Title: 'People vs. Chegwidden' - Part Seven
Author: Daenar
Disclaimer: See Part One
From part six:
Mac rose, safely storing the file in her briefcase. "I'll photocopy it for you, Fred, so you can take your time and go over it thoroughly." Turning once again to the nurse, Mac offered her a handshake. "Thank you so much for your help. I promise we will keep our source of information confidential."
The nurse nodded, obviously relieved. "Thanks, ma'am."
Fred and Mac greeted the staff, exited the medical practice and two minutes later found themselves in the privacy of their car.
"Yes!!" they exclaimed unanimously, giving each other five. It was the first real laughter that escaped Mac's lips since Harm had been shot. She knew he would approve seeing her like this.
Part Seven:
Tue, Feb. 23rd 0223 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
A soft 'click' indicated that Mac had finally arrived. Harm had been anticipating the sound for at least two hours, he estimated, wishing once more that he had Mac's inner clock. Always listening intensely, he had become more and more uneasy when she didn't show up for such a long time after the hospital shifts had changed. Harm had been able to, more or less, keep track of time by counting how often he had been administered his eye drops, and when 2100 had passed without any sign of Mac, he had begun to seriously worry.
Based on the fact that Mac always stayed with him until almost midnight he had concluded that she had somehow talked the hospital staff into softening the visiting regulations in their case, cunning negotiator that she was. Harm inwardly smiled. Mac would have succeeded in talking Romeo into staying with her after dawn and facing the consequences, had she been Juliet.
He caught a glimpse of her as she walked by his bed. Concerned, he thought that she looked tired and weary. Surely she had plunged herself into her work. She tended to do that every time she didn't want to face problems in her own life. He hoped she would tell him about it. Two days ago, she had started to share with him the events of the day and the thoughts that were troubling her, telling him that even though she didn't count on him hearing her, it nevertheless helped her to clear her mind and come to conclusions about what she had to do.
Feeling his hand clasped between hers, he heard a chair being pulled up and she settled down, softly kissing his palm.
"Hey, sailor, how are you doing?"
['Fine, now that you are with me, my favorite Marine. You know, Mac, you really shouldn't work so much. Think about Trisha...']
"I'm sorry that I couldn't come any earlier," she interrupted his thoughts, "But I had an appointment with Claire, you know." Her voice was quiet and thoughtful. "She received the results from Trisha's heart examination..."
['Oh God...']
"...and I talked them over with her at length." Mac sighed, absentmindedly stroking her belly.
['Tell me, Mac!'] Harm implored her silently.
"Well, at least it's not a genetic defect. But she does have a slight myocardiac insufficiency, so you'll need to be gentle on her, sailor, when you teach her to play basketball..." Mac's voice trailed away as she seemed to be hit once more by the revelation that it wasn't very likely for him to even carry her around. A sniffle conveyed to Harm the direction her thoughts had been drifting in.
['I swear to you, Sarah, you shall watch us play one day,'] he vowed, his heart aching.
Mac had, for an instant, removed her hands from his. When she clasped his hand again, her palms were wet.
['Oh my God, I can't bear when she cries and I can't do anything to comfort her.']
"Anyway," she managed an unsteady chuckle of embarrassment, sniffing again and trying to lighten the mood and distract herself, "I have good news, too. Fred and I came up with something substantial in favor of the admiral today."
['What? Hey, that's great, Marine! How did you...']
"I'm sure you would want to know how we did that, huh? Well, I hate to admit it, and probably I wouldn't if you were really listening, but... the evidence was given to us by someone else. We had no credit in finding out. You remember that young nurse Sydney has... had with her in the practice?" Mac's voice had turned thoughtful again. "Stephanie. Bright girl. She joined Fred and me in Sydney's office and confidentially handed us a folder that she had found hidden in a sack of potting soil among Sydney's garden tools. I'm really surprised that none of the investigators found it." She sighed. "Maybe it was completely buried, it's very dirty, you know, and the sack fell over when she was looking for the saw"
['Mac, come on, what's 'inside' the folder, dirty or not?']
