*See Parts 1-2 for Warnings*

© 2000 MCL

Old lives shattered, New ones born
Part 4


B.J Hunnicutt saw the worry on his bestfriend's face and walked over. "How is she?" He asked quietly. Hawkeye looked up at him and said, "Okay if you don't count the panic, cronic fear and confusion. Oh and not to mention the cuts, bruises and welts and missing teeth." B.J suddenly thought of Erin, his almost 1 year old daughter back in the states and felt very sorry for the kid Hawkeye had affectionately named 'The Baby in post-op'. "Any luck talking to her?" B.J shook the memory off and asked.

"Yeah. Right before panicing herself into a coma, she told me her name was Chelsea and that she had been kidnaped and taken to a POW camp, was drafted into their little mine-finding company. They're the ones responsible for this, and this, and this." Hawkeye answered, pointing to the black eye, the broken arm and the tears that were still wet on her cheeks.

"She doesn't know where she is, or how she got here. Honestly, I don't either. I can't see how she managed to survive one hour with the scum bags let alone almost a week. " Hawkeye said and B.J recalled what she'd been wearing when she'd come in. Overalls, a blue hood, sneakers. Nothing that could tell them anymore about her than she could.

Anger coursed itself through Hawkeye, and B.J could tell because of the way he was rubbing his hands together as he leaned forward, his arms laying over his knees. "Who in the hell could do this to a child?" Hawkeye asked a stupid question. "The north koreans." B.J said, answering a stupid question with a stupid, but honest answer. Hawkeye nodded, realizing he deserved the stupid answer and looked at Chelsea, whom slept peacefully now. B.J looked at Hawkeye and could see the bloodshot red eyes from where he stood.

"Hawk, you look awful. Go back to the swamp and get some sleep." B.J said and Hawkeye shook his head no. "I'm not leaving her." Hawkeye said. B.J knew he'd have to argue him into it. "I'll stay here with her, you're not going to do her any good if you fall asleep while at the clip-board." B.J said and Hawk refused to listen.

"No. I promised I'd stay here and I'm going to. IF I get tired, which I am, I will sleep right here." Hawkeye replied, patting the empty bed beside him. B.J shook his head. "Okay Hawk, see ya later. I'm going back to the swamp myself to catch a few zzz's." B.J said and Hawkeye nodded. "Don't let the lices bite!" Hawkeye said and B.J smiled as he left. Hawkeye yawned and remained where he'd been sitting almost since Chelsea had arrived.

Hawkeye kept seeing that nice and empty cot beside him and soon gave in and climbed in, curling up into a nice little ball for a nap. 6 hours past, and thankfully, no casualties came in. Hawkeye slept peacefully the entire time. He hadn't slept that long since he went to grade school. When he did finally wake up, he sat up and yawned again. He got up and stretched, and then checked on his little patient.

Seeing that she was okay, Hawkeye asked Nurse Able to keep an eye on her while he went to the little boy's room and she nodded, and off he went. Hawkeye rubbed at his eye and ran right into Radar. Seeing who he ran into, Hawkeye stopped rubbing at his eye. "I got a good mind to kick your keister." Hawkeye said, pointing at Radar.

Hawkeye was being dead serious, and Radar was worried. Hawkeye was his hero, of the sort, kinda like a father figure to him. "Wha--" Radar asked. "You never called in, what if she would have been a booby trap? Huh? Then we'd had a corporal in easy to fit together jig-saw puzzle size! One piece fits all." Hawkeye scolded. Radar was quiet, he knew what Hawkeye had said was right. He waited for Hawkeye to come out of the latrine, and then followed him back to the Post-Op. Hawkeye immeadiately went over to Chelsea, and thankfully she was still asleep.

"Hawkeye, I didn't think she'd make it if I didn't hurry. You aren't really gonna hit me, are ya Hawkeye?" Radar asked, and Hawkeye couldn't help but smile. "No Radar. But call in next time, because I already hate seeing all the blood I do, but if it were your blood, I'd really hate it." Hawkeye answered and Radar smiled. "Sure Hawkeye. ohh, holy cow." Radar answered as he looked over at Chelsea and saw her black eye and broken casted arm.

"She's scared, would you talk to her when she wakes up, Radar? You might be able to get her to feel better." Hawkeye asked. "Sure. I know alot about bein scared, it's my best subject." Radar answered, and Hawkeye said he'd come and get him when she woke, and he smiled as he walked back to his office. Hawkeye smiled as Radar turned the corner and went through the double swing doors. The he took the chart from the end of Chelsea's bed and read it. He was glad there weren't but two other wounded in post op, because he wanted to focus all of his time on Chelsea.

