Here's another one. Its a little slow right now but it may get a little exciting before Christmas!

Chapter 44

I needed help from Radar or Klinger. Remembering Klinger's foul mood from morning, I decided to seek help from Radar hoping he had forgotten everything I had said to him since morning.

"O' Radar! My dear friend Radar!!" I entered the outer office calling him in a sing-song voice. He was not there. Before I could investigate his absence, he exited the Col.'s office with a smile on his face and his glasses foggy with delight. I gave him a big smile.

"Col. Potter couldn't have run this unit without you, my friend!"

His expressions changed a little as his glasses defogged a bit. Maybe my tutelage made him too smart for my own good but now was not a time for reflection. Now was a time for action and as everybody knew, action was my middle name.

"You need something, right? Now I am your friend, not your tiny friend, not your Tinker Bell, just your friend, huh?"

"O Radar, Radar. You know I just kid you. Those are my displays of affection. You know that." I used my best manipulative tone but no dice. The kid had learned more than I ever desired to teach him.

"I am not letting you read BJ's mail, Hawkeye. He is your best friend."

"Radaaar! I am hurt. What do you think of yourself? That you are good for only one thing? No, my son, you are good for so much more. I need a favor."

"Let me guess, you need industrial strength glue so you can play tricks with Maj. Burns. Right?" His tone had a slight touch of indignation and amusement. Weird sentiments, I thought and then I saw a tiny smile on his face. That meant glue was on its way.

"Yeah, that too. But I know you are on it. And I will get it as soon as possible. Right now, my concerns are of a more immediate nature. I need something good to eat. For two people. I have a lunch date."

"Not gonna happen."

"What is that supposed to mean? You say you cannot do it?"

"I said it cannot be done."

"Why?"

"Cook has refused to do any favors till a week after Thanksgiving. He says he will see the response to his feast and will decide if he still wants to do anyone any favors."

"Thats not fair. Do something, willya? Tell him you are his biggest fan and he should know it. I will vouch for you even! I need it. Please! I will let you take my DeSoto for a spin." I spoke in my most earnest voice. With that, I left the office. I knew Radar would find a way. He always did.

Sun was up and I had a few hours to kill. Thanksgiving was two days away and I wanted to give something to Frank to make it his most memorable Thanksgiving ever. But my imagination was failing me. I returned to Swamp after loitering aimlessly for a few minutes in the sun.

I was feeling tired now. There was a headache building behind my eyes. It was throbbing where I cut my head last night and my shoulder was giving me a wake up call of its own. Maybe it really was too soon after all. Of course I was not going to admit it to anyone but it seemed obvious that I was pushing things a little too far. There was no aspirin in the Swamp. I had to go get some from pharmacy or post-op.

Frank was snoring his girlie snores. Where was a whistle when I needed one? Or maybe I ought to stay away from him for now. I was too tired to deal with his whining anyway. And if I woke him up, I would contribute to his malpractice not to mention a detriment to my personal well being.

Frank baby, you just got lucky!

I laid down on my cot, thinking about the Beautiful Brendt wondering where she was from and if she liked Maine or not. With those thoughts, I drifted off to a sound sleep. It was dreamless till Radar shook me awake.

"Hawkeye! Are you awake?"

I swore under breath before squinting my eyes at him.

"I am NOW." My head throbbed a few times before returning to its pre-nap achy status.

"Hey, not so loud. Major Burns is sleeping. Col. Potter wanted to know if you were awake or not."

"Burns is sleeping. What do yo think I was...Never mind." I knew I couldn't go to sleep again.

"Sorry Hawk. I did not ...I mean you were just there in the office." He was whispering now.

"Forget it, kid. Potter needs me? What did I do now?" I looked at Frank's cot again. It couldn't be him finking me, I thought. Well, you never know when it comes to finks like him. The other part of me told the first part.

"I don't know. He is not angry or anything."

"That's a relief." I growled feeling bad immediately as I saw his glasses go all foggy till I realized it was because of the change in temperatures.

"Remind me not to adopt you when we get back to humanity!" I told him sternly as I fumbled around for my jacket. He handed it to me with a smile pasted on his face.

"What is so amusing?" I growled again.

"Nothing! Its always fun to wake you up. And yeah, your lunch will be ready at 3pm. Thats when you need it, right?" And with that, he scurried out of the tent.

I smiled, trying not to feel too sorry for myself because of the headache. Maybe now I would get those damned aspirins, I thought as I braced myself against the freezing cold.

"You called for me?" I landed heavily on a chair, putting my feet up on his desk.

"And good morning to you too, Captain Pierce!"

"I thought we were done with these niceties earlier today."

"Yes, we did exchange those niceties. We were not really done, were we?"

"I did not do it!"

"I think you did."

"I am telling you, I did not. And so I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Neither have I. And if you did what you think I was asking about, you know I will know. Now back to business..."

"Business? Couldn't it wait a few hours?"

"Radar woke you up, didn't he."

"What business? Am I back to work?"

"I am sorry he woke you up. I told him not to do that."

"Forget it, Col. I can catch up with lost winks anytime I want. What did you need me for?" I looked at him tiredly and he looked back at me thoughtfully before pushing a folder in front of me.

"Take a look at the rota Maj. Houlihan worked out. With you on lighter shifts for next few days, she wanted to scramble nursing staff to provide best cover if needed to do more than just nursing. I could have asked Burns but you know how he acts around nurses and BJ is too boughed down as it is."

"THIS is what he woke me up for?"

"Easy does it, son. He did not know!"

"Ummmmm..." I leafed through the neatly typed pages before pushing the folder back to him.

"If you think its alright, it is alright. Margaret knows our weak areas aka Major Frank Burns and she is in his every shift so I don't think there would be a problem."

"How are you doing?"

"Me? I am in fine fettle, Col. It gets finer and fettler everyday." I rubbed a hand against my forehead.

"Headache?"

"Yeah, when someone replaces Norma Jeane with me, on a beach, with a bespectacled teenage boy in Korea, it tends to give me a headache."

"No horsin' around, Pierce."

"Its nothing Col. I will get some aspirin."

"Be careful, willya?"

I just smiled and waved at him before getting out of the door.

BJ was looking over a soldier at the far end of the ward. He had a solemn expression on his face. I took some aspirin from the cabinet and gulped it down. BJ looked at me and then started walking towards me.

"Good to see ya, Hawk. This kid, Martin, he is not looking very good right now."

"What happened?"

"Most likely, Frank happened."

"No kidding!" That was bad. "Who was the scrub nurse?"

"Cate O'Hara."

"Great! Perfect."

"She not good?"

"I am not so sure. I haven't been to work for last few days."

"I haven't had much experience with her either. I have been drawing the toughest cases and usually Brenda or Margaret assist me."

"Brenda?"

"Yeah, Brenda Brendt, Soldier Hawkeye!"

"Oh! Brenda Brendt? What was she thinking?" I chuckled before getting serious again.

"Now what?"

"I want you to man my post and I go and open the kid and see what Frank did this time."

"OK. Don't take too long. I have a date!"

"I am taking your date with me, Master."

I just glared at him, hoping kid was not too bad from inside. And I had more than one reason to hope for that!