MAC'S HOSPITAL ROOM
PENNINGTON MEDICAL CENTER
SLEEPY HOLLOW, VIRGINIA
25 DECEMBER 2004
1130 ZULU

Mac awoke slowly from her drug induced slumber, immediately turning her eyes to the large leather hospital chair that currently contained the sleeping form of one Harmon Rabb, Jr. She couldn't believe he had actually been able to sleep with the sounds of nurses coming and going at all hours, or the incessant beeping of machines – at least she had the luxury of Demerol to help get her through the night.

Smiling as much as she could manage with a swollen face, she recalled their talk from the previous evening. Though cryptic as always, she thought they had come to an unspoken understanding. He still wanted her and she still wanted him. At least she hoped she had made that clear to him. For awhile it was like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. They laughed and played cribbage like old times until she hadn't been able to keep her eyes open anymore. As Harm rolled the hospital tray against the wall, she had tried one last attempt to get him to leave.

"Harm, you don't have to stay here you know. I'm gonna be fine. Why don't you go home?"

Harm had sat slowly in the chair by her bed. "And what exactly do I have to go home to?"

She had hesitated, actually catching herself from saying something about blonde, civilian lawyers, but he had read her mind.

"I didn't sleep with her, Mac. It was just dinner."

A slow reddening rose in Mac's cheeks and she looked into her lap. "Harm, it's OK… I would completely understand if you…"

"Mac..." He inched forward to the edge of his seat and took her hand in his again. "I think I made myself pretty clear at the Admiral's party. I know you told me that you can't right now… but it wasn't so long ago that you told me never…" he looked down at their hands and smiled in amusement, "… the way I see it, things are looking up."

"You've become quite the optimist in your old age, Sailor."

"Hey – don't remind me about the 'old' part." Harm released her hand and eased the big leather hospital chair back to stretch out. With a grimace, he reached under himself uncomfortably and pulled out a small red cribbage peg. Raising his eyebrow, he teasingly tossed the peg at her. "Just don't string me along forever, Marine – I'm not quite that pathetic."

They had both smiled at that, but struggled to meet each other's eyes. Mac knew it was probably the Demerol that was lowering her defences, but she couldn't prevent herself from speaking aloud her thoughts at that particular moment.

"Harm?"

"Yeah?"

"Despite everything…" she nervously played with her fingers, "…all the complicated stuff, you know… with us…" she couldn't quite gather the confidence to lift her eyes from her lap, "… you're still the best thing that's ever happened to me."

When she tentatively stole a glance at him, she swore his eyes were slightly glassy, "Right back at ya, Mackenzie."

Now, as Mac stretched quietly the next morning, her mind kept wandering to what exactly this all meant. She had been so sure that he was seeing Alicia… certainly if she had been Alicia she would have jumped at the opportunity to take Harm to bed… and why wouldn't Harm have willingly gone? Hadn't he almost admitted as much to her when they were working on that retrial together? She thought that's what he had meant, but maybe not. God knows it wouldn't have been the first time she had trouble understanding what Harm intended to say when he spoke.

"Good morning Colonel Mackenzie…" her thoughts were interrupted by the same young doctor from the previous evening.

"Don't they ever let you poor residents sleep?"

Harm suddenly flinched as he awoke from his place in the recliner. Groggily, he passed a hand over his face and took account of his surroundings.

"Rise and shine, Flyboy." Mac smiled cheerily.

He returned his seat to an upright position, "Easy for you to say, you're on drugs."

"Not for much longer, hopefully," smiled the young doctor, whom Harm figured must be on some pretty good drugs himself he was so cheery, "you up to being released today, Colonel?"

"Is the Pope Catholic?"

"Mac, are you sure?"

"Well, she's going to be sore, that's for sure, but as long as she takes it easy she should be fine."

"I promise, Doc – just get me out of here."

The young doctor smiled again and passed his pen quickly over her chart. "You're all signed out. The nurse will bring you in your discharge papers in about 20 minutes. Good luck."

As soon as the physician left the room, Mac flung back the sheets in an attempt to swing her legs off the bed, her eagerness at an impending release temporarily allowing her to forget her injuries. Not surprisingly, the action caused her to recoil in pain.

"Jeeze Mac!" Harm was at her side in an instant. When he saw the state of her legs, he froze. Recovering enough to tenderly trace the outsides edge of her wounds with his middle finger, he took account of how both her knees were badly skinned, red and bruised. "Ouch." He mused.

