Chris was so excited. He'd been hectic all day and even the day before. He knew his dad was slowly getting aggravated with him but he couldn't help it, his birthday was tomorrow, isn't that the greatest thing ever. It would also be five days before Christmas, so everyone was trying to be nice to each other and were already starting to get into the spirit.
He just hadn't convinced his dad to allow him a pet, but he was secretly hoping he would get one tomorrow. It would be a long shot but still. His dad at one point had enough of all his begging and arguments and put a stop to it. He wasn't even allowed to talk about animals, especially not pets, not even Radar's pets.
It didn't dampen his mood as he was just too excited. Today he would be making his own birthday cake together with a real baker. The soldier was only mildly wounded and could only use one arm but that didn't matter as Chris was overjoyed. He would basically make that cake all by himself, with only some supervision.
The soldier was a nice guy as well, his name was Kevin and he had brown hair and warm brown eyes. He also had a nice smile that made Chris want to prove himself to the man. He had spent some time with him when his dad was putting his arm in cast. That was when they found out the man was a baker, at least the man had worked in a bakery for years and he knew how to make a cake.
Chris was still a bit nervous about being alone with a stranger, but he already knew Kevin a bit and that made it easier.
His dad was still working in the O.R and had been there for hours already. The man had already explained that he probably wouldn't have the time to help with the cake today and tomorrow the baker would be shipped off. They did have a short breakfast together but other than that he was too busy. Chris checked in with him around the hour or so, just to see if he was alright. Most times he just peeked through the door window, as he didn't want to scrub so long everytime he wanted to check in. But seeing his dad was enough to keep the gnawing feeling of fear away.
Chris put on his gloves to protect his hands from the cold. It was still cold outside but not as cold as a couple weeks ago. His long-johns were off and finally washed as well. Those things were pretty disgusting after a while but his dad had been very clear that he needed them on, until he said so. He still wore a thick sweater and jacket but he was long-john free at last.
Chris smiled as he walked over the compound. He had just visited Francis, the priest had a speech on most days, but not a lot of people showed up, so Chris tried to attend them as often as he could. He just wished the priest would talk about something else besides God. The man really seemed to like God, it was all the man talked about. He couldn't care less about a God, but Francis was a friend so he would go, no matter what the man talked about. He felt a burst of excitement as he neared the kitchen and almost skipped the last few steps, it was time to make his birthday cake!
Hawkeye was exhausted. They were working for almost twelve hours straight and they still weren't close to being done. Two truckloads of wounded arrived in the middle of the night, on top of the ones they were already working on from the evening before. He sighed deeply. He hated this so much, all this dead and useless destruction. And to top it off, he didn't have time to help his son with his birthday cake. It had been something Chris was looking forward to, his son wanted to do it together. He didn't care much about baking or cake, he never baked anything in his life, but he wanted to give his kid a birthday to remember. Which he would be doing right now if not for all the dying people wanting his attention. Maybe if they were lucky, he would be able to help with the frosting but at this rate, he wasn't sure.
He was also excited for tomorrow. He couldn't believe Chris had been with them for more than over a year. He actually had turned ten in the first couple of months he had arrived in the 4077th, but at the time they hadn't even known his name or age. So he was feeling a bit guilty for not celebrating the boy's tenth birthday.
This birthday he wanted it to be perfect, for as far as that was possible in the middle of a war. He already had the perfect birthday gift. Well, Radar was supposed to bring it tomorrow but he had it all planned out. It wasn't a secret that Chris wanted a pet, the boy had been asking and begging for one for months now, and even though it really annoyed him at times, it was also very clear about what the boy wanted. He wasn't happy with any type of rodent in their tent, but maybe a little bird wouldn't be such a problem. And it would make his son extremely happy. Which was the whole point of this.
BJ of course had no problem with a little bird living with them in the Swamp, but Charles wasn't at all cooperative with that idea until Hawkeye managed to find a pretty embarrassing letter. One which Charles probably forgot to burn. One about a lady, who apparently thought she and Charles were going to get married soon and she wouldn't take no for an answer.
