Fresh from the shower, I trailed through the Mess Tent in my dressing gown.

"Ooh I love that smell." Hawkeye pulled me onto his lap and my feet hit BJ's back.

"Sorry Beej, what smell is that Hawkeye?" He nuzzled my neck, inhaling noisily.

"That smell when there's hot water, and your mum's sent you soap and you're all clean and beautiful." He sighed into my neck, it tickled and I fought him off giggling.

"Don't go ruining it then, have a shower yourself! You stink!" I laughed as Mary-Joe put her head into the Mess Tent calling for me.

"Anna-Bella, we've lost a light, it's your turn." Not to change the bulb, but to get one of the men to change it. We were able to change a bulb ourselves, but we enjoyed the teasing game involved in finding a willing person to change the bulb for us.

"Hawkeye?" I began temptingly, kissing his cheek as I did so.

"Not on your life I did it last time!" I turned to BJ, who I had yet to see change a bulb.

"Annie, I'd really rather not." He said, before I got a word out. "Anne, please no." I dropped it, unsure why he was being so anxious about the idea of it.

"Klinger, light bulb, my tent!" I called, and the Company Clerk and Personal Assistant to all, turned and nodded.

"I'm on it!" He called.

"Thanks! May your camels grow an extra hump!" I slid off Hawkeye's lap. He was half-asleep and didn't notice me move.

"Beej, what is it?" I dropped my voice, sliding closer to my nervous friend.

"Nothing, Anne, just something." He poked his food with a spoon and stirred his coffee with a fork.

"A nothing-something that seems upsetting, so I won't rest till I know the nothing-something's-everything." BJ shook his head, confused at my logic, or lack of it.

"I just don't like heights." I gaped up at him as he whispered that.

"You? Beej you're so tall!"

"When I was two I fell from a tree. I can't stand on anything higher than this seat, and even then I feel nervy." I was surprised, but had to see how he'd take a gentle tease.

"Did you know that fear of heights and sexual deficiencies are linked?" I prodded; he reddened a little, but saw that I was only joking.

"You know Peggy's only as tall as you!" He bit back playfully.

"I was referring to you! Your being afraid of heights obviously means you have some sexual inadequacy you're worried about."

"If I had inadequacies, would I have a beautiful baby girl?" He argued, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"You're so hopeless Beej!" I laughed, pleased to see him smiling again.

"I'll give you hopeless!" He threatened, coming at me menacingly, arms outstretched.

"Aah! Get off me! BJ Honnicut you get off!" He tickled me and I fell backwards off the bench, shrieking helplessly as his slim fingers probed my ribs and stomach.

"Uncle, say uncle! Say it!" He got onto the floor and tickled me mercilessly.

"Never!" I yelled defiantly as I writhed uncontrollably and gasped for breath.

"Fine then! You asked for it!" He lifted me, tossing me over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" My yells got attention, but as they were in play no one came to help. He carried me to a water barrel outside the kitchen and held me menacingly over it.

"You wouldn't!" I laughed, silently feeling myself start to panic.

"Oh yeah?" He plunged me into it headfirst. My scream brought the camp running. I was underwater for a second before BJ heard the scream and pulled me up. I gasped in his arms, coughing up water, trying to catch my breath and sobbing hysterically.

Hawkeye took me to him, rocking me until my sobs subsided and I was breathing normally again. Ignoring the wet patch on his shirt he continued to hold me.

"Anne-girl, I'm sorry." BJ whispered, touching my back as I tried to calm down.

"It's okay, she'll be okay in a minute, she just needs to recover." Hawkeye told him.

"I had no idea she'd react like that," I wasn't sure precisely what I'd done, but I usually reacted pretty violently, kicking, screaming and swallowing a fair bit of water.

"Neither does anyone else. I don't think she's told anyone here." Hawkeye said.

"Told us what?" BJ asked, I lifted my head and began to talk.

"I'm terrified of water. When I was six Jack, my best friend Meg and I were playing near a frozen lake. Meg ran onto the ice and it broke, she went under. I was scared and I ran into the water trying to find her. I was an okay swimmer but she couldn't swim at all. I spent forever thrashing around, trying to get her and find the hole. Then when I thought I was going to drown, someone dragged me out still holding Meg. She'd drowned and I was rescued clinging to my dead best friend. I've never voluntarily been in anything deeper than a bath since. And I can barely tolerate those. Hawkeye was the only one who knew about that. On our honeymoon in Tokyo, he threw me into one of their baths and I nearly had a heart attack" There was a silence as I finished my story.

"Sorry again, if I'd known I wouldn't have. Anne O'Mine, am I forgiven?" BJ really was sorry and he laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Of course BJ, I can't expect you to know something I don't tell you. Like I didn't know what you told me this morning." I smiled as my hair made a puddle at my feet.

"Come on, let's get you dry." Hawkeye led me gently to the Nurses' Quarters.

The tent was empty and so Hawkeye came in too. I grabbed my towel from the floor.

"Mind if I help?" Hawkeye asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"How does this help?" I laughed and kissed him at the same time, not an easy task.

"I don't know but it sure feels good." He undid my wet dressing gown.

