Something was wrong, Hawkeye didn't know exactly what was wrong, but something definitely was off about Chris. The child seemed angry or upset. It was very subtle, no big problems like patrolling or any troubles with his school work, but the boy was moody and had an attitude for a while now.
It started after Sidney left so at first Hawkeye believed he just missed the man who had stayed longer than expected but now it seemed more than that.
It started very subtle, angry glances and being moody. But it became more as the days moved on.
Hawkeye felt a bit helpless, he didn't know what was wrong and the boy refused to talk to him. He tried to cheer him up but Chris simply refused. So now Hawkeye was using all his patience not to get mad at the boy, but Chris was making things difficult.
Chris sat on the floor of the Swamp reading some of his comics, his dad sat on his chair telling jokes and tried to get a response from him, but he was still angry. Angry with the distance Hawkeye put between them, it hurt. He had thought his dad would stop being so mean, with keeping him away but it was going on for weeks now and Chris didn't like it one bit.
After a while his sadness changed into anger and he stopped being nice to him. If his dad didn't want to hang out or spend time with him then he also didn't want to spend any time with him either.
"Chris, why are you so upset?" Hawkeye tried after his kid kept ignoring his jokes.
"I'm not," Chris said, not even sparing him a glance while he kept looking at his comics.
"Christopher, don't lie to me. I can see something is wrong. Can't you just tell me? " Hawkeye tried.
Chris just ignored him. Angry tears threatened in the corner of his eyes. It wasn't fair, his dad should know what's wrong. His dad always knew and it was all his fault in the first place.
It started with Chris not being allowed into the O.R while Hawkeye was working, but it became worse after Hawkeye kept sending him away from other stuff as well, like in post op, or even work meetings.
Chris tried to explain then, every time that his dad sent him away he wanted to tell the man he wanted to stay near him, but his dad simply wouldn't let him, he thought the distance was a good thing and it was not. He wanted his father to pay attention to him, but his dad told him he would get stronger with more space, that being independent was important. But it wasn't! He hated it.
"Are you really going to ignore me? I'm not an easy person to ignore." Hawkeye tried.
"No," Chris said, turning a bit away from the man.
Hawkeye sighed, this was breaking his heart. He looked over at BJ, who just shrugged. BJ had told him multiple times, he thought it was the distance Hawkeye kept creating but Hawkeye wasn't so sure. He was also thinking about after the war, how would his son go to school for several hours without him, or have fun with friends. He needed Chris to adjust and he thought it went great. He tried spending extra time with his son outside of work and meetings, just having fun but Chris refused. He clearly didn't want to spend time with him.
"Fine, did you finish your shores?" Hawkeye asked, he was getting irritated.
"Yes, " The boy replied stoically. He had worked with Klinger in the kitchen, peeling potatoes. It was long and hard work and his dad knew he did it, so asking about it was stupid. It was a good thing that Klinger was very nice and someone who could keep him entertained with stories.
"School Work?" The man asked.
"Paappaa" Chris whined softly. His dad was only doing this to irritate him and it was working.
"What? Schoolwork is important." Hawkeye said. He knew his kid was getting pissed, and that's what he was going for. If normal talking wouldn't help, then he just irritates the boy till he becomes so angry he blows his fuse. He remembered himself as a kid, too stubborn for his own good. His dad would do the same, until he would explode and start yelling. Telling what's making him upset.
Chris groaned loudly in frustration, but didn't argue any further. He'd learned not to argue with his father when he had that look on his face.
"Well, did you do your schoolwork or do I need to check." Hawkeye said he knew Chris's schoolwork was good, but he needed some kind of reaction from the boy.
Chris ignored him, this was stupid. His dad knew his work was finished.
"Christopher!" Hawkeye tried again.
"Yes! So don't snap your c-cap and leave me alone!" Chris snapped as he threw his comic to the side and crossed his arms. Angry tears threatened to appear but he wiped them away. He was so angry but he was also getting very scared. He just raised his voice a bit and there was always that fear that someone could get very mad and hurt him, if he was being too noisy. Not his dad, he trusted his dad. But that fear remained. He noticed that he started to tremble a bit and tried to keep his hands steady.
"Excuse me? What did you say? " Hawkeye asked, he was a bit shocked at the little outburst. He was relieved with any type of reaction but to see his kid throw something out of anger was a first.