The man wasn't at all pleased about Hawkeye finding it. And even less pleased about Hawkeye trying to blackmail him with it. He grinned at the thought of Charles's outraged expression, he didn't care about the blackmail, his son was getting a real life pet and that was all that mattered. A bird wouldn't be that much trouble to begin with. It wouldn't walk around the tent so it couldn't make things messy and it wouldn't be too nosy either. The cage would be hanging near the boy's bed, so it also wouldn't take up too much space. It seemed like the perfect pet for the boy.
Hawkeye smiled thinking about how happy Chris will be when he finally gets his pet. Not to mention the rest of the gifts he would be getting during his party.
He had already bought the small bird cage and tomorrow Radar would surprise the birthday boy with his very own bird. Hawkeye hadn't a clue where to buy a pet, especially a little pretty bird in the middle of the war, but Radar assured him he could find the perfect one. So he gave the clerk some money and let him do his thing. The clerk assured he found the perfect little bird yesterday and he would be bringing it to the 4077th before the party while Chris was distracted.
Chris took a deep breath as he stood in front of the kitchen door. He knew the baker was already inside and he was very excited to start but he also felt nervous. This would be the first time he would work with someone he didn't know that well. His hands were clammy so he removed his gloves to wipe them off on his pants. He could do this. He knew he could and he knew he wanted it. But this was scary.
He took another deep breath to collect his courage. If he couldn't do this now, he would have time to do it later together with his dad, without the baker but he wanted to prove that he could be brave. Brave and bake a delicious cake at the same time and all on his own. Not to mention he wanted to impress Kevin, the baker who was going to help him. Kevin was a pretty nice guy and also handsome. In the short time he knew the man he started to admire him a little and secretly hoped he would grow up just like him.
He knocked before he entered and was happily greeted by Kevin the baker. Which was probably not his real last name but that's how Chris knew him. He gave the man a quick awkward wave before closing the door. The moment the door closed he noticed his breathing was a bit heavier than normal but he could handle this.
"So? Ready to begin." Kevin said as he showed the boy all the ingredients laid out on the counter. There were real eggs and milk and even some chocolate Radar had managed to find. The milk was ox milk but it would still work a lot better than powdered milk so Chris didn't mind. He was overjoyed Radar had helped him, he knew how hard these things were to find.
Kevin smiled at him brightly and he felt some of his worries go and his excitement grow. He nodded while slowly getting closer to the counter. He was still a bit nervous but it was getting better. As he stood next to Kevin, the man immediately started explaining what needed to be done starting with measuring the flour.
Chris grabbed the measuring cup the man pointed at and the flour and started to work. The last of his nervousness and fear slowly got less as felt he was doing great, at least so far. Kevin even said he was doing amazing for his first time and it filled him with pride. This was going to be the best cake ever.
Meanwhile in the O.R, Hawkeye asked his nurse for clamps to hold the wound open. He had both his hands around a stomach from the wounded man in front of him. He managed to get most of the metal pieces out, but there was this tiny piece who refused to come out of hiding. Hawkeye sighed in frustration as he tried to get a good grip and pulled at it, finally he managed to pull it free. He continued cleaning the wound by cutting out small parts of damaged flesh and stitching the good parts together so they could heal. Now he just had to stitch everything back into a normal functional stomach. No biggie.
Klinger came in with the good news that the end of the long line of wounded was finally in sight. They only had a couple of minor wounded soldiers left and then they were done. Hawkeye sighed relieved, maybe he would still be able to help Chris with his cake, unless of course new wounded arrived.
Meanwhile Chris couldn't stop smiling as he looked at his own cake that was baking right now. The batter turned out to be easy to make, however he had needed some help mixing it right. But other than that, he made this cake all by himself and he hoped that people would love it.
Now it was time to see if his dad had time. The cake would be ready soon and Chris really wanted his dad to help out with the last part. The frosting and decorating the cake. But if Hawkeye was still busy, he could still ask Kevin to stay. He had made sure to be very polite to Kevin, as the man would be leaving the next morning and would miss out on the whole party. He felt a bit sad that Kevin couldn't enjoy the cake so he thanked him numerous times for helping out before he headed over to the O.R in search of his dad.
