Part Six: Another Day Of Suspense
"Mummy, why's is daddy late?" Danielle asked in the morning.
"Because my Princess, daddy's a doctor and he's busy." Margaret kissed Danielle's head as she passed her. They were having a more organised breakfast on the patio.
"Angel, Shortcake!" The two little girls came running, and Peggy put them into their chairs.
"Molly, breakfast!" Molly who had been absorbed in an ant crawling looked up at the mention of food. She toddled over to her mother who put her up in her highchair.
"Henry how many pancakes will you have today?" Patty chuckled as she set Henry in his chair.
"Eight-free!" He called, clapping his hands.
"Eighty-three hmm? Let's just start with one."
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Several pancakes later, it was decided as soon as Ryan and Nancy were up, the group would head to the beach.
"It's a lovely day, the beach will be perfect and we can take lunch." Peggy said.
"That'd be nice. Walter, how about you watch the kids while I help Peggy fix lunch? Patty suggested.
"They'll be okay, Erin's responsible enough to look after them if he likes, he and BJ can go find the fishing rods and set them up. We can have the babies in their prams just outside the kitchen." Peggy suggested.
"Okay, Henry be good, ma's just going to be in the kitchen with your Aunts okay?" Patty put the little boy who was wearing faded coveralls down and he joined Molly in the sandbox. BJ and Radar disappeared and the three women headed into the kitchen.
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"Come on Margaret, I don't know you well, but I know you're hiding something about that husband of yours what is it?" Peggy asked as she spread butter on the bread and made sandwiches.
"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about." Margaret asked innocently as she cut and wrapped the sandwiches Peggy and Patty were making. Outside the kitchen Ryan and Nancy slept in their prams.
"Margaret, Walter and BJ know your husband don't they?" Patty asked handing Margaret more salad sandwiches to cut. Margaret chuckled as Nancy fussed in her pram and Patty went and picked her up.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Margaret lied blatantly. "I've never introduced him to any of you." Patty and Peggy laughed knowingly.
"What if we agree not to tell our husbands, would you let us in on the joke then?" Patty asked. Peggy nodded her agreement and added a promise not to tell.
"Well, okay, only if you promise you won't tell anyone, not even the kids." Margaret said slowly.
"We promise." Peggy said honestly.
"Okay then, you win Ben's really . . ." Margaret sighed and began talking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BJ landed facedown in the sand as Erin hurled herself at his back. Once he was down, Danielle and Molly threw themselves on top of him too, cheering loudly. Little Henry followed and landed on BJ's legs. Patty ran over and swung the kids into the air one-by-one off BJ's back and handed them to Radar who tucked Molly under one arm and Henry under the other and ran down the beach, Erin and Danielle trying to keep up.
Peggy was giving Ryan some lunch and Margaret was having a nap, when Radar bolted down the beach. Grace sat with her mother, nursing Nancy under Peggy's eye. Peggy glanced at her watch as she burped Ryan and saw the time.
"Goodness, I'd better go get the Potters from the airport!" She exclaimed, realising she should have left 5 minutes before. "I'll go word them up about not letting on they know about you and Ben." She added in an undertone to Margaret as she lay her now sleeping son in his pram.
"Okay, see you back here." Margaret mumbled to herself, the baby had kept her up all night and now that it was finally quiet, she was trying to catch up on some sleep. Peggy left, knowing that her kids were in good hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Margaret! It's so good to see you. My you're looking well!" Colonel Potter exclaimed, hugging the heavily pregnant woman. She beamed radiantly, pregnancy agreed with her, and she enjoyed the nine sacred months she spent that way.
"Yes Margaret, you're looking wonderful." Mildred agreed.
"Thankyou Colonel, Mrs Potter, now, have you met the kids?"
"You have more children, goodness! I thought you wouldn't have had any yet!" Mildred exclaimed.
"Little secret, I was three months pregnant when I married." Margaret stage- whispered, calling her two wet, sandy girls to her side.
"Danielle, Molly, this is Colonel and Mrs Potter. Colonel, Mrs Potter these are my daughters Danielle 'Princess' Joy and Margaret 'Sweet Pea' Rhiannon."
"Pleased to meet you little ladies." Colonel Potter, fit as ever bent beside the girls, Molly threw herself around his neck with a shriek of 'Daddy' and Danielle offered a sticky hand for him to shake.
