When they got to the restaurant Mrs. Potter was standing outside waiting for them. She was happy to see that Hawkeye was with Margaret too. "Hi," she said when they walked up to her.
Margaret smiled at her, "Hi. I hope you haven't been waiting to long."
"No," she smiled looking at Emily. "How are you today? You look so pretty in your dress." She was wearing a white sundress with embroidered purple flowers on the skirt. Emily smiled at the woman. She had been spoiled by Mrs. Potter since the moment she met her. Mildred held her hands out, and Emily went into them. "You and I are going to have fun today." The lady looked at Hawkeye and Margaret, "Are you two hungry?"
"Starving," Hawkeye said. "Let's get in there." He held the door open for the ladies and let them lead the way to the table.
Mrs. Potter noticed the change in Margaret right away. Last night before she went to the hospital, Margaret was very tense with Hawkeye around. She couldn't figure out why, but she had a few ideas. Today Margaret seemed at ease, and very happy. She knew that something must have happened between the two of them, but she wasn't sure what that was.
"How is the Colonel doing?" Hawkeye asked.
Mildred was putting Emily in a highchair, and looked over at him. "He's doing much better. He knows Margaret is coming, but he still has no clue that you're here." She sat down and smiled at him. "I wish I could see his reaction."
"Why wouldn't you?" He asked.
"I told Margaret that I would watch Emily for her. After lunch we're going to go home and find something to do."
Margaret was sitting there listening, and had to say something. "You're the one that wanted to surprise him with Hawkeye. You should be there. Emily and I will play at the park for a while." There was a park across the street from the hospital.
"Thank you," the woman smiled. "I really do want to see his reaction."
Margaret smiled and looked at Hawkeye. Then she looked at Mrs. Potter. "I'll be there to see his reaction to some other news."
She looked at Hawkeye and Margaret, and saw that there was something between the two of them. "What are you two hiding?"
"We're married," Margaret blurted out. She couldn't wait to tell someone.
"You're what?" She asked. She was stunned and lost.
Hawkeye and Margaret could see that she was lost. Hawkeye spoke first, as he was known for. "I'll give you the short version. Margaret and I fell in love years ago; we just never said anything to each other. Margaret didn't tell me this until last night, but the night before we left Korea, we made little Emily here." He smiled at his daughter.
Margaret took it from there. "There were unusual circumstances that stopped me from telling him about the baby. I always felt guilty about it, but I decided to raise her on my own. I never thought that I would see Hawkeye again. I was more than a little scared to see him at your house last night, but we talked and I will always be grateful to you for making him come out here."
Mildred was smiling. She didn't know the full extent of their relationship, but she knew that they had one. It was very apparent even last night. "I just wanted to reunite two friends; I didn't think this would happen."
Hawkeye was smiling ear to ear. It felt good to tell other people that they were married, and that Emily was his little girl. "Whatever your motives were, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
"Well you're very welcome."
Hawkeye and Margaret filled Mrs. Potter in on certain aspects of their relationship to give her more of an idea of why they got married. Mildred was just happy to see that even if she didn't set out to be a matchmaker, it worked just the same. She would have loved to see her husband's reaction to the news. He had often told her that Hawkeye and Margaret belonged together.
When they finished lunch, Hawkeye and Mildred walked across the street to the hospital. Margaret and Emily went next door to the park. It worked out best for Mrs. Potter too; Emily would run around and tire herself out. That way when she took Emily back home with her, Emily would take a nice long nap.
"His room is right around the corner," Mildred said as she and Hawkeye walked down the hall. She stopped and knocked lightly on the door as she opened it. He sat up when he heard it. She smiled at him, "I brought a visitor."
"Well, bring 'em in."
Mrs. Potter walked into the room and held the door for Hawkeye. He stepped in and smiled at the stunned look on the Colonel's face. "What are you doing in here? You should be out on a boat fishing."
