Go GIANTS.

I WANT REVIEWS!

I don't feel all that compelled to write when I see a lukewarm reception. Now, more than ever, I AM writing for you and if you don't care, it seems easy for me to stop on account of having an exhaustive schedule last few months. Story is almost back to its seriousness. Many thanks to Anime, Radar, NY Gal, Serilia and Symphony. Rest of you, wake up and review or the gaps would get longer and not as a penalty but purely because of lack of motivation.

Now read on, enjoy and REVIEW!

Chapter 88

They were going to keep playing until there was any money in motion or any booze lying around. I decided to step in and help them finish the game but after checking on Johnson. He was sleeping and seemed fine. His temperature was slightly elevated. I checked the chart and active suction wasn't done for last few hours. Feeling that same fear creeping right back in as I remembered my dreams, I did the suction. It was clear though from the amount of it, it was obvious it had been lying in there for a good long time.

I shook Frank awake. He was moving his no-lips in what I decided to be a very disturbing manner but decided to let it go.

"What is it, Pierce?"

"You're supposed to be awake and keeping an eye on patients."

"I was awake. I saw you enter and wanted you to not disturb me so I faked sleep."

"Frank, why the hell was Johnson's active NG suction not done for last three hours?"

"I will NOT tolerate your insubordinate tone, Pierce!"

"Shove off, Frank! You will tolerate whatever I dish out. Now tell me why you suspended his active suction."

"He was being disturbed and wanted to sleep..."

"BullSHIT! You don't care if he was unable to sleep or not."

"So sue me!"

"I'll do one better, Frank. I'll slug you. If that kid doesn't make it home alive, two pine boxes go home and one will be yours!" And with that, I left him alone, wondering if Frank had finally and completely gone around the bend in his animosity for me that he was willing to kill a living being just to get even with me.

Asking night nurse to do the suction every half hour, I left post-op extremely disgusted and worried.

"Can you believe what Frank did now?" I addressed the now semi-inebriated party residing in my tent.

"With Frank, I'm ready to believe anything," BJ quipped.

"What happened?" Margaret asked me in a worried tone.

"He stopped NG suction." I informed them angrily, "Can you believe that? He stopped NG suction. AFTER Frank's repair of the stomach. As if the kid hadn't suffered enough on his account."

"What? Why would he do that?" Again, Margaret spoke but with disbelief this time.

"You don't need a reason to explain Frank's insane drives. You, of all people, should know it by now." BJ spoke seriously, making Margaret get embarrassed..

"Exactly. You don't need a reason. Colonel, if this kid dies, I'll drag Frank through the whole of Korea..." I waved at BJ and Margaret before turning towards Potter, not believing why he was letting Frank do whatever he was doing. The man was a walking biohazard.

"Pipe down, Pierce! This soldier won't die and you won't utter any such thing again. Do I make myself clear?" Potter spoke annoyed and tired but he meant what he was saying.

"What the..." I tried again but was cut off by a waving hand from Potter and Margaret shaking her head.

"Klinger, if you don't mind, can you get us some coffee? We've all had a little too much to drink." BJ asked Klinger to leave and this was not a good sign. Poker was long forgotten and the whole thing was a set up to begin with.

"I don't need coffee!" I declared belligerently but Klinger was already leaving.

"Sit down, son!"

"I don't like your tone." I declared a little angrily but was curious what got them all so conspiratorial. Surely it was one of Frank's scams, probably the latest but them taking it so seriously was a little on the side of overreacting.

"Frank has filed an official complaint with I-corps against you and declared Colonel Potter as an incompetent commander." BJ informed me but without the expected humor. Margaret looked somber as well. I suddenly realized how it was their first time and how all the faces had changed over last few months and chuckled loudly. They all looked at me as if I had lost it completely so it was time to give them a lesson or two about life at 4077.

"Frank gets into these fits of insanity every few months. Ask Margaret. She used to be an accomplice. Colonel Potter isn't Henry!" Margaret turned pink and seemed embarrassed by the reminder which was a first for her GI Jane persona. BJ and Potter looked at me quizzically and again, I was reminded of the change in team and the only constant being me and Radar. And maybe Father Mulcahy who had left when I returned from post-op.

