4

"What are you doing here kid?" Flagg demanded.

Hawkeye didn't know how to respond. He considered telling Flagg the truth but realized just how stupid that idea was. Instead he just stared.

"Who is your father?" Flagg asked.

Hawkeye knew how to answer this one.

"Daddy."

Flagg seemed suspicious but moved on to th cot next to Hawkeye.

"You shouldn't be here, you know that," He whispered, "We have ways of making you talk. Torture."

This Flagg was truly a sick man, Hawkeye found himself thinking, maybe as long as Sidney was here anyway... He was soon to realize just how much danger he was in. Flagg siezed Hawkeye's small body and began clapping him back and forth between his hands.

Hawkeye was really terrified now. He had been intimidated by B.J. before but now wanted him more than ever. Flagg was yelling at him and cursing loudly. Hawkeye couldn't help it, he began to sob fearfully. Flagg hissed, "Shut up." and was about to really hurt him when the door burst open.

Klinger stood on the threshold. He hurried into the room and cornered Flagg.

"What are you doing?" Klinger demanded, taking the shaking baby away from Flagg.

"I demand to know where this kid came from," Flagg said indignantly.

"Get out," Klinger hissed, "I ought to report you for coming in here uninvited and hurting a child."

Flagg bargained that he would leave if Klinger wouldn't report him and Klinger agreed, only because he thought he'd save the whole unit some trouble with Flagg gone. That and he didn't want to explain at a court marshall where the kid had come from.

Hawkeye stayed badly frightened for a few hours after Flagg had left. Seven hours later, they were sitting on the cot playing cards when the door burst open. Hawkeye immediately pulled away and tried to get down from the cot. Klinger grabbed him and faced him toward the door.

"See, look, It's only B.J.," Klinger assured.

Hawkeye saw that he was right. B.J. was standing in the doorway and came forward to collect Hawk.

"He a little nervous?" B.J. asked, having noticed Hawkeye's reaction to the door.

Klinger explained what had happened with Flagg while Hawkeye watched B.J., hoping that he would take him from Klinger, though he would never ask him to.

"It's okay now," B.J. said, at last reaching his arms out to take Hawkeye, "I'll get that Flagg if he ever shows his face in this unit again."

Hawkeye, as much as he hated to admit it, felt much safer under B.J.'s care than Klinger, or anyone else for that matter. He was for the first time convinced that B.J. would never hurt him.

B.J. carried him back to the Swamp and they sat down on B.J.'s cot. They were silent for a while before B.J. spoke.

"I'm sorry, I'll see to it that you're never left alone again."

"It's okay," Hawkeye said evasively, though it was obvious to B.J. that he'd been shaken up, "How was OR?"

"Harder without you but it still went okay," B.J. replied mechanically.

"There's a movie on in the mess tent tonight," B.J. tried at conversation, "Do you want to go see it?"

"Sure," Hawkeye still seemed distant.

"This...thing...It will all work out," B.J. put an arm around Hawkeye, trying to sound like he was sure of it.

That was when Hawkeye broke down. He had been through too much to just pass it off as though nothing had happened. He was scared and just wanted...well, yeah...his daddy.

He started to cry, at first trying to hide it from B.J. but finally opening up and crying out loud. B.J. snagged him with his arm and pulled him onto his lap.

"I'm scared B.J., I don't want to be a little kid."

"No more than I want you to be one," B.J. agreed, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"What can we do?" Hawkeye sobbed.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry. We'll have you back to normal in no time."

B.J. knew he had no way of knowing that and Hawkeye knew B.J. was just trying to comfort him, but was glad for it nonetheless. B.J. stayed with Hawkeye for another hour until he had calmed down.

"The movie's going to start soon," Hawkeye said, "We'd better get going if we're going to get good seats."

The movie playing in the mess tent was an old horror flick, barely scary at all to an adult, but to Hawkeye as a baby, it was more than a little disturbing. B.J. noticed near the middle of the movie that Hawkeye had become a little edgy.

"You sure you want to see this?" B.J. whispered.

Hawkeye nodded, holding back the fear the movie had rendered. B.J. continued watching the movie for another half hour when he noticed that Hawkeye's expression was more and more fearful every minute.

"Do you want to go back to the Swamp?" B.J. whispered, knowing Hawkeye was too insecure to ask to go home, so B.J. offered.

Hawkeye shook his head,

"No, I'm watching this."

Seeming to understand, B.J. slid one of his hands off his lap and took Hawkeye's little one. Hawkeye knew B.J. understood, there was nothing he could hide from B.J., but it was insecure instinct to try. Staring at the hand B.J. had laid down, Hawkeye was even more frightened than before. B.J.'s hand was so big, and his own was so small. It just made him all the more vulnerable to anything and everything. B.J. squeezed his hand gently. Hawkeye knew that B.J. was not going to use his size to hurt him but rather to protect him. Still, he couldn't help being afraid.

To be continued...