MASH Romance

Captain White shook my hand “you and your guys have earned a few days off.  We won’t be calling on your platoon for any patrols for the next few days. You deserve something for taking that patrol up Old Baldy to get those bodies. I will make a jeep available for you just in case you want to get your old wounds checked out at MASH.  I have put all of you in for the Bronze Star.  I hope it goes through”.

“Thanks a lot, Sir, especially for the jeep.  I think I will get my eyes checked out” I replied.

“Yes, Lieutenant Grace Henderson called me today.  She had heard about your trip up Baldy and wanted to know how you were.  Perhaps you should stop in and say “hello” Capt White said with a hearty laugh.

“Yeah, I guess I should.  I don’t want the poor girl worrying about me” I replied with a big grin on my face.

“Hey lover boy, why are you so nervous” I thought to myself.

I was waiting at the little bar at MASH.  A sergeant was tending bar.  There were two medical guys and a nurse sitting with me at the bar.  The tables were empty.  The juke box was playing Louis Armstrong singing ‘Gone Fishin’.

“Pretty appropriate” I thought.

I looked at the medical guys.  Doctors.  Clean as a whistle.  I looked at myself in the mirror.  The scars were still visible on my face.  The scent of decayed flesh still lingered in my nostril. When I smiled, it looked like the two sides of my face were unhooked.  One the good old me.  The other – pretty distorted.  I was jumpy as hell.  The door slammed.  I jumped up and turned to face the noise in a lunge position. It was Henri Limouz.

“I surrender” he  yelled.

I sat back down on the stool and started to cry.

Henri put his arm around my shoulder and said “lets walk a bit. Hey, what’s a guy like you crying for” he said.

“It’s just an allergy”  I said

“Well. I see the best allergy medicine in the world walking down the path”  Henri replied.

It was Grace.  I really started weeping.

“Hey” she said putting her arm around me “we have a weeping wall about ten miles down the road”.

“Yeah”  joked Henri  “lets try a bottle of scotch before we get started”.

We all sat down for  few minutes.  My inclination was to just leave.  This was too embarrassing. Grace sensed that.

Grace pulled at me “ come on lets get a drink.  I have a lot to talk to you about.  The first thing I want to tell you is that I am in love with you.”

“Aw shit” I said

Henri smiled and said “Dave, I didn’t know how romantic you were.  You are one smooth cookie”.

We all laughed.  It straightened me up.

Henri stood up and said “ I just remembered there is a lobotomy I must prep for”.

He walked down the path waving and smiling.

I took Grace by the hand and said ”I’m sorry”.

“Sorry for what” and she gave me a long hard kiss.

“Aw shit”  I repeated.

“You have an absolutely fantastic line you know.  Any girl would fall for it”.

“Aw shit”  I repeated.

“But somehow we must get past the first line” she joked.  “Come on lets get movin’ Davy boy.  Times a’ wastin’”.

“OK”, I said “lets get it on.  Lock and load”.

“Whoopee,” yelled Grace. And she put one arm around me, grabbed the other on out front and we jitterbugged right into the bar.

“That’s just a little more like it” she said and she kissed me again.

As we finished kissing, she put one finger over my lips and said “lets not have another ‘Aw Shit’ tonight. OK”.

I laughed, stood up, pulled her up and we kissed passionately for a long, long time.

The bartender tapped me on the shoulder ”anytime you two want to come up for air, the drinks are on the house.  You’re the guy who took that patrol up Baldy.  If I could, I would give you the whole damn house”.

“Cheers, cheers, cheers”  came from the chorus at the bar.

A couple of nurses came over to kiss me.

“Take it easy, take it easy, this guy is mine” Grace laughed.

“I wish we were in San Francisco and could dance the night away”  I told Grace.

“We are here and we are together.  What else counts” she replied

“Grace, I live for the moment.  Is there any place that we an go to be alone”.

“Well, it so happens that Major Limouz has a free recovery room open for a few hours.  Would you like to check it out”?

“Show me the way” I said

The room was small but nice.  It had the essentials.  A bed.  We were in each others arms just kind of nuzzling.  There was a knock on the door.  It was Limouz.

“I’m sorry Grace. We have a large number of badly wounded coming in..  I need you and the recovery room now”!!