Chris gulped and couldn't look at his dad, the tone of his dad's voice told him he probably went too far with his rudeness. His hands started to get clammy and his tremble got worse.
" Come here, please." Hawkeye said gently but seriously.
Chris sighed as he got up, he wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans before walking over to his dad.
His dad positioned him standing between his legs. Chris sniffled and wiped his eyes as dread filled him. He didn't want to be punished, and this position wasn't a good sign.
Hawkeye tapped the boy's chin, to request eye contact. Chris looked up, worry and sadness gleaming in his eyes.
"Care to repeat that? " Hawkeye asked.
Chris shook his head, "N-no, Sir," he looked up at his dad, who didn't look too angry. "I-I'm sorry" Chris added softly.
"You should feel sorry, " Hawkeye said as he playfully poked the boy in his side. Making Chris jump up, but smile.
"I mean, that was rude." Hawkeye said grinning as he poked again.
Chris giggled and tried to step away, but his dad poked and tickled him back into position. Making Chris giggle louder.
"Rude, but funny. I've never seen you throw anything." Hawkeye said. His kid was a little neat freak sometimes. So it was special to see him throw something. Hawkeye knew he should be stern about this behavior if Chris was a normal kid, but he knew his kid was terrified still about him making too much noise and he wanted to show Chris that there's nothing to be afraid of.
Chris looked a bit shocked, "My comic!" he squeaked before he ran to the comic he threw to look it over.
"Hey, you wanna play ball later? " Hawkeye asked, he thought he broke the ice a little, so maybe Chris would agree.
Chris's head shot up as he looked thoughtfully. He was still angry and probably should say no, but he had missed his dad a lot. That tickling was fun. He quickly nodded yes, and then grinned at his dad.
"Yeah?" Hawkeye said, looking down at his kid with a grin.
"I want to play, Dad! Can we go right now? " The small voice sounded excited and Hawkeye's heart swelled when he saw the boy smile. It was so much better than when it had been before, and it filled his heart with hope.
"Yeah sure! We can go right now!" Hawkeye said with excitement, but the moment he got up from his chair, the intercom alerted them of incoming wounded.
Chris's face fell and he looked heartbroken as tears welled up. A small sniffle filled the Swamp. Hawkeye sighed and pulled his kid close into his embrace. This was just mean. "Shhh, shhh Chris, I know it sucks," He whispered softly and stroked his hand through his kid's soft golden locks. Chris just hugged his dad tighter and tried not to cry. This wasn't fair. He wiped his face with his sleeves and sniffed as his dad let go of him.
"We can play ball later okay?" Hawkeye asked, Chris just nodded, he didn't look convinced.
Hawkeye sighed sadly, he had no choice but to help the wounded but it was painful to see his son so upset. He gave the boy a quick kiss on his forehead before running outside to help.
His dad left the Swamp before Chris could ask to come along, he knew he wasn't allowed to anymore, but he still had hope and he didn't want to leave his dad at all.
The O.R session was never ending, so many hours they had to work on young soldiers, barely old enough to leave their mother. And Hawkeye hated it, he hated this war, these kids don't deserve being shot to pieces. And on top of that, he felt bad about not being able to spend time with his son. It was nerve racking as he, with each new soldier he needed to operate and each hour that passed he felt more quilty.
It was the middle of the night when they were finally finished and a dead tired Hawkeye shuffled towards the Swamp, with BJ following close behind.
Inside he saw Chris hundle up in his bed, hugging his blankets. He felt a pang of guilt as he watched his son, it must've been lonely today for him, as everyone was working in the O.R. He sighed deeply and as tired as he was he tried to gently move the sleeping child back into his own cot.
Chris stirred and mumbled something before he flung his arms around Hawkeye's neck.
"Dad? " He mumbled.
"Yeah, it's me. You go back to sleep, Kiddo. Okay?" Hawkeye whispered, he felt a tiny nod from the boy before he untangled his son's arms and put him down on the cot next to him.
Chris yawned widely and opened his eyes a little, just to see his dad at least.
Hawkeye crawled on his bed and with a sigh he fell asleep.
Chris was drifting off to sleep when he heard his dad getting up again. He opened his eyes and saw his dad sitting up.
"I'm going out," the man mumbled as he got up.
Chris didn't think about it as he got up as well and followed him, "c-can I c-come too?" He asked softly as he tugged on Hawkeye's red bathrobe sleeve. He hoped his dad would say yes as he really wanted to stay with him, but his dad still had that idea they needed space and didn't like bringing him along during the night time.
