Home Is Where Your Memories Await
by
AnaDi
*****AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fanfic. The only characters I can
claim are the doctors in the clinic. I don't know whether the events that the main
character goes through are medically possible, or whether there is such thing
as a recovery clinic, but, hey, it's fiction, after all. Those of you who know
me won't be surprised that I couldn't resist putting a twist of H/M into this
story. Hope you enjoy!*****
***TOKYO, 1955***
"Hey Jack!" Someone here to see you!"
Jack looked up from his poker game at the clinic in Tokyo, Japan. He had no
clue who could be there to see him. He didn't know anyone outside the clinic.
In fact, he didn't even know who he was.
They called him Jack when they couldn't identify him. His head injury had
caused him to forget everything about himself. Who he was, where he was, why he
was in an Army plane to Japan. They told him he had been comatose for months,
and gave him the nickname Jack. Based on his situation; a plane shot down while
heading for Japan from Korea, they figured that he was fighting in the Korean
War. They didn't know what he did there, or his rank. He had lost his ID tags
and all his other possessions in the plane.
"Jack! Get a move-on!" the doctor shouted at him. Jack looked
around the small clinic where he was still recovering, even after nearly four
years. He was being summoned into the head doctor's private office. Jack
figured it was probably another psychiatrist.
He walked into the office and saw Doc Murphey sitting with a short, thin man
with dark, curly hair.
"Jack," Dr. Murphey greeted him, "This is Doctor Sidney
Freedman, here to see you." Dr. Freedman looked up at the man standing
before him and his jaw dropped open.
"Oh, my good God!!!" he cried out in shock. "That's-that's...
Doctor, could I speak to you alone for a second??"
"Sure thing, Sidney. Jack," he addressed the blue-eyed man,"
Please wait right outside for a moment.
"Yes, Doctor," Jack said. He left the room and sat in the chair
outside. He could hear strains of Dr. Freedman's nearly hysterical yelling.
Back inside, Dr. Murphey was trying to calm Sidney down. He was unsure of
what was going on, but it was almost as if the psychiatrist knew Jack. Sidney
took a deep breath. He gave Dr. Murphey instructions.
"Doc, I want you to get on the phone to Sister Theresa's Orphanage in
Korea. Tell them to send Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy to Tokyo
IMMEDIATELY!!!! I need him for this one." Sidney was nearly panicking. If
the Chaplain had the same reaction at the sight of this patient, Sidney would
know that his imagination wasn't running wild. He had a room prepared for
Father Mulcahy and sent in a note for the priest to read.
Father Francis Mulcahy couldn't help but wonder why he was being called to
the American recovery clinic in Tokyo. The doctor had stammered out something
unintelligible, but the chaplain was pretty sure he caught the name Sidney
Freedman. He was in a chopper headed for Tokyo, and he would be there in a few
minutes.
When he arrived at the clinic, he found that a room was waiting for him.
There was a note on the desk, and Father Mulcahy recognized the scrawled
handwriting of the psychiatrist.
*Father,
There's a patient here who I was sent to talk with. He suffered extreme head
injuries four years ago. He was in a coma for 8 months, and he still doesn't
know who he is. Nobody seems to, in fact. They call him Jack. I need your help.
You and I may be the key to giving "Jack" his life back. Tomorrow at
2:30 PM, please be ready in Doctor Murphey's office.
Sidney Freedman.*
The priest was very curious. Who was this Jack? How would he, Francis
Mulcahy, be able to help this poor unknown soldier? He fell asleep with
questions running through his head.
The next day, Father Mulcahy knocked on Dr. Murphey's door with a shaking
hand. The two doctors inside invited him to sit down. Sidney was seated too,
looking every bit as nervous as Father Mulcahy felt. Dr. Murphey leaned out the
door and said "Please send Jack in now, nurse." The priest kept his
head down as the man walked in.. He didn't want to disappoint Sidney, but he
felt that there was no way he would know the wounded soldier. After all, he had
worked at a M*A*S*H unit in Korea, but the soldiers that went through there
were only nameless faces now. All the doctors had been back in the states for
two years now.
