I realised I forgot a disclaimer in the first chapter, so just in case you didn't know, I don't own MASH!
Sorry for the long wait, folks. I've just been really, really busy with the exams and what not. Also I've been dithering about what to do with the story. Originally, this story only had two chapters. But when I reread it, I felt that it ended too abruptly and was boring, so I decided to change the plot, and make it longer, so it could be a while before the next chapter is up too.
Hope you enjoy reading!
The next few days were strained, to say the least. Margaret absolutely would not talk to Hawkeye outside of surgery, although Hawkeye tried desperately to get her to do otherwise. It pained BJ a little to watch his friend get more depressed by the day as his attempts failed. While both his friends seemed to be oblivious, BJ could see that all they were doing was making themselves miserable. Margaret clearly wanted Hawkeye to be there for their child, and Hawkeye obviously wanted the same, but until they were on speaking terms, there didn't appear to be any way for them to realise it.
It wasn't just BJ who'd noticed this. The rest of the camp had noticed the sudden change of dynamics between the two, and Colonel Potter and Radar, the only other two to know the whole story, were about as sick of it as BJ was.
"I swear, if those two horse's patoots don't stop this…stubbornness, I'll…" Colonel Potter trailed off. He'd called BJ and Radar into his office to form a plan of action.
"Colonel, what exactly can we do?" BJ pointed out. "As you said, Hawkeye and Margaret are both very, very stubborn. Neither one of them's gonna back down first." Colonel Potter shrugged.
"Well we've got to do something! The whole camp knows something's up; pretty soon rumours are gonna fly, and the major will be none too happy for it."
"But it's just Major Houlihan who won't talk to Captain Pierce, right?" Radar asked. BJ nodded. "So…we just need to force the Major to talk to him." BJ and the Colonel nodded in agreement.
"But I don't see how we can do that. Margaret's not going to talk to any of us about it, is she?" Radar looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
"I…I think I have an idea," he said, almost shyly. Colonel Potter looked intrigued.
"Go on, son."
"Well, a couple of months, before either of you came, we were getting attacked, and Major Houlihan and Trapper went to the supply tent to get stuff…you know, like medicine and whatnot." He paused. The other two men looked at him in confusion.
"So?" BJ questioned.
"The door got stuck when they were inside. They were stuck in there for a long time, together. I don't know what…I mean, I heard a whole bunch of rumours… But after that, Trapper and Major Houlihan seemed to get on a little better." BJ was considering it, but Colonel Potter shook his head.
"I see where you're coming from, Radar, but we can't schedule a shelling, and in the real thing it would be too dangerous to lock 'em out there." Radar nodded, agreeing.
"That's true, sir, but since then the door's never been right. When it's not locked, we usually keep a bit of wood next to it to keep it from closing. If that wasn't there, then the door would stick again." Colonel and BJ looked over at each other.
"Colonel, that might just work." Colonel Potter frowned, hesitating.
"I imagine that it work just fine, 'cept I'm not sure it'd be right to lock up our chief surgeon and head nurse like that. We might need 'em."
"It'd be for the greater good, Colonel. Don't know about you, but I'm not sure I can take much more of the two of them like this," BJ reminded him, offering him a wry smile.
"Plus, command's not planning any fighting this week, sir. There shouldn't be many casualties." Colonel Potter beamed.
"Ok then! Looks like we've got a fine plan. Just need to figure out how we get the two of them in there together."
It turned out that setting up the situation was a lot easier than any of them could've expected. Only a day later, one of the cots in post-op had broken, and, as the nearest free people round, Hawkeye and Margaret had volunteered to fetch the spare one from the supply tent.
As soon as they'd left, BJ hurried through to Radar's office.
"It's time," he said simply. Radar nodded, quickly standing and heading out the other door. BJ went back to make sure that the nurses were ok to cover his patients for a few minutes before following.
When he arrived at the supply tent, Radar was carefully opening the door just far enough to slip his hand in. He pulled it out a second later with a small piece of wood in his hand. Standing, he gave the door a good shove, turning to give BJ a proud grin when they heard it grate against the frame.
"I think we've got 'em, sir," Radar told him. BJ took a step forward, pulling on the door, a smile forming on his own face when it wouldn't open.
"Radar, if this works out, I swear to God, I'm gonna kiss you!" Radar took a step back.
