***"Jeez Louise." The Colonel whistled sharply as Trapper stopped the jeep.
"Annie babe, what happened to you?" Hawkeye was lying in the back of the jeep, my head was lying on his chest and the rest of me was sprawled between the ‘V’ in between his legs. Trapper laughed as he jumped out of the jeep.
"She found the same knee-deep puddle, face first, twice. She got a real good mud bath!" Henry chuckled but eyed my weary, and still rather green face as Trapper took my hands and hauled me to a standing position in the back of the jeep. Hawkeye became serious,
"Then she discovered the first patient she couldn’t help. He was a mess, face and bowels half gone." Trapper put his hands on my waist and lifted me. He swung me lightly around and put me down. I gave a surprised squeal and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Easy does it Annie darling." Trapper said jokingly, kissing my surprised face.
"Easy does it Trapper!" Henry said, "Annie, I know you’re tired but I was hoping for your skills in the OR today, hill 135 was overrun and although we won there’s a pile of soldiers, some of ours, some of theirs, that are about to come in."
I nodded; Trapper and Hawkeye were already heading for the bustling OR.
"I’ll be fine Henry, honest. Besides I have nothing to lose." I said, as Henry and I followed them into the area where the doctors scrubbed up. Henry chuckled then.
"Lost your lunch hey? That’s most people’s first response." Hawkeye chuckled when he heard that.
"Gloves Margie! Yeah, and her breakfast, but it’s better out on the road somewhere than brought up suddenly onto a patient." Margie Cutler, a sweet and pretty nurse appeared with some gloves for Hawkeye and Trapper, while I took off my muddy jacket and began removing mud from my hands.
"Trapper, there’s a punctured lung case that came in on a chopper, I’ve got Frank in there, but could you relieve him before he gets to the heart?" Trapper and Hawkeye almost ran into the OR.
"Frank’s malpractice skills are famous all over Indiana." Henry murmured. I chuckled as he scrubbed up and I tried to remove the mud from my eyebrows.
"Henry what about my clothes?" He looked me over, I’d removed my jacket and shirt, but my T-shirt and pants were soaked and covered in mud.
"Okay, I can help you with your shirt. Radar! Give me your shirt." Henry ordered the surprise company clerk as he passed by.
"Sir," Radar protested blushing, "There’s a ma’am in the room." I turned my back and still muttering I heard Radar give the shirt to Henry.
"Here, take off your shirt and anything else that’s wet under there, and stick that and a gown on. I’m really needed… oh god here come the choppers from hill 135, if you feel green let me know," He tossed me Radar’s shirt which I hurriedly changed into. I smiled as I found some of the white pants that the surgeons wore in the OR, grabbed them and pulled them over my muddy green ones. I scrubbed my hands, allowed Margie to tie on a mask, give me some gloves and I took a deep breath. I entered the OR and was faced with my first OR session, which was far from being my last.***
***"Metzenbaum scissors,"
"Metz doctor,"
"Sponge,"
"Sponge,"
"Suction, more in there, that right, keep it clear thanks this blood’s like driving in a fog, clamp."
"Clamp,"
"Kiss,"
"Where?"
"Surprise me." I giggled at Hawkeye and Nurse Dish, and looked at Frank Burns who I was assisting. He remained stonily silent except for the curt request for an instrument. I yelped suddenly as my eyes went once more to Hawkeye.
"You okay Anna?" Called Trapper,
"I’m fine, thanks. Major Burns do you insist on clamping my finger to the patient?" I asked coolly as I could, but unable to keep nervous eyes of the end table where Jeremy lay under Hawkeye’s knife.
"Nurse Dawson if you’d keep your eyes on this patient, instead of doctor Pierce’s you’d have been able to move your hand."
I frowned, "Major Burns, with all due respect,"
Trapper snorted, "God, can’t be much there,"
I continued, "With all due respect sir, Hawkeye is operating on my brother and I’m more than a little worried."
This time Frank snorted, "Well if you’re worried, Colonel Blake shouldn’t have let you in here, now keep your eyes on your work and don’t worry about such trifles as your brother."
I scowled directly at Frank and dropped my eyes, "Don’t worry Annie," Henry called, "Hawkeye will look after him fine, won’t you Pierce?" Hawkeye nodded, his eyes not leaving my brother.
