"Catch!" I turned my head in time to see the volleyball come at me, but not
in time to react. Hawkeye caught the ball a fraction of an inch before it
hit my face and he threw it at the back of BJ's head. It bounced off BJ's
head and landed in Margaret's lap. I tried not to have hysterics as
Margaret, surprised, threw it to Colonel Potter.
"Aren't you going to thank me and shower me with the appropriate love and affection for saving your pretty little head?" Hawkeye asked. I smiled, Colonel Potter had planned a day at the beach for all of us as we had no patients and we were bored stiff.
"Do you think you really deserve that?" I laughed.
"Yes, I do believe I am worthy of that." Hawkeye replied. I pondered for a second before kissing him briefly.
"Happy?" I asked, pulling back to look up at Hawkeye.
"Well, just a second." Hawkeye kissed me again. "Now I am." I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. We spent the rest of the bus trip in each other's arms.
It was a stampede to get off the bus and onto the beach. After an initial mad dash to the water and along the sand, we settled down and decided to have a good long sunbathe before it got too hot and we got burnt.
"Anne!" BJ ran over to where Margie, Lori and myself lay in the sun. He stopped suddenly, showering us with sand. We jumped indignantly to our feet, brushing sand from our faces. BJ laughed, as I shook the sand from my hair all over him.
"Yes BJ?" I asked with an angelic smile. It was BJ's turn to wipe sand off himself, which he did so with my towel.
"Come on, we're going for a swim!" He took my wrist and dragged me to the water. I pulled off my t-shirt to reveal a top that barely reached my middle and both sleeves had been ripped off. I was as eager as he was, until I felt the water under my feet and that sickening fear overtook me and I stopped dead.
"BJ! No, I haven't swum since Meg drowned. That's twenty years ago!" I pulled back, and he stopped, taking both my hands and looking at me honestly.
"Anne-girl trust me, I grew up beside the beach and I'm a strong swimmer, we won't go too deep and I can have you out in a minute if I need to." The waves lapped at my ankles and BJ got me to take a few more steps forward.
"BJ, I don't know." He coaxed me forward and the water was nearly at my shins.
"I'll hold your hand the whole way okay? One more step, it's up to your waist, come on, let's go for a swim." BJ struck out and swam about two yards away. I was left in the water trying not to panic. I lifted my feet and found I remembered how to float.
"Come on! It's like riding a bike, you can't forget! Let's go." Nervously I pushed myself forward and in a second, BJ had me again, holding my hands as I kept myself afloat. "See? What did I tell you?" He let me go and I went under. Automatically I kicked and pushed with my hands and I bobbed back up to the surface, to find that BJ had swum out further. I gave chase and caught up to him quickly.
"Come on, let's go back!" We were about ten yards from the shore, and BJ declared a race, diving with the wave before I had a chance to move. I followed him with the next wave, letting the swell take me. BJ had fallen about two yards short of the shore and was looking around for me. My wave broke just in front of him and seeing that I was okay, he began to run. I sprinted onto the sand just before he did.
We collapsed laughing and gasping. I felt better and not half as nervous. A crowd formed around us and Hawkeye pulled BJ and I to our feet at the same time.
"I thought you were afraid of water?" He pulled me into a hug. The truth was, I still was, but BJ had made me feel better about it. The day was hot and I dried off quickly. We were just beginning to think about lunch when Colonel Potter had an idea.
"Folks, can I have your attention? Now as you know, Igor and some our wonderful womenfolk have prepared a picnic lunch, but I intend for you to earn it!" There was a dubious mutter around the group at Colonel Potter's announcement.
"Now don't give me those long faces, we'll have a race, the 50-yard nurse carry. You get a nurse, Captain." He motioned to me. Unsure of what was up, I stepped towards the Colonel.
"You then, by whatever means necessary get them up onto your shoulders. Captain, if you would." He bent down and I climbed onto his shoulders. He stood up and in a second I was up in the air. The group burst into applause.
"You run for 50-yards, first across the line wins a two-day pass to Seoul, second wins an overnight. Men, find a nurse to carry!" He let me down from his shoulders.
We paired off quickly. There were twelve women, eleven nurses including Margaret and myself and Klinger was carrying Soon-Lee. Hawkeye and BJ stood next to each other and Margaret and I wobbled on their shoulders as they shouted insults at each other while everyone sorted themselves out.
"On your marks!" Hawkeye and BJ turned to face the direction they had to run in.
