None of my cousins in Quebec believe I am one of them."

She made a gagging sound before spluttering all over the floor.

"Argh, this stuff is evil." She handed me the glass making a face.

"Well...yeah. It is. Its an acquired taste." I smiled. This was one awkward date unless she did not think of it as a date.

"So Quebec?"

"Yeah. My father's family refused to come on our side of town."

"You live in Maine?"

"Korea, actually. But home is in Maine, yeah."

"Hmmm. I hear it is beautiful."

"Oh yeah. The most beautiful place in the world. What about you?"

"New York."

"Good. I like NY too. Did my fellowship there."

"Oh yeah? Isn't it the best place ever?" She smiled wistfully.

"Well, second to Crabapple Cove, yeah."

"Crabapple Cove?"

"Yeah, we have too many crabapple trees so obviously, creativity being our forte, we named it Crabapple Cove!" And that elicited a bigger grin.

"So when do we leave for lunch?"

"I am having it delivered here. Uhhh, Lt."

"Yeah?"

"Can I call you Brenda?"

"Of course, Soldier Hawkeye." She laughed. That was one of the most beautiful sounds I had heard in a long time. I felt I was falling in love...

I grinned from ear to ear.

"So-o-o-o."

"So. Tell me about this place."

"This place? You mean the Swamp?"

"Swamp? You call the camp 'Swamp?"

"Nope. Just this tent in which I live. You did not notice the board outside? I painted it myself."

"Ooooh, an artistic artiste. I have heard of your other talents as well. I always admire a man who is creative and talented." And then she laughed again.

Wow.

I was used to flirting but rarely did I meet a woman, such a beautiful woman who flirted with me. I felt some blood rushing to my own head at this thought.

Control yourself, Pierce!

"Other talents? This usually does not bid well for my ego but still, I would like to ask what other talents have you heard of." I asked her somewhat mischievously, in an effort to take control of the situation. It worked.

She blushed.

My heart skipped a beat.

And then there was a knock at the door.

DAMN!

What a painful way to break a perfect moment. I cursed underbreath.

She was still looking at me and blushed an even deeper shade of pink.

"Excuse me."

Food was here. I wondered how Radar managed to get it done on such short notice but if it was any good, the kid had earned my eternal gratitude.

This was going twenty times better than expected.

And to think war was a bad thing...