BJ stretched his stiff arms and yawned as he stepped out of the OR and into the scrub room. It had been a pretty rough few hours. Margaret was standing a little in front of him starting to undo the ties of her gown.

"Margaret, let me give you a hand," he offered, making his way over to her.

"Go away!" She snapped, brushing his hands away. BJ raised his arms in surrender.

"Hey! I was just trying to help!" Margaret sighed and relaxed slightly, allowing him to. "I'll have you out of there in no time" He told her, smiling.

"I just wish you people would leave me alone!" She snapped again.

"Like the way you left Nurse Bell alone back in there?" BJ asked. He was still smiling, but his voice showed that he was being serious.

"I was doing my job, and I can do it perfectly capably without anyone else's help." BJ shook his head.

"That's not it. You never fall on a nurse that hard for such a nit-picky mistake, you're too good for that, Margaret. What's eating you?" He questioned gently.

"Nothing!" She yelled back.

"Come on, you can tell me." BJ encouraged. Margaret looked away.

"I can't. I can't even imagine that it's true." Her angry façade had totally dropped away.

"What's true?"

"Will you lower your voice, please? This is extremely private." BJ nodded.

"Sure. Now what is it?" he asked again, much quieter.

"Well, I've been feeling a little off lately…"

"Yeah, and…?"

"I think that I'm…"

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure that I'm…pregnant." Margaret looked away.

"Pregnant?!" BJ cried out, overjoyed.

"Shh!!!" Margaret ordered.

"You mean with child? Expecting?"

"Yes, but shh!"

"This is wonderful!" He cried, pulling Margaret into a hug. She pulled away.

"There's nothing wonderful about it!" She moved past him to sit on the bench.

"Are you kidding?!" BJ asked, taken aback by her disappointment. He remembered how happy he was when Peg told him they were going to have a baby. "A child is the most amazing thing that can happen to a person! Besides, all we see around here is death and destruction, yet in the midst of it all is this, this glimmer of life! That isn't wonderful, that's a miracle!"

"No." Margaret shook her head. "It means the end of my military career. Automatic discharge! The army is all I have. The rest of you have friends and family to go back to. You have lives! There's nothing for me at home. I don't even have a home. Not really."

"Margaret, you'd get through that. You're strong. Besides, I firmly believe that a child is worth all that."

"But it's not just that. You know Donald and I are having problems. This isn't gonna solve them, it's only gonna add to them. Especially since…" She trailed off and looked away. BJ frowned.

"Margaret? Especially since…what?" Margaret bit her lip. "Tell me?" BJ asked.

"BJ, the last time I was in Tokyo with Donald was over four months ago." BJ frowned. That didn't add up. Margaret was a nurse, she would have noticed before now. So that meant that it was someone else.

"So then…who? If you don't mind me asking…" Margaret swallowed.

"How much did Hawkeye tell you about our disastrous trip to the 8063rd?"

BJ leant back against the wall.

"So you think Hawkeye is the father?" Margaret nodded.

"He has to be! The timing doesn't fit with Donald and there hasn't been anyone else." BJ frowned.

"Margaret, are you sure you're… pregnant?" Margaret shrugged.

"Yes. I mean, I think so. I haven't done any tests, but all the signs are there. Sickness, irritability…"

"Margaret, if you count irritability, you've been pregnant as long as I've known you." Margaret sighed.

"Captain," she lowered her voice, "that time of the month hasn't been that time of the month yet. And that was last month!" BJ nodded slowly.

"Right. But you should still do the formal tests. Come on. We'll talk to Colonel Potter." They both stood up and headed to the door. BJ stopped just short of them.

"Margaret, you know that if you are, you're gonna have to tell Hawkeye." He paused. "And Donald." She nodded.

"I know" she whispered.

************

"Pregnant! Hot damn, that's terrific Margaret!" Colonel Potter exclaimed, ecstatic. Margaret shifted.

"Uh…Yes sir."

"Have you told your Donald the good news yet?" Margaret looked away. Colonel Potter's smile slipped slightly. BJ stepped forward.

"I think she wants to wait until she's certain, Colonel. Which is why we came to see you." Margaret seemed to regain some of her confidence.

