...and four to go
A post-finale, in D.C tale…
I'm figuring Cresswell worked it out, they stayed in D.C. and all was well…
AN:
Duck – nobody understands us… but us. -- Thanks a million for making it all so much more fun!
-G.
Wednesday
1700 EST
Harm and I secure for the night and walk out to the parking lot together. Jen's there trying to start a very dead car that we end up providing a jump for.
"And you're going to buy what on your lunch hour tomorrow, Petty Officer?"
"Jumper cables, Sir. I promise." She answers Harm, who's using his best 'Fatherly' tone.
"Jen, please, don't forget. Driving around with no jumpers is dangerous. What if you got stuck in a bad neighborhood?"
"And what if I got out in said bad neighborhood to use the jumpers and I got killed while jumping the car?"
Harm looks like he's going to have a stroke. "You're making me insane, Jennifer…"
Jen stops him with "Kidding. I'm kidding, please. I'll buy them Dad, and thanks again." She smiles up at him through the open window and promises once more to buy cables. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Tell the gang I said hi."
Harm's shaking his head. "How can she not have jumper cables, Mac? Talk to her tomorrow, please, so she doesn't think I'm nagging her."
"Yes, Dad." I answer, mimicking the tone Jen uses when she's busting him as I get in my side of the car.
I fish out my cell and call Harriet to tell her we'll be a few minutes late. We're having dinner with her, Bud and the kids tonight. I told her to order pizza so she doesn't have to cook, and we can just sit and visit. I really miss seeing her every day, even though we talk often, and Harm and I try to see the kids whenever we can.
We arrive at the Roberts' and A.J. is standing on the porch waiting for us. "Uncle Harm! Aunt Mac!" He's screaming, waving and jumping in place, the door wide open behind him.
"A.J. Roberts!" Harriet's behind him now. "Get in this house, you aren't wearing shoes and it's freezing!"
"Sorry, Mommy, I got excited! Look, they're here!" Harriet breaks into a smile.
"I see that, now run inside. Hi, Ma'am, Sir. Did Jen get home alright?" She's holding Nikki on her hip and Jimmy's clinging to her pant leg.
"She's fine. I just checked and she's home. She sends her love to the kids." I reach out and pick up Jimmy, who's holding up his arms. I give him a kiss and he giggles and snuggles up to me.
We both hug Harriet and move inside.
"Okay, I got shoes now, look!" A.J. runs back in the room holding up his foot to prove his point.
"Good boy. Sweetie, where's Daddy?"
"He's coming, he was changing Donnie. He pooped again." To us he says "They do that a LOT! It's stinky." A.J.'s into bathroom humor. Apparently he's at that age.
Bud comes in with Donnie and announces that the pizzas will be delivered in about fifteen minutes.
I hand Jimmy to Harm and take Nikki from Harriet. She's almost asleep, so I volunteer to put her down. I make my way around the battlefield of toys in the nursery and put her in her crib. I wind up the musical nightlight and grab the monitor to take downstairs. Nikki gives me a sleepy smile and rolls over onto her tummy. She's a beautiful baby. She looks just like Harriet, down to the blond hair. I bend down to her level and she blinks at me with eyes that are bluer than her mother's and rounder. Bud's eyes. I give her a kiss, shut the light and leave.
As I go downstairs, Harm passes me on his way up with Donnie. He's asleep already, so by the time we sit down to eat, Harm's back and joins us at the table.
"Daddy, Daddy, I wanna sit by Uncle Harm, okay?' A.J.'s telling Bud, who's paying the delivery guy at the door.
"Sure, Son, now be a big boy and help Daddy. Run get the napkins and carry them in for me, okay?"
He does just that, drops the slightly rumpled napkins on the table, and drags his chair between mine and Harm's.
"Alright, A.J., what kind of pizza do you want tonight?" Harm asks, "Let's see, your Dad ordered plain, pepperoni, and mushroom."
"I want pepperoni! That's our favorite, right?" He asks me. I nod. "But Uncle Harm don't eat pepperoni 'cause it's meat" He turns from me to Harm. "But that's okay, 'cause then we got mushroom and plain."
Jimmy, who's obviously jealous that his brother's monopolizing the company, crawls up onto my lap. Harriet tells him he should sit in his own chair, but he starts to tear up and I tell her I don't mind – mind, I love it – so she shrugs and passes his dish of cut up pizza over to me.
"So, Bud, tell us about the speech you're giving for the DAV in New York over the weekend." Harm asks.
"Well, Sir, it's not that big a deal, really."
"Don't make light, Bud." Harriet beams at him. "He's the keynote speaker, Sir!"
"I heard. Congratulations! Now, what's it about?"
"Well, you know I've been active with the Disabled American Vets for awhile, and I did this fundraising project, with Harriet's assistance, of course. We used the funds to start up a program in the high schools. It teaches kids about what returning vets, past and present, disabled and not, go through as they try to re-assimilate when they return from war. We have some great guest speakers, even some World War II veterans."
"Bud, that's terrific!" I'm proud of him and I say so.
"Well, I'm really looking forward to it. Especially, because it's a chance to raise more money. We're hoping to grow the program next year to include more schools and maybe civic groups as well."
He tells us a little more about the program and then we finish dinner talking about A.J.'s day at school and how he and Jimmy are going to be "really, really" good for Harriet's folks while their parents are in New York City.
By 9:00, Jimmy's gone to sleep and it's A.J.'s bedtime. Harm carries him upstairs piggy-back style while I help Harriet stack the dishwasher.
Twenty minutes later we say goodnight. Bud's got leave for the rest of the week so we won't see him before Friday.
"Knock 'em dead, Bud." Harm tells him. "I wish we could be there. And both of you, have some fun in New York. Take in a show or something."
"Yes, Sir. We'll try." Harriet kisses us both goodnight and we leave them to pack.
12:30 AM Thursday
Brinnnng… Brinnnnnng……..
I jump about a mile when the phone rings. I was working on a brief until fifteen minutes ago, so I'm not asleep yet, but a call this late startles me. It can't be good news at this hour.
"Whassat?"
"The phone, Harm." I reach over him and snatch up the receiver. Something's wrong -- it's 00:31.
"Hello?"
"Ma'am, it's Harriet, nothing's wrong."
"Harriet?"
"Yes, I'm so sorry to call this late. Bud told me not to but I just had to ask you guys and you can say no, really, but it's so important to Bud and…"
"Harriet, slow down, you sound like Bud." I tell her. "You're okay? The kids are fine?"
"Yes. Sorry." I hear Harriet take a deep breath on the other end.
Harm's wide awake now and motioning at me to tell him what's wrong. I wave to indicate it's okay as Harriet continues.
"My folks just called. They can't come up. My Dad had to go to the ER tonight, they were there for hours and just saw the doctor."
"Oh no, is he okay?" I genuinely like Harriet's father. He's a nice guy.
"He's okay, but he's got shingles. He had this terrible pain in his side and back so Mother called 911. Turns out it's shingles. He'll be fine, but it's painful and it's contagious to the babies. Shingles is the same virus as… chickenpox."
