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

Chapter 7: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Weeks had passed since Carlye's month long stay and the twenty-four-hour bug-out. And Arrow's first winter in Korea was on its way to spring.

Arrow was attempting to sleep in a lower bunk in her new tent which she shared with other nurses. She didn't even realize how cold it was until she heard the tent door open and shut. The action allowed the frigid air to waft over her.

Arrow buried herself under her army issued blanket which did little to shield her from the cold.

"He's here," one of the nurses said after the door shut behind her, "Mr. Fix It."

"Let's hear it for the janitor," another said. All but Arrow were huddled together for warmth until the wood stove was fixed. Thank you's were offered.

"It's freezing," another said.

"Well, what do you expect? Springtime in Korea." Arrow recognized the voice as Hawkeye's. She peered out from under her blanket as Hawkeye banged on the wood stove's pipes. "You should feel honored." He looked over at Arrow. She was shivering from the cold. "How many blankets does she have?"

"Just the one."

"Check her footlocker. I'm sure her grandfather wouldn't have let her leave home without a good blanket," he suggested.

Arrow was confused by this. "Does he know?" she thought.

One of her tent-mates quickly did as Hawkeye had suggested and found that Arrow didn't have anything that wasn't army issued, and no extra blanket.

"We chose you 'cause you have the best hands in camp," a nurse said.

"I try to keep in touch," Hawkeye said. He couldn't force himself to let the compliment pass without making a cheeky comment, even if it did make Arrow roll her eyes and appear uncomfortable with hearing the flirtation.

"Do I really have to listen to you flirt with every nurse here?" Arrow groaned. Hawkeye chuckled and went back to working on the stove.

"You expect me to break a habit I've had since childhood?"

"No," Arrow said. "But does it have to be in front of me?"

Her tone suggested to him that there was a good reason she didn't want to see that. He kept an eye on Arrow when he should have been watching the stove.

"Be careful, Hawkeye," a nurse said at the same time Hawkeye's match exploded inside the heater, giving Hawkeye's eyes severe flash burns.

Arrow sat bolt up when Hawkeye started screaming in pain. Her eyes shot open. The quick movement didn't cause one of her dizzy spells as it had in the past, not yet anyway.

"Radar, call the 121st Evac," Colonel Potter ordered. "I want their ophthalmologist. Tell 'em we got a boy with flash burns. Major James Overman. Get his keister up here pronto..."

It wasn't until Hawkeye was almost in Post-Op that the camp staff noticed who was in the midst of the crowd, helping to hold the man up under his tall frame.

"And somebody get this kid to her bunk before she loses her cookies," Potter shouted.

Klinger, the lady clothes wearer, got Arrow out from under Hawkeye's arm after the captain finally made it to one of the cots. Klinger took her gently by the arm and led her to the cot beside Hawkeye's since she didn't look too well to him.

Hawkeye was expressive in showing just how much pain he was in until he was given some sort of quick relief.

"Now what made you think you could help when you can barely walk around camp without help yourself?" Klinger asked Arrow. She didn't argue with him as she doubled over, never making it to the cot before whatever passed for food at her evening meal fell to the floor in a mixture of stomach juices and bile.