2

"What?" Hawkeye asked confused.

"The reason I asked for us to come is because I needed to be honest with you," she tried to explain, "I wanted to come to Seoul, because we need to talk, not because I don't trust you or the results."

"Oh?" He asked with surprised.

"We got a divorce when I went to see him the last time," my mother told him.

"What?" he asked, "I am sure if you explain the situation, any man with a heart would understand, and come back to you."

"No Hawkeye," my mother said with some confidence. "You don't understand first of all. I wanted this divorce. It was the smartest thing I have ever done. I asked Potter to keep quiet about it, because I needed to get through it on my own. No one feeling sorry for me or anything."

"But Margaret, people only do that because they care about you," he told her. "What about this baby? If there is one, it will need its father. Donald at least deserves the right to know. How are you going to handle this?"

"Hawkeye," her confidence had left her voice once again. She started to cry again.

"Oh Margaret, I am so sorry," he tried to comfort her. He moved closer to us and took her in his arms.

We fell asleep in his arms that night, without the two talking. For the first time my mother woke up in the morning without crying. He made her feel safe. I liked that about this man. He was kind to my mother, and she needed a friend.

"Good morning Margaret," he said to her from a distance. He had been awake longer than we had.

"I see you finally got that shower in," she chuckled. I had never heard her laugh. "Can we finish talking?"

"Sure," he told her. "Margaret, I am sorry about last night. I was out of line. I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Hawkeye," she said, "Don't be. You helped me get to sleep, and I haven't slept that well in weeks."

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Hawkeye asked. "We don't have much time. Your appointment is in an hour."

"No," she said, "We don't have to go. I am sure that I am pregnant. When I thought I may be I recalled some things, and I know when it happened too, I am about two months along."

"How can you be so sure?" Hawkeye asked not wanting to pry.

"Because in the last few months the only time I was with a man was about two months ago," my mother tried to explain, "But Hawkeye listen-," He cut her off, "Margaret, that's great that is when you and Donald were last together, but do you remember the hut? Not that I am taking the paternity, but it was two-," he hung on his words.

"Hawkeye, listen to me," my mother said with force, "Please, listen to me for a minute. Look at me Hawkeye, please."

There was a moment pause. "Hawkeye, I wanted you to come here so we could talk alone, without any distractions, without anyone. We need to talk. Hawkeye, I haven't been with Donald in over six months. The last and only time I slept with anyone since then was in a hut one night when I was very frightened."

"With me?" his voice asked with a quiver.

"I wanted to bring you to Seoul so that I could tell you before I terminate my pregnancy."

He was silent for another moment, still letting it sink in. "How could you do this to me Margaret?" He asked in pain but hinted some anger.

"How could I do this to you?" She screeched. "How could you do this to me?" We got up and started to run. The next few hours my mother's tears muffled all that was going on.

Hawkeye cried. He was so confused. With all of his heart he loved her, and had since they met. At first it was only a physical attraction, but as he began to know her he fell in love with her whole being, her personality, her compassion, and her intelligence. When he found out that she was pregnant he was enraged at Donald. But he discovered it was his baby and she didn't want it. He had to find her, but it wasn't for his male ego. The conditions for the procedure Margaret wanted would not be good in a city like this. He loved her more than life itself, and would feel responsible if anything would happen to her. Her life was worth taking any risk he had to make, even if it was to sacrifice their relationship on whatever level it was on at that moment, he wasn't sure what that was.

He left the hotel and started to room the streets of Seoul. He didn't know where to look or exactly what to look for. The tears forming in his eyes blinded him making the search all the more difficult. He spent hours twisting and turning through every street in the damned city searching. As Hawkeye passed an alleyway that lead to a rundown building he saw her exiting.

"Margaret," he called to her with relief, yet with sadness knowing that she had been in the local clinic.

"Oh Hawkeye," she cried as she collapsed in his arms.

"Margaret," he said to her, "Marry me."

"What?" She asked.

"I should have asked you before you left," he tried to explain. "I was acting like a jerk. Margaret, it isn't because I feel it is the right thing to do, and the baby has nothing to do with it. I love you Margaret Houlihan. I love you with all of my being, and when you ran out of that room this morning a part of me died. I don't know if it was the part of me that was growing inside of you, or just the fact that I put you through so much pain that made me feel like that."

"Hawkeye," she said with tears in her eyes. "I couldn't do it."

"What?" he asked with hope.

"I walked into the clinic, and realized that if I did this I was killing someone that belonged to you and me. I didn't have the right to make the decision on my own. There is too much killing here. We have seen too much death together. I couldn't do that to us. Then I saw the conditions. The room made the 4077th look like a five star suite."

"Oh Margaret," my father said to my mother. She stopped crying.

"If the offer still stand, I would be honored to become Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Pierce," my mother said, and the two kissed. "Let's do it."

"Now?" he asked. "Here?"

"Yes, lets go back to the four oh double seven as husband and wife," my mother said, and for the first time I knew she was smiling. This made me happy. My parents who seemed to belong together from the beginning were going to be together. "Oh," my mother giggled, "I think that she's happy too." I felt a hand placing its weight to feel me.

"Margaret, why are you so sure it is a girl?" He asked of me.

"I don't know Hawkeye. I just do." My mother said, "Let's get married." As we were walking my father stopped my mother. "We need rings, and I intend to buy you the most beautiful one in the store."

"Hawkeye," she said embarrassed. After what seemed like hours of pacing back and forth, and the occasional whoop of "That's gorgeous," from my mother. The two finally settled on rings. They purchased three.

"Hawkeye," my mother laughed, "What are you doing. Really, get up your making a scene in the middle of the city."

"That's fine by me," he said to her. "I don't care if they know what I am doing. I have to do this right, so that it doesn't come back to haunt me. Margaret Houlihan, will you be my wife?"

"I would love to Ben," she said and kissed him. We continued to venture through the city. "Can I help you?" Someone asked in broken English.

"We would like to get married," Hawkeye said.

"One marriage ceremony," the man with broken English said, "Come with me."

"Maybe we should wait and have Father Mulcahy do the service," my mother suggested, "And BJ can be your best man, and Colonel Potter could give me away again."

"I have waited long enough for this," Hawkeye said. "We can celebrate with them later."

"All right," she said convinced.

The wedding was fairly boring. I mean, first of all I couldn't see a thing, and secondly the minister didn't seem to know much English. The best part was that my parents were getting married. After the ceremony we walked through the city some more.

"Margaret?" he asked her, "Are you okay? You look a little tired. You want to go back to the room?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Ben," my mother said to him. We walked back to the hotel and right before we got in the room my mother started to giggle.

"Hawkeye, what are you doing?"

"I have to carry you over the threshold," He laughed. "Margaret, I love you."

"I love you, too Ben."


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