Hawkeye could barely keep his eyes open, he was exhausted. They have been working for more than fourteen hours non-stop. He removed his mouth mask the moment he stepped out of the O.R. "I have absolutely no strength left." He mumbled as he stumbled into the dressing room.
He immediately noticed his son waiting for them. The boy was absolutely beaming so it must have gone well with those two alone. Hawkeye had to admit to himself that he had been a bit worried about it. Chris was still so scared of strangers and this was a very big step for him. But by the looks of it things went fine.
"Dad." Chris said as he almost ran towards him. Hawkeye quickly sat down in order to prevent collision and falling down.
Chris grabbed his arm surprisingly gently and with a huge smile and big eyes said. "The cake is in the oven right now and almost ready. And I've made it all by myself! "
Hawkeye smiled, how could he not when his kid was so happy. He was proud of him. His son was one of the bravest kids he had ever known.
"That is great, Chris. You always do a good job. " He said. He tried to sound sincere because he was, but he was so tired it sounded a bit forced. Chris didn't seem to notice as he wrapped his hands around Hawkeye's shoulders as he sat down next to him, giggling happily. "Will you help me with the frosting?"
Hawkeye nodded, it was the only thing he could do at the moment. No way he was missing out on his kid's first birthday, even if the only thing he wanted to do right now was sleep. He wasn't going to miss it.
BJ came in with a loud groan and made his way over to them to sit down. The man looked as tired as Hawkeye felt. Meaning BJ looked like the walking dead.
Chris happily started telling about how he made the cake and batter but needed help with the stirring as he wasn't strong enough and fast enough to do it right. But Kevin told him he did great. Hawkeye couldn't really focus. He smiled and nodded at the right times but he was too exhausted for more. Chris didn't seem to notice or the boy didn't care as he kept talking with excitement. He ruffled the boy's hair slowly, even moving his arm right now was exhausting.
Hawkeye sighed as he stood up and started dressing back into his off work clothes. "Let's fill me up with so much coffee I forget what being tired even means."
——————
Three cups of coffee and a lot of yawning later they headed towards the kitchen where Kevin had placed the freshly baked cake on the counter to cool off. The soldier had been a huge help to him and Hawkeye was very grateful. It really made this birthday special for the boy, Chris always wanted to bake a cake. And as Hawkeye hadn't had time and was a terrible cook, he didn't even try to bake anything, he didn't want to ruin his son's birthday cake. What kind of father would he be if he did that?
Right now Kevin was back with his unit in post-op, playing cards. They wouldn't need him for the frosting alone. Chris had the recipe, and how hard could frosting be to make.
Chris was bouncing next to him as Hawkeye put a pot on the fire and found out that Kevin taught his son well, or at least explained it to the last detail because immediately Chris took over. All Hawkeye had to do was keep Chris motivated with compliments and joking around, which he was very good at. At this rate he would have the boy confident in no time. He already noticed Chris becoming a bit more confident, sometimes he seemed like a completely normal kid without any worries in life.
Hawkeye grinned as he watched his excited son, maybe the boy would turn out to be America's next best chef. All that mattered to him was that his son was happy so it didn't matter what Chris wanted to do in life, as long as he loved what he did. But it was fun fantasizing about the possibilities.
Chris giggled as he poured the last of the ox milk into his chocolate mix. Kevin had explained every step and now he could finally show his dad what he could and he was loving it. His dad looked so proud and kept smiling and joking, it was just the best.
After the mixture was done, they put the chocolate frosting over the cake and looked proud at their final work.
"It looks and smells great. So far I believe your cake is a huge success!" Hawkeye said as he patted the proud boy on his shoulder.
"You think everyone will like it?" Chris asked, a bit nervous.
"Are you crazy, this isn't just any cake we baked, it'll blow their minds!" Hawkeye said, slapping him on the back gently in an attempt to show him his confidence. "I'm proud of you! You know, trots op je."
