Love in Camp Henderson

by crazycatmommy

After dealing with heartache, both Carter and Gomer find new love and new hope in a place they didn't suspect.

7. This Love Is Good, This Love Is Bad

1. Be sure to read my BFF's story, The Butterfuly and The Wolf, a Hogan's Heroes fanfiction.

2. $125.00 was a lot of money back then. Dorothy Dandridge was an African-American actress, singer, and dancer. She was the first African-American actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Carmen Jones.

3. Just giving the readers a quick warning: this chapter will hint at racist words and overtones. Talking like this was not a big deal at the time, but thankfully, things have changed slowly.

4. Check out the playlist, 'Love in Camp Henderson Soundtrack' on Spotify.

5. A reference from the Las Vegas episode is mentioned at the end of the chapter.

6. I'm sorry this took longer to post. I had a lot going on, from getting let go from my job to starting a new job, among other things. But anyhow, enjoy the chapter.

7. I will eventually try to bake that recipe Gomer baked.

8. Chapter named after 'This Love' by Taylor Swift

*GC*

Relishing in their afterglow, the two lovers held each other for a few minutes longer until they returned to their quarters. Carter walked out first, telling Gomer to wait a little bit so that it wouldn't look obvious they were in the storage room together; this became their official meeting spot and the only place where they felt safe enough to embrace and kiss.

After five minutes, Gomer walked back into his barracks, making sure no one knew he was sneaking around with his Sergeant. Once the Private made it back to his quarters safe and sound, he started to get ready for bed by brushing his teeth, washing his face, and changing his khaki uniform into his t-shirt and shorts. As the Private was brushing his hair in the mirror, he lowered the collar of his t-shirt, exposing the love bite Carter left on him. The Private poked the purple mark, feeling a sting.

"Ouch." He said to himself.

He covered the love bite, making sure no one could ever see it. The Private then recalled Carter touching his appendix scar. He lifted his shirt, putting his hairbrush down, feeling the scar on his right side along his flat stomach.

"Why did momma lock me in a closet?" Gomer asked himself, trying not to get emotional about the bad memories.

He didn't like showing off his scar because it brought back a terrible time in his life when he was a little boy every time he saw it.

Flashback

"Momma, my tummy hurts." Four-year-old Gomer Pyle cried to his mother, who was lying on the couch with a glass of wine.

Janet Morris, his mother, was on her fourth glass of wine, drowning out her son's pleas.

"Momma…" Gomer cried out, shaking her arm, "momma, my tummy hurts…."

Snatching her arm away, Janet looked at the little boy, screaming, "Oh Lord! Gomer, you're drivin' me nuts!"

The little boy looked at her with wide eyes and his hands on his stomach. Janet eyed her son, saying, "Don't start crying on me, boy! I know when you are fakin' them tears."

Gomer walked over to his toys, playing with his train set, as his mother downed her wine in front of the radio, listening to a soap opera. She couldn't hear what happened in the climax of her show because her son cried out, "Owwww!"

Infuriated she had missed what happened, she walked over to Gomer and slapped him, leaving a red mark on the boy's cheek.

"You little brat! You made me miss what happened!" She screamed, grabbing the child by the arm, dragging him into the closet, completely ignoring the fact he was in pain. "Now, you will sit in the closet! I should've aborted you when I had the chance to!"

"I'm sorry, momma! I'm sorry!" Gomer cried to his mother, who shut the door on him.

Laying in the dark, still in pain, Gomer suddenly got a fever. Twenty minutes later, he heard his grandmother come through the door.

"Where is he, Janet?" Lynette Pyle asked firmly.

"Oh…he is sittin' in the closet. He wanted to sit in there." Janet lied through slurred words, holding a glass of wine.

Lynette looked at Janet, saying, "Have you been drinkin' again? And in front of your son?"

"I only had a little…." Janet slurred.

Lynette glared at her, knowing she was lying. Janet led her to the closet Gomer was sitting in, only to find Gomer red, curled in a ball from his side, hurting him. The elderly woman got to Gomer's level, saying, "Gomie, what's wrong, baby?" She felt his face, feeling he was hot all over. "Oh my God! You're burning up!"

"It hurts, Grandma! My tummy hurts right here!" Gomer wailed out.

That was when Lynette realized her grandson's appendix had burst. She turned to the boy's mother, screaming, "Why didn't you take him to the doctor! His appendix is bust!"

Janet stood with her glass of wine, shrugging. Lynette did not want to deal with the drunk and negligent mother and quickly scooped the small boy into her arms, running out with him, shouting to her husband, "Otis! Otis! Otis Ray Pyle, start the car and drive to the hospital!"

Otis Pyle, the boy's grandfather, stuck his head out the window, crying out, "What happened to him?"

"His appendix is bust! We need to get him to a doctor!" Lynette shouted, climbing into the backseat with him.

Otis stepped on the gas, driving to the hospital, as Lynette held her grandson on her lap, stroking his forehead. Moments later, Gomer vomited in the car, saying, "I'm sorry, Grandpa."

"It's okay, son. Let's just get you to a doctor." Otis replied while Lynette held her grandson.

"Momma said I drive her crazy…and she locked me in a closet…."

Lynette looked at Otis, who started back in the car mirror. Ever since their son Ray was killed in a car wreck, she has been very abusive to the little boy. They had tried to get custody over him, but Gomer always told his grandparents he didn't want to leave his momma alone.

Once they got to the hospital, Otis parked the car, both he and his wife getting out of the vehicle. Otis took Gomer from Lynette as they both ran into the emergency room with the small boy.

"Our grand-baby! He needs help! Someone, please help!" Lynette cried out.

Immediately, nurses and doctors ran over, taking Gomer from Otis.

"No! Grandma! Grandpa!" Gomer cried out.

"It's okay, baby. They are gonna help you. We'll be here." Lynette called back as Otis placed a hand on her shoulder.

The little boy was taken into the operating room as he looked up at the doctors, who coaxed him.

"It'll be okay. You'll be asleep, so we can help you feel better." The Doctor put the small boy to sleep with sleeping gas so that he wouldn't feel anything.

Forty-five minutes later, Gomer woke up in a hospital room, his grandparents sitting beside his bed.

"Oh, Gomie! Baby, you're okay!" Lynette hugged her grandson.

"How do you feel, boy?" Otis asked, placing his hand on the boy's forehead..

"Better, Grandpa. I don't even hurt anymore." Gomer smiled.

"That's good to know. Your daddy would be proud of you! You're gonna make good in the military one day." Otis spoke, making the small boy grin widely.

"Now, Otis Ray, don't give him any ideas." Lynette chuckled.

"What, woman? He's a Pyle! If he could handle an appendix, he could handle anythin'!" Otis responded.

Lynette playfully hit her husband on the arm, then bent down to kiss her grandson on his head.

"I love you from the sun, moon, and stars, baby," Lynette whispered, stroking his head.

"I love you to the stars and back!" Gomer replied.

Flashback ends

Shaking out of his thoughts, Gomer pulled down his shirt, then climbed into bed. He turned to look out the window, staring at the stars that filled up the clear night sky. He took a breath and wondered what his grandfather and father were talking about in Heaven. He almost felt their presence on him whenever he watched the stars at night.

"I'm okay…y'all don't need to worry 'bout me," Gomer said to himself as if he was talking to the two important men in his life.

Looking up at the sky for a few more minutes, Gomer felt his eyes go heavy, falling into a deep sleep, dreaming of the man he cared for more than anything else.

*GC*

The following morning, Gomer was getting ready for the day, putting on his green uniform, while Duke and their friend, Frankie, talked about their girlfriends. Gomer overheard Duke saying to Frankie, "Alana brought tickets to see the Rolling Stones. Do you know how hard it was to nab tickets? We're sitting in balcony seats, all for $45.00. I'm not even going to ask how she got them, but okay."

Frankie scoffed, replying, "Lucky. At least you two have something you can talk about. Theresa wants to see the observatory in Los Angeles one weekend, but I don't know anything about astronomy."

Then, Frankie turned to Gomer, asking, "Hey, Gomer, you like astronomy. When's the next Halley's comment?"

"I don't know, Frankie. I heard it comes out every 76 years. I never did get to see it. Why do you ask?" Gomer turned to his friend while he applied cologne on himself.

As he applied the cologne on his collar bone, he felt a sting from where Carter bit him; this made Gomer hiss lightly. He lowered his collar just to see how bad it was, only to find a black and purple mark starting to form. Gomer didn't notice that when Duke looked up when he hissed. Duke noticed the bruise, making a face that he was sure something may have happened.

"No reason. I'm dating this chick I met in town, and she likes that stuff. I want to impress her." Frankie spoke.

"Just be yourself, Frankie. She will like you." Gomer said sweetly.

"Sorry to get off-topic, but I just realized next Thursday is the Sergeant's birthday?" Duke spoke.

