Title: Surviving the Storm
Author: Tere C
Email: tere_c@cliffhanger.com
Status: complete
Category: Mac/Harm
Rating: PG
Archive: Fanfiction.net
Season/Sequel Info: My speculation on what happens after Adrift
Spoilers: Directly follows the events set in play in Adrift and the
episodes prior to it.
Content warnings: a few swear words.
Disclaimer: This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not
monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.
Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are property of
the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and
not intended by the author.
Author's Notes: This is only my speculation on how the first episode of next
season will unfold. Just had to get
this out of my system. This is my first
JAG fic. Let me know what you think.
Surviving the Storm
By
Tere C
The angry waters pitched
and rolled, sucking its energy out of the powerful storm that raged above. Commander Harmon Rabb had been tossed about
the Atlantic Ocean for what seemed to be an eternity. And he was tiring. His
lifejacket kept him afloat, barely.
Wave after wave tossed over him and he fought to keep his head out of
the salty brine. He'd lost track of how
long it'd been since he punched out. He
and Skates were trying to beat the storm home.
She for a weekend with her fiancé, he to watch the woman he loved marry
another.
Cold. He was so cold. He began to shiver as he fought the strong current. Through the torrential rain, Harm squinted
at the sky, searching for the blinking lights of a search plane to no
avail. God knows, he couldn't hear the
engines over the noise of the storm.
He rose and fell with the violent swells of the Atlantic Ocean. After a while, it was like breathing. Up.
Down. In. Out.
Hypnotizing. Now he understood
how some people became seasick with the pitch of the sea. He'd never had it happen before, but the
constant tossing . . . he could feel the dinner he and Skates had shared earlier
rising in his throat.
He forced himself to
squelch the panic bubbling up inside.
'Think of something, Harm,' he told himself. In his mind he replayed the events leading up to the catastrophic
system failure. First, they were low on
O2, which kept Harm from flying at a higher altitude to avoid the
storm. Then, there was the gauntlet of
storm cells littering their flight path.
And, finally, there was what he guessed had been a direct lightening
strike that disabled the electrical system.
When he couldn't get the engines to restart he knew they had no
choice. They had to punch out. He wondered where . . . hell, he wondered if
Skates had made it. She'd said she
wasn't a strong swimmer, and he had promised to be there for her. Damn, the eject release! It jammed, delaying Harm's escape from the
plane. He was able to punch out just
before the plane hit water and miles away from Skates.
"What the hell?" Something bumped into him from behind
jarring him from his reliving of the crash, and he reflexively spun
around. It was the inflatable life raft
that had been ripped away by the sea currents what seemed to be a lifetime
ago. He thought he'd seen the last of
it when an enormous swell had rolled the raft and he had been tossed out. He hadn't had the strength to try to swim
after it then. Now, he hoped he had
enough strength left to pull himself out of the ocean.
Harm struggled to drag
himself back into the raft for a second time.
Laying face down on the wet black surface, he collapsed, briefly relaxing
his aching muscles that had begun to cramp up from the cold. He protectively tucked his face under his
arms which were wrapped around the inflated sides of the raft. Sheltered, he breathed deeply, at first
gulping, then relishing the cold damp air that was without the gallons of salt
water which he had been swallowing relentlessly. Realizing he needed to lay face up so that the flashing strobe on
his life vest could be seen, he tenuously rolled over, the sea spray stinging
his face.
Out of the water, he began
to nod off even though he knew he shouldn't.
Had to stay awake. Sleep meant
death. Cringing as lightening crashed around him, he searched the dark skies
for any indication of search planes.
Please, God, let them find me, he thought. He had never before felt so alone. He also knew that rescue and recovery operations wouldn't begin
until they could conduct the search safely.
Given the intensity of the storm, he knew he would be out there for a
while. Still, he watched and waited,
hoping that help would be able to find him.
+++++++++
Colonel Sarah Mackenzie
stood in the darkened room facing the man she was to marry with tears coursing
down her face for the man she loved.
Mic Brumby stared at her, trying to read her face. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder
only to have her pull away from his touch.
Lightening flashed outside and the glass in the windows shook from the
sound of the thunder. Mac jumped and spun
around to again stare through the glass into the dark night.
"Sarah," Mic called
to her. He stepped closer to her and
reached out to touch her but hesitated, his hands floating over her shoulders.
"Come on, luv, talk to me."
"What do you want me
to say?"
"Sarah, I know he's
your friend but,"
"No buts, Mic,"
Mac quietly interrupted.
"I'm sorry, I don't
understand."
