Chapter 14

Sam watched this group of people as they laughed and chatted that evening. They seemed to truly like and respect each other. He was amazed at what Al had told him about how each of them would be affected by the death of Harriett and the baby.

It was hard to believe, seeing Mac as happy and bright as she was tonight that she would start drinking again. Sam could feel the sexual tension between her and the Admiral, and wondered if anything would ever come of it. But he could also sense undercurrents between her and Commander Rabb.

Bud was such a sweet and caring husband and father, he was so attentive to both Harriett and their son. Sam wondered how he could've forgotten about little AJ being left alone when he killed himself. The devastation he must've been feeling had to have been overwhelming for that to happen.

And even though, he was in the Navy, Sam was sure Tiner was so young that he hadn't experienced the loss of someone close to him, so Sam could understand how Harriett's death would hit him hard.

Sam could also see that Victor Galindez treated Harriett like a sister and cared for her deeply. As for how Rabb and Brumby reacted to her death, Sam could only speculate that Harriett and Bud had the kind of relationship that they would like to have if they only admitted it to themselves. And then, not being able to find that ideal in their own life, that when their ideal relationship crumbled they lost all hope of having a successful one for themselves.

The Admiral was a bit harder to figure out, because of his rank, he was more distant, and because not knowing him as well, harder to read. But Sam seemed to be able to draw on something from Harriett on this one…he just seemed to know that the Admiral was a lonely man, who was badly in need of someone special in his life. From the sexual tension between him and Colonel Mackenzie, Sam suspected that there were feelings there that neither could admit to the other. And with Harriett's death weighing on them they would probably try and suck it up and face it alone. Each in their own way. Each alone. Both hurting terribly, but not able to tell the other how they felt. So here was the potential for a relationship between two wonderful people that would also be ruined by Harriett's death if Mac started drinking and the Admiral retired and remained alone. Sam wished that there were something that he could do to put them on the right track towards each other.

Most of the group seemed very reluctant to allow the evening to end. But the restaurant wanted to close and little AJ was already asleep in his high chair. Sam/Harriett could hardly keep his/her eyes open either, so Bud unenthusiastically suggested that he take his family home. He jokingly told everyone Harriett had predicted that tomorrow was going to be the day she had Baby Sarah, so they would need all their rest tonight.

The group hearing this quickly started a pool on what time this might happen. Everyone wanted in on the action, even Bud and the Admiral put up a dollar to choose a time. When Sam said that he wanted in also, they wondered if that were fair because she was the one having the baby, but after some discussion they determined that she couldn't really know when it would happen so let Harriett place her bet also.

Sam noticed that Al was there and raised an eyebrow at him for the time of the birth. Al checked with Ziggy and told Sam that Harriett would go into labor at about 5am and have the baby at 7:40am. Since Sam was still determined to find a way to save both mother and baby, he figured the money they won could go towards buying one of those spinning things for the top of the crib for the baby to look at. Harriett placed her bet for 0745 EST and Tiner wrote it down with the others.

Everyone said their good-byes with hugs or hand shakes and they all scattered to their own vehicles.

To be continued…..