Hawkeye spent the next week in misery. He was constantly moping around the compound like a bored puppy.
"Come on Hawk," BJ said to him, "You're making this harder than it has to be!"
Hawkeye turned and looked at his friend; they were sitting side by side in the mess tent, a tray of slop in front of each of them. Hawkeye picked up a spoonful of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes and drew it up to his nose, sniffing it suspiciously.
"Oh give me a break will you?" Hawkeye defended. "You've been moping about leaving your wife for over a year!" Hawkeye stuck his tongue out at the man.
"Yes but your wife is in the same continent as you and she isn't caring for you child!" Splat! Hawkeye's spoonful of mashed potatoes landed squarely on BJ's forehead. As BJ wiped them off Hawkeye calmly stood up and exited the tent.
Hawkeye walked down the middle of post-op towards the door. His shift was done and Charles had just taken over. He walked outside, shivering in the cool evening breeze. He quickly walked to the swamp, pulling his light jacket on as he went. As he entered the tent he saw BJ sitting sadly on his cot.
"What's going on Beej?" He asked curiously. It wasn't very often that his friend looked this depressed.
"I haven't heard from her in twenty-six days!" He yelled angrily. Hawkeye rolled his eyes; he was in no mood for this.
"No one has heard from anyone in twenty-six days!" He shouted back. "Now stop mopping around." He paused as he poured himself a drink. Then he turned and smiled wickedly at his friend. "You're making it harder than it has to be."
BJ only glared at him before flopping backwards onto his cot. "Pour me some will you?" Hawkeye smirked and handed him a glass.
"Please Colonel; it's only for two days!" Hawkeye pleaded.
"No Pierce! We're drowning in casualties; we can't afford to lose a surgeon." Hawkeye walked towards the door glaring at the man. "It's only one more week Pierce."
"Clamp."
"Clamp." Charles echoed as he handed Hawkeye the instrument. "Remind me again why one of the nurses isn't assisting you?"
"Because you're being such a gentleman and doing it yourself." BJ piped in from the head of the table. He was holding an oxygen mask over the man's face.
"That's hardly a reason." Charles responded pompously. Hawkeye rolled his eyes as he began to close up the soldier.
"Oh come on Charles, they needed a break. What's an extra hour going to do to you?" Hawkeye asked impatiently. As he was saying this they heard Colonel Potter announce a meeting with all nurses in his office immediately.
"I wonder what that is all about." BJ pondered aloud.
"I don't know, but I wish that I could do that." Hawkeye said suggestively.
"I'm not sure what you are implying, but may I remind you that you are now a married man? Or does you opinion still hold as it did with Carlye?" BJ felt guilty the instant he said it. Hawkeye shot him a hateful glance and BJ felt his defenses going up.
"Who's Carlye?" Charles asked, his curiosity piqued by the hateful glare Pierce sent BJ. BJ knew he should keep his mouth shut but that look Hawkeye gave him made his blood boil.
"Carlye was an old flame of Hawkeye's." Charles raised his eyebrows with a fiendish interest. BJ continued, "He was planning on proposing to her when she left him." Charles chuckled in delight.
"So your charm fell dead at her feet and she trampled you." Charles said rather triumphantly. Hawkeye looked like he was about ready to stab both men with a scalpel. BJ, however, was oblivious to this and continued on.
"She was transferred here a short while after I arrived. Hawk convinced her to cheat on her husband and then she walked out on him…again."
Charles looked at Hawkeye, he could see now that the man was boiling. "Ah Pierce, I see you are trying to practice some restraint, I applaud you for that but I must ask if you desire Margaret to remain faithful to you even though you have no intention of remaining faithful to her?"
Unfortunately for Charles, Hawkeye had just finished closing the patient. Charles didn't even see his fist coming. Hawkeye hit him squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling onto the table behind him. Hawkeye calmly removed his surgical gloves and pushed past the swinging doors into the next room.
BJ's shift ended at midnight; he walked tentatively toward the swamp. He hadn't talked to Hawkeye since the surgery and he felt really guilty. What kind of jerk am I? He wondered. He had kicked his friend while he was already down, he shouldn't have encouraged Winchester like that. Well, time for some humble pie. He thought as he entered the swamp. He saw the sleeping form of his friend sprawled out in his lawn chair, a thin blanket pulled around his shoulders.
"Hawkeye."
Hawk's eyes jerked open and he mumbled something incoherently before falling back asleep.
"Hawkeye, wake up!" BJ demanded, pulling the blanket off him.
"Go away." He mumbled.
"Nothing doin' pal. I need to talk to you." BJ said firmly. Hawkeye forced open his eyes and stared at BJ coldly.
"What do you want?" He asked menacingly. BJ winced at his tone of voice and yet he knew he deserved it.
"I'm sorry Hawk, I was being a jerk."
"Yes you were." Hawkeye confirmed. BJ just looked at him, his eyes pleading with him to forgive and forget. Hawkeye sighed. "Oh don't look at me like that. Fine, let's forget it. However, I refuse to forgive that pompous windbag!" BJ chuckled.
"I wouldn't forgive him either." BJ paused and his face turned serious again.
"You know I don't think that you would ever…"
"I know Beej, I know."
At seven in the morning the following day a loud announcement blasted over the PA system.
Doctors Winchester, Honicutt, and Pierce report to Colonel Potter's office imediatley. Sorry sirs he made me call you.
Hawkeye groaned and sat up. "This better be good." He slowly slipped on his shoes and shrugged his thread-bare bathrobe on, not even bothering to put any pants on. He barged into the office and found that Charles and BJ were already there. They were somewhat upset but mostly they appeared nervous. He chuckled slightly as he say the large bruise on Charles' face.
"What happened to your face Charles?" Hawkeye asked mischievously.
Potter didn't give him a chance to answer. "He ran into a doorpost." Hawkeye grinned and took a seat.
"Listen Pierce," Potter sighed and poured himself and Hawkeye a drink. "Last night I was informed that the nurses are being evacuated."
"How are we supposed to operate?' Hawkeye yelled.
"They said we would have to improvise." Potter responded angrily.
"What on earth does that mean? We can't…"
"Can it Pierce! Do you think I'm an idiot? I know we're going to have problems with this but there's nothing I can do about it!"