Cracking the chemical code belonging to the growth serum kept Vashti Suda up for thirty-six hours. She missed her boss's sardonic wit almost as much as she missed his incisive mind. When she found the answer, she shook her head at the absurd simplicity of Weingarten's insane genius. The cellular make up of a woman's umbilical cord was most unusual. Included in this highly specialized tissue were cells that acted as boosters to the growth of the fetus while its pituitary gland was unable to do the work it was designed to do: send signals to the body that growth is needed. Vashti isolated the substance needed and returned to her task.
A small section of Ilya's brachial artery had been harvested and kept in stasis. Vashti submerged this half-inch section of vascular material in her solution, crossed her fingers, and went to take a much-needed nap. Her alarm clock was set for three hours later. When the annoying buzzer roused her from sleep. She immediately went to check on her experiment. The section of tissue was now one inch in length. By the time the Californian surgeon arrived they should have the six inches needed to reconnect Ilya's abdominal artery.*
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
Hawkeye Pierce supplied the life-saving step needed while the fetus was being extracted. To bridge the arterial gap, close to a foot of vascular material was needed. As Sidney and Geoff debated possible measures to prevent excessive blood loss and brain damage to both father and child, Hawkeye doodled on a message pad. Suddenly he looked up and started laughing.
"We're going at this the wrong way. If your Miss Suda is on schedule, we should have what we need to reconnect the artery." Hawkeye sat forward.
"Dr. Pierce, to grow a section of vessel long enough to allow us to extract the baby without interrupting the arterial flow, we'd need to wait a week. The patient would be dead by then." Geoff said tiredly. When this was over, he planned to sleep for a month or three.
"No, we don't! All we need is viable tissue to reconnect. To by-pass the fetus, we can use anything you've got that's narrow, long, and hollow. We're not going to leave it in there! Any IV tubing of the proper gauge should do the trick!" That was the was the problem with civilians, they wanted things to be perfect from the start. He was used to patching people up for as long as took to get them to a "real" medical facility.
Sidney's mouth fell open. He looked at his partner who grinned. "Damn it, Geoff. He's right. We've been wasting time trying to figure out how to get enough vascular tissue and forgot the most basic rule of anatomy: 'keep it simple stupid'." Sidney got up and went over to a medical supply catalogue. "The heart is a pump and the blood vessels are conduits. All we need to do is jury-rig a 'hose' small enough to convey the blood from the severed artery to the re-connect point while we get the baby out of there! Dr. Pierce, you're an engineering genius!"
"No, I merely became used to making do with whatever was at hand. Let's see if we can use some of these pretty pictures to gauge the dimensions of that artery, then call 'IVs to Go' and have ourselves a baby." Hawkeye winked and headed for the door.
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
Napoleon was not surprised when Alexander Waverly came down to the infirmary. "How is Mr. Kuryakin holding up?"
"So far, okay, I guess. I haven't seen anything to indicate they're panicking in there." Napoleon said quietly.
"Has Mr. Kuryakin decided on the child's future?" Waverly braced himself for the news his two best agents were going to resign.
"Adoption, sir. We talked about it for hours. There's no way we can keep it."
"A regrettable conclusion but a sensible one. I'm sorry. If my wife and I were younger..."
"Thank you sir. We both would have loved that, but the kid needs to be placed in as normal an environment as possible." Napoleon smiled at the image of his curmudgeonly boss changing diapers and warming formula on a stove. "No, Sidney is going to take the baby to a private adoption agency and spin some tale or other and that will be the end of this."
"I think you and Mr. Kuryakin should take some additional time off." It was not a suggestion.
"Yes sir. I'd hesitated to ask before. I know with both of us out of the field for too long, the opposition tends to get cocky." Napoleon looked up as Geoff moved closer to the operating table. He couldn't see Ilya but that was just as well. Blood would be everywhere.
"We'll manage to muddle through somehow Mr. Solo." Alex Waverly observed drily. "We got by for years while we waited for you two to grow up."
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
The first incision was BJ's responsibility. He figured Ilya had enough scars without giving him any more. Moving the scalpel just above the patient's groin, he opened a foot-long incision. A perpendicular cut, made at the six-inch point revealed the opaque amniotic sac. Hawkeye stepped in and began to gently search for the posterior emergence of the abdominal artery. After five minutes of careful probing, guided by of all things, a miniature camera designed in Ilya's lab, he had it. He carefully cut the rear section, inserted the tubing clamped it in place then attached the other end of his "hose" to the front section.