"Get set!" Everyone made sure they had a tight grip on their 'jockey' Hawkeye's arms tightening around my legs and BJ's hold on Margaret's ankles tightened visibly.
"Go!" The Colonel shouted. We all took off, people tripping and falling immediately. Margaret nearly fell, but grabbed my arm that I'd thrown out trying to keep my balance. Using each other to keep balanced brought both men to a halt, and we kept going once Margaret and I had let go. Klinger and Soon-Lee were weaving wildly across the track, and knocking other people over. I don't know that it was a deliberate as Soon-Lee was precariously balanced on his shoulders and every time Klinger moved, she'd sway in the opposite direction, causing Klinger to follow her.
He ran in front of us, Soon-Lee barely holding on. BJ fell as Klinger crossed his path and Hawkeye pulled back suddenly to avoid his friend. I clutched at his hair and we lost our balance, toppling over into the sand.
"Come on, get up!" BJ and Margaret were recovering. We were the last two pairs in the race. I climbed on Hawkeye's shoulders, and he sprinted after them, crashing into BJ just as he and Margaret reached the finish line. We landed in a tangle of arms and legs, laughing and trying to get up.
"Congratulations! BJ, Margaret you have yourselves 48 hours in Seoul! Pierce and Pierce, you have 24 hours which I assume you'll be taking together." Colonel Potter announced, giving me a hand up.
We played volleyball after lunch and Hawkeye and BJ went head-to-head, both proving completely hopeless at the sport. They decided to settle for watching the girls and I play.
I landed face-first in the sand as I got the ball up in the air. Angie, resident volleyball queen, spiked it sharply into the ground and won the game for us. I picked myself up in time to be grabbed into a group hug.
It was a great day, but it was getting still hotter and most of us were having a paddle, or in BJ, Hawkeye's and my case a swim. They rarely got more than a yard away from me and when they did and realised it, they were quick to return. We went in search of shallower waters and BJ hoisted Margaret onto his shoulders while Hawkeye helped me up.
"Chicken features!" Hawkeye called as Margaret and I wrestled with each other. I gave a good push and nearly lost my balance. I grabbed onto Hawkeye's head and he put his hands up to steady me.
"Bird brains!" BJ took a hurried step backwards as he nearly lost his balance and Margaret reeled backwards from the push.
"Well, you're a sock-napper!" Hawkeye shouted. The wrestling match was getting good and people had begun cheer as they watched. BJ and Hawkeye continued insulting each other, while Margaret and I pushed and shoved, trying to dislodge each other.
"Is that the best you've got woman?" Margaret bawled as I pushed her hopelessly. Hawkeye had stepped too far back and I couldn't reach to push her with any real force. Neither could she for the record.
"No Drill Sergeant! Hawkeye, move closer!" I replied playfully mocking Margaret. Hawkeye obeyed and Margaret and I continued to push and shove, holding on with our legs while we were cheered on.
Margaret gave a final shove and I toppled over backwards, taking Hawkeye with me. Under the water, I freed myself and saw BJ's legs as he turned to face the cheering audience. I swam forward, moving slowly and grabbed his legs. The result was most satisfying as both BJ and Margaret fell into the water. I resurfaced about the same time BJ did and he saw me, laughing hysterically. He approached, and began to tickle me, not stopping until I was gasping for breath.
Hawkeye pulled BJ off me. My rapid gasps for air had got him worried that I was genuinely choking. Anxiously he gave me a quick once-over, checking that I really was fine and that all was well. I was fine, a little short of breath, but completely unharmed in any other way.
"Hawkeye, I'm fine!" I protested; he'd carried me out of the water and had sat me on a rock. He had a tendency to be over-protective of me since the POW incident and often overreacted if I appeared to be in any trouble.
"I'm not sure, about that, you look like you might need mouth-to-mouth." He added with a cheeky smile. I raised an eyebrow, knowing what he hinted at.
"Really?" I asked innocently. He nodded and kissed me. The group moved a little way down the beach to give us some space. There was no need to really. We were too wet and sandy to try and get really close and after a quick kiss we joined the group to watch the wrestling matches that were planned.
"Come on Anne!" BJ, recent victor against Hawkeye, called. "I'll take you on!" The group laughed, at his cocky manner. He'd just won the Officer's division and was feeling pretty good about himself.
"Don't hurt him Annie," Hawkeye whispered as I got up. I gave my husband a teasing but reassuring smile.
"Don't worry darling, I won't hurt him - much!" I said that loud enough for everyone to hear, a cheer went through the onlookers and quickly, small bets were placed on who would come out victorious.
