Together Again

Chapter 1: Big Plans

It was a cool October day in Crabapple Cove, Maine with the sun shining brightly, beginning to cast a scant bit of warmth in the early morning sky as Hawkeye Pierce sat on the covered patio of the quaint country house that had been in his family for years, contently sipping a cup of coffee. He normally wouldn't be up so early on his day off but today, well today was special. Today was the day that his old friends from Korea were flying to Maine to have their yearly reunion. Every year since the war ended, the group from the 4077th MASH had been taking turns hosting the get together and this was Hawkeye's year.

As Hawkeye ran through the arrival times of their guests in his mind, he felt a pair of soft arms wrap around his shoulders and a kiss placed on the top of his head.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Margaret Pierce smiled as she lowered herself slowly onto the patio swing next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was just mentally reviewing the arrival times of our guests. The way I figure it, I'm going to have to make at least three trips to the airport to get everyone."

"I wish I could go with you to meet everybody."

"I know you do, sweetheart, but you need to take it easy and stay off your feet. At least this way, everything will be just perfect by the time I get through running back and forth to Portland." Hawkeye said, pulling Margaret close to him and kissing her gently.

"So when are you leaving for Portland this morning?" Margaret asked casually, resting a hand on her swelling stomach. She was seven months pregnant with their first child and had been having a few problems with elevated blood pressure, which was why Hawkeye was so protective of her.

"Well, BJ and his family are getting in around 10:00 and then Trapper and Charles are coming in on the same flight and they land about 11:00 so we're going to stick around and wait on them before I bring them back here. Then Radar gets in about 2:00, Frank and his family are getting in at 2:30 and then the Potters are coming in at 3:00. Once I get them here, I'll have about two hours before I have to leave to pick up Klinger and Soon Lee when they come in at 6:00. Father Mulcahy is coming in with Sidney at 6:15. Then we'll have everyone here!"

"It'll be really good to see Klinger and Soon Lee again. I'm glad they're finally back home from Korea." Margaret smiled.

"Yeah. The last I heard from Klinger he said that they had set her family up and helped them get on their feet again." Hawkeye said, looking at his watch. "Uh oh. I need to get dressed and hit the road. It's already almost 9:00 and I don't want to be just pulling up to the airport when BJ's plane comes in. I wanna get there a little early."

"Okay. I'll make you something to eat while you're changing." Margaret said as she allowed Hawkeye to help her to her feet.

* * * * *

An hour later, Hawkeye was standing in the terminal of Portland airport waiting to meet BJ's flight. As he waited, Hawkeye thought about the plans that he and Margaret had for the coming weekend. Soon, the PA system in the airport crackled to life.

"Flight 628 from San Fransisco is now landing. Passengers will be arriving at Gate 3."

"Good, they don't have that far to walk." Hawkeye thought to himself as he spotted BJ Hunnicutt and his wife Peg weaving their way toward him through the crowd of newly arrived passengers.

"Hawk!" BJ shouted as they emerged from the crowd.

"Heya Beej." Hawkeye grinned as he embraced one of his best friends and leaned over to kiss Peg on the cheek.

"Listen, we're going to have to hang out here for about an hour because Trapper and Charles are getting in from Boston at 11:00. So let's get your bags and put them in the car and then I'll buy you guys something to eat."

"Sounds good to me." BJ said as he and Peg followed Hawkeye to the baggage belt.

"So, did you guys have a good flight?" Hawkeye asked as the three sat at a table in one of the small restaurants in the airport.

"It was long. But we were sitting in the exit row so we weren't cramped." BJ said, taking a drink of his coffee.

"We were actually on the first flight out this morning so we've been awake since 3:30 this morning. BJ had to work late last night too." Peg added.

"Trouble at the hospital?"

"Yeah. I had to go out there last night and straighten out a conflict. One of my nurses on the evening shift was angry because human resources changed her schedule for this weekend and she found out at the last minute because no one consulted her about it. So this young lady called me last night at about 11:00 and I was out at the hospital until 1:45 trying to fix the whole mess so she didn't quit on me."

"Wow. You must be wrecked, Beej."

"You have no idea. I did manage to grab a nap on the plane so I'll be okay."

Before Hawkeye could respond further, they heard the PA system come to life again.

"Flight 25 from Boston is now landing. Passengers will be arriving through Gate 10."

"That'll be Trapper and Charles. Actually I think I see them now." Hawkeye said.

Just then, they saw Trapper John McIntyre coming through the crowd with his wife Louise, followed closely by Charles Emerson Winchester and his wife Eleanor. As the approached the other three, they all greeted each other happily.

"Hey, guys. Let's get your stuff so we can get on the road. Margaret's waiting on us. Plus I'm gonna have to come back out here in a few hours to meet Radar. We can catch up on the way to the house." Hawkeye said as he ushered his guests to get their luggage and the small group piled into his station wagon and set off for the Pierce home.

