Way Too Many Feelings

September 15th, 2025.

Normally Mae isn’t one to abandon her duties by any means. She always completes her work and tries to never leave anyone hanging. However, if a job you applied for in the summer at a private school that offers almost double what you’re currently making, non-religious, and smaller class sizes. 

It's very hard not to reject…   

Luckily it was early enough in the year that the students wouldn’t be too completely affected by a new teacher coming in. Depending on the time of year, a new teacher or a long term sub can sometimes make the students not care. This usually takes place in the Spring and by that point the entire building is done and ready for summer vacation. 

Mae pulled into the parking lot of Granville Academy in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh as this was only her third time coming to this building. It was about two floors with original brick work, and a brand-new building in the back that's connected with a skywalk.

“Mom! Mom! They’ve got swings!” Her son Victor was about to jump out of the backseat to go look at the new playground.

Victor is the walking definition of a social butterfly. While a good number of kids are scared about starting a new school and anxious about making friends. Give Victor ten minutes in his 5th grade classroom and he’s made friends with everyone and invited to all the birthday parties.

Turning off the car and popping the trunk open in her Toyota corolla cross, Victor was already bouncing out and wanting to get a closer look at the playground. Their previous school didn’t even have much of a playground. There was a small playground with two slides and about two swings on a good day. But this one was giant. Were talking like six slides, monkey bars, swings, seesaws, and spinners. Mae absolutely loved swings and may have broken an ankle or two when she was kid trying to leap off as far as she could.

“Whoa Victor! You’ll get recess later today. Can you give me a hand please.” Mae called to him as he groaned and hurried back over to the car. Mae basically packed up her old classroom then left it in the car.

Which turned out to be a lot more than she anticipated. While she had a box dedicated to pencils, crayons, and school supplies. Mae had a bit more than most teachers due to her little soft spot for science. 

Okay, it wasn’t just a soft spot. It was one of her favorite things in the world and her favorite subject to teach. She even took extra science classes in college (even though it would mean more student loan debt) just to get as much she could learn to pass on to her students. Make science fun because it can be so much fun. And her second favorite subject to teach is math which can be a bit of a challenge considering how many kids don’t like math. She can’t blame them because it's tricky. Especially fractions. 

And Mae always liked a challenge. And today would be another big challenge for her and Victor. 

Before heading inside. Mae checked her appearance in the mirror. Her dark brown coily hair worked with her this morning as it wasn’t super frizzy but still was big and puffy. Just how she liked it. And her makeup was subtle because she ended up fading away by the end of the day.  

One of the differences in working at a public school and private school is the attire that teachers must wear. As much as her earlier public school wanted the staff to wear business casual or even formal business. That wasn’t going to happen considering that most people couldn’t afford spending the extra money on business attire. So nice jeans, school T-shirts, and maybe a blouse here and there was as good as it was going to get. 

But with this being a private school. They made it clear that they wanted their teachers to dress nicely. So, Mae pulled out a deep plum long sleeve turtleneck and a powder blue pencil skirt. Her heels matching the turtleneck and the belt were also deep plum.  

“I think we're ready Victor.” She commented as Victor stood next to her.  

“Now. What kind of day are we going to have?” 

“A good day!” They high fived one another and began grabbing her supplies from the trunk.  

Victor took her black rolling cart that was overflowing with pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, highlighters, and chalkboard markers. While they are pricey, she knows students tend to write on their desks when they get bored and it’s easy to clean them. The rest of the boxes included games, her own books she’s bought, math supplies, and had two dedicated boxes for her science supplies.  

Once they managed to grab everything in one go, they sped walked to the building. Mae pressed her door fob on the small black panel and the door opened to the main office. The last time she entered this building was in July and spent all morning trying to remember the school secretaries. And they were very common names but for some reason she could not remember them.  

“Good mornin’ sweetie. What can I do for you?” One of the secretaries was sitting behind the desk as Mae walked towards her.  

“I’m the new third grade teacher. Mae Maybriar.”

“Oh, you made it just on time. Give me a second.” The secretary smiled as she walked to the long hallway. From what Mae remembered, that was where the principal, vice principal, and the rest of the office staff had their offices.  

“They’ll be right out. I’m Vickie Radde. And who is this young man?” Vicki smiled down at Victor who approached Vicki.  

