DISCLAIMER; See ch.1

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, MD

December,6,2003 13:30 EST.

The scene that played out in front of them was both horrific and more than a little surreal. Machines blared ominous warnings, as Captain Hollis and his team fought to save Harm. The blaring of alarms and barking of orders stood in stark contrast to the silence on the other side of the window. Even the organized hustle and bustle on the floor around them served as unnoticed background, to the drama that was playing through the glass. That background went so unnoticed that neither the Marine nor the former seal sensed the approach of Frank and Trish Burnett.

Any parent with a child serving in the military has a reason for worry, especially in a post 9/11 world, but when your son is Harmon Rabb JR., It's your constant companion. Combat in Libya. The ramp strike nearly ended both his life and his Navy career. The crash in the Atlantic just two years earlier, not to mention his ill-fated attempts to find his father one of which had him and Mac presumed dead. Those were incidents she knew about and she knew many would never be known to her, especially his time in the C.I.A. There are things she'd rather not know. After everything, the last thing Trish thought she could lose her son to was a crash in the JAG parking lot. That just seemed like a very bad cosmic joke.

Stepping off the elevator Trish and Frank recognized AJ having met during Harm's last crash, or the last one they knew about. They had met Mac after a mishap investigation brought them to San Diego five years earlier. The trip was in the aftermath of the break-ups with Dalton and Annie and Dalton's murder. Between personal issues and investigations, they needed a break. Having seen the obvious chemistry between her son and his partner she thought they would be married by now. They never seem more than a few feet apart as if the other anchored the other. The most striking thing about what Trish and Frank had seen was the love that showed itself in both sets of eyes during the banter of the two-hour visit.

She had hoped in the aftermath of the crash and Mac's failed engagement, that things would change. Trish thought that change had come in April when Harm had asked her to mail him the ring his father had given her. Within a week the ring had returned to Trish. Harm had as always been cryptic about what happened. "I waited too long and she moved on." Trish had been disappointed and heartbroken by the hurt and barely contained anger in his voice. Disappointment turned to fear and no small amount of anger when Harm told her of his resignation from the Navy and his new job flying for "Another government agency". The only response when his mother asked why he would leave the Navy, was "They would have left her behind. Trish was no fool, she knew the only woman her son would willingly leave the Navy for was Sarah Mackenzie She had also been a Navy wife and mother long enough to read between the lines. The CIA had a less than stellar reputation for leaving people was no secret even among military families. She had begged him to go into private practice or join the DA'S office. "Frank knows people who can help." However, his devotion to the country and the need to fly were as strong if not stronger than the father he never let go. Harm made it clear he still wanted to serve and this was the best option left to him. She loves and admires that sense of duty and loyalty, but she had already lost a husband to duty and country with years of not knowing his fate. Her son had lost his childhood. She had nearly lost him more than once to that search for answers, or what she knew was really the heartbroken boy hiding from the pain. She was scared of losing him and her last words to him showed just how scared she was. "I can't do it, Harm. I will not spend the rest of my life wondering and searching. Please, darling, don't run". "I've made my decision mom. I love you." Before she could reply he was gone, for good Trish feared despite his parting words, the voice that delivered them was hollow. The distance that had begun over the discovery of Sergei and Harm's attempts to help gain citizenship had already strained their relationship she feared this could break it.

The six months Harm spent in the CIA had been the worst of her life. Communication with her son had been minimal. A brief call on Mother's Day and birthday cards for herself and Frank. Harm had never been great at regular communication, but Trish could not help wondering whether he was avoiding her or had her worse nightmare come true. Trish had never been more relieved to see her son's face than when he stepped out of that crippled C-130. Another adventure she'd rather not know about. She was happy he answered her call on his birthday, even happier to hear of his return to the Navy and to Jag. She knew his job would never be completely safe, her son was Harmon Rabb JR, and running from danger was not in his DNA, but it had to be safer than the CIA, or so she thought.

She had pleaded for him not to force her back into the wilderness of the unknown, that had haunted them for thirty years. Standing stockily at Frank's right side as she watched her only child battle for life Trish wondered if knowing was any better than not knowing was on another December day. Trish would invoke the memory of her late husband in a silent plea. "Please, Harmon bring him back to me.

A/N Sorry for the slow updates. I got hacked and had to re-format my computer and beta-ed versions of ch.1-8 are coming.

A/N 2 Harm's fate will be known within the next couple of chapters. I want to set the stage for a couple of meetings first and maybe a few surprises. A/N 3 Thanks for reading,

ideas, help, and constructive criticism are welcome. Trolls and haters will be deleted. If you just want to insult me have the guts to create an account and let me respond. To the people who have stayed with me and offered your help, I can't thank you enough.