* * * * *

Margaret was finishing up putting sheet on the air mattresses that they had set up in various rooms when she heard Hawkeye's car pull up in the driveway. She made her way down the staircase and went to open the door for her husband and their arriving guests.

"Hi everybody. Come in!" Margaret smiled as BJ came up the patio stairs to hug her. Then she moved to hug Trapper and Charles as Hawkeye helped them take their bags into the house.

"You look great, Margaret. Are you feeling okay? Last time I talked to Hawkeye, he mentioned that your blood pressure was running a little high." Trapper said, once they had all settled in and Hawkeye had headed back to Portland again.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you. I've taken my maternity leave from the clinic and I've been spending my time resting and working on fixing up the nursery so it'll be ready by the time the baby comes." Margaret smiled warmly, touched by the concern.

"It's still a little tough to wrap my head around the fact that Hawk and Margaret are married and have a child on the way."

* * * * *

Back at the airport in Portland, Hawkeye was scanning the rush of people for any sign of Radar, whose flight had just arrived from Iowa. Just then, he caught sight of his friend moving toward him. What surprised him was the fact that Radar was alone.

"Hi, Hawkeye. Gee, it's great to see you." Radar greeted, walking over to hug Hawkeye.

"It's good to see you too, Radar. How've you been?"

"Not too bad, Hawkeye. I've been keeping really busy on the farm. I'm actually really happy with the way things are working out."

"I don't mean to be nosey, Radar, but I was just wondering why Sandy didn't come with you." Hawkeye asked.

"Oh. She said to send her apology but her dad is sick and she went to Missouri this weekend. She said that she wanted me to come here with you guys." Radar said.

"Well I hope things go okay there."

"I'll tell her you said so when I call her tonight. She'll really appreciate that."

"Flight 96 from Washington is now landing. Passengers will be arriving through Gate 5."

"Hmm. Looks like Frank got in a little earlier than expected." Hawkeye said, glancing at his watch.

"Yeah. I can't believe how much Frank has changed. He's a totally different person than he was in Korea." Radar mused as they heard a familiar voice coming from the crowd.

"Hey, guys!" Frank called as he came over to them, hand in hand with his wife.

"How's it going, Frank? Everything okay out in Washington?" Hawkeye asked, stepping forward to shake hands with his former nemesis.

"Well, it's okay. Lots of people coming in and out of the VA this time of year and it gets a little hectic. But we've been handling it well so far. I'm glad to get to get away from it for a few days to come out here. It feels great to be able to ditch all that responsibility for a change."

"I know what you mean, believe me. It's not exactly all roses and rainbows running a clinic either. I'm glad to have everyone out here for the weekend."

"Why are you alone, Radar?" Frank asked casually.

"My father-in-law took ill and Sandy had to go to Missouri last night. She said to say hello to everyone. She really wanted to make it."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Give her our best when you talk to her."

"I'll do that. She'll appreciate it."

"So, what's the plan from here?"

"Well, the Potters are going to be landing in about 20 minutes so once they get here we'll be ready to head back out to the house where the others that got in earlier are waiting with Margaret." Hawkeye explained.

"How's Margaret feeling?"

"She's doing a lot better. I think we've gotten her blood pressure under control and she's taken her maternity leave so I think the worst is behind us."

"I'm glad. I know she must have been concerned."

"Flight 432 from St. Louis is now landing. Passengers will be arriving through Gate 1."

"That's the Potters' flight."

"There they are right there!" Radar called as he waved an arm in the air.

"Howdy folks!" Sherman Potter laughed as he led his wife Mildred through the crowd to where the group were waiting for them.

"Hey! Did you guys have a good flight?" Hawkeye asked as he shook hands with his former commander and hugged his wife.

"We did. It was very nice." Sherman smiled as he put an arm around Radar's shoulders. "Glad you could make it this year, Frank. We missed you last time around."

"Yeah. It's like I was telling Hawkeye, things have started getting a little hectic at the V.A. I had to do some maneuvering to even get away for this weekend."

"Tell me about it. I head a V.A. hospital in Missouri myself, don't forget so I can definitely sympathize with you there."

"Guys, I hate to interrupt but we really need to get back to the house. Margaret's going to think something happened to us." Hawkeye interrupted as they headed for his station wagon before making the trek back to Crabapple Cove once again.

* * * * *

On the way to the Pierce home, the group in the station wagon picked up their conversation where they had left off in the airport terminal. It had been over a year since they'd last seen each other and they had quite a bit to catch up on.

"So how's everything going on the farm, Radar?" Sherman asked.

"Actually things are working out very well this year. We've got an excellent yield on our crops so as long as the weather holds out, Sandy and I stand to bring in a pretty nice profit this season." Radar smiled from where he sat in the front passenger seat next to Hawkeye.

"Glad to hear it, son. I've gotta tell you, when we heard that you were having trouble after you sent us that letter while the war was still on, we were all pretty concerned about you."

