Disclaimer: As in chapter 1
AN: A lot of flashbacks. Watch for the dates and years. Enjoy!
"Clay, are you still there?"
There was a long pause before Webb answered. "Harm..."
"Yeah?"
"Go home. Sarah needs you." He managed to keep his voice steady.
"Why would she need me? She's..." Realization dawned. "Who is on that list, Clay?"
"Harm…"
"DAMN IT, Webb! Who is on that list!?"
He hesitated for a moment longer before answering with a heavy heart, "Lieutenant Harmon Rabb, III. Your son is MIA, Harm."
Harm sat in shock. No. This could not be happening. He'd lost his father that way. Not his son, too. Please, not his son.
"Webb, I want that list! Now I know why I didn't get a copy sooner."
"I'll send it over immediately. Go home, Harm."
"Thanks, Webb." He whispered before hanging up.
'Your son is MIA' 'Your son is MIA'. The voice is keep repeating over and over again inside his head. A knock broke his train of thought and he sat up with a start. "Enter."
"Sir, here is the list of those KIA and MIA in the recent action. Also, General Rabb is on the phone for you. She sounded distressed."
"Thank you, Richards. Dismissed."
He closed his eyes and picked up the phone, too afraid to even glance at the list.
"Sarah?"
"Harm! Trey..." She obviously was barely able to keep herself from sobbing.
"I'll be home in 30 minutes." He grabbed the list, his coat, and his cover, and then rushed out.
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1030 EST
6th January 2038
Rabb's residence
McLean, VA
Harm never forgot that fateful day, 11 years ago. A very upset Mac had greeted him when he got home, her hands still clutching at the yellow envelope. He gathered his wife in his arms as the terrible reality swept over them. Their first-born son was MIA. 11 years had passed since then. Over those years they had cried, had recalled their favorite memories, and eventually had tried to heal their wounded hearts. They had even almost been able to accept it. But, yesterday had ripped their wounds wide open...
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1930 EST
5th January 2038
Rabb's residence
Alexandria, VA
"Honey, let's get you ready for the bed."
Hearing the sad note in his mother's voice, the two year-old boy quietly complied. When the boy was settled for the night, she went to the phone and dialed a very familiar number. After several rings, a happy male voice answered. "Hello?"
"Daddy?" She whispered.
When he heard the sorrow in her voice, Retired Admiral Sturgis Turner immediately tensed. "Elaine, honey, what happened? The kids? Are they ok?"
"They're fine. It's..." She trailed off and began to cry softly.
A hundred terrible possibilities entered his mind. "Sweetheart, stay right there. I'm coming now."
Not waiting for a reply, he grabbed his keys and rushed to his daughter's house. Thirty long minutes later he was there. The moment she saw her father, Elaine Denise Turner-Rabb lost her control and began to sob uncontrollably, clinging to her father for dear life. Sturgis's heart broke when he saw the yellow envelope on the coffee table. He knew exactly what it meant.
Fifteen minutes later, Elaine's sobs died away, although she still clung to her father. Sturgis broke the silence. "Where are the kids?"
"I tucked them in."
"Do they know?"
Elaine was silent for a moment. "I suppose not. Dad, what should I do? Matthew is not coming back. He won't ever know his own daughter."
"What? Elaine, you're...?"
"I'm two months pregnant, Daddy."
"Did Matthew know about this?"
"No. I just found out two days ago and I wanted to surprise him when he returned next week but..." Her voice trailed off again.
Before Sturgis could continue, he noticed the little six year-old had entered the room.
"Hey, buddy." Sturgis tried to smile at his grandson.
"Daddy is not coming home." It was a statement, not a question.
"Buddy..."
"He won't ever come home again." The boy stared at the envelope.
Sturgis almost sighed as he noticed the look in the boy's eyes. It was all too familiar.
Before he could say anything more, the doorbell rang, and he opened the door to find Retired Admiral Harmon Rabb, Jr. standing there, a grin on his face. "Hey, Sturgis!" Harm cheerfully greeted his fellow Retired Admiral, who had been his friend for over 50 years. It was obvious that Harm hadn't heard the news.
"Hello. Where is she?" Sturgis asked, surprised that Harm's wife--they had recently had their 35th anniversary--wasn't there.
"She's outside with Bobbie. Hello, Elaine."
"Hi, Dad." Elaine greeted half-heartedly. She'd always called Harm 'Dad' and Sarah 'Mom,' while she reserved 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' for her real parents.
"Grandpa!"
"Hey!" He swung his grandson up with a chuckle, but quickly sobered when he took a good look at his face.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
The boy shook his head, but clung to Harm's neck even tighter. Harm looked confused, glancing at Sturgis, who only looked away.
"Grandpa, Daddy isn't coming back."
Not understanding--or not wanting to understand--what he'd said, Harm replied lightly. "He'll be back next week. Didn't he promise you that?"
The boy just kept crying. "Daddy's not coming back anymore. He's gone, Grandpa. Just like Uncle Trey."
The color drained from Harm's face as he, at last, noticed the yellow envelope. He couldn't take his eyes off it. Bobbi Latham Turner, Sturgis's wife, and Sarah entered; laughing, but he didn't notice them.
The two women could see something was wrong. Elaine's eyes were red and puffy; Sturgis was hunched over, suddenly looking his age; their grandson clung for dear life to Harm; and Harm! That eerie haunted look once again was fixed in his blue eyes.
Sarah took a deep breath, but a pull on her pants made her look down. Her two-year old grandson was rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Grandma, up."
"Hey, little guy." She picked the boy up, and then noticed the envelope. "Oh my God!"
Bobbi saw it and closed her eyes, swallowing hard.
Finally breaking the new silence, Harm strode over to the envelope and opened it, reading it aloud.
"Dear Mrs. Rabb,
It is with my deepest regret that I write this to inform you that your husband, Commander Matthew Jonathan Rabb, USN, is listed as Missing in Action..."
His throat tightened, and no more words came out. He could not and would not believe it. He had already lost another son to the war.
Sarah sat on the couch, holding her grandson close to her chest as she stared ahead blankly. Biting her lip, she looked down at the boy on her lap.
At two years old, Andrew David Rabb was too young to understand that his father might never come home again. She glanced at Harm. It was obvious what he was thinking. His namesake, six year-old Harmon David Rabb, IV, was going through exactly Harmon David Rabb, Jr., had experienced on Christmas Eve, 1969, when his own father Harmon David Rabb, Sr, was declared MIA.
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Present
"Honey, are you okay?"
"No, I am not!" Sarah answered between sobs.
"Come here." His own tears threaten to flow, but he had to be strong for his Sarah. He once again gathered her in his arms like he had those long 11 years ago.
"He is gone, Harm. Our boy is gone."
"Mac...Sarah, he is MIA, not KIA. He will be back. He promised."
"You said that once when Trey's plane went down. Don't you get it, Harm? Matthew is gone, just like Trey!"
Harm didn't know what to say, so he just tightened his arms around her. A few minutes later, Sarah's sobs died away, and she began to breathe slowly and evenly. He picked up his sleeping wife and gently laid her on the bed before crawling in beside her. He couldn't rest though. His mind kept going back to the past...
TBC.