Author's Note: Hello fellow M*A*S*H fans. Here is another story that I dug out of the archives. It was never posted on the "Best Care Anywhere" site for those of you who have found my stories there. It is only 5 chapters long (about 23,000 words). Once again I'll post the chapters as I get them edited. I originally wrote this story back in 2002 under the pen name "Beth Mott"
Chapter one"Civilian Life in Montana"
The sun was low in the sky when Margaret Houlihan pulled her car into the driveway of her cozy country home. It had been six months since she'd moved to Rawlins, a small rural community in the center of Montana with the population of about five hundred and fifty people. Despite the fact that Rawlins was actually quite small in comparison to the towns and cities around it, to Margaret, who had spent the last three years living in a camp of two hundred, it seemed quite large.
Margaret smiled as she climbed out of her car and was greeted by a series of excited barks and howls. Opening the gate and entering her fenced in yard she acknowledged the excited canine that bounded around her legs.
"Hey, Captain," she exclaimed happily. "How are you doing, boy?"
The dog barked again and licked at her hand.
His owner laughed and patted him on the head before turning and bounding up the front steps and into her house. Once inside Margaret dropped her keys and her purse on the little telephone table just inside the door and headed towards the kitchen.
Opening the fridge door, she frowned at what she found and commented, "I think Marty's is looking pretty good tonight."
Closing the door, she jogged upstairs to change out of her nurse's uniform and into shorts and a T-shirt. Despite the fact that it was the middle of September the temperature was quite warm. Pulling her hair into a ponytail she jogged back downstairs and out the door, pausing only long enough to grab a few bills from her wallet and a dog leash from its hook beside the door.
"Want to go for a walk, boy?"
Her question was met with a round of excited barks.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." She chuckled as she unhooked him from his rope and clipped on his leash.
Margaret sighed contentedly as she and Captain wound their way along the quiet town streets. She just loved Rawlins. It was like one of those fairytale hometowns that some of her comrades in Korea use to talk about. It had the quaint streets and the friendly people and the simpleness that they all boasted of. But it had one thing that Margaret was sure that no other small town had - Marty's Corner Cafe.
Marty's was a small venue owned and operated by Marty Stevens and his wife, Bess and it served the best food this side of anywhere. Margaret was certain that no other small-town restaurant anywhere could rival it.
"Hi Margaret, dear," an elderly woman called out warmly as Margaret and Captain passed her gate.
"Hi, Mrs. Robbins." Pulling slightly on Captain's leash she came to a stop in order to speak to the older woman. "Your flowers are sure lasting well. They don't look like they even know fall is here."
"Neither do you," the elderly woman smiled, looking pointedly at Margaret's shorts and T-shirt.
"No, I guess I don't." She grinned in amusement as she glanced down at her attire. Then bringing her attention back to her neighbor's yard she asked, "How did your vegetable garden do this year?"
"Very well." Mrs. Robbins beamed proudly. "Of course, I only planted tomatoes, cucumbers and peas this year. I'm getting too old to plant as big a garden as I use to."
"You're not old, Mrs. Robbins," Margaret remarked honestly. "You can't possibly be a day over seventy."
"Well bless your heart, child," the older woman remarked with obvious delight. "I was eight-three on my last birthday."
"Eighty-three?" Margaret looked at her in surprise. "I never would have guessed."
"Well, I was always told I looked young for my age," She admitted, her green eyes twinkling slightly. "Use to drive me crazy when I was your age."
"But it serves you well now, doesn't it?" The younger woman remarked with a smile.
"Yes, it certainly does," the older woman agreed mischievously.
About this time Captain got impatient and started pulling against his leash.
"Captain!" Margaret scolded as he caused her to stumble slightly.
"Looks like your friend is eager to get going," Mrs. Robbins commented with a smile.
"He's usually much better behaved than this," Margaret remarked, casting a scolding look at her pet.
"He certainly is beautiful," the other woman noted. "What breed is he?"
"He's a Siberian Husky," his owner replied, proudly then looking Captain right in the eye she said. "And he's spoiled rotten."
"How old is he?"
"A year," Margaret replied. "I got him shortly after I returned from Korea."
"Korea?" The older woman questioned in surprise. "You were in Korea? For the War?"
