2

"Sorry, Harriet, we've got to go; Korea's calling me. Hawkeye come on, the Colonel called. Hawkeye...oh come on. We'll get R&R again Hey, Hawkeye!" They were still kissing. BJ tapped his foot on the cement. He was getting impatient. Hawkeye shrugged as he brought Angela closer.

"I've known Angela a long time. She loves men," said Harriet. BJ laughed. He thought about how many times Hawkeye had dated each woman back at the MASH unit. The mere idea that anyone was more passionate than him was crazy.

"Yeah, well, Hawkeye loves women just a little bit more."

"You haven't seen how many she takes in a week."

"Hawkeye is the 4077th champ. Come oh Hawkeye." BJ began to pull his friend away from Angela's lips. Hawkeye wouldn't let go for one second. This was the best kissing session he'd ever had. Harriet began pulling on Angie.

"Come on, Angie, he's got to go!" She pulled on her friend.

"Hawk, it was the Colonel. They're in trouble," BJ said. Hawkeye suddenly released his lips, causing Angela to sink back into the water.

"That did it."

"What do you mean in trouble?" Hawkeye exclaimed. He got out of the tub and dried himself off with a towel. Hawkeye continued blowing kisses to Angela but all that changed when BJ slapped him on the back of the head.

"Out of Penicillin," BJ replied.

"That's bad."

"We're the only ones who they can spare, since we aren't there anyway."

"So we have to joyride over to every hospital we can to get the material. How many are in post-op?"

"Overflowed with patients and almost all of them have infections. The boys were fighting in the mud."

"Great. Well, we'll be off. See ya in the states, Angie."

"Actually, I'm Canadian and after this trip I am going back there," Angela said.

"Fine with me I could make it there. It's just a boat ride away."

"I live in PEI."

"That's perfect. I live in Maine. I'll visit Canada."

"You better." Hawkeye gave Angie another kiss...a long kiss before he left. Now you can imagine how much grumbling he did about having to leave. Hawkeye wanted to save lives but he needed a vacation too.

The two doctors got what they needed at the Tokyo General. Well, not really; they were several boxes short of what Potter had asked for. Surely BJ and Hawkeye could find them at an aid station or another MASH. It was time to get home.


Meanwhile, at the MASH unit, Potter was up to his chest in sick patients. "Sir, his temp is up again. He needs penicillin now," Margaret cried.

"I know that. We only have one small bottle left. How do you think the other people in here would feel if he was treated differently?" Potter answered.

"I'm sorry sir, but which is more important, miffed feelings or this boy's life?" Margaret asked.

"You're right, Margaret. We can't just let him die." Burns and Potter had to switch off during the night. It was the only way either of them would get through this. An announcement came on--one which they didn't need. "Attention, all personnel: incoming wounded. Another big one, folks."

"Where are we going to store these patients? Post-Op is full!" Klinger exclaimed.

"We'll just have to stick them in the officer's club and the swamp. We'll send who we can move to the 8063rd. That's all we can do," Colonel Potter said. After working an all-nighter, the one who ended up covering post-op was the Colonel.


BJ was driving the jeep left at the airport for them. Welcome to the streets of Korea: bombs flying in the air, shelling all over the place, and BJ and Hawkeye stuck right in between. Not unusual to the men but still an upsetting sight.

Hawkeye had his leg sticking out of the side of the jeep as he always did. He was not particularly enjoying the ride, and he got nervous every time a shell was dropped. BJ looked over at Hawkeye. "You know, Hawk, you shouldn't sit with your foot out like that."

Hawkeye game him a cold stare. He didn't like being told what to do by anyone, even his best friend. "Well, I think you should mind your own business, Honeysuckle. Keep your eyes on the road."

Many swift turns were all that had kept them from getting blown up so far. Bang! A big shell hit barely five feet in front of them. "We have got to get out of here," BJ yelled. Hawkeye nodded. This was too much. There were more shells coming directly at them. Another one, closer than the last one and this was worrying BJ. "Don't these guys ever stop?"

