Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters – but I can dream!
Shortcut
"Captain! Captain Hunnicutt! Over here, sir!"
At least a head taller than most of the crowd, BJ Hunnicutt spotted the figure waving from the jeep on the other side of the road and hurried over.
"No need to shout, Radar", he said, squinting at the bright Hawaiian shirt the corporal was sporting. "I would have heard that shirt from Toyko."
He heaved his bags into the back of the jeep and climbed in. "Let's get out of this circus – it makes the 4077th seem like a country club."
"Sure thing, Sir! Lucky my R&R ended the same morning as your conference." Radar began to guide the jeep efficiently through the throng. In his short time at the MASH unit, BJ had learned that the young clerk did a lot of things efficiently and without fuss, and it seemed that driving was no exception.
They soon left the city behind and Radar was able to concentrate less on avoiding collisions with pedestrians, rickshaws and military vehicles and more on conversation.
"So how was the conference, Sir?" he asked a little too brightly. Radar was not comfortable in social situations, but thought he ought to break the ice. He'd had little time to get to know the new doctor, as things had been even more chaotic than usual in the last couple of weeks. But he'd seen how quickly Hunnicutt had earned the respect of his fellow surgeons, and how good he was with the wounded in pre and post op.
BJ glanced over at him.
"At ease Radar – I've decided I'm taking a break from the army until we get back to camp. It's BJ, okay?" Radar relaxed and nodded, returning the friendly smile.
"The conference was fine, I guess," continued BJ. "I still feel a little like the new kid in school sometimes, but I think I'm catching on to the ways things are done around here. How was your R&R?"
"Oh, I had a great time!" The truth was that Radar had spent much of the last three days alone, but the previous night he had bumped into the company clerk from the 8063rd and a couple of his buddies, and they had stayed up most of the night swapping stories.
Then he remembered something and pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. "Hey, listen - one of the guys found a great shortcut we could try. He said this track goes real close to the 4077th."
"A short cut? Is that such a good idea?"
BJ had visions of snipers behind each bush and mines in every pothole, but Radar had been in Korea long enough have a more practical approach to things.
"It's no problem, honest. The locals use it all the time with their carts and animals and stuff, and the guy I spoke to said he'd driven it last week when the main road was flooded. It's not such a smooth ride, but it'll be quicker even taking it slower – if you know what I mean. We'll be home before you know it."
BJ laughed. He'd never come across someone who could tie his own sentences in knots the way Radar could.
"Okay, you're the navigator. You know, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to people calling the 4077th home!"
As Radar guided the jeep off the main track and they began to climb into the hills, they started to chat comfortably about their homes and families. Radar decided that he liked this man, with his ready smile and easygoing attitude. He especially liked the double-act BJ and Hawkeye were beginning to form. The two men seemed to complement each other well. BJ was able to deflect some of his bunkie's darker moods before they could take root and fester, while Hawkeye had enthusiastically nurtured the wilder side of Hunnicutt's nature, and the two of them had already pulled off some outrageous practical jokes – usually at the expense of Frank Burns.
After a time the conversation subsided into a companionable silence. The warm mid morning sun and their leisurely pace on the worn and rutted road began to affect BJ, and more than once he found his head dropping only to be woken with a jolt as the jeep hit another hole in the track. Eventually he admitted defeat.
"Radar, no offence to your company, but I really need to get a little sleep. The last three days have been pretty heavy going – you know what these conferences can be like."
Radar knew exactly what these conferences could be like, having seen the condition of certain other surgeons on their return from similar gatherings.
"Oh yessir, you must be exhausted from all that conferencing. Don't you worry; I'll wake you up when we get there."
With yet another yawn, BJ clambered into the back of the jeep, threw his bag into the front next to Radar and tried to make himself comfortable amongst the remaining luggage and equipment. It took a while, but pretty soon he was sound asleep.
Radar drove on, whistling softly. Should be home in an hour or so, he thought, then smiled as he recalled BJ's comment on calling the camp home. Well, it was home – just a different kind of home. Radar hated the war as much as anyone, but surely wherever you ended up it was the people that mattered; people you could rely on to share your good times and see you through the bad times. Wasn't that what home was?
Jeez, thought Radar, this is getting pretty deep! He guided the jeep round a bend and started down a small hill, only to see out of the corner of his eye a deer emerging from the bushes at a full run.
"Look out!" he screamed at the startled animal, and swung the wheel as hard as he could to the left, attempting to drive around behind it. The deer shot across the track and vanished, and there was a loud crunch from beneath the jeep as one wheel lurched into the gully at the side of the road. The vehicle tilted violently and came to a sudden, shuddering halt amidst a cloud of dust and grit. Radar let go his frozen grip on the steering wheel, took a deep breath and turned around to check on his passenger. The next moment he was almost falling out of the jeep and rushing towards the crumpled figure by the roadside. BJ, having had no chance to brace himself, had been thrown from the jeep and lay in a tangle of long limbs and bags, half on the road and half on the grassy bank. He didn't seem to be moving.