Margaret nodded. "I was the Head Nurse at a MASH unit." When the other woman gave her a puzzled look she explained, "A MASH is a mobile hospital situated about three miles from the front lines."
"Sounds dangerous," Mrs. Robbins remarked seriously.
"It could be at times," Margaret admitted honestly. "We've had our share of sniper attacks, shelling and bug outs. But we all managed to get through one way or another."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it, dear." Mrs. Robbins smiled warmly at her. "Well, I suppose I should get inside before my dinner starts to boil over. Enjoy the rest of the sunshine while it lasts. Winter's just around the corner."
"I will," Margaret acknowledged as she watched the older lady slowly climb the front steps of her home and disappear inside. Margaret found herself hoping that at eighty-three she would be in as good a shape as her neighbor was.
Turning to her furry companion who was watching her expectantly she chuckled. "I know, you're hungry. Let's go to Marty's."
Captain barked in agreement and eagerly trotted alongside his master as they headed down the street.
"Evening, Marty." Margaret greeted as she stepped into the little take-out. "How's the food today?"
"As good as always," was the owner's quick reply as his favorite customer settled on a stool at the counter. "The usual?"
Looking at the menu carefully for a moment Margaret shook her head. "Actually, you know I think I'll have something different for a change." As she continued to peruse the menu she commented, "I feel like a nice, crispy salad."
"Special of the Day is a Grilled chicken breast with a garden salad," Marty informed her.
"Sounds perfect." She smiled and closed her menu. "I'll have a large, iced tea too."
"One SOTD and one iced tea coming up," her host acknowledged before calling the order into his wife in the kitchen. "So, how's work going? You like working in Great Falls?"
Margaret nodded eagerly. "It's a very beautiful city, and I really like the hospital. It takes a little adjusting to get use to a regular hospital again after being in a MASH unit for three years, but I love it. It's so nice to know that when you walk into the OR that the session is only going to last a couple of hours tops and that you only have one patient to worry about."
Setting her drink down in front of her Marty commented, "I heard life in Korea was tough. I'm glad I didn't get sent there. Probably the first time in my life I was grateful for my old age."
"You aren't that old," she objected. "Probably barely old enough to miss being called. But don't worry, you certainly didn't miss out on anything grand." Cupping her hands around her iced tea glass she stared thoughtfully at the dark liquid. "The only good thing about being in Korea was some of the people I met there. The 4077th was made up of the best bunch of people I've ever met, present company accepted of course," she hastened to add when he gave her a mock-hurt look.
Smiling with amusement he asked curiously, "You keep in touch with any of them?"
"Not really," she replied sadly, taking a sip of her drink. "I spoke to our company commander, Colonel Potter, just before I came home from Tokyo. I really should get in touch with him again. He lives in Hannibal, Missouri and would be delighted to hear that I had settled so close. Not that Missouri and Montana are that close, but I guess it's closer than being out in Maine or something." The light in her eye dimmed slightly as said 'Maine'.
Marty noticed the expression but couldn't understand the reason for it. "Actually, it's shorter to Hannibal, MO from Maine than it is from here."
"Really?" She looked at him in surprise.
"Really." He confirmed. "From Portland, Maine to Hannibal, Missouri it's only about 1300 miles, but from here to Hannibal it's about 1400 miles. It works out to about four or five hours more."
When Margaret gave him a surprised look he blushed slightly and said, "Geography has always been a passion of mine."
"You'll probably come in handy if I ever decide to visit any of my old war friends," she teased, then suddenly sobered. "Not that that's likely to happen. We're all so spread out now."
"You miss them, don't you?"
Margaret smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes, I miss them. I miss them very much." Staring at her drink again she added, "It would be about lunch time in Korea right about now. We'd all be partaking of whatever slop the cook had dished up today. Of course, Pierce would be giving it all his usual 'nasal appraisal', as Colonel Potter called it, further disgusting us with his comments. Though I do have to admit that Pierce's judgment of our fare generally wasn't too far off."
"Who's this Pierce fellow?" Marty asked curiously as he dried a few soda glasses.
"Dr. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce." Marty noticed with interest how she seemed to unconsciously savor his name as it rolled off her tongue. "He was the chief surgeon at the MASH unit I was at. A real practical joker didn't have a military bone in his body. Thank God."
