Title: Needs and Wants
Author: Alicia
Summary: A somewhat fluffy continuation of TR's #4 in her 50 Ways to say I Love You series. I've met the original author's two requirements for a continuation of the story. Harm and Mac don't break up and neither of them dies.
Rating: PG-13, mostly for language.
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or its characters. If I did, I'd fire every writer who worked on the show during this past season. I also don't own the original idea for this story. I'm just taking the next step with it.
A/N: Please forgive any medical mistakes or impossibilities. Also I make an assumption about Harm's injuries from his ramp strike and those injuries not affecting his flight status, if I'm wrong please forgive. (Can't say more without giving something away but I'm sure everyone will recognize the part I'm referring to.)
Spoilers: A small reference to Webb of Lies and Harm's ramp strike.
Prologue (Otherwise known as a repost of TR's original story!)
5o Ways to say I love you.way #4
In time of need
By TR
Mac strode purposefully down the hallway toward the ER. Her pace was
slightly under a jog. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.
Every moment she prayed that she wasn't too late to be with him one
more time. As she rounded the corner she saw Frank and Trish sitting
in the corner of the waiting room. Trish spotted her and met her
half way across the room.
"How is he? I got here as soon as I could." Mac said, slightly out
of breath.
"He's in and out. But he's still with us." Trish replied tearfully.
"Is he alert at all? What happened? No one would tell me anything
over the phone."
"He was on his way back from ValleJo and got caught in a thunder
storm. Somehow he ended up in the center of a six-car pile up. His
right leg is broken, he has three broken ribs, and his lungs are
bruised. They did an MRI but the results aren't back yet. That's all
I know. He was alert when they brought him in. Well, alert enough to
keep asking for you anyway." Trish told her through watery eyes, and
a sad knowing smile.
"I'm glad you called me. Thank you." Mac said, and then shook her
head. "He asked me to come with him, but I said no, I had too
much work to catch up on. Damn it!"
"Mac, there's no point in that now." Trish said, as they made their
way to the reception desk. "Let's get you in there. He'll do much
better if you're with him."
"I hope so." Mac said, a little hesitantly, and then turned to the
woman behind the desk. "I'm here to see Harmon Rabb."
"Are you family?" The woman asked.
"I um." Mac wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. Trish stepped
forward. "She's going to be." She stated. "If I have anything to say
about it." She added under her breath. Mac stared at her for a
moment, but chose not to address the issue.
The woman behind the desk nodded with a smile. "I see. Can I have
your name please?"
"Sarah Mackenzie."
"This is Mac." Trish told her.
The woman put down the visitor's list, and gave Mac a look of
recognition. "He's been asking for you for hours."
Mac nodded. "I know, I got here as soon as I could."
The woman rose from the desk. "Follow me."
Mac walked through the double doors, and into the cold hallway. The
tile floor glared up at her, and she wrinkled her nose at the sharp
odor of cleanser that hung in the air. She hated hospitals.
"This is his room. Stay as long as you like. If you need anything
let me know."
"I will, thank you." Mac replied, and then slowly opened the door.
She was immediately aware of the whir of the machines that
surrounded Harm's bed. That sound mixed with the rasp of his
breathing made her shiver all over. She set her purse down on the
table in the corner, and then sat on the bed next to him. He looked
so pale.
"Harm." She said, as she took his hand.
Harm stirred. "Mac?" He rasped, struggling to open his eyes.
"Yeah. I'm here."
".dreaming.?" He asked in a whisper, as he feebly attempted to raise
his hand to touch her face.
"No you're not dreaming." Mac assured him, as she lifted his hand to
her lips, and then rested it against her cheek.
".asking for you." He told her.
"I know. I got here as soon as I could." She said, and then
attempted to lighten the mood. "You know you didn't have to go and
try to kill yourself just to get me down here. If you wanted me here
that bad, you could have just picked up the phone." She teased.
Harm closed his eyes, and winced in pain. ".always want you here."
He told her through his fog of pain and medication.
"I'm here now." She replied.
"Mac." He rasped. "Always want you." He raised his free hand to his
chest and placed it over his heart. ".want you here." He emphasized.
Mac's eyes filled with tears. "Harm."
Harm opened his eyes, and struggled to remain focused on her. The
drugs they had given him were rapidly taking effect. He raised a
hand to her face. ".too late.?" He asked.
Mac smiled. She got his meaning. "No, it's not too late." She told
him, as she leaned over and laid a soft kiss on his lips. "I love
you. Now you get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."
Harm opened his glassy eyes a little wider, and let out a sharp
rattling sigh of relief. His expression changed to one of peace.
Mission accomplished. ".love you." He whispered in response, as he
rapidly lost his battle with sleep.
20 minutes later Trish peaked her head in the door and smiled at the
sight before her. Harm was sound asleep, and Mac was curled up next
to him with her hand laying on his chest over his heart.
~End of original story~ ~and now, act two~
Mac awoke to the sound of footsteps in the room. She sat up with a start. Had Harm taken a turn for the worse?
"What's wrong? What's going on?" Mac hated the sound of panic in her voice but she couldn't help herself.
"Nothing's wrong. We just needed to take his vitals. He's holding his own." The nurse smiled at Mac. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."
"Do you need me to leave?" She really didn't want to leave but was well aware that hospitals had rules that had to be followed.
