28
Harm was in his shirtsleeves, an apron protecting his shirt and service dress pants, just finishing clearing the breakfast dishes when Catherine led Mattie downstairs for Harm's inspection. A long discussion had led to Harm provisionally agreeing that Mattie could wear a jacket and pants combination subject to his approval.
The teenager presented a picture that had Harm half approving and half amused. Catherine had evidently attacked Mattie's usually unruly tangle of copper curls and had somehow bludgeoned them into submission and trapped them in a long braid that now hung down between her shoulder blades, and the vigorous efforts that this treatment had required was evidenced by Mattie's red-rimmed and still tearful eyes.
Harm ran a critical eye over Mattie's ensemble, not, he chided himself, that really needed to worry, she was after all wearing some of the spoils of a last minute trip to the stores under Catherine's tutelage. She was neatly and stylishly turned out in a classic pants suit in charcoal grey with what to his eyes looked suspiciously like a white silk shirt, its open collar turned up and over the jacket collar and lapels, and on her feet a pair of plain, black, low-heeled pumps.
Harm dried his hands, let the pride and affection he felt show in his smile, "Mattie, you clean up really good," he said fervently, "but… you don't look quite right," he manoeuvred past the two and into the den, where he opened his desk drawer and talking over his shoulder continued, "there's something missing!"
He turned just in time to catch the look of surprise on Catherine's face and an expression of annoyance on Mattie's. His smile, if anything became wider and he walked up to Mattie and said, "You kept your birthday a secret from us, but I couldn't let it go without some sort of gesture, and so I've been waiting for the right moment to give you this, with love from Catherine and I."
He held out a slim, flat box and handed it to Mattie, who stood in stunned silence as her eyes went alternatively from the box to Harm's face. "Go on, open it," he encouraged her.
With slightly trembling hands Mattie did as Harm had suggested and as she saw the contents of the box nestling against the maroon velvet box lining, her mouth dropped open in a silent "Oh" as she gave a gasp of surprise. "Ha… Harm… I… I… can't… you… sh… shouldn't…" she finally stuttered.
"Nonsense, you can and I should!" Harm contradicted her firmly, looking to Catherine for support.
"Of course you can Mattie!" Catherine agreed, taking the box from Mattie's nerveless fingers, "Now stand still!"
For once Mattie did as she was bid without argument, and Catherine, stepping behind her, clasped the slim gold chain around Mattie's neck, and then guided her out into the hall so that the teenager could see the gold cross that now hung at her throat.
"Oh… Harm…Thank you, thank you so much…" she managed as he hand crept up to touch the pendant, "I don't… I don't know what to say… but… but…" Mattie felt her tears coming and, as usual, turned to make an escape to the privacy of her room, only to find her path blocked by six feet four inches and two hundred and twenty pounds of apron-clad naval aviator turned attorney, who was now offering her a crisply ironed and spotless white handkerchief.
"It's OK, Squirt; it's OK to let people see you've got emotions. They won't think you weak or feeble, and it will stop them from thinking you're some kind of robot, and I kinda gotta admit, I was beginning to wonder the same thing my own self!"
Harm's nonsense got through to Mattie where perhaps a more reasoned argument would have failed, and with a watery giggle she took the offered handkerchief, mopped her eyes and fiercely blew her nose before offering it back to Harm.
Harm eyed the now no longer pristine article with disfavour, "No, that's alright Mats, you keep hold of it. I'll get myself another one!"
His expression as well as his words elicited another damp giggle, as Catherine suggested, "Why don't the two of you go and sit down, I need to see to Beth before I get ready."
Harm knowing full well that Catherine's outfit lay ready for her on their bed nodded his head in acquiescence and grinned, "C'mon Squirt, let's do as she says before she turns all DI on us! But… do you want another coffee before we sit?"
Mattie was about to say 'yes' when it was obvious from her expression that she was having second thoughts, "Uh… better not, we don't know how long the court is going to last, and I don't figure they're really in to letting folk go for bathroom breaks!"
Harm nodded approvingly, "Good thinking Mattie. Now let's just go through the rules again, shall we?"
"Yeah, I know," Mattie sighed, rolling her eyes theatrically, "I don't chew gum or spit on the court-room floor and I call the judge 'your honour'"
"Good, what else?"
"I answer all questions correctly and I don't volunteer more information than is asked for."
"And?" Harm prodded.
"And I speak from the heart and tell them why I want you to be my guardian."
Harm nodded approvingly, "Good, keep it simple!"
Mattie made a vague gesture with one hand, "So what do I tell the judge? That you fly a Stearman and that you used to make me eat Mrs Pearson's bean casserole so I wouldn't eat pizza seven days a week?"
Harm chuckled, "Yeah, well that ought to convince them!"
"I still don't see why I have to wear this… suit."
"Well apart from the fact that you look really, really good in it, it shows respect for the court!"
"What pretending to be somebody I'm not?"
"And it shows respect for yourself!"
"Now you sound just like my mother!" Mattie exclaimed.
Harm was surprised, Mattie never mentioned her mother, and to be compared to her by Mattie caused him to feel a warm glow pleasure. "I would have liked your mother!" he answered.
"Yeah, well you're a lot like her." Mattie assured him, and then as she saw the startled but amused look on his face, blushed and added hastily, "On the inside I mean!"