"Yeah sure" Hawkeye mumbled as he walked out the door.
"Huh" came the confused reply from BJ, who was trying to sleep as well. "Hawkeye you're okay?" the man asked, but Hawkeye had already left.
Chris didn't wait for another reply and quickly followed his dad, he felt overjoyed he was allowed again to follow.
First they walked through post op, his dad seemed a bit off.
It was weird, a lot weirder than his dad normally was. Chris didn't know how to feel about it, he loved the attention but something was wrong. Hawkeye said he was playing ball, but didn't have a ball, so he was just mimicking the movements.
Chris tried to talk to him but Hawkeye was pretty much unresponsive. He started to get scared, why wasn't his dad responding?
Thankfully Klinger appeared and started asking questions. Hawkeye responded by talking about his new shoes before he abruptly walked away. Chris sighed, he was shaking a bit and he wasn't going to leave his dad alone so he followed him again. Hawkeye spent some time walking around asking if people wanted to play ball, but nobody seemed interested so he stirred back towards the Swamp. Once inside he fell facedown on his bed and was asleep in seconds.
Chris crawled into bed as well but didn't sleep for a while, he was worried as he looked at his sleeping dad. Something was wrong with him and Chris didn't know what. He watched his dad for hours before he finally fell asleep.
The next day Chris didn't leave Hawkeye's side. He refused, even if his dad would threaten him with punishment he wouldn't go. Thankfully his dad was more confused about his behavior than angry so Chris was able to stay close. He kept asking if Chris was okay and feeling his forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever. He hadn't slept a lot so he probably looked as tired as he felt.
They joined Klinger, BJ, Frank, Radar and Colonel Potter's table.
"Tired?" BJ asked as Hawkeye sat next to him.
Hawkeye groaned, "What's beyond tired?"
"Exhausted?" Radar tried to say during his chewing.
"What comes after that?" Hawkeye asked.
"Dead?" Klinger asked.
"Now you're getting warm. " Hawkeye mumbled as he took a big sip of his coffee. Chris was holding on to his arms, but was eating so Hawkeye let him. He didn't know why his kid was so clingy all of a sudden, the boy looked dead tired but didn't feel warmer than usual.
"Well, what do you expect, wandering around the compound half the night?" Frank said.
"What's he talking about? " Hawkeye asked BJ, confused.
"I guess he's talking about your midnight stroll." BJ voiced.
"Now what are you talking about?" Hawkeye asked.
"No fooling," Klinger said. "You were playing basketball sort of."
"Don't pull my leg." Hawkeye said. He felt Chris grabbing his arm tighter after Klingers remark, so there must be some truth to it. "The shape I'm in, it'll come off. "
Klinger told them about last night and what Hawkeye was doing. He told them Hawkeye was telling him about his new tennis shoes, and the new principal Vander-something-or-other.
Hawkeye gave the man an odd look. "Vanderhaven? You're talking about my old principal."
"You must've been sleepwalking." BJ said.
"I don't sleepwalk, I never have." Is that why Chris won't leave my arm? He thought to himself as he looked at the boy. Chris looked back before he blushed and continued eating, not letting go.
After breakfast, Hawkeye finally convinced Chris to let him go. The boy wasn't happy about it, but he needed to work in an hour, so he had no choice.
That night Chris was laying awake, he was worried about his dad and he didn't want to sleep. If Hawkeye got up again, he needed to know. It didn't take much longer before Hawkeye left his bed again. The man mumbled something as he walked away and out of the Swamp.
Chris scrambled out of bed and quickly followed him. He found his dad playing hopscotch in the middle of the compound. It was a silly sight but more frightening than he wanted to admit. He also didn't know what to do, his dad wasn't really responding to anything he said.
He slowly started to panic but thankfully Radar walked by.
"Hey Chris, shouldn't you be in bed?" The clerk said before he saw Hawkeye jumping around. The clerk stopped in his tracks and looked with confusion at the jumping doctor. Chris quickly took hold of the clerk's bathrobe, he needed his friend right now, something was wrong with his dad.
"What are you doing, sir? " the clerk asked, a bit uneasy.
"Heya stinky!" Hawkeye said, without missing a beat on his jumping.
Radar looked around him to find out who Hawkeye was referring to before realizing the man meant him, he got a frown and said.