"Well, it is after visiting hours." Mac started to get up from the bed. "But he's so much calmer and relaxed with you here that the doctor said to let you stay as long as you wanted to."
Mac stopped moving and looked at the nurse in shock. The nurse just laughed.
"Honey, sometimes the best medicine can't be bottled! Go back to sleep."
Since she really didn't want to leave Harm, Mac just laid back down and drifted back to sleep.
When Mac awoke the next time, it was early morning. A check of her internal clock revealed that it was 0606. Mac got up carefully, trying not to wake Harm in the process. It took Mac a full minute to realize that there weren't quite as many monitors as there had been the night before. Mac was just about to try and find out how he was doing when Harm stirred.
"Mac..."
"Sshh. It's okay Harm. I'm here."
"Don't go."
"I'm just going to go see if I can find a doctor to talk to or maybe your mom."
"Stay."
"Okay, flyboy. Let me just move a chair up here by the bed and I'll stay."
"Love you."
"I love you too, Harm. Now go back to sleep okay?"
Harm didn't answer he just closed his eyes and relaxed. Mac sat next to him holding his hand in hers. She did want to see if the doctor would tell her anything but figured they'd be doing rounds soon enough. She'd been sitting there an hour and eight minutes, thinking about how much her life had changed in the past 24 hours, when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Trish standing in the doorway.
"I thought you might be up, considering the fact it's after nine a.m. on the east coast. I have coffee for you, real coffee not the stuff this place tries to pass off as coffee." As Trish said this handing Mac a cup of coffee from Starbuck's. Mac accepted it gratefully and took a drink.
"Perfect. Thanks. I need this. Have you talked to the doctor?"
"Yeah, he was out to see us about an hour after you and Harm fell asleep. He has a concussion but the MRI came back okay. He'll need surgery to insert pins into his leg. The ribs will heal okay but there is a danger of pneumonia because of the ribs and the lungs being bruised. If he can manage to avoid that he should recover completely. He's in for a long haul, though and lots of physical therapy."
"But, he'll be okay?" Mac couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd been so afraid he was going to die and she'd have to learn to live without him.
"The doctor is optimistic."
"Thank you God." Mac said this very quietly but Trish heard her and smiled softly at the comment. Oh yeah, her son was going to be just fine as long as he had this marine in his life.
"They want to do the surgery later this afternoon. The doctor said it'll take a couple of hours at the minimum. I thought I'd take you back to the house for a shower and some food while he's in surgery."
"You don't have to do that ma'am. I can just get a hotel near here."
"Mac, yes I do need to do this. You are very important to Harm so you are important to me and Frank. And I want you to call me Trish."
"Ma'am..." Mac never got to finish the sentence because Harm interrupted her.
"Don't argue with her Mac. You don't stand a chance of winning." They both turned to look at Harm on the bed. While he was still pale and he was still having trouble breathing, Mac had to admit he looked a hell of a lot better than he had last night.
"Hello, son. You look much better this morning. How are you doing?"
"Better than I was. Having Mac here is helping a lot." Mac blinked rapidly to keep the tears she could feel at bay. She smiled at Harm and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Can't you do better than that marine?" Chuckling Mac gave Harm a soft kiss on the lips.
"Much better. Now what's this about surgery?" Mac looked at Trish, she wasn't sure that this didn't need to come from the doctor but Trish just smiled reassuringly at her.
"The doctor said you need to have your leg pinned."
"Great! I get too many more of those and I won't be able to go to work without setting off the metal detector." Mac looked at Harm with her mouth gapping open in complete shock. Trish just laughed.
"I guess Harm never mentioned having to have his hip pinned after his ramp strike? Not that I'm surprised by that or anything."
"Mom!" Harm's voice had a bit of a warning tone.
"Don't mom me, Harmon. You never have been one for letting people in but something tells me Mac's gotten further than most."
"You'd be correct, mom."
"To answer your original question Trish, no he never mentioned that little fact. Then I guess this won't affect your flight status?"
"In and of itself no. It'll depend on how well I heal and how I do on my fitness testing. Don't worry about it Mac, I'll be fine as long as I have you." Mac could feel those tears welling up again.
"You'll always have me, Harm."
"Good to know. Now I want you to let mom take you back to the house while I'm in surgery."
"Okay but I'm going to stay until they take you and I'll be here when you wake up afterwards."
"Sounds good marine."
Mac stayed with Harm until he was taken away for surgery at 2:00 that afternoon. The doctor assured Mac that the earliest Harm would be out of surgery was 6:00. So she, Trish and Frank returned to the Burnett house. Mac took a long hot bath followed by a nap that she hadn't planned on taking. She'd laid down on the couch for a couple of minutes while Trish finished fixing her an omelet and the next thing she knew Trish was saying it was 5:00 and they should probably head back to the hospital. She opened her eyes and looked at Trish with a question in her eyes. A question that she didn't even have to voice.
"You seemed to need the sleep. Frank and I checked with the hospital and they said it'd be fine if you brought some take out with you when you returned to the hospital."
Mac chuckled and got ready to leave.
