A/N: "Thank you, thank you, thank you" times infinity for your reviews! I have NEVER gotten this many for only three chapters! Kilikina--not sure if you have an account but I wanted to thank you.

I am obsessed with saying thank you today. HELP!

Chapter 4: The Ex-Major's Minor

1960

It was May. Margaret and Hawkeye had been married for just over three months. They lived in Maine (Crabapple Cove to be exact), and Hawkeye still worked at his hometown's clinic. Margaret, who had sold her aunt's house to a developer who was at the moment tearing it down for a Super Food Mart, was starting work at the clinic at nine A.M. on the twentieth.

It was eight-thirty.

"Hawkeye!" shouted Margaret. "Where are my red pumps?"

"How should I know?" Hawkeye shouted back from the kitchen. "You're the one that wears them."

Margaret tore down the stairs, wearing only a yellow turtleneck and a white slip. "Listen to me, buster, if I don't make a good impression no one will ever take me seriously. NOW WHERE ARE THE DAMN SHOES?"

"Probably in your shoe rack on the door," said Hawkeye. "Margaret, will you calm down? I can hear your heart rate from here."

"Oh, you can talk. You've known these people for all of your life! What if they think I'm not good enough for you? Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick."

Margaret got into the bathroom just in time. Hawkeye followed her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You all right?"

"Fine." The blonde stood up and got a drink of water. She re-adjusted her hair (pulled back into a ponytail) and turned around. "Would you mind moving? I have to get dressed."

"Not in my mind you don't." Hawkeye kissed her neck.

The two were almost late for work that morning.

XXX

"Pierce!" shouted Nancy DeMaris. "Are you sick again?"

Thank you SO much for broadcasting it to the immediate area, thought Margaret bitterly as she shut the door to the restrooms, not dignifying Nancy's question with a response. Instead, she went into Hawkeye's office and laid down on his orange couch with the the multi-colored flowers.

Outside the office, Hawkeye was giving a prescription to Vern Liener when Nancy tapped his shoulder. "Doctor Pierce?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." He finished explaining the doses to Vern (for the fifth time), and followed Nancy. "Yeah?"

"Your wife's sick again," said Nancy. "Honestly, you should take her home. You know the Cove's had a chicken pox epidemic and we don't need her infecting the children."

"All right," Hawkeye said. "Tell Bill that I'll be back in twenty minutes."

XXX

"I am not sick!" Margaret insisted as Hawkeye helped her out to the car.

"Oh, so you're losing yourbreakfast just for fun, then."

"Hawkeye, I'm not sick." Margaret paused."I'm pregnant."

"You're..." Hawkeye dropped his briefcase and gave her a kiss right out of a 40's movie.

"Icky!" Susie Rogerson, the daughter of Crabapple Cove's mayor,burst into giggles. "Mommy, look!"

"Let's go," Mrs. Rogerson said, taking her daughter by the hand.

"This'll be a perfect place to raise our kids," said Hawkeye. "They can go to school where I did, and we can take them to the park, and then when they get older, they can work at the clinic with you and me."

Margaret chuckled. "God forbid they'd want to move out of Maine."

"Who would want to?"

XXX

The news of the new Mrs. Pierce's pregancy spread throughout town like wildfire. It was mentioned in the community's "The Cove's Five Senses" column and soon made its way throughout the county.

One person in particular whom it spread to was Frank Burns.

XXX

Ding-dongggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg...

"I have to get someone to fix that doorbell,"Margaret sighed.She wrapped a towel around her wet hair and dashed to get the door.

Standing outside was Ferret Face himself.

"Margaret!" he screamed, throwing himself in the door.

"Frank, get off of me!" Margaret ordered, irritated and surprised beyond belief.

Frank obeyed. "Darling. I heard about you and Pierce."

"You should have, he called you. Now will you go away?"

"He's brainwashed you."

Margaret drew back her fist and punched Frank in the nose. "If you don't get out of here, I'm going to have you arrested for indecent behavior! Now out!"

"Sweetie-"

"I am not your sweetie and I never will be!"

Frank scurried out of the house, leaving Margaret wondering how he found out their address.