Fortunately for the sake of Mattie's composure, Catherine chose to make her entry at that moment, and both Harm and Mattie stood in recognition of her arrival and in approval of her appearance. She wore, as she had intended from the start, her mid-grey suit with the knee-length skirt, and a square necked white linen top which showed in a contrasting triangle between the jacket's lapels, and which was highlighted by her own constantly worn but rarely seen gold locket suspended from its chain about her neck.
Mattie had never seen Catherine in anything other than maternity wear, or since Beth's birth, in casual slacks and men's shirts, and stood open mouthed, "Wow… you look… fantastic!" she finally said.
"No more than you do!" Catherine smiled back.
"Yeah, right!" Mattie grumbled with a ferocious scowl, but secretly pleased by the compliment.
Harm who had doffed his apron, now took his jacket from the hangar on the back of the lounge door, checked his watch, and said as he picked up Beth's porta-crib and slung her diaper bag over his shoulder, "Well, if we're all ready, let's head for Charlottesville. We definitely do not want to be late this morning!"
xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii
Catherine kept Mattie and Harm waiting in the court-house while she took Beth to the women's bathroom for a quick change and a final feed before they took their places in front of the bench, and Harm only just managed a sigh of relief as Catherine re-joined them, with Beth in her porta-crib, before the bailiff called them forward.
They entered the sparsely populated courtroom proper and made their way to the front, Mattie acknowledging on the way an encouraging smile from a burly man in his forties, who she told Harm in a whisper was the Albemarle County Sherriff, the man who had allowed her to drive the Grace Aviation truck. That praise was no recommendation to Harm, and he fixed the law officer with a flat, almost unfriendly stare, receiving an unrepentant grin in return. The trio took their seats at the petitioners' table in the courtroom, Beth's porta-crib at Catherine's side and waited for the court to be called to order, and then Mattie, sitting nearest the aisle hissed into Harm's ear, "That's him!" indicating the middle aged-man taking a seat at the what Harm instinctively thought of as the prosecution table.
"Your father?" Harm asked, visually inspecting the badly shaved, shabbily dressed and watery eyed individual who glared back at him with absolute loathing.
"Yeah, that's him!" Mattie ground out between clenched teeth. But before Harm, Mattie or Tom Johnson could say anything else, the bailiff's voice rang out.
"All rise! The Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Albemarle County is in session, the Honourable Judge Madeleine Smith presiding!"
Judge Smith was an attractive brunette in her mid-to-late forties, with a no-nonsense manner about her. She stood in front of her chair taking in the scene in the court room, and raising an eyebrow at the sight of the peacefully sleeping Beth in her porta-crib, before saying, "Be seated!" suiting her own actions to her words.
She wasted no time, as she donned a pair of reading glasses and opened the file in front of her, saying, "Commander Rabb, you have, jointly with Miss Gale, petitioned the Family Relations court for the guardianship of Matilda Grace Johnson, a minor child."
"We have your honour." Harm replied; he and Catherine had decided that he should be their spokesperson unless the judge specifically asked Catherine a question.
Madeleine Smith removed her reading glasses and lay them on the bench in front of her, "I have read the report by Donna Le Moyne, the Guardian Ad Litem and the housing inspection report by Morgan Watley. Both reports raise questions, but both indicate a refreshing honesty and a realistic appraisal of the challenge you face."
Harm leaned forward slightly in his seating his hands lightly clasped on the table top in front of him, "I would be glad to answer any questions the court has your honour."
"And you will have your chance," Judge Smith responded, "However; this matter has become complicated by the return of Thomas Johnson, Matilda Grace Johnson's biological father."
Harm shot a glance across the aisle at Tom Johnson, to see a smug expression cross the other man's face as he heard the judge's words.
"Now, Mister Johnson, I understand that at this time you wish to address the court?"
"I do, your honour," Tom Johnson's voice was rasping and husky, the product of a long period of alcohol abuse.
Judge Smith nodded, "You need to be able to convince me that you are willing and capable of taking care of this child, so before you speak your piece, I have a few questions for you. Firstly, where have you been for the last six months?"
"Well… well, I've been trying to get my life back together, your honour."
"And you left Matilda on her own?"
Johnson sat back in his chair, his hands clasped on his stomach, "No, I left her with relatives," he grinned indulgently across the aisle at his daughter, "She chose not to stay with them, Mattie can be… uh… strong-willed!"
"And what's to say that you will not abandon this child a second time?" the judge asked.
"Well, ma'am, I was the victim of a very unfortunate accident…"
His prevarication was too much for Mattie, rising to her feet before Harm could prevent her, she glared across the aisle at her father, "You killed my mother!" she accused him.
Judge Smith turned her attention to Mattie, "Miss Johnson," she admonished the aggrieved teenager.
Mattie looked at Judge Smith, "My name is Grace, Mattie Grace," she indicated Tom Johnson, "Johnson is his name!" She lifted her head slightly and continued, "And he was drunk…!"
But before she could say anything else, she was stopped by Harm's softly spoken, but clearly audible, "Mattie… sit down." An unhappy Mattie sat and listened as Harm added, "Your father has a right to be heard, and you need to respect this court."
An embarrassed but still defiant Mattie gulped, and once more addressed the Judge, "I'm sorry… your honour."
"Apology accepted," the Judge replied and then with just a suggestion of a half-smile and an acknowledging inclination of her head added, "Miss Grace."
