Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine and belong to Donald P. Bellisario. I am not making any money off of my story and don't intend to.

Rating: PG - Just about the same type of stuff you would see in a normal episode of JAG. There's no swearing, no sexual situations or anything. Just some romance, a little action.

This is my first fanfiction story and I hope all of you enjoy it. Feedback is definitely welcome.

Chapter 2: Aftermath and Dream

Hospital Cafeteria

0330 EST

The line through the cafeteria was non-existent, mostly because of the time of night. This allowed the Admiral and the Colonel to get their coffee quietly and sit down. All Mac could feel was the ocean wave of emotions that had invaded her since this started. The Admiral led them to a table next to a well sized window looking out at the now dark courtyard. Mac took a sip of her coffee, and looked up at her commanding officer.

"What else did you want to say, Admiral?"

The Admiral sighed. "I just wanted to warn you, Colonel, that there will probably be a JAG man investigation ." but before he could finish, the Colonel spoke up.

"I would be happy to lead it, sir."

"I don't think so, Colonel."

"But sir .!"

The Admiral spoke up a little more urgently, "Colonel, it's not going to happen. You are too emotionally involved in the case. The initial reports indicate foul play of some sort. This is not an ordinary car accident. I'm putting Turner in charge of the investigation."

Mac just shook her head, realizing this was a conversation that she did not wish to take up at this time. Instead she moved onto the circumstances of the case. "The car accident happened a few hours ago. What could have possibly been discovered already?"

Taking a sip from his coffee, Admiral Chegwidden replied, "A .38 was found at the scene. And it had been fired."

OR Waiting Room, Hospital

Washington, D.C.

0400 EST

Commander Turner ran quickly to the waiting room only to find no one there. He swiftly walked over to the service desk and inquired about Harmon Rabb, Jr. This nurse seemed much nicer than the one Mac had encountered, and politely told him that the patient was still in surgery. Sturgis sighed in relief, and walked over to the waiting room to sit down. He, too, had been awakened in the middle of the night by the Admiral, and also had a devotion to Rabb. They had been friends for quite some time, and lately, since Sturgis had come to JAG, their friendship had grown quite a bit. However, he found it a little odd that he was the only one in the waiting room.

In the time he had started making conclusions as to their whereabouts, Mac and AJ suddenly appeared. "Admiral, Colonel," the Commander replied, standing up to greet them. "Any word yet?"

"Only that he's still in surgery," Mac supplied.

Sturgis nodded, unsure of what needed to be said.

The Admiral then spoke up, "Any word from Bud and Harriet?"

"Not that I know of, sir," Sturgis replied.

Mac moved quietly over to a nearby chair, and folded her hands in her lap. "Now all we can do is wait." Sturgis nodded, moving to grab a magazine on one of the end tables, and sitting down. AJ said something briefly about going for a walk, though Mac did not remember him saying it. Her mind drifted again. However, this time, she couldn't help but fall asleep.

OR Waiting Room, Hospital

Washington, D.C.

0430

Mac found herself at Harm's apartment once again. The apartment was clean and neat, and it almost looked like it hadn't been lived in for days. As her curiosity grew, she proceeded to walk around the familiar space, one that she had walked many times. She walked through his living room, finding no sign of his being here. Walking up the steps to his bedroom, she saw the made-up bed, one that was neat and had the characteristics of never been slept in. She took a quick look in the bathroom, and saw the same result.

As she began walking down the steps to his main living area, Mac almost had a heart attack at the sight in front of her.

"Mac? What are you doing here?"

Mac couldn't believe her eyes. "Harm? Are you ok?"

Harm smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Mac sighed, "Just about. Where have you been?"

Harm didn't answer right away and walked over to one of his counter top chairs. He just shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms, looking back at her in the most mysterious way. "You tell me."

"What are you talking about?"

Harm just smiled. "I was in a car accident, right?"

"I don't understand ." Mac began to say, when Harm abruptly interrupted her.

"I'm the image that you want to see. I'm only in your mind. And I think in a way, I'm here to make sure you're ok."

Mac just shook her head and moved over to his couch. "This can't be, Harm. How can I be talking to you?"

"Because you want to. This is a dream. And also, you're going to find out soon that I'm in coma. I also think I want to talk to you, too," Harm replied softly.

This was all too strange for her. Mac knew it was all a dream, a figment of her imagination. Nothing could explain this, and she just needed to leave . "I have to go, I can't be here. Whatever this is, it's just me."

As if by some sign, she suddenly found herself awaking, but not by her own attempts, but by someone shaking her.

"Mac? The doctor's here," she heard Sturgis say. She slowly awoke to find Sturgis looking over her. "You ok?"

Mac nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. What is it?"

"The doctor is here to brief us."

The Admiral was already talking to the doctor, and did not seem happy. Mac quickly stood up and walked over to the two men.

". and that has been the real problem here, one we are not sure how will turn out." the doctor had been saying.

Mac quickly jumped in, "Doctor?"

"Commander Rabb suffered a concussion, some fractured ribs, a ruptured spleen. Because of the hit that he took to the head, there is swelling on the brain, causing him to fall into a coma," the doctor supplied for the second time.

"How long will he be in the coma?" Sturgis asked. "There is no way for us to know that. Some people are in it for days, others weeks . others, years. There is one more thing you should know ." the doctor trailed off, not wanting to hurt them more, but knowing they needed to be told. Mac had begun to move away from the conversation, her mind whirling. Seeing the hesitation in the doctor's voice, the Admiral pressed, "Captain?? What else?" The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a bullet. Mac turned around then to see what she hadn't had time to fear yet. "We also found a bullet. Commander Rabb had been shot in the upper shoulder." At that, Mac walked away from the doctor completely and moved closer to the other side of the room. AJ just asked, "When can we see him?" "He still has some recovery time to go through. It'll probably be an hour or so. Maybe two. If you'll excuse me." At that, the doctor saluted the Admiral and Sturgis, and quickly and left. Mac could hardly believe what she was hearing. It was all going way too fast. She had keep tears at bay thus far feeling that she had to be strong, and knowing that once she saw Harm she would feel better. When he was lost in the ocean, it had been so hard for her to stay positive. Here she was again, in the same position in that her relationship with Harm hadn't really improved. So many things were still left unsaid.