"Interesting," Frankie replied. "We should pull a birthday prank."

"That would be funny." Duke chimed in. "I say while he's still sleeping, let's tape him to his bunk with duct tape right before roll call."

"Or we could saran wrap his car? That would get him going." Frankie suggested.

"It seems like a mean thing to do, Frankie. You shouldn't play jokes like that on someone. You wouldn't like it if someone done that to you." Gomer chimed in.

Frankie shook his head to Gomer, then suddenly changed the topic, "You know, all this talk is making me hungry. You fellas wanna get some chow?"

"In a few, Frankie," Duke replied.

Frankie turned to Gomer, asking, "How about you, Gome?"

"Oh, thank you, Frankie. But I ate already, and I have to work in the motor pool today." Gomer replied.

Frankie nodded, then said, "I'll meet you in the mess hall then, Duke."

"Yep…" Duke responded.

Once Frankie left, Duke got up from his seat and stood behind Gomer, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"So…" Duke spoke.

"So what, Duke?" Gomer asked, turning his head quickly to face his friend.

"Uh…" Duke made sure they were in the clear, which they were, before speaking again, "I didn't want to say anything when Frankie was here, but…I noticed a bruise on your collar bone. Did you um…"

"What?" Gomer asked as he tensed up.

Did Duke see the love bite that was on his collar bone?

"Gome, it's alright. I have one of my own too." Duke chuckled as he showed Gomer a purple bite mark on his neck. "As refined and well-spoken as Alana is, she can get wild when she wants to."

Gomer made a face; he was very happy for Duke, but he didn't care for his friend oversharing what he and Alana would do when they had alone time. The Private's friend looked at him, speaking again, "Gomer…can I ask you something…the person who gave you that love bite…was it…was it Sergeant Carter?"

He knew! Duke knew! Gomer looked at Duke fearfully, with Duke reassuring him, "Gomer, whatever you tell me…it doesn't leave this room."

Reluctant to say anything, Gomer sighed and told Duke, "Well…you know I don't like to tell lies, Duke, but…as long as you don't tell no one else."

"Scout's honor." Duke raised his right hand, swearing to keep it a secret.

Gomer nervously took a deep sigh before speaking, "Yes, Duke. It was Sergeant Carter…we are in a…relationship."

Duke stared at his friend for a few seconds, and then a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. He turned a heel, walking out of their barracks. Gomer felt his heart fall to his stomach; he followed Duke out of the barracks and into the duty hut.

'He said he wouldn't tell. How could he do that?' Gomer thought to himself as he chased Duke.

As Duke walked in, he found Boyle sitting at his desk, going over paperwork, while Gomer chased him, crying out, "No, Duke, please don't!"

"Hey, Corporal Boyle," Duke called out, making Boyle look up, "I win the bet! Pay up!"

"Huh?" Gomer stopped in his tracks, genuinely confused as to what Duke said.

Boyle sighed, placing his paperwork down.

"I was hoping you'd forget, Slater." He spoke.

"Well, I'm like an elephant: I don't forget." Duke joked.

"Yeah, yeah…" Boyle groaned. "How much do I owe you?"

"$100.00 even." Duke held his hand out to Boyle.

"A bet?" Gomer repeated.

Boyle and Duke turned to look at Gomer, smirking at him.

"While you were in the hospital for your asthma, we made a bet," Duke said with a smirk.

"What he said," Boyle added. "It isn't a shocker to us if you ask me."

"A bet?" Gomer once again stated.

"Yeah, Gomer. A bet." Duke stated, noticing the look on Gomer's face go from surprise to disappointment. "Please don't tell me you're upset about this."

Gomer was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Well…had I known you guys were going to make a bet, I wouldn't be so surprised. But I won't lie…I'm offended that you two would use ill-gotten gains to see if Sergeant Carter and I could get together."

Duke and Boyle exchanged glances. Boyle then spoke up, "Pyle, we didn't mean any harm by it. We just wanted to see how long it would take for you guys to get together."

"I know, Corporal Boyle," Gomer responded, still offended. "I just look down on gambling and betting…which is why I'm surprised you would use mine and Sergeant Carter's names in your bet."

Feeling guilty, Boyle and Duke exchanged looks. Duke turned to face his friend with a look of sorrow.

"Gee…we're sorry, Gomer," Duke spoke. "I didn't think about how you'd feel."

Gomer put his head down, staring at his feet. Duke held his hand out, "Shake on it, friend?"

Looking up at his friend, Gomer couldn't stay upset. He smiled a sweet smile, taking Duke's hand.

"Okay, old buddy," Gomer replied as he shook Duke's hand.

Duke pulled Gomer in for a hug, accidentally pressing on the bite mark.

"Oww…careful…" Gomer told him.

"Sorry." Duke chuckled.

Boyle shook his head with a smile.

"Where is Sergeant Carter?" Gomer asked Boyle.

"He and the other Sergeants are some mandatory workshop, only for the Sergeants, which means I'm filling in for him. Such joy." Boyle replied, rolling his eyes.

Gomer smiled at his friend and the Corporal.

"Are you okay, Pyle?" Boyle asked.

"I am, Corporal Boyle. Thank you for keeping mine and Vince's secret." Gomer expressed his gratitude.

"It isn't our business to tell, Pyle," Boyle reassured him.

"I know, but I still appreciate it," Gomer spoke again. "Anyway, I'm going to start on my duties."

With that said, Gomer exited out of the hut, placing his hat on his head. Boyle and Duke looked at each other, smiling.

"I can't believe it…." Boyle spoke, clapping his hands together. "They are together. Good for them."

"Yeah. I'm excited for them." Duke added, remembering the money, "Now where's my money? I have to get my mother a Mother's Day gift."

"I was hoping you'd forget," Boyle said, taking out his wallet to give Duke money.

"Well, don't make bets, and I won't remember, Corporal Boyle!" Duke smirked at his Corporal.

Boyle stared up at Duke, who gave him a sarcastic grin. The Corporal handed Duke his money, then said, "Don't spend it all in one place."

*GC*

Later that evening, Carter walked back into his barracks as Boyle looked up from his desk.

"You're back so soon." Boyle joked with a chuckle.

"I thought it would never end," Carter spoke as he fell on his bunk. "Between that boring speaker, to Hacker talking over me every time I tried to speak…I'm just glad it's over. My brain is fried."

"Sounds like you had a hell of a day," Boyle stated as he turned his body in his chair just to face Carter.

"You had to be there, Boyle. Every time someone asked a question, this guy would answer with his entire life story." Carter vented.

The Corporal smirked to himself, making a 'hmm' sound, "If you must know, things ran smoothly here. Everyone did what they had to do; some men went on liberty…no news is good news to me."

"Excellent, Boyle. Thanks for taking over." Carter said with sincerity in his voice.

"Anytime, Serge." Boyle smiled at him.

Silence fell between the two for a few moments until Boyle spoke, "So…next Thursday is your birthday. How do you plan to spend it?"

"I don't care for my birthday, Chuck. It's just another day to me." Carter stated with a shrug. "By the way, did I get any mail?"

"All on your desk," Boyle replied.

The Sergeant got up from his bed, took a seat at his desk, and sorted through his mail. What he saw were birthday cards from his parents and sisters. He opened up the one from his parents, watching a $10.00 bill fall out of the card. Carter picked it up with a chuckle, saying, "My parents still sneak money in my card for my birthday."

"Real nice, Vince. Real nice." Boyle chuckled.

Carter closed his parents' card and then opened up his next card from his youngest sister, Muriel. As he opened up the letter, Boyle picked up the last birthday card, reading aloud, "Let's take a look at this: Dear Vincey...happy birthday! Please get yourself some dinner on us. Love, mom and dad. You know, once I turned 18, my parents stopped giving me money on my birthday; my father had said that I was too old and should start working."

Carter chuckled at Boyle as he read the message from Muriel. Once he closed Muriel's card, he opened up the next one from his sister, Babe, and her husband, Harold. Inside the card were two folded-up pieces of paper.

"More money?" Boyle asked.

"I hope." Carter joked as he picked up the papers that fell out, opening them up.

It turns out they were drawings from his nephew and niece. Carter beamed a huge smile.

"No money, but drawings from my nephew and niece." The Sergeant said as he showed Boyle the children's drawings.

The pictures were colorful, drawn-out with crayons. They both contained stick figures wearing party hats, with a cake and balloons included. Each picture read, 'Happy birthday Uncle Vincey' in typical childlike handwriting.

"That's pretty cute." Boyle smiled.

"Yeah…they are somethin'." Carter smiled as he folded up the pictures, sticking them inside his desk.

Boyle looked at his Sergeant, smiling that he seemed to be doing much better than before the incident at the Polish restaurant in town. Shaking out of his thoughts, Boyle got up from his seat, saying, "Well, now that you're back, I ought to be heading out now."

