Chapter 36

Harm and Mac's home

High Meads road

Beckton

London, UK

1945 local

I smile at Harm's young charge. The girl is so full of energy despite the awful accident Harm has told me about. A young girl shouldn't have to deal with everything she has had to deal with in recent years and I'm very proud of my grandson for trying to put an end to her misery.

Watching them together makes it so obvious that he would be a wonderful father, and I'm praying to the Lord to bless him and his Sarah with children. God knows there are so many people out there who don't have the slightest bit of love to give to their children and yet have a house full of them.

Mattie's father doesn't seem to be a complete waste. Though abandoning a child twice is not something I can forgive, even though it's not my place to do so. Parents have responsibilities whether they like them or not. I just hope, that the fact of the girl being here, will keep the rest of our group in check tonight.

Now, if only my grandson could let go of his fiancée, we could get this show on the road, but so far they are still talking quietly in the corner of the living room, with the guys waiting for him in the dining room and us waiting for Sarah to shoe him out already.

"Harmon, you are keeping everyone. The men are waiting for you and from tomorrow on you'll have your Sarah for the rest of your life. Now, do us all a favor and get a move on." This is so typically for my grandson. First he doesn't get his relationship with her straight for years, and now he can't let her go for even an evening.

For a moment I think he wants to give me an annoyed expression but he knows better than that. He might be over 40 already, but that won't keep me from pulling his ear if necessary. "Just a minute, gram." I sigh. They make such a nice couple and for the first time since he was a young child, chasing kittens at the farm, he looks really happy.

I smile to myself when he finally leans in for a goodbye kiss and reluctantly steps away from her to turn toward the waiting guys. "Thank God, I thought you'd never finish!" The words don't quite carry the stern tone the words suggest and he smiles that shy smile at me his father already used to give in his days… a mixture of sheepish and cocky. I'll never know how they do it.

But before he steps out into the night, he leans back in and questions Mac about his uniform for what seems like the tenth time today. "Harm, I told you already, Harriet took all the men's uniforms to the dry cleaners and stored all of them at their house. You guys will just have to manage not to get locked up in any cells tonight and all you need, will be at Bud and Harriet's tomorrow morning." I raise my eyebrows at that and make a mental note to ask Sarah about this later.

My grandson leans in for another kiss but I clear my throat. This is really getting ridiculous. First we had to wait ages for them to decide to get married and now we have to wait for them to let go of each other. "Harmon, your friends are waiting and it's not nice of you to have them wait for you so long!" Not that they aren't used to it… my grandson has a bad habit of being fashionably late. He might have been early at his birth, but he's been late for everything else ever since.

He finally turns around and walks towards the Admiral and Bud who've been waiting outside the house for quite some time now. I sigh and turn around expectantly to the rest of this party. We are quite a group from teenagers to grandmothers… well I suppose a little excitement won't hurt me. "Alright you ladies, let's get the show on the road. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow and I want to get to bed before it is time to get up again. We old people need our sleep!"

Inside Bud's minivan

Somewhere on the road

Greater London, UK

1958 local

I grin at what I see in the rearview mirror. Captain Harmon Rabb junior is more than a little anxious about where tonight is going to lead us and he is the only one in the lot who hasn't been told. "Alright guys… have it your way… but if you're going to drag me into a strip club make sure we don't end up in jail again."

Tom Boone laughs at that. "Won't work, Harm. You're not going to learn where we take you before we get there. And now shut up before I order Midshipman Roberts to blindfold you!" That effectively shuts the Captain up, but doesn't keep him from scrutinizing the area we drive through… probably in order to check for any strip clubs we could end up in.

I finally pull into the parking lot of a bar the Admiral and I have checked out a couple days ago. I think we can all go in there without too much embarrassment and still have a little fun, which is really all this evening is about.

We enter the 'The white horse' and the Admiral walks straight over to the bar and orders a round of beer for all of us. My first instinct is to protest since somebody has to drive us back later, but I figure one beer won't hurt.

I grin when Harm takes in his surroundings and starts to groan. "Stop whining Harm, this is your bachelor party after all." He looks doubtful at each of us and nods his head. "Not a single word to Mac!" The Admiral grins like a Cheshire cat and turns around to accept the beers from the bartender. "Our lips are sealed. We won't tell, if you won't."

We take our seats by the stage where I know some girls will start dancing soon. Until then we will chat and have some fun. It's been a while since we had a guys night out… actually I don't even remember a guys night out with Harm, the Admiral, Commander Turner and Mikey. I think its great General Cresswell decided to join us for tonight's fun, though he seems to be a little awkward.