“I’m Victor! I’m ten years old… in fifth grade… and my favorite candy is kit kats.” Mae playfully rolled her eyes as Vicki nodded. He’s been scheming on getting his hand on kits kats from every new teacher he could.  

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Victor. If your mom lets me, I got a kit kat for you.” Vicki offered as Mae looked down at Victor.

“This is the only one you’re getting all day.” Mae told Victor as he nodded, but she knew he would still try. 

“Ms. Maybriar I cannot thank you enough for accepting the job and coming in this quickly.” The Principal, Darrell Morin was speed walking towards her as she put down the boxes on a chair. He was tall, very athletically inclined, very well-kept corkscrew curls that were raven black, and dark brown skin.   

“It’s not a problem. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll get started.” Mae smiled as Principal Morin looked down at Victor.  

“And I’m assuming this is the great Victor?” Principal Morin got down to Victor's level as Victor smirked.  

“Yes sir. I’m ten years old, in the fifth grade, and my favorite candy is kit kats.” 

“Very nice to meet you, Victor. I’m Principal Morin. You’ll meet the Vice Principal later on today when she does her rounds of the classrooms. Welcome to Granville Academy." Principal Morin held out his hand as Victor reached it and they shook hands.  

“Well Mrs. Maybriar. I can take you to your room and have you meet your fellow teacher as well. If Victor wants he can join the rest of the kids in thecafeteria. Some parents need to drop off their kid earlier than usual so we serve some breakfas if neededt” He offered as he grabbed the box she put down on the chair.

“Not yet. I wanna see moms classroom first.” Victor responded as they began following Principal Morin. 

Principal Morin gave her the broad strokes as they walked down the hallway towards her new classroom. Giving the school's mission statement, and how wonderful the students are, yada yada yada. And of course, the fun one, the staff here and Granville Academy are a family and will always find a way to help a student no matter the struggle.  

The usual first day conversations.

“And this is now your room. We didn’t want to take any of the decorations down until you got in. In case you wanted to keep anything since the former third grade teacher will not be coming back.” 

“Oh, thank you. I will definitely take a look and see what I’m working with here.”

“Of course. Hey Victor, do you know where you’re going today?” Principal Morin asked as Victor reached into his backpack side pocket.

“Ms. Jamie Mann… room 204.” 

“Good man. Well were about to let everyone in so I’ll be back to introduce you to the class..” Principal Morin said his goodbyes as Mae switched on the lights to see the room was…

Well…

The definition of a millennial teacher as Mae had ever seen one.

Sure, Mae was about to turn 30 and was technically a millennial. But she wasn’t the depressing gray kind of millennial. While you can’t paint over the asylum white walls of the classroom. There were no string lights, lamps, or anything covering the harsh LED lights. Which Mae always covered up in her classroom because those LED lights were HARSH.

Truth be told… everything was gray and black… it was just depressing.

“Mom, this room sucks.” Victor commented as he stopped wheeling the utility cart and looked around

“We don’t use that language Victor………. But it kind of does…” Mae stood in the center of the room and just couldn’t help but have a very disgusted face.

Now the general rule in classrooms these days is that yes have a colorful classroom. But you don’t have to go overboard with decorations because it can cause distractions for the students. Understandably because what kid doesn’t want to look at the bright poster for a few seconds. But having no color just felt wrong.

Mae turned to see where her desk was, which she was fine with. It was in the corner of the room, next to the window, and it was a pretty good size. Filing cabinets, storage, and whatever supplies the earlier teacher was using. And then there was a big table with four small chairs and an opening for Mae to slide into. Very helpful for small group work.

She then focused on all the posters and signs, and it made her eyes widen. They were all the hobby lobby signs that say “keep life simple”, “hello”, and one that says “life happens, coffee helps”. There was one wall dedicated to student art and that was it. Which Mae didn’t like at all, and imagined the earlier teacher preferred a certain aesthetic when teaching. Not a bad thing by any means, it's just… a bit… Sad?

“Well Victor. I think I got my work cut out.”

“Want me to find a trash can?” 

“No no. This is her stuff and we respect other people’s property. I’m going to box it up and give it to the principal so he can give it to her.”

