A/N. Okay ...sorry it's been so long between updates. During my layover, I
was kept very encouraged by some folks who reviewed the story so far:
"ashlynn", "jtbwriter", "CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur", "starryeyes10",
"alicia5", and Miran Anders" To all of them, and to you: I quote from the
famous movie, "Kentucky Fried Movie": "You have our gratitude!"
Disclaimer: you all know what gets said here, but here we go again for the da-- lawyers: JAG does not belong to me, and I do not write this for profit in any way, shape, or form. "
"The Papers" Chapter 4
The two officers walked up to the closed door of their boss, Adm. A.J. Chegwidden, and Mac knocked twice on the heavy wooden door. "Enter!" came the response from inside as Harm opened the door wide for Mac to precede him into the room. She gave him her typical smile in thanks as they entered the office and walked up to the large ornate desk near the large windows, coming to attention before their superior officer. "Col. MacKenzie and Commander Rabb reporting as ordered, sir!" Harm spoke in a clear, military voice as the eyes of the officers looked straight ahead. "At ease, have a seat, you two." the Admiral answered in his typical gruff voice.
Mac and Harm took seats and studied the face of the Admiral as he paused before speaking. "I've called you two in to discuss some changes in the office I've been thinking about. As my Chief of Staff, Colonel, and as my senior attorney, Commander, I wanted to bounce my ideas off of both of you before I put things in a proposal to the SecNav."
"Of course, sir. We'd be glad to help in any way." Mac replied in a soft but clear voice. Harm leaned forward in his chair in anticipation.
"These changes aren't detrimental to anyone or their careers in any way, let me just start by saying that. You both know that Lt. Sims originally came to us on loan from another Navy department, and while she's excelled here as we all know, her official "temporary loan" status has made some processes harder than they need to be. She doesn't get the cooperation she should from other departments because of it, and even though she's managed to accomplish her duties in spite of these hindrances, I want to finally get rid of the original issue. So, I'm thinking of creating a new position here at JAG, one that will formalize what she does and allows me to keep her on a good career track. The position is that of Office Manager, and she would answer directly to you as Chief of Staff, Colonel. She'd handle all staffing issues except for some personnel topics, and basically continue running this office with PO Coates' help. What do you two think?"
"Well, sir, I think it's an excellent idea." Mac answered with a smile. "Will the new position be able to have a higher government salary scale attached to it?"
"Good question, Mac. That will depend on how good a negotiator I am with the SecNav – he has to approve all this eventually. I think the added budget will be worth it in the efficiencies we'd gain, and it would give Harriet another step in her career."
"It's hard to imagine Harriet running things any more efficiently, sir ... but if there's a way, she'll find it. And with a new title, who knows what she'll be able to pull off?" Harm asked with a smile. "Sir, if you can get this done, wouldn't it be prudent to assign someone as her permanent assistant – someone like Coates? In case Harriet needs to be out of the office or on vacation, she should have a well-trained second to step in. Coates would be perfect for it."
"Still looking out for your charge, eh, Commander?" the Admiral replied with a smile.
Harm glanced quickly over at Mac, who was trying to smother a grin. "Just trying to think of all the dimensions to this thing, sir."
"Of course, of course ... like any good pilot ... which is why I wanted to run this thing by the both of you before moving forward. You know that this is to be kept in strict confidence until the three of us have a working proposal I can take to the SecNav -- clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" his officers smartly answered.
"Good. Go and think about it for a day or two, and then send me a written summary of your thoughts. I'll combine them with mine, and then you'll both help me write the proposal. Normally Coates would do this sort of thing, but not this time."
"Understood, Admiral," Mac spoke.
"Very well. Dismissed!" Harm and Mac leaped to their feet, coming to attention. "Aye, aye, sir!"
They were almost to the office door when the Admiral spoke again. "Oh, Commander – before you go, how is young Mattie doing?" Harm smiled as he turned back towards the Admiral, and answered. "She's fine, sir – thank you for asking. I haven't spoken to her so far today—"
"What's the matter – lose your cell phone, Harm?" the Admiral put in with a sparkle in his eyes.
"No, sir," Harm sighed at the Admiral's joke, refusing to acknowledge the small giggle coming from the Marine at his side, "... it's just that Jennifer told me that Mattie got a letter from Family Court yesterday, and I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it."
