February 6th 1958
"Sorry BJ, I haven't heard from Hawkeye or Major Houlihan," Klinger responded to the question. "I thought that you of any of us would have."
"Every time I try to get a hold of him, he's in Portland. But last night I tried and his daughter answered the phone," BJ was trying to find out all he could.
"You're pulling my leg," Klinger couldn't believe it. "Hawkeye Pierce? With kids?"
"That's exactly what I thought. I asked the operator to get the number again, but she said the Pierce residence was off limits after eight."
"Why did you have to get the number again?"
"He thought that she was playing with the phone and just put it back on the hook."
"Wow. This is the news of the year - the century."
"The millennium if we knew what his story was," he sighed, "You and Soon- Lee are coming, right?" he went to a more cheerful tone.
"Wouldn't miss that party for the all the packed beef in the world," Klinger made a quick pause, "BJ, I gotta go. I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thanks Max, see you in six months." BJ hung up the phone.
Klinger did the same. He tapped it with the thought of Hawkeye having children.
"Who was that Max?" Soon-Lee was picking up a truck off the middle of the kitchen table.
"BJ; he wanted to know if I'd heard form Captain Pierce or Major Houlihan."
"Oh, how are they?" she assumed BJ had told Max something. Her face lit up. She always wondered about them. They were the only ones she and Max had never heard from since the end of the war.
"I guess Hawkeye's married and the Major is."
"That's wonderful," she knew it; she just knew it. Women's intuition is never wrong.
"What are you talking about?"
"Major Houlihan and Captain Pierce, it's about time they got together."
"You're crazy," was his response. He was shocked to hear her say that. They had talked about them, but never did that come up before.
"You're one to talk Max," she gave him the sarcastic look. "Didn't you notice they always had their hands around each other all the time or that they shared amazing stares or that they always sat next to or across from the other?"
He looked at her. She had a very sincere face. She was smiling calmly hoping he would realize it. He thought about it; they did hold a certain demeanor about one another. That first time they went to the front (he woke up to find them huddled together), they were civil to each other and almost friends, but then there were all the other things that happened too. They were colleagues, enemies, and good friends. They were all just good friends.
"Naw, they'd kill each other," he concluded knowing how they behaved together. The endless name calling, the bickering, the egos; they were puzzle pieces that would never fit together. ________________________________________________________________________
"As a matter of fact, I understand that Margaret was here in Boston. She and a protégé of mine were spending a well spent couple of weeks, yet she disappeared on him."
"Really? When did this happen?"
"I have just recently met the man, though if I remember correctly, he mentioned it being the autumn of '53."
"You didn't know she was there?"
"Boston is quite a large city, Hunnicutt, but I am a bit offended that she didn't come for a chat," he was actually really hurt that she hadn't let him know she was there.
"What about Hawkeye?" BJ was getting a bit excited. Charles was the closest one in geography and Hawkeye did have connections in Boston himself.
"You mean you haven't?" Charles was amazed.
"No. He's never home."
"Surely Pierce must be reveling in his Crabapple Cove?" he could hear that BJ was upset and he said it very politely and truthfully.
"He probably is, with his wife and kids," BJ said sourly. He was upset that Hawkeye never told him, but even more so with himself for not trying harder. So much happened after he got home that that part of his life become almost a blurry memory.
"Wife and children? Pierce?" he began to laugh. ________________________________________________________________________
"Margaret quit the army. I was talkin' to an old buddy about worse times and he asked if I knew that Margaret Houlihan quit the army right after the 'police action'," he mocked the title. That's what everyone referred to it as, not a war, a police action.
"Well that probably explains why they wouldn't tell me where she was. I never would have guessed that she'd quit the army; thought she'd stay there until the end of time."
"Came a shock to me too, Son. What were you saying about Pierce?"
"He's married."
"Married!?! Well I'll be," Sherman Potter was just as surprised as everyone else.
"Yup, he's even got kids."
"Bet he's getting a rude awakening. I'd never thought I'd see the day when Benjamin Franklin Pierce was married and raisin' kids. So who's the girl that lassoed that boy into family mode?" he felt very proud that the boy had a family. He was young and naive and immature and prankish and kind and sincere and honorable; Sherman was very proud to have met him. He wished he had heard from him; he had heard from just about everybody except him and Margaret.
"Don't know. All I got was here-say from the telephone operator. Said that he's getting a taste of his own medicine. She called her a God-send, a miracle that the woman could manage Hawkeye's children."
"She'd have to be," the older man chuckled.
