The next few weeks were difficult for me. Between the morning sickness and pneumonia I felt horrible all the time. Although everything was easier knowing that I had someone nearby who cared about me. From the second I met Daniel Pierce I knew that he really cared. I could count on the fact that he would always be there for me. Some days he would sit on my bed and just ask to hear about me. He wouldn't say a word about himself or his problems; he just honestly wanted to know how I was doing. I was feeling better after about two weeks. The pneumonia was gone and aside from feeling nauseous in the morning I was fine.
It was the end of June and I still had seen practically nothing of Crabapple Cove. Daniel had kept me in bed for quite a while, and when he finally let me get up he still wouldn't let me out of the house. Thinking back I suppose it was for the best but at the time I was going crazy.
I remember on a Monday morning Daniel was getting ready for work. I pulled myself out of a hot shower and quickly got dressed.
"Can I come with you?" I asked nervously as he began to make breakfast. I held my breath as I waited for his answer. I was almost certain he would let me.
"No." He said simply, giving no explanation.
I huffed and sat down at the kitchen table angrily. "Why not?" I whined. "You can't possibly have a reason for wanting me to stay cooped up here. I'm perfectly healthy! I just don't see why you…" I trailed off as I saw Daniel's smirk as he was trying to keep from laughing. I blushed and stared at my hands. "You jerk." I mumbled playfully.
Daniel laughed and began pouring batter onto a got griddle. "Of course you can come with me Margaret. Although I don't see why you would want to be in the office with me. I'll drive you into town though; maybe you can do some shopping." He offered. I nodded eagerly and headed upstairs to get ready.
An hour later he held open the door while I climbed in. It was a beautiful day, I wouldn't have minded simply driving around the country, but Daniel had to work and I knew there was no way he would let me drive around by myself in the country.
Five minutes later we pulled into the small town and Daniel parked in front of his office. I jumped out, excited to explore my new surroundings. I wasn't used to small towns like this but it seemed like a nice change; something simple.
"Margaret," He called. I turned and walked over to him and he pressed something into my hand and quickly walked inside. I opened my hand and saw a roll of bills. I shook my head and walked inside after him.
"Daniel I can't…"
"Nonsense, do you want to wear my wife's outdated clothing all the time?" He said, indicating the dress I was wearing. I blushed and he laughed. "Just go, have some fun with it." I smiled gratefully and headed back outside into the sunshine.
I spent the day exploring the tiny town and purchasing some simple dresses and shoes. It had been so long since I had clothes of my own. I had been in the army for the past seven years, and I never had anything else besides khaki-green and brown. I was so sick of uniforms. Around three o'clock I changed into one of my dresses and headed for Daniel's office. I remember everything about that dress. The material was light and flimsy. It was pale blue with a high waist. I loved that dress, I kept it for years. I walked into the office and an elderly woman sat behind a receptionist's desk in the lobby, watching me strangely.
"Are you Margaret?"
I could only nod, this woman made me nervous. However when I verified who I was she smiled warmly.
"Well, go on in sweetheart, Daniel's office is the last door to the right."
I smiled gratefully and walked through the door to a narrow hallway.
"Hi sweetheart." Daniel greeted as I peeked my head into the door. He looked at my dress and smiled approvingly. "You look lovely."
"Dr. Pierce," the receptionist called. "Mrs. Johnson is here with Emily, shall I have them wait?"
Daniel sighed. "Yes, uh I'll have to finish these papers. Just tell her…"
"What is she here for?" I interrupted.
"Susan Johnson has a two year old daughter, Emily. The woman has a heart-attack anytime Emily so much as sneezes." I laughed.
"Well I can get her ready, take her temperature and…"
"I don't want you working Margaret." He replied sternly.
"Oh for god's sake Daniel, I'm not an invalid, I'm a nurse! I think I can manage to take a child's temperature!" Saying that I quickly walked to the lobby and escorted the woman and her child to an exam room.
"You were a great help to me today Margaret." I smiled gratefully.
"It was fun; I liked working in a private practice. It certainly was different but I enjoyed myself."
Daniel looked at me and sighed. "You know how I feel about you working." I looked disappointedly out the window of the car as he continued. "But I also know that next to my son you are the most stubborn person on the face of this earth. So if you insist on working I would at least like to keep an eye on you." Was he saying what I thought he was saying? "I've been putting off getting some help in that place but I desperately need it. So what I guess I'm saying is that I'd like to have you work with me if you would like to."
If he wasn't driving I would have thrown my arms around him. As it was, I gave him a kiss on the cheek anyway.
The next few months went by slowly. I missed my husband so much, but Daniel helped and so did my new nursing position. They both kept me busy, kept my mind off my misery. Also the baby helped. I remember when I learned that I was pregnant I was terrified. I was terrified of what would happen to me, my army career, and my new marriage. I never really thought about the fact that I was pregnant. I was going to have a baby, a child, a little girl or boy. I never fully realized the extent of what had happened. Well, until I felt the baby move for the first time. My growing stomach had knocked over a glass of water; I cursed and bent down to clean up the broken glass. I barely even felt it; it was just a light flutter, like a small butterfly trapped inside me. I sat on the floor and held my breath, praying to feel it again. The second time it moved I definitely knew that it was my baby. I started crying. Suddenly I realized that I wasn't alone. I had my baby, Hawkeye's baby inside of me.
For the next two months I felt so much happier. I realized that everything would be fine. I wasn't the only woman who was separated from her husband. I wasn't the only woman who was going to have to deal with the fact that my baby wouldn't get to see it's daddy for quite a while.
On Thanksgiving Day I was driving home from a nearby city. I had done some early Christmas shopping for Daniel. A friend of mine was an excellent artist and I had convinced him to paint a picture of Hawkeye and his mother. It took me several days to find a good picture of her but at last I found one. She was bending over Daniel's shoulder as he was holding Hawkeye. I had my friend replace Daniel with a picture of Hawkeye holding our child. I was only six months pregnant but I thought that it would still be appropriate. I just knew Daniel would love his gift.
When I picked up the gift my friend had not only given me the framed painting but a smaller sketch also. He told me it was his Christmas present to me. I thanked him and began to speed home as fast as possible. Daniel told me he would kill me if I was late for the Thanksgiving dinner he was preparing.
It had been snowing earlier that day. I couldn't believe the weather in Maine, it was so cold! I knew it was well below freezing outside. It was getting dark and I knew I was late for dinner. I foolishly increased my speed and as I did so my tires hit a patch of black ice.
I tried desperately to control the car, I felt sick, I just wanted to be safe at home. I honestly think I would have been fine. The car slid arcos to the other side of the road but I was slowing down and I'm sure I would have easily regained control. Except at that moment a truck careened around the corner.
I screamed and covered my head with my hands. The truck hit the car and for a few moments it felt like I was flying, until the car crashed into the ground. I was crying hysterically and I had moved my hands from around my head to around my baby. I never really believed in a god but at the moment I prayed desperately for my baby. "Oh God just keep my baby safe." I said it over and over again in my mind as the car flipped and rolled down a steep embankment.
The car stopped at the bottom of the hill and I couldn't move. I helplessly lay in the car and began crying desperately as I felt warm blood trickling down between my legs. As I cried I felt so hot and tired. I struggled to stay conscious but I soon slipped into oblivion.
Yeah wicked place to end a chapter. Poor Margaret, nothing ever seems to go right for her. Anyway I'm going to continue on with my original ending but I have another idea for yet another ending. So what I want to know is if I should keep the alt. ending to myself or if I should post it? Let me know what you think!