"Tonight"

The small but significant word echoed in her head.

"Tonight.."

It was morning now. Soon it would be afternoon, and then evening and then he'd be gone. Mere hours left with him and then she'd be alone again.

"I'm scared." She admitted, knowing that he would be the only one who would understand. At that moment, he was holding her so closely that she could hear

his heartbeat.

"I'm scared too. I'm not ashamed of what happened last night. In fact, I enjoyed it very much, but I'm scared as hell about what will happen when I get back to

Crabapple Cove and won't be able to touch you, kiss your lips, and run my fingers through your hair.

She was crying now, but not for Frank. She was crying for Hawkeye. God, she was going to miss him. "I'll miss you, too."

The kisses they shared were warm and wonderful and she wanted to say in his arms forever. But they only had so much time left.

"Are you up for some sightseeing?"

He laughed out loud. "Sightseeing? Are you kidding me? I thought you'd never ask! What did you have in mind?"

"Pike's Peak, maybe? Do some hiking? A picnic lunch?"

"That sounds wonderful."

"Good, I'll get the basket ready. You get cleaned up."

"All right, but first there's something I need to do."

Before she could respond, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. When he let go, she felt dizzy with love for him.

The afternoon at Pike's Peak was wonderful; They explored a few hiking trails and then drove all the way to the summit where they found a secluded spot to

enjoy their lunch, despite the heavy fog.

"Sorry for the lack of scenery. Sometimes the summit gets like this."

"I'm enjoying the scenery just fine."

She should have been used to his flirty remarks; she'd heard him flirt with the nurses more times than she could count. However, this was different.

He poured two glasses of wine and handed her one, holding his glass into the air. "To Lieutenant Frank Burns. May his spirit live forever."

Oh damn, she was crying again. Quickly she brushed away tears. When she looked at him, his smile disappeared.

"Margaret, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-."

She leaned toward him and kissed him. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The drive home was quiet and the closer they came to her place, the more her heart clinched. Before she knew it, she was watching him pack his bag. When he

slung it over his shoulder, her heart ached.

"I-I can drive you to the airport. I don't mind at all."

"I called a cab."

"Oh… Well, all right then."

The honking of a horn jolted her into reality and they stared at each other for a long time.

"That's me."

She bit her lip to keep from crying. God, she'd cried enough in the past few days for a thousand lifetimes.

"Yeah…"

Hawkeye opened the door. "Give us a minute, would ya?" He shouted to the driver. "I'll be right there!"

He turned to her. "I've gotta go."

"I know."

"Margret, I-."

She found herself caught up in his embrace; the familiar kisses. Oh God, how was she supposed to let him go?

"Call me." She said when he let go. "Call me when you get in, all right? I-I don't care what time it is."

He pushed her hair from her forehead and kissed it. "I will. I promise. Call me if you need anything, all right? Day or night. I'm serious."

"I-I will…"

Another passionate kiss and suddenly he broke free. He was running down the sidewalk. In an instant, he was gone.

She stood on the sidewalk, watching the empty street for the longest time, wondering how she was going to make it through the night withy out him. Hours

passed without a word from him and she considered calling him to see if he'd gotten home okay. But she told herself to be patient. He would call. If anything, he

was a man of his word.

God how she loved him, even more than she loved Frank or Donald. But it was a different kind of love. A kind of love that spoke volumes about their

relationship.

After cleaning up the kitchen and the living room, she returned to her bedroom and changed her clothes. She crawled into bed and turned out the light. On her

nightstand was a faded picture of Frank. It still hurt to look at him, knowing that he was gone. But the loss of Frank had brought so much more.