I'd like to give a little credit to Tom Reeder and John Rappaport(The writer's of the episode 'Out of Gas') for giving me a little idea for what to put later on into this chapter. And, as always, thanks for the awesome reviews and for being so patient to wait for me to update again! This chapter feels like it's taken awhile to write! Hope you like it!
Chapter Seven: Suspicions Are Rising
December 19, 1952
Margaret Houlihan was about three months pregnant and that 'baby bump' that Hawkeye thought he felt, the night he proposed to her, had developed slightly. It was a good thing it was winter, as the Major's heavy field jacket and liner covered her stomach enough to make her look like her normal, skinny self. She was still pretty self conscious and seemed to fold her arms a lot more than usual when she thought people would be looking at her, thinking it would distract the attention away from her middle.
It was about six o'clock in the morning and the mother-to-be felt something that woke her up. She opened her eyes slowly to find her fiancée smiling at her, arms wrapped around her middle. She smiled back at him, reaching up to give him a peck on this lips. "Good morning." Her grip around the man tightened as she scooted even closer to him (a hard thing to do in a small Army issue cot). They had been spending the nights together a lot lately. Since he had roommates, Hawkeye would stay at Margaret's tent all the time.
"You're beautiful when you sleep." The handsome surgeon leaned down and kissed her forehead, rubbing her arms when she shivered slightly. "Cold?"
"A little." She really wasn't cold at all, it was just Hawkeye. Whenever he kissed her like that, shivers of pleasure ran throughout her whole body.
Hawkeye would normally untangle himself from the blankets and get out of bed first. This only made sense because he slept on the outside, not really wanting Margaret to fall out of bed. By saying this to her once, Hawkeye got laughed at, but then responded by wagging his eyebrows at the woman saying, 'I live dangerously'. He would make sure to get out of bed a few minutes after Margaret woke up, considering that she would probably have to make a mad dash to the latrine to get sick by then. This morning was different, however. Hawkeye started to get up, but Margaret grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"I thought I'd get out of your way so you could make your morning run to the latrine." He cocked his head in confusion. "Don't you feel nauseous this morning?"
"Nope, I actually feel kind of hungry." She smiled, "And it feels much better than the alternative."
"Well I'm happy for you." Hawkeye lifted the blankets back up and crawled underneath, taking his spot and wrapping his arms around Margaret. She wore a pare of her usual winter pajamas. They were soft and perfect for Hawkeye's 'cuddling needs'.
"So am I." Margaret shook her head, "I'm just surprised that no one has seen my 'daily runs to the latrine'. Or if they have, they haven't said anything."
"Yeah, that kind of surprises me too. It's such a small camp, you'd think everyone would be asking about it."
"Does Charles suspect anything yet?" She asked, wondering about the other 'Swamp Rat' who wasn't clued in on the chief surgeon and head nurse's 'predicament'.
"He's asked me quite a few times why my bed is never slept in. But I keep telling him that I have a much better offer. He must think I'm crashing in the nurses' tent every night." He laughed, "Not so sure that'd be a bad thing." The man pretended to be seriously contemplating his last sentence, but was playfully punched swatted in the back of the head. "Oh Honey, you know I'm only joking." Hawkeye turned to his side and covered Margaret's neck with kisses. The nurse snuggled up against his soft long johns and almost dozed off again, perfectly content with his joking. "So, do you want to go get something to eat from the mess tent?"
"Sure." Margaret blinked repeatedly, trying to stay awake. She was a little tired still, but her stomach was starting to churn from the lack of food.
Hawkeye got up and went to the chair by the desk where his clothes had been thrown to the night before, and pulled his pants over his long johns. After buttoning them and starting to pull his lighter green t-shirt over his head, he heard Margaret curse. Pulling the shirt the rest of the way down, he went over to her by her wall locker, wondering what was wrong. "What's the matter, Sweetheart?"
"I can't…get my pants…buttoned." She was struggling to get the two parts of material together to slip the button through the hole, trying almost every trick in the book.
"Well don't squish the poor little guy." Hawkeye hugged her from behind, a playfully concerned tone in his voice as he placed a loving hand on her stomach where she had been trying to button her pants. Margaret laughed as he slid the zipper up as far as he could and kissed her on the cheek. "Just don't button them today. I got a 48 hour pass to Seoul for tomorrow and can pick up some bigger pants for you at the PX."
"What am I supposed to do today, let my pants fall down?" Her tone was serious, but her eyes were sparkling in amusement.
"Just use your belt, no one will see that your pants aren't buttoned under your coat." Hawkeye grabbed his other shirt and put it on before reaching for his field jacket and forest green wool cap.
"I just don't understand, I could get my pants on yesterday." Margaret grabbed the rest of the clothes she would be needing for that day, closed the door to her wall locker, and went over to the bed, dropping them all to it's thinning mattress.
