Chapter 3

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"I want a full background search on this lady, name, date of birth, the works. Something about her just isn't right," Caitlyn was seated on the kitchen counter in her pajamas, (it was almost midnight) and hoping she didn't wake her dad up.

"Jeez, Caitlyn, I'm a doctor, not a private investigator," the man ran a hand through his blonde curly hair, "Just because she lived in Boston two years ago doesn't mean that I know her. Can I go to sleep now, I told you I don't know anything,"

"Just one more thing, Trapp," Caitlyn begged, but was quickly cut off by Trapper, "I heard 'just one more thing' half an hour ago, Cait, give me a break, will ya?"

"Trapper McIntyre! I'm ashamed of you! Turning down a poor girl, all alone in the world, just trying to help out her dad, why I expected better!" Caitlyn smiled, waiting for the effect of her words to sink in on the exhausted doctor.

"God, you act like Hotlips sometimes. It amazes me you two aren't related. I'm going to sleep now, goodnight, Caitlyn" Trapper hung up the phone.

"Hotlips?" Caitlyn mumbled, peeling a banana and popping it into her mouth, "Fho's Fhotlips?"

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It was a regular Saturday morning in the Pierce household. Carlye was there for breakfast, as she had been for the past week, and the three were sitting on the back porch.

"Dad, who's Hotlips?" Hawkeye nearly spit our his coffee, "How do you know about Margaret?"

"So, her name is Margaret," Caitlyn wrote something in the blue notebook she had been doodling in, "does she have a last name?"

"Houlihan," Hawkeye managed, still shocked at the far from subtle question from his daughter. Carlye also looked shocked, especially when she remembered who "Hotlips" Houlihan was.

"Well, who is she?"

Hawkeye coughed nervously before saying, "She-" his voice cracked like a boy in puberty, "She's none of your business, that's who. Caitlyn, don't you have some things you need to take care of?"

Caitlyn smiled, "As a matter of fact, I do," she got up from the table and headed inside, taking the notebook with her.

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The phone rang, interrupting the quite San Francisco morning. Peg and B.J were alone in the house, their oldest daughter living in San Diego, and their son, Pierce, at a friend's house.

"I got it, Peg," B.J Hunnicutt got up from the dining room table and answered the phone. He stood there for a few minutes, nodding and then finally sighed, "Carlye Walton's back then."

"Walton?" Caitlyn frowned on the other end of the line, "It's Carlye Breslin. Are you sure it was Walton?" As far as she had been concerned, this was going to be easy- dig up some dirt on Carlye and convince her dad to drop her. (She had done it before)

Either way- one Carlye with two last names or two different Carlyes (B.J concerned about the Walton) Caitlyn hadn't counted on the distraction. Not to mention finding out about Margaret Houlihan, Caitlyn had a lot to do, and not much time; Hawkeye and Carlye seemed to be getting way too friendly, way too fast.

"I'm sure it was Walton. I remember her- a nurse, blonde hair, grayish eyes, she was at the 4077th for a week or so."

"So she met dad in Korea?"

"No, it was before Korea. Hasn't Hawk, ah, your dad, told you all this?"

"Nope, start from the beginning. I want to know everything." Caitlyn sat down at her desk with the phone, taking out a pen and piece of paper.

"From what your dad told me, they met while Hawk was doing his residency in Boston, she was a nurse at the hospital. They lived together for, oh, I don't know, two years, however long his residency was. They were going to get married, but she left him,"

Caitlyn muttered something, probably very rude, under her breath before B.J continued.

"Then, 1950, something like that, Hawkeye gets drafted. He is just beginning to get over Carlye and adopting the ol' "hurt them before they hurt you" lifestyle. About three months after I took over for Trapp, Carlye gets stationed in Korea. She was married then, to some guy in the Navy. Long story and awkward introductions short, they start up and affair."

"Cheating on her husband with Dad? She must have been pretty lonely.Oh, sorry Beej."

"Anyway, about a week after her being there, Hawk's about decided that he's in love, when she decides, once again, that he can't love anything more than his work and she takes off again. That's all I know."

Caitlyn sighed, "Does the man have no pride? She crushes him twice, and now he's just as happy-go-lucky as the other times? I thought he had more since than that! One more thing- do I remind you of anyone named Margaret Houlihan?"

*** *** *** *** *** MEANWHILE, ON THE EAST COAST*** *** ***

Hawkeye sat on the couch, deep in thought. He had no idea how Caitlyn had heard of Margaret, much less her old nickname. As far as he knew, she hadn't kept in touch with anyone from Korea, or spoken to any of them since returning home.

Caitlyn had struck a nerve, somewhere deep in Hawk's jumbled thoughts. She had awakened something in him that had lain dormant for an almost unbearable time. For the past sixteen years, he had tried his best not to think of Margaret..

.Linda was nearly her complete opposite (that wasn't a coincidence) and it amazed him how much his daughter reminded him of her, almost more than she resembled her mother.

It was no coincidence that Caitlyn's middle name is Margaret either.

Hawkeye just sighed and got up from the couch. If time heals all wounds, the why, after not seeing Margaret for seventeen years, did he still ache for her as much as he ever had?

((Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there.))

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Caitlyn furiously banged the notebook on her head. She had a plan, but it seemed impossible.

As read her notebook: TO DO: CAITLYN'S SUPER GET RID OF CARLYE BRESLIN PLAN

Contact Margaret Houlihan and make her yell some sense into Dad. (B.J says she's done it many times before)

Annoy Carlye SO MUCH that she wants to leave. (Or be that rude- please see notes on the "Getting Dad to Dump my Algebra Teacher" plan)

Find Dad a nice, reasonable woman to marry, preferably one I actually like.

{Mental Note- think of a fourth step}

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"Look, kid, I'm telling you, there isn't a Margaret Houlihan in the United States Army. Sorry, I have things to do; we can't sit here and track down this lady all day. Do you realize that there is a war on? I can't help dumb teenagers look for long lost relatives; you want to do something useful with your time? Enlist."

Caitlyn sighed. "So much for the army's help." That was the fourth officer who had hung up on her that day.

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