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mash_slashTitle: Reports Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, Part 4
Summary: In which Henry Blake gets to go home, wherever that might be.
Rating: G
Word Count: ~3000
Disclaimer: I don't own M*A*S*H. No money's being made.
Notes: Sorry about taking so long with this final instalment! Endings have never been my forte. As before, kind of AU. Very spoilery, for the series in general and Abyssinia Henry in particular. Mostly gen, with the odd bit of subtext; this chapter, if you wanted, could be read as preslash.
Part Four: The End of the Journey
It took several days from Chicago to Ottumwa. The money Hawkeye had given him was more than enough to cover hiring a car, and after weeks of relying on public transport, Henry rather enjoyed the feeling of independence it gave him.
He knew where to find Radar's house from memory alone. In the first few weeks they'd been out there, Radar had been painfully homesick, and Henry had sat and listened patiently to his tales of home. Radar hadn't been away from the farm for more than a week or so until his conscription, and his descriptions, though simple, stuck clearly in Henry's mind. A little farmhouse surrounded by fields, the father he'd lost when he was young and his sweet little old mother (who was really barely older than Henry), his elder brothers and sisters, all his other relatives, the family pets, the schoolyard crushes, everything. Henry hadn't known what to do but sit and let Radar pour it all out to him, but that seemed to have been enough.
He stopped his car by the roadside and got out, shaking the stiffness out of his legs and collecting himself before moving onwards. After his previous experiences, he was wary about what to expect; he had no idea what sort of man Radar might have grown into while he was away. Really, he should have written or called or something, let them know he was coming, but Hawkeye had been so insistent he go right away, and he'd never had much luck at resisting Pierce's demands.
There was a long path that led down to a little house in the middle of the fields, that in almost every detail was just how Henry had pictured it. The sun was setting, and he could see a light on in the window; as he came nearer, he could hear the sound of Bing Crosby drifting through the air.
He was a few steps away from the door when it burst open and somebody shot out, only just managing to stop before they crashed into him. Henry smiled - Radar still came before he was called. He was standing and blinking owlishly up at Henry, mouth opening and shutting without making a sound.
"It's me, Radar," Henry said. "I'm alive."
Radar gasped sharply and, before Henry could brace himself, threw himself forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Henry's middle. He stayed there a good long time, clinging to Henry, shaking all over. Tentatively, Henry raised his arms to hug back, trying to smooth the shivers away.
Looking over Radar's shoulder, he saw a woman coming out of the house.
"Colonel Blake?" she said, and Henry immediately knew where Radar got his ESP from.
"That's me," he said, and the woman smiled in a cheerful, guileless manner that was very familiar.
"Come on in," she said. "Dinner's ready."
That wasn't so easy with Radar still attached to him limpet-fashion, but Henry gently prised him away and followed Mrs O'Reilly into the house. It was some work weaving his way through the narrow hallway and trying not to trip over the cats that seemed to be sleeping on every available surface, but he made it into the kitchen without injury.
Over a warm, hearty meal of potatoes and stew, Henry went over his story yet again. Radar's mother was in good spirits, apparently entirely unbothered by the arrival of a stranger who'd been thought dead for years, while Radar, more understandably, seemed spooked. It was only when Henry mentioned his conversation with Hawkeye that Radar snapped out of his trance.
"He said that about me?" he said. Henry nodded.
"Sounded pretty serious to me, and I know better than to argue with Hawkeye," he said. Radar squirmed in his seat.
"Aw, jeez, I wasn't that bad," he said. Mrs O'Reilly smiled at Henry from across the table (the more he looked at her, the more eerie the family resemblance became; if he didn't know better, he'd swear she was Radar in drag).
"What my son means to say is that he's very happy you're here," she said.
The O'Reillys were kind enough to give Henry a bed for the night, despite his protestations, and he awoke the next day feeling better than ever. It was a clear, bright morning, and when he went down next morning, Mrs O'Reilly was making breakfast.
"Walter's just out feeding the rabbits, but he'll be back shortly," she said. "Now, would you like one egg or two?"
"One's fine. I don't want to eat you out of house and home," Henry said.
"Oh, it's no bother. Walter usually has three," Mrs O'Reilly said. "I'll give you two. You look as if you could do with feeding up."