It was suddenly very quiet.
Radar knelt down in the dust and touched BJ's shoulder gently "BJ?" There was no response. He tucked a pack from the jeep's load under the unconscious man's head. "BJ?" Radar looked around frantically. He had no idea what to do. Running back to the jeep, he found the bag with the Red Cross markings, grabbed it and returned just as BJ stirred and groaned.
"Radar? What happened?"
"Sir, the jeep. We … we had an accident. Are you okay?"
"I'm not sure….."
Very carefully, BJ began to take stock, slowly flexing and testing while moving as little as possible. It was clear that he was hurting badly. Radar watched anxiously as BJ gingerly touched the back of his head, sucked in a sharp breath, then checked his fingertips for blood. He slumped back.
"I won't kid you Radar; it's not great news." His voice was frighteningly unsteady. "I'm not looking forward to the rest of the trip. The best I can do here is some running repairs and some painkillers. Is there a water bottle in the jeep?"
When Radar got back with the water, BJ had tucked his left arm inside his jacket. It was obviously out of use. BJ told Radar how to rip up the leg of his pants, revealing a horrendously swollen knee which seemed to be darkening in colour even as they looked at it. BJ gingerly felt around the joint.
"Nothing broken, I think. Won't be doing the tango for a while though." He closed his eyes briefly. "Time for those painkillers. They need a few minutes to take effect."
Ten minutes passed as Radar helped to clean some of BJ's cuts and scrapes, but he didn't look any better for it. If anything, his spells of dizziness seemed to be getting worse. But finally he looked up at Radar crouching at his side and attempted a confident tone.
"Okay, here goes. Give me a hand." He sat up carefully, then suddenly went pale. "Wait," he whispered.
Radar gnetly helped him to lie back down. "You just stay there a minute more," he said. "I ought to check out the jeep anyway."
"I'll still be here", said BJ softly.
Remembering the ominous sound from beneath the jeep, Radar wasn't altogether surprised at what he found, although he'd been hoping he was wrong. He hurried back to BJ's side.
"We can't use the jeep, BJ – the front axle's broken."
For a long moment there was no response, but then BJ opened his eyes slowly. He seemed to have trouble focusing. He really didn't look good, Radar thought.
"What about the radio? There's gotta be a radio in the jeep, right?"
Radar shook his head. "Uh, I think part of you landed on it, sir. It's not working"
BJ almost laughed, then winced.
"Any other time, that would be funny. But listen - when we don't show up Colonel Potter will send out a search party. We'll be back before you know it, just like you said."
Radar swallowed hard. "We took a shortcut BJ, don't you remember? Nobody knows where we are."
BJ looked confused for a moment. "Yeah, that's right," he said slowly "Sorry, I guess I'm not thinking too straight."
"It'll be okay," said Radar, desperately wanting to believe his own words. "You'll be okay. You just need to rest for a while."
"Radar, listen to me. I have a badly twisted knee, a possibly fractured collarbone, and my head feels like all of Korea landed on it. Everything else hurts like hell. I'm not going anywhere under my own steam. You're going to have to go for help."
Now Radar felt the beginning of real fear.
"But you hit your head – I should be here to make sure you don't go to sleep and….and.." And not wake up, finished a treacherous little voice inside his head
BJ pushed himself a little more upright against the pack behind him and tried to look better than he felt.
"Don't worry about me; I'm tougher than I look." He paused. "And so are you, Radar. The first day I met you, you ran into a minefield to save a young Korean girl, remember?"
"Well, yeah," replied Radar uncomfortably. "But that was different, y'know? I didn't think; I just did it. But to go off and leave you, and you hurt and everything …. I dunno BJ, it doesn't seem right."
He stood up and walked away a little. He had to think this through, and he couldn't do it while all he could see was his friend lying injured in the dirt.
BJ sighed. He was so tired. He didn't think he had the strength to argue.
"I could order you to go," he said quietly to Radar's back.
Radar froze, and for a dreadful moment BJ thought he was crying, but when Radar turned to face him again there was both anger and determination on his face, and he stabbed a finger back at the man on the ground.
"Don't you tell me what to do! I know what I have to do! Don't treat me like some little kid who has to do what he's told!" Radar stopped abruptly, amazed at his own outburst. "Besides," he added, "you said you're not in the army till you get back to camp, remember?"
"I was right," smiled BJ wearily. "You are tougher than you look. Come over here, let's plan this properly"
They spread the hand-drawn map on the ground and Radar traced their route with his finger.
"I reckon we still have 20 miles to go to the 4077th, maybe 25", he said. "And there are no villages on the way as far as I can see"
BJ was silent. He had noticed something else straight away, but he didn't want to be the one to bring it up. He didn't have to wait long.