"…chickenpox." I finish with her.
"Bud was ready to cancel his speech, but I just feel so badly about it. Mikey's sailing this weekend and even if he wasn't, I couldn't leave him with all four kids. I really tried to think of another plan but I just figured I had to ask you if you could watch them. We totally understand if you can't. It's such short notice and they are a handful, and I could always send Bud and stay home. Ma'am, do you want to think about it and call me back?'
"Harriet, hold on." I cover the phone and explain the situation to Harm. "Well?" He nods and takes the phone.
"Harriet, consider it done."
"Sir?" I can hear her say even though Harm's got the phone. "Are you sure?"
"Of course, Harriet. I'll call out of work tomorrow and you can drop them off in the morning on your way to the airport. They'll have fun. Please don't cancel. Bud deserves this and you should be there with him."
After a few minutes, Harm hangs up. "Well, I guess we're ready for boot camp with the Roberts. We better get some sleep." He kisses me, closes his eyes, and is back to sleep in ten seconds flat, a feat which never ceases to amaze my insomniac self.
I can't help thinking this is going to be an adventure. Not that we haven't watched the kids before, both together and separately, but never all four of them for three days.
04:55 Friday
I just put the coffee cups in the sink when I hear the sound of the elevator. The General took pity and gave not only Harm, but me the day off. He actually suggested it. Bud called him before we did and he said something about 'doing a favor for Roberts, one dad to another.' Then he actually chuckled.
The troops arrive and I open the door for a frantic looking Harriet. The boys tumble in and Bud is carrying both twins. Three trips later, all the stuff they'll need is here and Bud's going over his - swear to God - excel spreadsheet of info with me while Harriet talks to the boys.
"Ma'am, you're sure? I'm so, so, sorry, I hope they're not too much trouble. We called A.J. out of school today, he hasn't been absent yet this year so it's okay, just this once. Here are the keys to the van, it's right outside with all the car seats in it -- we're taking the other car to the airport -- and this list has all the phone numbers, and the doctor, and the ER on it, as well as the hotel info…"
"Bud, I got it. Go, please, you're going to miss your flight."
"Okay, the boys won't fall back to sleep 'cause they're all worked up. But the twins just ate so they're good for a few more hours. Call us if you need to, anytime, please. And we'll check in later… and tonight… and in the morning…"
While he's going on, Harriet's telling A.J. and Jimmy " … and listen to your Godparents, A.J., and please help with Jimmy. Be Mommy's big boy and we'll see you real soon. And Jimmy, be good Sweetheart. Here's your Curious George." She pulls out his stuffed monkey "…and please don't poke at the babies to see if they're awake enough to play during the night, promise?"
Jimmy's nodding and sucking his thumb and A. J. answers, "Mommy, we're gonna be really good. I'm sad Granddad's sick but Uncle Harm and Aunt Mac are way fun. I'll help. I promised Daddy. I'm big, you know!" He puffs out his chest and smiles at her.
Harriet tears up and hugs them both. She kisses the twins who are both being held by Harm, Bud kisses the whole gang, thanks us again profusely, and they leave.
Wow, that was quite a whirl wind. "Harm, give me the twins and set up the porta-cribs. Let's see if they'll stay asleep."
He does, and A.J. runs in and plops down on the sofa while we settle Nikki and Donnie. Jimmy follows me around, as Harm goes in to start some breakfast. Cheerios all around. Cereal is easy and the boys love it, but Harm will inevitably try and get some fruit into them as well.
"Can I show my brother your pictures?" A.J. asks when I put Jimmy next to him on the sofa. Looking at my photos has always been one of A.J.'s favorite things to do when he stays with me. It usually keeps him busy for at least an hour and he has everyone in all three albums memorized.
"Sure, Honey." I grab them off the bookcase and set them next to him. He pulls one across his and Jimmy's laps and starts pointing out people. Jimmy's looking between each picture and his brother with rapt attention. "...and this is me, Aunt Mac & Uncle Harm when I got baptized. And that ain't a dress I got on, it's a Baptism thing, I asked Mommy. And see, Jimmy, here's me and Uncle A.J."
"Uncle A.J." Jimmy repeats, all smiles.
When A.J. turns a page backwards, Jimmy points, "Look! Mama and Daddy!" He proudly gestures to Harriet and Bud's wedding picture.
"That's Mommy and Daddy before we were born. Look, here they are with Aunt Mac and Uncle Harm." He points to another page "And here's you with Uncle Mike."
"Me! That's me!" Jimmy points excitedly to himself and Mike at Christmas.
"Yes, darling that's you, look how handsome you are." I kiss the top of his head. He claps and giggles.
A.J. closes the album and picks up the oldest one. "And this guy is Uncle Matt." he's gotten to a picture of my uncle and me. It was taken when I was about six and he was visiting while on leave. "…with Aunt Mac when she was a kid like us, and here's when she graduated from the Corps… see, she grew up and Uncle Matt got old, he's got grey hair like Pop." He's still going when Nikki starts whimpering and I go to pick her up.
I have very few photos of myself as a child, as opposed to Harriet, who has albums full of professional shots and candid ones. Whenever he visits, A.J. insists we take pictures so we can "make lots of books" like Mommy has. I have two albums of newer photos, but he's more fascinated with the older one. Trish sent me copies of her pictures of Harm as a kid so he'll see a new set of photos this time around.
When Nikki and I return, the boys are nearly at the end of the last album. "Aunt Mac, you got some new pictures! Hey!" He sounds almost indignant. "Who's this lady marrying Uncle Harm?" He shows me a shot of Harm Sr. and Trish.
"That's not your Uncle Harm, Hon, it's his Daddy and Mommy" I tell him. He jumps off the sofa and runs to show Harm who's just coming in from the kitchen.
"Uncle Harm, this lady is your Mom?"
"Yeah, Sport. That's my Mom and Dad."
"Wow. I thought he was you! You got the same face, Uncle Harm, and he ain't got the 'stache like in that picture with you when you were sitting in his plane!"
"You're right. That's before he had a mustache. It's at their wedding."
"Oh." I can see the wheels turning as A.J. resolves whatever misgiving he had. "Okay. It's okay then."
Harm's stifling a laugh. "What do you say we finish looking at these later and eat some cereal now?"
"'Kay"
"'Kay." echoes Jimmy from his place on the sofa, and they both head into the kitchen.
Nikki's asleep again so I move toward the bedroom with her. Harm stops me with a hand on my elbow. "Did you see his face, Mac?" he whispers "He thought I was throwing you over."
"Shhhh." I tell him. "He's so cute. He said 'Who's this lady marrying Uncle Harm?' How sweet is that? He's looking out for me."
As Harm serves up the Cheerios and bananas (I was right on the money about the fruit). A.J. turns and says, "I know your dad's in Heaven, but where's your mom at, Uncle Harm? Can we go to her house?"
"Well, Sport, my mom and step dad, Frank, live in California. You met them, remember? Maybe when you're older, we'll take you there for a visit."
