A/N: Well, here it is guys, the long awaited answer to whether or not
Hawkeye and the little girl will pull through!
BJ emerged wearily from theatre carrying the little girl with not only the care of a doctor but also with the love of a well-practised father. He'd fought long and hard for his patient's life and finally had won. He stepped back in surprise as he saw Margaret, Potter, Father Mulcahy, Sidney and Klinger waiting anxiously.
"She'll be okay." His three words had everyone heaving a sigh of relief. "Mostly internal bruising, she wasn't so badly hurt as we thought, only minor injuries, she's living, breathing and in plenty of time she can be a mother too. Our next issue however is where does she go?" BJ directed his gaze towards the Colonel when Sidney spoke up.
"On the bunk nearest Hawkeye, his sanity is relying on this child, and if you're sure she's going to live, I think being near her and watching her survive will be beneficial for him."
"Colonel?" BJ queried, still cradling the precious life.
"You heard the doctor, Major, get a bed near Hawkeye's for the little lady."
"Colonel, permission requested to stay in Post-Op with Hawkeye and the girl." Margaret asked.
"Granted." Potter sighed, seeing that it meant a lot to Margaret to watch Hawkeye survive. The group went their separate ways.
"What day is it?" Hawkeye groaned, opening his eyes. He was still in Post- Op and had spent the better part of the last 24 hours sound asleep, and despite present weariness, looked much better for it.
"Monday the 11th." Margaret answered. She was checking on the little girl in and her movements had woken Hawkeye, who noted with surprise and pleasure, that her cot was still set up beside his.
"Is she okay?" Hawkeye asked anxiously, nothing was a mystery to him any more, nothing except why Margaret had the rings that is.
"She'll be fine Hawkeye." Margaret replied, brushing a strand of hair off the little girl's cheek.
"So I didn't kill her then?" Panic still hinted in his voice, but he no longer acted oddly.
"No. She wasn't so badly injured as we thought, she's very lucky, but her parents haven't been. A few civilians, came into the 8063rd, shelling, two were worried about their almost 3-year-old daughter, who they'd seen run into the path of a jeep before the shelling got bad. They both died later, so we have a legal orphan here." Margaret said.
"That's terrible." Hawkeye said.
"I know." Margaret laid a soft hand against his face.
"Can I give her a name then? So we don't just have to call her it, or the girl."
"I suppose so." Margaret said. "It will be nice to have a name to call her." She was already attached to the child.
"Charlotte." Hawkeye said without hesitation, "After my Mum. BJ and Mulcahy can pick her other names. Seeing as they saved her life."
"I'll let them know, Sidney wanted to talk with you a little more, see if you can fit the last pieces of the puzzle."
"Like why you have my rings? I know why you have them, I love you." Hawkeye insisted, he was not yet aware of his supposed death.
"I know why I wear them, and that's not why you gave them to me Hawkeye, I only wish it had been though."
"I think you've said enough Major Houlihan." Sidney cautioned, entering the room. Margaret jumped and fell quiet as Sidney bent over the girl for a second and then settled beside Hawkeye's bed, sitting cross-legged on Margaret's cot.
"So Hawkeye, I hear you remember more." Hawkeye now knew who he was, and what had happened to the girl, his will was still a blank in his mind.
"I remember everything! Even why the most beautiful nurse on this planet is wearing my rings."
"Hawkeye, perhaps if I drop a few more names, and objects something might come back to you." Sidney said, deliberately ignoring Hawkeye.
"Go ahead." Hawkeye agreed wearily. "I still know why I gave Margaret the rings, I love her and . . ."
"Is the reason Klinger has your Hawaiian shirt because you love him? And I guess that's also the reason why Father Mulcahy is wearing your bars, and why the Colonel has The Last Of The Mohecans, your copy, in his footlocker, because you love him." Sidney kept his voice rational.
"What, I said they could have them if I was dead!" Hawkeye realised the truth, "And BJ had a list of his patients for Erin, and . . ."
"Margaret has your mother's rings." Sidney finished for Hawkeye. "Hawkeye, we all believed that you were dead. You lost your dog tags, and you'd been missing for so long, they declared you MIA and then KIA when they found your tags."
"Oh Jesus, that can't be true, you really thought I was dead, oh god, oh god, I can't believe it!" Hawkeye began sobbing brokenly again, and Margaret was quick to take him close.
"Hawkeye, you interrupted your own funeral." Margaret said softly a few minutes later when Hawkeye's hysterical tears subsided.
"No wonder you were so glad to see me." Hawkeye whispered.
"I was very glad, I couldn't bear the thought of living without you." Margaret said, climbing onto the bed beside Hawkeye, who wrapped her tightly in his arms. Sidney chose this moment to slip away, leaving the two alone, holding each other and coming to terms with things.
