Disclaimer: They don't belong to me but you know that already.
AN: Sorry, I forgot to post this here. It's Snap, Cracked is already up and I'm in the final edit of Pop. Stories are unrelated but the titles match. Put it down to an addled brain.
If she didn't want to slap him senseless right now, she'd smother him in a million desperate kisses, but as the two emotions were tearing her in distinctly opposite directions, she stayed statue like in the doorway of the trauma room. She couldn't believe he'd been hurt, we'll she could believe it – it's why she'd begged him to stay home that very morning and not go flying. Ever the self assured pilot, Harm had rattled of the list of safety measures, weather conditions, and the flight plan .The whole time, Mac pleaded with him not to go, but he went anyway; reassuring her all would be well.
And it was well, until a freak wind upended the Stearman as it came in to land and it ended up on what would have been its roof, if it had one. Instead, the wings had crumpled and Harm had ended up on his head.
"Sorry," he whispered, slowly raising his bandaged hand and offering it to her."Should have listened."
"Yes, you should have," she replied, not moving from her spot.
"I know," he said, "I should trust your intuition by now."
"Then why didn't you?" she asked, leaning on the door jamb.
"Because everything seemed okay and with winter around the corner, this was my last chance to get things right with Sarah before she goes into storage," he answered, almost breathless by the end.
Mac walked over to him and picked up his hand before leaning down and kissing his forehead. "I hate seeing you like this," she whispered.
"I hate being like this," he whispered in reply.
"What did they say?" she asked, gently caressing his cheek.
"That I have a bump to my head and I've jarred my neck but all the scans show nothing is broken or dislocated, so I'm very lucky," he reported, squeezing her hand.
"Yes, you are," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she studied the bruising appearing from beneath his hairline.
"Hey," he soothed, gingerly reaching up to wipe away a stray tear from her cheek. "I'm okay – Sarah's a complete mess but I'll be as good as new. There's nothing to cry about, truly."
"You're an ass, do you know that?" she asked, her eyes locked onto his.
"I said I'm sorry," he repeated, not wanting to get into an argument with her, not today.
Mac shook her head. "I don't want you to be sorry, I want you to be careful," she sighed. "I know you love the action and adrenalin but god, Harm ..." her voiced trailed as she struggled to find the words to continue.
"What?" he prompted gently, reaching for her hand.
"Nothing," she sighed, pulling away. "I'm going for coffee. Want anything?" She was gone before he could answer.
It was three hours before Harm spoke again, succumbing to the medications they had administered upon his arrival.
"Mac?" he croaked, his hand reaching out to the emptiness of his room. "Mac?"
"She's not here, Harm," Sturgis said, moving from the armchair so Harm could see him.
"Where is she?" he asked, looking to the empty door.
"Gone, said she'd be back tomorrow," he replied, following Harm's futile gaze.
"I thought...I just figured..." he said, trying to speak without giving too much away.
"You thought she'd sit here with you, just like you did for her last Christmas Eve," Sturgis informed him.
"Something like that," Harm said, glancing at Sturgis.
The silence extended in an uncomfortable pause before Sturgis spoke again.
"Harm, what's been happening with you and Mac recently?" he asked. "Man to man."
"We, um ... well, we've become close... very close," he answered, not feeling comfortable with giving away any explicit details of their numerous passion filled encounters over the past four months.
"How close?" Sturgis asked and then continued when Harm didn't answer. "I mean, I know you've been spending more time together socially, especially since you went TAD to the Pentagon."
"Yes, we have," he agreed, nodding before grimacing in pain.
"And I know you moved your relationship from just friends," he added.
"How?" Harm asked, not thinking clear enough to deny the claim.
"Let's just say, the Rose Bloom Restaurant is not the most discreet place to dine out in DC," he said, with a smile. "If fact, it's Verese's favourite."
"Oh," he replied, not sure of what else to offer.
"So, have you two finally got your act together?" he asked, propping himself on the bed.
"As in..?" Harm asked, not wanting to give too much.
"As in...are you a couple? Dating? Planning a 'happily ever after'?" he questioned, ignoring Harm's discomfort at the topic of conversation.
Taking a deep breath, Harm was saved answering when a nurse came in to check his vitals, but once she'd gone Sturgis repeated the questions.
"Yes, yes, and yes," Harm finally said.
"Well, it's about bloody time," Sturgis replied with a chuckle. "So, have you actually proposed?"
"No," Harm said quickly. "My trip today was to pick up the engagement ring from my grandmother's. It was the one my dad gave my mom..."
