Crabapple Cove, Doug and Carlye residence. late afternoon after dark
"What do you mean? He stole your wife. When?" asked Margaret. She wanted to find out if Doug was driven by hate or frustration?
"2 years ago. In Korea. They made a baby and kept it a secret."
"Korea? Is your wife a nurse?"
"Yes. How did you figure that out?"
"I'm a nurse myself. I met Hawkeye in Korea, but we first got close about a year and a half ago. Is your wife's name Carlye?"
"Yes"
"I really don't recall a nurse with that name in our Mash unit and I was the head nurse. If she had been there for a month, I would have seen her name when I evaluated the nurse schedules. She must have been there for a very short period of time. " (MASH info: Loretta Swit who played Margaret did not appear in this episode, Season 4: The more I see you)
"Only two weeks she says, but that was apparently more than enough."
"Two weeks, but that means Hawkeye doesn't even know he has a daughter. Did she tell you he was the father?"
"Well, she admitted it. Our daughter has to undergo surgery and her blood type ruled me out as her father, but I see what you mean. Hawkeye couldn't possibly know. Only Carlye would know. I'm sure she's at his place now. I thought he would steal her away from me again. I want Carlye back. That's why I was on my way to Hawkeye, but then you showed up. I don't know what I was thinking. " Margaret noticed his state of confusion, but she saw no sign of hate. He had said our daughter and that he wanted Carlye back.
"Why would she be at his place?"
"I lost my temper. I hit her and threw her out of the house, but I was just so angry and I didn't want to hear her explanations. She took Kathy with her. I really didn't mean to hit her. I called her parents and she wasn't there." said Doug, lowering the gun.
The nurses sent to Korea actually received basic small arms weapons training and learned basic combat skills. Margaret had been serious about her training. She knew how to handle guns, how to defend herself and how to survive. Margaret could see that the gun was not cocked. She had also been in high tension situations before. That's why a situation like this did not make her panic. She had instinctively chosen a long metal candlestick to defend herself in case the situation would escalate.
"Listen to me. I'm sure Carlye understands that she hurt you, but you're in a way also punishing her for coming back to you. Carlye wanted Kathy to be your daughter and she came back to you. Your marriage means more to her and you want Carlye back."
"I do, but I don't know how to deal with this pain in me. How do you feel about your husband having a daughter with my wife?"
There was no time to think and so Margaret answered honestly.
"I already knew that Hawkeye was a womanizer in Korea. The thought of a woman showing up with a child of his is certainly not new to me. I didn't walk into this relationship blindly."
"...and these women doesn't bother you at all? Aren't you jealous of all these women?"
"Jealous. Why would I be jealous? That has never been an issue between us. I've been jealous before, but I was never jealous of Hawkeye. I have been through so much that I know what's important to me in life and in a relationship. Life is just too short to be jealous. I would never stand in his way of being happy and I don't take him for granted."
"..but you're pregnant...do you love him that much?" Doug said baffled.
"That much...I don't know what you mean? Hawkeye has chosen me and I have chosen him. I'm grateful for every day he chooses to stay with me, but I wouldn't be with Hawkeye if it didn't felt right. I feel like Hawkeye has become a physical part of me and this is the only way I want it to be."
"What you said about becoming a physical part...this is exactly how I feel about Carlye."
"...but it'll only work, if you both want it to work. Do you still love her?"
"Yes...yes I do."
"..and Kathy?"
"I love Kathy. How could I not?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure Hawkeye is not going to keep Carlye and Kathy to himself."
Doug looked at the gun and then at Margaret again.
"What about this?"
"What about what?" said Margaret smiling.
"You certainly are a remarkable woman." said Doug, smiling back and placed the gun on a table.
Pierce residence, kitchen, Hawkeye and Carlye. late afternoon after dark
"Thank you for keeping an eye on my stew." said Hawkeye sitting down by the kitchen table.
"No problem. One of the benefits of stirring a stew is a chance to taste it...this one is really good. So full of taste."
"The credit belongs to Daniel. You know what they say. A stew always tastes better the next day. This trick saves you a day. The root vegetables have been roasted first."
"Ahh - what a nice trick..." said Carlye with a warm smile, but her face quickly changed back to being sad again. "What makes you so sure that Margaret won't be jealous?"
