Chapter Eleven: Revelations II
~~
Having arrived at the Aid Station mid-way through a flood of wounded, BJ had completed his work twelve hours later at about eleven o'clock in the evening, and so left to get some sleep in the quarters with the other men. Unfortunately, though, the company were woken four hours later by some shelling, and some orders to Bug Out, an unplanned event in BJ's schedule during his stay at the Aid Station.
He helped the unit to pack their small establishment away, before a Major addressed him loudly, who did his best to be heard above the shelling. "I think it would be best if you travelled back to the 4077th, Captain, as the shelling can get pretty heavy around these parts. I don't know what kind of exercise they thought this would be, exchanging a M*A*S*H doctor with one of our Aid guys, but that's the army for you, I guess. You can follow us part of the way in your jeep, I assume you know the turning to take?"
"Yes sir," BJ shouted back, wondering how he was going to be able to find it in the early morning light. The sun was just beginning to rise, so optimistically BJ thought that by the time it came to the turning, there would be enough light to see it.
"Good luck, Captain," the Major said, giving a casual salute, which BJ returned almost as casually. He got into his jeep, and waited for the other vehicles to go before he joined onto the end, the shelling doings it best to drown out the noise of the engines. BJ gripped the wheel tightly, wishing that the jeeps and trucks could move faster, as the bombing seemed to be creeping closer and closer. Another minute, and it would be breathing right down the back of BJ's neck.
~~
"Bugged out? What do you mean, they've bugged out?! When?"
Colonel Potter had just been delivered the less than good news by an unfortunate Corporal in the telephone exchange. "A-an hour ago, s-sir," the young man stammered, quite afraid at the irate man on the other end of the line. "T-they moved south, they're just setting up the last I heard, s- so I can probably get a line within the hour."
Colonel Potter sighed and agreed to this, knowing that there would be no faster way to get in touch with BJ. "Call me back when you can reach them," he said tersely before almost throwing the receiver back in the bag.
Klinger, who had been filing papers at the time, asked, "Problems at the Aid Station?"
"The only problem is that its not there anymore," Colonel Potter growled, still very annoyed that he had not been informed of the situation sooner, considering that one of his men was out there. Then again, he knew that if the fighting was close, the first and about only thing on the mind of the staff was to get out fast and to get out alive, and other problems such as calling Colonel Potter would be dealt with when everyone was safe. "They bugged out, the shelling got too close," he explained.
"Do you know where they went?"
"Not yet," Colonel Potter told him, "there should be a phone call within the next hour to confirm that, and hopefully I'll be able to talk to Captain Hunnicutt and find out exactly why he decided to stop visiting the Mess Tent."
Colonel Potter winced as he said this, and Klinger gave him a questioning look. Colonel Potter had planned to tell Hawkeye about what Igor had told him after he had awoken from his nap, and without Klinger in the room, but in his anger and frustration he let it slip out.
"What are you talking about, Colonel?" Klinger asked him, very concerned by what his CO had just said.
"Don't worry, Max, I..."
"Don't worry? What am I supposed to do, pretend I never heard that?"
Colonel Potter opened his mouth to say yes, but then he realised that it would not be possible and so shook his head no. "I'm sorry, I never meant for you to hear that," he said, wishing that he had just kept his big mouth shut. "I was going to tell Hawkeye when he woke up, I don't want it going around the camp, you see."
"I wouldn't tell anyone something like that," Klinger said sincerely.
Colonel Potter saw that Klinger was clearly concerned, and so decided that it would be best to let him in on what was going on. "Go and get Captain Pierce," he paused for a moment, and then added, "and Major Houlihan, and we'll talk about it in my office."
"Why Major Houlihan?" Klinger asked, knowing that Hawkeye deserved to know, since he and BJ were best friends, but not the Major.
"I know that too many cooks spoil the brew, but many hands also make light work," Colonel Potter explained. "The Major will probably be the most level-headed about this out of all of us, and that way she'll have some good input on it."
Klinger understood and nodded, seeing sense. He could see Hawkeye flying off the handle, as he had a tendency to do, and the Major always seemed to have a calming influence over him. With this in mind, he set off to find the Major and Captain.
~~
Hawkeye had already woken up from his few hours of sleep to see the sun rising, and stretched and yawned. The snoring lump under Charles' bed and the quieter form in the spare bunk told him that surgery was definitely over for the day, and for the moment he could relax and unwind from the horrendous session of surgery that he had recently endured.
As he sat on his cot, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them, he noticed something beneath BJ's cot. Thinking that it was something he had left out from his search the previous day, he went over to pick it up and replace it in the footlocker, so as not to arise any suspicions. He picked it up and glanced at it, and as he did so realised that this letter was written far later than any of the others that he had read.
"What the Hell?" Hawkeye said to himself as he read it. Peg's constant apologising, the talk of another man, this was certainly news to him.
As he continued to read, unblinking so as not to miss one syllable of what was being said, he realised that he may have just stumbled upon the cause of BJ's recent behaviour. It was Peg's last letter to BJ.
