Mill Valley, California
Thursday, April 21, 1956
5:00PM
The next few days passed by quickly with the same routine for each day. BJ
went to work, and Erin went to morning kindergarten with her best friend
Anna Jenkins. Peg worked every day as a receptionist for a respectable law
firm every day from 8 AM to 2 PM. As Erin's kindergarten ran till noon,
Peg always had her stay at Anna's till 2, when Peg picked Erin up after
work.
Thursday followed the same pattern, the only exception being BJ went to his
meeting about patient care in all the hospitals in California, BJ being one
of the four representatives from Mill Valley General Hospital, where he
worked. Peg and Erin left for work and school, respectively, Peg dropping
off Erin and Anna 5 minutes before the bell. Amanda Jenkins, Anna's
mother, picked up the two girls at noon precisely and brought them home for
a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and carrot sticks. At ten
past two, precisely Peg picked up Erin from the Jenkins', where, as usual,
Erin begged her mother to let Anna come to their house, but as usual Peg
said no, for they had set up a play date for the two girls the next day.
As always, BJ came home at 6:00PM to a hug from his daughter and a kiss
from his wife. After husband and wife finished their 'welcome home' kiss,
BJ pulled back and said "I was at the airport and I found these two people
wandering around, so I invited them to stay. Come meet them, they're in
the kitchen, they're real nice!" Grinning like a lunatic, BJ ran back into
the kitchen, from where he had entered from work moments ago, Peg and Erin
at his heels. Erin frowned in confusion, wondering if her father hadn't
gone quite mad.
Peg, on the other hand, spoke up in a whisper "BJ, what are you thinking of? We can't let strangers into our hou." she trailed off when she saw the couple standing in front of her. Her mouth formed a large O. Erin stood next to her, equally shocked. BJ stood there, still grinning like a lunatic, looking from Peg and Erin to the couple in front of them.
The man was about 6' feet tall, long, thin, and lanky. His black hair, lightly streaked with gray, was all askew on his head as always. The male stranger had blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled or laughed. They were crinkled now, because he, like BJ was smiling insanely. The woman, was shorter, only about 5'5 and also thin. She had shoulder length blond hair that like the man's was lightly streaked with gray. Also like the man, she had blue, smiling eyes. After about a minute or so, the view in the room was still the same. Peg and Erin were still standing there shocked, the couple was standing across from them, smiling broadly, and BJ was standing in the middle of the two pairs, still grinning like a lunatic, looking from his wife and daughter to the couple standing across from them. Finally, Erin got over being shocked and ran over to the man, shouting "HAWKEYE!!!!!!"
Hawkeye Pierce stooped down and picked up the grinning 5-year old. He gave her a hug, before turning to his best friend, BJ Hunnicut and said "Wait a minute, Beej, who's this? This isn't Erin. Last time I saw Erin, she was about this tall." And he put his hand to the about the height a three-year old would stand.
Erin giggled "It is me, silly!!"
Hawkeye laughed too "Ah, of course, my apologies. Boy, you're such a big girl now. I suppose big girls like you don't like presents, do you? I didn't think so. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to give this present to some homeless girl." He whipped out a medium-sized, neatly wrapped box.
"NO!!!" Erin screamed. Hawkeye gave her the present and she sat on the floor opening it.
"You know you spoil her?" BJ informed his friend in a whisper. Hawkeye just simply turned to BJ and said innocently
"What and you don't?"
"Yeah I do, I admit that, but to a point. She doesn't see you all that very often. It's good to give her a present sometimes, but not all the time. Now every time she sees you, Hawk she's going to ask for a present." BJ finished breathlessly.
"Hey, if I had a kid, Beej, you'd spoil it, wouldn't you?" Hawkeye clapped his hand on his best friend's shoulder, his crinkled, bright blue eyes laughing along with him.
"All right!" Erin screamed, interrupting BJ and Hawkeye's conversation. Erin pulled out four small plastic dollhouse dolls from a dollhouse set. The dollhouse Erin had, had small expansion packs that could be added to the original set. Erin had gotten the dollhouse from her parents for Christmas two years ago, the last time Hawkeye had come down, and had most of the expansion packs except for one. The one Hawkeye Pierce had just given her. "The only one I don't have!!!! How did you know, Hawkeye??? Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!" Erin hugged the man around the middle. The little girl ran away yelling over her shoulder "I'm gonna go put these in my dollhouse! I'll be right back!!" Erin ran off. Hawkeye was grinning ear to ear at this show. BJ was grinning too. Even though he thought his best friend was spoiling Erin, he secretly liked the fact his best friend would treat his baby so well after his scare with children at the end of the Korean War.
