It was the middle of the night when Chris startled awake. Something felt wrong, he was having a bad dream and it made him feel uneasy but that dream didn't wake him up. He absent-mindedly petted the small sleeping branham in his arms. His dad didn't like it when Cinderella slept in the bed with him, but Chris told him she jumps up on her own. Which was a small lie, but he liked sleeping with the fluffy little chick.
*BANG*
A loud explosion rang through the compound, making the tent shake. Several things fell down but Chris couldn't think about anything else as fear immediately grabbed a hold of him and he simply stopped thinking. The only thing he knew of was that he needed to find his dad.
He jumped out of bed wildly. Little Cinderella let out a surprised cluckle as she was jolted up right. The blanket dropped over her but Chris was already out the door. He ran barefooted as fast as he could towards the post-op, where his dad was working at the moment. Another explosion went off near camp and it made him whimper in fear. He was only wearing his pajamas and it was still very cold outside but he didn't notice it, he didn't even notice the hard rocks underneath his bare feet.
He almost collided face first against the door but he was quick enough to remember how to use his hands.
He pushed the door open without slowing down and immediately saw his dad. Hawkeye and BJ were trying to calm down the patients who were also very scared because of the constant shelling and explosives.
Hawkeye looked up as he heard the door slam and wasn't surprised to see Chris run towards him. He definitely didn't blame the boy for being scared, Chris had spent some time at the front and Hawkeye couldn't imagine what the boy had seen during that time.
What did surprise him is that he just realized Chris had grown a little. He wasn't much higher but his limps started to seem a little too big for the rest of his body. Maybe it was the goofy way the boy ran at him but he just suddenly noticed that.
Several more explosions could be heard as Chris launched himself at his dad. He grabbed the man's waist tight and buried his face close. He didn't want to see or hear anything that had to do with explosives. He hated those. His breathing was fast and shallow and he trembled heavily.
Hawkeye felt a rush of affection towards the scared boy and put a protective arm around him. He tried to keep everyone calm but explosions sounded like they were coming from two different directions. Meaning they were probably in the middle of a crossfire.
"All right everyone, Take it easy. I'm sure they don't mean it." BJ said with a nervous smile.
"We're safe as long as they keep aiming at us." Hawkeye added jokenly as he comforted Chris by stroking his hair. "It's okay, Kiddo." He mumbled soothingly.
"How about we get some coffee?" BJ asked, he was trying to sound casual but his voice trembled a bit. Chris couldn't feel anything besides his own fear but he knew the adults were scared too.
"Good idea!" Hawkeye added, trying to sound carefree. "I'm getting sleepy." He said seconds before a louder explosive went off. Very close to the tent where they were.
The building shoke and Chris grabbed his dad tighter as he whimpered softly.
"Nothing to worry about." BJ said quickly as he and Hawkeye prepared to leave in order to find the Colonel. "Happens all the time."
"Yes, this will all blow over!" Hawkeye added with a shaky smile. He had an arm around his trembling child as he guided him into the clerk's office. The shelling hadn't stopped and the constant loud bangs made it impossible to think. He only knew that he had to try to keep the patients and his kid calm. He just wished he could calm himself as well.
They found the Colonel already on the phone. "What the hell is going on?" Hawkeye snapped the moment they entered.
"And from every direction!" BJ added with a shaky voice.
"Shut up, both of you!" The Colonel snapped back, he was sitting behind his desk, completely stiff with a serious expression and held out his hand as if he was holding a phone. "I'm trying to raise I-Corps." He added.
"Colonel, you don't have a phone in your hand." Hawkeye said with slight panic.
"Hello! I-Corps?" Klinger's voice suddenly rang out from underneath the big desk "Here, sir." Klinger said as he handed the phone to the colonel while staying safely hidden.
"Klinger, you got room for three more?" Hawkeye asked. He was sort of joking but the idea was very tempting.
"No. I'm wearing a full skirt." Klinger said back until the Colonel shushed them.
