Chris stayed sick for a couple of days, but two days ago the boy finally felt better. Hawkeye didn't know if he should be glad or upset about all the diseases the boy attracted so far. He recovered from several different types of flu, not to mention the lice, which wasn't unusual as the rest of the personnel had the same problem. The boy's immune system must be skyrocketing by now, but it was still something he worried about. It was hard not to worry when the boy was sick.
Thankfully, his son seemed completely recovered today, which was a blessing as he felt like shit. No, he wasn't sick, this was his own doing. They had a big party last night and he went a little overboard with the drinks.
His son almost jumped at him the moment he woke up. "Morning! " Chris said as he embraced him, putting his arms around his neck, apparently Chris was feeling a lot better than he was. He let out a loud groan but hugged the boy back tightly. "Morning Kiddo. You need to speak softly as Dad is having a monster hangover. Okay? "
Chris nodded and watched the man with concern. His dad didn't look that good, he looked sick, pale and just old. He wanted to fetch some coffee, but the colonel had an announcement to make and they needed to go.
After Hawkeye put on his robe, they went outside. BJ was pushing him in a wheelchair to where Colonel Potter wanted them to go, while his son walked next to him. His hangover was killing him and every movement felt like someone was hitting him on his head with a hammer. He was glad Chris was nice enough to be quiet, most kids wouldn't even pay attention to something like that but Chris was a sweetheart, and tried everything to make him feel better.
Most of the personnel were already there and lined up as BJ rolled Hawkeye next to Margaret. Hawkeye used his hand trying to block out the sun while he looked up at the perky woman next to him. "Margaret, you know regulations. What are you doing out here with clean clothes and no beard?" He asked.
"Just enjoying the most beautiful morning I've seen in weeks." She said, she was the only one who looked awake and even cheerful. The rest of the 4077th was either hungover or tired.
Chris glanced at Klinger. He wasn't openly showing he was curious about the clothes the man wore, but he couldn't help to sneak some glances. He was a bit disappointed by the yellow bathrobe, it was a beautiful rope but the man wore his army clothes underneath and had several rollers in his hair, so the whole image wasn't good.
He stayed close to Hawkeye, the man needed him right now and Chris liked to be needed. It wasn't the only reason as he was also nervous about what the colonel had to say. His dad and the other adults told him about the peace talks, and they were hoping the war was over soon. Especially his dad who had his heart set on the end of this war. And if there was peace that would mean they have to leave this place.
Chris stood a bit closer and Hawkeye put an arm around his waist for comfort. As his dad sat in a wheelchair, they were almost the same height.
"You okay?" Hawkeye asked him. Chris nodded and said softly. "Just nervous." He felt guilty about not wanting this war to end. That was just very selfish of him, people are dying like this, but he couldn't help being afraid of leaving this place. This place had become his home and family.
Radar blew his whistle loudly to get everyone's attention, as the colonel walked up. Almost everyone groaned at the loud sound the clerk produced and glared back out of protest.
The colonel stood next to the clerk as Radar whistled again. Potter groaned and snatched the whistle away from the man.
Radar seemed heartbroken when Potter told him he was getting the whistle back after the war.
The colonel stepped out in front of them, looking over all the faces of those present."Good morning people. Two announcements. First…" He said but he got interrupted by Hawkeye holding his hand up to say something. "Yes, Pierce? "
"I move for adjournment. " The doctor said with a grin.
Chris sighed and buried his face against his dad's shoulder. He didn't know why his dad always had to make jokes and he didn't like it. He was nervous and wanted to know what the colonel had to say.
"Of course you do." Potter replied before he continued. "First, now that we've moved the gasoline next to the latrine…" He pointed at it to make sure people understood. "There will be no more smoking in there. Anyone caught will get what's left of his butt kicked. "
"Safety first! " Charles mumbled as he snatched the big cigar out of Klinger's mouth and threw it on the ground. The man had been complaining about the smell earlier. Before Klinger could object, the colonel continued.
"And now this cheery bit of news. Last couple of weeks it looked like we might be getting a break in the peace talks. That we might all be going home. "
Chris's heart was racing, he couldn't lose this place and its people. He wanted the war to be over, he hated all the pain it caused but why couldn't they all stay here after? That would be best for everyone.