He sat down beside Chelsea's bed and read it as he reached over and felt for a pulse on her dangling wrist. Finding it, timing it and a minute later, he wrote the pulse rate down on the clip board's accompianing paper. Hawkeye went on and listened to her heart, and shook his head when he heard a heart murmer, he hated to have to ad it to her list of wrong too, but he had to, and he recorded it.

Then after listening to her chest, Hawkeye rolled her over onto her side and after shaking his head at the bruises there, he listened to her breathing. "That's cold Hawkeye." Chelsea said as she woke up and felt the stethoscope on her bare skin. Hawkeye was glad to hear her voice, and he smiled as he pulled her gown back down and rolled her back onto her back. "I'm sorry Chelsea. I'll warm it up next time. I'm glad to see you are up." Hawkeye replied as he hung the stethoscope back around his neck. Chelsea smiled at him.

"Thought you was gonna give me a shot. Don't tell, but I am a'scared of shots, an I cry alot." Chelsea said as she sat up slowly. Hawkeye always thought everyone in the world had a phobia to needles. He knew he sure did, and he was a doctor yet! "Me too, but it's our little secret." Hawkeye replied and Chelsea smiled. Hawkeye remembered his earlier talk with Radar and decided to see what Chelsea would do if he asked her to talk with him.

"I've got a friend I want you to meet, that is if you think you'll be okay without me for a little while." Hawkeye said as he got up and popping the end of his pen back in, he hung the clip board back on the foot of her bed. "Is he..will he...is he nice..like you?" Chelsea asked nervously. Hawkeye knew she was going to be nervous.

"Radar wouldn't hurt a fly. He's got a few he keeps as pets, as a matter of fact." Hawkeye replied and Chelsea just looked up at him afraid. "I'll tell him to come and get me if you get too scared, and I will be right around the corner." Hawkeye said and Chelsea finally nodded okay. "Kay. But not too long." Chelsea said and then she looked like she'd been stunned as she looked down.

"Uh-oh.." Chelsea said and Hawkeye stopped where he stood, he'd been on his way to get Radar when he heard her sudden uh-oh. He turned and looked at her, as she stared at her lap. "What is it, Chelsea?" Hawkeye asked, a little worried. Chelsea looked at him and nearly passed out. "I..I..I wet the bed!" Chelsea replied, embarrassed as she started to cry. Hawkeye went back to her and lifted her off of the bed.

She had indeed wet the bed, her clothes, and all. He stood next to the bed with her standing in front of him, when a pinkish color caught his attention and he peeked at her bed again. Mixed in with the yellow was a pink, and Hawk knew it was blood. He quick tossed the covers up so she wouldn't see and hugged her. "You're not the only one has done that, you know." Hawkeye said and Chelsea looked at him sniffling. "Really? You wetted the bed too?" Chelsea asked. Hawkeye hadn't lied to her, so what the hell. "Yep. I have wet the bed more than anyone else. I'm probably in the world book of bed wetters." Hawkeye said and Chelsea wiped her eyes.

"I'll get you some dry clothes. I'll be right back. Don't worry about the bed. You're not the first to leak on them, and you won't be the last." Hawkeye said as he got a white screen and pulled it around her bed. Chelsea nodded as she watched Hawkeye disappear around the corner, be gone a few seconds, and then come right back carrying a new shirt and something else, something like the underwear she already had on. He handed them to her and stood outside of the screen until she was done. Then when she said okay, he moved the screen and she gave him her wet clothes.

Hawkeye looked down and saw her standing in her underwear. "I can't get the shirt on cos of my arm. Will you help me?" Chelsea asked and Hawkeye knelt down to her. He took the big shirt and rolled it up in the back, put it over her head and then he did the same for the sleeve and helped her get her cast through it. Then once it was on, Hawkeye smiled and picked her up. He pulled back the covers of the bed he'd been sleeping in and sat her down gently.

"Here ya go." He said as he covered her up. Hawkeye turned and quickly stripped the wet bed and rolled all the linens together so Chelsea wouldn't see. "Thanks Hawkeye." Chelsea said as he turned and looked at her with the linen under his arm.

"For what?" Hawkeye asked. "For not yellin or hittin. My nanny hated it when I wetted the bed. But you dinnit yell at me." Chelsea said and Hawkeye couldn't help it again, and he smiled. "No problem. I'll send Radar in, if you still want to talk to him." Hawkeye said. "Okay." Chelsea said and Hawkeye nodded as he went on with his trip to dump the dirty linens. He also wanted to talk to B.J.