"What did your copy say, Commander?"
"That's part of the problem, Admiral – I haven't received anything from them since the last social services visit two weeks ago. So I'm in the dark until I ask Mattie."
"Hmm ... well, I wouldn't worry about it. If it was something that could affect your custody, I'm sure you would have received something before she did."
"That's what Mac said, sir. I'm sure I'll know something soon."
"Good. Well, keep me informed. That girl's part of the family, and she's going to stay that way."
"Very good, sir!" Harm wasn't surprised at the Admiral's words about Mattie. She was one of the few people who gave as much as she got from the Admiral, and she wasn't taken in by his gruff attitude. Harm knew that earned her quite a lot of respect and affection from the SEAL.
"Dismissed."
"Sir."
Mac and Harm walked past PO Coates at her desk, heading back through the bullpen to their own offices, both deep in thought. Unconsciously, Harm walked with Mac to the door of her office, and she smiled at him before entering and walking around her messy desk to her chair. "Let's have lunch today, squid. I want to be there in case that's when you reach Mattie."
"Sure ... you paying, Marine?" She knew if she looked up, she'd get the full "flyboy grin" with that question. Yep, there it is ....
"In your dreams, flyboy. Ever hear of Dutch?"
"Hmm ... can't say as I have," Harm replied in a fake southern drawl ... "must be some newfangled thing the young folks have come up with." Mac laughed and shook her head and looked at Harm fondly. "Every time he watches a John Wayne western, he tries to talk like some modern-day cowboy – which fits him to a 'T', I guess", she thought to herself. Out loud, she pointed in the direction of his office and said, "Out!"
Harm winked at her and strolled off, whistling a tune from the last Western they'd watched on TV.
The library was fairly quiet as Mattie entered, barely glancing at the older woman behind the information desk as she slowly walked to her favorite chair towards the back of the room, the backpack on her shoulder feeling like a 500 pound weight. The chair she came to was the oldest in the library, an old stuffed chair that had somehow made it through all the refurbishing the school had gone through during the last year. It was her favorite because she could curl up and read or write in it very comfortably, and she longed for its' inanimate comfort now. She dropped her backpack next to the chair, and plopped down heavily into the comfort of the cushions. She turned her body to the side, and laid her head against the back cushion, and sighed. She tried to clear her mind of all of the chaotic thoughts rushing through them, willing them to seep through her and into the chair that held her. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in a field of wildflowers, like her mom had taught her to imagine when she was much younger.
Thinking of her mom brought fresh tears to her streaked face, and they flowed unnoticed down her face as she fought her fears of what the future might hold for her. If she couldn't be with Harm, she decided, she would just go back to Grace Aviation and run her company again full-time. School would just have to wait. She'd work for a couple more years until she was 18, and then decide what she wanted to do with her life at that point. She didn't know if she could stand being in the same area as Harm if the court decided against the adoption, and since her father wasn't ready or willing to have her in his life either, she'd just be what she was before – an independent girl trying to make a life for herself.
Alone.
eating pizza five or six days a week because there was no one nagging her to eat better or making her strange things like "meatless" meatloaf ...
not having any friends from school over, because she would have to work ...
No more "girls nights" with Jen and Mac ...
no more teasing with the Admiral ...
never babysitting the Roberts' kids anymore ...
... and no Harm to kiss her good night and good morning, and make her life complete ... Mrs. Pappas loved the library and her books, and most of the students who attended her school. Some of them, though, had backgrounds that concerned her. Like this Mattie Grace girl who'd just stumbled into the library, looking like she'd lost her best friend and just come from one of those "keg" parties she overheard some of the students talking about at the same time. She didn't approve of kids who were obviously not raised in traditional families, and if half of the things she'd heard about this Mattie Grace were true, then she wouldn't be surprised to find her back there sleeping off a binger in that chair she was so fond of. Father a drunk, mother killed by that same father in an accident ... and now in the care of some Navy officer who was probably gone all the time and who couldn't raise the girl right. And some unbelievable rumor about Mattie running her own business – a fifteen-year-old girl running a business!! "Hmpf!" Mrs. Pappas snorted to herself as she watched the girl, asleep in the old chair, twitch suddenly. "Probably on some kind of drugs, too ..." she thought to herself. She considered getting up to walk over and wake the girl up when she heard a loud moan, then a louder "Noooo!!" from that part of the library.