Radar came in then, hanging his jacket up on the hook, and did a little double take when he saw Henry sat at the kitchen table. He blinked, and smiled.
"Morning, sir," he said, sitting down at last. Henry rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to call me that now," he said.
"If you don't mind, sir, I'd still rather call you sir," Radar said.
"Fair enough," Henry shrugged.
"You know you're wearing Uncle Ed's bathrobe, sir?" Radar said. Henry looked down at the threadbare bathrobe he had on, the sleeves far too short to cover his arms, and felt suddenly self-conscious.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it was just hanging there, and -"
"It's okay," Radar said, smiling. "It'd suit you if it wasn't so small."
Mrs O'Reilly started serving up the eggs.
"Colonel Blake, I thought today you might accompany Walter while he does his chores," she said. Radar nodded.
"I've got to pick up some groceries and pay in some bills and things, but I thought if you came with me I could show you the town and stuff like that," he said. "Unless you've got other plans."
"Sounds just dandy to me," Henry said. The O'Reillys gave him identical smiles.
The O'Reilly farm was a little way out of town, but it wasn't far to walk. Ottumwa itself wasn't particularly remarkable, though it had a certain charm. Radar seemed to know everybody they passed, and they frequently had to stop so he could chat with another old acquaintance. Few of them even noticed Henry, and the ones that did seemed perfectly content when Radar explained he was an old friend who'd come to visit.
Henry couldn't help but be quietly amused by the role reversal. Today, he was following Radar's lead, taking his instructions and carrying the things they'd bought. He didn't mind. In a way, he felt like he'd been doing it for years - it was just like old times, when the family went into the centre of Bloomington, when Lorraine would shop for groceries and he'd go looking for supplies to do the fixing up he always meant to do but never got round to. Except that this time, there were no arguments over who needed to go where, or tired, bored kids traipsing around at their feet.
They managed to get it all sorted by lunchtime, and decided to stop for milkshakes at a little corner cafe.
"How long are you planning to stay here, sir?" Radar asked, as they sat down at a table by the window, overlooking the street.
Henry stalled for time, taking a long slurp of his drink. "Truthfully, I don't know. The thing is -"
He'd glossed over the grimmer details when he'd told the story the night before, not wanting to spoil a pleasant evening or cause any undue alarm.
"- it's not easy, being dead," he said. Radar looked baffled; his face had a way of settling naturally into the expression.
"I've been having trouble settling back in. All my official records say I don't exist any more, and nobody knows how to put them back to how they're meant to be, and in the meantime I can't get a job or anything," Henry said. "And Lorraine..." he sighed. "She's living with another man now."
"Aw, gee, sir, I should've guessed," Radar said. "I could tell things weren't right." He gave him an optimistic little smile. "Well, you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."
"Oh, I don't want to be a burden," Henry said, shaking his head. "I just came here because Hawkeye said I ought to show you I'm alive and okay. I can't live off your kindness forever."
"Okay, sir, I understand," Radar said, but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. They didn't talk much on the journey home.
Henry stayed with the O'Reillys that night too, and slept in late the following morning. When he came down to breakfast, Radar was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs O'Reilly was just washing up the plates.
"Ah, Colonel Blake," she said, smiling at him, "I saved some pancakes for you. They're just there on the side."
Henry grabbed the plate and sat down, and asked,
"Is -"
He'd barely got the first word out before Mrs O'Reilly answered,
"No, Walter's already fed his rabbits. Right now he's out at work - he works as a clerk in the town council offices during the week." A slightly wistful look spread over her face. "The farm can't provide for us by itself. We had to scale things down after Edward passed away."
"Oh," Henry said. For some reason, he'd simply presumed Radar would always be around. Now he'd got used to having him at his side all the time again, he felt a little bereft.
He spent the day helping Mrs O'Reilly around the house - sweeping the yard, mending a broken pipe, accompanying her as she checked on all the animals. He had a feeling Mrs O'Reilly thought he was still weak and was going easy on him, but it was nice to feel useful nevertheless. Shortly after they had lunch, some relatives arrived and they had coffee together, none of them remotely bothered by his presence. In the space of a day or two, he seemed to have become part of the fabric of this house.
At the back of his mind was the memory of how disappointed Radar had been when he'd said he couldn't stay. With each passing moment, Bloomington felt more like a memory, but Henry knew he had to return. No matter how tempting, he felt sure this wasn't the answer to his problems.
