That evening, the head nurse said it was okay for Mac to push Harm up to
the ICU in a wheelchair so they could check on Lynn, so after dinner they
set out. The corridors were almost empty, except for a few nurses and one
tired looking doctor. The ICU was also vacant except for Lynn's room.
Mac stopped pushing Harm, and they waited outside the room. They could hear the heart monitor and the beeping of other machines, and they saw through the doorway all the tubes running into her body. She had a tube taped into her mouth, an IV running into her left hand, and the heart monitor under her hospital gown. Webb was sitting in a plastic chair beside her.
Mac had just begun to pull Harm away from the door, when Webb said, "You can come in."
Mac slowly pushed Harm into the room. "We didn't mean to intrude, Clay," Harm said quietly.
Webb nodded. "Don't worry about it."
They were all silent for a while, then Mac said, "Who is she?"
Webb nodded again. "Catherine Grey. She's CIA." He paused and neither Mac nor Harm said a word.
Then, Mac asked softly, "She was here investigating the leak, wasn't she?"
Webb nodded. "We busted a terrorist cell in Pakistan a few months ago and found information that came from Admiral Grant's office. Katie was sent undercover as an attaché, so she would be able to have contact with the high ranking officers as well as the enlisted men."
"How was she able to have contact with them if she was assigned to the Embassy?" Mac asked.
"She was assigned to prepare officers and enlisted personnel for formal affairs," Webb answered, "Like she did for you."
"Why did she get us involved?" Harm asked.
"Do you know what was in that file?" Webb asked. "It was an outline of the president's anti-terrorism plan, that's why she yelled for you."
"How did she know?" Mac asked.
"She read the papers as she picked them up," Webb answered.
Something suddenly occurred to Harm, "She recognized the guy who bumped into her at the ball."
"Very good, Commander," Webb said, "She knew who he was from the start. She knew about Carlson, but she also knew there was someone else involved. She just needed to shake him loose."
"That's where we come in," Mac said, "We shook things up enough to force Lt. Penn to get sloppy."
But Webb shook his head. "Your being here was a lucky coincidence. She was planning on bringing in NCIS, but when you turned up, things just started to happen. She tried to get your attention by planting some CIA paperwork. Remember?"
Harm jogged his memory. Then, he remembered that before they had gone to dinner that first night Lynn had dropped a paper, and he had picked it up. His eyes widened and Webb nodded.
"She was just too believable in her cover, I guess," Webb said, still looking at the bewildered look on Harm's face.
"Not that good," Mac said, "Harm doubted her from the beginning. He just gave her the benefit of it because I asked him to."
"Yes, she reported that she had trouble gaining your confidence, Harm," Webb said, "She also told me that she found increasingly difficult to lie to you."
Webb went silent, and he rubbed his knuckles as he had done that morning. Harm watched as the agent's fingers tensed, then his arms, and finally his whole body seemed to be rigid with tension.
"Mac, would you mind getting us some coffee?"
Mac, who had also seen Webb's tension growing, nodded. "I'll be back in a while."
When she had gone, Harm wheeled himself closer to Webb. "She must be very important to you, Clay."
Webb wet his lips. "She is to me what Mac is to you, Harm," Clay told him, "We just can't take the next step. It's that simple."
"It's never that simple, Clay."
"It is for us," Webb said angrily, "Our rules are not bendable. Do you know what an enemy would do if they knew we were in love and our cover was blown?"
Harm sat silently contemplating those consequences. He and Mac faced many difficult situations, but nothing like that.
"Or how our love could sacrifice a mission?" Webb continued, now overcome by raw emotion, "Trapped by the job we do, we never said it to each other, and now. now we won't. we may never." Webb's breath came in fast gasps as he finally released the pent up tension of that love and the fear of losing it. His whole body seemed to rise and fall with each silent, wrenching sob. Harm got up out of his wheelchair and stood next to were Webb sat, cradling Kate's hand to his chest. He placed his hand reassuringly on the grieving man's shoulder.
When Mac returned a few minutes later, she was stunned to see Clayton Webb sitting in the same chair, resting his head on his arms, which lay crossed on Kate's bed. His face, which had only minutes before been twisted with grief, was peaceful in sleep. Harm sat beside him, his hand still on his shoulder.
"Harm," she softly questioned.
"Come on in, Sarah."
Mac entered quietly, placing the coffee she had brought on the table. "What happened?"
Harm just sat there, looking thoughtfully at Webb and Kate. Then he turned his eyes to her, eyes that were filled with passion, longing, tenderness. But there was a shadow over them all.
"Are you okay?" Mac asked saddened by the look in his eyes.
"Sarah, I need to tell you something that I want you to know," he said seriously, "We've come so close to never telling each other, and I don't want the day to come when it's too late."
Mac stared at him, her heart pounding with anticipation, and Harm continued, "I love you, and I would risk everything to share that love with you."
The ache in her heart blossomed into a joy she had never known. "I would risk it all, just to share one day in love with you," she said, tears falling from her warm dark eyes. Harm had barely opened his arms when she flung her arms around his neck, careful not to press his ribs or arm. She kissed his cheek and tasted the salt of his tears. He breathed the scent of her hair and pulled her tightly to him. It was a long time before they released each other, and they both ached at the loss of intimacy.
