Hey, sorry it took so long to get this one out, guys. First there was
Christmas, then the New Year's, then I had to do a speech for my church's
oratorical festival, then I had the Philadelphia Homeschool Science Fair,
and I got grounded cuz I was practicing my cello only about once or twice a
week, soooo. I only hope my writing hasn't gotten rusty. And I'm a Greek
Orthodox Christian, so if the church service doesn't sound right, its
probably because my own church's services are starting to kick in. :P And I
have no clue if there is a teddy bear like that :D And I made up the
church, cuz I didn't remember. Lol, I'm making a ton of excuses here!
2400 ZULU
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
ST. MARK'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
GEORGETOWN, VA
Harm followed Sturgis into the sanctuary. Mac and the Admiral, and a few of the others from JAG Ops were already there. As Sturgis sat down, Harm had a thought.
"I'll be right back," he told Sturgis softly. Sturgis looked up at him and nodded. Harm approached Chaplain Turner, and smiled.
"Hello, Commander Rabb. How are you doing tonight?"
"I'm pretty good, Chaplain, how about yourself?"
"I'm doing just fine, son," Sturgis' father shook Harm's hand. Harm took a breath.
"Chaplain Turner, can I ask you for a favor?" The Chaplain raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, son. What can I do for you?"
"Well." Harm bit his lip as he remembered Webb's condition. "A friend of mine was injured last night." Chaplain Turner looked inquiringly at Harm. Harm clasped his hands together and chuckled nervously. "Usually he's really hard to get along with, and a lot of us at JAG get mad at him pretty often, even though he's a pain-in-the-butt because of his job. Uh, he was out Christmas shopping for gifts for us, and he got mugged. The guy who mugged him is in custody, but he stabbed Clay, and the doctors are saying he's had some sort of allergic reaction, and his throat had swollen up. They were worried he might not be able to breathe even though they have an oxygen tube down his throat." ChaplainTurner smiled sympathetically at Harm.
"And that's not all," Harm grinned ruefully. "He has a concussion too."
"Well, it looks like someone could use a little help." Sturgis' father pursed his lips.
"Yeah, that was what I was going to as you," Harm nodded. "Would it be possible for you to say a prayer for him?"
"During the service?"
"If it's possible."
"Of course it's possible, Harm. And of course I will."
"Thank you, Chaplain." Harm smiled and shook Chaplain Turner's hand.
As Harm went back to his seat, Sturgis looked at him questioningly. Harm leaned over to tell him the scoop, but Chaplain Turner stepped up to his podium.
"If we could begin with a short prayer?" The Chaplain bowed his head. The rest of the congregation followed his lead. "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your Son, who came to the earth, as one of us, born of a virgin, to save us all. We ask that you help us to understand this more fully, and grant us with a deeper awareness of your presence. Please help us to pay attention," Mac noticed an emphasis on "attention", and a few children behind her froze and stopped whispering to each other, "to the lesson being taught tonight. In Jesus' name, amen."
Harm and the others settled down to listen to the readings of Christ's birth. The Chaplain had a short, but meaningful sermon prepared. Though she had heard the story many times before, Mac was still filled with awe as she though on the fact that God could love mankind so much, to have His Son to be born as a tiny infant, to a carpenter and his wife, to later be killed for the salvation of man. As the Chaplain finished, Mac snapped back to attention.
"If we could close with a prayer?" The congregation bowed their heads quickly. "Again Lord, we thank You, for sending your Son to live among us. We pray also, Lord, for those who are not with us now, because of the weather, or illness. And we pray especially for Clay, who is in the hospital. This man was spreading the love of Christ, by buying gifts for people he doesn't normally get along with, when he was attacked, and stabbed by a criminal last night. We ask that you be with him, and heal his wounds, both physically and spiritually." Mac glanced over at Harm, who was biting his lower lip. She smiled and turned back to Chaplain Turner as he went on to pray for other people in his congregation who were not there, one who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia, another who had been in a car accident, and a family who had just lost their grandfather. As Chaplain Turner concluded his prayer, Mac rubbed at her eyes. As other people started to leave the sanctuary, Mac walked up to Sturgis' father.
"It was a touching sermon, Chaplain," Mac smiled and shook his hand.
"Thank you Colonel MacKenzie," He smiled back. "I don't really like to make them very long on Christmas Eve. People want to get home." His smile grew wider.
"And it was kind of you to say a prayer for Clayton," Mac suddenly didn't feel like smiling anymore, and her mouth dipped in a small frown.
"Of course, Colonel," the Chaplain nodded. "I'm sure he will be fine. But it wouldn't hurt to keep praying. Excuse me Colonel, I think I'm being paged." He gestured to where his wife was waving for him to come over.
"Of course," Mac smiled again. "It was nice seeing you, Chaplain Turner."
"And you, Colonel," Chaplain Turner walked up to his wife, and Mac headed out into the snow. Harm was standing next to his SUV, shivering.
"Hey, I'm going to head over to the hospital, care to join me?" Mac nodded and got out her car keys.
"His car is still in the garage, right?" Mac unlocked her car.
"Yeah," Harm unlocked his.
Fifteen minutes later, Harm pulled into one of the Washington Hospital Center's parking lots. As he got out, he reached over to the passenger side seat, and grabbed a bag. Mac pulled into the empty space next to him, and pulled out her own bag. As they walked to the waiting room, Harm smiled as he pulled out his gift for Clay. Mac laughed out loud. It was a small gray teddy bear wearing a tuxedo and trenchcoat. Mac widened her eyes in approval and nodded as she noticed the "Gund" tag on his ear. They sat down in the seats next to a window. Gently Mac produced her own gift for Webb. Her's was a picture of Webb, Harm, and herself, in Columbia. Bud must have taken it when they weren't paying attention, Harm mused to himself. Harm grinned as Mac took out the silver picture frame and put the picture inside it. It framed Harm and Mac's irritated faces and Clay's nonchalant "what- makes-you-think-I-care?" expression perfectly. Mac put it back in her bag, and stood up as the nurse came to take them to see Clay.
