The next two months passed quickly. BJ had fully recovered with the exception of the odd headache here and there. He sat down with Erin and discussed their future. If Hawkeye was willing BJ wanted to move them to Maine – Erin was in full support of the move and not at all concerned about having to make new friends. BJ felt himself starting to hope for a happy ending after all.

Hawkeye returned to Maine more light-hearted then he had felt in years, probably since before being shipped off to Korea even. Daniel noticed the change in his son immediately. True to his word Hawkeye called BJ after he arrived home. They continued to communicate by phone over the next two months. They got to know each other all over again, that special bond present since the day they first met all those years back in Korea only strengthening.

Finally July was here. After dropping Erin off at her friend's house BJ drove to the airport and boarded his flight to Maine. He'd called Hawkeye the night before and given Hawkeye his flight information – Hawkeye was picking him up at the airport. BJ was both excited and nervous. He'd been elated when Hawk had told him to come visit but he still didn't know what to expect.

Finally the plane touched down in Maine. To BJ it seemed like forever before he finally disembarked and walked through the gate into the terminal. Being taller than average gave him the advantage of seeing over the heads of the other passengers – his eyes scanned the crowd and came to rest on Hawkeye standing 40 feet away. BJ broke into a grin – Hawkeye was wearing a new Hawaiian shirt, his cowboy hat, and a dark blue pair of slacks. He walked up to Hawkeye and shook his head.

"You just couldn't resist the shirt could you?" he asked.

"Now what kind of host would I be if I greeted my weary traveler in boorish garb? It was this or my tux and flippers." Hawkeye responded.

Hawkeye pulled BJ in for a quick hug which BJ eagerly returned. Hawkeye patted him once on the back and pushed BJ away from him, studying him from head to foot. "You look good BJ – you've completely recovered from the accident then?" he asked.

"In the pink." BJ said.

"Well come on, let's get out of here."

They collected BJ's bags and left the airport. The drive from the airport in Portland to Crabapple Cove passed quickly as Hawkeye talked of the latest happenings in Crabapple Cove and the upcoming annual Lobster Fest.

An hour later they pulled into the driveway of a two-story house at the end of the block. The house was separated slightly from the other houses on the block and while the house was one of the smaller ones it sat on a larger lot than the others.

The house was white with dark green trim. There was a small flight of stairs from the sidewalk up onto the front porch. To the right of the door was a porch swing. Hawkeye grabbed his bag out of the trunk of the car and lead the way into the house. The house had large, bright rooms – which didn't surprise BJ given Hawk's claustrophobia. Hawkeye gave him the tour – living room, large eat-in kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, and a television room with a large window looking out over the backyard.

"I've put you in the larger guest room BJ. I hope this is okay."

"It's great, Hawkeye. Thanks. "

"I sleep upstairs. The previous owner converted it into a large master bedroom complete with bathroom, small study, and a balcony facing the ocean. If you need anything just let me know."

"You've thought of everything Hawk."

"I've got homemade spaghetti sauce going on the stove. I'll get the spaghetti going – we should be eating in about 30 minutes. Come join me in the kitchen after you're settled." Hawk said and left BJ in the guest room.

BJ checked out the guest room. It was a nice-sized room with a small walk-in closet. It had a double-bed with matching nightstands on each side, a chest of drawers opposite the bed, and under a window a small desk with a lamp. BJ walked over to gaze out the window and saw the ocean. It was a magnificent view – the ocean was about 40 yards from the house. He imagined if he opened the window he would hear the waves gently crashing up on shore.

He unpacked quickly. He pulled two pictures out of his bag – the first Erin's latest school picture, the other of him and Hawkeye on the beach shortly before their break-up. He set them both on the nightstand then stowed his empty bag inside the closet. He left the bedroom and wandered down the hall to the kitchen.

He set the table and 20 minutes later they were eating a spaghetti dinner and sipping wine. They demolished the spaghetti while debating the merits of Igor's cooking back at the 4077th. After cleaning up Hawkeye grabbed the bottle of wine and gestured to BJ to follow as he led the way through the sliding glass doors and across the yard to sit on the grass at the edge of the beach. They drank wine and spoke of their patients and the latest medical break-trough's.

Two hours later the bottle of wine was empty and Hawkeye and BJ were both a little tipsy. They picked themselves up and wandered back into the house into the kitchen. Hawkeye set their dirty wine glasses on the counter next to the sink and turned around, almost running into BJ. He put a hand on BJ's chest to steady himself and felt the steady thumping of BJ's heart. They gazed at each other, seeing a hint of wanting in each other's eyes. BJ finally lowered his eyes from Hawkeye's and his heart speeded up slightly as his gaze landed on Hawkeye's lips. Hawkeye was rubbing BJ's chest lightly where his hand had landed.

