PART THREE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 2009
MASTER BEDROOM
RABB RENTAL HOME
MANASSAS, VA
0409
HARM'S POV
Since we have an infant, a toddler and other children who could call upon us at a moment's notice during the night for anything from wanting to be fed to wanting comfort after a bad dream, it's seldom that either of us goes to bed nude, let alone both of us, making the rarity of waking up with the warmth of her body snuggled against my side, skin-to-skin and tangled in the sheets with her even more pleasant and enjoyable, and it brings a smile to my face even before I open my eyes.
I turn my head and crack open an eye to look at the clock.
0409
I've slept only a few hours, yet they were so restful that I feel better than I have in weeks.
However, there's no reason to get out of bed so early, especially when it would mean that I'd be leaving Mac alone in bed.
'She did say that we could sleep in,' I think before rolling until I'm on my side with her facing me.
I brush strands of her hair back to reveal her neck.
Moving to place my lips on her skin, my nose picks up the hint of lavender, the scent of the shower gel that she used when we showered together - before we made love for the second time last night.
'I may be getting older, but I can still rise for a second round,' I think, scoffing at the self doubt that I'd had as I place a moist kiss just below her ear.
Deciding that I should let her sleep after the long night that we had, I put a halt to my plan to wake her with my kisses.
After a second kiss it to her forehead instead of her neck, I roll to my back.
She snuggles into my side, draping her arm over my abdomen.
Her voice heavy with sleep, she asks, "What was that for?"
"Just admiring how beautiful you are and thanking my lucky stars that I have you."
"I'm pretty lucky, too," she responds through a yawn.
Now that she's awake, there's no reason why I shouldn't test the waters of her interest in starting the day the way that we ended the last one.
"I wasn't dreaming, was I? You did say that we can sleep in, didn't you?"
She moves her head to look up at me.
"You weren't dreaming, though I don't know if it matters since you don't sound sleepy," she states, obviously more awake now.
"I could probably go back to sleep, but I woke up with an urge to -"
"- eat strawberries?" she says with an enticing smile, cutting me off.
"Yes ... they were good," I say with a grin and a wink so that she knows that I'm not talking about the fruit 'appetizer' that we shared last night.
She breaks eye contact with me and begins to draw circles with the pads of her fingers on my bare chest.
"I don't suppose that you'd want to do it again, would you?" she asks seductively.
I take her hand and roll until I have her flat on her back and I'm half covering her body with mine.
"I thought you'd never ask," I answer with a full Rabb smile before my lips claim hers for a passionate kiss.
OUTSIDE OUR FRONT DOOR
1000
MAC'S POV
As it happened, according to Frank, a teenaged boy who lives in the neighborhood had knocked on our door to ask if we'd like for him to shovel the snow off our sidewalk and drive, and Frank, telling us that he could hardly say no to a boy with such an entrepreneurial spirit ... and a snow blower, hired him to do just that. So the work of clearing the heavy snowfall was done by the time Harm and I woke again and came out of our room for coffee and a snack that would get us through until it was time for lunch.
Covered in a thick blanket of fresh powdery white, our yard is a stark contrast to our freshly cleared sidewalk and looks more like a modern, suburban version of a Currier & Ives winter wonderland picture.
"Momma, you're going to help us make our snowman, aren't you?"
Ty's voice causes me to stop taking in the view and turn my attention to four sets of eyes, all looking at me with puzzled expressions.
"Maybe Momma wants to make snow angels before we make the snowman," Harm comments with a chuckle to Ty in response to his question.
"You make snow angels last just before it's time to go inside because it makes you all cold and sometimes you get wet," Ty counters in all seriousness.
"Good point," I say, moving towards Harm, Ty, Abigail and Sami.
"What's a snow angel?" Abigail asks softly.
It seems to me that Ty, Abigail and Sami have always been our children, so I often forget that the two girls were born in San Diego and that this winter has been their first exposure to snow. The previous snowfall was enough for a good snowball, but not deep enough for a good snow angel, so activities such as snow angels and snowmen are new to them.