That evening, they all had dinner together. Henry helped Mrs O'Reilly with the washing-up, and was just putting away the plates when Radar came into the kitchen with his arms full of fishing poles.
"I thought we could go down to the river this evening," he said. "I mean, this probably isn't as good as what you've got at home -"
"It's perfect!" Henry said, overjoyed. "Have you got any bait?"
"Nothing living. We might have some flies somewhere, Uncle Ed used to use them," Radar said.
"Oh, they'll take forever to find," Mrs O'Reilly said. "There's so many things in this house, I wouldn't even know where to start."
"It's fine, we can just use bits of bread," Henry said, and smiled. "Catching fish is only the third best bit about fishing."
"What's the other two?" Radar asked.
"The challenge of the sport, and the excuse to get away from the wife," Henry said. They began to head off, when Radar got a sudden look, put down the poles and dashed away. He returned a moment later with something in his hand, which he passed over to Henry.
Henry unrolled it to find it was a fishing hat, in a fetching shade of blue. He settled it down on his head, and Radar's face lit up.
"Oh, now you look like yourself again!"
Henry gave him an amused look, picked up the poles, and together, they set off across the fields.
"Y'know, the last time I fished, it was back in Korea, with you," Henry remarked idly, following Radar's lead as they headed down a narrow little track. "Remember that little creek just outside the camp? Never caught a thing but it was nice to visit."
"You've never been fishing since?" Radar said.
"Never had the chance," Henry replied. "Don't worry, it's not something you forget."
("Are we really allowed to do this, sir?" Radar said, glancing anxiously around.
"I'm the CO, I'm allowed to do whatever I like," Henry said, confidently setting his equipment up by the little creek.
"I'm not sure it works like that, sir..."
"Oh, come on, Radar! I'm allowed a little relaxation, aren't I? Frank reads his Bible, Pierce and McIntyre chase their nurses, Klinger makes his dresses – you've got to have a hobby out here."
"I suppose so, sir."
Henry had barely cast his line before choppers had come sweeping overhead, and the whole set-up hastily abandoned, but it was the principle of the thing that mattered.)
They climbed over a fence, went through a thicket of trees, and came to a shady little patch of riverside.
"This is just beautiful," Henry said quietly, as he started to set up the poles.
"It is, isn't it? Me and Uncle Ed sometimes went fishing here," Radar said. "And -" His voice lowered a little, even though there was very little chance of anyone else hearing them. "This was where I had my first kiss."
Henry smiled as he speared a piece of bread on the hook. Radar was still shy, but a few years ago, he'd have blushed and squirmed and refused to own up even to something as harmless and wholesome as that.
"So it's a special place, then?" Henry asked, and cast his line, letting it drift onto the clear, smooth water.
"I suppose so. It's just a nice place to go and be quiet for a while," Radar said, and cast his own line.
They didn't have much luck with the fish, as it turned out, but the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed. They chatted idly, about times past, about Radar's family and the things they'd got up to back in Korea, and it was like they'd never been apart. Henry didn't want it to end.
"You know you said you were having problems with your records?" Radar said.
"Yeah?" Henry said, curiosity piqued.
"I did a bit of digging around at work today, and I think I might know how to sort things out for you," Radar said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, sure, it's not too difficult at all. I'll need to make some calls, and fill out a few forms, but you already know I can handle that, right?" Radar said, grinning at Henry.
"Radar, you're a lifesaver!" Henry said.
"It's just part of my job, sir," Radar said.
"Okay, that is it," Henry said, folding his arms. "No more 'sir'. We're equals now, y'hear? Though if we weren't, I'd promote you right up to Major for this."
"Aw, you don't have to do anything," Radar said. "I can have that done in a day or two, and then you can go back to Bloomington -" His voice faltered. "And everything'll be fine."
Henry knew that wasn't an option, not now. Radar didn't need to lose him all over again and, truth be told, he didn't want to lose Radar.
"I don't know," he said. "The whole situation with Lorraine... I need to see the kids, but at the same time, I don't want to be there, if I have to see her with another man."
Radar bit his lip, swallowed, and ventured,
"Well, we've got this spare room, and we can always do with another set of hands. It's only me and Ma and she's kind of old, and we have to look after the place on our own..."