The surgeons waited after irrigating the field. There was some minor seepage but not enough to cause alarm. "Okay Geoff, it's all yours." Hawkeye stepped aside as Sidney's lover moved into postion.
Geoff carefully slit the amniotic casing and revealed a remarkably clean baby. He lifted the child into the air and turned it so its head was lower than its chest. Ilya's hunch was right. In defiance of all known rules of artficial human engineering, it was a boy. Nurse Jenkins inserted a suction tube into the baby's throat and drained off the excess fluid. A couple of sharp slaps on the rump and he began to cry, chokingly at first then steadily. "Here you go, Nurse. Keep this youngster occupied while we try and remove the rest of this stuff."
"Yes doctor." Amelia Jenkins wrapped the child in a blanket after clamping the short arterial stump. She held up the bundle and grinned at Napoleon who was grinning back. Nodding once, she telegraphed the baby's gender.
"It's a boy, sir." Napoleon said in almost a whisper.
Geoff returned his attention to the surgical field. "Well I'll be damned. Look at this!" He pointed to the spongy mass that attached the rear surface of the sac to the muscle wall. "No wonder he was in so much pain. The damn thing is stapled in there!" Sure enough, a series of plasctic clamps pierced the interior muscle layer and held the sac in place. There were nine of them. Geoff cut through the devices and removed the pieces counting as he went. When he was satisfied there was no extraneous hardware floating around in his patient, he gently gripped the sac and its backing and began to slice through the intermittent growth that had begun to attach itself naturally to the muscles. "Okay Vashti. Bring on your part of this puzzle."
Vashti passed over the basin containing the section of artery as Geoff measured the gap. They had an inch to spare. Excellent. Hawkeye stepped up and irrigated the field, calling for additional suction; a luxury that was rare in Korea. Working from the rear-most point he carefully stitched the arterial "hose" into place keeping one eye on the clock. Clamps interrupted the flow of blood. He had twenty minutes to get the job done before blood-starved tissue began breaking down and the pressure behind the clamps built to dangerous levels. Fifteen minutes later, he stepped back and removed the clamps.
"Nice work, Hawkeye. You haven't lost your touch." BJ grinned. "Let's tuck this guy up and get the hell out of here." He took his turn at the lead position and went to work. "He's in great shape considering. I won't have to do a rad-flap afterall." B.J. observed as he cut away the least tensile portions of the affected muscle groups. He resected the myotic tissue and prepared to close. The vertical incision was stitched from the inside, using sutures that would eventually be absorbed into Ilya's body. A faint line would be all that remained of this most visible portion of the large incision. The lateral cut was closed using small stitches aligned to follow the natural ridge of muscle above the groin. It would be almost invisible at the center- most section leaving two three-inch scars on either side.
"Now I know why they pay you the big money, Beej. To bad we didn't have time to do this kind of work at the 4077." Hawkeye stretched and yawned. "I would like to get out of these bloody monkey suits and slip into a dry martini."
All during the five-hour procedure, Sidney had been monitoring Ilya's vital signs. The young man's heart had slowed alarmingly once or twice, but otherwise Ilya made it through with flying colors. "Vashti, go and give our audience the good news." She didn't have to be told twice.
"He's okay, Napoleon. He'll probably sleep for the next fourteen hours or so, but he's okay."
Napoleon hugged the petite woman. "Thank you. Thank all of the team."
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
When Ilya regained conciousness, he thought he'd died. The constant gnawing pain was gone. His stomach muscles ached, but this was nothing compared to what had gone before. He'd hurt worse after a vigorous workout.
"Everything's fine, dushka moi." Napoleon was sitting in his customary position next to Ilya's bed. "How do your feel, strong heart?"
"Fine, except for a few aches. Is the baby okay?"
"Bouncing. It's a boy. How on earth did you know?"
"Gypsy blood." Ilya smiled gently. "Can you take me to see him?"
"Are you sure you want to?" Napoleon did not want Ilya to torture himself with guilt over an impossible desire to keep their child.
"I'm sure. If I don't, I'll always regret not having done so. It won't be easy, but you'll be there to help me."
"Well, I don't think Sid will let you out of bed just yet, why don't I bring him to you?" Napoleon looked green. He'd been avoiding the make-shift nursery.
"Please."
Napoleon reluctantly left the room. A door opened somewhere and Ilya heard a baby crying. He knew at once it was his son. This wasn't the result of some mystical parental bond, but a simple process of elimination. UNCLE headquarters did not come with a daycare center; ergo, the child had to be his. Lifting up the sheet and his hospital gown, Ilya was surprised at the minimal scarring. His stomach, apart from some puffiness immediately adjacent to the incisions, was a flat as ever.