"I'll show you after we've finished the snowman," I reply with a smile.
"I want to make a snowman as big as Daddy," Sami says, getting in on the conversation, too.
"I think that might be a little ambitious for your first one," I say to her, causing a pout to form instantly on her face.
"If we don't get started, there isn't going to be asnowman because it'll be time for lunch," Ty says, his voice laced with frustration.
"Then let's get started. Ty, you roll the large ball for the bottom so that your sisters can see how it's done. Abigail, you can make the next one, which should be a little smaller and, Sami, you can roll the small one that we'll use for his head," Harm says, organizing our children into a working team and getting them started on building their snowman.
"Did anyone bring out anything to make his face?" I ask, not sure if I missed seeing it because I was looking at the snow or if it was just something that was forgotten in the rush to get outside to play.
The blank look on Harm's and Ty's faces, the two people who think they know how to build a snowman, tells me that they didn't think of it.
"Then I'll go inside and find something. I'll be back in a few minutes," I volunteer.
INSIDE THE HOUSE
1010
When I enter the house, I'm surprised to find Mattie standing in the foyer, putting on her winter coat.
"We didn't think that you were going to join us, so you'd better hurry because they've already started to roll the first snowball," I comment absentmindedly as my thoughts are more focused on what we can use to make a face.
"I'm not coming out to help build it. After everyone headed outside, I realized that this is probably the first time that the girls have made a snowman and I thought that it should be documented, so I'm coming out to take pictures," she informs me.
"That's a wonderful idea," I gush, thrilled that Mattie seems to be getting back to being a member of the family.
"Wait, if they just started, why are you in here?"
"My assignment is to round up something to make his face," I reply.
"Need me to grab anything before I head out?" she asks, buttoning her coat.
"You could grab a carrot from the kitchen and take it out while I see if I have buttons or a decent substitute to use for his eyes."
"Okay, meet you outside," she responds, sounding cheerful.
It's a nice sound.
I nod in agreement and step away in search of some things to use for the rest of our snowman's face.
HARM'S SUV
EN ROUTE TO BETHESDA
1148
HARM'S POV
"How are you doing, Princess?" I ask, not for the first time during the car ride, hoping that I sound calm.
"I'm okay," Abigail answers.
It isn't that I'm unnerved by the fact that my little girl might have a broken arm. Sure, I was a little shaken when she got up crying after she fell and I realized that she was hurt, but a broken arm is no big deal for a kid, at least not for the average kid. However, Abigail isn't an average child. She has a real gift and, as we get closer to the hospital, I become more concerned that her injury could have a negative impact on her life.
"Does it still hurt?" I ask, trying to keep her engaged in conversation to help make the trip up here seem shorter and to keep her mind from traveling where mine has; that a severe injury to her arm could impact her ability to play the piano.
"A little, but not as much."
"It won't be that much longer. We're all most there," I say, taking the exit from the interstate that puts us closest to Bethesda.
EMERGENCY ROOM
BETHESDA NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
1233
MAC'S POV
"I wonder what's taking so long."
It's something that I'd expect one of the children to say, but not Harm.
"We've been waiting for a long time," he adds impatiently.
He seems to be taking Abigail's fall very hard.
I hope that he isn't blaming himself. It was an accident.
We were having a snowball fight when Trish yelled out to us that lunch was ready, and she fell while running to the door. Even though the driveway had been cleared, it was still slick in spots, and she tried to break her fall with her arm. When it began to swell immediately, it led us to believe that it was broken, but the only way to be sure was to make a trip to the emergency room.
"Relax, Harm, we've been here for only thirty-four minutes," I say, patting his arm and hoping that he takes comfort from my touch.
"Well, it seems like it's been a lot longer," he says, looking at Abigail who's sitting in the chair between us, at least appearing less worried about seeing the doctor than her dad is at the moment.
