Hawkeye sat at the edge of Sara Howard's bed and look at her with pain in his eyes, she was awake, but not making eye contact with anyone. Trapper was sitting on the other side, a strange forlorn look on his face, neither man said a word.

"Dammit," Hawkeye muttered quietly, "What the hell is wrong?"

"Hawk?" Trapper asked, suddenly out of his trance, "What's wrong?" Hawkeye shook his head, "Nothing, im alright Trap."

"I wouldn't say that." Trap muttered as he checked the clip board with Sara's medical history on it.

"Come on kid," Hawkeye said in a pleading way, "You've got to talk some time."

Silence.

"She's not going to talk Hawkeye, No one can get through to her." Trapper said quietly as he read her information.

"It just doesn't make sense..." Hawkeye muttered.

"Ah Hawkeye, Trapper?" Radar had sneaked up behind them while they were talking, "The General's here again to take the girl back."

Hawkeye sighed and stood up face to face with General Hammond, "Sir she can't go with you."

"Why ever not Pierce?"

"Because," Trapper stated, "She can't be moved for at least three weeks, and if or even then she could have a repercussion of past events, we're still not sure if we managed to remove all of the bullets and shrapnel from her."

The general sighed angrily and pushed past Hawkeye to get a good look at Sara, "Sara Howard?" He asked gruffly.

No response.

"I'm talking to you young lady." He said getting rather annoyed that someone would ignore him, a man of such high rank.

"Ah...General sir, she hasn't talked yet." Henry Blake said meekly from behind the general, "The only thing she said so far is that she didn't want to go home." The General's eyes bulged.

"She can't stay here!" He argued, "A war is no place for a child."

"You don't think I don't know that?" Henry asked, "But for the time being she'll have to stay here until she can be safely moved back to the US."

The general grumbled some rude words before turning to Hawkeye, "Let's make this perfectly clear," He stated slowly, "In three weeks, this girl is going back to the US whether it's safe or not."

"Yes sir." Hawkeye said as the General stalked grumpily out of the post-op tent, Hawk and Trapper gave him an ironic salute and turned back to Sara who was smiling widely.

"Don't think this means you win," Hawkeye began as everyone cleared away and only Trapper stayed with him, "In three weeks you're leaving and that's that."

"Hawkeye, im going to check blood supplies, I'll see you later." Trapper got up and left the room but Hawkeye continued to stare at Sara, the smiled had left her face now, she looked like she was about to cry, Hawkeye couldn't stand crying children, so with a shrug he got up from the bed and turned to leave the post-op. But when he was about three steps away a small but clear voice, "You want to know why I don't want to go home?"

Hawkeye turned around slowly and stared at the girl, "What-what did you say?"

Sara took a deep breath, "You want to know why I don't want to go home."

"Yeah," Hawkeye said as he quickly sat back down back on to the bed, "Yeah we all want to know why."

"Well I'm not going to tell everyone, Im going to tell you, unless you keep bothering me like this."

Hawkeye sighed, "Alright, so why don't you want to go home?"

Sara's eyes filled with pain as she rolled up her right sleeve and produced the large scar running from her wrist to her shoulder, "A few months ago I was living in Maine with my god parents, well after my mom died which was right after I was born they agreed to become my god parents because my family has quite a bit of money stashed away. And they wanted to get their hands on it. Anyways a few months ago my godfather came home drunk, we had a bit of a fight and he brought out a switch blade on me. I probably would have died but I have good reflexes and he only got my arm. They locked me in my room for over a month, I would have died but my friend knew about what my god parents did to me, when I didn't show up to school the next day she realized something was wrong, climbed up a big tree near my window and I explained everything. For the next month and a half she brought food over for me everyday." Sara sighed when she finished and quickly blinked away tears that filled her eyes.

"Why didn't you go to social securities?" Hawkeye asked.

"Don't think I didn't try, I went to them lots but hey, it's the word of a girl against two grownups and anyone else they can weave into their scheme."

"Why don't you live with your dad?" Hawkeye asked as he checked Sara's pulse.

"I couldn't live by myself when he went to war, so I moved in with them, or more they moved in with me. My dad travels a lot, so i stay with my godparents whenever he leaves, which is often."

-She's talking in present tense- Hawkeye thought, -she doesn't know her fathers dead-

Sara continued, "for the last year my dad's been in China, when the war started he sent me a letter saying he had been drafted and would be out here longer than he thought, for a while I lived at my different friends houses but then my godparents tracked me down and I had to go live with them. I haven't heard form my dad in a long time."

"But why were you in Korea?" Hawkeye asked.

"There was a program at our school before the war started, any student with an A average could transfer to a third world country and teach children, I also have a bit of nursing skills so I helped create a small hospital in a clinic where I was stationed. Anyways when the war started I couldn't leave, then the front line move forward and the village was taken by the enemy, being the only American child there, I was used as a hostage."

"Why'd they fill you with bullets?"

"How should I know, maybe I was in their way." Sara's eyes fell again, "I-I know my dad's dead, I think I've known for a long time, but it's true isn't it?"

Hawkeye nodded grimly, Sara only took a deep breath and tried to be strong, Hawkeye walked over and put his arm around her shoulders, "You ok kiddo?"

The girl nodded, Hawkeye smiled slightly and held out his hand, "Im Captain Pierce, call me Hawkeye though, everyone else does."

Sara shield and shook his hand, "Im Sara."

"Well Sara," Hawkeye said as he stood up, "I can't guarantee that you wont go back to the USA but we won't let you go back to those godparents of yours."

"Thanks" she said weakly, her eyes closed and the small girl fell asleep.