The ringing telephone broke the quiet and Hawkeye stepped back reluctantly, dropping his hand to his side. BJ stepped back also, reminding himself to take slow, steady breaths. The moment broken, Hawkeye moved across the room to answer the phone.

"Hello?" He paused, listening for a moment. "Yeah, sure I'll drive over and check on her. Yeah, he arrived today. Okay, goodnight dad." He hung up the phone and turned to BJ. "I have to do a house call for dad in the morning but after that the day is ours. I figured we'd go fishing. How's that sound?"

BJ nodded. "That sounds great, Hawk."

"We'll leave at 9:00am okay?"

"I'll be ready. Goodnight Hawk." BJ responded and quietly left the kitchen heading to the guest room.

Hawkeye stood in the kitchen for a good 5 minutes after BJ left before heading up the stairs to his own room. Surprisingly he fell asleep quickly – his sleep no doubt aided by the benefits of the wine they had drunk.

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Hawkeye had packed a picnic lunch, loaded up the fishing gear, and was making breakfast when BJ wandered into the kitchen shortly after 8:00am. Hawkeye turned off the stove and turned, a skillet in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"BJ you're up! And just in time for my famous scrambled eggs and bacon too – pull up a chair and sit."

Hawkeye was wearing a gray t-shirt and blue jeans. He looked good enough to . . . BJ shook his head. "No, don't go there." He thought.

He sat down at the table and Hawkeye served him scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. Hawkeye dished out his own plate and they sat down to eat while Hawkeye spoke of the patient he was stopping by to see.

They left at 9:00am, Hawkeye driving. They stopped at the patient's house and shortly after 10:00am they were pulling into the small marina. They grabbed the gear and BJ followed Hawkeye down the pier to the boat.

As they were getting ready to load up the boat they heard running footsteps and a male voice calling "Hawk? Hawkeye hold up. It's an emergency!"

They both turned in the direction of the voice. The man was about 5'10" with light brown hair sporting a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He was wearing a police officer's uniform.

"Toby? What's wrong?"

He gave BJ a curt nod then focused on Hawkeye. "It's the Jenkins kid. That fool boy was showboating for his friends again and crashed. The bike landed on top of him. One leg is mangled up pretty bad and he has a chest injury. Doc Grayson says he can attempt the surgery but you're the expert. I can get you to the hospital, can you come?"

"Dammit!" Hawkeye swore. He motioned to BJ and they hurriedly dropped their supplies in the boat and turned to run after Toby back the way they had come to his waiting police car. They scampered in quickly. Toby slammed the car into gear, turned on the sirens and hit the accelerator.

"I told Ricky after his last accident to get rid of that damn motorcycle. Just how bad is he?" Hawkeye asked.

"Bad." Toby responded. "Doc thinks Ricky's going to lose his leg. There's something going on with the chest too, Ricky's coughing up blood. They're trying to get him stabilized for surgery."

They made the hour drive to the hospital in 25 minutes. As soon as the police car came to a halt in front of the emergency room doors Hawkeye jumped out and went running into the hospital, BJ hot on his heels. Without slowing his stride Hawkeye asked the nurse at the nurse's station where Ricky was and kept on going even as she answered.

He was in pre-op being tended by an older doctor who by his appearance looked like he should have retired about 10 years ago.

"Hawkeye thank god they found you. You got here just in time." The doctor spent 10 minutes filling him in on Ricky's condition. "We're short surgeons right now. Jack's working on a heart case and I have a ruptured appendix they're prepping in 3. We tried reaching Owen but no luck."

"Ricky needs two surgeons, Dr. G." Hawkeye told him.

"Hell I know it. I can have the appendix done in 30 minutes and come help you."

"I don't think his leg can wait that long." Hawkeye looked over at BJ who had been silent this whole time. "BJ how's your knife hand?"

BJ grinned. "Couldn't be better. It's been awhile since we were last partners in crime."

Hawkeye laughed. "Repeat performance here we go." He turned back to the older doctor. "My friend here is a surgeon, we served together in Korea. He'll operate with me. I'll vouch for him and if the board pitches a fit tell them to take it up with me."

The older doctor nodded, looking relieved. "Thanks."

BJ and Hawkeye scrubbed up and 10 minutes later they were in the operating room accompanied by two nurses and the anesthesiologist.

"Okay people here we go. I'll take the chest BJ, you take the leg."

