A/N: HUGE thanks to Beatrice for her idea for the storyline in this
chapter. Also thanks to Indecent writer, BB007, Frankie, Kilikina, and
anyone I may have left out for reviews! These guys are great, do them a
favour, read their stories! C'mon, just do it, you know you want to!
November - December 1959
"Take that out of your mouth mate, you don't know where it's been." Daniel, now a sweet 20-week-old ignored me and continued chewing his sister's doll. I bent down and removed the doll from his mouth. He burbled at me and spat up a bit of milk.
"Guess who I met today?" Hawkeye breezed in from work. I looked up from my position on the floor, cleaning up milk spit. "Laura Molloy, from high school, head cheerleader, so talented."
"Really?" I asked. "How did you come across her?" I straightened up with Danny in my arms to give him a kiss.
"I had to go into Portland and I took a cab, she rear-ended us." Hawkeye informed me.
"Oh? Everyone okay?" Concern raised the pitch of my voice a little.
"Quite alright, I got a bit of a jarred neck though, and I was thinking, seeing as how fabulous you have always been at massage, that maybe you'd like to give it a rub later on." He raised a hopeful eyebrow.
"Sure darling." I laughed. "Now take your son or finish cooking dinner."
"Slave driver." He muttered, taking Danny from me. "Hey mate, did you have a good day? Daddy did! Oh and Anne my goddess, Laura and I are having lunch tomorrow okay?"
"Yeah." I called back as Hawkeye went upstairs, telling Danny about Laura.
"Are you okay Felicity?" I knocked on her door. It was a few days later and she was getting dressed for kinder.
"Yes Mum." Since she and Ben had started school, they'd stopped calling me Mummy and tried to do things themselves more often. It was all part of them growing up, I knew, but I didn't like the feeling that came from knowing the two children whom I'd given birth to, fed, bathed, protected, and done so much for, didn't need the same level of care that they used to.
"Benny-boy, are you managing to brush your hair okay?" The soft floppy hair was hard to get looking neat.
"Mum, I'm fine!" He replied confidently. Feeling a little dejected, I went into our room, Hawkeye was dressing, while talking to Danny who'd just had a bottle. Because I worked, I couldn't keep feeding him forever, and he was almost weaned already, so I could go back to work after Christmas, it felt strange being more work than family-oriented, but I really did enjoy working.
"Hawk, sometimes I have to wonder, why do I bother having kids when I know they're going to grow up and stop needing me?" I lay back on the bed. Already my housedress had small fingerprints and jammy smears from breakfast.
"They'll never stop needing you entirely Anne-child, now which sweater goes best with this shirt?"
"What are you doing today?" I asked, he never wanted help picking clothes unless it was important.
"Lunch with Laura." This was the fourth day in a row since he'd met her that he'd gone out to lunch with her.
"Again?" I murmured, and then replied, "That one. I love looking after them, it hurts to know they don't need it."
"You'll be fine, I have to go, wish me luck." He bent down and kissed me.
"Yeah, see you." I sighed, Hawkeye rushed out of the house, kissing various children and leaving.
"You won't stop needing me for a while will you Danny?" I addressed the little boy who was sucking on his empty bottle. He'd learnt to hold a bottle very quickly and he enjoyed chewing on the teat once the milk was gone, but to be safe he was still held while he drank. However, he seemed to know that I needed reassurance and he dropped the bottle and started to cry. Feeling better, I picked him up and began soothing him.
"Honey, is it okay if Laura comes around for dinner tonight?" Hawkeye rang from work two days later. I hadn't seen him much, if at all between work, kinder, and his lunch or even dinner meetings with Laura.
"Whatever, it's Edna who's cooking tonight." I replied with a shrug, even though he couldn't see it.
"Baby are you okay? You sound upset?" In my mind I was giving him a tirade that upset was an understatement, and that I was sick of all this attention Laura was getting, but I calmly replied that I was 'just tired' before we said goodbye and hung up.
"Edna, Hawkeye's bringing a guest home." I informed her. She now only worked at the clinic two days a week, and fortunately today was not one of them. If it had been, I might not have been so welcoming about an extra person, as I had a hard enough time cooking for four adults and five children. I was a good cook, but Edna enjoyed it far more than I did, she was born to be in a kitchen and was as at home in a kitchen as I was in a nursery.
