Margaret sat, stunned, holding the paperwork from her discharge from the army. Stunned is how she's spent the last few months. Stunned is also how she was when she realised that she'd brought more than herself home from Korea, and that she had another life growing inside her. She didn't just feel stunned, she felt hijacked.

One by one her constants were being taken away from her. The war had ended, she'd been had morning sickness so bad that she could barely work, none of her clothes fitted her anymore and, what distressed her most of all was the fog that had descended upon her mind. She felt dulled. She was Margaret Houlihan. She'd always felt sharp in her work and almost always in control, only suddenly she wasn't. Having times when her mind suddenly felt completely empty, or having her mind regularly wander when she was instructing her nurses was one of the most disconcerting thing she'd ever experienced. She didn't like it.

But that was all over now. At 20 weeks gone she was past being able to hide her now obviously swelling abdomen under her uniform and the army had seen fit to relieve her of her post. Discharge, medical. Reason: Pregnancy. She didn't feel relieved, she felt stripped. Stripped of one the last vestiges of the person she knew herself as. Tears that had been threatening to fall since she'd sat down, spilled past her eyelids, and ran down her face. She supposed now was as good a time as any to go and find her child's father. She assumed he was still living in Crabapple Cove and, if not, his dad at least would still be there. She hadn't intentionally not told him. Once the initial shock had worn off she'd just put all of her energy into surviving, into forging ahead. Now that her work in the army was done, though, she'd come to a sudden and uncomfortable stop. She supposes now is as good a time as any to go for a long drive, she has to do it eventually. Margaret walks to where she keeps her suitcase and grabs it and starts shoving her meagre possessions inside, wiping her tears as she goes. Her face has begun to feel more like a fountain. She was starting to appreciate the fact that she'd taken a posting at the VA in Vermont and not California like she'd planned. She'd originally written it off as weakness on her part, weakness because she'd wanted to go and find Hawkeye before all this started, but it was going to make her trip to Maine a hell of a lot easier Margaret looked down at her watch and calculated that she could get there by about dinner time. It wasn't so much that she was worried about dinner, just that suddenly she felt an urgent need to see certain former chief surgeon.

Daylight was fading by the time she arrived. Margaret looked down at the address she had written down and then back up at the house she'd stopped outside. It looked like something out of a picture; a large, two-storey, weatherboard house, complete with attic windows. It couldn't be less like the swamp if it tried. She wanted to flee, to go straight back to where she'd come from. She can't do that so she gives herself an order, Come on, you're a Houlihan. Breathe in and move it. She takes a deep breath and gets out of her car, hurrying up the front steps and ringing the doorbell before she has the chance to have a second thought.

She hears his muffled voice inside. "Dad, are you expecting anyone?"

She hears another voice answer a negative. She's trembling now. What will he say? Will he tell her to get packing? Will be even believe that it's his? The door opens and he stops dead. Clearly he was not expecting to see her. Margaret takes one look at his face and bursts into tears, which, given the look on his face, is also not something he was expecting.

"Margaret? Margaret, what's wrong?"

She doesn't answer and he gathers her into his arms. He pauses when he feels her abdomen against his and pulls away slightly to look down. "Margaret, you've grown!"

Gee, I hadn't noticed, she thinks to herself, but bites back her sarcastic retort. She's only just arrived, she can't yell at him yet. She just nods helplessly and breaks into a fresh bout of tears. She doesn't even know why she's crying, but then that's fairly common these days. As he pulls her close again the concerned face of Daniel Pierce appears around the door frame, "Everything alright out here?"

"We're fine, dad, just coming inside," Hawkeye says, putting his arm around her waist and gently guiding her indoors. He takes them into the living room and onto a sofa, not letting go of her the entire time. Daniel notices this and quirks an amused eyebrow. He imagined this story was going to be a good one. He leaves them alone to go and continue what he'd been doing before the doorbell had rung.

"When did this happen?" Hawkeye asks, gesturing to her middle.

Margaret supposes she should be grateful he didn't ask how. She opens her mouth to reply but shuts it again when Hawkeye keeps speaking.

"Though by the size of you and the fact that I just found you on my doorstep, I'm guessing sometime just before we left Korea; possibly that one time after an O Club session?"

Margaret nods once, and looks down. There it is, all out in the open. She feels his fingers under her chin as he gently brings her eyes up to meet his.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I... knew something was off about the time we'd finished wrapping up the 8063rd, but I didn't find out for sure until after I'd been posted at the VA hospital in Vermont."