There was a couple of seconds silence while an abashed Mattie lowered her gaze and Judge Smith returned her attention to Tom Johnson, who stood to face her, "Your honour, I was not always the way I am now. Mattie might not remember, she might not want to remember, but I used to be a good man, and I used to be a good father," he said earnestly. "See, her mother used to work nights, and I used to make the dinner, I used to read to her," his voice cracked with emotion as he looked across the aisle at his daughter who returned his tear filled glance with one of scorn. "The fact is, I've made some mistakes, made some big ones. Things I can never repent for, no matter how much I wish I could, but I am trying to be a better man… for Mattie. And all I'm asking is that you give her the chance to get to know me the way I am now." Johnson gave a slight shrug and after a moment resumed his seat, and as he did so, Mattie once again stood.
"May I say something, your honour?" she asked.
The judge made an open hand gesture implying permission, and said, "This is your day, Mattie."
"There is no way this man can make it up to me. He got behind the wheel when he was drunk, I will never forgive him for that." Mattie half turned to her left for a moment and indicated Harm and Catherine, "Commander Rabb and Miss Gale have offered to make a place for me in their lives, and they have offered me more parenting in the few months that I have known them, than I have received from that man in a year or more. I promise to do as they tell me, and that I won't cause any trouble for them."
The judge shook her head slightly, "Trouble is a part of life. I am only interested in how Commander Rabb and Miss Gale are going to handle that trouble."
Her words brought Harm to his feet, "Your honour, I lost my father when I was young, not because he left, but because he went missing in action in Vietnam. I know what it's like to grow up without a father, and I don't take the responsibility of fatherhood lightly. I give my word to this court, your honour, that I will do my level best to ensure that Mattie gets everything she deserves. I've given her my word that she will never be alone in this world again!"
Tom Johnson surged to his feet, his anger evident in his voice, "There's only one problem with that! You're not her father!"
Judge Smith intervened before the situation could escalate, "Donna Le Moyne was most impressed with Commander Rabb and Miss Gale; she believes they would make very suitable guardians."
"But, doesn't a man have a right to be with his own child?" Johnson demanded.
"That is a primary consideration, Mister Johnson. However, this court must also consider what kind of father you will make, and also what kind of guardians Commander Rabb and Miss Gale will make."
Both Harm and Tom Johnson remained standing as Judge Smith continued, "I also see that Miss Le Moyne noted in her report that Miss Gale was pregnant at the time of her interview, and I see now that Miss Gale has an infant with her. I assume that the one is the consequence of the other?"
Catherine stood, "Yes, your honour." She glanced down at the porta-crib, "This is our daughter, Elizabeth. She's one month old today."
Judge Smith again made the merest suggestion of a smile, "Congratulations to you both, Miss Gale. But your daughter's very existence raises more questions. You are, I am given to understand, an attorney employed by the State Department?"
"Yes, your honour," Catherine replied.
"And you are at present on maternity leave, I take it?"
"Yes, that is so," Catherine agreed.
"How can this court be sure that you are not petitioning for the guardianship of Mattie Grace, solely for the purpose of acquiring an unpaid nurse-maid while you resume your career?"
"That would be difficult to disprove, your honour, but it would also be difficult for Mattie to fulfill that function, as the hours I usually work overlap with the hours that Mattie will be in school."
The judge nodded, "Yes, I see that Miss Le Moyne noted that you had provisionally enrolled Mattie in a local high school. Very well."
Mattie, with a glance at Harm and Catherine as the latter resumed her seat, once again stood, "May I speak to that, your honour?"
"Please do," Judge Smith replied.
"When my mother was still alive, she had me do chores around the house, and like I said to Commander Rabb and Miss Gale, talking to friends at my last school, that was usual, they all did chores too, and sometimes those chores included looking after their younger brothers and sisters. Your honour, I was present when Miss Gale had Elizabeth, and I already think of her as my little sister, so I'll be happy to look after her for short periods once she is older."
"I see, thank you, Mattie," Judge Smith said gravely. "Now," she continued, "I see from the court schedule, Commander, that you had two character witnesses prepared to speak on your behalf?
Harm stood again, "Unfortunately your honour, Lieutenant Commander Roberts has been ordered away from Washington on duty, and my other witnesses, Lieutenant Sims, is unable to attend court today due to her son's illness, and both have asked me to tender their apologies to the court. Lieutenant Commander Roberts has, however, prepared a sworn affidavit, which has been notarised, and which, with the court's permission, I would like to submit."
"Very well, Commander; Bailiff please…"
Barely had the bailiff handed Bud's statement to the judge, when the doors at the rear of the court room opened, and a second bailiff entered, "Your honour, there is an unlisted character witness who would like to be heard. A Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie."
Tom Johnson, Mattie and Harm all turned their heads, a look of frustration on Mattie's father's face while she and Harm both wore expressions of surprised alarm. The judge too looked surprised, and not altogether pleased, but nevertheless, bowed her head in a sign of approval. The bailiff opened the door and stood back to let Mac enter.
Mac was in full Marine Corps Service Dress Alphas, her garrison cap tucked under her left arm. She stood, head high, her expressionless gaze locked with Harm's for a moment at the far end of the aisle before she advanced to stand between the two tables and halted facing the judge, while Harm sat, concerned with what she might say, particularly as, despite his words to Catherine, he still partly suspected that Bud's assignment to the USS Eisenhower was no coincidence.
