AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own M*A*S*H (I'm pretty sure you could have figured that out, though…).

Peg had just pulled into the driveway of her house. As she sat silently in the car, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I can do this." Peg thought to herself. "Of course I can. It's B.J." A tear slid down her cheek. She was afraid of what she would face once she stepped in the door. Would he take her back? Would he want her to leave? Would they be able to fix what was on the verge of breaking apart? Even if he did take her back, how would he feel when he found out she was pregnant?

"Come on, you have to do this sooner or later." Peg muttered to herself as she finally stepped out of the car. As she walked to the front door, she couldn't help but feel a similar feeling to the time when she had shown up on B.J.'s doorstep in college, years after they had gone their separate ways. Except that time, she had felt an excited kind of nervousness. This time she just felt plain nervous. As she opened the front door, B.J. called out.

"Peg?" B.J. said as he came around the corner.

"Hi B.J." Peg said almost breathlessly. They stood there looking at each other for a few seconds before they ran to each other. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood in the doorway holding each other for almost a minute. Finally, Peg spoke.

"B.J.?" she said as she looked up at him. "I think we need to talk." As she said this, she saw the color drain out of his face and felt him tense up. However, he tried to act like nothing was wrong.

"Ok. Come sit down."

She followed B.J. into the living room and saw that it hadn't changed much in the last few days. In fact, the box of B.J.'s things that had started all of the trouble was still sitting out on the table. She sat down on the couch as he started to pace. He was quiet for a minute, and as he paced Peg was able to take a good look at him. She saw the tension in his body, the sweat on his brow, and the anxiety in his face. She was starting to realize that there wasn't just something bothering B.J.: something was genuinely wrong. It was almost as if B.J. was a broken man. Before she could continue her train of thought, B.J. started to speak.

"Peg, I know what you must be thinking, and I'm so sorry about what happened. You have to know that in my right mind, I would never reach out to strike you. I'm sorry."

"I know that, B.J." Peg said as she looked at him. "I know the kind of man you are. That wasn't you."

"Peg, what are we going to do?" B.J. asked pleadingly as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"The only thing we can do…" Peg said slowly.

"You're not….leaving me, are you?" As he said this, Peg saw a flash of panic in his eyes.

"What?" she asked, clearly surprised by his statement. "Leave you? Not unless that's what you want. That's not what I was talking about." As she said this, she slid her hand on top of his, interlocking her fingers with his. "When I said the only thing we could do, I meant work things out. When I said 'till death do us part' the day we got married, I meant it."

B.J. breathed a sigh of relief as he tightened his grasp on her hand. As he continued to talk, Peg could still hear the anxiety in his voice. "But you said it yourself, I'm not me. How can we work through this?"

"Honestly? I don't know. But we've worked through everything else that's been thrown our way. Think about it. First, we were reunited after being separated for several years, all on the fact that I just happened to see your name on a list of people accepted to medical school. Then we survived you going through medical school, and having Erin while you were in residency. We even made it through you going off to Korea. We can get through this."

"I guess so." B.J. said. They were both quiet for a while as they held hands, treasuring their closeness. Finally, Peg spoke

"B.J.?" Peg said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" B.J. said as he sat up straight. "Peg, you have to know that you didn't do anything."

"I know, and that's the point. I didn't cause this, but I didn't do anything to help you either. I guess there's no way I could have known how. But I could have done something. Instead…I just left. I'm sorry for what that did to you."

"Peg, this isn't your fault." B.J. reminded her firmly.

"But it isn't yours either, B.J. It's just something that's happening. And I need to help you through it. I'm your wife, after all."

"I don't hold you responsible for taking care of this." B.J. said slowly as he looked her in the eye. "It's just…it's supposed to be my job to take care of you, Peg. When I left, you had to take care of yourself. And I hated myself for that. I should have been home taking care of you and Erin. Now I'm back, and I still can't take care of you. It's almost like you have to take care of me instead. It just isn't right."

"B.J." Peg said with a sad smile. "That's not what you signed up for when you married me. We work as a team, remember? Yes, it was hard here without you, but Erin and I got by. Besides, when you were gone, my biggest concern wasn't about how I would get on without you taking care of me."