"Uhh, sir, that's the sorta name that kinda sticks with a fella. I'd appreciate it if you'd just call me by my given nickname."
"What's cooking, Dexter?" Hawkeye said, the man started to get bored.
Radar sighed defeated, " If those are my only choices I guess I'll take stinky. It's got a little more pizzazz."
Hawkeye ignored the man and got down to the floor. He put his face close to the dirt and seemed to be playing with invisible marbles.
"He's at it again! " Klinger said as he approached them.
"What?" Radar asked.
"He's sleepwalking again. " Klinger said.
"No kidding? " Radar asked, "Hey, Hawkeye, are you asleep?"
"No, don't do that! He'll get lockjaw. " Klinger said as he prevented Radar.
Chris tugged the man's sleeve, "W-What's that?"
"Ohh nothing for you to worry about, let's just get him back to bed. " Klinger responded while he and Radar helped Hawkeye up from the floor. Chris let out a huff, he hated when people said he shouldn't worry without an explanation. If they would just explain things, it would be so much easier to not worry. But at least they were helping with getting his dad back to bed.
"Hey Stinky?" Hawkeye asked Radar when they escorted him to the Swamp. "Yeah? What is it, Hawkeye?" Radar asked.
"Will you fetch my marbles for me?" The doctor mumbled before they guided him towards his bed. "Sure, Hawkeye. " Rader said as Hawkeye crawled under the covers. Chris rearranged the blanket over the man as Klinger patted Radar's shoulder.
"Let's go back to work, Stinky." The man said laughing before walking off. Radar followed him and mumbled angrily to himself.
"I knew it, I just knew that name would stick."
Chris smiled and gave a small wave as the clerk left, he loved his friends. He watched his sleeping dad as he climbed into bed and nestled under the covers. His dad looked peaceful and it eased his worries. He sighed tiredly as he started to drift off to sleep.
He had just fallen asleep when he got abruptly awoken by a startling scream from the cot next to him. Chris jumped up and almost fell out of bed but managed to hang on. He moved over to his screaming dad while an alarmed BJ rushed over. Chris never had seen his dad scream like this and he didn't know what to do, so he did what he always did and flung his arms around the man's neck, burying his face close. Just holding on tight.
"Hawkeye it's okay, it's me!" BJ tried as he grabbed hold of the man's flailing arms. "It's only a dream! Hawkeye, it's okay!"
Hawkeye looked at him with wide eyes as he slowly got aware of his surroundings. He exhaled deeply a couple of times and put his arms around his shaking son.
"Ohh God, it was awful!" Hawkeye said as he sat up straight. Chris didn't let go and Hawkeye was really grateful for that. He needed comfort right now.
"What was it," BJ asked. Hawkeye explained what he dreamed about. He was back home and around 11 years old and he and one of his childhood friends were sliding, his friend Toby was sliding too hard and way too fast towards a big tree, it was terrifying. Toby kept yelling his name over and over.
"Thankfully it's only a dream," BJ said.
"Only a dream," Hawkeye said, he sounded like he ran a marathon. "Only, I'm shaking like a leaf. My heart's pounding as if I've run ten miles. My palms are sweaty. And I'm not sure but I think I wet the bed." He took a couple of deep breaths and held his trembling son close, that dream was terrible and he needed something, anything to take his mind off it. He tapped Chris and asked if the boy would like to get him a drink, God knows he needed one right now.
Chris nodded without thinking and immediately got to work. BJ made sure that Hawkeye was okay before he returned to his bed and quickly fell back to sleep. Hawkeye went over to his chair, he was still shaking but it was slowly getting better. He watched his kid near the still. It amazed him that his kid was so strong, this young boy who went through such terrifying dreams so often, and never gave up on being happy. It was hard to believe that a child that small had managed to be okay during the day after something like this.
Thankfully the nightmares of Chris got better, he had those really bad dreams once every couple or three weeks, so it was really getting better. But now he was the one with the nightmare, and he hoped this was the last one. He really didn't want to restrict himself to a bedtime.
Chris handed him a drink as Hawkeye put his arms around the boy. They sat together like that for a couple minutes, just quietly seeking comfort from each other.