Explosions rang loudly in the background, making the whole building tremble when the colonel explained on the phone that it was definitely an emergency.
He told the man on the phone, who they are and that they were being bombed but the man didn't believe him as the 4077th should be 12 miles towards the east according to his reports.
"We were there for two days, three days ago." The colonel yelled at the phone, he yelled loudly to be heard over all the shelling but also because he was getting extremely angry.
"Because we're mobile, that's why! What do you think the big M stands for!" the colonel snapped.
He listened for a couple of seconds before he snapped loudly that he needed the code book. Everyone except for Klinger started searching the office. Klinger stayed hidden under the desk while Hawkeye started pulling open drawers. He couldn't search the rest of the room, as he had Chris clinging to his waist but he hoped Radar would be sensible enough to keep the Signal Operating Instructions close to the phone. Radar was at R&R at the moment and that could be the reason they failed to send in the right files about them moving back to this location. Klinger didn't know where the clerk stored everything but thankfully Radar is very organized and Hawkeye found the S.O.I rather quickly.
"That's it!" The Colonel said, relieved as he opened the book, to look up the codes that the man on the phone wanted from him in order to believe he was telling the truth. The colonel gave the code "Eskimo pie" and listened for a bit before he started yelling "What do you mean, if that's who you are?"
"Look, you dunderhead, I'm me! But I'm not gonna be me much longer if you don't squirt the battle in another direction!" The Colonel yelled almost maniacally.
He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened for a while. The shelling continued as the Colonel put down the phone with his face thunderous and turned towards the other doctors and said. "He thinks I'm Chinese."
"I don't see it myself." Hawkeye said. This was anything besides funny, but his jokes served as self protection. He just couldn't help it.
Chris's breathing felt heavy. He wasn't hyperventilating and had it under control for the most part. It seemed like his body knew he needed to be mobile during this danger. Or maybe he was getting braver, but he was grateful he wasn't having a panic attack right now. Not seeing the bombs or actually seeing anything seemed to help.
"Why don't we just call the people that are doing the actual shooting?" BJ asked.
"That could be anybody." The colonel said. "I'll call General Imbrie. He knows my voice. He'll identify me."
"I'm way ahead of you, Colonel." Klinger's voice sounded from under the desk. "There's just one thing wrong... The phone's kaput."
Hawkeye and BJ shouted out of frustration on which Chris let out a soft startled squeak. "We gotta do something!" Hawkeye said. He was scared and his voice that was slightly higher than normal was giving that away. He wasn't planning on dying here especially not together with his son and he would do anything to prevent that. "We're sitting in a future crater."
"All right, a senior staff meeting in the mess tent in 5 minuten." The colonel said before he got up and into his office.
Hawkeye gently untangled Chris's arms from his waist and looked into his eyes. The child looked absolutely terrified, he was white as a sheet and had that 'wildlife' look back.
"It's okay, Kiddo. We're fine. We just need to get to the Swamp quickly and get you dressed, okay? We can't do that with you clinging to me." Hawkeye explains. Chris nodded shakily and Hawkeye was grateful with the response. He needed Chris to focus.
"Just hold my hand and stay close. We'll be out and back before you know it." Hawkeye said to the scared boy. He didn't want to go outside anymore than his son did, but Chris needed to wear something more than his pajamas, not to mention something like shoes. Chris took his hand with a firm grip, afraid to let go and with a deep sigh, Hawkeye opened the door and guided Chris outside. The shelling was deafening but nothing landed too close.
Chris let out a scared whimper as the ground shook with another loud bang but they kept running. Hawkeye slammed the door open and pulled Chris inside. The tent wouldn't offer any more protection against a bomb than outside but at least they were inside. Hawkeye wanted to let go of Chris's hand but the boy refused.
"Chris, you need to let go." Hawkeye tried but stopped as he saw tears swell up in the child's eyes. He gently put his hand on the boy's cheek. "Look at me…It's okay. it's okay to be scared."
