Chapter 3- (drunken mumblings)
"Bartender...ano...another drink here!" a drunken BJ said. "I, uhh think you've had enough here Beej. Let's go back to the Swamp." Hawk said to him. The two left the Officer's Club and headed back to their tent where they ran into Margaret.
"What's the matter with him?" she asked.
"He just found out that the bar has closed and needs to get back to the Swamp" Hawk answered her.
"Here, let me help you"
"Thanks Margaret"
As the three of them made their way to the Swamp, Margaret began to sense that all was not well, but did not mention anything. They carefully placed BJ into his cot where he fell asleep almost immediately.
"No... Peg, I'm Sorry..." BJ mumbled quietly, deep into his dreams, disturbed by the haze of the alcohol.
"Hawk... what's bothering BJ?" Margaret asked.
"Well...I'm not so sure I should say anything"
"Awww c'mon, don't make me pull rank, and if you still don't tell me I'll just ask Radar, he seems to know everything."
"All right, Margaret, OK, please don't mention it though," Hawkeye knew she wouldn't say anything, she had become almost as close to Beej and Hawk as they had been to each other. "It um, looks like BJ is going to be a father again."
"Oh that is great news!!! He and Peg...wait... that's impossible, he and Peg haven't... Oh my goodness." Margaret finally realized, "With who?"
"A nurse by the name of Carrie Donovan" Margaret began to think of the many nurses who have come and gone through the 4077th. "Really...hmmmmm. What is he going to do?" Margaret said, not really sure what to say.
"Well, he has already called Carrie. But I was surprised."
"Why?"
"He never asked her why she called Peg first and not him? Or why she called Peg at all? If that were me, I'd be pretty damn upset over that, and yet he wasn't." Hawkeye was very concerned for his friend.
"That is strange." she said trying to think things over. "Well I guess I will go back to my tent and let him, and you sleep. Hey Hawk?"
"Yeah?"
"BJ is lucky to have friend like you." Margaret said to him.
"Thanks Margaret."
Margaret left the Swamp bewildered. She had to somehow help BJ, but she wasn't sure quite what to do.
That night the camp slept quietly except for the patrons of the Swamp . Every few minutes Beej would rustle in his bunk and start to plead for forgiveness. Hawkeye would wanted to sleep away the booze and be fresh for the next morning but couldn't sleep with BJ's mumbling. He sat up and watched as Beej wrestled with his blanket and pleaded with Peg from 12,000 away.
Hawk groaned and got up went over and gave him a shake. Beej tumbled out of bed. He looked shocked, unable to process what had happened, the memories of the past few days returning to him.
"Since we're both now awake, and obviously not going to get much more sleep, why don't we talk about this, Beej. Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Hawk felt stupid asking.
"Of course I've thought about it, it's all I've been thinking about, Hawk!" Beej stood and started pacing around the room. "I can't think about anything else."
"And? What've you decided?"
Beej sighed, "I guess I'm going to keep it, take it into my family... hmph, family, I don't even know how much of a family I have left. Hawk, what am I going to do about Peg? I love her so much, I can't imagine how betrayed she feels, I can't believe I've done this to her."
Hawk listened to Beej, let him vent some of his feelings. "Beej, if she loves you nearly as much as you love her then she'll forgive you. It'll be OK."
Beej gulped down a martini then poured another, finishing it just as quickly. "No, Hawk, I'm deathly afraid that it wont be OK."
"Beej, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Ummmm, how can you be sure this is your child? It's almost as if you have just accepted this without thoroughly thinking this through."
"You know Hawk, I don't know, but I also don't know this isn't my child."
"I understand. Have you written to Peg yet?"
Beej sighed and looked down, "I've tried, Hawk, I've started so many letters, I can't get past 'My dearest Peg.'"
"How about 'I love you and I'm sorry'?"
"If only it were that easy."
"Beej, just explain what happened and how you felt afterward and beg for forgiveness, you've had plenty of practice in your sleep."
"Yeah, sure Hawk," Beej brushed him off, thinking of what to write already.
"Well, since I'm wide awake, I'm going to go take a shower, you write that letter. It wont be easy but you need to do it."
"Yeah I know," Beej said collapsing into a chair, "and thanks Hawk, for everything."
"No problem Beej," Hawk said walking out the door, pausing for a second, "Beej, it might take a little time, but everything will be OK."