Mae looked at the room once again and got a layout of the land. Three groups of four desks were facing the center of the room, outlining the rug in the middle. Mae moved the table with the four chairs to the edge of the rug against the board. Luckily there was a space in the middle between the two white boards so she wouldn’t be blocking anything. 

“Why do people decorate their classrooms like this?” Victor asked as he reached into the box and pulled out some of her dinosaur displays.

“Well, some people just have a certain taste. Some people like bright colors, some people prefer gray.” Mae gave him a simple answer as he went back to the toy dinosaurs. Victor turned his head as he motioned Mae to look at the door. There was a staff member standing in the doorway. He was rocking the usual office attire of blue dress pants and a white button up.  

“You must be my new partner in crime. Matt Call.”  

“Mae Maybriar.” She smiled as they shook hands.  

“Like the layout?” Matt asked as Mae could only politely nod. 

“Don’t lie, it's awful.”  

“It's a choice that’s for sure. I was planning on packing all her stuff up and giving it to the principal so she could collect it.” Mae told Matt but all he could do was chuckle.   

“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about her stuff. She’s been banned from the property because she…” He made a motion of a bottle as Mae only nodded.  

“Ah. Well, I guess it's a donation then for… whoever.” 

The bell went off as the three of them walked out of the classroo Mae motioned for Victor as they walked out into the hallway. She fixed his collar and kneeled down in front of him and fixed the collar of his shirt. 

“Do you want me to walk you to your classroom?” 

“No thanks. I see the stairs right there so I think I can manage.” Victor told her as she smiled big.  

“I’m very proud of you, Victor. And know that I love you and have a good first day!” Mae surprised him with a hug, squeezing him as tight as she could. He was starting to wiggle a tiny bit.  

“Mooooooooooom stop. You’re embarrassing me.” He groaned as she squeezed him tighter.  

“I know. Now get goin’.” She motioned as he waved bye and was already darting up the stairs.  

“Would you like me to introduce you to your class, or you got this?” Matt asked as Mae waved him off.  

“No, I got this. If I need anything I’ll scream.” Mae smiled as you could hear the horde of students all the way from the end of the hall. They came around the corner as it looked like a mixture of kindergarten all the way up to eighth grade were making their way down. Mae stood next to her door, offering smiles and good mornings as everyone passed by. A few students stopped, stared, and then went into the classroom. One little boy stopped in front of her and smiled.

“Are you our new teacher?” He asked as Mae nodded.

“I am. I’m Ms. Mae Maybriar. What's your name?”

“Ramtin Al Hashimi.” He responded as Mae smiled. 

“Well, it's very nice to meet you, Ramtin. In a couple minutes I’ll come in and we’ll get our day started.” She smiled as Ramtin also smiled and hurried into the classroom.

The last of the students trickled in as Mae looked over at Matt. He gave her two thumbs up and she gave him a salute. Mae took in a few deep breaths, shook her hands, put on a big smile then walked into the classroom. Before she entered the room, Principal Morin came down the hall and stood in front of the doorway. 

“Okay I’m here. Sorry I like to be at the front door when the students leave for class. 

“Good morning everyone.” He greeted as the kids stood up and gave him a good morning as well. Mae followed in behind them as she smiled and waved to the kids. 

“Very good ‘good morning’ everyone. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that your teacher Mrs. Rose has decided to move on to different pastures. The good news is that we have someone who is eager to meet you! Please give a big good morning to Ms. Mae Maybriar!” He introduced as he moved to see could stand in the front of the class. The kids in unison said as Mae smiled. They seemed awake, alert, and also curious. 

“Well a good morning indeed. I am your new teacher Ms. Mae Maybriar. You may call me Ms. Mae... Ms. Maybriar... Ms. Briar. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” She smiled as a male student shot up his hand. 

“My mom said that Ms. Rose is in the jailhouse because she’s a guzzler.” The kid said, causing Mae to suck in her cheeks because it was really hard to not chuckle. This is the age group of no filter and extremely curious. 

“Well Ms. Maybriar doesn’t know anything about that but you guys are in great hands and I’m gonna get back to it. Call me if you need anything. Have a good day kids!” The Principal left the classroom as Mae walked over to the box. 

“Well I know it's weird having a new teacher when the school year has already started. But I thought a fun way to start the day was for us to get to know one another before we get started on work.” Mae smiled as she walked over to the box and grabbed a foam football.

