Blizzard Accident

Author: SpoOkYjAgfaN

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters mentioned. They all belong to Mr. Bellisario.

Summary: H/M shipper. There's a blizzard and a car wreck.

Rating: PG 13

0715 Military Time

2 Blocks away from JAG

I am so late! Harm thought nearing the familiar JAG building. The Admiral is going to kill me.

He had woken up to no hot water in his apartment, and no power. To make matters worse, there was a blizzard forming and the snow was getting worse. He slowed his SUV down to a stop when he noticed the road was no longer visible, and quickly scanned around for an alternate route to his workplace. As he looked to his left, he noticed fresh skid marks in the snow, leading down the steep embankment, and abruptly stopping at a red crumpled mass. Realizing someone could be hurt, he hurried out of his car and slid down the hill. As he neared the snow-speckled 'vette, the smell of gasoline wrinkled his nose. With the back window shattered, the roof caved in, and the driver's door gone, the sight was horrifying. It wasn't until he was right up next to the tattered car that he stopped in his tracks.

"Mac!" Harm could barely say her name. He was horrorstruck at seeing his partner in such an awful position. There were cuts from glass all over her face and arms. The seatbelt had been unbuckled leaving her hunched over sideways, and the belt itself was tangled around her left arm causing it to turn at an unnatural angle.

Working swiftly, he reached into the car to check for a pulse on his partner. When he found one, he breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled out his cell phone to call for help.

"911 emergency."

"My name is Commander Harmon Rabb, US Navy, and I need an ambulance about 2 blocks south of the JAG building."

"Okay, take it easy Commander. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, no… I wasn't in an accident. My partner slid on, I guess a patch of ice and down a hill. Her car hit a tree."

"Is she conscious?"

"No, she's not and the gas is leaking. The seatbelt was unbuckled during the wreck, and she is laying sideways. I'm afraid to move her."

"Commander, just breathe. I'm afraid until the snow lets up it will be impossible to dispatch rescue crews. Now sir, you need to keep an eye on the gasoline. If it doesn't stop leaking, it may cause a fire, and you need to be ready to move your partner, so if you can, move everything out of the way, but don't move her unless absolutely necessary. Now, you need to remember to support her neck and back if it comes down to that. Unless she wakes up you won't be able to tell if she has any spinal injuries."

"Yes ma'am. I will ma'am. Thanks." Disgusted at the weather, he hung up the phone, and began to untangle the seatbelt from Mac's arm. Just as he slid it over her wrist, he heard a crackle and then a pop, and groaned when he saw small flames on the rear bumper.

Harm reached for Mac and tried to keep her as steady as possible as he ran for cover behind a tree. He barely made it before her car blew in flames.

"Oh Mac..." He looked down at her still form and willed her to wake up, but she did not. He pulled his cell phone again, this time to dial a familiar number.

"Chegwidden." Came the gruff voice through the speaker.

"Admiral, sir…"

"Commander, you better have a good reason for not being here, and do you know where Colonel Mackenzie is?"

The Admiral's questions did not even register in Harm's mind. "Sir, I need your help. There's been an accident. It's Mac. The roads in front of JAG are completely iced over, and Mac's car slid off the road. The car is totaled, and she's unconscious. I can't get an ambulance." At those words, the Admiral's ears perked up.

"What are you Commander?"

"We're about a block south of the building, at the bottom of that large drop off."

"I'll be there in five. Keep her warm Harm. She'll be okay." And with that, he hung up.

Harm tried to focus on the Admiral's words, but he wasn't sure he believed them. The snow had already coated both of them, and he was trying to keep her warm, but she looked so lifeless. Without another thought, he stripped off his jacket and placed it around her. For the first time, he actually took in her physical injuries. She had cuts along her jaw-line and left cheek, and a nasty bruise on the right. There was a pained look on her face. He wondered when during the crash she has lost consciousness, and whether she was in much pain. "What would I do without you Mac?" He feared for his partner. More than that, he feared for his friend, his Mac. She could die.

The Admiral could tell Harm was not himself, and was trying not to lose control. He rushed to find an emergency kit and a blanket. He wanted to get out there as quickly as possible. His people were the only family he had other than Francesca, and he hated to see any of them hurt.

Five minutes later, as promised, the form of Admiral Chegwidden became visible trough the thick falling snow. As soon as he spotted the snow-covered pair, he picked up his pace.

"How is she Harm?" Reaching the pair, the Admiral unfolded the flannel blanket he had found. Together they wrapped her in the blanket.

"Not good sir. She was slumped over so far, I didn't want to move her. Then her car blew up, I barely got her out in time."

"It's alright Harm. Here's the plan: We're going to cradle her between us and support her back. I'll get her lower, you cover the upper. And make sure you keep her head straight."

Carefully, they lifted her tiny form between them and began the trek back to JAG. When they finally reached the Admiral's office, all three of them were freezing, and covered in snow. They laid her on the couch and stripped her of the blanked, which was now wet from the snow and Harm's jacket."