Chris laughed at the weird way his dad tried to speak Dutch, but he appreciated the gesture. His dad was getting better with pronouncing it, and hearing he was proud, especially in Dutch, felt great.
His dad yawned deeply before he said. "Now if you don't mind, dad is very tired and needs to sleep for at least ten hours." Chris nodded, he was already happy his dad helped and his cake turned out absolutely perfect. They walked back to the Swamp as Chris asked permission to go help with the decorations of his party. His dad looked at him like he was crazy but agreed, as long as he stayed inside the 4077th, he was free to roam a little. With emphasis on a little.
Hawkeye had just unbuttoned his jacket as Chris barreled into him for a quick hug, making him almost fall down backwards, but he held them steady and laughed. "You sure seem happy." he said, ruffling the soft golden locks as they fell in front of the boy's face.
Chris let him go and said excitedly "I can't wait till tomorrow!" he gave his dad a big smile and added "Sleep well!" before running out. Hawkeye felt a rush of affection towards his kid as he snickered and laid down to sleep. BJ and Charles were already snoring and he soon followed.
The boy ran across the camp to find his friends. After he found Radar, Francis and he had spent hours making decorations. Not only the ones for his party, which turned out very pretty, they also started with the Christmas decorations as well. Some even would be used twice, the big red stars for example. They were beautiful.
His dad woke up for a late dinner and afterwards there was a movie for everyone to see inside the mess hall. Chris always loved movie nights. He loved most of the movies he'd seen so far, except for that one horror movie. He had nightmares after that one, which were completely different than his normal nightmares. Normally his nightmares were about people leaving or scary angry people attacking but never about walking dead people.
His dad told him he wasn't allowed to see the scarier movies if he was getting nightmares from them, but thankfully this one was an old western movie so his dad hadn't anything to complain about.
At bedtime he was so excited for the next day, he couldn't get to sleep right away. He knew he was annoying his dad, but he couldn't help it. A whole birthday party just for him. It sounded like a lot of fun.
Hawkeye sighted deeply. It was a good thing he slept a few hours during the day because he was using up all his energy to keep his patience with the boy. He had spent almost an hour telling stories and it took another hour for his kid to finally fall asleep. He was glad his kid was so happy, but he was also relieved that the boy's birthday would be only once a year.
The next morning he was woken up by the excited child at seven AM. Hawkeye groaned loudly in protest. "Christopher! " He mumbled annoyed as he looked at his alarm clock. "It's only seven, why are you waking me!" He was free from duty today as BJ was filling in for him in the morning, so he had time for setting up the party.
"But dad!" Chris whispered with excitement. "It's my birthday! I'm eleven now." His dad groaned again as Chris shook him a little in order to get a reaction from the man. His dad needed to wake up and now. He was just too excited. He couldn't even remember ever having a party so this was important.
"Really, Sherlock? You've figured that out all by yourself?" Hawkeye asked laughing as he grabbed the startled boy around the waist and pulled him on his cot. Chris let out a "Eeek!" as he got lifted but started laughing as his dad startled tickling him. Hawkeye tickled gently as Chris didn't always liked to rough house, but he was getting used to it by now.
"So, already eleven years old, you should think you would be stronger now than you were yesterday. " Hawkeye said as he threw the blanket over the boy, who was laughing so hard he had trouble fighting back.
Hawkeye released the boy rather quickly, he knew he shouldn't overdo these things with him, the boy was still easily scared or panicked. Chris was still catching his breath as Hawkeye planted a kiss on the unruly blond hair sticking out. "Happy birthday, Kiddo. I almost can't believe you're getting so old already. " He said, which made Chris giggle. "Now we just have to wait and see if you ever start growing. " Hawkeye added with a grin.
Chris shot him a glare. "I'm growing!" He said indignantly.
Hawkeye just laughed, smacked him with his pillow and said. "Prove it"
——————
After breakfast they started decorating the mess tent, Hawkeye knew it shouldn't surprise him that Chris wanted to decorate for his own party, but he still thought the boy was a bit weird for doing so, it didn't matter of course, as long as his son was happy but still.