"Oh, sir! No! No!" BJ laughed, heading back to post-op as the corporal continued to back away.
"You know you didn't have to come here," Margaret muttered stiffly. "One of the orderlies or nurses would have done just as well." Hawkeye didn't look up as he answered.
"I think I should be saying that to you. Heavy lifting isn't such a good idea for a woman in your state." Margaret glared at him.
"Don't presume to tell me what to do, Captain. I've already told you, you're not a part of this." Hawkeye sighed, leaning against a near-by crate.
"Look, Major," he imitated her own words, "I don't want to fight with you." She scoffed.
"That's all you ever do!" Hawkeye continued as if she hadn't said anything.
"I just came to get a new bed for some kid in post-op, who I'm betting could really do with one. So let's just do that, then you can ignore me again later." Margaret opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it.
"Fine. Go open the door." Without any sign of pleasure on his face at winning this argument, Hawkeye carefully walked around her and reached for the door handle, pushing it.
"Uh…Margaret?" She didn't look at him.
"I thought you didn't want to fight, Pierce." Hawkeye shook his head.
"I don't. But, uh…the door won't open." She rolled her eyes.
"Let me try." Hawkeye moved aside without fuss. He'd known her too long to presume she wasn't capable of this sort of physical task. Margaret pushed at the door a few minutes longer before falling against it with a groan.
"What? What is it?" Hawkeye asked frantically, moving to her side again. "Did something-" She turned to glare at him, effectively cutting off his protests.
"Nothing is wrong with me. The door is stuck again." Hawkeye frowned in confusion.
"Again?"
"Like it did when I got stuck in here with Trapper." He nodded in understanding. "I suppose we'll just have to wait here until someone notices we're missing." She walked over to the other side of the small space, sitting down on a crate.
Hawkeye didn't try to follow, instead allowing himself to focus on the hurt he felt when she'd got angry at him. He was only concerned for her; he didn't understand what her problem was. What BJ had said was true, he'd never given her any reason to think that he was in anyway suited to this type of commitment. Two years of sleeping around, crude jokes and disrespect had seen to that. The past few days, he'd been trying to show her otherwise, attempting to engage her in polite conversation then giving her space when she yelled at him for it, not flirting with her or anyone else, trying to act more professionally as a doctor, but, thinking about it, it had been stupid to think that he could change anything in four days.
"Someone better come soon," he heard her mutter. His eyes snapped to her form.
"Why?" He asked, a hint of anger creeping into his voice despite his best efforts to hide it. He was fairly sure he knew the answer to that question, but he wanted to know if she would say it.
"Why? Because I don't want to have to waste my day, locked in this tiny little room with you!" She took a deep breath. "I just know you're gonna sit there, asking dumb questions and making lewd comments." Hawkeye bristled.
"I haven't said anything! I was minding my own business, until you started throwing insults round the place!" She rose and took a few steps towards him.
"What is your problem? I have enough going on right now without you-"
"My problem? What about you, Margaret? Let's forget for a minute the fact that you're so damn proud that you won't admit, even to yourself, that you might need help and move on to how selfish you're being!" Margaret looked taken aback, too confused to be angry.
"How am I being selfish?" She asked.
"You haven't taken a minute to ask me what I want. Even though I've told you a whole bunch of times. What if I want to be a part of this with you? Doesn't our child, if I'm allowed to call it that," he added sarcastically, "deserve a father?"
"I-I didn't think…" Hawkeye shook his head.
"No, you didn't." Margaret squared her shoulders again.
"Is there any reason why I should have done Pierce? Can you honestly tell me that a family hasn't been the farthest thing from your mind?" Hawkeye shrugged.
"I don't know. But I do know that you've seen me at by best and worst, and I think I've seen the same in you. You've changed a lot since I first met you. Don't you think I could do the same?"
"I…" Margaret trailed off.
"If I hadn't walked in on your phone call, would you have even told me?" He asked softly. Margaret stayed silent. She didn't have an answer for him. Hawkeye moved to the door again, giving it one last shove, trying not to look surprised when it actually opened. He took one last look at her, frozen to the spot in the middle of the room, before heading back to the Swamp.
BJ's shift had finished a few minutes earlier, so he was reclining on his cot when Hawkeye walked in. BJ frowned when he saw his friend's face. Apparently things hadn't gone according to plan.