"Sydney must have been very worried about it that she hid it so well," Mac went on with her musings.
['Maaac...']
"She must have feared someone knew and would try to look for it. Maybe it was him - or her - that killed her? What do you think?"
['I can't tell you what I think since I don't know what's inside!']
"Humph. Not very talkative today, Commander, are we?" Harm felt her gently trace the outlines of his face with her knuckles. He longed to close his eyes, to lose himself in her touch, but he had to limit himself to ignoring the white wall he kept staring at.
"As soon as I had a look at the contents I knew that we had the clue, Harm," Mac went on, getting up to sit on his bed, never letting go of his hand, distractedly resting it against her belly. Harm had her within his visual field now. She did look worn out and melancholy. But she was still incredibly beautiful to him. And he heard his heart monitor accelerate its beeping once more as he felt his daughter move against the back of his hand.
Mac looked up for a moment, not really excited. By now, she'd gotten used to the slight irregularities of his pulse. They had no real significance as long as her husband was so far away from everything. Quietly she went on with her tale. "It took me a little while to figure it out but I think I managed to get the facts into a reasonable order in my mind. All that's left now is to procure the evidence. Then we should be able to clear Chegwidden from any charges." Again she paused, lost in thought.
['What did you find, Mac? Please, tell me!']
"This is about an environmental crime, flyboy," she began to explain. "I guess, for Sydney it all started a while ago when she became aware that she had an amazing increase in the numbers of patients who were diagnosed with testicular germ cell cancer. She got suspicious and looked up where those people lived. As it turns out, they come from, more or less, the same area west of D.C. She seems to have done a little research on the occurrence of regional clusters of testicular cancer cases and she came up with a scientific abstract on a certain chemical called dimethylformamide that, until a while ago, was used in the repair of exterior surfaces and electrical components of F4 Phantom Jets and other aircraft, among other things. I think that's when she began to fear the military could be involved 'cause there's a deserted Air Force airfield not too far away from the area where her cancer patients live.
"So that must have been when she decided to talk it over with AJ. Anyway, she decided to snoop around a bit and somewhere nearby in the woods she found a spot where some waste disposal firm had easily gotten rid of their responsibilities and dumped their cargoes. She had them analyzed - the samples are secured these days, I talked Steph into seeing to it - and, actually, there seem to be firms that still use dimethylformamide, although it has been proven to be carcinogenic. I guess it's cheaper for them, and for the disposal companies, too, to just throw it away." Again she sighed, frowning. "I don't feel well at the thought that my daughter will grow up in a world that's slowly being destroyed by its own inhabitants. I mean, can we still let her go out and play without having to fear that she comes by some dangerous toxic waste? But I'll get those Minton Greenwood guys for what they've done, I swear to you, I will!"
['Wait... Mac, did you just say Minton Greenwood?'] Harm's mind was instantly on high alert, his heart rate accelerating considerably.
"Whoa, calm down, flyboy." Mac, with a wry smile, looked at him, caressing his cheek. "Your pulse is behaving as if you'd heard me. I promise, this case is almost wrapped up."
['Mac doesn't know about what I found out about the Cramer case! She hasn't seen the evidence I left in my car...'] Harm's stomach knotted tightly as suddenly all the facts were falling into place inside his mind, showing a most surprising connection between two cases that, at first sight, seemed to be completely unrelated. How could Mac possibly have a clue that her knowledge about Minton Greenwood's saving policies was putting her into grave danger?
To Harm, it was crystal clear that she had, through Sydney's discovery, stumbled over a double link to the Cramer case. First: Minton Greenwood belonged to the very same consortium as Branwick Industries. If Minton Greenwood made huge profits by using dishonest methods, this would explain how a small aeronautic firm like Branwick would be able to compete with enterprises like North Star. And second: Harm was sure that Branwick would have no scruples about using toxic and carcinogenic substances for their work if it helped them to save on the production costs and stay in the competition, in other words, to save their neck. He absolutely needed Mac to make the connection. And more important still: he needed her to see immediately that this knowledge could be lethal. Cramer hadn't hesitated for a second when it came to shooting him. Harm was sure she wouldn't spare a pregnant woman, either.