When the time came to start the party, Hawkeye became a bit nervous. Radar had been gone for over thirty minutes , while the clerk had assured him it would only take a couple for him to go and get the little bird for Chris. The tent was already completely decorated and the only thing Hawkeye could think of to buy some more time was telling the boy to put something nice on, so they could gather the presents and get the cake ready. Luckily for him, Chris loved the idea and immediately ran back to the Swamp.
Hawkeye turned towards BJ, who was putting his present on the table next to the other ones and said. "Where is Radar? He should be here by now, what am I going to do when he doesn't show up?! "
"Relax, will yeh. He'll be here." BJ assured him but Hawkeye wasn't that sure. The clerk promised him he wasn't going anywhere too far or dangerous but he still worried.
Meanwhile back at the Swamp, Chris was changing into his fancy shirt. The blue one of course, it was his favorite color. He straightened out his hair and found himself ready to go except his dad had told him to wait until he came to get him. Which annoyed him a little, but he didn't want anything going wrong today so he behaved perfectly and waited.
All the presents were stacked on the table in the middle of the tent. The Christmas tree stood next to it. The tree itself was still empty except for some paper strings but the rest of the tent was completely transformed and filled with all kinds of paper stars, they have been hung all over the walls of the tent, the ceiling, and everywhere else available. All in bright colors. Big colorful paper garlands hang from the top of the tent pole and around the poles going all the way down to the ground. A big Happy Birthday banner decorated the top of the entrance.
Hawkeye snickered as he looked around the tent. His kid sure had fun making all of this. They had a table full of snacks and several drinks ready and he and BJ even made a batch of spiced juice for the adults, so overall things were ready to begin. His nervousness returned, until BJ found him and told him the checkpoint called in and they said that Radar was on his way here.
"He didn't tell me he needed to drive that far!" Hawkeye said he definitely didn't want the clerk hurt. He had told the young adult that he should look for something close by, his safety was way more important than a gift for his son.
BJ just shrugged "Maybe he didn't want to worry you. But he was nice enough to let the checkpoint call ahead."
Hawkeye relaxed a little, BJ was right and it also meant the clerk was unharmed. "You're right," Hawkeye said, "I'm just worried, there's still a war out there, you know."
"Radar is fine," BJ convinced him, "You just worry about your kid, who is probably going crazy right now, waiting for his party."
Hawkeye laughed loudly and said. "He probably is, I'd better go get him before starts climbing the tent poles."
Chris was pacing back and forth, 'Why was it taking so long? Shouldn't his dad be here by now, he was getting crazy like this.' He jumped up at the sound of the door opening and slamming shut and turned around to look over at his now laughing dad.
"Nervous? or do you have a guilty conscience? " Hawkeye laughed, making the boy blush.
"Daaaad" Chris whined softly as he walked up. "Stop teasing me!... Please." He added just to be polite. He didn't want to upset his dad.
Hawkeye laughed "Ready?" He said as he made an attempt to ruffle Chris's hair, but the boy jumped away with an accusing glare.
"Okay then, let's go!" Hawkeye said as he clapped the boy on his shoulder. He saw the glare turn into a big smile as they stepped outside. The boy's excitement seemed to radiate around him and it was infectious.
They stopped at the door and Chris quickly rearranged his hair, so it looked just right the moment he walked in before his dad opened the door.
He walked in with a big smile, but was surprised the tent looked empty. There was the Christmas tree and a table filled with presents, but where was everyone. He heard a soft "Oh, no" from his dad before all of the sudden everyone jumped out, shouting loudly happy birthday. He jumped up, the peak of fear he felt was enormous and threatened to swallow him whole. He immediately started hyperventilating, trying to breathe. Panic took over as his hands started shaking and his vision became blurry.
