February 5th 1958
The phone rang. Hawkeye and Margaret were fast asleep on the couch (the Chausable had capsized in the freezing waters and they had been helping everyone getting rooms and taken care of); they slept right through it. Daniel was upstairs with a sick Jessica. He had already put the twins to bed, and he was trying to get the little squiggle-worm to sleep. He put her down in her crib to go and get it.
"Jess go?" she asked with a very stuffed up nose.
"Not this time," but before he got past the end of the crib it stopped ringing. Whoever it was must have given up or Molly had put through the wrong number.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Hello?"
"Uh, hi there," a slightly confused voice answered. "Is this the Pierce residence?"
"Yes," the little voice said very assured of herself.
"Oh, well is Hawkeye there?"
"Daddy? Yeah,"
"Daddy?" he said quickly. "Can I talk to him?"
"No."
"No?" he said as a sarcastic adult to a child, "why not?"
"'Cuz him and Mommy are seeping," she leaned in the chair to make sure.
"Kat! I can't find it! Hey! That's not fair!" a little boy whined.
"Shh!" she hushed him loudly. "Mister, where's your house?" they had just been learning where things were around town from their grandfather.
"I live in California. Where do you live, sweetheart?" he couldn't believe he was talking to Hawkeye's daughter.
"I live in Cabple Cove. Mommy says it's the best place in the world to live. Grandpa lives here too, but my other grandpa lives everywhere," she rambled. She liked the phone. It made her feel more grown up.
The man on the other end couldn't believe Hawkeye was married and had kids. He hadn't talked to him in ages. He tried calling a few times, but the operator was always telling him that the Pierces were in Portland. He thought she meant Hawkeye and his dad, not Mrs. and little Pierces.
"Are you two playing with a that phone again?" Hawkeye interrupted her.
"Nuh'uh, Daddy," she shook her head.
"She did it!" the little boy confessed.
"Did not!" she yelled at him.
"Did too!"
"I think it's way past your bed time,"
"But I'm talking to the funny man from Calfonia," she pleaded.
"The funny man from Calfonia, I thought you weren't playing with the phone?" he gave her one of those looks. "Bed time."
"Awh, Daddy we went to bed last night," Alex complained.
"Come on monsters," he picked her up and went for Alex.
"Will you tell us a story?" Kat asked hoping to stay awake.
Hawkeye took the phone away from her, "We'll see," he hung it up and grabbed Alex too.
"Hello! Hello!" BJ was almost yelling.
"Please sir, there is no need for yelling," the operator said very politely with bleeding ears.
"Sorry ma'am. Can I get that number again?"
"If it isn't an emergency, the Pierce residence is off limits after eight, sir. Sorry."
"May I ask, why?"
"Well the baby's been sick, but then again whether those children are sick or not, they are more than a handful. I swear our Hawkeye has gotten a taste of his own medicine ten fold. Oh, but I do feel bad for that wife of his; I don't know how she does it." She was gossiping with the laughs and exaggeration takes on words.
"When did he get married?" he asked out of the blue.
"Oh, it must have been ages ago. An absolute Godsend, though; when Hawkeye got home from the war, he wasn't the same. When she came, she brought back the spark in his eyes. A miracle worker she is. Oops, sir, I'm going to have to cut you off," she flipped the switch.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Meanwhile at the Pierce home, Hawkeye had the twins' book open. They were asleep. They were so peaceful that way; they were terrors when they were awake, but he only had himself and Margaret's attitudes to blame. Kat and Alex were as ornery and stubborn as their parents. He could only imagine what would happen if Jess ended up the same way.
He put the book down on the dresser with a large yawn, went to the door, double-checked to make sure they were asleep and shut off the light. A warm smile came to his face and he shut the door.
"You know, someday I'm going to get to the end of that book. How's Jess?" he caught his dad in the hall.
"She's fine. You worry too much; her fever's gone and she's been bouncing off the walls all afternoon. Those kids are giving you a good run for your money."
"You would know, Dad," he gave his father a good chuckle and a pat on the back. "Sleep well."
Daniel went to his room to read and then go to sleep. Hawkeye continued down the hall. He could hear Margaret's voice coming from Jess' room. She couldn't carry a tune if her life depended on it, but somehow she sounded like an angel when she sang the kids to sleep. He quietly snuck into the room. Jess was just falling asleep. He could see her fighting to keep her eyelids open; she was losing fast.
"Looks like someone's feeling better," he whispered to his wife.
"I think she's just fine," the toddler gave a gurgle with bubbles at her lips. "See," she gave him joyous look.
"You know she takes after you more everyday," he said to her sarcastically.
"I was just about to say the same thing, bubble lips," she played her finger on his chest.