Hawkeye chuckled, "But, as I recall, you had to practically stretch yourself over your desk to get them on."
"I was still able to get them on!" The Major finished getting dressed and went to her door pushing it open.
"Aren't going to check if anyone's watching?" Hawkeye teased her.
"We have a right to be together." She winked at him before stepping outside, pulling her scarf a little closer as the bitter cold air nipped at her cheeks. "So, why don't I go to Seoul with you tomorrow?"
"Margaret, I think I'd feel a lot better if you stayed here. It's a lot safer here." The 'concerned husband and father feelings' were getting imbedded into him before he was even a husband.
"Oh, come on. It'd be a lot of fun. We could have a little romantic getaway and I could try those pants on at the PX before you spend money on ones that won't fit. Then we could do some Christmas shopping!" She had started walking backwards and in front of him so they could face each other as Margaret pleaded.
"Honey," He stopped walking and put his hands on her arms, "I'd love for us to have a romantic getaway, but in order to get to Seoul, we'd have to drive through some pretty rough territory and I'd just feel a lot better in you and the little one weren't with me." The man looked up quick, seeing if anyone was around to see or hear them talking to each other like they were. He quickly removed his hands from her arms when a nurse and a corpsman walked by, looking a tad bit suspicious. Turning so she was walking the same direction and beside Hawkeye, Margaret started to reply but was cut off my the worried husband/father-to-be. "It's also not up to me." He smiled at her, letting her know that he wasn't mad at her, just concerned for her safety, "It's technically up to Colonel Potter."
The Mess Tent
Charles, BJ, Colonel Potter, Father Mulcahy, and Radar all sat together at a table in the mess tent, picking over what appeared to be hash browns with powdered eggs, washed down with coffee that had the slightest hint of purple to it.
Colonel Potter looked up, seeing his chief surgeon and head nurse enter the tent, Hawkeye's hand on Margaret's lower back. "What's with those two lately? It seems like they're always together."
"I don't know." The sandy haired surgeon shrugged. "How do they teach chickens to lay powdered eggs?" BJ asked, trying to get the subject off of his two dear friends, knowing they wanted their secret kept for awhile longer. He kicked Radar under the table (not meaning for it to hurt, but the surprised look on the young man's face showed that it must have a little), although he knew that the company clerk wouldn't tell.
Ignoring his bunkmate's question, Charles followed his CO's eyes to the two who were now in the chow line, getting their 'breakfast'. He noticed that the Captain seemed to be smiling and laughing with the blond like always, but she was smiling and laughing back. He had noticed this before, but never gave it much thought. "You don't suppose that there's something going on between those two…?" The balding Boston native voiced his question.
"Can you pass the salt?" BJ asked the Colonel, motioning towards the salt shaker at the end of the table. He was trying (and failing it seemed like) to keep the conversation from where it was obviously going. Colonel Potter grabbed the salt shaker and handed it down, a look of confusion in his eyes for why BJ didn't seem all that interested in what Hawkeye was doing.
"Well, has anyone else noticed that the Major's been running to the latrine almost every morning?" Father Mulcahy asked the group. A few heads nodded. "I haven't seen her at the Officer's Club or Rosie's for awhile either so I wouldn't think it's because of the booze." The look on the good padre's face turned to an expression of concern, "Although, I'm afraid those aren't the only places where drinking takes place."
"Now before we spread any rumors about the Major being a closet drinker, let's just see if we can't figure this out on our own first." The Colonel put a hand up, causing all of the murmurs of agreement (two being acted out by Radar and BJ, knowing the reason for Margaret's mornings in the latrine) to come to a halt. "In fact, here they come now."
"Good morning everyone!" Margaret smiled cheerfully at the group. "Can we join you?"
"Of course Major, Captain." Father Mulcahy motioned to the empty spot by him. Margaret went over to sit by the padre while Hawkeye went to sit across from her, by Colonel Potter.
"Are you feeling better Margaret?" Colonel Potter asked the woman that had just sat down and dug, hungrily, into her so-called meal.
"Huh?" She looked up at him, a startled look on her face. 'How did he know about that?' The thought almost made her panic.
"Oh, we've just seen you running to the latrine every morning for awhile, so I was just wondering if you were feeling better this morning." The CO looked back down at his tray and then up again, "You've been getting sick for a long time…but you seem to be just fine in the afternoon…?" He was now a little confused. Thank God he wasn't putting two and two together.
"I must have just caught a really bad bug or something." Margaret shrugged, catching a glance of Hawkeye, who was becoming a little pale, in the corner of her eye. "But yes sir, I do feel better this morning. Thanks." She had to take a drink of coffee to try to get the color (that she could practically feel being flushed away by the statement) back into her own skin.
