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The next morning Margaret woke up by the phone ringing. She quickly rolled over and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" She said sleepily.
"Hi Margaret." Hawkeye smiled. Margaret immediately sat up and smiled brightly.
"Hi. Why are you calling so early?"
"Well it seems I have your diaper bag."
"And I have yours." Margaret smiled.
"Well I was thinking. Why don't we head to the park today, the girls can play while we catch up. Then you can come back to my place and we'll have dinner." He saw this as his opportunity to get to know her again and was glad that the diaper bags had been switched.
"That's very sweet of you." Margaret smiled. "I don't know though."
"No if, ands, or buts about it!"
The two talked for a little while. Deciding on where to go when Margaret heard Haylie crying on her end and Lily crying on his. They both decided they better hang up and see their children.
"What's the matter Haylie?" Margaret asked walking into Haylie's bedroom. The toddler saw her mother and started to bounce merrily in her crib. "You just wanted Mommy did you?"
"Yeah!"
"I thought so. We're going to the park today."
"Ark?"
"Yes. With Hawkeye and Lily."
"Ily?"
"Yes Lily. Lily has your diaper bag."
"Why?"
"Cause Mommy took Lily's and Hawkeye took yours."
"Oh. Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Hungy."
"Okay, we'll make you some breakfast."
"Kay." Haylie smiled wrapping her chubby little arms around Margaret's neck. After Margaret made breakfast for the little girl, she ate and got cleaned up so that they could meet Hawkeye. The four were going to the park then out for lunch and back to Hawkeye's place for nap and dinner.
After everything was packed and ready to go, Margaret dressed Haylie in her play clothes and grabbed some necessities before heading out the door. Haylie was excited about spending the day with her new friend, and the funny man.
When they arrived at the park, Hawkeye and Lily were sitting in the sand. Lily had a big smile on her face as she and her father were playing. Margaret put Haylie down and walked over to them. Lily saw her friend and smiled brighter.
"Dada! Ayie!" She smiled trying to stand up. Lily fell back down on her tush and laughed heartily. Haylie smiled and ran as fast as her chubby legs would let her to the sand box. Hawkeye stood up and walked over to Margaret. She had his diaper bag and was holding a few things to put in hers.
"Margaret."
"Hi Hawk," Margaret smiled. "Here's your diaper bag."
"Thanks. Yours is right over here." Hawkeye smiled guiding her over to the table. He handed her the bag and watched carefully as she put some items into it. Hawkeye did the same thing with his. "So um, how are you?"
"Good. And you?"
"Okay. Did you have fun last night?"
"I did actually. You?"
"Always. Lily seemed to take a shine to you and Haylie."
"She's a sweet little girl."
"And cute as hell." Hawkeye smiled as the two as they played. "Haylie is absolutely gorgeous." Margaret smiled at the complement. "Same with her mother."
"Thanks Hawkeye." Margaret smiled. She sat down on the bench and watched the girls play merrily.
"So I never got to talk to you much last night."
"I guess you didn't." Margaret smiled.
"So tell me how's life been treating you? I stopped getting letters from you after Haylie was born."
"I'm sorry. I was so busy and tired. The last thing on my mind was sitting down to write. It was hard raising her on my own."
"I know what you mean. After we found out about Lily, Sybil wanted a divorce, she carried the baby to term and left a week after the baby was born."
"I heard."
"From Charles?"
"No, BJ."
"You talked to BJ?"
"Yes, I called him about a week ago." Margaret smiled. Hawkeye smiled remembering his and BJ's conversation years ago.
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BJ smiled and sat down on his cot looking at the dark hair surgeon. Hawkeye sighed and plopped down on his own cot.
"What BJ?"
"You love her don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Just to the world. Well except maybe you two." BJ teased. "Seriously though Hawk, unless you do something about it, you'll lose her forever."
"I know. But you don't understand, I'm the one who said that nothing could come of us because we're so different."
"Well no one said you were the smartest person in the world. Do you know why you would be perfect for each other?" The other man shook his head. "Because you two are so different. Have you ever heard of the expression 'Opposites attract'?
"Yeah."