"To California? Cool!" He says around a mouthful of banana. "And ya know what? My Granny Roberts is in Heaven like your dad. Maybe her and your dad are neighbors. What's your mommy's name again?"
"Trish. Her name is Patricia but everyone calls her Trish."
"Oh. Trish. I'll remember better this time. I'm usually good at remembering names. Mommy says you hafta know your Mom and Dad's real names so we're teaching them to Jimmy. 'Cause if you ever get lost you can't tell a policeman your mother's name is Mommy. Watch. Hey, Jimmy, what's Mommy and Daddy's names?"
Jimmy gives a milky smile and says "Harriet Sims and Bud Roberts"
We clap for Jimmy, who claps along.
"Jimmy Kirk Roberts. That's me."
"Good boy!" I tell him and he smiles and points to each of us in turn.
"Uncle Harm, Aunt Mac, A.J. an' our babies are Nikki and Donnie."
"Good job, Jimmy." A.J. turns to us "I'm teaching him rank too. That Mommy is Lieutenant Harriet Beaumont Sims USNR and Daddy is Lieutenant Commander Bud J. Roberts Jr. I'm gonna teach him that you guys are a Captain and Lt. Colonel too." He picks up the cereal bowls. "Now I'm gonna help with these 'cause I promised my Daddy." Without too much milk landing on my kitchen floor, he puts them in the sink.
Jimmy's done squishing the Cheerios in the remnants of his orange juice at this point so Harm takes him to wash off.
When he's finished, A.J. asks the usual question "Can we take some pictures today?" When I tell him we can, he smiles up at me and answers "Good! Can we go to the park now?"
After accepting my argument that 6:15 am is a little early for the park (it's still dark out). I distract the boys by letting A.J. take a few shots with the digital camera and uploading them to the laptop. He's happily amused and Jimmy's watching Dora the Explorer on TV, which gives Harm a chance to clean up the kitchen.
A.J. asks me to email his pictures to Mike at Annapolis, which I do, and he makes a trip to the bathroom.
"Uncle Harm! Uncle Harm!" We hear as soon as he's out of sight. We bolt into the bedroom and he's pointing and laughing at Nikki.
"Nikki made a gross poopy! Look, her diaper's leaking! Ewwwwww. It's in her hair! I told you guys they were way gross and stinky! Ewwwwwwww!"
Nikki's got to be changed, as do the sheets of the porta-crib. She's starting to scream which means we have 30 – 40 seconds max before she wakes up… "Maaaaaaaaaaa!" …Donnie.
"Mac grab Donnie, I'll get Nikki's sheets." Harm tells me.
"Can't, Harm, she's filthy." I can't even hold her against me, she's too dirty. "You grab him and give me a second."
Apparently we're as amusing as hell to our godson who's covering his mouth and giggling until Harm tells him, "A.J., please go watch Jimmy for us, unless you'd like to help change your sister." He looks horrified and runs from the room.
"Nice move, Harm."
"Thank you, Ma'am. Now, which one do you want?"
"I have her. Feed and change him and then I can do the sheets, deal?"
"Deal."
I have to pop her in the tub, she's beyond a diaper change, and when I come back, Harm's got Donnie changed and nodding back off to sleep with a bottle of water. I sit and feed Nikki while he strips the crib and remakes it. Thank God Harriet sent a ton of sheets.
Harm goes in to check the boys while I throw the sheets in the laundry. My God, it's only ten after seven in the morning.
"What?" I ask as Harm comes in laughing with Jimmy.
"Sing your song for Aunt Mac, Jimmy." He winks at me.
Jimmy sings at the top of his lungs "Old MacDonald had a farm, G.I., G.I. Joe."
"Oh, you're not a military brat, are you?" I pick him up and join him in a chorus of EIEI-O and we go find A.J.
He's watching T.V in the living room and as soon as we walk in he asks to go to the museum.
"Look it's on T.V., can we go tomorrow, please?"
"Sure."
"The air and space one? Where they got a plane like Sarah? Or the T.V one where they got the Trek stuff or the new Spy one?"
"Whichever you want."
"How about the Spy one, you guys been there yet?" I shake my head. "Okay, let's go there 'cause at the air and space one Uncle Harm knows all the planes and stuff already. The T.V. one's more fun with Daddy 'cause he knows all the Trek stuff. Know what?" He leans out of Jimmy's earshot as Harm joins us.
"What?"
"Jimmy's named after Captain Kirk and Mommy was really, really mad after she figured it out."
"Was she?" Harm acts surprised.
"Yep. She yelled. Loud. And then when the twins were coming, she told Daddy he couldn't even help pick Nikki or Donnie's names unless she got to look up his ideas first. She said she'd 'Sooner let A.J. name them.' I woulda picked Harry and Hermione but Mommy liked Nikki and Donnie better."
"Now, A.J., that's between Mommy and Daddy, maybe you shouldn't tell people."
"Okay, but you're not people, you're my godparents."
Logic, according to A.J. Roberts.
We spend the rest of the morning watching videos with the boys and then bundle everyone up for a trip to the park where they play on the swings and in the sand until it starts to get too cold. After Jimmy pours a whole scoop of sand down his coat, we switch gears and decide to take a walk around the Mall.
We walk the kids to 17th Street and the WWII Memorial, where we look at all the states and territories on the pillars. A.J. was just here with his school, so he's telling us what he learned.
"And that's the Atlantic Pavilion, and there's the Pacific one. And the Field of Stars is the best part, near the water. There were so many people who died that they couldn't get one star each, so each one stands for a bunch of people. "
"That's really good, A.J., there's 4,000 Gold Stars and they honor more than 400,000 people. You remembered a lot. When were you here?"
"Two weeks ago. Mommy came too. She's our class Mother, her and Susie's Mom. My Mommy makes better cupcakes, though… Look!" He pulls away from me and rushes toward the field and four senior citizens. I have the stroller so Harm takes off after him.
When I catch up, he's talking to some vets. "…is A.J. Roberts, and this is my Uncle Harm and my brother Jimmy. Say Hi, Jimmy."
Jimmy peeks around Harm's leg "H'lo."
"And that's my baby brother Donnie and sister, Nikki and my Aunt Mac. We came to see the Memorial. I live right outside the city. Can I ask where you served?"
He's charmed the group of four old gentlemen, who smile at him and tell him that they are all WWII vets who served in the Atlantic Theater.
"Wow. That's so way cool that I met you. You guys are heroes! Wait 'til I tell my Dad! He's a hero, too. When I was real little, he got hurt in Afghanistan and his one leg is fake now, but he's okay, and he's doing a big important speech in New York City for the DAV, and we're all stayin' with my Aunt and Uncle for the weekend, 'cause our Pop got the shingles and we're going to the SPY museum tomorrow…" he stops for a breath and the men chuckle at us and I cut in.
"A.J., slow down, hon. Let's not take up too much of these nice men's time."
