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

Chapter 8: The General's Practitioner

Arrow was finally put on a light schedule to work in Post-Op. The nurses who were on the same schedule had to keep an eye on her as well as the patients which didn't make the head nurse happy. Nor was Frank happy since Arrow was technically still a patient.

"It just isn't right that you're allowing a patient to play nurse, Colonel," Frank complained over the soldier he was operating on.

"She is a nurse, Burns. And she's doing a mighty fine job considering her health. I wouldn't be surprised if she applied for medical school when she gets home," Potter commented.

"Yeah, Frank," BJ started. "She's fine as long as she sits down every two hours to regain her balance."

"The other nurses have been instructed to make her sit or lay down if she ignores her symptoms. Margaret's already arranged it so that she's never alone during her shift," Hawkeye added. "And if she's anything like me," he said to himself, "she will ignore them."

"Let's say, in the next war, the generals strip down to their B.V.D.'s and have at it with baseball bats while the rest of us stay home," BJ said. He seemed to have sensed that Frank's commentary about Arrow was beginning to irritate Hawkeye.

"Thanks, Beej," Hawkeye said to the man who was behind him operating on his own patient.

~***~***~

Arrow was doing rounds in post-Op. She was glad her shift was almost done, but she was also hoping that the other nurse hadn't noticed she wasn't taking her prescribed rest. Her dizzy spells were coming every few hours instead of every two, but she didn't tell anyone that they were less frequent. She didn't know why she hadn't told anyone. Maybe she wished she had because Kellye came up behind her and took the clip board that was in her hand.

But if I insist that I don't need the rest as often, Hawkeye will think I'm lying to him she thought.

"I really don't need to sit down, Kellye," Arrow almost sounded as though she was a child begging for a cookie as Kellye led her to the desk so she could sit in the chair, away from the patients.

"Arrow, if Dr. Pierce came in here and read your chart, he wouldn't be too pleased that you didn't follow his orders," Kellye answered. "He's already said that if you didn't follow doctor's orders, he might have you strapped to your cot until he can sign you out."

"Yeah," Arrow nearly scoffed. "Me following orders. That's irony in itself. In high school, my teachers would tell me to shut up and I would talk louder." Then the last phrase reached her ear. "Please tell me that was a joke." Kellye shook her head.

"And does the doctor know about this side of you?" Kellye asked. Arrow's silence and clenched jaw answered Kellye's question. "Where is your chart anyway?"

"Not here," Arrow grumbled. She didn't want to be treated like the patient she still was, especially in front of the other patients. Little did Arrow know that the most recent O.R. session had come to an end and Hawkeye was coming through the door to check on the new ones.

Arrow watched as Hawkeye observed the room as if trying to see where she was. He was pleased to see her sitting, but a quick glance at the clock almost forced the question out of him.

"Kellye, how long has she been sitting there?"

"About two minutes, Doctor. She tried insisting that she didn't need to rest."

"Where's her chart so I can have a look at it."

"She won't tell me where she put it," Kellye said before she walked away to check on another patient.