Part Forty-Five
Mac's Room
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0925 Local
AJ watched Jarvis pace back and forth anxiously. Mac had been right on the money, even if she had said it just to goad him, this guy was way out of his league. Unfortunately, that probably made the situation worse. There was no telling what he'd do in a panic. His wife stood and watched with her arms folded and an unreadable expression on her face. Chegwidden frowned slightly, he would have thought she'd be even more nervous than Jarvis. Something wasn't tracking right. He cast a surreptitious eye over at Mac. For some irrational reason, he felt if he didn't notice her, maybe the Jarvises wouldn't either. She hadn't moved from where she'd landed when Jarvis pushed her away. Curled on her right side, he couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. He looked back at Jarvis and cleared his throat, it was time to start doing his part to get out of this mess.
"It will go easier on you two if you give up now," AJ said. "They're not going to let you walk out of here with hostages."
Liz Jarvis looked at him with contempt, "Is there a hostage manual somewhere that requires you to spout that crap?" She glanced over at her husband who had finally stopped pacing. "Suck it up, Alan. We've got the Navy's Judge Advocate General and his Chief of Staff. They're going to do whatever it takes to keep the two of them safe. So long as we don't panic, we'll be fine."
Chegwidden narrowed his gaze, Mrs. Jarvis was sounding more dangerous all the time. He directed his attention towards her, "Don't think for one minute that they'll negotiate with you. Staying on this course will get you killed."
"You and the Colonel will go first," Liz said menacingly.
AJ shrugged, "When you put on the uniform, you pretty much accept that you could lose your life defending your country." Damn, what would it take to rattle this woman? He glanced over when he heard Jarvis give an incredulous snort.
"Defending your country? That's a laugh. It's all smoke and mirrors with you people. Admiral Jacobs was doing something." Jarvis glared at the Admiral and then over at Mac, "And because of that traitorous bitch, our country is still at the mercy of oil-rich psychopaths and the Admiral's dead!" He brandished the pistol angrily, "He was worth ten of her, I should just kill her now."
"Shut up, Alan," Mrs. Jarvis snapped, "Jacobs was an idiot. He could have made a fortune and all he wanted to do was get involved in that quagmire over there. Eric had the right idea."
"And now he's dead, too." AJ retorted, "Either of you notice a pattern? Keep making the same bad choices and you can follow in both their footsteps." He had a moment to prepare as Liz closed the distance between them, drew back and slugged him. He shook his head trying to clear it, that woman packed a wallop. No wonder Mac wasn't moving.
"Liz... ," Jarvis began.
"Shut up! Both of you can just shut up!" Liz growled. She grabbed the other chair and threw herself down. AJ suppressed a smile, now she was rattled.
The noise was causing her head to throb. Mac could almost make out words but it didn't seem worth the effort. It started to fade and she gratefully began to slip a little deeper into the silence. What had happened? She'd been talking to the Admiral and then... then... what? She tried to focus and winced. Wimp, she chided herself, get on with it - talked to the Admiral and then... Wiley Coyote showed up... what... ? ... oh hell, if her mind had finally decided to take a hike, it could at least do it painlessly... Wait a minute ... no, not Wiley Coyote... the Acme Assassination Gang! The jolt of that realization brought her back the rest of the way. Enough to become aware that it wasn't only her head that hurt.
Mac kept her eyes closed while she re-grouped. The pounding in her head was matched by the pounding in her shoulder. Her throat felt raw and fiery and she was pretty sure there would be an outstanding bruise where Jarvis' wife had belted her. All in all, this hospital stay had done nothing for her health. Hell, the entire trip had left her with a new empathy for all the punching bags of the world. Finally, she pried one eye open and looked at the wall of the hospital room. Damn, facing the wrong way. Okay, not hard to fix, just roll back over. Except there was no way to do it without attracting attention and she'd had enough of that already. All right , quit whining and turn over... it was easier said than done. She was lying on her right arm and it had fallen asleep. Clamping her jaws against a groan, she braced a leg and pushed. Once again on her back, Mac cautiously opened both eyes.
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0930 Local
Harm stepped out in the corridor to find it bustling with activity. Perez had ordered the evacuation of the areas surrounding Mac's room. Working his way against the flow, he made it back to the point where he had left Gunny Walters. He found a command post taking shape with Captain Perez at the eye of the storm. Walters was off to the side giving instructions to a private and corporal. He sent them on their way and turned around to see Harm watching him. Gunny walked over to the Commander, "Yes sir?"