When Marty gave her a surprised look she blushed slightly and admitted, "As much as I hated him for it at first it turned out to our benefit that he was such a character. He kept all of us sane. He could always be counted on to make us laugh when we needed to..." Her eyes became unfocused again as she added her voice barely above a whisper, "...Or hold me when I cried."
There was a pause of several minutes while Margaret's thoughts drifted to memories of Hawkeye. Finally, she brought herself out of her revelry and blushed again when she realized Marty was watching her with a funny grin on his face. "Anyway, I doubt I'll ever see him again. He's all the way in Maine."
"Maine," Marty repeated with growing interest, suspicious now about the cause of her wistful expression earlier when she'd mentioned Maine. "I understand Maine's a very beautiful State."
"That's what Hawkeye says," Margaret agreed eagerly. "He's from a little town called Crabapple Cove. He talked about it so much that I have a picture in my mind of what it must look like. A quaint little town set right on the ocean with trees and green grass and miles and miles of beautiful scenery. A paradise."
"Sounds lovely," her host acknowledged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe you should give this Hawkeye a call and go visit him."
Margaret gave him a look of complete shock. "I couldn't do that."
"Why not?" He asked curiously.
"Because I just couldn't," she exclaimed. When he continued to look at her expectantly, she added. "I mean what if Crabapple Cove doesn't look anything like my picture of it. I'd be terribly disappointed. No, it's better not to dash any more dreams than are necessary."
Marty opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by his wife's entrance from the kitchen, a platter of chicken and salad in her hand.
"Here you go, Margaret darling," Bess Stevens said as she set the platter down before their customer. "One SOTD."
"Thanks, Bess." Margaret smiled warmly at the other woman. "This smells wonderful."
"It ought to." Marty grinned proudly. "Bessy's the best cook in town."
Bess smiled broadly at her husband and gave him a light slap to the chest. "You're just a flatterer."
"I agree with Marty," their guest echoed honestly. "You're an amazing cook."
Bess blushed with pleasure. "Two compliments in the space of two minutes. I may not be able to get my head through the kitchen door."
The three of them chuckled as the front door opened and a new customer entered.
"What's all the laughing about?" The young man asked expectantly as he moved towards the trio.
"These two were just bolstering my ego," Bess commented, pretending to puff out her chest proudly. "Told me I was the best cook in town."
"Well, I'll agree to that," he told her as he sat down on a stool and leaned on the counter. "Nobody holds a candle to your meatloaf and mashed potatoes."
"Well, I'm definitely going to have to get a bigger kitchen door with all these praises," Bess remarked as she disappeared into the other room to fill the young man's order.
"Want anything to drink with that, Rob?" Marty asked as he set a fork and knife on the counter in front of the other man.
"Give me a lemonade," Rob requested after a moment's consideration.
"One lemonade coming up," the cafe owner acknowledged.
As he moved off to get the drink Rob turned his attention to Margaret who was sitting a couple stools away.
"I don't believe we've met." Holding out his hand he introduced, "Rob Mallet."
"Margaret Houlihan." Margaret accepted his hand.
"You must be new around here," he said as he released her hand. "I don't believe I've seen you before."
"I moved here about six months ago," Margaret told him. "I live on Willow Street."
"Wait a minute, are you the nurse from Korea that bought Kevin Sentner's place?" Rob asked curiously.
"That would be me," she confirmed.
"I've heard a lot about you," he told her excitedly. "You were the Head Nurse at a MASH unit in Korea, right?"
"That's right," she acknowledged. "How did you know all that?"
He grinned with amusement. "It's a small town. Everybody knows everything about everybody else."
"Then how come I don't know anything about you," she commented, giving him a slight frown.
"Because you don't know the right people to ask," Rob told her seriously.
"Who should I ask then?" She couldn't help but let the smile that was tugging at her lips spread across his face. He reminded her so much of a certain Captain that she left behind in Korea. He also had a knack for making her smile despite herself.
"Well, for the most reliable information its best to go to the horse's mouth, so to speak." He gave her a broad smile and offered, "So, ask me anything you want to know."
Shaking her head, she returned to her meal as she said mischievously, "There isn't anything I want to know." Spearing a piece of tomato, she popped it into her mouth as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with the most pathetic look in his blue eyes.
Spearing another tomato, she brought it up to her mouth, pausing just long enough to ask, "So where do you work?" before popping it into her mouth.