They left the room silently, so as not to wake Webb, and returned to their room. Once they were inside, and Harm was back in bed, Mac crawled up next to him, and they fell asleep, side-by-side.
Mac stopped pushing Harm, and they waited outside the room. They could hear the heart monitor and the beeping of other machines, and they saw through the doorway all the tubes running into her body. She had a tube taped into her mouth, an IV running into her left hand, and the heart monitor under her hospital gown. Webb was sitting in a plastic chair beside her.
Mac had just begun to pull Harm away from the door, when Webb said, "You can come in."
Mac slowly pushed Harm into the room. "We didn't mean to intrude, Clay," Harm said quietly.
Webb nodded. "Don't worry about it."
They were all silent for a while, then Mac said, "Who is she?"
Webb nodded again. "Catherine Grey. She's CIA." He paused and neither Mac nor Harm said a word.
Then, Mac asked softly, "She was here investigating the leak, wasn't she?"
Webb nodded. "We busted a terrorist cell in Pakistan a few months ago and found information that came from Admiral Grant's office. Katie was sent undercover as an attaché, so she would be able to have contact with the high ranking officers as well as the enlisted men."
"How was she able to have contact with them if she was assigned to the Embassy?" Mac asked.
"She was assigned to prepare officers and enlisted personnel for formal affairs," Webb answered, "Like she did for you."
"Why did she get us involved?" Harm asked.
"Do you know what was in that file?" Webb asked. "It was an outline of the president's anti-terrorism plan, that's why she yelled for you."
"How did she know?" Mac asked.
"She read the papers as she picked them up," Webb answered.
Something suddenly occurred to Harm, "She recognized the guy who bumped into her at the ball."
"Very good, Commander," Webb said, "She knew who he was from the start. She knew about Carlson, but she also knew there was someone else involved. She just needed to shake him loose."
"That's where we come in," Mac said, "We shook things up enough to force Lt. Penn to get sloppy."
But Webb shook his head. "Your being here was a lucky coincidence. She was planning on bringing in NCIS, but when you turned up, things just started to happen. She tried to get your attention by planting some CIA paperwork. Remember?"
Harm jogged his memory. Then, he remembered that before they had gone to dinner that first night Lynn had dropped a paper, and he had picked it up. His eyes widened and Webb nodded.
"She was just too believable in her cover, I guess," Webb said, still looking at the bewildered look on Harm's face.
"Not that good," Mac said, "Harm doubted her from the beginning. He just gave her the benefit of it because I asked him to."
"Yes, she reported that she had trouble gaining your confidence, Harm," Webb said, "She also told me that she found increasingly difficult to lie to you."
Webb went silent, and he rubbed his knuckles as he had done that morning. Harm watched as the agent's fingers tensed, then his arms, and finally his whole body seemed to be rigid with tension.
"Mac, would you mind getting us some coffee?"
Mac, who had also seen Webb's tension growing, nodded. "I'll be back in a while."
When she had gone, Harm wheeled himself closer to Webb. "She must be very important to you, Clay."
Webb wet his lips. "She is to me what Mac is to you, Harm," Clay told him, "We just can't take the next step. It's that simple."
"It's never that simple, Clay."
"It is for us," Webb said angrily, "Our rules are not bendable. Do you know what an enemy would do if they knew we were in love and our cover was blown?"
Harm sat silently contemplating those consequences. He and Mac faced many difficult situations, but nothing like that.
"Or how our love could sacrifice a mission?" Webb continued, now overcome by raw emotion, "Trapped by the job we do, we never said it to each other, and now. now we won't. we may never." Webb's breath came in fast gasps as he finally released the pent up tension of that love and the fear of losing it. His whole body seemed to rise and fall with each silent, wrenching sob. Harm got up out of his wheelchair and stood next to were Webb sat, cradling Kate's hand to his chest. He placed his hand reassuringly on the grieving man's shoulder.
When Mac returned a few minutes later, she was stunned to see Clayton Webb sitting in the same chair, resting his head on his arms, which lay crossed on Kate's bed. His face, which had only minutes before been twisted with grief, was peaceful in sleep. Harm sat beside him, his hand still on his shoulder.
"Harm," she softly questioned.
"Come on in, Sarah."
Mac entered quietly, placing the coffee she had brought on the table. "What happened?"
Harm just sat there, looking thoughtfully at Webb and Kate. Then he turned his eyes to her, eyes that were filled with passion, longing, tenderness. But there was a shadow over them all.
"Are you okay?" Mac asked saddened by the look in his eyes.
"Sarah, I need to tell you something that I want you to know," he said seriously, "We've come so close to never telling each other, and I don't want the day to come when it's too late."
Mac stared at him, her heart pounding with anticipation, and Harm continued, "I love you, and I would risk everything to share that love with you."
The ache in her heart blossomed into a joy she had never known. "I would risk it all, just to share one day in love with you," she said, tears falling from her warm dark eyes. Harm had barely opened his arms when she flung her arms around his neck, careful not to press his ribs or arm. She kissed his cheek and tasted the salt of his tears. He breathed the scent of her hair and pulled her tightly to him. It was a long time before they released each other, and they both ached at the loss of intimacy.
They left the room silently, so as not to wake Webb, and returned to their room. Once they were inside, and Harm was back in bed, Mac crawled up next to him, and they fell asleep, side-by-side.