Harm nodded towards the hallway to Mac's room, "Anything?"
"Not a sound, sir," Walters said worriedly. He'd grown protective of the Colonel these last few months. Maybe it was an offshoot of the empty nest syndrome, his youngest daughter was in her first year at the Naval Academy. Unbeknownst to the tall Commander, he had survived the Gunny's scrutiny, there weren't many squids who would. "We're setting up a perimeter, Captain Perez has been in contact with the local police and the Feds." He turned towards Perez, gesturing to Harm, "The Captain can update us, sir."
They walked over. Perez flashed them a brief smile as he continued his conversation on the phone. Someone had found some tables, there was a rough sketch of the hospital layout sitting on top. The two men went to look at it while they waited for Perez to hang up. A slight commotion made them look back up the hallway. They saw Ensign Tyler trying his best to get by the Marine guarding that point. Gunny raised his voice, "Let him through, Chikowski."
Contenting himself with a mild glare at the sentry, Tyler hurried over to Harm and Walters. Even though he was in civvies, he couldn't help snapping to attention. The Commander's amused look made him relax somewhat sheepishly. He looked at the two men anxiously, "I heard about the hostage situation. Is the Colonel all right? Can I help, sir?"
Harm looked at him soberly, "We don't know and I suppose that's up to Captain Perez. He's in charge of this. Were you here to see Cpl. Bell? How's he doing?"
Tyler grinned wryly, "The doctors say he'll make a full recovery. Right at this moment, he's highly ticked to be flat on his back. I'm supposed to keep him up to date on what's happening here or he says he's going to wring my skinny squid neck." At the amused snorts from Rabb and Walters, he chuckled, "I told him he'd have to get up and catch my scrawny little ass first." Harm smiled and clapped the young man on the shoulder as they turned to see if Perez was off the phone. Tyler had come into his own on this case and Harm knew Chegwidden wanted to discuss the ensign and Bell's career paths with them. He took a deep breath, if he had anything to say about it, the Admiral would have that chance.
A man in a business suit with a large tube container under his arm, diverted Harm's attention. He was followed by a workman carrying several phones. Perez walked to the table, greeted the man and looked over at Harm, "This is the hospital administrator, Ed Valencia. He's got the blueprints for this section of the hospital."
"Great," Harm replied, as he and the others gathered around. Ten minutes later, he straightened up with a frustrated sigh. There was no way to access the room without alerting the occupants. Unlike every movie he'd ever seen that involved hostages and bad guys, the ductwork here was too small to crawl through. He looked at Perez, "We're down to sharpshooters and negotiation."
Perez looked equally frustrated, "The only thing we can negotiate for is their surrender. There's no way we can let them walk out of here, with or without the hostages." His face turned grim, "Once they realize that, they'll probably start shooting. They won't have anything to lose."
Harm muttered a quiet oath while scrubbing a hand through his hair. There had to be a way to get Mac and the Admiral out in one piece. He started pacing, his mind working feverishly. The others watched in silence. Abruptly, he stopped, eyes narrowed. He stood stock still for almost a minute and then swung around to stare at Tyler. The ensign gulped nervously as Harm gestured for Perez to join him. Still staring at Tyler, he said, "Captain, I have an idea... ."
Mac's Room
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0930 Local
AJ saw Mac turn over and looked quickly at Jarvis and his wife. Jarvis scowled and started to move closer to the bed. Before Chegwidden could open his mouth, Liz Jarvis jumped in, "Leave her alone, Allan. We're going to need her up and walking to get out of here."
Jarvis glared at his wife, "When the hell is that going to happen?" He waved an arm, "We have no idea what they're doing out there. Why not kill her now? We've got him for a hostage." He gestured towards AJ and then flexed his fingers, looking back at Mac, "I can do it quietly, they wouldn't know."
Liz Jarvis gazed up at the ceiling and then regarded her husband impatiently, "I agreed to help you with this stupid revenge because I knew you'd act without thinking and get yourself killed. You damn near blew yourself up with that grenade. You'll get your chance and plenty of time to do it, if you'll let me handle everything now." Her smile gave AJ chills, "You know you'll enjoy it more if you don't have to rush."
Jarvis chuckled and settled at the bottom of the bed. He leered at Mac, "Yeah, it would be better taking my time."
AJ stared hard at Jarvis, he'd gladly beat the holy hell out of the man for what he was thinking. He glanced up at Mac. She was lying against the pillows with her eyes open. He couldn't tell if she was coherent enough to understand that last exchange between the Jarvises. Then she met his eyes and he knew she'd heard every word. Her lack of expression worried him, he couldn't tell if she was already retreating mentally and emotionally.
