Chapter Two
Bethesda Medical Center Washington, DC The next morning..
Mac woke up before Harm. "Hey..." she whispered, "aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"No." smiled Harm, a drowsy look on his face. "We have a couple days off. I talked to the Admiral last night, and he insisted."
"You shouldn't have taken time off, Harm. It's likely Sturgis will go nuts without you there to keep him sane." She commented.
"Are you implying that my friend is a loon?" Harm smirked.
"Not necessarily, just that he gets a little restless sometimes." she added.
"Are you okay?" Harm changed the subject.
"I am." She nodded. "I'm a little tired, but other than that, I feel alright."
"The doctor told me what happened." Harm whispered. "I'm so sorry. Maybe if we would have known." he thought aloud.
"I had known, Harm.for about a week. I was waiting to tell you about it. I wanted it to be a surprise. But I just knew what the doctor was going to say when he came in here last night. I just knew." she began to sob. "I'm sorry."
"Don't you apologize! None of this was your fault!" Harm rose from his chair. "I'm going to go have a chat with the doctor. Maybe they can figure out why all this happened. He hinted at it last night, but he wouldn't tell me the whole story." Harm realized.
"Harm." Mac began.
"What?" Harm stopped plotting revenge for that single moment in time, and looked down into her eyes.
"Let me know." she whispered. "I really want to know why."
"I understand," Harm nodded.
Harm bolted out into the hallway, and flagged down the doctor he recognized from the previous night. The man looked surprised.
"Is she doing alright? She's up already?" he asked.
"Yes, and we've come to a decision. What you were talking about last night.her immune system. You said there was something wrong with it? What exactly did you mean? We want to know." Harm shook his head. "It's really important to us that we know what happened."
"I can talk to you in about ten minutes. I have one other patient to tend to, and then I'm free until lunch time." The doctor promised.
"Okay." Harm nodded, returning to Mac's room.
"What did he say, Harm?" Mac asked, a worried look on her face.
"He said to wait ten minutes, that he has another patient on this floor, and then he can talk to us all afternoon if we like." Harm reported.
There were three soft taps on the door. The Admiral, Sturgis, and Harriet entered the room. Bud trailed behind with little AJ. The group smiled at the two of them.
"We thought we'd come down on our lunch break and say hello." Whispered the Admiral, "How you doing?"
"I've definitely been better." Mac smiled.
"Where do we put your flowers, ma'am?" asked Harriet, holding up a large arrangement that closely resembled the one from her wedding.
"On the table, Harriet, thank you." sighed Mac. She glanced at little AJ, beckoned to him, and wrapped him in the tightest of hugs.
The doctor entered the room. Everyone looked up. He cleared his throat.
"Do you want us to leave?" the Admiral asked, standing up.
Harm glanced at Mac. Both of them shook their heads. "Stay if you want to." Mac offered lightly.
"Okay, Mrs. Rabb." the doctor began. "I noticed you were here for a while last year.a poisoning, I believe?" he waited. The whole group shook their heads in unison. He continued. "Well, it appears from recent tests that we've done that the stomach pump you received did not take care of the entire problem."
Mac's jaw dropped. Harm looked shocked and angry.
The doctor cleared his throat. "The machine left behind a very small amount of the substance.I don't know how. And apparently, this substance, whatever it was, has effectively disrupted your immune system. That's the only thing we could come up with after last night's tests, and your previous record here."
"What in the world does that mean?" demanded Harm.
"Will I be able to have kids.at all?" Mac frowned as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"There is a small possibility." The doctor nodded.
There were several sighs of grateful relief from the group.
The doctor continued. "There will be several different medications you will need to take." He told her. "Two of them will help to build back up your immune system.that way your body won't fight the pregnancy. The others will be fertility drugs. These will need to be taken at regular intervals, and should help you to conceive."
"I'm up for whatever you can dish out." Mac decided.
"But I must warn you, Mrs. Rabb. The first sets of drugs have several side effects. You will need to go over these with your husband and your C.O. when you return to work. Some of these side effects may effect how you work, so you will need to discuss that with the right person."
The Admiral nodded. "Whatever you need is taken care of." He promised her.
The doctor again cleared his throat. "You will also need to make some lifestyle changes." he continued. "No more Beltway Burgers for a while. Try to stay away from anything that you think would be considered unhealthy. Keep up your exercise when the medicine isn't making you ill, and try not to stress yourself out too much." He advised. "It could increase the chance of this whole ordeal paying off for you."
"Looks like Harm will have to do the grocery shopping from now on." Mac sighed.
"Yes." Nodded the doctor. "You can leave when you're feeling up to it." he added, "but no work today." He looked particularly at the Admiral when he said this. "And good luck."
"Thank you." Mac smiled. Again, a single tear raced down her cheek, but this time, it was for different reasons.
A/N: I am not exactly sure how accurate I was on the medical aspect of this chapter.but hopefully everyone knows what I was trying to do. R&R please! With any luck, the next chapter should be up in a few days! Hope you've liked everything so far!
