Here's a long one. Let me know if I am stretching this storyline too much. I feel I am all over the place and the story is too big now with multiple storylines. It just might come out as a colossal mess so be warned. Now you are forearmed. Come to think of that, now you are forelegged too!
Think about it!
Chapter 26
Finally I decided to take Col. Potter's advice and make the call to Crabapple Cove. I was not sure whom to call though. Maybe Uncle Jim? Nah, that would only appease him. It was not going to fix the problem. Calling Dad would have been just as futile. It would'nt serve anybody any good. The last choice was the gutsiest but 'Guts' was my middle name. I had decided to call Olivia. And that's where the problem came in. I did not know her last name. I did not know squat about her except that she was a fine girl. I did not know her phone number, in case she had a phone. It felt weird, though. Calling someone who might end up replacing Mom? I had to run it by someone but whom?
Just then, Father Mulcahy came in after knocking. He was holding the dinner tray.
Perfect!
Nahhhh, this was a very secular advice and maybe he could have helped but I was not sure I wanted to talk to him about this.
"Hello Hawkeye. You look better."
"Hello Father. Thank you. I had some good company today."
"Yeah, Lt. O'Hara was around earlier. She told me you looked better so I decided to take a look myself."
"You did not have to get me dinner too. That's not considered very nice around these parts of the world." I heard his tiny laugh that made me smile. This man never ceased to amaze me with his compassion and understanding.
"Oh Hawkeye! You ARE better, I am so glad to see that. We miss you and your sense of humor. BJ has been so quiet lately. I think he misses you the most. The OR sessions feel longer and more tiring with you away. How long before you come back to work?"
"Col. Potter says in about three weeks time. But all depends on my liver function tests. Three weeks is the minimum time. I hope its not any longer than that or I would ask for a medical discharge and go and convalesce in Crabapple Cove."
"Could you eat while its still warm? I intend to take the tray with me on my way out."
"Sure Father." And I started sniffing the food. The meat smelled like meat. Or deep fried charcoal, depending on your level of inebriation. The vegetables did not smell like anything I had known all my life. And of course, pudding and mashed potatoes were doing a rather intimate imitation of making out Which was which, I couldn't tell.
"Why do you sniff your food, Hawkeye?" He asked, laughingly. I wondered why it amused some people so much. It was a very natural thing to do if you had grown up with my Dad. He was not the best cook in the world. The only two people I knew who were worse than him were me and the man who had made 'food' a four letter word, the 4077 mess cook.
"Premonitus, Praemunitus Father! When I smell it, I am forewarned so my stomach, in fact, all my gastrointestinal tract is prepared for the assault ahead and it braces itself. Its my key to survival here."
"I never thought about that. Quite an interesting way of warning oneself, I must say. But don't you think it makes you scared even before you, shall we say, indulge in the latest invention passed on as food? My word, I cannot do that to myself and still eat. Its like BJ says, if you smell it, you just cannot eat it."
"Father, it all depends on your ability to modify your perception. I hate surprises, especially of the non-biblical kind, so I need as much headsup as I can muster. Speaking of BJ, have you seen him around? If you do, could you please tell him to come and see me?" I said it before I could tell myself not to say it. What the hell!
"No problem, Hawkeye. I saw him as I was leaving mess tent. He was going in for dinner, I believe. Can I ask you something, Hawkeye?"
Here it comes.
"Sure Father. Go ahead."
"Is everything alright with BJ? He seems slightly out of sorts. I am a little worried about him. He is new here and the stress keeps getting worse, especially with you being here and an increased work load. Forgive me for prying but I was a little concerned." He did not mention BJ's pugilistic pursuits. But Father Mulcahy was worried or he wouldn't have asked.
"He is missing me, that's all. Tonight I will sing him a lullaby and he will be all better, I am pretty sure."
"Oh Hawkeye, we miss you. Just get better quick. I will pray for your recovery."
"Father, pray for this damned war to end fast. I will feel good soon as ceasefire takes place."
"That's true. It can never end too soon. Now I shall get going. I will tell someone to get the tray before you go to bed. I have someone waiting for me."
"Thank you Father, but only for the company, not the food, in case you get any wrong ideas. And you can take the tray if you want to. I am done!"
"Try to eat some more. I will see you later!"
