Author's notes: Okay, I'm REALLY sorry it took me forever to put this up, but midterms, and friends, and everything was getting in my way. I hope you enjoy this, and I'll try to wrap it up pretty quickly. Please Review and tell me what you think!
Mac pulled the car up to Rachel's house, which was in a state of complete upheaval. The movers were taking boxes out of the house, and things were scattered everywhere. Rachel had Caleb on her hip as she ran from place to place trying to keep everything in order. She saw Mac and Harm pull up from the corner of her eye, finished yelling something at the movers, and then made her way over to the car.
"Things are so crazy right now, but I'm glad you're here," she said with a sigh of relief.
Cal held his arms out, and Harm swooped him up making him giggle unstoppably. Both women smiled at the sight. "What time do you leave?" he asked after setting Cal back down to play.
"In about an hour. So make any good-byes quick, because its going to be terrible getting Cal to leave," she said with tears threatening to flow over.
Mac looked at the house and Rachel with sympathy, hoping she'd never have to do the same with her life. "It'll be okay. You'll keep in touch, and we'll visit often. Right?" she said as she tickled Caleb's stomach, making him giggle again.
Rachel nodded and then hurried off to stop the movers from breaking something. Before long, an hour had passed and Rachel's fiancé had shown up.
"So you guys already have a place to stay, right?" asked Harm as he tried to remain cheerful.
"Yeah," she whispered her voice thick with emotion. "We, uh, have to get going pretty quick."
Caleb whined as Harm gave him a last hug, then Mac, and finally Rachel took him to the car. He began to bawl once inside, and Adam got into the driver's seat to try to calm him down. Rachel reached over to pull Mac in a hug, and then Harm.
"We'll call once we're there," she said as she gave them one more choked look and then climbed in the car. They drove off and she looked back, just one more time to see Mac and Harm embracing. She tried to smile through her tears, but she couldn't do it, so she turned around and stopped looking.
"She's gone," Harm said as he and Mac went back to the car. "I hope Caleb gets along well in Boston."
"Me too. Let's go home, okay?" she said.
"Yeah."
***
They waited for almost two days for Rachel's call, but no call came. "Harm, wouldn't she have called by now?"
"Maybe they got sidetracked," he offered.
"No, I don't think so. That's not like Rachel. I have a very bad feeling," she said as she sat down near the phone.
"I don't know. I think they're fine."
She gave him a doubtful look. About five minutes later, the phone rang, and Mac jumped to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Uh-huh. Yeah. What?" A look of alarm came over her face as she listened. When she finally hung up, she turned to Harm. "I knew it. They were in an accident, and they're in the hospital. We've gotta go see them."
Harm took a deep breath in. "Who's, uh, who's hurt?" he asked, trying to get the words to come out.
"I don't know, he didn't say. But we've got to go now," she emphasized worriedly.
As soon as they reached the hospital, they ran up to the desk and were directed to the second floor. "Where are Rachel and Caleb?" he asked the doctor as soon as the doctor came over.
"Rachel Alt? Rachel Alt, her fiancé Adam Berger, and Rachel's son Caleb Alt?"
"Yes, that's them. Where are they?" he asked again.
"Maybe you ought to sit down," said the doctor uncomfortably.
"Why? What's wrong with them?" demanded Mac.
"Are you family? Or do you know of their family?"
"She doesn't have any family, and I don't know about Adam. I've been her only real family besides Caleb for two and a half years. At least tell me what's wrong with them."
"They were in a very serious accident. Caleb is in the children's ICU, and he's in serious condition."
"And Rachel?"
"Rachel had very serious internal injuries when she came in, and we took her straight in, but we were unable to save her. She was D.O.A," he said regretfully.
Harm started to breathe faster and faster as Mac sat down in her seat stunned. The room started spinning, and he too had to sit down to think straight.
Another older looking woman and man came running up to where they were sitting. "We're Adam's parents. What happened to him? Where is he?" she asked hysterically.
"Why don't you come with me?"
"No!" she screamed. "Where is my son?"
"Adam had some serious injuries upon arrival, and while we brought him in immediately, your son died early this morning."
Adam's mother screamed hysterically again as his father caught her in his arms and together they sobbed. They didn't even notice Harm, who was sitting beside Mac, both of them in tears as well.
Quietly, the doctor led Mac in to see Caleb. She sat down next to him and gently stroked his forehead. He stirred, but didn't awaken. She tried to smile through her tears, but she couldn't stop thinking about how Caleb had just lost his mother. Suddenly, something hit her. She had just lost a baby a few months ago, and now Caleb had just lost his mother. The pieces were beginning to fit in her mind, and she was forming an idea.
She touched Caleb's head again, then quickly got up to go see the doctor. She caught him in the hallway, and stopped him to get a few answers. "Doctor, what will happen to Caleb once he's well? He has no family, and his almost step-father is no longer…"
"Well, he'd probably be placed in a foster home once he's well enough. Unless Adam's parents or someone decides to take him in, that's basically the only choice."
"What if my boyfriend and I adopted him?"
"Well, it would look better if you were married, but since you've known him and Rachel for so long, there's a definite possibility."
She smiled despite the circumstances. "I'm going to go discuss this with him. Thank you."
She walked back briskly to where Harm was still sitting listlessly by himself. "Harm," she said shaking him. "Harm, look at me. I need to talk to you."
"What?"
"It's about Caleb. You love him like he was your own son, right?"
"Of course. I can't believe he's just lost his mother."
"Harm, he's going to be put in a foster home. We can't let that happen. We've got to do something."
"Like what? Adopt him?" he said.
"Yes," she said seriously.
"No. I wasn't being serious."
"I am. We have to adopt him and raise him."
"Mac, that's nuts. What, with Rachel's death and you acting so strange for the past few months, there's no way we can take care of him like he needs."
"Look, I was going through a down period. I'm better now, and I want to do this. We can get married and then we'll adopt Caleb."
"We haven't even gotten through our problems. How can we take care of Caleb?"
"We can do it," she said urgently.
"Why do you want this so much?" he asked.
"I can't explain it except to say that when I looked at his sweet face while he was lying in that hospital bed, I couldn't think of sending him somewhere he doesn't know anyone. He knows us, and he loves you like a father. I could just be a stand in."
"I don't know," he said doubtfully.
"Why can't we at least give it a try?"
"I guess we could do it. I mean, it would be like helping Rachel out anyway," he said thoughtfully.
She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I knew you'd come around. It'll be okay, I promise you," she said softly. "I know it."
TBC…
