Broken Bough
Chapter 25
Monday, May 12, 2003
1130 Local Time
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
After Webb's death life at JAG headquarters settled into the usual routine way of life for their specialty. That is without the usual tension brought about by Harm and Mac dancing around each other and their feelings for each other. Harm was as cheerful as all get out as he was excited about his impending fatherhood.
Bud, Harm, Loren and Harriet were sitting in the courtyard on a pleasant spring day. They were discussing the impending births of their children.
"God I hope this next delivery is alright," Harriet said.
"You're not worried that what happened the last time will happen again, are you," Loren asked.
"No that happened because of two things, one a doctor's incompetence and two the fibroid tumors I had. While Bud was away on the Seahawk, I had Dr. Wynter do a laparoscopic surgery to remove them. Also Dr. Wynter is a bit more dedicated to her craft than Gettis was. That asshole should have been thrown in jail," Harriet said vehemently.
Bud looked at her and just nodded in agreement. He so wasn't going to pick at the scab of that wound.
Harriet continued "Anyway Bud is an expert at fatherhood. Harm how are you and Jack adjusting?"
Harm quirked his eyebrows at Harriet's use of his name thinking that she finally learned to relax in an informal setting. He replied, "Well, Loren and Sarah got together and decided that we needed to go for fatherhood classes. I think it's designed to give men more confidence with babies."
Bud shook his head and said, "Waste of time. As much as I enjoy fatherhood, nothing prepares you for the real thing. The messes Anthony James left in his diaper sometimes should have been reported as nuclear waste. And don't get me started on toilet training."
Harm looked wide eyed at Bud saying, "That's AJ's real name? You never told us that. What does the admiral think?"
"Well the admiral saw the look on Harriet's face when he told us what his real name was. After you all left, he told us, no ordered us, to not name our baby that. So we did the next best thing. We named him after my grandfather Anthony and Harriet's grandfather James. I think the admiral was happier for that than anything else. Anyway getting back to my original point what did you and Jack learn?"
Harm smiled "Jack and I tackled it as aviators - one is lead, one is wingman. I would change the baby doll and hand him off to Jack and vice-versa. We got so good at our assembly line style of child care that the instructor ladies thought that we made a cute couple."
All the officers at the table laughed heartily.
Harm continued with, "Anyway I think I'm getting more experience being a husband as you two here (pointing at Loren & Harriet) and Sarah at home have me, Admiral Chegwidden, Bud and even Sturgis running around like crazy getting some of the weirdest food combinations to satisfy your insane cravings."
"Yeah I'm really enjoying having Commander Turner do errands for me. I think he's making up for distrusting me before I went overseas," Loren said with a satisfied smile as she took a bite out of her sandwich of sardines, Nutella and grape jam.
Harm turned away in disgust at that. Harriet and Bud took it in stride.
Harm's attention was jerked back to Loren as she said, "And Uncle Harm what did I tell you about hovering , hmm?"
"What are you talking about? I haven't been hovering over you. You so much as asked me not to," Harm replied almost indignantly.
Loren began her explanation, "It's not me I'm talking about, it's Sarah. We had a nice long chat one night while you and Commander Krennick were at sea on that Pakistani freighter investigating how a kilo heroin was missing."
Harm replied, "Sarah didn't tell me about that. What did she say?"
"She said that the five days you were out there were the most restful since she got pregnant. She could come and go in the house without you running after her asking if she needed anything or was alright. She's getting exasperated that every time she turns while sleeping, you were waking her up and asking if everything was alright. She loves you dearly, but she wishes that you would just chill out."
"Does Jack do the same thing?" Harm asked a bit embarrassed also in a lame attempt to defend himself.
"Yeah come to think about it he does. You know I think that you and he need to go away together for a weekend and leave us women folk to our own devices. I could use a good spa treatment," Loren said with a sigh.