His dad quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his view of all the people and hugged him tight, pressing his face against the man's torso. The man put his hand on the back of his neck and started the familiar tapping, to help him breathe like he should. His palms were sweaty and he was trembling like crazy. He hated to feel fear, it was familiar and always present. Fighting it was a constant battle, and right now it felt like he was losing it. He grabbed his dad tighter and buried his face closer, trying to block out the outside world.
With one hand Hawkeye kept stroking the boy's back gently as he mumbled. "Just follow the tapping, Kiddo. You can do this, everything is okay. These are all friends." Hawkeye turned towards the now quiet people watching them.
"WHICH IDIOT DECIDED ON SURPRISING THE TRAUMATIZED CHILD?!" Hawkeye snapped loudly, he didn't want to scare his son further but he just couldn't suppress the anger he felt right now. He swears, if this was Igor's doing he would bury the man in the latrine. Upside down!
"Sorry, sir. That was me." Klinger said, sounding pretty upset.
Hawkeye was barely keeping his anger in check as he kept comforting his son. He turned towards Klinger and shot him an angry glare before he exploded. "YOU IDIOT! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO SCARE MY KID TO DEAD?!" He yelled loudly, he appreciated the man telling the truth, but he was too furious to let the man off easy.
Chris jumped up and Hawkeye immediately regretted his outburst, that was the last thing Chris needed right now. The whole room went silent. The only thing that could be heard were the faint sounds of ragged breathing from the boy. Chris's breathing was thankfully slowing down a little while Hawkeye stroked the boy's back softly.
Klinger started explaining "I'm sorry sir, I thought, what kid doesn't like surprises. But I guess I was wrong. Again I'm really sorry. I've never wanted to hurt the kid. "
Hawkeye sighed before he said in a much calmer voice. "Yeah, I know. It's all good" It clearly wasn't but it wasn't worth fighting over now. He knew the man meant well but he just hated seeing his son like this. Hawkeye's heart ached at the thought of what happened to the child in the past and he never wanted to see the look of pure terror on his kid face again, especially not on his own birthday. He looked around the tent and didn't see BJ anywhere. He knows his friend would have more common sense than that "Where is BJ? I thought he was here." He asked.
"He's getting the cake ready, he should be here soon." Klinger answered but Hawkeye wasn't paying attention anymore.
His son had let out a soft heartbreaking sob meaning the panic attack was slowly passing. "It's okay, Kiddo. You're safe here. I promise." Hawkeye tried soothing the boy, he knew it worked when Chris let out another sob.
"You're going to have so much fun tonight!" Hawkeye tried to distract the boy from what was happening, he wanted him to enjoy his night as much as possible.
Chris nodded, he felt so stupid for crying. The words "What kid doesn't like surprises" rang through his head. He knew he wasn't normal and it hurts to be reminded of that. They just startled him a lot, the first second everyone jumped out, he didn't see his friends and the people he knew, he saw those people, those angry not friendly people, ready to take him away or take everyone else away.
He peeked behind his dad, and even through his blurry vision he could recognize most of the people in the tent. His dad was right, these are friends and he was safe. He was slowly winning the battle as his fear subsided and he slowly calmed down again. He tried to stop crying but his eyes kept watering. He hated this.
His dad looked him in his eyes and asked if he was okay. He nodded shakily but still couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face.
BJ walked up while holding the chocolate cake, compleet with eleven colorful lite candles.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he looked at the softly sobbing boy.
"Some idiot decided on a surprise party." Hawkeye mumbled angrily while he guided Chris gently inside.
"Who?!" BJ asked as he followed them.
"I said I was sorry!" Klinger said as he walked up to them. He raised his arm to clap Chris on his shoulder or maybe ruffle the boy's hair, but Hawkeye stopped him before he could. It would be better if nobody except maybe for himself, touched the boy for a while. Chris was always extra sensitive after a panic attack, and could startle easily. He just needed some time to calm down enough to be able to be friendly again. He glared at the man and thankfully Klinger understood the hint and changed the subject.
"Look at this cake!" Klinger said with a little more excitement than was natural. "It looks absolutely perfect! Did you make it, Kid? Of course you did, it looks great. You must be a natural!"
