Soulmates (part II)
For disclaimers, see part I

1312 ROMEO
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION

Harm was seated at his desk when, all of a sudden, he heard
something. Harm looked over to his bedroom, where Mac was tossing and
turning, and talking...more like screaming. "No...NO!!!!!!!" she
cried. "Clark, I love you! Don't leave me! You can't die! NO!!!" Mac
woke up and sat up, breathing heavily.

"Mac, are you okay?" Harm sat on the bed as he asked that question
for what seemed like the umpteenth time that weekend, his ice-blue
eyes illustrating his concern. "Please, Mac, please tell me what's
wrong. Maybe I can help. I'd like to help."

"I'm fine," Mac replied for what seemed like the umpteenth time that
weekend, her chocolate-brown eyes betraying her already shaken
resolve. "Thank you for lunch. I owe you one." She walked over to the
door and grabbed her purse. "I need to go."

"Wait, Mac." By the time Harm had gotten to the door, Mac had reached
the elevator. "Please stay."

"No, Harm, I need to go. I'll see you on Monday." She stepped inside
the open elevator and closed the door.

~~~~~
1416 ROMEO
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN

"Hello, Lt. Commander Dunne's office?" Mac asked into her telephone.

"Yes," came the receptionist's reply. "But Lieutenant Commander Dunne
isn't here right now."

"When will she be in?" Mac asked.

"About four o'clock. Would you like to make an appointment?"

"Yes, for as soon as possible."

"Okay...name please?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie...capital M-a-c-capital K-e-n-z-i-
e," Mac carefully spelled her name. "Sarah...with a 'h'...yes."

"We can fit you in around four-fifteen. Can you make it over here by
then?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes, I can make it by then. Where exactly is her office?"

"We're in Bethesda Naval Hospital," was the receptionist's
reply. "There will be a directory leading you to the office."

"Okay, I'll be there." Mac hung up the phone. I'd better leave right
now, she thought, traffic was rough getting from Harm's. Who knows
how bad it'll be now.

~~~~~~
1416 ROMEO
LCDR DUNNE'S OFFICE
BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL, 12TH FLOOR
BETHESDA, MARYLAND

"So, Colonel, what seems to be the problem?" asked Lt. Commander
Dunne, in a slight Irish brogue.

"Well, I keep having these dreams. They're not the same, but sort of.
They take place in different times, I mean, time periods. I'm in all
of them, and so are my friend Harm and my boyfriend, Mic. Now, in
real life, Mic asked me to marry him about three months ago. Back
then I was a little relationship-phobic, so I didn't say yes right
away. Anyway, in all of my dreams, I'm with Mic-only it's not Mic-and
I tell him that I'll marry him. Almost immediately, Harm-only it's
not Harm- runs up and tells me that he loves me and asks me to marry
him, but I've already agreed to marry Mic, or whoever. So Harm, or
whoever, walks away and is killed-once he was trampled by a horse,
once he was guillotined during the French Revolution, and once I was
a nurse during World War II and he was killed. Look, Commander, I
need your help. This is really starting to scare me.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why is this starting to scare you?"

"I don't know. That's why it's so scary."

"Could it be you possibly care for your friend?"

"Of course I care for him. He's my most trusted confidante. He's my
best friend."

"And what about Mic. Do you care for him?"

"Of course I care for him! He asked me to marry him, remember?"

"Yes. Calm down, Colonel. I'm just trying to gather all the facts.
Now, would you consider yourselves soulmates?"

"Mic? I don't know. Define 'soulmate.'"

"He comforts you in your worst times and celebrates with you in your
best times. You run to him first when you have a problem or when you
have good news. He truly makes you happy, like no one else can. Does
Mic do that for you?"

"Commander, I don't like this line of questioning."

"I'm sorry. OK, have you slept through the dream yet?"

"No. After Harm, or whoever, dies, I wake up."

"Okay, Colonel. Do this: tonight, don't wake up. Try to sleep until
some resolution has been reached. Also, I want you to think about
something. Not too long ago, a colleague came up with a theory that
our souls are immortal and leave a pattern through time. So,
according to this theory, you know that famous photo of the sailor
kissing the nurse after World War II?"

"Yes."

"That couple could also have been Marc Antony and Cleopatra."

"Oh. So you're saying that Edward, William and Felicity; Louis, Jean-
Luc, and Marie Nicole; and John, Clark, and Lois are the souls of
Mic, Harm and I?"

"Possibly."

"Strange."

"Well, time's up for today. I have another appointment in about ten
minutes."

"Thank you for your time, Commander."

"My pleasure. Sweet dreams!" Commander Dunne smiled.

***end part II***