"It wasn't?" B.J. asked while giving her a perplexed look.

"Of course not." Peg replied as she scooted closer to him and took his hand. "B.J….my greatest worry was how I would live without you. But not because I couldn't take care of myself. It was because I missed you. I missed the little things like the way you would play with Erin, your sense of humor, and the nights where we would sit up late just talking about life. I missed the way that you would look at me, the way you kissed me, and the smiles you give. I missed having you right here with me: the two of us, living life together, continuing to be in love after all of these years."

"Really?" B.J. said with a small smile.

"Of course. Aren't those the kind of things you missed about me?"

"Well, yeah. I just didn't think you thought about it like that too."

"It was even more than that." Peg said, pausing for a second before continuing. "I was always afraid that something might happen to you. But again, not because I couldn't take care of myself if something did happen. I worried about the tragedy of our time together ending before it should. I thought about how Erin might grow up without knowing her daddy. I would think about how you were over there in constant danger, where there was nothing I could do about it. And I would worry about what you would be like when you came home…what damage the war might have done to you."

"Peg, I had no idea." B.J. said as he pulled her in for a hug.

"I know." She said as she held on to him, enjoying his presence now more than ever. After they hugged for a bit, he let go.

"But Peg, you were right to be concerned. I mean, look at me. I'm not the same person I was when I went to Korea." Suddenly his face became pale. It was the first time he had mentioned Korea by name in his conversation with Peg.

"I know. But you weren't the same person when we were apart for several years after I moved away in high school. Life changes, B.J. I didn't expect you to come home as exactly the same person you were when you left. I'm sure everyone in your unit went home changed in some way. This change is something we can work through."

"You're right." B.J. replied. However, Peg realized that his face still had a shocked expression.

"Are you ok B.J.?" she asked, confused about where the sudden panic had come from. "Was it something I said?"

"No, it's nothing you said" B.J. replied. "You're right about everything. It's just that when I mentioned Korea…" B.J. stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"What?" Peg asked with a concerned expression. "What were you thinking about?"

"Well, whenever I think about my time overseas, it won't leave my mind. It almost haunts me, in a way."

"How so?" Peg asked.

"Well…" B.J. said slowly. "It might sound crazy when I say this. But when I think about M*A*S*H, my thoughts becomes overwhelmed with the patients I work on. Their bodies are the only things I think of. It's maddening. That's why I've tried to ignore anything to do with my time there. And that's why I blew up at you the other day when you were going through that box of my things."

"Ok." Peg replied, her mind racing with all that B.J. had just told her while fear started to creep into her mind. After all, haunting thoughts like this meant that B.J.'s problem was more serious than she thought. More than likely he would need professional help. However, she quickly realized that her panic was probably premature. Hawkeye had said that Dr. Freedman was an expert when it came to working with veterans. Most likely he knew how to help B.J. While she was thinking over all of this, B.J. noticed that she was being awkwardly quiet and attempted to break the silence.

"You must think I'm crazy." B.J. said quietly while looking down at the floor.

"What?" Peg said, interrupted from her train of thought. "No, I don't think you sound crazy. I just think that we may to find some professional help."

B.J. thought for a moment before answering. "I guess you're right. But where I am supposed to find a professional to help me?" Peg could sense frustration in his voice. "I mean, it's not like good psychiatrists with veteran experience are available on every corner. And how are we supposed to afford one since I haven't found a job yet?" He stopped again, realizing how angry he sounded. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to get so upset. I'm just worried about how I'm going to get past this if I can't get professional help."

Peg was about to answer when suddenly they heard the doorbell ring. She froze, realizing that it was most likely Hawkeye and Sidney with Erin. Was she ready to bring Hawkeye and Sidney into this craziness that was her marriage with B.J.? More importantly, was B.J. ready?

"Who's that?" B.J. asked with a confused face. "Erin's sitter wasn't supposed to bring her back yet, right?"

"Well…" Peg said slowly. "What if I told you that the answer to your problem was the one ringing the doorbell?"

"Peg, what are you talking about?" B.J. said as he got up to get the door.

