Chapter 4
Charles took the roll of the Duke to heart and dived into learning his lines. He loved Shakespeare and consider the play his chance to bring some culture to the horrific hell of war. He immersed into the play as it took his mind of the troubles that surrounded him.
It was quite the sight. All four doctors were in the Swamp and reading lines from the play. Charles stood proudly rehearsing the lines as BJ and Hawkeye relaxed on their cots. Remarkably, Frankie knew all the lines of the play. She didn't have to look at the script much at all.
BJ took notice on how Frankie didn't seem to need to read off any lines and new it by heart. He glanced over at her sitting on the cot listening to Charles trying to rehearse the line.
"O, she that hath a heart of that fine frame. To pay the debt of love but to a brother, How will she love, when the rich golden shaft…" he paused trying to recall the next line from memory.
Frankie promoted, "Hath kill'd the flock."
"Hath kill'd the flock of all affection." Charles then recalled the line.
"You have the whole play memorized." BJ assumed looking at Frankie.
Frankie shook her head. "I have a photographic memory. I see the script, word for word in my head. I just follow along but in my head."
BJ told her, "You have a rare kind of memory."
Frankie shrugged it off.
Hawkeye smirked, "Can you do that with cards too?"
She nodded, "I can."
"Hmm…" a mischievous look graced his face.
BJ grinned, "Get our money back from Rizzo."
Charles scolded. "I will not allow you to use such talent to get your money back from a card game with that dirty sergeant. A photographic memory is very rare and Captain Barns is not to be used for personal gain." He then stated to Frankie, "Have you ever thought about investing in Wall Street?"
She shook her head. "No."
"I am more that willing to teach you a few things if you would like." he offered.
BJ called him out. "You just want Frankie to study the stock market and tell what to buy next."
He admitted, "A photographic memory would aid in stock trends and graphs."
Frankie stood up from her cot. "You guys keep practicing. I'm going to the mess tent for a cup of coffee and some air." She walked out of the tent wishing she had not told anyone about her gifted memory.
Charles wagged a finger at BJ. "See what you did. You scared him off."
"I scared him off!" BJ huffed back. "You wanted to use his memory to gain the stock market."
"And I could have taught him how to invest and make his own fortune." he insisted. "It was Pierce who wanted to gain his memory for a card game."
Hawkeye stated, "Don't blame this on me."
"It was your idea." Charles huffed annoyed. He then walked towards the door. "I'm going for some air myself." he declared and walked out of the tent.
BJ looked at Hawkeye. "Take a break?"
"Take a break." he agreed.
Mess Tent
Frankie shook her head as she walked to the mess tent. It seemed to her that the three doctors in the Swamp were bigger drama queens than any of the women she knew in her life and career. The nurses didn't argue like the men in the Swamp could. She muttered to herself, "I should have joined up as a nurse and saved myself the drama." She opened the door and walked inside to find another drama unfolding.
Klinger and Major Houlihan were trying to rehearse their lines as well as they sat at a table.
"That was my line, Klinger." Margaret stated.
He looked at the script again. "Oh! Kind of all reads the same. Sorry." He was dressed in a yellow gown that he was going to wear for his part in the play as the Duchess.
Frankie walked over to the pair. "How's it going?" she asked.
"Klinger keeps messing up the lines." Margaret stated.
"It's a lot of lines and it's not like it's in English." he complained.
"I'm going for a cup of coffee." Frankie excused herself. She muttered under her breath. "This camp is a zoo. And I was worried about anyone finding out about me." She gathered her cup of coffee and some bread with butter to eat.
She turned to find Nurse Baker standing right in front of her holding a script for the play. She gave a smooth smile. "Captain Barns."
"Nurse Baker." she greeted unsure what the blonde haired, blue eyed beauty wanted.
"I'm the understudy for the Duchess. Would you be able to go over my lines with me?" she requested slyly.
She suggested, "Just sit with Major Houlihan and Klinger. They are going over lines now."
The nurse struck a seductive pose. "But I would rather you went over my lines with me, Doctor."
"I'm helping Charles with his lines." she excused.
Before Nurse Baker could counter her claim Charles walked into the mess tent for a cup of coffee as well.