"Molly, baby you know that Daddy's coming tomorrow morning. I trust Peggy explained everything?" Margaret whispered in an undertone.
"Yes she did, don't worry, who else do we have to confuse by the way?" Colonel Potter replied, as Margaret tried and failed to detach her smallest daughter.
"No one who isn't here already." Margaret replied, shrugging as Molly held onto Colonel Potter's clothes, leaving a damp patch. "Honey, you're getting Colonel Potter's clothes all yucky."
"Yucky?" Molly asked with a gurgle.
"Yes yucky." Margaret repeated as Molly finally relinquished her hold and toddled off in pursuit of BJ and Henry.
"I am exhausted!" Margaret announced a few hours later, and it was proposed that everyone would walk back to the Honnicut home for a light supper, warm showers and bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on Peggy, won't you tell me please?" BJ begged as his wife slipped into bed after settling little Ryan.
"Let me think for a second, no!" Peggy replied with a laugh.
"Come on Peg, you know, so does Patty, and I think Colonel Potter and Mildred do too, now would you let me in on the joke?"
"BJ Margaret wants you to wait, so you impatient but cute little boy you, you're just going to have to wait with Radar." Peggy smiled, capturing her husband's dissatisfied frown with a playful kiss.
"You're a tease, but did I tell you I loved you?" He replied wrapping his arms around his wife.
"Multiple times BJ Honnicut. But I'm still not going to tell you the real identity of Margaret's husband!" BJ groaned and kissed his wife. From downstairs, Patty and Radar's voices floated up, making Margaret smile as she heard them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Patricia Maryanne O'Reilly!" Radar sat up in bed, his young son between him and his wife clutching a teddy bear.
"Yes Walter Eugene O'Reilly?" Patty asked teasingly, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Henry.
"Tell me who Major Margaret's married please?" Radar begged.
"Can't you tell who, with your 'radar' Radar?" His young bride teased.
"No, Margaret's not telling me anything!" Radar protested.
"Well then I won't." Patty finished with a smile, lying down and turning off her lamp.
"Geez, never give a short guy a break will you?" Radar muttered lying down. Patty chuckled to herself as her husband continued grumbling until he fell asleep.
Upstairs and downstairs, it was two very unsatisfied men that went to sleep that night.
"Mummy, why's is daddy late?" Danielle asked in the morning.
"Because my Princess, daddy's a doctor and he's busy." Margaret kissed Danielle's head as she passed her. They were having a more organised breakfast on the patio.
"Angel, Shortcake!" The two little girls came running, and Peggy put them into their chairs.
"Molly, breakfast!" Molly who had been absorbed in an ant crawling looked up at the mention of food. She toddled over to her mother who put her up in her highchair.
"Henry how many pancakes will you have today?" Patty chuckled as she set Henry in his chair.
"Eight-free!" He called, clapping his hands.
"Eighty-three hmm? Let's just start with one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several pancakes later, it was decided as soon as Ryan and Nancy were up, the group would head to the beach.
"It's a lovely day, the beach will be perfect and we can take lunch." Peggy said.
"That'd be nice. Walter, how about you watch the kids while I help Peggy fix lunch? Patty suggested.
"They'll be okay, Erin's responsible enough to look after them if he likes, he and BJ can go find the fishing rods and set them up. We can have the babies in their prams just outside the kitchen." Peggy suggested.
"Okay, Henry be good, ma's just going to be in the kitchen with your Aunts okay?" Patty put the little boy who was wearing faded coveralls down and he joined Molly in the sandbox. BJ and Radar disappeared and the three women headed into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on Margaret, I don't know you well, but I know you're hiding something about that husband of yours what is it?" Peggy asked as she spread butter on the bread and made sandwiches.
"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about." Margaret asked innocently as she cut and wrapped the sandwiches Peggy and Patty were making. Outside the kitchen Ryan and Nancy slept in their prams.
"Margaret, Walter and BJ know your husband don't they?" Patty asked handing Margaret more salad sandwiches to cut. Margaret chuckled as Nancy fussed in her pram and Patty went and picked her up.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Margaret lied blatantly. "I've never introduced him to any of you." Patty and Peggy laughed knowingly.
"What if we agree not to tell our husbands, would you let us in on the joke then?" Patty asked. Peggy nodded her agreement and added a promise not to tell.
"Well, okay, only if you promise you won't tell anyone, not even the kids." Margaret said slowly.
