This is along one. So is the next one. Next one will explain BJ's moodiness and why he is acting so strangely. And it will be up either tomorrow morning or tomorrow night, depending on the position of my story on the charts.

Chapter 25

I was still nowhere. It was not so much an indecision as feeling mad and bad that had taken over me. I was sick of asking the same old questions from myself all night.

Why me?

Why?

Why this war?

Why did things have to get so crappy, all at the same time?

And how the hell was I gonna get out of this mess?

An all-night record of pacing in that tiny tent left me none the wiser. After someone brought in the breakfast, I decided to lie down and take a nap.

It was a dreamless nap. I was awakened by the commander.

I was not sure how long he had been standing there but I knew that I had not been asleep for more than an hour. The sudden pounding headache that took me over as soon as I woke up reminded me of the good old days of residency. Somehow, I had never gotten over the startling effect this kind of sudden awakening had on me. My heart was racing as I sat up, seeing not one or two but three tiny, twinkly, red faced Potters. And I thought one was hard to manage!

"You called my name?" I tried to make it sound funny but it came out as a croak. Where the hell was the water?

"Not hungry, I presume?" He asked, with obvious restraint.

"You presume right, Oh Wise Chief!" I took a long pull at the glass while I saw his color change from red to puce.

"Pierce, why are you acting like this? You know the condition I set forth before when you requested to stay here. You've Got To Follow My Orders!"

"Maybe I don't feel like it!" I got off the bed and sat on the chair in one corner, holding my head in my hands. Only if the pounding would stop.

"Then you won't be able to stay here." Still the same restraint. Why the hell was everybody treating me like I was twelve? This was driving me insane.

"Maybe I don't feel like that either."

"Insolence will get you nowhere, son. Anything particular bothering you? I happen to know you received a letter from home except it was not from your dad. Is everything alright?"

"Why can't someone's business remain someone's business alone? Why does it have to become everyone's business? Why did you ask BJ to come see me when he did not feel like it? Why can't you just...Damn it. Sorry, Col. Potter. But this is a request, a very humble one. Don't tell BJ to come see me again. And don't worry about me. I don't think I want to stay here anyway. Maybe you send me to Tokyo or even Seoul. I don't care!"

"You don't want to talk, thats your call. If and when you do, you know the door to knock at. So far as asking Hunnicut to come and see you, I did not. I just told him what a lousy bunkmate he was for not noticing any change or problem with you. And that was when I sent you here. I haven't talked to him since, except for business related matters. About your request to be moved out, that's out of question too. At least for next week, all traffic to and from Seoul and Tokyo is on hold. So for now, you are stuck. And after the tantrum you threw that day and the way you acted now, I think you deserve to stay here for the duration anyway. Now clean up the damned tray. I am sick and tired of your juvenile behavior. I really wonder how your father puts up with your tantrums. God knows I don't envy him."

"Can we not talk about him, please? And don't you have an outfit to run or something?" Yeah, fine! I was the most rotten son in the history of rotten sons. Cane could take lessons from me. Why did everybody need to point that out to me?

"I think the most important problem for me today is the wellbeing of one of my men. You! Now spill it. What is it? What happened? I have seen you down and I have seen you angry but I have never seen you like this so I am concerned. Now be a good boy and tell me!"

"Its nothing."

"Yeah? And that's why you have tried to make me yell at you for so many times in last few minutes? Nobody has tested my patience and pushed my buttons like this in a long time and lived to tell the tale. And I know you. So I am concerned. What is going on, Hawkeye?"

"Honestly, its nothing. Just a misunderstanding between Dad and me. And now it might be too late to fix the damage. Its a long story and I doubt if I can tell it anyway."

"It may sound silly to you but sometimes, the only thing you can do is clear up the air. If he is anything like you, he will understand and forgive and forget. Don't sell him short. Maybe placing a call Stateside would help?"

That made sense. I was thinking the same thing but was not sure if it would help. Besides, I was too busy being angry.

"That makes sense."

"If you had eaten some dinner last night, you would have thought the same thing. Listen Hawkeye, I know its hard, being here with your only family so far away and you feeling out of contact and out of sorts, but son, don't be so hard on yourself. You are not here because you wanted to be. You know it. I know it. I bet he knows it too!"

"Its not that, Col. But thank you anyway. I think I will place the call."

"Want me to tell Radar to do that? I think he has your home number memorized."

"I don't want to call home. I have to find the number before I place the call."