"Which is why you went despite Mac's protests?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, things will be hectic in the next few months and I won't have a chance to drive up there, figured flying was the best option, but I couldn't explain that to Mac, it would have spoiled the surprise. I want to marry her so much – and soon," he rambled, his head feeling heavier.
"Okay," Sturgis said, patting his arm. "You get some sleep and I'll be by tomorrow."
"Sturgis, can you do me a favour..." he began.
"Yeah, I'll check up on her."
It was of no surprise to Sturgis to find Mac at Harm's place rather than her own, nor was it a surprise that her eyes were red and cheeks tear stained.
"Is he okay?" was Mac's first question, foregoing the normal greetings.
"He is," Sturgis replied nodding, before stepping into the apartment. "He's more concerned about you though."
"I'm fine," she replied, throwing her hands up, she was anything but. "Just so ..."
"Peeved that he didn't listen to you?" Sturgis offered.
"Yes," she said, as she paced the floor. "I knew this was going to happen and would he listen? No! He had to go fly that goddamned plane anyway... today of all days!"
"Why today of all days?" he asked as he propped himself on the arm of the chair.
"Because," she said before stopping abruptly and just staring at him.
"What is it, Mac?" Sturgis asked, standing and walking over to her. Mac's expression causing him concern. "What is it?"
"I just ... I was ...damn him, Sturgis, that man has the lousiest timing," she growled.
"Harm has never been known for his sense of timing ..." Sturgis said with a chuckle, Harm's social tardiness was legendary.
Not wanting to discuss this further, Mac went and made Sturgis a coffee, it was then she realised he hadn't commented on why she was in Harm's apartment; and the only reason she could come with is that he knew this was where she had spent most of her time lately.
"Did Harm tell you?' she asked quietly as she slipped his mug across the counter.
"Tell me what?" Sturgis asked and Mac just tilted her head. "He told me you were together... well, actually, he agreed when I asked him if you were."
"Have we been obvious?" she asked, they had tried so hard not to be.
"No, but Verese and I saw you about six weeks ago at Rose Bloom, it was pretty obvious that night," he said with a wink.
"You've known for six weeks and didn't say anything?" she asked surprised.
"I've known you were in love with him for years, and I still haven't said anything," he reminded her gently; he was never one for idle gossip.
Mac took a deep breath before expelling it loudly. "God, Sturgis, when did everything get so hard?" she questioned, her eyes shining with the tears she was fighting.
"What is it, Mac?" he asked.
"I tried so hard to get him to stay here today... not only did I have special plans for us, I just knew in my heart something would go wrong...why didn't he listen to me?" she asked, though she didn't expect an answer.
"Mac?" he questioned again, handing over his crisp handkerchief as her tears started to tumble.
"He should have listened," she repeated, dabbing at her face. "There was nothing more important than staying with me today.
"Maybe he thought there was," Sturgis offered in Harm's defence.
"Really? You think there's something more important than...than..." she hissed before stopping herself.
"More important than?" he prompted, ignoring her tone.
"Going to the OBGYN to find out he is going to be a daddy!" she stated before bursting into tears.
"Oh, Mac," Sturgis said, moving around the counter to her. "Hey, shh," he soothed, wrapping his arms around her. "Congratulations," he whispered as she tried to pull herself together.
"I'm so sorry, Sturgis," Mac said, finally pulling back.
"No need to apologise," he replied. "It explains why you're more upset than angry about the whole thing."
"It's just I wanted him to stay home with me and he brushed off every concern of mine and went anyway...and I was so angry with him. I was going to tell him about the appointment but didn't because I didn't want him to be there if he didn't want to be around me anyway..." she related.
"Ok, Mac," Sturgis said before taking a deep breath. There were things he never did, interfering in the relationships of others was one, but he couldn't leave her in this state. "Harm will probably kill me later but I have to let you know there was a reason for his flight today; a really important reason. And while I won't tell you what it was, he truly thought he was doing the right thing."
"What on earth was more important than coming with me?" she questioned.
"Seriously, Mac, if he had of known he would have been there," he said, feeling for both his friends.
"We can never get things right, can we?" she sighed as she shook her head in frustration. "What's wrong with us?"
"I'm going to take you back to the hospital and perhaps this time you can both express yourselves a little more clearly. What do you say?"
Needing more time than the forty five minutes it had taken them to get there, Mac went to the bathroom upon their arrival at the hospital. Sturgis went into Harm's room alone.
"You're back?" Harm questioned wearily. "Is it tomorrow already?"
