M*A*S*H 4077th: Nurse Pierce

Chapter 1: Arrow

A suitcase laid open flat on Maxine's bed. Civilian clothes could be seen flying from her dresser and into the suitcase. She was in a rush to finish packing whatever little of her belongings the army would allow her to bring.

In her army-issued uniform, Maxine made a quick pass over her room to see if she was missing anything. She stopped short when her eyes landed on a picture frame. It held a photograph of two men that her grandfather always said was Maxine's father and he. At one corner of the frame was photograph of Maxine that she had added herself so that she could be in the same frame as her father. She'd never met him, but that didn't stop her from admiring the work he was doing for a war he didn't even want to be a part of.

She went and took the frame into her hand. Her fingers left clear imprints when she brushed them over the dusty glass. It was her favorite image though one wouldn't have guessed so from the dust she'd allowed to settle on it.

"Any idea what he'd say if he knew about me and my going over there?" She asked as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. Her grandfather shook his head.

"Arrow, no one ever truly knows how they will respond until the imagined situation becomes real," Maxine's grandfather answered, using a nickname she preferred. "They all like to think they'd do the noble thing, and then the moment of truth arrives."

The honking of a car horn made its way through the windows of the house.

"That's my ride," she said while stuffing the frame into her suitcase.

They walked down the stairs of the house they shared since she was seventeen.

"Goodbye, Arrow," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "Come back alive, you hear!"

"I'll do my best," Arrow said with a soft chuckle. "I don't know why I'm so nervous.". Her fingers shook as she readjusted the strap of her duffle bag on her shoulder after returning the hug.

"If you do come across him, don't feel bad if he's not all you thought he'd be. He's a darn good surgeon, good with his pint-sized patients, and a total flirt to boot, but he was never sure if he was father material. Your showing up just might be what he needs at this time," her grandfather said, trying to sound as unselfishly protective for his son as possible now that two of his family members would be gone for the war.

He feared his son would lose touch with reality by going crazy and felt that coming home to a daughter, or even with her, would help keep him sane.

~***~***~

Arrow was a ball of nerves but was ready to go. Her flight may as well have taken a week to arrive in Tokyo because she was dead asleep when it touched down.

Before falling asleep on the plane, Arrow had made it a point to learn some the Korean language, the country where she was to be stationed, so as to reduce the possibility of a communications breakdown.

She had also started writing a letter, telling her father about her in the event that something were to happen during the trip from the airport to the M*A*S*H unit where she would be stationed. She wasn't sure how she should have opened the letter. Should I call him "Dad" or "Sir"? She decided on "sir."

Dear Sir,

I've heard a lot about you from my grandpa in the year I've been in his custody. I'm sure he's told you about me, too. But if he hasn't, my name is Maxine, though most people back home have been calling me Max or Arrow (which I prefer to my real name). Maxine is just too formal for my taste.

This may seem strange to you- an eighteen-year-old girl telling you her story and what's been on her mind ever since she was sixteen...

She finished the letter as if wanting to keep the passenger beside her in suspense. To keep the letter safe, she put down her first name alone on the envelope after stuffing the letter inside it. She added the instructions "Do NOT open unless I am dead or MIA (memory loss doesn't count as MIA)" underneath her name.

It was the best way she could think of to keep curious eyes off of a letter that was meant for her father should he ever come across it. She tucked it inside her army issued top, planning to keep it on her person until the moment was right.

The bus ride to camp was rather bumpy and faster than she'd expected. Arrow had reasoned that the speed was because they were in a war zone. She was one of eight new nurses being transported to the 4077thcamp.

Arrow thought of how she ended the letter to her father. She wished she'd added more. She was pulled out of her reverie as she felt the bus shake. She could hear bullets hitting metal. They were under attack! As she and the other nurses fell to the floor of the bus to take cover under the seats, Arrow regretted no writing more in the letter.

BOOM!

The mortar shell that hit the bus caused it to explode and Arrow only realized that as she was being thrown from the vehicle.

Lying on the ground out in the open, she couldn't do anything without severe pain. Doing her own preliminary self-examination, she figured she had several broken ribs, sprains in most of her joints, a concussion though she didn't know its extent, and shrapnel wounds.

She slowly moved her head so as to not aggravate her wounds or concussion in an effort to see just what condition her bus was in. Bits and pieces were all that was left of her transport. She couldn't even tell if there were any other survivors.

Darkness overcame her as she heard the whirl of chopper blades overhead. She hoped she had been seen and not left for dead based on the condition her body was in.

~***~***~

Arrow started to slowly come to. It was too painful to open her eyes.

"Pulse is coming back," a voice said. Her head was in such bad shape that she couldn't tell if the voice came from a man or a woman. "Pressure's rising."

Arrow's fingers twitched. Then, she started moving her hand. It wasn't a grand movement, but it caught the attention of whoever was next to her.

"She's waking up. Put her back under," another voice said. This time she could identify the voice as belonging to a man, though the words sounded muffled. "Does anyone know who she is?"

Arrow didn't hear anything else after that.