When the call for wounded comes over the PA, she is in her tent and close to tears. As she rushes out the door the calendar lays on her cot where she threw it in her haste.
He tries to lighten the mood in the OR but she is snappy and harsh to her nurses. She even snaps at him a time or two. Something clearly is bothering his Major but he is at a loss as to what. Things between them were a bit stilted after their night in the hut but that has been weeks ago and he thought that they had found their balance again, even if they both avoid the giant elephant in the room. BJ and Potter both give him looks that indicate that he clearly is to blame for her behavior.
000
He finds her in her tent but he's not prepared for the sight of her tears. Before he can even ask what is wrong he finds his arms full of sobbing Major. Bewildered, he holds her until she begins to quiet down.
"What's wrong?" he ventures to ask.
She pulls away from him and crosses to sit on her cot. "I'm sorry." She mumbles without looking at him.
He won't let her get away with avoiding it so he sits beside her and takes her hand.
"You might feel better if you talk about it." He knows when to push her and when not too.
She lets out a long sigh. There really is no way to get around this.
"It can't be true" she shakes her head.
"What can't be true?" He wants to help but he's unsure what is wrong.
"That time of the month hasn't been that time of the month for some time." She says quietly.
If she weren't so upset, she would laugh at the look of confusion on his face but she can tell the moment the realization of what she is saying hits him.
"Oh" is all he says.
It's her turn to frown. "Oh?" she echoes, "That's all you have to say?"
He springs to his feet and paces across her tent. "Are you sure?" He asks when he turns to her.
"No, I'm not 100% positive, but I have most of the symptoms." Her voice rises as she stands up.
For a long moment he just stares at her. "Okay, first thing we need to do is verify this medically." The doctor in him takes over and his voice is calm but she can see the panic in his eyes.
0000
Colonel Potter is a bit surprised to say the least. "Pregnant?" The man's eyes look from her to Hawkeye and back again. He can see the uncertainty and the nervousness in both of them.
"Have you done a test to confirm?" He spares them the awkwardness and takes charge. She shakes her head. "Then I'll send you to Tokyo."
"Uh, Colonel, I should be in on this too." Hawkeye says. He's beyond terrified but he won't leave her alone in this.
Potter doesn't reply, only stares at him long enough to make him fidget.
"I'm sorry, son. I can't spare you." His voice is heavy with regret. The implication is clear that they are expected to have heavy casualties.
"Sir, I can't go to Tokyo." Her voice is quiet but firm.
Potter opens his mouth to reply but knows it is pointless to argue with her. Margaret is dedicated to her profession. She won't leave the surgical team, and more specifically, their Chief Surgeon, shorthanded due to personal reasons.
He nods in resignation but an idea strikes him. "How about a rabbit?"
0000
Twenty-four hours. Sometimes they are so busy with wounded that he hardly notices the passage of time. They have been known to work around the clock on more than one occasion. The benefit of it though is that he walks out of the OR at the same time he walked in and he feels he is right back where he started. This time though, twenty-four hours can radically change his whole future; hers too.
She doesn't let on that she is nervous but he knows her better than that. He can see the way she chews her bottom lip absently. They don't talk about it but instead make small talk about the weather, the Mess Tent, anything to avoid the bigger issue. More than once her green eyes have turned to him and he knows she wants to ask, instead she asks him to pass the salt.
If anyone notices how much more subdued they are, they don't comment on it. The wounded come in and the banter in the OR is at a minimal. Normally, Hawkeye is at the center of the chatter but today he is quiet and it is not just because he is elbow deep inside a kid's chest cavity. The session lasts much too long and when they drag themselves into the scrub room to change he can feel his head swimming with fatigue.
She can see how tired he is so she steps into help him change. She trades his bloodied scrubs for his olive greens before donning her own. When she is done she offers her hand and she leads him outside. Wordlessly, she leads him to her tent and he collapses on the bunk. She pulls his shoes off before joining him. He holds her spooned to him with his arm around her waist.
He should sleep but all he can think about is what tomorrow will bring. He never really thought about having a family much. For so long he has been his only child and he has liked it that way. His heart begins to pound when he thinks about the test being positive.
She feels it against her back so she turns to him with questioning eyes. Her lips move to ask him what is wrong but he doesn't want to talk about it so he kisses her instead. It's all about now and he doesn't want to think about tomorrow so he distracts her instead. Afterward she is asleep with her head on his chest and his arm holding her close but he still can't sleep. Hawkeye realizes he is in too deep. When Margaret awakes in the morning he is gone.
0000
The atmosphere is tense and even though it is just the two of them, she feels jumpy.
"You're still a Major," he says quietly as he sits back in the chair.
"Yeah?" she says cautiously.
His blue eyes are unreadable. "That's good, right?"
Slowly she nods. "I think it is." Her voice feels like it is disconnected from her body.
They fall silent in the room, each with their own thoughts.
He pushes the chair back and stands. "I have a patient I need to check up on in Post-Op." He is out the door before she can say anything. The door closes and she is left on her own. Even though it's warm out she feels a slight chill setting in.