Chapter Four: Mad, Mad World

Murdock slumped onto the couch. He hadn't thought BA would be able to yell for that long; well, in fairness, it had turned into a hoarse, angry whisper near the end. Only exhaustion had managed to quiet the big guy.

Closing his eyes, the Captain leaned back, his legs hanging off the end of the loveseat. Taking care of the Sergeant was turning into a full time job. He sighed before slowly getting to his feet. The soup would be done soon; it was Grandma Murdock's special recipe. If anything made BA better, this would be it.

Trudging into the kitchen, Murdock mulled over what had just happened. Ok, in reflection, he did seem to vaguely recall Mama Baracus signing her notes with a squiggly M. No wonder the big guy had been so adamant about seeing his ma, and it became apparent quite quickly that Murdock was not going to be an accepted substitute for Mother B. He'd actually never heard BA shout the word 'fool' so many consecutive times in a row before. That really could have gone better.

Of course, just as soon as BA had managed to calm down over the whole Mama fiasco, Murdock had to go and open his mouth and remind the big guy about the cruise. BA actually tried to get up and start packing. It had been a mammoth task trying to convince the Sergeant's fevered mind that they had already missed the boat…ah…uh…ship.

And, as fatigue settled in, BA ended his tirade by stating that he was not sick and did not need Murdock's help. That was going to make taking care of the big guy a little difficult, but the Captain did enjoy a good challenge.

After tying on his apron, Murdock carefully stirred the soup. Grandma always said love was the most important part of any meal, that and salt. Smiling to himself, he ladled up a bowlful of the broth. Maybe later BA would graduate to noodles and chicken in his bowl, but for now, it was best to be on the safe side.

Slowly, Murdock crept down the hall and peered into the bedroom. BA was still fast asleep. Quietly dashing in, the Captain set the bowl on the nightstand before making a hasty retreat. He paused at the door, glancing back at the still figure. He hoped the man woke before the broth got too cold; it really was better warm.

With a sigh, Murdock couldn't help but wonder what Face and Hannibal were up to at that moment; it had to be better than this.

Hannibal sat on the edge of the bed in his stateroom watching Face pace back and forth. The younger man had yet to say anything, though he had halted several times, opened his mouth and then snapped it back shut rather abruptly. So, there certainly seemed to be something on his mind.

"Listen, Face, she overheard me telling Mable about the film industry. I really wasn't going after Melanie or anything. I mean, I would have, but I knew you were already in pursuit." Though he'd be reluctant to admit it, Hannibal rather enjoyed how frazzled Face was.

"Yeah," Face frowned, "and what about bingo? How'd you just happen to end up at bingo every game? That's how you met, right?"

"Because…" He was getting tired of explaining this to Face. "…I like bingo. It's fun."

"You can't really expect me to believe that you…"

Hannibal reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fistful of papers. "I like playing bingo. I get to chat about mindless stuff with the older ladies and I win a lot. Look at all these."

Face stepped forward and poked through the slips. "What are they exactly?"

"They're credits to use at the gift shop. I'm thinking about saving them up and getting BA and Murdock a souvenir." He crammed them back into his pocket. "Maybe a tee-shirt for the Captain and one of those snow globes for BA. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Face shrugged. "I think you could just buy that stuff without having to play bingo to win credits. I don't get it."

"Ah," Hannibal grinned, "I don't know…I just like that this feels like the Jazz. Have you got my…"

Face had a cigar out before Hannibal had even finished asking for it.

"Thanks." He fumbled through his pockets, looking for a lighter, until Face handed him one.

"You're welcome," Face muttered as he turned away.

"You know, I was flattered that she invited me, but I knew she just wanted a part in my next film. She's an Entertainment Director on a cruise ship, so…"

Face spun around with a wide grin. "She wants to be an actress, of course!"

"I thought I'd accept her offer, bring you along and then maybe I'd get lost somewhere along the way. Not that I wasn't tempted to go this one alone, but it's bad enough two of my men have already been disappointed with this trip, I couldn't have it be all three of you."

"Hannibal," Face was positively beaming. "You're the best, but you know…I got invited all on my own. I never needed your help."

"Yeah." Hannibal lit his cigar. "But you might have."

Face laughed. "Yeah, right. So, you're not going now, are you?"

"Oh, I'm still going. I was serious about this location. My producer is nearly pulling his hair out looking for the perfect setting. This could be it, but I'll make myself scarce."

"Real scarce," Face added.

Hannibal chuckled. Yeah, it was nice to see that he still had it; he got the girl's invite way before Face and the kid was never going to live it down. Still, he didn't mind letting Face get the girl. Any gal asking two guys to a private paradise was a little too hinky for him.

Murdock slipped back into the dark apartment. He really hadn't wanted to leave the big guy alone, but he hadn't had much choice. Unzipping his backpack, he took out the IV and bags of saline he had borrowed from the local hospital.

Ba hadn't been able to hold down even water and his temperature was dangerously high. Taking him to the hospital was still an option, but the Sergeant wasn't that inconspicuous and would be a rather easy target for Decker in his current state.

Grabbing up the IV and a bag of saline, Murdock started toward the hall before stopping. Quickly he spun around and riffled through the backpack again until he pulled out a teddy bear.

"Ok, amigo, here's the deal." He held the bear up, looking him square in his little black button eyes. "My friend is very under the weather, and he needs some cheering up. I think you're the bear for the job. Are you with me on this one?" Murdock paused and then smiled. "I knew you were the one! Ok, you distract him while I give him the IV, ok?"

Clutching the bear tight, Murdock made his way to the bedroom. If this didn't work, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He really hoped that Face and Hannibal would call in the morning once they reached port. They would, right? Of course, Facey and Hannibal were really good about that sort of thing.