"Mac. Mac." Harm said as he jogged to keep up with her. "Sarah, please
stop. If only to yell me, but please stop at least put your coat on." Mac
slowed slightly so he could catch up. "You know you walk pretty fast."
"For a pregnant woman?" She questioned.
"No for anyone, it must be a Marine thing, Gunny does it too. Here put your coat on." He held it out so she could slip it on.
"Where's your coat?" Mac asked.
"I was kind of in a hurry. I'll be fine, besides I used to work on a carrier in the middle of the ocean nights were definitely colder than this." He smiled. "Look Mac, I'm sorry if it sounded like I didn't want you to talk to Mom and Grams, it's just you never told me you did, and it caught me by surprise that's all."
"I'm sorry I flew off the handle. I don't know what's wrong me and I keep taking it out on you."
"Look there's a bench over there why don't we go and sit down?" He suggested. Mac allowed him to guide her to a bench. "I'm going to say something and I need you to believe me. I love you and you can scream blue murder at me for all I care but I'm not going anywhere."
"You say that now."
"Mac honey, it took us this long to get it right, you're going to have a tough time getting rid of me."
"You're stubborn I'll give you that Rabb. Seriously my hormones are all over the place at the moment. But Dr O'Brien says it's normal."
"Mac, we can get through anything. Look at everything we've been through up to this point. Births, deaths, marriages, our lives have always been anything but normal. But we've managed to get through everything for the last eight years because we had each other. I mean after I got over you pointing a gun at me."
"Hey don't knock it that was the first moment I realised for a squid you weren't that bad and you'd do as a partner."
"How do you figure something like that when you have a gun pointed at someone?" He asked.
"You didn't look like you wanted to kill me, besides you were trying to help my uncle. It said a lot about your character." She smiled. "And it didn't hurt that you had a cute six either."
"That's good to know."
"Hey don't get a big head, I can't put up with the inflated pilot ego at the moment. You came third remember." He smiled. "Ouch."
"Mac, are you okay?" Harm instantly asked.
"Cheap shot kid." She rubbed her stomach. "Apparently my kidney's work just as well as my bladder."
"You sure you're okay?" Mac heard the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine. Like I said the baby kicked my kidney, when someone hits your internal organs it hurts slightly."
"Hey kid, can you lay off your mother for a while?" Harm said as he put a hand on Mac's stomach. "I mean she's going to feed you pizza in a while that has to be good right?"
"Next thing I know you'll be reciting Shakespeare to my stomach."
"Shakespeare's more Meredith's area than mine. With me it's either the UMCJ or the F-14 technical manual." He countered.
"I think I'll skip the technical manual and this kid gets way too much of the UMCJ as it is."
"Can't say I didn't offer. So do you want to head back and see how the Admiral is with plumbing?"
"Are you sure we're not going to need the fire department on speed dial to bail out the utility room when we try to put anything in it?"
"Anything is possible. It's getting colder, let's head back."
"Okay."
~
"Ma'am, there you are." Gunny said coming down the stairs, he'd been oblivious to what had happened. "I finished putting up the bookcases did you want me to put the books on them for you?"
"That would be great. Put the law and palaeontology books on one and everything else on the other."
"And the half books?" He questioned.
"You kept those?" Harm asked.
"They were good books. Just leave them on the bed."
"Half books?" Meredith asked from the couch where she was sat with little AJ. "There sounds like there is a story there."
"Harm's attempt to help me pack." Meredith still looked slightly confused. "We were going somewhere I can't remember where now and I was in the process of reading two books at the time. My bag was full and there was only room for one book and I couldn't decide which one to take, so Harm's answer was tearing them in half so I could take the halves I hadn't read."
"It was a practical solution to the problem." Harm pointed out.
"Harm, you don't tear books, they're things of knowledge and knowledge is precious." Meredith scolded.
"It's not like they were reference books."
"Books, even novels leave something behind an impression, even if it's just finding out something out we didn't know about ourselves. You should treat them with respect."
"But why read two at once? How can you follow two books at once?" He asked.
"Harm, I usually read five or six at a time. Different books for different moods."
"Plus women's brains are built to multi-task." Harriet said as she came down the stairs. Harm turned to look at her. "And to remember lots of information."
"Getting ganged up on Commander?" AJ asked.
"It would appear so sir. Need any help with the plumbing?"
"It's done." Mac couldn't help but laugh. Everyone looked at her. "Something funny Mac?"