Mac took up a position that resembled 'Parade Rest', her hands lightly clasped at the full extent of her arms behind her back. She took a breath in readiness and then said, "Firstly, your honour, as Lieutenant Commander Roberts' Commanding Officer, I must inform the court that it was through obedience to my orders that he is unable to present his evidence in person today, and for that I offer the court my apologies, but plead in mitigation that the needs of the service on this occasion override Commander Roberts' obligation to Commander Rabb, but I hope that I can somehow fulfill that obligation on Commander Roberts' behalf. Your honour, I have been a colleague of Commander Rabb for eight years. I have the highest level of respect for his honour and integrity."
"What is your opinion of his and Miss Gale's suitability as guardians for Mattie Grace?" Madeleine Smith asked.
"I don't know Miss Gale particularly well, your honour, but that Commander Rabb has chosen her as his partner speaks well of her. As to Commander Rabb, I consider him to be highly suitable, your honour."
"And on what do you base that opinion, Colonel?"
Mac continued, ignoring the hostile glare emanating from Tom Johnson as well as the open-mouthed surprised stares from Harm, Mattie and Catherine, "Your honour, I have seen the Commander put his own life at risk to protect the son of a fellow aviator who was killed in the line of duty. The Commander has always taken a personal interest in cases involving children, your honour. He has taken a child witness into his home," Mac allowed a small smile of remembrance cross her face as she added, "and pulled strings to get medical attention for a traumatised little girl after he made it his personal quest," Mac turned her head to look at Harm for the first time since she started speaking, "after he made it his personal quest to solve that little girl's sister's murder; He was also instrumental in introducing that little girl to the family that subsequently adopted her. He has made it his business to stay in touch with that family, and with the little girl."
Judge Smith responded with a hint more warmth in her voice, "That does speak well of the Commander. What else can you give me?"
"I have given a lot of thought to the kind of man that I would want to be the father of my children, if I ever…," Mac paused, swallowing hard to clear her throat, "Commander Rabb is that kind of man, and your honour, I can't prove it to you, but I can only state without reservation that he is up to the job."
"Thank you, Colonel," the judge said. Mac nodded in acknowledgement of her dismissal and took a seat behind Harm and Mattie.
Judge Smith looked from Harm and Catherine to Tom Johnson, "You both make compelling cases for custody. Mister Johnson, while you do share biology and a history with Mattie it will be very difficult for you to take care of Mattie until you have recovered…"
Once again there was an interruption from the courtroom floor, as Sheriff Mitchell rose to his feet. "Your honour, if I may speak, before you pronounce judgement?"
"This is unusual Sheriff, but… if you have something pertinent to those proceedings, let's hear it!"
"Yes, your honour, I do. I have in my pocket a fugitive warrant for the arrest of Tom Johnson on charges of fraud, malfeasance and theft, and I intend to take him into custody the minute this court is adjourned."
Judge Smith's grave but somewhat easy going air dissolved instantly. "Bailiff, take Mister Johnson into custody. Sheriff, my chambers now! This court is in recess for the next twenty minutes!"
A stuttering and bewildered Tom Johnson had his arm taken in the bailiff's grasp, and was led away to the holding cells, while all present stood as Judge Smith swept out of the courtroom. Sheriff Mitchell gave Mattie a wry grin as he lumbered after her, while Catherine murmured, "Oh my, I'd almost completely forgotten that I'd made out that complaint!" while Mattie turned to Harm.
"What's going on Harm?" she demanded.
"It's to do with that bank loan your father took out and secured against the business. He never used any of it for the business, but put it into his pocket. That's theft. By making it a business instead of a personal loan, that's fraud. And to do that he took advantage of his position in holding your power of attorney, and that's malfeasance, or acting in bad faith. And talking about acting in good or bad faith, Mattie. Will you excuse me for a moment, please?"
"But…"
"Mattie could you come and give me a hand with Beth, please?" Catherine interrupted whatever the teenager was about to say.
Harm gave her a grateful glance over Mattie's head and waited until the two of them headed for the women's bathroom, before he turned to face Mac. "I… I… don't really know what to say, Mac…" he raised his open hands palms forward and waist high, in a gesture that showed his perplexity, "Of all the people to come forward today… to say what you did… I just don't know how I, how we, can thank you."
Mac let a half-smile settle briefly on her lips, "You've just said 'thank you' Harm, although there are no thanks needed. We may be mad at each other right now, and we may, as you said, need time and distance to recover from the wounds we gave each other, but I still consider us to be friends, and I felt that the least I could do, as I had to send Bud TAD, was to step up to the plate and pinch-hit for him!"
"You did much, much more than that, Mac. And all of us, Mattie, Catherine and me, we will never be able to repay what we now owe you!"
"I may not have achieved anything Harm, so let's have no more talk of thanks and obligation or owing anybody anything!" Mac picked up her cover from the bench and made as if to leave, only to be stopped by Harm's voice.
"Please don't go, Mac. Stay until the hearing ends, please? I know that Catherine will want to add her thanks, and I'm pretty sure that between us, she and I can coax Mattie into saying something nice!"
Mac chuckled, her eyes suspiciously moist, "Damn you, Harmon Rabb! You always make simple things complicated! And unless I was really mad at you I never could resist that damn' whipped puppy expression of yours! So, OK, I'll stay to the bitter end!"
"Well at least let me thank you for that!"