~~~~
~~
Having arrived at the Aid Station mid-way through a flood of wounded, BJ had completed his work twelve hours later at about eleven o'clock in the evening, and so left to get some sleep in the quarters with the other men. Unfortunately, though, the company were woken four hours later by some shelling, and some orders to Bug Out, an unplanned event in BJ's schedule during his stay at the Aid Station.
He helped the unit to pack their small establishment away, before a Major addressed him loudly, who did his best to be heard above the shelling. "I think it would be best if you travelled back to the 4077th, Captain, as the shelling can get pretty heavy around these parts. I don't know what kind of exercise they thought this would be, exchanging a M*A*S*H doctor with one of our Aid guys, but that's the army for you, I guess. You can follow us part of the way in your jeep, I assume you know the turning to take?"
"Yes sir," BJ shouted back, wondering how he was going to be able to find it in the early morning light. The sun was just beginning to rise, so optimistically BJ thought that by the time it came to the turning, there would be enough light to see it.
"Good luck, Captain," the Major said, giving a casual salute, which BJ returned almost as casually. He got into his jeep, and waited for the other vehicles to go before he joined onto the end, the shelling doings it best to drown out the noise of the engines. BJ gripped the wheel tightly, wishing that the jeeps and trucks could move faster, as the bombing seemed to be creeping closer and closer. Another minute, and it would be breathing right down the back of BJ's neck.
~~
"Bugged out? What do you mean, they've bugged out?! When?"
Colonel Potter had just been delivered the less than good news by an unfortunate Corporal in the telephone exchange. "A-an hour ago, s-sir," the young man stammered, quite afraid at the irate man on the other end of the line. "T-they moved south, they're just setting up the last I heard, s- so I can probably get a line within the hour."
Colonel Potter sighed and agreed to this, knowing that there would be no faster way to get in touch with BJ. "Call me back when you can reach them," he said tersely before almost throwing the receiver back in the bag.
Klinger, who had been filing papers at the time, asked, "Problems at the Aid Station?"
"The only problem is that its not there anymore," Colonel Potter growled, still very annoyed that he had not been informed of the situation sooner, considering that one of his men was out there. Then again, he knew that if the fighting was close, the first and about only thing on the mind of the staff was to get out fast and to get out alive, and other problems such as calling Colonel Potter would be dealt with when everyone was safe. "They bugged out, the shelling got too close," he explained.
"Do you know where they went?"
"Not yet," Colonel Potter told him, "there should be a phone call within the next hour to confirm that, and hopefully I'll be able to talk to Captain Hunnicutt and find out exactly why he decided to stop visiting the Mess Tent."
Colonel Potter winced as he said this, and Klinger gave him a questioning look. Colonel Potter had planned to tell Hawkeye about what Igor had told him after he had awoken from his nap, and without Klinger in the room, but in his anger and frustration he let it slip out.
"What are you talking about, Colonel?" Klinger asked him, very concerned by what his CO had just said.
"Don't worry, Max, I..."
"Don't worry? What am I supposed to do, pretend I never heard that?"
Colonel Potter opened his mouth to say yes, but then he realised that it would not be possible and so shook his head no. "I'm sorry, I never meant for you to hear that," he said, wishing that he had just kept his big mouth shut. "I was going to tell Hawkeye when he woke up, I don't want it going around the camp, you see."
"I wouldn't tell anyone something like that," Klinger said sincerely.
Colonel Potter saw that Klinger was clearly concerned, and so decided that it would be best to let him in on what was going on. "Go and get Captain Pierce," he paused for a moment, and then added, "and Major Houlihan, and we'll talk about it in my office."
"Why Major Houlihan?" Klinger asked, knowing that Hawkeye deserved to know, since he and BJ were best friends, but not the Major.
"I know that too many cooks spoil the brew, but many hands also make light work," Colonel Potter explained. "The Major will probably be the most level-headed about this out of all of us, and that way she'll have some good input on it."
Klinger understood and nodded, seeing sense. He could see Hawkeye flying off the handle, as he had a tendency to do, and the Major always seemed to have a calming influence over him. With this in mind, he set off to find the Major and Captain.
~~
Hawkeye had already woken up from his few hours of sleep to see the sun rising, and stretched and yawned. The snoring lump under Charles' bed and the quieter form in the spare bunk told him that surgery was definitely over for the day, and for the moment he could relax and unwind from the horrendous session of surgery that he had recently endured.
As he sat on his cot, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them, he noticed something beneath BJ's cot. Thinking that it was something he had left out from his search the previous day, he went over to pick it up and replace it in the footlocker, so as not to arise any suspicions. He picked it up and glanced at it, and as he did so realised that this letter was written far later than any of the others that he had read.
"What the Hell?" Hawkeye said to himself as he read it. Peg's constant apologising, the talk of another man, this was certainly news to him.
As he continued to read, unblinking so as not to miss one syllable of what was being said, he realised that he may have just stumbled upon the cause of BJ's recent behaviour. It was Peg's last letter to BJ.
~~~~