"Well, jealousy has never been a problem between us. Maybe it's because of how we got close...We were trapped behind enemy lines and we were being shelled. Margaret and I turned to each other, but I was truly shocked about my own reaction...I already liked her because I began to see through her tough facade, but how was it possible for me to feel this way about a woman after one night with her? I was scared. Can you believe it? Hawkeye, scared of his own feelings for a woman...I was the one hiding my feelings while Margaret had the guts to show her feelings unconditionally. BJ was absolutely right, but Margaret was still very much a Major at the time. We were just so different and.. ehm...I turned her down...I mean, I could not only see that she was in love with me...she had actually written about our night together and she read it to me while I sat right in front of her. Still, I turned her down and deep down I was convinced that I had hurt her so much she would never forgive me, but she did...At the same time, I wanted her to be happy and somehow we managed to become close friends. We even dated others and if the date was a dud, we would comfort each other." said Hawkeye. It was like he could no longer hold back his emotions and the words just came pouring out.
"It takes mountains of empathy to have a relationship like that and absolutely no jealousy." said Carlye, as she realized how much Hawkeye had changed.
"I never felt jealous of her...instead I saw what a magnificent and deep woman she really is. When we left our Mash unit, she kissed me back with so much passion that I just had to see her again as soon as possible. Margaret means everything to me, but I also want her to have as good a life as possible and I don't necessarily see me as the answer to that. Everyday, when I wake up next to her, I'm amazed she's still there and I don't want it any other way...I took you for granted and your too good for that, but I don't take Margaret for granted" Hawkeye noticed that Carlye looked even sadder now and he said...
"..eh.. are you sure you wanna hear me blabber like this?"
"I asked for it, I guess. I've been here less than an hour and you've already shown more depth than you did during the time we lived together, but I really am happy for you. Listening to you talk about Margaret also makes me understand what happened to you. It somehow makes it easier being around you, but it also makes it harder to love you less."
"Carlye, there will always be a special place for you in my heart. Things just..." Carlye interrupted Hawkeye.
"You don't have to defend yourself...I understand."
"What about you and Doug? I mean, you went back to him and your marriage. You wouldn't do that unless it was something you had strong feelings about. It must be something special to you."
"It is...it still is...he makes me feel very special, but I don't blame him if he doesn't want me now."
"What you just said is exactly what he needs to know, but it will be difficult for you to explain anything to him. Maybe I should talk to him. It could also be Margaret or dad?"
"I would really appreciate that."
"Heey - she calls him dad." said Hawkeye with a very big smile.
"Eh..you lost me there.."
"Margaret calls him dad. Carlye, can I borrow Kathy for a while? I just want to show her to someone."
"What are you up to now?" asked Carlye as she took Kathy from the carrycot and handed her to Hawkeye.
"You'll see. Will you please turn off the stove?"
Hawkeye walked out of the kitchen and straight into the living room with Kathy in his arms. Alvin was sitting on the couch in the back of the room with his face turned away from the door. He looked pretty angry. Hawkeye just handed Kathy to Alvin in a casual way and said...
"Would you please hold her for me? I do have something very important to show her mother." Hawkeye rushed out of the living room again.
Pierce residence, driveway, Margaret and Doug
For the second time that day, Margaret entered the driveway of the Pierce residence in the family sedan and now she was hit with another shock as she spotted an army car with a chauffeur in it. Even though the tense situation with Doug was over, the adrenaline in her body still kept her in a state of combat readiness and now she had to fight another battle. She knew it was her father and he was there to get her back into the army. Then she was hit by a third shock. The thought of Hawkeye and her father under the same roof.
"Is that your car over there?" asked Margaret
"Yes, it is."
"You better wait in the car. I'll get Carlye for you." Margaret said in a hasty voice. Doug was pleased to see how eager Margaret was to help him, but she wasn't worried about Carlye and Doug at all as she rushed into the house.
In the hall, Margaret saw Hawkeye and Carlye standing by the door to the living room. Hawkeye immediately noticed Margaret and signaled her to come closer. Margaret could not believe what she saw. Her father was sitting on the couch with Kathy on his knee. Kathy smiled at Alvin and tried to touch his face. With a smile he bent forward and Kathy made some happy sounds as she touched his face.
"Ok. Watch this." said Hawkeye. He rushed into the living room and sat down next to Alvin, who instantly returned to his usual grumpy mood.
"Hi Pops." said Hawkeye. Margaret curled her toes in embarrassment, but she also had an affectionate smile on her face. "She's very cute." Hawkeye said, but Alvin just made a grumpy sound.
"This one is only on loan, but Margaret may lend you her own baby."
"Margaret is pregnant." said Alvin looking at Hawkeye. Then he spotted Margaret and Carlye in the doorway. Margaret looked at Carlye.