"I hope so."
"Bartender...ano...another drink here!" a drunken BJ said. "I, uhh think you've had enough here Beej. Let's go back to the Swamp." Hawk said to him. The two left the Officer's Club and headed back to their tent where they ran into Margaret.
"What's the matter with him?" she asked.
"He just found out that the bar has closed and needs to get back to the Swamp" Hawk answered her.
"Here, let me help you"
"Thanks Margaret"
As the three of them made their way to the Swamp, Margaret began to sense that all was not well, but did not mention anything. They carefully placed BJ into his cot where he fell asleep almost immediately.
"No... Peg, I'm Sorry..." BJ mumbled quietly, deep into his dreams, disturbed by the haze of the alcohol.
"Hawk... what's bothering BJ?" Margaret asked.
"Well...I'm not so sure I should say anything"
"Awww c'mon, don't make me pull rank, and if you still don't tell me I'll just ask Radar, he seems to know everything."
"All right, Margaret, OK, please don't mention it though," Hawkeye knew she wouldn't say anything, she had become almost as close to Beej and Hawk as they had been to each other. "It um, looks like BJ is going to be a father again."
"Oh that is great news!!! He and Peg...wait... that's impossible, he and Peg haven't... Oh my goodness." Margaret finally realized, "With who?"
"A nurse by the name of Carrie Donovan" Margaret began to think of the many nurses who have come and gone through the 4077th. "Really...hmmmmm. What is he going to do?" Margaret said, not really sure what to say.
"Well, he has already called Carrie. But I was surprised."
"Why?"
"He never asked her why she called Peg first and not him? Or why she called Peg at all? If that were me, I'd be pretty damn upset over that, and yet he wasn't." Hawkeye was very concerned for his friend.
"That is strange." she said trying to think things over. "Well I guess I will go back to my tent and let him, and you sleep. Hey Hawk?"
"Yeah?"
"BJ is lucky to have friend like you." Margaret said to him.
"Thanks Margaret."
Margaret left the Swamp bewildered. She had to somehow help BJ, but she wasn't sure quite what to do.
That night the camp slept quietly except for the patrons of the Swamp . Every few minutes Beej would rustle in his bunk and start to plead for forgiveness. Hawkeye would wanted to sleep away the booze and be fresh for the next morning but couldn't sleep with BJ's mumbling. He sat up and watched as Beej wrestled with his blanket and pleaded with Peg from 12,000 away.
Hawk groaned and got up went over and gave him a shake. Beej tumbled out of bed. He looked shocked, unable to process what had happened, the memories of the past few days returning to him.
"Since we're both now awake, and obviously not going to get much more sleep, why don't we talk about this, Beej. Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Hawk felt stupid asking.
"Of course I've thought about it, it's all I've been thinking about, Hawk!" Beej stood and started pacing around the room. "I can't think about anything else."
"And? What've you decided?"
Beej sighed, "I guess I'm going to keep it, take it into my family... hmph, family, I don't even know how much of a family I have left. Hawk, what am I going to do about Peg? I love her so much, I can't imagine how betrayed she feels, I can't believe I've done this to her."
Hawk listened to Beej, let him vent some of his feelings. "Beej, if she loves you nearly as much as you love her then she'll forgive you. It'll be OK."
Beej gulped down a martini then poured another, finishing it just as quickly. "No, Hawk, I'm deathly afraid that it wont be OK."
"Beej, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Ummmm, how can you be sure this is your child? It's almost as if you have just accepted this without thoroughly thinking this through."
"You know Hawk, I don't know, but I also don't know this isn't my child."
"I understand. Have you written to Peg yet?"
Beej sighed and looked down, "I've tried, Hawk, I've started so many letters, I can't get past 'My dearest Peg.'"
"How about 'I love you and I'm sorry'?"
"If only it were that easy."
"Beej, just explain what happened and how you felt afterward and beg for forgiveness, you've had plenty of practice in your sleep."
"Yeah, sure Hawk," Beej brushed him off, thinking of what to write already.
"Well, since I'm wide awake, I'm going to go take a shower, you write that letter. It wont be easy but you need to do it."
"Yeah I know," Beej said collapsing into a chair, "and thanks Hawk, for everything."
"No problem Beej," Hawk said walking out the door, pausing for a second, "Beej, it might take a little time, but everything will be OK."
"I hope so."