"She's soaked sir."

"Coates!"

"Right here sir." She had seen them carry Mac in and was eavesdropping from the doorway.

"See if you can find some dry clothes for the Colonel."

"Mac has some extra jogging sweats in her office Jen." Harm was not focused on anything except Mac's well being, and no one even noticed the slip in protocol. "Oh!" He called after her. "And grab me a sweatshirt."

The Admiral noticed Mac was beginning to shiver. "I'm going to boil some water and see what else I can find." Before he left, he gave Harm's shoulder a squeeze for support.

"Here we go sir." Barely a moment passed between the Admiral's leave and Coates' return.

"I found a towel as well." She handed Harm a t-shirt, Marine sweats, Navy sweatshirt and the small towel.

"Thanks Coates." He began to unbutton her uniform blouse. "Can you help me get her undressed? I don't want to move her anymore than we have to, so I'm not going to put the t-shirt on, hopefully the Admiral will find a blanket to put her in." He gave her back the pair of sweats. "See if you can get these on without moving her too much."

Jen looked at Mac's legs.

"Sir, it's barely 10 degrees outside. Why is the Colonel wearing a skirt?"

Harm quickly shed his wet uniform and threw on the sweatshirt. He then maneuvered Mac's arms out of her shirt and tried not to jostle her too much.

"I don't know Jen." Just as he finished speaking, he heard Coates gasp.

"Coates?" Harm looked up and noticed the subject of her attention. "Oh Man…" Mac had a nasty gash on her left shin. "How did I miss that?"

The cut was a good foot long and had a small, but jagged piece of metal sticking out of it.

"Maybe it looks worse than it is sir." Coates wasn't even convincing herself.

"Okay, I've got water, towels, another blanket and an emergency kit." The Admiral walked in carrying supplies, and immediately noticed Mac's newly discovered wound. He quickly set down his bundle and dipped a small towel in the water. After wringing it out, he handed it to Coates.

"See if you can wipe some of that away."

Feeling his stomach knot, Harm focused his attention on her face. It was then he noticed he never covered her up. He grabbed the blanket and laid it on top of her. Her shivering did not ease up. Without thinking, he lifted her left shoulder intending to slide himself underneath her. He stopped suddenly when he heard her moan.

"Mac!"

"Don't move… shoulder." Mac was so weak she could barely speak.

Harm looked at the reddening seatbelt ring around Mac's upper arm and gently stroked it.

"Sorry."

"No."

"No?"

She strained to sit up, but Harm gently restrained her.

"Hey. Easy, easy! Just relax."

"No…Look."

Again, she strained to sit up, but this time Harm helped.

"Oh Man." Harm immediately saw the black mass that resided in the left side of her upper back and shoulder. "I need some ice." He fingered the area around the shoulder blade. It was darker than the rest. Coates ran out of the office to retrieve some ice. The Admiral rushed around to see what Harm's attention was focused on. He winced when he caught sight of it.

"Do you think it's broken Mac?"

"I don't know sir." She was talking through clenched teeth.

"I have ice Ma'am." Coates walked in and handed the bag to Harm who gently placed it against Mac's blackened skin, receiving a hiss. He had moved onto the couch behind her to help support her.

"I doubt it's broken Ma'am. I bruised my shoulder blade when I was twelve. Doctor told me it's the hardest bone in the body to break."

A short while later, the commotion had settled down. Mac was resting against Harm on the couch. Coates was staring out the window watching the snow fall. The Admiral was watching the weather report and hoping for some good news. He didn't get any.

"Currently in the D.C. area, we are just getting pelted. This snow doesn't seem like it's going to let up any time soon! For you folks who have somewhere to go, I suggest you call and cancel. You need to stay inside, stay dry and have your emergency supplies handy. Hope you're ready for the storm of the year."

"Man." Chegwidden muttered under his breath. He was starting to feel guilty for asking Harm, Mac, and Coates to come in that morning. They were working on a case that was to be brought before the Supreme Court in two days, and he wanted to make sure they hadn't overlooked anything.

"What are we going to do sir?" The Admiral turned around to answer Jen's question.

"I don't know; Looks like we're going to be here for a while."

Harm chirped up. "Sir, I don't think she can wait that long." Mac had lost a lot of blood from her leg, and he was pretty sure she had a concussion.

"I'm not dead!" Mac eased herself off of Harm struggled to sit up on the couch. Harm gently supported her until she was upright. She tried to hide the pained look on her face. "I'll be fine. Just a few bumps and bruises."

"We could be here for another day Mac. You need medical attention."

"Other than my shoulder, I'm fine sir."

"And what about he leg?"

"It's fine… barely hurts."

"Uh—huh" No one believed her, but they weren't about to argue with her.

The admiral noticed that she was hugging her left arm to her body, and walked over to a cabinet on the far wall of his office. Opening it, he pulled out a plain white t-shirt.