"Mallet's Hardware across the road," he replied. At her curious look he added, "My dad owns the business, but I'm his right-hand man."
"You live here all your life?" she pressed curiously.
"Yup, born and raised here," he confirmed. "My parents live in the old family homestead just over on Cinder Street, not far from where you are."
"Yeah, I usually walk on Cinder Street with Captain," she remarked thoughtfully.
"Captain?" Rob repeated with a puzzled look on his face. "Who's Captain?"
"Captain's my dog," she replied. "He's tied up outside right now."
Rob pointed to the door and commented in surprise. "That's your dog? I was wondering whom he belonged to. He's beautiful. Just like his owner."
"Thanks." Margaret blushed and turned her attention back to her meal.
Marty returned just then with Rob's drink. "Freshly made lemonade. Bessy just squeezed the lemons herself."
"Nobody makes lemonade like Bessy does," Rob remarked as he held up the glass to take a drink. "Ah, perfect!"
Marty and Margaret both shook their heads and laughed at his obvious enjoyment of his beverage.
"So, are you going to be at the barn dance tomorrow, Margaret?" Marty asked the young woman as he puttered behind the counter.
"Barn dance?" Margaret questioned in surprise.
"Yeah, tomorrow night is Rawlins' Annual Barn Dance," Rob informed her eagerly. "It's held every year at Wilson Magee's. It was a tradition that his grandfather started almost a hundred years ago, and it's been passed on from father to son ever since. The dance is held on the first Saturday after the 15th of September."
"There's a potluck dinner and different contests and activities," Marty continued to explain. "Most of the local stores donate prizes or gift certificates for the winners. Then after supper there's a big barn dance in the Magee's old barn."
"Sounds like a lot of fun," Margaret remarked a delighted smile on her face. It had been a long time since she'd been to a party. "What's the dress code?"
"Do you own a pair of cowboy boots?" Rob asked eagerly.
Margaret shook her head. "Sorry, I don't. They're never seem to be a need for them in Korea."
"Well, don't worry," he told her excitedly. "After we finish with supper, I'll take you over to Maryann's. I'm sure she'll have some cowboy boots in your size."
"What else should I wear with the cowboy boots?" She asked curiously.
"It's up to you." He told her. "Pants or a skirt, whichever you feel more comfortable with."
Margaret smiled. "I'll figure something out."
"Great, does that mean you'll go with me?" Rob asked hopefully.
Margaret laughed. "I didn't know that was part of the deal."
"It doesn't have to be," he told her. "But I would be very happy to escort you to our cultural event of the season."
Margaret couldn't help but laugh again. "Well with an invitation like that, who am I to refuse."
"I had a nice time tonight," Margaret told Rob the next evening as they entered her house after the barn dance. "It's been a long time since I've been to a real party."
"I guess you didn't have too many parties while you were in Korea," Rob remarked as he glanced around her entry appreciatively.
"We had some, but nothing like tonight," she admitted as she closed the door behind them. "It was hard to really relax and have fun when you knew that wounded could be arriving at any minute."
Boldly Rob reached out and touched her arm. "It must have been a horrible experience for you."
She smiled a little sadly. "It was the worst three years of my life. But now that it's over its an experience I wouldn't trade for the world."
Rob gave her a look of surprise. "Why is that?"
"Because I met some of the best people that I have ever known in that MASH unit," she told him. "People who have influenced my life so much. People I will never, ever forget not even if I wanted to." She flushed slightly with embarrassment as she confessed, "They changed not only my life, but me - who I am as a person."
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
Margaret flushed slightly in embarrassment and explained, "When I first went to Korea, I was Army to the core. Lived for nothing but rules, regulations, and discipline. I hated anything disorderly. I was quite literally made of stone. I buried my feelings and my heart deep under a blanket of frost. That was how I lived a lot of my life. Keeping myself distanced from the world around me. But after much time and a lot of patience my frosty exterior began to thaw. I finally allowed others to see my feelings, see my fears. When you live in a camp of two hundred people for three years in the middle of a war zone, it's hard not to depend on them and have them depend on you. By the time I left Korea I was not the same person I was when I arrived. I liked myself a lot better and so did everyone else."
Rob put his hands on her arms and looked at her intently. "I like you too."
Margaret smiled at him a little shyly and accepted the gentle kiss that he placed on her lips.
