The Next Day
12.30
There was a knock on Mac's front door, she got up off the couch where she had been making notes on the interview transcripts Harm had brought her.
"Harriet?" Mac smiled as she opened the door.
"Ma'am I'm not disturbing you am I?"
"No of course not. Come in?" Mac stepped back and let her in.
"I'm on my lunch break so I thought I'd come over and see how you were and bring you this." Harriet handed her a book.
"'What to expect when you are expecting'" Mac read off the cover. "Thank you."
"Being pregnant is scary so if you ever need to talk." Harriet offered.
"Thank you. Are you hungry? Harm brought me some chicken noodle soup last night I could zap it in the microwave."
"That would be nice." Harriet followed Mac into the kitchen.
"Would you like some coffee? It's decaff."
"That would be good. So have you thought any more about telling him?" She sat in a chair while make busied her self with making coffee.
"Who?"
"Commander Rabb. I take it he is the father."
"Yeah." Mac admitted. "I will, it's just that. Harm sort of has no recollection of what happened and when he asked me I sort of told him that it was nothing to worry about."
"He's old enough to handle it ma'am."
"You can call me Mac, we're out of the office."
"Harm's good with kids. You've seen how he is with little AJ."
"I know. But this wasn't exactly the plan. I mean we had a few years left on the baby pact."
"Baby pact?" Harriet questioned.
"We made a pact when AJ was born. If we were both single by AJ's fifth birthday we'd go halves on one."
"On a baby?"
"Yes. " Mac turned to fill the mugs.
"Interesting idea. If he thought that was a good idea then why do you think he'd have an objection now?"
"This wasn't exactly planned. Hell I didn't think about being pregnant until the doctor told me."
"Never usually is. But you're going to have to tell him sooner or later, it's not something you can hide forever."
"I know. I'll wait until our trial is over, we both need to focus on that right now. I'll tell the Admiral first thing on Monday." The microwave beeped. "Soup."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Admiral Chegwidden had taken it well, congratulating her and asking if there was anything he could do to help. Mac had asked him to keep it quiet for a few days.
"Hey flyboy do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" She asked on Friday. "I'll even make vegtable lasagne."
"Sure. Is 1930 good for you? I have a few things to do first."
"It's fine. I'll see you then.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Ma'am I'm leaving now. I just wanted you say know where I am if you need me."
"Thanks Harriet. Hopefully it will all be okay."
"What will?" Bud asked joining Harriet in the doorway.
"The huge pile of cases on my desk." Mac covered. "I'll try and make it over this weekend to see little AJ. I'll call and let you know."
"Okay and good luck."
"Thanks. Goodbye Bud."
"Goodbye ma'am."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You're two minutes and 49 seconds late." Mac said as she opened the door.
"I had to find somewhere to park."
"Dinner will be ready in five minutes. So why don't you sit down?"
"So was there something you wanted to talk about or did you just feel like having dinner?" Harm asked.
"There's something I need to talk about but it can wait until after we have had dinner."
"Sure. Looks like it's going to be a quiet week next week."
"That will probably change over the weekend like usual. A few AWOL's, a few punch ups the usual. Apple juice okay for you?"
"Sure." Normal conversation about life at JAG continued over dinner.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Harm asked as he sat on the couch.
"I'm not sure how to put this, the truth would be a good start I suppose. I lied to you."
"You lied to me about what?"
"Not lied exactly, left something out, omitted one piece of information. A lie by omission if you like. I guess. No I just plain lied."
"Mac you're babbling. What did you lie about?"
"I didn't have stomach flu last week."
"Is something more serious wrong with you?"
"No. I'll get to that in a minute. What I omitted to tell you before relates to that." She paused.
"Come on Mac you're starting to scare me."
"Remember a couple of months ago when you got really drunk."
"Yes unfortunately. Why?"
"The next day you asked me if anything happened after you kissed me." Harm nodded. "Things went a bit further than kissing."
"How much further?"
"I'm pregnant further."
"That means we. you're pregnant?" He looked shocked. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"You couldn't remember and I didn't want this to wreck our friendship. I figured if I told you you'd go all weird on me. If you'd remembered anything about it I would have told you."
"And would you have told me if you weren't pregnant?"
"Probably not." Mac admitted after a minute.
"I've got to go." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"Harm wait we need to talk about this." Mac pleaded.
"Not right now we don't." He slammed the door behind him. Mac gave him twenty minutes to get home before she tried to call him. She continued to call for another thirty minutes, when she couldn't get hold of him she hung up and dialled another number she knew by heart.
"Turner." A voice replied.
"Sturgis it's Mac."
"Are you okay? You sound upset."
"Harm and I kind of a fight, he stormed out. He's not answering his phone and I honestly don't this he wants to see me anyway. I was wondering if you could go and try and find him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." She paused. "That's if you're not busy."
"What was the fight about?"
"I didn't tell him the truth about something and when I did he stormed out."
"He probably didn't go out I'll go and check a few bars I know down town. I'll call you back in a couple hours."
"Thanks Sturgis. I'm sorry to wreck your evening."
"Don't worry I was only watching a bad sports event anyway. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'll be fine. Marines are tough."
"Okay I'll call you later.
"Thanks bye."
