The destination was not too far away, the summer of 1957 was coming to an end, and Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt was on his way to attend a medical seminar at the urging of his hospital. The last of which has to do with him taking over as the head of Orthopedic Surgery. He was very thankful that it's devised to be only a three day trip. For this was the first time he has spent a night away from Peg and Erin, since returning from Korea, without it being an extreme medical emergency.
Things were especially close now with Erin about to start first grade. He argued with his superiors concerning that to be a huge step in a young child's life. They assured him that he would be back before the school term began. B.J., of course, realized this but he would use nearly anything not to be going, instead wishing the new developments could come to him. He appeased himself with knowing this to be an excellent opportunity to become skilled with the new procedures, and how they will benefit future and even his present patients. So, off to the Oregon Conference Center in Portland he journeyed.
He made a stopover in Eugene, Oregon, to rest and be refreshed for the conference that began the next day at 8am. It opened with an orientation. B.J. planned on the seminar to be mostly fundamentals, although hoping someone would be bringing something new and/or improved. That was about all he expected. One thing he didn't count on was that the conference wouldn't be just limited to orthopedics and the like, but many other medical fields were highlighted as well. Finding a section that was covering split-second cardiovascular resuscitation reminded him of Hawkeye. He smugly thought how easily Pierce could teach that group.
As B.J. was waiting for his session to begin, he had another fond recollection of Hawkeye. "Bored, bored, boring." He knew that was what Hawk would say about this whole event, and it's exactly how he feels right now. He was excited to be learning new techniques, but the waiting, and the mingling just wasn't his cup of tea. So he tried to amuse himself by checking out the entire great hall of the center, knowing that walking around was his best bet. For he feared that if he sat down to wait, he'd be asleep in a matter of minutes. He heard a muffled laugh and turned to see a man sitting alone, looking among the crowd and being rather pleased with himself. The guy caught B.J.'s stare and waved him over.
"Want to see something good?" The jovial man said as B.J. sat down.
"Sure. What?"
"Watch this."
The fellow doctor pointed to a small bunch over by one of the water coolers. B.J. watched, not knowing what to expect, when one of the medics went to fill his glass and suddenly the spigot broke off and water began spraying out, reaching all in the immediate vicinity. After the initial astonishment and panic passed, they struggled for several minutes until managing to get the faucet plugged up, although not before dampening nearly the whole group.
The guy began to laugh heartily and B.J. couldn't help but to join in. That was really good. Hunnicutt introduced himself and the prankloving doc returned in kind.
"I'm John... "
"You! I should have known!" The physician who the water cooler joke fell upon, and who was the most drenched stormed over. "Wait until your Chief of Staff hears about this!!" Not waiting for a reply or anything else, he stomped off, squishing alittle as he went.
"Who was that?" B.J. was delighted at this relief of boredom.
"A pain in the butt." John snickered. He explained that the guy is a doctor from another hospital in the same city as himself.
"Where is home?" B.J. asked as he thought of his own.
"Spokane, Washington."
"I've heard that's a nice place. How long have you lived there?"
"We made the move about three years ago."
"We?"
"My wife Louise, and our daughters, Becky and Kathy," John replied. B.J. noted how the man perked up when he referred to his family.
"Very lovely," he agreed when John brought out the pictures. "I have a wife Peg and a daughter Erin."
B.J. told of his hailing from Mill Valley, near to San Francisco. And recently finished building a dream house in Stinson Beach. Admitting that this was his first trip away from family and home in several years. John had a similiar story to that respect. They harmonized over just that, being apart from home and family, until B.J. decided to depart from that melancholy topic and mentioned about how the seminar was so diversified, much to his surprise.
John consented, stating that he was there to learn about mital valve replacements of the heart. B.J. was impressed, for those practices were rather new. He couldn't help but gush about how a good friend in Maine would love to hear about those, just wouldn't care too much for coming to a conference to do so.
"Maine?" John inquired. "I have a good friend from there, also."
"Great, maybe we could all hook up sometime," B.J. responded matter of fact.
"Sounds fine."
Orthopedics were going to be his specialty, B.J. shared. He's here because he's about to become Chief Orthopedic Surgeon in Sausalito. He even specialized on the feet while he was in Korea during the war.
"You served in the Korean war?" John was stunned. "So did I, for a time. Until I received my orders and got to come home."
