Whisper of Life Part 4b
Disclaimer: Still not mine. L
Authors Note: Sorry for the delay guys. I've had major problems in RL and I'm just getting back on my feet. So, it may be a while until the next post again. I'm thinking we're coming to the end of my little adventure. I really didn't know how this would turn out but you guys it made it…bearable. No, I'm just jokin with ya! You guys made it totally awesome. But you never know, this has already taken on a mind of it's own and it could continue for another 50 or so parts. Well, maybe not that long, but anyway, on with the story…
Whisper of Life Part 4b
As she struggled to open her eyes she was aware of two things. First, the unbearable pain that was pressing down on her like a vice. It was coursing through her every nerve ending, allowing not a minute of reprieve. The second was the unfamiliar object lodged in her throat. She tried to move her hands up to her mouth to extricate whatever was there but found she was to weak and in too much pain to move; not to mention the heaviness that was not forbidding her to move her right hand an inch. She began to panic, hyperventilating with fear.
As he felt the hand below his begin to shake and tremble he awoke with a start. He looked first to the hands that were most recently his pillow, then to the chest that was rising and falling more erratically than the former artificial struggle and then up to the face whose eyes were wide and blinking in irregular intervals and the mouth that was moving around, desperately trying to identify the foreign object invading it's space. She was awake. And she was frightened.
"Mac, Mac… Hey, its alright. Its alright. You're okay. I'm here…you're okay," he spoke to her in an urgent voice while pressing the call button to alert the doctor. The moment her eyes made contact with his, she visibly relaxed. He could see the questions in her eyes, so he tried to convey the answers through his own. She reached for his hand that was resting on the rail. She grabbed it weakly and he squeezed it. She was in so much pain that she began to feel dizzy and she was so confused that she was frightened, but somehow, touching him, seeing him, being with him…it made it all go away. She kept her honey-brown eyes locked with his ice-blue ones, that at the moment were lined red with fatigue.
"Glad to see you decided to join us Colonel," the Doctor said with a smile as he came into the room. He gave a small nod to Harm, hinting in a way that everything was going to be okay. And Harm sighed with relief; everything was going to be okay now. With that realization, he pulled Mac's small hand up to his lips and gave her a light kiss on her knuckles. He smiled to her and then she knew too; everything would be okay.
"Okay Colonel. I suppose you're wanting to get this tube out of your mouth. Now, when I begin to pull, try to relax your throat muscles. Don't try to fight it," he said as he began to unplug some of the machines and reach for the respirator coming out of her throat. "It'll be a little uncomfortable, but after we're done, we'll get you some ice chips to suck on." As he pulled up on the tube, Mac winced and squeezed on Harm's hand tight. Harm gave an encouraging squeeze back. Watching that tube come out of her mouth looked a lot more than "a little uncomfortable". but soon it was over and Mac was trying to move her lips and swallow to get the muscles in her face up to par. He watched as the Doctor walked back out of the room after leaving her a cup of ice and doing his preliminary check-ups, letting Harm have the opportunity to tell Mac about her situation. He looked back to Mac and gave her a piece of ice to suck on. Thirty-four hours was a long time for Mac to go without being able to utter a word, he thought with a grin.
"What are you smiling' at, Flyboy?" she croaked. Looking at her alive and… semi-well, he suddenly had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to connect with her in any way possible. Sliding to the front of her chair, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. Without breaking the connection after the kiss was ended, he just let his lips rest there, happy for the small union they had made. She let her eyes slip shut and her smile changed to a curve of pleasure as she sucked on a piece of ice the Doctor had left her. He pulled back so that he was leaning over her bed, their faces only inches apart, and whispered, "Thank you."
"What?" she asked groggily, clearly confused.
"Thank you for coming back." She looked at him solemnly for a moment, debating whether or not to go with the more serious approach or the more humorous. She opted for the latter.
"What, do you think I'd leave you to fend for yourself whenever you got yourself in trouble?" She asked him with a wry grin. Although her voice had not all the way returned and the usual luminance of her face was slowly coming back, underneath it all she still had that same sarcastic humor he loved.
"Nobody likes a smart-ass, Marine."