We went to battle, BJ unwilling to do anything serious in case he should hurt me. Nothing more serious than a push or tackle went on until I grabbed BJ's arm and twisted it up behind his back. People began to cheer as BJ's face twisted slightly at the miniscule hint of pain.
"Listen to me BJ," I hissed in his ear. "Stop treating me like a woman, and start fighting me like a man!" I released him with a push and he stumbled a step forward before turning right around and coming at me again. I let him have the upper hand, tripping me over and landing on me heavily.
Father Mulcahy began to count as BJ pinned my shoulders to the ground. I lay there not worried, or fussed that I appeared to be losing. I was about to move, as I knew BJ wasn't really trying, when he said something that brought his downfall.
"D'ya know Anne, you're very sexy when you talk dirty like that?" BJ remarked teasingly. Before he knew what happened, he was down, and I was most successfully pinning him to the ground. He was seriously struggling to be free, but completely unable to move anything above his waist.
"Anne's the winner!" Father Mulcahy announced and I let BJ up. Hawkeye tackled me at the waist, bringing me down by surprise. We landed in the sand, and wound up in a passionate embrace.
Everyone took the hint and we began winding down, sunbathing in the last of the sun, going for a walk or spending a little alone time with your favourite member of the opposite sex. Hawkeye and I chose the last option, sitting on a rock, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings while punctuating sentences with short kisses.
Weary, sunburnt and hungry, we got back on the bus, falling into seats and remaining glum until Colonel Potter produced a bottle or two of excellent whiskey and a thermos or three of black coffee. A mouthful of each in our systems, we perked up considerably.
We tried to sing 'Row, Row, Row You Boat' in a 6-part round and failed dismally. It was rather offensive to anyone who listened. So we settled for out-of-tune and key-renditions of anything we could remember more than a line of.
The bus motor died, and our driver proved to be as mechanically inept as my darling, mechanically inept husband. After about twenty minutes some civilians came up on us, we let them on, and one of them fixed our bus. BJ and I commandeered the four-year-old girl and had her sit up the front with us, while we taught her clapping games. She returned to her family when some wounded GI's flagged us down. We let them on and patched them up.
"Get the bottle back here, this boy can't wait!" Hawkeye ordered, the plasma was quickly passed down. Some of our newest patients were pretty seriously beat-up and we were trying to stabilise them and fast.
"Quick, pull off the road, there's a Chinese patrol coming down." One of the men warned us. We pulled off into the bushes, and killed the lights, and waited in that gut-churning suspense, where you couldn't even breathe loudly.
I was with BJ, he and I were dreaming of home, and how many kids we thought we could bear, not together but with our partners, it was a light-hearted amusing conversation that sat well with the rest of the day's fun events. But he was silent now, so was I, so was everyone; it was so quiet that we could almost hear each other's heartbeat.
Up the back somewhere a small noise was audible. I knew the sound too well, the persistent whinge of a tired baby. I tensed, praying the baby would quiet. If the child got too loud, there was a real chance of the Chinese hearing and finding us.
Hawkeye was more agitated than the rest of us. He was sitting closer towards the back and nearer the baby, and I noticed him gripping the seat tightly, while most of us were gripping the hand of the person nearest us.
The crying didn't cease and BJ's hand in mine had tightened. I heard footsteps and I realised that Hawkeye had approached the baby's mother. He hissed something in a low, angry tone but I couldn't hear it. The baby was quiet after that, and so was Hawkeye.
The patrol passed and we kept going. BJ and I and the ridiculous number of babies, Margaret throwing a ball around, Colonel Potter leading us in a noisy round of Mississippi Mud, Klinger and Soon-Li's Korean lessons, Father Mulcahy's preaching and the nurses' singing all continued, but Hawkeye sat in his seat trembling, and when I approached him, he pulled away and refused to talk. Puzzled, I returned to BJ.
"Why is Hawk so quiet?" BJ asked as the bus took a sharp corner and I fell into his arms. I righted myself and explained that Hawkeye was refusing to talk and had gone into one of his quiet, brooding phases.
"Don't worry Anne, you know he'll come around later on. Put your head down and have a rest." I stretched out on the seat a little and lay my head in his lap. BJ played with my hair and talked to me about Peggy and Erin until I fell asleep.
BJ carried me to bed when we got home. How he got me into my top bunk I have no idea, but he managed. I woke hours later when someone dragged my blankets off, calling my name desperately. I opened my eyes and met Margaret's blue ones, very scared and definitely panicked.