"Harmon Rabb junior!" Our heads whip around to the excited and yet mocking voice and I wish I had a camera present to record Harm's expression the moment he recognizes the owner of the voice. "Jack Keeter! What the fuck are you doing here?" Both men give each other a friendly hug and Keeter lightly punches Harm on his shoulder. "I had to see for myself that the great Harmon Rabb is finally going to be a tamed man!"

I really don't know how Keeter got here but the smug grin on Commander Turners face tells me he was instrumental in this. Keeter joins us after shaking hands with everyone and even though I haven't seen him in years, he has still that untouchable, cocky, big ego he used to have a couple years back.

Harm is still practically in shock, but Keeter doesn't seem to mind at all, that there are two two-stars sitting at our table and gives him a bear hug. "This is a surprise Keeter." Harm tries to make conversation and the blonde man just shrugs. "Yeah, buddy… you never write, you never call… And then I need to hear it through the grapewine that my academy pal is gonna tie himself down. Damn, Harm… who's the lucky lady anyway?"

While he talks he waves over the bartender and orders a beer and a bourbon with a simple gesture of his hand, while he spreads his arms on the top of the bench in the booth, looking like he is truly at ease with the place. He probably is, too.

Harm grins at him and takes a long swallow of his beer, while we all watch the bombshell being ignited. "You know her. You even spent a night with her once." Keeter frowns and so does everyone but the Admiral and me. I enjoy the display immensely, especially the stare the two get from General Cresswell.

"Don't tell me it's the stewardess!" Commander Turner, me and Harm start laughing out loud. I would hope that Keeter gives his old friend more credit than that. "Keeter, please! I'm no pleeb on summer vacation anymore!" The other man just shrugs again. "Nope, that's true, pal. You're seriously growing old, man. So no stewardess then?" He takes another swig of his beer and looks pointedly at his old friend, but there is the typical Rabb mirth in his eyes until he takes pity on Keeter… sort of.

"Nah, she's a lot smarter than that, better looking too. And may I remind you that you're just as old." Keeter still frowns and I can barely hold in my laughter. "Me old? You've got something wrong brother. Better looking than a stewardess huh? Man you should've seen the lady serving on my flight, she was…" But Harm holds up his hand to stop him. "Don't even try, man. No stewardess could even hold a candle to Mac, in any department." And there goes the explosion.

Commander Turner and Admiral Chegwidden snicker softly into their beers and Harm enjoys the fallout from the blow with every inch of his 6 foot something. Keeter just looks shocked and starts stammering… "Mac… as in the cute Major you used to work with?" Oh, Harm definitely enjoys this. With a satisfied grin he just nods his head "Yep." And Keeter smacks him up the head.

"Hey, what was that for?" To say I'm somewhat puzzled over the turn of events is a mild understatement. Keeter shakes his head in disbelieve. "Don't tell me it took you … what…" he starts counting with his fingers, "another seven years after knowing her for three years before you came to Iran to get me out of prison? Did she wear a plastic bag over her face most time she was at the office or what?" It's Turners clue to jump in. "No buddy, they're just a little slow on the uptake. You know Harm and girls, Keeter."

My eyes wander between the three of them, and so do the pairs of eyes of everyone else at this table. Keeter looks at Turner but points his thumb at Harm. "I don't remember HIM being slow around women, Sturgis!" And despite his usual stern Marine demeanor General Cresswell bursts out in laughter and is joined by the Admiral and even my brother snickers, once the implications of that comment sinks in.

"Keeter do you mind all my colleagues sitting around the table? And for your information I'm not slow… just… well, maybe a tad careful. And by the way she was a Lieutenant Colonel before she resigned her commission… Oh and it's been six years since the Iranian dessert, thank you very much!"

But Keeter isn't to be silenced that easily. "Oh come on, buddy. It's not like you used to need a second invitation when we were having fun on shore leaves." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at Harm who, instead of getting irritated, blushes. "Alright, Jack. Enough embarrassment for a while. Take it easy on him, he's already nervous enough as it is." Commander Turner doesn't quite mean that though, his big grin always gives him away.

"Thanks, Sturgis. I'll remember reminding you of all the embarrassing stories I know about your past, the night before your wedding!" I almost laugh out loud when the Commander sobers up quickly, tries to put on an innocent face and takes a swallow of his beer. A look at the Admiral and the General tell me, they are enjoying the banter, too.