The phone rang. Liz Jarvis walked over and picked it up, "It's about time, I was becoming annoyed." She listened for a moment, "All right Captain Perez, let me tell you what's going to happen. We're walking out of this room and out of this hospital. You're going to provide us with transportation and guarantee no pursuit." She listened again, "I'm being perfectly reasonable. I'm not asking for ransom or a helicopter. If we don't get what we want, we'll start putting little holes in your Admiral and the Colonel. And if you try rushing the room, they'll both die before you get past the doorway." She hung up and turned to look at her husband, "We'll let them stew a little."
AJ cleared his throat. Liz and Jarvis looked at him. "You might have an easier time moving the Colonel if she had shoes and something less conspicuous than a hospital gown." He knew if Perez let them leave the building, it would be because he had a plan in motion. Rabb would see to that. Meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to make it possible for Mac to move quickly. He could see Liz turning over the angles in her mind, finally she shrugged and nodded. AJ kept his satisfaction to himself, despite prior evidence, they didn't see Mac as a threat.
Once more the phone rang, Liz smiled at her husband and picked it up. "Well, Captain Perez?" She listened intently for several minutes, "No. That is unacceptable... No." She looked at the phone in exasperation and then put it back to her ear, "All right, Perez, pick one." There was a pause and then she said, "I'm going to put a hole in one of them and you get to pick which one. ... If you don't choose, I'll put a hole in both." She held the phone away from her ear and smiled smugly as Perez's frantic voice could be heard. She put the handset back to her ear, "Are you ready to be reasonable, Captain? ... Fine, I know you'll have people watching, but I don't want to see them. And no one on the roofs, either." She glanced at AJ, "Oh and I want some scrubs and shoes for Colonel MacKenzie. Put them outside the door in the next five minutes. Don't get cute." She hung up. Three minutes later, there was a single knock on the door. Liz motioned to her husband. He cautiously approached the door, opened it a crack and pulled in the bundle. Grinning at Liz, he turned and heaved the package at Mac.
She managed to knock it down before it hit her and glared at Jarvis in annoyance. AJ breathed a quiet sigh of relief, he hadn't liked the expressionless look. Mac looked at the Jarvises in exasperation, "This will go a lot faster if I can get some help." Her voice came out in a husky whisper.
They stared at her for a moment and then Liz looked at her husband and gestured towards AJ, "Untie him."
Jarvis swung around and blinked at her, "What?!"
She stared back, "We'll have to untie him at some point. He can't walk in that chair. Let him give her a hand. If they get stupid, we can always shoot them. I want out of this place, the sooner the better."
Grumbling, Jarvis walked over and cautiously untied one of the Admiral's hands. "Do the rest yourself and hurry up." He stepped back quickly and retrieved his gun from Liz.
Shaking his hand for a moment, AJ made short work of the rest of the bindings. Standing up, he glanced at their two captors and then walked to the bedside. Looking at Mac, he was surprised to see her face reddening. "I'm sorry about this, sir," she said quietly and she truly was. Being half-naked in front of her CO was high on her list of incredibly awkward moments.
Seeing the look on her face, AJ swallowed the flippant remark he'd been about to make. Mac was going to deal with this by approaching it from the military side and he'd respect that. It would definitely be better that way, he really didn't need to dwell on how attractive she was. Matching her tone, he said, "It's not your fault, Mac." He reached around and undid the ties on the gown, sliding it carefully down and then froze. Was it possible to be attracted and appalled at the same time? He took a deep breath and looked at a visibly tense Mac, "Dear lord, Colonel, you look like you've been run through a Cuisinart."
She relaxed a fraction and offered a small smile, "It was more like a cement mixer." Her throat felt like it was on fire.
He grunted thoughtfully, "I'll bet." He got her into the scrub top, taking care not to jostle her shoulder. The pants went on quickly and he was tying her shoes when he looked up at her in surprise, "They fit."
She tried to sound off-hand about it, "Harm knows what size shoe I wear." AJ raised an eyebrow and decided not to comment. Mac looked uncomfortable enough; Rabb, on the other hand, would be fair game.
Chegwidden stood up and faced the Jarvises, "Now what?"
Liz gestured with her pistol, "Now we tie your hands again. Turn around. If you try anything, I'll shoot the Colonel first."