"Maybe we should use this time to explain to Abigail what's going to happen when she sees the doctor and make sure that she doesn't have any questions," I offer, more to focus Harm than any concern that I have for the situation.
"Good idea," Harm agrees before turning his attention to Abigail.
I'd be more distressed if Abigail was showing signs of having been shaken by the experience, but that doesn't seem to be the case. She cried immediately after falling, but after a few reassuring words and a hug, she calmed and hasn't shown any signs that would indicate that she's in an excessive amount of pain, though I'm sure that she's uncomfortable.
While taking a long look at her, I notice that Abigail isn't showing any signs that she's in any distress about having to see the doctor, either.
I wish I could say the same for Harm.
For me, knowing that the worst case scenario is that her arm is broken and that she'll have to wear a cast for four to six weeks for it to heal before she's as good as new keeps me calm in this situation.
I'd tease Harm about the way that he's behaving, but I know that it would only open me up to the same treatment on Monday. I'm fine in situations like this, but I'll be a nervous wreck when we're waiting to find out about Mattie because there's no way for me to predict that outcome.
SAME TIME
ABIGAIL'S POV
"You've been to the doctor before, Princess, so you know that the nurse is going to take your temperature and do all the normal stuff, right?"
"Yes, Daddy," I answer, concerned because my dad seems really upset that I hurt my arm.
"Then you'll see the doctor. He'll want to examine ... you know, look at and touch your arm."
"Like you and Momma did at the house?" I ask.
"Yes, like that."
"I don't want him to do that because, when I touch it, it hurts."
"I know it hurts, but he's going to have to examine it. It shouldn't take him very long to do it, though. Then, if he thinks it's broken, he'll have them take an X-ray of it. Do you know what an X-ray is?"
"I'm not sure," I answer, starting to feel nervous about seeing the doctor because it's going to hurt.
"An X-ray is a special picture that they take using a machine that can see through your skin to look at your bones. So, if your arm is broken, they'll be able to see it on the X-ray," my daddy explains.
"Does getting an X-ray hurt?" I ask.
"They'll have to touch your arm in order to move it into position so the machine can take the picture, so that part may hurt some, but taking the actual picture doesn't hurt."
MAC'S POV
"Abigail Rabb," the nurse calls from the doorway.
Harm scoops up Abigail as he stands.
"It's her arm, not her leg," I state as he carries her towards the nurse, but he's already a long stride in front of me and doesn't hear me.
EXAM CUBICLE
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
ABIGAIL'S POV
"Abigail, I'm Doctor Whipple. Can you tell me how you hurt your arm?"
"I fell."
"What were you doing when you fell down?" Doctor Whipple asks.
"I was running." I answer and then add, "I'm not a good runner."
"Why were you in such a hurry that you were running?" the doctor questions while lifting her injured arm to begin his exam.
"I didn't want to be a rotten egg," I answer softly.
MAC'S POV
The doctor chuckles, and I feel the need to move the story along by telling him what happened that caused us to be here.
"Most of the family were out playing in the snow," I begin.
"We made a snowman and snow angels," Abigail says, chiming in with a bright smile. Obviously, she's going to remember this day as more than just the day that she broke her arm, if it's indeed broken.
"Yes, we did, and we were in the middle of a boys against the girls snowball fight when she took her spill."
Abigail then continues to explain, "Grandma called us in because lunch was ready, and Ty said the last one -"
"- in the house is a rotten egg," the doctor finishes for her. "I'll bet that Ty is your older brother."
"How did you know that?" Abigail asks in amazement.
"Because I have a younger sister, and it sounds like something that I would've said to her." He pats her knee and looks at Harm and me, who are standing next to the exam table. "It feels like it may be broken, so I'm going to order an X-ray." He then directs his attention back to Abigail. "While they're taking that X-ray, you need to be thinking about what color you want your cast to be."
"It sounds like you're pretty sure that it's broken," Harm says to the doctor, making it sound like a question.
