A month later…

Hawkeye had come up with a pretty good idea, or at least he thought it was a good idea, but since he wasn't sure how successful it might be, he opted not to mention it to B.J.

Beej had continued to call his ex-wife every so often, but she never even let him finish a sentence before hanging up on him. The woman wasn't giving an inch. It was not possible to reason with someone when they wouldn't let you talk at all.

So Hawkeye had a thought. One afternoon near the end of his shift, he made a phone call. And as he left the hospital for the day, there was a bounce in his step and hope in his heart.

He drove to Walnut Avenue in Mill Valley and found a parking space down the street from a small ranch house that had a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. Only a few minutes later, Peg Hunnicutt, who had become a real-estate agent while her husband served in Korea, arrived at the rancher and parked in its driveway. She went to the front door and unlocked it with her key, disappearing into the unoccupied house.

Hawkeye had noticed this house on Walnut the weekend before, with Peg's name displayed on the "For Sale" sign as the agent responsible for the listing. So today he'd called the office where she worked and arranged this appointment with the secretary, careful not to speak with Peg or let on that he was the one she'd be meeting. He gave the name Jonathan Tuttle to the secretary, smiling at the memory of having used that same name at the 4077th when making donations to the orphanage. It was his default pseudonym, but not even B.J. knew that. So obviously Peg wouldn't either.

Now he got out of his car and walked down the block briskly, steeling his resolve with every step. When he reached the front door, he knocked once, to announce his arrival, and then went right in. He needed to get beyond that threshold… needed to remove any possibility of having the door slammed in his face.

He found her standing in the kitchen, her back to him. But she heard his approach, and said cheerily, "Hello, you must be Mr. Tuttle?" even before she turned to face him.

When she did, though, she placed him immediately. The two of them had never met, but clearly she knew him on sight, from photos, from descriptions. Her expression went from pleasant anticipation to outrage in an instant. "You. This is… What's the meaning of this? What are you doing here?"

Hawkeye knew he had only a few precious seconds to get through to her. He put up his hands in the classic I mean no harm gesture, and he said, "I know you're not a cruel woman, Peg. I know you have a good heart."

It stopped her cold, which was exactly what he'd hoped for. What he said was true, of course. B.J. had loved this woman for a long time, and B.J. knew character. Hawkeye thought back to Korea… B.J. reading her letters out loud, opening the care packages she sent so lovingly.

What he and B.J. had done… he really did feel terrible that she'd gotten trampled as they'd traveled their path to true love. She had every right to be angry, bitter, and protective of her daughter. But now it was time to get past all that.

Hawkeye took a step closer to her. "There was a time," he said softly, "when you loved B.J. Believe me, I know how badly we've hurt you—" She scoffed at that, but Hawkeye plowed on. "And I can understand your reaction… I honestly can. But the man you used to love is suffering, Peg. And I believe your daughter is too."

"Erin's fine," Peg protested, squaring her shoulders as if to say that he'd better not question her ability to parent.

"Does she ask about her daddy?" Hawkeye wondered. "Does she miss him?"

He watched as something flashed across Peg's face. He'd hit pay dirt. Erin must be asking about her dad, wondering why she never saw him. B.J. had been home from Korea for a couple months before he was unceremoniously shoved out of the family picture. Erin had gotten a taste of having him around, and no doubt wanted to know where he'd gone.

There was a long pause before Peg said, "I cannot have my daughter exposed to your—" She didn't finish, but the nicest word that Hawkeye could think of to fill in the blank was lifestyle. He was kind of astonished that she was even listening to him, much less replying in an almost civilized manner. She hadn't spoken a word to B.J. in all of those previous attempts at communication. Hawkeye had the vague impression that she was finding it easier to face him than B.J., maybe because there was no history at all between the two of them. No memories or broken vows to get in the way.

So he took the plunge. She was standing there hearing him out, and he had to take advantage of the moment. "I understand. But how about this, Peg. What if you let B.J. have a couple of hours with Erin, just the two of them, I swear I won't be anywhere around. I'll get lost for the afternoon, and the two of them can have a little daddy-daughter time. Would you consider that? Please?"

Her teeth worked at her bottom lip and she turned away from him, moving to the kitchen window and looking out at the backyard. She wasn't going to be selling this house today, but Hawkeye hoped that she was buying his words. It would be a huge first step in the right direction.

From over by the window, Peg's voice was soft but he heard her plainly: "She misses him."

Hawkeye closed his eyes. She was thawing right in front of him. Thank you, God, he prayed, before he remembered that he didn't pray.

He waited as patiently as he could; she still hadn't answered the question. It seemed that the silence stretched out for an awfully long time, but it might have been only a minute or two. Hawkeye's jaw was clenched tightly and it was bringing on a headache.

Finally Peg turned back to him and gave a single nod. "B.J. can have the afternoon with her on Saturday. But not you."

Relief swept over him. "I understand."

Peg didn't seem necessarily pleased to be giving in, but something about her demeanor changed, now that she'd made the decision. She appeared to relax a little. She even looked for a second like she wanted to shake his hand to seal their agreement, until it dawned on her that she hated him.

Hawkeye decided to make a quick exit before she changed her mind. "Thank you, Peg, this is very decent of you. B.J. will stop by on Saturday to pick her up."

"All right."

He said thanks a couple more times as he was heading for the door, but she said nothing else. Once outside, he nearly trotted down the block to his car. He couldn't wait to go home and tell Beej. He couldn't wait to see happiness light up his lover's eyes again. It'd been a long time.

Hawkeye stretched like a cat, his body tingling in the afterglow of their lovemaking. It'd felt good to bring B.J. to bed after telling him the news, both of them playful and on a natural high, tumbling together amidst shared laughter. Sex as celebration, for a change.

Now B.J. sighed contentedly. "I can't believe you did that, Hawk."

"Oh? Which specifically do you mean? I've been adding quite a few new moves to my repertoire."

B.J.'s mouth quirked up. "Yeah, I noticed. But that's not what I'm talking about." He turned onto this side, looking into Hawk's eyes with a kind of wonder. "I can't believe you managed to get through to Peg. You found a way to see her, get her to actually listen, and even give in—a little. You did the impossible. You're like Superman."

"Well, hopefully not faster than a speeding bullet, at least not in the context of this bed," Hawkeye cracked.

But B.J. wasn't letting the banter derail him. "I mean it, I can't thank you enough." He kissed Hawkeye deeply, tongue teasing tongue. "I'm just sorry you can't join Erin and me on Saturday."

"Beej, please, don't worry about that. The important thing is you get to see your daughter. That's huge, after everything you've been through. You two have a wonderful afternoon together, and I'll go to the movies and see a double-feature. Don't even give me a thought."

B.J. brought their mouths together for another lingering kiss. "Fat chance. You're always on my mind, Benjamin Franklin Pierce." With a quick move, he straddled Hawkeye's hips, grinning down at him mischievously, "Now you just lie back and enjoy, because your heroics today have earned you a special reward." Then he set about showing Hawkeye exactly how appreciative he was.