"Where you off to?" Carter asked.

"I'm picking up that nurse from the infirmary, and we're going to the PX to grab dessert. Her shift ends in 15, so I said I'd take her out." Boyle explained.

"The dame that looks like Dorothy Dandridge who distracted you while I was admitted?" Carter asked.

"Yep, Nurse Katheryn." Boyle smiled as he walked over to his locker and started applying aftershave.

Carter smiled back at his Corporal, indicating he was happy for him. Nurse Katie was a sweet woman, beautiful at that. Boyle winced at the stinging of the aftershave against his shaven face.

"Hey, just be careful," Carter spoke up, sincerity flooding his voice. "Just…don't let any of the ignorant comments from any of the men on the base get to you,"

"Vince," Boyle spoke as he put the bottle back in the locker, grabbed his cap, and shut his locker door. "I'm aware of what may be said. I was worried about being with Kathryn at first. But then I thought, yeah, fuck them, I don't care. It reflects anyone who has something to say, not me or her. Besides, I will take care of them if anyone says anything about her."

Carter nodded his head in response, understanding what Boyle was telling him. He got up from his seat, making his way back to his bunk.

"Hey, Serge," Boyle spoke.

"Yeah?" Carter asked, facing Boyle.

"Uh…nothing…thanks for the advice," Boyle replied.

"Anytime, Boyle. Have fun."

Placing his cap on his head, Boyle walked out of the barracks, leaving Carter alone to lay in his bunk and relax after a long day. The Sergeant removed his shoes, propped his pillow up, then laid back as he started to imagine having the sweet Private with the most handsome brown eyes in his arms again.

*GC*

Boyle picked up his date from the infirmary after she got off from work, then walked her over to the PX for dessert. Boyle scoped out for an empty table as they walked in, leading them both to sit down. The two didn't notice the looks and whispers that were going on around them.

"Want me to take your jacket?" Boyle asked the nurse.

"Oh, thank you, Corporal."

Boyle took off Katie's jacket for her, placing it on the back of her chair. He then pulled out the chair for his date, and she took a seat. When he pushed in her chair, the Corporal looked up to see two men he knew from another outfit whispering and looking at himself and Katie. Brushing them off, he then took his seat as the waitress walked over.

"Hello, Corporal Boyle. Nurse Katie. What can I get you two this evening?" she asked them.

"Just a coffee, milk, and sugar," Boyle replied, then looked at his date. "You?"

"Oh..." Katie looked up at the waitress. "I'll have a cup of mint tea and a piece of the angel food cake."

The Corporal smiled at his date while their waitress took down their order. As the waitress walked off, both Boyle and Katie composed themselves of their first date jitters. They looked at one another, both speaking simultaneously, "So..."

This caused them to chuckle as Katie spoke again, "I'm sorry..."

"No. Don't be," Boyle reassured her. "If anything, I'm pretty nervous."

"I guess it's safe to say we're on the same page," Katie told him.

"Yeah..." Boyle answered.

Silence fell again for a few moments until Katie spoke, "So...how long have you been in the Marines?"

"Since I was about 18," Boyle answered her. "My father talked me into it, much to my mother's dismay. The moment I made Corporal, they transferred me out here. I can't complain; I lucked out with my outfit."

The waitress came back with their dessert, placing it on the table.

"Enjoy." The waitress said with a smile.

Both parties thanked her as she walked off. Boyle noticed two forks on the plate.

"So, how long have you known Sergeant Carter?" Katie asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"For as long as I've been in Camp Henderson. Working with him is a joyride, to say the least." Boyle chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Katie asked, chuckling.

"Let's put it this way," Boyle explained, "sometimes I've had to play Corporal, friend, and unlicensed shrink for him."

This made the nurse laugh.

"But to be fair, he's been good to me, so it's okay. Just trying to reason with him can be tiresome." Boyle explained, making Katie chuckle again. "So...how long have you been a nurse for?"

"Not too long. For a few years. I was in the only handful of black nursing students, graduating top of my class." Katie explained.

Boyle's eyes widened in surprise as he sipped his coffee, "Wow. Impressive."

"Yeah," Katie then frowned, "it wasn't easy finding a job. I was rejected from most hospitals I applied for until I got hired at the infirmary. It's been interesting working there. The other nurses are great, but some men there...don't get me started."

That comment made Boyle frown. He then proceeded to say, "Hey, if any of them bother you, don't feel afraid to come to me and tell me who it is. I'll straighten him out."

Katie smiled at Boyle. It wasn't until they noticed the cake sitting in between them.

"Well...no use in letting this cake go to waste," Boyle stated as he picked up his fork.

Katie picked up her fork as well as they started eating the cake.

"Say, that's pretty good!" Boyle exclaimed.

"It is," Katie interjected.

Taking another bite of cake, Boyle continued to ask his date questions, "So where did you grow up?"

Katie swallowed her cake, then spoke, "Near Philadelphia. I was raised by a single mother. She worked as a housekeeper just to put me through school. When I told her I wanted to be a nurse, she was determined to get me there. She was lucky to have worked for a wonderful family that paid her well, knowing she wanted what was best for me. She put away every penny she made so that I could get into school."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your father?" Boyle asked.

Katie looked down at her cake and spoke, "He wasn't so much of a daddy. He left momma when she told him she was pregnant; she was only 15 when she had me. Luckily, my grandpa and grandma were there for us."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Boyle sympathized with her.

"Don't be. I'm not." Katie smiled. "What about your parents?"

The Corporal sipped his coffee the spoke, "My dad's parents came from Ireland while my dad was born in New York; they came here just to have him. My mother and her family came from Poland when she was about 2; she didn't speak English until she was 7. So by the time my parents were 17, they met, fell in love, much to my grandparent's dismay, and got married only three weeks."

"What? How did they manage to do that?" Katie asked, surprised.

"I have no clue." Boyle shrugged. "So anyway, my dad delivered milk to provide for my mother while she was pregnant, then shortly after I was born, he went off to war. Like you, I have no complaints."

"I think that's all that matters in the end," Katie responded to Boyle.

"You're right," Boyle added.

As the two took a bite of cake, Katie looked up at Boyle, saying, "You know, I'm surprised you asked me out."

"Why is that?" The Corporal asked.

"Well, to be frank, you're white. I'm black. It isn't acknowledged that two people of two different races are seen out on a date." Katie spoke honestly.

"Funny," Boyle spoke, placing his hand on hers, "when I saw you, I didn't notice skin color. I saw this beautiful woman who happened to be Pyle's nurse that I wanted to get to know. Besides, my parents married outside their cultures, so what difference does it make with us?"

"Don't you worry about what the men on the base might..." Katie was cut off.

"Fuck them. I'm dating you, so they will have to live with it." Boyle spoke.

The nurse gave a faint smile, then looked up, "Chuck, I think we're being watched."

Boyle turned around to see Sergeant Hacker's second in command, Corporal Jenson, looking at them, whispering to another Corporal from another outfit. Both of them talked about Boyle being with a woman outside his skin color. Smirking, the Corporal looked at Katie, then said, "Want to give them a show?"

"How so?" Katie smirked back, knowing he was up to mischief.

Boyle then leaned into Katie, putting his arm around her, then kissing her square on the lips. It lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away.

"How was that?" Boyle asked her.

"Are they still looking?" Katie asked.

Boyle turned, noticing how most of the PX had their eyes on them.

"I think we started something we can't finish." he chuckled.

"Well, in that case, why don't you kiss me again?" Katie teased.

"Glad to." The Corporal responded before the two kissed again.

*GC*

That night, while asleep in his bed, Gomer had a hard time trying to shut his eyes. His mind kept wandering over the fact Duke caught on to his and Carter's relationship. If his best friend knew, he had no reason to keep it from the person he loves the most…his grandmother. Gomer got out of bed without thinking and threw on his green shirt, pants, boots, and cap right before tiptoeing out of the barracks. He walked across the base to the payphone, calling home. Grandma Pyle always told him that he could always call home no matter what he needed. He dialed her number, then put the phone to his ear; he got two rings until a voice answered, "Hello? Lynette Pyle?"

"Grandma…it's me, Gomer," Gomer replied.

"Gomie, what are you calling so late for?" Lynette sweetly asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Gomer told her.

Sighing a worried sigh over the phone, Lynette spoke sweetly, "What is it, baby? Talk to Grandma."

Taking in a deep breath, the Private stared down at his shoes in the phone booth.

"It's…it's been on my mind for a little bit now…but I need to tell you. Just…promise me you will still love me?"

"Gomie," Lynette chuckled, "there is nothin' in the world that would prevent me from lovin' you or Goober. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Seeing that as a green light to admit his secret to her, Gomer said to his grandmother, "Well…I have feelins for men…the way, I'm supposed to love a lady. And I happen to have feelins for someone special on my base…who happens to be a man…I'm only tellin' you because you raised me after momma left me with you and Grandpa, so I could not lie to you. I just couldn't!"