"Extra guest, sure." She agreed, a smile on her face. I smiled and continued outside to join the kids in the backyard again, playing with the dogs. Lydia especially loved the dogs, they'd been there ever since she was tiny, and even though the others had all been around the dogs since they were small too, Lyddie had a special thing for them.
"Come on upstairs darlings, daddy will be home soon and we're having someone for dinner so we need to get dressed nicely." All six children, from the twins to Danny, were dirty after a hard day of school or play.
"Jess Baby, you and I are going to have a nice bath with Lydia and Danny, Angel-face, ask Ma to help you put this on, Sport, Princess, I can trust you to get dressed by yourselves." I lead the three youngest (and dirtiest!) to the bathroom. I ran a bath and put them in there, getting in myself. It was easier that way. Much splashing later I had three clean and dressed children.
"Laura, this is my wife, Annabelle, Anne, this is Laura Molloy." Hawkeye introduced us, and I stepped forwards, to find my self eye-to-cleavage with Laura. I took a step back and glanced up.
"Pleased to meet you." I feigned pleasure. Laura was a tall woman, and she didn't intimidate me, I'd learnt not to let taller people intimidate or bully me long before, but I didn't like the heavily made-up face, overly revealing clothes, and obviously dark roots in the pale blonde hair. In fact, I loathed her from the second I met her, I could see that she clearly had one thing on her mind, my husband and his potential seduction.
"Oh, you have children, I see." she sniffed, "How . . . delightful, what are their names?" There was obvious distaste in her manner as she asked that.
"Felicity, Benjamin, April, Jessica, Lydia and Daniel." I replied, pointing to each child in turn.
"Oh, how . . . pretty." She smiled thinly, plainly not meaning a word.
"Dinner's ready." Edna called from the kitchen.
"Oh, you have hired help I see." Laura sounded a little pleased as Edna scuttled back into the kitchen.
"That's my mother-in-law." I informed her icily.
"Of course." She said.
"Come on through," Hawkeye said, escorting Laura gently, and far too closely for my liking into the dining room.
"Oh, the children eat with you I see how . . . domestic." Laura sat gingerly in the chair Hawkeye pulled out for her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." I said with a smile as I settled the kids in their seats.
"Of course." Laura said. "Pork chops and salad, how. . . wonderful." By desert, she had 'how . . .' ed almost everything I'd said or done. I disliked her all more, especially as Hawkeye seemed to enjoy or not notice the fact that she was badmouthing his family, while she fawned all over him.
"Excuse me, I have to put Danny to bed, say goodnight to Daddy mate." Daddy merely kissed his son's hair. I put my son into his bed, and returned downstairs, where Laura was just leaving, her cab having arrived.
"Thankyou very much for coming." I closed the door with a polite grimace as Hawkeye walked her to her cab. The curtains were open and as I went to close them for the night, I saw Laura reach up to Hawkeye and kiss him. I would've brushed, or even laughed, it off as BJ and I kissed each other hello and goodbye, but it looked like Laura was giving him a tonsillectomy.
"Dad, Edna, come and see this." I beckoned them over. Hawkeye wasn't kissing her back, and he was obviously unhappy about the situation, but he wasn't exactly doing anything to stop her. Laura climbed into the taxi and left, and the three of us hurried away from the window before Hawkeye saw us.
"Goodnight Edna, Dad. Thanks for offering to put the kids to bed, I'm exhausted." I hugged each of them in turn as Hawkeye opened the front door again. I was heading sullenly up the staircase, and Hawkeye, not realising I'd seen him came up behind me.
"Goodnight my sweet, I love you." He kissed my cheek.
"Yeah, sure." I replied, shrugging away from his hold and heading up the stairs.
"What'd I do?" Hawkeye turned back to his father, puzzled.
"You ninny, I can't believe you don't know!" Daniel yelled. Daniel rarely yelled, but Laura had none-too-subtly insinuated that we should put Daniel in a home.
