Chapter Fourteen: The First Hurdle
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Hawkeye had turned the map upside down and around four times before he decided that it was really not going to help him, so he gave up and folded it away. He and the pilot, Lieutenant Tom Carter, had been flying for an hour now and as yet had found no sight of BJ. They had located where the Aid Station had bugged out to, and had decided to follow the road that the unit had travelled along, hoping that BJ had not strayed too far from this route.
"Captain, we're getting near the shelling," Carter warned him, slowing the chopper down as he heard the bombs in the distance. He shouldn't have even taken the chopper this close to the Front, but he had seen the determined look in Pierce's eyes, and he knew that the search for his companion was going to be pushed to and beyond the limits. He himself had been in a situation where he had been searching for his lost buddy, and thankfully he had been found, safe and well, but the time before had been harrowing for Tom.
Hawkeye had his eyes peeled open as much as was humanly possible, and unblinking they scanned the area below, looking for any sign of his friend. The sounds of the shelling were nearing them, but as much as Hawkeye feared for his life, plus that of Tom, but he knew that he would most probably go out of his mind if he didn't find BJ. "Keep going," he said, knowing that eventually they would have to stop, but not yet. Not until they found BJ.
There was a lapse in conversation for a few moments, the silence only broken by the constant whirring of the chopper blades. Suddenly, something caught Hawkeye's gaze, and he almost jumped out of his seat when he took a second look. He could see an overturned jeep, and not far from it a figure lying in some scrubs of grass.
"Look, there," Hawkeye said anxiously, pointing to what he had just spotted, "take us down."
Tom did so, finding a safe place to land, and watched as Hawkeye jump out of the chopper even before it had touched down, medical bag safely in hand. He stayed back, deciding that he would only approach if he were needed.
Hawkeye ran towards BJ and skidded a stop beside the unconscious figure, and cursed at the sight of him. The blood from a cut on the side of his forehead was beginning to dry, as were the other streams of blood that had seeped into his clothing. He took the briefest of moments to pray that he found a pulse when he looked.
Hawkeye checked the airway, breathing, and heaved a brief sigh of relief to find a pulse, before checking for any other injures. He rolled BJ over and lifted his T-shirt up to check for damage to his chest and could only stare at what was before him. BJ's ribs were alarmingly visible, almost like the skin covering them was as thin as a sheet. "Beej, why didn't you tell me?" Hawkeye whispered, before shaking his head to relieve the sense of shock and continuing with the examination.
BJ stirred as Hawkeye did so, his eyelids flickering a few times before opening fully, and the first thing he saw was Hawkeye's concerned expression looking down upon him. Hawkeye was here. Why was he here? Where was he? What had happened? Questions flitted through BJ's mind as quick as lightning, all of them left unanswered, as his mouth remained tightly closed. He didn't have the will or the energy to speak, so he just sat and stared.
"Beej, where did you learn to drive?" Hawkeye asked, glancing over to the upturned jeep and trying to make light of a very heavy situation, which he so often did. His intent was to make BJ speak, by asking him a question, but he decided that since he did not answer, the question was too rhetorical, and so he tried again. "Where do you hurt?"
BJ turned his head away, still not up to talking, the only thing he wanted to do was sleep. He let his eyelids slide shut, and after a moment of darkness he felt nothing.
"Damn," Hawkeye muttered to himself, annoyed at not being able to get a response out of BJ. Lately, he didn't seem to know anything of what was going on in his friend's life, and now that he knew there was something hidden, the thought of not knowing and not being able to help was driving him crazy. His attention turned back to BJ's health, and he finished checking him over, coming to the conclusion that he had a concussion, a sprained wrist from the fall, and some cuts and bruises picked up when he rolled across the ground. Since he was unconscious, a stretcher was required, so he waved to Tom and called out, "I need a stretcher here!"
Tom was ready for this, and hastened to where Hawkeye was still crouched down next to BJ with the stretcher. The two carefully placed BJ onto it, and hurried to strap him to the chopper before taking off, as Tom noted, "the shelling isn't far away now."
Once the chopper had taken off safely, and they were out of enemy territory, Hawkeye made his attempt to master the radio and call Colonel Potter to update him on the goings-on. "This is Hawkeye calling the 4077th M*A*S*H, erm, over," he said, remembering that he would have to use the Army protocol to get things done quickly.
"M*A*S*H 4077th receiving your call, over," Klinger said, having waited for the call all morning, "What's the news, Captain?"
"We've found BJ," Hawkeye reported, glancing down to his left at his friend, who was at that moment lying unconscious on the side of the chopper. "We're on our way back to the camp, and should be back in just under an hour."
Colonel Potter had heard the call and walked into the room to hear the situation, and from behind Klinger he asked, "What's his condition?"
"It looks worse than it is," Hawkeye assured him, remembering how he had reacted when he had first seen found BJ. "A few cuts and bruises that need seeing to, a probable concussion, and a sprained wrist, from what I can tell. Nothing's broken," he added, letting Colonel Potter know that he had checked all possible injuries before loading BJ onto the chopper.
"Good," Colonel Potter said, breathing a sigh of relief on hearing that physically, BJ was going to be fine. He had been sitting in his office worrying since Hawkeye had left, not knowing what to expect when BJ was found, and that was even if BJ was found. He hated to doubt, but as the CO he had to be prepared for any situation, no matter how grim. "See you soon."