Chegwidden glared at her and then turned around, putting his hands behind him. Jarvis came forward and tied his hands securely. Then he pulled AJ around and shoved him down in the chair, "Don't move." Turning to Mac, he pulled her hands forward, grinning as she gritted her teeth against the pain. Quickly tying her wrists, he shoved her back with a smile, "This is just the beginning."
A few minutes later, the phone rang for the third time. Liz picked up and listened. She turned to Jarvis with a smile, "We got what we want. It's time." Jarvis grinned back and then grabbed Mac by the wrists and pulled her upright. This time she was unable to stifle the cry of pain. AJ started to get to his feet, only to stop when Jarvis planted the gun barrel in his chest. Furious, he addressed Liz, "You let him keep that up and she won't make it down the corridor, much less to the street."
Liz looked at him for a moment and then over at Allan, "He's right, lay off until we're out of here." Pulling AJ upright, the four left the room.
Minutes later, they cleared the main doors of the hospital and cautiously stepped out on the main walkway. Thirty yards away at the curb, sat a government sedan with the engine running. Jarvis moved away from the building first, his fist wrapped in the back of Mac's scrub top and his pistol jammed painfully in the back of her head. Nervously, he spun around in a circle, dragging Mac around with him while scanning the rooftops for snipers. Desperately she tried to keep her feet, this was the first time she'd been upright since her lunch with that bastard Trask. The strain was beginning to tell, she felt increasingly shaky.
Satisfied that Perez had been telling the truth about snipers on the rooftops, Jarvis motioned for Liz to join him. She came out of the shelter of the building, shoving AJ along in front of her. When she reached her husband, they began the slow trek to the car. Suspicious of some kind of trap, they kept turning from one side to the other in an erratic pattern, dragging Mac or the Admiral along. AJ tried to keep an eye on Mac while scanning the surrounding area. He was growing more worried about her, She was getting paler all the time and her face glistened with a fine sheen of sweat.
They were two-thirds of the way to the car, when a battered white Toyota came roaring up to the hospital. It careened to a halt right behind the sedan, bouncing one wheel up on the curb. A frantic young man leaped out and raced around to the passenger side, yanking the door open. Oblivious to the nature of the group standing on the walkway, he yelled over his shoulder, "Get someone out here, my wife's in labor!" He carefully hauled an incredibly pregnant and obviously agitated woman out of the car. She alternated between panting and berating her husband loudly about his driving. Wrapped up in the imminent birth, they completely ignored the four people as they made their way to the hospital.
Bemused by this unexpected appearance, the Jarvises watched the couple until they passed and then turned their attention back to the car. Moments later, Jarvis and his wife were hit from behind. Before they could realize what was happening, both were facedown on the pavement while Marines closed in from all sides. They were quickly cuffed, dragged upright and hustled out of the area.
With the help of a Marine private, Mac rolled to a sitting position from where she had fallen. While he untied her hands, she looked with amazement at the exuberant faces of Tyler and Singer and started to laugh. AJ glanced over at her in surprise. He was kneeling where he had landed while another Marine worked the ropes loose from his wrists. Then he looked over his shoulder and broke out in a wide grin, "Tell me Lieutenant, when's the happy day?"
Pulling off the dark wig, Lauren smiled back and reached under the maternity top, "Today, sir. It's a bouncing, fluffy pillow." She removed it with a flourish and turned to Pick, "It looks just like you, dear." Whatever reply Pick would've made was lost as Rabb, Perez and Walters came pounding up.
Harm dropped down beside Mac, looking at her anxiously. "Are you okay?" At her nod, he looked over at the Admiral, "How about you, sir?"
"Fine now, Commander." AJ waved a hand, "This was all your idea, wasn't it?" He reached up and let Walters haul him to his feet.
"Yes sir," Harm smiled at Singer and Tyler, "but I think the Oscar goes to Lauren and Pick for their outstanding performance as the pregnant couple." He glanced down at Mac, who was leaning against him, "Think you can stand up?"
She nodded at the same time that Chegwidden said 'No.' Mac looked at him in surprise.
"You've been on your feet enough for one day, Colonel. You can ride back this time." AJ turned to a corporal and sent him back to the hospital for a wheelchair. He looked back at Mac, "We'll have the doctor check you over as well."
She nodded quietly, causing both men to look at each other in concern. At the least, they'd expected a token argument. If Mac noticed their looks, she ignored them. Instead, she smiled warmly at the assembled group. "I'd like to thank you all for rescuing us." There were answering grins and then the corporal arrived back with a wheelchair. With Harm's help, Mac settled into the wheelchair. With a small smile, she gestured wearily towards the hospital, "Home, James."