The next day Hawkeye didn't want to go to bed, he hated to admit it to himself but he was scared. It was as simple as that. And to make things worse, him being scared had kept his kid up at night. Chris was loving it, he seemed very happy to ignore his bedtime to hang out with his dad. They played cards and played on the pinball machine for hours, but now it was very late and Chris had fallen asleep next to him. The conversation between him and Klinger also came to an end as the man headed off towards bed. Hawkeye sighed as he got up, there was no escaping now. He woke Chris gently, and guided the sleepy child to the Swamp.
Chris yawned widely, this had been the best evening ever. He felt so relieved that his dad wanted to spend more time with him. His dad seemed so detached yesterday, and didn't want to play, and it scared him. More than he wanted to admit.
Reaching his bed, Chris crawled under the covers and yawned. His dad pulled his blankets up and he was already drifting off to sleep as he felt a kiss on his forehead.
It was peaceful for a while before a loud screaming woke everyone up. Chris jumped up startled and saw his dad swinging his arm as he screamed. The boy quickly moved over and flung himself around the man's neck.
Hawkeye returned the embrace with shaky and sweaty arms, but at least he stopped screaming. He took a couple of minutes to calm down before he removed Chris and got up. Chris quickly followed to grab the man's sleeve. He didn't want to leave his dad alone right now as the man was looking frantic while he explained to the two awoken doctors, he needed to make a call. BJ looked at him worried but didn't try to stop the man.
They rushed towards Radar's office, Chris almost had to jog to keep up.
Inside Hawkeye woke Radar urgently, explaining about his dream with the explosion. "Got blown to a million pieces!" Hawkeye told the clerk.
"Wow a million pieces?! " Radar said as he put on his glasses before he got dragged out of bed.
"Make the call, Radar. "Colonel Potter said, who without them noticing had entered the office. The man was wearing his bathrobe and looked tired.
As Hawkeye began pacing around the office, Chris heard Potter tell the Clerk to make a call to Sidney also. Dread filled the child as he watched his frantic dad, if Sidney needed to be called it was much worse than he thought, they never called Sidney if he had nightmares. But his dad never had them so maybe it's different.
They went back to the Swamp but Hawkeye didn't sleep again and Chris didn't get told to go to bed either so he sat next to his dad, his eyes kept falling shut, but he tried to stay awake as long as he could.
Hours later the morning arrived and he woke as Hawkeye started moving. Apparently the man had slept a bit as well. The boy yawned widely before he got up and started to get dressed. He felt great, he was very happy his dad wanted his attention so much again. He had missed it.
At breakfast Chris was helping Francis with a crossword puzzle when Potter arrived at their table with Radar close behind him.
"I'm calling an officers meeting." Potter said as he sat down.
Chris looked at the man with disappointment, his dad had to work today and they only had time together during breakfast and now the Colonel ruined it. His dad had the nasty habit of sending him away when a meeting started and he hated it. He wished things would go back like they were. He loved sitting in with meetings or visiting with the patients in Post op. But his dad had the weird idea that his work and Chris should stay separated.
The boy looked at his dad and saw the stubborn expression.
"Chris, you better go somewhere else." Hawkeye tried while he saw the hurt on the child's face, and for a second he wondered if BJ was right, that the distance was doing more harm than good. But how was Chris ever going to be a normal kid if he couldn't stay away for a couple of hours a day. He wanted his son to be able to go to school by himself and to the park to play on his own and he thought it was better to start early. It didn't stop his guilt, his son clearly hated this.
Chris didn't say a word and left. Not just to another table but he cleaned his tray and went outside, letting the door slam harder than normally. Angry tears threatened to spill as he kicked a small rock angrily. He hated this! He thought his dad had changed his mind, or at least a little. Now he had no one to play with today, well at least for a couple of hours. He kicked another rock away. This was so stupid. A small sob escaped and he quickly wiped the tears away, he was not going to cry!
Radar was also working today after the meeting and most of the local kids didn't visit the 4077th until later on the day. Chris sighed, BJ was free later but that was not the same as his dad, Radar or other kids. And Sidney would also arrive later, but he wouldn't have time to play.
He stopped near the end of the camp and stomped his feet on the ground with anger, this was just so unfair.
He looked beyond Rosie's bar and knew if he walked this way he would arrive in the small village and houses around the unit.
The people often changed but the buildings stayed the same, he could find some comfort in that. There were about two local kids he played with from time to time, maybe he could visit them. He wasn't allowed outside the camp and he never did. He didn't want to leave his dad alone so he never even thought of going out of camp. But now.