They got to surgery waiting room with Mac's take out Chinese two minutes and ten seconds ahead of the doctor coming out to talk to them. The doctor told them that the surgery had gone well. They'd had to put three pins in Harm's right leg but he'd tolerated the procedure well. He'd be in recovery for about 30 minutes to an hour and then he'd be moved to the ICU for a couple of hours just in case he had problems because of the anesthesia. They could see him once he was moved to the ICU. The doctor left after promising a nurse would come get them as soon as they could see Harm.
Mac sat and ate her Mongolian Beef and Egg Rolls. She was glad Trish had insisted that she order some appetizers too, she hadn't realized how hungry she really was until she started eating.
"Mac how long can you stay?" Frank was the one to voice the question that had been in Trish's mind since late last night. Both of the Burnetts realized that Mac was very good for Harm and a large part of the reason why he was doing so well. When they'd originally arrived at the hospital, the staff hadn't been very optimistic about his chances. It was amazing what could change in twenty-four hours. Of course the fact the MRI had been negative had something to do with the change in the optimism of the doctor. The doctor had told Trish last night that the fact Harm was hard headed was now a documented medical fact. Harm's head injury should have been much more severe than just a simple concussion. Not that a concussion was a minor injury, it was just that everyone in the ER had expected him to at least have a skull fracture.
"I'm currently on two weeks leave but I'm here for as long as Harm needs me here."
"What if you can't get more leave?" This question came from Trish.
"Don't worry about it Trish. I'm here for however long Harm needs me. He's not the only one capable of giving up everything for someone he loves." Trish smiled at Mac's comment. Everything was going to be okay and unless she was very off in her assessment her son was finally going to be getting married.
12 days later 0558 Burnett Home LaJolla CA.
Harm was doing much better but he was still in the hospital. He hadn't managed to avoid developing pneumonia but it had been caught early. That one fact seemed to make all the difference. While he was still in the hospital he had managed to avoid a return trip to the ICU and had responded very well to breathing treatments and other medications.
Mac had spent most of the past 12 days at the hospital with Harm. She'd even spent some nights at the hospital. After her second night Harm had convinced her to go back to the Burnett's after he'd gone to sleep for the night. His hope was that she'd sleep better there, which she did. She continued this pattern except for the three nights after the pneumonia was diagnosed. Nothing Harm said could get her to go home and rest until the doctor said that he was improving. Then she'd returned to the routine of leaving once he'd gone to sleep and returning in time to eat breakfast with him the next morning.
The doctor estimates it would be 4 or five more days before Harm would be released from the hospital and another week after that before he could travel. They'd talked with the doctor and with Frank and Trish and decided that as soon as he was able Harm would return to DC with Mac. Trish would join them for the first week and then would come out on an as needed basis until Harm was back on his feet again. Everyone realized that Mac couldn't take leave indefinitely and that Harm needed to be with her.
That leave was the very thing that had Mac pacing in the guest bedroom of the Burnett house. She was due back to work in three days but she had no intention of going. She was waiting for 0800 east coast time so that she could call the admiral to let him know that she needed more time. She was willing to do whatever it took to get that time, she only hoped that the price wouldn't be too high. She needed to do this while the admiral was at work so that if need be she could fax her resignation to him and make it official before the weekend.
Mac took a deep breath and picked up the phone. Three minutes and twelve seconds later she had the admiral on the line.
"Good morning sir."
"Colonel."
"I'm calling sir to request more leave time. The Commander won't be out of the hospital until Monday or Tuesday and it'll be a week after that before he's able to travel back home."
"Colonel, as you well know we are extremely shorthanded around here at the moment."
"Yes sir I understand that. I'm willing to write briefs and do whatever I'm able to from here. However, the one thing I'm unable to do is leave Harm even for a few days." "Are you threatening me, Colonel?"
"No Sir! I'm just stating what I can and can't do. This thing has forced both the Commander and I to take a good hard look at our lives and what our priorities are."
"Are you saying that your career is not a priority?"
"Not at all sir. What I'm saying is that it's taken Harm and I so long to get this right that we want to make our relationship, and hopefully soon our family, our number one priority. We've both made our careers a priority for far too long. Our careers will eventually come to an end, we both want to have a family left when that happens."
"Well, Colonel, the only thing I have to say is it's about damn time. I'd just about given up on both of you! Request for additional leave time is denied but I will have Lieutenant Simms fed/ex you the most current set of reports and fit-reps along with a couple of briefs. I assume you can get access to a computer there and can at least begin the briefs using Westlaw?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I expect them done when you return to work 13 days from today. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Yes Sir! It's more than I expected actually. I'd already written my resignation because I full expected to need it."
"Rabb is rubbing off on you Colonel. Expect those reports Monday and tear that damn letter up."
"Yes Sir! Will do Sir!"
Mac hangs up the phone and gives a little shout of glee. She and Harm hadn't discussed the possibility of her resigning her commission and she was extremely relieved that now they wouldn't have to.
A check of her internal clock made Mac realize that if she was going to make to the hospital in time to have breakfast with Harm she was going to have to hurry.
0730 Harm's hospital room
Breakfast had arrived about 10 minutes ago but Harm had no interest in it. He was worried about Mac. She always arrived when breakfast did. Where was she? Had she been in an accident? Harm was just getting ready to call his mother to see if she knew anything when the door opened and Mac stepped in.
"Harm are you okay? What's wrong?"
