Another week, another chapter. Thanks for the feedback, y'all.

Chapter 14:

Safe at Home

"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?"

--Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1545 Zulu

4 February 2004

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Admiral Chegwidden dug around in his desk, searching for aspirin. As happy as he was that Harm had been retrieved and returned to JAG, the man's recent promotion gave him a whole new set of headaches. With the rank of captain came a command post, and while he had a few slots opening up, they'd take him far away from Washington.

He supposed he was lucky, though. As long as Rabb was on medical leave, there'd be an excuse to keep him in Washington. It wasn't like he could send the man to take command of Naples or Pearl when he was having problems with the Hell that Sadik had put him through.

AJ pushed the button to call Coates into his office. She came in quickly and came to attention in front of his desk. "Yes, sir?"

"Coates, I need you to get Lieutenants Sims and Roberts and Commander Turner and bring them in here; I need to see all of you, because I've received word about Captain Rabb."

"Captain Rabb, sir?" Coates questioned.

AJ nodded and suppressed a smile. "We'll have to take care of his promotion ceremony when he feels better--didn't I just order you to go get some of my officers?"

Coates snapped to attention. "Yes, sir. On my way, sir."

"Dismissed."

The petty officer gave him a sharp nod before she hurried out of his office. AJ leaned back in his chair and frowned as he again considered the problem of Rabb's promotion. Both the CO at Naples and the CO at Pearl were getting out, but he was sure that there'd have to be two positions open in the vicinity. This time, he hoped that the Colonel and the Captain would get it right.

He had ordered the Colonel to fix things between them and he thought that the fact that Rabb was asking for her was a good sign. The one thing he'd never regret was throwing the two of them together. They made one hell of a working pair; he had a feeling that they'd make a better pair in life.

AJ looked up when his officers and his yeoman entered and came to attention in front of him. "At ease, people."

The four of them automatically relaxed slightly. AJ stood and walked around his desk. "I wanted to tell you four before scuttlebutt made this common knowledge. Commander Rabb has not only been rescued, but also received a promotion to Captain. He's currently at Bethesda undergoing treatment; either the Colonel or I will let you know when he can receive visitors."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Lieutenant Sims asked.

"Go ahead," he said.

"Sir? Do we know anything about his condition? Will Harm be all right?" she asked.

"I don't know, Lieutenant," he admitted. "Last word I got, he was in surgery. Colonel Mackenzie will be reporting his condition to me as soon as she finds out anything."

"Is there any way we can find out, sir?" Lieutenant Roberts asked.

Before AJ could answer, Sturgis spoke up. "Sir, permission to secure early today. I don't have any cases going to trial today, and I can easily finish my work at home after I see Harm." Sturgis held himself more stiffly than he usually did, and AJ could see that the Commander was worried. "He's my oldest friend, sir. I'd be derelict in my duty to him if I didn't go and see if he's okay."

Coates was next. "Please, sir, is the Captain okay? We really want to know."

AJ sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Sturgis, you can secure at 1200 hours to go see him. He isn't conscious yet, so I suggest that the rest of you wait until he's awake, but I won't stop you if you want to swing by the hospital," he said with a grimace. "We need to start taking care of our own again," he muttered.

"Dismissed," he said before any of them could offer any other remarks.

The four of them came to attention, then filed out of his office. AJ sat down in his chair with a thump. He needed to get his house in order. More and more he'd been thinking of retirement, but he couldn't go in that direction unless his JAG family was functional again.

1709 Zulu

4 February 2004

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, Maryland

Mac smoothed Harm's hair out of the way, then leaned down to brush her lips gently against his. "I know it's hard, Harm," she whispered. "I swear that I won't let that bastard hurt you anymore. If by some miracle he managed to survive, I'll kill him myself for what he did to you."

Mac picked up his bandaged hand, mindful of the IV in that arm, and placed a feather-light kiss on his damaged knuckles. "Wake up, flyboy--I need you to open those eyes of yours so that I know you're still with me. If you decide to die on me, Navy, I'll haul you back from the dead so that I can kill you myself for being stupid."

She drew in a deep breath and felt the air go past her now-raw throat and into her lungs. "I bet you didn't get the note I left you, did you, squid?"

"I guess I'll have to tell you what was in it, and we can laugh over it later. Harm, I love you. I'm sorry about what I said in Paraguay; I was wrong. Just open those beautiful gray-green eyes of yours and I'll forgive every nasty thing you ever said to me, I swear it. C'mon, flyboy. I need to see you smile at me."

Mac had continued along the same vein as she had been for what seemed like hours. She'd been alternately threatening and bribing Harm to wake up almost ever since she'd gotten to his room and pulled off her uniform jacket. Her throat was sore, and her mouth was dry, but there was a lot she had to tell him, and she figured that she might as well say it while he couldn't talk back.

She knew it was unfair, but she had missed him more than she had had thought possible and she needed to tell him some things. Mac figured that she could always say it again when he was awake and coherent, but there was something tempting about a captive audience.

Harm's hand tightened almost imperceptibly around hers and his eyes cracked open. His free hand came up and ripped the IV out of his arm before he disentangled his other hand, grabbed her, pulled her close, and buried his face in her stomach. "Mine," he insisted in a hoarse voice.

"For as long as you need me," she promised.

"Forever," he mumbled against her uniform blouse.

"I'm here, Harm," she promised as she ran her hand through his longish hair.

"Thought you were dead. He said you were, but I c'uld feel you. Then I knew you weren't; but you went 'way."

To her horror, Mac could feel slow, wet tears as they soaked into her blouse. He'd always seemed so strong to her; Harm crying wasn't something she was familiar with. "Shh," she whispered. "I could feel you too, Harm. You weren't alone, and you aren't now."