"No, buddy," Sturgis replied with a smile. "It's still today. I brought Mac back in to see you."
"Where is she?" he asked looking to the empty doorway.
"Just taking a bathroom break," he replied, moving over to the bed.
"Is she alright?" Harm asked as he turned his attention back to Sturgis.
"You need to explain things to her, Harm, and you need to do it tonight," he whispered as Mac appeared in the doorway. "I'll just be out here."
It took a few moments for Mac to move from the doorway to Harm's bed and a few more before she finally touched him. Harm was stunned to see the pain in her eyes, he'd expected anger or frustration or irritation – the pain was definitely a surprise.
Groggily he tried to sit up, but Mac stopped him, placing her arm across his chest.
"Don't get up," she said, before rubbing his chest.
"Mac, do I at least get a kiss hello?" he asked, wondering exactly what the engagement ring was going to cost him.
Leaning down, Mac gently brushed his lips with hers. Before she could pull away, he'd wrapped an arm around her.
"Lay here with me," he whispered, his lips trailing up to her ear. "Please."
Easing herself into his bed, Mac rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as his fingers raked through her hair. Sighing deeply, she finally entwined her fingers with his, before kissing his hand and resting them above his heart.
"I love you so much, Sarah MacKenzie," he said, pressing a kiss into her hair. "More than anything."
"I love you too, Harm," she replied, kissing his chest.
"I am so sorry about the way today went," Harm said, continuing with his ministrations. "I had special plans for us tonight. Even made reservations at the Rose Bloom..."
Mac pushed up and away from him before studying him curiously. "I had special plans for us and a reservation at the Rose Bloom too," she admitted.
"You did?" he asked, pulling her back down so she was nearly on top of him.
"Yeah, I did," she confirmed.
"Great minds," he said with a grin. "What was the special occasion?"
"What was yours?" she countered.
"I was going to tell you how much I loved you," he said, kissing her lightly.
"Snap, I would have said the same thing," she said, kissing him back.
"And I was going to say I want you forever," he continued, kissing her once more.
"Snap," she said, nodding.
"And I was going to tell you that you are my life," he whispered, cupping her face with a bandaged hand.
"Snap, I" she said, pressing into his palm.
"What else would you have said?" he asked, gazing into the dreamy chocolate eyes in front of him.
"What else would you have said?" she countered.
"You first," he prompted.
"You first," she countered once more.
"Marry me?" "I'm pregnant!" they said simultaneously.
"What?" "What?"
"Marry me?" "I'm pregnant!" they said repeated.
"What?" Mac repeated, framing his face with her hands so she could be sure of what he was saying.
"I said, 'Marry me'," Harm said. "I am deeply, desperately, completely in love with you, Mac, and I want you to be my wife ... I only went today to get this..." Reaching into the drawer beside him he pulled out the small blue box. "It was the one my dad gave my mom; it was at my grandmother's. I needed to fly there to pick it up so I had it for dinner tonight," he explained as he pulled the classic diamond ring from its pale blue cushion.
"This is why you didn't listen to me?" she asked as looked at the ring.
"Yes, it is and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you but I just wanted to get the ring, I needed to propose to you as soon as possible ... I don't want to wait any longer to be your husband," he said, tears filling his eyes. "Say yes, say you'll marry me, despite today."
"Yes, I'll marry you," she said softly.
Harm grinned broadly and slipped the ring onto her finger before kissing Mac deeply. It was only then he realised he had been so caught up in his proposal and nerves about the whole thing he really hadn't heard what she was trying to say.
Slowly he drew back before quickly kissing her once more.
"Now, what was it you were trying to say before?" he asked, raking his fingers through her hair.
"I was trying to tell you that I am pregnant," she said, fresh tears spilling over. "That's one of the reasons I didn't want you to go today... I had an OBGYN appointment and I wanted you to come."
"Pregnant?" he repeated as if it was a foreign word.
"Yes, pregnant," she replied. "Six weeks."
"Six weeks pregnant," he said, still trying to get his head around the idea.
"Yes, a little reminder of that night after the Rose Bloom Restaurant," she said grinning.
"We're going to have a baby and get married," Harm said, his smile matching hers in wattage.
"Yes, we are," she agreed.
"God, I love you, Mac," he said kissing her again and again.
Snap xoxoxHMxoxoxSnap
Rose Grace MacKenzie-Rabb was born three months after her parents' marriage; a perfect bundle of joy with her mommy's eyes and her daddy's smile. And Uncle Sturgis, as her godfather, to make sure she grew up just right.
Thanks for reading AND reviewing.