"Dad!! DAD!!!! DAAAAAAAAD!!!" Hawkeye yelled as he burst into the front door.

"For God's sakes son! Come in! No need to be yelling like a frigging manic! You're not a kid anymore and I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm not gonna come running to you like when you were 10!"

"Dad! Guess what! I got the BEST news!!! I got the job of chief surgeon at Crabapple General!! They said I'm the youngest but most experienced chief surgeon they ever had!"

"Well that's great son! Not that that isn't good news, but you seem to be acting like there's something else. Well, this calls for a special supper! I'm taking you out on the town!"

"Dad, you know there isn't much town in Crabapple Cove to take me out on. And, well, not that I don't appreciate you taking me out, but it's just that I got other plans."

"A date? I thought you had given up the women or something. So you're back in the game son?"

"Yeah, you could say that --" Hawkeye was bursting to tell him and was grinning from ear to ear. His blue eyes were dancing

"Hawk, I've never seen you look this happy about a girl. She must be a real looker huh? Looking for some action" Daniel said jokingly as he winked and clicked his tongue.

"Da-ad!" Hawkeye whined like a 15 year old being embarrassed by his father about a girl.

"Okay then will you tell me, who or what is it?"

"Okay, I was gonna surprise you, but you'll never guess who's head nurse at Crabapple General!! Oh just guess! No, don't I'll tell you! Oh just guess! I'll give you three chances, oh No I can't wait-"

"Hawk, just tell me!!"

"Margaret!! Haha! I never thought I'd see her again! We're not going out on a date though. We're going to dinner that's it. Well, I gotta go get ready. I'm picking her up in half an hour so I'd better go!"

Hawkeye ran upstairs giggling like a schoolboy. He was so excited. He thought he would never see her again. He just figured Margaret would be anywhere on Earth, and here she was right in his own little town and would be working and living with him! He just couldn't believe it. He put on a black suit with a light blue, buttoned t-shirt. No tie. He might be going to a fancy restaurant, but he despised ties.

"We'll be happy in My Blue Heaven!" He sang as he shaved for the second time that day. He wanted to look a lot better than he did in Korea. Margaret had seen him at his worst, and now he wanted her to see him at his best.

As he was running downstairs he yelled out to his dad "I'm gone! I told her I'd pick her up at the hospital when she got off work!" He slammed the door and not two seconds later he opened the door, popped his head in and said "Oh, I almost forgot! She's staying at her hotel, so we're gonna go there, et her stuff and she'll move in with us!" He flashed a huge grin and closed the door, not waiting for Daniel to respond.

He hummed a little as he hopped in his convertible and drove off. He got to the hospital and pulled in by the doors to wait for Margaret. She got downstairs and saw him sitting in his car. 'Gee, she thought. He was right. That is a sexy car. Of course the doctor in the front seat helps too'.she quickly dismissed the thought. He'd never feel the same way. She walked out and got into the car

"Where are all those women you said would be around your car?" She asked playfully.

"Well, you know, they were here, but umm I told them that I was picking up a girl here, and that she'd be umm mad if all those girls were there.yeah, and plus, you know this is a hospital zone so I told them they had to keep quiet and maybe they shouldn't be hanging around a place such as a hospital and -"

"In other words, not even this car would help you pick up girls."

"Hey I picked you up, didn't I?"

"Touché."

They drove for another little bit and arrived at the hotel.

"How'd you know where I was staying?"

"You're really not used to small town life, are you? This is the only hotel here. If you asked me the name of it I wouldn't know. It's just the hotel, and if you want more information, Molly Sanders runs it. All I'd have to do to find out what room you're in is say 'where's Margaret?' and she'd be able to tell me."

"Amazing. I guess I got a lot to get used to around here. Well come on in. You can watch TV while I get ready. I won't be too long. 20 minutes at the most."

They got in the hotel, talked to Molly for a minute, and went on in.

"You know, this probably looks really weird. The town hospital's chief surgeon who everyone in the town knows following a pretty blonde girl no one's ever seen before into her hotel room. Molly's probably gonna tell my dad too. That's the worst thing about living in a small town like this. Dad knows everyone so I never get away with anything. But I tried. Boy, did I try."

"And in Korea you still tried. You must have had fun, since you got away with a LOT there."

"Well, yeah." He grinned a sheepish little grin.

"I'm just gonna get a shower and everything. I'll be out in a little while."

"Need help?" Hawkeye asked flashing his trademark smile he used to try to get what he wanted. Margaret just scowled and closed the door.

15 minutes later Margaret came out wearing a blue halter knee-length sundress. It was her favorite, and hadn't worn it in three years. She didn't even bring it to Korea with her.

As she walked out she said "I'm ready, so where are we going"

Hawkeye was watching TV lying on the bed and turned around "Well I was thinking - WOW!! You look Great!!!" He stuck his tongue out.

"Thank you, but be good, Hawk. Stick that tongue back in. Stop staring!! Okay, now, look at me. No, my face. Up here. Okay, think. Where are we going?"

"Ahem, well I, umm was thinking, there's this great restaurant up by the lighthouse that's called, well, the lighthouse. It's great! They got lobster and everything. It's kind of classy, but I refuse to wear a tie. So don't say anything."

"Okay, sounds good. Frankly, no frank with a little f" she said laughing at his panic stricken face, "I think that ties look kind of weird anyway. You look fine." She was really thinking 'you look great! He's got a bit more muscle and his hair doesn't look quite so gray.' Again, she dismissed the thought, knowing he'd never feel the same way. "Well, let's go."

They drove up to the restaurant, which was up on the top of the highest hill in Crabapple Cove right next to the ocean. They got a table that was in front of a gigantic picture window, facing the sea. The sky was a purple blue. It was beautiful. The restaurant was very fancy. They ate their supper by candlelight. They had lobsters, and shrimp. And the best wine available. It was a very romantic scene.

"Beats the gut rot me and Beej used to make doesn't it?" Hawkeye said smiling across the table at Margaret.

"Yeah. That stuff would take the paint off your house. But it did the job. Wasn't a great job, but it seemed like the only time. I haven't drunk since then. Well, a little glass of wine here or a beer there, but no bingeing."

"Same here. It just doesn't seem fun anymore. It was okay when we felt like we had to forget, but now I just have more fun conversing over, say, a glass of wine, or ONE martini. My search for the driest ever martini still continues. But it's no bog deal if I never find it."

They sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the view and each other's company. Hawkeye was the first to speak again.

"God, it's so great to see you. I still can't believe it! The chances. For three years we lived within about 20feet of each other. For the past few weeks, I've missed you so much. We never got along the best, especially back the first year or so, but even still, I missed you a lot."

"Yeah. Once the lipless wonder known as Ferret Face left and I left that ass Penobscott, things got a little better, between you and me, didn't they?"

"Yeah. I was gonna say something about them, but I didn't know how you'd feel."

"Oh, don't worry about it. They're water under the bridge. I always knew nothing would come of Frank, after all he was married, and Donald, well, he was just a jerk. You know, really, we became friends while I was married to him."

"Yeah."

Little did either one know but both were thinking the same thing. That night in the abandoned hut. They both remembered it to this day, and both saw it as something special. They thought the other one just did it because they were scared, and didn't know if they'd live through the night. But in both Hawkeye's and Margaret's minds, they were both thinking that it was a special night. Not between friends, but hopefully lovers. 'She'd never feel the same about me.' He thought.

'He'd never feel the same about me.' She thought.

They finished their dinner in silence. Both had no reason to speak. They were happy to just be there together.