"R-r-real-lly?" Chris asked softly.
"Yes! Do you think I'm not scared? Because I'm terrified!" Hawkeye said a bit louder and higher than he wanted. "Being scared of bombs is a completely normal reaction but we need to move now and fast. I need you to let go and get dressed as quickly as possible, Okay?"
Chris nodded shakily and got going, so Hawkeye grabbed some clothes for the boy and quickly handed them to him. "Good boy, you can do this."
"Just pull them over your pajamas." He added as Chris shakily tried to pull his shirt out of his head.
Hawkeye pulled off his doctor coat and just dropped them on the floor. He quickly put on his jacket and turned back around towards Chris. He was pleased that the child was putting on his shoes already when he noticed the little chicken on the bed. "Really! That chicken is on the bed again."
Chris gasped. "C-Cind-d-derr-r-r..." The boy whispered but Hawkeye didn't wait until he was finished. He grabbed the little chicken out from under the blankets and handed the loudly complaining branham to Chris.
"We've got no time for this." He said but at the fearful expression of his son he sighed. That chicken needed to come with them, Chris couldn't handle losing a pet so soon. "Okay, I'll think of something." He said as he grabbed his army helmet and put it on Chris's head. The boy didn't have his own helmet so he had to use his own, which was way too big but as long as it helped.
For the chicken he grabbed an army sweater and quickly knotted the lower part before turning it inside out, making it a little bag. He put the arms around the boy's shoulder and torso and bound them together so that Chris had a little sweater bag at his front.
Chris quickly put the angry little bird in the bag and looked at his dad with admiration. That was so smart, he couldn't even think at all with all these loud explosions around them. His dad grabbed his hand again and dragged him outside quickly to run back.
The rest of the officers were already present when they entered the mess tent. Hawkeye sat down and Chris quickly followed and sat down next to him. Everyone was wearing their helmet and Chris felt a pang of guilt as he noticed he was wearing his dad's helmet. The little chicken complained softly but stopped as Chris started petting her.
He tried to take the helmet off, but his dad stopped him with an angry glare.
The Colonel put a large map on the table and spread it out. "We're in the middle of a boxing ring," the Colonel explained. "between two blindfolded fighters"
"So what you are saying?" Charles started. "In your inimitable folksy style, is that we are doomed."
Chris let out a nervous hum so Hawkeye quickly pulled him closer. He glared angry at Charles. "It sounded so much better when he said it." Really, that man had no common sense. Great way to get everyone panicked.
A loud explosion sounds near the tent, stopping them in their tracks.
The priest stormed inside. "I'm sorry I'm late." He said, smiling gently. "I forgot where I left my steel pot." He tapped his helmet with the white cross on it. "Then I remembered I used it to plant Azaleas." The priest smiled and added. "It still smells of mulch. But, as they say, any pot in a storm."
Hawkeye and BJ snickered softly but Charles had to ruin the fun again with his morbid sense of humor. "You can replant those azaleas on my grave."
"Ohh I'm sure he'll protect us!" Francis said as he glanced towards the sky.
"Here, Father. Sit by me." BJ said.
Hawkeye grinned as the priest sat next to them. It couldn't hurt their odds of survival if they stayed close to the priest. It was good to have friends in high places.
"Apparently" The colonel started loudly. "Neither side knows we're here." He looked seriously at the group. "A major move under these conditions would be more dangerous than staying, but there's no time to dig bunkers. But I've done some checking and we do have an alternative."
"Dig a hole and come up in Kansas." Hawkeye jokes.
"Actually, you're not far off." The colonel said.
"California?" BJ added.
The colonel shot them a glare and continued. "About a half mile west of here, there's an abandoned cave that the North Koreans used as an aid station."
Chris felt his dad's fear spike as the man said. "A cave? There must be a better place than a cave."
"I think it's a brilliant idea. Let's go." Charles said immediately.
"At least we'll be under some cover." Margaret added.
