(Untitled)

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Are you kidding? That was a hole in one," says a distinctive voice, from the door. "I've heard many a fine shot in my day, and that was one. How could you miss the roar of the crowd

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[simon_doctor]

"Hawkeye?"

The voice is concerned. It's also nearby, and rapidly getting closer.

"It's Simon Tam. Do you need help?"

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Just tell me if I'm about to take somebody's head off," Hawkeye calls cheerfully (in the wrong direction). "It's tradition to yell 'fore' first."

[simon_doctor]

In another second or so, Simon's by his side and putting a careful hand on his arm.

"Do I want to know what happened?"

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"It's depressingly mundane," he says lightly, taking Simon's arm with the ease of someone who's getting accustomed to this. "Bar, please." He puts the golf club up over his other shoulder. "I was called into the nurses' tent to try to resuscitate the stove. It didn't appreciate my efforts."

[simon_doctor]

He starts leading them toward the bar, slowly. "How bad was it?"

What Simon's wondering about: the state of the man's eyes. Surely he wouldn't be this flippant if they were badly damaged. Surely not.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

His smile turns a little more dry. "Oh, I couldn't say. I was a little too busy stumbling around to find a mirror."

That's not quite what Simon asked, and he knows it.

[simon_doctor]

It's an answer anyway; I couldn't say.

It occurs to him abruptly to wonder just how Hawkeye got his nickname.

"Almost there," he says instead, and "There's a barstool directly in front of you," and he guides Hawkeye's hand to it.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Hey, you're a lot better at this than some of the seeing-eye people I've had," he says, and there's fumbling as he juggles arm, golf club, and finding his way onto the stool, but he manages all without whacking something (or someone) or falling.

In a concession to the question, and ordinary conversation: "The bandages are coming off in a few days, when the optometrist comes back. Til then, the extent of the damage is anybody's guess."

[simon_doctor]

"I see," he says -- and hears what he's just said, and mentally kicks himself.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

Hawkeye promptly cracks the hell up.

It's a patented Pierce laugh, loud and knee-slapping and whooping and gleeful; the sort of laugh that can't possibly be faked.

(He can't decide what was funnier -- the comment or the couple of seconds of awkward silence that followed it.)

[simon_doctor]

... well, at least he's in good spirits about it.

That laugh's contagious, which counteracts the embarrassment somewhat. "Sorry," he says ruefully.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Oh please," he says, still wheezing for breath around residual chuckles. "Don't be." He goes to slap Simon on the shoulder; he misses the first time, but hits his mark the second.

"There's very little I enjoy more than hearing people make inadvertantly inappropriate remarks. The last few days have been like Christmas."

[simon_doctor]

"I'm glad I could contribute," he says, just a touch dryly, as he seats himself on the next barstool over.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"So, what's new with you?" he asks, giving Bar a light tap. A martini appears; he reaches for it slowly enough that it doesn't tip when he bumps it with his hand, and he picks it up. "Any new disfiguring scars, missing limbs, or other major physical changes that I ought to know about?"

('Ought' because he'd ordinarily be able to see them.)

He gestures with his drink with a light touch; there's amusement in the curve of his mouth, as ever.

[simon_doctor]

The dry note is still there, but good-natured: "None of the above, I'm afraid." To Bar, he adds: "Green tea, please?"

And back to Hawkeye, as he picks up the cup: "In terms of news, though ... I recently finished the correspondence courses I was taking. Kaylee and I spent a week on Osiris so I could take the final exams."

He leaves out the other reason. It's not exactly a closely kept secret, but ... it's private.

[yankeedoodle_dr]

As Simon talks, Hawkeye fixes his view; he had been looking just over Simon's shoulder, and now his face is blindly turned toward Simon's.

"Correspondence course, huh?" he says. "What in?"