"I was worried about you, Marine. You're late and you're never late!" Mac sat on the bed and leaned over to give Harm a kiss. A kiss he willingly accepted and even deepened.
"Sorry, I got a late start. I had to call the Admiral this morning so I didn't leave as early as I usually do."
"Why did you have to call him?"
"My leave is up this weekend and I wanted to request more time off."
"Did you get it?" Harm had this feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.
"Sort of. I'm expected back 13 days from today but Harriet will be fed/exing some work out here for me to work on while I'm here." Mac couldn't help but smile at the look of relief on Harm's face. They'd made so much progress in expressing their feelings to each other. Harm still wasn't big on talking about emotions but he'd quit hiding behind a mask of duty. Mac was beginning to learn that with Harm actions and pictures spoke far louder than any words.
"I'm glad. What do you have for breakfast?"
"Bagels for two. You interested?"
"Hell yes! The food here sucks!" Mac laughed and leaned in to give Harm another kiss.
"Then let's eat flyboy!"
12 days later Mac's Apartment 1836
"Okay, dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes, Harm."
"Thanks Mom. How much longer do you think, Mac will be?"
"She promised she'd be here by seven, so relax Harm."
The trio had arrived in DC earlier in the day. Mac had driven Harm's SUV to her apartment where they would be staying. Harm was on crutches and the doctors predicted another eight weeks until he'd be able to give them up, so his apartment just wasn't practical. Trish would be staying with them for a couple of days. This was so that she could get Harm to his doctor's appointments while Mac returned to work. These first couple of appointments were expected to take most of the day so Trish felt this was the best way to handle things and, as Harm had said it was impossible to beat Trish in an argument.
Harm was glad to be home and hoping to be cleared to return to light duty soon. As much as he hated processing Freedom of Information Act requests it would be a change of pace from doctors, hospitals, and rest. He also hoped he'd be cleared to start driving. He loved his mom but he really wanted to be alone with Mac. Mac didn't know it but the only thing keeping Harm from proposing was his cast. He wanted to be able to do it properly and that involved getting down on one knee. It may have taken a near death experience for him to tell Mac he loved her but it sure wasn't going to require one to get him to propose. He'd wasted enough time and lived without her far longer than he should have.
"I'm home. DO NOT get up flyboy."
"Would I do that?" Harm asked as innocently as possible.
"YES!" Harm got the answer to his question in stereo.
"Okay. Okay. I'll behave. If you come and give me a kiss" Mac sauntered over to the couch and sat on Harm's lap. A couple of seconds later they heard a soft cough.
"I really hate to intrude on this little make out session but dinner is on the table."
"Mom!"
"What? I do hate to intrude. I would like grandkids while I'm still young enough to enjoy them." Trish looked at Mac and laughed.
"Forget I said anything. Relax Mac, you're the color of a stop sign right now."
The trio sat down to a nice dinner and an enjoyable evening. At 2200 Trish retired to Mac's guest bedroom. Harm and Mac retired to her bedroom 37 minutes later and tried very hard to be quiet. Two days later Harm was cleared to return to light duty and two days after that Trish went home.
A Friday 12 weeks later Mac's Apartment 1755
Harm put a vase of roses on the table and turned to go check on dinner. Mac was due home any minute and he wanted the evening to be perfect. He'd gotten his cast off earlier in the day and while he needed a cane to help him get around, he was capable of getting down on one knee. He'd gotten rid of the crutches 4 weeks earlier but had been stuck in a walking cast until today.
He heard the doorknob turn and hurried, as best he could, to greet Mac.
"Hello sweetheart." Harm handed Mac a pale yellow rose.
"Harm what's all this?" Mac wrapped her arms around Harm and gave him a long, passionate kiss.
"I thought we'd celebrate my getting rid of that damn cast." This time Harm initiated the kiss, which Mac tried to take to the next level. Although he couldn't believe he was doing it Harm pulled away from Mac.
"Harm?"
"I just....dinner's almost ready Mac. Why don't you go get changed?" At the look on Mac's face Harm gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Trust me okay?"
"Okay."
Mac change clothes and the two of them sat down to enjoy a wonderful dinner of salad, rice pilaf and grilled salmon. Afterwards Harm cleared the table and sent Mac into the living room while he prepared dessert in the kitchen.
"Harm, I feel kind of bad about this."
"Bad about what?"
"Well, we're celebrating you getting your cast off and you're doing all the work. I should be helping or we should have gone out."
"Well, Mac I have a confession to make. This wasn't really to celebrate my getting rid of the cast, though that was necessary for the evening." While Harm was saying this, he was making his way to the couch where Mac was sitting with two slices of chocolate cheesecake.
"Then what was it for?"
Harm sat the two plates on the coffee table and went down on one knee next to Mac. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled at the thought he'd caught her off guard. Lord knows it wasn't easy to do that! "This. Mac will you marry me?" He pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was not your traditional engagement ring, it was a diamond surrounded by alternating sapphires and emeralds. In the light the stones looked like they were marine green and navy blue. He held the ring up to Mac's hand and waited for an answer.
Mac for her part was crying too hard to answer. She started shaking her head repeatedly.
"Is that a yes Mac?"
"Yes!" Harm slides the ring on Mac's finger as she throws her arms around Harm and starts kissing him passionately.
They had chocolate chip cheesecake with their breakfast the next morning
~The End~
Good? Bad?