"Anne! Annie, it's Hawkeye, he's just driven a jeep through the side of the O-Club!" It was the start of Hawkeye's insanity and just how far it would go was anyone's guess.
"Aren't you going to thank me and shower me with the appropriate love and affection for saving your pretty little head?" Hawkeye asked. I smiled, Colonel Potter had planned a day at the beach for all of us as we had no patients and we were bored stiff.
"Do you think you really deserve that?" I laughed.
"Yes, I do believe I am worthy of that." Hawkeye replied. I pondered for a second before kissing him briefly.
"Happy?" I asked, pulling back to look up at Hawkeye.
"Well, just a second." Hawkeye kissed me again. "Now I am." I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. We spent the rest of the bus trip in each other's arms.
It was a stampede to get off the bus and onto the beach. After an initial mad dash to the water and along the sand, we settled down and decided to have a good long sunbathe before it got too hot and we got burnt.
"Anne!" BJ ran over to where Margie, Lori and myself lay in the sun. He stopped suddenly, showering us with sand. We jumped indignantly to our feet, brushing sand from our faces. BJ laughed, as I shook the sand from my hair all over him.
"Yes BJ?" I asked with an angelic smile. It was BJ's turn to wipe sand off himself, which he did so with my towel.
"Come on, we're going for a swim!" He took my wrist and dragged me to the water. I pulled off my t-shirt to reveal a top that barely reached my middle and both sleeves had been ripped off. I was as eager as he was, until I felt the water under my feet and that sickening fear overtook me and I stopped dead.
"BJ! No, I haven't swum since Meg drowned. That's twenty years ago!" I pulled back, and he stopped, taking both my hands and looking at me honestly.
"Anne-girl trust me, I grew up beside the beach and I'm a strong swimmer, we won't go too deep and I can have you out in a minute if I need to." The waves lapped at my ankles and BJ got me to take a few more steps forward.
"BJ, I don't know." He coaxed me forward and the water was nearly at my shins.
"I'll hold your hand the whole way okay? One more step, it's up to your waist, come on, let's go for a swim." BJ struck out and swam about two yards away. I was left in the water trying not to panic. I lifted my feet and found I remembered how to float.
"Come on! It's like riding a bike, you can't forget! Let's go." Nervously I pushed myself forward and in a second, BJ had me again, holding my hands as I kept myself afloat. "See? What did I tell you?" He let me go and I went under. Automatically I kicked and pushed with my hands and I bobbed back up to the surface, to find that BJ had swum out further. I gave chase and caught up to him quickly.
"Come on, let's go back!" We were about ten yards from the shore, and BJ declared a race, diving with the wave before I had a chance to move. I followed him with the next wave, letting the swell take me. BJ had fallen about two yards short of the shore and was looking around for me. My wave broke just in front of him and seeing that I was okay, he began to run. I sprinted onto the sand just before he did.
We collapsed laughing and gasping. I felt better and not half as nervous. A crowd formed around us and Hawkeye pulled BJ and I to our feet at the same time.
"I thought you were afraid of water?" He pulled me into a hug. The truth was, I still was, but BJ had made me feel better about it. The day was hot and I dried off quickly. We were just beginning to think about lunch when Colonel Potter had an idea.
"Folks, can I have your attention? Now as you know, Igor and some our wonderful womenfolk have prepared a picnic lunch, but I intend for you to earn it!" There was a dubious mutter around the group at Colonel Potter's announcement.
"Now don't give me those long faces, we'll have a race, the 50-yard nurse carry. You get a nurse, Captain." He motioned to me. Unsure of what was up, I stepped towards the Colonel.
"You then, by whatever means necessary get them up onto your shoulders. Captain, if you would." He bent down and I climbed onto his shoulders. He stood up and in a second I was up in the air. The group burst into applause.
"You run for 50-yards, first across the line wins a two-day pass to Seoul, second wins an overnight. Men, find a nurse to carry!" He let me down from his shoulders.
We paired off quickly. There were twelve women, eleven nurses including Margaret and myself and Klinger was carrying Soon-Lee. Hawkeye and BJ stood next to each other and Margaret and I wobbled on their shoulders as they shouted insults at each other while everyone sorted themselves out.
"On your marks!" Hawkeye and BJ turned to face the direction they had to run in.
"Get set!" Everyone made sure they had a tight grip on their 'jockey' Hawkeye's arms tightening around my legs and BJ's hold on Margaret's ankles tightened visibly.
