Just want to let you know, this is the second to last chapter.
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The month seems to go by quickly, especially once Margaret and Hawkeye start taking weekly visits to the monastery to visit with the man who is in charge of the children. After a couple visits, the couple is allowed to spend time with the baby they want to adopt. Smirking, Margaret has an idea to write Peg. Asking B.J. for his mailing address later one day when they are on post op duty together, the man eyes her warily before asking, "Why?"
"I just thought your wife deserves a woman's perspective on the war," Margaret teases before adding, "It would be nice to have another woman to talk to."
She almost tells B.J. about wanting to adopt but stops herself not wanting to get anyone else's hopes up for nothing. Sensing his friend's insistence, B.J. gives her the address. He never realizes how lonely the women may get, especially Margaret. Most of her friends are men.
"You want to put your letter in with mine?" B.J. asks adding, "I can introduce you both so she's not so surprised by a random letter from you from Korea?"
Touched by the thought, Margaret declines the offer, but does say he can send a letter of introduction.
After a few days of taking care of wounded, the camp is once again in a state of waiting leading to boredom to infiltrate the camp once again. A day later, Klinger delivers the mail and B.J. and Hawkeye soon get the idea to track down a movie banned in Boston. Margaret has to laugh at the men as they find another cause to champion. She has to keep from falling off her chair laughing when Hawkeye and B.J., after spending days trying to commandeer the movie, find out "The Moon is Blue" is the least problematic movie in movie history. The day after the movie, Margaret and Hawkeye receive a letter explaining that they are able to take the baby with them to the camp on weekends. The first couple times, there are very few wounded which means one or both of the adults is able to stay with the baby. Informed on their second weekend with they baby that they should be able to officially adopt her by the end of the year, Margaret and Hawkeye immediately tell B.J. and Father Mulcahey. Knowing they need to officially name her, Hawkeye and Margaret ask Father Mulcahy for a list of Korean names. Smiling, the Father praises their wanting to give the child a Korean name.
"I also added meanings to a few I knew of. I hope it helps."
"Thanks, Father. We know it will," Hawkeye replies before he and his wife leave the tent. With their daughter sleeping soundly tied to Margaret in a Korean baby carrier they are told is a Podaegi, the couple decide to look at names while they eat what they are told is creamed corn and meatloaf. As the baby fusses, Margaret makes sure to take her out of her carrier and place her in her lap. Between bites, the couple try out names and periodically look at their daughter to see if they can think of her with that name.
"She's not a dog," Charles remarks after watching the couple for a few moments. "I doubt she'll ever care anyway."
Sighing, Margaret answers, "You're probably right. We just want to make sure it fits her."
"Well, what names do you have?"
"None so far."
"Why not Amanda? That was our second choice for a girl name for Erin," B.J. remarks as he puts his arms out to hold the baby. Once he has her in his arms, Margaret passes him the bottle.
Shaking his head, Hawkeye answers, "We want to give her a Korean name, but one that's easy to pronounce for when we get back home."
"How about, Ji Soo?" Klinger asks reading off the list at the table.
"No. I like the name Jin Ae. According to the list it means, treasure or truth."
"We could name her Binna since she literally just appeared at the tent door."
"I wish her mother would have left us with a name," Margaret laments just as the baby begins to fuss. Taking her from B.J.'s arms, Margaret heads toward her tent to change her with Hawkeye not far behind.
"What are you laughing at?" Charles asks B.J. once the new parents leave. Still chuckling, B.J. remarks, "They remind me of me and Peg with Erin. All we could do was stare at her."
The third weekend the baby comes to camp, they are days of wounded. Working in a MASH with a baby is not something the almost parents are fully prepared for, but are thankful that the people in the camp are so willing to help out. However when it is all hands on deck with a surgery, somehow Igor and some of the other corpsman become defacto babysitters. At first the arrangement worries Hawkeye, but Margaret has to tell him repeatedly that the men can be trusted with their daughter.
"Besides," She adds arms deep in tissue. "It will give them a chance to test out what creamed item is actually tolerable when we eat."
Rolling his eyes, Charles announces, "Margaret, you have officially been around Pierce too long."
June becomes one of the hottest months anyone who had been in the war longer than a year can remember. Margaret gets a case of prickly heat, B.J. is stressed about not being home with his wife, the camp is rife with feelings and all of it is exacerbated by the heat. The only thing that seems to be good in the heat wave, is Margaret and Hawkeye settling on naming their daughter Iseul.
With slightly cooler weather at the beginning of July, the camp is overjoyed when Colonel Potter gives them all the day off to spend at the beach for the Fourth of July. Acting like children, the entire camp runs toward the water just to catch a glimpse of the ocean before playing different games in the sand. Toward the end of the day, Hawkeye and Margaret decide to find a space in the shade to cool off. Sitting together, the couple watch the other camp members playing with Iseul knowing the baby is in good hands. Currently, a couple of the nurses are helping the baby make sandcastle while Klinger goes back and forth retrieving water or sand. Kissing his wife, Hawkeye remarks, "You know you're beautiful?"
She laughs at him, but she kisses back remarking, "You're not so bad yourself."
"You know what else I'm good at?" Hawkeye jokes as he kisses her again, this time at her jaw line.
"Careful," Margaret teases her husband as he keeps kissing down her neck, "This is how we got in this situation in the first place."
Still kissing her, Hawkeye playfully answers back, "Hiding? Alone?"