"Well, I won't argue there." I didn't and dropped my towel to hold him instead.

"THIS IS COLONEL POTTER, YOUR COLONEL! THERE IS A MEETING IN THE MESS TENT IN TWO MINUTES, COME AS YOU ARE NOW! PRONTO!" Hawkeye and I ran out the door, if Potter announced the meeting it was important.

"Good, now that you're all here, I've been given the word that a big storm's on its way. Folks, we'd better get to tying everything down. Arrange yourself in groups, and get moving! And for the love of Caesar's Ghost get dressed ladies!" Half the nurses had come from the showers and were wearing towels or robes.

Hawkeye, Angie, Klinger, Zale, the other Sergeants from Supply and myself were in Supply, taking all the boxes off the topmost shelves as we'd had things fall before.

"Okay, all accounted for?" Klinger hollered, somewhere nearer the door.

"Hawkeye and I'll follow!" We were finishing making sure everything was secure.

"Make it quick, this wind's picking up." Grey foreboding clouds had covered the sky and the wind was howling already.

"Tell Potter we'll be there in a minute!" I called, but my voice was lost in the wind. "Let's go Hawk!" We took a step out and there was a huge flash of lightning and a thunderclap, sending us scurrying back into Supply. The heavens opened and rain bucketed down suddenly.

"Hawkeye, we'll wait it out in here, there's no way I'm going out in that!" The rain poured and the winds howled while lightning and thunder crashed.

"What, wait in here? This little room?" Hawkeye asked anxiously.

"Yes, in here, there's plenty of room, and besides, we've got each other."

"In this tiny little room? I can't breathe in here." Hawkeye grabbed my shoulders his fingers digging into my skin painfully.

"Hawkeye, there's plenty of air, don't panic." I said soothingly

"Panic? Who's panicking? I'm not." That's when it clicked.

"Hawkeye, are you claustrophobic?" I pulled back, trying to ease his grip on my arms.

"Yes, you gotta get me out of here!" The storm had worsened, the wind throwing anything loose around. To go out there at that moment would have been close to fatal.

"Hawkeye, let's find our mattress, we'll be okay. Come on." I bodily helped him to the mattress and he collapsed, nearly choking. "Breathe! Hawkeye, breathe."

"Get me out of here! Let me out!" He tried to push me, but I grabbed both of his hands in mine and held them to my heart. The steady beat reassured him some.

"Close your eyes, imagine you're back home, standing on the cliffs, watching the sunrise, you can see the sea stretching for miles, all those miles, all that space. There's a seagull, swooping in the fresh air, can you see it? Hawkeye had relaxed.

"I can see it, and there's a boat way out at sea, it's so many miles away it's just a dot. All those miles, that beautiful Maine coastline." He smiled unconsciously.

"Better now?" I lay beside him and he cuddled me closely.

"Yes, for the moment, I just click and I freak and then I click again and I'm okay. It's cold outside, why don't we keep warm?" Hawkeye very successfully changed topic and we found a way to occupy ourselves while the storm raged outside.

"It's Margaret, may I come in?" All was quiet, the wind had died down and the rain had stopped. I sat up, Hawkeye sat on a crate under the window, staring at the weather-beaten world, and I sleepily straightened my clothes.

"Annie? Hawkeye? Are you two okay in there?" Margaret's voice called, bringing me back to earth as she came in. At the sight of my messy clothes, she smiled softly.

"The storm's over. A tree came down on the latrine and we're out getting rid of it. We'd appreciate the extra hands." Hawkeye and I got up.

"How bad do I look?" I asked Margaret, tying my boots and finding my necklace.

"There's no use, everyone knows what you two did." I laughed; the three of us had barely gotten to the door when we heard the whistling and explosion of a shell. We ran back into the tent, while another shell dropped, close enough to shake the walls.

Hawkeye was upset because we'd firmly closed the door, and I was trying to get him imagining he was back on the beach, when I saw that Margaret was equally scared. I left Hawkeye for Margaret who was screaming at the shelling and crying her eyes out.

"Margaret, hush I'm here. Tell me, you can tell me." I took her into my embrace, holding her tightly, trying to block the sounds of the explosions from her.

"I hate it all Annie, I'm so scared!" She was panicking as a window shattered nearby.

"I hate it too, and it's okay. You can be scared, I am."

"You don't know, I have this irrational fear of explosions, even fireworks or a dropped tray makes me jump." Another sell was dropped, but further away.

"It's alright Margaret, shh listen, it's stopping now." The shells weren't as close but there was an announcement over the PA, one we didn't want to hear.

"COMPANY BUG OUT!" I dragged Margaret to her feet and she dried her tears. Hawkeye followed us as we ran out the door, joining the company in the compound.

"We're bugging out, I'll go ahead and find a new spot, and in the meanwhile, you lot - MOVE!" Potter ordered and we broke up, scattering and running.

"Catch!" A box came my way, rapidly. I caught it and threw it up to Klinger on the truck. We continued hurriedly dismantling our camp as we had to leave ASAP.