Even after his secret thoughts on this matter, BJ voiced to his friend "You're going to spoil her, Hawk" Hawkeye turned to BJ and said sadly "We gotta spoil her now, BJ. One day your baby girl won't be a baby anymore and she won't want to be spoiled by her father or his best friend. She won't want to be spoiled by anyone that's not a crush or boyfriend of hers. Not that that's going to happen anytime soon, though" Hawkeye said quickly, spying the sad look on his best friend's face "9 times out of 10 teenage girls still like their families when they're teens. You won't know until then. But enjoy her now, Beej. Spoil her now. But not too often like you said. Don't want her to expect a gift every time I see her, do I? Then she'll end up being a spoiled brat. Not that I don't want to give her presents, or that I think she's a brat, but."
BJ laughed "Hawk, shut up".
Even though, by now, Hawkeye was basically back to normal (or abnormal as he would say) after he had witnessed and thought he had caused a Korean mother to kill her baby to prevent a North Korean attack on the bus she, some other South Korean villagers, wounded, and most of the 4077th M*A*S*H were on from being attacked by North Korean soldiers, he still had the tendency to sometimes start to babble incandescently when he talked to or about children. BJ laughed again "You're talking in the biggest circle I've ever heard you talk in." The two war buddies grinned at each other and hugged each other in a huge hug similar to the one they had shared earlier at the airport and to the one at the end of the war. When they weren't around each other, even if the period between visits was short, they still missed each other very much. They talked at least once a week on the telephone, if not twice, and on some weeks, as much as three or four!
"I missed you, Beej" whispered Hawkeye.
"Missed you too, Hawk." BJ whispered back.
Meanwhile, after all this Peg Hunnicut was still in shock. Finally, she recovered, and turned to Hawkeye's escort, as if she was just about to ask her a question, just in time for Erin to come running down the hall, land in front of this strange woman and say "Who are you?"
"Erin, that's rude!" Peg said sharply, even though that was the question she was just about to ask.
"Oh don't worry, Peg. You must be Peg, BJ told me and anyone and everyone in a four mile vicinity about you and Erin." the blonde woman laughed. She squatted to Erin's height. "Hi. You must be Erin. Your daddy told me all about you. But that was years ago when you were a baby. I met your daddy at the same place Hawkeye met him. At the 4077th M*A*S*H in Korea during the war. You know what a M*A*S*H is, don't you?"
"Yep." said Erin shyly "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. My daddy told me."
"That's right." the woman smiled "My name is Margaret Houlihan. It's good to finally meet the little girl your daddy told me all about"
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Houlihan." Erin said politely "My daddy told me about you and showed me pictures. I really wanted to meet you because you looked nice. I also want to meet the guy that wears dresses."
Margaret laughed "Thank you. And call me Margaret."
"OK!" Erin yelled, "Wanna come see my dollhouse, Margaret?" Margaret smiled
"Sure" and she followed Erin to her room.
"Hold it, Erin" Hawkeye said and the girl turned around "didn't you want to meet me?" he asked.
Erin grinned slyly "Nope." she giggled and ran away, pulling Margaret away from a 'shocked' Hawkeye. BJ and Peg were both laughing.
Hawkeye shook his scraggly head in mock sadness "Just like her father, that one. Same sense of humor. Same as mine too."
Peg laughed "I think you've been a bad influence on the both of them, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye laughed and hugged Peg "It's great seeing you again, Peg." He shook his finger in BJ's direction. "this one I'm not so sure about. He doesn't teach his child to be nice to guests." Hawkeye sniffled, pretending to be sad, but obviously failing "I'm so hurt.wounded.nay outraged at he way I've been treated.I think I'll just go home. I've never been so insulted in my life." he said in a fake Boston accent, created to poke fun of an old Swamper, the butt of many jokes, the ever-popular Charles Emerson Winchester III. This show was too much for BJ and Hawkeye. After Hawkeye finished his speech, the pair bowled over in laughter, literally rolling on the floor in hysterics.