"Well it kinda applies here."
"What do you mean kinda?"
"You two aren't that different." BJ told his friend
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The two talked for a while, as they watched Lily and Haylie play. By the time nap time rolled around, both girls were extremely clingy and Lily was almost in tears. The two single parents brought them back to the Pierce place. Haylie clung to her mother until she fell asleep, which wasn't that long after they arrived. Lily cried until she was in her crib. After the children were asleep, the two walked into the kitchen and sat down.
"I'm going to put some coffee on." Hawkeye smiled standing up.
"Thanks."
"Look, sorry about Lily, she's usually much better behaved."
"Don't worry about it. Haylie was is usually much better herself."
"It looks like we have very similar daughters," Hawkeye mused as he set the sugar and cream on the table.
"It does, doesn't it?" Margaret smiled as she looked through the door at Lily who was sleeping peacefully. Then she stood up and looked in on Haylie who was sleeping on Hawkeye's bed.
She looked so cute lying with her pink blanket in the middle of his big bed. Her blonde curls all over the place. Hawkeye walked up behind her and rested his head against the side of her head.
"She's absolutely gorgeous."
"Yeah."
"Where did those eyes come from?"
"Donald."
"Funny they don't look like his."
"Well they're aren't all his. Remember she is mine too."
"That's where her beauty comes from, not Donald. I didn't think he was gorgeous." Hawkeye teased. "I actually thought he was quiet ugly, not comparing to my beauty." Margaret laughed and walked away from the door.
"What about Lily, where does she get her looks from?"
"Everything but the eyes from my side. She looks a lot like my mom did. The eyes are Sybil's though."
"BJ told me about Sybil."
"I bet he did. He didn't like her. None of the nurses did either. They loved you, you know that right?"
"What?"
"Margaret, after you left they realized that they would miss you. Some of them were devastated, hell I was devastated!"
"You were?"
"I was. You were what I would call my best female friend, who knows when to let me in, and kick my ass. And you weren't afraid to do either."
"I didn't know you cared." Margaret said looking at him oddly.
"Not knowing I cared is saying that you didn't know BJ was in love with Peg," Hawkeye said simply.
"What are you saying?" Margaret asked, a little bit confused.
"I'm saying that no matter what you thought, I always cared." Margaret smiled and hugged him. Which surprised Hawkeye, this woman never let anyone in on her emotions, but somehow he was as the exception.
"I never knew."
"Well now you do. What do you say we go and get a snack ready for the girls?" Margaret nodded and took the arm her offered. "Margaret?"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing this Saturday night?"
"Staying at home. Why?"
"I have to go to this thing at the hospital and was wondering if you would like to be my date."
"I don't know Hawkeye."
"Come on, I want to have some fun. Being in a ball room with a bunch of stuck up nosed doctors isn't what I call fun."
"Why don't you skip it?"
"I can't. It's mandatory." Hawkeye said kind of bitterly.
"Is it black tie?"
"Yup. Come one what do you say?"
"I'm going to have to get a baby-sitter, and my regular is gone Friday after school."
"No problem. Stacey, my baby-sitter, he lives upstairs and is always ready to baby-sit."
"I couldn't."
"Nonsense. I'll call him right now and ask him if he wouldn't mind watching another little girl."
"Hawkeye."
"Don't worry about it. Stacey has been taking care of Lily since she was six weeks old."
"You didn't stay with Lily?"
"I couldn't. Charles helped me for the first little while, but then well, I had no choice, I had to go back to work."
"I know how that is. I went back to work after eight weeks."
"That's terrible."
"Yeah well, I had no choice. I was living here for a month without working and it wasn't working well. My uncle and aunt supported me, but they couldn't do that forever."
"I understand. Don't worry about anything."
"I don't. I worry about everything. Haylie is my number one concern, worry and priority."
"And Lily is mine." Hawkeye smiled. "So what do you say about Saturday night?"
"Count me in."
"Great. I'll call Stacey to see if he minds baby-sitting."
"Okay. I'm going to get Haylie." Margaret smiled when she heard her daughter start crying. Margaret walked into Hawkeye's bedroom and saw the chubby little girl sitting on the bed crying her eyes out. "Haylie."
