Margaret had to drag herself out of bed in the morning. She was up a lot later than she should have been, and would have loved to have slept in with Hawkeye. She took her shower, got dressed, and even blow dried her hair, all without waking Hawkeye. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and then she left.
Hawkeye slept in until eleven that morning. He thought that he better get up and take a shower before Kate dropped Emily off. He didn't really have any plans for the day, but thought that they may go to the park. Margaret had told him that there was a park around the corner, and Emily loved to play in the sandbox. She had also made it very clear that Emily was to be up from her nap by four at the very latest.
Margaret got home at six thirty. Before she opened the door she could smell something very good cooking. She had her keys out to unlock the door, but realized that there was no need. She was use to coming home to a locked door, and it was nice to have someone be there for the first time of many.
"I'm home," she said stepping inside.
"In the kitchen," Hawkeye called.
Margaret hung her purse up on the coat rack, and walked into the kitchen. Hawkeye had Emily in her highchair and she was eating some garlic bread. Hawkeye was setting the table.
"Hi," she smiled. "It smells great in here."
"Hi Mommy," Emily said with a big smile.
Margaret walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the head, "Hi honey. Did you have a good day with Daddy?"
"Yes."
"Did you go to the park?"
"Pay san," she smiled.
Margaret smiled, "You played in the sand; I bet you liked that. Did Daddy play with you?" Emily shook her head yes. "Where did you get that garlic bread? Did you two go to the store?"
"No," Hawkeye answered as he brought over the sauce for the spaghetti that they were having. "I made it."
"You made it?"
"Yes," he said taking her into his arms. "Why are you so surprised?"
"I don't know," she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck. "I didn't think you knew how to cook."
"Well you were wrong," he smiled and gave her a kiss.
Margaret wrapped her arms tighter around him and he held her closer to his body. They stood there lost in each other until Emily brought them back. "Mommy, Mommy," she repeated until Margaret parted her lips from Hawkeye.
Margaret
smiled at the child while staying in her husbands arms. He smiled at his wife, "Why doesn't she like
when we kiss?"
"I don't know," she said with amusement, "But we have to work on that." She gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then removed herself from his arms. "Do you need any help?"
"No, just sit down. It's all ready to eat. Here's a plate for the baby," he handed her a little plastic plate. He wasn't sure how much to give the little girl, so he let Margaret do it.
Margaret put some spaghetti on Emily's plate and cut it up. "You're going to need a bath tonight. I bet half of this sauce is going to makes its way right into your pretty blonde hair."
Emily smiled and eagerly accepted the food. She loved spaghetti. "Ank ooo," she said to her mother.
"You're welcome," Margaret smiled. Hawkeye placed some food on Margaret's plate and waited for her to taste it. "Mmm," this is really good. Where did you learn to cook?"
Hawkeye smiled. He was pleased that she liked it. "My father taught me. We used to take turns cooking after Mom died. I was able to hone my skills when Dad got sick. I took care of him for his last six months."
"You did? He wasn't in the hospital?"
"No," Hawkeye said twisting some spaghetti onto his fork. "He didn't want to die in a hospital; he wanted to be at home. The first six months I was back from Korea, I spent at home with him. I didn't work at all."
Margaret could see the tears coming to his eyes as he thought about those last days with his father. "I'm so sorry. I would have been there if I'd known."
He smiled at her, "I know you would have been. We've already come to the conclusion that you and I are a couple of fools."
"When it comes to love we are. So, did you move to Boston right away?"
"Pretty much," he answered. "I still have the house back in Crabapple Cove, so if you ever want to see where I came from, we have a place to stay." He put a forkful of food into his mouth.
"Are you paying the mortgage on that?"
"No. My father paid it off years ago." He smiled at her, "So I guess we're owners of a vacation house in seaside Maine. Have you ever been to Maine?
"Uh huh," she answered with a mouthful of food.
"Is there anywhere you haven't been?"
She smiled at him. "My father was in the army and we followed him everywhere he went. I've been to all the states, a few islands, and a few countries."
"I don't know how we're going to take a nice vacation if you've been everywhere," he teased.
"Well I haven't been there with you," she said sweetly. She didn't mean it to come out as sweet as it did.
He smiled at her. "I still owe you a honeymoon."
She chuckled, "I think it would be more like a family vacation." She looked over at Emily who was very involved in eating her meal.
