I have a feeling you will like this chapter. And the next one. I like the next one myself. And yeah, thanks for the reviews, especially to Krows Scared for being the 100th.

Anyway, enjoy reading!

Chapter 69

"Hawkeye! Are you alright?" Nurse Able asked me. For once, somebody only stuck me once before drawing the blood. Did my blood look yellowish?

"Yeah. I'm great. I was just thinking who affected me more in my youth, Gene Tierney or Rita Hayworth?" I smiled at her lecherously.

"Hawk E-y-e! Two women here aren't enough to preoccupy your mind?" She smiled with mischief.

"Two? I don't have one. Why do you think I am thinking about Gene. Or Rita? Or you, for that matter? With nobody to preoccupy my mind, I need somebody to preoccupy my mind, if you know what I mean." I winked at her this time.

"Cummon Hawkeye! I have known you for a while now. Even you don't ...I thought Brenda and you had a thing going."

"Yeah, had being the operative word. She dumped me yesterday. Before our second date." Able tut tutted but with a smile.

"That's what happens when you try to make moves on two lethal women at the same time. I heard Major Houlihan wasn't all that pleased either." She was really enjoying this. A little too much for my comfort.

"What has Margaret got anything to do with this? And two women? I wasn't making moves on two women. And what two women?" I had a feeling who the other woman might have been but it was so ridiculous, I could not understand how anyone believed that. Margaret was engaged, for crying out loud.

"Major Houlihan and Brenda. You have a thing for feisty women, don't you?" I shook my head, realized we were just sitting, or I was, in this cold suture room for quite a while. The puzzle pieces fitted the picture now.

"Thanks Able! You are an angel, even if I don't believe in them!" With that, I gave her a quick kiss and left the suture room.

Now everything started to make sense. Somebody saw Margaret and I, leaving the bar late Thursday night and decided to spin a yarn about my extracurricular activities. That explained why Margaret seemed like her puppy was run over by a Mack Truck. Not a very tasteful analogy but that's exactly how she looked. She was engaged and very faithful to her no-good two-timing fiance. That still did not explain why she was mad at me. Contrary to popular belief, I did not carve notches on my bedposts. It did not work that way for me. Not anymore, anway! Yeah, there were times when scoring held some importance but ever since Carlye came and went, I had mellowed down some. It was no more about scoring. A lot had changed over past few months.

It was after I stepped into the muddy main street that I decided to stop and take stock of where I was heading. Mending fence with one woman was hard enough. With two? Only if I had a deathwish. I loved life too much to die like that.

I started walking towards the Swamp but before I knew it, I was standing right in front of Margaret's tent, knocking at the door.

"Go Away!" Came the reply. How did she know it was me? Or was she just being pissy with everybody?

I rapped at the door again, slightly pushing it this time, "Margaret. I need to talk to you!" I tried to keep my voice low. The door opened and I was surprised it did not get lose at its hinges.

"WHAT? What do you want now? Why not announce your latest accomplishment over the PA system? Doesn't everybody in this unit already know how good you are?" She started slamming the door but I stuck my foot in and then yelped loudly.

"WAIT! Wait, Margaret. Let me explain." Maybe talking to just one of them was suicidal.

"Nothing there to explain, Pierce. You are the same scumbag that came here last year. Nothing has changed. Nothing!"

"Hold it. HOLD IT RIGHT THERE. I'm sick. Sick and tired. I did not tell anybody...hell! I never...Margaret! Never mind." I knew a mistake when I made it and By God, this was one doozy of a mistake.

Never try to rationalize with an irrational, angry woman!

"I will come back once again, later. When you are not all high n' mighty and are ready to listen, let me know." I looked in her eyes, speaking calmly and trying to control the anger and frustration I felt building up inside.

What the hell was happening to me?

Why did everything have to go to hell at once?

"What happened?" Was it my yelling that got through her impervious mind? She sounded concerned.

"What happened is, somebody saw us, you and me, leave the bar. And figured, based on my reputation, I'm sure, that we went to have some privacy. Maybe its my fault. Maybe it's not. I don't care. Just don't care anymore. BJ is high on his selfrighteous ass, thinking I would go out with any woman, does not matter if she is married, engaged or from Mars. Frank is driving me crazy since day one and I think he is real close to being successful. And I'm sure when I leave your tent, you will hear more rumors and you will most correctly assume that I have been spreading them." As soon as I started, words came tumbling out and suddenly, I was left with nothing more to say. I turned around and left her tent before she could even close her mouth. I was not sure how high my volume had gone but I had just about had it.

What was it? A punishment? When this damned godforsaken war could not break my spirit, all this was lobbed at me to make sure I was humbled?

What was it?

What the hell was going on?

Last few months...

When I came here, I was sure there was nothing worse than the war. And then last few months, I found out, I was right. Small things which would have meant nothing back home, piled up and were drowning me. All because of this damned war. I could not hate it enough.

There was only one thing I was hoping to take home once I got my return orders. I wasn't asking for a lot. I just wanted my sanity to go with me. Now, I was not so sure it was going to happen.

I silently paced around for a while. This was unfair. This was very unfair.

I knew I was going crazy. And damn right I did not like it.

I decided to go see Sidney. Maybe he could help me. I knew that being aware of my own craziness was, pervasively enough, a good sign. But a good sign of what? Insanity? I did not want to lose all touch with reality. I loved life too much to live it without feeling it, hearing it, absorbing it.

Maybe if they allow me to go away for a few days?

I wanted to run this by Sidney. His tent was vacant.

Damn!

He probablt left for Tokyo already.

Maybe I could catch him at Seoul Airstrip?

I started towards Potter's office to be allowed to go away on a leave for a few days.

That was the only viable option left for me for now!