"Oh, he's a hoot, please don't stop him. So many kids don't even know what WWII was anymore, it's nice to see a youngster who does. I'm Joey, and these broken down soldiers are Tony, Bernie and Hal."
"Pleasure to meet you, Sirs. I'm Harm and this is Mac." Harm offers his hand. Jimmy reaches out and does the same. "I'm Jimmy!"
We spend a few minutes chatting with them and decide to stop for lunch at one of the carts.
After a lunch of burgers, the kids are tired and the twins are starting to doze. We go back home and, after putting Donnie and Nikki down for a nap, collapse on the sofa. "Are you tired?" Jimmy pokes Harm in the stomach and asks with wide eyes.
"Yes, darling, Auntie Mac and Uncle Harm are tired." I tell him. "What say you take a nap and then you can help make dinner? Uncle Harm bought something special."
"Ohhhh, what?" he asks.
"Nope, nap first, then you help me, deal?"
"'kay, Uncle Harm."
"C'mon, A.J." He tugs on A.J.'s hand, "Come with me."
"I have to go so he's not scared of monsters. Mommy gave me the monster spray."
"Monster spray?"
"Yeah. It goes under the bed. Keeps 'em away."
"Okay, sport. you need help?"
"Nope. I'm good. I'll be right back."
Ten minutes later, I go check and he's asleep on our bed, next to his brother, holding a little plant sprayer filled with what looks like colored water. I go back into the living room, where Harm's asleep on the sofa. I can't help but laugh. I lie down and put my feet across his lap.
"What?"
"Nothing, rest, we have to feed the troops in an hour."
"I wasn't sleeping, Mac."
"No, Harm, you always snore when you're awake."
"Don't snore." He mumbles and is out again. He's right, he doesn't snore, but sometimes I can't resist busting him.
I close my eyes for awhile to regroup.
The whole gang is up in about an hour and the boys are all excited to help with dinner.
I hang up from my fifteenth, or was it sixteenth, call from Bud, and walk into the kitchen where Harm has the twins in their high chairs and is showing Jimmy how to tear lettuce.
"Hi. We're cookin!'" Jimmy tells me "And I'm being good."
"I see. Mommy will be very happy that you're helping." I drop a kiss on his head and he holds up the lettuce to show me.
"I'm in charge of the bread and pasta!" A.J., not to be outdone, jumps off his chair and grabs my hand. Harm bought pasta shaped like dinosaurs and A.J. is using a dinosaur cookie cutter to cut the garlic bread into matching shapes. "Look at these! Cool, huh? Isn't Uncle Harm the best cook ever? Well, next to Mommy."
"Hear that, Harm? Next to Mommy you're the best cook ever." Harm tosses a dish towel in my direction.
"That's me, Chef Harm. Drain the pasta for me, please?"
"Ain't that my job, Uncle Harm?"
"Your job is everything but the boiling water, kiddo. Let your Aunt do that, ok?"
"'Kay." He said, disappointed. "But I can put the sauce on?"
"Sure."
We sit down to eat and, in-between Nikki flinging her applesauce at her brothers, we manage to get everyone fed. She's so gorgeous, and there's a mischievous glint in those eyes that tells me Harriet and Bud are in for trouble in, oh, about 13 years or so.
The little ones are bathed and settled so easily, it almost scares us, and Jimmy and A.J. want to hear stories. I light a fire and Uncle Harm - the 'best cook in the world' - gets out the marshmallows (we have marshmallows?) to roast for s'mores.
The stories segway into what we did when we were kids, and I'm trying to come up with some tales from my childhood that aren't just fit for Chiller Theatre, when the phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Carla from Tucker Animal Hospital, may I speak to Sarah MacKenzie please?"
"This is Sarah, can I help you?"
"Hi, we have you listed as a contact for Mr. and Mrs. Roberts' dog, Porthos."
Oh God. "Is he alright?"
"Oh, yes, Ma'am, he's just fine, but we've had a power outage and we're calling to see if any of our boarding patients can be picked up early. We are on an emergency generator and we're hoping to empty out the boarding area and concentrate on just the hospital until power is restored."
"Okay. Look, can you give me an hour or so? Someone will come get him."
"Oh, thank you. That'd be great. You can tell Mrs. Roberts no charge for last night or today, or for the bath. We do appreciate this."
I go back in to Harm and the boys. "Hey guys. That was the vet."
"The vet? Is Porthos sick, Aunt Mac?"
"No, Hon, but the lights at the hospital are broken and we need to go pick him up." Harm looks at me and I shrug. What's one more Roberts for the weekend. "Do you want to go or should I?"
"I'll go, Mac. What's the address?" I give it to him. "A.J., wanna come along?"
"Yeah! Porthos may need a hug 'cause he missed us! And if it's dark, I'd be scared if I was him."
"Okay. Get your shoes, and let's go."
"Jimmy, can you help your Aunt Mac get out some bowls so Porthos has something to eat and drink out of when we get home?"
"Yep! He likes pasghetti, Uncle Harm."
"Jimmy, you like spaghetti! Mommy don't let us feed the dog spaghetti. He gets Kibbles, Uncle Harm, and sometimes some meat if we have it for dinner."
"I'll pick up some food while we're at the vet."
With that, they leave and Jimmy and I put down a placemat in the kitchen and two ceramic bowls.
I grab a few blankets from the closet and put them on the floor next to the sofa bed, but I'm pretty sure the dog's going to sleep with the kids.
By the time Harm, A.J. and the dog arrive home, the babies are asleep and Jimmy's in bed. A.J. Brushes his teeth, hops in next to his brother and is promptly joined by the big, happy dog Harriet and Bud adopted last year.
"A.J., do you want me to sleep out here?" Harm offers, but we're informed, "No, I'm big. And me and Porthos can watch Jimmy. 'Sides, old people can't sleep on the floor, Uncle Harm, you'll feel sore."
I switch off the T.V. and grab Harm's hand. "C'mon, Gramps, I think Mr. Roberts has this covered." I kiss the boys and stifle a laugh at Harm's expression. It's somewhere between relief at not having to sleep on the floor and horror at being considered 'old people'.
We check the twins at 9:30 and I actually fall asleep while Harm's in the shower. I still have A.J.'s comment about old people drifting through my exhausted mind.
"Mac?"
"Yeah?" Harm's coming out of the bathroom, holding a tube of something.
"Where was this?"
"Where was what, Harm?" Mostly still asleep, I sit up.
"This. It says self tanner and it was on the bathroom floor which, I'm sure, isn't where you left it."
"Let me see." I take the tube, which is pretty much empty. "Left it? Harm, this was full, I haven't used it yet this year. Oh boy."
"Oh boy as in the kids?"
"Exactly. They must have gotten it out of the bathroom closet. Go wake up A.J see if he knows anything."
"Why, you think they ate it? It says non-toxic, I checked."
"Harm, darling, it's self tanner."
"And?"
"It's a TANNER, Harm. If they used it, we're gonna have orange kids tomorrow."
"Tanner? You use tanner? You tan in, what, 10 minutes at the beach and stay tan for ten months…"
"And this makes up for the other two months, now go get your godson."
