While the Admiral is having a heart to heart with Harm, Mac is busy walking around the halls of Bethesda in search of a decent cup of coffee. The hospital cafeteria was closed. Just the sight of a potential food source got her stomach grumbling, and she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat since the Chinese food at Harriet's several hours ago. And even though Chinese food is fantastic, it often leaves you hungry again shortly after eating it.

If it wasn't the middle of the night, she might have called Beltway Burgers to see if they would deliver. Granted, it's not a service they normally provide, but she is a frequent visitor, and a favorite customer of several of the folks who work there, so they might have made an exception. Sadly, they are closed at this time of night too. She was able to find a submarine in one of the vending machines that at least had a couple of what Harm references are her favorite food groups, "starch and dead animal." It definitely wasn't the juicy burger that would have made her mouth water at the mere smell of it, but at least it stopped the grumbling in her stomach. She laughed when she saw the sandwich labeled as a "submarine" instead of a "hoagie". She murmurs to herself, 'Only in a Naval Hospital.'

She stops at a nurses' station near the Emergency Room, figuring if anyone would know where to get a decent cup of coffee at this time of night, it would be them. A very tall civilian woman with a Jamaican accent, who happens to be the head nurse on duty, hears Mac question one of the junior nurses about a cup of java. She takes in Mac's rather weary appearance, and the telltale sign of borrowed scrubs, and tells her, "Sweetie, you just happen to be in luck, and have great timing. I was just about to send Petty Officer Charles over to the Dunkin Donuts™ a few streets over to grab some for the staff. It's open twenty-four hours, and he will be picking up enough boxes of Joe to last us through the rest of the night shift. If you don't mind hanging down here for about fifteen minutes, you are welcome to a cup or two upon his return. It's not Starbucks™ by any means, but it is definitely better than any of the garbage they normally serve in this hospital."

Mac tells her, "Thank you, I would really appreciate it. Is there someplace I can wait where I will be out of the way? I don't want to cause anyone any trouble. I know that the Emergency Room can get rather busy during the night."

The nurse says, "Thankfully, it has been rather slow tonight. Why don't you follow me, I'll lead you to our lounge. It's not the most comfortable place in the world, but it is a step up from the waiting room chairs."

While they are walking toward the lounge, Mac replies, "The chairs in the rooms aren't too great either."

The nurse smiles, "No they aren't. I take it you have been spending some time in one of them?"

Mac chuckles, "Yes, my partner decided to get into a fight with a refrigerator. We were down here a few hours ago, before he got admitted for the night for observation."

The nurse smiles back, "I take it the refrigerator won?"

Mac smiles, "Well, I didn't see any dings in the stainless steel fridge, so I guess we could call that one a draw. However, the floor where he hit his head was a little banged up. I knew he had a thick skull, I just didn't realize his head was strong enough to dent linoleum. Maybe it wasn't his head per say, but extenuating rapid reduction of altitude when his feet feel out from under him."

The nurse gives her a puzzled look, so Mac explains, "My partner is 6'4" so he had a little way to fall down to reach the right rate of descent, and it failed. Clocked him right out on the kitchen floor."

The nurse smiles, "I'm hearing lots of aerodynamics here..I take it that your partner is a pilot?"

Mac sighs, "Well, he used to fly Tomcats for an active squadron before he was diagnosed with night blindness that ended up grounding him. With that part of his career over, he switched his designator to the law. We have been partnered at JAG HQ for about 6 years now."

The nurse raises her eyebrows clear to her hairline. She chuckles, "More power to you. I wouldn't want to deal with a cocky aviator or a lawyer. Either one of those designators by themselves would be bad enough, having both of them in one package, you certainly have you hands full."

Mac laughs back, agreeing with the nurse's assessment. She replies, "Yes, I certainly do. But he has to deal with a Marine Lt. Colonel on PMS half the time, so I think that evens the odds. In fact, sometimes it even tips the hand in my favor."

The nurse simply chuckles some more, "I pity the person who is your Commanding Officer."

Mac smiles, "That's ok. He's a two-star Admiral that also happens to be a former Navy Seal. And he puts us in our place when he has to." Mac adds in a conspiratorial whisper, "But between you and me, I think he hides a big giant teddy bear under all of gruff exterior. He's actually the one keeping Harm company right now."

The nurse blinks twice, and looks at Mac, "Did you just say Harm? As in Harmon Rabb, Jr.?"

Mac quirks her eyebrow in question, "Yeah. Why? Do you know him?"

The nurse answers, "Actually, I do. I was his nurse when he first arrived here after he crashed his Tomcat about a year ago. I wasn't working in the ER back then. Hold on a sec, I thought you said your partner has night blindness, though?"

Mac states, "Misdiagnosis. Harm had his eyes fixed a few years ago. Laser ablation."

The nurse nods in recognition. She continues, "I was wrong about you just having your hands full. That man is a character, not to mention ridiculously handsome. And when he flashes that smile of his, it could melt the ice age. He had several of the staff swooning all over him, which is part of the reason I ended up assigned to him. I've been happily settled for over twenty-five years. Did he marry that blonde he was seeing back then? I think her name was Renee."

Mac lightly nibbles on her lower lip, remembrance of the pain from that time in their lives immediately washing over her. Not just the crash, which was devastating enough in and of itself, but the presence of Mic and Renee, and all the mixed emotions that both her and Harm had regarding each other right before her wedding ended up cancelled. How they let their lives spin that far out of control was beyond her, but now they have another chance to make it right. Mac chooses to ignore the mention of the Harm envy party, lord knows she has seen more than enough of that. Any bimbo within 100-mile radius is immediately attracted to him, not that this nurse fits that bill. However, that LT JG from earlier this evening who wanted to eat Harm for dinner definitely does. She simply replies, "No, he didn't. They actually haven't been together in almost a year. They broke up shortly after his crash."

The nurse says, "Good. She was too plastic for him, and uptight. Every thing tailored this way and that. I mean I know he has to dress that way when he is in uniform, but his civvies appeared much more comfortable for him."

Mac chuckles, "My co-workers and I used to call her the 'Video Princess' when she wasn't around."

The nurse cheekily inquires, "Where did that name come from?"

Mac replies, "She was a producer. She and Harm actually met when she was assigned to develop a recruiting commercial for the Navy."

The nurse finishes for her, "And Harm was the chosen poster boy."

Mac states, "You got it. But Renee was mild compared to some of the others he has been with, if you can believe it."

The nurse simply shakes her head, "I don't doubt it. Men that handsome tend to attract all the wrong types. He needs to be with a woman who challenges him mentally, not one that wants to use him for arm candy. But I imagine after being his partner for six years that you are well aware of that. You probably know him better than most of them did anyway."

Mac nonchalantly answers, "I probably do. We've had some interesting adventures over the years to say the least."

They have just reached the lounge, where the nurse invites Mac to take a seat. Realizing that the room is empty, she then shuts the door. She asks, "So, Colonel. I realize that there is a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the military, but in this case, I have to ask. Are you a lesbian?"