Part Eight

Base Hospital
Mac's room
0800 Local

Capt. Perez strode up to Colonel MacKenzie's room. He nodded to PFC Clifford, rapped lightly on the door and walked in. Rabb had pulled a couple of chairs over to the bedside. He was leaning back in one with his feet resting on the other. The Colonel was sitting propped up against the pillows with a file folder in her lap. They looked over and smiled when they saw him.

"Morning, sir, ma'am," Perez said, "You both look like you're feeling better." He held up two carryalls, "I brought you each a change of clothes from your quarters. Your uniforms were a little worse for wear after yesterday."

"Bless you, my son," Harm said. He looked over at Mac, "Dibs on the shower!" He rose to his feet, reached for the bag Perez extended and disappeared into the bathroom.

Mac looked after him with amusement and then turned back to Perez, "Thanks, Captain." She gestured towards the chair Harm had just vacated. Perez saw that she had been fitted with a plastic brace that went from her elbow to the palm of her hand. Mac noticed his attention and held it up, "A little something to keep me from aggravating my forearm."

"And a useful tool when applied vigorously to the thick-headed," Perez said, doing his best imitation of an info-mercial.

Mac laughed and answered in the same vein, "And it comes with its own fashion accessory, basic black in a classic sling design. Wear it when a full-body cast is inappropriate for the occasion."

Perez smiled as he sat down, "How's your head, ma'am?"

"There," Mac said. "Have you looked over any of these files?"

"I skimmed through," he said more seriously, "Enough to know we'll have to have Supply conduct a physical inventory. That could take weeks, Captain Harvester will be highly pissed."

Mac looked at him thoughtfully, "If there's something going on in Supply, a physical inventory will certainly tip our hand. We might as well put up a billboard that says 'Run and Hide'. What if we got the delivery manifests e-mailed to us from the manufacturers and compared that to the computer inventory?"

"That could work," Perez said, mulling it over. "I have a computer geek on staff who could probably help. Oh, and our spot check last night hasn't turned up any missing grenades. We're still going through Ordnance but it looks like it wasn't one of ours. Forensics will take a couple of days and then we'll know for sure." Perez looked at her a little warily, "Has Commander Rabb mentioned any other theories for the attack?"

"No," Mac said, looking slightly mystified. Her expression cleared and her eyebrows rose in surprise, "Oh!" She thought it over and shook her head slightly, "I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" They turned to see Harm standing in the doorway of the bath.

"Well, no," Mac admitted, "But why try to grab my files? Besides, it seems poorly planned. It would have been easier to just shoot me or wait until I was in my quarters to lob the grenade." She stopped and looked at the two of them, "All right, this conversation just became weird." Handing the file folder to Perez, she carefully slid out from under the covers. She flashed Harm a grateful smile as he offered a supporting hand. Picking up the carryall, she moved somewhat stiffly into the bathroom. Harm gazed after her with a concerned look and then visibly making up his mind, walked over and tapped on bathroom door, "Hey Mac?"

"Yes?" she answered through the door. She had already gotten out of the hospital gown and robe and was contemplating her reflection. She looked like the poster girl for Roadkill Magazine. Another swimsuit season shot to hell.

"Umm, are you going to be able to... I mean, you shouldn't get some of those dressings wet. Are you going to need some help?" Harm closed his eyes briefly, God, that was smooth - he sounded like an idiot.

Mac wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door a crack. She regarded Harm's startled face with a grin and said, "Offering to wash my back, Sailor?" She watched him stutter a moment and then said more seriously, "I think I can handle it, but thanks anyway Harm." She added dryly, "I've had practice." Closing the door, she headed for the shower.

Harm stood looking at the door a moment longer and then turned back towards the room. He saw Perez intently studying the files in his lap, "Oh shut up, Captain."

Perez looked up with an innocent expression, laughter lurking in his dark eyes. He waited until Harm had settled in the other chair and cautiously ventured, "Are you two... ?"

"No," he said shortly.

"No?" Perez said in surprise. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, then he said thoughtfully, "Think she'd be interested in going out with a younger man?"

"No."

Perez smiled to himself and returned to reading the files. They worked through the papers in silence. After about ten minutes, Harm began to glance at his watch and fidget. He waited a couple more minutes and had started to get up when the door to the bathroom opened. "About time, Marine. I thought you got lost in there."

Mac arched an eyebrow at him, "Nineteen minutes and twenty-three seconds. I thought I was doing pretty well, all things considered." She looked over at Perez, "Thank you Captain," indicating her uniform blouse. He had taken the time to attach all the correct insignia, something she'd have had trouble with one-handed. She looked at the two men and said, "What about Ensign Tyler?"

"They're releasing him too, Colonel. I understand he's taking a day of sick leave." Perez replied, looking slightly puzzled.

"Will you be continuing his protection, Captain?" Mac asked.

"Well, no. Not after he leaves the hospital, ma'am." Perez looked at her a little more sharply.

"You think he's a target, Mac?" Harm asked.