"Father," Dr. Murphey interrupted his thoughts. "This is
Jack. Jack, Father Francis Mulcahy, a friend of Dr. Freedman.
Jack stood in the office, his eyes on the priest, who still had his head
down. He didn't understand what was happening, only that Dr. Freedman had
become hysterical when he saw Jack, and that they had called in this priest to
see him.
"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed just before he fainted. Sidney had a
look on his face that was still partly shock, but it also had an underlying air
of confirmed suspicions to it. Quickly, Dr. Murphey revived the priest.
"I'm all right," Father Mulcahy said when he came to. Sidney spoke
to him gently.
"Father, are you seeing the same man standing here that I see? Is this
who I think it is?"
"You mean to say that after four years, somebody can identify this
man?" Dr. Murphey asked, excited.
"Doctor," Sidney said slowly, "Let me reintroduce 'Jack' for
you. Meet Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, former CO of the 4077th M*A*S*H in
Korea!"
"My God!" the doctor staggered back to his desk and sat down.
"We've been trying to identify this man ever since we found him! There had
been two men in the plane, and this one was found several yards away. He must
have been thrown out on impact. That probably saved his life. As I understood
it, There were only supposed to be two men in that thing. We assumed that the
two dead men were Henry Blake and the pilot!"
"Where did the third man come from? Who was he?" Father Mulcahy
asked. "I remember so vividly being in the OR when Radar O'Reilly came in.
He looked horrible, and he announced that Henry's plane was shot down and that
there were no survivors." He looked at Henry in amazement. "Why
didn't we hear that one man survived?"
"I think I can explain that," Doc Murphey said. "But before I
do, you both look like you could use a drink. And Jack, have a seat." he
poured three glasses of scotch and took a long drink from his. "When we
notified the M*A*S*H of the crash, we said that the two men had died. We didn't
mention that there had been a third man. Jack-Henry- was found unconscious
several yards away from the wreckage. We didn't know whether he had been on the
plane, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. When he awoke from the
coma, we assumed that he had been on the plane."
Sidney looked over at the blue-eyed man that he hadn't seen for so long.
"Jack," he addressed him by the assumed name." Jack, can you
tell us anything about yourself?"
Jack was confused. he didn't know who these two men were, but they seemed to
know him. He was frightened, unsure of what would happen to him. he answered
the psychiatrist's question in his quiet voice.
"No, sir."
Sidney addressed him again. "Jack, I'm going to say some names. Tell me
if they mean anything to you, Jack. Henry Blake. Lorraine Blake. Walter
O'Reilly. Franklin Burns. John McIntyre. Benjamin Pierce. Margaret Houlihan.
Francis John Patrick Mulcahy." Sidney named each slowly, but saw no
recognition in his subject's eyes.
"Listen to me. Your name is Henry Blake. You are a doctor, a surgeon
from the 4077th M*A*S*H unit in Korea. Does any of this sound familiar?"
Jack shook his head.
"We'll talk to him tomorrow." Sidney said patiently. "Don't
notify anyone until we have his memory back."
2
That night, Father Mulcahy couldn't sleep. He decided to take a quiet walk
around the clinic. As he was outside one room, he heard a voice that he
recognized as Henry's crying out.
"Hawkeye!! Pierce, get out of there! No...!" The priest ran to Dr.
Murphey to tell him about it. They called Sidney in to ask him about it.
"He's had these dreams before?" Sidney asked.
"Never," the doctor replied. "We always have staff walking
around. They're supposed to report things like that."
"Good." Sidney looked excited. "The repressed memories may be
coming back to him. Let's go see him!" They opened the door to Henry's
room. "Henry!" Sidney called sharply. Henry's eyes snapped open. he
looked at Sidney and Father Mulcahy. "Sidney? I... my God, I..."
Henry didn't know what to say.
"Tell me about yourself, Henry," Sidney requested, containing his
excitement.
"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, Commanding Officer at the 4077th
M*A*S*H in Korea."
"Tell me what a M*A*S*H is, Henry."