"Boy, you sure know how to make a real good mess of things!" Edna had heard the hired help line. So saying, she and Daniel went to bed. Hawkeye sat down on the sofa with a lot of thinking to do.
"Coming back for lunch?" I asked, realising Hawkeye hadn't taken anything with him the next morning. I was still in a bad mood, but seeing as the kids had picked up on and were upset by it already, I was talking to him.
"No, Laura's shouting me lunch in repayment for dinner." He replied.
"What about the hired help who cooked it?" I muttered crossly.
"What sweetheart?" Hawkeye turned at the door.
"Nothing." I lied. "Have fun." I turned around, Danny was lying on his rug, cooing and holding his arms up to me, a wide toothless grin on his face. Smiling, I picked up my son, he was a big boy, weighing more than any other of my kids had at 21 weeks, he was heavy, but on the upside, my arms were nicely toned from all the lifting.
"As a bub blub!" He told me, his eyes shining. Even though he was small, I guessed 'bub blub' meant bottle, the bottle that he hadn't had yet.
"Sure Mate, give me a second." I went over to the stove and checked the progress of his bottle. It was ready and I handed it to him. He managed to splash some of it down my collar, and then conveyed the teat to his mouth.
"Felicity, can you sit with Danny while he has his bottle please?" Once my daughter was seated on the sofa, I put her brother in her lap and gave her the bottle. They'd be fine for a few minutes and I returned to the kitchen where Ben, April and Jess were just finishing breakfast and Lydia was still trying to absorb it through her skin.
"Mummy, are you angry at daddy about Laura?" April asked. "She was mean to you." I couldn't lie to the kids about this they knew I was angry. As I wasn't often angry, they quickly knew when I was, and did their sweetest best to appease me.
"Yes Angel-eyes, I am. But you don't need to worry." I replied kissing her brown curls. I began cleaning up breakfast and getting the twins ready for kinder.
Three days later, I had barely seen Hawkeye, he'd been at work or out with Laura, and every time he wasn't with either of them, he'd be called into the hospital. Quite frankly it was driving me insane. I hadn't seen or talked to my husband in nearly two weeks, and if we did it was almost always about Laura Molloy.
Things changed very quickly though, when Hawkeye came home 5hours late from a dinner with Laura. I'd waited up to meet him, wondering what the hell he'd been up to. I had had been out of my mind all night, and now that he was back, I was justifiably furious.
"Benjamin Franklin Pierce! You said you be back at nine, and it's half past 2!" I confronted him the minute he walked in, but stopped when I saw his pale, terrified face. "Sit down, what is it?" I guided him gently to the sofa.
"Laura." He murmured. "She made a pass at me, she thought I was going to cheat on you, really thought I was, and I said no. She got angry at me, and shouted a lot, we argued. Then when I told her I wasn't going to come home with her, she ran out of the restaurant, and right into the path of a truck. I've been at the hospital with her, she's going to be okay. And do you know something else, she was married, her husband's just been out of town."
"So are you." I pointed out quietly.
"What?"
"You're married too Hawkeye, I haven't seen you or talked to you properly since you met Laura again, you've been out with her for so long. And that night when you had her to dinner, I hated her so much. She did nothing but criticise me and the kids, and Dad and Edna, and you let her, you didn't say a word, and that goodnight tonsillectomy she gave you! You've been fawning all over her, and completely ignoring us."
"Oh Annie, I have haven't I?" Hawkeye saw the light. "I didn't realise, I was just over the moon to see her again, I wouldn't have hurt you intentionally. For what it's worth Anne, I love you and I'm sorry." He was clearly pained, and my anger dissolved at the sight of his face.
"I know you are Hawkeye, your eyes tell me everything. You didn't mean to ignore us like that and you're disgusted at Laura and yourself. You don't have to be, I understand, it's okay."
"I'll never love anyone as much as you baby girl, I realised that when she did all but lie back on the table in the restaurant with her knees in the air." I smiled, and Hawkeye put his arms around me. "I am sorry darling. I give you my word as a gentleman." I stifled a laugh at that point. "Okay, we'll settle for my word as a doctor."
"That I can believe, I'm sorry to hear about Laura, how is she?" I cuddled against Hawkeye a little sleepily.