"I needed a break from that." Hawkeye walked over and shook the man's hand. "This is a surprise. The Mrs. didn't tell me you were coming. Have you seen Margaret?"
He smiled, trying to keep from giving away any information. Margaret wanted to be the one to tell the man. "I've seen her. How about that kid? Did you get to see her?" The Colonel shook his head. "Isn't she beautiful."
"Looks just like her mother. I feel bad for her though. Poor little thing doesn't have a father."
"Knowing Margaret, I don't think she's short of suitors. I'm sure Emily will get a father."
"I don't know about that. Margaret said that she hasn't seen anyone since she left Korea, and she's not interested in looking right now."
"She's always taken care of herself, and I imagine she can take care her daughter too. She's a strong woman. We don't have to worry about her." He pulled up a chair and sat down. "Tell me how you got yourself in this mess."
"Ah, you don't want to hear about that. If I know my wife, she has told you everything. Tell me what you've been up to the last two years."
He smiled, "Nothing much. I live in Boston now. I took a position there after my father passed away."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. I know how close you and your father were."
He gave a sad smile. "I miss him, but life has to go on. He's finally with my mother again, and I know that neither one of them would want me to be unhappy. All in all, my life is pretty good." He didn't want to say much more, because he would have let the cat out of the bag. "Tell me about you."
They talked for a few more minutes. Mildred finally stood up and told them that she was going to go home. She would send Margaret up in a few minutes. That opened the subject of Margaret back up, but Hawkeye kept avoiding it. He succeeded until his wife walked into the room.
"Major," the Colonel said with delight. Having Margaret come back into his life lifted his spirits. He loved her like she was his own daughter.
"Sir," she smiled. "How are you doing?"
"Great," he said as she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Did you see who's here?"
She looked over at Hawkeye and smiled, and then back to the Colonel. "Yes I know. We rode in together, and had lunch together."
He smiled at her. "Right."
Hawkeye stood up and stood next to Margaret. He put his arm around her shoulders, and smiled at her. The Colonel knew that something was going on. The two of them didn't do those kinds of things; at least not around other people. He knew they had feelings for each other. "We have something to tell you."
"Yes," Margaret smiled wrapping her arm around her husband's waist. She couldn't hold back. "We're married."
"Jumpin' Johosaphat," he didn't expect to hear that. The newlyweds watched him with amusement as he put things together. "You two are a couple of liars."
"What?" They said in unison.
"Pierce, you said you lived in Boston. Margaret said she lived in Texas and was raising her daughter on her own."
"That was all true," Margaret clarified. "We only married last night."
"Last night? Couldn't you have waited until I got out of here so I could be there?" He was happy, but a little hurt.
"We waited too long as it was," Hawkeye answered. "I've loved her for over three years now."
"I knew it," he said as though he won a contest. "Pierce, why didn't you tell me?"
"I told you we didn't have to worry about her," Hawkeye smiled. He took a seat in the chair next to the bedside. Margaret sat on the arm of it, and leaned on him for support. "Margaret wanted to wait and tell you. You have no idea how much I wanted to blurt it out."
"I'm happy for you two." He looked at Margaret. "Are you sure you want him to help you raise Emily. You know how he is?"
Margaret smiled, "He is her father."
"Step-father, right?"
"No," she smiled.
Hawkeye looked at the Colonel. He was a little shocked. "You remember how Margaret and I said good-bye?" The old man shook his head. "Well we did a little more than kiss the night before."
The Colonel held up his hand. "That's enough." Margaret was like a daughter to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was hear about her sex life. "Nine months later, Emily was born, right?"
"Right," Margaret said. "Then a year and a half later, her father and I got married."
"It's not your traditional way," Hawkeye said with a smile. "But that's the best we can do."
Margaret beamed, "My little girl has a daddy now."
"So," Potter said looking at Hawkeye. "That's where that child gets those eyes, huh? I was wondering about that."
"That's where," Margaret answered. "Somehow she got all of her other looks from me."
