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"Max Klinger! I don't know whether to hug you or hang you!" Potter attempted to bellow in his usual fatherly manner. B.J. had accompanied him to the colonel's office as he was clearly running on empty.

"And just where you have been, sir. You may think you're going to get a dishonorable discharge but I know you better than you think I do. Something awfully important had to have happened for you to have disappeared. You're not a one-trick pony, Klinger."

"I need your help, sir. I can explain everything. My jeep broke down. I ran into this girl. She can't be more than twenty. She's about to have a baby, way too early. And she needs our help. I was going to deliver him myself but I knew we had the best trained staff there is. Please, sir. Can't we send some help? I can't bear the thought of her all alone out there. Why if she doesn't die of natural causes she could get …"

Potter put his hand in the air. "Say no more. I know what could happen to her. You're a good man, Klinger. It's been a slow day, not that it means anything. Take a nurse with you. I'll see what Margaret can do."

"Thank you, sir. You won't regret this. I'll make it up to you. I promise not to embarrass you next time a general comes to town."

"I doubt that very much. But I appreciate the gesture. But do me one very important favor."

"Anything."

"Don't get your hopes up."

An hour later….

The colonel could see how deeply his clerk had bonded with this woman, who quite frankly, was in trouble. Margaret was doing her best but even she could not perform miracles. The woman and her little one had a half hour at best.

Suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a tiny wail.

"Well Klinger, it's a boy!" Margaret faked a smiled as she handed him over to a nurse. She went back to work on his mother but couldn't help but thinking that this was the tiniest baby she could recall seeing in quite awhile. He must have been around four pounds, give or take a few ounces.

"Well what are we waiting for! Let's get him over to Tokyo!" Klinger, who was all scrubbed up, ran over to see him.

"Come on, Colonel. I don't see what the delay is. You know there they will give him the best care. He's gonna play for the Yankees I tell ya! What do you think, pitcher or catcher?…"

Before he could make it across the room B.J. stopped him. "Look Klinger.." he said compassionately.

The mother held him for a few minutes, then held him out for Klinger.

"I think catcher. Just look at those hands." He walked over to the nurse. "Can I hold him?"

The nurse looked over to Colonel Potter, who solemnly nodded. B.J. looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, but Potter shook his head. His mind was made up. He had to get Klinger out of there or he really would lose his mind with grief.

After one minute Potter spoke up. "That's enough. Give the baby back. That's an order."

"But sir...I"

"Now, Klinger."

"Yes, sir." He handed the baby to his mom. "So what are you going to name the little guy. "I hear Max is a real popular name in these parts." He laughed.

"Yes. Max. Max. " She smiled at him. That was the first time she pronounced his name correctly.

The baby cried, although much weaker than when he was born. Margaret could not even look at the baby for she was afraid she would actually cry when he died.

Also taking the situation badly was B.J., who had a young wife and child at home. He could not imagine what it would it would have been like to lose Peg and Erin.

Nope…not going to do it, he thought. Not going to think about my own wife and child…. If Hawkeye were here he would know what I'm thinking and try to cheer everyone up. Probably wouldn't work but he'd know what to say.

Where's this girl's husband? Did he leave her to die? Did we kill him ? Ahh..The beauty of war is we'll never know.

B.J. could easily keep thinking about the baby's father, wondering where he was. B.J. shook his head, snapping himself back to reality. This was about Klinger. Back to desensitizing himself to the cold hard facts of life.

"Really? His name is Max? Did you hear that everyone? The little tyke's name is Max!"

"Congratulations." B.J. patted him on the back. "Now let's get you out of here before your ego crowds us all out of the room. Come on, let's get cleaned up and go for a walk. Is that okay, Colonel?"

"I think that's an excellent idea. Welcome back, Klinger. Hey B.J. Did Pierce finally get some shuteye?"

"Yeah, right after we got back. He's sawing logs right as we speak."

. "Go check on Hawkeye will ya? Take it easy for a few, will you?"

"Okay, sir. I'll be right back," Klinger grinned while looking over at B.J You don't mind if I stop and look for a camera do you? . Two Maxes in the same room! Just what the 4077 needs! Do you think it would be too much if I got him a bonnet?"

There may be two Maxes, thought Potter, but there will never be two Klingers.

B.J. looked at Margaret, who refused to look back. Baby Max had stopped crying, so Margaret motioned for them to leave.