Author: Alicia
Summary: A somewhat fluffy continuation of TR's #4 in her 50 Ways to say I Love You series. I've met the original author's two requirements for a continuation of the story. Harm and Mac don't break up and neither of them dies.
Rating: PG-13, mostly for language.
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or its characters. If I did, I'd fire every writer who worked on the show during this past season. I also don't own the original idea for this story. I'm just taking the next step with it.
A/N: Please forgive any medical mistakes or impossibilities. Also I make an assumption about Harm's injuries from his ramp strike and those injuries not affecting his flight status, if I'm wrong please forgive. (Can't say more without giving something away but I'm sure everyone will recognize the part I'm referring to.)
Spoilers: A small reference to Webb of Lies and Harm's ramp strike.
Prologue (Otherwise known as a repost of TR's original story!)
5o Ways to say I love you.way #4
In time of need
By TR
Mac strode purposefully down the hallway toward the ER. Her pace was
slightly under a jog. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.
Every moment she prayed that she wasn't too late to be with him one
more time. As she rounded the corner she saw Frank and Trish sitting
in the corner of the waiting room. Trish spotted her and met her
half way across the room.
"How is he? I got here as soon as I could." Mac said, slightly out
of breath.
"He's in and out. But he's still with us." Trish replied tearfully.
"Is he alert at all? What happened? No one would tell me anything
over the phone."
"He was on his way back from ValleJo and got caught in a thunder
storm. Somehow he ended up in the center of a six-car pile up. His
right leg is broken, he has three broken ribs, and his lungs are
bruised. They did an MRI but the results aren't back yet. That's all
I know. He was alert when they brought him in. Well, alert enough to
keep asking for you anyway." Trish told her through watery eyes, and
a sad knowing smile.
"I'm glad you called me. Thank you." Mac said, and then shook her
head. "He asked me to come with him, but I said no, I had too
much work to catch up on. Damn it!"
"Mac, there's no point in that now." Trish said, as they made their
way to the reception desk. "Let's get you in there. He'll do much
better if you're with him."
"I hope so." Mac said, a little hesitantly, and then turned to the
woman behind the desk. "I'm here to see Harmon Rabb."
"Are you family?" The woman asked.
"I um." Mac wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. Trish stepped
forward. "She's going to be." She stated. "If I have anything to say
about it." She added under her breath. Mac stared at her for a
moment, but chose not to address the issue.
The woman behind the desk nodded with a smile. "I see. Can I have
your name please?"
"Sarah Mackenzie."
"This is Mac." Trish told her.
The woman put down the visitor's list, and gave Mac a look of
recognition. "He's been asking for you for hours."
Mac nodded. "I know, I got here as soon as I could."
The woman rose from the desk. "Follow me."
Mac walked through the double doors, and into the cold hallway. The
tile floor glared up at her, and she wrinkled her nose at the sharp
odor of cleanser that hung in the air. She hated hospitals.
"This is his room. Stay as long as you like. If you need anything
let me know."
"I will, thank you." Mac replied, and then slowly opened the door.
She was immediately aware of the whir of the machines that
surrounded Harm's bed. That sound mixed with the rasp of his
breathing made her shiver all over. She set her purse down on the
table in the corner, and then sat on the bed next to him. He looked
so pale.
"Harm." She said, as she took his hand.
Harm stirred. "Mac?" He rasped, struggling to open his eyes.
"Yeah. I'm here."
".dreaming.?" He asked in a whisper, as he feebly attempted to raise
his hand to touch her face.
"No you're not dreaming." Mac assured him, as she lifted his hand to
her lips, and then rested it against her cheek.
".asking for you." He told her.
"I know. I got here as soon as I could." She said, and then
attempted to lighten the mood. "You know you didn't have to go and
try to kill yourself just to get me down here. If you wanted me here
that bad, you could have just picked up the phone." She teased.
Harm closed his eyes, and winced in pain. ".always want you here."
He told her through his fog of pain and medication.
"I'm here now." She replied.
"Mac." He rasped. "Always want you." He raised his free hand to his
chest and placed it over his heart. ".want you here." He emphasized.
Mac's eyes filled with tears. "Harm."
Harm opened his eyes, and struggled to remain focused on her. The
drugs they had given him were rapidly taking effect. He raised a
hand to her face. ".too late.?" He asked.
Mac smiled. She got his meaning. "No, it's not too late." She told
him, as she leaned over and laid a soft kiss on his lips. "I love
you. Now you get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."
Harm opened his glassy eyes a little wider, and let out a sharp
rattling sigh of relief. His expression changed to one of peace.
Mission accomplished. ".love you." He whispered in response, as he
rapidly lost his battle with sleep.
20 minutes later Trish peaked her head in the door and smiled at the
sight before her. Harm was sound asleep, and Mac was curled up next
to him with her hand laying on his chest over his heart.
~End of original story~ ~and now, act two~
Mac awoke to the sound of footsteps in the room. She sat up with a start. Had Harm taken a turn for the worse?
"What's wrong? What's going on?" Mac hated the sound of panic in her voice but she couldn't help herself.
"Nothing's wrong. We just needed to take his vitals. He's holding his own." The nurse smiled at Mac. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."
"Do you need me to leave?" She really didn't want to leave but was well aware that hospitals had rules that had to be followed.