Mac immediately flinched again, but this time not in pain. The light touch of his fingers sent shivers up her spine and a watery pool swirling in her groin. Harm felt her draw back and quickly apologized. "God, I'm sorry - did that hurt?"

"No!" She countered quickly, suddenly embarrassed at her condition. This wasn't the way she had envisioned Harm would first get acquainted with her legs. She waved her hand aimlessly towards her knees. "Those don't hurt, really. I'm just a little stiff."

Harm almost had to choke back a laugh. "I can imagine!" He automatically went to help guide her legs over the side, but stopped himself when he remembered how touching her had affected him only a few moments ago. He had never had the chance to be so up close and personal with her legs before, and now that he had, he noticed two things – 1) it was obvious she waxed – despite the physical wounds – the rest of her legs were flawless and smooth – like some Greek sculpture; and 2) just the thought of this made parts of his body twitch that had no business twitching in a hospital room. Wisely, he removed his hands in surrender. "Mac – are you sure you're up to this? You can always stay you know."

Mac gave him her warning glare. "I'm sure, Harm… really."

"OK, but I'm coming with you." He held his breath and didn't meet her eye, figuring if he did, she would immediately take that as a challenge to argue with him. As it turned out, his strategy failed anyway.

"Harm, it's not necessary."

Any other day he may have submitted to her, but this was serious and he was in no mood to bicker. Without missing a beat, he jumped directly to what he knew would work. He fixed her eyes with the most convincing glare he could muster and dropped his voice to a husky, bedroom drawl, "Don't make me spend Christmas Day by myself, Mac."

The look she gave him sent parts a-twitching once again and he almost had to sit down to avoid embarrassing himself. God, had she ever looked at him that way before? Maybe… but it was a long time ago. It was a look he'd almost forgotten, and it sent hope in the form of a million butterflies straight to his heart.

"Well, since you put it that way, Sailor…"

If her face hadn't been all red and puffy, he would have tried to kiss her, but the last thing he wanted to do was cause her anymore pain so he shook his head and cleared his throat "Good. I'll, uh… get your clothes…" he backed away a couple of steps in a content stupor before quickly grabbing the duffel that the second EMS bus had retrieved from the back of her demolished car. He placed it on the bed beside her and couldn't stop himself from grinning seductively "Need any help changing?"

Mac laughed and lifted her eyebrow "I think I'll manage, thanks."

"Well…" Harm backed towards the door way, "… if you change your mind…" he thumbed over his shoulder towards the exit and smiled.

"You'll be the first to know."

Outside the door, Harm found the nearest chair a few feet down the hall and fell into it – his mind reeling. This was going way too fast. It was like suddenly the floodgates had been opened and he was swept up in a tide of his own emotions. He needed to get control of himself – Mac was injured and needed his assistance, not his libido. He rubbed his sweaty palms over his uniform pants and vowed to himself to get a grip. If he was going to get anywhere with this woman – which it suddenly seemed as if he might – he needed to reign in his emotions and get control. The last thing she needed right now was for him to paw at her while she was injured, and if he was going to be around her and not paw at her, he needed control. "Casually optimistic" he suddenly said out loud to himself. That was it, if it was true that this was finally going somewhere, he couldn't get ahead of himself – 'casually optimistic' would be his new mantra.

"Harm?"

Mac was suddenly at the door to her room. He jumped up and was at her side so fast that the much worn soles of his Navy issue oxfords caused him to slide to a halt.

"Whoa there, Navy – slow down."

"Mac – what the hell are you doing out of bed?! Get in there before someone sees you, will ya?" Exasperated, Harm gently nudged her backwards into the room as he spoke.

"What?"

"You have to wait for the nurse to bring the papers!"

"Can't we go to the nurse?"

He helped her onto the bed and pointed his finger at her. "I'll go to the nurse - you stay here!"

"Geez, are you going to be this pushy all weekend?"

"Only if you're a bad girl, Mac."

She pouted as best she could with a swollen face. "Does that mean Santa won't bring me any presents?"

Harm leaned in towards her and spoke quietly "That's exactly what it means, sweet thing." He cocked both eyebrows at her and sauntered off to the nurse's station, leaving a very bothered Marine in his wake.

TBC