"Frank, as much as I hate to take away your verbal punching bag, I’d like Annie’s help." I grinned and after motioning to Nurse Kellye to replace me, I left the table.
"Gloves please Major Houlihan, what is it Trap?" Trapper looked over his new patient,
"His colon’s just full of metal, and where there’s no metal there’s holes,"
I nodded "Stop any bleeding you can, try not to disturb the shrapnel, it can cause worse damage." I accepted a pair of new gloves from Major Houlihan.
"Do you mind if I observe you Lieutenant?" She asked. I went to Trapper and looked over the patient,
"No not at all Major, feel free. Oh god how can they do that to people, it’s so bloody cruel." I murmured as my training took over,
"Easy Annie," I heard Trapper whisper. I detached myself from the inhumanity and just became someone who was trying to save someone else’s life.
"Doctor, I know it’s tempting to just pull that bit, but that jagged edge probably continues into the muscle and if you yank on it it’s likely to cause a tear…" ***
***"Annie, how are you holding up?" Henry called sometime later.
"Just fine," I responded. "I’m going great, hungry though."
Hawkeye laughed, "One look at the food and you won’t be any more." Henry laughed,
"M*A*S*H 4077th, best care and worst food anywhere." I smiled, as a new patient was brought to my table.
"Oh god… those people have no morals, look what the North Koreans did to him, he’s up to his neck in holes." Hawkeye was already checking the patient’s vital stats.
"Hell, Klinger," He addressed the large, very hairy Lebanese man who was wearing a dress. Corporal Klinger had brought in the patient.
"He’s dead for god sakes, there are two things we doctors can’t cure, the common cold and death, get him out of here!" I was going to place a soothing hand on his shoulder, but checked myself; I was supposed to remain sterile.
I stepped closer to him, our bodies touching, "Just cool off okay." I whispered.
The two or three hours we’d planned for fixing up the guys from the aid station had already stretched to 10, and kept stretching, 20… 30… 40… ***
***"Nice job doctor," I said automatically as the patient, alive and well was taken from the OR. Trapper smiled briefly,
"Let’s see, hmm, this leg looks really badly bruised, all mashed, and there’s a hell of a lot of bleeding," I handed Trapper what he wanted before he asked for it,
"Oh, not another Radar, you’re already his height so why do you have to pick up on his ‘radar’ as well?"
I smiled, "I’m not, that’s just what I would have done,"
Trapper laughed, "I know, I was just pulling your tiny leg, now you’ve gotta stop that bleeding." He addressed the artery not me.
"See that spurting, there’s a blockage higher up…" Frank passed by,
"Nurse, you were put there to give a doctor the instruments he requires not advice, and don’t go thinking just because you’ve had more training in this topic that you know everything."
Henry spoke up then, "Can it Frank."
I continued talking, "The pressure behind the blockage gets up enough to push the blockage, but only enough for that spurt, whatever it is, it just gets back in the way."
Trapper nodded, perspiration beading on his creased brow,
"Higher up, keep looking… see?" I smiled, shifting so I stood next to Trapper,
"Annie, you’re amazing, where’d you learn all this stuff hmm?" I grinned,
"I did it all through college and everything, and some of it is just intuition." Trapper grinned, I think, at least the sides of his mask turned up and his eyes sparkled.
"Nice intuition, found it, there’s a bone fragment, Jesus, and his entire leg’s a mess, all shattered, why wasn’t he x-rayed? Damn it, why can’t someone fix that thing?" The x-ray machine had packed up about five patients ago.
Henry rolled his eyes, "What something we use regularly and rely on actually work properly?" Hawkeye chuckled,
"That’ll be the same day Klinger gets his Section-eight." I laughed; I’d already been told about and encountered Klinger’s stunts to get out of the army. I continued helping Trapper with the patient’s leg.
Trapper seemed depressed, "He’ll lose everything below the knee, I’m not even sure if we can keep that." I began handing Trapper what he needed, and although it was a messy task, Trapper handled it well and the final amputation was pretty clean.
Finally Trapper was satisfied, "Thank god, that’s over. I’m glad we could keep his knee though; he’ll be able to sit normally. Nice work Annie."
