July 1952

Anni was walking to the VIP tent with her fiance Sidney Freedman and had tears running down her cheeks. He was trying to console Anni and stop the ones he could. She was 7 1/2 months pregnant and now being hunted down by the press.

Before going in she walked past the Mess hall.

Rena shook her head, while she sat at the table she was sharing with Hawkeye

Pierce, Sara McIntyre, and of course, Charles Winchester. "Look at her. We have to do something."

The other three shrugged. "What can we do, darling?" Charles asked.

"I don't know, something to get the media off her back!" That was Sara. She was an actress in the USO troupe that Anni soon-to-be Freedman was singing with. They were supposed to stop over temporarily at the 4077 to see the people that Sara's husband, John, had worked with for so long. They had recently met after his wife had left him. Sparks had flown instantly, and they'd been married within the month. Now she was here, and had promised to look in on Hawkeye and the rest of the gang. She looked pointedly at Hawk.

He, of all people, should be able to come up with something.

He spoke up. "Why not just release a statement to the press that she is NOT pregnant? That would stop this."

"Pierce, don't be absurd. Who would give her prenatal care? You? Who would deliver her? You?" Winchester sneered at the other doctor.

"Honey, it might work. Lilith, the new nurse we got used to work as an Obstetrics nurse. She could help..." Rena smiled, glad to have a way out of the mess her friend was in.

"And we could fly an OB doc in from Tokyo or something for the delivery. It wouldn't be that hard." Hawkeye was excited now. He jumped up, with the others hot on his heels, and ran into the company clerk.s office. He quickly placed a call to the press train.

"Hello, this is Sidney Freedman. Yes, I am engaged to...well, no, it is NOT true that she is having a baby. That was a vicious rumor...No, I don't know who started it. Thank you, I expect a retraction printed in the paper by tomorrow.... or else what? Does the term libel mean anything to you? Good, I thought so." He hung up.

"I'm going to sleep good tonight." He thought.

***The Next Day***

Anni hate gravity. Especially now that she was over 7 months pregnant. She rolled over in bed and fell to the ground with a small shriek. When she looked up, she saw about 10 faces staring at her with wide eyes.

"Ahhhhhhhh! Get out!" She screamed

"Ummmmm...maybe you should see today.s paper first."

"Oh God. Am I harboring aliens now?" She grabbed the paper and started to read.

"It's great isn't it?" Sidney asked

"Yeah but I thought you said you were going 'to stay away from the press'"

Sidney laughed. "Hey, babe, I didn't call the press. But I probably know who did...hey, just be grateful that you're not showing that much yet. Just wear really baggy clothes. They'll never be able to tell that you ARE pregnant. Now, go on out there and tell them that the call I supposedly made was not a hoax. Then, we go talk to Hawkeye, who I am certain is behind this. I hope he has a good idea of how we're going to get you an obstetrician without alerting the media all over again."

He shook his head. Knowing Hawkeye, he had a plan. He'd better.

Anni nodded. "Okay, okay." She left the tent with her fiance to face the hounds outside. Five scant minutes later, they were headed for post-op to find Hawkeye. It seemed that the reporters had bought it.

"So, we just called them, I identified myself as your, Sid," Hawkeye added, chagrined. "Anyway, there's this place in Tokyo called 'Dr. Yamamoto's Finest Kind Pediatric Hospital and Whorehouse.' Trapper and I went there once to play poker and patch up a congressman's son, and there was a baby with a tracheoesophageal fistula. We had to fix it. But, there are three American Obstetrician's who work in Tokyo Gen. They do the neonatal and prenatal work for the FKPH&W. With three of them, I know that I could convince Me Lay to send us one." Me Lay was an old friend of Trapper's, and quickly became a friend of Hawkeye's. He frequented the FKPH&W.

Anni butted in. "Wait a second, guys. I don't think I like the idea of having a doctor who works for a pediatric hospital and whorehouse! No no no."

Hawkeye grinned. "They're all good doctors, Anni. Anyway, they only moonlight at the FKPH&W."

They went around about it several times, with Anni finally agreeing that they could fly one out, and she would decide then if he were a decent enough sort to deliver her baby.

Hawkeye was pleased. "Great! I promise, he'll be great. Now, why don't you go see Lilith? She'll probably be quick to evaluate the doctor when he comes."

Anni looked at him blankly. "Lilith?"

"The new nurse who just shipped in. Redhead, tall, outspoken." Hawkeye looked at Sidney to see if he knew who Hawk was talking about. Sidney nodded that he knew who Hawkeye was talking about.

"What's so special about her? Isn't she one of the nurses? Why won't Margaret or Dish or Bigelow do?" Anni quirked a perfectly shaped brow. Hawk led her over to the desk in post-op. "Because she used to be a Labor and Delivery nurse. So she told me while she was turning me down for a movie." She nodded. "Okay, let me meet her." She was starting to wish she had just braved the media and gone to a real hospital. News hounds had to be better than a flea-infested tent hospital.

Hawkeye smiled to allay her misgivings. Sidney said nothing, just followed his fianci and Hawkeye over to the desk, where a woman in fatigues, a lab coat, and long, startlingly red hair sat, reviewing some charts. Hawkeye leaned down to explain things to her. She nodded.

"Lilith?" Anni asked slowly. The nurse looked up.

"You must be Anni!"

"A tired Anni, but an Anni none the less."

"Cute. Now lets start the exam."