Hello EVERYONE. I'M BACK FROM DISNEY WORLD!
Did I have a good time, you ask?
Well, let us just say that it made my vacation to have my picture taken with the marble sculpture of Alan Alda's head.
Thanks to Steph36 for coming back as my beta.
Chapter 2
Inside
O.R. was crowded, not really with patients, but with doctors. Hawkeye and Daniel were working back to back, randomly throwing out comments to each other. On the opposite side of the room Charles and BJ were working, glaring and spitting sarcasm. Potter was off to the side, watching the whole situation with an amused glint in his eye.
Margaret smiled up at Hawkeye when he began humming, "That's Amore", under his breath.
"Clamp," he interrupted his own singing. "Damn."
"What?" Daniel just finished his own patient. Snapping on a new pair of gloves, he watched Hawkeye's skillful hands dance across the patient before him. "Bleeder?"
"Loosing pulse," the nurse said softly already knowing the reaction Hawkeye would give wouldn't be good.
"Damn it," he whispered heatedly. "Get me the rib spreader."
"Pulse is gone."
"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked.
Hawkeye didn't answer as he began working.
"Open heart message?"
The rest of the staff had already seen him produce such a miracle before and had complete confidence that he could do it yet again.
Daniel watched Hawkeye easily do what had to be done with a mixture of shock and pride.
"Pulse is back." The nurse said softly and the O.R. in its entirety relaxed. "Good job, Doctor."
Hawkeye ignored the compliments directed at him and focused all his attention on the patient, but Daniel could see the faintest trace of pink on his defined cheek bones. Whether it was pride or embarrassment he couldn't say.
"Bene fatto, il figlio (well done, son)." Daniel clapped him on the back with a prideful smile.
Hawkeye smiled back then grinned wickedly. "With enough practice you could be just as good," and he winked.
………
O.R. was over and the doctors and Margaret lounged comfortably in the scrub room.
"How are you, Dr. Pierce?" Charles grinned, "I know you're used to working with much easier conditions."
"Actually, I used to work in Emergency back in Italy. The hospitals weren't that great, and it wasn't too different."
Hawkeye chuckled as he stood, pleased with the humbled expression on Charles' face. "I'm going for a walk," and he left.
Everyone watched him go – even Charles – with concern and fear in their eyes.
A few moments later as the group began to separate Margaret slipped off to follow him. She knew exactly where he would go.
………
She wasn't entirely surprised to see him there, pacing the length of his hidden sanctuary. He looked restless as his long strides carried him a few yards before he briskly spun on his heel and stalked the other direction, repeating the motion. "You're going to wear a hole in the earth at the rate you're going." He froze and spun around to stare at her, eyes wild with an undistinguishable emotion and then he snorted and resumed his pacing, resembling a wild, caged panther. "What's wrong?"
"Would you believe me if I told you I was fine?"
"No."
"Then I'm not going to answer you."
"Why?"
"Because…" Great answer, Ben. "I don't want to lie to you…" Smooth recovery.
"Are you saying you don't want to tell me what's wrong?"
He remained silent. Answer her, damn it. "Yes." Nice going! That was the WRONG answer, moron!
Margaret sighed. What is going through that head of his?
"If you don't want me to stay, just say so. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."
And now you scared her away.
When he didn't answer she took that as an indication that she should leave. She didn't realize then that that was the worst thing she could have done.
Now he was lost.
………
Daniel found him later that night half-drunk, half-unconscious in the Swamp put into uncontrollable laughter by something an even drunker BJ said. It was nice to here him laugh, even if it was drug-induced. "Well, now I know you weren't lying when you said you drank a lot."
"Here, here," Hawkeye raised his glass.
"How are you two?" he asked pouring his own glass of gin and chuckling.
"Peachy," Hawkeye giggled again at nothing.
BJ laughed even harder falling off the bed in the process. That sent Hawkeye deeper into his drunkenness and soon he was on the floor next to his fallen comrade. Daniel just shook his head, amused, "you two are impossible."
The two of them made no answer to that because by then both were too far gone into their alcohol induced madness to hear anything.
Rolling his eyes, Daniel helped both men stumble into their cots and left them to their own self torment.
………
Margaret shouldn't have been surprised to see the elder Pierce there, nursing a cup of cold coffee in the Mess Tent at 3am, but she was. "Good morning, Daniel."
She slid onto the seat across from him, sipping hew own coffee, the amber liquid going un-tasted into her knotted stomach that was clenched with nerves. Why was she nervous?
I hate this…
"What are you doing up, Margaret?"
"Wounded in 45 minutes."
He looked up, surprised. "Already?"
It was only then did she realize how foreign all of this must be for him. The unusual hours, the nonstop wounded, the fast pace work – it wasn't anything like a usual operating room. She watched him curiously when he just sighed and sipped the coffee again. "Have you woken Ben yet?"
"No, Charles kept complaining about those "uncivilized mongrels" so I can only imagine the hangover he's going to have." She smiled fondly just thinking of the two of them.
"Why do they do it?"
"What?"
"Drink like that?"
Her smile faded and she sighed, "It helps them forget. Everyone has their own ways. Charles has his music, Potter has his painting and riding, Radar has his animals, the nurses have each other and Klinger….well, Klinger has his….dresses." She sighed again, "I think…I think it's a lot harder on Hawkeye and BJ then it is on everyone else."
His dark blue eyes met hers in confusion.
"Potter has been doing this for years and he's an army general. He's grown used to it. Charles…I think it's hard on Charles…but he has money. I don't think he was raised learning such compassionate emotions that I know he is capable of. I've seen them before, but, he just doesn't strike me as the type to grieve for people he doesn't know.
"But BJ and Hawkeye….BJ has a little girl at home, every time he sees a little girl I'm sure he imagines Erin, how far away he is from her. Hawkeye….is just Hawkeye."
Daniel chuckled. "I think I know what you mean."
They fell into silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
"Well," Daniel stood, stretching the kinks out of his back, "I think we better go wake the Sleeping Beauties before the choppers do."
Charles was already gone. That was nice. Daniel grinned viciously and chuckled evilly to himself.
"TIME TO RISE AND SHINE, MADAMS!" he flicked on the light as he bellowed this, and then acting like a bustling maid began pulling off their blankets. "The day is new at 3 this morning, the sun's almost shining, the birds haven't started singing yet, but they will!"
Double groans met his boisterous comments and Hawkeye made a vain attempt at pulling his pillow over his head.
"Uh, uh, uhhh…the wounded are in, ready and waiting, or they will be when they actually get here. You two sleepy heads it's time to get up! Up, Up, UP!"
"Hawkeye," BJ groaned, from where he had his hands placed over his ears, "is he always this cheery at three in the morning?"
Hawkeye muttered something unconceivable before trying to curl up into a ball and bury his head in his arms.
"Oh, no lei fa non. (Oh, no you don't)!" He grabbed Hawkeye's feet and pulled them over the side his body, forcing his body to sit upright. Daniel laughed, taking extra care to be very loud (and obnoxious).
It took Daniel the better part of 20 minutes to usher the two of them to the showers where he dumped cold water over their heads. When both were at least a little better, he managed to get them dressed and to the scrub room before everyone else arrived.
"I hate you." Hawkeye said. He looked totally serious, except for the annoyed and amused glint in his eye.
Daniel laughed again (still very loud and obnoxious) and the two of them groaned in unison before plopping down on the benches. It was going to be a very fun O.R. session.
End Chapter 2
Inside
TBC