Chapter 6: Unwitting Reinforcements

That evening, things around camp had begun to start returning to a more normal routine although everyone's thoughts were on their injured chaplain. Just as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon, a jeep rolled into the camp and stopped in front of the office. Primed for the weekly scheduled poker game, Major Sidney Freedman stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the reception area to find Potter standing beside Radar's chair while the company clerk briefed him on the things that needed to be ordered from regimental headquarters to restock their supply.

"I'm sorry, I appear to be interrupting." Sidney said quietly, making his presence known.

"Oh, no. Come in, Sidney. I was going to call you but I didn't have the chance. I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel the poker game this week." Potter said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Why? Are you expecting wounded soon? What's going on, Sherman?"

"Radar, can you excuse us for a moment?" Potter asked as Radar nodded and slipped quietly out of the room. "Okay. Something happened around here the other day Sidney and it makes having a poker game seem sickly inappropriate."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Sidney asked, suddenly getting the feeling that his professional services were going to be needed here.

"Well, a couple of days ago when we were working triage out on the compound, Father Mulcahy took a bullet in the back."

"My God. Is he all right?"

"He's stable now and he's improving but it was touch and go for a while. Pierce and Winchester had to go back in and close a bleeder yesterday. It's been really hard on Pierce because he was the one who saw the entire incident. I think he's been eating himself up with guilt. Since you're already down here, I was wondering if you could have a word with Hawkeye and see if you can get him to open up to you about what's going on in that mind of his." Potter asked, the concern behind his request even more apparent in his eyes.

"Of course I will. Where would I find Hawkeye now?" Sidney agreed, shocked over what he had just been told.

"He and BJ should be in the Swamp. Which is good because he may be more willing to talk with Hunnicutt there."

"Just what I thought. Okay, I'll head over there and talk to him."

"Good luck, Sidney." Potter said, heading into his office to start some paperwork.

Hawkeye and BJ were playing a no rules game of cards when the door of the tent swing open quietly. Assuming that Charles was returning from his shift in post op, neither man looked up from his cards to see who had entered. Sidney sat his bag on the floor and stood for a moment, watching the two intently.

"It's good to see how you Swamp rats treat guests around these parts." Sidney joked, trying to put forth a positive front.

"Hey, Sidney. What are you doing all the way out here?" Hawkeye asked, looking up from his hand of cards to greet the psychiatrist.

"Well, we were supposed to have a poker game tonight but when I got here, I was informed that it was cancelled."

"I completely forgot about our having a game tonight."

"Obviously. What in the world are you guys playing anyway? I don't think I've ever seen that before."

"You know, that's a very good question." BJ laughed.

"If you guys are almost finished, I thought I might talk to Hawkeye for a few minutes. BJ, I'd like you to stick around if you wouldn't mind." Sidney requested, pulling over the chair from nearby and sitting down.

"What's up, Sidney?"

"I heard about what happened out here a couple days ago and Colonel Potter thought that I might be able to help you work out the guilt you appear to be feeling. I know how uncomfortable this can be for you, which is why I've asked BJ to be here as well. I thought it might be easier for you to talk to me if you have the support of someone you trust so much."

"It's hard to even think about, Sidney. I know this may sound crazy but when I stood there in pre op and saw Mulcahy go down, the thing that was going through my mind was the day that Radar told us that Henry had been killed. I thought that we had just lost another close friend and I was standing there watching it happen. I didn't care that the sniper could have shot me as well, my instinct was to run out there and help him. Luckily, Charles stopped me and offered a hand so we went out there together and got Mulcahy to safety." Hawkeye began, his breath catching in his chest. "The other night I had a nightmare in which I saw Henry's plane go into the Sea of Japan and I was standing right there and there was nothing I could do about it. Luckily, BJ and Charles talked me through that one. Then last night I had another nightmare. It was the exact same thing, except for the fact that instead of Henry, I saw Trapper there. It scared me to death. So bad, in fact, that I went to Radar's office and got him to call Boston for me so that I could talk to Trapper. I just needed to hear his voice and once I talked to him, I felt better and it eased my mind so I was able to come back here and go back to sleep. I don't know what that was about."

"I think I can tell you. What I believe you've been experiencing Hawkeye is a insecurity because you've recently lost two people who you are very close to. First, Henry died in that plane crash and then a few days after that, you came back from R&R to find that Trapper had been discharged without your having the opportunity to say goodbye to him. In both situations, you said that you were powerless to change the outcome. When Father Mulcahy was shot, it brought that back to you and you're afraid that this situation is going to inevitably end in the same way, with a tragic ending that you have no power to stop. So what you need to do is keep telling yourself that he's alive because you went after him with not once thinking about yourself. I talked to Colonel Potter earlier and he told me that Father Mulcahy's condition is stable and that he's steadily improving. You saved his life, Hawkeye. I think that if you keep telling yourself that then your nightmares will go away." Sidney said matter of factly.

"I guess I never thought about it that way. Come to think of it now, that does make sense, Sidney. I really appreciate you letting me bend your ear on that." Hawkeye smiled.

"Hey, that's why they pay me the big money. I do think there's someone else that you need to have a talk with as soon as it becomes possible."

"Yeah, I'm already way ahead of you on that one."

"Now, what say you and BJ show me the ins and outs of that game you were playing when I walked in." Sidney laughed as BJ started dealing out the cards.

The next morning, Hawkeye reported for his shift in post op and was pleasantly surprised to find the young chaplain conscious and sitting up in bed attempting to eat some breakfast using his left hand. Upon hearing Hawkeye's approach, Mulcahy looked up and greeted the chief surgeon with a grateful smile.

"How are you feeling, Father? I'm glad to see you're awake." Hawkeye asked, relief shining in his eyes.

"I really don't feel all that bad right now, Hawkeye. I do know it's hard to do anything with my left hand because it seems backwards." Mulcahy began with a sheepish look. "I am a little confused about what happened though."

"How about this. Why don't you tell me what you remember and I'll try to fill in the gaps for you."

"I remember we were on the compound, there were several wounded that had just come in, and Colonel Potter warned us to look out for snipers because they were in the area. Then shots seemed to come from nowhere and we were all rushing around getting the wounded to safety. Someone shouted for help moving a patient and then I remember my arm feeling like it was on fire. After that I don't remember anything until earlier this morning."

"Okay. What happened was that you were hit by sniper fire. I was standing in pre op checking to see if the compound was clear and saw it happen. I tried to rush out to get you to safety but Charles stopped me and reminded me that I couldn't move you on my own so he and I brought you into pre op. Then we got you into OR and I was able to remove the bullet that had lodged itself in your collarbone. I thought I had repaired all the damage but the next morning, Charles told me that you had a low hematocrit level so we had to open you up again and close another bleeder that we missed. It wasn't very easy to deal with that but BJ and even Charles were behind me and there for me to lean on."

"Well, I don't really know what to say, Hawkeye. The only thing I can think is to thank you for what you did. You knew there were snipers nearby but you still were willing to put your own life on the line to get me out of the line of fire. Not just anyone would do that. I had a guardian angel that day and you were him." Mulcahy said softly.

As Hawkeye sat with Mulcahy talking with him and taking in the knowledge that he was okay, he felt a strange sense of peace come over him. Of course, the chaplain would have to take it easy for several weeks while his wounds healed but the worst was over. Things were back to the way they were supposed to be and he silently vowed to himself that he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that they stayed that way.