Silence fell over the other line. All Lynette managed to say was, "Oh…well…okay…."

"Oh, Grandma, are you mad at me?" Gomer asked, fearful.

"Oh, Gomer Walker Pyle, hush your worryin'!" Lynette chuckled. "I don't care 'bout that; all I want for you is to be happy, no matter who you love, baby."

"But why do I have to feel like this about a man and not a lady? I mean…You and Grandpa told me how to act when I meet the right lady." Gomer asked her.

"Oh, honey, love is not easy. Your Grandpa and I had to work at our marriage every day." Lynette explained.

"Golly, Grandma. I didn't know that. I always thought you and Grandpa were happy." Gomer stated.

"Oh, we were, but marriage is work, honey. Gomie, the thing about love is that it just happens when you least expect it." Lynette explained with a light laugh. "You know, the day you got your appendix taken out, your grandpa said to me that you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. He even said to your doctor, 'Doctor, this ain't no regular little boy; this is my grandson, and he's the strongest little boy I know.' Your grandpa would be so proud of you."

"Really?" Gomer asked, smiling on the other line.

"Yes, baby. Really." Lynette replied. "If you could get through what you had been through in your life, I know you can handle this. But just tell me…."

"What is it, Grandma?" Gomer spoke again.

"This man you have feelins for…is it that Sergeant Carter? The one I met a while back when I visited you?"

"Why, yes…yes it is," Gomer replied happily.

Lynette giggled, then spoke on the other line, "I could tell he was special to you from when I met him. You looked out for him when I predicted all those bad things was gonna happen."

Gomer blushed, looking down at the floor.

"I have to get goin', Grandma. I can't be out of the barracks this late, but I just wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry I woke you." Gomer told his grandmother.

"Oh, Gomie, you could never bother me. I love hearin' from you." Lynette chuckled.

This made Gomer giggle softly.

"Hang in there, baby. I love you from the sun, moon, and stars." Lynette said.

"I love you to the stars and back, Grandma," Gomer replied right before hanging up.

Once he was done speaking to his grandmother, the Private tiptoed back to his barracks successfully, then climbed into bed, smiling to himself as he slept and dreamt of the man he felt strongly for.

*GC*

The following week, Thursday came about before anyone knew it. As much as the men of Company B acknowledged Carter on his birthday, he dismissed them with a simple, 'Yeah, yeah.' However, for Gomer, he wanted to make it a special one for the man he had feelings for. Before walking into the duty hut, Gomer fixed himself up, walking in casually as usual.

"Excuse me, Sergeant…." Gomer spoke, making his Sergeant and secret lover look up.

Boyle eyed Gomer and Carter, then smirked at his paperwork. Gomer caught onto it but ignored it.

"What is it, Pyle?" Carter asked, acting natural, while his heart raced.

"I was wondering if I could have my pass?" Gomer asked.

"You want a pass? After your work this week, you want a pass?" Carter spoke in an authoritative voice.

"Well…yeah…I was planning to go into town today and…." Gomer was cut off.

"Don't tell me…getting another ice cream soda and see a dumbass monster picture?" Carter spoke.

"Not today. I had other plans to do. I was going to get Grandma Pyle a Mother's Day card." Gomer explained.

Sighing, Carter opened up his desk drawer, then said, "Who am I to deprive a knucklehead Private and his grandmother."

The Sergeant took out a pass from his desk drawer and handed it to Gomer.

"Here, go crazy." Carter dismissed Gomer.

"Thank you, Sergeant Carter. Oh, and happy birthday." Gomer cheerfully said.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get out of here, will ya?" Carter didn't look up at Gomer.

The sweet Private smiled, leaving the barracks. Boyle looked at Carter, still smirking.

"I can feel you smirking at me, Chuck. Might as well say what's on your mind." Carter snapped.

"I wasn't thinking anything…." Boyle teased.

"Sure, Chuck…sure." Carter muttered.

The Sergeant got up from his seat and walked over to the file drawer to grab something when Boyle spoke, "So…what are you going to do today?"

"Eh…the same as I always do. Just another day to me." Carter shrugged once he got what he needed, then walked back to his desk.

"Well, I shouldn't be saying anything, but I think you should know…Hacker, Jenson, Sergeants O'Neil, and Costello want to go out tonight. I just thought I'd give you a heads up."

Rubbing his temples, Carter grumbled, "Great…you know you could've stopped them." Carter stated, frustrated.

"Come on, Vince. It doesn't sound so bad. Besides, Hacker said he's buying." Boyle tried negotiating with his Sergeant.

Thinking for a moment, Carter then remembered all the times Hacker did aggravate him, so he figured if anyone was going to buy him a free drink, he might as well let it be Hacker as a form of payback.

"Alright, what the hell?" Carter decided. "I figured Hacker can make up that he's an asshole by buying me free drinks."

Boyle smiled at Carter. The Sergeant looked at the Corporal, saying, "Shall we get breakfast now?"

*GC*

Getting off the bus into town, Gomer had a happy and determined look as he made his way to the local hobby store. As he walked in, the first thing he did was walk over to the sales lady, who was stocking a shelf.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Gomer spoke sweetly, "would you mind telling me where the art supplies are?"

"Oh…well, our art selection is located in aisle 4. Is there anything, in particular, you are looking for?" The sales lady asked Gomer.

"Not really. It's a birthday gift for a friend. So I might be a while." Gomer replied with a smile.

He made his way to the art supplies, not knowing where to start.

"Holy stars…I don't even know where to start." Gomer expressed to himself. "Well, he's going to need lots of paints, that's for sure."

Gomer scoped through the paints and noticed different paints right then and there. Does Carter use oils? What about watercolors? Then there are acrylics and gouaches. What kind of paints would Carter prefer?

"I might as well add all of them into the basket. He might use all of them. Who knows?" Gomer told himself, adding one of each paint type into the cart.

Next, he came across the brushes. The Private was amazed at the selection of brushes for different paint strokes.

"Glory be, glory be! So many brushes to choose from. Might as well get one of each if he is going to be painting." Gomer thought out loud.

He picked out every paintbrush on display and added them to his cart. Next, he added a sketch pad, a watercolor pad, canvases, colored pencils, and a drawing pencil kit just for the heck of it. Once he was finished, the Private smiled to himself, as if he had accomplished something, then walked over to the register to the salesgirl.

"My oh my, you made a haul!" She cried out, making Gomer bashful. "Are you taking a class?"

"Oh no, ma'am. This is a gift for a special someone in my life." Gomer replied.

The salesgirl rang up the supplies and bagged them into several brown bags. Once she was done, she tallied up the order, "That will be $125.00."

"$125? Shazam…" Gomer stated. "I didn't expect to spend that much money. But it is for a good reason."

The Private paid the lady before grabbing his bags and walking out of the store, fulfilled. Next, he decided to stop at a local general store to pick up gift bags for the supplies, balloons, and a Mother's Day card for his grandmother. As he scooped through the cards, he found one of a grandmother sitting in a rocking chair as her grandson sat on her lap. He stared down at the card, smiling at it, thinking of the time that when his grandmother took him in, she would often rock him to sleep in her chair. After settling on the card for his grandmother, he walked over to the register to pay for the bags and the card.

"Golly, all this runnin' around sure made me hungry. Might as well get somethin' to eat before I get back to the base."

Gomer walked down the street with his bags in both hands and into the Bluebird Cafe, where he took a seat by the bar. 'Hitchin' A Ride' by Vanity Fare filled the restaurant's air. The waitress walked over to him, greeting him, "Hello, Private Pyle. So nice to see you today!"

"Good afternoon, Miss Jenny. How are you today?" Gomer greeted the waitress.

"I'm doing well. Shall I bring you your usual grilled cheese with fries and a chocolate soda?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, please. But can you bring me two pickles? I enjoy pickles." Gomer smiled.

"I'll bring you three pickles," Jenny said as she smiled.

The Private gave the waitress a sweet grin as she walked off. This gave him time to fill out his grandmother's Mother's Day card. Moments later, Jenny returned with Gomer's grilled cheese and chocolate soda. As she placed it in front of him, the Private looked up at her, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. I see you did a bit of shopping there. You looking to take an art class?"

"Oh no. This is a birthday gift for someone special. You know, I never spent this much money on birthday gifts."

"Well, I'm sure your special someone will enjoy these gifts," Jenny told Gomer.

"Believe me…that special someone will!" Gomer told her.

Another guest took a seat at the bar, which grabbed Jenny's attention, leaving Gomer alone with his meal. The Private happily ate his food and sipped on his chocolate soda. Nothing made him happier than knowing he spent his money on the person he cared for.

'I just can't wait to see Vince's face when he sees his surprises.' Gomer thought to himself.

