Chapter Thirteen: Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
She sat alone in the room, staring at the doctor. Daisy was at home with Hawkeye, she had used the excuse of christmas shopping in Portland to have time for herself, and visit the doctor, who just left the room, after showing her the test results.
Pregnant. Again.
She had asked him to read the results again, and he did. She asked him to see the results for herself, he let her. She was pregnant. This summer was already planned, Klinger and Soon-Lee were finally coming back to the states, and Colonel Potter was throwing a huge "shindig" at his place. He was tickled pink when he had found out about Daisy. Demanded they make a trip to see him, and when Klinger wrote everyone and said he'd be back this summer, it was the perfect opportunity. Daisy would be two, and hopefully travel a bit better than she did flying to San Francisco.
She had decided that with Daisy turning two in April, she would be perfectly content to be left in daycare, and heading back to work at the hospital. At least, that's what she think she wanted. But now, now there was something else, someone else to think about. Reaching to her stomach, she had to admit she wasn't all that surprised. She had suspected that she was pregnant, she was feeling the same with Daisy. Daisy…
She never imagined life with more than just with Daisy. Was it fair for Daisy to bring a younger brother or sister into her life, one that got to spend those crucial bonding months with their father, where Daisy didn't? Was it fair to take the time she had with Hawkeye away from her?
Thoughts like these plagued her mind as she drove back to Crabapple Cove, snow falling and covering the highway. Winter in New England was nothing she had ever experienced before, cold, icy, and in the right sun, it glittered. Daisy was growing up happily, she loved the little girl, and loved this new baby just as much.
But how would Hawkeye react? Would he be just as ready for a second baby…
"No," Daisy protested as Hawkeye placed her in her crib.
"Yes," Hawkeye said resting his arm on the crib wall. "You need a nap."
"No," Daisy protested again, her lip quivering.
"No crying," he sternly said, just as Daisy started to wail. "Well, I tried." Sighing he moved away from the crib, letting the little girl wail and scream. Closing the door, Hawkeye moved towards the stairs, as he heard the front door close. Moving down the stairs, he smiled as he saw the woman in the doorway, shaking off and hanging up her jacket.
"Hi," Margaret greeted. "She didn't want to nap?"
"Of course not, there are far to many things for her to explore," Hawkeye smiled, as a particularly loud scream was heard. "How was Portland?"
"Icy," Margaret replied. "But Christmas is bought," she gestured to the bags.
"Anything special?" Hawkeye grinned waggling his brows.
"For you?" Margaret chuckled. "No."
"Aweh come on," he smiled. "Hall closet?"
"Please," she smiled moving into the kitchen. She needed to come up with a way to tell Hawkeye she was pregnant...again. Moving to the cupboard, she pulled out a mug, and moved to place the kettle on the stove. She could still hear Daisy and knew that she would tire herself out soon. The ring of the phone gave two short rings, and she knew Hawkeye picked it up.
She knew as she stood in the kitchen waiting for her kettle to boil, that she couldn't hold off telling Hawkeye of their impending parenthood, for the second time.
"I have to go into the hospital," his voice announced as he walked into the kitchen, jacket and scarf already in his hand, his pair of winter boots on his feet.
"Oh," Margaret said turning around, thanking that he was leaving as to give herself more time to think of how to tell him the news.
"Bad accident, we're all being called in. I'll be back when I can."
"Go," Margaret urged as he leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips and slid his scarf around his neck, before trying to get into his winter jacket. Margaret chuckled a bit, and held the arm so that he could slide his arm in. "Drive safe. It was starting to come down out there."
"I'm a fantastic driver," he winked, pulling his toque from his pocket, and putting it on his head before leaving the kitchen. As the front door closed, the wailing from upstairs stopped, and Margaret smiled. By the time this baby would be born, Daisy would be two and a half, so maybe it wasn't such a bad time to have a baby. They would grow up together, and Daisy would get the chance to boss around a younger brother or sister, much to her joy.
She planned to go back to work, full time, as a nurse, she loved her job, and never did she imagine she would be willingly give up nursing to be a stay at home mom. At least, that's what she could see herself doing, saying goodbye to working, and focusing full time on the children. At least until they started school. There is something to be said about growing up… motherhood does that to a woman, no matter what age.
By the time Hawkeye came home, Daisy was painting on the kitchen floor, happily babbling to herself, as Margaret made her scrambled eggs for breakfast.
