Enjoy!
A week later, the nurses ship out of camp due to a potential attack. The last one to get into the vehicle, Margaret says good bye to each of the surgeons by rank. Stopping at Hawkeye, she remarks, "'Captain'."
"'Major'," Hawkeye answers before locking her in a kiss.
"'Colonel!'" Frank whines prompting Henry to passively tell Hawkeye to stop. After another second, Hawkeye lets go and Margaret gets on the truck with her nurses. Thankfully any teasing is stopped by her no nonsense demeanor and command.
Left alone, Hawkeye and Trapper sit in the officer's club that night upset by the lack of women.
"'Boy do I miss my wife'," Trapper states as he watches the barkeep walk away to get their drinks.
"'So do I'," Hawkeye commiserates before quickly adding, "'I don't even know your wife and I miss her.'"
Disliking the idea of his friend missing his wife, Trapper replies, "'I'll miss my wife. You miss my mother.'"
Going into surgery the next day, the men realize how much the nurses actually do. At one point during an operation, Trapper remarks, "'If Hot Lips were here right now, I'd kiss her feet.'"
Trying to keep himself from telling his friend that he can take Margaret's mother so he can miss his wife, Hawkeye asks, "'And bump into Frank coming around the toe?'"
Finally finished with surgery, Trapper and Hawkeye soon realize they do not hear Frank's whining, so when the men see Radar in the compound, they eagerly accept the invitation to listen to Frank and Margaret's phone conversation. Always curious about what his wife and Frank's relationship is like, Hawkeye eagerly listens to the exchange until it becomes too much for him. As the pair counts to three in order to hang up, Trapper and Hawkeye quickly say 'three' with them. Margaret, upset over her husband's eavesdropping and knowing there is nothing she can do, tells Frank to chase after them.
The next morning when the nurses come back after an uneventful leaflet bombing, Hawkeye makes sure to give an extra salute to his wife so Frank can spend time with her, as much as he hates it. Jumping into the truck with the nurses, Hawkeye makes a mental note to ask about his wife's and Frank's actual relationship. Doing so that night, Margaret laughs at him asking if he is jealous.
"No," Hawkeye answers uncomfortably, "I just need to know if I should worry."
Shaking her head, Margaret walks toward her husband and reassures him that there is no competition while snaking her arms around him.
"Besides," She adds, "I like my men tall with dark hair."
"You should have told me sooner, and I would've taken you to see that Rudolph Valentino picture that was playing the other day. It was the only thing silent in camp," Hawkeye teases. Rolling her eyes, Margaret asks how the men were without her.
"Awful," Hawkeye answers before kissing his wife. After a moment they decide to break apart to divert suspicion.
With a barrage of casualties one afternoon, almost everyone is tired or too engrossed in their particular surgery to reprimand Margaret's acting as a tyrannical supervisor to her nurses. She is rather annoyed with herself at her remarks, but decides no one can be happy on the six month anniversary of her wedding if she is not allowed to be. Usually she finds the idea of counting the months preposterous, but in a war, Margaret will allow the nicety. The OR buzzes with orders and surgical instruments, but no voice is louder than Margaret's newest patronizing remarks toward her nurses. Annoyed by his wife's behavior, Hawkeye jumps in, "'And I'd like to make an announcement! Major Houlihan and I are getting married! Right sugar?'"
"'What?" She yells afraid their secret will be exposed, "'We are not!'"
"'Then go ahead and have the baby alone.'"
Needless to say, their banter goes with an eye roll rather than an eyebrow raise. Hours later, the Chief Surgeon and Head Nurse are the last two out of the OR. As Margaret takes off Hawkeye's mask, the surgeon apologizes for his comment from earlier.
"You're just lucky no one believes us," Margaret replies throwing her surgical gown into the hamper. He hums in agreement as he takes off the rest of his scrubs and throws them in with hers. Turning toward the nurse, he smiles his trademark smile, but the glint in his eyes is a little different compared to how he stares at the other nurses.
"I miss you at night," Hawkeye admits while they are still alone. Smirking, Margaret answers, "It's almost been six months. I still keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Me, too," The surgeon replies. "I'm still surprised they stuck us here together."
Smoothing his hair, Margaret answers, "It helps that the army doesn't know we're married."
"Gotta hand it to good ole Dad, huh?" Hawkeye teases knowing his father- in- law is the cause for their joint posting.
"Yes, we do," She gushes still intent on pleasing her father. Hawkeye smiles down at his wife happy to see the side of her that he falls in love with peeking through her facade. Finally he states, "I think Frank is making you angry. You could've sent your nurses packing with your tone alone."
Margaret merely rolls her eyes knowing she is unable to explain the complexities of her and Frank's relationship. Instead, she replies, "He is annoying sometimes, but why don't you try to befriend him?"