"He was coming back
for me, Mic. For the wedding."
"He wanted to be there for
you."
"No, it's more than
that. I was mad at him for going. He told me if I needed him here in order to
get married, maybe I was marrying the wrong man."
"He was out of line."
"No, Mic. He was right." Wiping the tears from her face, she turned
to face Mic. "I care for you
deeply, Mic, I do." She saw Mic wince
at the words she spoke. "But I don't
love you, not like I should. Not the way
a bride should for her fiancé."
"Sarah, this isn't
true. You're scared and upset. Think about what you're saying, luv."
"Don't you think I
have, Brumby? For weeks, Hell, for
months. I kept putting tomorrow out of
my mind. I kept walking through all of this like it was a dream happening to
someone else. Like I would wake up and
none of this would be real. Or
something would happen to stop this wedding before it got this far. I don't want to hurt you. I never did. It's just…I've been too much of a coward to end this."
Mic's mouth tightened as he
fought to control his emotions. A
single tear threatened to fall and he averted his eyes to look into the
storm. "You don't mean this," he denied, shaking his head in
disbelief. He cleared his throat
trying to loosen the knot from it.
"No, Mic. This is just the catalyst that I needed to
wake me up," she paused, searching for the words to explain it all to Mic. "When you proposed to me, you wanted this so
badly, so forcefully. You made it difficult for a girl to say
no."
"Well, yeah, that was
the whole idea, Luv," Mic quipped trying to lighten the moment.
"That night when you
gave me this," she took the ring off of her finger, "Harm and I had
just had an argument . . . he had pushed me away . . .and then there was
you." They stood there staring at each
other, lightening coloring the room an eerie blue.
"God, Mic, this is so
hard." Sarah raised her hand to
touch his face, "I never wanted to hurt you. I do love you, Mic. But, I'm
in love with Harm and . . . and I have been for a long time."
She pressed the ring into
his hand and briefly kissed his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Mic. It's over," she
whispered, her cheek pressed against his, "I can't marry you." She briefly embraced him one last time. Mic held her tightly, so tightly, not
wanting to let go. "Mic, please. Let me go."
After a long moment, Mic reluctantly released her. Wiping her eyes, she
rushed out of the darkened room to crash headfirst into Admiral Chegwidden, who
was just crossing the threshold.
"Whoa, Mac?" Chegwidden
caught Sarah by the shoulders steadying her.
Worry creased his features when he saw that her eyes swollen from
crying, mascara stains darkening her cheeks.
"Has there been any news,
Admiral?"
"Nothing yet. Are you alright, Colonel?"
"Um, yes, Sir. Can you walk me to my car, Sir?"
"You can't mean to drive in
this weather, Colonel."
"I have to get out of here,
Sir, now." She pushed past the admiral
and headed out of the restaurant. AJ
looked back at Mic, who still stood dejectedly by the windows. Angrily, Mic
threw something across the room. AJ
heard the tell-tale tink of metal against glass. He turned and followed Mac out of the restaurant, hoping to
catch her before she put herself in danger.
+++++++
The storm was still raging
about him, but Harm suddenly felt calm.
He could no longer fight. He
closed his eyes, surrendering to the exhaustion and shock that he had been
battling. The noise of the storm
disappeared as Harm faded into unconsciousness. Finally, it was quiet.
"Harm?"
A soft feminine voice
called to him, begging him to leave the darkness. His head popped up as he groggily looked about, seeking the
source of the voice.
"Harm, you can't give up."
Confusion set in and his
brows furrowed as he saw no one, no helo, no sign of rescue. 'I know that voice,' he thought. "Jordan?"
Suddenly, there she was in front of him. The storm was gone. And he was in a dark place away from the
storm's fury.
"Jordan? How?"
"I can't explain,
Harm. Just know that you are not
alone."
Harm rubbed his burning
eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This isn't possible—you're dead."
Harm stared at the apparition, her hair loose and flowing. She wore her favorite pair of jeans and a
soft sweater.
"I'm here for you, Harm."
"Jordan, I'm so sorry."
"Harm, it wasn't your
fault. It was meant to be." She referred to her murder that Harm had
tried to solve—though it was Mac who cracked the case.
"I returned your call—I was
too late."
"I know, Harm. It's okay.
But now you need to fight."
"I can't. I'm so tired. So cold." His teeth
chattered despite his attempts to control the violent shivering that possessed
his body.
"I know you are, Harm. But you are going to have to fight to get
out of this."
"I wish I could have saved
you."
"That wasn't the plan for
you."
"And this is?"
"You're going to get out of
this, Harm."