"She's in a critical condition, severe head injuries, but she will live. She's going to be in quite a lot of pain for a while, but luckily she should walk and talk as normal." He pressed his lips against my head for his comfort as much as my own.
"That's good to hear. If you want to keep visiting her. . ." I knew now I had nothing to worry about, and if Hawkeye wanted to visit his friend in hospital that was quite okay with me.
"I don't." Hawkeye cut me off. "I'm disgusted that she ever thought that way about me. I will see her, out of goodwill to check that she's recovering okay, but you and the kids are coming with me when I do go. Just so she doesn't get any ideas." He smiled honestly and earnestly at me.
"I love you Hawkeye." I smiled. "Come on, you look exhausted, let's go to bed." Sleepily, but definitely happily we went upstairs.
"Peace reigns again I see." Daniel smiled. Hawkeye had apologised to everyone, even the kids and we were all very happy for it, as five peaceful Laura-less days had passed uneventfully.
"Yeah, I was pretty stupid." Hawkeye admitted. Daniel was halted with a sarcastic comment on his lips by the phone ringing. Edna answered it.
"Annie, it's for you." I stood up and took the phone. I tucked it under my ear so I could hold and feed Danny at the same time.
"Hello?" I said once I was settled.
"Annie, you'll never believe what great news I have!" Margaret sounded absolutely beside herself.
"What? Tell me!" I demanded, knowing the news had to be better than great for Margaret to sound so emotional about it. She rarely showed great emotion in anything, and especially now as she'd been back as a Major, she'd rebuilt her wall, and become more reserved.
"I'm having a baby!"
"She's having a baby! Hawkeye, Dad, Edna, Margaret's pregnant!" Cheers erupted behind me as I announced that to the kitchen at large.
"Congratulations Margaret, you are so lucky! You are coming up to the best years in your life!" I was really happy for her, she deserved this.
"I turned 35 just two weeks ago, is that too old?" There was a sudden concern in her voice.
"Margaret, you're not too old! My mother was 42 when she had Nat and Jemma. Stop worrying already! When are you due?" I laughingly reassured her.
"About July 18." Margaret replied. "I'll have to leave the Army, but it's only a desk job for me after this anyway. I can't wait! I'm going to be a Mummy."
"It's a wonderful time. Now listen, you gave me all sorts of advice in Korea, so you can come to me whenever you need help okay? I have to go I'm sorry. We're going into Portland today."
"Okay, I have to tell Papa, he'll want to know."
"He'll be delighted that his other girl is happy." The Colonel loved his own children very much, but that didn't stop him from calling us his girls. Margaret and I said goodbye, and I began to help the kids get ready so we could go into town and visit Laura who had come around and was now awake.
"Well I'll be, it's the Pierce clan!" Ruby, an old, sweet and feisty nurse greeted us warmly. "I suppose you mob are going to go see Mrs Coleman?" Coleman was Laura's married name.
"Yep Rube, that's the plan." I replied, shifting Lydia to my other hip.
"Well, I'm not sure what the ward nurse will think about such a large group, but I reckon I can get you all in."
"Thanks." We followed her to Laura's room.
"Wow, what's with her?" Ben asked, amazed by the number of tubes and everything else around her. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up." I put a silencing hand over his mouth.
"Hi Laura, it's Hawkeye." Stiffly she turned her head in our direction and smiled weakly.
"You feeling better Laura?" She gave a positive groan. "That's good to hear." He took up her chart. "You'll be fine, it may be a long road to recovery, but I think your husband will be there the whole way." He smiled over at Gary, her husband.
"I will be." His deep voice startled me a little. "I know she tried for something she shouldn't have but as long as she needs me, I'll be there." I liked the feeling watching a man who was plainly in love with his wife gave me, and as I turned to Hawkeye, who was watching me, I liked the feeling knowing I was that man's wife even more.
"I'll never put you in a position where you have to doubt me again." He promised later on.
"I know." I smiled and kissed him softly. It was going to be okay. Laura understood why Hawkeye couldn't bring himself to see her again, and in time with Gary by her side, she'd recover completely, the only memory of her accident a few scars. Hawkeye and I were okay too, we'd come to an understanding about it all, and admitted to being more in love than ever. It was going to be okay.
