2. I Hunger For Your Touch

Hawkeye wasn't sure if his head was pounding from alcohol or the flu he'd been suffering with recently.
Cracking his eyes open slightly, he quickly realised he didn't recognise his surroundings. As he wasn't sure that exactly what had happened to him, he stayed still, listening for any noises around him and looking to see if he recognised anything.

As he looked around, he realised all he could see were trees. He was somewhere in the middle of the Korean woods. That wasn't a good sign.

He was then suddenly aware of someone coming up next to him.

"Hi Hawkeye." Came a voice he knew, but couldn't place. He didn't have to wonder who the voice belonged to for too long as a figure dropped down beside him.

"Gaby?" Hawkeye asked, surprised to see her.

"The one and only." She said, smiling. "How you doing, Hawk?"

"Peachy." He said, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

oOo

"So?" Margaret asked, waiting for Klinger to tell her what he'd found out on the phone.

"Apparently one of the patients got out and let out half the others . Some of them stayed where they were, but a few have gone AWOL."

"That's awful. I think you should tell the Colonel." Margaret said. Klinger nodded and made his way across the camp.

oOo

BJ stood from the bench and took his tray outside, emptying what he'd left into the bin. Afterwards, he made his way back back inside, picked up another tray and started again.

Igor looked slightly bemused as he watched Hunnicutt get a second helping, unusual for almost anyone to do. "You like these powdered eggs that much today, sir?" He asked as he slopped a spoonful until the tray.

"It's okay, I've not gone crazy. While you've been on R&R so have some of our staff. I'm about to take over Captain Pierce's breakfast so he can have the pleasure of refusing it just as if he were well enough to come over and do it himself."

"Oh, I see." Igor said.

BJ filled a cup of coffee up for his bunkie, and made his way across the compound to the VIP tent. He knocked out of politeness before walking inside. The room was empty.

BJ frowned, putting the tray down on the bedside cabinet. He looked around, seeing that Hawkeye had got dressed, as his boots were on gone and assumed that he must have gone out for a walk. He knew that Potter had talked about Pierce getting some exercise and guessed that he had already talked to Hawkeye about it.

BJ wondered whether to stay and wait, or if he should leave. Deciding he could grab a shower and then come back and see Hawkeye afterwards, he left the breakfast where it was and made his way over to the shower.

oOo

Colonel Potter walked across the compound, Klinger at his side as he dished out a series of orders for the man to follow.

BJ walked across and seeing the intense look on both men's faces he stopped on his journey to the shower.

"What's up Colonel?" BJ asked.

"Get on the phone, Klinger and find out if Sidney needs any help over there, on the double."

"Yes Sir." Klinger said, marching off to fulfil his duty.

BJ followed Colonel Potter to his office. Potter sat down behind the desk, ready to explain what was happening.

oOo

After Potter filled BJ in on what was happening he told him that they were waiting to see if Sidney would need any medical help and had offered him a hand if it were needed. BJ went to shower so if Potter were to want to send anyone, he'd be ready to go. On his way back to Potter's office, he went back to the VIP tent so he could see Hawkeye and update him on things. When he opened the door he was alarmed that the breakfast tray was still there, untouched.

"Hawkeye?" BJ called, knowing it was unlikely that his friend was playing some sort of practical joke on him.

Turning on his heel, he made his way back out of the room and back across the compound.

He stopped short of going into the Swamp, thinking where else his missing friend might have gone.

Charles was leaving the tent and saw the other man standing there. "Hunnicutt, what on earth are you doing?"

"Have you seen Hawkeye?"

"Er... no. Why?"

"He's not in the VIP tent and hasn't been there for about twenty minutes. I took breakfast over there and it's not been touched." BJ said.

"Well, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Why don't you ask the Colonel or Margaret, one of them is bound to know where he is."

"Yeah." BJ said, not feeling an better about the situation. Charles followed his tent mate as he walked over to Colonel Potter's office. Inside he found Margaret, Klinger and Potter, all sat down as the Colonel spoke to someone on the phone.

"What's going on?" BJ asked.

Margaret turned to Hunnicutt and speaking in a hushed voice she explained what had happened at Sidney's hospital. They all waited as the Colonel finished speaking and hung the phone up.

"There's nothing we can do right now." He said, getting up and taking a bottle from the cabinet and pulling out several glasses from his drawer to share the booze with the others. "Sidney said they've found three patients who didn't go too far, but he still has five unaccounted for."

"Fantastic." BJ said. "Just what everyone needs. Five dangerous and disturbed kids walking around out there."

"Everyone be on the look out for anyone who happens to wander in here." Potter said. "I've got a list of his patients who are missing so memorise the list so you'll know them straight away." He handed the paper to Klinger. "Type this out so everyone can read it." Potter said, knowing he's handwriting was a little hard to read at best of times.

"Has either of you two seen Hawkeye this morning?" BJ asked, not having forgotten his reason for coming here in the first place.

"He was in the Mess tent when I went for breakfast. Why?" Margaret asked.

"Eating?"

Margaret nodded.

"See, and you were worried for nothing." Charles said.

"What's happening?" Margaret asked, confused by half the conversation she was getting.

"It's nothing. I took Hawk's breakfast over to him and he wasn't there so I left it there. When I went back and he still wasn't there and the breakfast was untouched I was a little worried, but I guess if he's already had breakfast he's unlikely to go back and eat it." BJ said.

"Hmm." Colonel Potter said aloud, although he was deep in thought.

"What's the matter, Colonel?" Margaret asked.

"Well where is he?"

"He went for a walk, maybe?" Charles said.

"He went for one before breakfast and he said he was going to his tent to rest." Margaret filled in.

"Hunnicutt, take another walk over to his tent and see if he'd made a reappearance."

"Right Colonel." BJ said, heading out. Her all but walked into Father Mulcahy just outside. "Sorry Father." BJ said quickly.

"It's quite all right." Mulcahy answered. "Is everything all right BJ, you look a little anxious?"

"Come with me Father, and I'll explain on the way."

oOo

"Where are we?" Hawkeye asked.

"In a sweet little hut we found on the way down here." Gaby said.

"We?" Hawkeye asked, confused.

"Me and Harry. He came with me. Helped me to bring you out here."

"Helped to knock me out?" Hawkeye queried.

"Well, I knew you would need some persuading to come out here and Harry's much better at it than me."

"I wouldn't say that. You're very persuasive." Hawkeye said. He knew he was charming a woman who was rather unhinged, but knew now wasn't really the time to try and convince her that he didn't love her. He was perfectly happy to tell her how much he loved her if he had to.

"Hawkeye, what are you doing. I didn't think you were interested in me." She asked.

"Well, what can I say, it's not every woman who will kidnap a man to show him how much she loves him." Hawkeye smiled at her. He leaned a little closer to her. "How about untying me now, huh?"

Gaby kissed him on the lips and he returned it. "Uh-uh. I'm not sure I can trust you just yet."

"Okay. Whatever you want." Hawkeye said, initiating a kiss this time. Never had he felt more pressure to put feeling into every lie he spoke.