Surprises
By Krahmogh
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the M*A*S*H characters. Just the ones I've created. The ones from the show are all owned by Fox.
1954 Crabapple Cove, Maine
The pretty blond woman stepped out of the rental car and took a long look at the white clapboard house with the wraparound porch before walking up to the front door. Since it was early February, there was snow all over the ground and she thought it was beautiful. She knocked quickly and waited a little impatiently to see if he would answer the door himself. He didn't know she was coming. She didn't want to deliver her news over the phone and a letter would have taken too long to come back to her so she just came in person hoping that he would be happy with what she came to tell him. Suddenly, the door opened and there he was. The man she'd been waiting to see for the past six months. His face got real bright when he saw who was standing on his doorstep and then turned to a look of disbelief before he spoke.
"Margaret?" he said incredulously. "Are you . . . "
"Of course I am. Do you think a person normally gains this much weight in six months for no reason?" she asked with a smile. "So can I come in or should we just stand out here for awhile?"
He shook his head, looked back up to her face and said, "No, no come on in. I'm glad you came. You could have called first, but I do love surprises," he said as he pulled her into his arms for a hug.
"I could have but I just wanted to see you," she told him as he led her to a seat on the sofa. "Plus it took me a couple of months to get over being mad at you for this," she said as she rubbed her stomach. "I finished up with the closing down of the 8063rd and then came back to the States. I was working happily at the base hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco when I realized that Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce was going to be a daddy in a few months. I stayed there until my discharge papers were complete and then I came here. I wanted to see if my friend Hank still remembered his promise to Darlene."
"I will always remember the promise I made to you," he said with a tender smile. "So, will you marry me?"
"Yes, I will, Hawk," she told him as he kissed her. "I came here hoping you would ask me that. I wasn't sure if you would be ok with this after what happened to you after July 4th." Will you be ok?"
"Yeah, I will. I may have to call Sidney from time to time, but I'll be ok. Margaret, I've loved you for over a year now. But, I didn't want to say anything because you were still getting over Donald. I know we spent that last night together in Korea but then I didn't expect to see you again. I am so glad you came here," he kissed her again with all the longing he had felt since he watched her leave the 4077th in that jeep just after the end of the war. "I was just finishing up my lunch; do you need a sandwich or anything? I can only take a few more minutes before Dad will get antsy and come looking for me. We take turns with our lunch breaks so one of us is always in the office between eight and six," he told her as he moved back toward the table where the last of his sandwich was waiting for him.
"Actually, I could use a sandwich. Do you have any peanut butter and jelly? A glass of milk would be nice too. It's one of the few things our baby will allow me to drink without any trouble."
"Has he been giving you a lot of trouble, Margaret? I'm so sorry," he said with a twinkle in his eye as his ate the last bite of his sandwich and moved to the kitchen to make her one and get out the milk. "So, how soon do you thing we should get married? I figure the sooner, the better. I'd like for you to be Mrs. Pierce before the baby makes his appearance."
"Let's talk about that when we have more time and what makes you so sure it's a boy?" she asked curiously as she poured herself a glass of milk after locating the correct cupboard with the glasses.
"Just hopeful I guess. I've always thought a son would be the best thing I could ever give to the world. A daughter would be sweet but I do really hope it's a boy. Okay, here's your sandwich. Go ahead and eat, I've got to get back so Dad can come in here. I'll explain everything so he won't be surprised when he sees you here. You'll be alone for a few minutes. I hope you won't think me rude but Jimmy Sparks has a checkup in five minutes and he's one of my favorite patients. I had the pleasure of delivering him about 5 days after I got home from Korea. Come on over to the clinic with Dad after he eats and I'll show you around," he said as he kissed her again, pulled on his coat and walked out the side door to the clinic.
Margaret sat at the table eating her sandwich and took a good long look at the inside of her fiancé's boyhood home. It was well kept but you could tell that it was home to two men. There were no fancy pillows, blankets or knick-knacks around. She did look carefully at the school pictures of Hawkeye that lined the walls. There was even a family picture of the three of them in which Hawkeye appeared to be around eight or nine years old. His mother had been very pretty and the three of them looked very happy together.
"She was a wonderful woman," said someone standing just behind her. She turned to find an older version of the man she loved standing in front of her. This was Dr. Daniel Pierce. This was the man that Hawkeye spent three years waiting to come back to. The reason he didn't ever want to leave Crabapple Cove again. "So this is the famous Margaret Houlihan. I'm very pleased to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, both from Hawk's letters and from Hawk himself after his return from that awful place. He just gave me the wonderful news of your arrival and the surprising news of your quick engagement. I thought he would at least wait a few hours before he asked but I can see why he didn't," he said as he looked down to her bulging belly."