November - December 1959
"Take that out of your mouth mate, you don't know where it's been." Daniel, now a sweet 20-week-old ignored me and continued chewing his sister's doll. I bent down and removed the doll from his mouth. He burbled at me and spat up a bit of milk.
"Guess who I met today?" Hawkeye breezed in from work. I looked up from my position on the floor, cleaning up milk spit. "Laura Molloy, from high school, head cheerleader, so talented."
"Really?" I asked. "How did you come across her?" I straightened up with Danny in my arms to give him a kiss.
"I had to go into Portland and I took a cab, she rear-ended us." Hawkeye informed me.
"Oh? Everyone okay?" Concern raised the pitch of my voice a little.
"Quite alright, I got a bit of a jarred neck though, and I was thinking, seeing as how fabulous you have always been at massage, that maybe you'd like to give it a rub later on." He raised a hopeful eyebrow.
"Sure darling." I laughed. "Now take your son or finish cooking dinner."
"Slave driver." He muttered, taking Danny from me. "Hey mate, did you have a good day? Daddy did! Oh and Anne my goddess, Laura and I are having lunch tomorrow okay?"
"Yeah." I called back as Hawkeye went upstairs, telling Danny about Laura.
"Are you okay Felicity?" I knocked on her door. It was a few days later and she was getting dressed for kinder.
"Yes Mum." Since she and Ben had started school, they'd stopped calling me Mummy and tried to do things themselves more often. It was all part of them growing up, I knew, but I didn't like the feeling that came from knowing the two children whom I'd given birth to, fed, bathed, protected, and done so much for, didn't need the same level of care that they used to.
"Benny-boy, are you managing to brush your hair okay?" The soft floppy hair was hard to get looking neat.
"Mum, I'm fine!" He replied confidently. Feeling a little dejected, I went into our room, Hawkeye was dressing, while talking to Danny who'd just had a bottle. Because I worked, I couldn't keep feeding him forever, and he was almost weaned already, so I could go back to work after Christmas, it felt strange being more work than family-oriented, but I really did enjoy working.
"Hawk, sometimes I have to wonder, why do I bother having kids when I know they're going to grow up and stop needing me?" I lay back on the bed. Already my housedress had small fingerprints and jammy smears from breakfast.
"They'll never stop needing you entirely Anne-child, now which sweater goes best with this shirt?"
"What are you doing today?" I asked, he never wanted help picking clothes unless it was important.
"Lunch with Laura." This was the fourth day in a row since he'd met her that he'd gone out to lunch with her.
"Again?" I murmured, and then replied, "That one. I love looking after them, it hurts to know they don't need it."
"You'll be fine, I have to go, wish me luck." He bent down and kissed me.
"Yeah, see you." I sighed, Hawkeye rushed out of the house, kissing various children and leaving.
"You won't stop needing me for a while will you Danny?" I addressed the little boy who was sucking on his empty bottle. He'd learnt to hold a bottle very quickly and he enjoyed chewing on the teat once the milk was gone, but to be safe he was still held while he drank. However, he seemed to know that I needed reassurance and he dropped the bottle and started to cry. Feeling better, I picked him up and began soothing him.
"Honey, is it okay if Laura comes around for dinner tonight?" Hawkeye rang from work two days later. I hadn't seen him much, if at all between work, kinder, and his lunch or even dinner meetings with Laura.
"Whatever, it's Edna who's cooking tonight." I replied with a shrug, even though he couldn't see it.
"Baby are you okay? You sound upset?" In my mind I was giving him a tirade that upset was an understatement, and that I was sick of all this attention Laura was getting, but I calmly replied that I was 'just tired' before we said goodbye and hung up.
"Edna, Hawkeye's bringing a guest home." I informed her. She now only worked at the clinic two days a week, and fortunately today was not one of them. If it had been, I might not have been so welcoming about an extra person, as I had a hard enough time cooking for four adults and five children. I was a good cook, but Edna enjoyed it far more than I did, she was born to be in a kitchen and was as at home in a kitchen as I was in a nursery.
