Then mum and dad had Jeremy Liam on mum’s 18^th birthday 25^th of October. Jeremy will be 24, 24 and he’s already nearly lost his life once! Dad died in an accident at work a little while after Jeremy was born and about seven months after the funeral mum had Andrew Benjamin and Evelyn Faye, more twins and they’ll be 23.

Mum married Victor Beresford, and Miriam Joy, that’s Mimi and Joseph Maxwell, they’re 22 tomorrow, so that’s three lots of twins.

Then Victor bailed out and had an affair so mum divorced him and then she married again, Leo Ruben, and then Christopher Xavier was born, he turned 18 on Christmas day and he enlisted.

A few years later, mum found out she was pregnant with Lily and Leo walked out, she divorced again and Lillian Mary arrived, she turned 17 back in January.

Alice Marilla just ‘appeared’ shall we say and she’s going to be 12. Mum married again, Patrick Hayes and they had Matthew David and he’ll be 8 and Grace Stephanie was born to them and she’ll be 2 in springtime."

Henry smiled "Wow, thirteen kids, well twelve now. Do you have any pets?"

I shook my head, "No, we could never really afford them, and besides Matty’s quite enough!" Hawkeye thought that was hilarious.

"Annie, why do you have the long name?" Trapper asked.

"Well, when I was born, both my grandmothers were alive and so were two of my great-grandmothers. So I’m named after all of them. Jack is named after our grandfathers who were alive then."

Colonel Blake smiled, "Well Belle my girl, is that enough to keep being you, all those wonderful brothers and sisters?" I started to cry again and Henry bounced me on my knee like a little baby.

Radar came in, "Mail," Henry signed for it and we all pounced on the bag, removing various letters from it before we let Radar go and play mailman.

"Kathy’s written!" Trapper cheered, "Either that or Louise has started writing in crayon…" he added as an after thought.

"Dad’s sent me something huge, aah a letter for you too Annie." I received letters from Eve, mum, Mimi, Jeremy, and Jack." I read his first. I started to cry a little, but glad I had got the letter. It was an ordinary letter, filled with his blessings for Hawkeye and I, he’d written it a few days before he had been wounded.

I turned to mum’s letter, "Mum’s, mum’s pregnant… twins again, she’s due in July, right near my birthday."

Henry choked, "Holy Baloney! That’s fifteen kids she’ll have had!"

I nodded, "I think these two weren’t entirely expected… but she and Patrick swear they’re the last. They haven’t heard have they… oh no, not yet, they wouldn’t have." Henry shook his head.

"No, Annie, not till tomorrow." I dissolved into more tears.

"It’s gonna kill mum," I sobbed. Hawkeye led me gently from the room.

"Just when I thought we were getting somewhere," he murmured.

"Oh, you’re still moping are you?" Frank griped as he came into the Swamp where I sat, sobbing my heart out to Trapper.

"Frank, for god sakes, I know the quantity of sympathy you have is equal to that of your chin, but she lost her brother, not only that her twin brother, and as if that’s bad enough, he died in front of her. Show a little compassion." Trapper hugged me tightly, listening as I cried for the millionth time.

"Annie my darling, remember what we said when we split up, we’re brother and sister still, I know it’s not the same, but you’ve got a big brother here who loves you very much."

Frank snorted, "Oh spare me the sob story!" Trapper replied by hurling a boot at him, I normally would have smiled at such a thing, but I hadn’t smiled for days.

"Thankyou Trapper, you’re so wonderful, but I just can’t get over it, and I honestly don’t know what will help." He hugged me closely and rested his cheek on my hair.

"Well, Anne, Henry has called someone in who is very understanding, very good about coping with loss, he’ll be here tonight, Major Sidney Freedman, Hawkeye’s told you about him before."

I nodded, "I don’t know if I want to talk to a shrink…" I said.

"Promise me you’ll just try Annie, for me, please talk to him."

I nodded, "Okay Trapper, for you I’ll try."

Trapper left me alone in the Swamp after that, I mulled things over for a while and then had a drink, and another, and another. I went up to the OC and drank some more, and wound up more drunk than I had ever been before.

"Whoa, ma’am I’m not going to serve you any more," stammered Igor as I slumped over the bar. There was an announcement, I was wanted in Henry’s office and slowly and drunkenly I wove my way down there. I practically fell through the office doors.

