Chapter 11 (Pt. 1)

"Margaret, show me those x-rays again," BJ said underneath his mask, looking up from the blood and guts that he was elbow deep in. It was just another day at the 4077th, just another session of live saving for the nurses and surgeons.

"Damn."

"What's wrong, Beej?" Hawkeye looked up from his patient with raised brows while Lucy looked up as well from helping the Colonel.

"Kid's got a bone in him that isn't even his."

"Can you get it out?"

"Getting it out isn't a problem. Finding out who it belongs to is going to be the problem."

Fourteen hours in meatball, life saving surgery, and they were finally done. A large batch of casualties had come in and the 4077th was overflowing with them.

"All I want to do now is sleep, sleep, sleep!" BJ said as he walked with Hawkeye and Lucy to the Swamp.

Lucy was tired, hell; she was exhausted even, but not as tired as the Captains were, due to her…. Well, being a vampire, obviously.

"I can't even be assed to drag my own legs all the way to my own tent. So I'm just going to stay with you guys for the while."

Then Radar ran up to them all and walked side by side with them.

"Uh, sirs? Ma'am? The Colonel wants to see you in his office."

"Whatever it is, tell him he can wait."

"Radar, please. Can't he come to us?" Lucy yawned and almost tripped, grabbing onto Hawkeye before she fell on her face.

"He said it was an order. And it's urgent."

The trio groaned and dragged their feet into the Colonel's office.

"This had better be good," BJ growled and lowered his head.

"Ah, if it isn't our trio. You all did good work in there."

"There better be good reason for this—I've got a date with my pillow and I'm already late." Hawkeye plopped himself on a chair right next to Margaret. Lucy chuckled and shook her head at Hawkeye's little joke and leaned on the wall.

"There is. And I hate to do this to you all, especially right now after we've just gotten through a long hard day, but—"

"Oooooh, no, no, no! Colonel, you can't do this to us!" Lucy just looked at Hawkeye, wondering what in blazes he was talking about, since he obviously knew what Potter was going to ask.

"Now listen, Pierce! I don't want to do this to y'all, especially after how hard you've all worked your asses off, but I've just received a call from the front."

Now the group groaned, all except for Lucy, that is. She hadn't been to the front yet and she was curious as to what the Colonel had to say. He held up his hands and continued talking.

"And they need two of you to go up there as soon as possible. Now—Now, I know you're all working on fumes right now, but I need two volunteers. And if I don't get two volunteers, I'm picking you out myself."

The room grew quiet. Lucy looked around, pursing her lips. She guessed that the best thing, if one didn't want to go up there, was to just keep quiet, and hope to God that you weren't picked. Lucy raised her hand anyway and volunteered herself.

"Sir. I'd like to do it. I'll go. I haven't been yet, and….. Well, call me crazy, but I'd like to experience it—the front, before the war ends."

Potter just nodded solemnly and sat back down. "All right. Any other takers? No?.."

Lucy was slightly disappointed that Hawkeye didn't volunteer as well, though she knew he hated the war anyway. No reason to run straight into the middle of something you hate, even with someone you love.

Potter sighed and looked right at BJ. BJ looked right back at him with wide eyes and shook his head. "Ooooh no, Colonel. I've already been out there, I'm not going again! Last time I did, Korea got to see the worst of me!"

"Well, suck it up son! You're going with the Lieutenant Colonel anyway. Now you both better get some sleep before you head on over there. Dismissed."

Lucy was the first to leave, deciding she had better sleep in her own tent tonight before she had to sleep god knows where. BJ left after her with Charles, groaning and complaining about how the hell he was going to keep it all in. And who other than Hawkeye left last, hanging around for a bit. He'd done some thinking between here and there, and regretted not volunteering to go with Lucy. After all, it was going to be her first time.

"Uh, Colonel, may I speak with you?" He finally spoke up, still sitting where he was, fighting to keep his eyes open a few moments longer.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace. What is it, Hawkeye?" Potter had asked, pouring himself a glass of scotch.

"Uh, well. Seeing as it's Lucy's first time and all….."

Potter raised his brows at that. If this was what he thought it was.. "You'd like to volunteer yourself to go with her. Listen, I understand and all, but BJ's already said he's going. And I'm not sure how comfortable I feel with the both of you going by yourselves…."

"Colonel, it's going to be her first time at the front. She's never been, and you, of all people I'm sure, know how traumatizing it is during your first run. I just.. I think she's going to need more comfort than what BHJ can offer her. She's going to need me, and I want to be there for her."

Potter stared at Hawkeye for a long time. Hawkeye loved Lucy; there was no doubt about that. His motives were clear as crystal to the Colonel, and he admired Hawkeye for them. He finally nodded and sighed.

"Go tell Hunnicutt that you're going instead of him. Now get out of here and get some sleep. God knows you two are going to need it more than us in the next few days." And they would. They so, definitely would. Or Hawkeye would, at least.