Bethesda Medical Center Washington, DC The next morning..
Mac woke up before Harm. "Hey..." she whispered, "aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"No." smiled Harm, a drowsy look on his face. "We have a couple days off. I talked to the Admiral last night, and he insisted."
"You shouldn't have taken time off, Harm. It's likely Sturgis will go nuts without you there to keep him sane." She commented.
"Are you implying that my friend is a loon?" Harm smirked.
"Not necessarily, just that he gets a little restless sometimes." she added.
"Are you okay?" Harm changed the subject.
"I am." She nodded. "I'm a little tired, but other than that, I feel alright."
"The doctor told me what happened." Harm whispered. "I'm so sorry. Maybe if we would have known." he thought aloud.
"I had known, Harm.for about a week. I was waiting to tell you about it. I wanted it to be a surprise. But I just knew what the doctor was going to say when he came in here last night. I just knew." she began to sob. "I'm sorry."
"Don't you apologize! None of this was your fault!" Harm rose from his chair. "I'm going to go have a chat with the doctor. Maybe they can figure out why all this happened. He hinted at it last night, but he wouldn't tell me the whole story." Harm realized.
"Harm." Mac began.
"What?" Harm stopped plotting revenge for that single moment in time, and looked down into her eyes.
"Let me know." she whispered. "I really want to know why."
"I understand," Harm nodded.
Harm bolted out into the hallway, and flagged down the doctor he recognized from the previous night. The man looked surprised.
"Is she doing alright? She's up already?" he asked.
"Yes, and we've come to a decision. What you were talking about last night.her immune system. You said there was something wrong with it? What exactly did you mean? We want to know." Harm shook his head. "It's really important to us that we know what happened."
"I can talk to you in about ten minutes. I have one other patient to tend to, and then I'm free until lunch time." The doctor promised.
"Okay." Harm nodded, returning to Mac's room.
"What did he say, Harm?" Mac asked, a worried look on her face.
"He said to wait ten minutes, that he has another patient on this floor, and then he can talk to us all afternoon if we like." Harm reported.
There were three soft taps on the door. The Admiral, Sturgis, and Harriet entered the room. Bud trailed behind with little AJ. The group smiled at the two of them.
"We thought we'd come down on our lunch break and say hello." Whispered the Admiral, "How you doing?"
"I've definitely been better." Mac smiled.
"Where do we put your flowers, ma'am?" asked Harriet, holding up a large arrangement that closely resembled the one from her wedding.
"On the table, Harriet, thank you." sighed Mac. She glanced at little AJ, beckoned to him, and wrapped him in the tightest of hugs.
The doctor entered the room. Everyone looked up. He cleared his throat.
"Do you want us to leave?" the Admiral asked, standing up.
Harm glanced at Mac. Both of them shook their heads. "Stay if you want to." Mac offered lightly.
"Okay, Mrs. Rabb." the doctor began. "I noticed you were here for a while last year.a poisoning, I believe?" he waited. The whole group shook their heads in unison. He continued. "Well, it appears from recent tests that we've done that the stomach pump you received did not take care of the entire problem."
Mac's jaw dropped. Harm looked shocked and angry.
The doctor cleared his throat. "The machine left behind a very small amount of the substance.I don't know how. And apparently, this substance, whatever it was, has effectively disrupted your immune system. That's the only thing we could come up with after last night's tests, and your previous record here."
"What in the world does that mean?" demanded Harm.
"Will I be able to have kids.at all?" Mac frowned as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"There is a small possibility." The doctor nodded.
There were several sighs of grateful relief from the group.
The doctor continued. "There will be several different medications you will need to take." He told her. "Two of them will help to build back up your immune system.that way your body won't fight the pregnancy. The others will be fertility drugs. These will need to be taken at regular intervals, and should help you to conceive."
"I'm up for whatever you can dish out." Mac decided.
"But I must warn you, Mrs. Rabb. The first sets of drugs have several side effects. You will need to go over these with your husband and your C.O. when you return to work. Some of these side effects may effect how you work, so you will need to discuss that with the right person."
The Admiral nodded. "Whatever you need is taken care of." He promised her.
The doctor again cleared his throat. "You will also need to make some lifestyle changes." he continued. "No more Beltway Burgers for a while. Try to stay away from anything that you think would be considered unhealthy. Keep up your exercise when the medicine isn't making you ill, and try not to stress yourself out too much." He advised. "It could increase the chance of this whole ordeal paying off for you."
"Looks like Harm will have to do the grocery shopping from now on." Mac sighed.
"Yes." Nodded the doctor. "You can leave when you're feeling up to it." he added, "but no work today." He looked particularly at the Admiral when he said this. "And good luck."
"Thank you." Mac smiled. Again, a single tear raced down her cheek, but this time, it was for different reasons.
A/N: I am not exactly sure how accurate I was on the medical aspect of this chapter.but hopefully everyone knows what I was trying to do. R&R please! With any luck, the next chapter should be up in a few days! Hope you've liked everything so far!