It was a tempting image. Henry had been turning over the option in his mind for hours. It was a nice fantasy but just that, a fantasy.
"I can't. What would people say?" he said. "A middle-aged man moving in with a young man and his mother?"
"We could say you were a lodger," Radar said. "It'd almost be the truth, except you wouldn't have to pay rent." He lowered his head. "Oh, this was a dumb idea. I can't have Dad or Uncle Ed back, why would I be able to have you back either?"
Henry felt like he was choking up. He extended one arm and laid it over Radar's shoulders; Radar pressed his face into Henry's chest.
"You're a grown man now, Radar. I can't be your father," he said. "But we'll figure something out. I'm not leaving you again, I owe you that."
He ruffled Radar's hair with his free hand, and dropped a kiss to the crown of his head. Radar moved back a little, looking up at him, and gave him a shaky smile.
"You'll stay in Ottumwa?"
"Yeah," Henry said, figuring for once in his life he might as well make a decision on his own. "Yeah, I'm going to stay in Ottumwa. It can't hurt for this place to have another doctor around, can it?"
Radar moved away, twitching with excitement.
"There's clinics round here you could work in, or you could set up your own practice - I could even be your secretary!" he said.
"Hold on, hold on, one thing at a time," Henry said. "I'll work it out in time. You don't mind me staying a little longer while I get established, do you?"
"Of course not!" Radar said. "You really will stay here? You're not going to leave?"
"I'll have to drive back to Bloomington to see the kids at weekends, but yeah," Henry said. "I'll get a job, and find myself a nice little house - to which you'll be invited any time you like, of course - and we can go fishing in the evenings, or out to bars when it's too cold for that, and that'll be a pretty good compromise, don't you think?"
Radar grinned ear to ear, and hugged Henry hard enough that he threatened to crack a rib. Henry gave in and hugged back. When they broke apart at last, Henry looked out over the water and noticed the setting sun was close to disappearing over the horizon altogether.
"C'mon, we'd better pack up," he said. "Your Ma's probably making supper."
They gathered together their things, and walked up together through the fields, to a new beginning. To home.
Summary: In which Henry Blake gets to go home, wherever that might be.
Rating: G
Word Count: ~3000
Disclaimer: I don't own M*A*S*H. No money's being made.
Notes: Sorry about taking so long with this final instalment! Endings have never been my forte. As before, kind of AU. Very spoilery, for the series in general and Abyssinia Henry in particular. Mostly gen, with the odd bit of subtext; this chapter, if you wanted, could be read as preslash.
Part Four: The End of the Journey
It took several days from Chicago to Ottumwa. The money Hawkeye had given him was more than enough to cover hiring a car, and after weeks of relying on public transport, Henry rather enjoyed the feeling of independence it gave him.
He knew where to find Radar's house from memory alone. In the first few weeks they'd been out there, Radar had been painfully homesick, and Henry had sat and listened patiently to his tales of home. Radar hadn't been away from the farm for more than a week or so until his conscription, and his descriptions, though simple, stuck clearly in Henry's mind. A little farmhouse surrounded by fields, the father he'd lost when he was young and his sweet little old mother (who was really barely older than Henry), his elder brothers and sisters, all his other relatives, the family pets, the schoolyard crushes, everything. Henry hadn't known what to do but sit and let Radar pour it all out to him, but that seemed to have been enough.
He stopped his car by the roadside and got out, shaking the stiffness out of his legs and collecting himself before moving onwards. After his previous experiences, he was wary about what to expect; he had no idea what sort of man Radar might have grown into while he was away. Really, he should have written or called or something, let them know he was coming, but Hawkeye had been so insistent he go right away, and he'd never had much luck at resisting Pierce's demands.
There was a long path that led down to a little house in the middle of the fields, that in almost every detail was just how Henry had pictured it. The sun was setting, and he could see a light on in the window; as he came nearer, he could hear the sound of Bing Crosby drifting through the air.
He was a few steps away from the door when it burst open and somebody shot out, only just managing to stop before they crashed into him. Henry smiled - Radar still came before he was called. He was standing and blinking owlishly up at Henry, mouth opening and shutting without making a sound.
"It's me, Radar," Henry said. "I'm alive."