"I've seen the files and records but I don't understand what you're saying." Potter seemed a little perplexed.

"Back in the day, Frank and Major Houlihan here went on a crusade every month or two against me, Trapper and dragged Henry in the middle as well. It was almost always the three of us though once, they got him in trouble all on his own. Most of the times, we had to take drastic measures to overcome the two of them and their harebrained schemes to take over the 4077." I paused for effect and Margaret had gone visibly pink whereas others looked confused. It was time for a history lesson so I told them of all the things Frank had done with or without Margaret's participation to overthrow Henry, get me courtmartialed or shot by enemy soldiers or our own, for that matter. All these tales seemed like from another lifetime. Radar helped me where details of paperwork and administration were concerned.

After the lesson ended, they seemed visibly relaxed.

"Let me show you something!" I told them for a final effect and got up to open Frank's footlocker and brought out some official looking papers.

"Official records? Burns should have let me see them. I don't think I've... What the hell is this?" Potter bellowed as he saw what he was holding.

"The Bedpan Manifesto!" I spoke bemusedly. Potter looked at me quizzically and this time, I motioned towards BJ to explain the papers. Potter shook his head and Radar and I snorted while Margaret tried to hide her smile at which she failed miserably.

"My word, Hawkeye! You do have a way with words. You would have made a good priest." Father Mulcahy chuckled as he reiterated his statement about my fitness to be a priest. He had entered the tent during my tale of Frank slipping over a bar of soap and pinning it on me.

They all chuckled and I joined them. The idea of me being a priest seemed pretty ridiculous even if Father Mulcahy was the one who came up with.

"I'm serious."

"Apologies, Padre. Bedpan Manifesto, huh Pierce?" Potter chuckled as he went through the whole file and passed it around, "If ever there was a man working with half a deck..."

"So you see why I'm not terribly worried. He gets this fit and then it passes like a renal stone. BJ will help me!"

"This is serious, Pierce. It was never about your professional competence before. Most he, we, did was point out you were a maverick and didn't belong in the Army. Nobody questioned your skill." Margaret spoke sensibly despite her discomfort last few minutes as I regaled the tales from good old days.

"Nobody can question it! And, if, for one second, we do believe that I did do what he says I did," I felt bile rising as I said this, "You think I would be the first one here to make a mistake?"

"Yours might cost a life! You went against orders to operate. You performed a risky surgery on a very sick patient when his surgeon and your commander told you not to. And with your previous record..."

"But I didn't do it." This whole 'if you did it' talk was beginning to make me feel very angry suddenly. It was hard to accept even hypothetically that I screwed up and almost killed a kid.

"He has a witness!" Potter informed me this time as if it was news.

"Cate? She wasn't even in the OR half the time." I spoke angrily, all good cheer from last few hours evaporating very fast.

"She was when pulmonary artery sprayed blood on you." Margaret spoke this time.

"She's mistaken. Or lying. I'll talk to her." And with that I got up from my chair to leave.

"She's on leave for two days." This time Radar spoke.

"Leave?"

"Medical leave. She had to go to Uijeongbu." I shook my head wondering if she went to get psychiatric help.

"So you're trying to say that Frank wants that kid dead so he can pin his death on me? That's..."

"...Frank being Frank, Hawk!" BJ smiled this time. I wasn't feeling very amused though.

"So why are you telling me this? I didn't do anything wrong."

"We know. Are you even listening?" Margaret spoke heatedly this time. No wonder she was edgy during the game. She knew the reason behind this merry gathering from start.

"I-Corps might send an inquiry team here or you might be called there."

"This is ridiculous!" I started pacing, not knowing what to do or say. This was infuriating and I was singularly unequipped to handle this.

"It is, Pierce. We know. So tonight was to tell you of this and let you have something good to eat. I don't want you in post-op till tomorrow morning at least." Potter said, not unkindly though I looked at him, challenging him to stop me.

"Hawk! I'll do it." BJ spoke this time and I remembered an earlier resolve for today. Now just wasn't the time for that.

Maybe tomorrow!

With that, meeting was adjourned and everybody left, leaving me with my thoughts.