"We promise." Peggy said honestly.
"Okay then, you win Ben's really . . ." Margaret sighed and began talking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BJ landed facedown in the sand as Erin hurled herself at his back. Once he was down, Danielle and Molly threw themselves on top of him too, cheering loudly. Little Henry followed and landed on BJ's legs. Patty ran over and swung the kids into the air one-by-one off BJ's back and handed them to Radar who tucked Molly under one arm and Henry under the other and ran down the beach, Erin and Danielle trying to keep up.
Peggy was giving Ryan some lunch and Margaret was having a nap, when Radar bolted down the beach. Grace sat with her mother, nursing Nancy under Peggy's eye. Peggy glanced at her watch as she burped Ryan and saw the time.
"Goodness, I'd better go get the Potters from the airport!" She exclaimed, realising she should have left 5 minutes before. "I'll go word them up about not letting on they know about you and Ben." She added in an undertone to Margaret as she lay her now sleeping son in his pram.
"Okay, see you back here." Margaret mumbled to herself, the baby had kept her up all night and now that it was finally quiet, she was trying to catch up on some sleep. Peggy left, knowing that her kids were in good hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Margaret! It's so good to see you. My you're looking well!" Colonel Potter exclaimed, hugging the heavily pregnant woman. She beamed radiantly, pregnancy agreed with her, and she enjoyed the nine sacred months she spent that way.
"Yes Margaret, you're looking wonderful." Mildred agreed.
"Thankyou Colonel, Mrs Potter, now, have you met the kids?"
"You have more children, goodness! I thought you wouldn't have had any yet!" Mildred exclaimed.
"Little secret, I was three months pregnant when I married." Margaret stage- whispered, calling her two wet, sandy girls to her side.
"Danielle, Molly, this is Colonel and Mrs Potter. Colonel, Mrs Potter these are my daughters Danielle 'Princess' Joy and Margaret 'Sweet Pea' Rhiannon."
"Pleased to meet you little ladies." Colonel Potter, fit as ever bent beside the girls, Molly threw herself around his neck with a shriek of 'Daddy' and Danielle offered a sticky hand for him to shake.
"Molly, baby you know that Daddy's coming tomorrow morning. I trust Peggy explained everything?" Margaret whispered in an undertone.
"Yes she did, don't worry, who else do we have to confuse by the way?" Colonel Potter replied, as Margaret tried and failed to detach her smallest daughter.
"No one who isn't here already." Margaret replied, shrugging as Molly held onto Colonel Potter's clothes, leaving a damp patch. "Honey, you're getting Colonel Potter's clothes all yucky."
"Yucky?" Molly asked with a gurgle.
"Yes yucky." Margaret repeated as Molly finally relinquished her hold and toddled off in pursuit of BJ and Henry.
"I am exhausted!" Margaret announced a few hours later, and it was proposed that everyone would walk back to the Honnicut home for a light supper, warm showers and bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on Peggy, won't you tell me please?" BJ begged as his wife slipped into bed after settling little Ryan.
"Let me think for a second, no!" Peggy replied with a laugh.
"Come on Peg, you know, so does Patty, and I think Colonel Potter and Mildred do too, now would you let me in on the joke?"
"BJ Margaret wants you to wait, so you impatient but cute little boy you, you're just going to have to wait with Radar." Peggy smiled, capturing her husband's dissatisfied frown with a playful kiss.
"You're a tease, but did I tell you I loved you?" He replied wrapping his arms around his wife.
"Multiple times BJ Honnicut. But I'm still not going to tell you the real identity of Margaret's husband!" BJ groaned and kissed his wife. From downstairs, Patty and Radar's voices floated up, making Margaret smile as she heard them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Patricia Maryanne O'Reilly!" Radar sat up in bed, his young son between him and his wife clutching a teddy bear.
"Yes Walter Eugene O'Reilly?" Patty asked teasingly, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Henry.
"Tell me who Major Margaret's married please?" Radar begged.
"Can't you tell who, with your 'radar' Radar?" His young bride teased.
"No, Margaret's not telling me anything!" Radar protested.
"Well then I won't." Patty finished with a smile, lying down and turning off her lamp.
"Geez, never give a short guy a break will you?" Radar muttered lying down. Patty chuckled to herself as her husband continued grumbling until he fell asleep.
Upstairs and downstairs, it was two very unsatisfied men that went to sleep that night.