"Annie!" What the heck have you been up to?" Henry demanded as I flopped across his desk.

"I just had a little drink to help me feel better Henry." I slurred, showing a space between my thumb and forefinger to indicate how little I’d had.

"I think you’ve had a lot more Annie, now listen, there’s a doctor come to talk to you he just arrived, Sidney Freedman…" I started crying then, while I was drunk I had forgotten my sorrows, but the mention of Sid’s name brought me back to earth.

"Henry, it’s so unfair, of all the people in the world, why him, why Jack?" I sobbed and Henry tried to comfort me. Frank barged in, Margaret hot on his tail.

"Colonel Blake, if I have to put up with the insolence and gross insubordination…" He trailed off as he saw Henry and I.

"Oh, you’re not still moping are you?" He gave an exasperated sigh, furious I started towards him; Henry tried to pull me back, but failed.

"Whoa, Annie cool off." Margaret said, as I angrily approached Frank. Frank didn’t see my fist.

"I’ll show you moping, you self-righteous bastard," I hissed as he lay on the floor. I went to leave the office as Sidney came in and the door connected solidly with my face, knocking me unconscious.

I winced, my head hurt painfully, I was in Post-Op.

"What happened?" I mumbled.

"Annie, you’re awake, when you walked into the door, you were knocked out, you’re good and concussed, and so is your punching bag." Hawkeye smiled at me, "That was an excellent shot from what I hear, I only wish I’d seen it. You’ll probably find that most of your pain is caused by the gash you received from the door. By the way, have you met Major Sidney Freedman?" He asked, the tall man was next to Hawkeye, I looked up at him, and his face had a sympathetic, caring expression as his eyes took in my pitiful sight.

"I mean aside from the man who knocked you unconscious?" He added cheekily. I didn’t answer as the alcohol and a king-size hangover got to me and I threw up on his shoes.

"Don’t worry," I heard Hawkeye laugh, "She only does that to people she really likes. She had food poisoning a while back and she got Trapper, Margaret, Radar and myself." Sidney gave a warm laugh.

"I’m sure it’s because she cares, I think I’ll talk to her a little later, when she’s sober."

Sidney Freedman sat at the end of my bunk; I was huddled as close as I could get to the wall. It was the third day in a row that he’d tried to approach me, but every time I’d never spoken to him, just cried. "I hear that your twin brother died," he began gently.

"Of course you’ve heard!" I snapped, reaching for a hanky as my tears started.

"I’m sure you’re going through extreme emotional pain, but is there really any need to abuse yourself physically as well?" I listened while he talked, "You’re not eating or sleeping properly you’re at a state of extreme physical and mental exhaustion. It must have been very, very hard to see your twin die in front of you like that. I don’t know you well, but I do know that you are brave enough, and smart enough to accept the fact that Jack isn’t going to return." I relaxed a little, his steady flow of words made sense.

"Annie, do you mind me calling you that?"

I shook my head, "Everyone else does."

I turned to face him and he put a soothing hand on my shoulder, "Your brother Jack was very special to you, anyone could see that. And anyone except Frank Burns could see that you are in a lot of pain, and time will heal the pain, you just have to let it happen. Time heals all wounds."

"It didn’t heal Jack’s!" I shouted, throwing a pillow at him.

"Emotional wounds Anne, time heals them. People learn to move on, and not to dwell on what happened." That’s what I was afraid of.

"What if I forget Jack?" I blurted out.

"Annie, you could never forget someone as special as Jack, he will always be in your heart, you will always love him and he will always love you." I punched my bed.

"But I’m so scared of thinking of him as someone who I knew as a brief acquaintance." Sidney rubbed his eyes.

"Annie, you and Jack spent his lifetime together, you spent 25 years with each other, growing up, learning, being each others’ best friend. Someone’s lifetime is not just an acquaintance Annie and I can how much you loved… and still love, Jack and I can tell that you won’t ever think of him as someone you knew, but as someone you know and still know to your dying day. I’m going to leave you with these thoughts, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, but if you want to come to me before feel free." I wiped my face helplessly with my soggy hanky, and Sidney kindly offered me his.

"It’s clean," I took it and wiped my eyes.

"Thanks, Sidney, we have a 98% survival rate, 98% do you know that? Why did my brother have to be in that unlucky 2%?" Sidney shook his head as I held out his hanky.