"Sorry BJ, I haven't heard from Hawkeye or Major Houlihan," Klinger responded to the question. "I thought that you of any of us would have."
"Every time I try to get a hold of him, he's in Portland. But last night I tried and his daughter answered the phone," BJ was trying to find out all he could.
"You're pulling my leg," Klinger couldn't believe it. "Hawkeye Pierce? With kids?"
"That's exactly what I thought. I asked the operator to get the number again, but she said the Pierce residence was off limits after eight."
"Why did you have to get the number again?"
"He thought that she was playing with the phone and just put it back on the hook."
"Wow. This is the news of the year - the century."
"The millennium if we knew what his story was," he sighed, "You and Soon- Lee are coming, right?" he went to a more cheerful tone.
"Wouldn't miss that party for the all the packed beef in the world," Klinger made a quick pause, "BJ, I gotta go. I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thanks Max, see you in six months." BJ hung up the phone.
Klinger did the same. He tapped it with the thought of Hawkeye having children.
"Who was that Max?" Soon-Lee was picking up a truck off the middle of the kitchen table.
"BJ; he wanted to know if I'd heard form Captain Pierce or Major Houlihan."
"Oh, how are they?" she assumed BJ had told Max something. Her face lit up. She always wondered about them. They were the only ones she and Max had never heard from since the end of the war.
"I guess Hawkeye's married and the Major is."
"That's wonderful," she knew it; she just knew it. Women's intuition is never wrong.
"What are you talking about?"
"Major Houlihan and Captain Pierce, it's about time they got together."
"You're crazy," was his response. He was shocked to hear her say that. They had talked about them, but never did that come up before.
"You're one to talk Max," she gave him the sarcastic look. "Didn't you notice they always had their hands around each other all the time or that they shared amazing stares or that they always sat next to or across from the other?"
He looked at her. She had a very sincere face. She was smiling calmly hoping he would realize it. He thought about it; they did hold a certain demeanor about one another. That first time they went to the front (he woke up to find them huddled together), they were civil to each other and almost friends, but then there were all the other things that happened too. They were colleagues, enemies, and good friends. They were all just good friends.
"Naw, they'd kill each other," he concluded knowing how they behaved together. The endless name calling, the bickering, the egos; they were puzzle pieces that would never fit together. ________________________________________________________________________
"As a matter of fact, I understand that Margaret was here in Boston. She and a protégé of mine were spending a well spent couple of weeks, yet she disappeared on him."
"Really? When did this happen?"
"I have just recently met the man, though if I remember correctly, he mentioned it being the autumn of '53."
"You didn't know she was there?"
"Boston is quite a large city, Hunnicutt, but I am a bit offended that she didn't come for a chat," he was actually really hurt that she hadn't let him know she was there.
"What about Hawkeye?" BJ was getting a bit excited. Charles was the closest one in geography and Hawkeye did have connections in Boston himself.
"You mean you haven't?" Charles was amazed.
"No. He's never home."
"Surely Pierce must be reveling in his Crabapple Cove?" he could hear that BJ was upset and he said it very politely and truthfully.
"He probably is, with his wife and kids," BJ said sourly. He was upset that Hawkeye never told him, but even more so with himself for not trying harder. So much happened after he got home that that part of his life become almost a blurry memory.
"Wife and children? Pierce?" he began to laugh. ________________________________________________________________________
"Margaret quit the army. I was talkin' to an old buddy about worse times and he asked if I knew that Margaret Houlihan quit the army right after the 'police action'," he mocked the title. That's what everyone referred to it as, not a war, a police action.
"Well that probably explains why they wouldn't tell me where she was. I never would have guessed that she'd quit the army; thought she'd stay there until the end of time."
"Came a shock to me too, Son. What were you saying about Pierce?"
"He's married."
"Married!?! Well I'll be," Sherman Potter was just as surprised as everyone else.
"Yup, he's even got kids."
"Bet he's getting a rude awakening. I'd never thought I'd see the day when Benjamin Franklin Pierce was married and raisin' kids. So who's the girl that lassoed that boy into family mode?" he felt very proud that the boy had a family. He was young and naive and immature and prankish and kind and sincere and honorable; Sherman was very proud to have met him. He wished he had heard from him; he had heard from just about everybody except him and Margaret.
"Don't know. All I got was here-say from the telephone operator. Said that he's getting a taste of his own medicine. She called her a God-send, a miracle that the woman could manage Hawkeye's children."
"She'd have to be," the older man chuckled.