"Whatever you say, Sailor, " she chuckled, still grinning at him. But with that chuckle came all the memories of why that were even here in the first place when her chest started to throb with pain. She tried to hide her grimace but Harm noticed the change in her visage. He had asked to be the one to tell Mac about her injuries and Major Benson and… God, he really didn't want to be the one to tell her about Benson but he knew he should be the one. He knew that she needed to hear it from him even though she wouldn't like what she was going to hear.
"You okay Mac?" he asked her as he sat back into his chair, reaching out his hand to gently push the locks of hair off her forehead. He had meant to just sweep the locks behind her ear but the temptation of her touch was tantalizing his mind. It was usually that way whenever he was around her. He noticed her gaze locked on to his, asking a question with her eyes. He knew what she was asking but he wanted to hear her say it. He wanted her voice to give him permission to answer her. It seemed she was reading her thoughts.
"What happened Harm?" If there was ever a loaded question…
"You were shot three times Mac… in your apartment," e answered. He had decided to play dumb to put off the inevitable. He knew that answer was not going to satisfy her though and he could tell by the warning look in her eyes. She knew he was holding back. He took a deep breath and dove in. No going back now. "You were shot once in your leg and your shoulder, but those bullets went straight through. The Doctor said that the reason you have a hard time breathing and a horrible pain in your chest is because the bullet knicked your lung and cracked a few ribs. He said that it will take several weeks to heal. You've been out for a day and a half now."
She thought for a moment, not sure if she wanted to know the next question she was about to ask. Deciding to go for broke, she forged ahead. "Harm, how come you haven't asked me who did this?" He broke their gaze and looked down at his lap. Her question had been answered.
"You didn't ask me because you already know, don't you?"
"Yes," he mumbled. Her eyes closed on the tears that were threatening to escape. After working with Harm for seven years, one thing she learned was how to read him when he was about to tell her bad news. And this would be one of those times. She had no idea what had happened, but she knew it was bad. At least bad for poor her and in a way bad for poor Hannah.
"How?" She whispered brokenly.
Harm looked up and locked on her face. "Mac, Major Benson killed himself last night. They went to go look for him this morning when he didn't show up for duty," he paused. He could see that she was about to lose it. Her façade was starting to crumble. She knew she had wanted justice for herself and Hannah. And not just justice because of the law. But justice for herself. And he took the coward's way out. He reached out to wipe cup her cheek in his hand, wiping her tears. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"How'd he do it?"
"He overdosed on his medication. Apparently, he had been seeing a psychologist after showing symptoms of paranoia. No one even knew." He took a breath ad studied her face. " He was a sick man, Mac." he said, hoping to alleviate her pain. But by the look on her face, he knew he had failed. He saw the beginnings of fury in her eyes and heard the edge to her voice as she asked him how he knew they had done it though. "He left a note…he apologized for killing Hannah and for killing you. Or at least he thought he killed you," he said in anguish. He blinked his eyes to clear his mind and went on. "He asked for forgiveness… he wanted us to forgive him, Mac. I don't know how he expected us to do that though… I mean… I just don't know how to do that. He almost killed you," he said as his thoughts from the past day and a half began to just run off his tongue and out of his mouth. He tried to gain back some of his control because he could see that she didn't need any of his emotional baggage right now. She needed him to be strong for her. He took a deep breath and pulled himself back together. "He was just a sick, sick man. Mac," he tried again. But who was he fooling? Certainly not himself and certainly not Sarah McKenzie.
"There was nothing sick about him Harm. He was just plain evil," she said as a sob caught in her throat. It wasn't fair. He was supposed to get away with this that easily. After the years of torment he put Hannah through and what he put her through… he wasn't supposed to die at his own hands. This was not how justice was supposed to be served. He was suppose to rot in jail then rot in Hell. Stupid coward. Stupid
She reached out to Harm with her good arm as the tears started to fall like rain. She needed him to hold her, she needed him. He took her into his arms as gently as he could and he let her cry for her pain and for what she had lost.