Hardly a minute had passed when I heard another knock. It was BJ. And this was fast.
"That was fast. Thank you for coming over. I needed to talk to you."
"Fast? And thank you? Are you alright?" He touched my forehead in mock worry. "Maybe you have gone crazy after all."
"Living with you for last few months, its about time I went crazy. No, I asked Father Mulcahy to tell you to come over and was just surprised with the speed with which he delivered my request."
"Father Mulcahy? I was coming here anyway. I saw him going towards the mess tent. Anyway, I came to see you without someone telling me to go and see you. I heard that you looked better today and figured I ought to check you out myself."
"Yeah, it was a good day. So...wanna sit down?"
"Yeah, sure. I hope you are not too tired. I wanted to talk to you." He was tentative. I felt sorry for putting him through this.
"No, No. Not at all. Uhhhh, I wanted to, ya know..." I was gonna apologize to him for all the awkwardness but he cut me off.
"Listen Hawk, I am sorry. For last few weeks. For treating you like that. And for missing your illness. I cannot feel bad enough though I don't think I can feel any worse either. You deserved better from me since all along, you tried to listen to me and I did not let you. I think now you are sick of my sulking and want to ask me what has been bothering me. So I am here. I wanted to...No, needed to talk to you. I may need some advice."
"None of what you just said made any sense. Just for the sake of clarity and brevity, and correct me if I am wrong but, you were heading this way to tell me what was bothering you? Why now?"
"Yes, to tell you all that. And now because ... I don't know. I owe you that? I am not sure. Maybe I cannot make sense of it anymore and need someone who can help me understand? I don't know. Maybe just to feel better? I am sorry if none of these sound like good enough reasons but I don't know why I feel like I need to talk to you. I just do."
"OK, shoot!"
"Just like that?"
"What? You need invitation? Or a drink? I am running low on stationary and am dry as a bone right now so yeah, just like that! What the hell is bothering you?"
"Peg!"
"Peg?"
"Yeah, Peg."
"That's it? Peg is bothering you? That's all?"
"Yeah!"
"Peg is bothering you?"
"Yeah!"
"That clears it all up!" I said rhetorically before going on, " Care to explain? Shed some light? "
"Don't think I can."
"OK. And what do you expect me to say about it?"
"I don't know, Hawk."
"Maybe tell me what Peg did? Said? Did not do? Did not say? Something more than Peg Bothering Me might actually turn out to be a little helpful and maybe in turn, I can help you?"
"Its too hard, Hawk!" He looked so helpless and lost. I felt bad for him.
"Listen Beej, whats the worst that can happen if you tell me? I know that if it took you so many days to spill this detail, which by the way I had already surmised, it IS big for you. But honestly, sometimes, you end up blowing things so out of proportions, its insane. You become paranoid, overtly protective, helpless and plain old stupid. She is a big girl. The only stupid thing she probably did was marrying you, if you ask me. Because you never give her full credit for anything. So either explain to me what she did this time or just tell yourself to get over whatever she did. You are in no position to change anything back home so let her manage her life as she deems possible and appropriate."
"She is seeing someone else."
"WHAT?"
"You heard me!"
"She is cheating on you?"
"Yes."
"With another guy?"
"Yeah."
"And who, may I ask, broke the news to you? The one she is cheating on you with or herself?"
"Neither."
"OKAY-Y-Y-Y. Then?"
"I just know."
"Oh!"
"Hawk, she is elusive, evasive and dances around topics never really saying much of anything. My parents are gone for a cruise and now she is alone. Only Erin is there. How could she do it to me? And to Erin?" He sounded on the verge of hysteria.
"Beej, BEEJ! Have you called her? Asked her? Done anything a reasonable, rational man would do?"
"No, I don't want my suspicions confirmed. Hawk, I am scared, alright! What if I am proven right? I won't be able to handle that. I love her too much."
"Don't you think you are just being paranoid and irrational? There could be another explanation, no?"
"In her last letter, she sent me this picture. She is all dressed up. Does not look like she had a kid only a few months back. Her hair is all styled and everything. She never did that when I was there. How do you explain that?"
"I don't know. But I won't jump the gun till I am dead sure my suspicions are correct beyond the point of doubt. I think you are just being jealous and paranoid."