Radar gasped sharply and, before Henry could brace himself, threw himself forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Henry's middle. He stayed there a good long time, clinging to Henry, shaking all over. Tentatively, Henry raised his arms to hug back, trying to smooth the shivers away.
Looking over Radar's shoulder, he saw a woman coming out of the house.
"Colonel Blake?" she said, and Henry immediately knew where Radar got his ESP from.
"That's me," he said, and the woman smiled in a cheerful, guileless manner that was very familiar.
"Come on in," she said. "Dinner's ready."
That wasn't so easy with Radar still attached to him limpet-fashion, but Henry gently prised him away and followed Mrs O'Reilly into the house. It was some work weaving his way through the narrow hallway and trying not to trip over the cats that seemed to be sleeping on every available surface, but he made it into the kitchen without injury.
Over a warm, hearty meal of potatoes and stew, Henry went over his story yet again. Radar's mother was in good spirits, apparently entirely unbothered by the arrival of a stranger who'd been thought dead for years, while Radar, more understandably, seemed spooked. It was only when Henry mentioned his conversation with Hawkeye that Radar snapped out of his trance.
"He said that about me?" he said. Henry nodded.
"Sounded pretty serious to me, and I know better than to argue with Hawkeye," he said. Radar squirmed in his seat.
"Aw, jeez, I wasn't that bad," he said. Mrs O'Reilly smiled at Henry from across the table (the more he looked at her, the more eerie the family resemblance became; if he didn't know better, he'd swear she was Radar in drag).
"What my son means to say is that he's very happy you're here," she said.
The O'Reillys were kind enough to give Henry a bed for the night, despite his protestations, and he awoke the next day feeling better than ever. It was a clear, bright morning, and when he went down next morning, Mrs O'Reilly was making breakfast.
"Walter's just out feeding the rabbits, but he'll be back shortly," she said. "Now, would you like one egg or two?"
"One's fine. I don't want to eat you out of house and home," Henry said.
"Oh, it's no bother. Walter usually has three," Mrs O'Reilly said. "I'll give you two. You look as if you could do with feeding up."
Radar came in then, hanging his jacket up on the hook, and did a little double take when he saw Henry sat at the kitchen table. He blinked, and smiled.
"Morning, sir," he said, sitting down at last. Henry rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to call me that now," he said.
"If you don't mind, sir, I'd still rather call you sir," Radar said.
"Fair enough," Henry shrugged.
"You know you're wearing Uncle Ed's bathrobe, sir?" Radar said. Henry looked down at the threadbare bathrobe he had on, the sleeves far too short to cover his arms, and felt suddenly self-conscious.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it was just hanging there, and -"
"It's okay," Radar said, smiling. "It'd suit you if it wasn't so small."
Mrs O'Reilly started serving up the eggs.
"Colonel Blake, I thought today you might accompany Walter while he does his chores," she said. Radar nodded.
"I've got to pick up some groceries and pay in some bills and things, but I thought if you came with me I could show you the town and stuff like that," he said. "Unless you've got other plans."
"Sounds just dandy to me," Henry said. The O'Reillys gave him identical smiles.
The O'Reilly farm was a little way out of town, but it wasn't far to walk. Ottumwa itself wasn't particularly remarkable, though it had a certain charm. Radar seemed to know everybody they passed, and they frequently had to stop so he could chat with another old acquaintance. Few of them even noticed Henry, and the ones that did seemed perfectly content when Radar explained he was an old friend who'd come to visit.
Henry couldn't help but be quietly amused by the role reversal. Today, he was following Radar's lead, taking his instructions and carrying the things they'd bought. He didn't mind. In a way, he felt like he'd been doing it for years - it was just like old times, when the family went into the centre of Bloomington, when Lorraine would shop for groceries and he'd go looking for supplies to do the fixing up he always meant to do but never got round to. Except that this time, there were no arguments over who needed to go where, or tired, bored kids traipsing around at their feet.
They managed to get it all sorted by lunchtime, and decided to stop for milkshakes at a little corner cafe.
"How long are you planning to stay here, sir?" Radar asked, as they sat down at a table by the window, overlooking the street.
Henry stalled for time, taking a long slurp of his drink. "Truthfully, I don't know. The thing is -"
He'd glossed over the grimmer details when he'd told the story the night before, not wanting to spoil a pleasant evening or cause any undue alarm.
