"Wilkins, you have to go to Soul. They can help you there, maybe get your leukemia into remission, and-"
Wilkins interrupted. "Who do you think your kidding? They can't do anything for me there. You're a doctor, so you know: there's no cure to leukemia! I know my being here is helping Dan. I'm staying here with him. He's my friend. I have to be there for him."
Hawkeye started to speak, but Wilkins interrupted again. "You can't convince me, Doc. I'm staying."
Hawkeye sighed. "OK. You just rest. I'll come check on you later."
Wilkins said nothing, and Hawkeye got up, and went outside.
Margaret, who was one of the nurses on duty, saw him walk out, and whispered to Kellye, "Can you handle this place for a minute? I have something I need to take care of."
"No problem, Major." Kellye watched curiously as Margaret followed Hawkeye out.
Margaret went through the Post-Op door, and saw Hawkeye leaning against the wall nearby.
"Pierce."
He glanced at her, then resumed staring ahead.
"What were you talking to Private Wilkins about?"
"Trying to get him to go up to Soul, so they can treat him."
When he didn't continue, Margaret urged, "What did he say?"
Hawkeye sighed, and said, "He won't go. Says he has to stay here with his friend."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I can't do anything!" Hawkeye said angrily. "We can't do anything for him here, we don't have the equipment." He stopped, and added in a quiet voice, "We can't do anything at all."
"You just have to accept that there's nothing you can do, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye looked at her, and said, "Margaret, do you know why I became a doctor?"
She shook her head.
"I became a doctor, because, all my life, I've wanted to help people. Part of it's because my dad's a doctor. When I was little, I always saw him at the hospital, helping people, fixing them up. I wanted to be just like him. The other reason is because of my mother. When she died, I wanted to keep what happened to her form happening to others. I wanted to stop kids from losing their moms, like I did."
He turned to her. "I took an oath to heal people. I'm supposed to save them, and now, I can't do anything. You said follow my instincts? My instincts are to heal him, and I can't do that. No one can."
"That's just it, Hawkeye," she said eagerly. "No one can. It's not your fault."
"The rational part of me knows that. It's out of my hands. The other part of me, the doctor part of me, want to heal him."
"But you can't."
"But I can't." He said simply.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, then Margaret spoke.
"So now what are you going to do?"
He sighed. "Let him stay here, I guess. I can't make him go, and, who knows, maybe it will do him some good to be near his friend. There's nothing else we can do."
Margaret nodded, then after a moment, asked, "You feel any better about this?"
He thought a moment, then said, "You know what? I do." He smiled at her, and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks Margaret."
She smiled back. "Anytime." They walked back into Post-Op, and for the first time in days, Hawkeye was smiling.
THE END
A/N: So, what did you think?? To any H/M fans out there, this is NOT going to be continued as a romance, this was just a piece focusing on their friendship. Sorry to disappoint you. I've got a few other H/M fics out there, if you haven't already read them. I hope you liked the story, and please, click on the little purple button just below and REVIEW!!! Thanks!!
Wilkins interrupted. "Who do you think your kidding? They can't do anything for me there. You're a doctor, so you know: there's no cure to leukemia! I know my being here is helping Dan. I'm staying here with him. He's my friend. I have to be there for him."
Hawkeye started to speak, but Wilkins interrupted again. "You can't convince me, Doc. I'm staying."
Hawkeye sighed. "OK. You just rest. I'll come check on you later."
Wilkins said nothing, and Hawkeye got up, and went outside.
Margaret, who was one of the nurses on duty, saw him walk out, and whispered to Kellye, "Can you handle this place for a minute? I have something I need to take care of."
"No problem, Major." Kellye watched curiously as Margaret followed Hawkeye out.
Margaret went through the Post-Op door, and saw Hawkeye leaning against the wall nearby.
"Pierce."
He glanced at her, then resumed staring ahead.
"What were you talking to Private Wilkins about?"
"Trying to get him to go up to Soul, so they can treat him."
When he didn't continue, Margaret urged, "What did he say?"
Hawkeye sighed, and said, "He won't go. Says he has to stay here with his friend."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I can't do anything!" Hawkeye said angrily. "We can't do anything for him here, we don't have the equipment." He stopped, and added in a quiet voice, "We can't do anything at all."
"You just have to accept that there's nothing you can do, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye looked at her, and said, "Margaret, do you know why I became a doctor?"
She shook her head.
"I became a doctor, because, all my life, I've wanted to help people. Part of it's because my dad's a doctor. When I was little, I always saw him at the hospital, helping people, fixing them up. I wanted to be just like him. The other reason is because of my mother. When she died, I wanted to keep what happened to her form happening to others. I wanted to stop kids from losing their moms, like I did."
He turned to her. "I took an oath to heal people. I'm supposed to save them, and now, I can't do anything. You said follow my instincts? My instincts are to heal him, and I can't do that. No one can."
"That's just it, Hawkeye," she said eagerly. "No one can. It's not your fault."
"The rational part of me knows that. It's out of my hands. The other part of me, the doctor part of me, want to heal him."
"But you can't."
"But I can't." He said simply.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, then Margaret spoke.
"So now what are you going to do?"
He sighed. "Let him stay here, I guess. I can't make him go, and, who knows, maybe it will do him some good to be near his friend. There's nothing else we can do."
Margaret nodded, then after a moment, asked, "You feel any better about this?"
He thought a moment, then said, "You know what? I do." He smiled at her, and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks Margaret."
She smiled back. "Anytime." They walked back into Post-Op, and for the first time in days, Hawkeye was smiling.
THE END
A/N: So, what did you think?? To any H/M fans out there, this is NOT going to be continued as a romance, this was just a piece focusing on their friendship. Sorry to disappoint you. I've got a few other H/M fics out there, if you haven't already read them. I hope you liked the story, and please, click on the little purple button just below and REVIEW!!! Thanks!!