HOPE'S CALLING-CHAPTER 21- FEELING LIKE A FOOL

Someone was breathing in her ear. It tickled. Hope squirmed and inched away. When she realized she was going to fall, it was too late. The ground came up and smacked her face in an instant. She rolled over on her back.

"Ow, what the he…?" she hollered. Her eyes flew open and she lay there for half a minute before sitting up. There was Hawkeye lying on his side looking at her, smiling.

"Good morning and how are you?"

She pushed the hair out of her eyes and said, "Confused. It seems to be my perpetual state lately. What happened and why are you in this bed and not your own?"

"Oh, you finished your drink and promptly passed out. BJ and I managed to get you into this bed. Along about 2am, Charles threatened me with grievous bodily harm if I didn't shut you up. You know you groan and toss and turn rather loudly when you sleep?"

"Yes, I've been told that recently by someone." She pointed at him. "Pray continue."

"In self defense, I got in bed with you and held you. That's the only thing that seems to calm you down, but you already know that. We've had this conversation before."

"Yes we have Hawkeye. I'm sorry I put you through this. Could you help me up?"

He got out the bed, went around to the other side and pulled her up. Hawkeye chuckled. "You should see your face." He rubbed the dirt off the side of her face that had hit the ground when she fell. Ever so slightly she leaned into his hand. It was warm and the heat from it shot through her. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He sat beside her.

Hope looked at him and said, "Please tell me we're the only two people in the tent right now."

Hawkeye raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Yes we are. What do you have in mind?"

"Avoiding extreme embarrassment," she told him. "Since I don't hear any loud guffaws or laughter, I take it that BJ and Major Winchester are somewhere else, which means they didn't see my little "floor show" just now."

"They must be in the mess tent having what passes for breakfast around here," he told her.

"Well, thank goodness for that! This episode will be our little secret. Won't it Hawkeye?" she pleaded.

He put his arm around her shoulder, looked in her eyes and said, "Yes Hope, I promise."

The expression on his face was so earnest. He could tell her anything and she would believe him. She wanted to push Hawkeye down on the bed and kiss the daylights out of him. Instead she murmured, "Let's go to breakfast."

When they got to the mess tent, Hope sat down at the table with BJ and Charles while Hawkeye went to get breakfast for the both of them. She wanted to crawl in a hole when she saw the grins on their faces.

"And how are you this morning Hope?" BJ asked. "Well rested?"

Hope rested her chin on her hand and looked him straight in his eyes. "Yes, how about you BJ? Did you manage to sleep through the night without a problem?" she asked him. "Was it sufficiently quiet enough for you? I've heard from a reliable source that there was a disturbance around 2 am. Didn't hear a thing. I slept like a baby. It was so peaceful."

Charles chuckled and said, "It was peaceful after Pierce got you quieted down. Hawkeye hath "charms to soothe the savage breast" or I should say "charms to soothe the restless sleeper".

Hope felt her face turn beet red. "I'm never going to live down last night," she thought. "I can't hold my liquor and I sleep like an elephant. I'm not very ladylike, but I'm certainly entertaining."

Hawkeye sat down beside Hope and handed her a cup of coffee. "Here you go sleeping beauty."

"Thanks Hawkeye." She took a sip of the coffee and sat the cup down on the table. Right then she felt rather foolish. Her mind drifted off to other times when she felt this way. She heard the buzz of conversation but had no idea what was being said.

"Hope," Hawkeye touched her shoulder.

She turned to face him, her eyes watering. "Sorry, my mind just wandered for a minute."

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

Hope shrugged and then lied to him. "Yes, I'm alright Hawkeye." She stood up, grabbed her crutches and left the mess tent.

Major Houlihan stopped her before she got too far away from the mess tent. "Lieutenant, where did you stay last night?"

"Not where I intended to stay Major. I went over to the Swamp with Hawkeye for a drink. I had one drink and fell asleep. BJ and Hawkeye put me in the extra bed there. That's exactly what happened. Dumb, but true. I'm sorry. I won't let happen again," Hope told her.

"Get Klinger to move your things to the VIP tent. You can stay there for the time being."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you." She silently blessed the Major for not blasting her about being in the Swamp all night.

Hope was glad she found Klinger in the office. "Hi Max, Major Houlihan wants you to move my stuff to the VIP tent. That's where I'll be staying for a little while. And don't worry; I don't have a lot to move. If you're busy now, we can wait till later."

"I can do it now. I much rather help you move into the VIP tent than file papers." Max waved his arm at the stack of papers on his desk.

Hope and Max went to the nurse's tent. He picked up the footlocker and she stood on her tip toes grabbed an old stuffed bunny rabbit off her bunk.

He pointed at the stuffed rabbit. "Who or what is that?"

She laughed and held the rabbit close. "Max Klinger, meet Old Fluffy. I've had him since I was five. Some kids have security blankets, I have a security bunny."

Once they got to the VIP tent, it only took ten minutes to get Hope settled in. She gave Old Fluffy pride of place on the bed.

"Thanks so much, I really appreciate your help." She gave Max a hug.

"You're welcome. Always glad to help my filing assistant."

Hope thought of something else she needed. "Max, I could use a basin and something to put water in. It's going to be awhile before I can hit the shower. Everybody will appreciate it if I try to keep myself smelling like something close to a rose."

He chuckled. "You got it Hope. I'll see if I can round up a basin and a pitcher for you, plus some washcloths and towels."

"Thanks again, Max. You're a prince."

"Yep, that's me. Max Klinger, a prince among enlisted men."

"No Max, you're a prince anywhere!"

While BJ and Hawkeye walked over to Post-Op to check on their patients, Hawkeye said, "Wonder why Hope left the mess tent so abruptly? I don't think I did anything to upset her."

"No Hawk, I don't think you did anything. I think she was embarrassed by what happened last night," BJ told him. "It may take her a little while to get over it. The smartest thing you can do right now is not to say anything to her about it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right BJ. I sure don't want to upset her and push her away. I want to pull her closer."

"I know Hawkeye. You're like a lovesick teenage boy."

Hawkeye sighed, "Ain't that the truth."

Hope walked into Post-Op on the very end of their conversation and started to turn around and leave. Then she heard her name being called.

"Hope." It was one of the patients she had talked to the day before. She turned around, went to his bed and sat down in the chair beside him.

She smiled at him and said, "Hello there handsome."

Poor Hope. Poor Hawkeye. Seems like it's one step forward and two steps back for them! Maybe things will get better soon. I know Father Mulcahy was absent from this chapter. He will make an appearance next time.

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