"Where were you? " He accuses in the scrub room.

The question takes her, as well as the other surgeons in the room, off guard.

Seeing her surprise, his anger spikes, "I needed you in there earlier."

It's the right sentiment but the wrong time.

"You needed me in the OR?" she clarifies.

"Yes" comes his forceful answer.

"Dr. Pierce, I'm quite sure that any of my nurses can easily fill in for me in the OR." Her voice is steely.

He narrows his eyes at her. "I'll keep that in mind." He's not talking about the OR anymore.

The air is sucked out of the room.

She opens her mouth to speak but shuts it just as quickly. The other men watch in shock as well.

She resolves to try to keep the peace. "You're jealous." She says quietly before she turns and walks out the door into the compound.

For a moment, he stares at the door.

"Hawk" BJ says hoping to defuse the situation.

He ignores his friend and throws the door open as he marches out.

"Margaret!" he shouts drawing the attention of the busy camp and of the woman who turns at the sound of his voice.

The frustration is evident on her face. She is trying so hard to not let her anger get the better of her but he is intent on arguing.

"You're not walking away from me." He demands standing to tower over her.

After an OR session the compound is teeming with people. Briefly her attention is drawn to the audience raptly watching. He's aware of them too but he's too angry to worry about the secrets he is spilling. BJ already clued him in on the betting pool.

For a moment she looks like she will walk away again to escape this very public exchange but he can see her weighing the situation and the scales tip.

"You need me in OR but you just can't admit you need me any other time." This is the closest they have ever come to speaking about this thing that has stretched on for over two years.

Her statement throws him. He expected an explosion of Houlihan passion, but if Hawkeye is anything, he is adaptable. He finds his footing quickly and changes tactic to avoid the subject of emotions.

"Excuse me if I don't measure up to the likes of Frank Burns or Donald Penobscott, or any of the rest of the military brass you're so friendly with." He's also good at playing dirty.

The implication in his voice rings in the stillness of the camp.

By the widening of her eyes, he can see that his insult hit its target.

He closes his eyes and drops his head instantly regretting his words. He is expecting at any moment that she will unleash the full brunt of her anger upon him.

For her part, she is unsure of how to respond. They have both made so many mistakes and this thing they have is hanging on the edge. Just maybe she wants to see what is on the other side.

So she takes a deep breath and readies herself. "They didn't measure up to you." Her tone is low and gentle.

Opening his eyes he meets her gaze and she can see the shock in their blue depths.

"I've just realized that I need more." Her voice holds an edge of regret.

She turns away from him moving towards her tent.

BJ and Potter stand outside the Post Op door watching this scene unfold.

"Come on, Hawk" BJ mutters.

Potter nods his agreement. Something has to give.

With each step, her heart sinks lower. She knows that this thing they have is not giving her what she needs but at the same time she's not sure she is ready to let it go either.

He watches as she moves farther away from him and, while the rational part of his mind tells him it is only to her tent, the other part tells him that he is quickly losing out on an opportunity.

After Carlisle, he thought he was better on his own but if Korea has taught him anything, it has taught him that there are some things you shouldn't fight against and what she has brought into his life in the last two years eclipses anyone and anything that came before.

Her hand is on her door when she hears his heavy footfall behind her. His hand covers here and turns her around. The surprise parts her lips and he quickly takes advantage as he pulls her close and kisses her. He is thankful she melts against him instead of pulling away.

For the moment the inhabitants are in shock. There was always suspicion and gossip but here is the actual proof and in typical camp fashion they erupt in applause and catcalls.

Having forgotten about the very public setting they are in, they self-consciously pull back from one another. Hawkeye, always the showman, gives a wave and smile to the group while she ducks into her tent. He quickly follows, closing the door behind him.

"So much for that" He's not sorry it's out in the open finally.

Her tent looks the same as it did last night. "I came by here last night. You weren't here."

She nods. "I was delivering a baby. Didn't Klinger tell you?"

He takes a deep breath. "No."

"What did you think?" She asks unsure if she wants to know.

"I thought you…" he gestures vaguely with his hands.

"You thought I was with Colonel Richmond." She understands perfectly what he was thinking.

"Yes." He admits in resignation.

"He's like a second father to me." She clarifies.

He nods his head slowly feeling a bit ashamed. There is still the elephant in the room and they really shouldn't avoid it anymore.

"I need more too." He admits, but so unsure of how to continue. Hawkeye doesn't do relationships. Medicine has always been his greatest love.

The look in her eye is a measuring one. He tries to not fidget under her scrutiny. "I never told you why I married Donald." She begins carefully.

He wasn't expecting that and it shows on his face. "I didn't think it was my place to ask." He's not sure he wants to know where this is going.

Sitting down heavily on her cot she looks down at her hands, the absence of the ring on her finger is still noticeable and painful. It hasn't escaped his attention how from time to time she unconsciously rubs the spot where it had left an indent on her finger.

"I didn't know what you and I had" she continues with a sad note in her voice. "I knew what Frank and I had." A note of distaste creeps in. "I felt like I was a convenient warm body and I wanted more than that." She draws a trembling breath. "And here was a man that I thought wanted me for me." She shakes her head sadly. "He was a poor substitute but he said the right words at the right times. And I thought I would be happy."

She falls silent after her admission but thankfully doesn't look at him expectantly for a response. He never meant for her to feel used, though at the time of her engagement he couldn't have given her any form of commitment or explanation. It wasn't until he thought he had lost her that he really began to consider what she could mean to him.

"Margaret…" she still doesn't raise her head. "The only thing I have ever really committed too in my life has been medicine. I've had women I love leave me because they couldn't compete." He pauses when she looks up at him. Her eyes are shiny with unshed tears.

"That's why you're the best." She says firmly with pride in her voice.

He gives a small smile. Despite all their differences, he knows that they have always had a strong respect for each other professionally.

"Likewise." He takes this opening to move closer to her and sit beside her on the cot. She looks back down at her hands.

"My point is," he continues taking her hand gently in his." That no one has been more important to me than medicine."

She knew of course that was his one real driving passion in his life. Sacrificing a personal life for a career is one she is familiar with and she can see why he would so easily chose career.

Turning her hand over in his, he lays his other hand on top of it. When he pulls it away, she closes her hand around the object he placed there.

Opening her hand she holds up the small metal item. It glints in the light of her tent.

She turns to him confused. "Your caduceus?"

He shrugs."You're more important to me, Margaret. This will just have to do until we go to Tokyo to get something more fitting." He finishes offhandedly.

The surprise shows in her eyes. "What do you mean?" She's done making assumptions.

"What do I mean?" He is incredulous. "What do you think I mean?"

The look she gives him could melt stone. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

He stands up and paces a few steps. "Well yes, minus the ring."

When she doesn't respond, he begins to panic. What more could he do to show what she means to him?

She looks back up at him, her face is determined.

"I won't give up my career." Too many men have tried to pigeonhole her in their white-picket fantasies.

He regards her for a moment. "After the war, you plan on staying in the Army." It's a statement, not a question.

She regards him for a moment. "I always thought it was what I wanted."

He feels that bit of hope spring up inside of him. "And now?"

"And now, I want something different." Her voice is quiet and thoughtful.

He decides to test the waters, "When the war is over, I could use a good surgical nurse who knows what I like." He gives her one of those smiles.

Standing, she smiles back. "Perhaps." She looks at the metallic item again. The last thing she wants to do is to rush in again.

Gently he reaches out and takes it from her hand. "Margaret, I'm sure." She can see the determination in his eyes as he pins it to her lapel.

The look she gives him speaks volumes. "Okay then."

Author's note: epilogue to follow