On January 2nd, B.J. got unexpected news. Karen, the woman who'd been babysitting Erin since Peg had passed away, suddenly announced she was moving out of the area, which would leave B.J. in the lurch as early as the following week.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Hunnicutt," she said with a pained look on her face. "This sort of came out of the blue. My husband's been transferred… it's all happening so fast."
B.J. nodded, but Hawkeye watched his face closely, seeing the worry setting in already. Later, after Karen left, he broached the subject gently. "You'll be able to find another babysitter for Erin, won't you?"
B.J. sighed. "I have a feeling it won't be easy. Ours is a tough schedule for babysitters. When I get called in to the hospital for an emergency, I need someone to take Erin with little to no warning. Karen was close by and always available. She bent over backwards to help me on more than one occasion. Her leaving is… upsetting, to say the least."
Hawkeye's response was out of his mouth before it had even fully formed in his head. It was simply a knee-jerk reaction that made complete sense to him, regardless of whether there was an ulterior motive buried somewhere in his subconscious. "Why don't you consider moving out to Maine, Beej? Come to Crabapple Cove, where you'll have a constant support system. Dad's retired, so he could watch Erin every day, whenever you need him to. He'd love that."
B.J. stared at him, open-mouthed. "Hawkeye—"
"We have hospitals out there, too. I'm sure you could get a job in no time. I know you've never seen the house, but it's this huge Victorian, and we have two spare rooms that would be perfect for you and Erin… well, one of them serves as Dad's study, but trust me when I tell you he rarely uses it." Hawkeye took a breath. He was rambling, his brain going a mile a minute and his mouth struggling to keep up. "I… I'm 100% serious, Beej. Please at least think it over, don't just say no without weighing the pros and cons."
"Hawk," B.J. finally managed to get a word in edgewise, "I've never lived outside of California, except for those two years in Korea… I don't know…"
Hawkeye held up a hand. "Don't answer now. Like I said, give it some thought. That's all I ask. If it's not something you want to do, that's fine, but I'd like to know that you considered it before you came to that conclusion."
B.J. studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "OK, I'll think about it, and I'll talk it over with Erin. But no matter what we end up deciding, it's the most generous offer I think I've ever heard. Thank you."
Hawkeye's heart was pounding. It'd been a completely automatic reaction to the circumstances, and he wondered what he was going to make of the idea later, when he had time to really think it through. It couldn't possibly be a bad idea, could it?
Temptation moving into his house, being right by his side again. He would have to just grow some balls and deal with it, that's all. His best friend needed help, and that was what mattered.
Two days later, B.J. said yes, we gratefully accept your amazing offer, as Hawkeye beamed at him, somehow managing to hold back tears. And less than two weeks after that, B.J. and Erin were packing up all their belongings and moving across the country.