It was deep into the night by the time Potter left Klinger's side and headed to his own quarters. The Colonel had every intention to get some sleep, but all he managed to do was lie in his bed, staring at his ceiling. After a while of waiting for sleep that wouldn't come, Potter headed to the mess hall. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but knew he needed to eat. The mess hall was practically empty as the Colonel sat there, trying to choke down the army's poor excuse of a meal. He did manage to finish half a chamomile tea, followed by a few bites of some overcooked scrambled eggs. Once Potter felt satisfied that his body had some amount of calories in it, he headed back to his quarters. He got into bed and, finally, his body gave into sleep.
…
Colonel Potter was pleasantly surprised to wake up to a rising sun, an indication that he actually managed to sleep through the night. After quickly getting dressed in his scrubs, he made his way to Klinger's quarters. He walked briskly to get there, but when Potter came face to face with the door of Klinger's tent, he found himself unable to move forward. What would be beyond the door? Images of Max during the seizure were filling the Colonel's head. The way his body was twisted in unnatural positions, the way his eyes went hazy. Was Max still like that; the thought was paralyzing.
Potter's inner spiralling was then interrupted by the sound of laughter, coming from inside the tent. He breathed a sigh of relief. Potter entered the tent and was blessed with the sight of Klinger and Hunnicut, talking and laughing together.
"Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally awake." Potter hollered as he made a beeline towards Klinger, pulling him into a tight hug. "It's good to finally be awake, sir." Replied Klinger.
The Colonel held onto the hug longer than Klinger expected, which prompted him to glance over to Hunnicut
"It was a close call, wasn't it?" Klinger asked, though deep down he already knew the answer. Hunnicut nodded solemnly.
"You scared us son," Replied Potter. "Don't do it again."
"I won't sir."
"Good." Potter let go of the hug now. "Because I'm going to give you a direct order to get better. I want you to shed this case of the measles like it's water off a woodpecker's back. And once you get better, I want you to stay better. Is that understood?"
Klinger nodded "Aye sir."