"Mobile Army Surgical Hospital," Henry turned to the trio beside
him. His blue eyes held a combination of shock, excitement, shock, and even a
little sadness. "I remember! I remember everything! Was it really four
years ago? It seems like only yesterday that I saw the camp from the chopper..."
he trailed off, tears in his eyes. "Oh, God, the plane crash. We picked up
a lone soldier who wanted to get to Tokyo. I guess he was going AWOL, but I
didn't care. I just wanted to get home. The next thing I know, we're being shot
at and I wake up in a clinic surrounded by strangers, including myself. How did
things end up at the good ol' 4077, Father?"
Father Mulcahy smiled. "Everyone went home in one piece, except Frank
Burns. He went home with fewer marbles, but a higher rank. "
"Henry," Dr. Murphey broke in. "We want to call your family
in the States, tell them you're alive."
"No," Henry pleaded. "I want to go home. I want to walk into
my house and call out to my family. Lorraine, Molly, Janie...I have a four year
old son I've never even met!" He closed his eyes."I want to see how
they react when I finally come home. Father Mulcahy, I'd like you to join
me." Father Mulcahy smiled.
"I will travel with you as far as San Francisco, Henry. It's time I got
back to the States anyway. I think you should stay there for a few days, get
yourself re-oriented with civilian life in the US." Father Mulcahy had an
idea. He had received an invitation to a party at the Blake home, in honor of
Henry. He thought it would be wonderful to let Henry walk into the house during
his memorial gathering. He imagined how everyone would react at that. He got up
and gave the Colonel a hug. "It's good to have you back, Henry," he
said softly.
"At the very least, we'll notify the Army," Dr. Murphey insisted.
He grinned and added, "But we'll tell 'em to keep quiet about it until the
day after you get home."
They quickly made their travel plans, agreeing that Henry would remain in
San Francisco until a certain day (The chaplain thought it would be as nice for
Henry to be surprised by the party) and then take an early flight to
Bloomington, Illinois.
"Home," Henry said at the mention of the town. he had a soft smile
on his face, as if remembering a time long past.
***San Francisco, CA, 1955***
Henry sat back in the uncomfortable airport chair, waiting for his flight to
be called. It felt almost strange to have an identity. He had been 'Jack' for
so long, but it felt wonderful to be Henry Blake again, to feel like a real
person and not just another unknown soldier. He couldn't wait to see the look
on Lorraine's face when he walked into his house. He remembered back to the
clinic, to others like himself. Other amnesia cases who had been given common
nicknames; Bobby, John, Frank. He hoped that someday, they too would find
themselves. Henry's flight was called, and he boarded the plane that was
headed...home. He slept, peacefully, wanting to be ready and alert when he
reunited with his family.
***Bloomington, IL, 1955***
Father Mulcahy tried to keep his mind on what everyone was saying, but
without success.He knew it would be a few hours before Henry arrived, but he
still kept his eye on the clock. He guessed that Henry would be there by 11:00
AM. It was only 9:00 now.
"Padre, penny for your thoughts?" Col. Sherman Potter's voice
broke into the priest's thoughts. Quickly, he covered up without having to lie.
"Oh, Colonel! The orphans wanted to do something for you, so they sent
you these." Father Mulcahy pulled out a stack of crayon drawings. Potter
shuffled through them, and gave a delighted laugh.
"Drawings of Sophie! They taking good care of her for me, Padre?"
he said, referring to his beloved mare that Radar had given him. At the end of
the war, Potter gave Sophie to the orphanage.
"She's happy there, Colonel. Spoiled rotten, even! Those kids love to
feed her whatever they can scrape up after meals. Apples, carrots, corn. She's
just a contented riding horse." Colonel Potter looked relieved at that.
Henry strode out of the airport and looked around at the familiar, beloved
town of Bloomington. It hadn't changed all that much in five years. He saw many
faces that he knew, but kept his face shadowed so that he wouldn't be
recognized. He would make a grand entrance into town with his wife by his side
later. He looked at his watch. It was ten minutes to eleven in the morning. It
would take about ten minutes to walk to his home, which Father Mulcahy had
assured him was still his home. Lorraine hadn't left Bloomington. Henry
strolled down the street that led to his home. At the sight of the house, so
familiar, and yet strange at the same time, he felt tears in his eyes and he
broke into a run. He stopped in front of the house. There were several cars
outside that he didn't recognize.