"How're things?" Colonel Potter asked. Sidney glanced back into Post-Op, newly-named Charlotte slept, and on the bed beside her newly found lovers, or so Sidney suspected, embraced silently, realising the truth of it all.
"He'll be fine, he knows, and it came as a shock, but he's got people here who love him very much, and in time, he will understand, especially with Margaret by his side, and I don't think she's going to be leaving it."
"Well, if she does, she'll receive a boot so gosh darn hard in her patoot, it'll blow her into next week!" The Colonel laughed, looking at Margaret and Hawkeye, the blonde head and the black were so tightly close together, it was hard to determine where Hawkeye began and Margaret ended.
"It looks like things are going to be okay." BJ said, coming up with Father Mulcahy, looking in as Hawkeye and Margaret now studied each other with awe, Hawkeye holding Margaret's hand, looking at the rings.
"I know why I gave them to you then, and I want to give them to you now, in a slightly different spirit, you're still the most special woman I ever met, but instead of just admiring you as a nurse, Major and friend, I love you. Will you accept them in the spirit in which they are given?"
"Of course I will, I love you too." Margaret whispered. "You do mean marry you, don't you?"
"Yes!" Hawkeye laughed, realising his proposal had been rather indirect.
"Well, then just call me Mrs Pierce." Margaret smiled, leaning in to kiss Hawkeye.
"BJ, I do believe you're right." Potter said, watching as they kissed for the first and not the last time.
"Well praise the Lord." Father Mulcahy tilted his eyes upwards. The room had begun to cheer a little and Hawkeye let go of Margaret, who hastily straightened her clothes and left, bumping into the men.
"This is just my opinion doctors, but it's my belief that Captain Pierce is well enough to return to his own tent." BJ stifled a laugh, while Sidney averted his eyes and Father Mulcahy missed the meaning entirely.
"Of course." The Colonel managed with a poker face.
"By the way, Hawkeye has named the girl Charlotte, BJ, father he says you can pick her other names." Margaret informed them, both men looked touched and honoured. Margaret left the room nonchalantly, as though there had been nothing odd in kissing a patient.
"Boys, I suggest you pick a name that sounds good with Pierce." The Colonel smiled. "I don't think we've heard the last of Hawkeye, or seen the last of little Charlotte." He didn't know how right he was.
BJ emerged wearily from theatre carrying the little girl with not only the care of a doctor but also with the love of a well-practised father. He'd fought long and hard for his patient's life and finally had won. He stepped back in surprise as he saw Margaret, Potter, Father Mulcahy, Sidney and Klinger waiting anxiously.
"She'll be okay." His three words had everyone heaving a sigh of relief. "Mostly internal bruising, she wasn't so badly hurt as we thought, only minor injuries, she's living, breathing and in plenty of time she can be a mother too. Our next issue however is where does she go?" BJ directed his gaze towards the Colonel when Sidney spoke up.
"On the bunk nearest Hawkeye, his sanity is relying on this child, and if you're sure she's going to live, I think being near her and watching her survive will be beneficial for him."
"Colonel?" BJ queried, still cradling the precious life.
"You heard the doctor, Major, get a bed near Hawkeye's for the little lady."
"Colonel, permission requested to stay in Post-Op with Hawkeye and the girl." Margaret asked.
"Granted." Potter sighed, seeing that it meant a lot to Margaret to watch Hawkeye survive. The group went their separate ways.
"What day is it?" Hawkeye groaned, opening his eyes. He was still in Post- Op and had spent the better part of the last 24 hours sound asleep, and despite present weariness, looked much better for it.
"Monday the 11th." Margaret answered. She was checking on the little girl in and her movements had woken Hawkeye, who noted with surprise and pleasure, that her cot was still set up beside his.
"Is she okay?" Hawkeye asked anxiously, nothing was a mystery to him any more, nothing except why Margaret had the rings that is.
"She'll be fine Hawkeye." Margaret replied, brushing a strand of hair off the little girl's cheek.
"So I didn't kill her then?" Panic still hinted in his voice, but he no longer acted oddly.
"No. She wasn't so badly injured as we thought, she's very lucky, but her parents haven't been. A few civilians, came into the 8063rd, shelling, two were worried about their almost 3-year-old daughter, who they'd seen run into the path of a jeep before the shelling got bad. They both died later, so we have a legal orphan here." Margaret said.
"That's terrible." Hawkeye said.
"I know." Margaret laid a soft hand against his face.
"Can I give her a name then? So we don't just have to call her it, or the girl."
"I suppose so." Margaret said. "It will be nice to have a name to call her." She was already attached to the child.
