Hello! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I won't be able to update for a couple of days but I'm hoping to get the next chapter up by the end of the week. Reviews are greatly appreciated! References to episodes: 'The General Flipped At Dawn' and 'Dr. Pierce And Mr. Hyde'

When BJ finally made it to post-op he found the place in chaos; there were nurses dashing everywhere, people shouting orders and one of the beds had been knocked over.

Colonel Potter and Father Mulcahy were standing apart from everyone else, the colonel had a bruise forming on his cheek.

"What's going on?" Asked BJ.

"Hawkeye was very distressed when he saw Colonel Potter, he thought he was General Steele. He panicked and started to struggle and ended up punching the Colonel in the face and knocking that bed over there." Explained Father Mulchay.

"Who's General Steele?" Asked BJ.

"He was a two star General that came to inspect us a while ago, anyway he tried to have Captain Pierce court marshalled for disobeying orders and I think there was something about impersonating a civilian. Anyway, turns out he was crazy and got taken away in a rubber truck." Said Klinger, coming to stand behind them. "Boy, some guys get all the luck, that general was crazier than me!"

"I still don't understand what that has to do with me!" Growled the colonel, pressing ice to his cheek.

"Well, Hawkeye naturally took a dislike to the man and you do bear an uncanny resemblance to him Colonel." Explained the priest.

"Did you get close enough to examine him?" BJ asked Colonel Potter.

"I managed to get close enough before he hit me. It definitely looks like appendicitis, but his fever is so high that operating would be more dangerous than leaving it in at the moment. We've probably got a little while before it ruptures but we'll keep monitoring him and try and get his fever down before operating."

"Who's with him now?"

"Radar and Major Houlahan are the only ones who can get near him." Said Mulchay.

"Do you think he'll let me near him?"

"You can try but I don't want him to be any more distressed than he already is, if he shows any signs of being upset or angry I want you out of there and that's an order! "

...

"Captain Pierce? Hawkeye? Can you hear me?" Margaret tried to get a response.

The Captain fixed her with a blank stare, his fevered brain failed to register the panicked calls of the people around him. He was crouched in a corner with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his middle, he was shaking like a leaf, shivering despite the heat, and his face was ashen.

Margaret knew he was afraid, she was shocked at his strong reaction earlier but she knew it was probably down to the fever. Kelleye had thankfully had the sense to pull one of the privacy screens around them to avoid the curious stares of the other patients.

"Corporal, pass me a towel." Radar came back a few seconds later carrying a towel and a bowl of water that had been given to him by one of the nurses.

She took the damp towel and used it to wipe the captain's sweaty forehead, blue fever glazed eyes fixed on hers.

"M-Margaret?"

"How are you feeling?" She asked wanting to calm him down a bit.

"Awful, where am I?"

"You're in post-op, you were supposed to be on duty."

"What happened? I...I don't feel well."

"You don't remember anything?" Hawkeye shook his head sleepily. "You're very sick Hawkeye." Said Margaret softly. "I need you to stay awake. I know you're tired and in pain but you need to let us help you."

"Margaret w-where's Trapper?" Hawkeye sounded lonely and upset, Margaret knew he probably expected his friend to be there.

"Uh... Captain, Trapper's not-" Started Radar.

"Captain Mackintyre is busy at the moment." Said Margaret interrupting and stepping on Radars foot, the Corporal gave a pained yelp but otherwise stayed quiet.

BJ came to join them, he crouched down behind Margaret, keeping his distance.

"Hey Hawk, How're you feeling?"

Instead of replying Hawkeye fixed BJ with a confused and bewildered stare, blinking slowly his glazed eyes seemed to clear marginally.

"Beej?" The word was slightly slurred and drawn out but there was the barest hint of recognition behind the fever bright eyes.

"It's Ok Hawk, we'll get you patched up soon but you've got to let us help you."

"It hurts." Said Hawkeye with a gasp.

"I know Hawk, come on; let's get you onto a bed, you'll be much more comfortable." Suggested BJ.

Hawkeye gave a small, stiff nod and allowed himself to be pulled gently to his feet with a whimper, BJ supported him on one side and Radar acted as a sort of walking stick on the other, Margaret went and turned the sheets down on one of the cots and the two men finally lowered the exhausted captain onto a bed. She helped him out of his normal olive-drab and into a pair of light blue post op pajamas.

"We need to get that fever down before operating, how's he doing Major?" Asked the Colonel looking over at Hawkeye who was still lying in one of the beds. BJ sat in the chair next to him, the other doctor was staring into space as his sick friend slept fitfully.

"The IV seems to be helping a little Sir but it isn't enough, the fever's hardly come down at all. He's in a lot of pain." Reported Major Houlahan.

"Alright major, we'll leave it another hour and see how he is then. Hopefully the IV will have had a chance to work on his fever and he won't be so dehydrated either. We'll take it from there." The Colonel sighed heavily. "Be ready to assist me with the operation major, we'll need to act fast."

"What about Doctor Hunicutt Sir? Won't he want to do it?"

"Hunnicutt's and Pierce are close friends Major, I think it's best if I operate on him. If something were to go wrong…" The Colonel left the sentence hanging. Houlahan nodded in understanding. "Hunicutt can be on Anesthesia." Continued the Colonel.

….

"Easy Hawk." BJ said gently as his friend tossed and turned. He sighed, adjusting the IV stand and glancing at the clipboard that hung on the end of the bed. It wasn't good.

"BJ?" He glanced up to find father Mulcahy standing at his side looking sympathetic.

"Hello Father."

"How's he doing?" asked the priest gently, his voice revealing his concern.

"To be honest with you father it doesn't look good, we can't get his fever to come down." BJ huffed angrily. "I just wish I had noticed how sick he was earlier, I mean he was sat right across from me at dinner, what sort of friend am I if I didn't even notice he was sick!?"

"BJ calm down, you weren't the only one who didn't notice. All of us had an opportunity to notice that something was wrong and yet we didn't, you might remember that I was sat with you at dinner. We were both oblivious to our friend's pain and neither of us realized how ill he was until now." Stated the priest trying to console the distressed surgeon.

"I know father, thanks. I'm just worried, if we don't get his fever down enough to operate soon his appendix could rupture and he'll be in for weeks of pain." Said BJ with a sigh. "Come on Hawk, why couldn't you just have been more normal and developed a low grade fever like anybody else?"

"Pierce never likes to do anything by halves." Says Margaret coming to stand by the bed. "I remember one time when we couldn't get him to sleep at all, I think Captain Macintyre drugged his martini in the end but it took it a while for him to finally pass out. He attached a jeep to the latrines made it halfway across the compound with a general inside before he finally collapsed at the steering wheel."

"Oh really?" asked BJ laughing softly.