"There's a possibility that it isn't, of course, but I'm reasonably sure that it is. However, there's no reason to be concerned since it looks to be a clean break. After a few weeks in a cast, she'll be as good as new."
"Is there any way to tell if there's permanent damage at this point, Doctor?" Harm asks with such seriousness that I find it to be an odd question.
"We'll set the arm and put it in a cast. There should be no deformity of the arm when it's healed, if that's what you mean," the doctor answers, a bit puzzled.
"That's good to know, but that isn't what I mean. She plays the piano, Doctor..."
Harm doesn't even have to finish before I understand why he's been having what I thought was an odd reaction to a simple childhood injury. He's been concerned about more than just the probability that she'd broken her arm. He's been worried that the injury will effect her life. He knows how much playing the piano means to her, and if this injury kept her from playing, she'd be devastated.
"At her age, kids heal remarkably well. Though, after I see the X-ray, I may recommend that she not use that hand for a few weeks, I'm sure that she'll be able to play as well as she did before the break," the doctor replies with a sympathic smile.
I can tell from the breath that Harm exhales that the confidence with which the doctor responded to Harm's concern has him feeling better.
"Any other questions or concerns that I can answer for you?" the doctor inquiries.
"Could I have a pink cast?" Abigail asks softly.
"You can, or I know that we've got purple, blue, green, red and white, too. You think it over because you need to be sure which one you want before it goes on that arm," Doctor Whipple replies to Abigail before turning to us. "I'll type in the order, and the nurse will be in shortly to take her to X-ray."
"Thank you, Doctor," Harm states, his relief at hearing that the doctor doesn't see any potential problems making him sound a little more like his usual self.
"Yes, thank you, Doctor," I echo.
MASTER BEDROOM
RABB RENTAL HOME
2100
"We're on vacation, so why don't you take the time to relax and soak in a hot bath?" Harm asks somewhat distractedly.
I wrap my arms around him.
"It's supposed to be a second honeymoon, so why don't you join me?" I suggest because he definitely isn't relaxed at the moment.
"You go ahead and get started on your bath. I'll do tonight's final check on the children and be in to join you soon."
"Your parents are doing that tonight because, like you just reminded me, we're on vacation."
I can see the wheels turning in his head, trying to come up with another reason for him to have to leave the room.
"I'll tell you what. Why don't you go check on Abigail while I start that bath?"
He kisses the end of my nose.
"Thanks, Mac. I'll be right back."
If I didn't let him go, he'd have been preoccupied with how she was doing, and there would've been no hope for us to have another wonderful second honeymoon night.
At least this way, if nothing else happens, I'll get a relaxing hot bath out of the evening.
SIX MINUTES LATER
HARM'S POV
I open the bathroom door and enter the room.
"May I join you?" I ask, hoping that my desire to check on Abigail tonight hasn't put a damper on the honeymoon activities of our at-home vacation.
"Please do," she replies with a welcoming smile.
We exchange no words while I shed my clothing.
After I've slipped into the tub with her, Mac looks at me and asks, "Is Abigail all right?"
"Yes. She's sleeping peacefully. The only sign that anything is amiss is the pink cast on her arm," I answer, feeling a little foolish that I'd been so driven to check on her since the doctor had told us that it was a simple fracture and that she's going to be fine.
The water starts to ripple as Mac begins to reposition herself.
Instead of her settling in with her back against my chest, she sits at an angle so that one breast rests against my chest, her hip presses against my manhood and her long, slender legs stretch out to the other end of the tub.
"Are you all right?" she asks with concern.
"I'm doing better now," I reply, eyeing her, but knowing that she was referring to how I've been handling Abigail's injury.
"I'm glad to hear it. Though I think you're pretty sexy as a worried father, you were distracted from what I wanted to do this evening," she purrs before her lips claim mine.
I don't know what it is about this woman, but after twice last night and once this morning, I'm eager to make love to her again.
