Think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me trying too hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days. Look back on all those times. Think of the things we'll never do. There will never be a day when I won't think of you.-A.L.W. & C. Hart

Chapter 2

Nightmare

Two hours into the flight, dreams of Mac filled my mind. Some were excellent dreams where we got married and had kids. Those kinds of dreams one has about the future and being with the one they love. And, then those horrible dreams of losing her came back to me. There was one that started great but turned dreadful. That one hit me the worst.

**************Dream **************

After 7 years, we were finally there, standing next to each other. I was wearing my dress whites. Mac's dress made her look ethereal. She was the most beautiful and outstanding person that I had ever met. Our wedding ceremony was in a rose garden, Mac's idea, which was reminiscent of the first place we saw each other. We'd had so many things go wrong, that it was hard to believe that we had finally made it here.

I gave her one of my special smiles reserved for her. She smiled back and I could see all the love and desire in her eyes. I wanted to drown in those eyes.

She gave my hand a quick tug to get me to pay attention to the preacher. I smiled at her again and mouthed, 'I love you'. Then the preacher began to speak. It felt like an eternity, but, it was finally time to say our vows to each other. Each of us repeated after the preacher. I looked into her eyes and willingly said those words that would make us one forever.

"I, Harmon Rabb Jr., take you Sarah Mackenzie , to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst. Through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep. So help me God," I stated, sincerity reverberating out of every fiber of my being. Then, with the same love and with all her heart she promised me the same.

Together we vowed, "Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so with me and more if anything but death parts you from me."

After some more words were spoken the preacher said, "You may kiss the bride." It was a kiss filled with love, want and need for each other. I almost forgot where we were at. Then we turned around and the preacher declared, "I would like to present Commander and Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr."

We started to walk down the aisle, as I held her hand and smiled at her. I kept thinking that it was the best day of my life. I glanced down the rows of delighted, and teary-eyed friends and saw someone I'd never seen before. I couldn't even make out his face, but I could make out that he had something silver in his left hand. I was so distracted though, I really didn't pay much attention to it. And the minute I turned my head, he had disappeared. A nagging fear plucked at the back of my mind, but I shoved it back. She looked at me and asked if something was wrong, and I assured her that everything was perfect.

Then, without warning, that same man whose face was unknown to me, but somehow known to Mac, was in front of us with a gun. Before I could even react he shot my wife. I grabbed her as she fell into my arms. Hot sticky blood stained her dress and my uniform. Everyone was screaming and wailing, and I was crying - and I didn't know what to do.

I looked up to see who the man was and I finally realized it was Webb. Shock reigned over my mind, that this could be.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS, YOU ASSHOLE?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Webb yelled back at me, his face purple with rage and hate.

"YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW. I LOVED HER. AND WHEN SHE CHOSE YOU OVER ME, I DECIDED THAT I WOULD END HER LIFE ON THE HAPPIEST DAY OF HER LIFE, AND YOURS. I HATE YOU SO MUCH--SO MUCH, THAT I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU. I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT HER. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU GET TO LIVE YOUR LIFE NEVER BEING ABLE TO PUNISH THE MAN WHO DID THIS TO YOU." Then he took the gun and shot himself in the head. More blood splattered over us, as Webb fell at Mac's feet.

"Sarah? OH GOD NO!" I kissed her on the head, and whispered over and over again to her that I loved her, and to stay awake.

I awoke with tears stinging my eyes. She couldn't be dead. She had to be alive. Without her my life would be nothing. I left everything behind for her.

I glanced at my watch and saw that there was still 8 hours left before we reached South America. I still had no clue what I would find there. All I knew was that Gunny was going to help me when I arrived.

End of chapter 2