Author's Note: This is an alternative ending to this fic. For it to make
sense, ignore the second chapter. Actually, this was the first second part
to "Guard duty" but I thought it wasn't as realistic, or something like
that. This alternative ending also has three alternative endings, which
will each have a chapter to themselves. Hope you enjoy this and don't get
to confused by my instructions.
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Hawkeye and BJ were walking towards him.
'Halt! What's the password, and all of that,' Klinger said, going up to greet them.
'Good job with Frank. You had him scared witless!' Hawkeye was laughing.
'Would you still have pointed the gun at him if you knew it was loaded?' BJ asked. Klinger thought for a second. If he could do that over again, would he point the gun at Franks chest? Would he shoot him, if Hawkeye and BJ weren't in the tent watching? Klinger's blood ran cold. He didn't know. He didn't know if he'd take a mans life, just because they had made his own a miniature hell within hell.
'Nah, I'm not that crazy,' Klinger said. BJ and Hawkeye headed towards the officer's club, trying to keep the warmth of the Swamp hidden in their coats. Klinger wandered around. It was quiet, and it gave Klinger a chance to think. Klinger didn't want time to think tonight, not after BJ had asked him that question. He'd threatened Frank with a gun millions of times, with no real thought of putting a bullet into his chest. Could he be turned into a cold killer, after he'd told Father Mulchay once that the only reason why he wanted out of the war was because he respected life, and couldn't live where many people were shot and killed every day? Klinger swallowed and looked around him into the inky blackness. He glanced down at the gun in his hands. It felt cold and evil now, instead of warm and comforting, and he was shaking. Klinger went around the showers, and sat against the outside wall, out of the wind. He stared ahead and thought. Could he pull the trigger of a loaded gun pointing at someone? No, he couldn't, he couldn't do it even if he thought it'd get him home honorably. Klinger pulled the bullets out of the pocket of his mink coat and stared at them. So small, yet they could take a life in a second. Klinger rested his head on his arms, curled up against the wind, and sat there for maybe an hour, asking himself if he could shoot Frank, given the chance. He got up after a while, thinking that if he wasn't careful, the enemy could take the camp hostage. He walked around the corner, and there was Frank, standing there, in the middle of the compound, his back to him. Klinger placed a bullet quietly and pointed it slowly at the Major's back. He lined it up carefully, and fired. Klinger jumped awake.
'A dream,' he said out loud. 'Just a dream.' He took the bullets from his coat pocket again, counted them to make sure they were all there and he hadn't really shot someone, then stood up, just staring at them. He couldn't trust himself with these, he could kill someone. He walked over to the Swamp, and knocked.
'Come in,' BJ called from inside. Klinger slipped in gladly, and moved towards the stove. It looked like Frank was back in Margaret's tent, being comforted over his near death experience.
'Klinger, are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost,' Hawkeye said in a concerned tone. Klinger looked over at him, and walked over, taking the bullets from his pocket out a third time. He held Hawkeye's hand opened, and tipped them in.
'I can't have them on me, I think I'm going nuts,' he whispered.
'I thought you were nuts?' BJ asked.
'No, that's just an act, everyone knows it. But this is for real. After you asked me if I'd known about the bullets in the gun, would I have shot Burns, well, I couldn't decide. I didn't know if I'd have really killed him if I knew the gun was loaded, and if you guys weren't there. Then, I sat down somewhere for a while, and dreamt I got up. I went around a tent, and there was Major Burns,' Klinger stopped for a second to make sure the two doctors realised how urgent it all was. 'Then I shot him. In the back, while he was just standing there, not doing anything.'
'Klinger, I think you need to lie down,' Hawkeye said, getting up and making Klinger sit down on the spare cot.
'You don't understand, I think I could actually kill someone! I've never been able to kill anything, let alone anyone! I won't even step on ants if I see 'em on the ground!' Klinger exclaimed as Hawkeye tried to push him into a laying position.
'Maybe we should get Colonel Potter,' BJ said nervously.
'He'll just think I'm putting another act on! Please, I need your help!' Klinger pleaded. He saw Hawkeye and BJ glance at each other. 'Please, this isn't about going home, this is about people's lives being in danger!'
'Klinger, you have to understand, when someone tries to get out of the army for so long on a psycho, it turns into "the boy who cried wolf",' BJ explained. Klinger nodded.
'I know, but I swear, this is real,' he said to them in almost as whisper.
'And you say he brought it on?' Hawkeye asked, pointing to BJ over his shoulder. Klinger nodded again, more vigorously this time.