The afternoon after, Lucy was placing her bag and medical kit into the jeep, when suddenly, she heard Hawkeye's voice. She smiled' he must have woken up to see her off.

"All right, put it right there—careful, careful! If any of those plasma bottles break, I'm holding you accountable!" He yelled and hopped into the jeep, surprising Lucy.

"Hi, honey! I'm home!"

Slowly, a grin started to spread across her face. "Hawk, what are you doing? Where's BJ?"

"Not coming with you. Now come on, get in. We're already late for dinner," Hawkeye proceeded, like it was no big deal, even though he had his own smile on his lips.

"Wait, what do you mean—"

"Pierce took Hunnicutt's place in coming with you," Potter said, walking up behind her. She turned around, about to protest, but Potter already had his finger up.

"Ahp—he's going with you." Then he leaned in and whispered," He's just looking out for you. You best do the same." And leaned back.

"You two take care, now."

"And no funny business!" BJ teased, waving from the Swamp.

Lucy rolled her eyes and made a face at the Captain. "We're going to the front of a war, not Tokyo." Though, now Tokyo with Hawkeye didn't sound too bad. They'd have to see what they could do about that. She hopped in the jeep and kicked her feet up.

"Don't miss us too much~" And with that, Hawkeye drove off.

On the road, Lucy went over everything that they were supposed to bring, and noted that they had everything that they needed. The drive was mostly quiet, except for some small talk between the two. Lucy knew she had no reason to be nervous, as she knew she could take it, but Hawkeye on the other hand, he was a complete nervous wreck.

"Hawk, if you need me to drive.."

"No, no. I'm fine. I'll be fine once we get there. Don't worry, all right?"

Lucy bit her lip and nodded. "Whatever you say, Hawkeye."

As they got closer and closer to the triage station, the shelling and shooing around them got worse. Hawkeye had told her previously that getting in was never a problem; however, getting out was. They pulled up to the rattled building, practically falling to pieces, and let a few of the medic's take the boxes out of the back seats.

And what did you know, Hawkeye wasn't the nervous wreck that he was in the jeep anymore. He was now, Doctor Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce, first class surgeon in the Army. Of course, the shelling scared him, scared him half to death, but his fear was irrational now. He had to get those boys patched up and send them to a M*A*S*H unit, where they could get better taken care of. And he'll be damned if his fear stops him from saving the lives of these kids.

Lucy admired Hawkeye for his bravery, and thought to herself that he should get the bloody medal of honour for what he's done.

"Come on, Lucy, stop dilly-dallying and get in here!" He yelled, causing Lucy to shake herself out of her small daze. She hopped out of the jeep and followed him in, and just as she walked in….

It hit her like a bus. The smell. The smell of blood. And it had finally occurred to her that she hadn't fed in five days. Five days was pushing it, especially when she was around this much blood. She could feel her hunger wanting to take over, her fangs already pushing out of her gums. She hissed and her eyes got wide.

"Colonel!"

She almost didn't hear the man that was calling to her. She almost didn't respond, she was in so much agony, fighting with herself. Lucy was almost not used to being called 'colonel' anymore. The veins around her eyes began to protrude and she had to turn away from everyone, holding herself up against a wall.

"Colonel!" He called out again. She let out a small cry, almost sounding like she was in pain. She could hear Hawkeye getting impatient with her and that's when she knew she had to pull it together. She couldn't lose it in here. Goddamnit, no! Get out of here! Let me work! I need to save these lives! With what willpower she had, she pushed the hunger of blood down and tried to ignore her burning throat. God, it smelled so…. So good. And she was disgusted by herself for thinking that, but oh, it did. Her fangs began to retreat back into her gums, and her eyes started to look normal again. The best thing for her to do was to shut down all the organisms in her body, including her lungs, and that's exactly what she did. The downside to that was she would start to look pale in a few hours. She'd need to find something to feed on before then, or risk the consequences.

Lucy turned back around and went to the man who was calling her, looking strong now. She could still feel the burn in her throat, but she ignored it, for the wounded were more important to her right now.

"Corporal?"

Nighttime came, and the wounded had subsided. For now. Lucy was leaning against a wall and she still hadn't found the time—or the bag, to feed. Finding just one bag and stuffing it in her jacket was too risky, and she was already pale by the time Hawkeye had ordered her to take a rest (despite her outranking him.) Lucy didn't argue with him, finding a quiet corner to be in. And by the time Hawkeye was finished with his check ups, she could tell he was upset with her when he was walking towards her.

"What the hell was that, Luce?"

Lucy bowed her head in shame. She knew she took too long in forcing the hunger down, but it was hard. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Hawkeye also looked tired, for he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He slid down next to her and yawned. "No, I'm sorry. I should have been with you. I know it's hard the first time."