"We could get your mother to watch her, and just you and I will take off."
"That sounds wonderful, but she's too little. Last night was only her first night away from me. A honeymoon will just have to wait. Besides," she added with a smile. "I'd take a house over a honeymoon any day, and I think that's what we're going to have to do."
"You're going to get both," he said with determination. "And the honeymoon won't be in Maine either. I'm going to take you some place tropical."
She smiled, "I like how that sounds. But I would like to go to Maine one day and see where you grew up. Do you go back there often?"
"It's a little hard since my father passed away, but I do make it there on occasion. I like to go up on Father's Day and his birthday, but I also go up on Mother's Day, and her birthday. It's sad, but I can't let them be alone on those days."
"I understand," she nodded. "I wish I would have been able to meet your father."
"So do I. I talked about you all the time," he smiled. "He kept telling me to go find you, but I didn't want to leave him."
"I was with my father too. He had a stroke, and I took care of him for his last three weeks. My sister and I did actually."
"I'm really sorry to hear that he died. I know how much you love him."
"It's hard," she said with a sad smile. "It was very hard. I found out I was pregnant with Emily three weeks after he passed away. She pulled me up out of the dumps," she smiled glancing at Emily. "I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't come along. That little girl made me realize that life has to go on, and that it's okay to move on."
Emily smiled at her mother and held out a strand of spaghetti, "Some?" Margaret smiled at her and ate the spaghetti off of the child's finger. "Dood?"
"Very good," Margaret smiled. "Thank you."
Emily smiled brightly, "El-come," she managed to get out before putting more food in her mouth.
Hawkeye smiled at his wife and daughter. "Thank God we have Colonel Potter. He's the closet thing she'll ever have to a grandfather."
Margaret smiled, "I think he likes that role. I still want her to know who her grandfathers were, though. And her grandmother," she added.
"Good," he said happily. "They may be gone from this world, but they will never be forgotten." He lifted his glass of wine, and Margaret followed. "To the ones that are no longer here, but will always be near."
Margaret smiled at him and they drank to his toast. He was a good man, and she loved him. She would probably kick herself for the rest of her life for not telling him she loved him long ago.
They finished dinner talking about their days. Hawkeye listened as Margaret told him about her first day back, and that everyone was sad to see her go. Then Margaret listened with delight as Hawkeye told her about his first day alone with Emily.
"That was a wonderful dinner," Margaret said as she cleared the table.
"Thank you," he said. "For my next feat, I'm going to do the dishes."
Margaret smiled, "I'm very impressed. You're so domesticated."
"Well don't get used it," he warned. "It probably won't last long, so you better enjoy it while you can."
"I think I will," she said as she brought a washcloth over to Emily.
Emily turned her head away, "No Mommy. No."
"Yes, baby, yes," Margaret said. She got the child's face washed off as quickly as possible, and then the little girl's hands. Emily didn't fight when her hands were washed, but it was another story with her face. She did not like that. "All done."
"Out," Emily held her hands up. "Pease."
Margaret picked up the child. "I missed you today," she kissed Emily. "I didn't get to give you a kiss goodbye this morning. I'm not used to that."
Emily looked down at her mother's shirt. "Messy," she said. She noticed that, but she didn't notice that it was because she transferred it from her shirt to her mother's shit.
"That's okay. It's just my work clothes. Let's go get you a bath."
"Yay," Emily cheered and clapped. "Bubbles."
"Yes, with bubbles," Margaret smiled. "We'll be in the bathroom," she said to Hawkeye.
"Okay," he smiled.
"Come on," Margaret said to the baby on her hip. "Let's get you out of those clothes, and into some nice warm bath water."
"Yay," Emily said.
Hawkeye watched as the two of them disappeared down the hall. He was so happy. He still felt a little like an outsider at times, but the times were becoming more and more rare. Spending the afternoon with his daughter was one of the best things that he ever did. He was looking forward to all day with her tomorrow.
Hawkeye finished cleaning up, and then made his way toward the splashing and laughing that was coming from the bathroom. He poked his head in and saw Margaret on her knees at the tub, and Emily splashing and laughing.
Emily noticed Hawkeye and smiled, "Hi Daddy."
Margaret looked back over her shoulder and smiled at him. He got down on his knees next to her. "Hi, munchkin," he said to his daughter. "Are you having fun?"