After his lunch, Gomer paid for his food, walked out of the cafe, then realized he was only down to $5.00, more than enough to get back to the base, and he managed to catch the first bus back.

*GC*

The Private was able to lug all his paper bags back onto the base, running to his quarters so that Carter wouldn't catch wind of what he went into town for. Once he got into his barracks, he ran in, placing the bags on his bunk. The Private just had to wrap the presents in their bag before tonight. Duke and Frankie walked in, noticing the stuff Gomer had brought.

"Are you taking an art class, Gomer?" Frankie asked.

"Oh no, Frankie. This ain't for me." Gomer expressed.

"Oh, so it's for…that someone you had been seeing?" Duke asked, being sure to keep Gomer's secret for him.

"Oh, you got yourself a new girl, I see. Good for you, Gomer." Frankie spoke.

Bashful, Gomer looked to the side.

"Well…we ain't ready to say anythin' yet," Gomer explained.

"Understandable." Frankie smiled at his friend. "You don't want to say something right now, and then it doesn't work out. You've always been a smart one, Gomer."

"Thank you, Frankie," Gomer replied, then started to open up the bags, filling them with tissue paper.

The two friends looked at the stuff Gomer brought, holding it to their eyes.

"Did you buy out the whole hobby store, Gome?" Duke softly exclaimed.

"Well, I wasn't sure what my special someone would like. So I brought one of everything." Gomer explained.

"It seems like a lot." Duke retorted.

"I think a lot is a bit of an understatement, Duke." Frankie cracked.

This made the three privates laugh.

"Would you like help packing these?" Duke asked.

"Oh, sure! You can start by fillin' the bags with tissue paper. After you do that, put the item inside the bag, but be sure to cover it up, so it don't peak through."

"You got it, buddy." Duke obliged as he and Frankie helped Gomer pack up the gifts he brought for Carter.

Gomer didn't see Duke eying him with a happy smirk, indicating he was very happy for his friend.

*GC*

Later that night, Carter and Boyle got ready to go out for Carter's birthday, being treated by Hacker. Duke reported to the duty hut for Carter to explain to Duke, "You are to keep an eye on the duty hut, take any messages that I may have, and…fuck, just keep everything under control. Can I trust you to do so?"

"Yes, sir," Duke replied.

"I also have stuff for you to file. Please get that done while we're gone?"

"Yes, sir," Duke replied with a smirk.

Carter looked at the Private closely, getting a feeling in his gut.

"Why do I have a feeling you are up to something?" Carter asked.

"I'm not, sir," Duke responded.

"Uh-huh…" Carter muttered. "Well, I better find this place in one piece. Although I guarantee you won't have any issues tonight since most men are out on liberty. Just…please don't let this place fall to shit. I don't need any more aggravation." Carter begged Duke.

"Trust me…it won't be, Sergeant."

With that said, Carter left while Boyle waited outside for him. Boyle looked at him, saying, "You think he can handle it?"

Carter let out a loud chortle, replying simply, "Nope."

Boyle shook his head, chuckling to himself, as the two walked to Carter's car. Once the two let themselves in and buckled up, Carter drove off. Duke waited five minutes, then ran back into his barracks to find Gomer, saying, "Okay, they're gone! Go bake that cake."

"Gosh, Duke. You sure I won't get in trouble for sneaking into…."

"If you get caught, I will explain to them that I made you do it. You'll be fine. Just go."

"Are you sure?" Gomer was skeptical.

"Yes, just go! Hurry before you get caught! Go!" Duke ordered Gomer, switching into his mock-Sergeant voice, "Move it! Move it! Move it!"

As Gomer ran off, Duke shook his head, then took a seat in Carter's chair, taking in the feeling of being in charge for a few moments.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Gomer walked into the empty kitchen. Thank goodness Sergeant Hacker and Corporal Jenson were both out for Carter's birthday, and he got to have the kitchen to himself.

"Well…if I'm going to bake Vince his cake, I'm going to bake him Grandma Pyle's old buttermilk chocolate cake recipe." Gomer told himself.

The first thing Gomer did was grab an apron lying around the kitchen. He grabbed two pans, remembering how Grandma Pyle used to butter them. Luckily, there was a bar of butter lying around; room temperature butter was the key to a perfect cake! Moving towards the refrigerator, he then grabbed milk and eggs.

"Golly…no buttermilk. Oh well. Better make my own." Gomer said to himself. Grabbing a bottle of white vinegar, he measured the milk in a cup to one cup, then added a dash of white vinegar to the milk, letting it settle for a few moments until he got chunky milk to his liking. After that, he began to grease the pans with butter, sprinkling them with flour. Once that was done, he preheated the oven.

"My oh my…how do I bake this cake again? It's been a while." Gomer spoke out loud to himself, then suddenly remembered. "Oh my, how did I forget to sift the flour?"

Grabbing flour from a nearby pantry, he measured the flour, baking powder, and salt, then sifted them together as he was taught. Next, he remembered how Grandma Pyle would boil water before adding it to cocoa powder and baking soda; she told him the baking soda had to foam up and cool before adding it to anything else. He remembered as a little boy that watching the foam form was his favorite part.

Running back to the pantry, Gomer then combined oil, the buttermilk, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl, mixing thoroughly until it was well combined. He then added the cocoa and baking soda mix into the bowl, mixing again; he felt his arm go tired.

Taking a break from mixing, Gomer stretched his arms and rolled his neck.

"Gosh, I don't remember mixin' batter being this painful," Gomer spoke again. "Then again, it's for Vince."

When his arm no longer was in pain, he mixed the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter was nice and thick as he poured the batter into the pans. Once the pans were filled, the Private placed the cake in the oven. He prepped the chocolate frosting while waiting 20 minutes for the cake to be done. He walked back to the pantry to find ingredients to put into the icing. He couldn't believe how he lucked to find the ingredients he needed! All he knew was he didn't want to face the food bunker again. Grabbing confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, and milk, he made the chocolate icing to dress the top of the cake. The moment when the cake was completed and ready in the oven, the Private took the cake out, letting it cool for a few moments, as he cleaned up the mess that was made. The Private made sure he left no trace that he was even in the kitchen; he didn't want to get in trouble with Sergeant Hacker, but he wanted to do something for Carter.

"Grandma Pyle would be so proud I mastered her recipe." He thought out loud to himself, with a huge smile.

After letting the cake cool, Gomer removed it from the now cool pans, then iced the cake with his homemade frosting, topping it off with cherries. As he finished the cake, he smiled to himself, knowing that if his grandmother were there, she would be proud he memorized and mastered her chocolate cake.

"I better bring this back to the duty hut," Gomer spoke to himself, carrying the cake on the plate and exiting the kitchen.

As he made it back to the duty hut, he found his friend still sitting in Carter's chair, filing and listening to the radio. That was when Duke looked up to see Gomer walk in with the cake.

"Wow…Gomer, you made that?" Duke softly exclaimed.

"Yes, Duke. It's Grandma Pyle's recipe. I memorized it step by step. Grandma Pyle would be so proud of me." Gomer gleefully explained.

"Shit, I should ask you to bake my birthday cake."

The Private smiled bashfully.

"Can I have a piece?" Duke joked.

"No, Duke!" Gomer softly cried. "You know it's for…."

"I'm just kidding." Duke chuckled. "What else are you going to do?"

"Oh, I was gonna leave the gift bags on his desk, so when he walks in, he finds his presents and cake waitin' for him. It's gotta be a surprise."

Shaking his head, Duke spoke, "I don't think I've ever seen someone go all out for someone else on their birthday."

This made Gomer blush some more. As Gomer set the cake down, Duke said, "Want me to grab the gift bags in the barracks?"

"That'll be helpful, Duke. Thank you." Gomer spoke. "When you come back, could you help me blow up balloons? I want to tie them to his chair."

Duke nodded his head, then walked out of the duty hut. Gomer observed the cake, admiring how it looked, impressed with himself that he managed to memorize his grandmother's entire recipe.

*GC*

While away from the base for the night, Carter and Boyle met up with Hacker, Corporal Jenson, and two other fellow Sergeants at a nearby pizza restaurant, drinking beer and munching on pizza. The group was laughing and joking with one another while Tony Bennett's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' filled the air of the pizza restaurant. Hacker, who was somewhat intoxicated, decided to take it upon himself and make a speech.

"Alright, everyone. So, it being Vince's birthday, I feel it would be appropriate for me to make a speech." Hacker spoke.

"And it would be appropriate for us to take a nap." Sergeant O'Neill joked, making the others laugh.

Hacker shook his head, then continued, "As most of you, if not all of you, I hope, know that Vince and I have known each other for as long as we have been assigned to Camp Henderson. You may even say we have something of a rivalry going on, although I managed to beat him every time."

As the three other Sergeants laughed, Boyle stared at Carter, who, in exchange, looked at him like he was annoyed.