She knew he would think that, because it was her first time at the front, she would be afraid, and put off by how bad it really was. She silently thanked him for it, too.

"Hawk, you were doing what you do best. Saving lives. Being by my side and comforting me won't help those boys. Besides. I'm fine, hm?" She gently nudged him, wrapping her arms around her waist. She looked even paler, and he noticed, for he placed a hand on her cheek, but she only pushed it away. "Really, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You look like death."

The Lieutenant Colonel let out a breathless laugh. Part of that was true. "Hawk, I'm a doctor, I think I pass as okay."

"And I'm a doctor too, and I say you don't. Stay here. I think they left the blankets in the jeep."

Stay there she did not. Most of the wounded that were waiting for the next bus were already asleep, as were half of the medics in there; the rest were doing something or another outside. It was the perfect chance to steal just one bag of blood, and it would have to suffice until they got back home. So, without further adieu (and despite how weak she was), she kicked it into gear and used her super speed (don't laugh, it's really real!) and took a bag of blood, quickly draining it, shoving it in her pocket, and sitting back down, all before Hawkeye was back in the building. She was feeling better already, and she could let her organs work again to pump the blood into her system.

As Hawkeye came back, he stopped, his eyebrows knitting together. Lucy only smiled weakly at him. She knew some of the blood had come back to her face now. Then he shook his head, as if it were nothing, and sat back down with her.

Suddenly, a shell dropped on land nearby, causing the building to shake. Lucy and Hawkeye winced. Lucy, because of how close it was, Hawkeye simply because he was scared. He could let himself be scared now that he was off duty for the time being. Quickly, he draped the blanket over the both of them and they curled up together, Lucy resting her head on his shoulder. Hawkeye held her pretty tight when another fell, this time closer. She let out a breathless laugh.

"Hawkeye, you're—crushing me."

Realizing that yes, he was indeed holding her too tight, Hawkeye let go some. She chuckled and slid her arms around his waist, snuggling closer to him.

"It's all right, soldier. It's okay to be scared."

"Scared? I'm not scared. Don't be silly. I'm too frightened to be scared."

Lucy kissed his cheek and buried her face into his shoulder as another shell dropped. Then quiet came. Hawkeye's eyes were wide as they flitted about the building.

"Y'think they're done?"

She could feel his heart beating faster, pumping the blood into his veins. One whiff of him and she could feel her hunger returning. Just one back wasn't going to cut it.

You can do this, Lucy. Just…. Stick it out for another day or so. Come on. You signed up for this, it's your own damned fault that you forgot to eat before you left.

Simple. She'd just stop breathing. Make it look like she was breathing and deal with the pain that way. And that's what she did for the rest of the long night and the rest of the long day that was next.

"Corpsman! Get this soldier onto that bus that's leaving—yes, right now! If we wait any longer, he's going to go into shock!"

"But ma'am, it's already leaving—"

Lucy grabbed the lieutenant by his collar and lowered her voice. "Then go. Get it."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Sergeant, get me another bowl of alcohol. I need to wash my hands again."

"Shit. Lucy, I need your help!" Hawkeye called out as he was getting spurted by warm blood.

When Lucy saw the blood spraying him all over his shirt, she stopped. The fire lapped at her throat, burning at the highest intensity she'd felt in ages. Oh god. She licked her suddenly dry lips and could practically taste the blood from where she stood.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing, come one! I need your help, dammit!"

The Lieutenant Colonel snapped out of her thoughts once again, almost snapping right back at him. But then she remembered she wasn't here to feed. She had to fight it again. She swallowed and stepped closer, waiting for his orders.

"All right, I need you to hold this clamp right there—wash your hands first! Okay, now hold it there for now."

She did as she was told, grabbing a sponge and sopping up what blood there was. God, if he only knew how hard it was for her not to delve into the poor kid whose chest was gaping right in front of her. If only he knew the internal battle she was fighting. She didn't even know if she was winning, it was so hard to tell. Blood spurted on her this time, and right on her face, too. How convenient. She froze, her eyes turning wide. Thankfully, Hawkeye was too busy on the patient in front of him, trying to stop the bleeding to even notice how Lucy was reacting. She dared to let her tongue dart out and lick her lips, even reaching for whatever else she could get around her lips, (which, granted, was certainly not enough.) If she didn't have the willpower that she had then, that moment that she tasted the warm blood, she would have snapped and everyone in that room would be dead.

She honestly didn't know how she did it, how she survived, but she did. She did it for Hawkeye and she did it for the soldiers that had that slim chance of surviving, if only they got to a MASH unit. She wouldn't forget the past few days and how hard it was for her. This would be in her memory forever.

[Author's note: WOW! Hello! Hi! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to publish the next chapter! I got lazy in my writing and the muse sort of left me for a good while. I'm back, though. Thank you for the reviews in the meantime, all. :) ]