"BJ, gimme a hand, or gimme a hernia!" What do you keep in this damn thing?" It was his footlocker; BJ and I were loading jeeps. He came up and took the other end.

"You know, bit of this, bit of that." He answered as we heaved it into the jeep. "Look at your arms, you've come up well." After losing weight at the POW camp, I regained it, largely in muscle and everyone was commenting on how well I was looking.

"Potter's back, he's found a spot! We move in half an hour!" Klinger called. The fighting was getting closer and we were working under pressure.

"Move off!" Potter shouted. The convoy began to move, and we slowly left the compound, picking up speed as we went.

Sometime later, once we were in safe territory again, my jeep passed Potter and Sophie, who he was riding to the new site.

"Hop aboard Pierce?" He called and I left the jeep and got up behind him. Sophie moved off, overtaking the jeeps and ambulances. Soon we were at the head of the line, riding away from the front and Potter and I had the chance to talk.

"That story you told was really touching. I can understand why you don't like water. Though you never show it, you never let it interfere with anything you have to do."

"Thanks sir." I smiled as Sophie picked up her pace and I rose and fell with her trot.

"But one thing Pierce, and don't hate me for saying so, you still have to learn to look your fear in the face and use it to your advantage." He made a lot of sense, and I guessed he was speaking from experience.

"I see sir, is this the spot?" We'd come to a clearing that had a river nearby and a few buildings. It looked flat and even and generally a good place for setting up a camp.

"Yes, it is, convoy halt!" I heard the order echoed down the convoy as we pulled up. Father Mulcahy came up from somewhere.

"Would you like me to bless this site Colonel?" He asked.

"Why that'd be mighty fine of you Padre." Father Mulcahy dropped his eyes and clasped his hands, murmuring a few words. He crossed himself and looked up.

"Amen." He whispered, Colonel Potter dismounted and handed me the reins.

"Pierce, take my mount and hitch her to that tree, come back here and start helping!" I moved Sophie in the direction he'd pointed and heard him shouting orders. I came back; the hospital and patients were our first priority and we set about getting them resettled and stabilised.

We'd barely had time to set up the hospital and phone when we received a call from HQ. I was nearest the new CO's office when it rang so I answered it.

"Mash 4077, Captain Pierce."

"Ah yes, Captain Pierce, is Colonel Potter available?"

"Just a minute sir." I put the phone down, Colonel Potter was outside, shouting orders and in little or no mood to be disturbed.

"At present he's supervising a latrine digging, but if you like I could take a message"

"Your unit is to move immediately back to Ouijonbou, we pushed the North Koreans back and you're needed back there as soon as you can."

"I'll pass on the message immediately sir." I hung up and found Colonel Potter, and gave him the message. An hour later we were back on the road.

"I'm glad to be back, we've spent so long here, this place has so many memories." We'd finally gotten back to Ouijonbou and resettled the whole camp. I was sleeping in the Swamp for no good reason, mostly to upset Charles.

"It does, I've fallen in love, been married and divorced here and that's just the beginning." Margaret agreed; she'd joined us for a late-night drink.

"I did so much growing up here, I learnt a lot about life, lost my twin brother, fallen in love, been married and pregnant here." I added.

"What about all the patients, we've saved, and the ones we've lost, the new procedures and the vascular clamp?" BJ added, smiling.

"And the people we've met; Radar, Trapper, Henry, god rest his soul." Hawkeye said, pouring us all a drink, which we accepted smiling. I held my glass in the air.

"To us, to the four of us." I toasted, and the others added their bit.

"May we always be the close friends that we are at this moment." Margaret added.

"To our irrational fears!" BJ called, we'd spent the ride back to Ouijonbou sharing the tales of our fears and where they came from, it had brought us immeasurably closer and we now saw each other in a new light, and understood that not one of us were perfect, but were happy to accept that as we sat having a drink and a talk.

"To life, to love and to getting home soon!" Hawkeye grinned. We clinked our glasses and had a sip, the gin was unusually young and burned our lips and throat.

"Let's make a promise that we'll always look out for each other, whenever, wherever and whatever." Hawkeye suggested.

"And that once we're back in the States, we'll always be there when we need each other, all we need is a phonecall and we'll do all we can to help." BJ agreed.

"Well I certainly promise." Margaret said, taking BJ's and Hawkeye's hand. I joined hands with the two men, and we formed a tight friendship circle, just the four of us, sharing love and a promise. Even the sounds of the war seemed to dull down for the second as we smiled at each other with warmth, love and compassion.

"So do I, it's just the four of us and our fears, no matter what." I spoke softly as Charles came in and saw the four of us holding hands.

"If there is a spirit in the room make yourself known." He mocked us.

"Well, I think now's the time we put that pact into action." Hawkeye whispered, leaning into the circle. "Pillows ready?" We broke apart, grabbing pillows and other soft weapons. "Ready, set go!"

The last thing Charles would've seen as he turned around at our war cry was the four of us leaping at him, pillows raised.

The four of us from then on were best friends, and Hawkeye's and my marriage had nothing to do with it. We were inseparable and stuck up for each other, supported each other, and most of all, understood each others irrational fears which were what had brought us together in the first place.