"Wait a minute! The road goes all over the place, but cutting through the trees, it must be only half the distance – and it's mostly downhill. I could be there much faster."
"I dunno, Radar," said BJ shifting uncomfortably. "That's got to be pretty rough ground, and who knows what you might find in those trees – or what might find you."
But Radar was determined. The quicker route had to be best, if it meant help would come faster for BJ. After making sure that his friend was as comfortable as possible and that everything he might need was within reach, Radar made a last check of his own bag. Map, compass, water…. he was itching to be on his way but as he made to stand up, BJ caught his arm.
"Radar, listen. That's a long way over rough terrain. Don't rush it, okay? The important thing is to get there, not to get there fast. I'll be fine till you get back."
Radar started to respond to the obvious lie, but BJ wouldn't let him. "Now get going," he finished. "And watch where you put your feet."
"I'll be back for you BJ, I promise. I'll be back before you know it." He gripped BJ's arm hard and stood up, then hesitated, suddenly not wanting to leave, not wanting to stay and with no idea what to say.
"See you then," said BJ
"Yeah," said Radar. "See you."
It wasn't nearly enough.
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He seemed to have been walking for days. He was nearly asleep on his feet. He had tried to keep his pace steady, but the uneven ground and constant obstacles had made progress incredibly slow. He'd even had to double back on his own trail a couple of times and more than once he had convinced himself that he would never find the camp, but would walk in circles forever while his friend lay dying, waiting for the help he had failed to bring.
Despite the fatigue, and despite BJ's words of caution, once Radar finally caught sight of the tents in the distance he couldn't stop himself from running. By the time he almost collapsed into the arms of the sentry on the camp's perimeter he could hardly get a word out. The sentry escorted him straight to Colonel Potter's office where the colonel took one look at the exhausted young man, ushered him to a chair and handed him a large whiskey, first making sure that he was unhurt and then insisting that he take a couple of large swallows before starting to speak.
Hawkeye had just returned from helping to search along the road for his overdue colleagues, and had been haunting the colonel's office for the past half hour, pacing and fidgeting and desperate for news. Now that Radar had come back alone he was almost beside himself with impatience and worry. As Radar coughed on his third slug of whiskey and took a deep, shuddering breath, Hawkeye scraped a chair across the floor and sat, leaning forward so his knees almost touched Radar's.
"Just tell us in your own time, son," prompted Potter calmly, and listened as Radar told his story, gently coaxing important details out of him such as the possible extent of BJ's injuries and the exact location of the accident. Hawkeye had only been staying in his chair by a huge effort of will, and the sight of the crumpled map was the final straw. He snatched it up and was at the door in two strides.
"We need to get going right now. Every minute he's out there….."
Catching Potter's stern expression, Hawkeye looked back at the young man who always seemed so desperate for his approval. Radar was slumped so far down in his chair that it seemed he might end up on the floor at any moment. He was filthy and exhausted, and his face was a picture of misery. Hawkeye mentally kicked himself hard.
"Radar, listen to me. You did the right thing; the only thing you could have done. You get some rest now and leave it to us. BJ will be fine".
"That's right, son," said Potter. "You've done all you can. You should be proud of yourself."
But Radar shook Potter's hand from his shoulder and jumped to his feet.
"No sir! I mean yes sir, thank you sir – but no! I promised him I'd be back for him, and I will! I promised him!" In his frustration and exhaustion, Radar was almost in tears, but his determined expression was one BJ would have recognised from a few hours before.
Potter gave a Hawkeye a nod over Radar's head. It seemed only fitting that the boy should see this thing through. In fact it was probably essential for him that he did.
"Okay Radar," said Hawkeye. "You round us up a couple of jeeps, one with a litter, then get hold of Klinger. I'll get my bag. Colonel, since we'll have the space can I take Margaret along too?"
Hawkeye's unspoken admission that he might not be able to deal with the medical situation on his own gave Potter a bad jolt, but he managed to nod calmly.
"Doesn't sound like it would be possible to land a chopper, right Radar?"
"No sir, it'd have to be a jeep." Radar was beginning to think clearly again. "And with a litter in one, we'd need the other for the stuff from our jeep anyway."
"Okay." It was clear that Potter would far rather be going along too. "Godspeed, boys. Bring him back safe."
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Hawkeye drove like a man possessed, his face like stone. Radar would never have believed a jeep could go so fast without taking off. Behind them, Klinger was having trouble keeping up. And yet it still didn't seem fast enough. All the nightmares, all the "what ifs" and "if onlys" he had stifled for hours came rushing back.
At last they saw the stricken jeep he had left behind so long ago. Both Hawkeye and Radar were out of their vehicle almost before it had stopped.