Radar broke off in midsentence and put a finger to his lips, eyes wide.
"Do you hear that?" Everyone stopped, as they always did when Radar
heard something, He heard things before anyone else ever did. A few seconds
later, the front door opened.
"Hello?" Lorraine Blake called out to the visitor. "Are we
expecting anyone else?" She asked the people in the room. Most people
shook their heads, a few said nothing. Father Mulcahy tried very hard not to
smile. He knew whose footsteps were approaching the living room. As the figure
arrived in the doorway, Lorraine turned around with a smile...and fainted when
she looked into the eyes of her "dead" husband.
"I seem to be doing that a lot lately," Henry commented with a
straight face. Everyone was silent. Then Henry looked around the room and
realized who the people in his living room were. His jaw dropped open.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" He exploded, looking at the
familiar faces of the 4077th M*A*S*H. Hawkeye Pierce answered. He and a man
Henry didn't know were tending to Lorraine.
"Considering that you've been dead for four years, maybe you should
tell us what the hell you're doing here!"
Henry looked around. He saw the familiar faces. Besides Hawkeye, he saw
Radar O'Reilly, Trapper John McIntyre, Frank Burns, Margaret Houlihan, Max
Klinger, and a satisfied looking Father Mulcahy. Henry shot the latter a look.
Clearly, the priest had arranged that Henry walk in on the middle of this
party. He also saw three faces that were unknown to him. Henry looked back at
his wife, who was reviving.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Pierce, I thought that I saw-" she began
weakly, but Hawkeye cut her off.
"You did, Mrs. Blake." He said a little too casually. She looked
up at Henry, who was watching her expectantly. The next minute she was in his
arms and they were holding each other tight.
"Oh, Henry. Henry," She sobbed. "Oh my God, I thought you
were gone, that I had lost you."
"Sshh," he comforted her. "I'm here now. I'm here and we're
going to be okay. Everything will be fine from now on," he whispered to
her. They were both crying, and everyone who was watching had tears in their
eyes.
3
A man that Henry didn't know spoke up. "I take it that this is the
famous 'late' Henry Blake?" BJ Hunnicutt asked his best friend. He,
Colonel Potter, and Charles Winchester had never met Col. Blake, but they heard
endless stories about him. BJ looked around at the people who had been there
longer than he had. They all looked shocked and tearful. Except, of course, for
Frank Burns, who had the compassion of a wet rock, but even he had the decency
to look surprised. Hawkeye noticed that Father Mulcahy had a look of being
awfully proud of himself in his eyes. Hawk raised an eyebrow at the chaplain.
"You knew about this, didn't you!" He demanded. The priest nodded.
"When were you planning on telling the rest of us?"
"I figured that I'd let Henry tell you," the priest replied.
"How long have you known about this?" Hawkeye directed the
questions at the priest since Henry seemed oblivious to everyone but his wife.
Father Mulcahy looked troubled.
"I've only known that Henry was alive for about a week, and that's
longer than Henry's known he's alive." he replied. At the baffled looks he
received in response, he went on. "As you know, I stayed at the orphanage
for a while, until I got your invitation to come to this. Just before I left, I
was called by the head doctor at the recovery clinic in Tokyo. He said that
Sidney Freedman needed my help. In my room that they prepared for me there, I
found a note from Sidney that said he had been called to see a patient, a
wounded soldier with amnesia. Sidney's note said that he believed I could help
him identify the patient. I didn't think I could possibly know the man they
called Jack, but when they brought him into the office, I looked into the face
of our dead CO, Henry Blake. When I saw him there, I fainted from the
shock."
Henry came over and sat down, pulling his wife into his lap. They kept their
arms wrapped tightly around each other as Henry added on to the tale.
"I lived at the clinic for four years, as Jack. No name except Jack. I
guess it was seeing Sidney and the Father that opened up my memory. That night,
I had a dream where I apparently cried out your name, Pierce. Father heard me
calling out and they came to wake me up." He sighed deeply. "One of
the weirdest feelings in the world is going to bed having no identity except
Jack, and waking up as Henry Blake. I remembered everything that morning. Who I
was, who you all were. It was amazing, but nothing compared to this." He
smiled down at his wife, safe in his arms.