"Charlotte." Hawkeye said without hesitation, "After my Mum. BJ and Mulcahy can pick her other names. Seeing as they saved her life."
"I'll let them know, Sidney wanted to talk with you a little more, see if you can fit the last pieces of the puzzle."
"Like why you have my rings? I know why you have them, I love you." Hawkeye insisted, he was not yet aware of his supposed death.
"I know why I wear them, and that's not why you gave them to me Hawkeye, I only wish it had been though."
"I think you've said enough Major Houlihan." Sidney cautioned, entering the room. Margaret jumped and fell quiet as Sidney bent over the girl for a second and then settled beside Hawkeye's bed, sitting cross-legged on Margaret's cot.
"So Hawkeye, I hear you remember more." Hawkeye now knew who he was, and what had happened to the girl, his will was still a blank in his mind.
"I remember everything! Even why the most beautiful nurse on this planet is wearing my rings."
"Hawkeye, perhaps if I drop a few more names, and objects something might come back to you." Sidney said, deliberately ignoring Hawkeye.
"Go ahead." Hawkeye agreed wearily. "I still know why I gave Margaret the rings, I love her and . . ."
"Is the reason Klinger has your Hawaiian shirt because you love him? And I guess that's also the reason why Father Mulcahy is wearing your bars, and why the Colonel has The Last Of The Mohecans, your copy, in his footlocker, because you love him." Sidney kept his voice rational.
"What, I said they could have them if I was dead!" Hawkeye realised the truth, "And BJ had a list of his patients for Erin, and . . ."
"Margaret has your mother's rings." Sidney finished for Hawkeye. "Hawkeye, we all believed that you were dead. You lost your dog tags, and you'd been missing for so long, they declared you MIA and then KIA when they found your tags."
"Oh Jesus, that can't be true, you really thought I was dead, oh god, oh god, I can't believe it!" Hawkeye began sobbing brokenly again, and Margaret was quick to take him close.
"Hawkeye, you interrupted your own funeral." Margaret said softly a few minutes later when Hawkeye's hysterical tears subsided.
"No wonder you were so glad to see me." Hawkeye whispered.
"I was very glad, I couldn't bear the thought of living without you." Margaret said, climbing onto the bed beside Hawkeye, who wrapped her tightly in his arms. Sidney chose this moment to slip away, leaving the two alone, holding each other and coming to terms with things.
"How're things?" Colonel Potter asked. Sidney glanced back into Post-Op, newly-named Charlotte slept, and on the bed beside her newly found lovers, or so Sidney suspected, embraced silently, realising the truth of it all.
"He'll be fine, he knows, and it came as a shock, but he's got people here who love him very much, and in time, he will understand, especially with Margaret by his side, and I don't think she's going to be leaving it."
"Well, if she does, she'll receive a boot so gosh darn hard in her patoot, it'll blow her into next week!" The Colonel laughed, looking at Margaret and Hawkeye, the blonde head and the black were so tightly close together, it was hard to determine where Hawkeye began and Margaret ended.
"It looks like things are going to be okay." BJ said, coming up with Father Mulcahy, looking in as Hawkeye and Margaret now studied each other with awe, Hawkeye holding Margaret's hand, looking at the rings.
"I know why I gave them to you then, and I want to give them to you now, in a slightly different spirit, you're still the most special woman I ever met, but instead of just admiring you as a nurse, Major and friend, I love you. Will you accept them in the spirit in which they are given?"
"Of course I will, I love you too." Margaret whispered. "You do mean marry you, don't you?"
"Yes!" Hawkeye laughed, realising his proposal had been rather indirect.
"Well, then just call me Mrs Pierce." Margaret smiled, leaning in to kiss Hawkeye.
"BJ, I do believe you're right." Potter said, watching as they kissed for the first and not the last time.
"Well praise the Lord." Father Mulcahy tilted his eyes upwards. The room had begun to cheer a little and Hawkeye let go of Margaret, who hastily straightened her clothes and left, bumping into the men.
"This is just my opinion doctors, but it's my belief that Captain Pierce is well enough to return to his own tent." BJ stifled a laugh, while Sidney averted his eyes and Father Mulcahy missed the meaning entirely.
"Of course." The Colonel managed with a poker face.
"By the way, Hawkeye has named the girl Charlotte, BJ, father he says you can pick her other names." Margaret informed them, both men looked touched and honoured. Margaret left the room nonchalantly, as though there had been nothing odd in kissing a patient.
"Boys, I suggest you pick a name that sounds good with Pierce." The Colonel smiled. "I don't think we've heard the last of Hawkeye, or seen the last of little Charlotte." He didn't know how right he was.
