Saturday 1003
Harm knocked on Mac's door and waited. When he didn't get a reply he knocked again.
"Mac, it's Harm."
"She left an hour ago." One of Mac's neighbours supplied coming up the stairs. "With a blonde woman I think her name is Harriet. She said something about going baby shopping Harm."
"Thanks. I'd better go." As he exited the building he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number.
"Roberts." Bud answered.
"Bud, it's Harm. Did Harriet go shopping with Mac this morning?"
"Yes. She called last night, something about buying a crib. I thought you would have taken her though."
"I thought I was. Apparently I'm surplus to requirements."
"Do you want to come over sir? I'm only watching AJ if you want to keep me company until Harriet and Mac get back."
"I'd like that. It'll be good to see little AJ."
"I'll see you soon sir."
"Bud it's the weekend you call me Harm."
"Yes sir."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So we've picked a crib, do you want buy anything else while we're here?"
"Let's just look around I have plenty of time left yet. Let's just see what we can find."
"Just let me know if you get tired." Mac nodded.
"Try that one." Harriet suggested, "it's the one we got when AJ was a baby. It works well." Mac put the baby listener into the shopping cart she was pushing around the store.
"I think this is going to be an expensive shopping trip." Mac sighed.
"You could always get Harm to chip in. Talking of Harm why didn't you get him to bring you shopping?"
"We had a slight fight when I told him I wanted to buy a crib today." Mac picked up a book and read the blurb on the back cover.
"What about exactly choosing a crib isn't that much hard work?"
"He asked where I was going to put it. Then he suggested we got a bigger place together."
"It's a reasonable suggestion. He'd be around more to help you take care of the baby."
"He only offered because he thinks it's a reasonable thing to do. If we lived together it would give everyone an impression that this is something more than it is. My getting pregnant was an accidental outcome of a night when Harm was too drunk to know better and I was stupid enough to let my hormones take control of me. He's been good about this so far, but this is something that is my fault and I'm not going to make him pay for it for the rest of his life by making him give up his independence."
"Maybe has another reason?" Harriet suggested.
"Like what?"
"He wants to live with you, he wants to be involved, he wants to tied down." She offered. "Maybe he loves you. You've been through a lot together Mac, Russia and his dad, Renee and Mic, there's a bond between you, not just since you been pregnant, long before that. You need each other."
"What do you want me to say Harriet? That I love the guy? Of course I do, but I am not going to stand in the way of his happiness, Harm may like me but he doesn't love me."
"I would be so sure about that." Harriet mumbled under breath.
"What was that?" Mac asked.
"Nothing, I just remembered I need to buy AJ some new shoes."
"Do you think we can pay for this lot and go and get an early lunch, I'm tired and hungry?"
"Of course."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So you suggested moving in together and she freaked out about it?" Bud summarised.
"Basically. She thinks it will give people the wrong impression about what's happening between us."
"And her being pregnant doesn't?" Bud asked.
"My point exactly. It's not like anything would ever happen unless she wanted it to, I just thought it would be easier if we lived together it would be easier as I could help take care of the baby."
"She's probably scared."
"Mac's tough, she doesn't scare easily."
"Last time I checked there wasn't anything about how to cope with being pregnant in the Navy handbook so I doubt there is in the Marine Handbook either. Think about it, when your flying your planes there is a manual that goes with it, a set of instructions for which button does what, what to do if an engine flares out or what to do in an emergency, everything is though out and written down and drilled into you until it becomes instinct." Bud continued. "Being pregnant probably isn't like that, I mean a doctor can tell you day-by-day what is happening to the baby, the size it is, how much it would roughly weigh, but everything else is a wing and a prayer. There is not set instructions for how long they'll have morning sickness, or when the baby will kick or when they'll go into labour. With no set of rules, there is no set way to deal with situations, or how to react. Guys can step back and be detached, women have to deal with it twenty four hours a day seven days a week for as long as they are pregnant. The thought alone scares the hell out of me, let alone what it would do to Mac. Harriet was petrified she'd do something wrong most of the time she was pregnant and she knew I wasn't going anywhere. How's Mac to know whether you're going to get instant orders to go off and fly somewhere?"
"I'm in the Navy it's part of the job."
"You weren't around to see how scared she was when she was after you phoned her to tell her you couldn't be in contact for six weeks? She went straight to the Admiral to see if he could find out what was going on."
