Dawn was breaking just as the doctors and nurse left the O.R. Still in the surgical gowns they headed towards the mess tent. All three grabbed a cup of coffee and trudged towards a table near the door. The surgery was harder than anyone had anticipated. Colonel Potter was still out cold, drinking up most of the camps blood too. There was no conversation, each officer was lost in their own world. The quiet early morning was disturbed by Radar's entrance.

"How did it go?" Radar had fallen asleep midway through. Hawkeye was still too shocked to say anything, he stared into the bottom of the coffee mug he held in front of him. BJ answered for him.

"He'll pull through but the operation was harder than we thought it would be. Any news on Sophie?"

"Klinger and Igor set off in a jeep to look for this morning but she could be anywhere." Radar shrugged.

"Why do you want that brute back?" Margaret cut in. Hawkeye started to pay attention again.

"Potter asked for her. He may lose the will to get better if we don't look. That horse means so much to him." Hawk slammed down the mug onto the table, causing BJ to jump. He stormed out of the tent and marched away.

"Why is he so angry? Go after him Beej!" Margaret encouraged BJ to follow. Only BJ didn't move, "Move! Go after him!"

"I can't go after him." BJ spoke calmly, "He will have to work through this alone." As he finished Margaret stood up and walked back to her tent.

Halfway across the compound, Hawkeye stopped, thought for a moment and turned so he faced the corral. The expression changed before he ran toward the nearest empty jeep.

Margaret watched Hawk from the door of her tent. Tears pricked at her eyes as she watched the man, who seemed to be more of a stranger than ever, run away, jumping over the rows of stones. She stopped watching and started crying before he disappeared from sight.

The coffee had gone cold long ago. BJ sighed miserably as the enlisted men started to file into the tent around him. A balding major entered and looked straight at BJ.

"Have you seen Colonel Potter?" It was said in a self-important tone, rattling BJ, disturbing him from his thoughts.

"For nearly all of last night." BJ drawled in a bored monotone. The other man's expression changed from slightly annoyed to shock.

"What do you mean?" His voice did not sound worried. The face, on the other hand, did.

"He went out to see Sophie, in the storm. She got spooked and kicked him in the chest. Hawkeye and I have been up all night, repairing the punctured lung and piecing together his smashed ribs." There was an involuntary shudder as BJ pictured Potter lying in the blood soaked straw.

"No."

"Yes, Charles." BJ looked deep into the eyes of the disbelieving man in front, "He's in Post-Op." Charles shot out of the mess tent in the direction of Post-Op. Reluctantly, BJ got up and followed.