I smiled, "Thanks, but I didn’t do anything more than give you what you needed." Trapper smiled, and I looked at him, feeling a soft spot that had already formed for him, grow into affection.
"Well," Trapper said, "You did it very well." ***
***Hours later, I stretched and my neck cracked.
"Ouch," murmured Margie sympathetically. Trapper, whom Henry seemed, determined to have befriend me, and I worked on our last patient.
Everyone else had already finished up, and there was a cleanup in process.
"Three-oh silk thanks,"
"Three-oh silk doctor." I obediently handed it to him,
"Annie, angel, that’s four-oh." I quickly handed the right silk.
"Sorry, whoever did this tray stuffed up the order of everything." Trapper nodded,
"That’s okay." Major Burns came past,
"Captain, how do you expect Nurse Dawson to become used to an army outfit, if you’re so relaxed about a mistake?" Trapper laughed,
"And which Major was helping arrange these trays I’d like to know?" Frank muttered something and slunk away.
"Okay, help me here and we can close soon." I nodded,
"Meet me?" He asked suddenly,
"Where?" I responded, going completely on impulse.
"Martinis, my tent, after we’ve finished here."
I laughed, "Okay," Henry, at the other end of the room I noticed was smirking.
"Great job, Klinger, Igor, get him out of here." I yawned,
"Hmm, I’m heading for the mess tent first, I need food." Trapper nodded,
"Well, I’m going to clean up here first, and then I’ll meet you in the mess tent." I grinned and headed in the opposite direction to him. ***
***"Gosh," I sat down with some mush on a tray, "How long was that?" Nurse Baker limped in,
"46 hours, and if you think that’s bad try a 60 hour shift." I yawned as I shoveled some food into my mouth.
"That’s disgusting what they do to those people. My brother included, how is he?" I asked Nurse Abraham,
"He’s sound asleep, but he’ll be fine, Colonel Blake said that he can stay here for a few days till he’s ready to go back to the front."
My face lit up as Trapper came into the tent,
"Annie, are you ready for some mean homemade gin?"
I stood up, "aren’t you eating?"
He shook his head; "I’ll save that pleasure for later, now madam, if you’ll just come with me." He offered me his elbow and giggling, I took it. He led me from the tent.
"Here is the Swamp, the home of myself, Hawkeye and Ferret-Face." He opened the door and I stepped through it.
"Here, sit," Trapper pushed some magazines off a chair.
"Hawkeye’s taken a nurse for a nightcap and Frank’s probably in Margaret’s tent, so we’ve got the place to ourselves, to talk and drink." He poured me a drink and then poured himself one.
"Cheers," I took a sip,
"Whoa, that’s mean!" He laughed,
"Yeah, true, but it’s best that way." I took another sip,
"You’ll get used to it," he assured me, it was true, my mouth was nearly numb after the first three or four sips and then I was able to drink it without wincing.
"So… Annie," He sat on the edge of his bed, one hand resting on my knee.
"Is it true what you told me about being untouched, and I mean really untouched." I nodded,
"I’d never been kissed, before, I mean, sure I’d had lots of guys just drooling, but Jack and I were each other’s best company through high school and I was so busy trying to raise my brothers and sisters I had no time to think about that.
See, because I was born when mum and dad were 16, then the next year they had Rachael and the year after Jeremy was born, and then my dad died in an accident at work. Mum was 18 and she already had Jack, Rachael, Jeremy and I to care for. Then about seven months after dad died, mum had Andrew and Eve, more twins.
So she was a single woman, not yet twenty and six kids to raise. She married some guy and they had Miriam and Joseph who are twins as well. I was four or five when Victor left mum; decided he didn’t want to raise eight children.
The next year mum married Leo, I was six then. They had Chris two days after Jack’s and my seventh birthday. Leo bailed out too when mum got pregnant with Lily. I was 8 going 9 when Lily was born and I was already able to cook and look after my siblings."
"That’s amazing Annie, no wonder you’re so strong-willed." I smiled, my true story often left people stunned.
"There’s more. Alice appeared when I was 14, not sure where she came from to be honest. But I delivered her, and then mum got real sick so when most girls were just thinking about getting boyfriends, I was trying to bring up a family.