Mac's Room
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0925 Local
AJ watched Jarvis pace back and forth anxiously. Mac had been right on the money, even if she had said it just to goad him, this guy was way out of his league. Unfortunately, that probably made the situation worse. There was no telling what he'd do in a panic. His wife stood and watched with her arms folded and an unreadable expression on her face. Chegwidden frowned slightly, he would have thought she'd be even more nervous than Jarvis. Something wasn't tracking right. He cast a surreptitious eye over at Mac. For some irrational reason, he felt if he didn't notice her, maybe the Jarvises wouldn't either. She hadn't moved from where she'd landed when Jarvis pushed her away. Curled on her right side, he couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. He looked back at Jarvis and cleared his throat, it was time to start doing his part to get out of this mess.
"It will go easier on you two if you give up now," AJ said. "They're not going to let you walk out of here with hostages."
Liz Jarvis looked at him with contempt, "Is there a hostage manual somewhere that requires you to spout that crap?" She glanced over at her husband who had finally stopped pacing. "Suck it up, Alan. We've got the Navy's Judge Advocate General and his Chief of Staff. They're going to do whatever it takes to keep the two of them safe. So long as we don't panic, we'll be fine."
Chegwidden narrowed his gaze, Mrs. Jarvis was sounding more dangerous all the time. He directed his attention towards her, "Don't think for one minute that they'll negotiate with you. Staying on this course will get you killed."
"You and the Colonel will go first," Liz said menacingly.
AJ shrugged, "When you put on the uniform, you pretty much accept that you could lose your life defending your country." Damn, what would it take to rattle this woman? He glanced over when he heard Jarvis give an incredulous snort.
"Defending your country? That's a laugh. It's all smoke and mirrors with you people. Admiral Jacobs was doing something." Jarvis glared at the Admiral and then over at Mac, "And because of that traitorous bitch, our country is still at the mercy of oil-rich psychopaths and the Admiral's dead!" He brandished the pistol angrily, "He was worth ten of her, I should just kill her now."
"Shut up, Alan," Mrs. Jarvis snapped, "Jacobs was an idiot. He could have made a fortune and all he wanted to do was get involved in that quagmire over there. Eric had the right idea."
"And now he's dead, too." AJ retorted, "Either of you notice a pattern? Keep making the same bad choices and you can follow in both their footsteps." He had a moment to prepare as Liz closed the distance between them, drew back and slugged him. He shook his head trying to clear it, that woman packed a wallop. No wonder Mac wasn't moving.
"Liz... ," Jarvis began.
"Shut up! Both of you can just shut up!" Liz growled. She grabbed the other chair and threw herself down. AJ suppressed a smile, now she was rattled.
The noise was causing her head to throb. Mac could almost make out words but it didn't seem worth the effort. It started to fade and she gratefully began to slip a little deeper into the silence. What had happened? She'd been talking to the Admiral and then... then... what? She tried to focus and winced. Wimp, she chided herself, get on with it - talked to the Admiral and then... Wiley Coyote showed up... what... ? ... oh hell, if her mind had finally decided to take a hike, it could at least do it painlessly... Wait a minute ... no, not Wiley Coyote... the Acme Assassination Gang! The jolt of that realization brought her back the rest of the way. Enough to become aware that it wasn't only her head that hurt.
Mac kept her eyes closed while she re-grouped. The pounding in her head was matched by the pounding in her shoulder. Her throat felt raw and fiery and she was pretty sure there would be an outstanding bruise where Jarvis' wife had belted her. All in all, this hospital stay had done nothing for her health. Hell, the entire trip had left her with a new empathy for all the punching bags of the world. Finally, she pried one eye open and looked at the wall of the hospital room. Damn, facing the wrong way. Okay, not hard to fix, just roll back over. Except there was no way to do it without attracting attention and she'd had enough of that already. All right , quit whining and turn over... it was easier said than done. She was lying on her right arm and it had fallen asleep. Clamping her jaws against a groan, she braced a leg and pushed. Once again on her back, Mac cautiously opened both eyes.
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0930 Local
Harm stepped out in the corridor to find it bustling with activity. Perez had ordered the evacuation of the areas surrounding Mac's room. Working his way against the flow, he made it back to the point where he had left Gunny Walters. He found a command post taking shape with Captain Perez at the eye of the storm. Walters was off to the side giving instructions to a private and corporal. He sent them on their way and turned around to see Harm watching him. Gunny walked over to the Commander, "Yes sir?"
Harm nodded towards the hallway to Mac's room, "Anything?"
