*Harm's Flashback*

Mac's Hospital Room

Four days after their return from Paraguay

            It had been four days since Harm, Mac, Clay, and Gunny had returned from Paraguay. 

            Three days since Harm and Gunny were given clean bills of health and released.

Two days since Clay had died from "injuries sustained while in the field."

            One day since Mrs. Webb had come, wanting to hear about the end of her son's life.

            Mac was reclining in her hospital bed, grateful that she was alone—well, almost.  Harm hadn't left her side for any significant period of time since he was released from the doctor's observation.  Mac suspected that the only reason that he had been released was that the doctors knew he wouldn't be leaving her room anyway.  Thankfully, though, he shut up when she asked him to. 

            "Hey Mac, penny for your thoughts," Harm said, in an attempt to draw her out of the shell she'd been cultivating since he'd told her about his resignation.

            "I was just thinking about . . ." she had said, when there was a knock on the door, saving her from answering the question.  "Enter," Mac called.

            Much to Mac's dismay, Catherine Gale poked her head in.  "Hey Harm, Mac.  How are you two doing?"

            "Fine, thank you," Mac said stiffly.  Harm sighed mentally.  He would probably be working with Catherine soon; he had talked to the Director about joining the CIA legal team.  The last thing he needed was Mac and Catherine involved in a cat fight.  He'd experienced the same tension between girlfriends and Mac; now Mac had the potential to become the girlfriend, leaving Catherine to be the annoyed and annoying co-worker.  Little did he know that that would soon be the least of his worries . . . .

            "Hey Harm, would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?" Catherine asked. 

            Harm looked at the grande Starbucks cup in her hand.  "Um, Miss Gale?  You have coffee."

            He should have been ready for it.  He got comparisons to Lt. Kaffey in A Few Good Men all the time—that is, when people didn't latch onto his wings and think of Top Gun.  He and Sturgis had discussed the similarity of the JAG in the film to Admiral Chegwidden.  Why wasn't he ready for her next comment? 

            "Mr. Rabb, why don't you leave the room so the Colonel and I can talk about you behind your back?"

            Mac had been rendered speechless, unable to tell her to get the hell out, as Harm had no doubt she wanted to do.  He would have, but he was totally shocked.  He dumbly turned around and walked out.  He knew that he was lucky that Mac's look hadn't bored into the back of his skull and fried his brain.  "This is your brain; this is your brain fried by a Marine's death stare."  That would have his epitaph.   

            He didn't know what they had talked about.  Mac refused to tell him, and as soon as Harriet arrived, she asked him to leave and not come back until the next day.  He had a hunch that whatever Catherine and Mac had talked about was now being analyzed by Harriet and Mac, and he knew that it would be a miracle if he ever found out. 

            The phone ringing brought him out of the daydream and back to reality.  "Rabb.  Hello, Admiral! . . .  Ummm, yes, sir, I, um, do. . . . Really, sir? . . . YES, SIR! . . . Really, sir? . . . Not a problem! . . . Friday, 0800 . . . No, sir, I won't be late . . . Yes, sir . . . Thank you, sir! . . . Thank the SecNav for me too, sir! . . . Not to look a gift horse in the teeth, sir, but . . . personnel problems? . . . oh, staffing changes . . . BuPers . . . technical stuff, okay, I understand . . . no, not really, but . . .Does, uh, the Colonel know? . . . Oh, it the chief of staff would know, wouldn't she? . . . Yes, Sir!  Thank you, Sir!  Goodbye, Sir!"

            People walking by the door of Harm's office would have been surprised to see Harm doing a victory dance, and even more surprised to hear the song that accompanied it.

"I'm going back to JA-AG!  I'm going back to JA-AG!  WOO-HOO!  HOO-RAH!"  A sudden thought struck Harm:  "I've gotta call Mac!"

COMING UP NEXT:  THE BOMB IS DROPPED.  THE PACE PICKS UP PRETTY QUICKLY FROM HERE ON OUT, FOLKS.  PLEASE FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS!