Chapter 18
Uijeongbu Korea; January 23rd, 1952
"The risk of sounding preachy." Ellie Marie said, from her spot lying on Radar's bed, "I could point out that we have men with holes from mortar shells in them just past that door, and there's men freezing in foxholes just a few miles from here, and you're complaining about paperwork." She tossed the small rubber ball she'd found in Radar's top drawer in the air and caught it again.
"I don't care!" Klinger grumbled from the desk, "I hate this stuff! I'm not the kinda guy who is meant to be behind a desk. I don't know how Radar does this everyday."
"Well considering the tough breaks he's gotten lately, helping out while he's gone is the least you can do."
"Yeah, how about that? The poor kid finally meets a cute, sweet girl like Nurse Nugent who's just about perfect for him, and they go and transfer her after just eight measly days. Talk about your rotten luck."
"At least Colonel Potter gave him two days leave and let him be the one to drive her to the 8055th." Ellie Marie said.
"Yeah….and left me stuck here with this mess…" Klinger grumbled, shoving the pile of papers in front of him.
"You know you should be flattered." She pointed out, "of all the people he could have asked to do his job, he picked you. That shows a lot of trust."
"He picked me by process of elimination." Klinger said, waving her off, "the only three people who hang out in this office almost as much as Radar are you, me, and Colonel Potter, and you and the Colonel already got your own responsibilities. That leaves me."
"He still trusted you with it." Ellie Marie said with a shrug.
"Yeah I guess…." He muttered, "it's 10:30 by the way. You're due in Post Op."
"Trying to get rid of me?" She teased.
"Yeah…..you bug me, get outta here." He teased back. She playfully threw the ball at him and he reached out and caught it easily.
"Ooo slick!" She said, winking at him as she got up and walked through the doors into Post Op.
"Bigalow, give Lovett another unit of whole blood, and keep your eye on that drainage ok?" Hawkeye said, from the far end of the ward.
"Yes Doctor." She replied.
"Do you get off at dawn?" He asked.
"Yes Doctor."
"Same here, you wanna meet in the supply tent and take stock of each other?"
"Absolutely not Doctor."
"A simple yes would have sufficed…"
Ellie Marie and Bigalow passed each other with a knowing smile as Ellie Marie made her way to where Hawkeye was standing.
"How's our boy doing?" She asked, looking down at Private Lovett, who they'd operated on a few hours earlier.
"His blood counts still aren't looking great. I'm worried we might have missed a bleeder but I want to give him at least one more unit before we talk about opening him up again." Hawkeye said.
"Hopefully it helps." Ellie Marie agreed.
"Hey Hawk? Give me a hand here, would you?" B.J. called from the cot next to the desk.
They both walked down to where he was pulling up the broken leg of a soldier and putting it into a tension sling.
"Hold this tension." B.J. said, handing him the strings.
"When are you gonna learn to pull your own weight around here?" Hawkeye quipped.
Suddenly there was a deafening boom and the entire room shook.
"Shelling?" B.J. asked
"Couldn't be. The angels are bowling." Hawkeye said.
Another shell exploded.
"Sounded like one of our 105s." The soldier with the broken leg said.
Another explosion, closer this time.
"How do you know?" Hawkeye asked.
"I'm in the army." He said with a shrug.
"That one's coming from the other direction!" B.J. said, as another explosion went off.
"Great. We're in a crossfire…." Hawkeye mumbled.
Several more explosions went off and the patients started murmuring in fear.
"Alright take it easy, I'm sure they don't mean it." B.J. said.
"We're safe as long as they keep aiming at us." Hawkeye agreed.
"Do you think maybe we should…." Ellie Marie nodded towards the door to the office.
"Spectacular idea." Hawkeye said. They headed for the door as another close explosion rocked the room. Several people screamed.
"Nothing to worry about! Happens all the time!" B.J. said.
"Yeah this will all blow over…." Hawkeye added, and then realized what he'd said.
"Very reassuring." Ellie Marie said flatly.
They walked into the main office to find Colonel Potter sitting at Radar's desk, and he appeared to be holding an imaginary phone to his ear.
"What the hell is going on? said B.J.
"And from every direction!" said Hawkeye.
"Shut up both of you! I'm trying to raise I-Corps!" The Colonel snapped. They all looked at each other.
"Should we tell him he doesn't have a phone in his hand?" B.J. asked.
"Colonel, you don't have a phone in your hand…." Hawkeye said.
"Hello? I-Corps?" Klinger's voice came from under the desk, "just a second." The phone popped up and Colonel Potter grabbed it.
"You good down there Freddie?" Ellie Marie asked, leaning over to look around the Colonel.
"Roger!" Came the response.
"Wait, I'm confused. Who's under there Freddie or Rodger?" B.J. said.
"Klinger, you got room for three more?" Hawkeye asked.
"No, I'm wearing a full skirt."
"Will you all shut up! Hello? Hello? Colonel Sherman Potter here. Get me the artillery Fire Direction Center….yeah I guess you could call this an emergency!"
"We surrender already!" Hawkeye shouted at the ceiling as another shell rocked the building. "Boy if I had a stick with a white handkerchief I'd show them!"
"Hello Major? Colonel Sherman Potter, M*A*S*H 4077th."
Hawkeye grabbed the phone.
"STOP THE SHELLING! STOP IT! STOP IT!" He yelled down the line, the Colonel yanked it back from him.
"Sorry about that…oh really? Well, does one of them happen to be in Uijeongbu?…Two miles? Try right on top of us!…In your hat! We were there for two days, three weeks ago!…Cause we're mobile that's why! What do you think the M stands for?…Major, and I'm using that title for the moment. WE ARE IN YOUR LINE OF FIRE!"
"Tell him money is no object." Hawkeye suggested.
"Klinger, where's the code book?" The Colonel snapped.
"It's not under here!"
"Find it! Find it!" He said, motioning wildly to the others. They began scrambling around and rifling through Radar's drawers.
"Radar's got nothing in here but National Geographic's about Tahiti and New Guinea." B.J. said from the filing cabinet.
"Oh yeah? Take 'em back to the Swamp." Hawkeye said.
"Is this it Colonel?" Ellie Marie asked, pulling a small book out of the desk drawer, "Signal Operating Instructions"?
"That's the one!" The Colonel grabbed it from her. "Ok Victor….Victor Mature…Victor Zulu! And I respond…Eskimo Pie!…What do you mean 'if that's you are" look you dunderhead, I'M ME. BUT I'M NOT GONNA BE ME MUCH LONGER IF YOU DON'T SQUIRT THE BATTLE IN ANOTHER DIRECTION!" The Colonel sat there for another moment before slowly hanging up the phone and turning to them.
"He thinks I'm Chinese." He said.
"I don't see it myself." Hawkeye quipped.
"Colonel, why don't we just call the people doing the actual shooting?" Ellie Marie asked.
"That could be anybody!" He replied.
"This whole thing's probably over somebody's wife…" Hawkeye muttered.
"I'll call General Imbrie, he knows my voice! He'll identify me!" Colonel Potter said.
"I'm way ahead of you Colonel, there's just one problem." Klinger said, "The phone's kaput." They all groaned.
"Colonel, we gotta do something. We're sitting ducks here." B.J. said.
"Alright, a senior staff meeting in the mess tent in five minutes!" Colonel Potter said.
"Last one there is a dead duck." Hawkeye added.
"I'm coming with you!" Klinger said scurrying out from under the desk just as a shell rattled the roof panels.
"It's ok Freddie you don't need to, stay safe." Ellie Marie said.
"Like hell I'm letting you out there on your own!" He said, running to her side.
"Max…." She said, putting her hands against his chest, "I'm gonna be ok. Stay here, working on fixing the phone. I'll be back before you know it."
"If you say so…" He said, still seeming unsure.
"I do say so. In fact, it's an order Corporal." He smirked slightly, but let her go.
—————
"See you talked your knight in shining taffeta into staying put." B.J. commented as they took their seats in the mess tent a few minutes later.
"No sense having more people risking their lives than need be." She replied.
"Well, folks, the way I see it, we're in the middle of a boxing ring between two blindfolded fighters." The Colonel said.
"What you are saying Colonel, in your inimitably folksy way is that we are doomed." said Charles.
"It sounded so much nicer when he said it!" Margaret complained.
"Yes Charles. Let's create a new adage for times of crisis." Ellie Marie said, "if you can't be positive, at least be quiet."
"I like that Captain! It's catchy." Colonel Potter said.
Another explosion rocked the tent.
"Sorry I'm late!" Father Mulcahy said, rushing through the doors, "I forgot where I'd put my steel pot. Then I remembered I used it to plant azaleas. It still smells of mulch. But as they say…any pot in a storm."
"What a wonderful pun Father. You can plant those azaleas on my grave." Charles said.
"Charles….." Ellie Marie warned.
"Eleanor….." He retorted.
"Oh I'm sure He'll protect us Major." Father Mulcahy said.
"Here Father, sit by me." said B.J. pointedly, scooting to make room for him.
"Padre, I was just saying our situation seems desperate." said Colonel Potter.
"Right." Charles muttered.
"But not hopeless."
"Wrong."
Ellie Marie kicked him hard, and he yelped and glared at her.
"Apparently, neither side knows we're here. A major move under these conditions would be more dangerous than staying, but there's no time to dig bunkers."
"Now tell us the bad news." said Margaret.
"We've done some checking and we do have an alternative." The Colonel said.
"Dig a hole and come up in Kansas?" Charles muttered.
"Actually you're not far off."
"California?" said B.J.
"About a half mile west of here, there's an abandoned cave that the North Koreans used for an aid station."
"A cave?" said Hawkeye, "There must be a better place than a cave."
"I think it's brilliant. Let's go." Charles said standing up.
"At least we'll be under some cover." Margaret agreed.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! We can't get everybody in there!" Hawkeye said.
"I believe we can. It'll be a tight fit but if we just take the bare necessities we should make it." The Colonel said.
"We'll enter according to rank. Let's go." Charles repeated.
"Just a second. You want to move patients into a damp cave with no heat?" Hawkeye said.
"He's got a point there Colonel. Is it sanitary?" Ellie Marie asked.
"We'll bring space heaters and do our best." The Colonel said.
"Just moving them is risky! I've got a chest patient in there who just came out of O.R.!" Hawkeye said.
"Fine! You stay here with your patient! I'm sure he'll be grateful when the shells start falling around you!" Charles snapped.
"Hold it! Listen!" B.J. said, it had gone silent.
Suddenly a shell hit so close the flash blinded them and the tent shook violently.
"That's it. We move!" Colonel Potter said.
————————-
"Take out that IV before you load him up." Hawkeye said, as they brought Lovett out to the bus. "Make sure to keep him as stable as you can, ok Ellie?"
"I've got him, Doctor." She assured him.
"Kelly, make sure Dr. Hunnicutt's patient in the back is stabilized, we have to keep the tension on that leg." She said as she moved back to the front of the bus.
"Hey Corporal!" She said as Klinger walked past the door, he stopped and walked over to her. "Which float are you riding on in this parade?"
"I'm in the lead car with the big man in charge." He said.
"Well put the hood up. It's not the best night for an open air ride through the countryside."
"I'll be ok G." He said. She leaned out of the bus and wrapped an arm around his neck hugging him quickly.
"I'm holding you to that." She said.
She let him go and hopped back on the bus with Kelly. As she watched him walk up to the jeep and hop in the driver's seat, she sighed.
"He's gonna be fine Ellie." Kelly said, putting a hand on her arm, "if anything I'm more worried about us. We're a much bigger target."
"Thanks Kels, that was equal parts comforting and distressing." Ellie Marie said.
"Happy to help."
"Colonel, I've been thinking. It might be worth it to leave somebody here to keep an eye on the place." Hawkeye said from just outside the bus.
"Pierce, these caves have been around for centuries. They're perfectly safe." The Colonel responded.
"I wouldn't be any trouble." Hawkeye insisted, "I'd just surround myself with sandbags and say 'who goes there' a lot."
"We're going to the caves. Get on." The Colonel said.
Hawkeye hopped on their bus as the engine started, but Ellie Marie noticed his eyes were wide and he looked slightly panicked.
"You ok Hawk?" She asked.
"Never better." He said, "just trying to choose my means of horrible death…." He shook his head and sighed, "Ugh I'm sorry I shouldn't be talking like that in front of patients. I need to get a grip."
"Hey it's ok." Ellie Marie said, "we're all scared. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nope. No talking. No thinking. Just….getting through it."
It took them only five minutes to reach the cave. Which ended up being bigger than Ellie Marie had expected. Once they had unloaded all the supplies and set up the cots it was time to bring in the patients.
"Let's go!" Margaret said, "Extra blankets for every patient! It's all rock in here and everything's wet."
"Major, we've got the most critical cases set up in the largest driest part of the cave, and we're working backwards from there." Ellie Marie said.
"Excellent Ellie, make sure each doctor gets a run down on where their patients are located."
"Yes, Major."
"Speaking of doctors," The Colonel said, walking up beside them, "would you also mind telling those two knuckleheads down at the other end that this cave's spiffy acoustics mean everyone can hear their doom and gloom conversations?"
"On it, Colonel." She said. She slipped between gurneys and past corpsmen towards the back of the cave where B.J. and Charles were having a whispered argument.
"Winchester, I know we're in kind of a tough spot here . Nerves are a little raw. People are kind of anxious. But if you make one more doomsday remark, you're gonna need splints for your teeth." B.J. snapped.
"To answer you in your own dead-end parlance, "Youse and whom else?" Charles growled.
"Just me's"
"Hey cowboys." Ellie Marie said, leaning in close, "our fearless commander wanted me to remind you of the wonders of the acoustics in caves like this. Which is to say, shut. up."
"Ellie, do you have the donor list?" Bigalow said, coming up beside her.
"It's down in the front by Baker, why?"
"Lovett is still low."
"Dammit….ok I'll check it. What type is he again?"
"B positive."
"That's Max's blood type. I'll send him your way."
"Thanks Ellie, you're the best."
Ellie Marie moved back through the cave scanning the crowd as she went. She found him towards the front helping Ginger with blankets.
"Max! How'd you like to be a human juice box for a bit?"
"Say what?"
"Lovett's running low again and you happen to be just his type." She explained.
"Gotcha. I'll head back there now."
"Thanks doll face." She said with a wink. "Baker, have you seen Hawkeye? I wanna update him about Lovett."
"No I haven't seen him at all actually."
"Colonel." Ellie Marie stopped him as he passed, "Where's Hawkeye working? I need to talk to him about Private Lovett."
"Actually Captain, he's currently on sentry duty outside."
"What? Why?" Ellie Marie asked.
"Seems he has a bit of an issue with the lack of wide open spaces, if you catch my drift."
"Claustrophobia." She said, and the Colonel nodded, "ugh! I should've put that together! He was acting so jumpy on the bus up here."
"Don't beat yourself up. Even if we'd known, there's not much else we could've done."
Ellie Marie walked to the mouth of the cave where she found Hawkeye sitting. She sat down beside him, and for a few moments said nothing.
"I hate clowns." She said finally.
"What?" Hawkeye said, looking at her in surprise.
"Clowns. I hate them, they've always scared the bejeezus out of me. When I was 10 my whole family went to the circus and I had to stay home with a neighbor. I missed it all, the acrobats, the jugglers, the elephants and lion tamers, just because of the damn clowns." Hawkeye looked over at her.
"Well that's just plain crazy." He said, and she grinned at him. He leaned his head back against the wall.
"Lovett's counts are still low." She said, "we definitely missed something."
"Do you think we can keep him stable until they stop trying to flatten us into pancakes?"
"We're trying. Baker's hooking him up to Klinger as we speak. If need be Father Mulcahy, and Charles are the same blood type."
"Poor kid is gonna wake up singing Ave Maria in a cocktail dress while worrying about his stock portfolio." Hawkeye said, and Ellie Marie laughed.
"Just try to relax ok? I've got things under control down there."
"Thanks Ellie. You know you're pretty ok."
"Right back atcha Tex."