"That's just Mac."
Harm knocked on Mac's door and waited. When he didn't get a reply he knocked again.
"Mac, it's Harm."
"She left an hour ago." One of Mac's neighbours supplied coming up the stairs. "With a blonde woman I think her name is Harriet. She said something about going baby shopping Harm."
"Thanks. I'd better go." As he exited the building he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number.
"Roberts." Bud answered.
"Bud, it's Harm. Did Harriet go shopping with Mac this morning?"
"Yes. She called last night, something about buying a crib. I thought you would have taken her though."
"I thought I was. Apparently I'm surplus to requirements."
"Do you want to come over sir? I'm only watching AJ if you want to keep me company until Harriet and Mac get back."
"I'd like that. It'll be good to see little AJ."
"I'll see you soon sir."
"Bud it's the weekend you call me Harm."
"Yes sir."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So we've picked a crib, do you want buy anything else while we're here?"
"Let's just look around I have plenty of time left yet. Let's just see what we can find."
"Just let me know if you get tired." Mac nodded.
"Try that one." Harriet suggested, "it's the one we got when AJ was a baby. It works well." Mac put the baby listener into the shopping cart she was pushing around the store.
"I think this is going to be an expensive shopping trip." Mac sighed.
"You could always get Harm to chip in. Talking of Harm why didn't you get him to bring you shopping?"
"We had a slight fight when I told him I wanted to buy a crib today." Mac picked up a book and read the blurb on the back cover.
"What about exactly choosing a crib isn't that much hard work?"
"He asked where I was going to put it. Then he suggested we got a bigger place together."
"It's a reasonable suggestion. He'd be around more to help you take care of the baby."
"He only offered because he thinks it's a reasonable thing to do. If we lived together it would give everyone an impression that this is something more than it is. My getting pregnant was an accidental outcome of a night when Harm was too drunk to know better and I was stupid enough to let my hormones take control of me. He's been good about this so far, but this is something that is my fault and I'm not going to make him pay for it for the rest of his life by making him give up his independence."
"Maybe has another reason?" Harriet suggested.
"Like what?"
"He wants to live with you, he wants to be involved, he wants to tied down." She offered. "Maybe he loves you. You've been through a lot together Mac, Russia and his dad, Renee and Mic, there's a bond between you, not just since you been pregnant, long before that. You need each other."
"What do you want me to say Harriet? That I love the guy? Of course I do, but I am not going to stand in the way of his happiness, Harm may like me but he doesn't love me."
"I would be so sure about that." Harriet mumbled under breath.
"What was that?" Mac asked.
"Nothing, I just remembered I need to buy AJ some new shoes."
"Do you think we can pay for this lot and go and get an early lunch, I'm tired and hungry?"
"Of course."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So you suggested moving in together and she freaked out about it?" Bud summarised.
"Basically. She thinks it will give people the wrong impression about what's happening between us."
"And her being pregnant doesn't?" Bud asked.
"My point exactly. It's not like anything would ever happen unless she wanted it to, I just thought it would be easier if we lived together it would be easier as I could help take care of the baby."
"She's probably scared."
"Mac's tough, she doesn't scare easily."
"Last time I checked there wasn't anything about how to cope with being pregnant in the Navy handbook so I doubt there is in the Marine Handbook either. Think about it, when your flying your planes there is a manual that goes with it, a set of instructions for which button does what, what to do if an engine flares out or what to do in an emergency, everything is though out and written down and drilled into you until it becomes instinct." Bud continued. "Being pregnant probably isn't like that, I mean a doctor can tell you day-by-day what is happening to the baby, the size it is, how much it would roughly weigh, but everything else is a wing and a prayer. There is not set instructions for how long they'll have morning sickness, or when the baby will kick or when they'll go into labour. With no set of rules, there is no set way to deal with situations, or how to react. Guys can step back and be detached, women have to deal with it twenty four hours a day seven days a week for as long as they are pregnant. The thought alone scares the hell out of me, let alone what it would do to Mac. Harriet was petrified she'd do something wrong most of the time she was pregnant and she knew I wasn't going anywhere. How's Mac to know whether you're going to get instant orders to go off and fly somewhere?"
"I'm in the Navy it's part of the job."
"You weren't around to see how scared she was when she was after you phoned her to tell her you couldn't be in contact for six weeks? She went straight to the Admiral to see if he could find out what was going on."
"That's just Mac."