Our chatting is stopped when the first girl appears on stage and within seconds all of us follow the, admittedly, beautiful woman, dancing expertly around the brass pole. The dark haired beauty looks down towards us and even though I know we kinda arranged it for our guest of honor, she really does things to me I wouldn't admit in broad daylight. I know I'm squirming, but I'm not the only one.

The music changes to a slow seductive rhythm and I can't believe the beauty is… well climbing down the stage would be an understatement, she is more like molding down, her motions so sensual, she doesn't miss a beat of the music. She dances near us, eyes closed and obviously in her own world.

When she reaches our booth, there's a cheer from the other guys, but I hardly hear it, she really has me captured. She wriggles herself closer to Harm, but instead of dancing for him, she seeks out Commander Turner who really enjoys the attention, but starts sputtering when she sits down on his lap to give him a performance.

Harm, even though captured by her dancing, barely hides his grin behind his drink, and even the Admiral and General Cresswell barely hold in their laughter. Once she's done with Sturgis, she turns her attention towards Keeter, who doesn't bat an eyelash and instead leans back to enjoy the show fully.

When the song ends, she bends down and gives both of them a peck on the cheek. "I wish you all the best for your marriage." The face Commanders Turner and Keeter give are priceless and after a moment both begin to stutter in earnest. That's when Harm, and pretty much the rest of us start laughing in earnest.

Keeter straightens up first and holds up a hand. "Lady, you got something dead wrong here. He…" pointing at Harm "is the one throwing away his freedom, not us. And what makes you think I'd be so reckless with my own?" The poor girl is really confused and starts stammering as well. "Uh… I'm so sorry, I was told that there would be a bachelor party and I should make sure the groom enjoys himself… I wasn't sure which of you would be the groom." She gives a bright smile at both of them and they simply stare at each other and we laugh some more.

"It's alright…" Harm says and indicates with a wave of his hand that he would like to know her name. "Oh, Daisy, sir." Harm grins at Keeter and Turner and goes on. "It's alright Daisy, it was a lot of fun watching the two of them sputter, you tell your boss the groom enjoyed this immensely." With that he puts a 20 into her hand and winks at her in good humor.

The girl puts a hand in front of her mouth and giggles. "Now I'm really sorry. I just thought a handsome guy like you would be off the market by now." This in turn earns her giggles and snorts from everyone but Harm. Between fits of laughter I can see the irritated look Harm sends us from the corner of my eye and he replies in all seriousness. "Oh, I am off the market alright. Keeter here is the one who's got a girl in every harbor but not a single one who would like to stay with him."

I laugh some more, Keeters jaw drops open and he hits Harm on the upper arm. "Easy there buddy, or your Marine will marry you with a few less teeth tomorrow." But Harm only grins.

"Hey sweety that was quite a dance. Wanna join us over at my table, we got plenty of room." A drunk guy from the other end of the room joins us and grabs Daisy's backside in a rude manner, which she shrugs off. "I'm sorry sir, I'm in the middle of something here, would you mind leaving us some privacy?"

But the guy leans over heavily and breathes his alcohol induced air into her hair or what he takes for her hair anyway. "Nah, babe. There's no privacy in a place like this. Com'on darling, show me what you've got." With that he fumbles her nude breasts and that's the point where I get up.

Harm and the Admiral are faster though. "Sir, she kindly asked you to leave her alone." Oh oh… I see it coming right before it happens. The drunken guy swings a fist in Chegwidden's direction and both Harm and he duck out of the way, but within moments we have a good old fashioned bar fight going on, because out of nowhere the drunken idiot's buddies join him and the only sensible thing is retreat.

I can just limp to the exit before some security guys from the bar join into the fight to sort it out and I whistle loudly for the others to join me. Amazingly the brawlers don't only turn into our direction but against each others as well, and Daisy is fast in reacting, sending all of us out in time before the security boys grab us. Keeter manages to punch his elbow into some idiot's solar plexus who tries to grab him from behind, but within seconds Daisy manages to get all of us out onto the parking lot.

"Go, I'll tell Steven you had nothing to do with it." She ushers us into the car but just before Harm closes the door of my minivan, she leans in and breathes a kiss onto his cheek, leaving quite a lipstick mark on him. "Enjoy your wedding, gorgeous!" She wraps her one arm around her upper body to protect herself from stares as she is still not wearing anything to cover her breasts decently and gives the car door a slight shove. "Go!"

I don't need a second invitation for that. There are already sirens in the distance and I really don't want to be here when the cops start hitting the place. I hit the accelerator and the wheels squeak when the car jumps into movement.