Frankie felt uncomfortable about the nurse as she knew the nurse was trying to seduce her. She smiled, "There he is! Be right there, Charles." She excused herself, "Maybe later, Lieutenant."
The nurse turned and watched as Frankie went to Charles who smiled brightly as he thought Frankie changed her mind about the stock market. She soured for unbeknownst to Frankie, she was the talk of the Nurse's tent. The women adored her as she stood up for them often and even called Hawkeye out for flirting a bit too much with the nurses. The nurses loved having a doctor to back them up and a few found her adorable as she looked very young even with the odd mustache. "Damn." she muttered under her breath.
Frankie found Charles to be her rescuer from the flirtatious nurse. She stuck to him like glue. "Here to get some coffee?" she asked.
"Some air and a coffee sounded most agreeable." he smiled.
Frankie then followed Charles as he gathered his coffee and bread. The pair soon sat with Margaret and Klinger.
Margaret looked at Frankie and asked, "What did Nurse Baker want?"
"She wanted me to help go over her lines with her." she reported.
Margaret squinted at the nurse who took a seat at the nurses' table with the other nurses. "Hmm…" she puckered in thought as she was aware the nurses were infatuated with the new doctor.
Klinger stated, "Maybe Nurse Baker should play the Duchess. The play is hard."
Charles hated the idea of Klinger playing the Duchess. He agreed, "Perhaps give Klinger a smaller part."
"Yeah!" he agreed eagerly. "I can play the brother."
Charles smirked, "But that would require you to wear men's clothing."
"I could do it for the play." he assured.
"Oh no!" Margaret shook her head. "Then Baker will be all over Captain Barns if you give her that roll. The end of the play leaves me with Charles and the Duchess with Sebastian. Captain Barns is playing Sebastian and the nurses already have an unhealthy infatuation with the Captain as it is."
Frankie gasped wide-eyed, "What?"
Margaret soothed, "It's okay. They just like you a lot because you stick up for them. The nurses all adore you."
Frankie gulped, "I'm not sure if that's reassuring or terrifying."
Klinger stated, "But if I play Sebastian then Baker will be with me in the end."
Charles asked, "And what role will Captain Barns play? The play was his idea after all."
Frankie held up her hands to slow the worry. "I can be the understudy. I know all the lines for every role."
Margaret asked, "You memorized all the lines for every role?"
Charles interrupted "It turns out our good Captain has a photographic memory and can see the words in his mind much like reading the book."
Klinger grinned, "Boy…I bet that's a real leg up with that memory. I should take you to the races back home."
Frankie told him, "I'm not into gambling or smoking…or drinking."
Charles asked offhand, "Do you play golf?"
"I have played a little." she nodded.
"With such a memory I imagine you would be an excellent golf player." he figured.
"Average." she replied.
Klinger asked, "What do you do for fun, Captain? Any hobbies?"
She replied, "I like to play chess, play music, fence, archery, horseback ride, read, solve word puzzles and go sailing."
Charles grew meek, "You have many admirable interest. I was on the fencing and archery teams at Harvard." He then proclaimed, "And my family owns a yacht."
"I own my own sailboat. I go racing with it." she grinned at Charles.
He fondly recalled, "I was on the Harvard sailboat racing team." He boasted, "Nothing like cutting through the ocean waves with wind at your back and hard to port."
Frankie grinned in agreement, "It's a rush. Lots of hard work but worth it." She then stated, "When I get home I am going to buy a new sailboat and sail around the world and write my book about being in the army." She divulged her plan.
Margaret gave a sigh as her mind conjured up herself sailing through the open sea under a clear blue sky with Captain Barns at the helm. She imagined a strong, athletic sailor that could sweep her off her feet faster than any rogue wave.
Charles dreamed of the boat as well as he and his first mate, Frankie would be sailing the world and visiting the most posh ports of the rich and famous.
Klinger cheered, "That's sounds like fun, Captain. Mind of I join ya on that world trip?"
She grinned, "You can be my first mate."
Charles and Margret both looked on in horror as the daydream turned into a nightmare with Klinger added to the picture.
Frankie noticed the frightful expressions of the two Majors. She asked, "Everything okay?"
Charles shook himself. "Let's rehearse our lines for the play."
Margaret agreed, "That sounds like a good idea."