Chris sighed deeply, he wanted to play and have fun, but his dad would blow a fuse if he found out. The boy huffed as he felt his own anger rise, if his dad didn't want him around, then he didn't want to be around his dad either. His dad would have to go straight to work after the meeting anyway, so there wasn't any way he could get caught. He would find someone else to play with, no matter how angry his dad got. He was angry too!
He looked around and saw he was completely alone as most people were still having breakfast. Making his decision Chris sneaked past Rosie's bar and walked further than he ever did on his own. He knew the way, he walked here before with his dad and a couple of times with Radar but never on his own.
The dry sand grunched underneath his shoes as Chris walked. His anger was still keeping a hold of him, his dad was just being mean and it hurt every time he was sent away. He walked past the tiny houses. He didn't know everyone and he started to get a bit nervous being there on his own. Realizing he was really away from his dad.
He tried to ignore the increasing gnawing feeling he felt. The feeling he needed to be closer to his dad. The one safe place he knew. Chris kept walking until he came across a house he thought he recognized. But he didn't recognize the area around it. He wanted to keep going as fast as he could but the only problem was, it seemed like he had no idea where he was.
The boy looked around him for a second but he noticed his hands getting clammy and he started trembling. Maybe he should turn back, this wasn't any fun anyway. He wiped his hands on his jeans nervously before he turned back around and started walking back before he got seriously lost. He had been walking and running for a while now. But he couldn't know for sure how long, as he didn't have a watch, but it was probably safer to get back. His shaking got worse as negative thoughts started through his mind. He was too far away and he needed to see his dad, something could be wrong. Very wrong.
The closer he got to the 4077th, the faster he started walking, and he was almost running when he turned a corner and stopped in his tracks as relief washed over him. His dad was here, and he seemed completely fine.
Chris released a deep breath. His dad seemed fine, but his relief was short lived as the man seemed to be looking for him and was asking people. This was not a good sign. Dread filled him as he tried to swallow the lump away in his throat and debated about turning back to hide.
He had just turned around trying to sneak away when he heard his dad's voice.
"Christopher!" Chris flinched but stopped and faced his dad. The man looked immensely relieved at first before he turned angry.
"Come here, please." Hawkeye said. He was so relieved his kid was okay, they had searched the camp for over an hour. But he was so disappointed that Chris was here in the first place.
Chris quickly made his way over to his dad but stopped short a few feet. His dad looked mad and he didn't want to get smacked in public, there were people around. He looked up timidly and saw the disappointment flash across his dad's face before it turning angry.
Hawkeye reached out and grabbed the boy's ear, dragging him closer.
Chris felt a sharp pain in his ear and he squeaked a little as tears jumped into his eyes. "OW! OW.. Ow.." The boy whimpered a bit as he quickly moved to where his dad was guiding him. The moment Chris was in front of his dad, the man released his ear.
Hawkeye first made sure his son was unharmed before he crossed his arms and gave Chris a stern look. His child looked absolutely miserable, tears gleaming in his eyes as he rubbed his red ear. Hawkeye's heart broke at the sight but he was still angry! Chris had never left on his own before and it had scared him a lot. He and several 4077th personnel had searched all over camp. He had been worried sick about Chris this whole time and his son was just wandering around for fun.
Grabbing the boy's shoulders he gave a stern look before he snapped. "Did you know you weren't allowed outside of camp?" He sounded as angry as he felt. Which was still a lot. It was a good thing he had time to cool down as they needed to walk back.
Chris jumped a bit at the harsh tone. "Y-yes s-sir" he responded. This was not a good sign. His dad looked really mad. Maybe he was walking around longer than he suspected.
Hawkeye sighed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed to calm down a little before he would do something he would regret, like hauling his kid over his knee in public.
"Swamp now." Hawkeye said, as he turned the boy around to guide him back towards the 4077th. Chris nodded and started walking, his dad sounded incredibly mad, so he wasn't planning on doing anything to make the man angrier.
The moment they entered the 4077th, Radar rushed up.
"You found him, that's great!" The clerk said, the man looked frantically relieved and Chris started to feel very guilty.
"You worried us, you know. We searched all over for you!" Radar said to the boy who turned bright red. Radar's concern was ridden all over his face, making Chris tear up. "I-I'm s-s-sorry" Chris mumbled as he wiped his tears away. He was very sorry, he hadn't meant for everyone to be upset. He was just angry with his dad.