————-
"Hi Lovett." Klinger said, as the private slowly opened his eyes.
"Where'd they get you?" Lovett said groggily, taking in Klinger's fur coat and silk head scarf.
"Hey, don't talk like that to your blood bank." Klinger lifted the tube connecting his arm to Lovett's. "How do my corpuscles feel by the way? Warm? I'm a warm blooded guy. My desert heritage."
"How much do I need?"
"Eh, whatever it is, I can spare it. Besides, there's more where I came from. Father Mulcahy and Major Winchester have the same blood type. Except one's a little purer and one's a little bluer.
"Klinger, how's it going?" Charles said, checking the line between them.
"Major, I was just telling Lovett here that you and me have the same blood type."
"That is not funny!" Charles snapped.
"It's in the records Charles. B positive." Ellie Marie said, walking up beside them.
"Ironic huh? Us two brother's under the skin?" Klinger said.
"That's as demoralizing a thought as I've ever encountered." Charles muttered walking away.
"Some brother…" Klinger said.
"You should disown him." Elle Marie
suggested, sitting down behind Klinger and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Pick a new blood type. That'll show him."
"I don't think that's how that works…..aren't you supposed to be a doctor?" Klinger teased.
"Not yet. They don't do the chapter on blood types until second year of med school." She shot back, "how ya feeling Lovett?" She asked, looking down at him.
"Ok." He answered, "the pain's not too bad, I'm just really tired and I feel a little dizzy."
"We're gonna get you fixed up as soon as we can, ok? Just hang in there."
"How about you? You feeling light headed or anything?" She asked Klinger.
"Nah I'm good G."
"We're gonna get you unhooked here soon."
"No rush."
Ellie Marie affectionately mussed his head scarf and then stood up to leave.
"She's pretty." Lovett commented.
"Understatement of the century kid." Klinger said, laying back and watching her walk away.
"She your girl?"
"I dunno….to be honest with you, if I had my way I'd make her Mrs. Max Klinger tomorrow, but I don't know where her head's at."
"So why don't you ask?"
"You know what kid? I think maybe you should go ahead and get some of that rest you need so bad." Klinger said pointedly.
Ellie Marie walked a little ways down the cave to where Charles had stopped.
"Lovett still doesn't look good." She said quietly, "he's had almost a pint of Klinger's blood, his color's still bad and he's still symptomatic."
"Well what do you expect? He's filled up with Klinger." Charles said.
"Charles, be serious please."
"Alright. I apologize."
"What was his last BP?
"70 over 30"
"That's too low." Ellie Marie said, "we're going to have to get back in there sooner rather than later. Get Max unhooked, I'm gonna go talk to Hawkeye."
She made her way back to the front of the cave and found Hawkeye now joined by Margaret and B.J.
"Hey Ellie, join the party! We're just having a discussion about our irrational fears. Wanna join? Clowns wasn't it?"
"Clowns?" B.J. questioned.
"Ever since I was five." She confirmed, "Hawkeye, Lovett's blood pressure is dropping fast."
"Stay put. I've got it." B.J. said.
"No wait." said Hawkeye, "I'm a doctor, he's my patient. Let me try."
"Are you sure?" Margaret asked.
"Of course not." He said shakily, before taking a deep breath and walking inside.
"Stay close to me." He said to them, "but not too close."
He managed to get all the way back to Lovett but he was shaking like a leaf.
"You don't feel it do you?" He asked, "Pulse rapid. Skin clammy. I don't know who's whiter him or me….excuse me." He ran for the exit, and they followed.
"We're gonna have to go back in, Hawk." B.J. said.
"Yeah but it's dark in there." Hawkeye quipped.
"I know I know…." He amended, " he's bleeding into his belly, it's out of control."
"It's ok Hawk, I'll do it." B.J. said.
"It's gonna be awfully hard to find a bleeder at the bottom of that well with no generator, no suction, and as an added distraction no anesthesia." Hawkeye pointed out.
"I know a place where we have all those things." said B.J.
"Yeah and I'm the closest one to it." Hawkeye sighed.
"Are you sure? You're not exactly yourself."
"I will be, as long as I stay out of there! At least now I'll have something real to be afraid of."