"You know something, Hawk? That is exactly why I did not tell you what I was going through. All you do is make fun of me. I would ask you when your own wife does that to you."
"Does what? Be there for me? Give me a beautiful daughter? I would be lucky to get a woman half as good as Peg, I think. And I was not making fun of you. I was just telling you to be reasonable and come up with an explanation that makes more sense than this one. I cannot tell you she is cheating unless I catch her or I get proof."
"She was worried about getting a babysitter or some daycare while she was gone for work. And she needed work because she could not manage in my salary alone. So she got a job in an office. And now she is out all day but now, there is no mention of a babysitter. Or how she is affording one? And then she has enough money to get all dressed up and prettied and get her photographs taken. Its like, she was waiting for my parents to leave town so she could make her life the life she always wanted or hoped for and I could not give her. How does that strike you for an explanation that makes sense?"
"Listen Beej, I am sorry. I did not know any of this. And even if I did, best I can do is hope its wrong. And that, for your sake, don't get ahead of yourself. Please! It could be all just in your head and what if you are wrong? Is your marriage worth putting through this kind of speculation and paranoia? In any case, you have to wait for your parents to return or better yet, for your own return back home. You can figure things out once you are back there. There just isn't any point getting all worked up about something which might as well be just a hypothesis of a war-torn mind. So please, please, BJ, stay sane. If not for yourself, then for me! Do you have any idea how many of my visitors have asked me about you?"
"I don't care about them. Or this damned war. I am tired."
"Not even me?" I asked with my best puppydog impression. That made him smile. I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. It was going to be alright after all!
"Yes, not even you. You are such an idiot, you know. Why the hell did you not tell me you were feeling sick?"
"Somebody told me you were slugging Father Mulcahy's punching bag and I was scared you would slug me, the way you were drunk."
"No, seriously. Why did you not tell me?"
"I knew you were worried and did not want you to worry for me as well. I know a Mama Bear when I see one and I could do without someone worrying for me. I hate that."
"Great it did for you, smartass! Now we are short one surgeon, Swamp is the new torture cell for one Capt. Hunnicut and I get to hear ten commandments ten times a day. And rest of the time, just plain old whining."
"Now you see what a great friend I am, keeping Frank in his place and all. Bet you miss me."
"Not really. I can still smell your dirty socks and that alone reminds me of your existence in the Swamp. All I miss is someone who drew all of Frank's energy and wrath, leaving the camp in relative peace. I wonder how you can take all that he dishes out and not feel anything."
"That was below the belt, dude! My socks are much cleaner now. And so far as Frank is concerned, he cannot give me all that much because he knows, I believe in solid returns so whatever he gives me is returned with interest. He watches himself around me."
"Maybe thats a factor. I did not think it through. But fact remains, you had everybody insulated form His Royal Menace pretty effectively. Now, with you away, Ferret Face is in his full glory, making everybody miss you twice as much."
"I am irresistible. Part of my charm." I was feeling tired now. He noticed it too.
"Seems you are tired. You not gonna finish your food? Potter won't like it."
"Don't care! I am tired of his fatherly concern. I asked him to send me to Seoul or Tokyo but he said he could not. So now all bets are off. I cannot eat this anymore. Could you take it with you when you leave?"
"You said you wanted to talk to me? What was that about?"
"Not now. Maybe later." Suddenly, I was feeling like I was in a prize fight and had lost it fifteen to nothing. But who would continue fighting for fifteen rounds in my shape? Why did he not knock me out in first couple of rounds? Why did he keep beating me up for fifteen rounds when I could have conceded after the first? Judges were unfair, that was all. They made me fight fifteen rounds. Or was it a beating? They made me get beaten...
"HAWK!"
"WHA'?" I was startled.
"You dozed off. I think I should leave. I will see you later. Lemme know if you need anything?"
"Huh? Yeah, uhhhhh, dunno. And yeah, see you. Don't need anything. You go!"
"Goodnight sweet prince!"
"Night Beej!"
And with that, light was turned off. And suddenly, sleep vanished from my eyes.
Here's to another sleepless night.
I silently thought...
P.S. I have edited chapters 26 through 30. Just a little bit of fine tuning, nothing serious. Other chapters will be posted sometime today and tomorrow before I go on a lull till further orders!