"I appreciate that. Honestly, I was worried about me too. But after you called and said that you had Park Sung who was a farming whiz and needed a sponsor here in the states, that's when things really started to turn around. Gee, he taught me things that I'd never have even thought to try."

"So, how's your mother doing?" Frank asked.

"Well, my mom died last month. She'd been in poor health for about a year so it wasn't like it was unexpected, but it's still hard. If it hadn't been for Sandy being my rock, I wouldn't have made it through that. She kept me grounded and was there for me to lean on."

"I'm sorry, Radar. I wish there was something to say to make that easier to stomach. You said your mother's been gone a month but I know it's still hard for you. After my mom passed last year, it took me six months before I could think about her without feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. Even now, it still hurts."

"That means a lot to me, Frank. Thank you. Gosh, I can't believe how different you are from when we were in Korea."

"Well, the war brought out a lot of the worst in all of us I think. I mean, look what happened to me. I spent two years in and out of psychiatric evaluations. When I look back on who I was then, I'm still ashamed. If we hadn't been caught up in that bloodbath over there, I think things would have been quite a bit different."

"Well said, Frank. That's very true."Hawkeye smiled, honking the horn as he pulled up into the driveway.

* * * * *

"Hawk's back." Trapper observed as he heard the blaring horn outside.

"That he is." Margaret smiled as she pulled herself to her feet, gratefully accepting Charles's outstretched hand.

"Hey, we're here!" Hawkeye called out as he opened the door and led their newly arrived guests into the house.

"You look wonderful, Margaret." Sherman said as he hugged the former head nurse.

"Thank you. I can't wait for this little one to make his or her grand appearance into the world."

"It'll be time before you know it." Peg smiled from where she sat beside BJ. "Enjoy the feelings you're experiencing while you have the chance."

"Oh, I am. Believe me. Starting a family is something that I've wanted to do for years. Now that I've settled down with the right man, I couldn't be happier about this whole experience." Margaret grinned, resting her head on Hawkeye's shoulder as he sat on the couch next to her.

"I'm just glad that you're pregnancy is running smoothly now so that you can relax and enjoy the experience." Hawkeye said, glancing at his watch. "I hate to leave this growing party but I have four more people to go and pick up in Portland. I'll be back soon."

* * * * *

When Hawkeye arrived back in Portland for the final time that day, the sky had just begun to fall into darkness. He parked the car in the parking garage and headed into the airport just as the first plane he was to meet touched down on the runway.

"Flight 87 from Toledo is now landing. Passengers will be arriving through Gate 4."

"Looks like I timed that just perfectly." Hawkeye thought as he scanned the crowd of arriving passengers.

"Hey! Hawkeye!" Max Klinger shouted as he and his Korean wife Soon Lee broke from the crowd to meet their friend.

"Klinger! Welcome back to America!" Hawkeye laughed as he honked Klinger's nose in an old joke. "You look lovely, Soon Lee. It's good to see you again."

"Thank you. It is good to see you again too." Soon Lee Klinger greeted in her accented English that never failed to bring a smile to her husband's face.

"So, how are you two adjusting to being back?"

"Oh, I love being back in Toledo. I've been enjoying introducing Soon Lee to all of the things that I always talked about. Things like Paco's Hot Dogs. She's becoming quite the Medhens fan too."

"I can imagine."

"So, are we going to head to your place now?"

"No, not yet. Father Mulcahy and Sidney are coming in in about ten more minutes and once we round them up, then we'll head back to the house. Knowing Margaret, she'll probably have dinner ready to put out by the time we get there."

"Great! I'm starving."

"Max always thinks with his stomach."

"Some things never change." Hawkeye laughed as he heard the announcement they were waiting for.

"Flight 2036 from Philadelphia is now landing. Passengers will be arriving through Gate 7."

"That'll be them."

Looking up, the three quickly caught sight of Father Francis Mulcahy and Sidney Freedman strolling casually through the steady stream of people toward them, talking quietly. Hawkeye thought he saw an off look pass between the two but before he could ponder it further, his musings were interruped when they approached them happily.
"Aren't you three a sight for sore eyes." Sidney grinned as he greeted his friends.

"It's great to see you both too." Hawkeye smiled at Sidney before leaning in closer to the young priest and increasing the volume of his voice. "I'm glad that you could make it, Father!"

"I'm pleased to be able to see everyone again, Hawkeye. But you don't have to yell. I could hear you just fine when you spoke to Sidney."

"But, Father, I thought. I mean, Soon Lee and I heard."Klinger stammereds nervously, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"I know. That I had lost my hearing. I did for years. But I was recently blessed enough to hear about a new procedure to restore hearing for people with traumatic hearing loss like I had."

"Hey! That's great!" Hawkeye exclaimed, embracing Mulcahy happily.

"Yes. I was needless to say surprised this morning when I turned the radio up in the car on the way to the airport and the good Father reached over and turned down the volume."

"This is something to celebrate. So how about we get back to Crabapple Cove and share the news with the others."