"Yes, that's right. Colonel, is there anyway we can arrange a test here? I'd rather not have to go to Seoul for this." Colonel Potter frowned.

"I suppose it's possible. If we can get a hold of a rabbit…" All three of them turned to look towards Radar's office.

"Radar!" Colonel Potter yelled, while simultaneously Radar came in saying:

"Yes sir?"

"Have a seat, son." Radar sat down in the seat Margaret had just vacated with a confused look on his face.

"Uh, yes sir." BJ moved around so he was in front of Radar.

"Radar, you like Major Houlihan, right?" Radar looked even more confused.

"Yes sir".

"If she needed your help, you'd be willing to give it, right?"

"Uh…Yeah… I mean… probably… I guess I would sir." BJ smiled. Colonel Potter stepped forward to take over.

"Son, do you have a rabbit in that zoo of yours? A female one?" Radar smiled slightly, obviously relieved to have the conversation turn to a subject he like talking about.

"Oh, yes sir. Fluffy."

"Radar, would we be able to…'borrow' Fluffy for a while?" BJ asked. Radar nodded.

"Sure." He frowned. "But why?" BJ glanced at Margaret.

"Margaret, we're going to have to tell him." Margaret looked outraged.

"No! I told you I wanted to keep it between the three of us." Potter sighed.

"Major, it's Radar's rabbit, and we are about to ask a lot of him." Margaret hesitated, biting her lip, and then nodded.

"BJ, could you hurry up?" Margaret was hovering at BJ's side as he looked through the microscope. BJ waved her away.

"Don't rush me! This is important, I want to be sure." Margaret moved away and stood fidgeting with her hands. BJ stepped back from the microscope.

"Well? What's the result?" BJ sighed and leant against the desk.

"Margaret…before I tell you…what do you want it to be?" Margaret moved to stand next to him.

"I…I don't know. I guess I don't want to be pregnant. It'll mean the end of my career, and almost certainly the end of my marriage." BJ nodded slightly. As much as he wished otherwise, he knew that the chances of Donald wanting to stay with her while she was pregnant with his own child were pretty slim, never mind someone else's. "But a child… That's something that I never thought I'd have. I'd only ever dreamed…." She swallowed. "Tell me."

"Margaret…you're going to be a mommy." Margaret sat down on the desk chair. BJ laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. And congratulations."

************

Margaret was sitting in Radar's office clutching the phone to her ear.

"No, Sergeant. Penobscott, not Penobsnott. … Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscott. …That's right, in Tokyo. … Yes, I'll hold." She sighed. As if this wasn't hard enough, without stupid Sergeants. "Donald? It's me, Margaret. … What? … Yes I know you're busy, but it's important. Donald-" She was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't hear Hawkeye enter. He had only been planning to put his updated patient reports back into the filing cabinet, but hearing that it was Donald she was talking to, he decided to stick around. It wasn't that he was nosy, he just knew that Donald had a habit of hurting her, and he wanted to be there for her.

"Donald, shut up for a minute and listen" Margaret shouted down the phone. She was close to tears and just wanted to get it over with. "Donald, I'm pregnant." Hawkeye froze. Margaret was pregnant? His first thought was to congratulate her right then, but then he remembered two things. One, she was on the phone, and two, having a baby probably wasn't top on her to do list.

"Donald? Are you still there? … What? … You don't want a baby? … What?! Donald how can you even suggest that?! I am NOT getting rid of it in any way! … Look, I don't care whether you want it or not. … Because it's not your baby, Donald." With that she slammed the phone down and put her head in her hands. Hawkeye was stunned.

"Margaret?" He asked tentatively. She gasped. He noticed that there were a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Then right before her eyes, she switched from Margaret to Hot Lips Houlihan.

"Pierce! What are you doing here?" She asked harshly.

"I was…er…" he gestured over to the filing cabinet. "Filing stuff, and I heard…" Margaret looked outraged.

"That was private phone call, Pierce. You had no right to…eavesdrop." Hawkeye sighed.

"Margaret, I thought we'd got past this already. There's something bothering you. Now tell me what it is." She was still glaring. "Please?" Her expression softened.

"Fine, but not here. In my tent." She stood and began walking to her tent, with Hawkeye close behind, smirking.

"A dream come true…" Margaret shook her head.

