I hope this chapter clears up any confusion anyone had. Um, it's not a happy chapter, so be prepared.

Enjoy!

Knowing he has no reason to be jealous of his friend, the man tries to calm himself down as he walks down the corridor. Remembering his stethoscope is still in the recovery ward, the man walks back in time to hear his friend yelling at Ferret Face Winchester. Realizing Margaret is simply trying to defend herself, the former womanizer walks up to his friend, gives a suggestive greeting, and asks her if she can help him find his medical instrument. Wondering what the man is playing at, she agrees. The loathsome surgeon follows. Aware of the man's presence, Hawkeye states, "You know, this feels nice, like old times. What say you and I see if we can make ourselves useful later?"

Trying suppress a chuckle, the nurse replies as she hands him the stethoscope which resides near Mick and Tom, "Not in front of the children, Pierce."

"Fine, but you owe me dinner or something," Hawkeye replies eager to get a rise out of the other man. In his peripheral vision, he can see the teens smirking and all but relishing the sight before them.

"I already did," She states brushing passed him and grazing her friend's hand with her own in appreciation. Seeing the civilian surgeon's gob smacked expression, Hawkeye leaves saying, "Sorry."

He tries his hardest not to let a smug expression cross his face as he walks back down the hall. The rest of his shift goes by rather well for him. The next day, however, is another story. Walking into the hospital he finds the place different. Everything is the same. Patients are being treated and the staff are doing their jobs. The only difference is the murmuring in the halls. It dies whenever he walks by. Not one to fully care what others think of him, Hawkeye surprisingly cares today. Especially, when Ferret Faced Winchester's name is used in hushed tones around him. An hour into his shift, he sees Margaret walking down the hall and pulls her to the side.

"Are people whispering around you?" The man asks trying to gain insight into the hospital's gossip mill. Shaking her head, Margaret places her hand on his upper arm asking, "Are you feeling okay?"

Hawkeye takes in a breath of air before replying dismissively, "It's probably nothing. Forget I asked."

Confused, Margaret gives her friend a concerned glance as she drops her hand and walks toward the nurse's station. Just as she gets ready for the day, she notices a couple nurses staring at her. The women are young and are recent graduates from Boston's nursing program as well as daughters of two of the families in Crabapple Cove. Dismissing her slightly paranoid thoughts toward the girls, Margaret simply grabs her clipboard and pencil and heads to the area she is assigned for the week. Just as she is about to walk away, one of the girls comes up to her.

"Nurse Houlihan?" The red headed girl of around twenty one asks.

"Call me Margaret," She states kindly. The girl tests the new name as she asks, "Is it true you're dating Doctor Pierce?"

Margaret tries not to roll her eyes. Instead, she asks with forced cheeriness, "Where did you hear that?"

"One of the other nurses said something. She witnessed what happened yesterday between you and the surgeon on duty yesterday," The young nurse replies. Her lips pursed slightly, Margaret tries not to sound upset as she says, "You shouldn't believe everything you hear. Especially at the nurses station."

Walking away, Margaret checks her clipboard again as she tries to figure out how a comment that does not phase her a month ago can sting now. She and Hawkeye are friends and share a relationship forged by war, but she knows not to expect anything more. Their time in Korea is over. The kiss they share the first time they see each other after five months is residual feeling from the war. She knows this. Just as she begins to repeat a mantra to herself about not liking her former Army buddy, she hears her name over the intercom. Diverting her course toward surgery, she assists the surgeon as they work on a man with a severe leg laceration. As she helps, Margaret is suddenly back in Korea having a flashback of working on the many boys that come into the army hospital everyday. From her side she hears a voice ask if she is okay. Realizing where she is, the former army nurse answers affirmatively. She has to fully concentrate through the rest of the surgery. Untying her surgical garb, she feels a pair of hands behind her helping with the coat. Immediately on the defensive, she growls, "Get your hands off me."

Fully unaware of what she says until she says it, Margaret's face is one of shock as she turns to see the young nurse from earlier almost pass out from her attitude. Knowing the young nurse is only trying to help, the former army nurse apologizes saying, "I'm sorry, Donna. I shouldn't have snapped. I guess I was back in the army for a second."

Donna shakes her head answering, "It's fine. My brother's still trying to readjust too. Last week he woke up the whole house screaming when a car backfired next door."

With a somber smile, the woman says, "Well tell him I hope he feels better. From one person in the army to another."

"I will," Donna replies. Just as she is about to leave, Margaret asks, "What's your brother's name? I have a friend dealing with the war too."

"Robert," The other nurse replies. The older nurse makes a mental note of the name before decompressing from the after effects of the war. The rest of the day she spends on autopilot thinking of anything but the war and the dreams that keep her up at night for the past few nights. Leaving the hospital after her shift, Margaret composes herself until she gets to her car. Safe from the prying eyes of the rest of the staff, the woman cries for the various men and women who lose their lives in war as well as the exhaustion that comes from her job. She sits in her car until her crying comes to a sniffle when she hears a tap on her front passenger door. Looking up, she is surprised to see Hawkeye who she sees mouth if she is alright. Knowing she cannot hide anything from the man she shakes her head and unlocks the car door. Sliding into the seat beside her, Hawkeye says nothing. He knows she will talk when she is ready. After a few minutes, Margaret complains about her day and the war. When she is done ranting, the man asks, "What else is wrong?"

He knows there is more bothering her. Her demeanor is different since last Saturday and he wants to know why. Shaking her head, the woman decides not to answer. Just as her friend begins to leave, she says, "I had a reoccurring dream about these two kids. The first time, I was their mother-"

She stops, not wanting to tell her friend that he is the father of the dream children. Telling him any of the dreams at all is awkward, but he is one of her only friends at the hospital and in general. They have a history.

"And the second?" Hawkeye prompts seeing his friend's gaze shift from distant and reflective to scared and withdrawn.

"They were orphans in Seoul. We had to operate on them." She says willing her emotions to stay in check. The children seem so real in her dream, and she wishes them to be real. However, her mind is stopped when Hawkeye asks tentatively, "The whole 4077th?"

Margaret shakes her head.

"Just you and me," She responds softly as she immediately adds, "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear any of that."

Noticing her revert to her former army persona, Hawkeye knows she will not open up anymore. He simply squeezes her hand and begins to leave when she asks much like she did when they are shelled at in an abandoned hut, "Stay."

Seeing the errant, single tear escape her, Hawkeye pulls her close not caring if anyone sees them. They are not in a war anymore and neither is married. To calm her, he asks, "Animal, vegetable, or mineral?"

Her head leaving her friend's shoulder, she questions him.

"Twenty questions," He replies hoping the game will keep her mind off the dreams that haunt her. Giving her time to figure out who she wants him to guess, he wonders if dreams have been haunting her since they have been home. Deciding not to ask at the moment, Hawkeye asks if she has decided on a topic. She nods.

They play Twenty Questions for about twenty minutes before going their separate ways.

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