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The next day brings tough cases. Not many, but enough to keep the doctors and nurses busy. However, any anger she has toward Hawkeye vanishes when she enters postop the next morning. As soon as she walks in the room, Margaret notices a familiar surgeon curled up on an empty cot next to his patient. Walking over, the nurse takes the blanket near her husband's feet and places it over him. When he stirs, she apologizes for waking him. Sleepily, Hawkeye answers while sitting up, "'No, no, let's try it again tomorrow at my place.'"
As Hawkeye goes to the chair by his patient's bed, Margaret asks him if he stays there all night. When he tells her he has, Margaret tells him a nurse could have watched his patient. Although, knowing how stubborn her husband is, she knows her comment falls on deaf ears.
"'No offense. He needed a doctor not a nurse. Twice his chest tubes plugged up on him. If I wasn't here, he'd have been busted down to cadaver'," Hawkeye explains as he checks over the soldier's tubes.
"'How's he doing?'"
"'Fine. Respiration's normal, and no blood through the tube.'"
"'Then he'll live'," Margaret states. Never fully serious, Hawkeye remarks, "'I've been trying to break it to you as gently as possible. Couple of months, he'll be out checking natives under the armpits again.'"
Proud of her husband, Margaret says as she goes to stand beside him from her perch at the foot of the patient's bed, "'There's only one reason this man didn't die.'"
"'H.Q. didn't cut him his orders.'"
As her husband runs his hands down his face in exhaustion, Margaret wonders why he cannot take a compliment causing her next remark to be a little sterner as she praises, "'I've never seen you work better.'"
"'Somebody tell him'," Hawkeye answers knowing the Colonel does not put much if any faith in his abilities.
"'Somebody will, I'm sure'," Margaret answers, still stern knowing she will explain his work to Colonel Potter. Becoming a little more militaristic to combat her want to touch her husband's shoulder or rub his neck so he knows she is serious in her praise, Margaret tells him she wants to be the first to congratulate him. Looking up at her, Hawkeye takes his wife's hand and shakes it, deciding kissing it is frowned upon in their current situation thanking her by replying, "'I'm honored, touched, and aroused.'"
If he is unable to do anything else, at least he can flirt with her to show his affection. Taking her hand from his and for a split second pursing her lips, Margaret audibly questions why he has to spoil their moments.
"'I'll kiss whatever you like and make it better'," Hawkye offers cheekily. Leaving her husband to go find the Colonel, Hawkeye hopes his wife is not too angry with him. He wants to make good on his promise later.
Finding Radar stationed at the radio, Margaret asks him if Colonel Potter is in his office.
"Yes, ma'am."
Nodding, the nurse heads through the doors and tells the Colonel she wants to speak with him. Glad Frank is not with her, Colonel Potter asks, "What can I help you with?"
"I just got a report on the Colonel. He's fine. Had a few setbacks last night, but Captain Pierce pulled him through."
"That's good to hear. I'll have to visit him when he wakes up. If you see Hawkeye, tell him to get some rest."
"Yes, Colonel," Margaret answers before leaving and heading back toward Post Op to make sure her husband leaves the room and gets some sleep. When she finds him still with his patient, Margaret touches her husband's arm lightly causing him to look at her.
"Get some sleep, Hawk. That's an order."
"From you?" He teases. Shaking her head, "A little higher up."
"I didn't know you spoke to God. I thought that was reserved for priests."
Rolling her eyes, Margaret says, "Come on, let's get you to bed."
"Yes, dear."
Once they leave Postop, Margaret asks if he wants to sleep in her tent adding, "It'll be quieter."
"Yeah," He answers finally realizing how exhausted he is. Entering his wife's tent, he sits on the bed, kicks off his shoes, and falls asleep right as his head hits the pillow. After brushing an errant strand of hair away from her husband's face, Margaret puts an extra blanket over him since he never bothers to crawl under the other one.
A few weeks later, Colonel Potter announces Nurse Cratty will be coming with the orphans and a pregnant lady the orphanage is housing due to heavy shelling. Finally settling all the children to sleep, the doctors and nurses come close to going to bed themselves when Radar finds the pregnant woman stumbling into camp shot and in labor. Electing B.J. to perform both the cesarean and bullet extraction.
"'Patient's ready'," Margaret informs Hawkeye as she ties her mask over her face while B.J. is given scrubs.
"'Fine, Major. Shall we make a baby?'" He jokes wondering if they will ever get to discuss the subject in length. Margaret's eyes go wide noting the seriousness in his eyes despite the tone of his voice and immediately looks back with the same seriousness.
Being led into The Swamp hours later by Frank, the nurse's eyes immediately scan Hawkeye and B.J.'s side of the tent and looks at the various trinkets they accumulate. Merely tolerating Frank now, the nurse is eager to see how her husband actually lives. Moving Hawkeye's robe, Margaret remarks how disgusting the tent is. Her fun is over when Frank runs out of the tent accusing one of the children of stealing his medal. She yells after him, but knows she is due for her shift. A few minutes later, Margaret walks into Post Op to find a ceremony of sorts being given. When she realizes Hawkeye steals Frank's Purple Heart for the baby B.J. saves, she teases that she knows where the medal comes from.
"'Bite your tongue, Margaret'," Hawkeye jokes adding, "'Better yet, let me do it.'"
Smiling at her husband, Margaret simply puts her hand on his shoulder enjoying the flirting. After the ceremony, Margaret commends her husband on his thievery...
An hour later, the camp rounds up the children to head back to the orphanage, and everyone except Frank makes sure they get on the truck safely and says good bye to them.
"'Thank you for all your help, Major'," Nurse Catty tells Margaret who gets off the truck after telling the children good bye.
"'Thank you'," Margaret replies enjoying spending time with the children as much as they enjoy being in the camp. Standing to the side, Margaret and a few other camp members wave the kids off.
"They're gone," Margaret remarks once she sees the truck gets out of the compound safely.
"Yeah," Hawkeye replies surprising Margaret. "You were really good with them."
"You were, too. You'd make an excellent father someday," Margaret truthfully replies. With a grin, Hawkeye flirts, "Was that an offer?"
When the nurse rolls her eyes, Hawkeye states, "I bet you'd make a wonderful mom. Besides, imagine what our kids will look like!"
"After the war, but if you want to practice," She winks before walking off causing her husband to trail after her.
Following his wife into her tent, Hawkeye asks, "Do you really want kids?"
"I wouldn't mind a few," She remarks, "Just not in the middle of the war."
Her husband agrees right up until the day he dies.
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