"Oh no, I didn't call the admiral all day!" Mac suddenly exclaimed, clasping her mouth with her hand. "I promised to him that I would let him know as soon as we were able to dig up something! Better do it at once, right?" She winked at Harm, let go of his hand and got off his bed to leave the room.
['Sarah, no! Don't tell anyone about what you found out! Call Fred and make him keep it secret! Don't call AJ, please, Mac, don't! Crap! How do I get through to her?'] Harm was frantically searching for a way to communicate with her, knowing all the time, though, that it was pointless. But he couldn't just let her walk into a catastrophe! He had to hold her back. But how, God, HOW???
Powerless to do anything, he watched her walk through his visual field, when she suddenly stopped, gasped and doubled over, clutching her belly.
['Sarah!!!']
Panting, she retreated and sat down on the edge of his bed, slowly relaxing, before, all of a sudden, her face distorted again in pain and she tried to suppress a groan. "Shit!" he heard her swear under her breath, trying to control her breathing.
"Harm," she panted, "Somehow I get the notion that your daughter has inherited her father's impatience." Again she had to inhale deeply. "Seems she just decided to be born a little early. I'm only glad I happen to be right here."
['I'm going to be a father... and I can't even be with Mac and help her through it! I know how she dreaded giving birth... damn! Hang in there, Marine, I know you can do this! Do you hear me?']
Another wave of pain made her suck in a deep breath and close her eyes, grimacing in agony. Harm watched, sharing her pains, unable to comfort her. When the tension lessened, Mac leaned back and reached for the 'call' button. Two minutes later a nurse entered the room.
"I think I might need Doctor Farnham," was all Mac had to say to make the nurse understand.
She quickly walked over and felt for Mac's pulse. "Stay where you are, please, Colonel Rabb, and try to relax. I'll have your obstetrician called right away. And I'll be back in a minute to get you to Delivery. Don't worry, ma'am." The nurse gave Mac an encouraging smile and hurriedly left the room.
['I'm right with you, honey, you'll do just fine,'] Harm tried to let her know as she leaned back against him.
"Don't worry, Harm. I've been through rougher things than this, I guess," she said, more to herself than to him, sounding rather shaky. For a moment she was silent. Then she added, so low that he almost didn't catch it: "I'm so scared, Harm, I'm scared like hell..."
['I know, honey. So am I.']
Three minutes later, the nurse was back with a wheelchair. She helped Mac get in and quickly wheeled her out of the room, leaving Harm sick with worry for his two girls.
Tue, Feb. 23rd 0809 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
The cry made Mac open her eyes again. Although she was exhausted and at the verge of collapsing, she forced herself to sit up halfway and look at a beaming Claire who was approaching her with a little bundle.
"Is that her?" Mac whispered in awe as she caught her first glimpse of Patricia Jeannine Rabb.
"Yeah..." Claire gently lowered the baby into Mac's arms. "Congratulations, Mac. I know she gave you a hard time and we were worried about her heartbeat for a few moments, but I think I can safely say that you have a wonderful, healthy daughter that, in time, will grow stronger and be a happy little girl."
"She's beautiful," Mac murmured to herself, blinking away a tear. Trisha had instantly settled down contently in her mother's arms, recognizing the voice she had grown accustomed to hear. She was a tiny creature, almost as if she had been born earlier than just ten days before the set date. But still, she looked fully developed, with delicate, slender limbs, Mac's olive tan and black hair.
"She might be a little hungry," Claire suggested softly.
Smiling at her friend, Mac carefully neared Trisha's little head to her breast and had to bite her lip to stop it from trembling when she for the first time felt her daughter drink. Looking up with a teary smile, Mac found that Claire's glance had turned rather misty, too. The young doctor cleaned her hands and then sat down at Mac's bedside.
"I envy you, Mac," she confessed in a shaky whisper.