"No such luck." The colonel said, making Chris look up. Everyone looked devastated. Even Radar looked a bit sick as the colonel continued his explanation. "we're back at square one. "
Everyone started grumbling at once. People were angry, outraged, and deeply hurt. It was almost impossible not to think about how their families were going to cope without them. They had already lost so many people they loved.
"It's never going to stop!" Hawkeye mumbled angrily between clenched teeth. He was furious, this stupid war wasn't helping anyone. And it amazed him that other people didn't see that. What reason could you have to continue this madness? Chris must have noted his anger, as the boy put his arms around his neck for a hug and sighed sadly. "It's going to be okay," Hawkeye said reassuringly while he returned the hug.
Chris nodded but couldn't help the worry and fear he felt. He was scared too.
"All right!" Potter said loudly as he held his hands up to get everyone quiet. The angry grumbling slowly stopped and Potter continued.
"I know, but remember, nobody's here for the duration. When you got enough service points, the army will rotate you home." The colonel said, straightening up and putting both his arms on his back. A gesture they were familiar with. "In the meantime, let's pull together, do the best we can, and, uh... Aw, you know the rest of the song." Potter said before he told Radar to let them go, dismissing them.
Hawkeye got up from his chair, grabbed it, and started to roll it back to the Swamp. "Let's drag this chair back and get some breakfast." He tried to calm down but he was fuming at the unfairness of it all.
They met with Charles and BJ at the mess hall, standing in line for the food.
Hawkeye finished pouring himself some coffee as he turned towards BJ and said. "I love it. Peace talks. They talk and we get blown to pieces."
Chris looked at Igor serving the food. The man had been clearly avoiding him and he couldn't say he minded. He didn't know why, but Igor didn't say or do anything more than was necessary, trying to avoid him as much as possible and when he had to talk with him, he was polite all of a sudden. It was strange and Chris had a suspicion that his dad had something to do with it.
"Morning." Chris said as he held up his food tray.
"Good morning to you, Chris. " Igor replied with a nervous smile, as he quickly filled the tray, and sent them on his way.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. " Charles started. "Do you naive little boys really think that all the parties concerned have to do is shake hands and make nice? " Charles sneered. "It's futile, children. "
Hawkeye ignored Charles and turned towards Igor. He felt some sort of satisfaction at the scared nervous look the enlisted man gave him. His little payback prank had done his job, Igor seemed terrified of him. He hadn't forgotten how mean Igor had been to his son, even implying the child was faking being sick. Like HE as a doctor wouldn't know the difference. Hawkeye had made sure the man remembered who he was dealing with by stealing all the man's boxers and gluing them all together with his own mixture of glue, right on the crotch area. If the glue dried it was rock hard, so even if Igor managed to separate them, he still had to deal with hard patches on areas that easily scratched.
He put on an evil grin as he looked Igor in the eyes. There wasn't any proof he had done it, but he hoped Igor would be smart enough to figure that out. But to be sure, he had been dropping little hints.
"Don't be so nervous, Igor. Don't get your panties in a twist. Something could happen to them." Hawkeye said with a big grin as he moved away from the line and looked around for his kid. Chris gave him a little wave, showing them he had sat down next to Margaret. He and BJ joined them. Hawkeye sat down while Chris gave him a suspicious look.
"What did you do to Igor? " Chris asked him while eating.
"Who? Little old me?" Hawkeye said, faking innocents. "I haven't done anything!"
"Daaad" Chris whined softly.
"Nothing that can be proved anyway." BJ added as well.
Chris gasped and shot the man a glare. BJ was in on it.
Margaret told them happily about her plans to meet with her husband to work things out. Chris wasn't listening, he was trying to come up with a plan to convince his dad to let him have a pet. He had already tried several times with no luck. So he needed a good plan. His dad didn't want any rodents in the Swamp so maybe he could convince his dad for a non-rodent pet.
They barely had time to eat breakfast before they were alerted about incoming choppers.