"Vermont, eh? You weren't thinking of yours truly when you made that choice?"

She blushes and smacks him on the arm, continuing, "I didn't know how you'd react, especially given what happened on that bus. I hid it as long as I could because so that I could pretend my life was normal. I needed to figure out how I felt about it all. The army was familiar. I needed familiar, everything else was changing! Now time's flown by without me feeling one way or the other about being pregnant, and the army's discharged me, and if I have to live one more day by myself I'm gonna go crazy!"

"Stay with us for a while, or forever, as long as you like."

"Really, your dad wouldn't mind?"

"Mind? He'd be delighted!"

"I missed you." she murmurs quietly, almost embarrassed at even allowing herself to miss the man. She still had to remind herself that this wasn't the old days, that she actually quite liked him, or more, even, and that there was nothing wrong with it.

"I missed you too" he says, beaming at her before scooping her into a tight hug. He loosens his hold on her but doesn't let go, and she doesn't protest, because it's nice and no one's hugged her since she left Korea..

"So, magnificent Margaret, how do you feel about being pregnant?"

"Honestly? Just kind of strange. I mean, I'm not completely unhappy. Sometimes the thought of having a baby is quite nice."

Hawkeye gives her a squeeze. He was far happier about this than she thought he would be, but any further discussion is put on hold when Hawkeye's dad comes bustling into the room with a tray of steaming mugs which he unloads onto a table.

"Dad, this is my dear friend, Major Margaret Houlihan, finest nurse and fabulous human being, and this," he said, gesturing towards her abdomen, "is your grandchild."

"My what?" He drops the now empty tray he'd been holding.

"Hawkeye! What have you done to this poor woman!"

"Why dad, given you're a doctor I'm sure I don't have to explain to you the leading cause of pregnancy."

Daniel shakes his head and turns to Margaret. "Lovely to meet you my dear. I've heard a lot about you - all good things!" he says quickly, noticing the look on her face. At that she turns and looks at Hawkeye in shock.

He looks indignant, "What? You're a fine human being."

Daniel rolls his eyes at his son and turns to Margaret.

"How'd you end up with this idiot?"

"Ha, I sometimes wonder that myself, though I don't think it was my brain." No, it was your heart, you silly woman.

Daniel smirks, "Well, congratulations to the both of you. Now, I've just gotta finish making dinner, so I'll see you two in a few minutes."

"Thanks dad." Hawkeye turns to Margaret, "A baby, Margaret, a baby!"

"Why are you so happy about this?"

"Because it's great! Something good has come of the war! Wait, you're not happy?"

"I just told you, I'm not un-happy."

"But that's not the same thing."

"I haven't had time to be happy! Everything's been changing; my body, my mind. Nothing's the same, nothing fits, and I don't even have the army anymore for stability! I don't know what's up, what's down or what's going on! I'm hormonal. I've cried more since getting pregnant than I have my entire life, and what are we to each other? What are we going to do? Where am I going to live?"

"Margaret, calm down, it's okay. We'll work something out."

It's not okay! Aren't you even a little bit scared?"

"Sure I'm scared, I've never been a parent before. It's just that looking at you all round and cute, and with my baby no less!" His eyes are crinkled with excitement and glee. He's far more relaxed and affectionate than she's ever seen him. He's even proud of himself. Men. But she can't help but feel a little touched. This was certainly not the kind of reaction she'd been expecting. She expected disbelief, even doubt or anger. She couldn't help but wonder if things might have been different if she'd shown up when she'd found out. For the first time since finding out she was pregnant she feels a tiny seed of hope start to blossom.

"I'm not cute, especially not now."

"Sure you are. You've always been, but now you're positively adorable. Though I must say, your breasts are even more impressive than they used to be." She scowls at him and hits him, which he tries to combat by kissing her on her nose.

"Dinner's ready!" Daniel calls from the kitchen.

"Well, madame," Hawkeye says with a flourish, " it looks like our reservation is ready."

She told herself that she didn't know what she wanted yet, that she didn't know if she even wanted to be in a relationship with the man, that they of all people wouldn't, shouldn't, fall into something like this easily, but right now she can't imagine herself leaving.

TBC

So, what do you think? It's a well worn trope, I know. Post-war accidental pregnancy trying to work out a relationship, but I think (hope) it's turning out okay.