Getting up from her desk, she craned her neck to look more closely towards the chair where the girl sat, her eyes closed and her arms wrapped tightly around herself, visibly shaking. She walked a little closer, noticing the tears streaming down Mattie's face as the girl shook uncontrollably in the chair. "My God," she thought, "she must be having some kind of reaction to some drug or something!" She turned back around and reached over the counter to pick up the phone, dialing the extension for the school nurse's office.
"Miss Barrows? This is Mrs. Pappas in the library. Mattie Grace is here, and I think she's on drugs or something! She's asleep in a chair, but she's shaking and crying. Yes, please hurry!" She hung up and continued to watch the obviously distressed girl, waiting for the nurse to arrive. The other students in the library were whispering to themselves and slowly moving away from Mattie.
After what seemed like ten minutes, the school nurse and the vice principal burst through the doors with a security guard in tow.
"Where is she?" Miss Barrows, a short, brunette young woman asked quietly, with Mr. Harris, the vice principal right beside her. Mrs. Pappas pointed over to the girl in the stuffed chair at the back of the room, and Miss Barrows studied Mattie's face for a minute. "I think she's having some kind of nightmare, Mr. Harris. Please move everyone else out of here quietly, while I try to wake her."
"She's obviously on drugs – why don't you just call the police?" Mrs. Pappas demanded.
"Because it's not as obvious to me as it is to you, Mrs. Pappas. I know Mattie, and I've read her file. She's too smart for drugs. Now, please ... leave with Mr. Harris and everyone else, all right? I don't want to startle her when I approach and wake her."
"Hmpf." was the only reply as Mrs. Pappas turned to stalk through the door. Mr. Harris, who had quietly waved everyone else out, exchanged a frustrated look with Miss Barrows, and then nodded. "I'll be outside if you need me."
"Thanks, sir," she replied, and then turned to walk quietly over to where Mattie was. When she reached the girl who seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare, she kneeled down next to her, and whispered her name.
"Mattie?"
Mattie didn't respond, tears still flowing down her face, and Miss Barrows heard her mumble, "Mom ... watch out ... hang on ... Dad, don't ...." Oh, God, the nurse suddenly remembered. The accident – Mattie's mom died in a car accident because her father had been drinking. There weren't many details in Mattie's school file, but Miss Barrows could only imagine what was occupying Mattie's dreams right now. She had to be careful in waking the girl. Startling her could cause problems. She decided to start by laying a hand on her arm, to give her something to sense and feel outside of the dream. She placed a hand on Mattie's bare arm, and whispered again, very softly: "Mattie?"
The girl seemed to hear her, and she didn't flinch away from her touch. "Mattie, it's me. Miss Barrows. I'm here."
"Mmmmm ..." Mattie moaned, still fighting the demons of what she was seeing and feeling.
"You're OK, wake up for me, Mattie ... you're safe, honey ... it's alright. Wake up, sweetie."
Mattie's eyes flew open, and she shivered as she fought to wake up fully from the nightmare. She looked around, and Miss Barrows noticed that her eyes weren't glassy – a sign that it indeed wasn't drugs that caused this. She tightened her fingers on Mattie's arm, and Mattie turned her head slowly to look at Miss Barrows as she smiled at the young distraught girl. "Mattie ... hi ... it's alright – you fell asleep, and were having a bad dream." Miss Barrows kept her voice low and soft, watching Mattie closely.
Mattie's body shook again, and she seemed to see Miss Barrows for the first time. She gasped, and threw her arms around the nurse, sobbing.
"I saw her ... my mom ... I couldn't stop it from happening ... and she GONE!"
"Shhh ... it's OK, Mattie ... it wasn't your fault, nothing you could have done ... you're not to blame" she hugged the sobbing girl to her, rocking her gently and rubbing her back. She felt a presence behind her, and turned her head slowly to look up at Mr. Harris's questioning face.
She whispered to him, while still holding Mattie and rubbing her back, "we need to contact Commander Rabb and have him come here." Mr. Harris nodded again, and turned quickly to walk over to the desk phone.
"It's Mr. Harris. Please pull Mattie Grace's records and call her guardian, Commander Harmon Rabb. Have him come to school right away. Please alert security when he expects to be here, and have him brought to the nurse's office as soon as he arrives. Thank you."
