Hawkeye looked her square in the eyes.  "Margaret, you mean the world to me, and have for years now.  These last two years without you have been hell."  He saw the change in her face.  It had been a little scared, but now it was terrified.  "I wanted life to be what it was like that last night we spent in Korea.  We were together, and in each other's arms.  Safe from the rest of the world.  What I'm trying to say is that I love you.  We've wasted so much time.  If you feel the same way, and I think you do, would you be my wife?"

            Margaret's eyes almost popped out of her head.  That was not what she was expecting to hear.  "Oh my God," she breathed.

            Hawkeye reached for her hand and pulled her to sit next to him on the couch.  "Margaret, I love you with all of my heart and soul."

            "Wait," she said before he continued.  She needed a moment to digest this without him speaking.  She glanced over at her baby, and then back to Hawkeye.  "This is because of her, isn't it?"

            Hawkeye turned confused.  Why would she say that?  He looked over at Emily, and then back to Margaret.  "No.  What are you talking about?"  She didn't know what to say.  "Margaret," he pressed.  "What the hell are you talking about?  Why would wanting to marry you have anything to do with Emily?"

            Margaret looked over at Emily again.  She was jabbering away to the dog in broken English and baby gibberish.  Then she looked back to Hawkeye searching his eyes.  He knew something was going on now, and she had to say something.  "I thought that you, a, um, would, a…"  She didn't know what else to say.

            "Spit it out," he demanded with fear and worry.

            "Hawkeye, she's yours."

            He looked over at Emily and stared at her.  Then he looked back to Margaret.  She must have been playing some kind of cruel joke on him to get back at him for all the times he played stupid jokes on her.  "What?"

            Margaret could see that he was more than shocked.  He couldn't think clearly enough to put it all together.  "That last night we were in Korea, we made her.  I haven't been with another man since then, and I wasn't with one for at least three months before you and I spent the night together.  She's your daughter."  He looked at Margaret knowing that she was telling the truth.  "I thought that when I told you when she was born earlier, that you figured out that was nine months after we left Korea."

            "Oh my God, Margaret.  Why the hell didn't you tell me?"  He was now deeply hurt.

            "I'm sorry," she said.  She knew that he would be mad at her forever now.  "I knew the reason for your breakdown, and I thought that the news of a baby would be too much for you to handle.  I didn't want to do that to you."

            "Margaret, you should have told me."

            "I'm so sorry," she saw how hurt he was now.  "I didn't want you to feel like you were stuck.  I knew I could take care of a baby on my own, and I also knew that if you knew, you would want to marry me.  I didn't want to do that to you.  I wanted you to be happy."

            "I was miserable without you.  I've been in love with you for a long time."

            "Why didn't you tell me?"

            "I don't know.  I didn't want to push you away."  He looked back at Emily.  "I can't believe this.  She's my daughter?"

            "Yes, she is."

            "I have a little girl?"

            Margaret smiled.  His tone was changing to happiness instead of confusion and hurt.  "You have a little girl."  Margaret looked over at Emily.  "Come here, baby."  Emily got up and walked over to her mother.  Margaret pulled her onto her lap.  "Do you know who that is?"  She pointed to Hawkeye.

            "Eye," Emily stated.

            Margaret smiled.  "No, that's your daddy."  She pointed.

            Emily turned and looked at her mother.  "No daddy," she told her mother. 

            "Yes, you do have a daddy."  Margaret informed her.  "That's your daddy," she said.  It felt so good to say that to her daughter. 

            Emily looked at Hawkeye and then back to her mother.  "Daddy?"  She questioned.

            "Yes," Margaret answered.  "Can you give daddy a hug and a kiss?"

            Hawkeye felt his heart soar when Margaret told the little girl that he was her daddy.  He looked at Emily, and she shook her head yes at her mother's request.  Hawkeye took her into his arms.  The baby gave him a slimy kiss on the cheek, and then they hugged.

            Hawkeye held onto his daughter and felt his love radiate out of him for the first time in a long time.  Emily kept her head down on her father's shoulder, and wrapped her chubby arms around his neck.  She didn't fully understand the situation, but she knew that that man loved her.

            Margaret watched the pair as a tear ran down her cheek.  She had always felt guilty that Emily didn't have a father.  When she started to talk, she didn't have someone to call 'Dada'.  She didn't have a father to hold her in his big strong arms, or treat her like a little princess.  Now she did.

            "I love you Emily Houlihan," he told her.

            "No," Margaret said.  "It's Pierce.  Emily Ann Pierce."

            Hawkeye smiled brightly at his daughter's mother.  "Do you love me?"  Margaret smiled and shook her head yes.  "Will you marry me?"