4

"Actually." Margaret exclaimed as she rose from the cot and stepped towards her desk. The two men watched her curiously as she picked two pieces of paper off her desktop. "I have written permission in both English and Korean from the ba...Maggie-Rose's mother giving Hawk and I her full consent to adopt her daughter and take her to the States."

Hawkeye's eyes widened and so did his grin as he rose from the cot, handed his precious charge to their CO and stepped towards her. "How did you get that?" He quickly scanned the letter she held, his smile growing with every word he read.

"Let's just say my day was a bit more productive than yours was." She smiled at him mysteriously.

Hawkeye looked at her appreciatively. "I don't care how you did it, the point is you did it!" He grabbed her to him in a tight embrace and started laughing joyously. "I can't believe it, this is wonderful. This might just be our ticket to keeping her!" He pulled back and looked into her smiling face. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are."

"Once or twice." She replied with a chuckle.

"Margaret, you're amazing." And to punctuate the feeling he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her rosy lips. Margaret, though surprised at first, responded by sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

Potter watched the pair for a moment in total amazement. Then addressing the child he held in his arms he remarked. "You know something, Maggie-Rose, I think they might really be in love." Then in a confidential whisper he added. "I wonder if they truly realize it because if they think I bought the story that they're not getting married because of you then they must really think I'm dumb. But who knows, you might be just what they need to realize just how in love they really are." He watched the pair again for a moment and then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Why don't we go for a little walk. Your guardians seem a little...preoccupied at the moment." He rose from his seat and headed for the door. Addressing the couple he said. "We'll...ah...we'll just leave you two alone." With a bit of a sly smile he exited the tent.

Hawkeye and Margaret having completely forgotten the Colonel's presence and therefore not noticing his departure continued to kiss each other almost hungrily. After several moments they pulled back, both a little breathless, and starred into each others faces. There was a look of surprised amazement on both their features as they quickly took stock of the feelings the kiss had unexpectedly stirred up.

"Well, ah..." Hawkeye stammered, his mind going as fast as his heart.

"Yeah, um..." Margaret was equally as tongue tied. They continued to stare at each other for a moment, their arms still wrapped around each other as if neither one truly wanted to let go. Finally as if my unspoken consent they released each other. Margaret tugged at the bottom of her shirt as Hawkeye ran his fingers nervously threw his hair. Neither knew quite what to say. Finally Margaret spoke. "It's uh...it's about time for Maggie-Rose's supper...why, ah...why don't we feed her."

"Good idea." Hawkeye nodded, his tone still somewhat husky with emotion. "Oh, I uh, I bought something for her in Tokyo." He reached into the jacket pocket of his dress uniform and pulled out a paper bag. He handed it to Margaret saying. "This should make her feedings a little easier."

Margaret mutely reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle. "That was very thoughtful of you, Hawkeye." She gave him a warm smile. "It'll be a lot easier then the surgical glove." She looked at him for a moment and then boldly reached out and rubbed her hand on his arm. "You know something." At his expectant look she added. "I think that you're going to make a wonderful father."

His eyes twinkled with pleasure as he returned. "And you're going to make a wonderful mother."

Margaret dipped her head for a moment as she denied the statement. "I doubt that."

"I don't." He said sincerely as he reached out to touch her cheek. "Margaret, you are such a warm caring person when you want to be. You have so much love to give. I have faith in you, you'll make a terrific mother."

"Thank you, Hawkeye." She gave his a broad smile.

"Now, let's go feed our daughter." Hawkeye said as he gathered up his stuff.

"She's not our daughter yet, Hawkeye." Margaret reminded him seriously. "And she may never be, so don't get your heart set on it yet."

"Oh, she'll be our daughter, Margaret." He told her determinedly as he steered her towards the door. "If I have to go straight to Truman and MacArthur she's going to be our daughter!"

Margaret smiled at his determination, but then her eyes widened suddenly as something occurred to her.

At her panic-stricken look he smiled and assured her. "She's with the Colonel. He left with her when we were kissing."