Hawkeye just glared but Chris's sniffling got less and the boy nodded shyly before answering softly "I-I m-made it, w-with only s-some s-s-s-supervision." He gently stroked Chris's shoulders, he really was proud of his son.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked the still soft sniffing boy.
BJ put the cake on the table and Hawkeye guided Chris gently to sit down. He still had puffy, red and slightly wet eyes but his smile at least returned as he looked at eleven burning candles in front of him.
His birthday cake looked rad! Chris thought as he wiped away the last of his tears, he still felt stupid for crying and he hoped no one would think of him as a crybaby. But at least his cake looked amazing.
"Now!" Hawkeye said, asking for the attention of everyone around him. "Before blowing out the candles, first we need to sing!" For some reason he really wanted to explain to his child what they were about to do, hoping it would help, so he wouldn't get scared a second time. "Okay, everyone! " He said loudly and started singing. The rest of the tent followed which made Chris blush, he didn't like to be the center of this much attention. Thankfully the song didn't last long and he was allowed to blow out the candle.
"Don't forget your birthday wish" Hawkeye said and Chris closed his eyes with a look of concentration before he opened them again with a smile and took a deep breath. He needed two tries to blow them all out, but people still clapped for him. He wasn't telling anyone his wish because he knew it otherwise wouldn't come true, and he really wanted it to become true. He really wanted a pet of his own.
The cake got cut into pieces by Hawkeye, Chris had wanted to serve everyone but Hawkeye wouldn't let him, not on his birthday. When Chris got served himself a big piece, he said "Thank you!" happily and everyone started eating. The cake was pretty good! Chris loved chocolate cake very much, and it seemed like everyone else was liking it also. He at least got several compliments.
Hawkeye finished his piece, it turned out a bit bland but he sure wasn't going to tell his kid that. It was probably the ox milk or the small amount of chocolate they had. It was still good and people seemed to like it. He put his paper plate down and whistled loudly before yelling. "Time for presents!" Which made Chris giggle.
Margaret walked up with the first present as a jeep honked his horn outside. Hawkeye jumped up, that better had to be Radar. The clerk was almost gone for a whole hour and it was nerve-racking. He walked out and sighed deeply with relief as he saw indeed Radar climbing out of the jeep and heading his way. "Where have you been? " Hawkeye asked immediately when the clerk was close enough. "You said it was close!"
"It was!" Radar said. "but I also needed to pick up my own present for Chris, which was further away." Radar explained. "And then there was this family with a goat who got hurt at the side of the road, so I had to stop."
Hawkeye sighted, of course he had.
"Thankfully the goat wasn't hurt, he just had something stuck between his toes and was just walking funny. " Radar continues "The farmer thanked me for checking it out. "
"Radar, I don't care about the goat! Do you have the bird?" Hawkeye asked impatiently.
"Yeah, of course. I told you I found the perfect one, she's right here." Radar said, showing him the small box he was holding which looked stuffed with a blanket inside of it. "Am I still on time?" he asked while they walked towards the mess tent.
"Not by much. He is just opening his first present. We saved a piece of cake for you. Hawkeye said as he looked with curiosity at the box the clerk was holding. "You keep a little bird in blankets? What if it flies out?!" Hawkeye said as he held the door open for the clerk to enter.
"She doesn't fly out, sir. She's just a chick, almost grown but still very young." Radar explained as he and Hawkeye walked closer inside. "Besides, chickens can't really fly." the clerk added.
"Wait a minute!" Hawkeye said as he halted the clerk by grabbing his shoulder, he went to stand in front of the man and said. "What do you mean with chickens? What did you get? Let me see!" Hawkeye said as he peeked inside the box, he unfolded the blanket and inside sat a small bantam chicken. It looked at him with curiosity and ruffled her feathers a little like it wasn't happy to be disturbed. It was tiny, reddish with black spots.
"Radar! this isn't what I asked for! I asked for a little bird, not a chicken." Hawkeye said with desperation, this was not at all what he envisioned! Not even in the slightest "I've even bought a birdcage and everything." Hawkeye said, raising his voice a little.
