Disclaimer: same as chapter one

I just finished my Bio 11 exam cross your fingers! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the many more to come it took me longer because I did a bit of research... R&R!

A

MASH/MASHMASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH

2 hours and 45 minutes previous

Dr. Elizabeth Walker considered waking Hawkeye but decided against it she was only going to the bathroom after all and in case he woke up she wrote a quick note. She decided to put the time on it in case something did happen.

Quietly moving away from him she jogged towards the tree’s, just to the left of the hill, she turned and looked back at Hawkeye blew him a kiss then continued on. She was nearly there when a small ‘ping’ sound grabbed her attention.

Suddenly she was down pain erupted from her side as she hit the dirt. She had been shot. Her body was numb, she couldn’t move everything slowed down and seconds turned to hours and minutes to days.

Quite suddenly everything became dark throwing her out of slow motion, hands grabbed at her pulled off something she couldn’t quite tell and bound her wrists and ankles. Pain screamed through every fibre of her being yet she hadn’t made a sound and when her head was clear enough she was already gone.

/./

They stopped cold when they saw him; Hawkeye was on his knees beside a pool of blood and a jacket. Elizabeth’s jacket. Margret reached Hawkeye first sinking to the ground beside him; it looked like she had put up a struggle. Margret glanced at Hawkeye his expression horror and shock.

“She should have woken me.” He said suddenly, “How come I didn’t hear the shot.”

B.J still stood rooted to the ground where he had stopped when Sparky, C.Potter, Father Mulcahy and Beverly came rushing out. They stopped just behind him; not being able to see what Margret and Hawkeye where in front of Potter looked at B.J “B.J...”

B.J turned to face him, “She’s gone.” Those words hit hard but the next hit harder, “The Chinese...” he couldn’t finish he couldn’t even think about the horror’s she would be facing now.

/./

2 ½ hours previous

Liz realized she was in a jeep or other vehicle, the jolts of the road made her side hurt. She suddenly realized she was now a Prisoner Of War (POW). Thoughts overwhelmed her, stories mostly of war prisoners, Hawkeye and the camp. It must have been an hour when they arrived. Chinese shouts filled her ears as they roughly grabbed her and moved her to what she assumed was inside.

Suddenly they yanked what she had come to think of as a bag off her head. The room was dimly lit but she could not even pretend not to know where she was; she was in an operating room. A mask was thrust at her face covering her nose and mouth. She could see the three Chinese men clearly for only a few seconds as her lungs pleaded for air and she took a deep breath falling into a dreamless unconsciousness.

/./

Sparky bolted inside; he had been fiddling with one of the radio’s trying to reach the 8063rd Mash unit all of last night and actually gotten through. “Hey Twitch you there?” he shouted into the radio calling for the 8063rd’s company clerk.

“Sparky hey man where are you?”

Sparky considered this for a moment “HQ” he lied figuring he could get more accomplished this way.

“Thought you got transferred to the 4077th”

“They had to bug out so my orders got changed, look I don’t have a lot of time!” he shouted through the static, noticing colonel Potter had followed him inside. “I need a favour!”

“Anything I owe you remember!”

“Get the MP’s to close off the check points all of them; a doctor has been kidnapped by Chinese soldiers!”

“I’ll pass the order along Sparky over and out!” Sparky slammed down the radio a look of triumph on his face.

“Brilliant!” Potter exclaimed slapping his back and sprinting from the cave to explain what had happened. After telling everyone including the still shell shocked Hawkeye.

Hawk let it sink in before saying “And now we wait.”

Potter nodded “Now we wait.”

/./

One hour previous

Liz awoke to a voice urging her to wake, her vision was slightly cloudy but she was aware of the bandage on her stomach. The voice pulled at her consciousness again this time she heard what it said. “Wake up! 

Please you’re the first person I’ve seen in weeks! My name is Ho-Jon, Let me help you.” The boy spoke fractured English but otherwise was well intended as he helped her into a sitting position. “Are you American? Where do you come from? What is your unit? Are you a nurse? Why did they capture you? Dose the wound hurt? What happened? What is your name?” He blasted all these questions at her quite quickly so she held up her hand and he silenced.

“My name is Dr. Elizabeth Walker, yes I am American, I’m not sure why they shot me and kidnapped me, I live in Mane near crab-apple cove.”

“Crab-apple cove?”

“You’ve heard of it?” she asked earnestly.

“Yes the man that taught me English lived there, a Doctor named Hawkeye. Do you know him?”

Elizabeth was speechless. Did she know him? Of Corse she knew him but what do you say when you’re in love with the kid’s mentor. “Everyone knows Hawkeye.”

He paused and looked at her before continuing “You love him?”

Liz turned her face to his “How..?”

“You say his name like my mother said my fathers.”

