The Coin
Disclaimer – Not mine, I am just so happy CBS Television, Paramount Studios and Bellisarius Productions created them and I can take them out and play with them from time to time. No monetary gain will be made from these play dates or from this story and no copyright infringement is intended.
We only have 3 days:
The last thing Harm wanted to hear this morning was that alarm clock going off. He had been up most of the night tossing and turning. He had a bad headache and just felt crappy. As if the week had not been bad enough. First, was that awful case with that annoying Vukovic, having to listen to his stories, and well, just plain having to listen to him period! Worse still, he had a very important meeting with General Cresswell this morning, so he couldn't even call in to the office, sick. What a perfectly awful morning to an equally perfectly awful week.
"Wonderful, just wonderful" he growled out loud to whoever was listening.
Well, someone was listening.
That would be me. Me? I am the 4 bit coin Harm has kept in his pocket since the academy. You remember…you first saw me when he and Meg were in the dessert looking for the aliens. I got thrown against the fence. Not very nice of him, right? Take one for the team I thought. Then, again when he and Mac were on their way to the sub. I think I would have preferred the bottom bunk. Then, when he and Mac were going to the Seahawk to that Tribunal. They hit heads together pretty hard that night. Ouch! Now he knows how I felt being thrown against the fence!
Later that morning
Harm managed somehow to shower and make it to the office. He didn't look good, but he was there and if he could make it through lunch, he could make it to the end of the day. Little did he know what the day had in store.
Everyone was assembled in the conference room waiting for General Cresswell. They were listening to Bud get the drop on Harm and Vic's case, making Harm feel more like his head was going to explode!
"Please let this day be over soon". Harm thought as he touched his finger to his aching head.
General Cresswell entered, and as the all rose, he said, "As you were", and said, "I have one more order of business."
Joint Legal Services South West, was all Harm heard as his head was throbbing and then,
The General said, "Colonel Mac Kenzie, you've been selected for command of that unit."
"What just happened?" he thought as he heard the General say something else, as he handed Harm his new orders.
"Force Judge Advocate Naval Forces Europe." Harm said out loud with a puzzled look on his face.
"You'll be stationed in London", "by the way, it's a Captain's billet, the 064 just reported out, and frocking's been approved." "Congratulations, Captain Rabb," the General said, the smile and pride evident in his voice.
Harm sat there just staring at him wishing his head had exploded. First his head and now this, how had this even happened? He was going to London and the love of his life was going to San Diego. He could not let this happen. He had to do something; after he found something for his head, and now his stomach.
What was he going to do, he couldn't lose Mac to San Diego, and he really didn't want to go to London. After all, Mattie was here and his parents were in La Jolla.
There was only one thing, Harmon Rabb Jr. could do. Well, several, but only one that would stop all of the madness of them not being together. He would propose to the beautiful Sarah Mac Kenzie, and hope she said yes.
"What if she didn't?" he mumbled, his head and stomach worsening.
Finally, the day was over and he was home. Three days. Three days. That was all he could think about.
Not being able to eat, he headed for bed. He just tossed and turned and for yet another night, got very little sleep.
We have 2 days
His alarm went off at 0600 and he felt worse than the day before. He dragged himself out of bed into the shower. Oh how he wanted to crawl back into bed and how he wanted to crawl into that bed knowing his Marine was there to take care of his sick feeling head and stomach.
The day went by without much fanfare, which he was glad of as he got all of his cases ready to hand over to the attorneys remaining in DC. He managed to eat something at lunch and really had not seen Mac much the entire day, and not saying more than a hi. At his desk, his mind went into a daydream…
Was this what it would be like without her? No smile in the doorway of his office. No banter back and forth in court and while working on a case? No chance of arguing a case in front of her as judge? Shaking his head, he scolded himself and said, "snap out of it, Rabb." He did and went back to his headache and stomach and the fact that he might very well lose her, and he realized, his lunch as well.
He got up and went home. Hopefully to better sleep tonight. Tomorrow was finish packing day and then the party at Mc Murphy's. All he wanted to do was get home and crawl in bed. Two days of being sick was really taking its toll on him.
We have 12 hours
He managed to take a nap before he finished packing and getting ready to head to Mc Murphy's, he was still looking a little under the weather, as Mac stopped by.
"Are you ok, Harm? She asked with a worried look on her face.
"Just a little under the weather", he said, knowing it was a lie.
"How long?" she asked in her usual caring way
He answered flatly, "couple of days, it's nothing."
They chatted, and then came to the realization, they were meant to be together, as husband and wife. Now was his chance.
"I am proposing." he said, as the rest was a blur and they ended up at Mc Murphy's.
The rest of the night
I found it only fitting that I should be the one to tell you the story. Yes, after 9 years a coin toss. My head is shaking too. What were they thinking? Did Harm think everything could be solved with a coin toss? All the other coin tosses turned out so well. Up went the coin, she called tails, he raised an eyebrow and it fell to the ground. Yep, coin toss, tails…she won, it would be San Diego. She still didn't like the way he looked, not much color and really pale.
"Are you sure you are ok?" she asked.
"Fine." he said, as he excused himself and headed to the men's room, and began throwing up.
"What else could happen to me tonight he thought?" "No, he didn't want to think that, he'd rather throw up."
Mac followed Harm to the men's room and listened for awhile, when she heard nothing she went inside. He was standing at the sink splashing water on his face. He was sweaty all over.
She felt his head and said, "Harm, you seem to have a fever, my dear."
"My dear." He loved that, even though he hated being sick.
"It started with a headache, went to my stomach and today, this." "Didn't want you to worry." He told her.
"Harm, if I am going to be your wife, you are going to have to let me worry." She echoed. "Why don't you ask Cresswell to postpone your duty assignment to London." She said sweetly.
"Already done, and now that you won the coin toss, I'll be on terminal leave soon." Was his soft reply.
"About that Harm, I know you don't want to leave the Navy and I'd say you don't want to go to London either, let's just talk about it some more. I came by tonight to tell you my assignment might be delayed and Cresswell just told me it was, so I am on leave for the next week. By the look of you, you will need someone to take care of you, make you chicken soup, tuck you in."
That got a small smile out of him and a quiet laugh, and a cough.
"Cresswell knew you were sick even before you told him, he said for me to take care of you and for you to come back to work when you were better. Let's get you home Sailor." Mac said, sweetly.
They said quick goodbyes and were off to Harm's apartment. Mac made Harm that chicken soup along with some tea and got him tucked into bed while she cleaned up the kitchen. Mac made her way up the steps to the bedroom where Harm was fast asleep. She got cleaned up and snuggled in next to her soon to be husband.
"Soon to be husband. I like the sound of that. No, I love the sound of that." She said softly to herself.
Harm stirred and snuggled close to Mac. They looked like they had been doing this forever.
"Good night, Harm", Mac said softly
"Good night, Mac, I love you." Harm croaked out.
"I love you too." Mac replied
Finally, she said it! So that is the end of my "tale" of the 'tails". Why me you ask? Well, that was my cousin, the JAG coin who had the final say in this evening. Hope you enjoyed the story. I loved telling it.