Disclaimers in part 1
Farewell! Thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know'st thy estimate,
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate.
For how do I hold thee but by thy granting?
And for that riches where is my deserving?
The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,
And so my patent back again is swerving.
Thy self thou gav'st, thy own worth then not knowing,
Or me to whom thou gav'st it, else mistaking;
So thy great gift, upon misprision growing,
Comes home again, on better judgment making.
Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter,
In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.
--Sonnet 87
Location Unknown
Time Unknown
'Where am I?' Mac wondered, looking around. She could only make out vague forms through the mist. She could move her head, but the rest of her body was paralyzed. She shivered uncontrollably as the cold vapor surrounded her. 'What's going on?'
"Hello, Sarah," a low voice behind her said.
Mac jerked her head around, but still couldn't see to whom the voice belonged. As the mists parted, she gasped. There stood her husband, Christopher Ragle, along with her ex-boyfriend, Dalton Lowne, and her father, Joseph Mackenzie.
"Chris? Dalton? Dad? But--but you're all supposed to be..."
"Dead, Sarah? Yes, we are. Do you remember what happened to you?"
"The last thing I remember is the Embassy party, jumping in front of the Ambassador... oh, my God! Is the Ambassador all right?"
Chris's phantom chuckled. "Yes, Sarah, the Ambassador is alive and well. We--" here he nodded his head towards the other specters standing with him, "always knew you would give your life for some noble cause."
"Give my life? Do you mean--"
"That's right, Sarah," Dalton broke in, smirking. "You're dying." A bright light filled the air. "Is this more along the lines of what you were expecting?"
"But--but I..."
"Oh, don't even say it," Chris said, exasperated. "Don't you think that the rest of us thought the exact same thing? 'I'm too young to die'? Well, sweetheart, you are, so you had better just get used to it."
The light grew brighter, and Mac found herself inexorably drawn towards it.
"Don't worry, Sarah, it'll only hurt for a bit."
She felt a blinding pain wrench through her body, and opened her mouth in a silent scream.
Tuesday, 5 November 2002
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, MD
1230 ZULU
AJ's head snapped up as he heard the monitor sound a distress signal. He leapt to his feet and hurried to the bed as the medical team rushed through the door. He called in alarm, "Sarah... Sarah, stay with us, darlin'! Oh, Sarah, please, don't die..."
Location Unknown
Time Unknown
Mac heard a voice in the distance, "Sarah, please, don't die..." She focused on the voice to distract herself from the pain coursing throughout her body.
"Come on, darlin'. You have to stay with us, Sarah. Don't give up, not just yet."
'That voice is almost familiar. It sounds so gentle, though, not at all what I remember.' Mac started to move away from the blinding light, towards the voice echoing through the darkness.
"Sarah, where are you going? Sarah, get back here!" Voices called from behind her. She ignored them, being drawn toward the strong, masculine voice like a moth to a flame. The three spirits soon fell far behind her, and the pain dwindled into nothing, as all once again became black.
Tuesday, 5 November 2002
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, MD
1235 ZULU
As the monitors returned to a steady 'beep', a collective sigh of relief rose from the group gathered in the room. Tears threatened to spill from AJ's eyes. "Thank you, God," he breathed, watching the woman whom he had come so close to losing.
'I can't leave her; not after this!' AJ thought as he lifted the telephone receiver by the side of the bed. He dialed a familiar number.
"JAG Ops, Admiral Chegwidden's office, Lieutenant Sims speaking," a bright voice answered.
"Lieutenant? Where's my yeoman, and why are you in so early?" Although AJ's voice was gruff, he was quite relieved that it was Harriet who answered.
"Admiral, sir! Tiner's starting the coffee in the break room, and I'm cleaning up some files that I had left out overnight. Is there something you needed, Admiral?"
"Actually, yes, Lieutenant, there is. Could you please run out to my house and pick up a clean uniform for me? The spare key should be under the mat. Oh, and please don't mention this to Tiner; you know how he gets."
Harriet picked up on the note of anxiety and fatigue in her CO's voice. Now concerned, she replied, "Certainly, sir. Umm, sir... where should I bring it?"
AJ sighed, knowing the questions would be brewing in her mind. "Bring it to Bethesda, Harriet. I'll explain when you get here."
"Aye-aye, sir." Apprehensive and intrigued, Harriet hung up.
AJ returned the receiver to the cradle and sighed again. He had another call to make. Although he would've preferred Sturgis for this, he knew Sturgis needed some time off. He dialed the number.
"Rabb."
"Commander, where are you?"
"Well, sir, right now I'm at the JAG office in Pensacola. Is there a problem, sir?"
"Yes, Commander, there is. I need you to hop the next transport home. Tell Lieutenant Silva that Commander Mattoni will be flying out. I need you to take acting JAG for a while; at least for the next few days. Report to Bethesda ASAP. I'll fill you in when you get here."
"Aye, sir."
AJ hung up the phone, and put his head in his hands. 'These are going to be a long couple of days,' he thought as he gazed at the motionless Colonel.