"This is bad."
"Yes, it is."
"How are you here?"
"Let's just say there is a
Saint who feels like he owes you a favor."
" Padré Wiggins?"
"He was proud of how you
helped the sergeant He knew you wanted
to believe. He hopes you will, still."
"Jordan, this makes no
sense."
She appeared to glow
translucent against the dark. A sense
of peace and joy emanated from her. "That's the nature of miracles, Harm."
Harm gazed at her long and
hard. "I did love you, Jordan."
"I know you did, Harm. Just not the way I wanted you to. There was always someone in the way."
"Yeah, and my plane got me
in this mess,."
"No, not flying, Harm. Focus."
"Mac? She's marrying
Brumby."
"She loves you, Harm And you love her. You did even when we were together."
"She's made her
decision. If I don't come back, her
life will go on."
"You are getting out of
this, Harm. Have faith in yourself . .
. and in Mac."
Harm stared at Jordan. She
was with him, yet he knew he was hallucinating--wasn't he? "If you have any strings you can pull up
there for me . . ."
"How do you think I got
down here?" She smiled and reached out her hand to his cheek. He felt a warm softness envelop him and he
closed his eyes in pleasure at the comforting touch. When he opened them again, he was back in the raft and she was
gone. Yet, the storm's fury seemed
lessened. The sea seemed calmer. Maybe she was right. Maybe he would get out of this.
+++++++++
Mac pushed the glass door
open and ran out of the restaurant to stand under the covered entry. Strong winds drove sheets of water across
the street. Mac shielded her face as
spray hit her full force in the face when the wind shifted. The storm seemed to be strengthening as it
blew over land. Mac watched the
streetlights flicker off and on.
'Great, that's all we need is a power failure,' she thought. She heard the door behind her slam against
the wall when the wind caught it and looked back to find the admiral following
her from the safety of the building. He
had his trench coat in hand, which he wrapped around her shoulders.
"Do you want to tell me
what happened in there, Colonel?"
"The wedding's off, Sir."
"I'm sure whatever is
wrong, the two of you can work out."
"I don't think so,
Admiral." She looked up at AJ and found
his usually stern features awash with concern. "I don't love him."
AJ crossed his arms in
front of him and continued to look hard at Mac, "And you only seemed to realize
this now, the night before you were to marry the man?"
"I'm in love with Harm,
Sir. I just didn't know how much until
now."
"Well, hell, girl, it's
about damn time."
"Sir?"
"You two have been dancing
around each other for years. There's
been a pool going around the office on who would crack first. Honestly, I couldn't see how you put up with
Brumby this long, either."
Sarah smiled weakly at the admiral's outburst. "Mic's
okay, Sir." AJ shook his head at her in
disbelief. "A pool, Sir?"
"Yep. And I won.
I was betting that you would call the wedding off."
"But, Sir, you hosted the
engagement party, you were going to give me away. If you felt that way, why didn't you say something?"
"It wasn't my place,
Mac. I can't live your life for
you. I'm just glad you figured this out
before the wedding." He pulled Mac into
a comforting hug, "I'm sorry that you came to your senses because we lost Harm,
though."
A strange sense of calm
descended upon her. She now felt hope
when earlier she had felt nothing. "I don't think we have, Admiral. I think he's out there somewhere. I can feel it."
"I hope you're right,
Mac." AJ was startled by the ringing of
his cell phone. He retrieved it from
his pocket. "Chegwidden," he answered. Sarah searched the admiral's face during a
long series of grunts of acknowledgement.
"Keep me informed. We'll head
out there, just in case." AJ flipped
his cell shut.
"In case of what, Sir."
"That was the skipper. He said they had an unexpected break in the
storm and were going to keep the helo and the Viking out.. He also said that Lt. Hawkes wanted to keep
looking for Harm as well. The skipper
said she was quite insistent."
"That's Skates, Sir." Sarah breathed deeply, closing her eyes in a
quiet prayer. She opened them when AJ
lightly grabbed her elbow. "Where are
we going, Sir?"
"The skipper said that they
were going to search a path that brought them in fifteen miles closer to
shore. If they are able to locate him,
they will fly him directly to Andrews—there's a med center on base. It
may take us a while to get there in this storm. I thought you might like to meet the Seahawk there, that is if
they find him."
"Let's go." Sarah ran after
him to his car. Slamming the door
behind her, she reached for her seatbelt.
"What about the others, Sir?"
"Let's not get their hopes
up just yet, Mac. I would rather call them when we know something definite." AJ
fired up his SUV and they took off toward the hospital.