"Well Henry, what can I say?" Hawkeye gestured around the room.
"Welcome to your memorial service." Henry looked around and noticed a
portrait of himself over the huge stone fireplace.
"Where did that come from?" He questioned.
"Colonel Potter made it for us," a quiet voice spoke up. Henry
turned, and his smile softened.
"Radar. How ya doin', kid?"
"I still can't believe it," Radar said in his shock. Hawkeye was
the only one who had really recovered from the sight of his former CO. After
his breakdown, few things surprised him anymore. He spoke to Henry.
"Henry, let me introduce some of these faces to you. Colonel Sherman
Potter, the replacement CO. Major Charles Winchester, who replaced Frank after
he lost his mind, and Captain BJ Hunnicutt, who replaced Trapper when he was
sent home. The fella over there, you probably don't recognize him in men's clothing,
that's our buddy Sergeant Klinger."
"Sergeant? Klinger, who spent his army career trying to get a section
8, got promoted instead?" Henry sounded incredulous.
"I was furious, sir." Klinger spoke for the first time. Henry
laughed a little.
"I can imagine. What else happened? I heard a little-about Frank
leaving, but that's really it." Father Mulcahy had told Henry more,
though. he mentioned that Margaret and Hawkeye had become very close friends.
Henry looked at the two of them, sitting awfully close together. he suspected
there was more to it that friendship, but he didn't mention it. He'd also been
told about Hawkeye's breakdown at the end of the war, but kept quiet about it,
not wanting to hurt his friend with questions.
"A few things," Hawk shrugged. "Trapper and Radar both got
sent home, Margaret married a jackass, causing Frank to lose his marbles. Frank
was sent Stateside and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Margaret got divorced
from her cheating husband, the war ended."
"And Pierce got shipped off to the crazy house," Frank jumped in.
The remark was intended to hurt. Hawkeye got an awful look in his eyes. It
scared Henry. Hawkeye stopped talking and withdrew into silence. All the
others, especially Trapper and BJ, looked ready to kill Frank. To the surprise
of everyone, it was Margaret who spoke in Hawkeye's defense.
"Can it, Frank!" she said sharply. "Yes, Okay, Hawkeye did
have some problems. But they were minor problems, and, unlike you, he didn't
cause his own. But you, Major-excuse me, Colonel Burns, have always been off
your rocker!"
The room was silent. Then Hawkeye broke into a grin. "Well, Henry, do
you remember rule number one? When Henry shook his head No, Hawkeye got a
devilish gleam in his eye. "Don't ever cross Major Houlihan," he
concluded. The room nodded their agreement. Margaret tried her best to look
annoyed, but when she looked at Hawkeye, her expression softened. He was
looking back at her with a similar expression, eyes shining. Henry realized
that the two of them were in love. Looking around at everyone, he saw that
nobody else appeared to notice, but then BJ Hunnicutt caught his eye, guessed
what he was thinking, and gave an almost imperceptible nod of confirmation.
Henry understood. Nobody but BJ knew what the whole story was with those two,
and nobody but BJ and himself even realized that there was anything at all.
He'd have to talk to BJ later and get the story.
"Let's go outside, get some fresh air," Charles Winchester
suggested. All agreed. Henry hung back, pulling BJ aside before he could leave.
"Hunnicutt, tell me what the deal is with Pierce and Major
Houlihan," He urged. BJ hesitated. He wasn't sure whether Henry could be
trusted with the secret, but as he looked at the other man, who looked
overjoyed at being surrounded by people who he loved, he decided to trust
Henry.
"Okay, first let me make sure I have things straight here. When you
left, Hawkeye and Trapper were spending countless hours figuring out tricks to
play on Frank and Margaret, aka 'Hot Lips," am I right so far?" He
raised his eyebrows at Henry. Henry chuckled.
"Boy, were those two ever the troublemakers. One time they put Frank in
a crate while he was sleeping."
"It didn't wake him up when they put him in?"