'We should really get the Colonel. Maybe we can get a psychiatrist in by the morning,' BJ suggested.
'A psychiatrist, good, anything, please!' Klinger said as Hawkeye gave up on ever getting him to lie down. Odds were, Klinger would get Sidney Freedman. He was a good sort, smart and knew how to make people feel comfortable.
'We need to stop Frank coming back in,' Hawkeye said. He wrestled the gun from Klinger's grip and took it with him to the door of the Swamp.
'You're not going to threaten him, are you?' BJ asked.
'No, I'm taking it with me to Potter's tent, so if Frank does come back, Klinger won't be tempted to shoot him,' Hawkeye said, looking at Klinger again. He left into the night, and Klinger lay down, almost relieved the gun way gone. They were really good guys, BJ and Hawkeye, always helping people. Klinger still felt nervous, and looked up fearfully when he heard footsteps coming towards the Swamp. BJ got up and opened the door a smidgen to check to see who it was.
'Frank, get lost. Klinger's having a breakdown,' BJ said to whoever it was. Klinger's worst fear, well, other than being killed himself, were coming true.
'What, he break his favourite heels? Get out of the way, Hunnicutt,' Frank said, pushing BJ back into the tent. Hawkeye and Potter arrived as Klinger was getting up from the bed to get Frank's handgun on the shelf above his cot.
'Frank, get out of here!' Hawkeye yelled, slamming Klinger back onto the cot. Frank looked a little scared at what was happening, and he left, much to Klinger's relief.
'Are you sure it's not another act?' Potter was asking.
'Colonel, I've known Klinger since the beginning of the war. He may have tried to get out on a hang glider, in a bag, and by wearing the frilliest dresses you've ever seen, but this isn't something he'd try to get out on,' Hawkeye said.
'Thanks, Hawkeye,' Klinger said gratefully. Potter looked at Klinger thoughtfully.
'Tell me the whole story,' he said, sitting down. Klinger quickly explained what BJ asked him, and what his thoughts were on it, then told Potter about the dream.
'You and Burns aren't the best of friends, are you?' Potter asked. He was a sharp man, that Colonel potter.
'No, sir,' Klinger replied.
'And you're not sure if you'd shoot him or not?' Potter asked.
'No, sir,' Klinger said again.
'Come on,' Potter pulled Klinger up from the cot. 'We're going to settle this once and for all.'
**~~*~~*~~*~~**
Hawkeye and BJ were walking towards him.
'Halt! What's the password, and all of that,' Klinger said, going up to greet them.
'Good job with Frank. You had him scared witless!' Hawkeye was laughing.
'Would you still have pointed the gun at him if you knew it was loaded?' BJ asked. Klinger thought for a second. If he could do that over again, would he point the gun at Franks chest? Would he shoot him, if Hawkeye and BJ weren't in the tent watching? Klinger's blood ran cold. He didn't know. He didn't know if he'd take a mans life, just because they had made his own a miniature hell within hell.
'Nah, I'm not that crazy,' Klinger said. BJ and Hawkeye headed towards the officer's club, trying to keep the warmth of the Swamp hidden in their coats. Klinger wandered around. It was quiet, and it gave Klinger a chance to think. Klinger didn't want time to think tonight, not after BJ had asked him that question. He'd threatened Frank with a gun millions of times, with no real thought of putting a bullet into his chest. Could he be turned into a cold killer, after he'd told Father Mulchay once that the only reason why he wanted out of the war was because he respected life, and couldn't live where many people were shot and killed every day? Klinger swallowed and looked around him into the inky blackness. He glanced down at the gun in his hands. It felt cold and evil now, instead of warm and comforting, and he was shaking. Klinger went around the showers, and sat against the outside wall, out of the wind. He stared ahead and thought. Could he pull the trigger of a loaded gun pointing at someone? No, he couldn't, he couldn't do it even if he thought it'd get him home honorably. Klinger pulled the bullets out of the pocket of his mink coat and stared at them. So small, yet they could take a life in a second. Klinger rested his head on his arms, curled up against the wind, and sat there for maybe an hour, asking himself if he could shoot Frank, given the chance. He got up after a while, thinking that if he wasn't careful, the enemy could take the camp hostage. He walked around the corner, and there was Frank, standing there, in the middle of the compound, his back to him. Klinger placed a bullet quietly and pointed it slowly at the Major's back. He lined it up carefully, and fired. Klinger jumped awake.