Okay, I know. Still dark, but please, I know I've said this a million and one times, bear with me. It will be a happy ending. Yay for H/M shipper…
Disclaimer: Still not mine. L
Authors Note: Sorry for the delay guys. I've had major problems in RL and I'm just getting back on my feet. So, it may be a while until the next post again. I'm thinking we're coming to the end of my little adventure. I really didn't know how this would turn out but you guys it made it…bearable. No, I'm just jokin with ya! You guys made it totally awesome. But you never know, this has already taken on a mind of it's own and it could continue for another 50 or so parts. Well, maybe not that long, but anyway, on with the story…
Whisper of Life Part 4b
As she struggled to open her eyes she was aware of two things. First, the unbearable pain that was pressing down on her like a vice. It was coursing through her every nerve ending, allowing not a minute of reprieve. The second was the unfamiliar object lodged in her throat. She tried to move her hands up to her mouth to extricate whatever was there but found she was to weak and in too much pain to move; not to mention the heaviness that was not forbidding her to move her right hand an inch. She began to panic, hyperventilating with fear.
As he felt the hand below his begin to shake and tremble he awoke with a start. He looked first to the hands that were most recently his pillow, then to the chest that was rising and falling more erratically than the former artificial struggle and then up to the face whose eyes were wide and blinking in irregular intervals and the mouth that was moving around, desperately trying to identify the foreign object invading it's space. She was awake. And she was frightened.
"Mac, Mac… Hey, its alright. Its alright. You're okay. I'm here…you're okay," he spoke to her in an urgent voice while pressing the call button to alert the doctor. The moment her eyes made contact with his, she visibly relaxed. He could see the questions in her eyes, so he tried to convey the answers through his own. She reached for his hand that was resting on the rail. She grabbed it weakly and he squeezed it. She was in so much pain that she began to feel dizzy and she was so confused that she was frightened, but somehow, touching him, seeing him, being with him…it made it all go away. She kept her honey-brown eyes locked with his ice-blue ones, that at the moment were lined red with fatigue.
"Glad to see you decided to join us Colonel," the Doctor said with a smile as he came into the room. He gave a small nod to Harm, hinting in a way that everything was going to be okay. And Harm sighed with relief; everything was going to be okay now. With that realization, he pulled Mac's small hand up to his lips and gave her a light kiss on her knuckles. He smiled to her and then she knew too; everything would be okay.
"Okay Colonel. I suppose you're wanting to get this tube out of your mouth. Now, when I begin to pull, try to relax your throat muscles. Don't try to fight it," he said as he began to unplug some of the machines and reach for the respirator coming out of her throat. "It'll be a little uncomfortable, but after we're done, we'll get you some ice chips to suck on." As he pulled up on the tube, Mac winced and squeezed on Harm's hand tight. Harm gave an encouraging squeeze back. Watching that tube come out of her mouth looked a lot more than "a little uncomfortable". but soon it was over and Mac was trying to move her lips and swallow to get the muscles in her face up to par. He watched as the Doctor walked back out of the room after leaving her a cup of ice and doing his preliminary check-ups, letting Harm have the opportunity to tell Mac about her situation. He looked back to Mac and gave her a piece of ice to suck on. Thirty-four hours was a long time for Mac to go without being able to utter a word, he thought with a grin.
"What are you smiling' at, Flyboy?" she croaked. Looking at her alive and… semi-well, he suddenly had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to connect with her in any way possible. Sliding to the front of her chair, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. Without breaking the connection after the kiss was ended, he just let his lips rest there, happy for the small union they had made. She let her eyes slip shut and her smile changed to a curve of pleasure as she sucked on a piece of ice the Doctor had left her. He pulled back so that he was leaning over her bed, their faces only inches apart, and whispered, "Thank you."
"What?" she asked groggily, clearly confused.
"Thank you for coming back." She looked at him solemnly for a moment, debating whether or not to go with the more serious approach or the more humorous. She opted for the latter.
"What, do you think I'd leave you to fend for yourself whenever you got yourself in trouble?" She asked him with a wry grin. Although her voice had not all the way returned and the usual luminance of her face was slowly coming back, underneath it all she still had that same sarcastic humor he loved.
"Nobody likes a smart-ass, Marine."