"Hawkeye…Please don't, this is already difficult." Hawkeye's expression turned serious instantly.

"I'm sorry, Margaret." By this point they'd reached Margaret's tent. Hawkeye opened the door for her.

"Ok, er… you better sit down." Hawkeye frowned.

"Are you alright Margaret? You're edgier than I've ever seen you." Margaret groaned, exasperatedly.

"Hawkeye!" He held his hands up in surrender and sat down at her desk chair. "Ok…Well, you probably gathered that I'm pr…"

"Pregnant?" Hawkeye filled in.

"Yes… Only it's more complicated than that." Hawkeye held up his hand.

"It's ok Margaret. I think I know the rest." Margaret looked terrified.

"You do?"

"Yeah. You're not happy about being pregnant because it'll mean the end of your army life." Margaret was fidgeting with her hands again.

"Well yes, but that's not-"

"And you were telling Donald when I walked in just now, only he isn't so keen on it, so you're thinking of doing it solo."

"Hawkeye, it doesn't matter if Donald wants it or not." Hawkeye stood up.

"Well of course not. He doesn't control you. You have just as much say in the matter as he does, if not more." Margaret groaned and stamped her foot. Hawkeye's eyebrows shot up.

"No! Pierce, let me finish!" Hawkeye sat back down. "The reason it doesn't matter isn't that it's my baby too." She had turned and walked to the other side of the tent while she'd been speaking so she wasn't looking at Hawkeye. She swallowed. "It's that it's not his baby." There was silence. She let herself glance at Hawkeye's expression. He was frowning.

"What? Then who's is-" He stopped mid-sentence. Margaret took a deep breath. He'd figured it out, but she still felt compelled to say it.

"It's yours." She whispered. She was met by complete silence. She waited a couple of minute before allowing herself to look at Hawkeye. He was staring at her, unmoving. She took a few steps towards him. "Pierce?" No answer. "Hawkeye!" Still no answer. She was feeling slightly panicky now. "Hawkeye, say something!"

"Are-" He cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" Margaret nodded.

"I haven't been with Donald in over four months. Or did you mean am I definitely pregnant?" Hawkeye shrugged.

"Both…either…" Margaret looked at him. She was terrified he'd be angry, the same way Donald had been.

"Hawkeye…Do you… I mean…Does this bother you?" Hawkeye opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"I…" He desperately wanted to say no, that it didn't bother him. But this was a child. He was going to be a father. That was a big commitment. Plus the fact that his own father was bound to start suggesting marriage as soon as he found out, though that didn't sound as bad as he would've thought. "I don't know." He finally said. Margaret sat down on her bed heavily. There was yet more silence between them until Hawkeye heard Margaret sniffling.

"Margaret? Are you ok?" She looked up at him.

"You can go now Captain." Hawkeye frowned.

"What? Why?"

"Well I just thought you had the right to know. That doesn't mean I'm going to force you, or even want you to have anything else to do with me, the pregnancy or the baby." Hawkeye sat down on the bed next to her.

"You think that I'm not gonna have anything to do with my own child?" Margaret shrugged.

"Well you're hardly a family man Captain." Hawkeye swallowed. It was true.

"Well…not yet…but-" Margaret interrupted him.

"Look Captain, I know that you didn't want for this to happen. You don't have to pretend for my sake." Hawkeye was getting irritated now. He stood up and headed towards the door. Just before he got there, he stopped and turned back to face Margaret.

"Margaret, you're wrong. Maybe I didn't intend for this to happen, but that doesn't mean that I don't want this too. And I'm not pretending, and certainly not for your sake." With that, he left. Margaret sank back onto her bed. She realised that she had messed things up with Hawkeye. She only hoped that it wasn't permanent. She trusted him more than anyone else in the world, and knew that he'd be there with her no matter what, regardless of who the father was, or whether she wanted him there.

************

Hawkeye slowly walked into the Swamp and collapsed onto his cot. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was going to be a father. Him! A father! And with Margaret. As much as he was known as a womaniser, he had always planned to start a family when he got back to the States. And as much as he tried to deny it, on the rare occasions he had pictured his family, Margaret was always there as his wife.

