A/N- Okay, I owe anyone reading this an apology for not updating sooner, hopefully the updates will be getting longer unfortunately less frequent because Im starting high school and I'll have loads of work. Anyways, hopefully tToS will be full of action, more than tToH was.

"Hey Trap?"

"Yarghrrrrle?"

"Get your head out of your pillow, I have to ask you a question."

"I'm married Hawk."

"I'm serious."

Trapper groaned and rolled over on his hard cot, he had just gotten off duty and didn't feel like answer any questions, in fact, he's have rather caught the next plane back to the USA but Radar wouldn't give him the right forms. "What is it Hawk?"

For a moment Hawkeye didn't speak, he was forming the question properly in his mind, knowing what Trapper's reaction would be... Still he had to ask. "Do ya think I'm a bad father?"

'3...2...1..'

"What?!" exclaimed Trapper as he sat up suddenly on his cot, "You? A bad father? Where the heck did you get that idea from? My god... you've been talking to Frank, How many times have I told you, that guy is like a mutant sewer rat!"

"He smells?"

"Yeah... pretty much."

"Not at the top of your game today, are you?" Hawkeye asked with good humour.

"No, not really." Trapper replied with an overly dramatic sigh, "But why would you ask if you were a bad father? You're awesome!"

Hawkeye, who was sitting on the wooden lounge chair, a martini which looked less than loved sort of hanging in his hand, shrugged, "I just don't think I'm the right sort of person to be taking care of a kid Trap, I'm not a family man, not like you, I move around to easily. Imagine when we go back to the states, she'd have a new adoptive mother every two weeks! A kid shouldn't have to live like that."

"No kid should have to live through what she's gone through, but she has because of you." Trapper pointed out, "I don't think questioning your parenthood abilities now is the best idea, what with her being sick..."

"It's the flu," Hawkeye said sternly, "Isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure." Trapper mumbled, "Seriously Hawk, why are you questioning your abilities now, you've both done fine so far, I don't see what either of you accomplish by having you wondering whether or not your any good at what you do half the time. There's nothing you could do about it now anyways..."

"Hawkeye!" Trapper said, suddenly launching upwards even more and staring directly at his old friend, "What are you thinking of doing?"

"Trapper... the papers..."

"No, no way, you're not sending her back to her god parents, no, nyat, never, n-o!" Trapper exclaimed, "Why would you do that? I don't understand!"

"Relax Trap, I'm not sure yet, even if I was to do something like that, I would just send her back to live with my dad until some other arrangements could be made with a better family..."

"Jesus Christ Hawk..." Trapper muttered bitterly, "This is wrong... All of this is wrong, you can't..."

"I'm not sure yet, Trap. We'll see what happens. I just want to give Sara the best life she can have."

"And that's one without you?"

Hawkeye shrugged and sipped his martini, "It's one away from this hell hole, Trapper, we're three miles from the front, if something happened, if she got kidnapped again I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"Hawkeye, she'll be fine here, she's a fighter, that's how she made it this far in the first place...."

"What were her stats last you checked?" Hawkeye quickly changed the subject.

"Erm..." Trapper, being the way he was, became wary of telling Hawkeye what he knew, still he had a right... "Her white count is still over the roof, It's crazy, no way could it be from the bullets... those happened months ago and she's been feeling fine up till just a few weeks ago. Still, she said she was feeling better, its probably just some flu thing."

"I hope you're right Trapper..."

"Why? So you can send her home to the USA? Jesus Christ Hawk..."

"Listen, I don't want to talk about it right now..."

"You never want to talk about it! She's your daughter, you're responsible for her!"

"That's exactly it!" Hawkeye replied angrily, "I'm not the right kind of person to be taking care of someone her age, I know next to nothing about kids, I'm a womanizer, I'm..."

"You need to seriously think about what you're saying and go on duty." Trapper snapped in reply, "And I mean it, you need to give serious thought to what you're saying and go to the ward, there are patients that need to be checked on...including your daughter."

Hawkeye sighed angrily and stood up while grumbling something bitter about Trapper and the lack of support coming from his friend. Without another word to his fellow surgeon, Hawkeye jammed his feet into his boots and stepped out into the cool October wind. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, still his mind considered the options as he walked across the compound and into the post op ward where nurses mingled around checking on patients.

'To keep or not to keep.' He thought with great annoyance, 'I know Trapper's right but she's just not safe here...'

He sighed and walked over to Sara's bed where the young girl seemed to be sleeping peacefully, she was looking a little better, still obviously pale but her breathing seemed to have evened out and her skin was warmer to the touch than it was only days before.

"Pierce?"

He sighed at the irritating voice behind him before turning, "Yeah Hot lips?"

Margaret glared at him but he didn't notice, standing beside the Head nurse was a young woman, probably in her mid thirties with bright green eyes, full red lips and cinnamon brown hair cut to her shoulders. She smiled at Hawkeye, he felt his heart leap in his chest.

"Pierce, this is Nurse Korton, she's been transferred over from the 1807th, she's on duty today."

Hawkeye, with a dumb grin plastered on his face stood up and shook hands with the young woman, "Nice to meet you..."

"Emma," The woman said with a twinkle in her eye as she shook The gleaming doctors hand.

"Call me Hawkeye," He replied, much to Margaret's vexation, she cleared her throat in an untimely fashion.

"Well, I'll leave you to make your rounds, Korton, can you handle it from here?"

"I'm certain I can major."

"I'll show her the ropes Margaret." Hawkeye replied with a smirk.

"I'm sure you will," The major muttered as she stalked back to the nurses station and disappeared behind a screen.

"Is she always so... Military?" Emma whispered as she watched where Margaret had disappeared.

"You caught her on an off day," Hawkeye said with a playful grin, "she hasn't had a chance to paint her nails khaki today."

Emma chuckled slightly and sighed, "Well, how can I help?"

"I'm just doing rounds," The doctor replied, unsure how to go about what would obviously be the next part of the conversation. It took Emma only a few seconds to notice Sara's frail figure laying on the cot.

"Oh my god..." She murmured, "She can't be any older than... 14. What's she doing here?"

"It's...a long long story," Hawkeye replied, "Short version, she showed up here full of bullets, decided to stay and I adopted her."

"She's... your daughter?"

Hawkeye nodded, "She's been sick with what we think is the flu, she's getting better though."

"That's...good I suppose." Emma muttered, "Wow, I heard the 4077th was a busy place but I didn't realize it was a soap opera."

Hawkeye laughed, "You have no idea, really," He sighed suddenly and looked fondly down at his daughter, "She'll be okay, come on, still more beds to visit, more patients to scare."

As the minutes passed by, Hawkeye and Emma Korton continued to check on the patients, and as they passed Hawkeye found himself becoming more and more smitten with the nurse, his worries of Sara seemed to fade a little. He had managed to convince himself that she would be alright and would understand whatever choice he made. At least she would be safe...