Chapter 1

This is a cross over between Quantum Leap and MASH. Happy reading...

Sam Beckett had been leaping from life to life trying to put right what once went wrong. He finally got a chance to take a breather when he found himself, snug and warm in bed. He let out a sigh.

"Thank you," he stated from the covers.

He lay peacefully in the dark wrapped up in the blankets just hoping for a little sleep before having to get up and discover what he next mission would be. His sleep didn't last long.

Over the loud speakers of the camp a young man's voice rang out, "Attention all personnel. Incoming wounded."

Sam sat up in bed and made the strangest face, "Incoming wounded?" He then scrambled to find a light and turned it on. He found himself in an army tent with a dresser and mirror. He found a uniform hanging over the end of the bed. He looked at the reflection in the mirror. He had leaped into a woman with long blonde hair. He found the name on the uniform.

"Houlihan," Sam read off the name.

A warning rang, "Incoming wounded…All personnel…It's a big one."

Sam quickly threw on the uniform, a lab jacket and grabbed the stethoscope that lay next to it. He emerged from the tent and stood shocked as people started running by him and ambulances started rolling into camp one after another full wounded men.

"Oh boy," he let out a depressing sigh.

The colonel of the camp, a short man with a balding head called out, "With me, Major."

Sam looked over and gave a nod, "Yes sir," he stated.

Another doctor came running past, a tall skinny man with dark hair with slight gray, he paused when he spotted his friend not moving very fast.

"You okay, Margret?" asked Pierce.

"Fine," Sam looked at the name and rank, "Captain Pierce."

"Better hop to it, Hot Lips," he teased and then started to jog off towards the incoming wounded.

Sam paused, "'Hot Lips?'" he wounded just what he had leapt into and why.

Sam was not only a genius but a medical doctor as well. He just leapt into a nurse nicknamed "Hot Lips" and that didn't set well with Sam. After gaining his bearings he followed the colonel towards the ambulances which kept pouring into the camp.

Meanwhile

Margret Houlihan stood before the mirror looking at a strange man's reflection. The reflection showed a white jumpsuit that was made out of a material she had never seen before. The room was well light and only held basic furnishings. The whole area seemed bizarre to the major.

The door slid open and a loudly dressed man smoking a cigar emerged. Al had come to get as much information as possible.

"Major," he acknowledged.

"Where am I?" demanded Margret.

Al assured, "You're safe. You are in what we call the 'waiting room.'"

"I've never seen a waiting room like this," she stated challenging.

Al informed, "You are in the year 1999. You are now part of a top secret project. The reflection in the mirror…"

"That's not me," she insisted.

He nodded, "You are seeing the reflection of Dr. Sam Beckett. Dr. Beckett has leapt into your life and sees your reflection in the mirror."

She asked, "What?"

Al tried to explain, "This experiment deals with time travel. Dr. Beckett is stuck in the experiment and has leapt into your life and cannot leap out until he fixes what is about to go wrong. Until then, you have to stay here."

"What is he about to fix?" she wounded not really believing the situation. She began to wonder if she had finally snapped. Perhaps, the war had finally taken its toll on her?

"We don't know," he replied.

"Is this some sort of joke?" she wondered. "Did Pierce put you up to this?"

"Pierce?" asked Al.

"Captain Pierce of the 4077th MASH?" She looked very upset as she crossed her arms, "Is Pierce behind this?"

Al assured, "No, this is not a joke. You are in Nevada. It's 1999 and you are now part of an experiment called Quantum Leap. Dr. Beckett has leapt into your life and is you in the 4077th MASH unit, Major. This is a top secret government program and you are now part of it."

"So, there is a man who now has to live my life?" she wondered. She looked in the mirror and pushed at the face and pulled it to see if it was real. "Does that mean I have to live as this man?"

Al shook his head, "No, you will go back to your life as soon as he completes his mission. Then, you can't tell anyone about this. It's top secret."

"So," she wondered, "What is his mission?"

Al admitted, "We don't know yet. Once he completes it then you will leap back."

Margret gave a look, "You don't know his mission but know how to time travel?"

Al nodded, "Yeah."

She rolled her eyes, "Just make sure Pierce keeps his hands off my stuff." She sat on the bed, "I don't want to find any surprises in my boots or in my lingerie drawer."

Al assured her, "Trust me; Sam Beckett is the world's biggest boy scout. He won't let them jokers get to your things, Major."

"Who are you?" she wondered.

"I'm Admiral Al Calavicci," he informed.

Margret gave a doubtful look, "You're an Admiral?"

"I am, Major," he informed.

She wondered, "Is that the new dress uniform in the future, Admiral?"

He laughed, "No, I'm in my civvies."

Margret smirked, "Well, then I can see your first mission is to fix the coming fashion crisis."

Al found her wit amusing as he grinned and placed the cigar between his lips, "Too bad I was a kid during the Korean War and not a pilot then. You and I would have had a good time."

Margret asked, "You're a pilot?"

Al nodded as he looked at the device in his hand, "I have to go see, Sam now. I will return soon, Major." The door slid open and he left.

Margret found herself sitting alone in a room with nothing to do. Needless to say she found it most irritating for she was never one to sit still in a crisis.

MASH 4077th

As Sam hopped into the back of the ambulance and started triage a young corporal with glasses and a boyish face stood waiting for orders as to who to take out first. Sam looked over the men quickly and found his first choice.

"Him first," he stated to the corporal.

Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly looked up at the strange man and wondered where the new doctor came from.

"You're a doctor…"He asked noting the triage.