"Wait a minute!" Hawkeye said nervously. "We can't get everybody in there."
Chris moved a bit closer to his dad, he felt that his dad was scared, he seemed even more scared of the idea of a cave than the explosive shelling around them and it worried him.
"I believe we can." The colonel said. "It'll be a tight fit, but if we just take the bare necessities, we should make it."
"Just a second!" Hawkeye said. "You want to move patients to a damp cave with no heat?"
"We'll take a few space heaters." The colonel said.
"But isn't that too risky?" Hawkeye tried again. "I've just got a chest case in there, just came out of O.R."
"Fine. You stay here with your patient." Charles snapped. "I'm sure, he'll be very grateful when the shells start falling around you."
"Hold it!" The colonel said. "Listen."
Everyone stopped talking and they noticed the shelling had stopped.
"There. See? They stopped." Hawkeye said hopefully. "No problem. We stay here."
A loud explosion rang through the compound, rattling them all. Chris grabbed his dad's arm while Margaret let out a scared yelp as the tent shook.
"That's it!" The colonel snapped. "We move!"
Everyone immediately got up to get ready but Hawkeye didn't. He just sat there and Chris could feel the man's nerves swirl around him.
"D-Dad?" Chris asked softly as he reached out and touched the man's shoulder carefully.
Hawkeye jumped up a little which startled Chris as well. He smiled gently and pulled him into an one armed hug and said. "I'm fine, Kiddo. We're fine. Let's go back to the Swamp. We need to pack."
Chris nodded but he still felt his dad's worries. He had a nervous energy around him and it scared him.
BJ was already busy packing when they entered the tent. They didn't need to pack a lot and they hadn't had much time as the patients needed to get ready too. BJ was wildly stuffing clothes into a duffle bag and some of his prized possessions, which were his letters and pictures from his wife and dochter.
A loud bang sounded close by, most of the shelling landed a little further away but this one hit close. Chris grabbed his dad's arm but the man explained he needed that arm. "Pack some of your stuff, things you don't want to be stolen and the things you need like clothes. Okay?" he said, giving the boy directions on what to take with them.
Chris nodded shakily but did as he was told. He was glad his dad told him what to do at the moment. He was scared and he just couldn't think straight. The only thing he could think of was to stay with Hawkeye no matter what, but he wanted his dad to be proud. He wanted to help out!
He packed some clothes and the little box of pictures from his parents. He noticed he wasn't thinking about them as much as he used to and it made him feel a bit guilty and sad. He put the small box in his suitcase and added some of his notebooks as well. Cinderella wasn't angry anymore, he had added a soft little blanket for her to sit on and Wally kept her company. He was a bit too old to play with plushies as he was eleven now but he loved that little stuffed bunny and he didn't want it to be stolen or destroyed. He was relieved his little bird didn't mind the plushie.
After the necessary personal stuff was packed, they went over to help with the rest of the camp. Everyone needed to be transported safely. Some soldiers had serious wounds that needed to heal and a wild ambulance ride wouldn't help.
Chris had difficulties with staying as close to his dad as possible and staying out of the way at the same time. He didn't dare to move a few feet away from his dad and even though his dad got irritated the man kept explaining he needed space.
It was chaos and everyone was running around. Big ambulances got carefully filled up with wounded. All the important equipment got packed up.
Hawkeye sighed, he wasn't looking forward to spending time in a cave. The thought alone made him break out in sweat. He hated small spaces, always had and to top it off his kid was terrified and he hadn't had the time to help. He could see the fear in those blue eyes and the sadness when he was sent further away. He wished he could make it all better but he didn't even know if they would come out of this alive. So many things could go wrong.
The sun was already down when the last wounded soldier was safely transported into the bus. Chris was allowed to cling on Hawkeye's arm a few patients ago.
His dad just seemed to give up, sending him away and he wasn't complaining. He didn't want his dad mad at him but he couldn't let go. He needed to be close. His dad was still very nervous and the shelling hadn't stopped either. It amazed Chris that every adult seemed so brave. His dad had told him he was scared too, but other than the nervous feeling around him he didn't seem as terrified as Chris felt.
