Chapter Sixteen: Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim.

By Christmas 1956 Margaret had finally settled into a rhythm of being a mother to Daisy and Laura. Daniel had been keeping regular hours at the clinic, which left Margaret alone most days, as Hawkeye took the position at the hospital. Laura was a delightful infant, and often content to lay quietly on the ground, as Daisy pretended to read to her.

She never expected herself to be a stay at home mom, housewife/ It was always going to be her life in the army, and as a nurse that she pictured her life to be. But at home, all day with Daisy and Laura was her new life, and she was finding it be far more rewarding than she anticipated. She had a routine, and it felt strangely familiar. Morning breakfast with Hawkeye before he went to work, then down for morning nap, which gave her time to do the day prior laundry, before lunch and turned into an afternoon at the park and back in time for afternoon nap, and supper as Hawkeye came home from work. Rainy days hindered the outdoors, and sometimes just ended up doing errands.

Daniel was definitely an asset to their family, and her sanity. He was often willing to take the girls throughout the day and evening. He was very much like his son, but more methodical in his ways. Daniel was definitely a proud grandfather and would often boast around town about Daisy and Laura. One of his favorite things was walking around town with Margaret and the girls. What Margaret really loved was Daniel would take Laura in his arms, call Daisy to join him, and kick Margaret and Hawkeye out for a date night stating that happy parents made better parents.

Daisy was taking being a big sister with stride. She was always willing to do something for "her" baby. She was talking up a storm, and was rarely quiet. She was chattering away every morning at breakfast, and her play time often involved telling stories.

"Are you ready yet?" Hawkeye asked as he sat on the bed, staring at his wife who was sitting in front of her vanity table touching up her hair.

"Almost," Margaret replied. It was the annual hospital benefit night, and Hawkeye had all but been ordered to attend. Groaning he picked up his book, and started flipping through. "What?"

"Nothing," stopping and looking at his wife, he smiled. "You look beautiful." Margaret smiled, wearing a blue strapless dress, hair poised perfectly into an updo, as she pulled gloves on.

"Thank you," Margaret looked at her husband, his expression was softened as he looked at her. Standing up, he grabbed her shawl, and put it over her shoulders, before pulling her into his arms. "Don't mess up my hair," Margaret warned as he leaned in to kiss her.

"You really do look beautiful," he whispered. If truth be told, this was their first formal event as a couple, and come to think of it ever. He loved the look of Margaret getting dressed up. She didn't have a baby on her hip, and looked just like the woman he fell in love with.

"We should go," Margaret took the peck on her lips, and moved out of his grip, and walking out of the bedroom. It was early, and the girls were still up, finishing dinner with Daniel, and Margaret could hear Daisy chatter away. "Daniel, we're off. Really do call if you need us. Formula is in the fridge for bedtime. I set both girls pyjamas out, and made sure that Daisy's bedtime routine is out and in her room. I put Laura's pacifiers in her room as well."

"Margaret, love, I can handle the babies," Daniel chuckled as he continued to feed Laura.

"Okay, my loves," Margaret moved towards Daisy and placed a kiss on her blonde hair. "You be a good girl for Grandpa."

"I always am," Daisy replied clearly as she put a spoon of peas in her mouth.

Hawkeye chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you. Make sure you read Grandpa your bedtime story."

"Go, you'll be late," Daniel ordered as Margaret kissed Laura's head. "Go."

"We're going,' Hawkeye laughed as he took Margaret's arm, and pulled her out of the kitchen. "They'll be fine. Dad raised me after all."

"Oh great, I'll have three nincompoops," Margaret teased as he pushed her out of the house.

"Very pretty ones," he laughed as the two walked towards the car. "Dad can take the girls. He's with them every day."

"I know," Margaret sighed, as she got into the car. "They're in amazing hands." The drive into Portland was quick considering the winter roads. Margaret was incredibly nervous, being married for a year, this was her first event at the hospital with him, and first real outing since Laura was born.

"Hawk, are you sure I look alright?" Margaret asked as the two stood outside the banquet room of the hotel.

"Margaret, you look beautiful," he touched her arm lovingly. "Now, I don't know about me, think this monkey suit looks good?"

"You look dashing," Margaret adjusted his bowtie with her satin covered hands, and laid one hand over his heart.

"I know," he winked back at her, as she rolled her eyes, and the doors opened. "Well Mrs. Pierce?" He held out his arm for her to take, which she did willingly, as they walked into the room. The room was packed with hospital staff, talking and moving around the room. Waiters were moving expertly around the room offering drinks and hor devours. The two walked through the crowd as Hawkeye looked for the rest of the ER staff.