"Yes," she smiled. "Pay?"
Hawkeye looked at Margaret with a puzzled look. Margaret smiled, "She wants you to play with her."
"I can do that," he smiled. He looked at Margaret and saw that she was all wet, "Did Emily give you bath too?"
"She always does." Margaret gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'm going to go get out of these wet clothes and into my pajamas. See if you can get her out in a few minutes."
"No out," Emily said.
Margaret stood up, "Okay. Daddy's going to play with you." She looked at Hawkeye, "Soon. She's turning into a prune."
"I'll try," he said. After five minutes, Hawkeye coaxed Emily out of the tub. He wrapped her chubby little body in a towel, and then walked into his room. Margaret was in there. "She's out of the tub," Hawkeye said.
"Good," Margaret said taking Emily into her arms. "You smell so good and clean." Margaret laid Emily on the bed, and put a diaper on the baby, and than pajamas. Emily co-operated with her mother while she got dressed. "Wow," Margaret said. "These jammies are too small. You're getting so big."
"You want me to get you another pair?" Hawkeye asked.
"Please," Margaret said as she begun taking the pajamas off her daughter.
"Where are they?" Hawkeye hollered from the room across the hall.
"Bottom drawer," she said. She leaned down towards Emily, and kissed her. "Mommy missed you today. I can't wait until we get to Boston. I'm going to stay home with you, and we're going to buy a house." She looked over her shoulder to see Hawkeye coming back.
"Here you go," he said handing her the clothes.
"Me," Emily said.
"Yes, they're for you." Margaret smiled.
After Emily was dressed, Margaret spent time in the living room playing and cuddling with her daughter. She would only get to see Emily for two hours on the days that she worked. She'd get home at six thirty, and Emily would be sleeping by eight thirty. Margaret was looking forward to the day when she didn't have to stuff an entire day with her daughter into two hours.
Margaret put Emily in her crib, and then she went out to the living room to join her husband. He was sitting on the couch with the TV on. Margaret sat down next to him, curled her legs up underneath her, and rested her head against his chest. "What are you watching?"
"Nothing much," he smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her. "You look tired."
"I am," she said through a yawn. "You kept me up all night, and I had to get up at six thirty this morning. I had a great night last night, but it made for a long day."
"That's funny. I feel fully rested," he smiled at her.
"I'm sure you do," she said playfully hitting his chest. "You probably slept right up until the minute my mother brought Emily home."
"I did not. I was up at eleven." Margaret rolled her eyes, and although he couldn't see her face, he knew that she did that. "Are you saying you want to go bed now?"
"Are you tired?" She asked looking up at him.
"No."
"Then no," she answered. "I don't want to go to bed unless you're there with me."
He lifted her chin and kissed her. "I know something that will make me tired. Are you up to it?"
She smiled, "I may be married and have a child, but I am still Hot Lips Houlihan."
"So you are," he smiled and started kissing her soft lips. "I hope you still say that in years to come."
Margaret chuckled a little, "We'll just have to wait and see." She pushed him back on the couch and started kissing him.
Margaret went to work the next morning. Emily was still sleeping, and so was Hawkeye. She gave the two deep sleepers a kiss and then she left. She was used to getting Emily up with her in the morning, and then dropping her off at the sitters, but she didn't have to do that now. It gave her time to sit down and have her coffee while looking over the paper. She felt like she was on vacation.
Hawkeye woke up when Emily did. This time he heard her calling to him before she started crying. He made the two of them a simple breakfast to start off the day. Emily was getting used to having him around all the time. It had been a week since she met him, but being so little, she accepted him easily. There were still some times that she wasn't sure what to think. She didn't like sharing her mommy, but she loved having her daddy around to play with. He was very fun.
When Margaret came home, she found her husband and daughter on the floor playing. It was funny to see a full grown man playing with dolls, and Margaret loved it. As soon as Emily noticed her mother, she jumped up and ran to her. Then she spent the rest of the night in her mother's arms.
Everyday was pretty much the same for the rest of the week. On the weekend, Margaret was able to spend time with her family, and she took full advantage of that. They went to the zoo one afternoon, and swimming at Kate's house the next. Kate wanted to spend as much time as possible with her granddaughter, since she only had five days left with her. Friday would be Margaret's last day of work, and they were planning on leaving early Saturday morning.