Chris's face fell as the adults got up, preparing for work. Hawkeye kissed him on his head while he was trying to quickly finish his food so he could help out if they needed him. Sometimes he even helped watch over the patients. Making sure they stayed calm or distracted. People were often scared when they arrived and Chris knew how it felt. And most soldiers enjoyed talking with him.
The tension in the O.R. was high. The failing peace talks were getting on everyone's nerves and people started lashing out. Chris helped a bit inside post-op but he could still hear the arguing between his dad versus Charles and Potter snapping at Francis. It scared him a little, people were scary even without them being angry or upset, and when they got angry they weren't just scary but also unpredictable
After every wounded soldier was operated on and the doctors could finally go rest, Chris followed his dad and the other doctors into the scrubbing area, where they would change back into their civvies. Hawkeye opened the door and entered the room slowly. Chris looked at his dad and noted the man looked dead tired, and BJ didn't look any better. They worked for hours.
Before they could change, Potter told them to sit down. The man wasn't happy with all this tension and was planning to do something about it. As the rest of the doctors sat down, he stood tall in front of them with a stern expression like a disapproving father.
"I don't like the way things are shaping up in this camp. " The colonel started. "Everybody's growling. It's ugly. I'm afraid to walk home at night. "
"It used to be such a good neighborhood. " BJ mumbled. He sat next to Hawkeye and rested his head against the wall.
"Well, there'll be some changes made today. " Potter said before he got a huge fake smile.
"See this smile?" He said as he pointed at the huge fake grin on his face. "You're all gonna wear one just like it! Hopefully, it'll catch on."
Charles groaned and said, "Surely you don't think... "
"QUIET! " The colonel yelled, interrupting the other doctor.
Chris jumped up, startled at the loud yelling and he went to stand between BJ and his dad. His dad put a tired but protective arm around him to make him feel better and he leaned into the man. This was what he meant about angry people being unpredictable. Why did the Colonel have to yell?
"SMILE!" Potter snapped again. Until Charles obeyed slowly, getting an awkward grimace on his face.
Potter turned towards BJ and Hawkeye. Chris stepped back a bit to hide a little more behind his dad. He didn't like the colonel yelling at him.
"You two! People are taking your example, so I want you to play the game. You don't have to love it here, just tolerate it an awful lot. " The colonel snapped.
Hawkeye sighed and mumbled "Best I can do is despite the place. "
"Call it an order! And you guys might want to take a shower or a shave." Potter snapped.
Hawkeye groaned but didn't even get the chance to complain.
"DO IT! " Potter snapped, making Chris let out a startled nervous sound best described as a snort.
So with the new orders of the Colonel, they made their way back to the Swamp.
BJ had quickly showered and was now shaving. The thick brown mustache that he had grown over the last few months covered most of his upper lip and the rest was clean-shaved. BJ went over to Hawkeye, pressing his face close to the other doctor. "Hey, feel that! " BJ said happily. "Smoother than a baby's bottom. "
Hawkeye on the other hand was completely disregarding the Colonel's orders. The man was still wearing his bloody scrubs and the only thing he accomplished was drinking a couple of drinks while juggling.
He looked at BJ and felt his cheek.
"Yeah, a baby baboon. When are you gonna shave off that cheesy mustache? " Hawkeye said as he gave it a pull.
"Never! " BJ declared.
"A dog is not a rodent. " Chris voiced randomly while looking through his schoolwork.
"Chris, don't start with me. We're not getting a dog in this place." Hawkeye said sternly. His son had been begging for a pet for a while now, but he wasn't happy with the prospect of animals in their tent, and he wasn't the only one. Charles wasn't as charmed by the idea as Chris hoped.
"But Dad, a bunny isn't a rodent." Chris tried with big pleading eyes. He would love a pet but his dad completely refused any idea he had.
"Chris enough. I'm not in the mood for your whining. The answer stays NO. " Hawkeye snapped.
Chris sighed and mumbled "Yes sir. " His dad was in a terrible mood and nothing he tried worked to cheer him up. His dad was just sulking at this point with one of his magazines. He had his hopes set up for the peace talks and now there just wasn't anything to make him feel better. Of course, his whining didn't help but he was still trying to change the man's mind about a pet.
