The Travellers Chronicles Book Eight: To Be A Friend (On Hiatus)

Chapter Four

A few hours after leaving Seoul, Tess arrived at her MASH unit. As they came driving in there was a sea of casualties blocking the road. At the entrance of the camp, Tess told the driver to stop. "Drop me off here, I'll take my bag with me."

"But Lieutenant, that's my job."

"It'll be fine, now just park and go on and find the clerk like you're supposed to." Tess ordered.

Before the Private could argue, Tess leaped out of the jeep and grabbed her bag. She rushed over to the lady with the golden oak leaf insignia who was assessing a casualty. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Sorry, Major. I'm Lieutenant Elizabeth Payne, your new nurse."

"We need all hands." The head nurse said as she took the patient's pulse. "Put your bags in the clerk's office and get ready for surgery. If you have any questions, come to me or the chief surgeon Major Anthony Hudson." The Major wrote something down on the paper before looking at the casualty's wound. "If neither of us are around, you can go to the C.O., Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Patterson. Now, do as I said. Be ready to go into surgery in eight minutes, the doctors are getting ready now."

"Yes, Major." Tess saluted before going off to the clerk's office where she found no one. "I guess I'll put it by the desk." She set her bag down, leaning it against the desk before taking off her jacket and tossing it on her bag. Tess then walked over to look through the door on the north side of the room. "If that's Post-Op, then I need to go to the other entrance on the south side for Pre-Op."

She left the office and made her way to Pre-Op where she found four surgeons finishing scrubbing up. The eldest of the group, with his peppered hair, shook off the water on his hands and reached for a towel. "Authorized personnel only, Young Lady. Office staff only come in here if they need to talk to one of us."

"I am authorized, Sir." Tess told the man she suspected was the Commanding Officer of the 8209th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. "I'm the new nurse, Lieutenant Betty Payne."

The older man came over. "Forgive me, you looked too young to be a nurse, Lieutenant."

"It's fine, Sir, I get that a lot." Though Lord knows I'm nowhere near young.

"I'm the C.O. around here, Nathanial Patterson. I'd shake your hand but I'm sanitary." He motioned to the other three surgeons. "The blond is Captain Benny Woods, the redhead beside him is Captain Rex Barnes, and over there is our Chief Surgeon, Major Anthony Hudson."

Hudson smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Lieutenant."

"Don't let my backwoods looks fool you, Payne." Barnes told her. "I'm just as skilled a surgeon as these three."

Tess chuckled. "I never would have implied any less, Captain."

"Enough of this lollygagging." The Commander told them. "You three, get in surgery. And you, Payne, start scrubbing up, we'll need you."

"Yes, Sir."

Tess went to the nurses' change room and switched into scrubs before coming out to scrub. When she came into the scrub room she found the head nurse there. "Lieutenant."

"Major."

"You'll be working with Major Hudson." The head nurse shook the water off her hands and made her way towards the operating room. "Don't screw up."

"I won't." Tess called after her. "She's going to be a pain to live with."

A voice came from the doorway as another nurse came in. "You don't know the half of it." She was already in scrubs and came over to scrub as well. "I'm Libby Moore, one of the nurses here. I'm sure we'll share a tent. The Major is a hardass, but don't let that scare you. She good at her job and makes us be good too."