~*~*~*~*~*~*~
0828 ZULU
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION
The phone rings twice and then she picks it up.
"Hello?" she says.
"Did I wake you?" I ask.
"No. I was awake already. What's wrong?" she asks.
"I can't sleep," I say. It's funny that I'm calling her. We haven't had a late-night conversation in a long time. The even stranger thing is she actually sounds happy to hear my voice.
"What a coincidence," she says. "Just a case of insomnia?" she asks, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"You could say that," I say, the same laughter in my voice. "I have a lot to think about. How about you?" I ask. She hesitates a moment.
"Uh, bad dream," she says.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You wanna tell me about it?" I ask, concerned. She hesitates again,
"Not really. It's kind of. . .personal." I nod,
"Oh. Vaguely then?" She sighs,
"Well," she starts, then pauses. "Someone I love asks me a personal question, then someone else I love, kills this person in a rather gruesome fashion." I want so badly to know who these people are, but what I want even more is to hold her and comfort her.
"Is it the first time you've had this dream," I finally ask out of curiosity.
"No actually it's the third time." This startles me. It must be a terrible thing to keep dreaming about someone you love dying. I pause and ponder my next thought for a minute before saying,
"Well, maybe whatever happened in you dream might actually happen. Like a premonition or something."
"Don't say that!" she nearly yells. This person must be really very close to her.
"I'm sorry Mac. I didn't mean to upset you." I pause, "You know what. I shouldn't have called. It's late and – and we both need to get some rest."
"Yeah. . ." she says, "goodnight."
"Goodnight," I say before hanging up the phone. I lay back on my pillow with a sigh.
"You are an idiot, Rabb," I say out loud before turning on my side to try and get some sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TWO NIGHT'S LATER
0742 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
As we kiss, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I break off the kiss to look. It's Mic. He is in his dress whites. He pulls out a pistol,
"You son of a bitch!" he yells, bringing the gun up to Harm's temple. Before I can object, he pulls the trigger and Harm collapses on the deck of the ferry. There's blood everywhere. I scream.
I sit up suddenly in bed in a cold sweat, breathing hard.
"Harm," I whisper. Tears are running down my cheeks uncontrollably. I quickly reach for the phone and dial the familiar number as fast as I can. I know it's two-thirty in the morning, but I don't care. I need to her his voice, just to know he's alive. He picks up after the second ring.
"Hello," he says, not groggy at all.
"Harm," I say, trying to keep the tears out of my voice. I think I did a good job, but evidently not because he says,
"Mac, what's wrong? Did you have that dream again?" This time I sob,
"Oh, Harm, it was so terrible!"
"I'll be right over," he says, then I hear a click. Slowly I hang up the phone on my end and sit there on the bed. The scene just keeps playing over and over again in my head. I get up and fold my arms across my chest as I walk to the dark living room where I begin pacing until I hear the knock on my door. Tears are still streaming down my face as I open the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
0801 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
I take one look into her tear-filled eyes and pull her gently into my arms. We stand there for a good long while as she cries into my chest. It feels so good to hold her. I always wanted to comfort her after something bad happened, but I could never get up the courage.
"Shhh," I say, placing my hand in her soft hair. I lean down and kiss to top of her head. "Everything's going to be okay. Come on," I say, carefully closing the door. Her sobbing slows and I lead her over to her couch where we sit down. I gather her up in my arms, as she rests her head on my chest. She's no longer crying, just thinking. I let her think for a minute, not wanting to spoil the intimate moment. But I have to ask her,
"Mac, what happened?" She takes a shaky breath,
"It was much more gruesome this time," she says solemnly. I know she is talking about the dream she's been having.
"What do you mean?"
"Well. . .all the other times he got thrown over the side of the. . .boat into the water. This time," she says, then takes another shaky breath, "this time he was shot in the head, point blank, in front of my face." She snuggles closer to me, which surprises me, before continuing, "There was blood everywhere. It was all over me – on my face. It was awful," she whimpers. I let that hang in the air a moment before saying,
"Was it Mic who was murdered? Is that why you're so upset?" She hesitates,
"No," she says, "it wasn't Mic."
"Who was it?" I ask carefully, praying she won't close up on me. She takes a few unsure breaths before looking up into my eyes and saying,
"It was you."