Hawkeye had thought that Emily was a beautiful child the moment he saw her standing shyly in the living room. But when he found out that she was his, she became the most beautiful thing that he had ever laid eyes on. "Simple genetics."
"Maybe," the Colonel said. "But I think someone up there might be teaching you a lesson." Hawkeye gave him a confused look. "I know you were always some kind of Romeo, but I also know that there are a lot of women out there that you haven't treated with the respect that they deserve. You're bride included."
"That was the old Hawkeye Pierce. Margaret straitened me out years ago." He tightened his grip on her lovingly.
Margaret looked down at her new husband. "I don't know, Pierce. I think he might be right. Having a beautiful daughter means that she'll have boys chasing her, and they won't all treat her with the respect that she deserves."
"They'll be sorry if they don't," he said seriously. He couldn't imagine someone hurting his daughter. His protective fatherly side seemed to jump out at the idea.
Margaret smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're so cute."
The Colonel smiled at the two of them together. It seemed so natural for them to be like that. He was very happy for them. "I don't see a ring on her finger, Pierce. What happened?"
"We didn't have time to get one," he answered.
"You two should have went this morning."
Margaret didn't want to tell him the real reason they didn't go. She didn't want to say that they were too tired from making love all night. "We had the baby with us, and it's not a good idea to take her into a jewelry store."
"I can understand that. Pierce, you need to take her out and get her one. You better start treating her right, or I'll go after you."
Hawkeye smiled at Margaret and then looked at the Colonel. "We plan on going out and finding some soon." It did bother him a little that he hadn't given her a ring. He wanted to put a ring on her finger to claim her for all the world to see.
"What are you two doing in here? Get out there and spend some time together."
"We came here to spend time with you, sir." Margaret said.
"I don't need a babysitter," said the ornery old man. "Now I'm ordering the two of you to get out of here."
Margaret smiled down at her husband. "I know you were never one to follow orders, but I am. So what do you say? Let's get out of here so you can buy me a ring."
"This is an
order that I can follow," he smiled. He
gave her a kiss and then the two of them stood up.
Margaret gave the Colonel a kiss. "We'll be back. Get some rest."
Hawkeye and Margaret left the hospital and walked around the town. There were a bunch of little shops that they went into. When they found a jewelry store, they went in and spent a while in there picking out rings. They ended up buying two simple wedding bands. Hawkeye promised that one day he would give her a diamond to show off to everyone.
They went back to see the Colonel and spend an hour with him before they headed back to the house. Mrs. Potter said that she was going to have dinner done at six, and to be there on time.
Emily was sitting in the living room playing with her doll when she saw the door open. Mrs. Potter told her that Mommy was coming soon, so she knew that it had to Margaret. The child stood up and ran to the door.
"Hi," Margaret smiled. She picked the child up. "I missed you today. Did you have a good time with Mrs. Potter?" Margaret gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.
Emily looked at Hawkeye and pointed, "Daddy."
"That's right," Margaret said happily. "Go see Daddy," she passed Emily to her father.
"Hi Munchkin," he said. He loved the feel of holding her.
"Hi," she smiled. "Oood?" She asked him.
Hawkeye looked at Margaret for a translation. She smiled at him. "She wants to know if you're ready to eat."
He looked at his daughter, "I'm ready to eat. Are you hungry?" She nodded her curly head. "Let's go eat then."
The three of them walked into the kitchen to see Mrs. Potter setting the table. "Hi you two," she smiled. "I hope you're hungry. I made plenty to eat."
"Starving," Hawkeye said as he brought Emily to her highchair.
Margaret jumped in and started helping set the table. "How was she today?" She asked about her daughter. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
"Not at all," Mildred smiled. "She's a delight. We had a lot of fun today." She looked over at Emily who was sitting comfortable in her high chair. "You rode the horsy today, didn't you?"
Emily smiled at looked at her mother, "Horsy," she said proudly.