“Now I call this the name game. See this ball? When I toss you the ball I’m going to ask you three questions. Your name, favorite subject, and then a random question. This will help us get to know one another. Now I’m not looking for any super athletes so please gently throw the ball. Who wants to go first?” 

Almost all the kids raised their hand as Mae noticed the kid who made the comment about Mrs. Rose was waving his hand all over the place. Mae tossed him the ball and he caught it.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Amos McNight.”

“Favorite subject?” 

“Recess!”

“Recess was always my favorite. I was the Queen of freeze tag. So, Amos. Answer me this. If you could choose between a burrito or cheeseburger, what would you eat?” She asked as Amos made a humming sound.

“I’d be a double cheeseburger!” He responded as he tossed the ball back to her. 

“Okay, it's my turn. Ask your questions Amos.”

“What’s your name?”

“Ms. Maybriar.”

“Favorite subject?”

“Science.”

“And…” Amos paused for a moment. “And if you could be any dinosaur, what would you be?”

“Ooohh my favorite dinosaur. I’d have to be a Patagotitan. They’re one of the biggest dinosaurs that once roamed our great earth millions of years ago. Which we will get to later in our school year.” 

Mae looked around the students to see that one of them wasn’t engaging in the group. The little girl was doodling on her name card and looked completely uninterested. So, Mae casually worked her way down as the rest of the students were eager and waiting for Mae to throw the foam ball. She stopped in front of the desk as the child looked up.

“Good morning.” Mae squatted down as the child gave her a quick smile then went back to her own little world. Mae placed the foam ball on her desk as the child took it.

“What’s your name?” Mae asked as the child squeezed the ball.

“Bonnie... Park.” Bonnie said as she sat up a little more.

“Very nice to meet you, Bonnie. Do you have a favorite subject?” Mae smiled as Bonnie squeezed the ball again.

“Music… I really like music class.”

“Fun. I wish I was good at music. I sound like a wild cat whenever I sing.” Mae waited a few minutes as the child chuckled. 

“So, Bonnie. If you like music, then do you have a favorite instrument?” Another few seconds passed as Bonnie gave her back the ball. 

Birdie climbed on the top of the small hill that looked over the camp. Yeah, there was a chance of snipers but considering it was around midnight, she figured they would be asleep. Plus, they got a batch of Chinese soldiers as well tonight, so they’ll be a small halo over their unit tonight. No sniper is going to gun down a soldier in fear of retaliation.  

She picked a spot on the side of the hill, putting down the instrument case then her coffee on top. As much as she would’ve preferred a glass of whiskey on her birthday, she’s got post op in about twenty minutes, and one glass might turn into two.  

So, a cup of black tar was better than nothing.  

It was quiet… thank God.  

There was a lot of screaming this round of wounded and that's what hurts the most. When they scream in pain and the morphine isn’t kicking in quick enough. It makes my heart ache because all I can do there is just tell them it’ll pass.  

And then when it doesn’t pass…  

Birdie took in a very deep breath, held it for few moments then slowly released. In again, holding, then out.  

After another sip of her coffee, she turned to the instrument case and opened it. The one thing she will always carry with her no matter where a war takes her is her mandolin. If she had her way she’d have her guitar, banjo, and fiddle with her. But the mandolin with it being so versatile is better, and more compact.  

Her mandolin was still in great condition its over twenty years old and has been reestringed countless times. Birdie’s most prized possession as its black maple finish still shined even with the scratches on it. She began turning the eight strings as she was deciding on what kind of song to play this evening.  

No, it would not be happy birthday.  

Birdie began warming up with her chords and then began strumming the chords for wildwood flowers. She kept it quiet for those who were sleeping so she wouldn’t wake them up. And began softly singing the lyrics as she played.  

Oh, I’ll twine with my mingles and raven black hair  

With the roses so red and the lilies so fair  

And the myrtles so bright with the emerald dew  

The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue.  

I will dance, I will sing and my laugh shall be gay  

I will charm every heart, in each crown I will sway  

When I woke from my dreaming my idols was clay  

All portion of love had all flown away. 

Her fingers slid on the strings as she had a soft smile on her face. When she made music, it always made her feel lighter than air. As if the war was light years away from Birdie and she could just enjoy the comfort of her mandolin and her currently crappy cup of coffee.  

