See the disclaimer in chapter one.

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, MD

December 6, 2003, 13:50

"I saw the damn machine, Captain, don't you dare tell me he's dead."

"No Colonel, he's not. However, I would like to know who tried to kill him."

With one question Captain Hollis had done what many a Navy and Marine officer thought impossible: an entire unit of Navy lawyers was rendered silent. The silence, however, would be as short as it was rare. Captain Hollis had barely formed his next thought before finding himself nose to nose, not with the Navy JAG but with an angry Navy SEAL. The only thing restricting Mac had been the Admiral's quick response and the knowledge that a court-martial would not help her honor the promise made to both Harm and the girl who, despite her earlier suspicion, was now glued by her side.

"What the hell are you talking about, Captain? I thought this was due to injuries from the accident!"

Again, the Captain prayed his wife paid the insurance. "The fresh injection marks and less recent signs of torture suggest the accident is only part of the problem, sir, and someone tried to finish the job and used my hospital to do it!"

"How? I only left the room for a couple of minutes to use the head?" The guilt AJ already felt for his part in this calamity just amplified tenfold.

"Someone tried to cause an embolism by an air bubble in his IV line, causing either a fatal stroke or heart attack." The captain once again rendered the Navy's best lawyers speechless and before he could continue a voice from behind ordered.

"Stand down, Captain."

Life is often lived by words, actions, and interpretations of them. Words like honor, duty, loyalty, and sacrifice are not as clearly defined. Yes, in his own twisted way Clayton Webb loved Sarah Mackenzie and she and Harm had bailed him out more times than he cared to admit. However, for Webb, his duty was not to the flimsy friendship he once had with the fallen Naval Officer, nor to the woman he loved. His greater loyalty was to his country, agency, and self. Clay knew what he was about to ask of Captain Hollis would undoubtedly end the small hope he had of truly capturing Mac's heart. He silently thanked whatever God he believed in for being in a hospital, as he wondered how badly AJ would break his nose this time. On the other hand, if certain facts became known, Mac would kill them both.

The voice nor the face were familiar to most of those assembled, but the appearance of Harrison Kershaw only sent chills down the spine of the Admiral and his Chief of Staff, and the presence of her boyfriend at his side only added to Mac's tension. She had a big enough reminder of past mistakes, in the form of a prone and lifeless Harm.

Extending the greeting in a cool, slightly arrogant tone immediately made the captain suspicious. He had seen enough to know who these men were and his patient's recent history only confirmed it. The spooks were here to clean up their mess. Not in his hospital and not with his patient.

"I don't work for you, sir."

"Well, no, but you work for the Navy." Reaching into his right breast pocket the deputy director produced what appeared to be an official letter from the Navy. "This letter from the SECNAV authorizes the removal of all records pertaining to Agent… excuse me, Commander Rabb. We will also be moving the Commander to one of our medical facilities as soon as possible."

With an eerily calm voice, Mac asked Harriet to escort Mattie to the cafeteria. Mattie wasn't hungry and had no desire to be away from Harm, but the look in Mac's eyes told her argument was pointless.

The Marine and the woman who loved her partner wanted to introduce both bastards to Marine hand-to-hand combat personally. However, the lawyer knew that no matter how good it may feel, a public assault would not help Mattie or protect Harm. "Captain, is that room you offered still available?"

"Of course, Colonel."

For the first time since they arrived Mac addressed Harm's parents. "Trish, would you join us, please."

"Sarah, for God's sake, they don't have clearance."

"I'll end your career, Colonel!" Krenshaw hissed.

Before anyone could react, the deputy director found himself nose to nose with a pissed Marine. "You can have my damn career. I hold Harm's power of attorney and I will not have you, with all your cloak and dagger bullshit, keep his family in the dark. If you move Harm so much as an inch, I will personally press kidnapping charges."

It was not the threat to her career, her freedom, or the Admiral's command to stand down that tempered the Marine's anger; it was the pleading voice of a mother. "Mac, we can wait out here."

"You deserve to know what's going on." In her battle between duty to country and Corps, or duty to heart and family, the latter had won, if only for the moment. She had seen more than most of the impact of his father's fate had shaped Harm and the lives around him. Officially or not, Harm, and by extension Trish and Frank were family, and her family had paid enough!

"Mac, Mr. Webb is right, we don't have clearance and I'm sure I don't want all the details and you can't help my son by ending your career." With tears in her eyes but with a voice calmer than she felt, Trish continued. "Harm needs you here, not in a damn holding cell, and even if that weren't enough… Mac, he loves you too much to have you throw it all away for him."

"He did it for me," came Mac's tearful reply.

"Darling, I know how bad Harm was in communicating it. He never needed your gratitude, just your love, and friendship, and from what I've seen today, he has it."

Without regard to Webb or the gossip to follow from the officers around her Mac replied softly: "Yes, he does."

In a voice reminiscent of her son, Trish, in her best command voice, issued her final order. "Give 'm hell, Marine."

Not even the Admiral dared question the Colonel's next orders. "Gunnery Sergeant Walters!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I want a 24/7 guard on the Commander." Looking Webb squarely in the eye, she continued. "If any unauthorized person tries to enter, detain them. If they enter by force or try to remove him, shoot." Someone had tried to kill her partner, her best friend, and God willing, one day her husband. If she had to fight her ex and the CIA for answers, so be it. With head high and in command voice, she gave her, for now, last order. "Deputy Director, Mr. Webb, Admiral, Captain, with me."

This Marine, his Marine was going to war.