"Here's your father. It looks as if he's indulging in a little vanity. You were murder on his figure." Napoleon was speaking quietly but in a normal voice. He winked at Ilya as BJ elevated the head of the bed.
"Nobody complains about *my* stitches. In about a month, you'll never know we were messing around in there." BJ had followed Napoleon, curious to see the child's reaction to its father. The baby was still crying and Napoleon needed no urging to hand it over.
Ilya accepted the bundle of blankets with practiced ease. One of the few pleasant memories he had of his stay in the orphanage was helping to care for the infant residents. As soon as he touched the little thing it became silent. Napoleon smiled, but inwardly, he was worried. Gypsy blood or no, this connection between Ilya and their child would make giving the baby away that much more difficult. He had no idea that babies with their acute sense of smell, recognize their birth parents from their body odor.
Ilya moved the blankets aside and sucked in his breath. Their child was a beautiful combination of his fathers' genetic profiles: clear blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a dimpled chin. Ilya took one of the small hands into his own, mentally counting the fingers. "Thank you, Polya. He's wonderful." Ilya's voice was almost a whisper. At this new sound, the baby smiled. Tears in his eyes, Ilya bent to kiss the small blond head.
Napoleon coughed to clear his throat. He'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life. The tense lines and stoic expression his lover's face usually wore were erased. Ilya glowed. There was no other word for it. Another cough and Mr. Waverly stepped into the quiet room.
"Ilya, have you thought of a name?" BJ asked grinning. He and Mr. Waverly had been on the phone all morning talking with adoption agencies.
"Yes. I suppose his new parents will change them; but yes." Ilya looked at his boss. Both of our names are too memorable to be used, so I thought our child should be called after his great uncle and his father: Alexander. Alexander Anthony." Ilya said firmly.
Napoleon blew his nose and wiped his eyes. He bent over and gently kissed Ilya's cheek. "Thank you."
"When will you be taking him away?" Ilya returned his attention to the now sleeping baby.
"I'm taking him back to California with me in a week or so." BJ was still smiling.
"Tell them, Dr. Hunnicut." Alexander Waverly's grey eyes were bright with humor and maybe a few tears of his own.
"Ahh, I've been talking to my wife, Peg. We have two daughters and now they have a baby brother." He beamed.
"You're going to adopt him?" Ilya's head rose.
"If you and Napoleon approve. Hey, I don't think you two would want to sever all contact. No one knows I came here. All of my friends know my wife and I were trying for another baby but our doctor said she couldn't have any more. This way everybody's happy. You two can visit from time to time as friends of my old army buddy, Hawkeye. You'll get to see him, I can send you pictures let you know how he's doing in school, stuff like that. We get the son we've always wanted. Alexander Anthony gets a mommy and daddy and two older sisters to spoil him rotten. The bad guys will have no idea who he is and he'll be safe." BJ looked as if he'd pulled off the coup of the century.
"Spasibo, BJ. Thank you for everything. Ilya was smiling now. "Polya! This is the perfect solution."
Napoleon came over and sat on the bed. He enveloped his lover and their child in his arms and proceeded to get very emotional indeed. His luck was still holding. The others quietly filed out of the room giving the family some privacy.
"There's one more advantage, Mr. Waverly. Since I know about the rather unusual circumstances surrounding the boy's conception and birth, I can discreetly monitor his health and consult with your staff if needed. In addition, God forbid, if the kid ever needs an organ or tissue donation from a close relative, I can make the arrangements without letting the cat out of the bag."
"Thank you, Dr. Hunnicut. We are all deeply in your debt. Have you and your family given any thought to relocating to New York?"
"No thanks. I've had enough excitement. I'll stick to tummy tucks and chin lifts and get rich, thank you very much. And of course raising our three kids."
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
"Come on, Hawk. This isn't like you." BJ swirled the olive around in his martini. "I've never known you to keep silent when something was bugging you. Come, on ol' buddy. Give."
"I'm sorry, I didn't get to see you before you left." Hawkeye downed the last of drink in one gulp and signalled the waiter.
"Hey, don't sweat it. We met up again stateside. Korea was the snafu to end all snafus. First, last, and all through the disgusting middle it was a nightmare with intermittent psychotic hallucinations." BJ smiled sadly remembering.
"Yeah, it helped to have a good friend."
"To friends." BJ held up his glass before taking a sip. "You know, it took weeks before I could get used to the taste of real hootch. Do you miss it?"