"Were you in Seoul, or better yet Tokyo?" B.J. asked. "Or even a MASH unit?"
"I was at the... " John began, when he was interrupted by another one of the physicians who happened to be in the line of fire of the spurting water cooler.
"That was a pretty good stunt. You did fabricate the thing, didn't you?"
"I'm not saying," John remained straightfaced, but about to burst.
"Well, for it to happen to Irving, it was rather pleasant." The doctor replied with a smirk.
"Good show, Mac," another medic piped in.
"Irving's back," said a third as he joined them. They all observed the diminutive doctor emerge all nice and dry now. He didn't come near them, though.
"Guess I better not go see how he is doing," John chuckled, while B.J. was amused himself.
"I wouldn't," spoke the first doctor with a shake of his head.
He chose not to go over there. The three sneering physicians moved on. B.J. idly watched them go and again, was about to ask John in what part of the war did he serve, when the announcement was made that the session on the mital valve replacements was about to begin.
"Well, that's me."
"Yep," B.J. said. "I hope it's an informative one, and interesting. It was nice to meet you. I appreciated the entertainment."
"Thanks, it was good, wasn't it? Great to meet you, too." John offered his hand. "Look me up if you and your family are ever in Spokane. Remember the name of McIntyre."
"Ok, will do," B.J. shook hands. "I'll remember. McIntyre." Then with a huge grin, John disappeared into one of the smaller chambers.
Still delighting over a joke he knew Hawkeye would adore, B.J. was jolted nearly from his seat. A sudden revelation hit hard when his mind clicked the first and last names together. John McIntyre. Korea snapped into thought.
Oh goodness, Hunnicutt had to catch his breath. Fidgety and restless, he ran a hand through his hair then got up to go outside for some air when he heard the announcement for his own conference. Attempting to sort through the recent discovery was put on the back burner, and B.J. had to use that wonderful technique of knowing how to put his focus on where it should be when much more was happening all around him. It was something he really learned at the 4077th. He found the recent orthopedic genre fascinating, moreso than expected, and looked forward in returning to the Sausalito Medical Center with all the new approaches.
Although when he was finally through it all, his attention shifted a mite. B.J. entered the great hall apprehensive about finding John. He hoped McIntyre had not left yet, for Hunnicutt had a few more things he'd like to discuss with him. He come across him speaking with the conference leader. B.J. waited, and after a few minutes, John took a step to leave.
"Trapper?"
He froze at the name, slowly turning to face his addresser. To Trapper's surprise, it was the doctor with whom he was conversing with earlier. He was astounded. How did he know the name? At first, it was a bit awkward as he approached B.J., the previous relaxed atmosphere had become a little tense.
"I haven't heard that name in a while," he said as he approached. "How do..?"
"How do I know?" B.J. finished. "Well, I was the doctor who came after you. After you had left Korea."
"The 4077th. Hunnicutt." Trapper recalled. "It just didn't dawn on me before."
"That's right." They stiffly shook hands again, both amazed about the other being there.
With the easygoing nature of the two men, the uncomfortable feeling quickly dissolved and the conversation returned to its original lighthearted casualness.
"It was during the war, in fact, the last time I was away from my family." B.J. remembered their prior discussion.
"That's why I only attend these if they are in a close vicinity, as you do, I suppose." Trapper agreed. "I've done enough stuff by being so far away from home."
He started to say something else, then didn't. B.J. had a strong feeling that he had a matter he'd just like to get off his chest. Willing a smile, Trapper shared with B.J. after he returned from Korea, he had some major problems to deal with. The worst was that his wife suspected his infidelity while he was over there, and he finally owned up to it. On the brink of divorce, they managed to work through the ordeal, and decided to leave Boston and begin in Spokane for a fresh start. So when the hospital there offered the right position, he along with Louise's encouragement, accepted it and they moved.
Trapper's talk of his wartime indiscretions, made B.J. wince inside, reminding himself of the time with Carrie Donovan. With a small pang of guilt, he held off divulging this with Trapper right now. Inwardly, he was rejoicing. Like Trap, when B.J. finally told his wife about it, they were able to work through the pain. Their success was due to the assistance of their minister and even a letter from Father Mulcahy. It had been Peg who encouraged him to contact the Father, and was he ever grateful that she had. Through that experience, and the overall time away from each other, they discovered that they love the other all the more. B.J. could only hope that was what Trapper and his wife do, too.
