Once again, a huge thanks to Aerogirl for her beta reading, she does a really great job!
Please, keep reviewing, it really motivates me to continue (And I'm sure you want to know what will happen next...) I would have only one request : please, don't flame me!
1753 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
For the second time in so many days, Harm woke up at the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. Even though he could guess they were trying to be quiet, he could hear Chloe and Mattie chatting joyfully and the noise of dishes being thrown in the sink. His head was much lighter than the previous morning, as he hadn't had a single drink last night. He had spent his afternoon discussing with Bud some line of defence for his client, and his whole evening with little AJ, building a sand fortress that wouldn't be ruined by the tides.
He quickly got out of bed and took a nice cold shower before he joined the girls in the kitchen. "Morning, girls! You're preparing breakfast?"
"Yup! Mango and passion fruit juice, with carambola, papaya, guava and lychee in a fruit salad. I just love the tropical fruits here," Chloe declared.
"Finally something healthy!" He teased. "You came back pretty early this morning. The night under the stars was interesting?"
"Well," Mattie started, "snorkelling was cool, we were able to approach some big fishes. The marshmallows were good and we had a lot of fun singing around the campfire..."
"But the seagulls were too frightening to spend the night under the stars," Chloe interrupted.
"And where is Mac?" Harm asked, suddenly noticing her absence.
"I think she should still be on the beach," Mattie answered.
"We left after she fell asleep, but we did tell Sneakers, don't worry, Harm. I was scared that the gulls would bite me while I was sleeping," Chloe explained, "and Mattie agreed to come back here with me."
"Where are you going, Harm?" Mattie asked, as he stormed out of the kitchen.
"I'm gonna be late for the pre-trial meeting," he said over his shoulder as he hurried into his bedroom to get dressed. On his way out, just before the door closed, he greeted the girls in a not very convincing voice, "Have a nice day!"
* * * * *
1835 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
Harm stomped into the conference room adjacent to the tribunal where Bud, Mac and Sneakers were discussing the case. "Damn it, Mac, what were you thinking?" he grilled her before the door was even closed.
"Good morning to you too, Harm," she started, composed. "Would you care to explain what you mean?" she asked, still on the same calm intonation.
"You spent the night with a junior officer of the opposite sex without supervision. Do you want me to continue?" He almost spit those words in her face, as they were now only inches apart.
"How dare you?" Mac's eyes were presently shooting darts, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "If I had been there with Bud, there wouldn't have been any problem, but since I've been snorkelling with a seductive young man, you automatically jump to conclusions," she fought back.
"Bud is married and has children, but the major..."
[Enough, Commander!]
Harm froze as he recognised the furious voice of his CO. Reality set in his mind as he finally noticed the phone in the centre of the table around which everybody was standing before he started his speech. He didn't really have time to think over what he did as Admiral Chegwidden continued speaking. [Colonel, did anything that could be considered inappropriate happen between you and Major Alberts?]
"Of course not, Admiral," Mac answered, looking straight in Sneakers' eyes.
[Do you think that anything that happened might prevent you from fulfilling your assignment in this Article 32 investigation?]
"Absolutely not, sir. As long as Commander Rabb and I are sitting across the aisle, there won't be any problem, sir."
[Rabb, I should be kicking your butt on a plane back to D.C., but I've been told that a child might be endangered right now, so I don't have time to send a new investigator. I hope you'll be able to behave yourself.]
"I will, sir," Harm answered, in a subdued voice.
[Colonel, you'll owe me some serious explanations when you'll be back here. But for now, that'll be all. You're dismissed,] the admiral ordered before hanging up.
Once the communication was broken, Mac flew out of the room without looking back, followed closely by Major Alberts. When they were both out of sight, Bud approached Harm cautiously. "Sir, I think we should get going – court will begin in five minutes." Lost in his thoughts, Harm just nodded in agreement.
* * * * *
1857 ZULU
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Admiral Chegwidden was still staring at his phone when he acknowledged the presence of Petty Officer Coates in the doorway of his office. "Are you all right, sir?" she asked, concern showing on her face.
He sighed deeply and crossed his arms on his chest. "I would be if my senior officers weren't acting up when they are on assignment."
"May I speak freely, sir?" Jennifer requested.
"Has anything ever stopped you before, Coates?" the admiral answered, lifting his gaze up to her.
She entered his office and stood in front of his desk, holding a file in front of her. "It may not be any of my business, sir, but I think you could use some vacation." The admiral leaned forward, ready to interrupt her, but she went on rapidly. "I know it hadn't been easy for you since Christmas, with whatever happened with Professor Cavanaugh and with the attitude of your senior staff. Commander Turner came back this morning from his assignment in Pensacola, so he could replace you as the acting JAG for a few days if you decided to take the rest of the week for yourself."