"I'll get my helmet." Ellie Marie said.
"Now just wait a damned minute! I'm the head nurse of this unit. If anyone's putting their life at risk it's going to be me!" Margaret said angrily.
"The fact that you're Head Nurse is exactly why it can't be you!" Ellie Marie fired back, "There's an entire cave of wounded here and a couple thousand boys out there who are gonna end up as wounded and they aren't gonna get the care they need without you at the helm."
"I can't just stand here and let a nurse that's been entrusted to me risk her life!" Margaret said.
"Yes you can." Ellie Marie said, "I assisted Pierce on this surgery. It should be me. Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a leader is to not be the person always in the middle of the action, for the greater good." Ellie Marie could still see the anger and uncertainty on Margaret's face, but she could also tell she'd won the argument.
"Fine. But for the record I hate this! And if you get yourself blown up I'm never gonna forgive you!" Margaret said.
"Noted Major." Ellie Marie said, giving her hand a squeeze.
"Alright get him prepped and in a jeep." Hawkeye said.
"B.J. I haven't got time." Ellie Marie said quickly, turning to him, "Can you find Max and tell him…" She paused, and sighed slightly, What? If this was the last thing she would ever say to Max, what the hell did she want her parting words to be? '"Just tell him ok?" She said finally. B.J. nodded.
——-
"Keep those headlights off and don't rush to get back there." The Colonel said a few minutes later as they secured Lovett to the back of the jeep, "Above all, if the shelling gets too close for Heaven's sake, pull over!"
Margaret came over and hugged Ellie Marie tightly.
"Be safe." She said, "I'm so proud of you. You couldn't be more brave if you tried."
"Thank you Major." Ellie Marie gave her another quick squeeze before she headed back towards the entrance.
"Ummm just a heads up. You might want to leave immediately." B.J. said, walking out of the cave as Margaret walked in, "you know that thing you asked me to do? It may have caused a potential complication."
"STOP THAT JEEP!" Came a shout from the doorway.
"Oh look, there he is now." B.J. muttered.
Klinger came running out of the cave and barreled towards them.
"Ellie Marie, you are not getting on that jeep." He snapped.
"You don't get to give orders Corporal." She said pointedly.
"I do when you're about to do something monumentally stupid!
She sighed.
"Can I have a minute?" She asked Hawkeye.
"Yeah ok, but just one. Lovett doesn't have many minutes left."
She grabbed Klinger by the arm and drug him a few feet away from the others.
"Where the hell do you get off talking to me like that in front of my fellow officers?" She said angrily.
"Where the hell do you get off volunteering for a mission with a high likelihood of death, and sending B.J. to tell me about it?" He countered. "After all we've been through you don't think I deserve more than that?"
"Ok…fair enough, but we didn't have time. Lovett's going fast. Every minute counts, and I have to put the patient first. You know that!"
"I don't care." He said, "I mean it Ellie, I don't care! You're not going. I don't care if I have to drag you back in that cave and tie you to the wall. I don't care if you hate me. I'm not gonna lose you G. Don't you get it? If you died? Forget Section 8, forget Toledo, they might as well toss me in a padded cell and chuck the key. I need you. You're the reason I wake up every morning. You're the only reason I have to smile, hell you're the only damn reason I can stand the damned war another day! And you're are not gonna—"
She kissed him, all her reasons to be afraid suddenly seemed insignificant. She just knew she couldn't face her potential death without knowing how it felt, at least once.
The kiss was soft and brief. She vaguely acknowledged Hunnicutt behind them, throwing his hands up and jumping in the air in triumph like there'd been a touchdown at a football game. She pulled back to look Max in the eyes. His expression was one of surprise, wonder, and something deeper.
"I just….needed to know. Just once." She whispered as an explanation. She began to turn away but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Nuh uh… get back here." He said roughly, and he wrapped a hand behind her neck and brought her mouth back to his forcefully.