"Pregnant," Margaret bounces back shocking even herself. This is not how she wanted to announce this. Immediately, Hawkeye looks at her with eyes wide. Quickly, Margaret explains, "Potentially. This feels different from the last scare, but I've got a few days R&R scheduled in Tokyo next week, so I'll know for sure then."
Gob-smacked, Hawkeye mutters to himself, "Two babies."
"Let's not stress before we have to," Margaret remarks, "Besides, I want to hold Iseul before we leave and take her back to the Monastery."
Standing up with his wife, Hawkeye remarks, "I'm surprised they let us have her for a day."
"I'm surprised they're giving us permission to adopt her."
After a while the pair decides to crack jokes as they head toward Iseul and the members of the unit. Any exuberance the camp has about their day off continues on the bus ride back to camp when the bus picks up wounded. Unfortunately with the wounded come snipers. Dousing the lights, the bus passengers, panicked and worried, keep quiet except the baby in the back of the bus. To her relief, Margaret notices Iseul is somehow sleeping through the entire ordeal. She feels sorry for the woman in the back of the bus whose baby cries uncontrollably. As the baby cries, Hawkeye becomes more and more upset. Logically, he knows the baby cannot help crying, but he keeps hearing himself telling the mother to keep the infant quiet. Margaret closes her eyes tight when she hears the crying baby quiet down. Everyone on the bus is aware of what is happening. A few people turn from the mother who silences her child to Margaret as if waiting to see if Iseul will have the same fate. Thankfully, the bus is allowed to leave soon after. No one talks the rest of the way to the camp.
Immediately after they return, Margaret and Hawkeye take Iseul back to the orphanage promising to see her soon even though she is too young to understand anything they are telling her. Not until they get back to camp does Margaret notice anything is off about her husband. After her husband's increasingly erratic behavior, Margaret hates to be the one to make the call to send Hawkeye to Sydney, or at least tell Colonel Potter to, but knows it is for the best. As her husband leaves, Margaret wants to cry. Her marriage vows may have been in sickness and health, but this is a little too extreme. When Klinger places a call a few days after Hawkeye leaves, she is happy to hear what he has to say to others, but dreads talking to Hawkeye herself. To her dismay, Potter hands her the phone.
"'How do you feel?'" She asks once she is on the phone, careful to choose her words like the others. They are told he is subject to rambling and have no idea what will set him off.
"'Like a hostage'," Hawkeye answers sarcastically. "'How 'bout you?'"
Thankfully, the conversation lasts no more than a rather awkward minute before she passes the phone to Klinger. As the clerk says all the wrong things and goes on about the peace talks meaning nothing, Margaret quickly takes the phone from him and talks to Hawkeye again making it sound like the war will end soon. By his lack of reply, she can tell he does not believe her. Softly, she states, "'You just take care of yourself, okay? We all miss you here.'"
"'Then get me out!'" Hawkeye replies. Margaret almost answers when the line goes dead. Handing the phone back to Klinger, Margaret announces, "'Well, he didn't sound too bad.'"
"'Sounded more relaxed then I was'," B.J. admits.
Walking through camp a little later, B.J. is surprised to find Margaret run to the latrine. Shrugging, he thinks nothing of it until he sees her nearly pass out in front of her tent. Heading over toward her, B.J. helps Margaret inside.
"You okay?" B.J. asks as they sit down. Deflecting, Margaret asks, "Are you?"
Sighing, B.J. asks instead, "I'm not talking about Hawk. He's been gone a week and you seem to be on edge more now then when he left."
"I'm fine."
"No you're not. Want to tell me why?"
Margaret does not want to tell him considering she is probably wrong. She wants to talk to her husband, but looking at B.J. she knows she is safe. Her friend's concern is almost endearing and finally Margaret decides to confess to him what is bothering her.
"I was going to find out for sure on my R&R in Tokyo, but, and you can't tell anyone, but I think I'm pregnant."
"What!?"
She wants to smile at how similarly B.J. and Hawkeye act, but instead shushes the man.
"I think," Margaret stresses, "I don't know. Besides, it's not good timing. What if I get sent away and end up not seeing Hawkeye? I can't just leave him like this. He needs me."
"He's got us, too. The camp."
Shaking her head, Margaret mumbles, "You don't understand."
"That Hawkeye needs a nurse's help or his wife?"
Eyes wide, Margaret stares at him. Her mind races with questions, mostly how B.J. knows.
"It's not that hard to figure out," B.J. answers. Shaking her head, Margaret replies dismissively, "It's probably just gall bladder trouble anyway."
Confused by her statement, B.J. almost asks but notices his friend give a small shake of her heaed.
"Margaret," B.J. stops her, "You need to see a doctor."
"I'm seeing one right now," She deadpans too tired and anxious to deal with B.J.'s concern. In a different situation, the surgeon would laugh at how like Hawkeye Margaret is acting. Instead he asks, "Does Hawkeye know?"
Nodding, Margaret asks, "Can I go now?"
Nodding, BJ leaves his friend alone, but makes sure to keep an eye on her for the foreseeable future.
When the friends travel to the airport together to get their respective flights, Margaret hands B.J. an envelope.
"Give this to Hawkeye?" She asks sad she cannot see him due to time constraints. Nodding, B.J. asks, "You're sure you'll be alright?"
Nodding, Margaret excuses herself to go to the bathroom to freshen up before her flight, and is a little dismayed to find B.J. boarding his flight when she returns. With a heavy sigh, Margaret wishes her friend luck and hopes her husband will be better soon.
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