"They put the crate around him in the 'Swamp,' bed and
everything." Henry had a faraway look in his eye as he remembered the
time, so long ago, that he had been at the 4077th. He grew serious.
"Listen, Hunnicutt, let me level with you. I was never a good Commanding
Officer. Everyone walked all over me, and I allowed it. But in the year that I
was in Korea, I felt like those people were my family. When I left Korea, I was
Henry Blake, CO turned civilian. And then the next moment it was eight months
later, and I was a nameless nobody. Last week, I went to sleep as 'Jack' and
woke up as Henry Blake. And really, 'Jack' didn't change much about Henry. I
guess that I have a little more common sense then before, but one thing most
definitely did not change. I still love these people like my family." He
stopped. It felt so much better, having told someone what was going on in his
head. Henry sensed that BJ would be someone that would listen to him. His
instincts were correct. Anyone else probably would have questioned Henry's
reasons for speaking up to someone who was virtually a stranger, but BJ knew
that Henry just needed an ear to talk to. Henry continued. "My daughters,
Molly and Janie-I haven't seen them in five years. they were both so little
when I left. I have missed out on five years of their lives, four of them not
even knowing that I had a daughter. I've never even met my son, Andrew. During
those four years, I often found myself wondering about myself. Who was I? Did I
have a family somewhere? Did they know where I was? Right now, I couldn't be
happier, but once this gathering is over, I think that I'll have a hard time
adjusting to being Henry Blake, a Somebody, a civilian." At that, BJ's
face showed understanding and compassion.
4
"I promise you that it will be hard," he responded quietly.
"But I also promise you that if you and your wife truly have a solid,
loving relationship, that everything will turn out okay. When I got back,
Peg-that's my wife- and my daughter Erin were practically strangers. Erin
didn't even know who I was. I went to Korea when she was less than a year old.
She probably only saw me as a tall man that mommy knew. Your daughter may be
old enough that she remembers you, even if only a little. But it will end up all
right in the end." BJ felt Henry's torn emotions; half joy at being home,
half grief at the thought of the troubles he knew were coming. He knew that
Henry wasn't sure that BJ was right. He decided to change the subject.
"Back to the Hawkeye and Margaret thing..." he said. Henry perked
up with interest at that. "After my first year there (I arrived not long
after you left) the tricks that had been Hawkeye's, and Trapper's and to a
point, mine, idea of a joke gradually just became a method of keeping ourselves
and everyone else sane."
"Are you telling me that you became Hawkeye's cohort after Trapper
left? When did he leave, anyway?"
"Oh yes," BJ grinned. "And I have to admit, we pulled some
great gags together! I arrived the same day that Trapper left, which, as I
understand, was just after you left. I'm not sure how long, but it was within a
matter of days. But anyway, what had been Hawkeye's pointless tricks became a
game. Margaret, she really mellowed over time. She lost the whole
'rules-and-regulations' persona and became more easygoing. I think at this
point, she and Hawk had already become friends. He comforted her after her
divorce, and they had quite an evening together in an abandoned hut."
Here, BJ had a roguish twinkle in his eye. "Margaret started playing the
revenge game with Hawk's jokes. Pretty soon, it was Hawk and me against
Margaret and whoever she could find to help. It was the other war we were
involved in. The prank war. Margaret pulled some pretty clever things of her
own."
"Margaret Houlihan, playing tricks. I can't see it. I just can't see
it," Henry said incredulously.
"UH-huh. The 'top of the list' prank was when she walked into the
shower one day and took our clothes. Hawk and I had to make a mad dash for the
'Swamp.' As if that wasn't enough, we got there to discover Margaret and the
rest of the nurses waiting for us inside! But we got her back good for that
one." He grinned. Henry laughed.
"What did you do?" he asked in anticipation.
"We stole her tent."
"You what!?"
"Uh-huh. We took the tent and left everything inside exactly as it was.
Margaret was horrified to see that her quarters had no walls." BJ and
Henry both burst out laughing.
"And even with all that, they still fell in love?" Henry queried.
