NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
Crabapple Cove, Maine 1954
It had almost been a year since the war had ended. Hawkeye Pierce sat on the front porch of his childhood home, lost in thought. Ever since he'd gotten back from Korea, things just hadn't the same. He felt lost and empty. He felt as if he couldn't trust anyone. All of a sudden, his concentration was broken when he heard the front door open.
"Hawkeye, you've been out here for some time now. You ok?"
Daniel Pierce had noticed the change in his son when he first returned, but he thought Hawkeye would've been fine now.
"Yeah, Dad. I'm fine.' Hawkeye said reassuringly, seeing the worried look on his father's face.
Hawkeye stood up from the porch swing he was sitting on and stretched. The two men walked into the house for supper when the phone rang.
"Hello?" The elder Pierce answered. "Yeah, Hawkeye's here. May I ask who's speaking? Oh! Of course! Hold on a moment!"
"Hawk, you have a phone call."
Daniel walked out of the kitchen to give his son some privacy.
"Hello, this is Ben Pierce."
"Hi, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye lost his breath at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line.
"Margaret?! Hi! How've you been?"
"Oh, not too bad. But I was thinking about everyone and I decided to give you a call."
"I'm glad you did! So where does the army have you stationed now?"
"Oh, I'm not in the army anymore. I was tired of it. Ever since I was young I was never in one place long enough to get settled. I just thought it was time for a change."
"So what are you doing now?" Hawkeye asked, taking a bit of the sandwich he just made for dinner.
"Well, I'm a nurse at a hospital in San Francisco. I called to tell you that there is a nurse's convention I have to go to in Boston of the 25th. I was just wondering if you'd like to meet me there and talk some more. Maybe have lunch or something."
Hawkeye nearly jumped out of his chair with excitement. He had always enjoyed her company and immediately accepted her invitation.
Boston, Massachusetts
Hawkeye entered a room full of nurses. A year ago, this would have been a dream come true for Hawkeye and we would've charmed every nurse there. But he knew exactly who was looking for and spotted Margaret right away. As far as he was concerned, they were the only two there. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Margaret knew right away it was Hawkeye. Nobody else could make her feel as safe as she did when she was in his arms.
"Hawkeye!!" She said as she turned around and threw her arms around him.
When she stepped back, Hawkeye stared at her. "She is just as beautiful as ever", he thought. "Even more beautiful if that's at all possible."
"Hi, Margaret!" Hawkeye gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"God, it's great to see you!" Margaret said as she hugged him again. "It seems like it's been forever!!"
"You have no idea," Hawkeye said with a grin.
After the Conference
"So," Margaret said, "Are you hungry? There's this little café I saw by my hotel. We can eat some lunch and talk some more."
"You read my mind." Hawkeye said with his trademark smile.
Margaret and Hawkeye spent all afternoon talking. They talked about everything. They're old friends, what they've been up to. However, the one thing they never talked about was the one thing that needed to be said. Hawkeye had struggled with it in his mind over and over. He couldn't deny the way he felt about her. He knew he loved her ever since the night they had shared together in Korea. He loved her then, and he would love her always. Margaret had been hurt and Hawkeye knew that she was afraid of letting anyone get too close to her. So he kept his feelings inside and tried to ignore them, but you can't choose who you fall in love with.
"Margaret," Hawkeye said as they walked out of the little café, "Since you're already here, how would you like to go back with me to Crabapple Cove for a few days?" Margaret smiled. "If it's as beautiful as you always said it was, I would love to see it."
They continued to walk down the sidewalk until they came to her hotel.
"Ok, let's go up and get my things and we'll go, ok?"
Hawkeye nodded and the two went to her room. Margaret gathered her stuff.
"Just let me fix my hair and then we can go. You can watch the t.v. if you'd like."
Hawkeye sat down in the over-sized chair and turned on the t.v. Meanwhile, Margaret was in the bathroom fixing her hair. "I wonder what's the matter with Hawkeye?" she thought. "He didn't make a pass at me one today! That's not the Hawkeye I know!"
Margaret finished fixing her hair and came out of the bathroom. "Ok, I'm ready!" Margaret said as she picked up her bag.
Later that afternoon
As they arrived in Crabapple Cove, Hawkeye spoke up.
"We made it just in time," he said glancing at Margaret, who was confused by what he just said.
Hawkeye stopped the car and got out. He walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Margaret.
"Where are we going?" she asked, even more puzzled than before.
"You'll see." Hawkeye said as he took her hand and led her up a rocky hill. "Close your eyes." He said to her.
He led her farther up the hill until he stopped. "Ok," he said, "Open your eyes."
Margaret slowly opened her eyes and the sight that lay before her took her breath away. The sun was starting to set over the ocean. The scene looked like a painting. The clouds were splashed with vibrant shades of pink, orange and yellow. The waves crashed up onto the rocky shore. A warm breeze swept over them as they stood on top of the rocky cliff.
"Oh, Hawkeye! It's just beautiful!" Margaret gasped. "I'm so glad you showed me this! It's even more beautiful than the way you described it!"
Hawkeye smiled at her. "When I was young, my dad would bring me here. It was when my mom got sick. Even after that, he always brought me here. It's kind of a place for thinking about important things. My dad brought me here when he told me my mom died. Bringing me here made it easier on him and me I think."
Margaret had tears in her eyes. She stood there speechless. She had never seen Hawkeye speak with such sincereity. He had a very solemn tone. She'd never seen this side of him.
Hawkeye looked into here eyes. "Margaret, I have something to tell you." He paused. Margaret sat down beside him. "Go on."
