A/N: Harm and Mac are out on the Admiral's porch, … but meanwhile …
I See – Chapter 9
A.J. Chegwidden suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some chaos at the table where the drinks were set up.
"What happened here?"
"Oh, sorry, sir," muttered a petty officer who, along with some others was trying to soak up liquid on the table and floor with napkins. "My wife wanted a drink, and, when I reached around back here, I accidentally spilled this bottle. I'm really sorry."
A.J. took on his fatherly tone, "It's alright, Petty Officer. Let me get some paper towels."
The Admiral then turned towards the kitchen, grumbling to no one in particular, "Where the hell is Rabb? I thought I had him on drink duty tonight?"
Tiner, who was nearby and eager to please as always, quickly volunteered, "I don't know, sir, but I'll go see if I can locate him for you."
A.J. nodded with a groan and headed to the kitchen.
Tiner made his way through the several rooms open to guests, but was unable to locate Harm. Finally, he decided to check the porch, remembering that Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie had spent a good deal of time out there at the last occasion.
Just before Tiner reached the front door, Harriet called to him, "Tiner, … are you going somewhere?"
"No, ma'am. I was looking for Commander Rabb."
"Is he needed for something?" Harriet asked.
"The Admiral was looking for him," the young man responded.
Harriet managed to move herself in front of the door, prohibiting Tiner from opening it. "And you checked the rest of the house?"
Okay, she was stalling. She did not want anyone interrupting whatever conversation was taking place outside. Those two had enough complications caused by themselves, without any additional obstacles or interruptions.
"Yes, ma'am," answered Tiner, trying to get around Lt. Sims to the door.
"You don't want to go out there," Harriet insisted. She tried to think of some excuse for that statement, but was coming up blank. Everything she could think of was ruled out since people had been coming in through that door all evening and would be leaving through it as well.
Tiner stared at her, awaiting an explanation.
"I think … the light's out on the porch," she finally came up with. "Too dark to see. You could hurt yourself. You should wait until someone fixes it."
Tiner smiled, "Oh, well, that's no problem. I'll go ask the Admiral where he keeps his extra light bulbs and a flashlight, and I'll change that in no time, ma'am." He started to turn away when Harriet called him back.
"Tiner, wait." She took a deep breath, knowing she would have to confess that the light really wasn't out. "The thing is …"
Just then Bud came over, looking inquisitively at his wife, who was now leaning against the front door. "What's going on, Honey?"
"I, uh, was just trying to explain to Tiner why he shouldn't go out on the porch to look for Commander Rabb right now."
After Harm had gone outside, Harriet had whispered to her husband that the two senior officers were on the porch, hopefully working out their relationship. Now she was hoping that Bud would understand what she was trying to do and come to her assistance.
Tiner explained to Lt. Roberts, "If it's just the light being out, I'll go get a bulb."
Without thinking, Bud declared, "The porch lights aren't out."
Harriet squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, something that Tiner missed. Bud noticed, however, and quickly realized that his wife had said otherwise for some reason.
"Er, … not permanently," Bud amended. He thought quickly. "There's a … meteor shower tonight. The lights might have been shut off so that … it wouldn't affect people's viewing."
"Really? A meteor shower? Great, I'll go check it out," said Tiner with enthusiasm.
"You don't want to do that right now," said Harriet. "Does he Bud?" she asked desperately.
Picking up on the hint, Bud said, "Uh, … no." He looked at his watch. "Actually, we missed it already. So … there's nothing to see," offered Bud.
"Oh," Tiner said, disappointed. He was about to turn away, when he remembered his initial mission. "I still need to check to see if Commander Rabb is out there."
"Tiner." Harriet needed a new strategy. "Did the Admiral actually order you to find Commander Rabb?"
Tiner thought about that for a moment. "… No, … I volunteered …"
"Good," replied Harriet. "Then, Tiner, I'm ordering you not to go out on this porch anytime soon."
"Yes, ma'am," said Tiner confusedly. "…. But the Admiral was looking for the Commander," he added in a worried tone.
Sturgis was attracted to the group standing in front of the door. "What's going on over here?"
"Nothing," replied Harriet.
"I was looking for Commander Rabb," said Tiner.
"He's not in here somewhere?" Sturgis looked around. "I saw him talking to Mac earlier."
"I haven't been able to find him anywhere inside," said Tiner. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen the Colonel either."
Sturgis glanced over at Harriet, who had a guilty smile on her face.
"Lieutenant Sims, are the Colonel and Commander outside?" he asked her straight out.
"Yes, sir," she reluctantly admitted. "I believe they're having a … private conversation."
Sturgis suddenly caught on. "I see." He then added, "Well, if they are discussing what I think they are, … then they are certainly not to be disturbed."
At Tiner's baffled look, Sturgis elaborated, "A particularly sensitive case they've been ignoring for far too long. I definitely hope they get all the issues out on the table and are able to reach some sort of agreement." As he said the last part, Sturgis looked over at Harriet conspiratorially.
"Yes, sir," agreed Harriet.
Sturgis looked back at Tiner, "Why were you looking for Harm, anyway?"
"The Admiral was asking where he was because the Commander was supposed to be helping out with drinks."
Sturgis looked over to the drink table and saw that one of the paralegals from the office had taken control of serving beverages. "I don't think that is a problem anymore, Tiner."
Tiner followed Commander Turner's gaze and saw that drinks were being taken care of. "Oh, … I guess not."
"I think I'll get a refill actually," said Sturgis. "Tiner, why don't you come with me? I hear you're interested in becoming a lawyer yourself?"
"Yes, sir," the young man became very excited.
"Maybe I can give you a few pointers."
"That would be great, sir," Tiner answered eagerly following.
Sturgis glanced back quickly at Harriet, who smiled at him and sighed in relief.
Bud addressed his wife, "The Colonel and Commander aren't discussing a legal case, are they?"
"I hope not," she answered. "By the way, thanks for your help with the porch thing. Was there really a meteor shower tonight?"
"Uh, … yes and no," answered Bud. At her puzzled expression, he explained, "Well, there was one … last night, but it happened after midnight, … really at 0336, which is technically today. Even though it was really this morning, it's generally considered nighttime, so … it's sort of like the part of tonight that's already been. … And it did already happen, so … we did miss it."
Harriet looked at her husband in admiration. She placed her hands on the sides of his head and declared, "Bud Roberts, I love you." She gave him a sound kiss on his lips and let him go. Bud was left with a goofy grin on his face.
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TBC …
A/N: Next time, back to the two out on the porch. Sparks are likely to fly … of one kind or another. -- Teacup
