Harm Rabb watched his friend from inside his office. Sturgis looked so sad and everyone, from Bud to Mac to him to Tiner and the Admiral, had all tried to do something to cheer him up, to get his mind off things, but to no avail. It had been over a year since he'd seen Bobbi and he remembered his talk with her years ago.
"It's a new world Commander…or do you like the old world better? The little woman sleeping the home fires burning & raises the children & waits like faithful Penelope for Odysseus to return from the war."
He should have known that things wouldn't work out with his two friends; he should have tried to warn Sturgis. It would have been too late though, but at least he could have tried. It wasn't as if he blamed either of them: Sturgis had needed to go on the Watertown and Bobbi had been frightened, so she'd run. He'd been in both places. How often had he left Mac or his current girlfriend to go into a war zone? He'd served in Kosovo only a few weeks after Little A.J. had been born, leaving Jordan for good and Mac alone with Brumby. How often had he run from Mac? Sturgis was right; Bobbi was stubborn. She wasn't one to back down or give up without a fight, but neither was he.
"No." A voice said from the doorway.
He looked up and smiled. Damn, but didn't Mac take his breath away. He couldn't imagine losing her again, not like Sturgis had lost Bobbi. "No what?"
"Stay out of it, Harm." Sarah MacKenzie warned him.
"Stay out of what?" He feigned innocence, but she was having none of it.
"It's Sturgis' business. He wants to call her; he'll call her. Remember the last time you played matchmaker?" His eyes grew wider, remembering. It had been a long time since he'd made the Admiral that angry and he was an expert at getting their commanding officer upset.
"I'm not going to play matchmaker." So he lied to her. What else was new?
She gave him a look like she didn't believe him, but then smiled. "Good. 'Cause we already have plans for Valentine's day, remember?"
"I thought Harriet and Bud weren't having their party this year."
She rolled her eyes at him. "That's right. You made plans with me."
He grinned at her. "How could I forget? I wouldn't miss it for a Tomcat ride."
It was her turn to grin as she walked towards her office. As soon as she was out of earshot, he picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number. It took awhile until he was patched through, but it was worth it. "Bobbi, this is Harm."