"And despite our differences, we have been through a lot together. So, in all seriousness, I owe it to Vince to treat him on his special day. So, Vince," Hacker then raised his beer, "happy birthday. Here it is to get old. May you endure more aggravation and joy in your military career."

"Cheers…" the others raised their glasses before chugging down their beers.

As Boyle put his glass down, he whispered to Carter, "Some speech."

"Whatever." Carter retorted.

"You feeling any older, Vince?" One of the men in the group asked.

"Being in the Marines for as long as I have been, what is getting older, O'Neil?" Carter chuckled.

"Good point," Costello added. "The day I became a Sergeant, I think I aged ten years early."

Everyone laughed again as the waitress placed a new pitcher of beer. Carter looked up at her, smiling, mouthing a 'thank you.' As she walked off, the group continued in their bantering. Caring less about being there, Carter was drawing a city skyline on his napkin, not paying attention to what was said around him. Lost in his concentration, he heard a voice say, "Vince…Vince…VINCE!"

Carter looked up, muttering, "What…sorry…what happened?"

"What is that?" Costello took the napkin Carter was drawing on, looking at it. "Wow…I didn't know you could draw."

"No way? Vince Carter can draw? Let me see?" Jenson took the napkin, looking at the picture.

"You'd believe it. He's pretty good." Boyle spoke for Carter.

"Yeah, we all saw my drawing. Now can I get it back?"

"Hold on, Michelangelo. I need to see this." Hacker took the napkin away from Jenson and glimpsed at Carter's napkin art. "Why didn't you tell anyone you knew art?"

"I don't know. It's not important. Now can I have it back?" Carter demanded.

"Okay, fine. Here." Hacker chuckled as he handed Carter back his drawing.

Deciding to change the topic, O'Neil spoke, "The waitresses tonight are beautiful."

"The waitresses? Have you seen the girls working the PX and the infirmary? Those nurses are something to look at." Costello added, taking a puff of a cigar he lit up.

"Did you see the one Slater is going with? She's a smoke show." Jenson stated.

"I know. How did a goofball like Slater nab her?" Costello asked.

"Who knows? Like I told Vince before," Boyle stated, "I've seen dames go out with guys who look like monkeys."

The group laughed at Boyle's statement. Carter took a sip of his beer, then put Boyle on the spot, "You should've seen this one when I was in the hospital. He's practically lost in love with this one nurse."

Boyle blushed at Carter, sipping his beer casually.

"No way." O'Neil chortled in. "You found someone that likes your Polack ass?"

"Is that a shocker, O'Neil?" Boyle dryly replied, not caring for the derogatory word.

"I've seen her." Costello chimed in. "She looks like Dorothy Dandridge."

"Who?" Hacker asked, sipping his beer.

"That colored actress who was in that one movie…shit, I can't even think of it." Costello laughed.

Carter noticed Boyle start to look bothered with the talk going on. Costello, oblivious to how Boyle was feeling, continued, "But anyway, I think lost in love is a little bit of an understatement there, Vince. I saw them in the PX the other night."

"Yep, you and everyone else." Jenson sipped his beer, adding, "You two may have looked casual, but you caused quite the looks and whispers the other night."

"Oh really? How so?" Boyle asked Jenson as he sipped his beer.

"Well…with all due respect, Chuck," Jenson spoke, "I didn't think you would go for that type."

"What type?" Boyle asked, sounding defensive.

"Well…let's just say, did you run out of fish in your sea that you need to fish elsewhere?"

The comment made O'Neil spit out his beer, laughing at how Jenson worded the fact that Boyle was in a relationship with someone outside his race. Being on a roll, Jenson then decided to add, "Hey, I have a suggestion for you next time you take her out for dessert. Why don't you go to that new ice cream shop in town and grab chocolate for you and vanilla for her? Then when you two have children, they can get a swirl of both flavors."

This caused an uproar of laughter at the table until Boyle got red in the face. Standing up, he looked straight at Jenson, speaking sharply, "Fuck you, Jenson! You got some real nerve talking trash about my lady..."

"So…" Costello spoke before they got into a fight, "should I order another pitcher of beer?"

"Please do, Costello." Boyle firmly answered, then took a seat.

Jenson looked at Hacker as if he was saying, 'What did I do?' Carter had never seen Boyle get so mad before; sure, he put him in his place from time to time, especially when it came to Gomer, but this was a whole new level of anger on Boyle's part.

"I've never seen you that pissed off before, Chuck," Carter whispered, "I thought you were gonna pop him."

"Believe me; nothing would stop me from doing it," Boyle whispered back, then sipped his beer to calm himself down.

"So, Vince," Hacker spoke, "want me to call the waitress over to give you a kiss on the cheek for your birthday?"

"Yeah, we always do that," O'Neil added.

"I'm good, Hacker. Thank you." Carter responded, not wanting to disrespect Gomer by having another woman kiss him on the cheek.

This caught the others by surprise. Hacker then retorted, "Wow…you've never turned that down before."

"There's a first for everything, Charlie," Carter replied, then took a bite of the pizza.

Silence fell upon the group when Hacker brought it upon himself to ask, "So…does that mean you have someone new? I can't remember when the last time I saw you with someone since…what's her name?"

"Well…I'm seeing someone. Someone I like, if you must know." Carter spoke confidently, not realizing Boyle was smirking at him.

"Really? Good for you!" Costello exclaimed. "Who is it?"

"Uh…we're keeping it quiet for now. I don't want to say too much just in case it don't work out, you know?" Carter replied.

"No, I get ya," O'Neil told Carter. "I will tell you one thing, Vince; you look a lot happier than you were in your last thing."

"That I am, O'Neil." Carter looked at Boyle, who just nodded with the same smirk.

"Speaking of dames," Jenson spoke, "Did you ever notice that all the best-looking ones seem to be drawn to Pyle?"

Hacker scoffed, "Yeah. I have no clue what's up with that."

"Temporary insanity." Costello joked.

The men, besides Carter and Boyle, laughed.

"Wasn't he dating a girl?" O'Neil asked.

"Yeah, but word has it she left him for someone at her job," Hacker replied.

"Or he probably wouldn't bed her," Costello added.

"What dame would want that in their bed? Can you imagine when he hits his tipping point?" Jenson spoke, suddenly mimicking Gomer's voice, "Gooooollllyy!"

This caused an uproar of laughter among the men. Carter and Boyle stared at one another, not amused.

"I don't know. Are you sure he isn't the colorful type? Because I've always gotten the gist that he was, considering he's always up Vince's ass…." Jenson turned to Carter, saying, "Not in the literal sense."

"I figured that." Carter curtly responded.

Jenson laughed, then continued, "So I don't think he'd do that with a woman. If anything, he'd do that while getting it in the backdoor."

Once again, the men, except for Carter and Boyle, laughed as Jenson continued to mock Gomer's mannerisms.

"I will hand it to you, Vince." Hacker instigated, "I'm surprised he hasn't caused you to have an early death."

"Being locked in a food bunker with Pyle?" O'Neil cracked. "I would've broken a jar of pickles or whatever, then pick up a shard of glass, only to slit my wrist because, at that point, anything would be better than being locked in that room…."

Not able to take the bad-mouthing of the man he felt strongly for any longer, Carter slammed his fist on the table, spilling his beer on the table, screaming, "Enough!"

The restaurant fell in dead silence as the patrons and men looked at Carter, suddenly becoming serious. The only sound that filled the silent restaurant was Jackie Wilson's song, 'To Be Loved.'

"We're…we're just joking, Vince. We don't mean…." Costello stuttered.

"Yeah. Sorry. I didn't think you'd cared for…." Hacker fumbled with his words.

Not saying anything, Carter placed money down on the table, then grumbled, "This is why I would've rather spent my birthday alone in the duty hut rather than be here with you assholes."

After that, he got up and left the table. Boyle stood up, only for Jenson to say, "Don't tell us you're leaving too, Chuck. We were just..."

"Fuck off." Boyle snapped at Jenson, glaring at him.

With that said, Boyle followed Carter out the door, leaving the other men alone. When they were walking along the main street, Carter turned to his Corporal, saying, "Want to go back to the base, or do you want to stay out?"

"Actually, can you drive me downtown? I want to visit Kathryn. Jenson's comments only made me miss her, and I want to see her."

The Sergeant smiled at his Corporal, happily obliging. When they got to Carter's car, the Sergeant drove Boyle to where his girlfriend lived. Looking out the window, Boyle pointed to an apartment building.

"She lives there."

As Carter pulled to the side, he spoke, "You have a way back?"

"Yes. I'll take the bus around the corner. Thanks for the lift, Vince."

"Yep. See you later, Chuck."

Boyle shut the door and walked towards the steps of the building while Carter drove off. Once he was gone, the Corporal let himself into the building, then walked up to Katie's floor. When he got to her floor, he scoped out the hallway for the correct apartment number, then knocked on the door once he found it. After a few seconds, she answered the door, wearing a lace and cotton sea-foam green robe.