"Me? You know how much he hates me and Trap," Hawkeye teases as he places a strand of hair behind his wife's ear.
"You did that the day we met. Remember?" Margaret asks with a teasing smile remembering how the wind swept her hair out of place and sent her hat flying into Central Park.
"Yeah, only this time I can't take you to dinner," Her husband remarks.
"No, but you can kiss me," Margaret replies eager to have a stolen moment with her husband. Hawkeye smiles knowing this may be the only time they get to be alone for a while.
"Major?" Radar calls out a moment later as he comes near the scrub room. Hawkeye and Margaret quickly separate before the company clerk can see them.
"Thank- you for that clarification, Doctor," Margaret begins just as Radar comes inside asking for her.
"You're wanted in Post Op, Ma'am," Radar states unaware of the couple's dalliance.
"Thank- you, Corporal," The nurse responds before breezing into post op. As she makes her rounds, the nurse hears footsteps and is rather upset that Frank is the surgeon on duty that night. As much as she values the friendship, he tends to leech onto her.
"Hello, Margaret," Frank whines as the nurse jots down a note on a patient's medical sheet.
"Frank," She replies with little fanfare as she starts checking another clipboard. All she wants is time alone. Preferably with her husband, but knows keeping Frank around will divert suspicion. The rest of the night, Margaret passes her time in Post Op trying to figure out how to ditch Frank. Less than a year, and the now one sided friendship is beginning to wane. She only agrees to befriend Frank because they are both hiding secrets. Her marriage and his sexuality make them the perfect pair to be or pretend to be Regular Army. Granted, no one else knows about the secrets. Instead, she lets Frank find solace in her tent and complain about whatever his boyfriend writes him about. Finally sick of his constant complaints about Louis, or Louise to the camp, Margaret finally unleashes her own complaints about an old friend who has everything she could have, yet the army takes away. By the end of the day, she decides that the best thing to do for her marriage is transfer units.
Nearly drinking herself into oblivion a day later due to her impulsive decision, Margaret is barely aware of Trapper and Hawkeye taking her to the showers. As a steady stream of water drenches his wife's fully clothed body, Hawkeye is almost flattered when she makes a pass at him. However, he realizes she is sobering a little when she has the foresight to tell him that she is hitting on Trapper. Both surgeons exchange glances knowing Margaret will forget all of this by morning. She does, and Hawkeye merely sits back and watches Trapper tease Margaret feeling a bit of vindication since his wife chooses not to consult him before leaving him. Knocking on her tent door later that night, Hawkeye waits to be let in. When Margaret opens the door, her husband instantly asks, "Why didn't you tell me you wanted a transfer?"
"Hawkeye, keep your voice down!" The nurse hisses. Fully entering the tent and letting the door close, Hawkeye asks in a normal tone, "Is this better?"
Margaret opens her mouth to reply when Hawkeye cuts her off.
"How could you simply decide to get a transfer? After all that your dad did to stick us together?" Hawkeye questions before lowering his tone. "Do you want a divorce?"
Shocked, Margaret answers, "No! Of course not! I just thought if I left, we wouldn't have to pretend anymore."
Hawkeye sits down to absorb the information he is given. Confused by his wife's train of thought, Hawkeye asks what she wants to do.
"I don't know," Margaret replies as she sits beside her husband on the cot. "I got a letter from an old friend and she was telling me all about how great her life is, and I got angry. We could've had that if you weren't drafted!"
"You'd still have it if you hadn't signed up for this," Hawkeye gently adds. Shaking her head, Margaret replies, "No. You wouldn't be there. Some honeymoon this is."
"We could still have one. After the war? Anywhere you want to go," Hawkeye promises. His wife smiles at the prospect, and answers, "Let's have it in the States. I'd rather be home with you."
"So my home is your home now?" Hawkeye asks hoping she will decide to stay in Crabapple Cove with him. Shaking her head, Margaret replies, "I was thinking base housing."
Noticing him try and process the news, Margaret replies, "The Army is my home, Hawk. You knew that when we married. I'll be stateside a lot, being a nurse."
"And if we had kids?" Hawkeye asks trying to process their future without his dad. Shrugging, Margaret answers, "We'll think of that when we come to it. Is it okay if I still stay in the Army?"
"Don't see how it can't be. We're stuck here indefinitely anyway. I'd make more money though, as a surgeon," Hawkeye teases. Smirking, the nurse asks, "I thought you didn't care about the money?"
"Not usually. I do care about you. How do you get through the war in tact?" Hawkeye seriously questions. Shaking her head, Margaret replies, "I just do."
The couple spends the night together under the guise of Hawkeye staying with one of the nurses. Setting her alarm, Margaret makes sure Hawkeye leaves her tent before anyone wakes up.
Review!