"Wow," Margaret smiled. "Did you like that?" Emily shook her head yes. "Do you like spending time with Mrs. Potter?"
"Yes," she said clearly.
Margaret smiled and looked at Mrs. Potter. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"
"Everything is done," she said walking into the kitchen. "If you want to get a plate fixed for Emily you can. Hawkeye, would you mind helping me bring the food to the table?"
"Gladly," he said following her orders. He could just see the Colonel at home following her orders. It was pretty amusing.
Mildred noticed the ring on his finger, "When did you get this?"
Margaret looked over at them. "The Colonel kicked us out today and made us go get them."
"I knew he would," Mildred smiled. "As long as he's around, he'll make sure Hawkeye treats you right."
"Why does everyone assume that I won't treat her right?"
Margaret smiled at him, "I know you will." She brought the plate she had for Emily over to the table. Everything was set, so they all sat down at the table. "If you don't, you'll be in big trouble."
"I know. I'll have the entire US Army after me." He sat down in a chair next to Margaret. Margaret pulled Emily's highchair closer to her. "This smells good," he changed the subject.
"Yes it does," Margaret agreed. She looked over at Emily who was waiting for her food. "Are you hungry, baby girl?"
Emily reached for her plate, "Oood." Margaret placed the plate on the highchair, and handed Emily a spoon. She liked to use a spoon to be like the adults, although she usually gave up on it and used her hands.
"Did the Colonel's doctor call you?" Hawkeye asked Mildred as he placed food on his plate.
"No," she said with worry. "Is it bad news?"
"Oh no," Margaret chimed in. Hawkeye had talked to the doctor earlier, and the two of them got along very well. "He said that the Colonel might be able to come home tomorrow afternoon. Of course, he has a strict list of what he has to do."
"He'll be following every rule. I'll see to that," Mildred said. "He's not leaving me for a long time. We've been married for 40 years, and haven't seen each other for half that time. I'm glad you're not in the army," Mildred said to Hawkeye.
"I went kicking and screaming," he told her. "Leaving Korea and the Army was one of the happiest days of my life. Now that I know I have a family, there isn't anything that can take me away from them."
Margaret smiled at Emily. She was shoveling the food into her mouth and getting it everywhere. "Is that good?" Emily didn't answer and continued to eat.
Mildred smiled, "Sherman is going to love being able to see her again. You'll still be here, right?"
"Well his doctor said that he shouldn't have any added stress around." Margaret answered. "Emily may be a good baby, but she's still a baby. We can't stay here when he comes home."
Hawkeye saw the disappointment in Mildred's eyes. He knew that the Colonel wouldn't be happy if they had to leave without spending some time with him at home and seeing Hawkeye and Margaret as parents. "You know," he said. "Maybe we could stay another day or two. We'll just stay in a hotel."
"I guess that would work," Margaret said. "I have to get back to work in two days though."
"But aren't you going with Hawkeye back to Boston?" Mildred asked. Hawkeye was interested in the answer to that question to. Margaret had agreed to go back with him.
"Yes, but I can't just fly from here. I have a life in Texas, and will need to quit my job and say goodbye to people. I can't just up and leave. Emily needs a chance to say goodbye to the people that she loves too."
It did make sense to them. She was right about all of that. Hawkeye was disappointed. He assumed that they would fly back with them. He remembered that he had vacation time owed to him. He would talk it over with Margaret later, and they would make a plan. If he knew her, she already had one.
They sat there and talked while they ate dinner. Mildred and Margaret cleaned up while Hawkeye took the baby outside with him, and played with her. She wanted to stay in the house because she hadn't seen her mother all day, but when Hawkeye mentioned the animals she jumped at the chance to go see them.
When everything was cleaned up, Mildred went back to the hospital. Sherman loved having her there, and she loved spending time with him. Margaret went out back and sat at the picnic table and watched Hawkeye and Emily. They needed time to bond, and get to know each other without her being in the middle.
