Mac enters the kitchen freshly showered and as beautiful as ever. Harm sets her plate on the counter and gives her a quick peck on the cheek as he announces, "Breakfast is served mi 'lady. I'll be back in just a few minutes."
Mac can feel the tension emitting off of him in waves. As he quickly tries to pass by her, she grabs his hand and pulls him back. She closely examines his facial features and doesn't notice too much out of sorts, but Harm has always been good at hiding his emotions. She carefully inquires, "You alright there, Sailor?"
He gives her a smile that she notices is slightly forced, "I'm fine, Mac. Just don't want to be late and need to grab a quick shower myself."
Knowing now is not the time to corner him on whatever is going through his head she opts to fall back on comfortable territory teasing, "There's a first time for everything I suppose."
Furrowing his brow, Harm answers, "Huh?"
She chuckles as she wraps her arms around his waist, "You not wanting to be late. Aren't you late for almost everything?"
Harm rolls his eyes, "I'm on time when it really matters. So, are you going to let me go shower? Or will I get to hold it over your head that you are the reason we are late?"
Mac shakes her head in the negative, still holding him.
He chuckles, "No to which one, Marine?"
She smiles, "I'm not letting you go until I get a proper kiss. Therefore, how late we are will be entirely your fault, not mine should you choose not to comply."
Harm's lips turn into a devilish grin, "Hmm. If I give you a proper kiss, we are definitely going to be late." He leans his head down and traces the point of his tongue along the seam of her lips. She slightly parts them in invitation, but he doesn't delve in just yet. He simultaneously nibbles on her lower lip while sucking on her upper one. When he hears her soft whimper, he finally slides his tongue inside to dance with hers. They continue this tantalizing duel until both of them are starry eyed and breathless. With a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, he promises, "To be continued later."
Mac's arms fall to her side as she is slightly dazed by his powerful demonstration. He helps her back over to the stool so she can get her sea legs back under her. Snitching a quick strawberry off of her plate and popping it in his mouth, "I'll be back in less than ten minutes,"
While Harm is showering, Mac's eyes are still glazed over for a few moments reminiscing about how well that man can kiss. Only her hungry stomach making it presence known with a loud growl forces her to pick up her fork and dig into her sausage and cheese omelet. He really does feed her well, even if he himself won't sample every dish he prepares for her. Just one of the many small things that he does to show her how much he cares about her. If she had paid a little more attention to the smaller gestures instead of waiting for the grand one, it might not have taken them this long to get to the current bliss they are sharing.
The drive to the hospital is fairly silent also. Something has definitely been nagging him all morning, but she can't quite put her finger on it yet.
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Harm's hand is resting on his thigh as he taps his foot impatiently against the linoleum floor in the waiting room. Mac interlaces her fingers with his trying to still his nervousness. He gives her a soft smile at the gesture, "I'm sorry, I'm just restless."
She soothingly rubs the pad of her thumb in the web of his hand, "I know. Patience has never been one of your strong suits."
He shifts slightly from side to side in the vinyl chair his six is resting on that was definitely not constructed for someone his size to be able to maintain any type of comfort. He remarks, "Excluding the texture, these damn seats remind me of the middle seat in a 737. They are way too tight for someone with my frame!"
Mac chuckles, "And the cockpit of an F-14 has more room?"
"Yes!" he emphatically announces "as a matter of fact it does!"
Mac shakes her head, "Somehow I highly doubt that, unless the front seat has more room than the back one. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Stop fidgeting, it's just a check-up and a little scan. Your blood pressure has been stable, and I haven't had to knock any screws loose in your head during the last week so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I fully expect the doctor to clear you and let you resume your normal activities."
He doesn't want to mention exactly what was going through his mind the first night he had the scan. That is what is making him so nervous, not the appointment. Even though he had agreed to tell her about the visions, she hasn't pushed him to open up about them since he was released, and he hasn't volunteered them in any details – general or explicit. In fact, since they came back to his apartment, she has been doing more of the opening up then he has. It's time for that to change before she gets the impression that he doesn't want to share.
Noticing that he is still a bit more nervous than she should be, she states, "Harm, if you are that apprehensive about this, I don't have to come in there with you. I can stay out here and you can just tell me what the doctor said on our way home."
He thinks to himself, 'She thinks I am backpedaling again, that I don't want to include her.' Audibly, to soothe her concerns as well as his own, he announces, "No! I want you in there with me. I've got nothing to hide from you, Mac. Not anymore., and never again. We are in this together from now on."