Hawkeye threw down his magazine and went to finally change his clothes. He grabbed his green army shirt and almost felt sick to his stomach. "Everything here is green, " He said with disgust.
Chris looked up from his schoolwork at the angry tone from the man. He rather liked the green color. Not because it was a pretty color but because it felt safe and familiar. He didn't understand why his dad felt so differently.
"I'm so sick of green. " Hawkeye said as he threw the shirt down and started pacing. "Just once I'd like to see some other colors!"
Chris started to feel nervous, his dad was not feeling fine. The stress and anger seemed to fill the whole room and Hawkeye started pacing faster. He always goes fast when he's nervous, his mind would go wild and Chris still hadn't found a good method to make it stop. To make his dad slow down a little.
"Like red for instance!" Hawkeye said as he looked around the room. "Red that's rosy. Red that's cheery." He grabbed the green shirt again and walked over to his bunk, which had a lantern hanging next to it with little red decorations.
"Excuse the interruption, but is the bar open? " Colonel Potter declared the moment he walked in. The man stopped in front of Hawkeye and gave him a stern eye. "Do I have to change you myself? "He snapped.
"I'm working on it" Hawkeye replied as he showed the Colonel the little red ornament which he wanted to staple on his green army shirt.
Chris looked at his dad with clear concern, he felt guilty now for complaining to him about not having a pet. His dad only seemed to be doing worse, and that definitely wasn't his intention.
"You wanted a drink, Colonel?" Hawkeye asked but Chris had already jumped up and poured the man a drink.
"Thank you, lad. " The colonel sat down and took the drink from the smiling boy before he continued. "We'd all better have one. "
"Uh-oh. I hear the bell tolling again." Charles said.
The Colonel sighed tiredly. "This is gonna hit everybody hard, especially you, Hawkeye. "
Chris felt his panic rise and quickly made his way over to his dad to grab the man's arm. Hawkeye didn't even seem to notice him as he listened to what the colonel had to say. Anger and stress seem to wave around the man like radiation.
"With the war trudging on, the army is having a tough time replacing surgeons. So be advised that... "
"Don't say it! " Hawkeye snapped, interrupting the man and making Chris jump a little.
Potter sighed but forced himself to finish his sentence. "They upped the rotation points. Instead of 36 points to get out of here, you now need 45."
"I protest! " Charles snapped. "We've been had! Again! "
"Son, I'm really... " Potter tried but Hawkeye threw his shirt with force on the ground and ran out of the Swamp.
Chris's heart was racing, his dad just seemed to explode. It wasn't the same anger when the man was angry with him, this seemed to be more intense and more unpredictable, something deeper. He held on to his dad's arm until they were outside and Hawkeye kicked the trash can with force. Chris quickly let go and moved a bit to the side. He didn't want to let go but he wasn't brave enough to stay close while his dad was being this angry and even aggressive. Tears swelled up as he looked on. His dad was literally pulling the bench off the jeep and yelling. "WHY NOT MAKE IT 50!"
"OR 60!" Hawkeye yelled as he threw the metal piece across the compound. "WHY NOT A MILLION?! "
Chris's hands become clammy and he noticed he had more difficulty with his breathing. He wiped his hands and tried to get his breathing back under control. His dad taught him that all he needed to do was calm down and fight against his rising fear and panic. He took a couple of deep breaths as he told himself he had nothing to fear. This was his dad, the man he knew and trusted.
It took a couple of seconds but he at least managed to breathe like a normal person until Margaret suddenly showed up making him jump up.
"Outta my way, Pierce! " Margaret yelled as she aggressively kicked an empty gasoline can their way.
Chris sighed relieved, Margaret he knew and trusted. She often read him stories and with that in mind he managed to calm down a little.
"I'm gonna kick every can in this camp! " she shrieked while kicking the now very dented can.
"I don't know what set you off, but I'm not in the mood!" Hawkeye snapped back.
Both adults didn't seem to notice the confused and sad-looking boy standing close. Chris wiped his eyes. He wasn't crying, just sniffling a little and shaking. He was just so confused right now. He gets why his dad was angry, at least to some degree. But he hadn't been paying attention to Margaret today. She seemed very happy this morning. Now he had two angry crazy adults kicking and screaming which he wanted to cheer up but still wasn't brave enough to try.
