BJ guided Hawkeye into the mess tent keeping a firm grasp on his arm. Hawkeye sat down at one of the tables and BJ got them some coffee. As he was sitting down he saw Hawkeye fiddling with a ring. BJ didn't say anything, Hawkeye seemed to be deep in thought and he didn't want to intrude.
Hawkeye picked up the mug and took a hesitant sip. He gagged.
"Oh Beej this stuff is awful!" He glared at his friend. "I sure could go for a martini right now." BJ smiled cynically in response. There was a long silence and then Hawkeye laid the ring down in front of BJ. BJ picked it up and looked at it closely. It was a simple ring; a band of white-gold with one round diamond. He could tell it had been worn before. There were a few nicks along the band and the diamond wasn't as bright as it once was.
"The night of the dance…" Hawkeye paused. He seemed unsure of whether or not he wanted to continue. "I was going to propose to her." BJ was shocked.
"What?" He exclaimed incredulously. "Hawkeye are you feeling all right?"
"Yes, I feel fine, thank you." Hawkeye smiled mockingly. BJ chuckled.
"I'm sorry Hawk." He paused, searching for the right words. "You love her?" BJ was almost afraid of the answer.
"Yes." He looked his friend straight in the eye. "Yes, I do."
"Colonel can't you do something?" Hawkeye shouted at Colonel Potter.
"Calm yourself Pierce. We're doing everything we can!" Colonel Potter was doing his best not to become as agitated as Hawkeye.
"Don't you care? She could be dead! Would you even care?" Hawkeye was screaming now.
"That's enough Pierce!" Potter jumped up from his chair and pounded his fist onto his desk. "I want you to stop acting like you're the only one who cares about that girl! For the past five days you've walked around here half out of your mind. Well I want you to gather up the other half of your brain and realize that I care about her too!"
Potter sighed and sat back down. There was a long silence as Hawkeye walked over to the window and stared out at the rain.
"She's out there in this storm." He whispered quietly. Colonel Potter stood up and walked over to Hawkeye, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Hawkeye turned and looked at the man. He reminded him a lot like his father.
"I love her." He whispered again.
"I know you do son, I know you do."
"Colonel Potter!" Radar rushed into the room. "I just got a call from a battalion aid station not far from here."
"We're getting wounded?" He asked.
"No sir." Radar paused. "Well we are, but only one." He hurried on trying to explain himself. "A Korean man found a girl near his hut. He brought her to the Aid Station and they think it's Margaret." Hawkeye tensed. Could it be?
"Is she alive?" He asked hoarsely, terrified of the answer.
"Uh yes sir, but she's hurt bad. They're flying her in by chopper. She'll be here in about fifteen minutes."
Hawkeye ran to post-op as fast as he could. He had to get BJ.
"BJ!" His friend looked up at him. BJ jumped up as he saw the expression on Hawk's face.
"Did they find her?" Hawkeye nodded. He was too upset to give his friend any decent information.
"Coming in chopper…" He said breathlessly. "Need…scrub…" BJ got the idea and he didn't need to be told twice. He rushed off to scrub up. Hawkeye followed him but was stopped by Colonel Potter.
"Don't bother scrubbing up." He said curtly.
"Colonel I…" He was cut off.
"No Pierce! I will not allow you to operate on her! You are far too upset." Hawkeye relented, wishing desperately that he had the still. He began to walk towards Rosie's but the sound of a chopper turned him around and he began running towards the landing.
He reached the top of the hill the same time as the chopper. He heard a jeep coming behind him. He ran to the chopper and looked at the body it was carrying.
"Oh my God, it can't be her!" He thought. But there was no question about it. The bloodied form was Margaret.
After two hours of surgery BJ and Charles exited the OR. Hawkeye, who had been waiting right outside of the doors, rushed over to them. BJ smiled and put a comforting hand on his friends shoulder.
"I think she'll be okay, Hawk." Hawkeye wanted to believe it but there was something about his friend's tone of voice that worried him
"What's wrong Beej?" BJ looked away uncomfortably. He sighed and sat down.
"She has an infection. Her temperature is 105.2 degrees." Hawkeye landed hard on the bench. "She's lost a lot of blood Hawk. She's lost a lot of blood." Hawkeye's head began to swim.
They found her; she's supposed to be fine!
Hawkeye sat by her bedside, stroking her hand lightly. It had been almost two days and there was still no change. It was three in the morning but he refused to go to bed. He had only slept a total of four hours the past two days. Slowly his head began to nod and he drifted off to sleep. He opened his eyes and saw his mother sitting on the other side of Margaret's cot.
I must be dreaming. He realized. He stared at the woman as she stroked Margaret's forehead.
"She looks sweet Benny." Chills shot down his spine. It had been so long since he had heard his mother's sweet voice.
"I like her," She continued. "I wish I could have gotten to know her."
"Mom?" Poor Hawkeye still couldn't get over the fact that he was looking at his mother. It's just a dream. He said to himself. It's just a dream.
"It'll be alright Benny. It'll be alright."
Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and his eyes jerked open.
"Get some rest son," It was Colonel Potter. "You aren't doing her any good by staying here." Hawkeye shook his head.
"I can't leave her." He whispered. He looked back at the place where his mother had been sitting. The chair was pushed neatly beside the bed. Although Hawkeye could have sworn he smelled her scent lingering in the room.
"I need to stay Colonel. More for myself than for her." Potter sighed.
"Fine Pierce, do what you like. You would anyway." He said teasingly.
Hawkeye smiled weakly. "You better believe it."
Margaret moaned and Hawkeye turned his full attention onto her.
"Margaret? Margaret can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered open and she squinted her eyes at the bright lights. She tried to focus on something and her gaze landed on Hawkeye. She smiled.
Hawkeye's heart skipped a beat, he loved seeing that smile. He realized everything was going to be fine. On an impulse he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. As he leaned back he saw that she had gone back to sleep.
"I love you Margaret." He whispered to her sleeping form. "I love you."