"Granted," Mac smiled as she sat down again.
Harm looked at her thoughtfully, "Mac, with Bud away and little A J sick, I guess that Harriet's put off the normal Roberts' Christmas open house, so win or lose today, why don't you come to us for Christmas dinner tomorrow? Make it a first step on our way to reconciliation?"
"That's very generous of you Harm, but it may be a mite too early, and maybe a mite too big a first step, but even if it wasn't, I couldn't accept. I'm committed to spending tomorrow with Clay at his mother's house…"
Harm winced, his expression bringing a further chuckle from Mac, "Yeah, that's about the way that I feel! Porter Webb isn't all that fond of me; I suspect she thinks I'm not good enough for Clay!"
Harm shook his head slightly, but having detected a familiar bitterness in Mac's voice he refrained from answering, and had never felt more relieved when he saw Catherine, Beth and Mattie returning from the women's room. Their arrival served to put an end to a conversation that Harm was uneasily aware had the potential of leading them into uncertain territory, and Catherine picked up on that awareness and was quick to acquiesce when Mac indicated the porta-crib and asked, "May I?"
"Of course," Catherine answered, "But I've just fed her, so I'm hoping she'll go back to sleep and be as good as she has been so far!"
"OK, I won't disturb her," Mac promised as she bent over the porta-crib and took in Beth's blue eyes and the fair, downy hair that poked out from under her knitted cap, "Oh, she is beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" Mac said in a choked voice, and then cleared her throat before she continued, "You must be very, very proud of her!"
"Yes, we are," Catherine agreed, looking appraisingly at Mac. She and the brunette officer had never gotten on well with each other, there had always been both a professional and personal rivalry between them, to which on Catherine's part there was added a fair amount of animosity based on Mac's past treatment of Harm, but today's events had caused her to start to re-evaluate her opinions. But for the moment, she was content to accept Mac's praise of her daughter, and let bygones be bygones and wait quietly for the court to be called back to order.
They didn't have very long to wait before the bailiff re-appeared with Mattie's father, and standing next to Johnson, repeated his performance calling the court to order as Judge Smith re-entered the court room, while Sheriff Mitchell came back into the room through the rear doors, dropping an extravagant wink towards Mattie as he did.
Madeleine Smith took her seat, allowing all present to do the same. She glared unhappily at Tom Johnson, and said, "Please stand, Mister Johnson!" and then waited for him to do so before she continued, "I have read the charges and specifications on the warrant for your arrest, and I am appalled at the gravity and the nature of the offences you are alleged to have committed. If those charges are proved against you, I am certain that you will face a lengthy period of incarceration, and will therefore not be in a position to provide for Mattie. I am also given to understand that you no longer have any ties to the community, and nowhere to live, so that you are not in fact currently able to provide a home for Mattie. Taking into consideration these circumstances, and given your previous disappearance, Sheriff Mitchell has informed me of his intention to oppose any suggestion of bail at your arraignment, another circumstance that will prevent you taking care of your daughter. That being the case, I am strongly tempted to strip you of your parental rights, right here and now. However, I am prepared to wait until the resolution of the criminal charges you face before I do so. In the meantime, taking into account Colonel MacKenzie's ringing endorsement of Commander Rabb, I grant temporary custody of Matilda Grace, a minor child, to Commander Harmon Rabb and Miss Catherine Gale! Such custody to last until Thomas Johnson's trial is concluded, when the case will be reviewed. Commander, you and Miss Gale are granted leave to petition for Thomas Johnson to be stripped of those rights in the event he is convicted of these criminal charges. Sheriff, you may take custody of Thomas Johnson! This court is adjourned!" The judge slammed her gavel on the block with such vigour that the sound reverberated around the courtroom, and for an instant Harm wondered if the head pf the gavelwould separate from the shaft.o
Tom Johnson was led away in handcuffs, screaming "I'm innocent; this is all a Goddamned lie! Damn you Rabb, I'll get you for this! I'm being framed!"
A white faced and trembling Mattie turned to Harm and Catherine, "What does this all mean… I… don't understand… does this mean that I can stay with you?"
"Yes, Mattie you stay with us until at least your dad's case come up in the criminal court, and I shouldn't think there's any doubt that he'll be found guilty, and when that happens you'll be with us for ever!"
Mattie gave a gulp and a sob, and hurled herself against Harm's chest, throwing her arms about him and burying her face in his shoulder while she cried. Catherine smiled at Harm above Mattie's head, "Hug her back," she mouthed, "she won't break!"
Neither of them noticed Mac's wistful smile, as the Marine Officer silently picked up her cover and quietly left them alone.
xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii
Mattie took her place on the Lexus' middle seat and helped Catherine to secure the porta-crib to the baby-seat's base, and then her hands went to her braid.
"What are you doing, Squirt?" Harm asked her.
"Letting my hair down! After all that's what people do when they celebrate, isn't it?" Mattie challenged.
"Well, yeah it is, but we need you to keep it braided for a while longer, we have one more important call to make, and then we can get home and you can let your hair loose, and scramble back into your jeans and sweater!"
"Oh… that sounds like heaven!" Mattie sighed, and then added suspiciously, "But where do we have to go to first?"
"To see your Grandma of course!" Catherine grinned.
"Huh? Oh… you mean your Mom, at Kresge?" Mattie asked dubiously.
"Spot on!" Harm told her, grinning at her in the rear-view mirror.
