Spring fever had well and truly sprung and it was only St Patrick's Day. The weather had been unusually warm and each morning the sun's rays were warmer and brighter than Harm had ever remembered for March. He could not decide whether this was a meteorological occurrence or true love.
Every morning, since New Year's Day, he had awoken to the wondrous feeling of pure and unadulterated joy. He would lie in bed, never opening his eyes, and thank God for the new day and having Mac, once again, in his arms. Tenderly he would stroke her hair or her arm or any other part which took his fancy.
Harm truly enjoyed listening to the contented coos and murmurs coming from his sleeping beauty during their dawn slumber. As the spring brought about seasonal changes outside the apartment, Harm took great pleasure in the change in their relationship and in Mac's body. Gently he ran his hand down to her abdomen and across the 12 week baby bump hidden beneath her top. It wasn't noticeable but they knew it was there and it was all that mattered.
With a broad smile, he lay and reminisced about the night Baby MacKenzie-Rabb was conceived. It was in the early hours on New Year's Day, the first time Harm and Mac had consummated the love they had for one another. They had spent the evening at the Roberts House and saw out the old year surrounded by a collection of friends that had, over the years, become family. For the first time in a long time Harm and Mac had been totally at ease with one another. There were laughter and jokes aplenty and the traumas of recent times were forgotten amongst the pleasure of being with good friends.
Although Harm had arrived at the party with Sturgis and Varese, he gladly accepted Mac's offer of a ride home. He knew it would take Mac miles out of her way but he didn't want the evening to end so soon The drive to Harm's was filled with light hearted chatter and shared memories. Several blocks from their destination the conversation turned to New Year's resolutions. Harm had asked Mac for hers and realised in an instant the carefree mood of the evening had changed. Desperately he tried to change the topic but it was to no avail. He recalled Mac's exact words:
This year I am going to make my hopes and dreams come true or at least I will die trying.
She had said it with such determination that Harm believed her. He then muttered something about his resolutions being to be a better person, to be fitter and to be happier. They were the stock standard New Year's resolutions he dragged out annually.
In the car's darkness, Harm reached forward and fumbled to turn on the radio. After adjusting several knobs and buttons ABBA's 'Happy New Year' sung out from the speakers.
No more champagne
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It's the end of the party
And the morning seems so grey
So unlike yesterday
Now's the time for us to say...
Chorus
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he'll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he's astray
Keeps on going anyway...
Chorus
Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of eighty-nine...
Chorus
Harm listened intently, taking the opportunity every now and then to glance over at Mac as she drove silently through the quiet streets. The song itself could be seen as depressing; ten years, a decade over with nothing much to show but dead dreams and dreariness. Harm sat still and contemplated their ten years together; so many hopes and dreams had been shattered and unfulfilled. So much pain and suffering for each of them had changed their colourful outlook on life to one of sombre grey tones.
It was the song's chorus that struck home with Harm,
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
The words had been rearranged but it was the essence of Mac's resolution – to have hopes or dreams fulfilled or to die trying. Silently he pledged to make this resolution his personal mantra.
When Mac pulled her car up alongside the kerb in front of his apartment Harm asked her in, fully expecting her to say no, after all it was nearly 0300. To his surprise, that day and since, Mac said yes without question or qualification. As they walked into the building Harm took hold of her hand and vowed to himself that he would never let it go.
Entering his apartment, Harm wasn't sure what to do next. He wanted to be the perfect gentleman and not presume anything but his heart was quickening and butterflies, the size of F14's, were practicing manoevres in his stomach. Without asking he went to the fridge and took out two bottles of water. He handed one to Mac but she refused to accept it. Instead she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with such force and passion he stumbled backwards into the bench and dropped the bottles. The clatter of the bottles hitting the floor startled Mac and she pulled back. She stared at him for a long time and he returned the intense gaze.
Finally, after an interminable silence, Harm summoned up the courage to ask, 'What do you want to do now?' Mac's answer had echoed in his ears for days, if not weeks, afterwards.
They say you should start the year off with a bang – so let's.
It had taken Harm a few moments to understand the implications of her words. After a decade of beating around the bush, missed opportunities and heartbreak, Mac had been clear and explicit. Harm, wanting to be the perfect gentleman, first made sure that the offer he wanted to accept and the offer being made were indeed one in the same. They were. And as the darkness of the early morning hours gave way to the dawn of a new year, Harm and Mac celebrated the love that they had always shared in a manner that they had never done.
As the winter gave way to spring and new beginnings and new life were being embraced everywhere, Harm and Mac did the same. Every morning one or the other would make the first move, a touch or a kiss would ignite the passion within. And each morning, before the sun was fully risen and before their eyes had opened, release would come to them both and the day could begin in a relaxed and satisfied way.
Harm could never quite believe his luck, the woman of his dreams, a baby on the way and love making every day before work gave him a sense of joy and fulfilment that was indescribable and unparalleled in his life. So it was with great sadness at the sounding of his alarm he would open his eyes and see the empty bed, knowing he would have to face the day alone. The release Mac had given him in his daily dream still evident he would strip the bed, shower and dress for work, ready to face the challenges the day would bring. All day he would eagerly anticipate nightfall so he could return to his slumber induced paradise.
As he drove in each morning he would repeat his resolution mantra.
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I
He would promise himself that today would be the day and then daily he would find a reason why he could not do it.
The gods of destiny who watch all below them removed all the obstacles between Harm and Mac. They knew that the only thing stopping Harm and Mac being one was Harm being Harm. Being all knowing and all seeing they also knew that spring fever had created false memories for Harm. His interpretation of the events of New Year's were far removed from the reality of that night which saw them on two different continents, which had come as a relief after a huge Christmas argument between the pair. The gods also knew that each morning at dawn Mac played her own little scenario and whilst there were some differences to it the basic plot was the same as Harm's and she too would find her release.
So it was on St Patrick's Day the gods decided to intervene for the benefit of all. Harm vowed on his trip in that today he would have the luck of the Irish and make his move. Mac, on her trip in, vowed that Harm was the only one for her, to be sure, to be sure. And when the power went out trapping them in the JAG Headquarters elevator for nigh on two hours, they had the time and the inclination to follow through on their vows.
When power was restored and the lift doors opened, Irish eyes were not the only ones smiling.