"- it's not easy, being dead," he said. Radar looked baffled; his face had a way of settling naturally into the expression.
"I've been having trouble settling back in. All my official records say I don't exist any more, and nobody knows how to put them back to how they're meant to be, and in the meantime I can't get a job or anything," Henry said. "And Lorraine..." he sighed. "She's living with another man now."
"Aw, gee, sir, I should've guessed," Radar said. "I could tell things weren't right." He gave him an optimistic little smile. "Well, you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."
"Oh, I don't want to be a burden," Henry said, shaking his head. "I just came here because Hawkeye said I ought to show you I'm alive and okay. I can't live off your kindness forever."
"Okay, sir, I understand," Radar said, but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. They didn't talk much on the journey home.
Henry stayed with the O'Reillys that night too, and slept in late the following morning. When he came down to breakfast, Radar was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs O'Reilly was just washing up the plates.
"Ah, Colonel Blake," she said, smiling at him, "I saved some pancakes for you. They're just there on the side."
Henry grabbed the plate and sat down, and asked,
"Is -"
He'd barely got the first word out before Mrs O'Reilly answered,
"No, Walter's already fed his rabbits. Right now he's out at work - he works as a clerk in the town council offices during the week." A slightly wistful look spread over her face. "The farm can't provide for us by itself. We had to scale things down after Edward passed away."
"Oh," Henry said. For some reason, he'd simply presumed Radar would always be around. Now he'd got used to having him at his side all the time again, he felt a little bereft.
He spent the day helping Mrs O'Reilly around the house - sweeping the yard, mending a broken pipe, accompanying her as she checked on all the animals. He had a feeling Mrs O'Reilly thought he was still weak and was going easy on him, but it was nice to feel useful nevertheless. Shortly after they had lunch, some relatives arrived and they had coffee together, none of them remotely bothered by his presence. In the space of a day or two, he seemed to have become part of the fabric of this house.
At the back of his mind was the memory of how disappointed Radar had been when he'd said he couldn't stay. With each passing moment, Bloomington felt more like a memory, but Henry knew he had to return. No matter how tempting, he felt sure this wasn't the answer to his problems.
That evening, they all had dinner together. Henry helped Mrs O'Reilly with the washing-up, and was just putting away the plates when Radar came into the kitchen with his arms full of fishing poles.
"I thought we could go down to the river this evening," he said. "I mean, this probably isn't as good as what you've got at home -"
"It's perfect!" Henry said, overjoyed. "Have you got any bait?"
"Nothing living. We might have some flies somewhere, Uncle Ed used to use them," Radar said.
"Oh, they'll take forever to find," Mrs O'Reilly said. "There's so many things in this house, I wouldn't even know where to start."
"It's fine, we can just use bits of bread," Henry said, and smiled. "Catching fish is only the third best bit about fishing."
"What's the other two?" Radar asked.
"The challenge of the sport, and the excuse to get away from the wife," Henry said. They began to head off, when Radar got a sudden look, put down the poles and dashed away. He returned a moment later with something in his hand, which he passed over to Henry.
Henry unrolled it to find it was a fishing hat, in a fetching shade of blue. He settled it down on his head, and Radar's face lit up.
"Oh, now you look like yourself again!"
Henry gave him an amused look, picked up the poles, and together, they set off across the fields.
"Y'know, the last time I fished, it was back in Korea, with you," Henry remarked idly, following Radar's lead as they headed down a narrow little track. "Remember that little creek just outside the camp? Never caught a thing but it was nice to visit."
"You've never been fishing since?" Radar said.
"Never had the chance," Henry replied. "Don't worry, it's not something you forget."
("Are we really allowed to do this, sir?" Radar said, glancing anxiously around.
"I'm the CO, I'm allowed to do whatever I like," Henry said, confidently setting his equipment up by the little creek.
"I'm not sure it works like that, sir..."
"Oh, come on, Radar! I'm allowed a little relaxation, aren't I? Frank reads his Bible, Pierce and McIntyre chase their nurses, Klinger makes his dresses – you've got to have a hobby out here."
"I suppose so, sir."
Henry had barely cast his line before choppers had come sweeping overhead, and the whole set-up hastily abandoned, but it was the principle of the thing that mattered.)