"Hey," Mac replied softly, "You're still young, Claire. I'm sure, in a few years we'll all have to come over to Italy to admire Prumetti junior."
Claire smiled. "Yeah, I know. It's just... hormones, I guess. I long to have children. And all children love Fred, you know. It's a picture for the gods to see him with them. He couldn't escape them, even if he wanted to. It doesn't matter if they know him or not, they just come to him and he could go on and play with them for hours and hours..." her voice trailed away as they watched Trisha drink.
Mac didn't say anything. She just reached over and squeezed Claire's hand, earning herself a grateful smile in return. A few moments later, Trisha decided that she'd had enough. She turned her little head slightly, made some indefinite movement with her tiny arms and then opened her eyes. Although Mac knew that almost all babies had blue eyes, her breath nevertheless caught in her throat. Those weren't 'just' blue eyes. Her daughter had inherited Harm's unique blue-green ones, and as the little girl seemed to try and return the radiant smile that her mother was giving her, Mac had a faint idea that, one day, her daughter would use her smile as a secret weapon, just as her father did.
"Claire, I... I'd like to take her to Harm's room for a moment. I know that he can't see her but I'd like to take her to him nevertheless. Do you think I can?"
"I don't know if that's okay with... oh, never mind," Claire interrupted herself with a smile upon seeing Mac's disappointment. "I'll explain the situation, should anyone complain. Come on, I'll wheel you over to him. But just a few moments, okay? You need to rest, both of you girls," she admonished.
"Aye, ma'am," Mac replied with a grin. "Could you hold her for a moment while I put my robe on?" She handed her daughter to her friend who carefully took her and seemed to revel in the feeling of having the baby in her arms.
"It's funny, Mac. I mean, this is my job. I do this practically every day. But still, every time I deliver a baby, it feels like a miracle," Claire mused.
"Because it is," Mac stated quietly, as she again took her daughter who had by now fallen asleep. She settled in the wheelchair that Claire had pulled over, and silently they made their way back through the dimly-lit corridors until they reached the ICU. With a smile, Claire helped Mac stand, opened the door for her and immediately turned to wheel back the chair, promising to return and get her in a little while.
Harm was amazed that he hadn't completely lost his senses by now. He was sure that he would have been pacing restlessly up and down the corridor, had he been his normal self. Instead he was forced to be completely immobile. Which didn't mean that the tension inside him was any less than it would have been otherwise. He repeatedly prayed, listened, tried to relax, prayed, listened, tried to relax, prayed...
... until finally, finally, he heard the by now familiar 'click' of his door. A second later a little side-light was turned on near his bed and then he saw her. Saw them. His wife and his daughter. In the dim light, Mac resembled the Virgin Mary herself, holding her child in her arms, her smile angelic. Harm's heart monitor again slightly accelerated its beeping.
"It's as if you knew who's here with me," Mac said softly, approaching him. Concluding that, although he probably couldn't, she would still take the chance and try to make him see his child, Mac sat down on Harm's bed within his visual field, close to him. Harm felt himself starting to tremble inwardly as she neared the little girl to his eyes. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe that he and Mac had created something so delicate and perfect.
"Harm, I want you to meet Patricia Jeannine Rabb. Trisha, this is your daddy."
['Daddy. Wow. Hey, little one, I'm sorry I can't greet you properly right now but I hope you know that I love you very much.']
"She's just perfect. I wish you could see her, flyboy."
['A beauty, like her mom.'] Harm desperately wanted to let Mac know that she was actually sharing this hallmark moment with him. ['God, help me! Let me find a way to get to her, please!] he implored. Trying to gather all that was possibly left of his force within his whole body, and collecting all the willpower he had within himself, he tried to focus on one small part of his immobile shell, battling against the unwilling muscles and the numb feeling. And with an inhuman effort, he finally succeeded in willing his body to react.