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Hawkeye had turned the map upside down and around four times before he decided that it was really not going to help him, so he gave up and folded it away. He and the pilot, Lieutenant Tom Carter, had been flying for an hour now and as yet had found no sight of BJ. They had located where the Aid Station had bugged out to, and had decided to follow the road that the unit had travelled along, hoping that BJ had not strayed too far from this route.
"Captain, we're getting near the shelling," Carter warned him, slowing the chopper down as he heard the bombs in the distance. He shouldn't have even taken the chopper this close to the Front, but he had seen the determined look in Pierce's eyes, and he knew that the search for his companion was going to be pushed to and beyond the limits. He himself had been in a situation where he had been searching for his lost buddy, and thankfully he had been found, safe and well, but the time before had been harrowing for Tom.
Hawkeye had his eyes peeled open as much as was humanly possible, and unblinking they scanned the area below, looking for any sign of his friend. The sounds of the shelling were nearing them, but as much as Hawkeye feared for his life, plus that of Tom, but he knew that he would most probably go out of his mind if he didn't find BJ. "Keep going," he said, knowing that eventually they would have to stop, but not yet. Not until they found BJ.
There was a lapse in conversation for a few moments, the silence only broken by the constant whirring of the chopper blades. Suddenly, something caught Hawkeye's gaze, and he almost jumped out of his seat when he took a second look. He could see an overturned jeep, and not far from it a figure lying in some scrubs of grass.
"Look, there," Hawkeye said anxiously, pointing to what he had just spotted, "take us down."
Tom did so, finding a safe place to land, and watched as Hawkeye jump out of the chopper even before it had touched down, medical bag safely in hand. He stayed back, deciding that he would only approach if he were needed.
Hawkeye ran towards BJ and skidded a stop beside the unconscious figure, and cursed at the sight of him. The blood from a cut on the side of his forehead was beginning to dry, as were the other streams of blood that had seeped into his clothing. He took the briefest of moments to pray that he found a pulse when he looked.
Hawkeye checked the airway, breathing, and heaved a brief sigh of relief to find a pulse, before checking for any other injures. He rolled BJ over and lifted his T-shirt up to check for damage to his chest and could only stare at what was before him. BJ's ribs were alarmingly visible, almost like the skin covering them was as thin as a sheet. "Beej, why didn't you tell me?" Hawkeye whispered, before shaking his head to relieve the sense of shock and continuing with the examination.
BJ stirred as Hawkeye did so, his eyelids flickering a few times before opening fully, and the first thing he saw was Hawkeye's concerned expression looking down upon him. Hawkeye was here. Why was he here? Where was he? What had happened? Questions flitted through BJ's mind as quick as lightning, all of them left unanswered, as his mouth remained tightly closed. He didn't have the will or the energy to speak, so he just sat and stared.
"Beej, where did you learn to drive?" Hawkeye asked, glancing over to the upturned jeep and trying to make light of a very heavy situation, which he so often did. His intent was to make BJ speak, by asking him a question, but he decided that since he did not answer, the question was too rhetorical, and so he tried again. "Where do you hurt?"
BJ turned his head away, still not up to talking, the only thing he wanted to do was sleep. He let his eyelids slide shut, and after a moment of darkness he felt nothing.
"Damn," Hawkeye muttered to himself, annoyed at not being able to get a response out of BJ. Lately, he didn't seem to know anything of what was going on in his friend's life, and now that he knew there was something hidden, the thought of not knowing and not being able to help was driving him crazy. His attention turned back to BJ's health, and he finished checking him over, coming to the conclusion that he had a concussion, a sprained wrist from the fall, and some cuts and bruises picked up when he rolled across the ground. Since he was unconscious, a stretcher was required, so he waved to Tom and called out, "I need a stretcher here!"
Tom was ready for this, and hastened to where Hawkeye was still crouched down next to BJ with the stretcher. The two carefully placed BJ onto it, and hurried to strap him to the chopper before taking off, as Tom noted, "the shelling isn't far away now."
Once the chopper had taken off safely, and they were out of enemy territory, Hawkeye made his attempt to master the radio and call Colonel Potter to update him on the goings-on. "This is Hawkeye calling the 4077th M*A*S*H, erm, over," he said, remembering that he would have to use the Army protocol to get things done quickly.
"M*A*S*H 4077th receiving your call, over," Klinger said, having waited for the call all morning, "What's the news, Captain?"
"We've found BJ," Hawkeye reported, glancing down to his left at his friend, who was at that moment lying unconscious on the side of the chopper. "We're on our way back to the camp, and should be back in just under an hour."
Colonel Potter had heard the call and walked into the room to hear the situation, and from behind Klinger he asked, "What's his condition?"
"It looks worse than it is," Hawkeye assured him, remembering how he had reacted when he had first seen found BJ. "A few cuts and bruises that need seeing to, a probable concussion, and a sprained wrist, from what I can tell. Nothing's broken," he added, letting Colonel Potter know that he had checked all possible injuries before loading BJ onto the chopper.
"Good," Colonel Potter said, breathing a sigh of relief on hearing that physically, BJ was going to be fine. He had been sitting in his office worrying since Hawkeye had left, not knowing what to expect when BJ was found, and that was even if BJ was found. He hated to doubt, but as the CO he had to be prepared for any situation, no matter how grim. "See you soon."
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