"Chuck…what are you doing here?" Katie asked, confused, as she adjusted herself.

"Just wanted to see you," Boyle replied with a shrug.

"Oh…well, come on in," Katie let Boyle into her apartment, then shut the door.

"I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Boyle asked as he removed his cap.

"No. I was about to make a cup of tea. Do you want anything?" Katie spoke.

"Oh, coffee would be nice. Thank you." Boyle said.

When they were in her apartment, Katie put on a kettle of water, then moved over to her cabinet to grab two mugs. Boyle watched as she placed a tea bag into her cup. Once she was done with that, she scooped three teaspoons of instant coffee into his cup.

"Do you want anything in it?" she asked him.

"Just milk," Boyle replied with a shrug.

With that said, Katie prepped Boyle's mug with milk, then put the coffee and milk away when she was done with it; she and Boyle walked over to the couch, taking a seat. Katie snuggled up against the Corporal as he placed his arm around her.

"You okay?" She asked. "You're very tense."

"I'm fine." He responded, touching her face as he brushed his thumb against her soft cheek. "Have I ever told you you're beautiful?"

Katie smiled, kissing Boyle softly on the lips.

"Many times. But I never get tired of hearing it." The beautiful nurse playfully replied.

The Corporal smiled at her, kissing her on the lips again. When their lips pulled away, they embraced on the sofa.

*GC*

Carter silently drove back to the base. He couldn't believe the foul mood he was in. The moment he got back on the base, he parked his car, then walked back to the duty hut.

"Slater! Hey, Slater, I…" Carter opened the door, only to stop in his tracks.

He saw balloons hanging on his chair, gift bags on his desk, and a chocolate cake by the coffee machine next to him.

"What the hell? Who did this?" Carter asked himself.

Gomer's voice spoke at that moment, calling for Duke, "Duke, I found a candle. You don't need to…."

Gomer saw Carter standing at the doorway.

"Oh…I…you weren't supposed to see this yet. It was supposed to be a…." Gomer fumbled with his words.

"You did all this?" Carter asked.

"Well…yeah. I wanted to surprise you." Gomer responded.

Staring at Gomer for a few seconds, Carter walked up to him, planting a kiss on his soft lips. Gomer shut his eyes tightly to the kiss, taking in what was happening. Carter looked at Gomer when the kiss broke, saying, "I greatly appreciate this. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Vince." Gomer bashfully replied.

The Sergeant smiled up at him, his eyes moving to the candle in Gomer's hand, "I take it that's for the cake?"

"Uh-huh…" Gomer replied. "Me and Duke were looking for a candle for the cake. I found one before he could."

All the Sergeant did was chuckle to himself. Gomer motioned for Carter to sit in his chair as he brought the cake over. Placing the cake on Carter's desk, the Private turned to the Sergeant, asking, "Do you mind lightin' it?"

"Oh…yeah, of course." Carter took out his lighter, carefully lighting the candle, with Gomer proceeding to sing 'Happy Birthday to him. After the song was done, Carter blew out the candle.

"Shazam." Gomer chuckled.

"Yeah. Do you want to cut the cake, or should I open my gifts now?" Carter asked.

"Anything you want," Gomer answered.

The Sergeant thought, then said, "Why don't we cut the cake?"

The Private grinned in agreement, then patted his pockets, realizing he didn't have a knife. Carter just took the pocket knife Hacker gave him before dinner and used that to cut the cake.

"That's a pretty neat knife." Gomer complimented the knife.

"Thanks. Sergeant Hacker gave it to me." Carter told him.

Gomer walked by the coffee machine and grabbed two plates and forks as Carter placed a slice of cake on the plates. As he took a bite, he couldn't believe how delicious the cake was.

"Whoa…where did you get this cake?"

"I made it when you were out," Gomer replied.

"You made this?" Carter asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh. I memorized the recipe and everythin'," Gomer told Carter. "It was an old recipe Grandma Pyle and me used to have. We made it so much that it stayed locked in my memory."

"Now that's impressive. Thank you for this." Carter replied sincerely. "I won't forget this."

"You're welcome," Gomer replied bashfully.

"So let me get this straight...you can make a cobbler, chocolate cake, a kick-ass omelet...what is it you can't do?" Carter spoke, making Gomer even redder.

As they ate their cake, the Private asked the Sergeant, "How was your night out with…."

"Awful. Boyle and I left." Carter spoke.

"Golly, that's a real shame. No one should have to be made to feel awful on their birthday." Gomer sadly replied.

"Don't let it get you down," Carter reassured Gomer as he bit into his cake.

"Where is Corporal Boyle anyhow?" Gomer asked.

"You know that nurse that took care of you? Well, he's seeing her, and they are together right now." Carter answered.

This made Gomer happy to hear, "Well, I'll be! Corporal Boyle and Nurse Katie! Good for them! She's real pretty and real friendly too."

Carter chuckled, then added, "Sadly, some people don't think so. Corporal Jenson said some nasty things about her to him. It pissed him off, hence why he left with me."

That made Gomer angry, "Shame on Corporal Jenson! Nurse Katie is a nice lady! And she and Corporal Boyle can be together if they want! Terrible, terrible, terrible!"

The Sergeant didn't want to bring the mood down, so he switched the topic back to the cake, "Did you sneak into the kitchen while Hacker was away just to bake the cake?"

"I did. I'm ain't proud of it, but I wanted to do something nice for you." Gomer explained. "But I made sure to tidy up, just in case he got back early. No one should see a messy kitchen."

The Sergeant chuckled at what Gomer said; his innocence was too adorable to put into words.

"You know, I figured out Grandma Pyle's secret: she used to put in two extracts, but being we didn't have any almond extract on the base, I used two teaspoons of vanilla," Gomer explained. "Nothin' makes me happier knowin' that you have finally tried Grandma Pyle's chocolate cake."

Carter cut himself another slice. As he took a bite of his second slice, he said to Pyle, "I have a feeling you're going to be bad for me. If you cook this good, then we might have an issue."

Gomer blushed; he didn't think Carter would enjoy the cake that much.

"What else did you and your grandma do?" Carter asked, taking a bite of the cake on his fork.

"She used to read my fortune, as you remember when she first came to the base," Gomer explained. "While Grandpa Pyle was at work, she taught me how to knit and hook rugs, especially on rainy days, and she used to play the piano while we sang our favorite songs. Speakin' of the rugs, what did you ever do with the rug I made you?"

"I mailed it home. I told my mother to frame it. It was too nice for me to step on. Even Boyle was impressed." Carter stated.

"Golly…" Gomer softy responded.

Carter smirked at him, then took a few more cake bites until he felt stuffed.

"That was good. Thank you, Gomer." Carter leaned back against his chair.

The Private picked up the plates off the desk and threw them away. He moved the cake back to the coffee table. When he sat back down, Carter took Gomer's hand, holding it while brushing his thumb along his wrist; after tonight, he wanted nothing but to be with him.

"Are you alright?" Gomer asked.

Carter nodded, then rubbed his forehead.

Gomer leaned in to kiss the Sergeant softly on the lips. When they pulled away, the two stared at each other, gazing into their eyes.

"I like looking at you; you know that?" Carter said to him, kissing the inside of Gomer's wrist.

Gomer chuckled lightly to himself, suddenly remembering. "I wonder if Duke ever found the candle yet?"

"Forget Slater," Carter stated. "So, I assume all those bags are for me?"

"Oh yes…I wanted to get you something. But I went a little overboard."

The Sergeant walked over to his bunk, picking up the first bag. He looked up at Gomer, asking, "Would it be alright if I…."

"Go right on ahead." Gomer happily obliged.

Carter then opened up the bag, finding different types of paints in the bag. He dug through, picking out the colors and brushes Gomer brought from the hobby store.

"You…you brought all of these?" Carter looked surprised.

"Wait, there is more." Gomer stated.

The Sergeant then picked up another bag of stuff. Inside, he found pencils for sketching and colored pencils. How much did he spend on all this stuff?

"You didn't have to…I mean…wow. This is the first time since Korea that I've picked up art supplies." The Sergeant was almost beside himself in the joy that he could get his hands on art supplies.

"That's not all. Check the big bag. It had something you might want to use all that stuff on." Gomer chuckled.

As Carter picked up the more oversized bag, he saw there was a pack of canvases, along with sketching and painting pads. Carter wanted to cry tears of joy at that instant but held it together; he felt it didn't look suitable for his Sergeant status. Getting up from the bunk, he walked over to Gomer, kissing him with full-on passion, showing his gratitude and appreciation for the gifts. He pulled him in for a hug, whispering, "This means a lot. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Gomer replied.