Margaret yelled back that her husband transferred himself back to San Francisco while Hawkeye screamed about the army changing the rules again. The can was getting kicked around by both of them until Hawkeye finally noticed what Margaret had said. "He ran out on you? So what are you going to do? " He asked with concern.
Chris quickly walked up to his dad now that the man seemed to calm down but stopped the moment Margaret started crying, telling them she was getting a divorce.
"I'm sorry Margaret. " Hawkeye said.
"It's my fault, " she said sadly. "Look at the place I choose to have a marriage." She made a gesture toward the camp.
"This damn war!" Hawkeye said. "We just gotta sit here and take it?! This has got to stop!" He looked around and his eyes settled on the jeep. "Today! This minute!" He said as he jumped into it.
"Where are you going!" Margaret asked.
"I'm going to the peace talks." Hawkeye said as he started the engine.
"Why!" Margaret asked, confused.
"Papa!" Chris said with a panicked, trembling voice as he ran toward the man as fast as he could. No way he was going to let his dad leave without him.
"To stop the war." Hawkeye said and without thinking pulled the boy up into the seat next to him and took off.
Chris sighed relieved, seeing his dad almost leave really scared him. He heard Margaret yell at his dad that he was crazy but Hawkeye didn't seem to care.
Hawkeye glanced at his son. Chris looked pale and seemed to be shaking a little. He felt terrible, he was a terrible dad. After he heard the news he just felt his sanity slipping and for a moment he forgot all about being a father. He didn't have a choice, this war needed to stop, but he hadn't planned on taking his son.
He put his hand on Chris's shoulder and felt even worse when the boy flinched. He waited for a second before he placed his hand and sighed relieved as he felt the child's tremble decrease. "I'm sorry, Kiddo. " He said softly and gave a gentle squeeze.
Chris didn't say anything but just turned around and buried his face into his father's chest and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. Hawkeye put an arm around him and after a few seconds his trembling finally stopped and he finally calmed down again.
The hug didn't take long as Hawkeye needed that arm to drive, so Chris sat up a little and looked at his dad like he was waiting for an explanation. He was confused and wanted to know what they were doing.
Hawkeye looked at the boy for a few seconds as he tried to find words to explain what was going to happen next. His son had lost two parents already, he couldn't lose another one. And he could easily be thrown in jail for the thing he was planning to do.
His mind raced, he knew he was being irrational but he couldn't help it. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing while people died, something needs to happen. But he didn't want to involve his son.
"Chris, I'm going to ask something from you I normally wouldn't." Hawkeye said. He saw some fear in the boy's eyes even though he nodded determinedly. "I want you to be as close to invisible as you can be."
"Why?" Chris asked softly. He didn't mind hiding, especially when there were angry adults around. He just hoped his dad would feel better soon. The man still had that crazy look in his eyes.
Hawkeye couldn't help but smile, he was glad to hear the boy's voice without trembling or stuttering, which meant he was feeling better. "Well, because Dad is going to piss off some adults and I don't want you to get in the middle of it. Okay?" He asked as he glanced at his son. Chris looked relieved and replied with a solid Yes, sir.
They came closer to the checkpoint and Chris climbed over the chair to hide behind them. There was enough room to hide as Hawkeye had pulled out the bench earlier but that didn't help with being invisible.
Hawkeye stopped at the MPs holding guard. Before the man could speak, Hawkeye interrupted him. "Officer, I'm looking for the peace talks. Can you help me? "
"Would you state your business here, sir? " The MP asked.
Hawkeye looked at him with confusion. "You're kidding. You mean you don't know? "
"Know what, sir?" The MP asked.
"That there's a very, very sick man up there." Hawkeye said with outrage before he explained he was a doctor and gave them his name and the MASH unit he was from. He told them he was ordered to come and it was urgent.
The MPs looked over their papers but they didn't know anything about someone needing medical help.
"Fellas, they said it was a matter of life or death! How about it? " Hawkeye snapped.
The MPs looked at each other and one of them decided to come with them to check it out. The man walked over and stepped in even before Hawkeye could agree or disagree.