"Well, I guess he decided to go ahead and propose so that I wouldn't try to run away when he went back to work and left me here to meet you alone," she told him as he led her back down the hall to the kitchen where he went right to work making his own sandwich. "I didn't really come here to impose on you, Dr. Pierce. I just had to see Ben again and let him know about the baby. I wasn't sure if he would welcome me or not but I sure am glad he did. How has he been since he got back? He said his appointment was a baby he delivered right after getting home from Korea. Was he okay?"
Daniel chuckled slightly as he replied, "Delivering little Jimmy has been the best thing that could have happened to Hawk. For the first month, he made Carla bring Jimmy in once a week just so he could see that the baby was still ok. After the fifth visit, I sat him down and told him that if he saw Jimmy in the office the following week, I was going to put in a call to the Army and track down Sidney Freedman to come for a visit. I didn't have to make that call. Hawk took a good look at what he was doing and called Carla to apologize for being so protective of her son. He told her that he saw so many hurt kids in Korea that he guessed it was still affecting him a little. She forgave him and today is Jimmy's second visit since that day."
"I'm glad. He did mention Sidney when we spoke about the baby a few minutes ago. He said he might have to call Sidney. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. I'm sure we can find him if we need to," she said softly remembering the haunted look in his eyes after returning from the psychiatric clinic with Sidney just before the war ended.
"Don't worry, Hawkeye will be just fine. I've watched him with some of the younger patients here in the Cove. He hasn't had any problems other than being a little overprotective of them. So," he said as he stood and set both of their plates in the sink, "would you like the grand tour of the house or should we see if your fiancé is finished with Jimmy's appointment?"
"I think I'd actually like someplace to lie down if that wouldn't be a problem. I flew all the way to Portland from San Francisco and then drove directly up here and your grandchild has been pretty active this morning. I think we both need some rest," she added wearily.
"Why didn't you say so? Of course you can lie down for awhile. I'll show you to Ben's room. The guest room is used for storage unless we're expecting company. We'll have to clean it up tonight. For now just come on up and use his room."
"Thank you Dr. Pierce," she said with a tired smile.
"Please call me Daniel. Sleep as long as you need to. I'll send Ben over when we get a break. I don't think we're too busy this afternoon, just some paperwork to catch up on and I can handle that. You just rest and I'll see you later."
Margaret kicked her shoes off, lay down on Hawkeye's bed, and fell instantly asleep.
She was awakened a few hours later by a light kiss on her lips. She opened her eyes and smiled as he kissed her again. "How long was I asleep?"
"About three hours. I wanted to come back sooner but from what Dad said I figured you were pretty worn out. Do you feel like talking?"
"I do but I'd better make a trip down the hall first. Why don't I meet you in the living room in a few minutes and we'll talk there?" she asked as she sat up and kissed him again.
The kiss went a little deeper than they intended and when they finally broke away, he replied, "Okay, we'll talk some more in the living room." Hawkeye showed Margaret where the bathroom was and then sat down in the living room to wait. His mind kept returning to the fact that he was going to be a father soon. It was all he had thought about since lunch. It made little Jimmy's checkup even more interesting than usual. He kept thinking that in just nine short months his own son or daughter would be the same size that Jimmy is now. He thought about the earlier mention of Sidney Freedman. Maybe he should call Sidney. But, he knew that Sidney would tell him that if he was sane enough to call than he was sane enough to know that he was ok.
"Penny for your thoughts, doctor," she said as she sat down beside him.
"Wow, I was so lost in thought, I didn't even hear you come back in the room. I was just thinking about being a father. But, I want to be a husband first. When do you think we can get married?"
"I was thinking about two weeks from Saturday. That way we have time to invite BJ, Colonel Potter, Charles, Radar, and Klinger if he's back in the States," she told him as he kissed her again and hugged her close.
"Are you sure? You know what a three-ring circus a wedding will be if the guests are the members of the 4077th and the residents of Crabapple Cove? What about your parents? Do you think they will come?"
"My Mom will but Dad won't. He's furious that I got pregnant and had to leave the Army. It only got worse when I finally told him the name of the baby's father. He said he wants nothing to do with me for the rest of my life." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke. He gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair as her tears fell against his shirt.
"Shh, don't worry; we'll be ok without him anyway. You've got my dad now. Come on; don't be upset, it's not good for the baby if you cry too much. Besides, we've got phone calls to make if you want to get married in just sixteen days from now. Oh, and look what I found in my room just before I woke you up," he said as he pulled back slightly and took a beautiful diamond engagement ring from his shirt pocket. "This was my mom's and I'd be honored if you would wear it."