Crabapple Cove, Maine 1954
It had almost been a year since the war had ended. Hawkeye Pierce sat on the front porch of his childhood home, lost in thought. Ever since he'd gotten back from Korea, things just hadn't the same. He felt lost and empty. He felt as if he couldn't trust anyone. All of a sudden, his concentration was broken when he heard the front door open.
"Hawkeye, you've been out here for some time now. You ok?"
Daniel Pierce had noticed the change in his son when he first returned, but he thought Hawkeye would've been fine now.
"Yeah, Dad. I'm fine.' Hawkeye said reassuringly, seeing the worried look on his father's face.
Hawkeye stood up from the porch swing he was sitting on and stretched. The two men walked into the house for supper when the phone rang.
"Hello?" The elder Pierce answered. "Yeah, Hawkeye's here. May I ask who's speaking? Oh! Of course! Hold on a moment!"
"Hawk, you have a phone call."
Daniel walked out of the kitchen to give his son some privacy.
"Hello, this is Ben Pierce."
"Hi, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye lost his breath at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line.
"Margaret?! Hi! How've you been?"
"Oh, not too bad. But I was thinking about everyone and I decided to give you a call."
"I'm glad you did! So where does the army have you stationed now?"
"Oh, I'm not in the army anymore. I was tired of it. Ever since I was young I was never in one place long enough to get settled. I just thought it was time for a change."
"So what are you doing now?" Hawkeye asked, taking a bit of the sandwich he just made for dinner.
"Well, I'm a nurse at a hospital in San Francisco. I called to tell you that there is a nurse's convention I have to go to in Boston of the 25th. I was just wondering if you'd like to meet me there and talk some more. Maybe have lunch or something."
Hawkeye nearly jumped out of his chair with excitement. He had always enjoyed her company and immediately accepted her invitation.
Boston, Massachusetts
Hawkeye entered a room full of nurses. A year ago, this would have been a dream come true for Hawkeye and we would've charmed every nurse there. But he knew exactly who was looking for and spotted Margaret right away. As far as he was concerned, they were the only two there. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Margaret knew right away it was Hawkeye. Nobody else could make her feel as safe as she did when she was in his arms.
"Hawkeye!!" She said as she turned around and threw her arms around him.
When she stepped back, Hawkeye stared at her. "She is just as beautiful as ever", he thought. "Even more beautiful if that's at all possible."
"Hi, Margaret!" Hawkeye gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"God, it's great to see you!" Margaret said as she hugged him again. "It seems like it's been forever!!"
"You have no idea," Hawkeye said with a grin.
After the Conference
"So," Margaret said, "Are you hungry? There's this little café I saw by my hotel. We can eat some lunch and talk some more."
"You read my mind." Hawkeye said with his trademark smile.
Margaret and Hawkeye spent all afternoon talking. They talked about everything. They're old friends, what they've been up to. However, the one thing they never talked about was the one thing that needed to be said. Hawkeye had struggled with it in his mind over and over. He couldn't deny the way he felt about her. He knew he loved her ever since the night they had shared together in Korea. He loved her then, and he would love her always. Margaret had been hurt and Hawkeye knew that she was afraid of letting anyone get too close to her. So he kept his feelings inside and tried to ignore them, but you can't choose who you fall in love with.
"Margaret," Hawkeye said as they walked out of the little café, "Since you're already here, how would you like to go back with me to Crabapple Cove for a few days?" Margaret smiled. "If it's as beautiful as you always said it was, I would love to see it."
They continued to walk down the sidewalk until they came to her hotel.
"Ok, let's go up and get my things and we'll go, ok?"
Hawkeye nodded and the two went to her room. Margaret gathered her stuff.
"Just let me fix my hair and then we can go. You can watch the t.v. if you'd like."
Hawkeye sat down in the over-sized chair and turned on the t.v. Meanwhile, Margaret was in the bathroom fixing her hair. "I wonder what's the matter with Hawkeye?" she thought. "He didn't make a pass at me one today! That's not the Hawkeye I know!"
Margaret finished fixing her hair and came out of the bathroom. "Ok, I'm ready!" Margaret said as she picked up her bag.
Later that afternoon
As they arrived in Crabapple Cove, Hawkeye spoke up.
"We made it just in time," he said glancing at Margaret, who was confused by what he just said.
Hawkeye stopped the car and got out. He walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Margaret.
"Where are we going?" she asked, even more puzzled than before.
"You'll see." Hawkeye said as he took her hand and led her up a rocky hill. "Close your eyes." He said to her.
He led her farther up the hill until he stopped. "Ok," he said, "Open your eyes."
Margaret slowly opened her eyes and the sight that lay before her took her breath away. The sun was starting to set over the ocean. The scene looked like a painting. The clouds were splashed with vibrant shades of pink, orange and yellow. The waves crashed up onto the rocky shore. A warm breeze swept over them as they stood on top of the rocky cliff.
"Oh, Hawkeye! It's just beautiful!" Margaret gasped. "I'm so glad you showed me this! It's even more beautiful than the way you described it!"
Hawkeye smiled at her. "When I was young, my dad would bring me here. It was when my mom got sick. Even after that, he always brought me here. It's kind of a place for thinking about important things. My dad brought me here when he told me my mom died. Bringing me here made it easier on him and me I think."
Margaret had tears in her eyes. She stood there speechless. She had never seen Hawkeye speak with such sincereity. He had a very solemn tone. She'd never seen this side of him.
Hawkeye looked into here eyes. "Margaret, I have something to tell you." He paused. Margaret sat down beside him. "Go on."