Peg rolled her eyes at the antics of her husband and his best friend. "I think I'll go rescue Margaret from the clutches of Erin and her dollhouse. Once Erin gets someone in there looking at the dollhouse, she doesn't like to let them leave unless I make her." Peg started to walk away.
Hawkeye got up from the floor, wiping tears of laughter away from his eyes. "Oh yeah, Peg. Margaret and I are taking you guys out to a nice restaurant for dinner."
"Why?" BJ asked curiously "what for?" Hawkeye stared at his best friend innocently "In honor of our visit of course. What else would it be?" ************************************************************************
Hey, thanks to all who reviewed. Especially to Assilem (I'll get those stories to you soon, I promise). I really appreciate it. Thanks again!
Peg, on the other hand, spoke up in a whisper "BJ, what are you thinking of? We can't let strangers into our hou." she trailed off when she saw the couple standing in front of her. Her mouth formed a large O. Erin stood next to her, equally shocked. BJ stood there, still grinning like a lunatic, looking from Peg and Erin to the couple in front of them.
The man was about 6' feet tall, long, thin, and lanky. His black hair, lightly streaked with gray, was all askew on his head as always. The male stranger had blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled or laughed. They were crinkled now, because he, like BJ was smiling insanely. The woman, was shorter, only about 5'5 and also thin. She had shoulder length blond hair that like the man's was lightly streaked with gray. Also like the man, she had blue, smiling eyes. After about a minute or so, the view in the room was still the same. Peg and Erin were still standing there shocked, the couple was standing across from them, smiling broadly, and BJ was standing in the middle of the two pairs, still grinning like a lunatic, looking from his wife and daughter to the couple standing across from them. Finally, Erin got over being shocked and ran over to the man, shouting "HAWKEYE!!!!!!"
Hawkeye Pierce stooped down and picked up the grinning 5-year old. He gave her a hug, before turning to his best friend, BJ Hunnicut and said "Wait a minute, Beej, who's this? This isn't Erin. Last time I saw Erin, she was about this tall." And he put his hand to the about the height a three-year old would stand.
Erin giggled "It is me, silly!!"
Hawkeye laughed too "Ah, of course, my apologies. Boy, you're such a big girl now. I suppose big girls like you don't like presents, do you? I didn't think so. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to give this present to some homeless girl." He whipped out a medium-sized, neatly wrapped box.
"NO!!!" Erin screamed. Hawkeye gave her the present and she sat on the floor opening it.
"You know you spoil her?" BJ informed his friend in a whisper. Hawkeye just simply turned to BJ and said innocently
"What and you don't?"
"Yeah I do, I admit that, but to a point. She doesn't see you all that very often. It's good to give her a present sometimes, but not all the time. Now every time she sees you, Hawk she's going to ask for a present." BJ finished breathlessly.
"Hey, if I had a kid, Beej, you'd spoil it, wouldn't you?" Hawkeye clapped his hand on his best friend's shoulder, his crinkled, bright blue eyes laughing along with him.
"All right!" Erin screamed, interrupting BJ and Hawkeye's conversation. Erin pulled out four small plastic dollhouse dolls from a dollhouse set. The dollhouse Erin had, had small expansion packs that could be added to the original set. Erin had gotten the dollhouse from her parents for Christmas two years ago, the last time Hawkeye had come down, and had most of the expansion packs except for one. The one Hawkeye Pierce had just given her. "The only one I don't have!!!! How did you know, Hawkeye??? Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!" Erin hugged the man around the middle. The little girl ran away yelling over her shoulder "I'm gonna go put these in my dollhouse! I'll be right back!!" Erin ran off. Hawkeye was grinning ear to ear at this show. BJ was grinning too. Even though he thought his best friend was spoiling Erin, he secretly liked the fact his best friend would treat his baby so well after his scare with children at the end of the Korean War.
Even after his secret thoughts on this matter, BJ voiced to his friend "You're going to spoil her, Hawk" Hawkeye turned to BJ and said sadly "We gotta spoil her now, BJ. One day your baby girl won't be a baby anymore and she won't want to be spoiled by her father or his best friend. She won't want to be spoiled by anyone that's not a crush or boyfriend of hers. Not that that's going to happen anytime soon, though" Hawkeye said quickly, spying the sad look on his best friend's face "9 times out of 10 teenage girls still like their families when they're teens. You won't know until then. But enjoy her now, Beej. Spoil her now. But not too often like you said. Don't want her to expect a gift every time I see her, do I? Then she'll end up being a spoiled brat. Not that I don't want to give her presents, or that I think she's a brat, but."
