4

At the same time BJ was visiting Hawkeye in the post-op.

"Hey, I have good news. Radar's back!"

"Yes, I know." Hawkeye replied. "He had a fight with Klinger. I didn't miss a word."

"Well, I thought you would be happier. I guess Radar has provided some nudist magazines for you. And I will pick up the Kimono he brought me." BJ walked through the aisle.

"I would wait one or two hours before entering. Trouble's brewing in there. Klinger must have left a huge mess while Radar was in Tokyo. Now they are cleaning up." Hawkeye explained. "By the way, what are you doing with a Kimono?"

"Christmas present for Peg." BJ said on his way back to Pierce. In front of Kyong's bed he came to a halt. "How is she doing?"

"Not that good." Hawkeye explained worried. "She has 104°F and hallucinations. I gave her antibiotics and soporific. I'll have to open her up again if she's not recovering in the next two days. And with that temperature I'm not pleased to operate on her."

"But she doesn't have internal bleeding." BJ remarked after having a look at the tube that came out of Kyong's belly wound. "Let's hope it's only a little infection. That should be under control in a few days."

Pierce nodded confirmingly. "Let's hope that. I don't know how much more she can cope with."

"I'll stay with her for a while." Hunnicutt said while Hawkeye went back to the desk.

BJ sat down on the chair next to the girl's bed and wiped away the sweat from her forehead.


Kyong slept very uneasy the whole day. She shouted for her brother or her Dad, spoke in her sleep a mixture of English and Korean. The fever was hard on her but that evening it finally had sunk about 1°F.

BJ stayed with her again after his duty in the post-op ward.


"Hunnicutt, why don't you go to bed." Charles whispered to BJ who had fallen asleep around midnight. "Sitting here won't help her. I'll watch her."

BJ yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe you're right." He placed a hand on Kyong's forehead. "Her temperature sank a little bit. I will go into the Swamp. Please call me in case something is wrong. OK?" He rose and moved on.

"Sure, Captain." Winchester answered and took a seat next to Kyong.

His shift was very quiet tonight. The post-op wasn't packed and most of the soldiers didn't have severe injuries. There were no more wounded expected for this night.


The staff of the camp was worried about Kyong-Lee. During the day Klinger, Margaret, Potter and Father Mulcahy regularly inquired about her condition. Even Radar looked after her as soon as the others told him about her. Kyong's destiny hit him pretty hard. She wasn't much older than him and had lost her family in a blow.


When BJ came into the Swamp and threw himself onto his cot Hawkeye woke up.

"How is she?" He asked drowsily.

"The antibiotics seem to work. The fever dropped a little." Hunnicutt murmured. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow. But I think she will make it."

He turned to the side and was asleep immediately.

Hawkeye grinned. He was glad to hear such a good news. A couple of seconds later he also slumbered in the land of dreams.


The next afternoon Kyong felt much better. Her temperature had decreased to 100°F. She was awake and was unbearably thirsty. But before she was able to call for a nurse Radar came and handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks." Kyong said weakly. "Are you a clairvoyant?"

"Well, not really but sometimes I hear things before they are pronounced." The Corporal explained shyly. "That's why they call me Radar, I'm the company clerk of this outfit."

"Hi, I'm Kyong-Lee. I thought Klinger was company clerk."

"He was my replacement while I spent four days in Tokyo. And in those four days the Lebanese idiot turns my office topsy-turvy." Radar complained.

Kyong raised her eyebrows. "Oh yes, I think I heard your little fight yesterday morning." Just at this moment Klinger walked through the room wearing a nurse's uniform. He blinked at her. "Klinger looks really crazy. Does he wear that often? A couple of days ago he wore a normal army uniform."

When he saw Kyong's bewildered face Radar grinned. He told her about Klinger's attempt to get out of the army by section 8. Kyong laughed.

Suddenly Radar looked up and said: "Oh, oh."

"What's wrong?" Kyong-Lee was confused.

"Choppers! Wounded are coming." Radar explained.

"I can't hear a thing."

But she suddenly heard engine noise and then the PA system blared: "ATTENTION, ATTENTION! CHOPPERS ON THE PAD; AMBULANCES ON THE COMPOUND! ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO TRIAGE AND OR. - Well guys, looks like the quiet days are over - go for it!!!"

"We'll talk later." Radar assured her and off he went.

"Okay." The girl answered, but the young man was already gone.


Until dusk choppers brought wounded, after that ambulances took over. The whole night through there was a big rush in the MASH. In the beginning Kyong woke up because of the engine noises and the loud footsteps. Later on it didn't interrupt her sleep anymore when a new patient was carried into the post-op.

It was a long and exhausting night for all of the doctors and nurses of the 4077th. They worked non-stop until the next day.

At about 6 a.m. Hawkeye stood outside in front of the OR to take a short break. He stretched himself, his eyes were bound north. Then Radar came also.

"Do you hear something?" Pierce asked the Corporal.

"No, not yet." Radar answered.

They were waiting for the 6-o'clock-chopper which was never welcome no matter when either in the morning or in the evening. That only meant that soldiers with severe injuries were coming. A pilot would never fly in twilight and with bad sight if it wasn't urgent. Last night four of those helicopters came. Now Hawkeye and Radar hoped that the Deluge would come to an end.

"Oh, oh." Radar said suddenly and shortly after three choppers were visible. "It isn't over, yet."

"No, unfortunately not." Hawkeye remarked disappointed. "Well, let's go back to work."

The wounded were brought from the landing zone to triage and then were prepared for the OR. Shortly after the first three helicopters had disappeared again, new ones were on the way. The Deluge wouldn't end so soon.


A few hours later Kyong woke up. The post-op was packed . The soldiers that had shared the room with her yesterday were all gone - either back to the front or to the Evac-hospital in Seoul.

A nurse made her rounds. She walked around checking IVs, bandages and medical files.

"Are the doctors still in the OR?" Kyong asked.

"Yes." Nurse Kellye answered and plugged a thermometer into her mouth. "The helicopters are still carrying wounded from the north."

"Tough job." Kyong remarked as Kellye removed the thermometer. "When did you get your last hour of sleep?"

Kellye looked at her. She was tired. "About 18 hours ago! But we have had worse days and weeks. - Hey, I have some good news for you. You're temperature is back to normal."

"Great!" Kyong smiled but suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Now that she was on her way to recovery she wouldn't be able to stay much longer at the MASH. That made her sad. She didn't want to be transferred into some refugee camp. What the hell was she still doing in this country?


This day Colonel Potter and BJ stopped by for just a second. They were too busy. Both looked extremely exhausted and after a short break they had be back in the OR.

"This war is insane!" Kyong murmured when she was alone again.

She thought about her father and brother and about all those friends she had already lost. With tears in her eyes she tried to get some sleep.


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