The phone rang. Hawkeye and Margaret were fast asleep on the couch (the Chausable had capsized in the freezing waters and they had been helping everyone getting rooms and taken care of); they slept right through it. Daniel was upstairs with a sick Jessica. He had already put the twins to bed, and he was trying to get the little squiggle-worm to sleep. He put her down in her crib to go and get it.
"Jess go?" she asked with a very stuffed up nose.
"Not this time," but before he got past the end of the crib it stopped ringing. Whoever it was must have given up or Molly had put through the wrong number.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Hello?"
"Uh, hi there," a slightly confused voice answered. "Is this the Pierce residence?"
"Yes," the little voice said very assured of herself.
"Oh, well is Hawkeye there?"
"Daddy? Yeah,"
"Daddy?" he said quickly. "Can I talk to him?"
"No."
"No?" he said as a sarcastic adult to a child, "why not?"
"'Cuz him and Mommy are seeping," she leaned in the chair to make sure.
"Kat! I can't find it! Hey! That's not fair!" a little boy whined.
"Shh!" she hushed him loudly. "Mister, where's your house?" they had just been learning where things were around town from their grandfather.
"I live in California. Where do you live, sweetheart?" he couldn't believe he was talking to Hawkeye's daughter.
"I live in Cabple Cove. Mommy says it's the best place in the world to live. Grandpa lives here too, but my other grandpa lives everywhere," she rambled. She liked the phone. It made her feel more grown up.
The man on the other end couldn't believe Hawkeye was married and had kids. He hadn't talked to him in ages. He tried calling a few times, but the operator was always telling him that the Pierces were in Portland. He thought she meant Hawkeye and his dad, not Mrs. and little Pierces.
"Are you two playing with a that phone again?" Hawkeye interrupted her.
"Nuh'uh, Daddy," she shook her head.
"She did it!" the little boy confessed.
"Did not!" she yelled at him.
"Did too!"
"I think it's way past your bed time,"
"But I'm talking to the funny man from Calfonia," she pleaded.
"The funny man from Calfonia, I thought you weren't playing with the phone?" he gave her one of those looks. "Bed time."
"Awh, Daddy we went to bed last night," Alex complained.
"Come on monsters," he picked her up and went for Alex.
"Will you tell us a story?" Kat asked hoping to stay awake.
Hawkeye took the phone away from her, "We'll see," he hung it up and grabbed Alex too.
"Hello! Hello!" BJ was almost yelling.
"Please sir, there is no need for yelling," the operator said very politely with bleeding ears.
"Sorry ma'am. Can I get that number again?"
"If it isn't an emergency, the Pierce residence is off limits after eight, sir. Sorry."
"May I ask, why?"
"Well the baby's been sick, but then again whether those children are sick or not, they are more than a handful. I swear our Hawkeye has gotten a taste of his own medicine ten fold. Oh, but I do feel bad for that wife of his; I don't know how she does it." She was gossiping with the laughs and exaggeration takes on words.
"When did he get married?" he asked out of the blue.
"Oh, it must have been ages ago. An absolute Godsend, though; when Hawkeye got home from the war, he wasn't the same. When she came, she brought back the spark in his eyes. A miracle worker she is. Oops, sir, I'm going to have to cut you off," she flipped the switch.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Meanwhile at the Pierce home, Hawkeye had the twins' book open. They were asleep. They were so peaceful that way; they were terrors when they were awake, but he only had himself and Margaret's attitudes to blame. Kat and Alex were as ornery and stubborn as their parents. He could only imagine what would happen if Jess ended up the same way.
He put the book down on the dresser with a large yawn, went to the door, double-checked to make sure they were asleep and shut off the light. A warm smile came to his face and he shut the door.
"You know, someday I'm going to get to the end of that book. How's Jess?" he caught his dad in the hall.
"She's fine. You worry too much; her fever's gone and she's been bouncing off the walls all afternoon. Those kids are giving you a good run for your money."
"You would know, Dad," he gave his father a good chuckle and a pat on the back. "Sleep well."
Daniel went to his room to read and then go to sleep. Hawkeye continued down the hall. He could hear Margaret's voice coming from Jess' room. She couldn't carry a tune if her life depended on it, but somehow she sounded like an angel when she sang the kids to sleep. He quietly snuck into the room. Jess was just falling asleep. He could see her fighting to keep her eyelids open; she was losing fast.
"Looks like someone's feeling better," he whispered to his wife.
"I think she's just fine," the toddler gave a gurgle with bubbles at her lips. "See," she gave him joyous look.
"You know she takes after you more everyday," he said to her sarcastically.
"I was just about to say the same thing, bubble lips," she played her finger on his chest.