"Not a sound, sir," Walters said worriedly. He'd grown protective of the Colonel these last few months. Maybe it was an offshoot of the empty nest syndrome, his youngest daughter was in her first year at the Naval Academy. Unbeknownst to the tall Commander, he had survived the Gunny's scrutiny, there weren't many squids who would. "We're setting up a perimeter, Captain Perez has been in contact with the local police and the Feds." He turned towards Perez, gesturing to Harm, "The Captain can update us, sir."
They walked over. Perez flashed them a brief smile as he continued his conversation on the phone. Someone had found some tables, there was a rough sketch of the hospital layout sitting on top. The two men went to look at it while they waited for Perez to hang up. A slight commotion made them look back up the hallway. They saw Ensign Tyler trying his best to get by the Marine guarding that point. Gunny raised his voice, "Let him through, Chikowski."
Contenting himself with a mild glare at the sentry, Tyler hurried over to Harm and Walters. Even though he was in civvies, he couldn't help snapping to attention. The Commander's amused look made him relax somewhat sheepishly. He looked at the two men anxiously, "I heard about the hostage situation. Is the Colonel all right? Can I help, sir?"
Harm looked at him soberly, "We don't know and I suppose that's up to Captain Perez. He's in charge of this. Were you here to see Cpl. Bell? How's he doing?"
Tyler grinned wryly, "The doctors say he'll make a full recovery. Right at this moment, he's highly ticked to be flat on his back. I'm supposed to keep him up to date on what's happening here or he says he's going to wring my skinny squid neck." At the amused snorts from Rabb and Walters, he chuckled, "I told him he'd have to get up and catch my scrawny little ass first." Harm smiled and clapped the young man on the shoulder as they turned to see if Perez was off the phone. Tyler had come into his own on this case and Harm knew Chegwidden wanted to discuss the ensign and Bell's career paths with them. He took a deep breath, if he had anything to say about it, the Admiral would have that chance.
A man in a business suit with a large tube container under his arm, diverted Harm's attention. He was followed by a workman carrying several phones. Perez walked to the table, greeted the man and looked over at Harm, "This is the hospital administrator, Ed Valencia. He's got the blueprints for this section of the hospital."
"Great," Harm replied, as he and the others gathered around. Ten minutes later, he straightened up with a frustrated sigh. There was no way to access the room without alerting the occupants. Unlike every movie he'd ever seen that involved hostages and bad guys, the ductwork here was too small to crawl through. He looked at Perez, "We're down to sharpshooters and negotiation."
Perez looked equally frustrated, "The only thing we can negotiate for is their surrender. There's no way we can let them walk out of here, with or without the hostages." His face turned grim, "Once they realize that, they'll probably start shooting. They won't have anything to lose."
Harm muttered a quiet oath while scrubbing a hand through his hair. There had to be a way to get Mac and the Admiral out in one piece. He started pacing, his mind working feverishly. The others watched in silence. Abruptly, he stopped, eyes narrowed. He stood stock still for almost a minute and then swung around to stare at Tyler. The ensign gulped nervously as Harm gestured for Perez to join him. Still staring at Tyler, he said, "Captain, I have an idea... ."
Mac's Room
Base Hospital
Memphis NAS
0930 Local
AJ saw Mac turn over and looked quickly at Jarvis and his wife. Jarvis scowled and started to move closer to the bed. Before Chegwidden could open his mouth, Liz Jarvis jumped in, "Leave her alone, Allan. We're going to need her up and walking to get out of here."
Jarvis glared at his wife, "When the hell is that going to happen?" He waved an arm, "We have no idea what they're doing out there. Why not kill her now? We've got him for a hostage." He gestured towards AJ and then flexed his fingers, looking back at Mac, "I can do it quietly, they wouldn't know."
Liz Jarvis gazed up at the ceiling and then regarded her husband impatiently, "I agreed to help you with this stupid revenge because I knew you'd act without thinking and get yourself killed. You damn near blew yourself up with that grenade. You'll get your chance and plenty of time to do it, if you'll let me handle everything now." Her smile gave AJ chills, "You know you'll enjoy it more if you don't have to rush."
Jarvis chuckled and settled at the bottom of the bed. He leered at Mac, "Yeah, it would be better taking my time."
AJ stared hard at Jarvis, he'd gladly beat the holy hell out of the man for what he was thinking. He glanced up at Mac. She was lying against the pillows with her eyes open. He couldn't tell if she was coherent enough to understand that last exchange between the Jarvises. Then she met his eyes and he knew she'd heard every word. Her lack of expression worried him, he couldn't tell if she was already retreating mentally and emotionally.