"Extra guest, sure." She agreed, a smile on her face. I smiled and continued outside to join the kids in the backyard again, playing with the dogs. Lydia especially loved the dogs, they'd been there ever since she was tiny, and even though the others had all been around the dogs since they were small too, Lyddie had a special thing for them.
"Come on upstairs darlings, daddy will be home soon and we're having someone for dinner so we need to get dressed nicely." All six children, from the twins to Danny, were dirty after a hard day of school or play.
"Jess Baby, you and I are going to have a nice bath with Lydia and Danny, Angel-face, ask Ma to help you put this on, Sport, Princess, I can trust you to get dressed by yourselves." I lead the three youngest (and dirtiest!) to the bathroom. I ran a bath and put them in there, getting in myself. It was easier that way. Much splashing later I had three clean and dressed children.
"Laura, this is my wife, Annabelle, Anne, this is Laura Molloy." Hawkeye introduced us, and I stepped forwards, to find my self eye-to-cleavage with Laura. I took a step back and glanced up.
"Pleased to meet you." I feigned pleasure. Laura was a tall woman, and she didn't intimidate me, I'd learnt not to let taller people intimidate or bully me long before, but I didn't like the heavily made-up face, overly revealing clothes, and obviously dark roots in the pale blonde hair. In fact, I loathed her from the second I met her, I could see that she clearly had one thing on her mind, my husband and his potential seduction.
"Oh, you have children, I see." she sniffed, "How . . . delightful, what are their names?" There was obvious distaste in her manner as she asked that.
"Felicity, Benjamin, April, Jessica, Lydia and Daniel." I replied, pointing to each child in turn.
"Oh, how . . . pretty." She smiled thinly, plainly not meaning a word.
"Dinner's ready." Edna called from the kitchen.
"Oh, you have hired help I see." Laura sounded a little pleased as Edna scuttled back into the kitchen.
"That's my mother-in-law." I informed her icily.
"Of course." She said.
"Come on through," Hawkeye said, escorting Laura gently, and far too closely for my liking into the dining room.
"Oh, the children eat with you I see how . . . domestic." Laura sat gingerly in the chair Hawkeye pulled out for her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." I said with a smile as I settled the kids in their seats.
"Of course." Laura said. "Pork chops and salad, how. . . wonderful." By desert, she had 'how . . .' ed almost everything I'd said or done. I disliked her all more, especially as Hawkeye seemed to enjoy or not notice the fact that she was badmouthing his family, while she fawned all over him.
"Excuse me, I have to put Danny to bed, say goodnight to Daddy mate." Daddy merely kissed his son's hair. I put my son into his bed, and returned downstairs, where Laura was just leaving, her cab having arrived.
"Thankyou very much for coming." I closed the door with a polite grimace as Hawkeye walked her to her cab. The curtains were open and as I went to close them for the night, I saw Laura reach up to Hawkeye and kiss him. I would've brushed, or even laughed, it off as BJ and I kissed each other hello and goodbye, but it looked like Laura was giving him a tonsillectomy.
"Dad, Edna, come and see this." I beckoned them over. Hawkeye wasn't kissing her back, and he was obviously unhappy about the situation, but he wasn't exactly doing anything to stop her. Laura climbed into the taxi and left, and the three of us hurried away from the window before Hawkeye saw us.
"Goodnight Edna, Dad. Thanks for offering to put the kids to bed, I'm exhausted." I hugged each of them in turn as Hawkeye opened the front door again. I was heading sullenly up the staircase, and Hawkeye, not realising I'd seen him came up behind me.
"Goodnight my sweet, I love you." He kissed my cheek.
"Yeah, sure." I replied, shrugging away from his hold and heading up the stairs.
"What'd I do?" Hawkeye turned back to his father, puzzled.
"You ninny, I can't believe you don't know!" Daniel yelled. Daniel rarely yelled, but Laura had none-too-subtly insinuated that we should put Daniel in a home.
"Boy, you sure know how to make a real good mess of things!" Edna had heard the hired help line. So saying, she and Daniel went to bed. Hawkeye sat down on the sofa with a lot of thinking to do.