"Keep it, Annie, I answer you that, no one can, just think that the Lord almighty decided it was his time to leave the earth, that he’d done what he had to do." Sid stood up and was about to leave as Hawkeye came into the tent.

"Sorry Sid, I’ll go if you’re still talking." Sidney shook his head.

"No, Annie and I just had a heart-to-heart, be we’re quite finished for now" Sidney left the tent.

"Annie, darling," Hawkeye cuddled up to me, "Do you want to come to dinner and a movie tonight?"

I nodded, "Only if I can have an escort home as well, dad gets mad if I walk home alone after 9."

Hawkeye kissed me, "Get yourself ready Annie, I’ll come back and get you in five."

Sidney smiled as I entered the Mess Tent, I had opened up enough to start coming to dinner with everyone else but I still hadn’t laughed, smiled or shown any other form of happiness.

"You’re just waiting Annie, you’ll find a sudden release of emotion, you’ll have a fit of your giggles I’ve heard so much about, or a tantrum and I don’t mean one of your shouting fits about Jack, but I don’t know if you have them, of course at 25, you’re too mature for tantrums," he added slyly, glancing at my face for the signs of a smile, but there was none.

I looked at him, not once in the week or so that he’d been there, all through my tears, shouting and swearing, even when I was throwing things at him, he had been the same patient man, and so cool, calm and understanding.

"Sidney, thankyou, you try so hard, I know, and I’ll get over it when I’m ready." I told him calmly.

"Now, listen to me Annie, it’s my job to stay here as long as you need me, and the more you mope, the longer I stay. I hope that’s given you something to think about," he said quietly. He wasn’t angry; his voice still remained cool and sympathetic. He was right though; he had given me some serious food for thought.

I lay on Hawkeye’s bed, pressing myself as tightly against him as was possible. No easy task as an army bunk is narrow and barely wide enough to sleep one person, let alone accommodate two lovers. We were both naked from the waist up. I kissed him.

"You sure that Trapper, Sidney or Frank won’t be back?" Sidney was sleeping in the Swamp. He trailed his hand over my stomach.

"I’ve specifically asked Sidney to give us room tonight, Frank has duty and Trapper and his little nurse have gone off to play doctor." I nodded unsmilingly, I still hadn’t laughed or smiled since I lost Jack.

"He’ll be a while then," Hawkeye grinned

"Yes Trapper’s a very thorough doctor, when he says a physical you’d better believe it! Is there any chance of us ‘playing doctor’ tonight?" Hawkeye asked mischievously, I caught his hand and kissed every finger.

"No Hawkeye, you know how I feel about that, the sooner we get married, the sooner we can play doctor with each other."

Hawkeye groaned, "Anne, you’re killing me here." I snuggled closer to him, if that was physically possible and he kissed my face. It brought back memories of Jack’s last moments… more tears.

"Annabelle Felicity, I love you so much it hurts and I’m dying to hear your laughter again, so I propose it’s time for a little prank." Someone started yelling outside and Hawkeye grabbed his boots and dashed out the door. I followed, trying to do up my bra and put on a shirt at the same time.

Frank stood there with a blood nose, Klinger looked harassed and thoroughly indignant, Trapper had emerged his shirt unbuttoned, the nurse, Caitlin in a similar state of disrobement as I was, Henry came out of his tent, tying his robe and Sidney appeared, book in hand.

"What happened," Henry demanded as Margaret applied something to stop the blood flow,

"He wouldn’t give the password, he just tried to push past and I couldn’t see who it was, so I socked him." A smile played at my lips, this was the second time somebody had punched Frank, the first time it was me, the second time it was Klinger.

Henry rolled his eyes, "Frank where were you off to, you’re supposed to be on duty?" His answer was muffled as Margaret held a hanky to his face.

"The latrine," she translated. A snigger went around, half the camp had come out to see the scene and they all thought it was entertaining, two half-dressed surgeons and two semi-clothed nurses added to the drama’s unfolding appeal. As Hawkeye dressed me, I began to feel better.

"And I broke my heel!" Klinger held up a snapped shoe. I burst into laughter and everyone stared at me as I giggled helplessly.

Sidney smiled, "I think she found her emotional release, she should be fine."

I gasped for breath; "Yes I’ll be okay now I just know it."

Henry smiled and hugged me "Bella my girl, it’s good to have you back."