Title: After the 'Hard Landing'

Author: Tempus Meum

Rating: M

Disclaimer: The characters and premise used in this story are unfortunately not owned by me. If JAG was mine…the possibilities.

Spoilers: Up until the end of A Tangled Webb 1?

Summary: After Harm crashes the borrowed biplane he must do everything that he can to get Mac out of the jungle and safely home.

Part 1

1330 hours local

Somewhere in Paraguay

"Mac...Mac!" Harm had been calling her name for the last five minutes, while trying unsuccessfully to free his leg from the downed biplane.

After being hit by rapid gun fire, when they had blown up Sadik Fahd's truck of Surface to Air Missiles, they had had a fairly hard landing in the forest. He could just see her, hunched forward in her seat.

"You're so stupid Rabb, you risk your life and quit the only thing you have ever known, to save her and after you do, you go and get her killed." He was pulling at his leg as hard as he possibly could as he was chastising himself, so much so that he didn't notice her move in front of him.

"Harm…" Mac's wavering voice came from the front of the plane, "…what did you quit?"

"Mac…Mac are you okay…are you hurt?" Harm asked with relief.

"Ah…yeah…yeah I'm okay…a headache and my arm hurts like a hell but otherwise…you?"

"Yeah…but ah…I'm stuck…my leg is stuck." Harm was still trying unsuccessfully to remove his leg.

"Are you going to be able to get out, because I would help but I can't lift myself out…I think…I think my arm is broken."

"Just…just stay there…I'm trying…"

"Kay…I'm not going anywhere…what were you talking about before…you said you had quit the only thing you had ever known?"

"I…I…I'll tell you later…just give me a minute." Harm leaned forward and started to pull at the seat, he struggled with it and with a cry of pain his leg came free.

"I guess that means you're out…you okay."

Harm pulled himself out of the plane and onto what was left of the wing, until he was standing beside her. "I'll be okay."

"Hey!" Mac said as she looked up at him.

"Hey yourse…MY GOD your head!"

"What?" Mac raised her hand to her forehead and winced in pain as she felt the gash and the sticky mess of blood covering it.

"Stay there for a minute and I'll fix you up." Reaching down behind her he pulled out a bag.

He cleaned her up with a small amount of water and a piece of cloth that he had ripped from his shirt. "I really should put a bandage around this but I'm all out…sorry."

Mac gave him a weak smile, "Thanks it will be okay! Can you help me out, I…ahh…can't put any pressure on this."

"Yeah…here." With his hands under her arms he carefully lifted her out of the plane and down to the ground.

Standing in front of her he looked down at her arm, "I'm sorry…but…I think that's going to need a splint and a sling. I'll find…" He looked around the small clearing made by the crash, "…something…"

Pointing to a log, Harm helped her sit down before scrounging around a tree until he found a suitable straight and sturdy branch. "Umm…Harm I'm not the only one who needs fixing up."

"What?"

"Your…your leg!" Harm looked down to see the blood seeping through his light cotton pants.

"Oh…um…I'll fix you up first…it'll be right!"

"Your sure?"

"Mac, you're the one with a broken arm!"

"Thanks for reminding me."

Sitting down in front of Mac, the look on her face told him that the only thing the splint would do was stop her from doing anymore damage. "I know you're in pain and this is going to hurt like hell, but if I don't straighten your arm and put this on it, it may not heal properly. I don't know how far we are from the nearest hospital."

"It's okay Harm," Mac said between deep breaths that she was using to try and ease the pain "Do what you have to do."

"Are you sure?" Mac nodded, the tears in her eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm really sorry…" he brushed a few tears from her cheek before removing his belt and offering it to her, "…here bite down on this." As he placed the belt into her mouth he left his hand on her cheek for several seconds before focusing his attention on her arm.

Quickly working out what he had to do, he took hold of her wrist and her elbow and in one swift move he pulled and the bones in her arm were back in position. Mac screamed through her clenched teeth as the tears streamed down her face that was red and sweating heavily. He efficiently tore his shirt into strips and using the branch he fashioned a splint and a sling. He then reached up and removed the belt from her mouth carefully, "All done!"

"Hmm…" Mac responded the only way she could.

Wiping the tears from her face he tried to comfort her but his attempts were futile, he knew there was nothing he could do to help ease her pain. So he settled for pulling her into his arms, being careful to avoid her arm, he held her and placed his lips to her forehead. "I'm sorry Mac, I'm so sorry this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me…I'm sorry!" He kissed her hair again, but pulled back when he heard her sniffle and a faint whisper.

"Don't…don't be sorry…it's not your fault…if…if it wasn't for you…I'd…I'd be dead…so please…please don't be sorry." With her good arm around his neck she pulled herself up and buried her face that was still damp with tears into his neck.

"Okay…okay…shh." He held her until her breathing evened out and she had stopped crying.

"You…you need to stop the bleeding…your leg." The blood stain on his pants had grown considerably.

"Okay…umm!" Slowly moving away from her he sat back on the ground and stretched his leg out, wincing in pain as the wound on his leg opened even more. Slowly and carefully he cleaned the blood away to reveal a gash about five centimeters long just above his left knee.

"That looks deep Harm." Mac lowered herself down beside him and lowered her free hand to his leg.

"Yeah…probably needs a few stitches, but for now, this will have to suffice." He took a spare strip off his shirt from his bag and tied it around his leg.

"That's not going to last long if we have to walk very far."

"I know…but there's nothing else. Come on…um we should get out of here and try to get you to a hospital. Do you think you'll be okay?" He turned to her and wiped a few stray hairs from her face.

"Well I'm going to have to be, we can't stay here and it's not as if you can carry me out of here." She smiled weakly.

"I could try."

"Yeah I know you would, but you've already done so much Harm, I couldn't ask you to do anymore."

"You wouldn't have to ask Mac. You know I would do anything for you don't you?"

"Yeah I guess I do, you are here aren't you?"

"So…do you want me to carry you?" Harm stood up and gathered the few belongings that they had.

"No…I can walk for the moment." She replied as she stood up.

"Well the offer will remain open."

"Thanks!"