Oh, Hawkeye," she sniffled as she reached for the tissue in her purse. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you. You're right; we do have phone calls to make.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the M*A*S*H characters. Just the ones I've created. The ones from the show are all owned by Fox.
1954 Crabapple Cove, Maine
The pretty blond woman stepped out of the rental car and took a long look at the white clapboard house with the wraparound porch before walking up to the front door. Since it was early February, there was snow all over the ground and she thought it was beautiful. She knocked quickly and waited a little impatiently to see if he would answer the door himself. He didn't know she was coming. She didn't want to deliver her news over the phone and a letter would have taken too long to come back to her so she just came in person hoping that he would be happy with what she came to tell him. Suddenly, the door opened and there he was. The man she'd been waiting to see for the past six months. His face got real bright when he saw who was standing on his doorstep and then turned to a look of disbelief before he spoke.
"Margaret?" he said incredulously. "Are you . . . "
"Of course I am. Do you think a person normally gains this much weight in six months for no reason?" she asked with a smile. "So can I come in or should we just stand out here for awhile?"
He shook his head, looked back up to her face and said, "No, no come on in. I'm glad you came. You could have called first, but I do love surprises," he said as he pulled her into his arms for a hug.
"I could have but I just wanted to see you," she told him as he led her to a seat on the sofa. "Plus it took me a couple of months to get over being mad at you for this," she said as she rubbed her stomach. "I finished up with the closing down of the 8063rd and then came back to the States. I was working happily at the base hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco when I realized that Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce was going to be a daddy in a few months. I stayed there until my discharge papers were complete and then I came here. I wanted to see if my friend Hank still remembered his promise to Darlene."
"I will always remember the promise I made to you," he said with a tender smile. "So, will you marry me?"
"Yes, I will, Hawk," she told him as he kissed her. "I came here hoping you would ask me that. I wasn't sure if you would be ok with this after what happened to you after July 4th." Will you be ok?"
"Yeah, I will. I may have to call Sidney from time to time, but I'll be ok. Margaret, I've loved you for over a year now. But, I didn't want to say anything because you were still getting over Donald. I know we spent that last night together in Korea but then I didn't expect to see you again. I am so glad you came here," he kissed her again with all the longing he had felt since he watched her leave the 4077th in that jeep just after the end of the war. "I was just finishing up my lunch; do you need a sandwich or anything? I can only take a few more minutes before Dad will get antsy and come looking for me. We take turns with our lunch breaks so one of us is always in the office between eight and six," he told her as he moved back toward the table where the last of his sandwich was waiting for him.
"Actually, I could use a sandwich. Do you have any peanut butter and jelly? A glass of milk would be nice too. It's one of the few things our baby will allow me to drink without any trouble."
"Has he been giving you a lot of trouble, Margaret? I'm so sorry," he said with a twinkle in his eye as his ate the last bite of his sandwich and moved to the kitchen to make her one and get out the milk. "So, how soon do you thing we should get married? I figure the sooner, the better. I'd like for you to be Mrs. Pierce before the baby makes his appearance."
"Let's talk about that when we have more time and what makes you so sure it's a boy?" she asked curiously as she poured herself a glass of milk after locating the correct cupboard with the glasses.
"Just hopeful I guess. I've always thought a son would be the best thing I could ever give to the world. A daughter would be sweet but I do really hope it's a boy. Okay, here's your sandwich. Go ahead and eat, I've got to get back so Dad can come in here. I'll explain everything so he won't be surprised when he sees you here. You'll be alone for a few minutes. I hope you won't think me rude but Jimmy Sparks has a checkup in five minutes and he's one of my favorite patients. I had the pleasure of delivering him about 5 days after I got home from Korea. Come on over to the clinic with Dad after he eats and I'll show you around," he said as he kissed her again, pulled on his coat and walked out the side door to the clinic.
Margaret sat at the table eating her sandwich and took a good long look at the inside of her fiancé's boyhood home. It was well kept but you could tell that it was home to two men. There were no fancy pillows, blankets or knick-knacks around. She did look carefully at the school pictures of Hawkeye that lined the walls. There was even a family picture of the three of them in which Hawkeye appeared to be around eight or nine years old. His mother had been very pretty and the three of them looked very happy together.
"She was a wonderful woman," said someone standing just behind her. She turned to find an older version of the man she loved standing in front of her. This was Dr. Daniel Pierce. This was the man that Hawkeye spent three years waiting to come back to. The reason he didn't ever want to leave Crabapple Cove again. "So this is the famous Margaret Houlihan. I'm very pleased to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, both from Hawk's letters and from Hawk himself after his return from that awful place. He just gave me the wonderful news of your arrival and the surprising news of your quick engagement. I thought he would at least wait a few hours before he asked but I can see why he didn't," he said as he looked down to her bulging belly."