"Fine, get in. And you'll get the toll, won't you?" Hawkeye joked as they started driving.
"There's a child back here! " The MP said, shocked.
"Ohh yeah. It is: take your child to work-day." Hawkeye said absent-mindedly.
"What?" The MP said as Chris sat up and moved a bit away from the man. Better to be safe than sorry.
They arrived quickly and Hawkeye parked the jeep and jumped out. This time he didn't forget Chris and helped the boy out of the back.
The MP looked suspicious at the young boy as they neared the two MPs at the entrance of a big green tent. The peace talks were held inside.
Chris stayed behind his dad's back as the man explained to the guards about being called. Someone inside was sick and he was badly needed.
The MPs didn't know about someone being sick but it could be the general. The man is always complaining about his gastritis. Hawkeye ignored them and went inside. Chris quickly followed him but froze at the sight of a room packed with strangers. Several generals are sitting around a large table looking confused at his dad, who just kept walking towards the man the MP pointed out so Chris decided to stay near the door.
Hawkeye walked up and grabbed the hand of the confused general. "Take it easy General." Hawkeye quickly explained that he was a doctor and he was called here to help with his gastritis. He told the general to sit down and started to examine him.
Chris kept a close eye on his dad from out of a shadowy corner near the door. He didn't have a clue about what his dad was doing, this whole day completely confused him, but his dad had asked him to be invisible and that was what he was doing. The MPs had gone back outside and the other adults didn't even seem to see him.
His dad started by examining out loud but that quickly turned into a full-blown lecture about how many people were dying out there.
"Why don't we all hold hands?!" Hawkeye said loudly with his arms wide open addressing the crowd. "Let's hold hands and say howdy! "
"Howdy? " A confused Korean general mumbled.
"Yes, that's it! Come on everybody, it's only one word." Hawkeye said angrily as nobody responded. "You mean you can't even get together over one little word? You know what to do! Why can't you guys just do it? People are dying out there!" Hawkeye pointed at the door as he looked maniacally at the generals one by one. "You got to stop it, YOU CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE. He got louder the longer he spoke and was almost yelling at this point. "YOU CAN'T! "
He let his words sink in as he looked at the stunned generals seated around him as he finally calmed down enough for realization to hit him. He glanced around to find his son but he couldn't see the boy anywhere. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask Chris to be invisible. He pushed his worry and panic down and straightened up and said.
"Now get back to work and don't make me come here again!" He turned around and stood face-to-face with the three irritated MPs. Before they could say anything Hawkeye beat them to it. "It's okay, fellas. I was just leaving." He said as he quickly walked toward the door with the MPs behind him. He thankfully spotted Chris standing close in the shadows next to the door and with enormous relief, he put his hands on the child's shoulders and guided him back outside.
His dad quickly lifted him into the jeep and took off before the MPs could stop him. Chris looked at the man next to him and was relieved the crazy look had disappeared. Hawkeye seemed calmer now, even if Chris didn't understand why this was all necessary.
Hawkeye saw him looking at him and smiled his way as he told him he did a good job of staying out of sight. Chris got a huge smile as his dad brushed his hair affectionately. He was just glad his dad felt better.
The drive back was fast and they arrived at the 4077th before nightfall. Hawkeye stopped the jeep and looked around him. The place seemed deserted. "Hello! Honey, I'm home." Hawkeye said as he got out and helped Chris out of the jeep.
"Howdy, stranger. New in town? " BJ's voice rang loud over the empty compound, and Chris let out a startled gasp at the side of him. BJ was leaning casually against the door of the Mess tent, but the man was completely orange. He wore a red/orange shirt, pants, and even his hair and thick mustache were painted red.
"Beej, is that you?" Hawkeye asked, shocked.
Chris let out a giggle as BJ came closer. He looked silly with red hair and he loved it. "BJ, that's so rad!" Chris said as he walked up and BJ put an arm around his shoulders.
"Do you like it? " BJ asked them. "You think the red socks are too much? " He asked, hopping around as he showed them his red socks. Chris laughed but his dad still seemed confused. "What are you doing? Where is everybody? " Hawkeye asked as he looked around.
