Margaret led him down the crowded hallways, glancing over at him often to make sure he was really there. She had imagined him on more than one occasion and had a small worry that all this Korea talk had just activated that part of her memory. Yet every time she checked, there he was, walking beside her and cracking jokes about his "new home." Oh how she wanted that to be true! Maybe then this place could finally become her home too.

"Do you remember all those times we helped the kids from the orphanage?" His voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I've been thinking about them all day," she confessed. "This is worse."

"I know. At least it was easy to help them. All they needed were a few bandages and some vaccinations. You're going to have to operate on some of these kids, aren't you?"

"Yeah, they talked about calling me into surgery, but I haven't heard anything yet. You'll be able to observe if you want," she invited.

"I'd really like that. It's been awhile since I've seen you in action. I miss it."

Margaret laughed. "You sound like an old lover: 'I miss your body, baby.' Donald said that to me once." She rolled her eyes. "I ran into him when we were still in Tokyo. He tried to convince me he was still in love with me. A minute later a young woman walked over and placed her hand on his arm, showing off a wedding band with diamond chips in it. I just said goodbye with a smile and walked away. Some men never change."

"I must confess I have used that line in that context as well."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Margaret smirked. "But I'll admit that I miss watching you work, too. Hopefully we'll get to do it again soon."

Margaret was both relieved and surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. It was as though six months had passed, not six years.

They stopped at the nurses' station and Margaret introduced him to the girls standing there.

"How'd you get the honor of showing the newest surgeon around? Isn't that usually Annie's job?"

Margaret paused. She wasn't sure if she wanted everyone to know that they had met before.

"Dr. Pierce's tour took him past my room and Annie had to take care of something else, so I got roped into showing him the ropes."

"Five minutes in and you've already picked up my worst puns," Hawkeye laughed.

"Looks like you made quite an impression, doctor," one of the other nurses commented.

Margaret just smiled and led Hawkeye away from the group.

"Where to next, Major?"

"Hawkeye, you don't need to keep calling me that," she insisted. "Believe it or not I left the army a long time ago."

"Maybe, but you've definitely been giving off some intense Major Houlihan vibes around your nurses."

"The girls we just met aren't my nurses. They're my colleagues."

"Nurse Sullivan said you're the head nurse of the cardiac unit. That's pretty impressive."

"Thanks," she smiled, very proud of her position in the hospital.

Hawkeye couldn't stop grinning. It had been so long since he had let himself just enjoy the moment. The past seven years had been clouded and haunted by his memories of Korea. This was the third time he had moved hospitals in the past five years.

Hawkeye could tell by Margaret's smile that she was feeling the same way. He laughed when Margaret told her story about Donald. It was nice to realize that she hadn't fallen back into old habits once she left. He saw something deeper in her eyes though. He knew she had secrets and he hoped that he'd find out what they might be soon.

An announcement came over the intercom and interrupted his thoughts.

"Nurse Houlihan, please report to Dr. Williams' office on the second floor."

"Looks like our tour is being cut short, but you're welcome to accompany me downstairs if you want."

"If I want? Margaret, it's been seven years. I'm not letting you out of my sight anytime soon."

She laughed. "Ok then. Looks like the elevator is our next stop."

"Looks like it."

They were the only two in the elevator and they finally had a private moment. The hustle and bustle of the hallways were gone, replaced by an almost deafening silence. Hawkeye took this chance to really look at her again, trying to gauge what had changed and what was still the same. They stood close beside each other even though the elevator was empty.

"I can't believe we got an empty elevator." Margaret's voice broke the silence.

"It's so busy and noisy out there I expected it to be the same in here," Hawkeye replied.

"Me too," Margaret agreed as she turned to face him.

"You really love it here don't you? I can see it in your eyes."

"These people are really special to me now," she admitted. "It's been a long time since we said goodbye."

"I haven't found a place like this in a while. Do you know I've transferred to three different hospitals in the past five years? I'm moving around so much sometimes it feels like I'm still in the Army."

Margaret laughed. "It sounds like we've traded places. I came here about a year after the war. They promoted me to head nurse of cardiac surgery about two years ago."

"I'm proud of you. And jealous."

"You definitely shouldn't be jealous. I've had some major struggles too, you know. I'll tell you later, when we have more time."

"Speaking of time, shouldn't we be on the second floor by now?"

"Oh my goodness, we forgot to press the button!"

They both laughed as they realized their mistake.

"That's what I get for getting lost in your eyes, I suppose," Hawkeye confessed.

Margaret smiled. "At least we had a few minutes to ourselves." She reached out to push the button, but Hawkeye pulled her hand away.

"What about a few more minutes?" He asked, feeling unusually sentimental. Maybe it's the lack of air in here, he thought. We are in close quarters.

"What about it?" Margaret answered softly.

Hawkeye took another step closer and gently touched her cheek. She smiled up at him, looking as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. He saw the answer he wanted in her eyes and leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were as lovely and soft as he remembered and he smiled when she responded eagerly.

The elevator door opened suddenly and another doctor stepped inside. The man smirked when he saw their arms around each other.

"Well, hello Margaret. I thought you didn't date doctors," he said with a sneer.