"Don't g'way," his voice said, slurred by weariness. "Never g'way. Need you."

"I won't," she promised again.

"Stay with me?" he asked, pleading.

Mac answered without words as she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed with him. She kissed him on the forehead and stroked his hair, uncertain of where she could touch him without causing pain. "Always," she said finally.

Harm adjusted his grip on her before reburying his face in her shoulder. "Mine," he said again. "My Sarah, my Mac, my Marine."

"Yes," was her simple answer. "Shh," she whispered. "Rest, flyboy. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" he asked, his voice sounding like a lost little boy.

"I promise," she answered. Mac continued stroking his hair until his breathing evened out. "You're safe with me, Harm," she murmured before she looked up and noticed the doctor standing near the door with Beth behind him.

"Commander, will he be okay?" she asked quietly, not wanting to wake him up.

The doctor walked in, picked up the dangling IV, then came over to look at Harm's arm. "I'll have to get a nurse to reinsert the IV; it contains a broad spectrum antibiotic to kill what infections he has and to prevent more; he was covered in dirt for a long time before any of his injuries got treated." He glanced at her briefly. "We're lucky that most of his cuts didn't go septic."

He pushed the call button and moments later, a nurse came in, followed by Beth. "Lieutenant, this patient needs a new IV shunt."

"Yes, sir," she said, reaching for the necessary supplies. She broke open the packaging efficiently, and reached for Harm's arm.

Harm's eyes flew open, and he pulled away from her cool hands. "No," he whispered hoarsely.

"We'll have to get the restraints," the doctor decided.

"NO," Harm yelled as loud as he could manage. "No chains."

Mac glared at the doctor and started stroking Harm's hair again. "It's okay, Harm. I won't let him do it." She kissed him on the forehead, then moved to his cheeks and nose, feathering soft kisses on his face. "Let them put the IV in, flyboy," she murmured. "They only want to help, and I need you whole."

Harm gave an almost imperceptible nod and let the nurse insert the needle. The lieutenant moved around the bed and bandaged his other arm before turning to the doctor. "Will that be all, sir?"

He nodded. "Dismissed."

Mac continued stroking Harm's hair as she turned towards the doctor. "You will not restrain him, Lieutenant Commander. If I have to pull rank on you, I will, but you will not do anything to send this man back to the hellhole he's been in for the past few months." She gave the man her best death glare before turning her full attention back to Harm.

The doctor turned and started to leave the room, but Mac's voice kept him from leaving. "Did I say you could leave yet, Lieutenant Commander Stone? I believe I asked for the Captain's condition, and you have yet to give it to me."

The doctor turned around and consulted his clipboard. "The captain has numerous contusions, cuts, four cracked ribs, a broken leg and ankle, and he required surgery to remove bits of wire from around his wrists and ankles. Several of his cuts were infected, but we cleaned them out, and the antibiotic should help with that."

"Is there anything else?" Mac asked.

"Most of the infected cuts were on his back and legs," the doctor admitted. "And he's also suffering from dehydration and he needs some decent meals. We're fighting a drug of unknown origin that was injected repeatedly into his bloodstream."

Mac raised an eyebrow and looked at Beth. "The drug in question is classified, but Jack is working on getting the antidote to clear the rest of it and any lingering residue from his blood."

The doctor reached up and scratched his balding head absently. "Everything should heal, we're pumping fluids into him through an IV, and a psychologist will be arranged for him as soon as he's mobile enough to go upstairs."

Beth broke in. "Will he be able to fly again?" she asked.

"You'd have to ask a flight surgeon, but as long as the drug has no lasting effects, and as long as he's faithful about his physical therapy, I don't see why not," he said.

"Dismissed, Commander," Mac said.

Mac could feel Beth's eyes on the two of them, but she ignored it in favor of giving Harm a hug. He hadn't spoken since his outburst, and she needed to know that he was okay.

Finally, Harm looked at her and smiled weakly. It wasn't much of a smile, as his smiles went, but it was her smile. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love it when you go semper-fi, kick-ass Marine on somebody?" he murmured.

"No," Mac answered as she reached behind herself for the cup of ice chips that she'd left there earlier. She was surprised when Beth handed it to her. "Thanks," she muttered. "Open up, Harm," she said gently. "If you're going to talk, you need some moisture."

"Looks like I didn't need to threaten you after all," Beth said.

Harm almost choked on his ice. "Threatened her?" What did you do, Beth?"

Mac just hugged him a little tighter, careful of the cuts on his back. He scooted closer to her, as if to let her shield him from his partner.

"Need to know," Beth replied, reaching out to grasp his free hand.

Harm pulled away from Beth and looked up at Mac. "She threatened me with death, dismemberment, and unspecified torture if I hurt you," Mac said with a grin. She leaned down closer to him. "I can think of a lot of things I'd like to do with you, Harmon Rabb, but they'll have to wait until you're better and we don't have an audience." She kissed him on the nose. "I love you, flyboy; you're stuck with me now."

"Good," was his only answer. He leaned against her and his eyes started to drift shut.

Mac knew better than to think he was asleep, so she kept stroking his hair, using her lightest, most gentle touch.

"He loves you, you know," Beth said softly.

Mac nodded. "I figured that out a while ago; how did you find out?"

Beth gave her a wry smile. "I got him really drunk," she admitted.

"Ah," she answered, distracted by Harm. "You're safe Harm," she whispered over and over in a litany.

Beth set something down on a chair. "I brought your seabag; I thought you'd like to change into something more comfortable."

Mac nodded again, her attention focused entirely on her sailor. He had come back to her, and she'd be damned if he'd slip away again. Maybe 'squid' wasn't a good nickname for him; 'eel' seemed to fit better. She'd promised that she'd stay, and she would; forever if he'd let her.