"Hell, yeah!" Mattie enthused, "I can't wait to tell her! Let's go!"
Laughing at her enthusiasm as well as in shared happiness, the three sat with faces wreathed in smiles for a few minutes until Mattie said, "C'mon, let's get going! We're wasting good daylight!"
Harm engaged the drive and the Lexus rolled out of the parking lot as he steered it in the familiar direction of the US-29, Harm's long-time preferred route from Charlottesville to the DC area. Twenty minutes or so into the journey, Harm's cell 'phone rang. Digging into his pocket, he pulled it out and handed it to Catherine.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Catherine? It's Beth O'Neill. How did it go this morning?"
"It went well, we've got custody of Mattie at least until her father's court case is over! He was arrested by the Sheriff at the hearing!"
"That's good news! He scared the crap out of Gina last night, and he shook me up a little. So when I called the Sheriff, I mentioned that he'd said he'd be at the hearing, and reminded the Sheriff that there was an outstanding warrant for him!"
"That certainly helped, Beth! I had a feeling that we weren't going to win, despite everything, until the Sheriff dropped that bombshell!"
"I'm only sorry I couldn't be there Catherine, but I'm in Chicago! Tell Harm and Mattie I got a charter for the Cessna. I'm flying back to Charlottesville in about an hour, but I'll be flying back to Chicago for the return trip on the twenty seventh!"
Catherine grinned, "That's good news too Beth! Uh… do you have big plans for tomorrow?"
"Just Gina and I, a duck, a couple of bottles of wine and a chick flick or two!" Beth chuckled.
Catherine laughed, "OK, have fun! We'll keep you in the loop!" and smilingly hung up.
"Beth O'Neill?" Harm hazarded.
"Yeah," Catherine twisted in her seat, "She said to tell you both that she'd flown the Cessna on a charter to Chicago this morning and was due back there on the twenty seventh to bring the passengers back!"
"Hear that Mats?" Harm grinned triumphantly, briefly raising his eyes to the mirror. "Another piece of good news! Beth's not only got the Cessna back in the air, but she's starting to make it pay its way!"
"Yeah, the damn thing was always a money pit!" Mattie grumbled, "But it was mom's…"
"I understand, Kiddo," Catherine said gently, "but…" and paused significantly.
Mattie looked puzzled for a few seconds and then took on a chagrined expression, "Oh… yeah, I know… language! Sorry!" The look on her face didn't exactly convey contrition, but the high spirits enjoyed by all three wouldn't let Harm or Catherine dwell on her transgression, and to the accompaniment of a further burst of laughter the Lexus continued to forge its way north.
xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii
Esther Gale's face split into a huge grin of delight and she hastily thumbed the television remote, killing the programme she had been halfheartedly watching, as Harm ushered Mattie and a Beth-burdened Catherine into her room.
"Mattie!" she exclaimed happily, "Why you look stunning! And Catherine, it's good to see you back in a suit, dear; you're looking good. And Commander, you look very… Commanderish!" she finished on a chuckle, and then had to pause for breath, as Mattie swarmed her, taking the old lady into a gentle hug while she kissed her cheek. Esther returned Mattie's embrace with real pleasure, and patted the side of the bed, saying firmly, "Sit child!" as she put her face up for Catherine's and then Harm's kisses.
Tilting her head to one side she listened with sparkling amusement to Mattie's "How are you today, Esther?"
"I'm fine, absolutely fine!" Esther responded, her eyes brim full of amusement at the young woman's concern, "But today isn't about me, is it? How did it go down in Charlottesville? Not that I really need to ask; you all look far too cheerful for the case to have gone against you!"
"That's true, Mom," Catherine agreed smilingly, "But would you believe there's one member of the family that has treated the entire day with complete indifference?"
"I most certainly would!" Esther replied, "And quite right too! At her age all she need be concerned about is a full tummy and a clean, dry diaper! And what are you thinking about girl? You get your daughter out of that contraption and let her Grandma spoil her for a while!"
Harm took advantage of the fuss caused by the extraction of Beth from her porta-crib, and sneaked out of his pocket the disposable camera he had bought for just such an occasion and fired off three quick shots of the four female members of his family as they sat together on the bed, Esther flanked by Mattie and Catherine while she held her granddaughter in her arms.
"Harm! No!" Mattie protested, half laughingly, while Esther and Catherine laughed at her confusion as she complained at being photographed when she was "pretending to be somebody I'm not!" and uttered blood-curdling threats if Harm ever repeated his offence!
Harm excused himself temporarily from the room, on the grounds that he was making a tactical withdrawal before "That girl makes good any of those threats!" content to let the women assume he was taking a bathroom break, while he slipped off in search of Doctor Cameron.
It only took him a few minutes to find her as she left another of the rooms in the CCU, and she responded to his greeting with a pleasant "Good afternoon, Commander."
Harm smiled, "Look, I've only got a couple of minutes; everyone thinks I'm in the bathroom, so I'll cut right to the chase. What are the prospects?"
Alison Cameron nodded, letting a sympathetic and conspiratorial smile sweep across her face, "It's looking good, and provided nothing untoward intervenes, it's green across the board! If anything changes in the interim, I've got your number and I'll let you know!"
Harm grinned, "Thanks Doc, you're an angel!"
"Oh I'm not entirely disinterested, Commander. I am getting a free lunch out of all this!"