"You know that sounds like a good idea Loren," Harriet said. She continued, "Bud why don't you, Jack and Harm go flying in Sarah. Take Anthony James with you. He's been asking when Uncle Harm can take him flying," Harriet suggested.
"You know why don't we go fishing? Bud said. He continued, "I remember Jack speaking about his place on Tilghman Island and his boat. Does he have it in the water yet Loren?"
"Yes he does. We went up there two weekends past with his dad and they prepped it for the season and put it in the water. Jack and I were out on the water yesterday. I'm sure he knows his way around the Chesapeake and some nice spots to drop a line," Loren confirmed."
"Sounds good, I'll call him this afternoon when I come out of court. How about this Saturday?" Harm suggested.
"That's fine with me," Bud said. He looked at Harriet who nodded her ascent.
That afternoon before they left for the day, Harm made the arrangements with Jack while Loren and Harriet called Mac at the Navy yard and made spa reservations.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
0600 Local Time
Tilghman Island Marina
Tilghman Island, MD
Jack and Harm arrived at the marina together. Just before Harm left the house at 0400, Bud called to notify him, "AJ has a stomach flu. I'm staying home with him while Harriet, Loren and Mac go out. Sorry Harm."
"Don't worry about it Bud. I'll make it up to you and the little guy. I'll see you Monday," Harm replied before they ended the call.
Jack said, "Well it's just you and me buddy. Frankly it's probably better little AJ didn't go. A four year old would have been bored out of his skull and impatient to catch something. I wouldn't care if we caught anything at all."
"I hear you pal. What's the saying 'A bad day of fishing beats a good say of working'," Harm said in agreement.
"Right on Hammer," Jack said as they fist bumped each other.
They loaded the cooler containing iced beer and soda and the bait onto the boat and set out from the dock. Jack owned a 40 foot pleasure craft he and his dad named "Lovely Rita".
At Harm's questioning glance at the name Jack explained, "Dad was a Beatles Fan and he did meet my mom Rita in New York City when she gave him a parking ticket for an expired parking meter."
The boat had an inboard engine and an enclosed wheelhouse and sleeping cabin. There was a nice sized seating area on the rear deck. It was perfect for them to just sit and, as Loren put it, drop a line and relax. It didn't take them long to get to a nice isolated spot in the bay just south of Coaches Island and west of the Sherwood peninsula that led to Tilghman Island, well out of the shipping channels. They dropped anchor and started casting their lines on opposite sides of the boat.
Jack handed Harm a cigar saying, "To keep the flies and mosquitoes away."
Harm cut and lit it expertly. He inhaled the aroma and sighed, "This is the first one I've had since I gave these up a few years ago."
"Yeah I hear ya. Loren won't let me smoke these at home it's bad for the baby. Another good reason little AJ isn't here."
Harm grinned at that.
The guys fished for a while. They used up all the bait but still didn't catch anything, but it didn't matter. They just enjoyed the quietude. They put the fishing poles away, sat down on the other benches in the seating area and opened a couple of beers.
"I'm sure the girls are enjoying the day without us," Harm said after a few sips.
"Uh huh I'm sure," Jack grunted.
Harm heard a tone of wistfulness. He asked, "Everything alright with you and Loren buddy?"
"Oh yeah everything is great. It's just that Loren would have loved this, pregnant or not. She really enjoyed going out on the water last weekend, just the two of us. As soon as we anchored she took off her sundress. She had on this yellow bikini and she looked so beautiful." Jack's mind went to the activities immediately following Loren's revelation of her assets.
Ignoring the look on his friend's face, Harm nodded knowingly visualizing Mac in her bikinis.
Harm was brought out of his revelry when Jack blurted out, "I'm going to ask Loren to marry me!"
Harm did a double take at that. All he could say was "Wow! That's great buddy."
"Please don't tell anyone Harm, not even Mac. I want Loren to be the next to know."
"No problem buddy. I'll let you have your moment."
Jack was about to reply when her heard the faraway roar of high performance engine come from the port side heading north toward them.