Caught up in the kiss, the desire to be with her growing stronger, my tongue seeks permission to enter, which she grants, and our tongues wrap around each other in a duel as if trying to win the fight of who wants the other more.
My hands roam down her back until they're submerged beneath the waterline.
Hands cupping her six, I apply gentle pressure until she's pressed firmly against my growing need to be with her.
Lack of air forces our lips to part and, breathlessly I say, "I don't want this."
Her eyes open wide as if I've said that I don't want her.
"I mean, not in the tub. We'd be in a hurry to finish before the water gets cold and we don't need to rush if we're still on vacation," I say more evenly after having a moment to catch my breath.
"You're right," she says, turning in my arms until her back is against my chest, her six settling between my legs. "You had me worried there for a minute, Sailor, but I can tell that I still have your interest."
"Oh, you have my undivided attention," I respond before nuzzling into her neck and placing the first of several kisses there.
My next move is to caress one of her breasts with one hand while slipping my other hand below the water until I have it between her legs where my fingers begin to explore her folds.
Minutes later, I push two fingers into her, and the arching of her back tells me that my advances are not unwanted, so I continue to rhythmically finger her until her throaty moans cease and her body relaxes against me.
MASTER BEDROOM
MINUTES LATER
As far as I'm concerned, a bathtub isn't the most comfortable place for lovemaking, and the last thing I want is for her to feel that she isn't receiving a loving experience from this special time together. That isn't to say that I'm not in need of my own release. It just means that I want mine to be mutual with her next one. So when the water started to cool, I suggested that we get out of the tub.
I got out first and then, after she'd stepped out safely, I scooped her still wet body into my arms and carried her to our bed where I placed her down gently before taking a place beside her.
Now my lips are merged with hers in a passionate kiss.
Bringing the kiss to a natural close, I lower my head to give attention to her breasts that were denied kisses while we were in the tub.
MAC'S POV
Though he was able to satisfy me earlier, his cool lips making contact with my breast reignites the desire that began to burn as he kissed my neck, nibbled at my ear and caressed me in the tub.
He places a kiss on my right nipple and then his tongue swirls around it.
I feel the gentle pull of him suckling that breast and then he suddenly stops and begins to pull away.
He doesn't lift just his head but the majority of his torso as if he's about to get out of bed.
"I'm sorry. That probably hurt you. You didn't feed Patty tonight," he says, sounding more than a little apologetic.
"I didn't feed Patty, but I did pump my milk while the bath water was running." I lift my arm to reach for him.
Placing my hand on the back of his neck, I continue, "I'm fine." With a gentle tug, I bring his head towards me. "Now, I believe you were ..."
I let my words fall away because his smile tells me that he remembers exactly where he left off and, in just seconds, he's resumed showering my right breast with attention.
Not one to be a neglectful lover, he moves from my right to the left breast in his quest to bring me to the point of release.
He starts a trail of kisses from the valley between my breasts and down my abdomen until he reaches my swollen nib and, with the tip of his talented tongue, he tantalizes and teases me, pushing me closer to the edge.
His technique is working, and my inner walls begin to spasm.
My need to feel him inside of me is so strong that it makes me use his name as if to summon him.
"Harm..."
"Yes?" he replies in a low, husky voice.
I hate it when he plays coy with me. He knows damn well what I want.
Being close to release, I pant out, "Now..."
I'll bet if I could see his face, he's grinning - the egotistical fighter-jock one - from ear to ear in satisfaction that I want him so urgently after he successfully satisfied me in the tub.
'I'll get even with him before the end of our vacation,' I think as his body covers mine.
"Your wish is my command," he says in a voice dripping with desire.
'I may have been the first one to say it, but I'm not the only one who's ready.' That's my last complete thought as I feel him push into me.
It's instinctual now, and our bodies work in perfect harmony as we bring each other to the edge and then fall over it together.
Collapsing onto the bed, he pulls me to him and, sated, we fall asleep after an exhausting day.