Mac's eyes widened in shock and her hands started to shake violently as she suddenly realized what was happening: slowly, incredibly slowly, Harm's left eyelid closed and opened again. A few seconds later, the movement would repeat itself. And again, for a third time, making tears of joy rise in Mac's eyes.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)
From part six:
Mac rose, safely storing the file in her briefcase. "I'll photocopy it for you, Fred, so you can take your time and go over it thoroughly." Turning once again to the nurse, Mac offered her a handshake. "Thank you so much for your help. I promise we will keep our source of information confidential."
The nurse nodded, obviously relieved. "Thanks, ma'am."
Fred and Mac greeted the staff, exited the medical practice and two minutes later found themselves in the privacy of their car.
"Yes!!" they exclaimed unanimously, giving each other five. It was the first real laughter that escaped Mac's lips since Harm had been shot. She knew he would approve seeing her like this.
Part Seven:
Tue, Feb. 23rd 0223 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
A soft 'click' indicated that Mac had finally arrived. Harm had been anticipating the sound for at least two hours, he estimated, wishing once more that he had Mac's inner clock. Always listening intensely, he had become more and more uneasy when she didn't show up for such a long time after the hospital shifts had changed. Harm had been able to, more or less, keep track of time by counting how often he had been administered his eye drops, and when 2100 had passed without any sign of Mac, he had begun to seriously worry.
Based on the fact that Mac always stayed with him until almost midnight he had concluded that she had somehow talked the hospital staff into softening the visiting regulations in their case, cunning negotiator that she was. Harm inwardly smiled. Mac would have succeeded in talking Romeo into staying with her after dawn and facing the consequences, had she been Juliet.
He caught a glimpse of her as she walked by his bed. Concerned, he thought that she looked tired and weary. Surely she had plunged herself into her work. She tended to do that every time she didn't want to face problems in her own life. He hoped she would tell him about it. Two days ago, she had started to share with him the events of the day and the thoughts that were troubling her, telling him that even though she didn't count on him hearing her, it nevertheless helped her to clear her mind and come to conclusions about what she had to do.
Feeling his hand clasped between hers, he heard a chair being pulled up and she settled down, softly kissing his palm.
"Hey, sailor, how are you doing?"
['Fine, now that you are with me, my favorite Marine. You know, Mac, you really shouldn't work so much. Think about Trisha...']
"I'm sorry that I couldn't come any earlier," she interrupted his thoughts, "But I had an appointment with Claire, you know." Her voice was quiet and thoughtful. "She received the results from Trisha's heart examination..."
['Oh God...']
"...and I talked them over with her at length." Mac sighed, absentmindedly stroking her belly.
['Tell me, Mac!'] Harm implored her silently.
"Well, at least it's not a genetic defect. But she does have a slight myocardiac insufficiency, so you'll need to be gentle on her, sailor, when you teach her to play basketball..." Mac's voice trailed away as she seemed to be hit once more by the revelation that it wasn't very likely for him to even carry her around. A sniffle conveyed to Harm the direction her thoughts had been drifting in.
['I swear to you, Sarah, you shall watch us play one day,'] he vowed, his heart aching.
Mac had, for an instant, removed her hands from his. When she clasped his hand again, her palms were wet.
['Oh my God, I can't bear when she cries and I can't do anything to comfort her.']
"Anyway," she managed an unsteady chuckle of embarrassment, sniffing again and trying to lighten the mood and distract herself, "I have good news, too. Fred and I came up with something substantial in favor of the admiral today."
['What? Hey, that's great, Marine! How did you...']
"I'm sure you would want to know how we did that, huh? Well, I hate to admit it, and probably I wouldn't if you were really listening, but... the evidence was given to us by someone else. We had no credit in finding out. You remember that young nurse Sydney has... had with her in the practice?" Mac's voice had turned thoughtful again. "Stephanie. Bright girl. She joined Fred and me in Sydney's office and confidentially handed us a folder that she had found hidden in a sack of potting soil among Sydney's garden tools. I'm really surprised that none of the investigators found it." She sighed. "Maybe it was completely buried, it's very dirty, you know, and the sack fell over when she was looking for the saw"
['Mac, come on, what's 'inside' the folder, dirty or not?']