They climbed over a fence, went through a thicket of trees, and came to a shady little patch of riverside.
"This is just beautiful," Henry said quietly, as he started to set up the poles.
"It is, isn't it? Me and Uncle Ed sometimes went fishing here," Radar said. "And -" His voice lowered a little, even though there was very little chance of anyone else hearing them. "This was where I had my first kiss."
Henry smiled as he speared a piece of bread on the hook. Radar was still shy, but a few years ago, he'd have blushed and squirmed and refused to own up even to something as harmless and wholesome as that.
"So it's a special place, then?" Henry asked, and cast his line, letting it drift onto the clear, smooth water.
"I suppose so. It's just a nice place to go and be quiet for a while," Radar said, and cast his own line.
They didn't have much luck with the fish, as it turned out, but the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed. They chatted idly, about times past, about Radar's family and the things they'd got up to back in Korea, and it was like they'd never been apart. Henry didn't want it to end.
"You know you said you were having problems with your records?" Radar said.
"Yeah?" Henry said, curiosity piqued.
"I did a bit of digging around at work today, and I think I might know how to sort things out for you," Radar said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, sure, it's not too difficult at all. I'll need to make some calls, and fill out a few forms, but you already know I can handle that, right?" Radar said, grinning at Henry.
"Radar, you're a lifesaver!" Henry said.
"It's just part of my job, sir," Radar said.
"Okay, that is it," Henry said, folding his arms. "No more 'sir'. We're equals now, y'hear? Though if we weren't, I'd promote you right up to Major for this."
"Aw, you don't have to do anything," Radar said. "I can have that done in a day or two, and then you can go back to Bloomington -" His voice faltered. "And everything'll be fine."
Henry knew that wasn't an option, not now. Radar didn't need to lose him all over again and, truth be told, he didn't want to lose Radar.
"I don't know," he said. "The whole situation with Lorraine... I need to see the kids, but at the same time, I don't want to be there, if I have to see her with another man."
Radar bit his lip, swallowed, and ventured,
"Well, we've got this spare room, and we can always do with another set of hands. It's only me and Ma and she's kind of old, and we have to look after the place on our own..."
It was a tempting image. Henry had been turning over the option in his mind for hours. It was a nice fantasy but just that, a fantasy.
"I can't. What would people say?" he said. "A middle-aged man moving in with a young man and his mother?"
"We could say you were a lodger," Radar said. "It'd almost be the truth, except you wouldn't have to pay rent." He lowered his head. "Oh, this was a dumb idea. I can't have Dad or Uncle Ed back, why would I be able to have you back either?"
Henry felt like he was choking up. He extended one arm and laid it over Radar's shoulders; Radar pressed his face into Henry's chest.
"You're a grown man now, Radar. I can't be your father," he said. "But we'll figure something out. I'm not leaving you again, I owe you that."
He ruffled Radar's hair with his free hand, and dropped a kiss to the crown of his head. Radar moved back a little, looking up at him, and gave him a shaky smile.
"You'll stay in Ottumwa?"
"Yeah," Henry said, figuring for once in his life he might as well make a decision on his own. "Yeah, I'm going to stay in Ottumwa. It can't hurt for this place to have another doctor around, can it?"
Radar moved away, twitching with excitement.
"There's clinics round here you could work in, or you could set up your own practice - I could even be your secretary!" he said.
"Hold on, hold on, one thing at a time," Henry said. "I'll work it out in time. You don't mind me staying a little longer while I get established, do you?"
"Of course not!" Radar said. "You really will stay here? You're not going to leave?"
"I'll have to drive back to Bloomington to see the kids at weekends, but yeah," Henry said. "I'll get a job, and find myself a nice little house - to which you'll be invited any time you like, of course - and we can go fishing in the evenings, or out to bars when it's too cold for that, and that'll be a pretty good compromise, don't you think?"
Radar grinned ear to ear, and hugged Henry hard enough that he threatened to crack a rib. Henry gave in and hugged back. When they broke apart at last, Henry looked out over the water and noticed the setting sun was close to disappearing over the horizon altogether.
"C'mon, we'd better pack up," he said. "Your Ma's probably making supper."
They gathered together their things, and walked up together through the fields, to a new beginning. To home.
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