"B.J., why don't you let me get the door?" Peg said, running behind him as he walked towards the front door. She was afraid of how he would react if he opened the door and saw Sidney and Hawkeye standing there when he wasn't expecting it.

"Peg, I may be having problems, but I think I have the capacity to open the front door and communicate with people."

"Yeah, but –" Peg interjected. However, before she could finish, B.J. opened the front door. He first noticed his daughter, holding the hands of a couple of people.

"Daddy!" Erin exclaimed as she ran to give him a hug, while B.J. smiled and took her in his arms. However, before he had time the process who exactly was with his daughter, one of them spoke up.

"See, Mr. Hunnicutt? I told you I'd have your daughter home before midnight."

B.J. froze. He knew that voice, and more importantly, the sarcastic humor that accompanied it. He looked away from his daughter and look instead at the faces of her caregivers. He was staring at his army buddies Hawkeye Pierce and Sidney Freedman. B.J. stood speechless while Peg watched him nervously. Finally, B.J. spoke.

"Hawkeye? Sidney? What are you doing here?"

Hawkeye attempted to make a joke. "Well, we were in the neighborhood, so…" B.J. continued to stare at them.

"But why do you have Erin?" It was clear he still did not understand what was going on. He suddenly turned to Peg. "Did you set this up?"

Peg looked nervously at him. However, before she answered, Sidney interjected.

"It wasn't just her." Sidney said kindly. "Peg told us that you were in trouble. We're here to help you, B.J."

"Are you going to let us in?" Hawkeye asked, sensing B.J.'s tension. "I mean, you're the one that promised that we'd see each other back in the states."

B.J. paused for a minute. The largest reminder of Korea was standing right outside his door. Was he ready to face that? On the other hand, he knew he had to face it sooner or later if he wanted to move past this battle. He looked at Peg.

"Well…" Peg said slowly, realizing that B.J. was looking for an answer. "You know we need to work through this. Who better to help you than the people who faced it alongside you?"

"You're right." B.J. said quietly. He then gestured for Sidney and Hawkeye to come in the house. Peg invited them to sit down in the living room, and they did. A minute of awkward silence ensued, as nobody was quite sure of who should speak first. At last, Erin broke the silence.

"Daddy, play outside?" she asked as she looked to B.J.

"Not right now, sweetie." He replied quietly, still clearly unsure about how he felt about Hawkeye and Sidney's visit. "We have company."

"Tell you what, Beej." Hawkeye interjected. "I'll take her outside for a while. That way, she can play while you guys talk."

"You don't have to do that." Peg interjected, knowing how badly Hawkeye wanted to talk to B.J. "I can keep Erin entertained for a while. It's not your responsibility to watch her."

"I don't mind at all. This way, I can get to know little Ms. Hunnicutt better. And we can talk later, Beej. What do you say, Erin? Want to go play outside with the ice-cream man?"

"Yay!" Erin said with a grin as she ran to Hawkeye. "Outside!" The two of them walked towards the back door, and right before they stepped out, B.J. spoke up.

"Hey, Hawk?"

"Yeah, Beej?" Hawkeye said as he turned towards him.

"Thanks." As he said it, he gave a slight smile.

"Of course." As he turned away from B.J. and headed outside, he couldn't help but grin a little. That smile had shown that no matter what was going on with B.J., the army buddy he knew and loved was still there.

Now it was up to Sidney to help B.J. remove the many burdens that the war had placed upon his back.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again! Well I'm done with the first three weeks of the semester, and I haven't died yet. ;) I had most of this chapter written already, and putting the finishing pieces on it was my study break after an exam yesterday. This chapter only had one reference to a previous M*A*S*H episode. The reference was when Hawkeye stated "you're the one that promised we'd see each other back in the states." This refers to B.J.'s last spoken line in "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" before he drives off on his motorcycle.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your support. It may be a while before another chapter gets posted. The next one will focus on Hawkeye and Erin. Until then, feel free to comment with any comments, questions, or constructive criticisms.

Oh, and on another note, happy 44th birthday to M*A*S*H! 44 years ago today is when the pilot episode aired. I thought posting this chapter was a good way to celebrate.