He looked out over the water and saw a racing boat heading in their direction. He said, "Jeez if that guy doesn't veer off in the next hundred yards, he's either going to swamp us or collide. Harm go pull the anchor up. I'll start the engine."
Harm did as Jack ordered. Thankfully the engine started without a trouble. Jack put the transmission in reverse and quickly backed away from the intended path of the oncoming racer. Fortunately that move saved them as the racer didn't veer off, but headed straight toward where they used to be and quickly passed 20 yards in front the bow of Lovely Rita and kept on going without any reduction in speed.
"He's going to hit the jetty on Coaches," Jack exclaimed.
No sooner he said that it happened. They watched in horror as the boat hit the south barrier jetty of the island. The boat went straight up the rocks and did a back flip and fell onto the rocks. Seconds after the impact, the engine exploded into an intense fireball.
Jack engaged the transmission and headed toward the wreck. He picked up his radio and notified the Coast Guard of the incident.
After Jack put the microphone down, he asked Harm, "Did you see anyone on that boat or even fall out at the impact?"
"No I didn't. What do we do now?"
"Well someone else on Tilghman or Coaches would have seen that and reported it just like we did. We'll just sit and wait," Jack replied.
Jack drove the boat as close to the Coaches Island jetty as the buoys in the water allowed them. Harm dropped the anchor. They sat and waited. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of motor launch coming from their stern. They looked over the gunwale and saw a gray zodiac type craft coming their way. There were three men of deeply tanned complexion riding it. The zodiac slowed and veered toward the port side of Jack and Harm's boat.
Harm asked Jack, "Did you bring your weapon."
"Yeah in my bag, you got yours?" Jack replied.
"In my rucksack, let me get them" Harm said.
Jack nodded keeping an eye on the strange boat. Harm retrieved their Sig Sauer-9mm. pistols from the respective bags. He put his in his waistband at the back. He went up behind Jack and surreptitiously gave him his. Jack also put his in the back of his waistband under his untucked golf shirt.
Soon the zodiac slowed and pulled alongside the Lovely Rita.
Jack hailed the three men with, "Ahoy anything we can do for you?"
The one driving the boat from the rear mounted motor spoke with a Middle Eastern accent when he replied with, "We need to borrow your boat."
"What's wrong with yours?" Jack replied.
"That was it," The man said pointing toward the wreckage on the jetty. He continued, "The throttle got stuck and we had to jump overboard. Luckily we were able to untie the boat and swim to it and come here."
Harm looked them over and saw that they were lying, as their clothing was still dry. He let Jack take the lead as he asked, "Why do you need my boat for?"
None of the three answered right away. Before he could wonder at that, Harm saw one of the men reach for something between the seats out of sight from him and Jack. Harm drew his weapon and pointing it at the man reaching down said, "I think you three better stand-up with your hands on your heads."
The three saw that Jack had also pulled his pistol and pointed it unwaveringly at them.
The three in the zodiac looked at each other as if to say, "We didn't think we'd get resistance." Wisely deciding that discretion was the better choice, they stood up in the rocking boat and placed their hands on their heads. Coincidentally the wind started to pick up which caused the Zodiac to rock a bit more than usual. As a result they were finding it difficult to keep standing and to keep from falling overboard.
Soon a Coast Guard orange patrol craft arrived a tied up alongside on the opposite side of Lovely Rita from the zodiac. A Lieutenant Riker and Petty Officer Stanton exchanged their credentials with Harm & Jack and climbed aboard. They surveyed the three men now seated in the now tied to Lovely Rita zodiac but still with their hands on their heads and the three AK47s on the deck. Riker asked Harm and Jack, "Want to explain."