"Honey, I'm home," he called mockingly, as Daisy's face lit up, and her hands smushed into the paint, as she turned to see her father. "Good morning my darling girl."
"How was it?" Margaret questioned as she emptied the pan onto a dish.
"Familiar," he responded placing Daisy on the counter by the sink. "Time to clean you up." Running the water, he guided Daisy's hands under the water. "First time that…"
"Felt like Korea again," Margaret nodded, remembering her first long stretch back in the states, quick and dirty surgery, patching. She missed the jokes and chatter, the quiet of the OR as one patient after another was brought in.
"Yeah," he replied. "There, all clean." Smiling at Daisy, he picked her up and with one quick move he swung her up like an airplane and flew the toddler to her highchair. Margaret laughed and placed the scrambled eggs on the tray.
"Go take a shower, you stink," Daniel commented coming into the kitchen, coffee mug in his hand. "I need you at the clinic today. House calls. Meryl has pneumonia, and I think Esther Jerow might have Scarlet Fever."
"Really?" Hawkeye asked, almost alarmed. His eyes were tight on Daniel, and he could feel his breath hitch.
"Unfortunately. The baby, Genevieve, died yesterday from it, I'm too old to go make the house call."
"I'll go," Hawkeye said planting a kiss on Daisy's head. "But Daddy needs to shower."
"Byebye," Daisy waved as she grabbed her eggs and shoved them in her mouth. Margaret shook her head, and sipped her morning coffee.
Watching his son leave the room, Daniel turned to Margaret, and smiled. "My second grandchild should be arriving come July?"
"How...did you know?" Margaret asked, placing her mug down on the counter.
"Doctor, I've told more women that were pregnant than I haven't," Daniel winked. "So you haven't told the boy yet."
"No," Margaret replied. "I found out yesterday for sure."
"I could have told you, my son however, is dense." Margaret chuckled, and took the hug that Daniel offered. "I'm happy for you two."
"Why plan babies?" Margaret shook her head, touching her stomach that no housed the second child conceived out of wedlock. She knew her father would be disappointed in her, she was nothing like Charlotte who married young, and settled down, and became the perfect housewife and mother.
By the end of the day, Margaret sat alone in the living room, Daniel had taken Daisy into town to give Margaret a chance to tell Hawkeye the news of their impending parenthood for the second time.
"Hey," Hawkeye greeted as he shook his jacket off, and dusted the snow from his head. "Where's Dad?"
"Took Daisy into town," Margaret replied. "How was your day?"
"Spent the day with Esther, and the family," he explained as he sat on the couch. "Why did Dad take Daisy?"
"We have to talk," Margaret replied, folding her hands and placing them delicately on her lap. She had been rehearsing how she was going to tell him for hours, playing out each scenario in her head, and his reactions. She hoped he would be good, that he'd be excited, that he'd want this baby. There was only one way to find out which he'd be… "I'm pregnant." She blurted out, there, said it. Staring at Hawkeye whose face looked rigid, his eyes searching.
"What?"
"I'm pregnant," she repeated, standing up. "Hawk?"
"I need a moment Margaret," Hawkeye announced as he sunk into the chair. His hands moved to cover his face. Opening his fingers, to look at her through them. "You're sure?"
"Found out yesterday for sure."
"Wow," he breathed. His mind was racing, and he knew that although he loved Daisy with everything he had, but needed to make sure that this baby, both his babies, had both parents for the rest of their lives. "Marry me."
"What?" Margaret breathed, sucking in her bottom lip.
"Marry me. I want you, Daisy, and this baby for the rest of my life."
Margaret stood there, staring at Hawkeye, who was now standing in front of her, and without realising it, her head nodded, and she leaned into his embrace. The two stood there, for a long while, just holding each other. Parents to be.
Christmas came and went, and phone calls to all those who mattered in their lives, to tell them of the exciting news of their marriage to be. There were a lot of "Yahoos!" in every phone call. Margaret's family drove in, and a smattering of the Lombardi's drove in for their wedding.
On January 1st, 1956, standing in front of those who could make it in such short notice, at the Protestant Chapel, Daisy holding both their hands, Margaret became Mrs. Benjamin Pierce. She knew this was fast, slower than her first marriage, and the relationship was stronger than with Donald. This was her family, with Daisy, and the baby to come. She did the right thing, married her children's father. She was determined to be happy about it, and her life.