"She is a little bird! and you better not keep her in a small bird cage! She needs more room than that! " Radar snapped back.
"Radar! I meant a little singing bird like a canary or something small!" Hawkeye tried again, of course something like this would happen, he didn't want a walk-inside pet, an animal that made noise and could poop on anything they wanted. He didn't want a chicken in their tent at all.
"She is small!" Radar said indignant "And well, she doesn't sing but she makes cooing noises." Radar tried, "Besides she's very tame and sweet, loves to cuddle."
"I don't care about cuddling!" Hawkeye started but Chris came walking up so he stopped mid sentence and stepped in front of him and the little chicken in the box, if his son saw the chicken he had no choice but to give it to him.
"Dad! Look what I got!" Chris said as he held out his new book. "Margaret gave it to me, isn't it swell? "
"That's great Chris, it looks like a really good story." Hawkeye said, as he tried to block the view from the boy.
"It's not a story, it's about the pyramids and how... " Chris started but trailed off as he finally saw Radar hiding behind his dad.
"Radar! you're back. I've saved you some cake... What have you got there? " Chris said.
Hawkeye sighed, there just wasn't any way out of this, it was not like he could find a canary right this very minute so he stepped back and said. "I asked Radar to get me your present. So here it is." He stepped out of the way and Chris shyly came closer to take a look.
The child gasped as he saw what was inside and looked back at him with so much affection, that in an instant it didn't matter anymore if the bird was a chicken or a canary, so what if it could poop everywhere. His son clearly loved him dearly for this and that was all that mattered.
"You brought me a real pet?" Chris asked softly like he couldn't really believe the tiny bantam was real.
"Yes, she is all yours." Hawkeye said as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know you really wanted one, as you have been almost literally begging for one for months now. And I managed to pull some strings,I pulled a lot of strings but everyone agreed on a little bird. I hope she doesn't disappoint, I can always buy you a canary or some sort." He added, hoping that Chris would want something else but knowing the boy wouldn't.
"No, she's absolutely perfect. Thank you!" Chris said with a huge smile as he threw himself for a hug against his dad, who chuckled and ruffled his hair. He grabbed his dad tight and jumped up and down a couple of times as he mumbled Thank you, thank you over and over again before his excitement took over and he let go to turn towards his best friend and said.
"I love her already! Radar can I hold her, does she like it to be held?" He asked. At Radar's nod he reached out his hand to pet the chicken who was clucking happily at him, which made Radar grin widely too.
"She is still young, not fully grown yet, but the farmer showed me her first laid egg, and he seemed really proud of her. She is very sweet as well and loves to cuddle. " Radar explained as he handed Chris the box and opened his bag to take out a small book. "And I also bought you a present myself. I asked my mom, to ask our neighbor, who is really into chickens, which book to get for someone starting out with chickens for the first time and she wrote back to me that he requested this book. I just hadn't had time to wrap it up, but I still hope you like it. " The clerk rambled with excitement.
"Thank you, that's swell. I could really use that." Chris said as he quickly hugged his friend with one arm and turned his attention back to the chicken. He would be the best pet owner in the whole world for his chicken. She was so cute! He thought as he ruffled the small feathers on the top of her head. She really seemed to like the scratches he was giving her. He giggled as she ruffled her feathers like she was getting comfortable and let out a soft cackle.
"Let's give Radar some cake and unpack some more presents." Hawkeye said as he guided Chris back toward the table with presents. The boy couldn't take his eyes off his priced pet and almost walked into the tent pole but thankfully Hawkeye stirred him around it just in time. At the table Chris put down the box gently with great care and put the blanket back over the chicken like he was tugging her in for the night.
BJ walked up and looked in the box with curiosity and snorted loudly before he laughed. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked, delighted with an evil glint in his eye. "Charles is going to love that!"
Hawkeye couldn't help himself but to grin back. It didn't matter what Charles thought about it. Radar was right, it was nothing different than what they agreed on. And looking at his very happy son, it was completely worth it.