Oh, he taught me to love him and promised to love  

And to cherish me over all others above  

How my heart is now wondering no misery can tell 

He’s left me no warning, no words of farewell.  

Oh, he taught me to love him and call me his flower  

That was blooming to cheer him through life’s dreary hour  

How I long to see him and regret the dark hour  

He’s gone and neglected his pale wildwood flower.  

She stretched out the final notes as she was then greeted to the sound of crickets and the stillness of the night.  

There was a crunch to her left as she saw a certain major coming up the hill. Birdie recognized that certain aura admitted from Major Winchester when he walked. There was a sense of pride that he had that Birdie liked. Not everyone's cup of tea, but Birdie quite enjoyed that cup and didn’t mind that he could sometimes be a snob. Because underneath that very thick layer of pride there was a heart of gold.  

“My apologies Major. I thought I was far enough away to keep my squawking down to a minimum.” Birdie apologized as the Major stood above her.  

“Not at all… I… I had no idea you could play. I didn’t think anyone in this camp had any sort of actual musical talent. Father Mulcahys piano playing is good for the casual libation.”  

“Major was that a compliment?” Birdie joked as she took another sip.  

“For your musical talent. Though I wouldn’t prefer the… folk song that you chose.”  

“What's wrong with folk music Major? History used to be taught through music and will continue to do so till the end of the world.” Birdie started as the Major sat down next to her.  

“Yes, but it always sounds sooo…”  

“Twangy?”  

“Drawling.” Major commented as Birdie chuckled.  

“Fair enough Major. Well, I don’t know any Mozart on this mandolin but perhaps a less drawling song and something more. Eh you’ll find the word.” Birdie chuckled as she cracked her knuckles.  

Birdie can’t sing opera to save her life and wasn’t going to try and impress the Major. But she did know a nice ballad that sounded decent on the mandolin. Birdie slowly began playing as she tapped her foot along to find the tempo she needed.  

Again  

This couldn’t happen again 

This is that once in a lifetime 

This is the thrill divine.  

What’s more 

This never happened before  

Though I have prayed for a lifetime  

That such as you would suddenly be mine.  

Mine to hold as I’m holding you now and yet  

Never so near.  

Mine to have when the now and the here disappear.  

What matter’s dear for when 

This doesn’t happen again  

We’ll have this moment forever 

But never never again.  

We’ll have this moment forever 

But never..  

Never  

Again.  

She held out the last note again as she looked over to see the Major was smitten. Which surprised her considering this wasn’t his preferred style of music.  

“Extraordinary.”  

That one word spoke volumes to Birdie as her cheeks blushed. And now her entire face was deep red. Even her ears were turning red as well which had never happened before in her life. Birdie cleared her throat and let out a quick breath.  

“Thank you Major. I try.” She said rather quickly.  

“Is that how you got the nickname?”  

“During my time in southern France, we were stationed in Grenoble France. Bigelow and I went into town to celebrate with the resistant fighters. I learned how to sing very many Edith Piaf songs. My favorite being L’Accordeoniste. Funny you’d think someone soundin’ like me would be able to sing French. Anyway, one of the resistant fighters said “un magnifique oiseau chanteur.” 

“A magnificent songbird.” Charles translated. “I would have to agree with the man. It has been a very long time since someone around here could sing so lovely.” Dear god Birdie was going to throw up from his words. All those butterflies that decided to flap around was makin’ her feel all giddy. Even her toes were curling up.  

“Thank you Major.”  

“Charles please.”  

And her face turned dark red once again.  

“Thank you Charles. Well anyway the word got switched to Birdie and off it went. Plus, it’s easier to yell Birdie than Bernadette or Summerfield in an OR when shellin’ is happenin’ less than five feet away. After that I kind of just stuck with it.” Birdie put the mandolin back in the case then finished her cup of coffee.  

“Fair point. Have you ever thought about heading back to France?” Charles asked as Birdie closed the case.  

“Oh absolutely. I’ve stayed in touch with a few friends from my time in Europe. One of them owns a winery now in the Languedoc region. Just haven’t had the time to head back over there I guess.” Birdie admitted as the good memories began flooding back of her time in Europe.  