"Coming back for lunch?" I asked, realising Hawkeye hadn't taken anything with him the next morning. I was still in a bad mood, but seeing as the kids had picked up on and were upset by it already, I was talking to him.
"No, Laura's shouting me lunch in repayment for dinner." He replied.
"What about the hired help who cooked it?" I muttered crossly.
"What sweetheart?" Hawkeye turned at the door.
"Nothing." I lied. "Have fun." I turned around, Danny was lying on his rug, cooing and holding his arms up to me, a wide toothless grin on his face. Smiling, I picked up my son, he was a big boy, weighing more than any other of my kids had at 21 weeks, he was heavy, but on the upside, my arms were nicely toned from all the lifting.
"As a bub blub!" He told me, his eyes shining. Even though he was small, I guessed 'bub blub' meant bottle, the bottle that he hadn't had yet.
"Sure Mate, give me a second." I went over to the stove and checked the progress of his bottle. It was ready and I handed it to him. He managed to splash some of it down my collar, and then conveyed the teat to his mouth.
"Felicity, can you sit with Danny while he has his bottle please?" Once my daughter was seated on the sofa, I put her brother in her lap and gave her the bottle. They'd be fine for a few minutes and I returned to the kitchen where Ben, April and Jess were just finishing breakfast and Lydia was still trying to absorb it through her skin.
"Mummy, are you angry at daddy about Laura?" April asked. "She was mean to you." I couldn't lie to the kids about this they knew I was angry. As I wasn't often angry, they quickly knew when I was, and did their sweetest best to appease me.
"Yes Angel-eyes, I am. But you don't need to worry." I replied kissing her brown curls. I began cleaning up breakfast and getting the twins ready for kinder.
Three days later, I had barely seen Hawkeye, he'd been at work or out with Laura, and every time he wasn't with either of them, he'd be called into the hospital. Quite frankly it was driving me insane. I hadn't seen or talked to my husband in nearly two weeks, and if we did it was almost always about Laura Molloy.
Things changed very quickly though, when Hawkeye came home 5hours late from a dinner with Laura. I'd waited up to meet him, wondering what the hell he'd been up to. I had had been out of my mind all night, and now that he was back, I was justifiably furious.
"Benjamin Franklin Pierce! You said you be back at nine, and it's half past 2!" I confronted him the minute he walked in, but stopped when I saw his pale, terrified face. "Sit down, what is it?" I guided him gently to the sofa.
"Laura." He murmured. "She made a pass at me, she thought I was going to cheat on you, really thought I was, and I said no. She got angry at me, and shouted a lot, we argued. Then when I told her I wasn't going to come home with her, she ran out of the restaurant, and right into the path of a truck. I've been at the hospital with her, she's going to be okay. And do you know something else, she was married, her husband's just been out of town."
"So are you." I pointed out quietly.
"What?"
"You're married too Hawkeye, I haven't seen you or talked to you properly since you met Laura again, you've been out with her for so long. And that night when you had her to dinner, I hated her so much. She did nothing but criticise me and the kids, and Dad and Edna, and you let her, you didn't say a word, and that goodnight tonsillectomy she gave you! You've been fawning all over her, and completely ignoring us."
"Oh Annie, I have haven't I?" Hawkeye saw the light. "I didn't realise, I was just over the moon to see her again, I wouldn't have hurt you intentionally. For what it's worth Anne, I love you and I'm sorry." He was clearly pained, and my anger dissolved at the sight of his face.
"I know you are Hawkeye, your eyes tell me everything. You didn't mean to ignore us like that and you're disgusted at Laura and yourself. You don't have to be, I understand, it's okay."
"I'll never love anyone as much as you baby girl, I realised that when she did all but lie back on the table in the restaurant with her knees in the air." I smiled, and Hawkeye put his arms around me. "I am sorry darling. I give you my word as a gentleman." I stifled a laugh at that point. "Okay, we'll settle for my word as a doctor."
"That I can believe, I'm sorry to hear about Laura, how is she?" I cuddled against Hawkeye a little sleepily.