"Go!" The Colonel shouted. We all took off, people tripping and falling immediately. Margaret nearly fell, but grabbed my arm that I'd thrown out trying to keep my balance. Using each other to keep balanced brought both men to a halt, and we kept going once Margaret and I had let go. Klinger and Soon-Lee were weaving wildly across the track, and knocking other people over. I don't know that it was a deliberate as Soon-Lee was precariously balanced on his shoulders and every time Klinger moved, she'd sway in the opposite direction, causing Klinger to follow her.
He ran in front of us, Soon-Lee barely holding on. BJ fell as Klinger crossed his path and Hawkeye pulled back suddenly to avoid his friend. I clutched at his hair and we lost our balance, toppling over into the sand.
"Come on, get up!" BJ and Margaret were recovering. We were the last two pairs in the race. I climbed on Hawkeye's shoulders, and he sprinted after them, crashing into BJ just as he and Margaret reached the finish line. We landed in a tangle of arms and legs, laughing and trying to get up.
"Congratulations! BJ, Margaret you have yourselves 48 hours in Seoul! Pierce and Pierce, you have 24 hours which I assume you'll be taking together." Colonel Potter announced, giving me a hand up.
We played volleyball after lunch and Hawkeye and BJ went head-to-head, both proving completely hopeless at the sport. They decided to settle for watching the girls and I play.
I landed face-first in the sand as I got the ball up in the air. Angie, resident volleyball queen, spiked it sharply into the ground and won the game for us. I picked myself up in time to be grabbed into a group hug.
It was a great day, but it was getting still hotter and most of us were having a paddle, or in BJ, Hawkeye's and my case a swim. They rarely got more than a yard away from me and when they did and realised it, they were quick to return. We went in search of shallower waters and BJ hoisted Margaret onto his shoulders while Hawkeye helped me up.
"Chicken features!" Hawkeye called as Margaret and I wrestled with each other. I gave a good push and nearly lost my balance. I grabbed onto Hawkeye's head and he put his hands up to steady me.
"Bird brains!" BJ took a hurried step backwards as he nearly lost his balance and Margaret reeled backwards from the push.
"Well, you're a sock-napper!" Hawkeye shouted. The wrestling match was getting good and people had begun cheer as they watched. BJ and Hawkeye continued insulting each other, while Margaret and I pushed and shoved, trying to dislodge each other.
"Is that the best you've got woman?" Margaret bawled as I pushed her hopelessly. Hawkeye had stepped too far back and I couldn't reach to push her with any real force. Neither could she for the record.
"No Drill Sergeant! Hawkeye, move closer!" I replied playfully mocking Margaret. Hawkeye obeyed and Margaret and I continued to push and shove, holding on with our legs while we were cheered on.
Margaret gave a final shove and I toppled over backwards, taking Hawkeye with me. Under the water, I freed myself and saw BJ's legs as he turned to face the cheering audience. I swam forward, moving slowly and grabbed his legs. The result was most satisfying as both BJ and Margaret fell into the water. I resurfaced about the same time BJ did and he saw me, laughing hysterically. He approached, and began to tickle me, not stopping until I was gasping for breath.
Hawkeye pulled BJ off me. My rapid gasps for air had got him worried that I was genuinely choking. Anxiously he gave me a quick once-over, checking that I really was fine and that all was well. I was fine, a little short of breath, but completely unharmed in any other way.
"Hawkeye, I'm fine!" I protested; he'd carried me out of the water and had sat me on a rock. He had a tendency to be over-protective of me since the POW incident and often overreacted if I appeared to be in any trouble.
"I'm not sure, about that, you look like you might need mouth-to-mouth." He added with a cheeky smile. I raised an eyebrow, knowing what he hinted at.
"Really?" I asked innocently. He nodded and kissed me. The group moved a little way down the beach to give us some space. There was no need to really. We were too wet and sandy to try and get really close and after a quick kiss we joined the group to watch the wrestling matches that were planned.
"Come on Anne!" BJ, recent victor against Hawkeye, called. "I'll take you on!" The group laughed, at his cocky manner. He'd just won the Officer's division and was feeling pretty good about himself.
"Don't hurt him Annie," Hawkeye whispered as I got up. I gave my husband a teasing but reassuring smile.
"Don't worry darling, I won't hurt him - much!" I said that loud enough for everyone to hear, a cheer went through the onlookers and quickly, small bets were placed on who would come out victorious.
We went to battle, BJ unwilling to do anything serious in case he should hurt me. Nothing more serious than a push or tackle went on until I grabbed BJ's arm and twisted it up behind his back. People began to cheer as BJ's face twisted slightly at the miniscule hint of pain.