Later that night, Emily let Hawkeye hold her as she fell asleep. He had been around for two days now, and she felt safe with him. Margaret tried to stay out of the way all night to let the two of them get to know one another. She even had Hawkeye changing the baby's diaper and making the bottle.
Hawkeye put the baby in her crib, and then went downstairs where Margaret was. She was sitting on the couch looking at a magazine. It was the first time that she wasn't the one to put Emily to bed. He laid down on the couch and put his head in her lap. She smiled and put the magazine to the side. "Hi."
"Hi, gorgeous."
Margaret ran her fingers through his thick hair. "How is that your hair seems less grey than the last time I saw you?"
"Less stress," he answered. "What are we going to do when we leave Missouri?"
"I have to go back to Texas, and quit my job. They've been very good to me. They understood that it was just Emily and I, and that she was my first priority. If Emily was sick, they didn't have a problem with me taking a day or two off. I have to give them two weeks notice."
"I understand," he said as she played with his soft hair. "I can take some more time off. Would it be okay if I went back with the two of you?"
"Of course," she smiled. "We're a family now. You don't have to feel like an outsider."
"I know, but when it comes to Emily, I sometimes do."
"You don't have to," she assured him. "You're her father, and she's your daughter. It's just going to take time for the two of you to fall into those roles." She bent down and planted a kiss on his lips. "I want you to come with us, and meet my mother. She knows about you. I called her when you were in the shower this morning."
Hawkeye had never heard much about Margaret's mother, so he didn't know what she would think. "What did she have to say?"
Margaret smiled down at him. She could see that he was worried. "She knew all along that you were Emily's father. She knew I was still in love with you, and always encouraged me to tell you about the baby. She's happy that we're together."
"Did you tell her that you're moving and taking her granddaughter away?"
"Yes," Margaret said sadly. It was going to be hard to leave her mother. She had been there for Margaret throughout her pregnancy, and for everything after the baby was born. Emily absolutely adored her grandmother, and Margaret felt horrible already because she was going to take Emily away from her grandmother. "She didn't say anything, but I know it hurts her."
"Does your sister live there?"
"No," Margaret answered. "Lizzy lives in Connecticut. Mom was going to move there until she found out I was pregnant. I guess she can do that now."
"You do know that Connecticut is right below Massachusetts, right?"
"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "I know that."
"Well that means that your mother won't be that far away."
"I guess you're right." He lifted his hands to her face and pulled her down for another kiss. "It's just that my mother is the only grandparent that Emily has."
"I know she is. I've never met your mother, but it sounds like family is important to her. I'm sure she won't be far from her granddaughter."
"I hope you're right," she looked down at him. "Emily adores my mother."
"Do you have room for me at your apartment?"
She smiled at him. "My bed has plenty of room. You and the baby will be able to spend a lot of time together. I'll have to work, so that means it'll just be the two of you." She said with happiness.
"I hope she likes to relax."
"She loves it," she smiled. "She'll love spending time with you. You like to talk, and she likes to hear it."
He smiled up at her, "I'm glad. We might want to call a realtor in Mass. That way we can get a jump start on looking for a house. I have a really tiny place. I don't know where we're going to put Emily. I only have the one bedroom."
"I thought about that too. I think she's going to have to take the bedroom. We can't put her in the living room because she goes to bed at eight thirty. She needs a room with a door. I hope you don't plan on entertaining because the living room is going to have to be our room until we find a house."
"You're the boss," he said. "But I'm telling you the place is small. Don't expect too much because you'll be very disappointed."
She smiled at him and gave him another kiss. "As long as the three of us are together, then I'll be fine. How long could it take to find a house anyway?"
"Hopefully not too long," he sat up next to her. He grinned at her, "Wanna make out like a couple of teenagers?" She smiled at him, and shook her head in amusement. "What do you say?" He smiled.
"Ah, what the hell."