"Hawk? Are you ok? You were gone awhile." Hawkeye shrugged.
"Door got stuck." He sat heavily on the chair next to his bunk.
"Oh," BJ tried to sound surprised. Hawkeye's eyes slid over to him.
"You know something about that Beej?" BJ shrugged, not willing to admit to anything until he could gauge the other man's reaction. A hint of a smile crossed Hawkeye's face. "I appreciate you trying. But I don't think Margaret's ever going to come around." BJ frowned.
"Why? There's still time before she'll have to leave, she's probably just-"
"She hates me." Hawkeye cut in. "Really hates me. And I can't figure why. What you said before is true, but Margaret knows me better than that." Hawkeye's eyes hardened slightly. "To be honest, I'm getting a little fed up of this. I'm tempted to just let her have things her way. Maybe it would be better…" BJ sat up.
"How can you possible say that?!" He questioned. "Hawk, Margaret needs someone with her for this, and her child will need the same. And you're gonna be that someone. Whether you'll be there as something more than a friend is another matter." Hawkeye remained impassive.
"I'm going for a walk." He finally announced.
"Do you want me to-" Hawkeye shook his head.
"No. Thanks." He quickly left the tent.
Hawkeye walked aimlessly about the camp for a few minutes before finding himself outside of Margaret's tent. He dithered for a few moments, unsure if he really wanted to do this, but in the end the decision was made for him. Margaret opened the door and stood silently, staring at him. Her expression was not angry, which he took as a good sign.
"Hi. Er…Can I come in a minute?" Margaret pursed her lips. "I promise I'm not here to argue again. Please?" Margaret finally moved aside to let him enter.
"What do you want?" She asked shortly, although not altogether unkindly.
"I wanted to apologise. For earlier. It wasn't fair to call you selfish." Margaret looked faintly surprised, and touched, before she returned to a nonchalant expression again.
"Is that all?" Hawkeye paused.
"No. I wanted you to know that…that I'm not asking anything from you. I'm not asking you to give up what you want and start a family with me. Well, not unless you want to. I would just really like to be in our child's life, and, if you'll let me, to help you through this." Margaret's eyes flashed. "I know you're strong, Margaret," he hastily added. "But that doesn't mean you can't want support." Margaret didn't say anything. Hawkeye sighed, and turned to leave again.
"Unless I want to?" She asked.
"Uh…"
"You mean you want a family? With me?" Hawkeye tried to ignore the impulse he felt to run. He usually tried to avoid conversations of this nature, but this time, he knew it was make-or-break.
"Yes." Now wasn't the time for vague answers, or answers that could be backed out of later.
"You're not going to run from this, are you?" Hawkeye shook his head.
"Not ever." Margaret frowned.
"Why? Why do you suddenly want…this?" Hawkeye paused, unsure if he should tell her the truth or not.
"Because whatever you might think, Margaret, I do want a family. And whenever I picture that family, you're always there by my side." She still looked uncertain. "I don't want that from anyone else, Margaret. Just you." He finished softly.
"How many other women have you given that little speech to?" She asked a little cruelly.
"Nobody, I swear." Margaret rolled her eyes.
"And you actually expect me to believe you? And for what? So we can jump in the sack now, then you can ship me off home and never have to bother with me again?" Hawkeye recoiled as if he'd been punched.
"Is that what you think? Because if you do, you're…"
"I think it because you've done it! Why is this any different to any of your other 'conquests'?!" Hawkeye stomped over to her, gripping her shoulders with his hands.
"Because I love you!" He almost shouted. They both fell silent, breathing heavily. After a few moments, the situation turned awkward, neither one of them sure what to say next. Hawkeye was the first to pull away. "It was a mistake to come here," he muttered. Margaret's eyes widened in shock.
"Hawkeye, no! It wasn't…I'm glad. That you came, that is." Hawkeye smiled faintly.
"Thanks, Margaret, but it doesn't change the fact that I've just made everything a whole lot more difficult for you."
"No," she shook her head. "You've actually made things a whole lot easier." She took a careful step towards him, laying both her hands on his shoulders. He was frozen in place, clearly very uncertain as to what was going to happen. Very slowly, Margaret reached her head up and pressed her lips to his. "You see," she explained as she drew away, "I love you too." A small smile spread over his face as his hands reached for her waist, drawing her back to him for another kiss.