Mum got married again, when I was 18. She and Patrick had Matthew just before I left for nursing school and then they decided to have one more baby, so last year, when I was 24, Grace was born. I also had after school jobs to help with the money. I know more about raising children than I do about love."
Trapper’s hand tightened on my knee released it and rubbed my leg a few times.
"Wow, you poor thing, what an unfulfilled life you’ve led! More martini?"
I yawned and drained my glass, "No, thanks, I’ll take a raincheck."
Trapper stood up, "Okay, how about dinner in the Mess Tent tomorrow… err today, umm I’ll pick you up from your tent, 1830 hours?" I nodded,
"That’d be nice."
Trapper opened the door, "Can I walk you to your tent?"
"Deal." ***
***At my tent door I invited him in.
"Sorry about the bed, but it’s the only place to sit, I haven’t got a chair."
Trapper grinned and sat down. He took my hand and drew me closer to him,
"I’ll get you one in Seoul; I think I have three days worked up." I smiled,
"You don’t have to Trap,"
He shook his head, "Oh but I want to, and if I have my way, you’ll come with me and choose the chair."
I laughed and removed my boots. Even my socks were soaked.
"Urgh!"
Trapper grinned, "You’ll get used to that… and that."
Trapper yanked me to the floor as a shell shook the camp.
"Everyone just stay…" The PA crackled but the rest of the sentence was lost in another explosion.
"Everyone just stay where you are, Colonel Blake is personally taking care of the morons…"
Another shell.
"They should stop now," Trapper sat up and helped me up as well,
"Can we not talk about shells, okay?" I asked, I was nervous, remembering the day I’d spent on the road, and for the rest of my life, I would remain scared of loud explosions.
"So why Trapper?" I asked; another shell shook the tent.
"I thought you said they’d stop." I jumped nervously.
Trapper put his hand over mine, "It’s okay Annabelle. Shelling is a part of life in Korea, unfortunately you’ll get used to it."
I groaned, "Anything else I should know about?"
Trapper’s hand over mine tightened as another shell dropped.
"The bad food, the vile coffee, Frank’s whining, late nights, early mornings, cold weather, mud, rain, rats, shelling…"
Another explosion, a brief silence and three in quick succession, the lights flickered and Trapper came closer to me.
"Klinger’s dresses, Radar’s pets, Hawkeye’s jokes, Father Mulcahy’s preaching…"
"It’s okay, I’m a Catholic."
Trapper continued, "Civilians, wounded and diseases."
He moved still closer to me.
"The occasional crazy soldier, hot weather, humidity, cold showers…" Another three shells one after another and I twitched anxiously with every explosion. Trapper pulled me towards him, wrapping his arm around my waist.
"And this," He kissed me for a second and I turned an amazing shade of red.
"That’s not a bad part of life now is it?" I shook my head,
"Why Trapper?" Another shell, "Why are you called Trapper?" The man in question laughed,
"Well, see a few years back I was on a train with a woman in the bathroom. The porter found us and well, she said I’d trapped her."
I laughed too, snuggling into Trapper’s embrace.
"Trapper… Trapped her… Trapper…" I mused, and he kissed me again.
"That’s right," He yawned, "I trapped her… just like I trapped you." I yawned now and he kissed me, longer and slower.
"Mmm, that’s nice"
"Folks all clear, our fabulous Colonel blasted the those guys the shelling has been redirected." I relaxed,
"Good," murmured Trapper. He was asleep and there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." I called tiredly. Hawkeye was there,
"I knew he’d…" A big yawn from Hawkeye, which set me off,
"I knew he’d do that, fall asleep so I…" I yawned and then Hawkeye did.
"I brought a wheelchair to get him out of here." I don’t know who gave a wider yawn; Hawk or I.
Hawkeye hauled Trapper to his feet and dragged him to the door, "And Hawkeye intervening at the wrong moments."
Trapper mumbled before Hawkeye dumped him in the chair. I closed the door tightly, and turned and collapsed on my bunk in a state of sleep so deep, it passed as unconsciousness.
Some hours later I woke up, had a shower and continued with my duties as a nurse. As I emptied a bedpan, I mulled over everything Trapper had said from the bad food to his kiss.
"Well" I decided, "This is Korea." ***