"My father never drank."

BJ finds this impossible to believe. "Never?"

Pausing, Hawkeye corrects himself. "Once. He drank once and instead of a hangover he got me, and as a result, a marriage. Called me his 'lesson' until I was five and Mom hit him with a feather duster."

BJ nods; for reasons he cannot express, this story seems fitting.

"Caught me out beside the creek with a stolen bottle when I was fifteen. After that I refused to touch the stuff until I was in med school."

"All good things," BJ remarks, hours later, "Must come to an end."