12.30
There was a knock on Mac's front door, she got up off the couch where she had been making notes on the interview transcripts Harm had brought her.
"Harriet?" Mac smiled as she opened the door.
"Ma'am I'm not disturbing you am I?"
"No of course not. Come in?" Mac stepped back and let her in.
"I'm on my lunch break so I thought I'd come over and see how you were and bring you this." Harriet handed her a book.
"'What to expect when you are expecting'" Mac read off the cover. "Thank you."
"Being pregnant is scary so if you ever need to talk." Harriet offered.
"Thank you. Are you hungry? Harm brought me some chicken noodle soup last night I could zap it in the microwave."
"That would be nice." Harriet followed Mac into the kitchen.
"Would you like some coffee? It's decaff."
"That would be good. So have you thought any more about telling him?" She sat in a chair while make busied her self with making coffee.
"Who?"
"Commander Rabb. I take it he is the father."
"Yeah." Mac admitted. "I will, it's just that. Harm sort of has no recollection of what happened and when he asked me I sort of told him that it was nothing to worry about."
"He's old enough to handle it ma'am."
"You can call me Mac, we're out of the office."
"Harm's good with kids. You've seen how he is with little AJ."
"I know. But this wasn't exactly the plan. I mean we had a few years left on the baby pact."
"Baby pact?" Harriet questioned.
"We made a pact when AJ was born. If we were both single by AJ's fifth birthday we'd go halves on one."
"On a baby?"
"Yes. " Mac turned to fill the mugs.
"Interesting idea. If he thought that was a good idea then why do you think he'd have an objection now?"
"This wasn't exactly planned. Hell I didn't think about being pregnant until the doctor told me."
"Never usually is. But you're going to have to tell him sooner or later, it's not something you can hide forever."
"I know. I'll wait until our trial is over, we both need to focus on that right now. I'll tell the Admiral first thing on Monday." The microwave beeped. "Soup."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Admiral Chegwidden had taken it well, congratulating her and asking if there was anything he could do to help. Mac had asked him to keep it quiet for a few days.
"Hey flyboy do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" She asked on Friday. "I'll even make vegtable lasagne."
"Sure. Is 1930 good for you? I have a few things to do first."
"It's fine. I'll see you then.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Ma'am I'm leaving now. I just wanted you say know where I am if you need me."
"Thanks Harriet. Hopefully it will all be okay."
"What will?" Bud asked joining Harriet in the doorway.
"The huge pile of cases on my desk." Mac covered. "I'll try and make it over this weekend to see little AJ. I'll call and let you know."
"Okay and good luck."
"Thanks. Goodbye Bud."
"Goodbye ma'am."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You're two minutes and 49 seconds late." Mac said as she opened the door.
"I had to find somewhere to park."
"Dinner will be ready in five minutes. So why don't you sit down?"
"So was there something you wanted to talk about or did you just feel like having dinner?" Harm asked.
"There's something I need to talk about but it can wait until after we have had dinner."
"Sure. Looks like it's going to be a quiet week next week."
"That will probably change over the weekend like usual. A few AWOL's, a few punch ups the usual. Apple juice okay for you?"
"Sure." Normal conversation about life at JAG continued over dinner.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Harm asked as he sat on the couch.
"I'm not sure how to put this, the truth would be a good start I suppose. I lied to you."
"You lied to me about what?"
"Not lied exactly, left something out, omitted one piece of information. A lie by omission if you like. I guess. No I just plain lied."
"Mac you're babbling. What did you lie about?"
"I didn't have stomach flu last week."
"Is something more serious wrong with you?"
"No. I'll get to that in a minute. What I omitted to tell you before relates to that." She paused.
"Come on Mac you're starting to scare me."
"Remember a couple of months ago when you got really drunk."
"Yes unfortunately. Why?"
"The next day you asked me if anything happened after you kissed me." Harm nodded. "Things went a bit further than kissing."
"How much further?"
"I'm pregnant further."
"That means we. you're pregnant?" He looked shocked. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"You couldn't remember and I didn't want this to wreck our friendship. I figured if I told you you'd go all weird on me. If you'd remembered anything about it I would have told you."
"And would you have told me if you weren't pregnant?"
"Probably not." Mac admitted after a minute.
"I've got to go." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"Harm wait we need to talk about this." Mac pleaded.
"Not right now we don't." He slammed the door behind him. Mac gave him twenty minutes to get home before she tried to call him. She continued to call for another thirty minutes, when she couldn't get hold of him she hung up and dialled another number she knew by heart.
"Turner." A voice replied.
"Sturgis it's Mac."
"Are you okay? You sound upset."
"Harm and I kind of a fight, he stormed out. He's not answering his phone and I honestly don't this he wants to see me anyway. I was wondering if you could go and try and find him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." She paused. "That's if you're not busy."
"What was the fight about?"
"I didn't tell him the truth about something and when I did he stormed out."
"He probably didn't go out I'll go and check a few bars I know down town. I'll call you back in a couple hours."
"Thanks Sturgis. I'm sorry to wreck your evening."
"Don't worry I was only watching a bad sports event anyway. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'll be fine. Marines are tough."
"Okay I'll call you later.
"Thanks bye."