2400 ZULU
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
ST. MARK'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
GEORGETOWN, VA
Harm followed Sturgis into the sanctuary. Mac and the Admiral, and a few of the others from JAG Ops were already there. As Sturgis sat down, Harm had a thought.
"I'll be right back," he told Sturgis softly. Sturgis looked up at him and nodded. Harm approached Chaplain Turner, and smiled.
"Hello, Commander Rabb. How are you doing tonight?"
"I'm pretty good, Chaplain, how about yourself?"
"I'm doing just fine, son," Sturgis' father shook Harm's hand. Harm took a breath.
"Chaplain Turner, can I ask you for a favor?" The Chaplain raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, son. What can I do for you?"
"Well." Harm bit his lip as he remembered Webb's condition. "A friend of mine was injured last night." Chaplain Turner looked inquiringly at Harm. Harm clasped his hands together and chuckled nervously. "Usually he's really hard to get along with, and a lot of us at JAG get mad at him pretty often, even though he's a pain-in-the-butt because of his job. Uh, he was out Christmas shopping for gifts for us, and he got mugged. The guy who mugged him is in custody, but he stabbed Clay, and the doctors are saying he's had some sort of allergic reaction, and his throat had swollen up. They were worried he might not be able to breathe even though they have an oxygen tube down his throat." ChaplainTurner smiled sympathetically at Harm.
"And that's not all," Harm grinned ruefully. "He has a concussion too."
"Well, it looks like someone could use a little help." Sturgis' father pursed his lips.
"Yeah, that was what I was going to as you," Harm nodded. "Would it be possible for you to say a prayer for him?"
"During the service?"
"If it's possible."
"Of course it's possible, Harm. And of course I will."
"Thank you, Chaplain." Harm smiled and shook Chaplain Turner's hand.
As Harm went back to his seat, Sturgis looked at him questioningly. Harm leaned over to tell him the scoop, but Chaplain Turner stepped up to his podium.
"If we could begin with a short prayer?" The Chaplain bowed his head. The rest of the congregation followed his lead. "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your Son, who came to the earth, as one of us, born of a virgin, to save us all. We ask that you help us to understand this more fully, and grant us with a deeper awareness of your presence. Please help us to pay attention," Mac noticed an emphasis on "attention", and a few children behind her froze and stopped whispering to each other, "to the lesson being taught tonight. In Jesus' name, amen."
Harm and the others settled down to listen to the readings of Christ's birth. The Chaplain had a short, but meaningful sermon prepared. Though she had heard the story many times before, Mac was still filled with awe as she though on the fact that God could love mankind so much, to have His Son to be born as a tiny infant, to a carpenter and his wife, to later be killed for the salvation of man. As the Chaplain finished, Mac snapped back to attention.
"If we could close with a prayer?" The congregation bowed their heads quickly. "Again Lord, we thank You, for sending your Son to live among us. We pray also, Lord, for those who are not with us now, because of the weather, or illness. And we pray especially for Clay, who is in the hospital. This man was spreading the love of Christ, by buying gifts for people he doesn't normally get along with, when he was attacked, and stabbed by a criminal last night. We ask that you be with him, and heal his wounds, both physically and spiritually." Mac glanced over at Harm, who was biting his lower lip. She smiled and turned back to Chaplain Turner as he went on to pray for other people in his congregation who were not there, one who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia, another who had been in a car accident, and a family who had just lost their grandfather. As Chaplain Turner concluded his prayer, Mac rubbed at her eyes. As other people started to leave the sanctuary, Mac walked up to Sturgis' father.
"It was a touching sermon, Chaplain," Mac smiled and shook his hand.
"Thank you Colonel MacKenzie," He smiled back. "I don't really like to make them very long on Christmas Eve. People want to get home." His smile grew wider.
"And it was kind of you to say a prayer for Clayton," Mac suddenly didn't feel like smiling anymore, and her mouth dipped in a small frown.
"Of course, Colonel," the Chaplain nodded. "I'm sure he will be fine. But it wouldn't hurt to keep praying. Excuse me Colonel, I think I'm being paged." He gestured to where his wife was waving for him to come over.
"Of course," Mac smiled again. "It was nice seeing you, Chaplain Turner."
"And you, Colonel," Chaplain Turner walked up to his wife, and Mac headed out into the snow. Harm was standing next to his SUV, shivering.
"Hey, I'm going to head over to the hospital, care to join me?" Mac nodded and got out her car keys.
"His car is still in the garage, right?" Mac unlocked her car.
"Yeah," Harm unlocked his.
Fifteen minutes later, Harm pulled into one of the Washington Hospital Center's parking lots. As he got out, he reached over to the passenger side seat, and grabbed a bag. Mac pulled into the empty space next to him, and pulled out her own bag. As they walked to the waiting room, Harm smiled as he pulled out his gift for Clay. Mac laughed out loud. It was a small gray teddy bear wearing a tuxedo and trenchcoat. Mac widened her eyes in approval and nodded as she noticed the "Gund" tag on his ear. They sat down in the seats next to a window. Gently Mac produced her own gift for Webb. Her's was a picture of Webb, Harm, and herself, in Columbia. Bud must have taken it when they weren't paying attention, Harm mused to himself. Harm grinned as Mac took out the silver picture frame and put the picture inside it. It framed Harm and Mac's irritated faces and Clay's nonchalant "what- makes-you-think-I-care?" expression perfectly. Mac put it back in her bag, and stood up as the nurse came to take them to see Clay.