"Mommy!" Haylie sobbed crawling over to her mother and hugging her.
"What's the matter sweetie."
"Where me?" Haylie asked sniffling.
"We're at Lily's."
"Me wanna go home."
"After dinner baby."
"Kay. Baf?"
"Of course you can have a bath."
"Wif bubbles." Haylie said with a giant smile.
"That's right, with bubbles. You wouldn't have it any other way." Haylie grinned and leaned against her mother.
"What are you two up too?" Hawkeye grinned from the doorway.
"Me have baf when home." Haylie told the man. Hawkeye smiled at the two Houlihan's. Haylie was her mother's look-alike and shadow.
"Are you excited?"
"Uh huh. Me wike bafs."
"So do I." Hawkeye grinned. Haylie laughed and looked at her mother.
"Mommy, Awk wikes bafs, wike me." She told her mother.
"Wow," Margaret smiled pretending to be excited. Haylie laughed at her mother. Margaret loved to make Haylie laugh. "I love you my Haylie."
"Wuv oo Mommy." Haylie said hugging her mother.
"Daddy?" Lily asked crawling towards her father. The little girl was a year and a half but still preferred to crawl instead of walk. How she gets out of her crib without hurting herself was a mystery to everyone.
"Hey baby girl. What are you doing up?" Hawkeye asked her as he picked the little girl up.
"Say wif oo."
"Okay, you can stay with me."
"Daddy?"
"What is it?"
"Me potty." Lily said wiggling out of her father's arms and trying to run to the bathroom. Hawkeye followed her making sure she didn't hurt herself.
A few minutes later Lily walked out of the bathroom very proud of herself. She toddled over to Margaret and sat on her lap.
"Maggie me go potty."
"You did?" Lily nodded. "Wow, such a big girl."
"She just started potty training. It's so cute to see her. She could be helping me while I do my rounds, and stop in the middle of the hall and turn to me and go 'Daddy potty' and then afterwards she goes to the patient and tells him or her that she went to the bathroom."
"That's so cute. Haylie doesn't come to work with me often, only when my Aunt Betsy has an appointment. Then she drops her off with me for a couple hours. The patients adore her, so do the rest of the nurses."
"She's a doll."
"That she is. And you wouldn't believe how much I love that little girl."
"I have a clue." Hawkeye smiled rubbing Lily's back.
"Mommy?"
"Yes honey?"
"Me hungy."
"Yeah, so am I." Hawkeye smiled. "I know, what do you say instead of me making dinner, we go out. That way these girls won't starve while I make it."
"Yay!" Lily cheered clapping her hands together. Margaret laughed at the little girl and looked at Haylie who was playing with the lace on her socks.
"Why not. But I'm not letting you pay for it all. We'll split the bill."
"Okay, ninety ten,"
"Pierce," Margaret warned.
"Sixty forty. I'm paying for Haylie."
"Fine. But this little girl can sure eat."
"No problem, so can you."
"I beg your pardon?" Margaret asked sounding a bit astounded.
"I've seen you eat when there's actually edible food. But don't worry you always looked extremely beautiful."
"That's not what you said when you gave me my physical once." Margaret pointed out remembering when he told her she could lose a few pounds.
"Refresh my memory. What did I say?"
"You told me I could lose a few pounds."
"Did I say that? I don't remember saying that…Maybe you were imagining me saying that." Margaret burst out laughing, which caused Haylie to laugh, and then Lily and then Hawkeye.
"Mommy hungy." Haylie smiled when everyone settled down.
"Okay honey, lets go get some food. Where are we going?"
"I dunno. Mario's sound good to you?"
"Sure."
"I got Charles to come to Mario's once…"
"Did you really? How did you manage that?"
"Told him it was a fancy restaurant." Margaret laughed and put Haylie's sweater on and Hawkeye put Lily's on. After the kids were ready to go they walked to Mario's.
They had dinner and an enjoyable evening, getting to know each other again and making their little girls laugh and smile. It seemed so right to be together, but neither would say a thing, because neither wanted to risk their unique friendship.