"Doug is waiting outside." said Margaret. Carlye looked baffled at Hawkeye as he walked towards her and Margaret. "What did I tell you? We would settle things as soon as Margaret got here." said Hawkeye with a big smile. Carlye rushed outside. "Supper will be ready in 10 minutes for those who are eating here." said Hawkeye leaving the room.
"Hi dad." Margaret said with a nervous smile. Alvin stood up with Kathy in his arms. He looked at Margaret and said...
"Actually, I came here to get you back into the army, but as I understand it, you live here with doctors. There is somebody here to take good care of you." Margaret smiled like a little sun and said...
"Yes dad. There are only doctors and nurses in this house."
"Are you going to marry him?"
"Yes I am." Margaret said in a firm voice.
"This is his daughter. Are you ok with this?"
"Yes dad, yes I am."
"I think this house is a suitable place for my daughter. Well, I must catch a plane tonight. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."
"There is one thing...I hope you will give your daughter away at her wedding?" Alvin looked serious.
"He calls me Pops, you know?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry dad... I will talk to him about that..." Margaret said, trying to sound outraged.
"No, I don't think that is necessary. I think it will be possible for me to get used to it, eventually." Margaret did her very best trying not to smile when Alvin was looking at her.
Margaret and Alvin were in the hall when Doug and Carlye came back to get Kathy. Hawkeye arrived from the kitchen. Alvin handed Kathy to Carlye and she handed Kathy to Doug. Kathy was happy to see a wellknown face. Carlye looked at Hawkeye.
"Thank you...thank you for everything." said Carlye, before she and Doug left the place.
Margaret noticed the way Carlye looked at Hawkeye. She knew that look very well because it was the same look she had seen when she had looked herself in the mirror. It didn't really bother Margaret, but she thought it was good that Doug had not seen it and she also thought that Carlye really needed to appreciate how much Doug had been willing to accept.
Margaret gave Alvin a big hug, but as usual he felt a little awkward about this kind of intimacy being a by the book officer.
"Have a nice trip, dad." Alvin looked at Hawkeye. "My daughter would never have left the army unless she had found something much better. I never forget a face and I remember you from Korea. You were the chief surgeon, but a disgrace to the army. Today, I noticed your commitment towards your patients and your daughter. I know my daughter will be in good hands."
"You're not going out?" Hawkeye asked, baffled.
"No. Dad has to catch a plane and I'm not going anywhere. I'm exhausted." said Margaret. Hawkeye could easily see that her words were not empty and when Alvin had left the house, Hawkeye asked "So, how was your day?"
"Well, apart from being abducted by Doug, meeting your daughter and my dad here, my day went pretty smoothly." Margaret said with a tired smile.
Hawkeye grabbed her hand and looked at her with his no-nonsense look. "Are you ok?" Margaret squeezed his hand. She knew by now that he did not want a full explanation. He really only wanted to know if she was ok and Margaret appreciated that very much.
"Yes, darling. I'm ok...How did you know my dad would react this way?"
"I didn't. I just hoped that one baby daughter with blond hair would remind him of another baby daughter with blond hair. I mean, you do call him dad. He must have done something right." Margaret put her arm around his waist and hugged him hard as she said...
"Lucky for you Kathy got blond hair." That remark and Margaret's loving smile told Hawkeye everything he needed to know about Margaret's feelings.
Pierce residence, living room, Hawkeye and Margaret, late evening
Daniel had just gone to bed. Hawkeye was sitting on the couch preparing some patient files for tomorrow. He could sense that Margaret was looking at him, but when he looked at her, she just sat in the chair with an empty look. He stretched his arm towards her. "Come here, honey." Margaret went to Hawkeye and sat down astride on his lap resting her arms on his shoulders.
He loosened her shirt and let both his hands affectionately slide up and down her back under her shirt. Margaret hugged him hard and rested her head on his shoulder. There was so much tension inside Margaret that she moaned loudly the first times his hands moved up and down her back, but after awhile she relaxed completely.
"Uhhmm...I really needed that today." she said and gave Hawkeye a relaxed deep kiss lasting several minutes. After that, they just sat there enjoying being this close.
The telephone rang and Margaret answered it.
"Pierce residence. Margaret speaking."
"This is Peg...eh...is Hawkeye there?"
"Yes - one moment, please. This is for you. It's Peg." Hawkeye rushed to the phone.
"Hi Peg. Good to hear from you."
"I just need to talk to someone who knows BJ well..." Peg started to cry. "He has left me and Erin. He also gets more and more depressed..."