"Sydney must have been very worried about it that she hid it so well," Mac went on with her musings.
['Maaac...']
"She must have feared someone knew and would try to look for it. Maybe it was him - or her - that killed her? What do you think?"
['I can't tell you what I think since I don't know what's inside!']
"Humph. Not very talkative today, Commander, are we?" Harm felt her gently trace the outlines of his face with her knuckles. He longed to close his eyes, to lose himself in her touch, but he had to limit himself to ignoring the white wall he kept staring at.
"As soon as I had a look at the contents I knew that we had the clue, Harm," Mac went on, getting up to sit on his bed, never letting go of his hand, distractedly resting it against her belly. Harm had her within his visual field now. She did look worn out and melancholy. But she was still incredibly beautiful to him. And he heard his heart monitor accelerate its beeping once more as he felt his daughter move against the back of his hand.
Mac looked up for a moment, not really excited. By now, she'd gotten used to the slight irregularities of his pulse. They had no real significance as long as her husband was so far away from everything. Quietly she went on with her tale. "It took me a little while to figure it out but I think I managed to get the facts into a reasonable order in my mind. All that's left now is to procure the evidence. Then we should be able to clear Chegwidden from any charges." Again she paused, lost in thought.
['What did you find, Mac? Please, tell me!']
"This is about an environmental crime, flyboy," she began to explain. "I guess, for Sydney it all started a while ago when she became aware that she had an amazing increase in the numbers of patients who were diagnosed with testicular germ cell cancer. She got suspicious and looked up where those people lived. As it turns out, they come from, more or less, the same area west of D.C. She seems to have done a little research on the occurrence of regional clusters of testicular cancer cases and she came up with a scientific abstract on a certain chemical called dimethylformamide that, until a while ago, was used in the repair of exterior surfaces and electrical components of F4 Phantom Jets and other aircraft, among other things. I think that's when she began to fear the military could be involved 'cause there's a deserted Air Force airfield not too far away from the area where her cancer patients live.
"So that must have been when she decided to talk it over with AJ. Anyway, she decided to snoop around a bit and somewhere nearby in the woods she found a spot where some waste disposal firm had easily gotten rid of their responsibilities and dumped their cargoes. She had them analyzed - the samples are secured these days, I talked Steph into seeing to it - and, actually, there seem to be firms that still use dimethylformamide, although it has been proven to be carcinogenic. I guess it's cheaper for them, and for the disposal companies, too, to just throw it away." Again she sighed, frowning. "I don't feel well at the thought that my daughter will grow up in a world that's slowly being destroyed by its own inhabitants. I mean, can we still let her go out and play without having to fear that she comes by some dangerous toxic waste? But I'll get those Minton Greenwood guys for what they've done, I swear to you, I will!"
['Wait... Mac, did you just say Minton Greenwood?'] Harm's mind was instantly on high alert, his heart rate accelerating considerably.
"Whoa, calm down, flyboy." Mac, with a wry smile, looked at him, caressing his cheek. "Your pulse is behaving as if you'd heard me. I promise, this case is almost wrapped up."
['Mac doesn't know about what I found out about the Cramer case! She hasn't seen the evidence I left in my car...'] Harm's stomach knotted tightly as suddenly all the facts were falling into place inside his mind, showing a most surprising connection between two cases that, at first sight, seemed to be completely unrelated. How could Mac possibly have a clue that her knowledge about Minton Greenwood's saving policies was putting her into grave danger?
To Harm, it was crystal clear that she had, through Sydney's discovery, stumbled over a double link to the Cramer case. First: Minton Greenwood belonged to the very same consortium as Branwick Industries. If Minton Greenwood made huge profits by using dishonest methods, this would explain how a small aeronautic firm like Branwick would be able to compete with enterprises like North Star. And second: Harm was sure that Branwick would have no scruples about using toxic and carcinogenic substances for their work if it helped them to save on the production costs and stay in the competition, in other words, to save their neck. He absolutely needed Mac to make the connection. And more important still: he needed her to see immediately that this knowledge could be lethal. Cramer hadn't hesitated for a second when it came to shooting him. Harm was sure she wouldn't spare a pregnant woman, either.