"If only you had seen that goodbye kiss!" BJ said. "It was
unbelievable. On the last day, the two of them, Col. Potter, Major Winchester,
myself, and the enlisted men who were tearing down the camp were the only ones
left. The five of us were saying our goodbyes. Hawk and Margaret said theirs
last. They stood there for a second not saying anything. Then without a word,
they just flew to each other and kissed for what seemed like hours."
"I remember the first time they kissed. It was all Hawkeye's doing, really.
It was around Christmas, the first one for the 4077th, and Margaret and Frank
were walking together. Hawkeye walked up to them, dipped Margaret back, and
kissed her soundly. She seemed to be enjoying it. Then when they stopped,
Hawkeye told Frank it was a Christmas present. Margaret watched him walk away
with a silly smile on her face. And that was when they hated each other! I
can't imagine what they're like when they're in love!" Henry laughed.
"It still came as something of a surprise to me," BJ admitted,
" But I was glad that they told me, at least. They were planning to keep
it a secret, but Hawkeye is my best friend. He couldn't resist telling
me."
"When are they planning to spill the secret?"
"Keep quiet about this-I probably shouldn't tell you, but they're
getting married next month. There's already a five-year reunion plan in the
makings, I think they'll announce it then, probably by presenting us with a
couple of kids." BJ looked steadily at Henry. "I guess that we'll
have to add 'Henry Blake and family' to the list, eh Colonel?"
"Thanks, Hunnicutt. I needed that talk."
"Any time. And please, call me BJ."
"Only if you'll call me Henry. Everyone except Radar always did
anyway."
As they walked out in the yard, Henry saw his wife standing a little apart
from the others. he studied her. Lorraine had looked ten years older when he
saw her in the house that day. But now, within a period of mere minutes, she
looked as if a heavy weight had lifted off her shoulders. She stood straighter,
and her eyes sparkled and danced. Just seeing her again made Henry realize just
how much he loved her. True, he had made a jest about their marriage one day to
Hawkeye, but he hadn't really meant it. He thought back to that day.
*"You know what we're worth without love? Eighty-nine cents.
Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely!" Hawkeye said
in anger.
"Oh great," Henry had replied. "You mean my marriage is only
worth a dollar seventy-eight?"*
Henry wished that he hadn't joked about that. He knew that he loved
Lorraine. Had always loved Lorraine. And he was pretty sure that she loved him,
too. But that moment, she turned and saw him. She smiled, and Henry saw that
there was love in her eyes, directed at him. He knew it all along. He knew that
she loved him. She came to him, and he wrapped his arms around her again.
"I love you, Lorraine," he whispered into her ear. She looked up
at him, eyes shining.
"I love you too, Colonel Blake." He looked startled at her use of
his title, but then realized she was teasing him. He laughed out loud, a hearty
laugh of true happiness that none of his friends had heard and that Lorraine
had nearly forgotten. Suddenly, Henry stopped laughing. He looked anxiously at
his wife.
"Where's Molly? I haven't seen Molly. And Janie, and little Andrew.
Where's my kids?"
"I sent the kids to stay with Molly's friend, Carol. Oh, Henry, you
should see your son! He looks just like you." Lorraine said seriously.
Henry just stared at her. God, she was still beautiful! He had missed her more
that he realized in the year that he had been at the 4077th. Lorraine excused
herself and went into the house. She emerged with a bottle of champagne and a
tray of glasses. Henry helped her distribute the drink to everyone, and then
Lorraine proposed a toast in her quiet voice. Smiling at her husband lovingly,
she said, "A toast to love, old and new. That's what I found today. My
husband, my old love, returned to me, and I discovered that I love him every
bit as much as I did when our love was new." Henry felt tears in his eyes
again. Was he ever going to stop crying?
"A toast to our dead host, for turning up alive!" Hawkeye piped
up.
"A toast to the others in the clinic," Henry said sadly. "May
they all find themselves returning to as happy a place as I have."
"A toast to peace,"Father Mulcahy put in. "May it last
throughout time and beyond."
"Hear, hear!" they all called, and clinked their glasses together.
Henry smiled out at all his old friends as they cheered for themselves, for
their loved ones, and for him, their friend Henry, who they never thought
they'd see again.
He was crying again.
The End