"Well, I guess he decided to go ahead and propose so that I wouldn't try to run away when he went back to work and left me here to meet you alone," she told him as he led her back down the hall to the kitchen where he went right to work making his own sandwich. "I didn't really come here to impose on you, Dr. Pierce. I just had to see Ben again and let him know about the baby. I wasn't sure if he would welcome me or not but I sure am glad he did. How has he been since he got back? He said his appointment was a baby he delivered right after getting home from Korea. Was he okay?"
Daniel chuckled slightly as he replied, "Delivering little Jimmy has been the best thing that could have happened to Hawk. For the first month, he made Carla bring Jimmy in once a week just so he could see that the baby was still ok. After the fifth visit, I sat him down and told him that if he saw Jimmy in the office the following week, I was going to put in a call to the Army and track down Sidney Freedman to come for a visit. I didn't have to make that call. Hawk took a good look at what he was doing and called Carla to apologize for being so protective of her son. He told her that he saw so many hurt kids in Korea that he guessed it was still affecting him a little. She forgave him and today is Jimmy's second visit since that day."
"I'm glad. He did mention Sidney when we spoke about the baby a few minutes ago. He said he might have to call Sidney. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. I'm sure we can find him if we need to," she said softly remembering the haunted look in his eyes after returning from the psychiatric clinic with Sidney just before the war ended.
"Don't worry, Hawkeye will be just fine. I've watched him with some of the younger patients here in the Cove. He hasn't had any problems other than being a little overprotective of them. So," he said as he stood and set both of their plates in the sink, "would you like the grand tour of the house or should we see if your fiancé is finished with Jimmy's appointment?"
"I think I'd actually like someplace to lie down if that wouldn't be a problem. I flew all the way to Portland from San Francisco and then drove directly up here and your grandchild has been pretty active this morning. I think we both need some rest," she added wearily.
"Why didn't you say so? Of course you can lie down for awhile. I'll show you to Ben's room. The guest room is used for storage unless we're expecting company. We'll have to clean it up tonight. For now just come on up and use his room."
"Thank you Dr. Pierce," she said with a tired smile.
"Please call me Daniel. Sleep as long as you need to. I'll send Ben over when we get a break. I don't think we're too busy this afternoon, just some paperwork to catch up on and I can handle that. You just rest and I'll see you later."
Margaret kicked her shoes off, lay down on Hawkeye's bed, and fell instantly asleep.
She was awakened a few hours later by a light kiss on her lips. She opened her eyes and smiled as he kissed her again. "How long was I asleep?"
"About three hours. I wanted to come back sooner but from what Dad said I figured you were pretty worn out. Do you feel like talking?"
"I do but I'd better make a trip down the hall first. Why don't I meet you in the living room in a few minutes and we'll talk there?" she asked as she sat up and kissed him again.
The kiss went a little deeper than they intended and when they finally broke away, he replied, "Okay, we'll talk some more in the living room." Hawkeye showed Margaret where the bathroom was and then sat down in the living room to wait. His mind kept returning to the fact that he was going to be a father soon. It was all he had thought about since lunch. It made little Jimmy's checkup even more interesting than usual. He kept thinking that in just nine short months his own son or daughter would be the same size that Jimmy is now. He thought about the earlier mention of Sidney Freedman. Maybe he should call Sidney. But, he knew that Sidney would tell him that if he was sane enough to call than he was sane enough to know that he was ok.
"Penny for your thoughts, doctor," she said as she sat down beside him.
"Wow, I was so lost in thought, I didn't even hear you come back in the room. I was just thinking about being a father. But, I want to be a husband first. When do you think we can get married?"
"I was thinking about two weeks from Saturday. That way we have time to invite BJ, Colonel Potter, Charles, Radar, and Klinger if he's back in the States," she told him as he kissed her again and hugged her close.
"Are you sure? You know what a three-ring circus a wedding will be if the guests are the members of the 4077th and the residents of Crabapple Cove? What about your parents? Do you think they will come?"
"My Mom will but Dad won't. He's furious that I got pregnant and had to leave the Army. It only got worse when I finally told him the name of the baby's father. He said he wants nothing to do with me for the rest of my life." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke. He gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair as her tears fell against his shirt.
"Shh, don't worry; we'll be ok without him anyway. You've got my dad now. Come on; don't be upset, it's not good for the baby if you cry too much. Besides, we've got phone calls to make if you want to get married in just sixteen days from now. Oh, and look what I found in my room just before I woke you up," he said as he pulled back slightly and took a beautiful diamond engagement ring from his shirt pocket. "This was my mom's and I'd be honored if you would wear it."
Oh, Hawkeye," she sniffled as she reached for the tissue in her purse. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you. You're right; we do have phone calls to make.