Liz smiled “So Ho-Jon tell me about yourself.” They continued to talk; it was now about the time Hawkeye discovered she was missing. She learned all about how Ho-Jon came to be in this awful place, he had been there for nearly a year. Living off stale bread, water and the occasional rice bowl.

“This whole place is against the Geneva convention.” Elizabeth sighed leaning back against the mouldy rock walls.

/./

Three days later

“Any word?” Hawkeye asked Sparky his hope fading fast.

“Nothing Hawk sorry.” Sparky sat day and night beside the radio he hadn’t slept much and refused to let go of the smallest hope. Hawkeye hadn’t slept in three days, his clothes looked wrinkled, and his hair a mess and his eyes seemed to have a dull, lifeless quality about them.

In fact nearly every member seemed affected by her disappearance, even if she had only been with them a short time. BJ had taken to writing a diary, of letters to Peg. Margret fought with the nurses and Beverly more often. Elizabeth had been their link, their common understanding. C.Potter’s age seemed to show quite a bit more; he hadn’t lifted a paint brush or even gone to see Sophie.

Father Mulcahy however was the most astonishing of them all, he had shut down completely, he no longer took confessionals, and he didn’t have a Sunday service.

Klinger had stopped wearing dresses, Radar hadn’t said or picked up on much as of lately. The entire camp had plunged into despair. The only thing that brought some momentarily out of the gloom were the orphans.

Little did they know things could only get worse. The Radio buzzed. Everyone froze, Sparky quickly answered it. “This is Sparky.”

“Sparky, I got some orders for you to pass on to the 4077th.” Twitch started

“Anything!”

“Tell them to stay put where ever they are! We have information saying the Chinese have orders to destroy the camp and kill or capture everyone in it. We will let them know when it’s safe.”

Sparky turned a pasty white. “Thanks Twitch over and out.” He let the radio drop into his lap. “Orders from HQ we are to stay put and remain hidden until further notice.” His voice echoed through the cave as he effectively left the finer details out. People sprang into action piling questions and demanding answers.

/./

Ho-Jon and Liz had run out of things to talk about, stories to share etc. However for some reason Liz had never confirmed or denied she was with the 4077th. Whenever it came up she avoided it.

It was now night time, Liz battled down the fear of the growing darkness. She could hear their footsteps, Ho-Jon had stopped talking his face became stony. He backed against the wall away from her like he did every night, he had been beaten the last time he had tried to intervene, and this time if he tried they would kill him.

Liz could feel herself shaking as three guards entered the wide cell. “Strip.” One said in heavily accented English. Liz did trying not to cry, if she refused they would attack her beating her among other things.

The first one stepped forward.

/./

Hawkeye refuses to let his mind stray to what could be happening to Liz right now, if she was still alive. The thought of her dead cut fear like white hot knives into his heart. He began to write.

Dear Dad,

I have good and bad news. The good first. Do you remember Elizabeth Walker? How could you forget. She is a Doctor now. The army sent her to Korea just days ago. As a trial to see if female Doctors could handle the pressure. By God she could. It’s funny the way the army works; she was stationed with us to 

replace Frank. Two or so hours upon her arrival we got shelled. The mess tent (a blood bank at the time) was hit. Liz was inside and everyone else was in the OR. Klinger fortunately wasn’t in the tent when it was hit and Nurse Kelly found him. Others along with Liz were still trapped inside. Radar and Liz got pinned under a support beam, but were otherwise unharmed. Father Mulcahy was pinned under other rubble close by, beside him the new nurse Beverly Parker. When we got out their Liz was singing. Nearly everyone sang with her. Radar was the only one who sustained a serious injury and has already recovered.

That however was not the case when we got our bug out orders. Klinger and I stayed behind only to have the camp infiltrated by Chinese, fortunately Sparky (a new member and regular army kid). Met up with us we escaped pulling a fast one on the Chinese in the process. Moments later we stood and watched the Chinese blow the camp up. We traveled and finally met up with the rest of the gang.

I left out the best part; Liz gave me a letter and told me to open it after she left. I did, you’ll never guess what it said dad. I am a father; I included her letter please read it and understand. Now I will ask a favour of you dad. If anything happens to me help Liz’s mom look after Catherine.

Now for the bad news, three days ago Liz was shot, and taken captive by the Chinese. We are entirely in the dark here because the Chinese have received orders to get rid of the 4077th. The colonel thinks it’s our success rate. So we are in hiding.

I am going to marry her dad, if I see her again. Sorry you won’t be there for my wedding. I promise I’ll keep you posted.

From a fellow dad,

Your loving son,

Hawkeye

MASH/MASHMASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH/MASH

Now that Liz is a POW this story is going to turn a bit hard core and if anyone has any suggestions on how to write character grief better give me a shout, it is hard to write them like this when they are normally such upbeat characters. Hope you enjoyed it.

A