"That you are, Doc. That you are!" and with a further grin Harm flipped a casual salute in Alison's direction, leaving her with a smile on her face, as he headed back to Esther's room.
He was just in time to hear Esther exclaim, "Oh! He didn't, did he?"
"Well, mom, there's not a lot of doubt that he's guilty, and I won't say it's a slam dunk, but I really can't see a jury finding him not guilty! So Mattie stays with us until the other matter's settled."
"Well!" Esther was puffed up with indignation, but she patted Mattie's hand comfortingly, before adjusting her hold on Beth and said, "I was inclined to feel sorry for your father at first, but now, with what you and Catherine have told me, I'm glad he's been arrested! To steal from his own child! Despicable!"
Harm cast a startled glance at the monitors recording Esther's vital signs and said, "Hey, easy Grandma, all these rampant emotions aren't too good for Beth you know!"
Esther cast him a look full of mock loathing, "Listen carefully, Harmon Rabb, I shall say this only once! Beth gets to call me 'grandma', I get to call me 'grandma', Catherine gets to call me 'mom', but you and Mattie here, you two get to call me 'Esther'! Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'… uh, Esther!"
Esther chuckled, "And don't pretend that was a slip of the tongue!"
"Drat! Busted!" Harm grinned.
"Damn straight!" Esther confirmed, her eyes still twinkling with amusement.
Mattie fought down a grin, "Do you think these two will ever grow up, Catherine?"
"Oh, I doubt that, Kiddo, I really doubt that!"
"Just remember Catherine Gale, that growing old is compulsory – growing up is optional!" Esther chuckled. She eyed them shrewdly, picking up on a subtle hint in Harm's body language, "But, I've an idea that you still have a lot to do today and daylight's burning fast. So… if you promise you'll come and see me tomorrow, I'll let you go now."
"Of course we will!" Mattie protested.
"That's all I need to hear, so go on, shoo!" Esther scolded them.
There was a flurry of activity while Beth was refastened in her porta-crib and the three took turns to say their farewells to Esther and bestow more kisses on her weathered cheeks.
Esther sat back against her pillows, a couple of stray tears finding their way down her face. Nurse Brigid found her like that a few minutes later when she brought her meds in, "Are you alright, Esther?" she asked.
"I haven't felt so good for a long time, Brigid," Esther asserted with a beaming smile, after she'd swallowed her pills. "Their case went well, and they've got custody of Mattie, so just like Catherine said, I get two granddaughters for Christmas! Now… all I have to do is to persuade that daughter of mine to make an honest man out of the Commander!" she finished thoughtfully.
"I'm sure you'll manage that!" Nurse Brigid replied, she had, after all, had some experience of how benignly manipulative and determined Esther could be, "You did manage to get my Policeman to propose!"
Esther smiled angelically, "Yes… yes, I did, didn't I? Tell me, dear, does Doctor Cameron have a beau hidden away somewhere?"
Nurse Brigid laughed, "Oh, no! We are so not getting into that!" and whisked out of the room before Esther could come back at her.
"Oh yes, we are dear!" Esther muttered to herself as she picked up the TV remote and started flicking through the channels, "Ah… 'Miracle on Thirty Fourth Street'… oh, good, it's the Attenborough version!" and settled back on her pillows to watch the movie, a contented smile on her face.
xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii
Arriving back at Woodford Road, as dusk was settling, Harm had barely brought the Lexus to a halt before Mattie was out of her seat, through the front door and heading for her bedroom.
"I don't think I've ever seen her move so fast!" Catherine laughed.
"Well, not unless there was food involved," Harm agreed as he uncoupled the porta-crib from the car-seat base, "and talking of which, we've got a lot to do this evening, would you go ahead and order a pizza, make it a large frutti del mare and then we can all enjoy it."
"Pizza? Twice in a month?" Catherine teased, "And that's not counting what Jennifer's been feeding her on her visits!"
"Jennifer's good with that," Harm defended his Legalman and friend, "I asked her not to let Mattie gorge on pizzas or burgers, and she's assured me that she hasn't and won't. Besides, I've a shrewd suspicion that Jennifer is too conscious of her figure to indulge in junk food. Did you know, she runs five miles a day before work?"
"Is that a dig at me, Harmon Rabb?" Catherine asked.
"Not at all, not yet, anyway," Harm replied with aplomb, "Give it another couple of weeks once you've had the all clear, though, and it might be!"
"Harmon Rabb, I hate you!" Catherine exclaimed in shock, and then gritted out, "Oooh!" and she stamped her foot in frustration as Harm grinned.
"Gotcha!" he said with immense satisfaction.
Catherine stepped forward and pulled his face down to hers, "One day," she kissed him gently on the lips, "One day!" she repeated, this time threateningly, and nipped his bottom lip gently and moaned as his tongue swept the seam of her lips.
"Yeah, one day… in about two weeks…" Harm replied huskily.
"Oh… that's not what I meant," Catherine sighed, "but oh, yes, oh, so very yes!"
They were interrupted by Mattie's voice from the kitchen, "Shall I make a pot of tea?" and realised that the teenager must have seen their embrace, but decided on this occasion to use more tact than she usually did.
Mattie, now more comfortable in jeans and a sweater and with her hair loosened, had indeed seen them in each other's arms, but some instinct told her that this was a special moment for Harm and Catherine, and she had foregone her usual theatrical, and not very serious intervention, but still felt she need to let them know that she was around and about the house.