"Well, it is after visiting hours." Mac started to get up from the bed. "But he's so much calmer and relaxed with you here that the doctor said to let you stay as long as you wanted to."
Mac stopped moving and looked at the nurse in shock. The nurse just laughed.
"Honey, sometimes the best medicine can't be bottled! Go back to sleep."
Since she really didn't want to leave Harm, Mac just laid back down and drifted back to sleep.
When Mac awoke the next time, it was early morning. A check of her internal clock revealed that it was 0606. Mac got up carefully, trying not to wake Harm in the process. It took Mac a full minute to realize that there weren't quite as many monitors as there had been the night before. Mac was just about to try and find out how he was doing when Harm stirred.
"Mac..."
"Sshh. It's okay Harm. I'm here."
"Don't go."
"I'm just going to go see if I can find a doctor to talk to or maybe your mom."
"Stay."
"Okay, flyboy. Let me just move a chair up here by the bed and I'll stay."
"Love you."
"I love you too, Harm. Now go back to sleep okay?"
Harm didn't answer he just closed his eyes and relaxed. Mac sat next to him holding his hand in hers. She did want to see if the doctor would tell her anything but figured they'd be doing rounds soon enough. She'd been sitting there an hour and eight minutes, thinking about how much her life had changed in the past 24 hours, when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Trish standing in the doorway.
"I thought you might be up, considering the fact it's after nine a.m. on the east coast. I have coffee for you, real coffee not the stuff this place tries to pass off as coffee." As Trish said this handing Mac a cup of coffee from Starbuck's. Mac accepted it gratefully and took a drink.
"Perfect. Thanks. I need this. Have you talked to the doctor?"
"Yeah, he was out to see us about an hour after you and Harm fell asleep. He has a concussion but the MRI came back okay. He'll need surgery to insert pins into his leg. The ribs will heal okay but there is a danger of pneumonia because of the ribs and the lungs being bruised. If he can manage to avoid that he should recover completely. He's in for a long haul, though and lots of physical therapy."
"But, he'll be okay?" Mac couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd been so afraid he was going to die and she'd have to learn to live without him.
"The doctor is optimistic."
"Thank you God." Mac said this very quietly but Trish heard her and smiled softly at the comment. Oh yeah, her son was going to be just fine as long as he had this marine in his life.
"They want to do the surgery later this afternoon. The doctor said it'll take a couple of hours at the minimum. I thought I'd take you back to the house for a shower and some food while he's in surgery."
"You don't have to do that ma'am. I can just get a hotel near here."
"Mac, yes I do need to do this. You are very important to Harm so you are important to me and Frank. And I want you to call me Trish."
"Ma'am..." Mac never got to finish the sentence because Harm interrupted her.
"Don't argue with her Mac. You don't stand a chance of winning." They both turned to look at Harm on the bed. While he was still pale and he was still having trouble breathing, Mac had to admit he looked a hell of a lot better than he had last night.
"Hello, son. You look much better this morning. How are you doing?"
"Better than I was. Having Mac here is helping a lot." Mac blinked rapidly to keep the tears she could feel at bay. She smiled at Harm and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Can't you do better than that marine?" Chuckling Mac gave Harm a soft kiss on the lips.
"Much better. Now what's this about surgery?" Mac looked at Trish, she wasn't sure that this didn't need to come from the doctor but Trish just smiled reassuringly at her.
"The doctor said you need to have your leg pinned."
"Great! I get too many more of those and I won't be able to go to work without setting off the metal detector." Mac looked at Harm with her mouth gapping open in complete shock. Trish just laughed.
"I guess Harm never mentioned having to have his hip pinned after his ramp strike? Not that I'm surprised by that or anything."
"Mom!" Harm's voice had a bit of a warning tone.
"Don't mom me, Harmon. You never have been one for letting people in but something tells me Mac's gotten further than most."
"You'd be correct, mom."
"To answer your original question Trish, no he never mentioned that little fact. Then I guess this won't affect your flight status?"
"In and of itself no. It'll depend on how well I heal and how I do on my fitness testing. Don't worry about it Mac, I'll be fine as long as I have you." Mac could feel those tears welling up again.
"You'll always have me, Harm."
"Good to know. Now I want you to let mom take you back to the house while I'm in surgery."
"Okay but I'm going to stay until they take you and I'll be here when you wake up afterwards."
"Sounds good marine."
Mac stayed with Harm until he was taken away for surgery at 2:00 that afternoon. The doctor assured Mac that the earliest Harm would be out of surgery was 6:00. So she, Trish and Frank returned to the Burnett house. Mac took a long hot bath followed by a nap that she hadn't planned on taking. She'd laid down on the couch for a couple of minutes while Trish finished fixing her an omelet and the next thing she knew Trish was saying it was 5:00 and they should probably head back to the hospital. She opened her eyes and looked at Trish with a question in her eyes. A question that she didn't even have to voice.
"You seemed to need the sleep. Frank and I checked with the hospital and they said it'd be fine if you brought some take out with you when you returned to the hospital."
Mac chuckled and got ready to leave.