Harm goes to get A.J. and he arrives looking confused.
"A.J. did you take this out and use it?"
"Nope. I didn't touch nothing in your bathroom! Honest, Aunt Mac! 'Sides, that's for GIRLS, I don't play with girl stuff. Ask Jimmy 'cause he mighta done it. Is he in trouble?"
"No, he's not in trouble, you go back to sleep and we'll take care of Jimmy."
"Kay." He kisses me and Harm leads him out and returns with Jimmy.
"He's our guilty party."
"How can you tell?"
"Harm, take a whiff, he smells like almonds."
"Jimmy, sweetie, did you take this out of our bathroom?"
"Huh?" He's still half asleep. I lift him onto my lap.
"Jimmy, what did you do with this lotion, darling? Please tell Aunt Mac. Did you put in on your face?"
He nods. "I sorry. I did bad?"
"Well, Jimmy, you went into the closet and took something you weren't supposed to. You could have gotten sick. Show us where you put it."
"Here and here." he points to his face and hands.
"…and where else, Honey? See, it's almost all gone." I let him see the tube.
"Oh, I gotted it on the floor a lil bit too… And on Porthos. Not a lot though, just on his feets. I put some on 'cause smelled good, like the ocean."
"Harm, stop laughing. Ok, sweetie, you have to wash it off now, let's go."
I look at Harm who's trying to stifle a smile. "Call the animal hospital and see if this is ok for the dog. Just to be sure. There's a number for the animal ER in my cell from when I had Jingo."
He comes back a few minutes later "It's ok. He'll be fine. Just a little tan."
"Great. I washed off Jimmy but it's been an hour, he's going to be a little orange-y tomorrow."
"Orange-y? That's a word?"
"Well, yeah, orange-y. He's a baby, he's fair, and this is for medium to dark skin tones, so I'd say he'll be kind of orange."
"We gonna call Harriet?"
"Hell, no. We'll tell her next time she calls us. I'm not running their day."
"You think an orange kid is gonna ruin their day?"
"No, but a call will scare them."
"Ok. Agreed. Let's get the Coppertone baby to bed."
What seems like ten minutes later, I hear a whimper. Not quite conscious, I try to roll over, but something's pinning me down. Something quite heavy. I'm on my stomach and the weight is across my back and shoulders. Reaching up to investigate, I come in contact with a little foot. Jimmy. He must have joined us sometime after Harm checked the twins at three a.m. I, the world's lightest sleeper, didn't even feel him land on me.
"Harm." I whisper, careful not to wake the twins who are in the porta-cribs three feet away. Nothing. Unlike me, he sleeps like the dead. "Harm, wake up." After three tries, I get a groan in response.
"Whaaattt, Maaac?"
I raise my head to look at him. "Jimmy's lying across me. If I roll over I'll wake him. Move him, please, he weighs a ton."
Awake now, barely, he blinks at me. "When did he come in here?"
"Not sure, but don't wake him, it's only 04:35 and we have an hour before they're all up."
Harm reaches over and lifts Jimmy who mumbles "Mama" and looks at me bleary-eyed.
"Hi, Pumpkin."
"Aunt Mac? Where's Mama?"
"Mommy and Daddy are on a trip for a little while, remember? You're here being a big boy and helping with Nikki and Donnie."
"Oh" He looks from me to Harm and back, burrows into Harm's side and falls asleep.
Thank God. I was afraid he'd cry and wake them all up. I close my eyes for a few more minutes rest.
All too soon, it's 5:30 and Jimmy's awake. "I'm up!" he announces and starts to bounce in place.
I've gotten up at 05:00 pretty much every morning since I was nineteen but, damn, it came fast today.
Harm groans and shuffles across to pick up Donnie, who's standing at the rail of the crib, smiling.
"I'll go get A.J.!" Jimmy tells us as he slides off the bed and runs for his brother.
I look at Harm who tells me, "Go. I have these two."
"Thanks, I'll make breakfast."
I check Jimmy. Yep. A slight glow is on his face, but his hands and forearms are definitely orange-y. Not too bad, though. It would have been worse if Harm didn't find the tube so I could wash him off. It'll be gone in a day or so.
I find A.J. in the kitchen pouring juice. "'Morning! I'm helping."
"I see. Thank you. Do you boys want some waffles?"
"Yeah!" They yell together as I grab the box from the freezer.
"We want butter and syrup on our waffles, 'kay?"
"Okay. Butter and syrup it is." I put Jimmy in a chair and tell A.J. to go see if Harm needs help.
"Hey, Uncle Harm!" He calls and he runs down the hall. "Jimmy looks like an alien and Aunt Mac said do you need help with the poopy diapers?"
Saturday 07:00 local
The phone rings and A.J. runs for it. "Mommy!" he yells. "Jimmy! It's Mommy!" Jimmy scampers after his brother squealing. I hear A.J. telling Harriet, "Yes, I'm being good. Nikki had a bad leaky diaper again, Mommy, it was way gross. It got on the rug and everything. And Uncle Harm made us dinosaur pasta for dinner and we went to the park and Porthos is here 'cause the vet got no 'lectricity, and Jimmy's orange but it's not too bad, and we're going to the Spy Museum and I can show them all the cool stuff. Where's Daddy? Can I tell Daddy? Okay, but then it's my turn to talk again, right?"
He hands the phone to Jimmy who says "Hi Mama! I'm very good. Love you, Mama" and "Bye bye!" while blowing a kiss into the phone.
I take the phone he's holding out toward me. "Mama wants you."
"Hi Harriet." I answer all her questions. "They're fine and being very good. Jimmy had a little encounter with some self tanner. He's fine but a little orange. I'm really sorry about it. I hope you're not upset."
I feel worlds better when Harriet actually laughs and dismisses the incident with "if that's the worst he's done, Ma'am…" and trails off chuckling.
We chat a few more minutes and she asks about A.J. "Yes A.J.'s helping us" I smile at him and he beams. "No problem. The dog's fine. How's the conference? I'm going to give you back to A.J. now. Talk to you later. Bye."
I leave A.J. on the phone chattering with Bud about Mission Impossible and I Spy – God, he's his father's son -- and go relieve Harm of the little ones so he can get dressed.
After I feed the babies and walk the dog, I run in to shower and change. The phone rings while I'm showering and when I come out, Harm's got the kids ready to go and Jen Coates is in the living room. Jimmy's jumping up and down screaming "Jen! Jen!" at the top of his lungs.
"Jen?"
She picks up Jimmy and tickles him. "Morning, Ma'am. I thought you guys could use some help so I called the Captain a little while ago and offered to stay with Nikki and Donnie for the day while you took the boys out."
Harm looks pleased with that and, truth be told, I was wondering how big a problem two babies and a toddler would be at the museum.
"That's great, Jen. Thanks so much. I see the boys are all ready to go. There's bottles in the fridge and plenty of food. All the supplies are in the kitchen and bedroom."