Hawkeye went into Radar's office and ran into B.J and Radar, whom were talking. "Radar, Chelsea's up. I asked her to talk with you and she said she would, but if she needs me, wants me or gets scared, get one me or B.J., okay?" Hawkeye said and Radar nodded as he left his office, and disappeared through the post-op doors. Hawkeye saw this as a chance to get to talk to B.J and nodded him away from the post-op doors. B.J followed him, figuring Hawkeye had another sneaky scheme up his sleeve.

"How's our smallest vistim Hawk?" B.J asked. "She's up and waiting on her visit from Radar. She seems to be okay, but I'm a little worried." Hawkeye said, and from there B.J knew Hawkeye wasn't planning something, it was worry that caused that look in his eyes this time around. "Why?" B.J asked, a little worried himself now.

"When she came in, we took blood and urine samples, right?" Hawkeye asked. B.J nodded his head yes. "Yeah Hawk, I'm the one who helped take them and run the tests on them. Why?" B.J replied. "Well, she wet the bed a few minutes ago, and when I was changing her linens, I saw a little blood." Hawkeye answered, and B.J picked up on what Hawkeye was thinking. "Did she say wither they..uh.." B.J asked, and Hawkeye shook his head no. They were both glad Radar wasn't there to hear what or whom they were talking about.

"Think we should go in?" B.J asked. "Do a test like that on a child that small? No. Not unless I have to." Hawkeye said, as anger raged through them both. "Damn war. The kids are the real ones who suffer. Half of what I see in our bloody assembly line are kids, and that sucks. But she's different. She's not here for this. She's not a soldier dammit, she's just a baby. I'm so tired of the war, and it's nursery raiding!" Hawkeye said, letting out a little frustation on his besst friend. B.J was just as mad and worried, but he didn't show it much. He thought Hawkeye was doing enough of that for the both of them right now.

B.J put his hand on Hawkeye's shoulder. Hawkeye was trying to calm down in case Chelsea yelled for him. "She'll probably be okay, we'll keep an eye on her." B.J said trying to help Hawkeye feel better. Hawkeye gave him a small smile and yawned. He hadn't been sleeping much and the sleep he'd gotten earlier wasn't even close to what he really needed, sleep wise. "Let's hope so Beej." Hawkeye replied.

***********

"So you're Chelsea? I'm Walter, but everyone around here calls me Radar." Radar said as he sat on a crate beside Chelsea's bed. Chelsea smiled and nodded. "You found me, right?" Chelsea asked, recalling something she remembered from when she was thought by everyone to be asleep in post-op. "Yeah, sure did. I was coming back from souel." Radar answered and Chelsea swallowed. "What's wrong?" Radar asked, seeing he look down at her lap.

"Did you get hit for helpin me? Cos I know you coulda died if I was a trap. My dad told me that once, never touch anything you see laying around a field or anywhere else cos it can be a trap set by the rotten koreans an it will blow you up." Chelsea asked and Radar shook his head no.

"Nah, Hawkeye threatened to, but he didn't. I knew you were alone and hurt and I didn't care that you might be a trap. I just wanted to get you back here where a doctor could help you. I mean, you're just a little kid, and you got your whole life ahead a ya." Radar answered and Chelsea blushed a little, making Radar smile.

"I think I'm gonna like it here as long as you, Hawkeye and um...um..oh, him over there, is nice an lets me stay." Chelsea said pointing to B.J as he did his rounds. Radar looked over to where she was pointing. "Oh you mean Captain B.J Hunnicutt. Yeah, he's a nice guy. A good surgeon too." Radar answered and Chelsea nodded. "Yeah, him. He was real nice to me before." Chelsea said as she looked at him a few minutes. Then she looked back at Radar.

"Radar, how old are you?" Chelsea asked. "18. I was drafted." Radar said. "Oh. I'm 7. I just had a birthday a few days ago. I lived here with my dad, but he died." Chelsea answered and Radar looked sad at that fact. He;d lost his dad at an early age too. "Well, happy late birthday." Radar said and Chelsea barely heard him as she felt weird again. Then, a severe pain shot through her privates, right into her belly. It felt like someone was trying to cut her in half with an axe.

All the color drained from her face, and before Radar could ask what was wrong, Chelsea bagan to scream at the top of her lungs. "Hawkeye! Hawkeye! HAWKEYE!!!!" Chelsea screamed as she held her knees close to her belly and rocked back and forth. Radar paniced and ran for Hawkeye as B.J stayed with Chelsea. She was crying, yelling and very afraid. He tried to comfort her, but she couldn't hear him, all she heard was her own screams, and felt her own pain kicking her from the inside out.

TBC