He looked at me quizzically.

"I am not calling Dad. Someone else!"

"Oh..." His eyes twinkled in mischief and he smiled.

"Not that."

"I didn't say anything."

"Of course you didn't, Sir."

"Now finish your breakfast. I will see you later."

"Thank you, Col."

"And next time BJ comes, don't assume anything. Just remember, he IS your best friend. And he has the right to stupid almost as much as you do."

"Yes Father!"

He just shook his head and left without another word.

Boy that felt good. I felt a little less overwhelmed. Was that all I was looking for? That was so childish, part of me decided. But what the hell. It worked. Maybe only for a short while but that feeling of overwhelm was almost gone now.

Breakfast was not as bad as I had expected. Partly because of my below par expectations, of course. Mess tent concotions had stopped to surprise me anymore unless it was something particularly revolting.

After breakfast I decided to sleep again.

I had quite a few visitors that day. The most notable were Frank and O'Hara.

Frank stood at the doorstep while trying to sound sincere though I could smell happiness escaping through every big pore he possessed now that he could do what he damned well pleased while I was stashed away. Then he started gloating about him and BJ getting along so well with me gone. Finally, after about five minutes of groveling, gloating and sniveling, I had enough and I made a move towards him, telling him I was gonna kiss him and make him my bride. The fink! He could be fast when he needed to. And as soon as I had turned back from the now closed door, I heard a soft knock and saw O'Hara peeking in. She was smiling, grinning actually.

"What did you do to him?" She asked me.

"Nothing. He was trying to get cute so I decided to kiss him and thats when he ran to save his virginity. And you can come in. I won't kiss you, at least not right now."

"I wonder if I should be honored or insulted," She commented laughingly. "And how can you kiss a man?" What was it? A tone of disgust?

"I did not kiss a man. I am strictly a woman's man. And in case you are wondering about Frank, its like kissing a...Oh I don't know. He has no lips so you its like you are kissing ...Nah, I don't know. Also, he is not a man. He is Frank Burns, the lipless wonder, our walking, talking, snorting Malpractice in Drag!"

"Cummon Ben, he can't be that bad. Or Col. Potter would have sent him away long ago. I don't see him as a very tolerant man when it comes to taking care of patients."

"He is worse. I wondered about that too but not anymore. Sometimes, Frank does come through, when he has his hide at stake but more often than not, that's not the case. You will see, once you assist him long enough."

"I always see Major Houlihan assisting him. I heard them talking. He has a thing for her, doesn't he?"

I did not like her tone.

"Thats because he is the most incompetent dunce around here and she makes sure he makes as few mistakes as possible, saving as many lives as she can, especially after those poor fellows have had to endure Frank's scalpel and ten thumbs. You hear a lot around here. You cannot believe everything! But whatever you hear about Frank Burns' incompetence, it is bound to be true. Margaret is the best nurse we have and is mostly the only thing between Death and Frank's patients."

"Thats true. She is the best nurse I have ever worked with. But she is too hard on us. And you are right. I heard a lot about you too. And most of it was interesting but not enticing. But everybody has a different opinion of everybody else. So I am not believing anything I hear unless I see it with my own eyes. I learned it the hard way." And with that, she gave me a smile.

"So what did you hear about me?" I was curious and interested in what she would say. I very well knew what they did say about me but I wanted her to tell me what she had heard.

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that." She was evading it. This could be fun.

"Oh cummon! Tell me what they love me for. I do know they love me, thats for sure."

"You won't be able to handle the details." She smiled. Nice teeth.

"Cummon Lt. Humor a sick man!"

"Its Cate, remember? And this is what I found out. That you are the camp Romeo, and I am being polite here. Your cot has notches for the nurses you scored. You gamble, lie and drink to excess. But you are the best cutter anybody has ever seen. And those are the good qualities. Care to hear more?"

" I don't think my ego can take another boost. Or was it the guillotine?"

"Then I would stop. I don't want you to die on my watch." And laughed. It was nice to be able to talk like this again. She had a nice sense of humor too. I was feeling giddy for some unknown reason. The mood swings were annoying and strange and unpredictable and I wanted to stop flirting with her but it felt good. And I doubted if I could have stopped.

She stayed much longer this time and kept me company.

Maybe she was right. We could use all the friends we had and right now, I needed as many as I could find. I couldn't call her a friend as yet but she was fun to be around with. And intriguing.