"Yes, and no. I miss the closeness we all had. But since it was born of desparate circumstances, I accept the fact that in peacetime, half of those people would have been at each others' throats." Hawkeye admitted.
"Come on, Hawk. *Something's* bothering you." BJ put down his glass and looked at his companion.
"I thought you'd prefer not to discuss it. We were both pretty drunk at the time."
"No, I just couldn't find the words." Both men, despite four drinks each were completely sober.
"Hey, I know you love your family... I just... Skip it. As long as you're not mad."
"Hawkeye, let's get out of here. We need to talk." BJ placed some bills on the bar and grabbed his suitcoat. The two men left the hotel lounge and headed to the bank of elevators. Once in BJ's suite, Hawkeye immediately went to the window.
"Hawkeye, what we did together happens all the time in war zones. Nevertheless, I'd be lying if I didn't say there hasn't been one day since then that I haven't thought about it and you. Despite all the shit we had to put up with, that was a good memory for me. But it was something more for you wasn't it?" BJ sat on the edge of one of the beds.
"Yeah. All those nurses, lady GIs, geisha girls, stewardesses, joy ladies, meant nothing. That one time, we had together..." Hawkeye turned to look at his old comrade. "It was like I woke up. Whatever had been missing... Shit I didn't even realize anything *was* missing until I found it. When you didn't say anything I figured you preferred to forget."
"No, I was shaken up some, but I never thought it was wrong. I wasn't faithful to Peg while in Korea and although she probably knows this and understands, we've never talked about it. Those affairs didn't mean anything to me either. I wanted to believe what we did fell into the same category. It didn't. We are friends, good friends, the best. There was something there between us from the beginning. I was a little scared of it because it was just as strong as the feelings I had for my wife." BJ sighed.
"I grew up hearing the same lectures and sermons as everyone else. Homosexuality is perverted, a sickness, something unnatural. Maybe it is, although I doubt it. Anyway, with all the death and destruction around us, I couldn't find it in me to condemn any form of love that wasn't hurting anyone. Yeah we were both drunk, but when you kissed me, I sobered up in a hurry. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before or since."
"Beej. You don't have to..." Hawkeye came over and sat on the other bed.
"No. I'm not leaving my wife and family. I do love her. I don't have any desire to sleep with other men. I cannot speak for you, my friend, but for me, what we had, what we did transcended the neat little boxes shrinks like to put people into."
"I have slept with other men." Hawkeye said softly looking at the floor. I haven't been with a woman since I left Korea. They weren't you, but at the time, I wanted them."
"And now?"
"Now, doesn't matter. I know how you felt about it and that's enough. Times have changed, we've changed."
"We have? They have?"
"Yes. I think so." Hawkeye closed his eyes and fell back on the bed. He felt the mattress move and looked up to see BJ sitting next to him.
"We were drunk and in a hurry. The only regret I have is that we couldn't take our time and we didn't tell each other how we felt. In three days, I'm flying back to Calilfornia to a wife that loves me and children I adore. I want to have a wonderful memory of our reunion to keep me company. Will that be okay with you?"
"Oh God, I thought you'd never ask me. Hawkeye sat up and embraced his dearest friend and one-time lover.
"Shower?"
"Shower." Hawkeye pulled his sweater over his head and went into the bathroom. "This beats the living hell out of those latrines anyday."
"Well we could use cold water if you want to recapture the mood."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Beej"?"
"I'm sure." BJ leaned in a kissed Hawkeye. His hands were busy undoing buttons.
"Allow me." Hawkeye grinned when they came up for air. The hot water quickly steamed up the room.
BJ whistled at Hawkeye's physique. "You're still too thin."
"I haven't been eating well lately."
"Hungry?" BJ teased as he stepped into the shower.
"Oh yeah." Hawkeye followed him in and pulled the door shut. He sank to his knees and swiftly inhaled BJ who gasped aloud.
"It's attached you know."
"Mmpflsmmm."
"I'm rather fond of it. Oh sweet Jesus!"
Hawkeye was busy making up for lost time. He proceeded with due speed to elicit an orgasm from BJ that should get the earth to moving. BJ's hands were busy, caressing Hawkeye's head and shoulders as he pumped himself into the voracious orifice. The image of Napoleon kissing Ilya appeared in his mind's eye and he lost it, spilling himself into Hawk's eager mouth. For what seemed like hours, he floated, barely concious of the running water. Looking down, he saw his best friend sitting back on his heels, smiling.