BJ was watching his friend with growing concern. He had been in for 10 minutes and hadn't said anything. Or done anything. He wasn't sleeping, he was just lying there.

"Buy you a drink sailor?" He asked teasingly.

"No. Thanks." Hawkeye still wasn't moving. BJ frowned.

"Want to talk about it?" He tried again. Hawkeye rolled so that he was on his side, leaning his head on one elbow.

"Beej…When Peg told you that she was going to have Erin, how did you feel?" BJ raised his eyebrows. He had a pretty good idea what was wrong with his friend now.

"I was ecstatic. I thought I'd never be happier. I was wrong, but it's still in the top two." Hawkeye frowned.

"Top two?" BJ smiled.

"Holding my child for the first time made first." Hawkeye nodded.

"Oh right. So you weren't…you know…er…terrified?" BJ shrugged.

"Of course. It's only natural." Hawkeye nodded.

"Right." He laid back down.

"Why the sudden interest?" BJ asked, wondering how much his friend would tell him.

"Oh. Er…There was a kid in post-op who got a letter saying that his friend…" He paused. Margaret was a little more than a friend. At least, that's the way he saw it. Maybe she didn't feel the same… "Er, girlfriend, was pregnant with his child, and he er… he wasn't sure if he was ready." BJ smiled slightly.

"What did you tell him?"

"I er…I wasn't… I told him I'd get back to him." Hawkeye replied, rolling over so that he was facing the wall of the tent. BJ wondered if he should tell Hawkeye that he knew, or if he should just wait for him to tell him himself.

"Hawk…Did Margaret tell you about…?" He left his question hanging. Hawkeye sat up.

"You know? About her being…? And about me being…?" BJ nodded. "Oh." Hawkeye's expression became even more miserable, if that was possible.

"What's wrong?" BJ asked, concerned for his friend. Hawkeye sighed.

"Well apart from the obvious, I just kinda thought she'd tell me first. I guess that was pretty stupid of me." BJ sighed.

"Hawk, don't take it personally. She didn't want to tell you until she was sure. She only told me because I was persistent and she wanted to tell someone. Colonel Potter and Radar only know because she needed their help to organise the test."

"So I was the last to know?!" He half shouted. BJ raised his eyebrows again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It makes sense." He sighed. "Beej, what am I gonna do?"

"About what?"

"About me, about the baby, Margaret…everything?" BJ shrugged.

"What do you want to do?"

"I… I wanna be a dad to my child. I don't want to abandon him or her." BJ nodded.

"That's good."

"As for Margaret… BJ, when my father finds out, he'll want me to marry her. As soon as possible."

"And?"

"Well… The idea of marrying Margaret should terrify me. But it doesn't. I almost like it. But she won't. Beej, she said she doesn't want me to have anything to do with her or the baby. She said that she knew that a family wasn't my thing, and that she didn't think I was committed enough."

"She said that?"

"Not in so many words…"

"Hawk, please don't take this personally, but have you given her any reason to think otherwise?" Hawkeye's face hardened slightly.

"BJ, I won't deny the fact that I've hardly been a saint since I've been here. But for the most part, it was just sex. I've only actually felt anything besides lust three times, and each time I have been willing to go through with marriage and children. The first was with Carlye, as you know. The second was with a nurse here, called Erica. You wouldn't know her. It was a long time ago, not long after the beginning of the war. I'd only been here a few months. I only knew her for a week, but I loved her almost as much as I loved Carlye. We were gonna get married, but she didn't think that was what I really wanted. She thought that I was just going crazy from the war. She told me she was being transferred. I found out later that she'd requested it. I guess she just didn't want anyone to get hurt." Hawkeye was silent for a moment, remembering her. He really had loved her. "Anyway, Margaret knows about that. I've proved to her that I'm capable of commitment, and of love."

BJ was studying him intensely. He had known about Carlye, but he had had no idea that his friend had loved anyone else so deeply. Then he realised something.

"What about the third?"

"What?"

"You said you'd fallen in love three times." Hawkeye froze for a second, and then shook his head.

"No. I said twice. I have no idea where you got three from." Hawkeye lay back down, facing away from BJ.

BJ didn't say anything more, but his friend had confirmed his suspicions that there was a little more than just friendship between Hawkeye and Margaret, on the former's part at least.