"It's possible. Apparently I am, either way. But if this is about the Jarvis UA, then Tyler could still be at risk too. He knows quite a bit about the case now."

"What are you suggesting, ma'am?" Perez asked.

"If he doesn't object to not taking the leave, maybe he should stick close to us."

"Yeah, but if this is about 'Archangel', then you're putting him in the line of fire," Harm objected.

Mac shot him a mildly irritated look, "If this is 'Archangel', I'll put you all in the line of fire. If that's the case, I should handle this on my own."

"Like hell you will," Harm snapped. "You were damn lucky those idiots didn't kill you the first time."

"You think it was luck?" Mac went from angry to incredulous. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room.

Harm watched Mac leave in exasperation, what the hell was wrong with her? He started to follow when he heard a throat clear behind him. Damn, he'd forgotten Perez. Turning, he said in a frustrated tone, "What?"

Perez was standing at attention, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Harm gave an impatient gesture while glancing at the door, "At ease, dammit, and make it quick, Perez."

"Do you always treat the Colonel like this, sir?"

"Like what, Captain?" Harm said shortly and then looked closer at Perez. He was surprised to see that the captain was angry.

"Like you're continually amazed that she can cross a street without your help." Perez said flatly.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't do that." Harm glared at the marine. At the same time, he was getting an uncomfortable feeling, did Mac see it that way? A fragment of a long-ago argument on the Watertown came to mind, "And you have no faith in me... " Dammit, they had resolved that issue.

"Exactly how 'lucky' was she the first time, sir?" Perez glared back.

"That's not how I meant it," Harm argued, "Mac's one of the strongest people I know. I'd trust her with my life."

"But not with her own?" the captain persisted.

"I trust her, period." Harm said. "There aren't too many people who could have broken 'Archangel' and come out in one piece."

"Then why are you here, Commander?" Perez asked.

"What?"

"Why are you here, sir?" Perez repeated. "I could understand if you came out after the attack, but you were here before that. The Colonel arrived in the morning and you were here by the afternoon. I'm not a lawyer but even I could see that the internet case was pretty much done. I knew she had talked to Cmdr. Brighton but neither of us knew she was investigating the Jarvis UA. So, why did you come?"

"Our CO sent me," Harm said reluctantly, this sounded worse every time he tried to explain it. "Lt. Singer called to let him know that Admiral Crowley was being... difficult. He wanted to me to act as a sort of buffer while Mac wrapped up the case."

Perez's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Sir, if I were the Colonel, I'd either kick you and your CO's ass or see about finding myself a new home... or both."

"Goddammit, Perez, the Admiral was worried about her. All her friends are. You have no idea what she went through during that case!" Harm threw up his hands in frustration, "Hell, I don't know everything she went through, she won't talk about it. I know she's been having nightmares about it, she told me that much. I'm just trying to keep anything else from happening to her."

"As a friend, that's fine, sir. It's nice to know she's got that kind of support. But as an officer, it's interfering... and insulting. You've all but called her incompetent." Perez eyed the Commander, he wasn't sure how much more he could push this. But it was a helluva way to treat a fellow officer in the Marine Corps.

Harm froze hearing Mac's words being echoed by the captain. Son of a bitch, how the hell would he fix this? He had no intention of leaving Mac if someone was after her. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, "So I'll apologize, but there's no way in hell I'll leave her to face these people alone."

"I wouldn't ask you to, sir," Perez said and then smiled, "But if she decides to kick your six, I may help. Sir."

"Understood, Captain," Harm growled. "Do you mind if I go and check with the Colonel to see if she can fit it into her busy schedule?"

"Not at all, sir." The two men left the room in search of Mac.

Base Hospital Grounds
Memphis NAS
0840 Local

Mac sat on the bench and looked out over the grounds, it was a beautiful base. A surreptitious glance showed her that she still had her shadow. She returned her gaze to the horizon. Harmon Rabb was the only man she knew who could make her go from zero to furious in ten seconds or less. This time the anger had fled as quickly as it appeared leaving her feeling depressed. Rationally, she knew he wasn't denigrating everything she had gone through during that damn case. They just never quite saw eye-to-eye on what was considered acceptable risk for each other. Although (and dammit, she was getting steamed again), if Harm applied the same standard to her that he used for himself, she should be able to tapdance in a nest of rattlesnakes without him saying a word.

Sighing, Mac shifted trying to find a more comfortable position. It didn't help that Harm had slipped into 'hero mode'. During a crisis, he could be amazing, but in between, it was annoying as hell. She was an officer in the Marine Corps, not some damn damsel in distress. Unable to sit any longer, she got up and started walking again. The MP who was watching her, followed silently behind. Truth be told, she knew she was probably being overly sensitive. This was Harm being Harm, something she'd had to deal with since day one. It was the Admiral's decision that she couldn't handle a few bumps in the road that had tempered her reaction. Well, she had figured out her options - now she'd have to see if she could get hold of Webb...