"Whatever you say, Sailor, " she chuckled, still grinning at him. But with that chuckle came all the memories of why that were even here in the first place when her chest started to throb with pain. She tried to hide her grimace but Harm noticed the change in her visage. He had asked to be the one to tell Mac about her injuries and Major Benson and… God, he really didn't want to be the one to tell her about Benson but he knew he should be the one. He knew that she needed to hear it from him even though she wouldn't like what she was going to hear.
"You okay Mac?" he asked her as he sat back into his chair, reaching out his hand to gently push the locks of hair off her forehead. He had meant to just sweep the locks behind her ear but the temptation of her touch was tantalizing his mind. It was usually that way whenever he was around her. He noticed her gaze locked on to his, asking a question with her eyes. He knew what she was asking but he wanted to hear her say it. He wanted her voice to give him permission to answer her. It seemed she was reading her thoughts.
"What happened Harm?" If there was ever a loaded question…
"You were shot three times Mac… in your apartment," e answered. He had decided to play dumb to put off the inevitable. He knew that answer was not going to satisfy her though and he could tell by the warning look in her eyes. She knew he was holding back. He took a deep breath and dove in. No going back now. "You were shot once in your leg and your shoulder, but those bullets went straight through. The Doctor said that the reason you have a hard time breathing and a horrible pain in your chest is because the bullet knicked your lung and cracked a few ribs. He said that it will take several weeks to heal. You've been out for a day and a half now."
She thought for a moment, not sure if she wanted to know the next question she was about to ask. Deciding to go for broke, she forged ahead. "Harm, how come you haven't asked me who did this?" He broke their gaze and looked down at his lap. Her question had been answered.
"You didn't ask me because you already know, don't you?"
"Yes," he mumbled. Her eyes closed on the tears that were threatening to escape. After working with Harm for seven years, one thing she learned was how to read him when he was about to tell her bad news. And this would be one of those times. She had no idea what had happened, but she knew it was bad. At least bad for poor her and in a way bad for poor Hannah.
"How?" She whispered brokenly.
Harm looked up and locked on her face. "Mac, Major Benson killed himself last night. They went to go look for him this morning when he didn't show up for duty," he paused. He could see that she was about to lose it. Her façade was starting to crumble. She knew she had wanted justice for herself and Hannah. And not just justice because of the law. But justice for herself. And he took the coward's way out. He reached out to wipe cup her cheek in his hand, wiping her tears. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"How'd he do it?"
"He overdosed on his medication. Apparently, he had been seeing a psychologist after showing symptoms of paranoia. No one even knew." He took a breath ad studied her face. " He was a sick man, Mac." he said, hoping to alleviate her pain. But by the look on her face, he knew he had failed. He saw the beginnings of fury in her eyes and heard the edge to her voice as she asked him how he knew they had done it though. "He left a note…he apologized for killing Hannah and for killing you. Or at least he thought he killed you," he said in anguish. He blinked his eyes to clear his mind and went on. "He asked for forgiveness… he wanted us to forgive him, Mac. I don't know how he expected us to do that though… I mean… I just don't know how to do that. He almost killed you," he said as his thoughts from the past day and a half began to just run off his tongue and out of his mouth. He tried to gain back some of his control because he could see that she didn't need any of his emotional baggage right now. She needed him to be strong for her. He took a deep breath and pulled himself back together. "He was just a sick, sick man. Mac," he tried again. But who was he fooling? Certainly not himself and certainly not Sarah McKenzie.
"There was nothing sick about him Harm. He was just plain evil," she said as a sob caught in her throat. It wasn't fair. He was supposed to get away with this that easily. After the years of torment he put Hannah through and what he put her through… he wasn't supposed to die at his own hands. This was not how justice was supposed to be served. He was suppose to rot in jail then rot in Hell. Stupid coward. Stupid
She reached out to Harm with her good arm as the tears started to fall like rain. She needed him to hold her, she needed him. He took her into his arms as gently as he could and he let her cry for her pain and for what she had lost.
Okay, I know. Still dark, but please, I know I've said this a million and one times, bear with me. It will be a happy ending. Yay for H/M shipper…