They got to surgery waiting room with Mac's take out Chinese two minutes and ten seconds ahead of the doctor coming out to talk to them. The doctor told them that the surgery had gone well. They'd had to put three pins in Harm's right leg but he'd tolerated the procedure well. He'd be in recovery for about 30 minutes to an hour and then he'd be moved to the ICU for a couple of hours just in case he had problems because of the anesthesia. They could see him once he was moved to the ICU. The doctor left after promising a nurse would come get them as soon as they could see Harm.
Mac sat and ate her Mongolian Beef and Egg Rolls. She was glad Trish had insisted that she order some appetizers too, she hadn't realized how hungry she really was until she started eating.
"Mac how long can you stay?" Frank was the one to voice the question that had been in Trish's mind since late last night. Both of the Burnetts realized that Mac was very good for Harm and a large part of the reason why he was doing so well. When they'd originally arrived at the hospital, the staff hadn't been very optimistic about his chances. It was amazing what could change in twenty-four hours. Of course the fact the MRI had been negative had something to do with the change in the optimism of the doctor. The doctor had told Trish last night that the fact Harm was hard headed was now a documented medical fact. Harm's head injury should have been much more severe than just a simple concussion. Not that a concussion was a minor injury, it was just that everyone in the ER had expected him to at least have a skull fracture.
"I'm currently on two weeks leave but I'm here for as long as Harm needs me here."
"What if you can't get more leave?" This question came from Trish.
"Don't worry about it Trish. I'm here for however long Harm needs me. He's not the only one capable of giving up everything for someone he loves." Trish smiled at Mac's comment. Everything was going to be okay and unless she was very off in her assessment her son was finally going to be getting married.
12 days later 0558 Burnett Home LaJolla CA.
Harm was doing much better but he was still in the hospital. He hadn't managed to avoid developing pneumonia but it had been caught early. That one fact seemed to make all the difference. While he was still in the hospital he had managed to avoid a return trip to the ICU and had responded very well to breathing treatments and other medications.
Mac had spent most of the past 12 days at the hospital with Harm. She'd even spent some nights at the hospital. After her second night Harm had convinced her to go back to the Burnett's after he'd gone to sleep for the night. His hope was that she'd sleep better there, which she did. She continued this pattern except for the three nights after the pneumonia was diagnosed. Nothing Harm said could get her to go home and rest until the doctor said that he was improving. Then she'd returned to the routine of leaving once he'd gone to sleep and returning in time to eat breakfast with him the next morning.
The doctor estimates it would be 4 or five more days before Harm would be released from the hospital and another week after that before he could travel. They'd talked with the doctor and with Frank and Trish and decided that as soon as he was able Harm would return to DC with Mac. Trish would join them for the first week and then would come out on an as needed basis until Harm was back on his feet again. Everyone realized that Mac couldn't take leave indefinitely and that Harm needed to be with her.
That leave was the very thing that had Mac pacing in the guest bedroom of the Burnett house. She was due back to work in three days but she had no intention of going. She was waiting for 0800 east coast time so that she could call the admiral to let him know that she needed more time. She was willing to do whatever it took to get that time, she only hoped that the price wouldn't be too high. She needed to do this while the admiral was at work so that if need be she could fax her resignation to him and make it official before the weekend.
Mac took a deep breath and picked up the phone. Three minutes and twelve seconds later she had the admiral on the line.
"Good morning sir."
"Colonel."
"I'm calling sir to request more leave time. The Commander won't be out of the hospital until Monday or Tuesday and it'll be a week after that before he's able to travel back home."
"Colonel, as you well know we are extremely shorthanded around here at the moment."
"Yes sir I understand that. I'm willing to write briefs and do whatever I'm able to from here. However, the one thing I'm unable to do is leave Harm even for a few days." "Are you threatening me, Colonel?"
"No Sir! I'm just stating what I can and can't do. This thing has forced both the Commander and I to take a good hard look at our lives and what our priorities are."
"Are you saying that your career is not a priority?"
"Not at all sir. What I'm saying is that it's taken Harm and I so long to get this right that we want to make our relationship, and hopefully soon our family, our number one priority. We've both made our careers a priority for far too long. Our careers will eventually come to an end, we both want to have a family left when that happens."
"Well, Colonel, the only thing I have to say is it's about damn time. I'd just about given up on both of you! Request for additional leave time is denied but I will have Lieutenant Simms fed/ex you the most current set of reports and fit-reps along with a couple of briefs. I assume you can get access to a computer there and can at least begin the briefs using Westlaw?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I expect them done when you return to work 13 days from today. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Yes Sir! It's more than I expected actually. I'd already written my resignation because I full expected to need it."
"Rabb is rubbing off on you Colonel. Expect those reports Monday and tear that damn letter up."
"Yes Sir! Will do Sir!"
Mac hangs up the phone and gives a little shout of glee. She and Harm hadn't discussed the possibility of her resigning her commission and she was extremely relieved that now they wouldn't have to.
A check of her internal clock made Mac realize that if she was going to make to the hospital in time to have breakfast with Harm she was going to have to hurry.
0730 Harm's hospital room
Breakfast had arrived about 10 minutes ago but Harm had no interest in it. He was worried about Mac. She always arrived when breakfast did. Where was she? Had she been in an accident? Harm was just getting ready to call his mother to see if she knew anything when the door opened and Mac stepped in.
"Harm are you okay? What's wrong?"
"I was worried about you, Marine. You're late and you're never late!" Mac sat on the bed and leaned over to give Harm a kiss. A kiss he willingly accepted and even deepened.