"Whew, that was close! We really should stop doing this on bachelor parties!" The Admiral exclaims, slightly out of breath. "AJ, you meaning to tell me this happened before?" Chegwidden grins at Cresswell and waves at me. "Yeah, his bachelor party ended with us in a cell." I can't really see it, but I know the General is staring at me and a short glance into the rearview mirror shows me, he's looking sternly at Harm, too, but then shakes his head. "You guys sure know how to throw a party, gentlemen!"

I stop the car a couple blocks away, happy that we all made it out this time, without anybody ending in a city jail like last time. Turning around I regard my fellows. "So, what are we going to do with the remainder of the evening? It's still quite early yet." I mean just because the strip club was cut short we don't have to be home before curfew, right? And it's not often a guy like me gets a night out like this.

"You know, gentlemen, I might know a place where we can enjoy a good evening. No half naked girls, I admit, but it has a great bar and halfway decent crowd. What do you say?" The General wriggles his eyebrows at us and since none has a better idea we are soon headed for Piccadilly Circus.

The 'Waxy O'Connors' is pretty much different from all the other bars I've seen around here so far. It has several levels and each one of them has a bar and some corner booths. It's not your typical English pub, it's more like a theme park for pub guests. Each room has a different theme and after checking out every single one of them, we decide to settle for the 'Cottage bar', because it looks pretty cozy and has the smallest crowd.

We order another round of beers and once the bartender hands out our drinks Frank Burnett mumbles "Let's just stay away from drunken blokes, gentlemen, alright?" I don't hear anybody object to that. The near disaster earlier didn't make anybody too excited. I also grin at Frank making Harm swear that he wouldn't tell his mother about this.

The rest of the evening is spent in animated and humored chatter and Harm really gets his fair share of bad jokes about getting finally married after so long. He takes it with ease though and even throws in a couple jokes himself. The only thing I realize is, that with the more time goes by, the more he becomes nervous. Boy do I know how he feels. But in comparison to him I spent the night before my wedding in a Washington city jail, along with many other drunken guys, so I don't have too much pity.

Club 49

Greek street

Soho, London, UK

2003 local

I'm so glad the girls have decided to have a nice evening out instead of a wild party or anything. I already hated it at Harriet's hen night, although I'll admit the strippers did look good back then. "I'm sorry for not throwing the party at our house, but since the guys will sleep there tonight I thought this was the better solution." Harriet looks at me in her typical insecure, apologetic way.

I have to smile at her behavior. Sometimes it is hard to believe that she is used to handle a family of six with four kids and Bud Roberts on top… "It's alright, Harriet. It's not like we go all traditional anyway." I smile warmly at her to let her know I'm really at ease.

For a moment I'm wondering where the guys have ended up. I just can't quite shake the feeling that they are going to end up in trouble. God knows Harm can find it anywhere, and the fact that his old Academy pals are with him, doesn't really put my mind at ease. I should have asked Sturgis to take a photo the second Harm finds out Keeter's going to be at the wedding. I would love to see that face.

The girls and I sit around a table and each of us soon nurses a drink. Actually I think this doesn't really pass for a hen night, since we don't go with the traditional drinking and strippers and the like. A stranger could simply mistake us for a group of girls having a fun night out together and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Chloe and Mattie get on great which I was hoping for. Mattie is in desperate need to spend some time with a person her age and since school isn't about to start for another couple weeks yet, it's highly unlikely she will find any friends anytime soon.

I sigh at the two. Chloe has grown up so fast. It seems like only yesterday that she sat on top of the elevator at JAG, mad at all of us for not taking her seriously. Between Mattie's grown-up behavior and Chloe's stubbornness, I'm sure they have plenty fun; especially since they dance with two boys who are obviously allowed to stay out on a Friday night like this. They seem to have taken on like a ship on fire.

In fact I think the girls have the right idea and looking challengingly at the rest, I get up and walk over to the dance floor, getting into the beat easily. It doesn't take long for Varese and Jennifer to join me, leaving Harriet, Grandma Rabb, Mrs. Cresswell and Trish behind. Once the music changes from its hard beat, the others join us after Harm's grandmother practically shoves them into our direction. I laugh at Trish's face, but soon she too seems to enjoy herself.

I haven't been out to just dance and have fun like this for ages. My feet seem to move to the music on their own and my mind can just wander, letting my body do the moves for me. I make a mental note to drag Harm back here some time. The crowd is my age mostly and the music is bearable for people my generation. Even Harm's rock and folk style would fit in well here, so convincing him shouldn't be too much trouble. And after all he himself once said he should have spent more time at discos and clubs instead of playing the family hero.

