A/N: This is the most incredible thing ever! I got thirteen reviews for chapter three and I'm on cloud nine! Keep it up! :o). Anyways, I wanted to apologize for the delay on this chapter. I was trying my hardest to word certain parts of it just right--- which proved to be a more difficult task than I would have imagined. I hope you all enjoy it, but as ya all know, there's only one way to find out.... read and review! ThAnKs!!
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"I don't know," Henry finally said.
"Don't know?" Hawkeye did a double take, "Don't know!? What do you mean you don't know? You're supposed to--"
"Hawkeye!" again Henry had to interrupt his friend, "Just please-- listen to me. This is important."
Hawkeye stared, wide-eyed at Henry; the man that seemed to be just yesterday commanding his Mash unit.
"I don't know if you're dead," Henry went on, "Only you do."
Hawkeye continued to look at him blankly-- as if expecting more.
After a moment, he finally met Henry's silence with a question, "Ok, I give up. What the hell do you mean?"
"I mean," Henry said, "If you want to, well, die, than just say it, and you will. But if you want to live, you can."
Hawkeye laughed, "Well that's simple, I want to live," he looked around, and then shouted, "Hear that!! I want to live!!"
"It's not quite that simple," Henry shook his head, "You have to find a reason you want to live. Sometimes, there's more pros to just ending it all while you have the chance then going on."
"Are you nuts?!" Hawkeye cried, "I have plenty of reasons I want to live! There-there's BJ, Colonel Potter, Margaret, Charles, all my patients, and--" Hawkeye paused for a moment before sighing and adding, "and Dad."
"What about the not so good things," Henry questioned, "How about the war that you're in the middle of? How about all of the young, innocent children that come through the camp that die for no other reason then they were unfortunate enough to be brought into this world? What about--"
"I don't get it," Hawkeye suddenly got serious as he looked Henry in the eyes, "You want me die? You want me to be killed in some-some stupid 'police action'?!?"
Henry shook his head calmly, "No. I just want you to think about all of this. Not to mention the question of your state of health if you do decide to live. You have a lot to think about Hawk. And you have to decide before someone finds you--- or else you'll have no choice and will die."
Hawkeye paused as he looked down at the teddy bear still clutched in his hand. Henry was right. He did have a lot to think about.
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Margaret steered the jeep along the dusty, swerving Korean roads. She was scared. More scared than she could ever remember being. Scared of what they'd find at the 8063rd, scared that Hawkeye was dead, scared from the war. But most of all, she was scared from BJ. She had never seen him this way before-- so quiet, still and-- blank. It was as if when he read the letter, he'd read his own name on there. And it scared her more than she cared to think.
"BJ," she finally spoke, temporarily taking her eyes off the road.
BJ looked over at the Major, but remained silent.
Margaret took a deep breath, "Don't worry. I'm sure there was some sort of mistake. I mean, we both know Hawkeye-- this is probably his idea of a joke!"
BJ cracked a smile, and said, in a small whisper, "Yeah."
Margaret smiled.
"Thanks," BJ said.
Wordlessly Margaret forced a large grin on her face as she continued down the road. It took just over an hour and a half to get to the other Mash unit-- not that you could much tell it was one. Over half the tents had been levelled, and there seemed to be more wounded than not. As soon as Margaret stopped the jeep, a man came running over.
"Hi," he said breathlessly, "I'm Major Dream. Are you two the ones from the 4077th?"
"Yes," Margaret nodded, "I'm Major Margaret Houlihan, and this is Captain BJ Hunnicut."
"Hi," Major Dream nodded, "We seem to have everything going pretty good inside the camp, but we could really use some doctors and nurses outside of here-- checking for civilian casualties and any other wounded that may have been injured in the bombing."
"Alright," Margaret nodded, "I just need to contact Colonel Potter and let him know we got here ok."
"Ok," Major Dream said, the pointed to one of the few tents that was still up, "Use our office phone-- that way our Corporal can tell you were to go."
Margaret nodded, and ran off.
"So," Major Dream looked at BJ, "What made you guys decide to come down here and help out in the search. We made it clear that it was just volunteering."
BJ stared blankly at the man for a moment before saying in a stoned voice, "My best friend was killed here this morning."
"Oh," Major Dream shifted his weight uncomfortably, "I'm-I'm sorry."
BJ continued to stare at him, but remained quiet. The uncomfortable silence continued until Margaret came running back.
"Ok," she said breathlessly, "I told Colonel Potter that we made it here ok, and their Corporal told me where it is we're needed."
"Where?" inquired BJ as they started up the jeep and started to drive off as Major Dream left to help some new people who pulled into the camp.
"Along a road on the north side of the camp," Margaret explained, "There's quite a few huts there, and it was bombed pretty severely."
"Has anyone else been up there yet?" asked BJ as they bumped along the road, dodging the fallen tents, and tumbled trees and huts.
"Yes," Margaret pulled the jeep to a stop just outside of the camp and went around to the back to grab her bag; BJ doing the same, "There's a few people here already. According to Corporal Mandarin back at the office they've already found a family in the middle of the road that had been directly hit and killed. They're worried that there may be more around here."
BJ nodded, and they began to walk down the road, searching through the debris. It didn't take long until two other soldiers came into view looking through a particularly large pile of rubble that Margaret assumed used to be a home of some sort. She and BJ thought nothing of it until a loud cry came from one of them.
"Hurry!" he shouted, "Come quick! There's an officer here! Along with a small Korean girl."
Numb with fear, BJ and Margaret ran towards them.
"He's dead," one the people said just as BJ managed to get there, and the soldiers voice softened, "Both of them. Dead."
His heart pounding, BJ pushed past, and looked down into the pile of rubble…
...........to be continued.............
A/N: How was that?? What it too confusing? I hope not. :o) If any of ya have any questions, complaints, or compliments, just review and let me know! I am totally enjoying writing this story, and couldn't do it without all of you guys! Thank you all!! You've read, now review! ThAnKs!!