"Do you have much contact with the people from the 4077th?" Trapper inquired.
"Some," B.J. didn't know if Trap had very much or not.
"I do wish we could have made it to Margaret's wedding. I understand she married the surgeon who replaced Frank Burns, a fellow by the name of Winchester."
"Yep, she did," B.J. grinned in response.
He told Trapper that Margaret and her husband, Charles were very happy, living in the Boston suburb of Back Bay, and were now expecting their first child. B.J. went on to tell him that Max Klinger, his wife Soon-Lee, and their twin boy and girl have returned to Korea for a visit with Soon-Lee's parents. This will be the first time that her mother and father have seen the grandchildren.
"Back Bay's nice. I also hear that Radar O'Reilly's engaged!" Trapper exclaimed.
"Finally. To a girl from Lancaster, Missouri. He met her coming back from R and R." B.J. laughed. "He has a house near to his mom's, working as a veterinarian assistant in the local animal hospital, but you know Radar."
"Yeah, I'm sure he runs the place. Glad to hear he's still there. What about the CO who replaced Henry Blake?"
"Colonel Potter?" B.J. asked. "He and the missus are still living in Missouri, being the ol' country doctor he's always wanted to be. As you may have known, he was Regular Army, but we wouldn't have traded him for anyone..." The words came out before B.J. could stop them. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have met Henry Blake."
"Henry was one of a kind." They sat in silence for a few moments.
And then there was Hawkeye. B.J. asked Trapper if he had heard from him lately and he did so, about eight months ago. Trap went on to say that everytime something was mentioned about them hooking up, something else would always get in the way and they just could not make it work. He nodded in agreement when B.J. related that Hawkeye was still working with his dad, in his practice, and still residing in Crabapple Cove. He hadn't yet married, although he has had alot of prospects. With a sheepish grin, B.J. began to tell Trapper about the time last spring when Hawk came to Stinson Beach for a visit. He and Peg set him up with Erin's kindergarten teacher.
"Really, it was Peg's suggestion, but I went along with it." B.J. admitted with a snicker. "We had become well acquainted with her through the PTA and school projects, and thought she'd be a nice match for the good Dr. Pierce. Amanda Corbetson is her name."
"Was she.. um.. is she.. ?" Trapper grinned that famous grin.
"Yes, very pretty," B.J. caught his gist, and couldn't help smiling himself. "But not only that, she had a way about her that we were both sure she would be so good for Hawkeye and that she could handle his not-too-subtle charm."
"Did she?"
"Sure did, and in a rather exceptional way."
The laughter came naturally as B.J. recounted the tale of the time they all went out to a dinner club. Everything had been going very well, and Hawkeye was endearing, but he couldn't help being a little too much of his suave, ultra smooth self, and began to lay it on a mite thick. Amanda became fed up with it just a tiny bit. By the time dessert arrived, she just had enough and told him outright if he thought he was God's gift of sweetness, then he darn well should be. With that, she scooped up a handful of whipped cream off of Hawkeye's dessert and promptly smeared it across his mouth and chin. He simply gathered his aplomb and deftly returned the gesture. There they were, frothy and sticky, and once Amanda had the cream wiped from her face, Hawk requested a dance with her. They danced nearly every one after that.
"Do they keep in touch?" Trapper would have loved to had seen the incident for himself.
"I believe they have exchanged letters quite a few times," B.J. replied. He wondered if Trap knew about Thanksgiving. "I think they've made some phone calls, too."
"I regret not keeping up with him more, and the others, "Trapper sighed. "It could get really wild over there."
"I learned full well about the great Trapper, master of the practical joke."
"Oh, right," this time it was Trap's turn to laugh as he remembered.
They began relating accounts of classic tomfoolery. Both saw a pattern develop to who it usually was on the other end of those pranks. Trapper marvelled when B.J. reminisced about the infamous "air raid". And he in turn, regaled with the fool's gold scheme. They laughed earnestly for a long time over the good-natured, albeit sneaky tales. The subject matter gradually switched to recollecting all the wounded that came through the 4077th. Some didn't make it out, but most of them did.
"I have to be honest," B.J. conceded gently. "I didn't know you, and I was so angry with you when I was in Korea. Nothing personal, really."
"Oh. All right. Why?" Trapper was taken aback.