++++++++
Harm looked around, amazed
at how the seas were beginning to calm around him while the storm raged in the
distance. He could actually see a
flight path opening up through the clouds.
If he ever wondered about a higher power, he needed only to look around to
witness a miracle. Maybe Jordan wasn't
a dream. Maybe she had been sent to comfort
him like some familiar guardian angel.
After a time, the clouds
parted and he saw the blinking lights of the Viking in the distance. It
seemed surreal, like a scene out of a movie. The Viking flew overhead dropping flares around him. Then it circled back and headed toward what
must have been the direction of the carrier.
Within a few minutes, Harm could hear the powerful blades of the
Seahawk. The rescue helicopter slowed
to hover over his position. As the
winds from the chopper whipped up the sea around him, he truly began to realize
that he wasn't dreaming.
He closed his eyes in a
silent prayer, 'Padre, thank you for your intervention. I'll never doubt again.'
A diver plunged into the
water beside him and grabbed the umbilical that dangled from the copter. "It's good to see you, Commander," he
yelled.
"Same here!" Harm
answered. "Didn't expect to see ya'll
for a while."
"Very nearly had to turn
back."
"Thank God you didn't."
Harm hollered back
"Thank your RIO,
Commander. She wouldn't give up on
you."
"Skates? She's okay?"
"Check her out yourself,
Sir." The diver double-checked the
clips locking he and Harm to the rescue umbilical. He signaled by waving his arm over his head and the line began to
be taken up slowly into the helo, pulling its valuable cargo out of the rough
seas.
+++++
AJ pulled his Expedition in
to a parking space near the emergency entrance. He and Mac got out and ran to the entry doors. They could see the enormous Seahawk on the
landing pad. Harm had been found. But was he okay? Mac stopped at the door, afraid of what she might find on the
other side.
"Come on, Marine. You can't stay out here forever." AJ prodded.
He opened the door to allow Mac to precede him. She looked up at her very wet commanding
officer. "Mac, he took the long way
home for you. Now, let's
go."
She walked past the admiral
into the brightly lit receiving area.
Several personnel in flight gear milled quietly about the lobby. Chegwidden walked up to the desk to speak with
the ER clerk. After a few moments, he
motioned for Mac to follow him. They
were led back through swinging doors into a hallway flanked on both sides with
individual trauma rooms. They came to a
halt in front of a trauma room where the door was pulled nearly shut. The admiral winked at her and pushed open
the door.
Pale, wet, wrapped in
blankets and sitting on the bed was Harm.
The blankets were draped over his bare shoulders, his sodden flight suit
was discarded in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. She could see him shivering under the
material. A saline bag hung from a
stand, it's IV tubing connected to Harm's hand. He was speaking with someone whom Mac assumed was a doctor. When she entered the room, Harm looked up
towards the door. After a moment of
staring, he smiled weakly at her. "I
said I'd make it to your wedding, Mac."
"I didn't plan on you
trying to kill yourself to do it. What
were you thinking, Harm?"
"That you needed me."
The doctor excused herself
as Mac crossed the room to Harm. AJ peeked
in briefly, then pulled the door shut behind the doctor. He knew these two had a lot to say to each
other and he had a phone call to make.
Mac stopped in front of
Harm and gently touched the bruising around his eye. Tears threatened to spill over as she looked into his beautiful
blue eyes. "I do need you." Her fingers lightly traced over the angry
red welts on his throat that had been made when he had become tangled within
the parachute lines. He winced slightly
in discomfort and reached up to still her hand. He held her hand within his, and then a strange puzzled look
creased his pale features.
Harm looked at the empty
space that he had felt on her ring finger.
"Mac?" He searched her face, questioning. "Wanna tell me what happened?"
"I can't do it, Harm. You were right."
Harm started to grin at the
rare admission, but caught himself. His
heart caught in his chest. She couldn't
possibly mean? "About?" he
prodded. He had to hear it from
her. He needed to hear the words.
"You're not going to make
this easy for me, are you."
Harm pushed the oversized
trench coat off of her shoulders. It
dropped to the floor in a pool of wet material at her feet. He wrapped his arms about her waist and
pulled her to him. "No, I'm not."
"He wasn't the right man,
Harm. He wasn't you." She ran her hands over his bare shoulders,
then hugged him. She burrowed her face
into his neck. "Oh, God, I thought I'd
lost you."
"You and me both, Mac." He
felt her shake as uncontrollable sobs tore through her. "Hey, hey, Sarah. It's okay, baby. I'm alright," he breathed.