Jack began, "Shortly after the boat that's wrecked on the jetty there, (Jack pointed to Coaches Island 30 yards off the starboard side) these guys pull alongside in the zodiac and demanded to borrow our boat. We were of course reluctant to allow them aboard. They seemed to reach for something under the seats so we drew our weapons and requested they stand with their hands on their heads. We threw them a line and instructed them to tie their boat off to ours. When we pulled them alongside, we saw the AK-47s under the seat. While my buddy here covered them we had them pick the rifles up by their muzzles and hand them to us. We then had them push off and sit back down while we waited for you."
"Well we'll take these guys into custody and tow their boat. The NTSB will want a statement from you guys. We and they can reach you swabbies through JAG headquarters?" Riker asked.
"Yeah you can," Harm replied, giving over one of his business cards.
The "coasties" took the three suspects into custody and tied their own line to the zodiac's bow and towed it away.
When the coasties sailed away Harm said to Jack, "We don't tell Mac & Loren of this right."
"You won't get an argument out of me pal," Jack replied in agreement.
They started to get their gear straightened out for the ride home.
Monday, May 19, 2003
1030 Local Time
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
Unfortunately for the two men, their girls did find out as the news of Jack & Harm's run in with the Coast Guard had made it all the way up to the SECNAV's office.
When Harm came down from court he found Tiner waiting for him at the bullpen double doors. "Commander Rabb I'll take your things to your office. The admiral needs to you to report to him forthwith sir."
"Aye, aye Tiner," Harm muttered as he handed his briefcase over.
He strode right to AJ's office door and knocked. He walked in at the expected, "Enter".
He went up and stood respectfully in front of AJ's desk. Just as he snapped to AJ said, "At ease commander and have a seat."
When Harm sat AJ said, "These two agents are from the Department of Homeland Security."
Harm turned and saw a dark haired man of about 39 years and a blond woman of about 38 years. They wore dark suits. They showed their identifications from Homeland Security. Harm read John Kilmer, on the man's ID and Francesca Ellroy on the woman's ID.
"What can I do for you Agents Kilmer and Ellroy?"
"You and Commander Keeter were out on the Chesapeake this past Saturday?" Ellroy began.
"Yes we went fishing. We didn't catch anything, but we appreciated the quiet time before we became fathers," Harm said.
"Your wives are going to have babies?" Kilmer asked.
"Yes they are. The ladies said we were hovering too much and told us to get lost for the day. Now I'm sure this line of questioning doesn't have to do with our personal lives. I imagine it has to do with the three men that we encountered, is that correct?" Harm asked.
"You're right. When the Coast Guard officers brought the three men in under arrest, the CGCIS got a warrant to search the addresses that were indicated on their driver's licenses. At one address they found an outline and maps of the Navy base at Norfolk, specifically where the aircraft carriers were berthed," Ellroy explained.
Kilmer picked the story up, "They also had plans and other diagrams for bomb making and radio control devices. They seemed to be planning a remote control collision bombing of Navy vessels. The crash you and Commander Keeter witnessed was probably a dry run. Apparently the reason they wanted your boat was to eliminate witnesses to their attempt. The three Saudis didn't confirm that as they're not talking."
Harm whistled at that and said, "I knew they were lying about jumping overboard. Their clothing was dry."
"Uh huh that jibes with what Commander Keeter said in our interview with him this morning," Kilmer said.
"So what happens now?" Harm asked.
"You and Commander Keeter are going to Norfolk tomorrow to work with Agents Kilmer and Ellroy and Special Agent Abigail Borin of the CGCIS and Agent Gibbs from NCIS. You will work to ferret out the people who are planning to bomb our ships," AJ explained. His tone made it sound like an order, which it was.
"Oh lovely, Sarah is going to love that," Harm said.
AN: I'd like to thank "Flaunt" for supplying the help I requested as he came up with the three ideas expressed in this chapter.
Comedic 1 - The bit about the staff running around fulfilling Mac's, Loren's and Harriet's craving requests.
Comedic 2 - When Harm and Jack worked together at Father Classes and everyone thought they made a cute couple
Adventure – Yes I sent them fishing, but I took the adventure to another level.