BJ laughed "Hawk, shut up".
Even though, by now, Hawkeye was basically back to normal (or abnormal as he would say) after he had witnessed and thought he had caused a Korean mother to kill her baby to prevent a North Korean attack on the bus she, some other South Korean villagers, wounded, and most of the 4077th M*A*S*H were on from being attacked by North Korean soldiers, he still had the tendency to sometimes start to babble incandescently when he talked to or about children. BJ laughed again "You're talking in the biggest circle I've ever heard you talk in." The two war buddies grinned at each other and hugged each other in a huge hug similar to the one they had shared earlier at the airport and to the one at the end of the war. When they weren't around each other, even if the period between visits was short, they still missed each other very much. They talked at least once a week on the telephone, if not twice, and on some weeks, as much as three or four!
"I missed you, Beej" whispered Hawkeye.
"Missed you too, Hawk." BJ whispered back.
Meanwhile, after all this Peg Hunnicut was still in shock. Finally, she recovered, and turned to Hawkeye's escort, as if she was just about to ask her a question, just in time for Erin to come running down the hall, land in front of this strange woman and say "Who are you?"
"Erin, that's rude!" Peg said sharply, even though that was the question she was just about to ask.
"Oh don't worry, Peg. You must be Peg, BJ told me and anyone and everyone in a four mile vicinity about you and Erin." the blonde woman laughed. She squatted to Erin's height. "Hi. You must be Erin. Your daddy told me all about you. But that was years ago when you were a baby. I met your daddy at the same place Hawkeye met him. At the 4077th M*A*S*H in Korea during the war. You know what a M*A*S*H is, don't you?"
"Yep." said Erin shyly "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. My daddy told me."
"That's right." the woman smiled "My name is Margaret Houlihan. It's good to finally meet the little girl your daddy told me all about"
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Houlihan." Erin said politely "My daddy told me about you and showed me pictures. I really wanted to meet you because you looked nice. I also want to meet the guy that wears dresses."
Margaret laughed "Thank you. And call me Margaret."
"OK!" Erin yelled, "Wanna come see my dollhouse, Margaret?" Margaret smiled
"Sure" and she followed Erin to her room.
"Hold it, Erin" Hawkeye said and the girl turned around "didn't you want to meet me?" he asked.
Erin grinned slyly "Nope." she giggled and ran away, pulling Margaret away from a 'shocked' Hawkeye. BJ and Peg were both laughing.
Hawkeye shook his scraggly head in mock sadness "Just like her father, that one. Same sense of humor. Same as mine too."
Peg laughed "I think you've been a bad influence on the both of them, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye laughed and hugged Peg "It's great seeing you again, Peg." He shook his finger in BJ's direction. "this one I'm not so sure about. He doesn't teach his child to be nice to guests." Hawkeye sniffled, pretending to be sad, but obviously failing "I'm so hurt.wounded.nay outraged at he way I've been treated.I think I'll just go home. I've never been so insulted in my life." he said in a fake Boston accent, created to poke fun of an old Swamper, the butt of many jokes, the ever-popular Charles Emerson Winchester III. This show was too much for BJ and Hawkeye. After Hawkeye finished his speech, the pair bowled over in laughter, literally rolling on the floor in hysterics.
Peg rolled her eyes at the antics of her husband and his best friend. "I think I'll go rescue Margaret from the clutches of Erin and her dollhouse. Once Erin gets someone in there looking at the dollhouse, she doesn't like to let them leave unless I make her." Peg started to walk away.
Hawkeye got up from the floor, wiping tears of laughter away from his eyes. "Oh yeah, Peg. Margaret and I are taking you guys out to a nice restaurant for dinner."
"Why?" BJ asked curiously "what for?" Hawkeye stared at his best friend innocently "In honor of our visit of course. What else would it be?" ************************************************************************
Hey, thanks to all who reviewed. Especially to Assilem (I'll get those stories to you soon, I promise). I really appreciate it. Thanks again!