Margaret sighed, put her head on his chest and started chuckling with relief. "And you have faith in me that I'll make a terrific mother? I can't even keep track of her in the space of ten minutes." Hawkeye put his arm around her and smiled in amusement.


"Wake up Sleepyhead." Hawkeye greeted as he favorite bunkmate finally began to stir. "I was wondering when you'd finally rejoin the land of the living! I thought you were going to sleep through the entire war."

"I wish." BJ moaned and pulled himself into a sitting position. With an enormous yawn he asked. "What time is it?"

"About six-thirty." Hawkeye replied as he began his morning shaving routine.

"Six-thirty!" BJ exclaimed with another yawn as he sank back onto his pillow. "Wake me when it's time to go home."

"Come on, Beej, you can't just laze around all day." His buddy encouraged eagerly as he started running his razor over his face. "There's so much to do, so much to see."

BJ lifted his head and looked at his best friend in surprise. "Here in Korea? The land of artillery and all year dysentery." He glanced at the still that sat between their bunks. "Have you been at the still already today?" Hawkeye laughed as he finished shaving and dried his face on his towel. BJ looked at him suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

"Who me?" Hawkeye asked innocently as he splashed some aftershave on his face. "What makes you think that I'm up to something?"

"For one thing you never get up voluntarily before eleven o'clock." BJ pointed out, rising to lean on his elbow. "And you never shave two days in a row but look at you its barely six-thirty in the morning and yet you've showered, shaved and aftershaved. So again I ask you 'What are you up to'?"

"Can't a man get cleaned up without having to be 'up to something'?" Hawkeye asked in another innocent tone as he sat down and started pulling on his boots.

"Come on, Hawk." BJ pressed eagerly as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "What are you up to?"

Hawkeye finished tying his boot laces and looked at his buddy without cracking so much as a hint of a smile. After what seemed an eternity to BJ he finally spoke, his tone soft. "Margaret and I are getting married this morning."

"You're what?" BJ exclaimed as he swung his legs over the side of his bed and looked at his friend in surprise.

"Ssh!" His best friend exclaimed, glancing around to make sure nobody in the compound had heard the exclamation. He was glad that Charles was on duty in Post-Op. Turning back to his friend he whispered. "We don't want everyone to know yet." Leaning closer to his friend he explained. "Margaret and I are getting married today so that we can adopt Maggie-Rose."

"Maggie-Rose?" BJ repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"That's what we've named the baby - Margaret Rose after Margaret and my mother."

"That's very sweet Hawk." His friend acknowledged, but then added seriously. "But there's no way the Army is going to let the two of you adopt her. You heard what that Major said. Even if we got it all the way to MacArthur that still wasn't going to get her out of Korea."

"That's because they won't send an unattended juvenile to the States." Hawkeye added his tone still barely above a whisper. "But if Margaret and I adopt her, then she won't be an 'unattended' juvenile. We can send her to my father or taker her back to the States when the war is over. It'll probably take that long to get the papers approved."

"Hawk..." BJ looked at his friend with an expression of intense disbelief. "...I admire what you want to do, I really do. But do you think that you and Margaret will actually survive being married to each other...some days you two don't look like you can stand being in the same room together. You fight..."

"Beej." Hawkeye interrupted, his tone extremely gentle. He paused for a moment before adding. "There's a reason that I asked Margaret to be part of my plan...and it has nothing to do with adopting Maggie-Rose."

BJ observed the intense look in his friend's eyes. Gently he asked. "You love her, don't you?"

"More than my Medical degree." Hawkeye replied firmly.

"Have you told her how you feel?" BJ asked curiously. Hawkeye shook his head and focused his eyes on his worn combat boots. "Why not?" His friend pressed.

Hawkeye looked back to his friend. "Because she would never believe me. Because she would probably laugh in my face and tell me that she could never love me back."

"She's agreed to marry you though that must mean that she has some feelings for you." BJ pointed out.


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