After the last soldier was safely secured into the ambulance they went inside as well. BJ, Francis and two of the nurses sat next to the patients to make sure they had a smooth ride. Hawkeye sat down next to a heavy chest wound person. Chris didn't know his name, he didn't ask all the patients their name and some died before he could. This man was completely unconscious with a lot of bandages around his torso.
Chris sat down next to his dad at the same time the man did and the ambulance started driving. Hawkeye was watching the unconscious man closely.
Hawkeye sighed. He was completely drained of his energy. Between the heavy work he'd done and the constant explosions going off he also had to hold down a lot of his fear. He noticed Chris reacting to it and he didn't want that. He wanted to be a strong front for the boy who looked up to him. But secretly he was terrified as well.
With one hand he tried to keep the patient as steady as possible and with the other he was stroking his son's back gently. Chris was clinging so bad at this point that his face was buried deep into his side and he couldn't see how the boy felt but as long as his breathing was regular it should be okay. He could see that Chris was pale and his trembling hadn't stopped throughout the day but other than that the boy still seemed to be doing okay.
Chris was relieved to hide a little. This way he couldn't hear the explosions as loud and not seeing anything helped a lot. The trusted and familiar smell of his dad definitely helped as well. It wasn't always a nice smell but it was one of comfort.
Nothing was said during the drive. Everyone seemed to be on edge and deep into their own thoughts.
They arrived after a short drive and the first thing Chris noticed after he got out was that this cave had lights. They put the generator on it and all the lights just jumped on. It was kinda pretty, most caves he'd stayed in hadn't had lights.
He couldn't really remember much of his days with those people, he couldn't even remember much of things before that but he knew he spent some time in caves before even if he didn't know the details. Just seeing the cave brought feelings of loneliness and cold.
Chris had to let go of his dad as Hawkeye and BJ lifted the brancard with the unconscious soldier. They gently and steadily headed to the cave entrance.
As they got closer, Hawkeye started to get more nervous with every step, Chris could feel it and he wasn't feeling very brave himself. Now that he was seeing the cave more closely some flashes of memories appeared which made him shudder.
His dad managed a couple steps further but stopped quickly before they entered, mumbling about how low the cave was.
"Come on, I need your help setting up this patient." BJ said, confused about the sudden stop.
"I'll stay out here and direct traffic." Hawkeye mumbled as he handed the stretcher over to Margaret and nervously put some distance between him and the cave entrance.
Chris was still holding his dad's arm and shivered at the violent flashes, flashes of hurt, cold and hunger. His heart started racing as he tried to block out those angry people invading his mind. He absent-mindedly petted Cinderella and immediately felt better. The little bird didn't mind being carried around and Chris was grateful she let him pet her. It did help a little with keeping the scary thought away.
His dad wasn't doing any better, the man was scared.
"Pierce, inside." the colonel said after the last wounded soldier was safely inside.
Hawkeye looked at the cave and already felt the walls closing in. He needed to get inside, for his sake and that of his son. He pried Chris's hand from his arm and instead took the little hand in his own. He needed to be the strong one in this situation, he needed to get his kid safe.
He took a deep breath to steady himself and quickly jogged inside. Chris needed to run to keep up with him but he didn't care, as long as they stayed together it would be fine. Cinderella cackled a little at the sudden movement but didn't fuss.
They managed to get quite far inside until Hawkeye suddenly stopped. He had his eyes wide open as he looked at the dark stone around him, the thick damp air closing in on him. It smelled like wet stone and the ceiling seemed to shrink rapidly.
Hawkeye's heart was beating wildly and he stopped thinking, he tightened his hold on his son's hand and just turned and ran back outside.
Once he was outside he could breathe again. His heart was beating in his chest and he heard fast breathing and wondered for a second if he was hyperventilating but quickly noticed his son was also having difficulty with this cave.