Once the music changes again, I decide I need a break and walk over to our table. The moment I approach the table I get a feeling of embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Mrs. Rabb. It wasn't very nice of us to let you sit here all by yourself." I try to look apologetic but the older woman waves me off. "Nonsense, dear. You young girls should enjoy your time and just because I didn't join the hopping doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the show." I definitely know where Harm got his warm smile now. This woman is so amazing, no wonder Harm loves her so much.

"Looks like everyone has a good time, Sarah." I look over at the others and at the same time fan myself some cool air, only now realizing how hot I've become while dancing. "Yeah, I only need a moment to cool down again. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

The older woman smiles knowingly and a smile is dancing round her eyes. "Something tells me, my grandson wouldn't quite agree on that… I guess you shouldn't tell him that. It might bust his big ego." I laugh at that. "Well, I guess that ego is big enough to take a hit or two every now and then." I only realize what I say once the words have already left my mouth, but it's too late to be embarrassed now. And contrary to my expectation Sarah Rabb chuckles whole heartedly and nods her head. "That it does, dear, that it does." She says, patting my hand in confirmation.

We sit there, watching Trish try to learn a move from Jennifer while not looking too obvious about it. When I feel the warm hand settle on top of mine again, my head swirls around in surprise. "I'm glad my grandson has finally taken a heart and went after what he wanted for so long." I must look pretty puzzled, because she smiles at me and gets that typical look grandmothers always seem to get when reminiscing about the past.

"You know Harm was always ecstatic about his career, even after his ramp strike and the loss of his flight status. Sure, he was pretty battered for a while, hiding out at the family farm, sometimes disappearing for days on the back of a horse or holing himself up in the barn to work on 'Sarah'." She smiles at that and starts to explain but I beat her to it. "I know… his plane." She nods and looks over to Trish and Harriet trying to imitate Jennifer and the girls in their moves. It's a funny sight.

"When he started law school me and Trish were thrilled and he… I won't say he was depressed, but in the beginning his heart wasn't really in it. Then he had his first cases and within weeks I could sense a change in his mood, towards the old Harm again… I don't know if you've ever flown in a Tomcat with him, but you've seen him in court for sure." She looks expectantly over at me and I stop myself from telling her about the time Harm took me up in an F-14. I get sick just from thinking about it. But I dutifully nod to let her know I can follow her. "Well, I'm told he was a pilot with the same daring and tenacity that makes him a good lawyer, so I'm sure you can imagine." Oh… I can actually more than imagine… better not go there.

"The boy always talked about his work, first it was planes and pilots and then it became investigations and court room battles." She smiles a little to herself as though she just remembered a very interesting story.

Grandma Rabb fixes me with her penetrating eyes that hold the same coolness and fire as Harm's. "A couple years ago I started to hear stories about that Marine Major whom he was partnered with: strong, self confident, independent… and even though he groaned about her and sometimes whined about her stubbornness, I could tell that she was very special to him."

I chuckle, remembering our first couple months. We became friends quickly I'll admit, but despite that, we really did have our disagreements and problems to adjust to each other's styles. I remember Harm looking at me strangely more than once when he realized I wasn't the hanger on he was used to from his previous partners.

"It didn't take long to figure out he had finally met the girl who could put him in his place when his ego flew too high. It irritated him to no end… You know the men of our family are literally born with their head in the sky and they really need someone to pull them down to earth every once in a while… And God only knows Harm's ego is even bigger than that of his father or grandfather."

I raise my eyebrow at that. "Oh, don't get me wrong dear… Harm is a good boy and he will make a wonderful husband and father. I'm just saying that he needs a firm hand every now and then. Just don't let him know you guide him, or he will fight you all the way." Don't I know it. "I get the feeling though, that you know all that."

She pats my hand again in support and gives me another of what I've become to think of as Rabb-smiles. "You know I was beginning to think he would never go after you. For years I had to listen to stories about you, but whenever I asked him to bring you to the farm, he always told me you were just colleagues… now I didn't believe THAT for a second. You don't carry a picture of your colleague in your wallet." At my obviously shocked expression she laughs again and within moments I join in, if somewhat nervous. "Better not tell him I told you that."

Trish and Harriet decide to walk back towards us, looking flushed and quite out of breath themselves. "Ahhh, I didn't have that much fun in a while. We should do this more often… though the dancing technique has unmistakably changed since my days." Trish plops down onto the bench and grabs for her drink, ordering the next one from a waiter who just passes by our table.

"I don't know Trish, I really don't have any intention to get married more than once." She looks at me strangely until the meaning sinks in then starts laughing fully. "I imagine not, Mac."