He turned back to watch in concern as Mattie continued to sob in Miss Barrows' arms.
END OF CHAPTER 4
Disclaimer: you all know what gets said here, but here we go again for the da-- lawyers: JAG does not belong to me, and I do not write this for profit in any way, shape, or form. "
"The Papers" Chapter 4
The two officers walked up to the closed door of their boss, Adm. A.J. Chegwidden, and Mac knocked twice on the heavy wooden door. "Enter!" came the response from inside as Harm opened the door wide for Mac to precede him into the room. She gave him her typical smile in thanks as they entered the office and walked up to the large ornate desk near the large windows, coming to attention before their superior officer. "Col. MacKenzie and Commander Rabb reporting as ordered, sir!" Harm spoke in a clear, military voice as the eyes of the officers looked straight ahead. "At ease, have a seat, you two." the Admiral answered in his typical gruff voice.
Mac and Harm took seats and studied the face of the Admiral as he paused before speaking. "I've called you two in to discuss some changes in the office I've been thinking about. As my Chief of Staff, Colonel, and as my senior attorney, Commander, I wanted to bounce my ideas off of both of you before I put things in a proposal to the SecNav."
"Of course, sir. We'd be glad to help in any way." Mac replied in a soft but clear voice. Harm leaned forward in his chair in anticipation.
"These changes aren't detrimental to anyone or their careers in any way, let me just start by saying that. You both know that Lt. Sims originally came to us on loan from another Navy department, and while she's excelled here as we all know, her official "temporary loan" status has made some processes harder than they need to be. She doesn't get the cooperation she should from other departments because of it, and even though she's managed to accomplish her duties in spite of these hindrances, I want to finally get rid of the original issue. So, I'm thinking of creating a new position here at JAG, one that will formalize what she does and allows me to keep her on a good career track. The position is that of Office Manager, and she would answer directly to you as Chief of Staff, Colonel. She'd handle all staffing issues except for some personnel topics, and basically continue running this office with PO Coates' help. What do you two think?"
"Well, sir, I think it's an excellent idea." Mac answered with a smile. "Will the new position be able to have a higher government salary scale attached to it?"
"Good question, Mac. That will depend on how good a negotiator I am with the SecNav – he has to approve all this eventually. I think the added budget will be worth it in the efficiencies we'd gain, and it would give Harriet another step in her career."
"It's hard to imagine Harriet running things any more efficiently, sir ... but if there's a way, she'll find it. And with a new title, who knows what she'll be able to pull off?" Harm asked with a smile. "Sir, if you can get this done, wouldn't it be prudent to assign someone as her permanent assistant – someone like Coates? In case Harriet needs to be out of the office or on vacation, she should have a well-trained second to step in. Coates would be perfect for it."
"Still looking out for your charge, eh, Commander?" the Admiral replied with a smile.
Harm glanced quickly over at Mac, who was trying to smother a grin. "Just trying to think of all the dimensions to this thing, sir."
"Of course, of course ... like any good pilot ... which is why I wanted to run this thing by the both of you before moving forward. You know that this is to be kept in strict confidence until the three of us have a working proposal I can take to the SecNav -- clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" his officers smartly answered.
"Good. Go and think about it for a day or two, and then send me a written summary of your thoughts. I'll combine them with mine, and then you'll both help me write the proposal. Normally Coates would do this sort of thing, but not this time."
"Understood, Admiral," Mac spoke.
"Very well. Dismissed!" Harm and Mac leaped to their feet, coming to attention. "Aye, aye, sir!"
They were almost to the office door when the Admiral spoke again. "Oh, Commander – before you go, how is young Mattie doing?" Harm smiled as he turned back towards the Admiral, and answered. "She's fine, sir – thank you for asking. I haven't spoken to her so far today—"
"What's the matter – lose your cell phone, Harm?" the Admiral put in with a sparkle in his eyes.
"No, sir," Harm sighed at the Admiral's joke, refusing to acknowledge the small giggle coming from the Marine at his side, "... it's just that Jennifer told me that Mattie got a letter from Family Court yesterday, and I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it."
"What did your copy say, Commander?"
"That's part of the problem, Admiral – I haven't received anything from them since the last social services visit two weeks ago. So I'm in the dark until I ask Mattie."