The phone rang. Liz Jarvis walked over and picked it up, "It's about time, I was becoming annoyed." She listened for a moment, "All right Captain Perez, let me tell you what's going to happen. We're walking out of this room and out of this hospital. You're going to provide us with transportation and guarantee no pursuit." She listened again, "I'm being perfectly reasonable. I'm not asking for ransom or a helicopter. If we don't get what we want, we'll start putting little holes in your Admiral and the Colonel. And if you try rushing the room, they'll both die before you get past the doorway." She hung up and turned to look at her husband, "We'll let them stew a little."
AJ cleared his throat. Liz and Jarvis looked at him. "You might have an easier time moving the Colonel if she had shoes and something less conspicuous than a hospital gown." He knew if Perez let them leave the building, it would be because he had a plan in motion. Rabb would see to that. Meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to make it possible for Mac to move quickly. He could see Liz turning over the angles in her mind, finally she shrugged and nodded. AJ kept his satisfaction to himself, despite prior evidence, they didn't see Mac as a threat.
Once more the phone rang, Liz smiled at her husband and picked it up. "Well, Captain Perez?" She listened intently for several minutes, "No. That is unacceptable... No." She looked at the phone in exasperation and then put it back to her ear, "All right, Perez, pick one." There was a pause and then she said, "I'm going to put a hole in one of them and you get to pick which one. ... If you don't choose, I'll put a hole in both." She held the phone away from her ear and smiled smugly as Perez's frantic voice could be heard. She put the handset back to her ear, "Are you ready to be reasonable, Captain? ... Fine, I know you'll have people watching, but I don't want to see them. And no one on the roofs, either." She glanced at AJ, "Oh and I want some scrubs and shoes for Colonel MacKenzie. Put them outside the door in the next five minutes. Don't get cute." She hung up. Three minutes later, there was a single knock on the door. Liz motioned to her husband. He cautiously approached the door, opened it a crack and pulled in the bundle. Grinning at Liz, he turned and heaved the package at Mac.
She managed to knock it down before it hit her and glared at Jarvis in annoyance. AJ breathed a quiet sigh of relief, he hadn't liked the expressionless look. Mac looked at the Jarvises in exasperation, "This will go a lot faster if I can get some help." Her voice came out in a husky whisper.
They stared at her for a moment and then Liz looked at her husband and gestured towards AJ, "Untie him."
Jarvis swung around and blinked at her, "What?!"
She stared back, "We'll have to untie him at some point. He can't walk in that chair. Let him give her a hand. If they get stupid, we can always shoot them. I want out of this place, the sooner the better."
Grumbling, Jarvis walked over and cautiously untied one of the Admiral's hands. "Do the rest yourself and hurry up." He stepped back quickly and retrieved his gun from Liz.
Shaking his hand for a moment, AJ made short work of the rest of the bindings. Standing up, he glanced at their two captors and then walked to the bedside. Looking at Mac, he was surprised to see her face reddening. "I'm sorry about this, sir," she said quietly and she truly was. Being half-naked in front of her CO was high on her list of incredibly awkward moments.
Seeing the look on her face, AJ swallowed the flippant remark he'd been about to make. Mac was going to deal with this by approaching it from the military side and he'd respect that. It would definitely be better that way, he really didn't need to dwell on how attractive she was. Matching her tone, he said, "It's not your fault, Mac." He reached around and undid the ties on the gown, sliding it carefully down and then froze. Was it possible to be attracted and appalled at the same time? He took a deep breath and looked at a visibly tense Mac, "Dear lord, Colonel, you look like you've been run through a Cuisinart."
She relaxed a fraction and offered a small smile, "It was more like a cement mixer." Her throat felt like it was on fire.
He grunted thoughtfully, "I'll bet." He got her into the scrub top, taking care not to jostle her shoulder. The pants went on quickly and he was tying her shoes when he looked up at her in surprise, "They fit."
She tried to sound off-hand about it, "Harm knows what size shoe I wear." AJ raised an eyebrow and decided not to comment. Mac looked uncomfortable enough; Rabb, on the other hand, would be fair game.
Chegwidden stood up and faced the Jarvises, "Now what?"
Liz gestured with her pistol, "Now we tie your hands again. Turn around. If you try anything, I'll shoot the Colonel first."