Sam looked at the corporal and simply asked, "You can see me?"

Radar asked, "Who are you?" He then questioned, "Why are you wearing Major Houlihan's uniform?"

"Um…" Sam wasn't sure what to say for certainly didn't expect anyone to see him.

The colonel entered the ambulance next, "What's the hold up, Margret?"

Sam looked back and stuttered, "Um…"

Radar stated, "That's not Major Houlihan. Where did we get the new doctor from? I didn't see any forms."

The colonel stood a bit baffled for Radar was now claiming that Major Houlihan was not major Houlihan. He wounded if perhaps the boy had snapped under the enormous pressure.

"Are you okay, son?" he asked.

"I'm fine," stated Radar. "Who is the new doctor?"

Sam whispered, "I will explain everything to you later but right now…You are the only one who can see me and to everyone else…I look like Major Houlihan."

Radar seemed confused, "What?"

Sam stated, "We will discuss this later, Corporal. Right now these men need our attention." He sounded just like Margret in his words.

Shaken Radar began to wonder if perhaps he was hallucinating but he also needed to tend to the wounded. He pushed on ever so confused.

"Right, this one is first," stated Radar.

Sam went on, "He's second and then third. This man can wait." He then came to a solider on the gurney lying lifeless. Sam found no pulse and no breathing. He checked for signs of blood pooling and pupil dilation, "He's already gone," he stated.

The colonel found the thoroughness of a nurse very impressive. Margret was one of the few nurses he always thought should have gone into medical school but she doubted her own abilities to be a doctor. Perhaps, the harshness of war would make the nurse realize she would make a very good doctor. If there was one good thing that came out of the war it would be the realization that men and women can accomplish far more than they give themselves credit for.

Pleased Colonel Potter gave a nod, "Keep up the good work, Major."

"Yes sir," stated Sam and continued through triage.

Later

Sam found himself assisting Charles Winchester the Third in the operating room. Charles was a fine surgeon, Sam could not fault the major on that aspect but he found his boisterous attitude and his overbearing snobbery most annoying. Sam held a half dozen doctorate degrees and his intelligence level far superior to Charles's own. But he could not tell Charles or anyone else about his degrees and education level for Sam was now just a nurse in a MASH unit.

Charles hummed a tune as he worked and then looked over at Sam and assumed he was working with his favorite head nurse.

"Do you know that one, Margret," he asked fully assured the nurse would not know classical music.

"Maher, symphony number five," stated Sam as he dug his memory.

"Impressive," stated Charles most surprised for he thought he had stumped Margret.

Sam hummed one back as they worked on the patient in the game.

Charles seemed stumped and pondered and pondered.

"Mozart, symphony number 40?" he guessed. For surely Margret didn't know much about music.

Sam shook his head, "Nope…Mozart, serenade number 13."

Charles then recalled, "Ah, yes…I momentarily got those two confused." He laughed nervously for Margret was not supposed to know classical music for it was his domain.

Captain "Hawkeye" Pierce looked over his shoulder at the pair, "When did you find time to study up on Mozart, Margret?"

Sam's mind worked like a sponge and study classical music was nothing more than a passing extra activity for the man. He shrugged and tried not to make a big deal out of it.

"In my spare time," stated Sam.

Charles looked upon it as an opportunity to gain a new student of culture, "You my dear, Margret should continue your studies of the fine arts under my guiding eye."

The very suggestion of studying anything under Charles Winchester the Third sent a shill down Sam's spine. He smirked behind the mask.

"Maybe sometime…In the future…Way in the future," remarked Sam unenthused.

Hawkeye kidded from behind, "Yes, I can give you lessons in culture too…If you know what I mean." He waited for Margret's classic remark telling him to shove it.

Sam stood between the two men with a patient before him and he simply wanted to get his work done so he could leave. He ignored the remarks and then addressed his patient.

"Blood pressure is dropping, we have a bleeder," Sam noted.

Charles peered into his work, "Traction," he demanded.

Sam complied and pulled back on the tool.

"I don't see it," stated Charles.

BJ shouted, "Look deeper."

"I'm looking, Hunnicut." Charles yelled.

Sam replied, "It has to be a nick someplace." He then handed a retractor to Charles, "Apply traction across the lower lobe. I bet it's sitting right behind it."

Though skeptical Charles complied and there before the surgeon's eyes was the slow bleeding tissue that would have cost the solider his life. He couldn't repair it from his stance.

"I need a hand," stated Charles.

"Just hold it," stated Sam as he started to stature the wound.

"Margret," Charles stated, "You are not qualified to do that."

Sam huffed, "The other doctors have their hands full and we have men lined up to our eyeballs in the hall. I know how to do this. Are you gonna let me save this man's life or not, Major!"

Charles stood astonished and gasped.

BJ Hunnicut stated, "I'm free." He walked over and found Sam finishing up the needed suture and it looked nicely done. He nodded, "I couldn't have done that better myself, Major."

"Thank you, Doctor," stated Sam as he finished up.

BJ went back to his table, "I need another."

As Sam finished up Radar and Klinger entered with the next patient on a gurney. As Radar walked past Sam he simply stared at him wide-eyed.

Charles asked, "Something wrong, Corporal?"

Radar helped place the next patient on the table and he whispered to BJ, "Do you see Major Houlihan?"

BJ nodded, "She's right there. You just walked by her."

Radar looked over at Sam once more and shook his head, "That's not Major Houlihan."

Curiously BJ asked, "Then who is it?"

"I don't know," explained Radar.