OH4H: I'd just like to thank everyone for their patience, I know it's irritating when a story doesn't update regularly.
Daniel walked downstairs to find his son sitting at the table with a coffee in his hands, staring into space.
"You're up early, you usually sleep till noon on Saturday." Daniel said as he got himself a coffee.
"Yeah, well…I couldn't sleep."
Daniel nodded his head knowingly.
"Did you talk at all last night?"
"No…it was late, I figured it would be better if we talked in the morning." Hawkeye finished his coffee and set it down in front of him.
"I see…" There was a small noise upstairs. "Sounds like you're lady's getting up."
"Dad, she's not…"
"Listen." Daniel interrupted his son. "You're mother was taken from both of us much too early. I loved her, do you know what I would give if I could have every second we were ever apart back and have her just that much longer? I'd give everything. I know you love this girl Ben, I've seen it in every letter you mentioned her name, I saw it when you read the wedding invitation, and I see it now. You're damn lucky she's here and if you let her get away, you'll regret it for the rest of you're life. Now quit being a jackass and admit it to yourself, and when the time comes to her."
Hawkeye sat staring at his father, he had often heard his father speak so frankly to patients who needed reassuring that surgery was the way to go, but he had never been talked to like this. Daniel smiled at his son and looked over at the stairs as Margaret made her way downstairs.
"I'm going to go get dressed and run a few errands, I'll knock when I get back so that I'm not interrupting anything. Why don't you make the lady some breakfast?"
Margaret smiled as she rubbed her eyes walking into the kitchen.
"Morning,"
"Morning, Ben, there's stuff there for French toast if you like." Daniel quickly left the room. Hawkeye smiled at Margaret.
"Good Morning. How does French toast sound?"
"Delicious. I'm surprised your dad's such a morning person, you were never a morning person."
"Yeah, I inherited mom's lazy morning attitude."
After the French toast was made the two sat in the living room to have the talk they'd both been avoiding.
"So…why didn't you get married?" asked Hawkeye not looking in Margaret's eyes.
"Well, it's a long story really."
"We have time." This time he did look into her eyes. Margaret shifted under his gaze,
"Ok, well after the war, I terminated my commission, I just couldn't be in the army anymore, I couldn't stand the thought of going through anything like Korea again. I decided to apply to a hospital where I knew someone, and so I applied at Boston Mercy because my uncle's there and my mom moved there not long ago. Anyway, as you know, Charles works there, he really wasn't pleased to see me at first, probably because he wanted to forget everything that had happened. But we ended up talking and going out for dinner, and the next thing I knew, he proposed. Well, it didn't happen quite that quickly, it took a couple months, but you get the point. I said yes, I'm not sure why, it just seemed like the right thing to do I guess. We sent out the invitations and I put all my doubts to the back of my mind, I figured it was just nervousness, I thought I was just afraid of another marriage like the one I had with Donald. When we started getting the RSVP's from everyone I noticed that you didn't RSVP. I talked to Charles about it and he called you, but apparently you're dad answered, said you were sick, but wished us all the best?"
Hawkeye lowered his head.
"Yeah, I'll explain that later, I want to hear the end of you're story though."
"Ok, well. Yesterday I woke up and realized that I was getting married and…. I wasn't excited, or happy. I felt nothing. It scared me. So, I told Charles that I just couldn't go through with it because it wouldn't be right if all of the 4077th was there. He was pretty upset, said I was being ridiculous, that you were sick and we shouldn't put it off. I left. I just got into my car and started. Do you know I felt more excited about coming to see you then I did about getting married to Charles? You mean a lot to me Hawkeye, and I know it seems insane and stupid but…" Margaret sighed and looked away.
"Do you want to know why I wouldn't come to the wedding?" Hawkeye stared into Margaret's eyes.
"I wouldn't come to the wedding because I couldn't. Every time I thought about you marrying someone else it felt like someone was operating on my without anaesthesia. I know it sounds strange but I fell in love with you in Korea. When I got home I figured it was just the war, that I only felt that way because of who we were then. I thought I was over you, but I guess I'm not. I couldn't watch you marry Charles, because if I let you go, lonely is all that I've got."
Tears started to fall down Margaret's cheeks.
"Margaret, you know how hard it is for me to let my feelings out, I hide behind jokes and lies about how I feel. Believe me when I say, I love you."
Margaret took a deep breath.
"Hawkeye, I'm so glad I'm not the only crazy one here." Margaret leapt over and hugged Hawkeye almost as hard as he hugged her.
"I love you too Hawkeye."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come on in!" Hawkeye yelled. He turned to Margaret. "Dad said he'd knock when he came back, he didn't want to interrupt anything."
"Smart man." Margaret smiled as she kissed Hawkeye.
"Well Margaret, this would seem to explain why you postponed our wedding."
Hawkeye and Margaret leapt apart to look into the angry eyes of Charles.