"Listen to me BJ," I hissed in his ear. "Stop treating me like a woman, and start fighting me like a man!" I released him with a push and he stumbled a step forward before turning right around and coming at me again. I let him have the upper hand, tripping me over and landing on me heavily.
Father Mulcahy began to count as BJ pinned my shoulders to the ground. I lay there not worried, or fussed that I appeared to be losing. I was about to move, as I knew BJ wasn't really trying, when he said something that brought his downfall.
"D'ya know Anne, you're very sexy when you talk dirty like that?" BJ remarked teasingly. Before he knew what happened, he was down, and I was most successfully pinning him to the ground. He was seriously struggling to be free, but completely unable to move anything above his waist.
"Anne's the winner!" Father Mulcahy announced and I let BJ up. Hawkeye tackled me at the waist, bringing me down by surprise. We landed in the sand, and wound up in a passionate embrace.
Everyone took the hint and we began winding down, sunbathing in the last of the sun, going for a walk or spending a little alone time with your favourite member of the opposite sex. Hawkeye and I chose the last option, sitting on a rock, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings while punctuating sentences with short kisses.
Weary, sunburnt and hungry, we got back on the bus, falling into seats and remaining glum until Colonel Potter produced a bottle or two of excellent whiskey and a thermos or three of black coffee. A mouthful of each in our systems, we perked up considerably.
We tried to sing 'Row, Row, Row You Boat' in a 6-part round and failed dismally. It was rather offensive to anyone who listened. So we settled for out-of-tune and key-renditions of anything we could remember more than a line of.
The bus motor died, and our driver proved to be as mechanically inept as my darling, mechanically inept husband. After about twenty minutes some civilians came up on us, we let them on, and one of them fixed our bus. BJ and I commandeered the four-year-old girl and had her sit up the front with us, while we taught her clapping games. She returned to her family when some wounded GI's flagged us down. We let them on and patched them up.
"Get the bottle back here, this boy can't wait!" Hawkeye ordered, the plasma was quickly passed down. Some of our newest patients were pretty seriously beat-up and we were trying to stabilise them and fast.
"Quick, pull off the road, there's a Chinese patrol coming down." One of the men warned us. We pulled off into the bushes, and killed the lights, and waited in that gut-churning suspense, where you couldn't even breathe loudly.
I was with BJ, he and I were dreaming of home, and how many kids we thought we could bear, not together but with our partners, it was a light-hearted amusing conversation that sat well with the rest of the day's fun events. But he was silent now, so was I, so was everyone; it was so quiet that we could almost hear each other's heartbeat.
Up the back somewhere a small noise was audible. I knew the sound too well, the persistent whinge of a tired baby. I tensed, praying the baby would quiet. If the child got too loud, there was a real chance of the Chinese hearing and finding us.
Hawkeye was more agitated than the rest of us. He was sitting closer towards the back and nearer the baby, and I noticed him gripping the seat tightly, while most of us were gripping the hand of the person nearest us.
The crying didn't cease and BJ's hand in mine had tightened. I heard footsteps and I realised that Hawkeye had approached the baby's mother. He hissed something in a low, angry tone but I couldn't hear it. The baby was quiet after that, and so was Hawkeye.
The patrol passed and we kept going. BJ and I and the ridiculous number of babies, Margaret throwing a ball around, Colonel Potter leading us in a noisy round of Mississippi Mud, Klinger and Soon-Li's Korean lessons, Father Mulcahy's preaching and the nurses' singing all continued, but Hawkeye sat in his seat trembling, and when I approached him, he pulled away and refused to talk. Puzzled, I returned to BJ.
"Why is Hawk so quiet?" BJ asked as the bus took a sharp corner and I fell into his arms. I righted myself and explained that Hawkeye was refusing to talk and had gone into one of his quiet, brooding phases.
"Don't worry Anne, you know he'll come around later on. Put your head down and have a rest." I stretched out on the seat a little and lay my head in his lap. BJ played with my hair and talked to me about Peggy and Erin until I fell asleep.
BJ carried me to bed when we got home. How he got me into my top bunk I have no idea, but he managed. I woke hours later when someone dragged my blankets off, calling my name desperately. I opened my eyes and met Margaret's blue ones, very scared and definitely panicked.
"Anne! Annie, it's Hawkeye, he's just driven a jeep through the side of the O-Club!" It was the start of Hawkeye's insanity and just how far it would go was anyone's guess.