Chapter 3
"Has he eaten anything?" Henry asked as he watched Hawkeye sleep.
"Nothing except a martini." Trapper replied, putting on his boots.
"Well he'll starve!"
"What do you want me to do, hold a gun to his head and say 'eat or I'll shoot'?"
"No no, nothing that drastic. Something like it wouldn't hurt."
"He'll eat when he's ready. Just like he'll talk when he's ready."
"Well when's he gonna be ready?"
"Be patient Henry."
"I want my head surgeon back!"
"And I want my best friend back, but we can't do anything about it except wait."
"Hello, is there a Colonel in the house?"
"Sidney! You made it!"
Sidney entered the Swamp and looked at Hawkeye.
"Well, at least he looks O.K."
"Yeah, but he's not O.K. on the inside." Trapper said. "Like Henry told you, he hasn't said anything since he got back. And last night I saw him looking at this."
He handed Sidney the picture and he looked at it for a minute.
"Hm. Could it be family, or a friend?"
"I dunno, he never talked about anyone he knew having a baby. Though he hasn't talked about much lately."
"Interesting. I'll have to wait till he wakes up to speak with him. He needs his rest."
Henry poked Hawkeye.
"Pierce. Wake up."
"Henry!"
"Sorry."
"Well, until then, how about some poker?" Trapper asked.
"Works for me." Sidney threw his jacket and the picture aside.
An hour later they had been joined by Radar, Father Mulcahy, Klinger, and a nurse Trapper had invited in.
"Well I'm out." Trapper threw down his cards. "What have you got Radar?"
Radar, who had his back to Hawkeye, opened his mouth to say something, but turned around instead.
"He's waking up!"
Everyone turned and watched as Hawkeye stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
Sidney pulled up a chair and sat beside him.
"Hey Hawkeye, how you doing?"
Hawkeye, still lying down, looked at Sidney, then continued to stare straight ahead.
"Get a good sleep?"
Still nothing.
Hawkeye lifted his head and stared at all the faces watching.
Sidney turned and stared as well.
"I don't think he wants to be ogled like an animal in the zoo."
"O.K. everybody, Sidney's right, let's go, move it, only psychiatrists and Colonels allowed." Henry pushed everyone towards the door.
"Henry."
"Alright, I'm going."
Everyone filed out and Sidney turned back to Hawkeye who had gone back to staring off into space.
"Hawkeye? C'mon I know you're in there, what's bothering you?"
Silence.
"Hawkeye, it's me, Sidney. You can talk to me. No one else is here, no one's gonna hurt you."
He shifted, but didn't say anything.
"I know you're still in there, they guy everybody loves to hate, the practical joker, good friend and excellent surgeon."
Sidney sighed.
"C'mon Hawkeye. Everybody misses you. I do. Trapper, Henry, Radar, Father Mulcahy, and I betcha some of the nurses do too. Now tell me, what happened, what did you see?"
Hawkeye looked at him and sat up.
He looked at him for a minute, then got up and walked out the door, Sidney following.
As the door slammed open, Henry, Trapper and Radar, who had their ears to the tent jumped and ran behind it.
"Hawkeye, where are you going?"
"I need to get something to eat." He spoke for the first time in three days.
Henry, Trapper and Radar looked at each other, mouths open.
"O.K., what do you want to eat?"
"Well, whatever mom made. She's a great cook. Are you coming to dinner?"
"Alright, do you want me to come?"
"Sure, mom won't mind. We'd better hurry though, or she'll be mad."
Sidney and Hawkeye headed to the mess tent, Henry, Radar and Trapper following.
Inside, Sidney and Hawkeye ate some of the leftover food from breakfast.
"Are they allowed to do that?" Radar asked.
"It'll just be served next week anyway." Henry said.
"Mom's food is usually better than this." Hawkeye commented. "And dad's usually here too."
Sidney didn't have anything to say to that.
"Aren't you gonna say something? You're pretty quiet."
"There's not much to say."
"Do you go to my school? I've never seen you before."
"No, I don't go to your school. I'm home schooled."
"That's very good." Trapper said.
"Shut up." Henry hit him on the shoulder.
"Well I have to go. I'll be seeing you later."
"Aw, you have to go?"
"Yeah I do. But like I said, I'll see you later."
"O.K."
Sidney put his tray back in the kitchen and left the mess tent, Radar, Henry and Trapper ran after him.
"What's goin' on with him? He's acting like a little kid!" Henry said.
"I'd noticed Henry."
"Well what's going on?"
"Sometimes when people go through something very traumatic, or something they can't handle mentally or physically, they go back to a more comfortable time in their lives to shield them from what's going on around them."
"So you mean Hawk's 10 years old again?!" Trapper asked.
"Well I dunno about 10, but it would seem that way."
"Wowee! That means he hasn't gone to med. School or anything!" Radar said. "And that means he doesn't remember any of us."
"Nope."
"Well what're we gonna do?" Trapper asked.
"Take care of him."
"Take care of him?"
"Yes, we have to take care of him as though her were 10 years old, but we have to try and get the older Hawkeye to come back."
"Sounds like a plan."
"And Trapper, since you share a tent with him, and are with him the most, you have to be his best friend and take care of him the most."
"Easy enough. I was his best friend and had to take care of him most of the time anyway."
"Other than that, all we can do is pray."