"Little things, like those jokes, and the still, but mainly because you got to go home early." It pained B.J. to admit this. It wasn't in him to say hate, like he once revealed to Hawkeye. "Radar did too, and.."
"And?"
With few words as possible, B.J. recalled when Radar met Peg and Erin at the airport and Erin called him daddy. Trapper could see how that was painful, much like his worrying when he returned to his family.
"It was just the uniform."
"That's what Hawkeye said." B.J. managed a smile.
"Everything's great now, right?"
"Oh, yes."
"Another thing about Radar," Trapper began. "When I did hear from him that last time, he mentioned that Hawkeye tried to catch me at Kimpo when I left. Since they were meeting you at the same time, is that what happened?"
"I believe so."
"I didn't realize," Trap choked out. "I was so excited to be going home, it was all I could think of. Hawk was still on R and R, and we couldn't get through to him. I didn't have time to do anything else, outside of celebrating a little. In my conversations with Hawkeye since he's been home, he has never said a word about it. I didn't realize my coming home would cause such misery."
"It wasn't you. It was that we were stuck in that awful place, and you were getting out."
"Horrible, at times. Wasn't it?"
B.J. squirmed, again noting yet another similiarity between he and Trapper. He told him that he was guilty of doing the same thing. Trap was puzzled as B.J. let him know about the time right before the war ended that he too, received his orders to go home. He had to leave in a rush, with no time for a goodbye to Hawkeye, and then returned when he was desperately needed.
"Wow. He must have really felt deserted." Trapper replied, and B.J. could only shrug.
"Although, he knows it's not that way," B.J. was trying to be reassuring, then without realizing, "and Thanksgiving will... be.."
"Are you going?" Trapper asked, raising his voice a bit.
"Where? For Thanksgiving?" He just knew it. B.J. was ecstatic.
"Yes, Thanksgiving. To Maine. To Hawkeye's." Trap grinned. "Last time I did hear from him, he spoke about a get together for that holiday. I don't know if he's expecting me and my family to come, but he did extend the invitation. Though, it was right before Christmas last year, so I don't know if the plans are still on."
"Good! Yes!" B.J. was more than thrilled. "You better believe they are still on. And you are coming! Hey! I know, we can all go together!"
"What do you mean?"
"Your family, and mine, we can go to Maine together. You know Hawkeye would just love that!!"
"I don't know," Trapper hedged. "About seeing the others again. Are they coming, too?"
"I'm pretty sure. I don't know who all he's given invites to. It'll be great!"
"You are going?" This guy's enthusiasm tickled Trap. "The rest? The ones with Dr. Pierce's seal of approval?"
"Yep!" B.J. fairly shouted. "No excuses. We'll be making it up to our families, inlaws and stuff, during Christmastime. If you're worried about that."
This was too perfect. B.J. wasn't going to let Trapper get out of coming to the turkey day celebration. He could tell he wanted to, but a good measure of pride was holding him back. B.J. talked with him for a few more moments until the seminar began drawing to a close. They missed a goodly portion of the thank yous, acknowledgments, and so forth, in their conversing about the trip to Maine. Neither really didn't care too much about listening to those, though.
B.J. informed Trapper, with a devious laugh, that it looks like Amanda will be going with them. Hawkeye invited her, and since she doesn't have any living immediate family, the chances are good that she will go. He was just as determined, moreso for Trapper and his family to come.
They said goodbye outside of the Conference Center, after pretentiously waving farewell to Irving, the doused doc, now dry and still mad. Each was eager to get home, and B.J. made Trapper promise to seriously consider Thanksgiving in Maine. He assured that he would, with B.J. reminding him that he wasn't going to take any excuses, outside an extreme medical emergency. They stood quietly for a moment, not knowing what to add, then embraced briefly, and were gone in different directions.
The drive back was rough, over twelve hours, but going the opposite route was much better. At the time, B.J. planned on driving straight through, without a stop. He made it into San Francisco just as the sun was beginning to rise the following morning. Peg and Erin welcomed him home with bounding jubilation. As much as he relished the adoration, he'd forego it if he could have just stayed home with them instead. Although, he was glad he didn't miss the trip's nice surprises. When things settled down, he cheerfully knew what he had to do. He reached for the phone.
"Hawk! Yeah, it's B.J. You're never gonna believe this... "
The End. :)