'A dream,' he said out loud. 'Just a dream.' He took the bullets from his coat pocket again, counted them to make sure they were all there and he hadn't really shot someone, then stood up, just staring at them. He couldn't trust himself with these, he could kill someone. He walked over to the Swamp, and knocked.
'Come in,' BJ called from inside. Klinger slipped in gladly, and moved towards the stove. It looked like Frank was back in Margaret's tent, being comforted over his near death experience.
'Klinger, are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost,' Hawkeye said in a concerned tone. Klinger looked over at him, and walked over, taking the bullets from his pocket out a third time. He held Hawkeye's hand opened, and tipped them in.
'I can't have them on me, I think I'm going nuts,' he whispered.
'I thought you were nuts?' BJ asked.
'No, that's just an act, everyone knows it. But this is for real. After you asked me if I'd known about the bullets in the gun, would I have shot Burns, well, I couldn't decide. I didn't know if I'd have really killed him if I knew the gun was loaded, and if you guys weren't there. Then, I sat down somewhere for a while, and dreamt I got up. I went around a tent, and there was Major Burns,' Klinger stopped for a second to make sure the two doctors realised how urgent it all was. 'Then I shot him. In the back, while he was just standing there, not doing anything.'
'Klinger, I think you need to lie down,' Hawkeye said, getting up and making Klinger sit down on the spare cot.
'You don't understand, I think I could actually kill someone! I've never been able to kill anything, let alone anyone! I won't even step on ants if I see 'em on the ground!' Klinger exclaimed as Hawkeye tried to push him into a laying position.
'Maybe we should get Colonel Potter,' BJ said nervously.
'He'll just think I'm putting another act on! Please, I need your help!' Klinger pleaded. He saw Hawkeye and BJ glance at each other. 'Please, this isn't about going home, this is about people's lives being in danger!'
'Klinger, you have to understand, when someone tries to get out of the army for so long on a psycho, it turns into "the boy who cried wolf",' BJ explained. Klinger nodded.
'I know, but I swear, this is real,' he said to them in almost as whisper.
'And you say he brought it on?' Hawkeye asked, pointing to BJ over his shoulder. Klinger nodded again, more vigorously this time.
'We should really get the Colonel. Maybe we can get a psychiatrist in by the morning,' BJ suggested.
'A psychiatrist, good, anything, please!' Klinger said as Hawkeye gave up on ever getting him to lie down. Odds were, Klinger would get Sidney Freedman. He was a good sort, smart and knew how to make people feel comfortable.
'We need to stop Frank coming back in,' Hawkeye said. He wrestled the gun from Klinger's grip and took it with him to the door of the Swamp.
'You're not going to threaten him, are you?' BJ asked.
'No, I'm taking it with me to Potter's tent, so if Frank does come back, Klinger won't be tempted to shoot him,' Hawkeye said, looking at Klinger again. He left into the night, and Klinger lay down, almost relieved the gun way gone. They were really good guys, BJ and Hawkeye, always helping people. Klinger still felt nervous, and looked up fearfully when he heard footsteps coming towards the Swamp. BJ got up and opened the door a smidgen to check to see who it was.
'Frank, get lost. Klinger's having a breakdown,' BJ said to whoever it was. Klinger's worst fear, well, other than being killed himself, were coming true.
'What, he break his favourite heels? Get out of the way, Hunnicutt,' Frank said, pushing BJ back into the tent. Hawkeye and Potter arrived as Klinger was getting up from the bed to get Frank's handgun on the shelf above his cot.
'Frank, get out of here!' Hawkeye yelled, slamming Klinger back onto the cot. Frank looked a little scared at what was happening, and he left, much to Klinger's relief.
'Are you sure it's not another act?' Potter was asking.
'Colonel, I've known Klinger since the beginning of the war. He may have tried to get out on a hang glider, in a bag, and by wearing the frilliest dresses you've ever seen, but this isn't something he'd try to get out on,' Hawkeye said.
'Thanks, Hawkeye,' Klinger said gratefully. Potter looked at Klinger thoughtfully.
'Tell me the whole story,' he said, sitting down. Klinger quickly explained what BJ asked him, and what his thoughts were on it, then told Potter about the dream.
'You and Burns aren't the best of friends, are you?' Potter asked. He was a sharp man, that Colonel potter.
'No, sir,' Klinger replied.
'And you're not sure if you'd shoot him or not?' Potter asked.
'No, sir,' Klinger said again.
'Come on,' Potter pulled Klinger up from the cot. 'We're going to settle this once and for all.'