"Waiting for their peace delegate of course. If you follow me... " BJ explained and guided them towards the tent.
"How did you make your hair red? " Chris asked as he pulled gently on BJ's sleeve. Even the man's eyebrows were completely orange.
"What red? It's not red. It's anti-green. " BJ said with a grin before he turned towards Hawkeye. "You wanted things rosy and red so in your honor, we've designed a new uniform... " BJ said as he pulled the mess hall door open. "right down to the hair."
Chris had a hold on the back of his dad's scrubs and waited for the man to go in first. He wasn't scared of the mess hall anymore but after today he wasn't taking any risks. He walked in but couldn't see anything from behind his dad's back. He heard Hawkeye laugh loudly and could hear Radar somewhere inside so he carefully stepped out of his hiding place. His mouth fell open as he took in the room. The whole tent was decorated with red and orange paper garlands and everybody was wearing red including their hair.
The moment Hawkeye walked in, people started clapping and cheering.
"Welcome home, Son! " Colonel Potter said as he gave Hawkeye a handshake. Hawkeye let out a loud booming laugh at the sight of the Colonel.
Radar followed after the colonel and Chris giggled. "Radar, you look pretty with red hair!" He said, which made his dad laugh almost hysterically.
"Chris, men can't be pretty. Only girls are pretty. Men can be handsome though. " Radar quickly explained, the clerk was clearly uncomfortable.
"Ohh." Chris said a bit confused. "Okay, you're handsome then!" The boy proudly declared, which made Hawkeye laugh so hard he had trouble catching his breath.
"I love it..." Hawkeye managed to get out in between his laughter. "It's insane."
"Give the man a drink! " BJ said loudly. Chris jumped up to get it but BJ caught him with an arm around his waist and pulled him back before he got very far.
"Not you!" BJ said as he faced the slightly shocked boy. "You are also here to have fun!" BJ got a wide grin and said. "Let's make you ready to join the party! "
"What do you mean?" Chris said, confused.
BJ put his hands on his shoulders and stirred him toward the corner of the tent. "Let's make your hair red!"
"Yes!" Chris said excitedly. "I want red hair. Can I also do my eyebrows?"
"Of course!" BJ said laughing. He guided them to a tub with orange water. Weird-smelling orange water. Several towels were stacked on the table near them and a lot more used red-stained towels were spread across the room and even the floor.
Chris looked at the smelly orange water and asked "What do I do? "
BJ didn't answer but scooped the boy up, who let out a nervous squeak as he was suddenly lifted and turned upside down. "Now it's dipping time! Close your eyes and nose." BJ explained.
Chris nodded and quickly pinched his nose and closed his eyes. BJ didn't waste any time lowering him into the tub. The water was cold but he was already pulled up and put down before he really noticed. BJ put a clean towel on his head and started drying his hair.
Chris kept giggling, he was nervous but also very excited to see his new hair. He was having so much fun already and loved to be able to play along with the rest of the unit.
"So! Drum roll. " BJ said as he made the sound of a drum until he pulled the towel away and handed Chris a handheld mirror.
Chris looked at his reflection and his mouth fell open. His hair was bright orange. "Golly!" He said before he laughed out loud.
"You like it! "BJ asked. He was glad the boy was having fun, this day must've been difficult for the child.
"Yeah! I love it! Thank you. Can I show my dad?" Chris asked with excitement.
"Of course." BJ responded to the happy child. Chris's smile was huge and BJ almost couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the boy so happy.
Chris ran off immediately in search of his dad. "Wait, you forgot to do your eyebrows "BJ tried but Chris was already gone into the crowd. He looked around and found his dad near a drunken Charles and a very happy-looking, Margaret. He walked up and giggled at the sight of Winchester. What was left of the man's hair was bright orange but even the bald part of his head was painted red.
Margaret and Hawkeye hugged tightly so Chris waited for them to be done. He was relieved to see everyone happy again.
"I feel like a new woman! " Margaret said happily. "It's all coming back... The spirit, the confidence. "
"That's great, Margaret! " Hawkeye said before he noticed his son with red hair bursting into laughter.
Chris tapped Margaret softly to let her know he wanted to say something. "You look very pretty with red hair. " He said with a gentle smile.