0828 ZULU
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION
The phone rings twice and then she picks it up.
"Hello?" she says.
"Did I wake you?" I ask.
"No. I was awake already. What's wrong?" she asks.
"I can't sleep," I say. It's funny that I'm calling her. We haven't had a late-night conversation in a long time. The even stranger thing is she actually sounds happy to hear my voice.
"What a coincidence," she says. "Just a case of insomnia?" she asks, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"You could say that," I say, the same laughter in my voice. "I have a lot to think about. How about you?" I ask. She hesitates a moment.
"Uh, bad dream," she says.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You wanna tell me about it?" I ask, concerned. She hesitates again,
"Not really. It's kind of. . .personal." I nod,
"Oh. Vaguely then?" She sighs,
"Well," she starts, then pauses. "Someone I love asks me a personal question, then someone else I love, kills this person in a rather gruesome fashion." I want so badly to know who these people are, but what I want even more is to hold her and comfort her.
"Is it the first time you've had this dream," I finally ask out of curiosity.
"No actually it's the third time." This startles me. It must be a terrible thing to keep dreaming about someone you love dying. I pause and ponder my next thought for a minute before saying,
"Well, maybe whatever happened in you dream might actually happen. Like a premonition or something."
"Don't say that!" she nearly yells. This person must be really very close to her.
"I'm sorry Mac. I didn't mean to upset you." I pause, "You know what. I shouldn't have called. It's late and – and we both need to get some rest."
"Yeah. . ." she says, "goodnight."
"Goodnight," I say before hanging up the phone. I lay back on my pillow with a sigh.
"You are an idiot, Rabb," I say out loud before turning on my side to try and get some sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TWO NIGHT'S LATER
0742 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
As we kiss, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I break off the kiss to look. It's Mic. He is in his dress whites. He pulls out a pistol,
"You son of a bitch!" he yells, bringing the gun up to Harm's temple. Before I can object, he pulls the trigger and Harm collapses on the deck of the ferry. There's blood everywhere. I scream.
I sit up suddenly in bed in a cold sweat, breathing hard.
"Harm," I whisper. Tears are running down my cheeks uncontrollably. I quickly reach for the phone and dial the familiar number as fast as I can. I know it's two-thirty in the morning, but I don't care. I need to her his voice, just to know he's alive. He picks up after the second ring.
"Hello," he says, not groggy at all.
"Harm," I say, trying to keep the tears out of my voice. I think I did a good job, but evidently not because he says,
"Mac, what's wrong? Did you have that dream again?" This time I sob,
"Oh, Harm, it was so terrible!"
"I'll be right over," he says, then I hear a click. Slowly I hang up the phone on my end and sit there on the bed. The scene just keeps playing over and over again in my head. I get up and fold my arms across my chest as I walk to the dark living room where I begin pacing until I hear the knock on my door. Tears are still streaming down my face as I open the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
0801 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
I take one look into her tear-filled eyes and pull her gently into my arms. We stand there for a good long while as she cries into my chest. It feels so good to hold her. I always wanted to comfort her after something bad happened, but I could never get up the courage.
"Shhh," I say, placing my hand in her soft hair. I lean down and kiss to top of her head. "Everything's going to be okay. Come on," I say, carefully closing the door. Her sobbing slows and I lead her over to her couch where we sit down. I gather her up in my arms, as she rests her head on my chest. She's no longer crying, just thinking. I let her think for a minute, not wanting to spoil the intimate moment. But I have to ask her,
"Mac, what happened?" She takes a shaky breath,
"It was much more gruesome this time," she says solemnly. I know she is talking about the dream she's been having.
"What do you mean?"
"Well. . .all the other times he got thrown over the side of the. . .boat into the water. This time," she says, then takes another shaky breath, "this time he was shot in the head, point blank, in front of my face." She snuggles closer to me, which surprises me, before continuing, "There was blood everywhere. It was all over me – on my face. It was awful," she whimpers. I let that hang in the air a moment before saying,
"Was it Mic who was murdered? Is that why you're so upset?" She hesitates,
"No," she says, "it wasn't Mic."
"Who was it?" I ask carefully, praying she won't close up on me. She takes a few unsure breaths before looking up into my eyes and saying,
"It was you."