AN: Thank you all so much for your reviews, kudos and support once again! Here it is: second to last.
Daniel padded silently from the kitchen to the living room and sat down in the pale, winter sunlight that was flooding the room. The house was silent, though the night before had been anything but. Babies always seemed to come into the world with days and nights reversed. He remembered Hawkeye being the same. Hard work though it was, Daniel was relishing every minute of it. He and Margaret had settled nicely into a routine where she'd feed Audrey and he'd settle her. He didn't mind how long it took. He was smitten.
He leapt off the couch at the sound of footsteps coming up the front path and raced to the front door. Anything but the doorbell. His hand was almost touching the deadlock when the bell pierced the silence. A startled cry came from where Audrey had been sleeping, and a thump and a string of muffled curses from upstairs.
Daniel sighed heavily and opened the door sharply to reveal a startled teenaged boy: Johnny Appleton from up at the post office. "Sorry to bother you Dr Pierce, but there's an urgent message for you."
Daniel's heart plummeted. The death of his son's former commander had only served to magnify the fear of Hawkeye coming home in a box. He took the envelope from the boy and tore it open, his eyes quickly scanning the slip of paper for any whiff of news. "Home!" he yelled, unable to contain himself. "He's coming home!"
There was a sharp intake of breath from behind him, causing him to turn and discover a dishevelled, robe clad Margaret standing in the hallway with the baby in her arms, squinting through eyes puffy and red from lack of sleep.
"He's what?" she whispered.
"Home, Margaret, home! The day after tomorrow!" He turned back to the boy at the door and bids him a grateful farewell before moving his attention to a very emotional Margaret and pulling her into a hug. The worry wasn't going to stop gnawing at him until Hawk was back safely with them again, but boy was he excited. He kissed both Margaret and Audrey on the forehead before heading off in search of a notepad. There were things that needed doing before Hawk arrived home.
Hawkeye paced back and forth in the limited floor space of the swamp. His bags were packed and his bunk was clear. All he was waiting for now was either Trapper or his ride, depending on which one showed up first. At least wondering whether or not he'd ever see Trapper again was stopping him from thinking of bigger things, such as his impending probable death by missile.
He spun around as the sound of a jeep entering camp reached his ears. His heart sank as he noted the lack of a familiar, curly mop of hair.
"Dammit!" He yelled to no one as he ripped his luggage up off the dusty floor and flung open the door to The Swamp. He promptly dropped it all again as a second jeep sped into camp, screeching to a halt behind the other one with a familiar figure in the passenger seat.
"Trapper, you made it!"
His friend vaulted out of the now stationary vehicle, face sombre even in the face of Hawkeye's exuberance. "What's this I hear about you going home?"
Hawkeye gulped, sensing the mood. There was going to be no joking some levity into this one. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but my orders came through."
"Say hi to Margaret and your little girl for me."
"I will-look we'll see each other again, okay?"
Trapper merely nodded sharply, his lips pressed firmly together. They both know neither of them can make that promise, but acknowledging that fact would make it all too real. There's an awkward pause. There's both too much and too little to be said.
Trapper took a step forward and threw his arms around Hawkeye in a quick, firm, hug, slapping him on the back for good measure. "Travel safe, okay?"
"You too." It takes Hawkeye several beats to realise that that's not the right response, but the moment's already passed.
The driver of his jeep called out, "We gotta go, Captain!"
Of course they did. There was apparently never any time for a decent goodbye around here.
"Why couldn't I have got myself a helicopter?" Hawkeye muttered, not expecting an answer, but his driver had one anyway. "All used up on casualties, sir."
"Of course they are. What's a war without a few more broken bodies?"
The driver didn't answer, instead starting the jeep. Hawkeye has to muster the courage to look at Trapper one more time, half afraid of what he'll see if he does, and half worried that he'll start crying himself if he does.
His eyes find Trapper standing, hands in his pockets, and shrouded in a deceptive calm. But it's not fooling Hawkeye.
"So long, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye swallowed a few times, fighting past the lump building in his throat. "Goodbye, Trap."
He told himself he wasn't going to look back, that he couldn't bear it, but by the time he's under the camp sign he's not only looking, but he's saluting one of the best friends he's ever had, and doing so without a shred of irony.
The night and its quiet darkness seemed to be stretching on forever. Margaret flopped herself over in bed with frustration for what felt for hundredth time, throwing herself down onto the mattress with a loud sigh. She lay still for a moment, straining her ears for any signs of Audrey stirring in the next room, but heard nothing more than the distant sound of the waves breaking down in the cove. It was always the way. The baby finally had one night of sleeping like a trooper and she was too worked up to sleep. Margaret would also bet that if she did happen to eventually fall asleep, Audrey would surely be squawking soon after. She rolled her eyes at herself. That was the kind of thinking that would end up with her getting no sleep at all. She sighed loudly and clicked on her bedside lamp before flopping back onto her pillow.
He was coming home today and, for all the time she'd spent longing for this moment, she was thrilled, excited, and a little bit terrified. All the anxieties that had since been buried by time and distance were back and keeping her awake. What if they failed? What if he never made it home? What if they ended up hating each other? What if she and Audrey weren't enough for him? They were all the same old fears, but it didn't make them feel any less real. It wasn't all bad, though. She longed to feel his arms around her, to kiss him, to see his face when he meets the person they made together that night. Her body tingled with the anticipation of touching him for the first time in so many months.
She let out another loud sigh before reaching over to click her light off again. Margaret supposed she had better at least try to sleep.
Hawkeye thrust his shoulders back, trying to work out some of the kinks put there by spending that long flying in a troop carrier. Miraculously he'd made it. He was lucky, he guessed, that they hadn't put him on a boat instead. He squinted into the Californian sun. He'd thought that maybe finally landing stateside proper might feel more momentous, but really it was just a cleaner version of anywhere, but with a more benign state of chaos. It was just another place on the way home. He made his way across the runway towards the terminal, stopping short upon his arrival inside the building, squinting at the signs hanging from the ceiling. His next flight was a civilian flight. Which meant more comfort, but also more staring at his uniform. After that he had a bus ride to Augusta, after which he'd finally almost be home. He briefly considered buying himself a newspaper but decided against it. It was no use. The only news he would be interested in would be a voice over the PA system telling him that he'd reached his final destination and that his family were waiting for him at the bus station. Hawkeye sat down at the gate for his next flight and pulled his hat off his head, spinning it around on his index finger. Until then, only-he looked down at his watch-roughly twelve hours until he'd be home. Maybe he would grab that newspaper after all.