"Radar, can you tell everyone we found him? Hawkeye asked the clerk. He stirred Chris towards the Swamp."Come on, we still need to have a serious conversation about this." Chris sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve but didn't protest the guiding hand on his shoulder. He knew he was in trouble, his dad seemed very mad.
They stepped inside the Swamp and Hawkeye was glad to find out they were alone. He knew that BJ was working in Post-op as he took over Hawkeye's shift, but he didn't know where Frank was hanging out.
Chris quickly and quietly moved over to the other side of the Swamp, trying to get as far as possible.
Hawkeye sat down on his cot and sighed. He calmed down a little but it was very upsetting that his son wandered off on his own. Chris had never done that before, and he wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad one.
He looked over to his nervous son, Chris was watching him with big eyes while fidgeting with his shirt.
"Come here," Hawkeye said.
Chris shook his head a little. "Y-You gonna s-spank me." He said nervously, his voice even higher than normal.
"Damn right I'm going to spank you! Now come here! " Hawkeye snapped back. He had calmed down a little but his son's attitude right now was definitely not helping his mood. The moment the words were out his mouth Chris started sobbing but he didn't move from his spot.
"P-Paapaaa!" the boy whined softly.
"Christopher Wouter Pierce!" Hawkeye said. Making the boy jump a little. "You come right here now, or you can fetch the slipper. "
Chris started sobbing louder but quickly made his way over to his dad. He would do anything to avoid that slipper. He stopped short for a second but the stern look from his dad forced him to take the two last steps. The moment he was within reach his dad grabbed his bicep and positioned him right in front of him. Hawkeye looked at his crying son. He hated to do this, he hated it. But Chris scared him today and the child knew he wasn't allowed outside of the 4077th.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Hawkeye said, trying to keep his anger and fear from his voice. Chris looked at him with teary eyes. Hawkeye saw that the boy was very sorry but that didn't erase his actions.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry " Chris said while he wiped his eyes.
"I know you are sorry, but that doesn't excuse your behavior. Almost the whole unit was looking for you. You never just left camp, and it scared us." Hawkeye said. His kid looked absolutely miserable as he whispered another apology.
"I'm gonna make sure you won't do it again." Hawkeye added sternly.
Chris let out a nervous hum as his dad opened his jeans, he tried to step away but his dad grabbed hold of him before he could.
With one last stern look from his dad, the man tipped him over his left knee. Chris felt the familiar feeling of his dad's knee pressing into his stomach. Next his pants were pulled down and he let out a loud sob. His briefs followed quickly and he immediately reached back his only free hand back to protect his bottom. The other one was pressed to his side between him and his dad. He spread all his fingers trying to block what was about to happen.
Hawkeye sighed and tapped the small hand. "Chris, put your hand away." Hawkeye said tiredly.
"P-please d-dont!" The boy managed to mumble between sobs. "I'm s-sorry"
Hawkeye sighed annoyed as he grabbed the small hand and pinned it down to the side before he raised his hand and delivered the first smack.
*SMACK*
Chris let out a gasp as the first slap hit, pain spread on his behind making him cry harder. "OW!" Why did he always forget how much this could hurt, and how much he hated this. He didn't have any time to think about it as his dad didn't stop but started at a quick pace spanking. Chris sobbed and tried to struggle. But Hawkeye's legs didn't give him enough room to kick and his hands were stuck to his side. So he started pleading between his sobs. Anything to make this spanking stop.
"P-papa p-please," Tears slipped down Chris's cheek. "I'm sorry." He knew his dad wouldn't listen, but he had to try. He closed his eyes and cried out with every smack.
Hawkeye didn't respond, the pleading and sobbing from his son was breaking his heart but this was a war zone and he didn't want his son wandering off. If they were in the US it wouldn't matter that much but here he just couldn't take the risk.
"I-I'm sssooorrrry" Chris cried as the slaps echoed through the tent. His cries got louder as his butt continued to increase with stings.
"No, I don't want to hear another word from you young man. You definitely earned this spanking." Hawkeye said as he continued to hit the small backside.
Every hit sent shocks into Chris causing him to yelp. Tears fell down his face as he whimpered, "Daaadddyyyy."
Hawkeye kept the smacks fast, no point in drawing this out. He wanted this over with quickly. And judging on the small reddened bottom over his knee he was already getting close.
