OOOO

Part 10

Mac didn't believe it when she heard her name. She was coming out of a vivid dream and didn't want to go back to reality, not when she had been so cold and had been hurting so much.

"If I ignore it," she thought, "then maybe I'll be able to get back to sleep and go in peace, without waking again…"

"Mac!"

That sounded so like her Flyboy, though and it was breaking her heart.

"If only," she mumbled to herself, quietly.

OOOO

Harm could not get round to the front passenger door, but he assessed the way the car seemed to be caught and thought that it seemed to be safe and steady enough for him to climb in and get to Mac.

He wrenched open the back door and when the branches supporting the car didn't seem to protest, carefully climbed inside.

"Mac?" he called, softly, lowering himself down so that he was lying against the back of the driver's seat, "Are you okay? Honey, speak to me…"

He stretched his arm down and gently nudged her shoulder.

"Mac, please, let me know if you're okay…"

He only got a harsh groan, but it told him that she was still in the land of the living, which was miraculous, seeing as she'd been outside in the frigid cold for over 24 hours, now.

"Hey, Ninja-girl," his soft voice spoke of his joy at finding her, "I've come to get you out of here. Can you tell me, are you hurt?"

"Unnggghh…rrr…ribs…"

"Your ribs are hurt? Where anywhere else, Honey?"

"Head…" she moaned.

"Can you move your legs, Sarah?"

"Ungh-huhngh…"

Harm took that to mean 'Yes.'

"C...c...cold..."

"I know, sweetie..."

Harm could only comfort her with words and drop his jacket over her back, though he ached to somehow take her in his arms.

"Okay, just hold on tight," he kept his hand on her shoulder, "EMS are on their way. They're going to get a gurney down here and we'll get you out."

"Unnnggghh, Haarrmm…"

"What is it, Ninja-girl?"

"Really…you?"

"Yeah, it's really me, I promise…"

Never…break…a promise…"

"Nope haven't yet and I don't intend to anytime soon…"

"I love you, Harm…"

Harm couldn't help but grin as his heart took flight at her words. If they weren't sitting a wrecked car in a tree, just now, he'd kiss her!

"I love you too, Sweetie…Just you hold on for me, okay?"

"Yeah…"

OOOO

The rest of the JAG staff members were now assembled at the road-side, watching as the EMS crew got all of their equipment sorted.

"I'd say the ledge the Colonel's car went over is 200-300 meters down," Cresswell told the fire-chief, "Then there's a drop of about 150 metres, until you reach the ground. Commander Rabb is already down there, so he'll guide you down."

"Thank you, Sir…" the man nodded and went to lead his men into the forest.

"The poor Colonel," Harriet was blotting her eyes with a sodden tissue, "She's been there all of that time in the cold and…and maybe she's even badly hurt…"

"She'll be okay, Honey," Bud tried his best to console her, "The Commander's with her, now. She's going to be alright."

Jen had a supportive arm around Mattie, but even though her jacket was keeping out the cold, she still shook slightly from the shock.

"She's going to be okay, Mattie," Jen assured her, softly, "We've found her, now…"

OOOO

Harm jumped as his cell-phone shrilled in the still of the car.

"That's the EMS on their way, Harm…They should be setting up to rappel

down to you…"

"I'm with the Colonel, Sir…"

"Are you two safe? Is the car stable? How's the Colonel?"

"The Colonel is pretty banged up and very cold, but she's still conscious, Sir…The car doesn't seem to be going anywhere."

"Thank God," Cresswell murmured, adding, "I guess we have Mother Nature to thank, for this miracle."

"I guess so, Sir," Harm replied.

OOOO