Hawkeye found Dixie in the supply tent. The woman looked nothing like the usually put together nurse that she usually was – she had her hair in a messy bun gathered at the base of her neck and her face was red and splotchy from what looked like tears. She was curled in on herself in the corner, her legs pulled to her chest and a crumbled piece of paper at her side.

Hawkeye knew what that piece of paper was, pretty much the whole camp knew at this point. It had been a juicy piece of gossip that had been passed around all day. The happily engaged Dixie had been unceremoniously given a Dear John letter by her fiancé Sgt. James Moreland. The camp had been mum on the why, as Dixie had only told Margaret her engagement was over before she had disappeared for the day.

Hawkeye hadn't been looking for her. He considered Dixie a friend, but he was unsure how much help he was going to be at a time like this. Dixie was a strange creature, one who preferred being alone more than being with others. And the Maine native had a suspicion that this woman would try to work through this by herself. It seemed, given the location that Dixie had chosen to bawl in, that his suspicion had been correct.

Hawkeye stood between the aisles, hand reached out for bandages to restock post-op, just staring at the woman backed into the corner. Dixie was staring at him blankly, eyes red-rimmed and mouth pulled into a thin line.

"You gonna laugh at me?" Dixie asked into the quiet. Hawkeye blinked and tilted his head to the side.

"If I were going to laugh, I'd do it behind your back," Hawkeye answered. "Like a respectable gossiper." Hawkeye's lips twitched. "So, if you would turn around, that would be great."

Dixie scoffed and wiped at her eyes. She was silent after that, and Hawkeye thought about just leaving her be. It was obvious she didn't want to be disturbed. But there was something startling about seeing Dixie like this – normally quiet and reserved Dixie was showing an outpouring of emotion. It was like seeing an eclipse, it didn't happen often and even though you shouldn't look, he couldn't turn away.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Hawkeye ventured. Dixie looked up at him again, glaring at him with all the annoyance she could muster. Hawkeye almost took a step back at the glare, but only almost.

"Yes, that's why I found a secluded spot," Dixie snarled. "So, I could talk about it!"

It was clear she was annoyed and angry. Hawkeye supposed he would be to, if the person he was engaged to broke up with him over a letter. Hawkeye made the decision to not take the anger and annoyance personally, as it wasn't directed at him, not really. He was just the person who was here, and she was hurt and needed to let it out.

"Well, in that case, I'll just leave you to stew in your anger," Hawkeye replied. "I've heard it's delicious."

Dixie furrowed her brow for a moment, seemingly confused, but then the lines thinned out and she did give a ghost of a smile that disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Funny, Pierce," Dixie said softly. She reached to play with a loose thread on her pants. She twirled it around her finger in silence, and Hawkeye could see the thoughts collecting in her brain. He wasn't sure what they were, he didn't know her well enough to know what she was thinking without asking, but he could tell they weren't good thoughts.

Hawkeye sighed and walked over to her, crouching down to sit next to her.

"Scooch," he ordered, and she, surprised, did as she was told. He sat down on the floor next to her, his legs stretched out in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Hawkeye shrugged.

"Figured if you're going to wallow, you might want to add someone else," Hawkeye said. "Wallowing breeds company."

Dixie scrunched up her nose. "It's misery breeds company."

"Well, are you miserable?" Hawkeye said. "If not, then I can leave." Dixie was silent again, her lips pursed, and arms wrapped around her knees. Hawkeye knew that she was miserable, only miserable people hid themselves in the back of the supply tent to cry.

"So, I'm gonna ask again, do you want to talk about it?" Hawkeye prodded. Dixie let the quiet wash over them for a long moment, so long a moment that Hawkeye thought that she was just going to ignore the question. But then, she spoke, in a thin, quiet voice.

"He doesn't love me anymore," Dixie said softly, just above a whisper. "He said so himself."

Hawkeye blinked and looked down at her.

"He said this time apart has been good for him," Dixie explained. She reached for the letter and straightened it out on her knees. "That he's realized he doesn't want me anymore. He-he didn't give a reason. Just said it had to be this way."

Hawkeye was unsure what to say to her confession as to what happened. He had assumed something along those lines had happened, but it was another thing to hear it come out of Dixie.

It was now Hawkeye's turn to be quiet, as he tried to come up with something to say in response. He normally was fast on his feet, quick with a quip or a response, but this was uncharted territory. Hawkeye was unsure how to comfort a woman who was grieving the end of her relationship. He had his own fair share of past relationships, and had come to the end of them, but he was unsure what to say that would make this better.

"All in all, he sounds like a germ," Hawkeye eventually settled on. Dixie let out a low giggle and Hawkeye smiled. "No, really, a piece of work that guy is."

"I guess you could say that," Dixie admitted. She wiped at her wet eyes with her olive-green sleeve. "He definitely isn't winning any awards for congeniality from me after this stunt."

"Well maybe he won't win Miss Congeniality, but maybe Miss America is still on the table," Hawkeye said quickly. This caused Dixie to actually laugh, not just scoff or giggle in a low tone, but to actually laugh. She finally let go of her legs as she leaned forward, straightening her legs out in front of her. The letter fell from her grasp, forgotten on the floor beside her as it rustled to the ground.

"I've known him since I was sixteen," Dixie admitted. "He could never make up his mind about anything. Guess I should have known he would back out." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Joke's on me, I guess."

Silence stretched over them again, and Hawkeye didn't try to fight it. Silence was welcome, it was not something to be avoided. When it was used properly, it could even be healing. But then, he let the moment of silence pass and he smiled cheekily at her.

"Since you're single now –"

"Hawkeye, you are incorrigible, you know that, right,"

"Incorrigible, I love it. Speak more French to me."