"Well, we're glad to hear that you're feeling better, Sir." Radar added in, twice as nervous as usual, just knowing what was going on for a change.
"Thanks Corporal." Margaret chuckled, feeling Hawkeye reach under the table with his foot to gently nudge her on the leg, letting her know that it would all be okay.
Later
"What do you mean we're out of Pentothal?" Colonel Potter asked, or rather yelled at the young company clerk.
"I'm sorry sir, but I just checked with supply and they said we're out. Then I talked to Zale and he said that we did have some, but he traded it. For what, I don't know!" Radar spoke fast, his nerves getting the best of him.
"Well we don't have time to interrogate that weasel yet, with all these casualties at our front door, but as soon as this session is over, I want to see him right away! And you better break the ether out." The Colonel was getting angrier and angrier with every word and started taking it out on the Corporal. Realizing what he was doing, he nodded sadly, "Sorry Radar."
"It's okay sir." Radar shrugged it off and headed out to triage to tell the surgeons and nurses about what was going on while Potter went to help in Pre-Op.
"Are you serious?" Hawkeye asked sarcastically when Radar told him the news. "The war might be over by the time we get all of these guys knocked out to work on, having to use ether!"
"I know sir, but we're out of the anethni…anythid…the stuff that puts them to sleep!" The young man sounded pretty funny, trying to say anesthetics, but his tone was serious.
Guiding Radar to the barrel where a fire was going, and no one was, Hawkeye's tone became very worried. "Margaret can't be around either. It's not good for her or the baby."
"It's not?"
Hawkeye shook his head, looking behind his shoulder at his fiancée who was kneeling by a soldier with a leg wound. She smiled reassuringly at him as she got up to go to the next patient, looking at the tag that the aid station had put on his coat zipper, and writing the information down. She gave the other man the same smile. The surgeon sighed and moved his vision over to the young man standing beside him, warming his hands to the fire. "How are we going to get Margaret away from OR without stirring up more suspicions?" For once in his life, Hawkeye couldn't think of anything.
"Hey, I know!" Radar fumbled with the clipboard under his arm, "The Colonel thinks she's sick, right?" He paused momentarily as Hawkeye nodded, "Well, the Major could be in the scrub room and then she could run out to the latrine, pretend to get sick, and come back. Maybe she could put some make up on or something to make her look really pale? Anyway, then when she came back to the scrub room, Colonel Potter would probably tell her to go back to her tent and get some rest." He grinned when he was done stating his plan, feeling proud of thinking of it.
"Radar, I never thought I'd say this, but you're a genius." The doctor thanked the young Corporal and went over to tell Margaret about the plan and why she'd have to 'play sick' in the first place. She agreed to the fact that it was a good idea, but couldn't believe that Radar had thought of it.
After triage was sorted out and the wounded GI's were moved into Pre-Op, the doctors and nurses rotated through the scrub room. Colonel Potter, Margaret, Hawkeye, and BJ were in, starting to scrub up, when the plan was starting to unfold. Hawkeye gave Margaret the 'sign' (pulling on his ear before going over to the sink to start scrubbing) and she quickly covered her mouth, making it look as if she would soon be getting sick. She then turned for the door and ran out, going to her tent quick to grab some light powder, and heading over to the latrine before anyone would see. When she was in the latrine, she messed her hair up a little, put some of the powder on her face and put the small jar in her pocket before 'stumbling' out of the tiny shack.
Returning to the scrub room a few minutes later, everyone but the commanding officer was already in the OR. She made sure to really lay on the 'sick' routine, keeping one hand on her forehead pretending it hurt, and one arm around her stomach. (Not only was it so she could fake a stomach ache, it was also to hide her slight 'baby bump' seeing as how her jacket was on the hook above the benches) "Sorry Colonel, I'll get scrubbed and meet you in the OR as soon as I can." She used a very feeble voice, knowing that the older man had a soft spot for her.
"Nonsense Major. You go to your tent and get some rest. We've got enough people here so you won't be missed too much." Seeing as how he was already scrubbed, the old doctor could only watch with sympathy as the nurse took off her scrubs and grabbed her coat. He followed her a little to the door.
"Thanks Colonel. I'm sure this'll go away after a little rest." The blond gave a small wave before opening the door, going into the freezing cold weather, and heading to her tent.
Four Hours Later - O.R.
"That just has be baffled." Charles shook his head tiredly over his third patient, this one a halfway simple leg wound. (The same man that Margaret had given her reassuring smile to first when Hawkeye was watching). The man was conscious, a local anesthetic being used on his leg so they could turn the heaters on in the big, draft-prone, room.
"My leg?" He asked in a panic, sitting up.
"No, don't worry. You're leg is going to be fine, just lay back and relax." Looking over to his co-workers (although the pompous surgeon thought of them as 'beneath him') and continued on his thought, "Major Houlihan seems to have had to run to the latrine every morning for the last few weeks. Then she's fine the rest of the day, like you said Colonel. What could it be?"
"I know, it just doesn't make sense. At first I thought she must have the flu, but it's gone on for too long to be that." The CO also had a baffled look on his face. "What do you think Pierce? You seem to be spending an awful lot of time with her anymore." He turned around to sneak a glance at his chief surgeon.
Hawkeye and BJ were working at the same table on a little girl who had been hit by some shrapnel when her village was destroyed. She was maybe four years old and had taken most of the shrapnel in the chest, with a few pieces scratching her sweet face. The father- to-be was facing away from the man who had just asked the question and looked up at his best friend, a look in his eyes that said 'What do I say?'. The assisting surgeon 'shrugged' with his eyebrows. "I've been trying to figure it out myself Colonel." He lied, not sounding 100 sure of his 'acting skills'.
"Why have you been spending so much time with the Major, Pierce?" Charles asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.
The young doctor's eyes took on the same expression as before. "We haven't really been spending that much time together. But, we have been planning a little surprise for everyone for awhile now." His eyes grew wide, throwing the bait to his friend at the same table.
Taking the bate, BJ put on his best curious face, "What kind of surprise Hawk?"
"You'll see." Hawkeye silently sighed with relief as the conversations seemed to drift away from his 'involvement' with the head nurse and why she was so sick every morning. Being in a room full of doctors, he didn't know how they couldn't guess that with MORNING SICKNESS she just might be pregnant! It also made him laugh a little at the irony of it, them not expecting anything along those lines.
The Next Morning
"Ah, Major. Glad to see you're looking better." A very tired Colonel Potter was cleaning his glasses on his shirt while Margaret came walking into his office. Satisfied with the cleanliness of his glasses, he put them on and laughed, "Well now I can see that you're looking better."
The nurse chuckled, pulling her coat around her a little more.
"What can I do you for?" The CO asked, leaning back in his chair.
"I'd like to request a two day pass to Seoul, Sir." She tried her best military voice at first, but decided a simple 'human' voice would work as good, maybe better.
The man behind the desk nodded, "I think that sounds like a good idea for you Margaret, it might make you feel better."
"Kind of what I was thinking."
"Well, go have Radar fill a pass out for you and I'll sign it while you pack. Captain Pierce is going as well, you could just ride with him."
"Thank you very much, Colonel." The nurse gave him another warm smile before turning around, her blond hair dancing around her shoulders.
It only took her a half an hour to pack for the two days of R&R. When she was done, she grabbed her suitcase (containing two changes of clothes, her bag of toiletries, and other necessities) and headed out to the Jeep that Hawkeye was sitting in, Hawaiian shirt visible under his coat and olive drab Army helmet on his head.
"I heard I have a stowaway for the day." He couldn't get mad at her for practically going behind his back to go with him. He thought that it actually showed that she really cared for him and wanted to be with him as much as she could before having to go back to the states. Jumping out of the Jeep, he took the suitcase and put it in the back for her, not wanting the mother of his child to strain herself.
Margaret smiled at him mischievously, "Let's just say that I've learned my 'devilish' ways from the best."
"Well, I am the best." The handsome man winked as he got back behind the wheel.
Just then, the grey haired, ranking surgeon came out of his office, a signed two day pass for Seoul and a green wool army blanket in hand. "Here you go Major, have fun." Looking at the man beside her, he laughed, "You too."
"Jeez, forget about me!" The driver hit the steering wheel with mock exasperation.
"Oh, just get outta here." Potter returned the mock angry tone, his eyes sparkling in fun. "Take care of her."
"Will do." And with that, Hawkeye put the Jeep in gear and drove out of the camp. Before they got past Rosie's, the man reached behind Margaret's seat and handed the object he retrieved from there to his fiancée.
She looked up at him from adjusting the blanket over her legs and pulling her hands out from under the warmth, grabbing her helmet. "When did you get this from my tent?" She asked, a questioning but amused look on her face.
"While you were in Potter's office. I knew what you were up to and knew you would be too stubborn to grab it."
Margaret laughed and shook her head. "I can't fool you for a second, can I?" She put her helmet on, punching her husband lightly in the arm.
"Not for a second." When they were out of site of the 4077th, he stopped the Jeep for a minute, leaning over to give her a kiss. "Now let's get to that 'romantic getaway'."
Phew! A long chapter for a change! This is what I'm used to writing! I really do hope you liked it. As always, there will be more to come and I hope to have it updated soon. I know how hard it is to wait for the next chapter of a great story!
:-P Haha. I'm just kidding! Lol. Tell me what you thought!
Next Chapter: 48 hours in Seoul!