There was nothing soft about this kiss. Max kissed her as if he could somehow stop time, and hold them in that moment with the sheer force of his desire for her. She'd never been kissed like that. The intensity of it made her dizzy. Her hands found her way to his shoulders as she matched his passion. It was like the whole world melted away and there was just the two of them. The shells could've brought the mountain down on them and Ellie Marie wouldn't have cared. After what felt like much too short of a time he pulled back, he searched her face like he was trying to memorize every inch of it. He cupped her cheek and let his thumb glide down it and across her lips. He looked at her as if there was nothing else in the world he ever wanted to do, and her heart soared and also painfully ached.
"Now why the hell haven't we been doing that up till now?" He asked quietly, with a shy smile, and she chuckled in response. She pressed her forehead to his, holding onto him tightly. She never wanted to let him go.
"I still have to leave." She said quietly, "I wouldn't be the person you love if I didn't."
"I know." He answered.
She kissed him again slowly, savoring the sensation.
"I'll see you in the morning, I promise." She said. He closed his eyes and nodded.
She reluctantly stepped away from him to head back to the jeep, but he moved with her, staying by her side and slipping her hand into his and intertwining their fingers. As they walked back she looked up at the three men who were waiting. Colonel Potter was watching them with a look of sheer surprise on his face, and a small smile was playing at the edges of his lips. B.J. and Hawkeye on the other hand we're grinning at them.
"You got everything taken care of now kids?" Hawkeye teased.
"Let's just go." Ellie Marie said, and the gravity of their situation fell back into place as she walked to the passenger side of the jeep, and hopped in.
"Well good luck to you." The Colonel said, "what you're doing takes a lot of guts."
"And no brains…" Hawkeye muttered.
Klinger leaned into the jeep to kiss Ellie Marie one more time.
"First thing in the morning. You promise."
"I promis Max." She replied. He looked across her to Hawkeye.
"Be careful Captain. You pretty much got my whole world in this jeep." He said.
"I'll guard her with my life Max. I swear it." Hawkeye replied, and he reached over to squeeze his hand briefly before starting the engine.
"Thanks for the wonderful evening folks!" He called as they pulled away, "We'll have you over real soon!"
"Remember, keep the helmet on and the lights off!" The Colonel shouted after them.
The three men stood there watching the dust cloud disappear. Once the darkness had closed back in B.J. and the Colonel turned to head into the cave, but Klinger didn't move. He stood staring in a daze at the place where the jeep had disappeared.
"Klinger…" The Colonel said.
"Yeah…." He replied vaguely, still not looking away.
"She's gonna be ok son." The Colonel said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes sir." He didn't move.
"And she's not gonna be too pleased in the morning if she finds out you stood out here like a dingus and got yourself blown up."
"Yes sir." No movement.
"I've got him Colonel." B.J. said with a smirk. He put his hands on Klinger's shoulders and spun him back towards the cave, "come on Romeo." He said, "Juliet is expecting us to keep you in one piece."
He marched him back into the cave, but Klinger was still in a daze as he walked and didn't seem to be focused on anything around him. B.J. steered him to a crate a little ways inside and sat him down. He stared at the wall, still not speaking.
"What's up with him?" Kelly asked as she walked by.
"Oh don't mind him." B.J. said with a smile, "I'm pretty sure his whole world just tilted on its axis."
"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.
"Ellie just kissed me." Klinger said, still sounding as if he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or awake.
"What!?" Kelly exclaimed.
"What!?" Charles echoed, coming over from a few feet away.
"And then you really kissed her back." B.J. pointed out, grinning.
"Oh yeah? How really are we talking?" Kelly asked.
"Let's just say….curtains in the wind, fade to black." B.J. replied.
"Damn Max….." Kelly smirked, "So why don't you seem more excited about it?"
"You mean besides the fact that I just put her in a jeep to go get blown up about thirty seconds after I told her how I feel?" Klinger said.
"Technically you showed her how you feel." B.J. corrected.
"I did both." Klinger replied, "I put it all out there."
"And how did she respond?" Charles asked.
"She kissed me."
"Well that's a good sign right?" Kelly asked.
"I dunno, is it? I can never tell with her. She was thinking she might die. She as much as told me so. She said she had to do it at least once. So does that mean, 'I love you and I don't wanna die without showing you' or does it mean, 'I might die tonight so what the hell?"