"I always keep a spare." Finding the seam, he tore the shirt from top to bottom, and then tore it into long, wide strips. "This will help." He gently slid a strip between her arm and her body and tied it appropriately around her neck. Then, he repeated the process a bit further towards her elbow thus creating a makeshift sling. He picked up a third strip, and wrapped it around her upper arm and waist, securing it to her body.

"How does that feel?"

"Good as new sir." She leaned back onto Harm.

The Admiral knew she was lying once again, and wanted to ask about the accident, but decided against it when he heard her stomach grumble quite loudly. Trying to hide his amusement he asked, "Hungry Colonel?"

Mac blushed. "Um, I believe my breakfast is still waiting for me in my car. I was going to eat when I got here."

The admiral looked at his watch. "It's a bit late for breakfast. Coates, why don't we go look for some grub."

Within seconds they were gone. Harm wrapped his arms around Mac. He wanted to hold her forever.

"Harm?"

Receiving no answer, she tried again.

"Harm"

"Yeah Mac?" He was barely listening. Instead, he was thinking about how scared he was when he found her earlier that morning.

"Harm, I never thanked you for getting me out of there."

He smiled, thankful she couldn't see the tear that made its way down his cheek. "I don't feel like breaking in a new partner.

"I'm glad."

"Mac, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Knowing how emotionally painful the morning must have been for him as well, she reached behind her and wrapped her arm around his neck.

Harm couldn't stop thinking about how he almost lost her.

"Mac…"

He slid out from beneath her and knelt in front of her. "Mac, we've been friends for eight years now, and we keep dancing around more. But all we ever do is dance. You were almost killed this morning." He made no attempt to hide the tears that fell. "I don't want to lose you."

"Here's a salad for the Commander." Jen and the Admiral were downstairs in the cafeteria looking through the various fridges and cabinets trying to scavenge enough food to sustain the four for a while.

"Let's see if we can find some munchies."

Jen looked at the Admiral. "Sir, we have gone through everything, shouldn't we take this up to Colonel Mackenzie?"

The admiral looked at the clock on the wall. "Let's give them five more minutes."

She smiled and nodded. "Understood, Sir."

"Harm…" Mac took a moment to collect her thoughts, and then sat up on the couch. "Every time we get close to something more than friendship, one of us isn't ready, and the trench between us grows a little deeper." She searched his eyes for a sign. "We've been in a good place lately, and I don't want to loose that." A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't care. "I'm ready…" Controlling her emotions was becoming a struggle. "Maybe… maybe it's the shock of the accident… maybe, I'm not thinking clearly, but I'm tired of not taking the chance; the chance to see where we can go, and then kicking myself for it later. But Harm, please…" She cupped his cheek." Please don't let me regret this."

Harm cupped her face between his hands, and began sweeping the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. All either one could do was look into each other's eyes and smile knowing that they were taking the chance of a lifetime.

"Mac, the last thing I want is to hurt you." He returned her gesture and placed his hand on her cheek. "I haven't made a promise I couldn't keep yet, and I promise I won't let you regret this. I love you Sarah."

Instead of returning his words, Mac laughed. "Who would've thought we'd do this here?"

Harm grinned. "You'd be surprised. I'd bet Harriet has a pool going."

Mac sobered, "I have loved you for so long Harm." She leaned closer and wrapped her uninjured arm around him.

At that moment, Mac's stomach decided to take the spotlight once again, causing the pair to laugh.

"What do you say, I go find out what's taking them so long?"

"No way Rabb." Mac tightened her arm around him. "No way are you leaving me here alone! I'm going with you."

Harm slid an arm under her legs and stood, cradling her body against his.

"You okay?"

Instead of answering, she buried her face in his shoulder.

"No, you're not." He laid her back onto the couch. "Oh, Mac."

She didn't not relinquish her hold on him, or lift her face. Harm just held her. "I'm so sorry." He could feel her shaking, and knew she was in a great deal of pain. "Mac, let me go get you some aspirin." She nodded and let him go.

Harm walked across the room and began to search the Admiral's desk drawers. After finally finding a bottle of Aspirin, he poured a couple into his hand and handed them to Mac, who swallowed them without any water.

Before either of them could say anything more, the Admiral and Coates entered with arms full of food and bottles of water.

"Okay, Tofu salad for you Harm, Chicken salad for Mac." Admiral Chegwidden handed them each a box of food and a bottle of water. "And we have enough snacks to last a month."

Together, the four of them ate and shared little tidbits of their personal lives. Eventually the snow stopped, and it was only a matter of time before they would be able to get Mac to a hospital.

Two days later at Harm's apartment

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here Harm." Mac had finally been released from Bethesda, and Harm had insisted she come home with him. Coates was right, she had not broken her shoulder, only bruised it, and her leg wasn't broken either. It did require about 25 stitches though.

"Mac, if I had it my way, I would hold you hostage and never let you go." They were snuggled on his couch, and he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. "How's the shoulder?"

"It's fine."

"You know we could always play doctor."

"Oh well in that case, it's a killer Dr. Rabb." They both laughed.

"I love you Sarah."