"Hmm ... well, I wouldn't worry about it. If it was something that could affect your custody, I'm sure you would have received something before she did."
"That's what Mac said, sir. I'm sure I'll know something soon."
"Good. Well, keep me informed. That girl's part of the family, and she's going to stay that way."
"Very good, sir!" Harm wasn't surprised at the Admiral's words about Mattie. She was one of the few people who gave as much as she got from the Admiral, and she wasn't taken in by his gruff attitude. Harm knew that earned her quite a lot of respect and affection from the SEAL.
"Dismissed."
"Sir."
Mac and Harm walked past PO Coates at her desk, heading back through the bullpen to their own offices, both deep in thought. Unconsciously, Harm walked with Mac to the door of her office, and she smiled at him before entering and walking around her messy desk to her chair. "Let's have lunch today, squid. I want to be there in case that's when you reach Mattie."
"Sure ... you paying, Marine?" She knew if she looked up, she'd get the full "flyboy grin" with that question. Yep, there it is ....
"In your dreams, flyboy. Ever hear of Dutch?"
"Hmm ... can't say as I have," Harm replied in a fake southern drawl ... "must be some newfangled thing the young folks have come up with." Mac laughed and shook her head and looked at Harm fondly. "Every time he watches a John Wayne western, he tries to talk like some modern-day cowboy – which fits him to a 'T', I guess", she thought to herself. Out loud, she pointed in the direction of his office and said, "Out!"
Harm winked at her and strolled off, whistling a tune from the last Western they'd watched on TV.
The library was fairly quiet as Mattie entered, barely glancing at the older woman behind the information desk as she slowly walked to her favorite chair towards the back of the room, the backpack on her shoulder feeling like a 500 pound weight. The chair she came to was the oldest in the library, an old stuffed chair that had somehow made it through all the refurbishing the school had gone through during the last year. It was her favorite because she could curl up and read or write in it very comfortably, and she longed for its' inanimate comfort now. She dropped her backpack next to the chair, and plopped down heavily into the comfort of the cushions. She turned her body to the side, and laid her head against the back cushion, and sighed. She tried to clear her mind of all of the chaotic thoughts rushing through them, willing them to seep through her and into the chair that held her. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in a field of wildflowers, like her mom had taught her to imagine when she was much younger.
Thinking of her mom brought fresh tears to her streaked face, and they flowed unnoticed down her face as she fought her fears of what the future might hold for her. If she couldn't be with Harm, she decided, she would just go back to Grace Aviation and run her company again full-time. School would just have to wait. She'd work for a couple more years until she was 18, and then decide what she wanted to do with her life at that point. She didn't know if she could stand being in the same area as Harm if the court decided against the adoption, and since her father wasn't ready or willing to have her in his life either, she'd just be what she was before – an independent girl trying to make a life for herself.
Alone.
eating pizza five or six days a week because there was no one nagging her to eat better or making her strange things like "meatless" meatloaf ...
not having any friends from school over, because she would have to work ...
No more "girls nights" with Jen and Mac ...
no more teasing with the Admiral ...
never babysitting the Roberts' kids anymore ...
... and no Harm to kiss her good night and good morning, and make her life complete ... Mrs. Pappas loved the library and her books, and most of the students who attended her school. Some of them, though, had backgrounds that concerned her. Like this Mattie Grace girl who'd just stumbled into the library, looking like she'd lost her best friend and just come from one of those "keg" parties she overheard some of the students talking about at the same time. She didn't approve of kids who were obviously not raised in traditional families, and if half of the things she'd heard about this Mattie Grace were true, then she wouldn't be surprised to find her back there sleeping off a binger in that chair she was so fond of. Father a drunk, mother killed by that same father in an accident ... and now in the care of some Navy officer who was probably gone all the time and who couldn't raise the girl right. And some unbelievable rumor about Mattie running her own business – a fifteen-year-old girl running a business!! "Hmpf!" Mrs. Pappas snorted to herself as she watched the girl, asleep in the old chair, twitch suddenly. "Probably on some kind of drugs, too ..." she thought to herself. She considered getting up to walk over and wake the girl up when she heard a loud moan, then a louder "Noooo!!" from that part of the library.
