Good job folks I got six comments last night! Bravo!
A sudden knock on the door made her jump and Margaret made her way to the door. She flung open the door and Daniel Pierce greeted her.
"Damn it Pierce can't you leave me alone?" she yelled; the ironic familiarity of what she had just said made her pause and shake her head slightly. "Come on in," she whispered.
Margaret turned and walked back to the couch, letting herself sink into the cushions. Daniel made himself at home, walking into the kitchenette, and starting a pot of coffee. He silently poured two cups and walked over to the couch, situating himself beside her.
"You were leaving parts out weren't you?" he asked suddenly.
Margaret looked up in feigned surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"I am talking about the numerous side-splitting tales you were telling. They weren't the truth were they?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
Margaret turned red and tried to maintain her composure but was failing rapidly. "How dare you?" she yelled. "How dare you come in here and…and…treat me like this?"
Concerned, Daniel grabbed her hands and quickly apologized. "I didn't mean it that way Margaret, I was just wondering why you left things out."
Margaret leaned back and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to regain her self-control before she began crying. "Do you think," she began slowly. "That they actually wanted to hear about how much their sons, their daughters, their husbands, their fathers were hurting?" The more Margaret spoke the faster her words came and her tone rose.
"Do you think that they wanted to hear about the pain and the suffering that their loved-ones have learned to cope with; about the hundreds of boys and men that they have seen die right in front of them?" Unknowingly, Margaret had tears streaming down her face while Daniel wisely let her vent her pent-up emotions.
"Can you honestly think that anyone in their right mind would want to hear about the terrifying nightmares and ghosts the plague our every moment? No Dr. Pierce, no one wants to hear any of that! They want to hear humorous stories about practical jokes and never-ending stretches of boredom!"
As Margaret paused, Daniel scooted closer to her, wrapped his arms around her, and stroked her back as if he was comforting a small child. Although he hardly knew her, the pity he felt for this, scared, and lonely woman was overwhelming. He would do anything just so she could stop hurting.
Almost a half hour later, Daniel led a very exhausted Margaret to her bed. He pulled a chair beside her bed and picked up her hand. He was not sure what else to do; he certainly did not want to leave her and as a father this was the only way he knew how to comfort her.
Margaret awoke early the next morning and for the first time in months she actually felt refreshed; she could not remember the last time when she slept so good. She stretched her arms and sat up and for the first time she noticed the sleeping form of Daniel Pierce in a chair beside her bed. Margaret smiled affectionately and quietly slipped out of her bed and into the adjacent room.
A half hour later Margaret sat at the small table sipping on a cup of steaming coffee when Daniel shuffled in the room.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Margaret greeted playfully. Daniel only grunted as he slowly lowered himself into a chair. Margaret laughed and poured him a cup of coffee, which Daniel accepted gratefully.
"I wanted to, uh thank you…" Margaret began nervously, "For staying with me last night."
Daniel looked up and smiled in response as Margaret continued. "I also wanted to apologize; I wasn't really being fair with you and I'm sorry."
Daniel nodded and leaned back into his chair. "I had to stay." He said seriously. "I had to stay because I know what it feels like to be constantly plagued by painful memories."
Margaret looked up in surprise and asked him what he meant. "I was referring to my wife. Did Hawkeye ever tell you about her?" Margaret shook her head in the negative and Daniel continued.
"Leslie was only nineteen when we were married. She gave birth to Ben two years later; I was only twenty-five at the time. Shortly after Hawkeye turned eight, it was coming painfully obvious that Leslie wasn't alright; mentally I mean." Daniel sighed and silently poured himself another cup of coffee.
"Daniel you don't have to…" Margaret began.
"No, I need to tell someone; I've never even told Hawkeye this." Margaret nodded in resignation and Daniel continued with his story.
"For the next two years Leslie just got worse. She was having more and more frequent "bad spells". She would become angry and violent. She would even start hallucinating; it was all I could do keep her under control. Two weeks after Hawkeye turned ten I woke up in the middle of the night and Leslie was not in bed with me. I quickly searched the house and I found her in Ben's bedroom. He was asleep and she was standing next to him, holding a butcher knife."
Margaret slowly reached across the table and gently held his hand. It just was not fair; the pain people had to go through on a day-to-day basis.
"I checked her into a mental institute immediately. I loved her more than anything else in the world, but I just could not hide her problems anymore. I told Hawkeye she was in the hospital for some tests. I had always managed to hide her problems from him and he loved him mother so much; I just could not bring myself to tell him that she was not sane. When I found out that there wasn't anything they could do for her condition I told Hawkeye that she had died suddenly…"
Daniel stopped his story and rubbed away a lone tear that was traveling down his cheek. "She died seven months ago, she had managed to get out of the institute, and she was hit by a car."
Daniel took a moment to regain his composure and then he smiled. "You see dear; like I said, I know what it feels like to be tortured by memories."