BJ nodded and they got to work. Hawkeye got the bleeding under control, repaired the punctures to his lung, and removed the damaged spleen in record time. He closed the chest then moved down to assist BJ on the leg. It was like old times working together. They had operated together so many times while in Korea that they didn't even need to communicate to each other. They worked quickly rebuilding the leg and performing the necessary arterial graft. One hour into the surgery Dr. G and Hawkeye's dad Daniel had scrubbed up and quietly slipped into the operating room. They stood back quietly watching the surgery take place before them. Daniel watched his son in action – his quick, sure movements, his attention to detail, his care for the patient. On one hand Daniel was very proud – he had always suspected his son was a good surgeon but actually seeing him in action was quite extraordinary. On the other hand he was a little disappointed – he was hoping to leave his practice to his son and fully retire. But watching his son in action he finally had to acknowledge that his son was more valuable – more needed – at the hospital as a surgeon and not stuck in some small country practice.

3 ½ hours later the surgery was completed. Ricky was wheeled into post-op for close observation while the doctors headed out of the operating room and discarded their surgical garb.

"That boy owes his life to the two of you." Dr. G said.

Hawkeye waved it off.

"You're a good surgeon, Hawkeye." His dad said quietly.

"Dad . . . what are you doing here?" Hawkeye asked in surprise, finally noticing his father's appearance.

"I had to come see what fool trouble Ricky got himself into this time. I also wanted to see you in action. Besides I figured you'd need a ride back home. " His gaze settled on BJ. "You did a fine job on his leg."

BJ nodded in acceptance. "Thank-you, Sir. I'm just glad I was here to help."

"BJ, the hospital can use another gifted surgeon. Are you looking for a job?" Dr. G asked.

BJ's future was uncertain. He gave the only answer he could. "I live out in California with my daughter, sir." He responded.

"That figures! Well if you ever decide to come to Maine give me a call. I'd be happy to have you on staff." With a wave Dr. G left.

"Well, should we get going?" Daniel asked. "I figure we can stop for dinner once we get back to Crabapple Cove."

"That sounds good, dad. I just want to check on Ricky once more before we leave and speak to his parents."

They left the hospital 30 minutes later after checking on Ricky and assuring his parents he would recover. Hawkeye and his dad chatted easily but BJ was feeling uncomfortable. Daniel had greeted BJ and complimented his skills but he had also noticed the measured looks Daniel was giving him. He was pretty sure Daniel had a few things to say to him regarding Hawkeye and while he didn't blame Daniel – Hawkeye was his son after all and no parent liked seeing their child hurting - it also made him nervous and edgy. He tried to relax and join in the conversation.

They drove into the heart of downtown Crabapple Cove – really only 2 or 3 blocks – and pulled into the parking lot of Mel's Seafood and Fish Restaurant. They walked in and were seated at a booth – BJ on one side, Daniel and Hawkeye on the other. Kathy their waitress – who obviously knew Daniel and Hawkeye well – chatted with them for a few minutes before confirming they wanted their usual then asking BJ for his order. She returned a few minutes later with drinks – 2 martinis and a scotch - and left again.

Hawkeye excused himself and left heading down the short hallway to the restrooms. BJ sat fiddling with his martini glass looking everywhere but at Daniel. After a few minutes of silence when Daniel still hadn't spoken, BJ finally looked up meeting his gaze.

Daniel smiled slightly then spoke. "BJ I know my son has his faults – he isn't innocent by any means. And he certainly doesn't need me fighting his battles for him. I just have one question – are you still in love with him?"

"Yes sir I am."

"He was pretty torn up when he first returned home. He spent 3 months in a drunken stupor. I don't want to see him go through that again."

"He won't. I lost him once sir – I'm not going to lose him again. I give you my word."

Daniel studied BJ in silence. Before he could respond Hawkeye returned to the table and sat down. Picking up immediately on the telling quiet he looked from his dad to BJ and back to his dad again. "Dad? You didn't . . . ?" he questioned.

Daniel patted Hawkeye's hand. "We're fine. So BJ there must be a Korean story lurking somewhere about Hawkeye I haven't heard about." Daniel's eyes gleamed mischievously.

BJ laughed. "Well there was the time he lost the bet and had to sing in his skivvies in the mess tent."

Hawkeye groaned. "There's nothing to tell!" he exclaimed.

"Hush, Hawkeye. So BJ, what happened?"

BJ started telling about his ultimate prank on Hawkeye as their meal was served. Talk of Korea and their antics carried them through dinner and on the short ride to the marina where Daniel dropped them off. He gave a wave as he drove away.

tbc