A/n: Thank you for the reviews! Since you were all sooo nice, I'm going to post the next chapter. Please tell me if I should continue it, or whatever you want, Ok?? I hope you like the chapter! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfazed by Hawker's outburst, Margaret stood up and walked after him. He was sitting on his cot, in the Swamp. She walked up, and touched his shoulder. He didn't look at her, just stared straight ahead.

"Hawkeye, I-" she stopped, unsure how to say what she felt. She was beginning to get upset. She knew something was wrong, and she wanted to help him, but he wasn't letting her. She also knew that whatever was troubling him was serious.

"Margaret, please. Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anyone," he said quietly. The anger had left his voice, leaving tiredness and defeat. This made Margaret even more determined to find out what was wrong with Hawkeye.

"No. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong. Please, Hawkeye. Tell me. You haven't been acting like yourself. You won't talk to anyone, even BJ. You don't do anything but mope around the compound!"

Hawkeye was angry again. No one would leave him alone! That was all he wanted. He had a right to "mope", after what he had seen, what he had caused that day. He stood up, and whirled around to face her. She could see the anger on his face. His cerulean blue eyes were haunted.

"Fine, you want to know what's been bothering me? You want to know why I didn't operate on that little girl in OR? It's because I killed a little girl. She's dead because of me!" He stopped, realizing what he had said. He hadn't meant to say that.

Margaret stared, shocked, at Hawkeye. "W-what did you say?"

Hawkeye stared back at her, then sat down, his head in his hands. "You heard me. I killed a little girl. About the same age as the one in OR."

Margaret got up and sat next to him. "Oh, Hawkeye. What happened? Please, tell me."

Hawkeye sighed, then said quietly. "You remember the bus ride back from R&R?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with-" Margaret stopped as realization dawned on her. "You're talking about the baby on the bus? Hawkeye, how was that your fault?"

Hawkeye looked up at her. There were tears shining in his eyes that he was struggling to hold back. He swallowed the lump in his through, closed his eyes, and said, "I told the mother to keep the baby quiet. She smothered the baby because I told her to keep it quiet. It's my fault. The baby is dead because of me." He stared miserably ahead, both very upset and very relieved to have finally told someone what he had done. Margaret stared at him, shocked by what he had said. "Hawkeye, it wasn't your fault. You didn't make the mother do anything. She made that choice, not you."

Hawkeye looked over at her. His breath shuddered in and out. A single tear made its way down his cheek. He closed his eyes to hold in the rest. Margaret wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "Shh, shh. Just let it go. Let it out, Hawkeye." When she said that, he couldn't hold in the tears anymore.

Margaret sat, hugging Hawkeye, trying to comfort him.

"Hawkeye, it wasn't your fault." He pulled away from her, anguish in his eyes.

"How can you say that? It's all my fault. The mother only did it because I said to keep the baby quiet."

Margaret shook her head. "No, Hawkeye. It wasn't your fault. You didn't make the mother do anything. She killed her own child. You didn't. It's not your fault. Any of it." Hawkeye just sat, staring straight ahead. Suddenly he turned and looked at her.

"You're the only person who I've told." He felt so much better, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Well, I'm glad you thought you could tell me. I've told you a lot of things. It's only about time you returned the favor." She said the last part a little hesitantly, hoping he would think it was funny. She was rewarded with a small smile.

"Come on. I think you and I have duty in Post Op. Time to relieve BJ." She stood up. Hawkeye looked up at her, then slowly stood up.

"Al right. Let's go." They walked over towards Post-Op. Just before they went through the door, Hawkeye stopped.

"Margaret?" "Yeah, Hawkeye?" He smiled at her. "Thanks."

She smiled in return. "No problem.

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and they went into Post-Op.

THE END (or to be continued, who knows?)

A/N: Well, what do you think? Should I continue it and make it an H/M????? Or should I just leave it??? Anything I should change? Oh, BTW, I know Hawkeye was supposed to visit Sydney and stuff like that, but I took that part out, it didn't really go w/ the plot, ok?? R&R, please, please, please, please, please?????????????? Thank you for reading, and please read my other M*A*S*H* fanfics!!