"Would you like a cup of coffee or tea before you go?" She offered, stepping back a bit to put some space between them.
"I'd love a cup of coffee," he told her.
"Why don't you make yourself comfortable in the living room and I'll go put the coffee on," she said, gesturing towards the living room door. "I'll be back in a minute."
"I'll be waiting," he told her then watched her disappear into the kitchen. With a soft sigh he then moved into the living room. With a curious eye he examined the contents of the room around him. Spying several framed pictures on a mantel he stepped over to examine them more closely. From what he could tell they all seemed to be taken during the Korean War and contained the same seven or eight people, with a few others in the background here and there. One picture in particular caught his eye and caused his brow to dip in puzzlement. He picked it up just as he heard Margaret enter the room. He turned to look at her, photo in hand. "I didn't know you were stationed at Fort Dix."
Margaret gave him a confused look until he turned the photo so he could see it.
With an amused laugh she explained, "That wasn't taken at Fort Dix, it was taken in Korea." Moving closer so she could see the photo she continued, "About a year and a half ago, BJ Hunnicutt – this fellow here with the cheesy mustache – got the idea that our families back here in the States should get together for a 'reunion'. So, we managed to get it all arranged and all our families got together for a big party in Manhattan at the Pierre Hotel. In honor of the reunion, we took this picture and sent it so that they could blow it up and have us with them."
"But why does it say, 'Fort Dix'?" Rob asked curiously.
"Because Klinger – this guy here with the dress on..."
"That's a guy?" Rob exclaimed, bringing the picture closer so that he could examine it more closely. "I thought it was just a very ugly woman."
"No, it's a guy," Margaret assured. "He was trying to get kicked out of the Army for being crazy, so he wore woman's clothes, on top of some other pretty interesting stunts."
"I see." He chuckled. "Somehow I have the feeling that the 4077th wasn't your typical Army outfit."
"It wasn't," she acknowledged. "And at first I hated it for that, but now I'm glad it was the way it was." Turning the conversation back to the picture she continued, "Anyway, Klinger hadn't told his mother that he was in Korea because he didn't want her to worry about him and since she didn't speak any English the family just kept telling her that he was is New Jersey. So, to help in the charade we took this picture under the Fort Dix sign. Ironic thing is, apparently Klinger's mother already knew he was in Korea, but he didn't want him to worry about her, so she didn't let on she knew."
"It's nice to see you all trying to protect and help each other. You were obvious very close," he commented seriously.
"We were," she agreed sincerely.
After examining the picture again, he pointed to another odd-looking character. "Who's this guy? The one in the tuxedo and cowboy hat?"
Margaret looked at the picture and laughed. "That was our illustrious Chief Surgeon, Captain Hawkeye Pierce."
"Hawkeye?" He looked at her in surprise. "What kind of name is that?"
"It's a nickname actually," she told him as she gazed back at the photo of the man in question. "His father was a big fan of 'Last of the Mohicans' apparently. That's where the name comes from. His real name is Benjamin Pierce."
"He looks like he's quite the character," Rob remarked.
"That's the understatement of the year." Margaret laughed as she sat down in an armchair before the fireplace. "He was the most undisciplined Captain in the United States Army. He was crude, rude and unmilitary but you couldn't help but love him for it."
"Sounds like you two were quite close," he remarked as he sat down in the armchair across from her, the picture frame still in his hand.
Reaching out Margaret took the frame from him and looked at the seven people that surrounded her. "These are my closest, dearest friends right here. Aside from my parents, these are my family."
"Where are they all from?" He asked curiously.
Turning the picture so he could see it she began to point to each person.
"Hawkeye is from Crabapple Cove, Maine; BJ Hunnicutt, Hawkeye's best friend, is from Mill Valley, California. He's married with a little girl named Erin. Adorable looking little girl. He missed her terribly while he was in Korea."
"Is Hawkeye married?" Rob asked curiously, trying to keep his tone controlled. He'd noticed how Margaret's eyes lit up every time she spoke about the crazy surgeon.
Margaret laughed and shook her head. "Only to his work. Hawk's married to his medical degree. I don't know if he'll ever settle down and get married."
"Maybe he just hasn't found the right girl yet," Rob suggested seriously.