Harm's, "Yes, please!" in answer to her question was sufficient to break the tension that Mattie had felt.
Harm grinned as he took in Mattie's changed appearance, "Didn't take you long to revert to type, did it, Squirt?"
"Uh… no… You don't mind do you?" Mattie asked nervously, "I am still wearing the cross though. I don't think I'll ever take it off!"
"Mats, you're at home, you wear whatever you feel comfortable in sweetheart," Catherine told her, and all three took their places at the kitchen table, Catherine taking sips of her tea while ordering the pizza.
"Pizza?" Mattie asked in pleased surprise, "Pizza, today?"
"Sure," Harm replied, "We've got a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it. Besides, like Judge Smith said, today's your day, and we've got a lot to celebrate, right?"
"Darn straight!" Mattie agreed, "But what have we got left to do?"
"Well, there's a tree to decorate, and I've got to get a head start on Christmas Dinner!"
"Do we got decorations?" Mattie asked.
"Yep, there are two archive boxes on the shelf in the hall closet. I'll lift them down for you and you and Catherine can get the tree squared away while I'm working my fingers to the bone!"
The evening passed with quiet laughter and mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and/or marshmallows depending on individual taste, interrupted by the delivery and consumption of the pizza and Miss Elizabeth's demands to be changed and fed. The only blemish on the peaceful surface of the evening came when Harm vetoed Catherine's decision to put Beth down for the night.
"No?" Catherine demanded.
"No… not tonight, Catherine. We've got a visit to make, and I need Beth to be with us, so let's make sure we're all wrapped up nice and warm, and can we be ready to leave in half an hour, please?"
"Harm…" Catherine started to protest, but he cut her off.
"Please, Catherine this is very important to me. Trust me on this, please?"
"Of course I do!" Catherine answered swiftly, "And if it's that important to you, then of course we'll come, right Mattie?"
"Right!" the somewhat bemused teenager answered. She wasn't sure what Harm was up to, but she trusted him to hell and back.
It was only twenty five minutes later that Harm, now back in full service dress blues and with his three girls warmly wrapped against the weather, backed the Lexus out of the drive and headed up Woodford Road, turning East onto the Leesburg Pike at Tyson's Corner.
xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii-xxviii
It was only twenty-five minutes later that Harm pulled the Lexus over to the side of Constitution Avenue, and switched off the engine, "We're here," he announced sombrely.
"Here?" Mattie exclaimed, craning her head in an effort to see something, anything.
"Hush, Mattie," Catherine whispered, as she began to realise what their destination was, "Just come along with us, OK?"
Catherine's whisper instantly got through to Mattie, and she nodded, "OK", slipping out of her seat and waiting for Harm to remove the porta crib from the car, and then crib in hand he silently led the way along the paths to the long black granite wall, going straight to the well- remembered spot on the wall where his father's name was engraved in letters of gold together with the others of his generation who had never come home from a war in a hot, humid, South-East Asian Country. Stopping, he turned to Catherine and Mattie, and handed over the porta-crib. "Could you give me a minute, please?"
Then he turned back to the wall, his hand rising to the peak of his cover in a salute, which he held for long seconds, before he stepped forward and as was his custom traced the letters of his father's name with a leather-gloved finger.
"Hi dad," he whispered, "It's Christmas Eve again, but I guess you know that. It's been a hell of a year for me, with some pretty dark depths, but I've come through it, and I hope I've come through as a better man. I know I'm feeling better about myself now than I have been for a long time, and that's entirely due to my new family. I have Catherine and Mattie and Elizabeth, neither Mattie nor Elizabeth are mine by blood, I guess you know that too, but they are still mine! And I'd like you to meet them…"
He turned back to the waiting Catherine and Mattie, and beckoned them forward. Taking Catherine's free hand in his he raised it to the wall, passing it lightly over his father's name, "This is Catherine, Dad, she's Elizabeth's mom, and the woman I love. And this," He placed his other hand on Mattie's shoulder as she raised her hand of her own accord to the engraved name, "is our ward Mattie Grace, whom we both love very much. He turned towards Catherine and took the porta-crib in his arms, "And this is our other daughter, Elizabeth, she's only a month old, and she's still very small, but she will grow!" Harm straightened up again and passed Elizabeth back to Catherine. "I'll leave them to say their own piece to you. Merry Christmas, Dad." He saluted his father once again and then took a pace back.
Catherine blinked back the tears, as she again touched the name, "Thank you, Mister Rabb, for bringing Harm into the world, so that he could be in my life. I love him so much, and I will do the best I can to look after him and care for him as you would wish. Thank you."
Mattie sniffled, "Yes, thank you, Mister Rabb. I don't know what my life would have been like without your son in it; I only know that it would have been much worse. He's a good man, and you should be proud of him, sir!"
The two women turned to each other and grinned self-consciously before they simultaneously nodded and turned back towards Harm. It was in a thoughtful silence that they walked back to the Lexus, until Catherine remarked with surprise, "Oh… it's started to snow!"
Harm and Mattie stopped and looked up at the huge, soft, white flakes slowly drifting to earth, "Well I guess that makes it official," Mattie grinned, "It really is Christmas!"
"Yeah I guess so!" Harm agreed, and taking Catherine's hand he picked up the pace and laughing in sheer exuberance the three of them made it back to the car.