When they weren’t flooded with wounded. Birdie, Bigelow, and other nurses would go galivanting to the nearest town. Try endless French wines, eat, sing, and keep each other in check and make sure they made it back to base in one piece.  

“Well, if I would’ve known you liked French music I would’ve sung somethin’ along those lines for ya instead of Doris Day.” Birdie turned her wrist to look at her watch. Realizing she had about five minutes left till she was due in post op. “Next time I’ll gladly brush the dust off my French for ya Charles.”  

“That would be lovely. Thank you Bernadette.”  

Birdie had no idea what else to say because all those butterflies were about to come up. All she could do was wave, turn, and make a mad dash towards post op. It's not like she was running from him and what had just happened. Birdie was running because if she wasn’t in post op on time, Major Houlihan would rip her a new one and she didn’t want to ruin the night with her yelling.  

When she made it to post op with two minutes to spare, she placed the instrument case underneath a table and worked her way over to Major Houlihan who was having a conversation with Hunnicut.  

“Evenin’ Major Houlihan, Hunnicut.” Birdie nodded to them as Major Houlihan looked up.  

“You were almost late Captain. A good nurse knows to be on early is to be on time, and to be on time is late.”  

“It's the nightshift Margaret. Everyone is asleep.” Hunnicut intervened but the Major of course knows better.  

“Still. Mind your time, Captain.” Major Houlihan told Birdie as she only nodded and responded with a ‘Yes Major’.  

“Good. Now let's begin our rounds.” The Major sounded off as both Hunnicut and Birdie followed.  

It wasn’t a full house tonight. Out of the twenty beds in post op only eight of them were full. And most of them were very low on the scale of worry. And it helped they were all passed out from exhaustion or the pain killers. They'll repeat a crit every two hours and since most of them have an IVs in them or had one in them. Birdie can take their blood while they’re asleep.  

“Captain Summerifeld, make sure you run a crit on them every two hours to keep an eye on their blood count. But I’d keep an eye on Sergeant Grimes.”  

“The one who was a bit fussy when they brought him in this afternoon?”  

“Yes. His blood pressure kept shooting up during surgery, so we had to administer nitroglycerin to keep him from having a heart attack. He’s been in and out but every time he wakes up, he’s a little… as you say… fussy.” Major Houlihan informed us as they both looked at Sergeant Grimes. He stood around 6 foot 4, around 220 pounds, and hands the size of baseball gloves. 

“Let him sleep it off. I don’t wanna put restraints on him but considering he was a bit rough coming in. I’d have them ready just in case.” Major Houlihan ordered as Birdie marked that on her list of things to do. That being the number one in case Sergeant Grimes wakes up in a fit.  

Major Houlihan wished us a good night as it was now just Hunnicut and Birdie for the night. Normally there’s three or four nurses on duty but there’s been a bit of a stomach bug going around so it's best to keep all those sick pretty far from the patients. Besides, this wasn’t the first time it would be Birdie and Hunnicut. They work pretty well as a team.  

“Do rounds then eat?” Hunnicut held up a bag of M&Ms. About twenty packs of them inside, which caused Birdie to almost drool. It has been weeks since she’s had some chocolate that was good. Not hard with some fuzz growing on the corner.  

“How’d you get that many? Surprised they didn’t take it from you when they went through the mail!”  

“Peggy hid them in my extra socks and put those socks in more socks. She even stuffed them in my bunny slippers.”  

“Bet Hawkeye is absolutely loving those slippers. Tell Peggy I said thank you a thousand times.”  

After the first round, both Hunnicut and Birdie destroyed around twelve of those packs but then saved the rest for the wounded if they wanted any. Which they would because its M&Ms. They’re delicious and in this moment, they were the freshest food Birdie had eaten in weeks.  

“How is Peggy doin’ by the way?”  

“Well from what she tells me its good. With that job she had to pick up...”  

“Still mad about that?”  

“No… Margaret did a very good job of putting me in my place with that.”  

“I wouldn’t say putin’ in your place. Just a bit of a kick in the rearend Hunnicut.” Birdie told him as Hunnicut nodded in agreement.  

“Either way… I just hope she knows I’d give her the entire world if I could so she wouldn’t have to work. I wanted her life to be easy and wonderful.”  

“I think you’re overthinkin’ these things BJ. Look at like this... At least she’s wantin’ to help instead of just expectin’ you to send more money.” Birdie told him as he nodded then looked at his empty cup of coffee.  