"Oh no, I didn't call the admiral all day!" Mac suddenly exclaimed, clasping her mouth with her hand. "I promised to him that I would let him know as soon as we were able to dig up something! Better do it at once, right?" She winked at Harm, let go of his hand and got off his bed to leave the room.
['Sarah, no! Don't tell anyone about what you found out! Call Fred and make him keep it secret! Don't call AJ, please, Mac, don't! Crap! How do I get through to her?'] Harm was frantically searching for a way to communicate with her, knowing all the time, though, that it was pointless. But he couldn't just let her walk into a catastrophe! He had to hold her back. But how, God, HOW???
Powerless to do anything, he watched her walk through his visual field, when she suddenly stopped, gasped and doubled over, clutching her belly.
['Sarah!!!']
Panting, she retreated and sat down on the edge of his bed, slowly relaxing, before, all of a sudden, her face distorted again in pain and she tried to suppress a groan. "Shit!" he heard her swear under her breath, trying to control her breathing.
"Harm," she panted, "Somehow I get the notion that your daughter has inherited her father's impatience." Again she had to inhale deeply. "Seems she just decided to be born a little early. I'm only glad I happen to be right here."
['I'm going to be a father... and I can't even be with Mac and help her through it! I know how she dreaded giving birth... damn! Hang in there, Marine, I know you can do this! Do you hear me?']
Another wave of pain made her suck in a deep breath and close her eyes, grimacing in agony. Harm watched, sharing her pains, unable to comfort her. When the tension lessened, Mac leaned back and reached for the 'call' button. Two minutes later a nurse entered the room.
"I think I might need Doctor Farnham," was all Mac had to say to make the nurse understand.
She quickly walked over and felt for Mac's pulse. "Stay where you are, please, Colonel Rabb, and try to relax. I'll have your obstetrician called right away. And I'll be back in a minute to get you to Delivery. Don't worry, ma'am." The nurse gave Mac an encouraging smile and hurriedly left the room.
['I'm right with you, honey, you'll do just fine,'] Harm tried to let her know as she leaned back against him.
"Don't worry, Harm. I've been through rougher things than this, I guess," she said, more to herself than to him, sounding rather shaky. For a moment she was silent. Then she added, so low that he almost didn't catch it: "I'm so scared, Harm, I'm scared like hell..."
['I know, honey. So am I.']
Three minutes later, the nurse was back with a wheelchair. She helped Mac get in and quickly wheeled her out of the room, leaving Harm sick with worry for his two girls.
Tue, Feb. 23rd 0809 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
The cry made Mac open her eyes again. Although she was exhausted and at the verge of collapsing, she forced herself to sit up halfway and look at a beaming Claire who was approaching her with a little bundle.
"Is that her?" Mac whispered in awe as she caught her first glimpse of Patricia Jeannine Rabb.
"Yeah..." Claire gently lowered the baby into Mac's arms. "Congratulations, Mac. I know she gave you a hard time and we were worried about her heartbeat for a few moments, but I think I can safely say that you have a wonderful, healthy daughter that, in time, will grow stronger and be a happy little girl."
"She's beautiful," Mac murmured to herself, blinking away a tear. Trisha had instantly settled down contently in her mother's arms, recognizing the voice she had grown accustomed to hear. She was a tiny creature, almost as if she had been born earlier than just ten days before the set date. But still, she looked fully developed, with delicate, slender limbs, Mac's olive tan and black hair.
"She might be a little hungry," Claire suggested softly.
Smiling at her friend, Mac carefully neared Trisha's little head to her breast and had to bite her lip to stop it from trembling when she for the first time felt her daughter drink. Looking up with a teary smile, Mac found that Claire's glance had turned rather misty, too. The young doctor cleaned her hands and then sat down at Mac's bedside.
"I envy you, Mac," she confessed in a shaky whisper.
"Hey," Mac replied softly, "You're still young, Claire. I'm sure, in a few years we'll all have to come over to Italy to admire Prumetti junior."
