Disclaimer: see Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I'd like to have your comments, mostly if you want to read the end... okay, I'm just teasing, but I'd still love to know what you think ;-)
Thank you all for the nice reviews!
To answer Lauren's question, nobody ever heard of Mattie at that time in the show, except for the Admiral, but he didn't know Harm's intentions to become her guardian.


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October 25th
0247 ZULU
Georgetown
Mac's apartment


The policeman took a deep breath and finally said, "May I speak with a certain Mac, please?"

"That would be me," she answered, in a neutral tone, "Is there any problem?"

"Ma'am, do you happen to know someone called Sergei Zhukov?" asked the policeman, avoiding her eyes.

"He's my brother," cut in Harm, who approached the door the minute he saw the man. "Did anything happened to him?" His voice carried fear and anxiety.

"There's been a car accident two blocks away. A delivery truck ran into a cab. The taxi driver is dead, and the passenger is severely wounded. The only thing we could find on him was his passport and your address."

"How... how severely wounded?" Harm stammered. He didn't react when Mac put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"The paramedics told me he wasn't breathing when they arrived, but they were able to bring him back to life in a relatively short time. When they brought him to the hospital, he was still unconscious. He suffered serious head trauma and he lost a lot of blood. You'll need to talk to the doctors to have more information, I'm sorry."

Mac snapped into Marine mode and said, "Where did they take him?"

"To the George Washington University Hospital, it's only a few miles away from here. I can show you the way, if you want," the policeman answered, gesturing towards to hall.

"It won't be necessary, sir," replied Harm in a determined voiced, "I know where it is."

"Harm, you can't drive in this state of mind," cut in Mac, "Give me your keys, I'll drive."

"No, Mac. Sergei is my brother, I'll go see him, and in case you didn't notice, you have guests."

"I'm sure they can continue for a while without me. Don't be stupid, Harmon Rabb, you know you'd better not drive."

As his job was done, the policeman turned away, not wanting to interfere in this discussion. But someone else did. "Harm, I'll take you to the hospital."

Both officers turned around to face the person who had just spoken, their eyes open wide with surprise.

"But..."

"Listen, son. There is no place for discussion right now. Give me your keys, I'll drive you to the hospital, and then we'll see what's going on."

Harm looked at the man and whispered in a barely audible voice, "Thanks, Frank." He gave him his keys, grabbed his coat and headed for his car, followed closely by his stepfather.

Inside the apartment, no one wanted to talk. Harriet was weeping in Bud's arms, Jennifer wiped a tear off her cheek, the admiral was clutching Meredith's hand and Mac and Trish were holding one another, not sure which one was comforting the other. The people who knew Sergei were silently praying for him to be all right, the others were hoping everything was going to be okay.



0332 ZULU
George Washington University Hospital
Washington


Harm and Frank were sitting in the waiting room in front of the intensive care unit. Sergei's doctor had explained to them earlier the nature of his injuries. He'd probably stopped breathing because he had choked, as the doctors had found a fragment of candy in his throat. The most alarming details were the severe concussion and the abdominal injury that had caused a considerable blood loss. The next twelve hours were going to be critical.

"Frank, why are you doing this?" asked Harm, his focus on his hands.

"Son, I know you never considered me as your father, but I'm attached to you. You're the only son of the woman I love, and I watched you grow up. Even if I never met this young man, he's your brother and I care about him."

"But Frank, I know I broke my mother's heart when I told her her husband had a child with another woman. She didn't even agree to send me my father's letters to run DNA tests to prove the paternity. She probably didn't know Sergei was going to be there, or she wouldn't have come."

"You're wrong, Harm. Mac told Trish that Sergei was coming, and she wanted to meet him, to see if he had your father's eyes and the famous Rabb's smile. She understood your father didn't have any hopes to come back here alive, and he died trying to save the life of the woman carrying his baby. It has been hard, but she finally forgave him."

Hearing those words, Harm lifted his head and his gaze met Frank's. There was no pain in his eyes, just acceptance of the fact that this family was full of surprises.

At that moment, a nurse in scrubs arrived to tell them Sergei was now stable and they were authorised to enter the room. Frank just moved his head, signalling for Harm to go inside.