BJ had managed to get himself into the shade of a tree and was half sitting, half lying against its trunk. He had pulled a jacket over himself and the empty water bottle lay beside him, next to his medical bag. His eyes were closed, his face grey, and he gave no sign of feeling anything as Hawkeye quickly checked his vital signs and then examined his injuries, giving curt instructions.
"He's shocky; roll up his sleeve so I can get a drip in, Margaret. That's it, now hold the bottle up. Klinger, help me immobilise the shoulder properly. Radar, bring the litter over here while I check out this head injury."
Radar saw Hawkeye's mask slip slightly as he examined BJ's head and peered into his eyes, and heard him mutter "Hold on, Beej" very softly.
The journey back was slower, to keep the ride as smooth as possible. Margaret travelled with Hawkeye, twisted round in her seat to hold the IV bottle and to keep an eye on BJ who was strapped securely onto the litter. Radar, riding with Klinger, suddenly found he badly needed to talk.
"I should never have taken that shortcut, Klinger. It's all my fault BJ got hurt. And then I didn't know what to do to help. I think it's really bad – did you see Hawkeye's face? What if…. if…"
Klinger, one eye on the road, put a hand on Radar's arm. "It could have been any of us, kid. It was just an accident, okay? No-one's to blame. BJ wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it."
The light was just beginning to fade as they pulled into the compound. Had it really only been that morning when all this began? wondered Radar. He and Hawkeye lifted the litter from the back of the jeep, Margaret holding the IV bottle and Klinger running ahead into pre-op to prepare the x-ray machine. Colonel Potter met them at the door. As they put the litter down, BJ stirred and groaned. Hawkeye was bending over him in an instant.
"Beej? Can you hear me?" BJ opened his eyes just a slit. "Hey, buddy. How are you doing?"
BJ managed to focus, but his voice was hardly more than a whisper. "Hawkeye, you're a beautiful sight."
Hawkeye's relieved smile practically lit up the room. "Folks, that head injury must be worse than I thought…!"
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Hawkeye saw the anxious face peering round the door of the Swamp.
"Come on in, Radar." He made room for a second chair as Radar sat down next to the bed. BJ was asleep, one arm in a sling and heavy strapping around his knee where it rested on a pillow, but his colour was almost back to normal and he was clearly on the mend. Hawkeye had barely left his side for the first 24 hours.
"How's he doing?" asked Radar softly. "Every time I've been in to see him, he's been asleep."
"Don't worry; that's normal. He had a hell of a bang on the head, but he was lucky. Right now rest is his best medicine. We transferred him back here this morning because when he was awake we couldn't stop him issuing doctor's orders from his bed in post-op."
"I brought him some books", said Radar, holding out two or three well-thumbed paperbacks. He leaned forward, whispering. "Actually they're Colonel Potter's Zane Grey books, but I thought he might be desperate."
"Not that desperate – at least not yet!" laughed Hawkeye. "Give it a couple of days. Anyway, the first thing he'll want to do is shake your hand. No two ways about it, Radar – you saved his life."
Radar looked away, and Hawkeye frowned at his troubled expression. He paused for a moment, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Listen Radar, Klinger told me you were pretty upset about what happened. I was going through BJ's bag after we brought him in, and I found a letter he wrote to Peg when he was out there. I'll give it back to him later, see what he wants to do with it, but well – I think you ought to read this."
Radar looked at the note as if it would leap up and bite him. "I can't read a letter to BJ's wife, Hawkeye! It – it just wouldn't be right! You shouldn't even have read it!"
"Just read it, Radar. Please." Hawkeye pressed the paper into his hand. It was crumpled and dirty, and some of the writing was hard to make out.
"There's been an accident, Peg, and I'm waiting for help to arrive. I'm pretty messed up, and my head hurts like hell. I'm hoping it's just a concussion. I'm not allowing myself to think I might not see you again, but at the same time I need to write in case - well, just in case. Leaving you and Erin last month to come to this madhouse was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I've told you how special the people here are, and they've helped to make the whole nightmare almost bearable. Now I need you to do something for me, and for one of them. I was with Radar when I got hurt, and I think he blames himself. If this ends badly, could you write to him for me? Tell him it wasn't his fault - it was just a dumb accident. And thank him for doing everything he possibly could to help. I'm not thinking very clearly, so I hope you can understand everything I've written, Peg, especially these last few words. I love you, my darling. BJ"
Hawkeye gently took the scrap of paper out of Radar's shaking hand.
"I'm glad she never got to read it. But I'm glad you did, Radar."
There was silence between them for a moment, and an unspoken agreement that neither would mention the note again.
"So," said Radar eventually. "How long till he's up and about again?"
"Well, as BJ's personal physician, I think he'll be able to help around the place in about a week. Just light stuff at first, triage and so on. But don't you worry Radar" Hawkeye smiled. "He'll be back before you know it".
The End