Chapter Three: The Watch

BJ walked down towards the mess hall hoping to run into Hawk, but to no avail, instead he found Charles, Margaret, and Radar. He put his tray down next to them and sighed, "Have you guys noticed Hawk today?"

"Well of course we noticed him, he never shuts up," Margaret said with a giggle.

"No I mean…" he sighed frustrated, "he seems to be acting different….Hey Hawkeye,"

Hawk plopped down with his tray next to BJ, "oooh….secret conference, can I hear?"

They all laughed except Margaret who glared playfully and moved her tray so she was next to him, it was a well-known fact that the two of them had become very close friends.

They laughed and joked and teased throughout breakfast until the announcement rang that wounded have arrived.

Hawkeye was the first gone as usual, wasting no time to get there, "he seems okay to me," Charles commented as they jogged towards the helicopter.

Hawkeye was already there helping unload the patients and in a flash was at OR scrubbing up.

After five hours of extensive and tense surgeries the doctors were done for the day until night when they would have to check on patients and the like, "well cats and chicks I'm out," Hawk smirked and disappeared into the SWAMP.

BJ and Margaret watched him go, "I think your right," Margaret said softly so Hawk couldn't hear, they began walking towards the mess hall where food was always ready after a long period of operations.

"Why do you agree?"
"I know, Hawkeye, BJ, and he just is different, he seems to be hiding it well, I am surprised you noticed,"

"I do share a room with him, he just seems, I don't know tense, he's been having more nightmares lately and…"

"More nightmares?" Margaret cut him off, "I didn't even know he had nightmares in the first place."

"Yeah, he's always had them, to most people it would look like he was just moving in his sleep, but I know him too well,"

The noise and smell of the Mess Hall hit them and they found a deserted table away from the noise where they could sit and talk.

"I'm worried about him, B," Margaret said softly, "Really I am,"

BJ smiled softly, he knew how much they really cared for each other, most people thought their 'friendship' was just a physical relationship, but it wasn't.

"I…" she sighed softly and looked at him sadly, "Iknow this would destroy our friendship if I told him, but I... Ilove him,"

Hawkeye plopped down on his cot with a sigh, he couldn't sleep and he didn't want to eat with his friends they were all staring at him this morning with a weird look that made him want to scream inside. It made him feel like an outcast, but he forced himself into the group none the less.

Sighing he rolled onto his side after kicking off his boots and curled up hands clasped over his ears to keep all sounds away, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Daniel, I have a suggestion," Donny said, "I know how interested Benny is in medical studies and I plan to make a trip to South America for studies, maybe I could take him," Donny smiled at Ben who, deep inside was trembling with fear.

Daniel rose his eyebrows, "sure, I think it will be alright with me, but you will have to ask Hawkeye,"

"Benny?" Donny gave him a warning glare, daring him to say no, out of view of Daniel.

"I would love too," Ben said smiling as brightly as he could try to look thoroughly enjoyed.

"There that's settled," Donny said with a laugh.

For the next few minutes the two men talked about plans but Ben was too stunned with fear to listen. 3 weeks with Donny, who knew what he would do to him, trembling slightly he sat down.

"Hawk? You okay, son?" Daniel put a hand to his son's forehead, "you look sick, maybe you should go lay down,"

Donny smiled with fake concern, "will he be okay to go on the trip?" he gave Ben another sneaky warning look.

"YES!" Ben said sat upright again trying to look better, "I'll be fine, just a little excited and shocked that's all," he lied quickly trying to hide his fear. He felt horrible lying to his father, but he had no choice. Donny threatened to kill Dan if he did and Ben knew he would do it.

"Hawk, hey Hawk, wake up," BJ and Margaret gently tried to arouse Hawkeye. BJ leaned over and tapped his shoulder and balked at the response. He tensed and flinched away and his eyes snapped open and relaxed, "is it morning already?" he asked stifling a yawn, "slept through the night?"

"No," Margaret said brushing off the incident, "its dinner you have to check your patients."

"Oh," Hawk responded and was up and gone in an instant.

The duo stared after him as he jogged towards the O.R.

"What was that about," BJ looked at Margaret expectantly.

"I don't know," Margaret responded, "I just…he's never acted like that before, I mean shied away from our touch before."

"Maybe its because of the nightmare he was having," BJ began making his way towards the building.

"He was having a nightmare?"

"Well, when he isn't having a nightmare he doesn't move in his sleep, when he is he sort of twitches and, closes his eyes really tight…and trashes around I guess,"

"How come you have never asked him about it?"

"Well, it never seemed like I needed to, in the days he was fine and happy and the nightmares never were a problem before, but now, its like, I know he was just hiding what he was really feeling that whole time," BJ looked down to the ground in thought.

"What should we do?" Margaret asked exasperated.

"All we can do," BJ looked at Margaret, "is keep watching,"