"Sorry, I got a late start. I had to call the Admiral this morning so I didn't leave as early as I usually do."
"Why did you have to call him?"
"My leave is up this weekend and I wanted to request more time off."
"Did you get it?" Harm had this feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.
"Sort of. I'm expected back 13 days from today but Harriet will be fed/exing some work out here for me to work on while I'm here." Mac couldn't help but smile at the look of relief on Harm's face. They'd made so much progress in expressing their feelings to each other. Harm still wasn't big on talking about emotions but he'd quit hiding behind a mask of duty. Mac was beginning to learn that with Harm actions and pictures spoke far louder than any words.
"I'm glad. What do you have for breakfast?"
"Bagels for two. You interested?"
"Hell yes! The food here sucks!" Mac laughed and leaned in to give Harm another kiss.
"Then let's eat flyboy!"
12 days later Mac's Apartment 1836
"Okay, dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes, Harm."
"Thanks Mom. How much longer do you think, Mac will be?"
"She promised she'd be here by seven, so relax Harm."
The trio had arrived in DC earlier in the day. Mac had driven Harm's SUV to her apartment where they would be staying. Harm was on crutches and the doctors predicted another eight weeks until he'd be able to give them up, so his apartment just wasn't practical. Trish would be staying with them for a couple of days. This was so that she could get Harm to his doctor's appointments while Mac returned to work. These first couple of appointments were expected to take most of the day so Trish felt this was the best way to handle things and, as Harm had said it was impossible to beat Trish in an argument.
Harm was glad to be home and hoping to be cleared to return to light duty soon. As much as he hated processing Freedom of Information Act requests it would be a change of pace from doctors, hospitals, and rest. He also hoped he'd be cleared to start driving. He loved his mom but he really wanted to be alone with Mac. Mac didn't know it but the only thing keeping Harm from proposing was his cast. He wanted to be able to do it properly and that involved getting down on one knee. It may have taken a near death experience for him to tell Mac he loved her but it sure wasn't going to require one to get him to propose. He'd wasted enough time and lived without her far longer than he should have.
"I'm home. DO NOT get up flyboy."
"Would I do that?" Harm asked as innocently as possible.
"YES!" Harm got the answer to his question in stereo.
"Okay. Okay. I'll behave. If you come and give me a kiss" Mac sauntered over to the couch and sat on Harm's lap. A couple of seconds later they heard a soft cough.
"I really hate to intrude on this little make out session but dinner is on the table."
"Mom!"
"What? I do hate to intrude. I would like grandkids while I'm still young enough to enjoy them." Trish looked at Mac and laughed.
"Forget I said anything. Relax Mac, you're the color of a stop sign right now."
The trio sat down to a nice dinner and an enjoyable evening. At 2200 Trish retired to Mac's guest bedroom. Harm and Mac retired to her bedroom 37 minutes later and tried very hard to be quiet. Two days later Harm was cleared to return to light duty and two days after that Trish went home.
A Friday 12 weeks later Mac's Apartment 1755
Harm put a vase of roses on the table and turned to go check on dinner. Mac was due home any minute and he wanted the evening to be perfect. He'd gotten his cast off earlier in the day and while he needed a cane to help him get around, he was capable of getting down on one knee. He'd gotten rid of the crutches 4 weeks earlier but had been stuck in a walking cast until today.
He heard the doorknob turn and hurried, as best he could, to greet Mac.
"Hello sweetheart." Harm handed Mac a pale yellow rose.
"Harm what's all this?" Mac wrapped her arms around Harm and gave him a long, passionate kiss.
"I thought we'd celebrate my getting rid of that damn cast." This time Harm initiated the kiss, which Mac tried to take to the next level. Although he couldn't believe he was doing it Harm pulled away from Mac.
"Harm?"
"I just....dinner's almost ready Mac. Why don't you go get changed?" At the look on Mac's face Harm gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Trust me okay?"
"Okay."
Mac change clothes and the two of them sat down to enjoy a wonderful dinner of salad, rice pilaf and grilled salmon. Afterwards Harm cleared the table and sent Mac into the living room while he prepared dessert in the kitchen.
"Harm, I feel kind of bad about this."
"Bad about what?"
"Well, we're celebrating you getting your cast off and you're doing all the work. I should be helping or we should have gone out."
"Well, Mac I have a confession to make. This wasn't really to celebrate my getting rid of the cast, though that was necessary for the evening." While Harm was saying this, he was making his way to the couch where Mac was sitting with two slices of chocolate cheesecake.
"Then what was it for?"
Harm sat the two plates on the coffee table and went down on one knee next to Mac. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled at the thought he'd caught her off guard. Lord knows it wasn't easy to do that! "This. Mac will you marry me?" He pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was not your traditional engagement ring, it was a diamond surrounded by alternating sapphires and emeralds. In the light the stones looked like they were marine green and navy blue. He held the ring up to Mac's hand and waited for an answer.
Mac for her part was crying too hard to answer. She started shaking her head repeatedly.
"Is that a yes Mac?"
"Yes!" Harm slides the ring on Mac's finger as she throws her arms around Harm and starts kissing him passionately.
They had chocolate chip cheesecake with their breakfast the next morning
~The End~
Good? Bad?