"Get up here." He reached down and assisted his lover. They embraced and BJ kissed the angular features that were as familiar to him as his own. Hawkeye had tears on his cheeks and thanked God they were standing in a shower. He loved this man as he loved no other. When they parted this time, it would be as friends but never again would he be able to initiate this level of intimacy. He had some scruples. BJ was happily married to a woman that was fully worthy of his undivided attention.
"Hawk. I'm freezing here."
"Brings back memories doesn't it?" Hawkeye smiled and reached to shut off the cooling water. Neither man wasted anytime drying off. That's what sheets were for. BJ lay down on the bed after throwing the spread on the floor. His tanned skin was the color of freshly baked bread. Hawkeye thought he'd never seen anything so enticing. He joined his lover and they proceeded to warm themselves.
"My turn." BJ slid downwards and began to caress Hawkeye's cock with his lips then his tongue. He must have been giving constant thought to their previous encounter. His mouth soon had Hawkeye murmuring then shouting. Just when the Yankee doctor thought he could take no more, the mouth was gone.
"Wha?"
"I want you to take me. Ride me from here to Disneyland and back again. Come on, Hawk. Make me scream out loud." The grey-blue eyes were nearly black, his pupils widened with desire.
Hawkeye moved into position, stroking BJ's flanks with his long hands. "Oh shit!" What in the Sam Hill were they going to use for lubricant?
"Looking for this?" BJ produced a tube of the stuff from under the pillow.
"Boy scout."
"You don't know the half of it. Fuck me, Hawkeye." Napoleon had been more than willing to smooth the way for the man who helped save Ilya's life and who would be their child's father.
Hawkeye didn't waste any time. Remembering the last time, he entered slowly giving BJ time to adjust himself. BJ did not take advantage of this generosity. Before his partner was half-way home, BJ thrust back onto the invading organ.
"Shit!"
"Please, Hawkeye."
"In a hurry are we?"
"No. Make it hard and fast and take forever. Fuck me into next week."
"It might take that long for you to be able to sit down again."
"That's the idea. Give 'til it hurts."
Hawkeye began to thrust. He mentally reviewed ball scores, basic anatomy, anything to keep his mind off of the fact that smooth, self- contained BJ was moaning like a bull in heat. Despite his best efforts, there was no ignoring the man he loved, quivering and shouting lewd demands for Hawkeye to increase the pace. Reason fled and Hawkeye lost himself as he pounded against BJ's ass. When his orgasm hit, he shouted aloud. BJ was not far behind. All through this marathon, Hawkeye's hand had been busy. BJ felt himself splashing against Hawkeye's trembling fingers and pushed back for the last time.
"I'm a dead man." Hawkeye mumbled when his speech center finally re- established contact with his brain. "You owe me one."
"Later." BJ sighed as he felt Hawkeye slip from his grasp. "I'm not getting any younger."
"Coulda fooled me."
"Hey, some of my best friends are plastic surgeons."
NS*IK*Epilogue*IK*NS
If anyone noticed a slight stiffness in Hawkeye and BJ's posture, no mention was made. Both men rode to the airport together: Hawkeye would be taking a puddle-jumper back to Crab Apple Cove in Maine; BJ boarding a jet for Los Angeles. Little Alexander snoozed in a carry crib on the seat between them.
"I'm going to miss you, Hawk."
"Me too. Thanks for everything. I mean that." The presence of the cab driver precluded more intimate conversation.
"He's a beautiful kid."
"Yeah, like his parents." Hawkeye smiled at the sleeping infant.
"Hawk? I still don't see why you won't come and visit us."
"It's better if it's a clean break. Don't worry. I won't spend the rest of my life pining and weeping into tea cups." Hawkeye said softly. "I have a feeling Sid and his partner are going to start playing matchmaker anytime now. I'll be fine. In fact, I've never felt better except for the odd twinge when I sit down too fast."
"Is that a criticism of my bedside manner?"
"Just the opposite Beej."
NS*IK*NS*IK*NS
Ilya's recovery took longer than he wanted. His temper recovered in no time, however. Napoleon rejoiced at having his prickly partner back again. Ilya's absence from work spawned quite a few rumors, none of which came anywhere near the truth. Upon being released from the infirmary, the two agents also went to Maine. Napoleon's sole surviving grandparent, his Nana Rebecca had invited the couple to her large house.
Ilya had never been there before although he'd met Napoleon's grandmother in New York. Late one night, the two of them told her everything about Ilya's recent "illness." To her credit, she never blinked. Instead, she hugged Ilya tightly as he began to cry. Looking over the blond head at her other grandson, she smiled. "What was the name of that doctor in Crab Apple Cove? If I'm going to be visiting Los Angeles, I want to make sure I'm welcome."
Finis
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