As Carter pulled away, he took Gomer by the hand, leading him over to his bunk, pulling them both down. Once they became comfortable, the two lovers embraced and then locked lips. When their lips broke away, Gomer spoke up, "I'm happy you like your presents."

"Are you kidding? I'm putting them to good use when I have time off." Carter replied.

The Private smiled, leaning down to kiss Carter again. Carter ran his hands along Gomer's slender thighs, reaching up to grab his bottom, squeezing it tightly. The Private broke the kiss again, gasping sharply. This worried the Sergeant.

"Did I hurt you?" Carter asked, concerned he might have hurt Gomer.

"A little," Gomer told him. "But it's okay; I liked it. Just not too hard."

The Sergeant chuckled lightly, "Sorry. I get lost in you, and I can't help myself."

Bashfully, Gomer smiled, then lowered his lips to Carter's, a sweet tap on the lips turning into passionate kissing. As they explored each other's mouths, Carter turned Gomer over, kissing along his jawline again, rubbing his knee against the Private's crotch. This made Gomer moan loudly when suddenly, the door opened.

"Hey, Gome, I found a candle. One of the other fellas…ahh!" Duke exclaimed.

At that moment, Carter quickly got off Gomer, turning to Duke, yelling, "Slater, don't you see the door was closed for a reason?"

"I…I'm sorry…I just…" Duke was stumbling with his words.

Before he was about to leave, Carter ran over and pulled him into the duty hut, closing the door. He held him against the door, whispering in an almost threatening tone, "Listen…what you saw, you speak nothin' of! Nothin'! If you do, I…."

"Sergeant, relax! I knew about you guys this entire time!" Duke cried out.

Confused, Carter looked at him funny, muttering, "Huh?"

"He figured it out. I didn't even let him know anythin'." Gomer explained while still sitting on the bed.

Carter looked at Gomer, then back at Duke, who blurted out, "I already told Gomer I wouldn't tell anyway. Plus, Boyle figured it out too. Are you going to hold him up to the wall like you're doing me?"

Thinking for a second, Carter let go of Duke, who had just adjusted himself.

"Sorry, Slater. Just…this don't go around the base? You got it? I don't care much about me, but I care about what happens to Gomer. Can I trust you?"

"Of course, Serge," Duke replied. "Damn, all I wanted to do was give Gomer this candle, but I didn't expect to walk in on you two like that."

Gomer walked over as he adjusted his uniform, saying, "Gosh, Duke. I thought you were back here, so I already got the candle. I appreciate your help in setting up the duty hut."

"Anytime, pal," Duke responded. "Now, as I see you sang 'Happy Birthday' already, I'm going to…."

"Wait, Slater." Carter stopped him. "Sit your ass down, and have some cake."

Turning back, Duke made a slight 'Ooh' sound, walking over to Carter's desk and picking up the knife to cut himself a slice of cake. He placed the cake on a napkin, taking a bite into it.

"Gomer…" Duke said in between chews, "this cake is delicious."

"Thank you, Duke," Gomer replied.

"You know, Slater," Carter said, "the only one whose cake comes close to Gomer's is my cousin, Mary's. She owns her own bakery, Snow Sweets."

Duke took a few more bites, then said, "I swear, Gomer. When you decide to go back to civilian life, you should rethink your career choice and open a restaurant."

"Honestly, Duke, I thought of it. But Cousin Goober and I promised to open up a fillin' station together, and I don't break promises."

"That's a shame. Because you have a real talent." Duke replied as he bit into more cake. "What else can you make?"

"Well, I can make cobblers, apple pie, blueberry pie, pumpkin pie, but that's only for autumn, buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, and red velvet cake; that's like chocolate cake, but red," Gomer answered Duke.

"That's Alana's favorite flavor," Duke told Gomer. "Shit, Gomer; you can bake, fix cars, get your way around a survival exercise, sing your ass off...what can't you do?"

Gomer thought for a moment, then spoke, "I don't know, Duke. I haven't thought of it."

Duke chuckled, then turned to Carter, "Oh, Serge, how was your birthday outing?"

"I will give you a brief description of what happened, Slater," Carter spoke. "First, it started okay; then it went from bad to worse. Hacker and them were being jackasses, then Jenson started to make fun of Boyle's girl; he got pissed off and was about to take Jenson outside before Costello stopped him."

Gomer shook his head, "Terrible. Just terrible."

"Yeah." Carter replied, placing his hand on Gomer's knee, continuing his story, "So, they continued to be stupid, then Boyle and I left."

"Wow,…sounds like a rotten birthday party. Sorry, Serge." Duke said. "But I find it funny how Corporal Boyle is dating a nurse too."

"See? Now you both have much to talk about, Duke!" Gomer exclaimed.

"I guess so, buddy," Duke stated before standing up. "Anyway, I'm spent. I'll save the last piece for Boyle. Thanks for the cake, Serge."

"Yep. Thanks for watching the duty hut…sort of." Carter joked.

Duke turned to Gomer, saying, "You coming, pal?"

"Give me a few minutes, Duke," Gomer replied.

Nodding his head, Duke then spoke, "Okay. Not a problem. See you inside. Have a goodnight, Serge."

"Night, Slater," Carter replied.

Once Duke walked out, Carter and Gomer were left alone again.

"About time he left." Carter chuckled as he led Gomer back to his bunk, "Come on. I want you in my arms again."

The pair walked over to the Sergeant's bunk. First, the Sergeant laid on his bunk, gently pulling Gomer down with him. The two got back to laying side by side, but this time, Gomer had his head against Carter's chest, feeling the hearing of his heart.; Carter ran his hand through Gomer's soft, thick brown hair. They laid there, taking in the moment, until Gomer spoke, "You know, I was just thinkin' of the time we went to Las Vegas. It was a fun night."

"It was. I just wish I could've enjoyed Hoover Dam with you. I remember how your eyes lit up as the guy talked about lighting up San Diego." Carter explained.

"By the way, Vince," Gomer began to ask, "do you still talk to..."

"Irene? No. When we came back from Las Vegas, I tried to call her. She told me to fuck myself and never call her again."

Sadden at the news; Gomer softly replied, "Golly...I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. I'm not." Carter replied, shrugging. "She wasn't a nice person, to begin with."

This made the Private frown. Carter continued, "Speaking of Vegas, when you donated the money I won...why the Red Cross? Why did you donate to them?"

Taking in a breath, Gomer started to speak as Carter's finger's massaged his scalp, "Grandma Pyle volunteered her time with them while Grandpa Pyle was away at war. When she didn't have anyone to watch me, she would have one of the ladies keep an eye on me. If Grandpa Pyle didn't make enough from a week's work, they would bring us a month's worth of groceries. They helped when I lived with them because they know how hard it is to raise a small child."

Carter smiled at him, realizing that Gomer honestly had a good heart; his smile suddenly turned to a frown, "Had I known all of that, I wouldn't have robbed you of your money to gamble on."

"But you said it was..." Gomer was cut off.

"No, Gomer. I said it was borrowed because I wanted to gamble it. You taking it back was a punishment for me."

Gomer just looked at Carter, replying to the confession with a simple, 'Oh...'

As they laid in silence, a random thought came to the Sergeant's mind, "Gomer, what's your middle name?"

The Private looked up at him with a smile, answering sweetly, "Walker. Why do you ask?"

"No, just wondering." Carter shook his head, and suddenly, a grin appeared on his face, "I appreciate all you did tonight. You're truly the best person I know."

Gomer smiled a sweet smile, then leaned over to kiss Carter. Carter welcomed the kiss, pulling the Private on top of him, deepening the kiss, and biting his lip. To the Sergeant's surprise, Gomer was taking control now. The Private moved his lips, lowering them to meet Carter's neck, as he began to grind up against Carter. The Sergeant gasped and moaned softly to Gomer, kissing and tracking his tongue along Carter's throat.

'Where did he learn how to do this?' Carter thought to himself.

Before he realized it, Gomer bit down on the sensitive part of Carter's neck, making him gasp sharply. The Private started sucking that very spot harshly. The Sergeant lowered his hands on the small of the Private's back to his bottom, gripping him tightly; the only thing that made Gomer moan while sucking that spot. Carter felt excited; it took him not to turn Gomer over and have his way with him, but he resisted the urge, letting Gomer control. Without intending to do so, Gomer harshly pulled his lips off Carter's neck, making him curse aloud, leaving a visible black and purple spot. The two panted for air. Fearing he might have hurt Carter, Gomer immediately looked worried.

"Did I hurt you?" Gomer spoke, only to be silenced by Carter.

"I had no idea you had that in you," Carter asked, impressed. "Who taught you how to do that?"

"No one. I guess it came natural to me. I wanted to give you that for your birthday." Gomer explained bashfully.

Carter didn't say anything except to lean into Gomer, kissing him again. The two spent a few more moments together before Gomer walked back to his barracks, ecstatic that he could pull off something nice for Carter's birthday.