"I'm alright." He rocked her in his arms, placing kisses in
her damp hair. After a few minutes, the
tears subsided and the sobs were reduced to an occasional hiccup. He reached up to her face and pulled her
away from him to look at her. He looked
deep into her wet brown eyes. "I love
you," he whispered. She stared back at
him, shocked to finally hear the words that he was unable to say days earlier
at her engagement party. Tears began to
flow again, this time, though, she smiled at him through them.
"I love you, too,
Harm. For so long." He continued to cradle her face in his hands
as he moved to kiss her. Softly, he
lightly brushed his lips over her one cheek, then the other, tasting the tears
that she had shed. He paused briefly
before lowering his mouth to hers. He
felt her lips part under his and he gathered her closer to him as the kiss
deepened. He felt her catch her breath
as his mouth explored hers. They kissed slowly, savoring the taste and feel of
each other. The kiss ended and they
clung tightly to each other, each afraid of letting go, not wanting to lose
contact with the other. After a long
silence, Sarah began to gain awareness of their surroundings and raised her
head from his bare shoulder.
"Harm?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you wearing anything
under those blankets?"
+++++
AJ spoke to the doctor
about his subordinate's condition.
Thank God, he would be okay.
Bumps, bruises, a mild case of hypothermia, and a bellyful of salt
water, but basically fine. They would
hold him overnight for observation and fluid replacement. He would be able to leave in the morning, if
all went well. AJ thanked the doctor
and went outside. He needed to call the
others at the restaurant and cell phones weren't allowed in the hospital. He was patched through to the private room
immediately and got Bud Roberts
"Admiral Chegwidden, where
are you? Is the Colonel with you? We're worried sick." Bud rushed the words out at an excited pace.
"Yes, Mac's with me, Bud. She's fine."
"You guys just
disappeared--did she tell you the wedding has been called off? That's what Mic said." AJ heard a feminine
voice in the background and then phone change hands. Harriet Sims came on the
line.
"What about Harm, Sir? Any news?"
"That's why I'm calling,
Harriett, they found him." He heard her
repeat the news to the others in the room and various reactions from cheers to
sighs reverberated through the phone.
"He's okay, isn't he, Sir?"
"He'll be just fine."
Again, he heard Harriet relay the news.
"Harriett, the information I'm going to give you is for your ears only,
do you understand?"
"Sir?"
"What I'm about to tell
you, don't repeat to the room. Don't
indicate anything to the others. Just
answer in the affirmative."
"Yes, Sir."
"Mac and I are at the
hospital at Andrews with Harm. He'll be
released in the morning, but right now he needs rest. If Renee' and the others ask, he was transported to the ship and
won't make it back until tomorrow"
"Sir? But?"
"Lieutenant Sims, that's an
order. He's not to be disturbed and,
given tonight's events, this is the least painful way to accomplish that. Do you understand?" AJ used that firm, authoritative,
no-arguments tone of voice.
There was a long pause on
the other end. He could just picture
Harriett with a flustered, but resigned look on her face. "Yes, Sir."
"Let them know he'll be
brought here in the morning, and they can meet him here after 08:00. He and Mac need some time together and this
is the only way I know to give it to them."
"But, Sir—"
"Harriet, tell them any
damn thing you want about Mac and me—but do not, I repeat, do not let them come
here."
"Yes, Sir. I understand."
"See you in the morning,
Lieutenant. Oh, and Lieutenant?"
"Sir?"
"Take care of Chloe tonight
for Mac?"
"Yes, Sir."
AJ closed the cell and
dropped it in his pocket. He began to
shiver and realized that he was soaked, again.
He went inside to retrieve his coat from Mac. As he walked through the lobby again, he thanked the helo crew
for their good work, checked in on Lt. Hawkes, then headed back to Harm's room.
He pushed open the door,
then paused. Sleeping entwined on the
hospital bed were Harm and Mac. Her
shoes had been kicked to the floor, along with AJ's trench coat. She lay with
her head on his chest, his arms protectively encircling her. Blankets still covered Harm's upper body,
but AJ could see Harm's bare feet and ankles poking out of too-short surgical
scrubs. Smiling to himself, AJ grabbed
a blanket from a stand within the room and gently spread it over the sleeping
figures. Retrieving his coat, he
closed the door behind him as left the room.
Chegwidden left strict
instructions to the staff to leave the two alone. He knew they needed their rest.
Tomorrow would be a difficult day.
Harm would have to face Renee' while Mac would have to deal with Mic and
the cancellation of their wedding. AJ
thought it only fitting that they have some quiet before the storm yet to come.