"She's in a critical condition, severe head injuries, but she will live. She's going to be in quite a lot of pain for a while, but luckily she should walk and talk as normal." He pressed his lips against my head for his comfort as much as my own.
"That's good to hear. If you want to keep visiting her. . ." I knew now I had nothing to worry about, and if Hawkeye wanted to visit his friend in hospital that was quite okay with me.
"I don't." Hawkeye cut me off. "I'm disgusted that she ever thought that way about me. I will see her, out of goodwill to check that she's recovering okay, but you and the kids are coming with me when I do go. Just so she doesn't get any ideas." He smiled honestly and earnestly at me.
"I love you Hawkeye." I smiled. "Come on, you look exhausted, let's go to bed." Sleepily, but definitely happily we went upstairs.
"Peace reigns again I see." Daniel smiled. Hawkeye had apologised to everyone, even the kids and we were all very happy for it, as five peaceful Laura-less days had passed uneventfully.
"Yeah, I was pretty stupid." Hawkeye admitted. Daniel was halted with a sarcastic comment on his lips by the phone ringing. Edna answered it.
"Annie, it's for you." I stood up and took the phone. I tucked it under my ear so I could hold and feed Danny at the same time.
"Hello?" I said once I was settled.
"Annie, you'll never believe what great news I have!" Margaret sounded absolutely beside herself.
"What? Tell me!" I demanded, knowing the news had to be better than great for Margaret to sound so emotional about it. She rarely showed great emotion in anything, and especially now as she'd been back as a Major, she'd rebuilt her wall, and become more reserved.
"I'm having a baby!"
"She's having a baby! Hawkeye, Dad, Edna, Margaret's pregnant!" Cheers erupted behind me as I announced that to the kitchen at large.
"Congratulations Margaret, you are so lucky! You are coming up to the best years in your life!" I was really happy for her, she deserved this.
"I turned 35 just two weeks ago, is that too old?" There was a sudden concern in her voice.
"Margaret, you're not too old! My mother was 42 when she had Nat and Jemma. Stop worrying already! When are you due?" I laughingly reassured her.
"About July 18." Margaret replied. "I'll have to leave the Army, but it's only a desk job for me after this anyway. I can't wait! I'm going to be a Mummy."
"It's a wonderful time. Now listen, you gave me all sorts of advice in Korea, so you can come to me whenever you need help okay? I have to go I'm sorry. We're going into Portland today."
"Okay, I have to tell Papa, he'll want to know."
"He'll be delighted that his other girl is happy." The Colonel loved his own children very much, but that didn't stop him from calling us his girls. Margaret and I said goodbye, and I began to help the kids get ready so we could go into town and visit Laura who had come around and was now awake.
"Well I'll be, it's the Pierce clan!" Ruby, an old, sweet and feisty nurse greeted us warmly. "I suppose you mob are going to go see Mrs Coleman?" Coleman was Laura's married name.
"Yep Rube, that's the plan." I replied, shifting Lydia to my other hip.
"Well, I'm not sure what the ward nurse will think about such a large group, but I reckon I can get you all in."
"Thanks." We followed her to Laura's room.
"Wow, what's with her?" Ben asked, amazed by the number of tubes and everything else around her. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up." I put a silencing hand over his mouth.
"Hi Laura, it's Hawkeye." Stiffly she turned her head in our direction and smiled weakly.
"You feeling better Laura?" She gave a positive groan. "That's good to hear." He took up her chart. "You'll be fine, it may be a long road to recovery, but I think your husband will be there the whole way." He smiled over at Gary, her husband.
"I will be." His deep voice startled me a little. "I know she tried for something she shouldn't have but as long as she needs me, I'll be there." I liked the feeling watching a man who was plainly in love with his wife gave me, and as I turned to Hawkeye, who was watching me, I liked the feeling knowing I was that man's wife even more.
"I'll never put you in a position where you have to doubt me again." He promised later on.
"I know." I smiled and kissed him softly. It was going to be okay. Laura understood why Hawkeye couldn't bring himself to see her again, and in time with Gary by her side, she'd recover completely, the only memory of her accident a few scars. Hawkeye and I were okay too, we'd come to an understanding about it all, and admitted to being more in love than ever. It was going to be okay.