Without thinking he put his hand on the back of the boy's head and gently pressed him against his wildly beating chest, blocking out all light and sound as he started stroking the blond hair softly. He didn't say anything, nothing came to mind. He was scared and couldn't think of anything to say to make this any better.
Chris exhaled loudly and felt a little better. His dad would protect him no matter what, even if the man was scared himself.
"Pierce, what are you doing?" The colonel asked, who suddenly appeared next to them. "Is it the boy? You know he would follow you inside. This cave has been here forever, it will hold."
"No, he's doing… well decent at the moment." Hawkeye said. He felt guilty for not being able to comfort his son much. He knew the boy was having a hard time as well. Maybe Chris had some experiences with caves but he wasn't sure. He had asked a couple of times about the things that had happened in his life and if Chris could remember anything but Chris said he didn't know, couldn't remember or didn't want to talk about it, and because Hawkeye didn't want to force the boy to talk, he let it go. He turned back towards the Colonel and said. "I'm the problem."
"What's wrong?" The colonel asked.
Hawkeye pointed towards the cave and said "Do you have anything in a larger size?"
"Look, son, I don't know what's gotten into you, but as your commander, I can't go in until you two go in, so in you go." The colonel said impatiently. Which didn't surprise him, it's been a long day.
"I-I d-don't like the c-cave." Chris stammered softly, he was holding his own and he was proud of himself, but he really didn't want to go in that cave.
"I'm not a huge fan either." Hawkeye mumbled back. "Sorry Colonel, I don't breathe too well in there." Hawkeye tried to explain. "If you know what I mean."
"Claustrophobia?" Potter asked.
Chris looked up at his dad with confusion. He had never heard of that before but didn't know if now was the right time to ask about it. His dad looked pale and it was a rare occasion they were both shuddering. The man was wide eyed looking at the cave as though it was a real life monster. A cave monster, the idea also intrigued Chris, maybe he could use a cave monster into his story. If they would get back alive that is, his written stuff was still back at the Swamp.
Hawkeye nodded and exhaled loudly before he said. "Ever since I was a kid. People used to think I kept my clothes in a pile because I was a slob. It's just that I couldn't step into a walk-in closet."
Hawkeye was still brushing Chris's hair and he couldn't say he minded. He loved the little signs of affection and it calmed him down a lot. So his dad was afraid of small spaces. He thought that was a bit odd as he loved tiny spaces to hide in. It was much easier to hide there and people couldn't get to you as easily as big places. He always hid in small spaces when he was scared.
Hawkeye finally looked away from the cave while he released a ragged breath and said. "Look, I know there's plenty of air in there and the walls aren't gonna cave in, but that's what's gonna happen, so let's just forget it."
"Wish I've known before, son, but I don't know what else we could've done." The Colonel explained.
Hawkeye shook his head and said. "What else was there to do? I couldn't jeopardize the whole unit, including my own child on account of my stupid, irrational fears. Which happen to be real."
"Easy now." The colonel said gently as Hawkeye clutched at his rapid beating heart. His heart seemed to want out of his chest instead of calming down.
"Nobody's gonna force you to do what you can't do." The Colonel continued. "If you have to stay outside, then keep close to the entrance, where it's a little safer."
Hawkeye nodded quickly, he would definitely try to stay as close as possible, especially for his son.
The Colonel went back inside and Hawkeye slowly walked closer. "Are you okay?" He asked the pale boy next to him.
Chris nodded but looked with wide eyes to the cave. He was glad this cave had lights, it made it different from his memories and that way he could ignore them a bit better. The flashes were blurry and he was thankful he couldn't remember or would see all the details everytime one popped up. The general feeling he got from them was the hard part, the instant fear and hurt, even if he couldn't remember why he felt like that, the emotion lingered.
Hawkeye slowly sat down near the entrance and guided his son to sit inside.
Chris sat down and huddled closer, he didn't want to go into that cave alone, the feeling of loneliness lingered and the only thing he knew was that he wanted to stay with Hawkeye. He just couldn't be alone.