Getting up from her desk, she craned her neck to look more closely towards the chair where the girl sat, her eyes closed and her arms wrapped tightly around herself, visibly shaking. She walked a little closer, noticing the tears streaming down Mattie's face as the girl shook uncontrollably in the chair. "My God," she thought, "she must be having some kind of reaction to some drug or something!" She turned back around and reached over the counter to pick up the phone, dialing the extension for the school nurse's office.
"Miss Barrows? This is Mrs. Pappas in the library. Mattie Grace is here, and I think she's on drugs or something! She's asleep in a chair, but she's shaking and crying. Yes, please hurry!" She hung up and continued to watch the obviously distressed girl, waiting for the nurse to arrive. The other students in the library were whispering to themselves and slowly moving away from Mattie.
After what seemed like ten minutes, the school nurse and the vice principal burst through the doors with a security guard in tow.
"Where is she?" Miss Barrows, a short, brunette young woman asked quietly, with Mr. Harris, the vice principal right beside her. Mrs. Pappas pointed over to the girl in the stuffed chair at the back of the room, and Miss Barrows studied Mattie's face for a minute. "I think she's having some kind of nightmare, Mr. Harris. Please move everyone else out of here quietly, while I try to wake her."
"She's obviously on drugs – why don't you just call the police?" Mrs. Pappas demanded.
"Because it's not as obvious to me as it is to you, Mrs. Pappas. I know Mattie, and I've read her file. She's too smart for drugs. Now, please ... leave with Mr. Harris and everyone else, all right? I don't want to startle her when I approach and wake her."
"Hmpf." was the only reply as Mrs. Pappas turned to stalk through the door. Mr. Harris, who had quietly waved everyone else out, exchanged a frustrated look with Miss Barrows, and then nodded. "I'll be outside if you need me."
"Thanks, sir," she replied, and then turned to walk quietly over to where Mattie was. When she reached the girl who seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare, she kneeled down next to her, and whispered her name.
"Mattie?"
Mattie didn't respond, tears still flowing down her face, and Miss Barrows heard her mumble, "Mom ... watch out ... hang on ... Dad, don't ...." Oh, God, the nurse suddenly remembered. The accident – Mattie's mom died in a car accident because her father had been drinking. There weren't many details in Mattie's school file, but Miss Barrows could only imagine what was occupying Mattie's dreams right now. She had to be careful in waking the girl. Startling her could cause problems. She decided to start by laying a hand on her arm, to give her something to sense and feel outside of the dream. She placed a hand on Mattie's bare arm, and whispered again, very softly: "Mattie?"
The girl seemed to hear her, and she didn't flinch away from her touch. "Mattie, it's me. Miss Barrows. I'm here."
"Mmmmm ..." Mattie moaned, still fighting the demons of what she was seeing and feeling.
"You're OK, wake up for me, Mattie ... you're safe, honey ... it's alright. Wake up, sweetie."
Mattie's eyes flew open, and she shivered as she fought to wake up fully from the nightmare. She looked around, and Miss Barrows noticed that her eyes weren't glassy – a sign that it indeed wasn't drugs that caused this. She tightened her fingers on Mattie's arm, and Mattie turned her head slowly to look at Miss Barrows as she smiled at the young distraught girl. "Mattie ... hi ... it's alright – you fell asleep, and were having a bad dream." Miss Barrows kept her voice low and soft, watching Mattie closely.
Mattie's body shook again, and she seemed to see Miss Barrows for the first time. She gasped, and threw her arms around the nurse, sobbing.
"I saw her ... my mom ... I couldn't stop it from happening ... and she GONE!"
"Shhh ... it's OK, Mattie ... it wasn't your fault, nothing you could have done ... you're not to blame" she hugged the sobbing girl to her, rocking her gently and rubbing her back. She felt a presence behind her, and turned her head slowly to look up at Mr. Harris's questioning face.
She whispered to him, while still holding Mattie and rubbing her back, "we need to contact Commander Rabb and have him come here." Mr. Harris nodded again, and turned quickly to walk over to the desk phone.
"It's Mr. Harris. Please pull Mattie Grace's records and call her guardian, Commander Harmon Rabb. Have him come to school right away. Please alert security when he expects to be here, and have him brought to the nurse's office as soon as he arrives. Thank you."
He turned back to watch in concern as Mattie continued to sob in Miss Barrows' arms.
END OF CHAPTER 4
