3

"Margaret?" Hawkeye sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back. She didn't respond, so he continued on. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry I was too drunk to know better, and I'm sorry you didn't slap me, but I'm not sorry about what happened, just that we were too drunk to know what we were doing. You're great Margaret. We have our differences, but we've made it through this place together. I'd like to see if we could be more than friends, but if we can't, it's okay." He stopped. When no response came he squeezed her arm and left, not sure if he should be feeling disappointed or sad, or anything at all. He figured he would give her a few days, and see what happened.

The next day Margaret treated him the same as she always had, and she didn't say anything about the previous day. Amazingly enough the nurses said nothing to Margaret, and B.J. was the only one to broach the subject with Hawkeye, despite the entire camp having heard about Hawkeye exiting the Major's tent the day before. That night, Hawkeye came back to the Swamp after post-op duty and found a note on his bunk. It said-

Hawkeye,
	I did hear you, and I feel the same way, but it's too soon after 
Donald.  I know you wouldn't hurt me like he did, but I'm still scared. 
Give me some time. This will work.
								Margaret

Hawkeye and Margaret continued to spend time together. They kept each other company and could always seem to find something to talk about. One day they had an entire conversation on the other uses for rubber gloves. Other than balloons and how they'd used one as a bottle for the Amer-asian baby who'd been left at the camp Margaret said she'd worn them around her apartment in nursing school covered in vinegar for a week to keep her roommate's cat from biting her fingers. It worked too. For his part, Hawkeye had stuck one over a leaky faucet in Boston so the dripping water didn't keep him awake and he didn't have to fix the faucet. That was one of their sillier conversations.

Everyone in the camp got used to seeing them walk around together. The only one who ever commented on it anymore was B.J. to Hawkeye, but even he stayed pretty much out of it, figuring if something was going to happen, it would on it's own. For several weeks nothing did happen, but everyone was aware that the two seemed made for each other, only Hawkeye and Margaret pretended not to notice.

It had been almost six weeks since Rosie's Party. Several wounded had come in that morning, and it had been about eight hours in OR. Afterwards everyone went to the Mess Tent for dinner, and then went their separate ways for the night. Hawkeye headed to Margaret's tent, as he sometimes did after long OR sessions. She opened the door when he knocked and he came in and sat down. They talked for a few minutes about a patient they had worked on, and then Hawkeye noticed Margaret getting quiet, very different from her usual outspokenness. "What's wrong Margaret? Is everything okay?"

She was worried he would say this, because she'd been trying to figure out what to say, but since she hand't come up with anything she figured honesty would be best. "Hawk, I'm not...um...I think I'm pregnant." Well, she thought, I said it. Hawkeye did not react with nearly so much enthusiasm or humor as he had the last time he'd heard those words from her.

"You mean...you? Me? We?" He was speechless for one of the first times ever.

"That's what I mean Hawk."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I sure that it's yours or that I'm pregnant? As for the first one, I hope you know that and the second, well, from experience I think I should take a test before being one hundred percent positive," she sounded indignant.

"Just give me a minute here Margaret. Let me digest this a little, you must have known for a week or so at least, I just heard this." He didn't want her angry with him, but he was rather shocked, so he was just reacting to everything thrown at him. Margaret thought that was fair, she just sat and watched him a few minutes.

"Am I the first one you've told?"

"Of course, I thought you deserved to be the first. I just wanted to be fairly sure before I told you."

"I think we need to tell Potter, at the very least, he would have to sign you a pass for Tokyo, and he'd want to know, you're like a daughter to him. Maybe we can find a way to keep you here, even if the test is positive."

"Yeah, I know I have to tell him, but what about you Hawk? Do you want your name involved? I mean for better or worse this baby is yours, and you wi ll have something to do with it, but if you'd rather no one here know..." she trailed off. She wanted her baby to know its father, and she'd be very hurt if Hawkeye took no responsibility, but she wanted to give him sometime to accept it himself, not force him to so he'd end up resenting her and their child.

"NO! No, no, no. You aren't in this by yourself, and I'm sorry you ever thought that. Could we maybe withhold this information for a little while when we tell the Colonel though, let him get used to the idea a little? I think he might horsewhip me if we just went and told him straight out. As I said, he is like a father to you."

"Okay, I can understand that. I'll get the test, and if it's positive, we can tell him together."

"Why don't we go talk to Potter, it's only 6, he's probably still in his office."

Potter was just getting off of the phone. He looked up expectantly at his two visitors. "Uh, Colonel, there's a bit of a problem you should know about. We've done this before. I might be-" Hawkeye started but the Colonel interrupted knowing Margaret was the one he should be dealing with.

"Are you okay Margaret? Is this a sure thing?" He was going to ask about the father, but decided she'd tell him if she wanted him to know.

"I'm doing pretty well Colonel. A test is what I came to ask about. Since Radar's rabbits are gone, when can I get a pass to Tokyo?"

"Well, Margaret, I think there's something else we can do. I've just gotten off the phone with the 8063rd, and I agreed to send you and Pierce over there to demonstrate the new arterial transplant. I know for a fact that somehow they've got the equipment to do the test over there. If it's all right with you I'd still like to send you. Pierce can do the test, then when you get back here we can find out what to do about the results. Now is that all right with the two of you?"

"That sounds fine, thank you Colonel," said Margaret.

"Yeah, that's good. When do we leave?" asked Hawkeye.

"Well, I was hoping to get you out by O-Six-Hundred tomorrow."

"We'll be ready, thanks Colonel," said Hawkeye, leaving the office.