Klinger had finally done it. He'd made the decision to go AWOL and had taken steps to ensure his plan's success. He'd learned that Lieutenant Greg Ferguson was headed towards the airport and made arrangements to ride with him.

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Finally the gunfire stopped. Margaret moaned as she lay on the dusty ground. She felt queasy as another wave of pain shot through her body. Fortunately the blood had been contained to a scraping of her chest. There was a fire in her chest that wouldn't go away. She closed her eyes and counted to one hundred as she waited for the latest round of pain to stop. Finally she opened her eyes and allowed the sunlight to radiate its warmth upon her face. Its sensation was a welcome contrast to the ache that she was experiencing.

She looked for the jeep, determined to get to Frank. Frank! Was he alright? Had he survived? She was injured, and was in a great deal of pain. Memories of the accident flooded her mind, but there was no time to think about that. It was time to focus on survival. Looking up at the mangled mess of the jeep, she knew she was lucky to be alive. She looked down at her tattered shirt and her badly skinned chest and knew that she had broken a rib. The sight momentarily caught her off guard but it didn't frighten her; after all she was used to the sight of blood. Margaret knew she was fortunate that she didn't puncture a lung; she would be alright in a month or two at the most. Carefully she stood up and slowly she made her way over to the jeep.

"Frank….Frank…" she whispered as walked around to the driver's side. He was waking up as she grabbed his wrist to check his pulse.

"What happened?"

"We were in an accident. Don't panic. We're going to be alright." She gently touched his forehead.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He grabbed her hands and noticed her chest. "We've got to get you help!"

"Margaret, we've got to get out of here. This is no place for an accident! People can see us!" he said as he tended to her wound. "They'll find us. We're sitting ducks."

She took a deep breath out of habit, immediately regretting it. She could only hope that Frank could be reasoned with.

"Now darling, now's not the time to panic…"

"Now's the perfect time to panic! We're stuck in the middle of nowhere with no transportation Meanwhile no one's going to have the sense to look for us for three days. What do you suggest we do?"

Margaret wanted to believe that it was only the concussion talking. It had to be. Certainly Frank Burns, the man she loved, wouldn't be so eager to throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble. Why she'd just have to convince him that all was not what it seemed. He wouldn't be the first man in her life who she needed to give a little direction to. And he certainly wouldn't be the last. Still, it would be nice if he could pull his own weight and come up with a solution.

"We're just going to have to walk." Margaret decided, ignoring her own pain.

"We can't leave the jeep! How will they ever find us?"

"Oh Frank, don't be a marshmallow." She said, irritated. "Now let's grab our sacks and get going. Maybe we can find a hut for me to stay in on the way back. But we have to go"

"Yes, darling, of course you're right." He finally agreed. And the two headed back towards camp.

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Klinger was feeling pangs of guilt. He knew what he was doing was not right. He would not miss the army, but he would miss the people. Hawkeye had been the heart of the joint, keeping the place in stitches. The man from Maine was the most dedicated doctor Klinger had ever met, and his presence was always felt in any room he was ever in. Trapper was also a good guy and could be counted on a good laugh. Major Houlihan was one tough bird and was always coming down on him for the slightest infractions, but she was a good nurse. Radar sure knew his job and was a guy you could depend on. Major Burns was, well, Major Burns. Klinger didn't know Colonel Potter very well and felt bad about betraying his trust. The man had put up with his schemes patiently much like Colonel Blake had. Colonel Blake…Klinger never understood why the jovial man had to be taken from the earth at such a young age.

At the thought of the former commander the Ohioian lowered his head. Just then he spotted the remains of a jeep.

"You have to stop. You have to pull this thing over!" he declared with certainty.

"I can't. I have a schedule to keep." Lieutenant Ferguson replied.

"No, this is important! You have to see if someone needs help. There's been an accident. Just stop for a second."

And so the chopper stopped. The corporal hopped out and looked around. In the distance he could make out two figures walking.

"I'll be right back." He told the lieutenant. He knew now that he had to return to camp, but his efforts had served a higher purpose.

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Henry Blake was a humble man. He wasn't sure why folks were thinking of him so much lately. Of course he felt blessed to be remembered, as anyone would. His time on earth may have been short but he'd lived a lifetime in his short span. Now that he'd been deceased for a short time, he'd made peace with the memories of his past. True, he's been far from a perfect husband. But he'd provided for Lorraine and loved her in the best way he'd known how. And if he hadn't been in that dreaded war he never would have touched another woman. Or so he liked to have believed. But that was neither here nor there, he supposed. There was the time Lorraine had given her permission to date other women. It had torn him apart when he realized that was because she herself had been tempted by another man. He'd cried, and he wasn't a man given to fits of tears. Funny how times like that make you reevaluate your priorities. Henry sure has his priorities straight now. If only he hadn't learned his lessons too late…Maybe if he had things to do over again he would have been faithful. He sure liked to believe that.

He'd witnessed the grief his fellow comrades had suffered over his loss. Hawkeye and Radar in particular had taken the news particularly badly. Hawkeye had lost sleep and refused to eat. There were so many things Henry had wanted to say to him.

Be strong and look out for the rest of the guys. They look up to you. Especially Radar. Find someone whose shoulders you can lean on because you're gonna need them. I don't care if it's Sidney. You can't be chief surgeon by yourself. You think I was colonel by my lonesome? Your mind gets a little overworked so take it easy. Easier said than done. That's not a judgment, that's a fact. Anyone who spends five minutes with you can see that. But believe me, if there's anything I say you take to heart it's this- don't hold it all in. It'll eat you up inside.

Henry knew that life would go on, as well as it should. There would be many more trials for each of them to face. Hawkeye would have his own demons to face. The crew would continue to stare death in the eye on a regular basis. He couldn't fight their battles for them, but Henry Blake would live on in the heart of the MASH 4077.

The end