"Uncle Harm already told her. Right, Jen? Jen's the best 'cause now we can have fun all day without the babies. They hafta eat a LOT, and we always have to stop." He hugs Jennifer.
We're almost out the door when Jimmy stops us. "The poem! The poem!" he says and Harm looks at me
"What poem, Mac?"
"Don't know. When in doubt, ask A.J."
"It's Mommy's poem, Uncle Harm! She tells us it in the morning before I go to school. You gotta say it with us, okay?"
"Sure, why don't you teach us?"
"'kay. We hold hands first." We do, and A.J. starts off…
"One for the money,"
Harm and I follow along as he continues with Jimmy
"Two for the show,
Three to get ready…"
And four to go!"
He lets go of our hands to clap and Jimmy squeals with delight. Harriet's way too cute.
"See, there's four of us kids. Get it?"
"We get it, guys. Are we ready to go?" Harm asks them.
They both bob their heads up and down excitedly.
"Okay then, we're off to the Spy Museum. Jen, call if you need anything."
Harm managed to swing tickets to the International Spy Museum, which, since it's relatively new, is usually packed. After waiting on line, we enter the museum and are told to choose a "cover". "Aunt Mac! C'mere!" A.J.'s dragging me into the first exhibit room. "You get to be someone else 'cause we're spies while were here! Look, you can be her!" He's pointing to the profile of a 17 year old girl. "She sounds pretty like you."
"Thanks, Sweetie, but I think I'm a little old to be her, how about this one?" I ask, pointing to a cover closer to my age.
"Oh. Okay. Hey, Uncle Harm, can you be this guy?" He shows Harm a 60 year old Asian man. "You could wear a disguise!"
Harm cocks his head, smiles and agrees. I look at him sideways. "Hey, some days I feel 60."
"You hafta remember them, 'kay?" A.J. smiles at us. "It's real hard!" He should only know.
We work our way through the museum, past pre-war espionage gadgets that are actually very interesting. Harm and I will have to come back here without the kids and look around.
Jimmy has to go potty and I take him. When we're finished I hear "Buddy, I'm sorry, I can't fit. Go ask Mac if she'll come with you."
Where Harm can't "fit" is an actual air vent that people are running through. I look at him and he smiles at me. No way he's Harm's getting in there without bending in half.
"Can you come in with me? Pleeeeeease? Uncle Harm's too big!" A.J.'s pulling on my hand.
"Alright, c'mon, Hon." I follow him up and through the pipe, where I hunch over and struggle to keep up with a 6-year-old. We peek through the vents at the people below, which A.J. thinks is the coolest thing ever. My back, however, doesn't exactly agree.
We get out the other side, where Jimmy is screaming because he was too little to follow his brother. Harm looks at me and I smile. I got the better deal. Who'd have thought?
We come to the TV spy collection and A.J. is just beside himself. Now, I watched a lot of TV as a kid - in my house there wasn't much else to do between the wars — and I loved the old shows. A lot I saw in re-runs, but Harm saw a few as originals. Even Mr. 'No TV' liked Mission Impossible and Man from U.N.C.L.E. And, truth be told, he was quite taken with the Museum's having the Aston Martin from Goldfinger on display.
Since Bud took A.J. here a few weeks ago, he's all excited to "show us the TV stuff".
We enter a room that's got 6 or 7 displays from 60s spy shows. The music coming through the speakers is the theme from I Spy.
"Uncle Harm, LOOK! It's Get Smart! Max's shoe phone! That's a great show. He's so funny! He always says 'Would you believe?' and he messes up all the time." He giggles.
"A.J., how do you know about these shows? Your Mom and Dad weren't even born when they were on TV."
"We got them on DVD! Daddy and me watch all the time. They're not as good as Trek, but almost! Right Jimmy?" Jimmy nods and says "Yep!"
"We got Mission Impossible, and Get Smart and I Spy. Max is my favorite 'cause he's funny. Look! There's Hymie's guts!" He's pointing to the box from the character Hymie the Robot.
"They have Kelly's tennis racquet, too. Over here!" He's actually dragging Harm around the room. "Kelly and Scotty are way cool. They get all the bad guys and beat 'em up. And Scotty says 'the wonderfulness of yourself!' and did you know Scotty became Dr. Huxtable?" Jimmy is sitting on my lap on the bench in the center of the exhibit. Most of the adults are our age. We're all kind of absently singing along with the theme from "Goldfinger".
"Wow, your kid knows more about the 60s shows than me." A blond with two teenagers sits next to us.
"He's not ours." I tell her. "We're his godparents. His dad is a huge TV buff. A.J. knows more about Star Trek than William Shatner."
"Aunt Mac, bring Jimmy! You gotta see Mr. Phelps' tape recorder! That's what people used in the old days before DVDs! See, isn't it cool? It de-trucks and smoke comes out after he hears his mission!"
Jimmy looks on obediently; having absolutely no clue what his brother is talking about, but happy, none the less, with anything A.J. does. Once A.J. is all finished explaining, we decide on a stop in the gift shop and lunch in the Museum's café.
The shop is a veritable sea of souvenirs. After touching every toy in the place, A.J. settles on a decoder ring and, of course, one for Jimmy.
We get the boys into the café and I go up to order. Hot dogs for everyone but Harm and French fries. Jimmy wants "black seltzer" as he calls Coke, but I nix that in favor of juice. Harriet kept him away from soda until one of A.J.'s little buddies introduced him to it. Now he asks for it all the time.
A.J. eats while chattering a mile a minute about all the "cool stuff" we saw. Harm's attempting to cut up Jimmy's hot dog so he doesn't choke which is making him cranky since A.J. is eating a whole hot dog. After Harm gets this accomplished, Jimmy tries to feed a bite of his lunch to Harm.
A.J. stops his monologue and tells his brother "Uncle Harm don't eat hot dogs, Jimmy."
"Why?"
"Cause he don't. They're meat."
"No. They hot dogs!" Jimmy insists, looking like he's going to cry. Uh oh. Time for a nap.
Harm chimes in with "Can I have a french fry instead, Jimmy? I really like french fries and Mac ate all of mine."
Distracted, he holds one up which Harm eats. Happy again, he returns to his hot dog.
"That was good, Uncle Harm." A.J. whispers.
Harm winks at him.
"I think it's n-a-p time." I tell Harm.
I scoop him off the chair and settle him into his stroller where he promptly dozes off.
We decide to go to the Mall for a while and Harm gets the car from the lot. We pile the kids in, Jimmy still fast sleep, and leave downtown.
It takes us longer to park the car than it did to drive to the Mall, but we're finally walking, stroller and all.
"Can we stop at the Wall first, Uncle Harm?" A.J. asks.
"Sure." Harm and I switch kids, and he takes A.J.'s hand and I push Jimmy for awhile.
When we get to Harm Sr.'s name, Harm holds A.J. up so he can trace the letters with his finger.
"Me! Me too!" Jimmy wakes up and chants and I do the same with him.
A young Ensign in uniform passes us and does a rubbing of a name. A.J. says hi to him. He looks about 11 years old to me and I smile.