"Has he eaten anything?" Henry asked as he watched Hawkeye sleep.
"Nothing except a martini." Trapper replied, putting on his boots.
"Well he'll starve!"
"What do you want me to do, hold a gun to his head and say 'eat or I'll shoot'?"
"No no, nothing that drastic. Something like it wouldn't hurt."
"He'll eat when he's ready. Just like he'll talk when he's ready."
"Well when's he gonna be ready?"
"Be patient Henry."
"I want my head surgeon back!"
"And I want my best friend back, but we can't do anything about it except wait."
"Hello, is there a Colonel in the house?"
"Sidney! You made it!"
Sidney entered the Swamp and looked at Hawkeye.
"Well, at least he looks O.K."
"Yeah, but he's not O.K. on the inside." Trapper said. "Like Henry told you, he hasn't said anything since he got back. And last night I saw him looking at this."
He handed Sidney the picture and he looked at it for a minute.
"Hm. Could it be family, or a friend?"
"I dunno, he never talked about anyone he knew having a baby. Though he hasn't talked about much lately."
"Interesting. I'll have to wait till he wakes up to speak with him. He needs his rest."
Henry poked Hawkeye.
"Pierce. Wake up."
"Henry!"
"Sorry."
"Well, until then, how about some poker?" Trapper asked.
"Works for me." Sidney threw his jacket and the picture aside.
An hour later they had been joined by Radar, Father Mulcahy, Klinger, and a nurse Trapper had invited in.
"Well I'm out." Trapper threw down his cards. "What have you got Radar?"
Radar, who had his back to Hawkeye, opened his mouth to say something, but turned around instead.
"He's waking up!"
Everyone turned and watched as Hawkeye stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
Sidney pulled up a chair and sat beside him.
"Hey Hawkeye, how you doing?"
Hawkeye, still lying down, looked at Sidney, then continued to stare straight ahead.
"Get a good sleep?"
Still nothing.
Hawkeye lifted his head and stared at all the faces watching.
Sidney turned and stared as well.
"I don't think he wants to be ogled like an animal in the zoo."
"O.K. everybody, Sidney's right, let's go, move it, only psychiatrists and Colonels allowed." Henry pushed everyone towards the door.
"Henry."
"Alright, I'm going."
Everyone filed out and Sidney turned back to Hawkeye who had gone back to staring off into space.
"Hawkeye? C'mon I know you're in there, what's bothering you?"
Silence.
"Hawkeye, it's me, Sidney. You can talk to me. No one else is here, no one's gonna hurt you."
He shifted, but didn't say anything.
"I know you're still in there, they guy everybody loves to hate, the practical joker, good friend and excellent surgeon."
Sidney sighed.
"C'mon Hawkeye. Everybody misses you. I do. Trapper, Henry, Radar, Father Mulcahy, and I betcha some of the nurses do too. Now tell me, what happened, what did you see?"
Hawkeye looked at him and sat up.
He looked at him for a minute, then got up and walked out the door, Sidney following.
As the door slammed open, Henry, Trapper and Radar, who had their ears to the tent jumped and ran behind it.
"Hawkeye, where are you going?"
"I need to get something to eat." He spoke for the first time in three days.
Henry, Trapper and Radar looked at each other, mouths open.
"O.K., what do you want to eat?"
"Well, whatever mom made. She's a great cook. Are you coming to dinner?"
"Alright, do you want me to come?"
"Sure, mom won't mind. We'd better hurry though, or she'll be mad."
Sidney and Hawkeye headed to the mess tent, Henry, Radar and Trapper following.
Inside, Sidney and Hawkeye ate some of the leftover food from breakfast.
"Are they allowed to do that?" Radar asked.
"It'll just be served next week anyway." Henry said.
"Mom's food is usually better than this." Hawkeye commented. "And dad's usually here too."
Sidney didn't have anything to say to that.
"Aren't you gonna say something? You're pretty quiet."
"There's not much to say."
"Do you go to my school? I've never seen you before."
"No, I don't go to your school. I'm home schooled."
"That's very good." Trapper said.
"Shut up." Henry hit him on the shoulder.
"Well I have to go. I'll be seeing you later."
"Aw, you have to go?"
"Yeah I do. But like I said, I'll see you later."
"O.K."
Sidney put his tray back in the kitchen and left the mess tent, Radar, Henry and Trapper ran after him.
"What's goin' on with him? He's acting like a little kid!" Henry said.
"I'd noticed Henry."
"Well what's going on?"
"Sometimes when people go through something very traumatic, or something they can't handle mentally or physically, they go back to a more comfortable time in their lives to shield them from what's going on around them."
"So you mean Hawk's 10 years old again?!" Trapper asked.
"Well I dunno about 10, but it would seem that way."
"Wowee! That means he hasn't gone to med. School or anything!" Radar said. "And that means he doesn't remember any of us."
"Nope."
"Well what're we gonna do?" Trapper asked.
"Take care of him."
"Take care of him?"
"Yes, we have to take care of him as though her were 10 years old, but we have to try and get the older Hawkeye to come back."
"Sounds like a plan."
"And Trapper, since you share a tent with him, and are with him the most, you have to be his best friend and take care of him the most."
"Easy enough. I was his best friend and had to take care of him most of the time anyway."
"Other than that, all we can do is pray."
