A/N: Part of this next installment came from having to play "mommy" to the one furbaby I have left, Max. He and I are both missing the rest of his pack. Max has had something going on with one of his paws for 3 months that has the vet stumped. He keeps telling me that he is tired of always being the one to play the patient, or it least it seems that way. I haven't yet found a Rosetta program that teaches me how to speak dog. Apparently, some new tablet out there speaks reindeer, so there must be something that will translate dog as well, I just haven't found it yet. If anyone out there knows of one, please let me know.

Bethesda Naval Hospital

(Harm's room)

Captain Livingston laughs, "After what I have witnessed here tonight, I wouldn't doubt that a bit, Admiral. What do you say we go grab a cup of coffee. and leave these two by themselves for a bit? I'm sure the Colonel will have my patient well taken care of in our absence."

The Admiral grimaces, remembering how awful hospital coffee can be. Captain Livingston catches both the scowl, and the meaning behind it. He smiles, "Don't worry, Sir, we aren't going to the hospital cafeteria, or the doctor's lounge. I wouldn't subject a Seaman to that awful stuff, let alone a two-star Admiral. I keep some of the good stuff in my office. We can chat a bit."

The Admiral sighs, realizing that he might as well indulge in some caffeine, since at least one, if not both, of his officers seems intent on keeping him up all night. He inquires, "I don't suppose you to happen to have a good bottle of bourbon as well?"

Captain Livingston shakes his head, thinking to himself that he wouldn't admit it to a superior officer, not to mention the JAG himself, even if he did. Drinking while practicing medicine probably fell under some form of a court martial offense, likely dereliction of duty. He replies, "I'm afraid not, Sir." He turns to Mac, "Colonel, please remember what I said about keeping the Commander calm. While you are free to annoy him, please keep it to a minimum, we don't want another scare like we had earlier."

Mac replies cheekily, "Aye Aye, Sir. I will behave for now, but the minute he is medically released, I might be forced to pin his six to the mat for scaring me."

The Captain and the Admiral exchange looks, silently betting who they would put their money on in that match up.

It only takes a moment after the Captain and the Admiral have left the room, to go indulge in a decent cup of joe, before Mac starts needling Harm again, "Flyboy, how come almost every time we play doctor, I have to play the doctor and you have to play the patient?

Harm's eyebrows raise to his hairline at her double meaning. He teases, "Because Marines make terrible patients?"

She whaps him in the arm. "Oh, and you think you are a better patient than I am?"

Harm grins, "Most definitely. I at least waited for the doctor to finish his spiel before asking when I could get out of here. You would have been asking the minute they got you in here."

Mac banters back, "Uh huh, and who had to be given a direct order to even come to the hospital?"

Harm folds his arms over his chest, and tells her pointedly, "That would be you."

Mac scoffs, "Me?"

Harm's grin widens, "Yeah, the Admiral ordered YOU to make sure I got to the hospital."

Mac chuckles, "Hmm, I think your memory is a little skewed by the bump on your head. YOU were the one ordered to go to the hospital, I just volunteered to be the one to drive your sorry butt there. That way the paramedics wouldn't have to deal with your whining."

Harm folds his arms over his chest, nodding his head for emphasis, considering this round his win, "Nope, that's my story and I'm sticking to it, and I don't whine!." He continues, with a twinkle still in his eye, "Perhaps you don't have to be the patient so often because I am better at watching your six than you are watching mine."

A wide smile crosses Mac's features, and her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink, as she replies, "Nope, I have absolutely no problem watching your six, it's actually quite nice. Especially when you lean up against the table in the courtroom, in your summer whites, and the fabric pulls taut against it."

Harm is stunned speechless, not so much by the fact that she admires his physique probably about as often as he admires hers, but that she admitted it out loud. He feels that it is only fair to respond in kind, "Your skirt does the same thing whenever you bend over to pick something up. However, my favorite is when you first sit down in a chair, and your skirt hikes up a few inches to reveal the tops of your thigh high hose."

She completes ignores the fact that he wouldn't know she wore those unless he had seen it as she exclaims, "No way! Admiral Morris would have my six in his chambers if that ever happened!"

Since he is already on a roll, Harm decides to bring up her earlier comment, "And Mac, if you want to pin me to a floor, all you have to do is ask. I could easily think of worse positions to be trapped in then having a scantily clad Marine pressing her full body weight into me to hold me down. The retaliatory roll over, which gets you pinned under me, doesn't look so bad either. However, I would appreciate it if you would let my back heal a little bit first. Otherwise the situation would be far less pleasant than I would like it to be."

It's Mac's turn to lose her voice as she blushes furiously at his implication. Their flirting has certainly gone to a whole new level tonight, and she doesn't mind it one bit. She definitely needs to change the course of their conversation though before she ends up being the reason to send him to the operating room. The last thing she needs is his blood pressure spiking up again. They have come so far this evening, and she doesn't want him to start backpedaling. She gently tells him, "Flyboy, we are supposed to be keeping you quiet, not getting you all hot and bothered. With that in mind, I suggest we table the shameless flirting, at least until after you are out of here and physically cleared. However, once you are out of here, there isn't a traffic light in sight. Maybe we should play cards instead until then."

Harm is fully concentrating on the first part of her statement. He doesn't want to stop flirting with her, but he also doesn't want to scare him or her anymore tonight, and this conversation was leading him straight back to that very visceral dream. Once he starts thinking with the right head again, and determines she has a point, he is forced to swallow down his feelings for the moment. However, he is hopeful that she will keep her word after he is out of this blasted hospital bed. He takes her hand, and traces it gently with his index finger as he softly says, "I'm holding you to that deal Marine." Switching gears, he asks with merriment, "So you think a game of all out WAR is going to keep me calm? You always deal yourself all the face cards, and leave me all the junk."

She holds her hand to her heart, and exclaims, "I do no cheat! Ok, gin rummy it is then."

Harm scoffs, "No way, my grandmother and her friends play that."

Mac just shakes her head at him as she shuffles the cards.

Harm then suggests, "What about poker?

Mac cries out, "Nope, not getting caught gambling in your hospital room with our CO down the hall. Maybe we could play that at one of our apartments one night, depending upon what the stakes are." The gleam in Harm's eye leads her to believe that the bounty of choice would be articles of clothing which she isn't necessarily opposed to, but she isn't going down that rabbit hole with him right now. She chuckles as she starts to deal out the cards, "Well Flyboy, I guess the only two games left that are up to your skill level then are crazy eights and go fish. So, what's your poison?"