A loud explosion made Hawkeye push Chris to the ground to shield him. Cinderella flapped wildly with her small wings but Hawkeye wasn't pressing them so she had room to calm down.
Only after the ground stopped shaking Hawkeye stopped shielding. He got up, and helped his son stand before he quickly went inside the cave. He needed to try, it was crazy dangerous out there.
He made it even further inside than the first time, apparently a bomb exploding next to you turned out to be great motivation to face your fears.
Chris held on to his arm as he stopped walking. He put his hands on either side of the cave and realized the cave was very small. His breathing became heavy and his voice was higher and louder than he wanted when he said. "Everybody make room for each other!"
He took another step and mumbled frantically. "Breath slowly. Save some air for the next person."
Colonel Potter walked up. "Oh,you made it inside. Proud of you, son. How are you holding up?"
Hawkeye looked at the low ceiling. That ceiling immediately seemed to shrink rapidly. "Fine. Great Fantastic. Get me outta here." He said as he turned around and ran back.
The moment he was outside he started pacing back and forth. Chris didn't say anything, he refused to let go of his arm and silently followed him.
After a while Hawkeye stopped and sat down again near the entrance. Chris yawned as he sat down and huddled close against his dad. He was exhausted and his eyes kept falling shut. The loud noise didn't startle him as much as they did, he felt sort of safe this close to his dad. Margaret walked up and sat down next to him so Chris was between two adults he trusted and slowly his eyes fell shut.
He maybe slept for a while, he didn't know but his dad got up suddenly and that jolted him awake. He got up sleepily as his dad went back inside the cave. He heard something about a patient needing a doctor but his mind was too foggy to process it all.
Hawkeye felt terrible for waking up his son, but his patient needed him and he knew Chris wouldn't let go no matter what. This was simply the best he could do. He looked over the vital signs of the unconscious man but he couldn't focus. The stone walls started to get closer. "I don't know who's whiter, him or me." He mumbled before caving in and quickly jogged back.
Chris let out a tired sigh as he followed his dad once again. He heard his dad say difficult medical words to BJ but his mind didn't translate it. He did wake up a little more as his dad carried the unconscious man to a jeep parked close. He and BJ secured the man on the back.
Hawkeye guided his sleepy kid towards the jeep. He hoped he wasn't making a vital mistake. His patient needed operating and that they didn't do here so they needed to get back to the 4077th. The shelling hadn't stopped and Hawkeye wasn't happy with dragging his kid back into danger but he didn't see any other way.
Margaret took the drivers seat and started the jeep. Chris felt more awake now, he was sitting between Margaret and his dad and it made him feel a bit safer but he was still nervous.
They were back to the 4077th rather quickly and Hawkeye was grateful Margaret was such a good driver.
The two of them prepared the empty O.R and the patient.
Chris yawned widely as he was scrubbing his hands. Being back home made him feel better even with the occasional explosion.
The operation was taking so long that Chris fell asleep leaning against him and he was grateful for that. They all could use some sleep.
A couple hours into the operation while Hawkeye tried to distract Margaret with a game because she was terrified, the shelling suddenly stopped.
"Listen!" Margaret said. "The shelling stopped."
They listened for a minute but it remained quiet.
"It's over." Margaret mumbled. "We made it!"
Hawkeye let out a relieved nervous giggle and said. "Boy, aren't we brave." which made Margaret laugh.
The sun was already shining when Chris jolted awake. He looked around and saw that he was sleeping next to his dad on one of the post-op beds. His dad was snoring softly while Margaret slept in the bed next to them.
Cinderella had made a little place to sleep next to his dad's head on the pillow. Chris giggled sleepily as he petted the little chicken. His dad wouldn't be happy when he would wake up and find Cinderella in his hair.
His eyes slowly fell close again and he started to fall asleep, he could hear the sound of jeeps in the distance and it sounded familiar.