"Darn right I do! " She replied. "And you, my little gentleman, are very handsome with red hair. " She said, which made Chris giggle.
"Dad! Do you see my hair?" Chris said excitedly as he pulled on the man's sleeve. "Yeah I do, kiddo! Indeed very handsome."
Margaret left as Kellye walked up, carrying a red bundle. Which included some red clothes she made for Chris out of old army gear. The child was overjoyed and kept thanking her as he quickly got dressed. The shirt was too big and too long, but that didn't matter much to Chris. And it made it easier to change his pants as most of his underwear was covered this way. The red pants were made from an old pajama bottom belonging to one of the nurses which Kellye made to fit.
Hawkeye was deciding about covering his son with a towel but the boy was so quick nobody even noticed. He brushed the now red hair affectionately as his son smiled back brightly. The boy was completely orange except for his socks.
BJ walked up with another red-colored drink for Hawkeye and said loudly. " Hey. You know, folks. I can't put my finger on just who it is, but somebody around here looks out of place." BJ said as he clapped Hawkeye on his shoulder.
The crowd let out a joint "Ohhh" and Potter quickly took the man's drink.
Chris giggled loudly as his dad said. "Oh, wait. You're not gonna do that to me! " But Hawkeye didn't had a choice as several MASH personnel rushed forward and lifted him up.
"No! " Hawkeye screamed, even though it was clear he was having a lot of fun with this. "I'll look like a tall Irish Setter! " He tried between laughs.
"Any last words?" BJ asked.
"Yes! We who are about to dye salute you!" Hawkeye said before he pinched his nose and closed his eyes.
Afterwards Hawkeye looked in the mirror at his new hair color. "That's the worst looking dye job of the bunch! " BJ said laughing.
"What are you talking about? I look great!" Hawkeye said. "I'm just as pretty as Radar now with this orange hair." Hawkeye said which made Chris giggle and Radar frown. "Cut it out, you guys. Guys can't be pretty. "
"Don't sell yourself short! " Hawkeye said with fake sincerity. "You sure look pretty to me."
"That's not funny... " Radar started but he stopped as a stranger walked in. "What the hell.. " The MP said as he looked around the tent at all the red. He made his way over to colonel Potter and told the man he was an MP from I Corp looking for Captain Pierce.
Everyone gathered around Hawkeye in order to protect him from the MP. Chris grabbed his dad's arm, not knowing what was going on but the mood switch was clear.
"Look, Major. Let me explain. " Hawkeye started but Potter interrupted him telling him to be quiet. The colonel started to explain to the MP that Hawkeye's going to the peace talks wasn't the brightest thing to do, but it had some damn good results back at this unit. All these people work day in and day out and the stuff they see gets to them.
"What Pierce did today was let a few people know we're tired and want to go home." Potter said. The colonel seemed very sincere and even emotional.
Chris buried his face against his dad, he was having so much fun and he didn't want things to end.
"Actually Captain Pierce, I didn't come here to haul you away." The MP explained.
'What' Chris thought with shock. Why would the MP even want to haul his dad away. It didn't make any sense. But again this whole day was confusing to him and on top of that he was getting very tired.
"Why?" Hawkeye asked.
The MP smiled. "I'm here to deliver a personal message from general Tomin. "
"My gastritis patient." Hawkeye explained to the crowd.
The MP cleared his throat and started out sounding serious. "The general would like you to know for the record that if he catches you within 20 miles of the peace talks, he will and I quote. "Toss you into the stockade and throw away the key." Now, of the record, he wishes he were a crazy doctor so he could get away with what you did." The MP said with a laugh.
People started laughing and just like that the good mood was back. Chris sighed relieved as he felt his dad chuckle.
"Why don't you join us? " BJ asked the MP.
"Well, I don't know. Do you think I fit in? " The MP asked as he lifted his helmet and showed everyone his natural red hair.
Hawkeye let out a loud laugh along with the rest of the unit. "Today I believe it!" He said as he raised his glass and downed it in one go.
Chris sighed happily, he was having fun and was glad everyone was happy again, but by the looks of it he should probably prepare for everyone to be hungover again tomorrow morning.