"Max, how can you even say that?" said Kelly, "I've never seen two people more perfect for each other in my life!"
"Yeah but that's here!" He retorted, "when we get back stateside she's going to Harvard. She's gonna become a surgeon at some fancy hospital and what am I gonna be? Her cheesy used car salesman husband who she's ashamed to take to upscale parties?"
"I feel like I should slap you upside the head for Ellie's sake right now, because you know she would if she heard you talking like that." B.J. said, "There is no world in which that woman is ashamed of you Max."
"As I told you previously," Charles interjected, "what your life looks like together is something she should have a say in as well."
"I know…" Klinger said, rubbing his face with his hands, "God…I know. It's just the only time it's ever been like that between us it's been when she's freaking out ya know? First with Rinaldi, then kinda when she had that panic attack, and now tonight. It makes it hard to know where her head is at."
"Except she wasn't freaking out tonight, you were. She was completely calm." B.J. pointed out.
"That's true."
"And even if she was. The fact that when she is at her most vulnerable her instinct is to want you, is not an altogether bad sign for you." Charles added.
"Also true."
"Everything alright down here?" Father Mulcahy asked, walking up to them.
"Yeah we're good Father." said B.J., "Just trying to help our young Maxwell here navigate his tumultuous love life."
"Oh I see. How so?"
"It seems before embarking on her suicide mission with Pierce, Ellie Marie and Max shared a…rather passionate goodbye." Charles explained.
"Was 'suicide mission' really necessary Charles?" B.J. said with a glare.
"Oh my! Are you serious?" Father Mulcahy said excitedly. Klinger nodded.
"Well Max, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but it's about darned time!" Father Mulcahy said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You two are absolutely made for each other. A beautiful miracle in the middle of all the horror to be sure."
"Thanks Father." Klinger said dully, "I pray to God you're right."
" And He hears you, my son." The Father said, giving his shoulder another encouraging squeeze.
—————
"More suction Ellie, I can't see." Hawkeye said.
A bomb exploded.
"Sounds like they're getting closer." She said nervously.
"It's okay, just keep the suction coming."
"I swear they're getting closer!" She said, panic rising in her as another bomb exploded.
"Ellie look at me." Hawkeye said, "you can do this. Now I think I found the bleeder. Give me a retractor."
"Retractor." She said, handing it to him.
"Good. Now let's just try to keep our minds occupied." Hawkeye said, "how bout that kiss?"
"Oh seriously you wanna talk about that now?" She shot back.
"Of course I do! Would you rather talk about what's going on out there?"
A shell hit the compound just outside the building with a flash of light. Shrapnel pounded against the siding and Ellie Marie stifled a scream.
"So how was it?" Hawkeye asked, panic and terror creeping into his voice too. His hands shook slightly as he worked. Another shell rocked the compound.
"What?" She gasped, looking around wildly.
"The kiss the kiss! How was it?"
"Hawkeye!"
"Come on… I've never kissed a guy in a dress! I'm curious!"
"Hawkeye!"
"It looked like quite the humdinger."
"Hawkeye listen!" He stopped and looked up, everything was silent.
"It's stopped! The shelling stopped!" She gasped.
"Well hold on. They may just be reloading."
"No…" She shook her head, " It's over. We made it."
They stood there in tense silence for over a minute waiting to see if it would start again, but as the silence drew on they met each other's gaze and smiled.
"Boy, we are really brave." He said, and they both giggled in relief, before going back to work.
"So answer my question! Was it as epic as it looked?" He said. She shot him a reluctant smile.
"It was the best kiss I've ever had. No contest." She admitted.
"Who knew our little Maxwell had it in him?" Hawkeye teased.
Ten minutes later they had Lovett closed and moved to Post Op.
"I'll stay with him. You go get some sleep." Hawkeye said.
"Are you kidding?" Ellie Marie scoffed, flopping on the cot next to Lovett, "my feet are not carrying me another step. We can both sleep here. We'll take checking him in turns."
"Works for me." Hawkeye said, collapsing on Lovett's other side, "you better get some sleep though. Because boy oh boy do you have a lot to talk about when the sun comes up."