"Hey Ben," a voice greeted at Hawkeye smiled.

"Greg," Hawkeye greeted shaking the man's hand. "This is my wife, Margaret. Margaret, this is Greg McElroy."

"Pleasure to meet you Margaret," the Doctor smiled warmly. He was older than they were, but not by much, and was blonde and brown eyed, and he reminded Margaret of someone, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

"You too."

"This is my wife Donna," the other woman smiled and shook hands with both her and Hawkeye.

"It's so nice to meet you, Greg speaks highly of you," Donna complimented.

"So why haven't I seen you before Margaret?" Greg asked, a question to which Margaret didn't know the answer. When she and Daisy first came to Maine, there she visited he hospital more often than not. But when she got pregnant with Laura, and even more so with Laura's birth, she rarely made it into Portland. Packing up the girls and driving in was something done on Hawkeye's days off, where each could take a girl, and errands could be run.

"I recently had our second daughter," Margaret supplied with a warm smile. "With a toddler and a newborn, I haven't made it into Portland as much as I have hoped recently."

"Oh you have daughters?" Donna beamed. "We have sons. How old are they?"

"Laura is six months, and Daisy is almost three," Margaret smiled as Hawkeye reached into his pocket and produced his wallet, pulling out pictures of the two girls.

"This is Daisy," he handed Donna the photo, "and this little one is Laura."

"Oh they are precious!" Donna gushed. "I miss my boys when they were this age. Oh Greg, look at the precious girls."

"We like them," Hawkeye laughed as he took photos that Donna handed him.

"How long have you two been married?" Donna asked, as the two exchanged looks, Margaret that of a little fear.

"A year," Hawkeye replied confidently.

"We met in Korea though," Margaret quickly added.

"Oh you were both in Korea?" Donna asked, shocked.

"Margaret is a nurse, and was a Major before Daisy came into our lives," Hawkeye explained, his arm going around her waist. "Best scrub nurse I have ever met, let alone worked with."

"A Major?" Greg asked. "That's a pretty high rank."

"I joined the Army as soon as I could," Margaret explained. "I always wanted to, and was honoured to work to my rank."

"Head Nurse to boot," he added.

"So you both were in a M*A*S*H?" Donna asked.

"Yes, we were both assigned to the 4077th in '49, just before the war officially started," Margaret replied.

"I had no idea you were a vet Ben," Greg confessed. Margaret noticed for the second time that her husband was being called by his name, and not his nickname. She had to admit it was very odd, the entire time she had known him, his name was used maybe a dozen times. Even Daniel didn't call him Ben often. She had a few times, in their most intimate moments, but it wasn't a name he casually threw around.

"That's me," he shrugged with a large smile.

"How long were you there?"

"The whole thing," Hawkeye said as he looked around the room. Margaret could see that her husband was getting uncomfortable. She didn't understand why, he was often still talking about their time in Korea.

"Pierce!" A voice called, shaking Margaret quickly from her thoughts, as everyone turned to look at Milton Sorell. Margaret recognized Milton, as they had been to his home several times prior to Laura's birth. The older man walked over to the group and leaned in to kiss Margaret's cheek. "Margaret, such a pleasure to see you again."

"You too."

"How are the babies?"

"Busy," Margaret chuckled as Hawkeye shook hands with Milton.

"Say Pierce, will you and the little wife here come talk to a donor? She said she knows you," Milton seemed a little frazzled this evening.

"So rest for the great Dr. Pierce," Hawkeye laughed. "Greg, it was great talking to you, Donna I'm sure we'll see you soon." Bidding goodbye, the trio walked out of earshot. "Thanks Milt."

"I wasn't lying to get you away, there is really a donor who wants to talk to you," Milton explained. Hawkeye knew he had to schmooze away tonight, in order to help secure funds for the hospital.

"Brandi Doyle," Margaret gasped at seeing the older woman, who swung around and looked stunned. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to give my money away," Brandi explained reaching to take Margaret into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Brandi," Hawkeye was shocked at seeing the woman standing in front of him, embracing his wife.

"Hawkeye Pierce! I knew I recognized the name!" She let Margaret go, and hugged the Doctor, who was as shocked as Margaret. "How you doing hon?"

"Great," Hawkeye chuckled. "So you're the donor who I'm supposed to woo."

"Oh hon, you're a little young for me," Brandi chuckled. "Now don't tell me you two are here together."

"We are," Margaret confessed, as his arm snaked around her waist again.

"We married each other," Hawkeye winked.

"Oh that is just wonderful! Hon I'm so happy you finally found love," Brandi hugged the two before pulling back. "So tell me hon, family?"

