Chapter 5

"Right, I'll see about getting that Jeep, you go and make yourself ready, get the equipment bag, etc. Meet me outside the hospital tent?" Hunnicut told Shayla as they exited the office together.

"Sounds fine, I'll see you there, in about five minutes or so." Shayla agreed, letting Hunnicut go in front of her, so he could get out of the tent faster. She had a few bits of unfinished business here before she went in search of the equipment bag. She wandered towards Radar as Hunnicut made his exit.

"What was that about?" Radar asked pleased to have someone other the moody Hawkeye to talk to.

"Oh, me and B.J are going on a little investigation, we believe our missing patient is still at the scene where his troop were picked up from." Shayla updated him.

"Oh, right." Radar replied sadly, bringing his head down and gazing through his work.

Shayla put her arm instinctively around Radar's shoulders, she didn't want him to be sad, it didn't suit him. As she did this, she was reminded of the list, bringing her other arm forward she placed the list down in front of him.

"Oh thanks for helping with this." She said hoping to cheer him up a little.

"It's nothing, no problem, anytime you need anything…" he trialled off not really knowing where he was planning the sentence to end.

"Thank-you." Shayla cut in, kindly preventing him from finishing the sentence. She impulsively kissed him on the cheek, in the desperate want not to leave him in sadness. Radar's colour shot straight up until he was almost as red as a tomato.

"Good luck, Shayla." Radar said shyly trying desperately to hide his embarrassment at her kiss.

Thanking him agian, Shayla left Radar, fully satisfied that she had cheered him up greatly, and moved towards her brother. She couldn't leave with this tension between them; she wanted him to at least understand why she felt the need to volunteer.

"Ben?" she ventured softly.

"Can't you see I'm busy, got all this list to work through." Pierce replied, attempting what would normally come out as a jest but found it came out more spiteful then humorous.

"Please." Shayla implored.

Without saying a word, Hawkeye glanced at his sister and jerked his head in the direction of the door. Shayla nodded and they both exited the office, leaving Radar to get on with his work in peace.

"Ben, you know I love you and you know I wouldn't deliberately hurt you but I wish you could grasp what I feel. Look, I understand were you're coming from, I really do and I wish you could come with us, then I could show you how much this means to me. We're all trained to help people the best that we can possibly do, you know that, if I didn't go and help find this soldier then I wouldn't be doing what I was trained to do. So let me do what I was trained to do and try and find some way of being pleased for me."

Shayla observed Hawkeye, hoping to see some recognition that he had taken everything she had said on board and gave it some thought. It took a while and for a moment she almost thought he hadn't been listening. He was staring at the ground, unmoving, and then slowly he nodded his head, a very tiny movement that gave Shayla the reassurance she needed.

"Did I see you kiss Radar back there?" Hawkeye queried, suddenly returning to his usual inquisitive and nosy self.

"I might have." Shayla replied noncommittally, now even more sure that Hawkeye was accepting her decision and finding a way to deal with it.

"Thought he wasn't your type."

"Yeah, well, my type might have changed." Shayla answered surprising herself with the statement as well as Hawkeye, whose eyes widened and smile broadened as he turned his head slowly towards Shayla. He opened his mouth to comment but his sound was replaced by a loud beep of a jeep's horn. Hunnicut had already found the jeep and was waiting on Shayla.

"I'd better get the equipment bag." Shayla announced swiftly moving the conversation along to a natural end.

"Oh Come on, I'll help you." Pierce said finally giving in and accepting that he would have to support Shayla in what she did and not try and fight her decisions.

Shayla was pleased that her brother had finally accepted her decision and was now even helping her to achieve it. She gladly let him help her and before long she had everything she needed for every possible situation and was on the jeep with Hunnicut about to set off. Pierce had helped them load the equipment and was now at the final wrench of watching them physically leave the safety of the camp and enter the danger zone of a war ridden country. He hesitated beside Shayla as she sat in the jeep, something wasn't right, he wanted to lift her off the jeep and demand that she was not going but he couldn't.

"Well, then, good luck…and keep safe." Hawkeye said feeling there was some unspoken irony in his words as he uttered them. He leaned into the jeep and kissed Shayla on the cheek.

"Thank-you Ben, I appreciate it." Shayla replied leaning out the jeep to return his kiss. They held each other's gaze for a second, each understanding the other's thoughts but knowing that because of their contradiction they could not help each other. Hawkeye broke the gaze moving around the jeep to Hunnicut who was at the wheel.

"Good luck and came back whole." Hawkeye said giving no emphasis on his joke.

"Don't worry Hawkeye, we'll be fine, all we have to do is get there, find Frazer Green and get back with him. Nothing to it, we'll be back before dinner." Hunnicut tried to comfort his friend, hating that he was in so much distress over the situation.

"Yeah, I suppose." Pierce said unconvincingly.

"Look I'll keep an eye on her, alright?" Hunnicut offered, Hawkeye nodded and with that they said their goodbyes and Hunnicut drove off.

Pierce stayed rooted to the spot as he watched them leave the haven of the camp into the land of Korea in which numerous dangers lay. It was only when he could no longer see the edge of the jeep did he finally turn and head back inside to complete the surgery supply list check.

Meanwhile Margaret Houlihan had been watching on, she had seen Pierce kiss Shayla and vice versa and she gave an angry sigh. She had specifically told him not to get involved and he had ignored her. Well, more words would have to be had when she had the time. Right now she was tied up in work, tending to patients and seeing to the nurses.