“I guess you’re right. I’m gonna get another cup. Refill?”  

“Please. I’m gonna do a quick round and pass out the M&Ms to everyone else. If we keep them at the table I’m gonna eat them all.” Birdie got up as Hunnicut left post op.  

One by one, Birdie checked vitals, administering medication if needed, and logging their current health status, which was all of them deep asleep. She saved the last for least being Sergeant Grimes till Hunnicut got back from coffee. He probably had to go into the kitchen and start up a fresh batch.  

Birdie walked by Sergeant Grimes till there was a sharp breath and he shot up from his bed. His eyes were wide and he was scanning the entire room quickly.  

“Sergeant Grimes you’re awake.”  

“What… what… where am I!?” He panicked, ignoring Birdie as she put the clipboard back on the hook. She joined him on the side of the bed ready to calm him down as he was having some sort of episode.  

“You’re at...”  

Before she could finish her sentence. His hands reached out and wrapped around her throat as she tried scratching at his eyes to get out of his holding. But he held her up and her legs were practically dangling in the air.  

“You’re not gonna fool me you dirty bastard! You killed my friends!”  His grip was incredibly tight that she couldn’t scream out in pain as he flipped her body down, so she hit the floor hard.  

Birdie continued to scratch and claw her way out. Hunnicut came into the room and at once dropped the coffee mug and hurried to where they keep the medications found. He called out for help as her vision was beginning to get blurry. She saw Hunnicut inject something into his neck. But all that did was cause Sergeant Grimes to push Hunnicut back and far.

Father Mulcahy attempted to get Grimes off but was even struggling with it. Birdies vision was about to go black till she saw Radar and a metal tray of some sorts making an appearance. And with a loud smack to the back of the head, Sergeant Grimes finally stopped then passed out.   

~~ 

Charles found himself back in France. It had been in 1949 that his family took a very relaxing yacht trip in the Mediterranean. Endless wine, champagne, and various fish dishes that tasted delicious. 

But this was different. Very different. The biggest difference was his white shorts and a very brightly designed aloha shirt. Which he never wore on vacation.  

His family wasn’t there as he stepped out of the main salon to see the table was covered in endless bottles of red and white wine. None of them were opened and there were only two glasses from what he could see.  

Peculiar.  

Music began playing from the bow of the yacht as Charles began working his way to the front. It wasn’t Beethoven or Mozart. As a matter of fact, it was Myszkowski. Spanish Dances… He wasn’t a fan of Moszkowski, but it surely was odd that it was in his dreams.  

When he arrived at the bow there was indeed not a piano or even a record player. But the piano was still playing as if he was standing right next to it. Was he going mad?  

About halfway through the song, it changed keys and was beginning to sound just like a waltz. Along with that there was now an accordion, a trumpet, violins, saxophones?  

Charles turned around as he was now in a grand dance hall where everyone was dressed to the nines. Perfectly pressed tuxedos, glamorous ball gowns that seemed to be sparkling in the dim lights. Everyone was dawning beautiful full faced masks, which made his heart race a little bit. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves but standing in a room with everyone wearing a mask while he couldn’t cover his face was a bit unnerving.  

And the music was now right in front of him. He looked down at himself to see that he was wearing his officers formal uniform, causing him to stick out like a sore thumb. Charles didn’t mind being the center of discussion on certain situations. But not like this.  

“Pour les messieurs.” A waiter approached him with a glass of cognac on his tray. Charles took it but didn’t drink it.  

“You’re missing something.” Another voice as their hand touched his shoulder. He turned his head as he watched the white gloves travel down his arm. Charles was graced with the presence of Birdie and she looked absolutely breathtaking.  

Her beautiful chestnuts brown hair was short and in tight curls that framed her face. The light was allowing her rich and warm cognac eyes to draw Charles in at once. But while her hair and makeup were done. She wore a simple dress. Actually, it was a simple blouse and skirt, causing her to stick out just as much as he was.  

No words spoke as Charles placed his right hand on Bernadettes shoulder blade, then with his left hand he held up her hand. La Foule began playing as they began dancing. Birdie was smirking during the dance as Charles moved his hands to dip her down.  

“Winchester…” 

“WINCHESTER!”