"Is that your Grandpa?" A.J. asks
"Yep, it sure is. See?" He holds the rubbing out to A.J. "I just got stationed here and I never saw the wall before. I'm going to send this to my Momma back home."
"Cool." A.J. tells him. "That's my Uncle Harm's Daddy." He points.
We introduce ourselves and he salutes. A.J. tells him "They ain't in uniform. Hey, know what? I'm gonna be in the Navy, too. And be a S.E.A.L. like my Uncle that I'm named after. I may even outrank Mommy and Daddy someday."
The Ensign laughs at that and says "I bet you will."
He says goodbye and moves on down the path.
We return home and I take the dog to the park for a run. I miss having a dog. I think maybe we'll look into getting one in the spring.
After a dinner of pizza, the kids are clamoring for 'marshmallows and story time' and we all pile on the sofa bed while Harm tells them stories and I roast the marshmallows.
"Wow, Aunt Mac you ate like six s'mores. Did you see that, Uncle Harm?"
"Yeah, A.J., I guess I'd better hurry and eat mine or I won't get any, huh?"
"Hey, I share very well, thank you very much." I poke A.J. in the tummy and make him giggle.
"Aww we're just kidding, Mac" Harm feeds me the rest of his chocolate.
"Yeah, we're just kidding!" A.J. echoes and hugs me. "Ya know, my daddy can eat about ten s'mores, but Mommy would say it's fattenin' and to stop!" She'd go 'Do you really need that extra dessert, Bud?' He mimics Harriet's voice. And then Daddy doesn't have no more. Sometimes, though, we have cookies when Mommy's not home… wait… don't tell her 'kay? 'Cause then she'll hide 'em!"
Ring. It's the phone.
"Saved by the bell."
"Mac!" I hear on the other end. "Are you busy? Put me on speaker! Is Harm home?"
"Sure, Hon, one sec, the Robert's kids are here. What's up?"
"Harm, you there?"
"Chloe? Are you okay?"
"I'm great! Oh my GOD guys, wait 'til you hear this. I bought one of those scratch off lottery tickets and I won! I want to come visit and I'm taking you out for dinner, at that fancy Italian place we went to for my birthday."
"Chloe, that's great, but why don't you put the money in the bank? I'll send you a ticket."
"No, Mac, it's like a lot of money. And I really wanna do this. Let me, please?"
"Hon, exactly what did you win? Please don't use it all on a ticket, let us send you one, like Mac said."
"I won $19,000 dollars, Harm! I have enough for next three semesters and then some! I almost had a heart attack. I called Daddy ship to shore!" She's talking so fast I can hardly keep up.
"Well, okay, then, you let us know when to pick you up at the airport and we'll be there."
"Thanks guys. But I've got another surprise for you."
"What?"
"Open the door."
"What?' Harm and I say together.
"The front door, go open it."
I look at Harm and he shrugs.
I cross to the door and open it.
"Surprise!"
"Chloe! Oh, my God, get in here!" I grab my giggling "little" sister and we twirl around hugging before Harm and the boys join us.
"Hey, Harm! Gimme a hug!" She flings herself at Harm, almost knocking him off his feet.
"Chloe, good to see you!
"Hey, let me say hi to these big, grown up dudes here."
"Hi, Chloe" A.J. says, then turns to me "Chloe's rich?" he asks with wide eyes. "Can she buy a plane?"
"Well, not quite, but she won some money she can use to pay for college, which is really good."
"Cool. You gonna sleep here tonight, too?"
"Well, I'm sorry I didn't realize you guys were babysitting. I could go to a hotel. Or maybe I could call Jen Coates and see if I could crash with her?"
"Nonsense! You're staying right here. We have the blow up bed in the closet." I tell her. It really is so good to see her. Sometimes I can't believe she's such a young lady. And it thrills me that I was the first person after Kyle she called when she won, never mind the fact that she flew out here to surprise us.
"Mommy and Daddy went to New York and we're stayin' here 'til tomorrow." A.J. informs Chloe. "You can see them when they come get us!"
"That's great A.J. I'd love to see your folks. You know, I met your mommy and daddy when I wasn't much older than you are now."
"For real?"
"For real. I was about ten. But I wasn't as mature as you." A.J. beams at her. "And look at you, Jimmy! You got so big. Can I get a hug?"
Jimmy lifts his arms up and she hugs him. "Wanna see our babies? They sleepin."
"Love to. I'd also love a couple of those s'mores. Plane food is bagged peanuts these days." She lets him drag her by the hand back to the living room to peek at the twins.
"Wow, Nikki looks just like Harriet!"
"Yeah, doesn't she? Now, lets' get these guys to sleep and we can catch up."
Once the kids are asleep, Chloe tells us she can stay for two days. I hear all about her latest ex-boyfriend, who she decided to break up with last week because he "wasn't going anywhere" and had dropped out of school. Where was that insight when I was her age?
"…and then I bought Grams and Gramps a new porch swing because ours was falling apart for years, a bridle for Scout, and I got a cool Fossil watch for Daddy and I came here. The rest is in the bank for school."
We talk for hours until I'm literally falling asleep on the foot of the air mattress. The spare room isn't decorated, there's just Harm's old dresser, this mattress and a lamp. Chloe doesn't seem to mind, though, she's always a good sport.
The boys are up and at 'em at 5:45 this morning and I literally fell asleep at 3:00. Chloe and I talked long after Harm went to sleep. The extra pair of hands is great though, and she jumps right in to help with the kids.
"Okay, Guys, who wants to come while I walk this cool dog you have here?"
"Me! Me!" The boys raise their hands and shout.
"Uncle Harm, can we go with Chloe?"
"Yes. Behave, please. And don't be long. Your Mom and Dad will be coming back soon."
"Got it, Harm. We'll run around the park once and be back in an hour."
They tumble out and Harm and I feed the twins. "Is it just me or are you totally fried?" I ask.
"What's the matter, Marine? Troops getting to you?'
"No, but I am tired."
"Shhhhh." He looks around like we're in a conspiracy, "Me too. You'll ruin my rep, but us 'old people' get worn out you know." He winks at me.
"That the same old man who did a 10K run with me last month?"
"One and the same." He picks up Nikki, kisses me as he passes by and says "Now, let's clean this kitchen before Bud and Harriet get here and think we couldn't keep up with the kiddies."
"Mommy! Daddy!" A.J. and Jimmy are screaming at the top of their lungs from the window as Harriet gets out of the car. She's waving and Bud is honking the horn as we pull the boys back inside.
"Mommy! Mommy, we missed you, did you bring us stuff?" They literally tackle Harriet as soon as she's inside.
"Mommy missed you, too. And yes, Daddy's got your presents in the car. You'll get them when we get home."
I'm holding the babies at a safe distance. "Welcome back, Harriet." I hand Nikki over and she swoops her up.
"Thanks so much, Ma'am. Ohh, Mama missed her big girl! She kisses Nikki and takes Donnie from me. And were you a good little man?" He smiles.
