Trapper walked hesitantly next to Radar to the Swamp. How would Hawkeye react? Would he be happy? Angry or just plain shocked? He began to feel nervous. He didn't want Hawkeye to think he was replacing BJ. He was just taking over the man's work. There was a difference, a huge difference.
Hawkeye and Winchester were beaming at the newly built still.
"Much better then the poor excuse of a still you had before if I do say so myself." The Major nodded in approval.
"Hey, what was wrong with the one that was built before?" Hawkeye looked insulted.
"It looked handmade." Charles spit the word out as if it was profanity.
"It was." Hawkeye reminded him.
"Well so was this one but at least it looks professionally made." Winchester snapped back hotly and Hawkeye grinned in agreeable defeat.
"Whatever you Charles, whatever you say."
Radar entered the tent with Trapper lingering behind-unsure of when he too should enter.
"We got a new doctor." Radar said cheerfully, careful not to say Hunnicut's replacement. "And Hawk, you'll never guess who it is."
"Who? General MacArthur?" Hawkeye asked lightly and Radar made a face.
"No! Guess again."
"Why should I if I'll never guess?"
"Oh you take all the fun out of it." Radar muttered and then gestured Trapper to come inside.
Trapper walked in slowly.
"Hi Hawk." He said quietly. All the cheer that was in Hawkeye's face drained to pure shock.
"Trapper?" He sat down on his bunk, his face whiter than usual.
"I was just as surprised as you are when I got the letter." Trapper shrugged. "Didn't know I could be drafted again." He added. Radar was grinning hopefully.
"Isn't this great Hawk? Instead of getting some stranger one of your best friends came back!"
Winchester wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion.
"They reenlisted you?"
Trapper nodded.
"You must be Major Winchester, Frank's replacement." He said with a grin. "I don't know you and I already like you." He added while shaking the Major's hand. "After all anyone who got rid of Frank has a gold star in my book."
"Thank you, I think." Charles looked somewhat confused by the remark.
Hawkeye in the mean time was still sitting on his bunk in stunned silence. Radar was right, he never would have guess. Trapper was back. Thus entering the mixed feelings stage. A part of him felt overjoyed at the thought of his best friend back with him but a larger part felt guilt for the happiness. Guilt that he was replacing BJ's best friend status with another best friend.
But he couldn't take that out on Trapper. That wouldn't be fair, what did Trap do?
"Hawk?" Trapper asked nervously. "You okay?"
He looked up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm great." He started to laugh, something he hadn't done since BJ's death. It was a nice sound for Radar and Winchester to hear again. "I can't believe it!" He shouted and Trapper broke into a very relieved grin as they hugged each other. "I can't believe it!" Hawkeye repeated, shaking his head while his smile was so wide it caused wrinkles in his cheeks. He wasn't use to smiling like this anymore. Finally true happiness was sinking in for the first time since BJ's death.
"And I can't believe all the changes that had happened." Trapper said, also laughing. "Hotlips was married?"
Hawkeye whistled.
"Yeah, you have been out of the loop." He shook his head. "Well how about a drink?" He was dying to test the new still. He hadn't had a drink all day, a new record for him and he was experiencing withdrawals. Trapper was careful not to mention Captain Hunnicut. He didn't want to mess with this joyful reunion. Later when they were alone they'd talk about it, if Hawkeye wanted to.
"Sure, I'd love some." It was then that Trapper made a mistake of touching the somewhat wobbly still causing it to collapse. Hawkeye groaned in disappointment but Winchester looked furious, red was the new color of his cheeks. "You oaf!" He shouted. "You vile and infamous Fein!"
Trapper shot a questioning and surprised look at Hawkeye. "You talking to me?" He asked nervously.
"Of course I am!" Winchester snapped. "Who else broke the still?" Before Trapper could respond to that he continued. "Do you know how long we had to work on that?"
"Only because you refused to acknowledge any of my suggestions by saying they were amateurish" Hawkeye rebutted sharply.
"The hours it took to put that thing, that worthless piece of junk back together just so Pierce is able to drown himself in liquor!"
"Can it Charles, it didn't take hours." Hawkeye rolled his eyes at Trapper.
"Well it certainly felt like it because of the unfortunate company I had!" Winchester snapped. "Even though I disapproved of the still I helped Dr. Pierce put it back together out of the goodness of my heart..."
"Hah!" Hawkeye snorted and the Major chose to ignore it.
"Just to have to be broken thanks to this great buffoon of a doctor here! You will get your just punishment my good sir, mark my word! No sir, you have not heard the last of this or my name isn't Major Charles Emerson Winchester the Third!" With a great huff he left leaving a rather stunned Trapper but Hawkeye and Radar seemed to take no notice of it.
"Is he always like this?" Trapper asked.
"Pretty close to always." Hawkeye agreed and Radar shrugged.
"It's just the Major having one of his tantrums Trap. You learn to ignore."
"I don't know who's worse, that thing of a human being that just left us or Burns." Trapper muttered.
"Burns." Both Hawkeye and Radar instantly answered.
"Charles is a good man at heart Trap. He only lets you see that side though once he knows he can trust you. He's not a bad chap." Hawkeye added, his last line sounded exactly like Winchester's accent causing Radar to grin.
"Well let me know if you sirs need anything." He said cheerfully as he headed out.
"Radar, it may have been awhile but I still feel the same about being called sir." Trapper told the clerk who nodded apologetically.
"Sorry sir, er I mean Trap." He grinned. "It's good to have you back." He added before he left and Trapper looked at Hawkeye and the broken still and grinned.
"And it's good to be back." He replied causing Radar to grin also as he left the swamp. Finally Trapper sat down on the bunk waiting for Hawkeye to catch him up on everything he missed, and from what Radar had already told him he felt like there would be a lot.