I know... I know... you're all thinking 'FINALLY!!!!!' I admit, I got lazy with my updating. Please... take this chapter as a token of my forgiveness.

What can I say other than "I'm sorry"? I have to admit, I wasn't really thinking when I left Korea for the States. I guess I was just so excited to be going home that I didn't even think about your feelings. I can only hope you don't hate me. I also hope Radar left my message with you; it was all I had time for. Is Frank still giving you a hard time? Play a good one on him for me. Make him scream like a girl like he did that time we put snow in his cot. Or when we surprised him with Hot Lips. Boy… I could go on. We were great together, Hawk. We couldn't be beat. I just can't believe I found you right where I was at. You are the greatest and best friend I ever had or will have. We've been through a lot together, pal. I think that must be why we're so close. Especially after that time we were coming back from 8055th. You remember we had just dropped that Marine with the rest of his unit and were headed back to 4077th, singing to our hearts' contents. That's when the road blew up. Boy, we jumped out of that jeep fast, and it's a good thing we did, because the jeep blew up, too. I'm still not quite sure how that piece of shrapnel hit you in the neck. (I thought you were well covered.) I felt a sharp pain in my arm just as you cried out. You were holding your neck, blood trickling through your fingers; I was really scared all of the sudden. I started trying to my hands over the wound, as well.

"Wait, Trap, just look at it," you said, "We'll move our hands, and you have to check on it. Make sure it's not too bad. 'Kay, Trap?"

I don't know if how dead scared I was showed on my face, but I nodded and slowly moved my hands. Then your arms twitched to move your hands, but your hands stayed covering your neck. I saw fear in your face. The wound needed to be checked, however, so I gently took your hands and moved them away so I could see; you relaxed a great deal. I was incredibly relieved to see that it was just a nick. I pulled off that damn button-up shirt they always made us wear and began tearing it up so you would have a bandage. The thought of cold and night didn't really cross my mind as I tied the strip of Army green cloth around your neck. Then, it got cold because night fell. We sat huddled up together for almost an hour before I decided to keep us both a little warmer. I didn't even ask you if I could, I just put my arms around you under your Army shirt. You didn't say anything either; you just put your arms around me, too, just to keep me warm. I don't know if we fell asleep or not, but we got up out of the brush when morning came.

"Well, Hawk, I guess we got a bit of a walk ahead of us," I said with a smirk, "Better get started."

You agreed with a witty response (like always) as we started walking back to the 4077th. We walked for maybe thirty or forty minutes when you stopped all of the sudden. I turned to look at you; I'm quite sure I looked a bit puzzled. You just looked at me a bit worriedly and said, "Your arm, Trap," and started looking at it. I'd forgotten all about it. You had brought the rest of my shirt with you and wrapped a piece around the gash. Then we looked at each other for a moment before we mentally agreed to throw our arms one another. It was the biggest and best hug I ever gave or got… and the facet that it from my best friend made it even better.

My wife is asking me to come to bed now. I'll just wipe my eyes and wish I left a note to let you how much you mean to me, that I would do anything to help you, to save… even follow you into the dark.

I can assure you that the final chapter will not take NEARLY as long to put up. If it does, feel free to hit me.