When he opened the door, he saw Sergei's pale body surrounded by machines that were beeping regularly. Harm bypassed the bed, brought a chair next to it and took his brother's hand. Through the window, he looked at Frank, who was still in the hallway. Their gazes locked and Harm felt a new wave of strength.

"Hey, brother, it's me," murmured Harm; "I'm not going anywhere until you're out of here, understood? You survived a helo crash, you saved my life and you're suppose to get married soon, so you can't give up." Harm adjusted the blanket as he saw his brother shiver slightly. "I know, I often acted like a big brother, but remember, I really am. I'll do everything I can to make sure you'll be alright."



0951 ZULU
George Washington University Hospital
Washington


Harm started when he heard the nurse who entered the room to check Sergei's vitals.

"I didn't intend to wake you up, sir, but you must be Mr Zhukov's brother. He's doing great. He's been stable for the last six hours, so if he continues this way, in another six hours he'll be out of danger. If you need anything, my name is Anna."

Harm had no idea when he had fallen asleep, but his sore back told him it had to have happened more than an hour ago. He never wanted to leave his brother's bedside, not even to get a cup of coffee, but he found one on the table beside Sergei's bed. 'The nurse must have believed I needed it,' he thought. "Listen brother, I've never been good at talking, you know it, but I can give you plenty of reasons why you should wake up. And one in particular is that I want you to answer a question: how in God's name did Mac manage to invite you for this party? I still cannot believe she did something so lovely for me."

A few moments later, someone spoke at the other end of the room, behind him. "Maybe I can respond for him..."

Harm spun around on his seat and looked at the person cuddled up in a chair a few feet behind him. "When did you arrive?" he asked, staring at her as if he'd seen a ghost.

"About two hours ago, but you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up, you looked exhausted," answered Mac. "I thought you might use some caffeine, but the coffee's probably cold by now."

Harm looked at her outfit and noticed she hadn't even changed her clothes. "What happened to everyone?"

"When you left, nobody really wanted to leave, not knowing how Sergei was doing. When Frank came back, Bud and Harriet offered everyone to stay over at their house, they said they were going to sleep in shifts, in case anything happened. I proposed to your parents to stay at my apartment, as it would be quieter there. They should be asleep in my bedroom by now. Your mother didn't agree at first, but I told her the couch was perfect for me," said Mac, pulling her chair up next to the bed. "I'm really glad the nurse said he was doing great."

Harm felt a rush of heat when Mac laid her hand on his forearm. Her touch was soft and comforting. He stared at her, and when she met his gaze, a half-hearted smile crossed his features.

"So," she continued, "What part of the question am I suppose to answer first?"

Harm only looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"I'll take the easiest one," she went on. "Last time Sergei left for Russia, he gave me his phone number, in case something happened to you. You know, your brother really loves you. The admiral made some arrangements, so he took a special flight from Moscow to be here on time."

"Was there a second part to this question?" asked Harm, brushing a lock of blond hair from his brother's forehead, not looking in Mac's direction.

"Not exactly, but you opened the way. You were gone for weeks, you didn't return any calls, you totally disappeared. And when you came back, you weren't the same. I didn't know the reason for that, I still don't know, but I thought that seeing your old friends might help you feel better. Harm, you've been my best friend for eight years now, I wouldn't let you down on a special occasion like this. But I really didn't plan this..." Her voice trailed off to a whisper as she looked at Sergei.

Harm saw a tear rolling down her cheek and wiped it away with his thumb, then he took her hand in his. "I truthfully appreciate all of this, Mac. I don't know if it's one of your vision things, but you always perceive when I need you." Having said that, he pulled her into a tight embrace, with his shaky breath caressing her cheeks while some silent tears were flowing from his eyes.

When they parted, Mac lightened the tone of her voice, "You know, Harm, if your brother is just half as hard-headed as you are, he won't even remember this on his wedding day."

Suddenly, Sergei stirred in his bed. Harm almost crushed Mac's hand when he noticed that his brother had opened his eyes. "Hey, little brother, how nice of you to join us!" he said in a low voice.

Sergei looked at him, then at Mac, and finally found the strength to speak, in a very hoarse intonation: "Kto vy? [Who are you?]"


To be continued...