"Maybe, not that he hasn't been having fun looking," she commented with a slight smirk. "He used to chase my nurses repeatedly. Caught several of them too."
"Did he ever catch you?" Rob asked, watching her reaction carefully. He was rewarded for his comment when Margaret blushed slightly.
"It's not what you think," she quickly assured him. "Hawk and I were lost in enemy territory. On top of that I was upset by a letter I had received from my husband."
When Rob's eyebrows raised slightly, she quickly added, "Ex-husband now." When he nodded, she continued, "We were in the middle of a barrage of shelling, lost and scared in an abandoned hut that was almost falling down around our ears. We weren't even sure we'd make the night. We found solace and comfort in each other's embrace. That and a few passionate kisses are all that happened. But it did kick off a wonderful friendship."
"You weren't friends before?" He questioned in surprise.
"Yes and no," she replied somewhat cryptically. "We were so different to start with that all we ever did was fight – though he did kiss me a couple of times."
Rob noted the faraway look on her face. He secretly wondered if she were thinking about those kisses, however before he could open his mouth to comment she broke out of her revelry and quickly added, "At first he represented everything that I hated. But soon, I learned to rely on him, more than I was willing to admit. He helped me through many things, even when we weren't really getting along. I would say that he played the biggest part in my transformation than anybody else did. And I will always be grateful to him for it."
"Sounds like you really miss him," he remarked.
"I do," she admitted. "I miss them all."
"Where are the others from?" he asked gesturing to the picture she still held.
Looking at the photo again she pointed to the balding surgeon and said, "Charles Winchester is from Boston. He's now the Chief of Thoracic surgery at Boston Mercy. He comes from a rich family, but deep down - way deep down - he's okay. Colonel Potter, he was our commanding officer, is from Hannibal, Missouri. He semi-retired after the war, said he was going to spend half of his time doctoring and the other half fishing. Radar O'Reilly is from Ottumwa, Iowa. He was our first company clerk. He was in Korea from the start of the war until about six months before it ended. He was an interesting kid, very innocent despite where he was. He and Hawkeye were very good friends. Radar almost worshipped him, and Hawk treated him like the little brother he never had. Hawk's an only child. Lost his mother when he was ten, so it's only been him and his dad ever since."
"Is that so," Rob acknowledged, noting how quickly the conversation had reverted back to the 4077th's Chief Surgeon.
"It was funny watching Hawk and Radar." She smiled at the memory of them together. "I don't know who got who into more trouble or who was sneakier than who about getting out of it." Looking back to the photo she continued her description of her comrades. "This is Father Mulcahy, he was our resident priest and I tell you, that man has the patience of a saint, but the left hook of a fighter. I know I wouldn't want to cross him when he finally lost his temper. He's from Philadelphia, though I think I heard that he was now living in Missouri. I think Colonel Potter mentioned that he was working in a deaf school there or something like that. The last is Max Klinger. He became our company clerk after Radar went home. He was just as sneaky as Radar and maybe a bit more so." She chuckled slightly as she commented. "Klinger spent the entire three years trying to get out of Korea and back home to Toledo, but when the war ended, he married a Korean girl and ended up staying in Korea to help her look for her family. Talk about irony."
"Sounds like you had a very interesting group at this 4077th of yours," Rob remarked as she glanced one more time at the photo before rising and returning it to the mantel.
"Yes, we did." She looked wistfully at the photos on her mantel for several moments. Each one of them contained her closest friends from the 4077th. Friends that she did not want to ever forget. Bringing herself back to the present she said, "The coffee should be ready. I'll be right back."
Rob nodded and watched her as she moved out of the room. Rising to his feet he examined the photos on the mantel more closely. He homed in especially on a photo of Margaret and the Chief Surgeon she kept talking about. Picking up the photo he studied it more closely. Margaret was sitting in a wheelchair which Hawkeye had tipped back and was pushing on the back two wheels. Both were laughing heartily. Rob felt an uncomfortable knot well up in his stomach. He'd only met Margaret the night before, but he'd liked her instantly. And then they'd had such a great time at the dance tonight that he looked forward to going out with her again. He found her to be a very amiable companion and was really enjoying getting to know her better. But he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her relationship with this Hawkeye character than she even realized. What if she secretly or even unconsciously had feelings for him? Rob decided he'd have to take things very carefully if he was going to avoid either one of them getting hurt.