BJ sat up groggily, not entirely sure where he was. As memory returned, his head began pounding and his stomach lurched. He'd muddled through his first hours in Korea thanks to adrenaline and alcohol and one Hawkeye Pierce, but now the adrenaline had been replaced by fear and homesickness and the oblivion provided by the pit stop at Rosie's Bar had abandoned him. BJ couldn't restrain a feeling of panic as he scanned the tent he now called home and discovered that he was alone. Desperate for the tiniest smidgen of familiarity, despite the slight chill of his initial reception, he stood up and left the Swamp in search of his bunkie.
The compound was deserted at this early hour. Finally, BJ spotted a familiar dark head following a...person...in a turban and a floral dressing gown into one of several corrugated tin buildings.
Spotting the one other face he recognized, BJ waved. "Morning, Radar," he called.
"Oh! Morning, Captain Hunnicutt. You're up awful early, sir."
"I think my mattress had a pea under it. Say, Radar, who or what is that?" BJ asked, pointing to Hawkeye's escort.
"That's Corporal Klinger."
"Is she a nurse?"
Radar laughed. "No, sir. She's a he. Uh, he's a he. Uh...Klinger's a man, sir."
"So why all the frills and furbelows?"
Radar stared at him blankly. "Oh, you mean why does he wear women's clothes? Klinger's just trying to do what any sane man would do, get out of the army."
"I see." BJ continued to stare after Hawkeye and Klinger. When he turned to find that Radar had scurried away, he decided to join Hawkeye in doing whatever it was he was doing.
The building he entered was an office. Klinger had vanished, but Hawkeye was seated at a desk clutching a phone to his ear. BJ immediately convinced himself that he wasn't eavesdropping if he could only hear one half of the conversation, so he remained, unobtrusively leaning against the wall.
Hawkeye hurried after Klinger to Radar's office. There was only one person he would be receiving an emergency phone call from. He vehemently motioned Klinger away and ignored the figure who slipped inside a few moments later.
"Hello? Dad?"
"It's me, Hawk."
Hawkeye nearly dropped the phone. "Trapper?"
"You really think I'd leave without saying goodbye?"
"I was beginning to have a few doubts."
"O ye of little faith. I have a few more hours in Tokyo before I head out, so I figured I'd try calling one last time. Did Radar give you what I told him to?"
Hawkeye chuckled. "He sure did. On the cheek. I assume that's not what you told him to do."
Trapper laughed as well. "No. I told him on the lips."
"So, this is it, huh? The big goodbye. The final farewell."
"Yeah. Truth is, Hawk, I'm no good at this." He paused, looking serious for a moment though Hawkeye couldn't see it. "Remember last time we thought I was going home?"
"Yeah."
"Remember what you said to me?"
"Yeah."
"Back at ya." *
Hawkeye smiled, a genuine smile that he so rarely allowed to make an appearance in Korea. "No charge." He also grew serious. "There is one thing you can do for me, though."
"Name it."
"Just make it home safe, ok?" Hawkeye's words hung in silence as both men thought of their former CO and friend who hadn't made it home.
"Yeah," Trapper finally replied.
Radar barged into the room. "Choppers, sirs," he cried before darting back out.
Hawkeye sighed. "Well, Trap, they're playing our song. Luckily, I have have a new dance partner."
Trapper grinned. "I'm glad to hear that. I know what you'd do if another Frank Burns showed up." He sighed also. "Good luck, Hawk. Look me up when you get home."
"I will. Goodbye, Trap." Hawkeye hung up the phone and without even looking, motioned BJ to follow him. "The second thing you learn in Korea is that when Radar says choppers are on the way, you scrub up, even if you don't hear anything."
BJ obediently followed Hawkeye to the scrub room. "That was Trapper, huh? The big shoes I have to fill."
"You couldn't fill his shoes if you tried. They were always full of holes." Hawkeye pulled off his red bathrobe and carefully hung it up. "Trapper was my best friend for over a year. It was us against them; whoever the them, it was always us.* Even when we were furious with each other." Hawkeye moved to the sink and began soaping up. "You don't have to replace Trapper, BJ. I'm sure we'll be friends, once Korea strips away some of that endearing innocence."
BJ frowned as he finished scrubbing up. He couldn't imagine anything worse than his first six hours in Korea, but maybe that was what Hawkeye meant by innocence.
BJ was roused from his musing by the sharp voice of Major Houlihan. Hawkeye replied insolently and then nodded with his head toward a door. BJ entered slowly and surveyed the OR. He supposed he should be grateful that it was a step above the one he'd seen the previous day.
"Call me when you need me," Hawkeye said before stepping up to a table.
BJ nodded. He knew that the words were not expressing doubts about his ability as a surgeon. They were reassurance that when, not if, the first session in the OR got to be too much for him, Hawkeye would be there.
Footnotes:
*Season 3, Episode 7, Check-Up
Hawkeye: Thanks Trap.
Trapper: What?
Hawkeye: You made it bearable. I was lucky. You were honest, and open, and let me lean on you.
Trapper: No charge.
*Season 1, Episode 7, Bananas, Crackers, and Nuts
Trapper: Our first fight.
...
Hawkeye: Whoever the them, we were always us.
A/N: I've been on a M*A*S*H kick the past few days, so here's my contribution to the Trapper farewell pool. I refuse to turn Trapper into somebody who heartlessly abandons his friend without a word and I think the missing letter scenario (in any form-he couldn't write one; he wrote one and hid it for Hawkeye to find later; he left a note but Hawkeye never found it) has been well done many times over. This is set the day after BJ arrives. I am assuming Trapper has to fly from Kimpo to Tokyo before heading stateside, so he had an opportunity to try to reach Hawkeye one more time.