"Not until they hit something." BJ began humming. He turned the corner once again.

"You better not be lost."

"I am not lost...I am temporarily going the wrong way." BJ turned on another road.

"Okay then genius." BJ continued humming. Hawkeye was going crazy. He could still feel Angie's sweet lips on his. "Beej can you stop humming? It's driving me nuts."

"Well...okay."

They had dodged shot after shot, but soon their luck would run out. A shell blew up on BJ's side, sending the jeep flying sideways in a roll. BJ was flung out of the jeep over 20 feet away. Hawkeye was still in the same spot, his leg stuck in under the overturned jeep. They both lay unconscious in the hot sun.


"Colonel Potter, come now!" Margaret screamed.

"What?"

"I've lost his pulse."

"Damn!" Colonel Potter began doing compressions. "Get some adrenaline, stat! I'm not losing a boy on my shift!"

Potter injected the adrenaline and kept pushing on the boy's chest to get the heart beating again. "Sir, I've got a faint pulse." Sherman was praying for a miracle. "It's getting stronger, evening out. Congratulations."

"If those boys don't get back soon--"

"I know, Colonel, I know."


The first to wake out in the field was BJ. As he sat up slowly, he tried to remember what had happened. BJ slowly opened his eyelids, but he still couldn't see with them open. He remembered the bomb blowing up in his face. Then, in horror, BJ remembered that Hawkeye was with him. The thought struck him like a thousand knives piercing through his body. "Hawkeye!" he screamed.

There was no answer. BJ began to scream louder, but he found that he couldn't hear, either. He couldn't even hear himself. This couldn't be happening. What if Hawkeye couldn't hear him? What if Hawkeye was dead? No, he can't be dead. Slapping his ears, BJ made sure nothing was blocking sound. The bombs were still going all around them, but he didn't know it.

BJ just wanted to lie there. Then he thought of his wife Peg and his daughter Erin, and he was up on his feet in seconds. Finding that his ankle was broken, he just fell back down again. How could he get out of here when he couldn't even see where here is? BJ just kept screaming, kept hoping that Hawkeye was alive. If only there was a sign--something to tell him that Hawkeye was alive.

By now Hawkeye was beginning to come out of this deep sleep. His first reaction was to sit up. He laid back down as pain sweltered through his chest. He yelped as the pain hit him again. Hawkeye tried to sit up again but he still wasn't very successful. "Oh, boy, that hurt. Must've broken some ribs," he mumbled to himself.

"Hawkeye! Where are you?" BJ yelled. Hawkeye lay down again and tilted his head up. He saw BJ sitting about 10 feet in front of him screaming for Hawkeye.

"I'm right in front of your face," Hawkeye shouted back. He waited for a moment, wondering why BJ was not responding. "BJ, are you okay?" He waited once again, but still BJ just kept yelling for Hawkeye and asking if he was alive. "BJ, can you hear me? BJ!"

When no response came around, Hawkeye was sure that his best friend was blind and deaf. That was not a good combination for someone in the army. It was as if Hawkeye was not even with Hawkeye.

"Hawk, I can't see. Where are you?"

Hawkeye slid himself up slowly this time. He examined the situation. He began to lift the jeep slowly. He almost got it high enough to get to his foot out, but he just couldn't hold it. As it fell back down on his leg, Hawkeye let out a frightful scream. He looked over at BJ, and then looked back at the jeep. With a deep sigh, he spoke into the air. "Hang on BJ, hang on." He began pulling once more at the jeep, using all the strength that he had. This time, Hawkeye slid his foot out.

Hawkeye tried to walk, but immediately fell to the ground. Pain shot up and down his leg. Naturally, he wasn't too happy with that. Grabbing the medical bag and as much of the penicillin as he could, Hawkeye dragged himself away from the jeep. Just then it blew up. "Wonderful," he muttered. "Gas tank must have been punctured by a shell fragment."


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