I fold!" I threw my cards down and Hawk, BJ and Klinger followed, leaving Charles, Sidney Potter and Margaret with hands. Rizzo and Igor had backed out already.

"Margaret, I'll see your two and raise it one." Potter added some money to the pot.

"I'm out." Sidney threw his cards down. "Annie, mind if we have a chat?"

"Nah, they can deal us back in later." I left the room with him, catching Hawkeye's eye and watched as he held two fingers up and then folded one down.

"Annie, I hear you and Major Winchester had a little blow up a while ago."

"Yes, and I hear YOU were the one who told Potter to leave us together?"

"Ah, yes, and how did it go?" Sidney gave a small chuckle and we sat down.

"We generally avoided each other as much as we could until our patients were shipped out. Then we dressed formal, and Charles escorted me to dinner. We were very proper, and we did some dancing."

"Nice, I trust you found that you were enjoying it?"

"More than we cared to admit. We switched to calling each other by our Christian names and did a little more dancing, and then some drinking. We wound up sloshed beyond all reason and crashed in our clothes. We woke the next morning, good friends and that's the story." Sidney chuckled softly.

"Well, Annie, there was something more. You are aware that in three days, it's the first anniversary of your brother dying?" He turned to face me.

"I can't forget." I whispered, tears pricking at my eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't. I want to know you're okay, I've been told to stay here until the 20th, to make sure." Sidney was obviously very concerned. It was touching and brought a single tear running down my cheek.

"Sidney, there are other people who need you more. You don't have to stay."

"But I do Annie, you were my patient and it's my responsibility to see that you are fully recovered. And all professionalism aside, I'd like to say you're a friend, and as a friend, I want to take care of you." His cool words made the tears fall.

"I feel so dumb, your caring it's so touching that it's making me cry."

"Your tears were already there, you needed the excuse to let them fall. What do you feel about Jack's death?"

"Sadness, incredible emptiness and loneliness."

"Have you ever told anyone what you feel?"

"Not really, everyone guesses I'm sad. But I never feel lonely, I don't have the time."

"So you're not letting yourself feel emotion properly. Whenever you feel lonely without Jack, you push it aside and tell yourself you'll feel it later, and you never do."

"Yeah," His words rang true.

"You've got to let yourself cry and feel that pain. Have you cried about it since then?"

"No, I cried when I miscarried, and for other little things but no, not for Jack."

"Well, you seem to be in perfect mental health, just when you need to, let yourself cry. I'll have a word to Potter about letting you off if you need a moment, or if he thinks you do, you're too Annie to admit you're feeling down."

"Sidney there's no need, I'll be okay." The tears I'd been fighting caught up with me.

"See, let it out Annie." I started crying properly then and Hawkeye who had followed us at some stage came up quietly.

"Hawkeye, she's going to need someone to hold her, but not to repress her, don't take her mind off it, let her choose when to get it off, don't distract her, let her cry it out." Sidney, being a professional had not touched me, but as Hawkeye sat down beside me, I cuddled into him as he and Sidney talked to me.

"What Annie, tell us what you're feeling." Sidney instructed as Hawkeye rocked me.

"I'm so empty, there's only a half of me here Jack was my other half.

"Well Annie, it's normal, he was your best friend for 25 years."

"I know, and I miss him terribly." Hawkeye cuddled me tighter and he and Sidney continued talking to me as I sobbed.

"Annie, you are as I said, the very picture of mental health, how you manage it here, is truly beyond all explanation, but if you want to remain that way, don't bottle it."

"Okay Sidney, actually I feel much better." I sniffled, I'd cried for ten minutes solid.

"I knew you would, how about we go back to the poker game?" We did just that and as I entered the room, everyone looked up taking in my red eyes and tearstained face.

"You right Anne-girl?" BJ asked, using his personal nickname for me.

"Yep, I'll deal, gimme those cards Klinger." We played late into the night, or early into the morning, take it as you would.