Claire smiled. "Yeah, I know. It's just... hormones, I guess. I long to have children. And all children love Fred, you know. It's a picture for the gods to see him with them. He couldn't escape them, even if he wanted to. It doesn't matter if they know him or not, they just come to him and he could go on and play with them for hours and hours..." her voice trailed away as they watched Trisha drink.
Mac didn't say anything. She just reached over and squeezed Claire's hand, earning herself a grateful smile in return. A few moments later, Trisha decided that she'd had enough. She turned her little head slightly, made some indefinite movement with her tiny arms and then opened her eyes. Although Mac knew that almost all babies had blue eyes, her breath nevertheless caught in her throat. Those weren't 'just' blue eyes. Her daughter had inherited Harm's unique blue-green ones, and as the little girl seemed to try and return the radiant smile that her mother was giving her, Mac had a faint idea that, one day, her daughter would use her smile as a secret weapon, just as her father did.
"Claire, I... I'd like to take her to Harm's room for a moment. I know that he can't see her but I'd like to take her to him nevertheless. Do you think I can?"
"I don't know if that's okay with... oh, never mind," Claire interrupted herself with a smile upon seeing Mac's disappointment. "I'll explain the situation, should anyone complain. Come on, I'll wheel you over to him. But just a few moments, okay? You need to rest, both of you girls," she admonished.
"Aye, ma'am," Mac replied with a grin. "Could you hold her for a moment while I put my robe on?" She handed her daughter to her friend who carefully took her and seemed to revel in the feeling of having the baby in her arms.
"It's funny, Mac. I mean, this is my job. I do this practically every day. But still, every time I deliver a baby, it feels like a miracle," Claire mused.
"Because it is," Mac stated quietly, as she again took her daughter who had by now fallen asleep. She settled in the wheelchair that Claire had pulled over, and silently they made their way back through the dimly-lit corridors until they reached the ICU. With a smile, Claire helped Mac stand, opened the door for her and immediately turned to wheel back the chair, promising to return and get her in a little while.
Harm was amazed that he hadn't completely lost his senses by now. He was sure that he would have been pacing restlessly up and down the corridor, had he been his normal self. Instead he was forced to be completely immobile. Which didn't mean that the tension inside him was any less than it would have been otherwise. He repeatedly prayed, listened, tried to relax, prayed, listened, tried to relax, prayed...
... until finally, finally, he heard the by now familiar 'click' of his door. A second later a little side-light was turned on near his bed and then he saw her. Saw them. His wife and his daughter. In the dim light, Mac resembled the Virgin Mary herself, holding her child in her arms, her smile angelic. Harm's heart monitor again slightly accelerated its beeping.
"It's as if you knew who's here with me," Mac said softly, approaching him. Concluding that, although he probably couldn't, she would still take the chance and try to make him see his child, Mac sat down on Harm's bed within his visual field, close to him. Harm felt himself starting to tremble inwardly as she neared the little girl to his eyes. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe that he and Mac had created something so delicate and perfect.
"Harm, I want you to meet Patricia Jeannine Rabb. Trisha, this is your daddy."
['Daddy. Wow. Hey, little one, I'm sorry I can't greet you properly right now but I hope you know that I love you very much.']
"She's just perfect. I wish you could see her, flyboy."
['A beauty, like her mom.'] Harm desperately wanted to let Mac know that she was actually sharing this hallmark moment with him. ['God, help me! Let me find a way to get to her, please!] he implored. Trying to gather all that was possibly left of his force within his whole body, and collecting all the willpower he had within himself, he tried to focus on one small part of his immobile shell, battling against the unwilling muscles and the numb feeling. And with an inhuman effort, he finally succeeded in willing his body to react.
Mac's eyes widened in shock and her hands started to shake violently as she suddenly realized what was happening: slowly, incredibly slowly, Harm's left eyelid closed and opened again. A few seconds later, the movement would repeat itself. And again, for a third time, making tears of joy rise in Mac's eyes.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)