Harm comes in from the back room with the dog. "Hey Harriet, how'd it go?"
"Oh, it was great, Sir. Bud did a wonderful job with the speech. We can never thank you enough for watching all the kids and even the dog."
Bud comes in at this point and the boys and the dog jump on him. "Woah, guys, how ya doing? I heard you were really good. Great job." Bud tells them.
"I was good, Daddy!" Jimmy answers. "We went to the park and ate s'mores!"
"Yeah, Dad, it was so fun! And Porthos was good, too. Did you bring him somethin'?"
"Hold on, yes, there's a nice toy for him in the car, and surprises for everybody when we get home." He turns to us, "Hi, Sir. Ma'am. Thanks so much. I mean, wow, you guys were so incredibly great to do this. They really behaved?"
He's such a great dad, and he's matured so much in the years we've known him, but every once in a while a little bit of the Lieutenant Roberts I met all those years ago peeks through. "Yes, Bud, they really behaved." I turn to Harriet, "I'm really sorry about the tanner, but it'll wear off soon."
"Oh, Ma'am, please don't apologize. It's fine. Remember when A.J. was two and he colored his whole face with a green sharpie? I cried for two days. The color lasted a week. This is nothing." Harriet tells me.
"Hey, guys, how are you?" Chloe pops in from the store. She went to pick up a few things for me.
"Chloe!" Harriet gushes and hugs her. "It's so good to see you! What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Harriet, Hey, Bud."
"Were you here all weekend? If you had plans and we messed them up, I'm so sorry!"
"Bud, no, we didn't have plans. I surprised Mac and Harm last night. They weren't expecting me. I won the lottery and flew in to surprise them. Isn't that cool?"
"Cool? That's great. Congratulations, Chloe."
"Yeah, I can pay for, like, three whole semesters now!"
Bud, like me, understands just how much having 'a few semesters' paid for means to a working class kid. He excitedly asks about her studies. He's got her laughing about how he had me opening his law school grades to bring him luck when Jimmy starts to tug on him.
"Daaaaaaaaddddyyy! We have s'prises, please?"
"Looks like it's time to get going."
"How about a little surprise for Uncle Harm and Aunt Mac first?" Harriet takes a gift bag out of her purse.
"Oh, Harriet, what did you do?"
"Just a little thank you, Ma'am. You were so sweet to watch them all weekend."
I open what turns out to be a gift certificate for a night at the Ritz-Carlton. "Look, Harm." I hold it up. "This isn't necessary, Harriet."
"I know, but you deserve it. Especially after having these guys for three days." She taps Jimmy and A.J. on their heads.
"Wow, okay, thanks." I hug her and Bud.
"Besides, you haven't had any p-r-i-v-a-c-y all weekend." She smirks.
"Harriet!"
"Yes, Bud?" She winks at me and smiles at him innocently.
"That spells privacy!" A.J. announces. Harriet and I laugh and Harm glances at Chloe and looks embarrassed.
I blow him a kiss across the room and he actually gets a little pink. Poor Harm, he should know half the stuff Harriet and I discuss.
After hearing the quick rundown on their stay in New York -- I'll get the full story tomorrow when we have more time to talk, the Roberts clan is bundled up and ready to go.
We kiss the twins goodbye.
"Bye, bye, love you." Jimmy's hugging me. "You come to our house tomorrow?"
"Well, not tomorrow, but soon, okay, Sweetheart?"
"'kay." He hugs and kisses Harm and heads out the door.
A.J., who's already said goodbye twice, is running back in.
"Uncle Harm!"
"What'd you forget, Sport?"
"Nothin' I just wanna leave this here." He pulls a picture of the four of us that I took at the museum out of his backpack and shows it to Harm.
"You sure?"
"Yep." Nodding, he runs over to the mantle "Lift me?" Harm does, and he puts it next to the other photos.
"Okay, now you can look at this every day and remember how much fun we had!"
"Thank you, A.J." I kiss him one last time.
"'Welcome." He gives me a crushing hug. "Love you!"
"A.J.! C'mon, Son!" Bud's got everyone in the van.
"'Comin', Daddy!! I gotta go for real now. Call me. 'Kay?" He runs out yelling "Bye Chloe!" Over his shoulder.
"Whew! Okay, my tubes just tied themselves!" Chloe plops down on the sofa.
"Chloe!"
"What Harm? I'm kidding." She giggles. "They should let every teenage girl spend a night with four kids. Best birth control on the planet. Are you guys up to dinner tonight or do you want me to pick up something? I'm gonna run out for a bit."
"Of course we're up to dinner. Just give us oldsters a couple hours and we're good."
"Oldsters, bull." She winks "You just want p-r-i-v-a-c-y." Harm looks mortified, and I toss a sofa cushion at her.
"Anyway, I'm gonna run out and see my friend Cathy from grammar school. Remember her, Mac? She still lives in D.C. and I told her I'd stop by and see her. I'll be back by six. Is dinner at 7:30 ok? I'll call and make reservations." She's already out the door, long hair flying behind her."
"…have fun." I yell to her back.
Dinner that night was wonderful, but sometimes I still can't believe my "little sister" is a grown up taking us out for a meal that doesn't include someone saying "You want fries with that?"
Again, I was asleep before Chloe and the next thing I know its Monday.
JAG 08:02 EST
I'm running up the stairs like a madwoman because the elevator's dead (again), I have to be in court in 36 minutes, and I grabbed Harm's briefcase this morning instead of mine. Saying goodbye to Chloe is never a quick process and I'm uncharacteristically running late. I nearly crash into Bud.
"Morning, Ma'am! Aren't you presiding over the Martin court martial this morning?"
"Hi, Bud. Yes. Harm's dropping Chloe off at the airport and I'm running late. Sorry about almost running you over!"
"No problem. And, thanks again for watching the kids. A.J. and Jimmy are still talking about how much fun they had."
"Oh, Bud, anytime. We love your kids, you know that."
"Yeah, but they're a handful! Please come by for dinner next week, okay? We so owe you."
"MacKenzie!"
Shit. General Cresswell's barreling towards us. God, I'm too tired for a crisis now.
"Sir." Bud and I are at attention.
"At ease." He looks from me to Bud and back. In my peripheral vision, I see Harm entering the office. He's got my briefcase, which he's holding up for me to see."
"Mrs. Cresswell ran into Lt. Sims and the boys at the grocery store last night. I heard your speech was a success, Commander. Congratulations."
"Uh, yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
"…and Colonel. How was your weekend?"
"Fine, Sir."
"No problems?"
"No, Sir."
"Well, carry on, then. You have a case to try this morning. And, Colonel, Captain?" (Harm's come up beside me by this time).
"Dora said to tell you baby oil cuts down on that orange-y thing."
Harm and I exchange looks. Bud is smiling.
"Our daughter used that tanning stuff right before her prom. Girl was orange as a tabby cat. Big crisis. One of the few times I was glad to be deployed, but you didn't hear it from me. Carry on, people."
He cracks the tiniest bit of a smile and leaves us standing there.
End. Thanks for reading!