"Sorry I just got the strangest mental image. Just ignore me."
"Why don't you sit?" harm suggested.
"Okay."
TBC
"For a pregnant woman?" She questioned.
"No for anyone, it must be a Marine thing, Gunny does it too. Here put your coat on." He held it out so she could slip it on.
"Where's your coat?" Mac asked.
"I was kind of in a hurry. I'll be fine, besides I used to work on a carrier in the middle of the ocean nights were definitely colder than this." He smiled. "Look Mac, I'm sorry if it sounded like I didn't want you to talk to Mom and Grams, it's just you never told me you did, and it caught me by surprise that's all."
"I'm sorry I flew off the handle. I don't know what's wrong me and I keep taking it out on you."
"Look there's a bench over there why don't we go and sit down?" He suggested. Mac allowed him to guide her to a bench. "I'm going to say something and I need you to believe me. I love you and you can scream blue murder at me for all I care but I'm not going anywhere."
"You say that now."
"Mac honey, it took us this long to get it right, you're going to have a tough time getting rid of me."
"You're stubborn I'll give you that Rabb. Seriously my hormones are all over the place at the moment. But Dr O'Brien says it's normal."
"Mac, we can get through anything. Look at everything we've been through up to this point. Births, deaths, marriages, our lives have always been anything but normal. But we've managed to get through everything for the last eight years because we had each other. I mean after I got over you pointing a gun at me."
"Hey don't knock it that was the first moment I realised for a squid you weren't that bad and you'd do as a partner."
"How do you figure something like that when you have a gun pointed at someone?" He asked.
"You didn't look like you wanted to kill me, besides you were trying to help my uncle. It said a lot about your character." She smiled. "And it didn't hurt that you had a cute six either."
"That's good to know."
"Hey don't get a big head, I can't put up with the inflated pilot ego at the moment. You came third remember." He smiled. "Ouch."
"Mac, are you okay?" Harm instantly asked.
"Cheap shot kid." She rubbed her stomach. "Apparently my kidney's work just as well as my bladder."
"You sure you're okay?" Mac heard the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine. Like I said the baby kicked my kidney, when someone hits your internal organs it hurts slightly."
"Hey kid, can you lay off your mother for a while?" Harm said as he put a hand on Mac's stomach. "I mean she's going to feed you pizza in a while that has to be good right?"
"Next thing I know you'll be reciting Shakespeare to my stomach."
"Shakespeare's more Meredith's area than mine. With me it's either the UMCJ or the F-14 technical manual." He countered.
"I think I'll skip the technical manual and this kid gets way too much of the UMCJ as it is."
"Can't say I didn't offer. So do you want to head back and see how the Admiral is with plumbing?"
"Are you sure we're not going to need the fire department on speed dial to bail out the utility room when we try to put anything in it?"
"Anything is possible. It's getting colder, let's head back."
"Okay."
~
"Ma'am, there you are." Gunny said coming down the stairs, he'd been oblivious to what had happened. "I finished putting up the bookcases did you want me to put the books on them for you?"
"That would be great. Put the law and palaeontology books on one and everything else on the other."
"And the half books?" He questioned.
"You kept those?" Harm asked.
"They were good books. Just leave them on the bed."
"Half books?" Meredith asked from the couch where she was sat with little AJ. "There sounds like there is a story there."
"Harm's attempt to help me pack." Meredith still looked slightly confused. "We were going somewhere I can't remember where now and I was in the process of reading two books at the time. My bag was full and there was only room for one book and I couldn't decide which one to take, so Harm's answer was tearing them in half so I could take the halves I hadn't read."
"It was a practical solution to the problem." Harm pointed out.
"Harm, you don't tear books, they're things of knowledge and knowledge is precious." Meredith scolded.
"It's not like they were reference books."
"Books, even novels leave something behind an impression, even if it's just finding out something out we didn't know about ourselves. You should treat them with respect."
"But why read two at once? How can you follow two books at once?" He asked.
"Harm, I usually read five or six at a time. Different books for different moods."
"Plus women's brains are built to multi-task." Harriet said as she came down the stairs. Harm turned to look at her. "And to remember lots of information."
"Getting ganged up on Commander?" AJ asked.
"It would appear so sir. Need any help with the plumbing?"
"It's done." Mac couldn't help but laugh. Everyone looked at her. "Something funny Mac?"
"Sorry I just got the strangest mental image. Just ignore me."
"Why don't you sit?" harm suggested.
"Okay."
TBC