Chegwidden glared at her and then turned around, putting his hands behind him. Jarvis came forward and tied his hands securely. Then he pulled AJ around and shoved him down in the chair, "Don't move." Turning to Mac, he pulled her hands forward, grinning as she gritted her teeth against the pain. Quickly tying her wrists, he shoved her back with a smile, "This is just the beginning."
A few minutes later, the phone rang for the third time. Liz picked up and listened. She turned to Jarvis with a smile, "We got what we want. It's time." Jarvis grinned back and then grabbed Mac by the wrists and pulled her upright. This time she was unable to stifle the cry of pain. AJ started to get to his feet, only to stop when Jarvis planted the gun barrel in his chest. Furious, he addressed Liz, "You let him keep that up and she won't make it down the corridor, much less to the street."
Liz looked at him for a moment and then over at Allan, "He's right, lay off until we're out of here." Pulling AJ upright, the four left the room.
Minutes later, they cleared the main doors of the hospital and cautiously stepped out on the main walkway. Thirty yards away at the curb, sat a government sedan with the engine running. Jarvis moved away from the building first, his fist wrapped in the back of Mac's scrub top and his pistol jammed painfully in the back of her head. Nervously, he spun around in a circle, dragging Mac around with him while scanning the rooftops for snipers. Desperately she tried to keep her feet, this was the first time she'd been upright since her lunch with that bastard Trask. The strain was beginning to tell, she felt increasingly shaky.
Satisfied that Perez had been telling the truth about snipers on the rooftops, Jarvis motioned for Liz to join him. She came out of the shelter of the building, shoving AJ along in front of her. When she reached her husband, they began the slow trek to the car. Suspicious of some kind of trap, they kept turning from one side to the other in an erratic pattern, dragging Mac or the Admiral along. AJ tried to keep an eye on Mac while scanning the surrounding area. He was growing more worried about her, She was getting paler all the time and her face glistened with a fine sheen of sweat.
They were two-thirds of the way to the car, when a battered white Toyota came roaring up to the hospital. It careened to a halt right behind the sedan, bouncing one wheel up on the curb. A frantic young man leaped out and raced around to the passenger side, yanking the door open. Oblivious to the nature of the group standing on the walkway, he yelled over his shoulder, "Get someone out here, my wife's in labor!" He carefully hauled an incredibly pregnant and obviously agitated woman out of the car. She alternated between panting and berating her husband loudly about his driving. Wrapped up in the imminent birth, they completely ignored the four people as they made their way to the hospital.
Bemused by this unexpected appearance, the Jarvises watched the couple until they passed and then turned their attention back to the car. Moments later, Jarvis and his wife were hit from behind. Before they could realize what was happening, both were facedown on the pavement while Marines closed in from all sides. They were quickly cuffed, dragged upright and hustled out of the area.
With the help of a Marine private, Mac rolled to a sitting position from where she had fallen. While he untied her hands, she looked with amazement at the exuberant faces of Tyler and Singer and started to laugh. AJ glanced over at her in surprise. He was kneeling where he had landed while another Marine worked the ropes loose from his wrists. Then he looked over his shoulder and broke out in a wide grin, "Tell me Lieutenant, when's the happy day?"
Pulling off the dark wig, Lauren smiled back and reached under the maternity top, "Today, sir. It's a bouncing, fluffy pillow." She removed it with a flourish and turned to Pick, "It looks just like you, dear." Whatever reply Pick would've made was lost as Rabb, Perez and Walters came pounding up.
Harm dropped down beside Mac, looking at her anxiously. "Are you okay?" At her nod, he looked over at the Admiral, "How about you, sir?"
"Fine now, Commander." AJ waved a hand, "This was all your idea, wasn't it?" He reached up and let Walters haul him to his feet.
"Yes sir," Harm smiled at Singer and Tyler, "but I think the Oscar goes to Lauren and Pick for their outstanding performance as the pregnant couple." He glanced down at Mac, who was leaning against him, "Think you can stand up?"
She nodded at the same time that Chegwidden said 'No.' Mac looked at him in surprise.
"You've been on your feet enough for one day, Colonel. You can ride back this time." AJ turned to a corporal and sent him back to the hospital for a wheelchair. He looked back at Mac, "We'll have the doctor check you over as well."
She nodded quietly, causing both men to look at each other in concern. At the least, they'd expected a token argument. If Mac noticed their looks, she ignored them. Instead, she smiled warmly at the assembled group. "I'd like to thank you all for rescuing us." There were answering grins and then the corporal arrived back with a wheelchair. With Harm's help, Mac settled into the wheelchair. With a small smile, she gestured wearily towards the hospital, "Home, James."