He lifted the boy higher on the cot to reach the undercurve of the small bottom, making Chris wimper a little. He was almost done and from his own childhood he knew this spot was very effective and one that will make you remember this punishment.
Hawkeye lifted his hand again and started scolding.
"Don't ever pull that disappearing act again" Hawkeye spoke sternly. "I was worried sick!" He started spanking again, making sure his son knew he was dead serious.
"I...I'm sorry!" Chris cried, tears streaming down his face. The pain in his bottom was strobing and his dad still kept going.
Hawkeye gave the last smacks with increasing force. He made sure he wasn't too hard on the boy. Not that Chris would think so, the child was sobbing his heart out. But Hawkeye knew this was a pretty mild spanking.
He gave the last spank before he released the child's hand and moved a bit so that the child had more movement. Chris didn't move right away so Hawkeye started stroking his back, letting the boy know they were finished.
"Ow" Chris whined softly as his hands went to his bottom. He hated spankings, he really did. And rubbing never seemed to help any, but he just needed to touch a little. Anything that could relieve some of the sting. He stayed like this for a minute, calming down a little before he got up.
Hawkeye helped Chris get up, his son looked like his world just ended and it broke his heart. He didn't have a choice but to punish his son, kids needed discipline as well. But that didn't stop him from feeling guilty.
The moment his kid was in front of him the boy flung himself around his neck and sobbed. "It's okay, Kiddo. It's over" Hawkeye tried to sooth the boy as his son's tears were falling down his cheeks and on the collar of his shirt. Hawkeye held him close, he loved his son more than anything, but that was also the reason he had to be strict sometimes.
"You have no idea how worried I was." Hawkeye admitted. "When I heard nobody had seen you, I was worried you were hurt or lost. Why would you even go wandering outside of the 4077th?"
Chris turned to look at him with red rimmed eyes, his lower lip was trembling and Hawkeye's heart melted. "W-what do you mean? H-how d-did you know I was gone?"
"Because I'm keeping tabs on you, most of the personnel keep an eye out for you." Hawkeye explained as he adjusted the boy's briefs and pants.
Chris let out a hiss as the fabric was put back into place. He wiped his eyes and sniffed as he looked at him with those big blue eyes. "B-but that's not fair." He whispered. Tears welled up again as he snuggled close. His butt felt like it was on fire, and he needed way more affection to make it better. He had to admit it wasn't the worst spanking he had gotten but all spankings were terrible.
"Why isn't that fair? I worry and as your dad I need to keep you safe." Hawkeye said, hugging the soft sobbing boy close.
"B-because I w-worry too, and I c-c-can't keep tabs, I just get sent away." Chris mumbled softly around Hawkeye's neck before he started sobbing again before he said. "You just keep sending me a-away. And that's not fair!"
"Christopher, is that why you were wandering around? Because you're angry with me." Hawkeye asked as he gently untangled his son's arms away from his neck so he could look at him. Chris at first shook his head no, but stopped and then slowly nodded. Hawkeye looked into his son's eyes and saw hurt, anger, and fear. And just like that everything became clear. How could he be so stupid? Hawkeye sighed deeply and hugged his kid close against him.
"Ohh Kiddo! You're right! And I'm sorry." He said.
Chris looked at him confused."Really?"
"Yeah really. Do you really think I want to send you away during meetings? I really thought it was better for you." Hawkeye said as he felt Chris shook his head quickly. "But I guess I'm pushing you too hard and too fast. So let's slow down a little, okay? I won't send you away again from now on, you're welcome to help me in post-op and even stay during meetings but the O.R is still off limits. And you have to promise me not to leave this camp, can we agree on that?"
"I promise!" Chris replied quickly, making Hawkeye chuckle. He tried to untangle the child again but Chris let out a small whine and held on tightly. So Hawkeye decided to hold him close for as long as Chris needed.
Sidney arrived a couple hours later and he, Hawkeye, Chris and the usual group sat around the table playing poker. Chris had played with them for a couple of hours, without money off course but he still had a great time. He was having so much fun he even wanted to object to his bedtime, but he also didn't want to risk his dad getting upset. He was overjoyed with the fact his dad thought he was right, and he wanted to badly prove it to his dad as well.
He couldn't suppress a small pout but did as he was told and got ready for bed. He knew his dad still had to talk with Sidney so it was better to let them have some space. His dad looked a lot happier already, and hopefully that would be enough to deal with the nightmares.