"Daisy and Laura," Hawkeye beamed. Margaret watched her husband, and noticed the familiar ease about him, the same ease he had at home, and what drew her to him.

The two happily talked with Brandi until dinner was served, and they moved to their table. Margaret was being introduced to his co-workers, all Surgeons of the ER, all referring to him as Ben. He avoided talking about where they met, let alone what Margaret did, what he did, everything about them. Margaret watched him all night, and was growing progressively more agitated with him. Korea was a large part of their relationship, the reason they were now married and parents.

"You ready to go?" Hawkeye asked looking at Margaret who had been sitting quietly at the table for the past 20 minutes.

"Yes. It was so nice to meet you, but we really should be getting home," Margaret stood up before Hawkeye could pull out her chair. "The baby will be needing to be fed."

The two bid everyone goodbye, as they walked out of the banquet room and into the hotel lobby. "You going to tell me what's the matter?" Hawkeye asked almost angrily as he slipped Margaret's stole over her shoulders.

"Not here I won't," Margaret replied tersely. Groaning Hawkeye dug into his pockets, and pulled out the car keys as they walked in silence through the lobby. Margaret was fiddling with the diamond ring on her ring finger and maintained a full pace in front of her husband. Reaching the car she stood at the driver's side and waited for him to unlock the car.

"You going to tell me?" Hawkeye asked standing in front of his wife, the cold air misting his breath.

"Benjamin, it's cold outside," Margaret was tight lipped and had her arms wrapped around her body.

Hawkeye was taken aback, Margaret had only ever called him Benjamin once before, Ben was rare itself, he was Hawkeye to his wife, and he stared at her. Searching her eyes, he moved closer to her. "Talk to me."

"No."

"Talk to me," he repeated.

"I am proud of my years in the Army. I am proud of the rank I achieved, the women and men I was in charge of, everything I did. I am proud of the work we did in Korea. Every last single day I was proud to be there, I may have not agreed with why we were there, but I was damn proud to serve my country. I hated it there, you hated it there, but I was still proud to serve alongside you, and everyone else in that unit and country," Margaret spoke angrily, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Korea is what made me find you, it gave us Daisy, and in the end, gave us Laura. And you refuse to speak about Korea, let alone even admit you were even there.

And what is with being called Ben? Your father and I don't even call you that? You are not the Ben Pierce I married in that room. You are someone else, someone I'm not sure I want to be involved with."

He stood there, watching her let go what had been on her mind. She was shaking, and it wasn't due to the cold January air. His hands went to her arms, as he pulled her into a hug. She fought it, and settled being held as he held her tighter.

"I don't want to be known as the Doctor who made it through the war. Because I didn't," his voice was even and quiet. "I didn't come back the same man I went as. I am still broken Margaret, I have nightmares." He continued to speak. "I'm not ashamed of what I was doing, I don't want to be the Doctor who was in Korea amongst all those who never had to see what I saw." Margaret pulled away and looked at her husband. Searching his face, there was something Margaret didn't recognize. "I was Dr. Hawkeye Pierce in Korea, but I'm not in Korea anymore, I want a chance to be Dr. Ben Pierce. Ben didn't let young men die, Ben didn't watch a woman kill her baby."

"Ben…"

"There is a part of me that is still scared to be alone with Daisy and Laura. Their own father! Afraid to be alone with them!" He let Margaret go, and moved to sit on the hood. "I struggle everyday Margaret. I love you, and the girls as much I have loved anyone. But I struggle with who I used to be and who I am now. As much as neither of us will admit it Margaret, Korea changed us, incredibly changed us. You knew Hawkeye Pierce, charismatic and full of jokes, and I'm still that man, but I'm also Ben Pierce, dedicated Doctor, husband and father."

"You can be both Hawkeye and Ben," Margaret argued moving towards her husband, picking up his hands, and stroking them with her satin covered thumbs. "Because the man I love is just that, Ben 'Hawkeye' Pierce, Doctor, husband, and father." Hawkeye looked at his wife, searching her eyes for something he missed-her fire and passion. "Korea changed us both, I wouldn't be here if it didn't change me, for the better. But what I do know Benjamin," she used his first name again, "is that you are exactly who you are, a man who saw the worst, did his best, and yes came home broken, but found his missing pieces. You," she let go of his hand and placed hers on his chest. "You are an incredible man, and your co-workers need to see the whole you." His hand moved to cover hers as her body shivered as the wind picked up.

"I love you," Hawkeye said softly, as Margaret smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"I love you too."

His arms moved around her, pulling her into his embrace, as she rested her forehead on his. "Come on, let's get home, relieve Dad."