"And what would I do during those few days off?" he inquired, reclining in his chair.
"Well, there's a flight leaving in an hour and a half for Hawaii, sir. You could enjoy the peace of the sandy beaches while keeping an eye on the colonel and the commander. I'll make sure there's a ticket ready for you at the airline counter while someone drives you to the airport, sir."
"You know what scares me sometimes, Coates?" the admiral asked, standing to walk in front of his desk and lean on it, his arms still crossed over his chest.
"No, sir," Jennifer answered, now standing at attention.
"It's that you're right." A half-hearted smile spread on his face. "You're the boldest yeoman I ever had, but you're damn right. Inform Commander Turner that he'll come with me to the airport, so I'll brief him on the way about what's going on."
"Aye, aye, sir," she responded, doing a perfect about-face before heading for her desk. The door was almost closed when the admiral spoke again, "And Coates, thank you."
She only smiled before she closed the door completely, leaving the admiral wondering how a couple of days on a tropical beach could ease all his problems.
* * * * *
2043 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
Bud was driving Commander Rabb and Captain Lewin to the hospital. Colonel Mackenzie and Major Alberts were in another car right behind them. Despite Harm's plea, Mac had requested and obtained earlier a 24-hour continuance for the case, until the preliminary results from NCIS could be obtained. They were all about to leave the court for different directions when a bailiff handed Mac a message from Ms Graham. Upon reading the note, the Colonel had said something about being glad the final charges hadn't been deposited yet. Marty hadn't woken up this morning; he had fallen into some kind of coma.
Ms Graham was sitting on her grandson's bed, holding his right hand tightly in hers. With her other hand, she was continuously brushing back a loose lock of blond hair on the child's forehead. Bud decided to stay out of the room. Marty looked a lot like little AJ and it was too painful for him to watch the little boy in the hospital bed, remembering that his own son could have ended up in such a place when he ran away a few weeks ago. Mac seemed to have understood his apprehensions as she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly on her way in. Major Alberts stayed in the hall too, as the small hospital room was already crowded.
* * * * *
Christopher approached the bed slowly, his eyes locked on his son. He took carefully the free hand that was lying on the sheet and brought it to his heart. "Marty, it's Daddy. I'm not gonna leave this time. You have to wake up. Please son, don't leave me alone." His voice was merely a whisper. After a few minutes, Lewin finally lifted his gaze to the old woman in front of him, and then noticed the doctor standing at the end of the bed. "Doctor, what happened? Yesterday, he was all right – how could something like that happen?" he begged.
"Your son didn't wake up this morning when we checked his vitals," the physician answered in a professional tone. "Shortly after that, he started having more problems breathing, so we had to put a tube down his throat. Even if he emerges from his coma, he wouldn't be able to speak for a while as the tube might temporarily damage his vocal cords."
Commander Rabb interrupted the doctor in his explanations. "Why do you say 'If -' and not 'When he'll emerge from his coma'?" the lawyer asked.
"Because we ran some tests this morning to determine the cause of his unconsciousness, and noticed that he suffers from renal failure. We're trying to stabilise his condition with a special medication, but we're not a paediatric centre and we don't have the adequate dialysis system. Tomorrow, a C-130 will transport him to Miramar for the adequate treatment."
"Any idea of what might have caused the renal failure, doctor?" Colonel Mackenzie asked.
"Not yet, Ma'am. We're still running tests to determine what happened exactly."
"Could all those symptoms have been induced by some kind of drug?" she continued questioning.
"Everything is possible, Colonel," the doctor replied. "If you have suspicions on any substance, bring it here and we'll analyse Marty's blood accordingly."
Christopher was lost in his own world, where only his son was present. He heard the discussion between the lawyers and the doctor, but his brain was unable to process it correctly. He only deciphered from the colonel's intonation that she was considering him as a suspect for his son's condition. Suddenly, he realised that she might wanted to take him away from Marty, but he was too exhausted to fight back. "Ma'am," he asked gently, "may I stay with my son until he gets better, please?" He noticed that while she was staring at the boy, the commander was studying her intently, waiting for her answer.
"Lewin, you're suspected of killing your ex-wife and I believe you could have caused your son's health issue. Do you really think I'll leave you here with him?" Her voice was glacial.
"Mac," the commander intervened, "we can place him under constant surveillance in this room instead of the brig. If Mattie were sick, I know I wouldn't let anybody take me away from her."
"So now, you think that because I don't have the charge of a child, I have no feelings?" she fought back.
"Mac, please don't start this. All I say is that my client deserves the right to stay at his child's bedside until the boy gets better."
"Okay. I'll suggest to the convening authority to allow Captain Lewin to be detained here until further notice," she conceded after a long silence, before she held her hand warningly. "But I want a security guard in front of the bed every single moment, to make sure he won't try to take his son's life, and another guard in the room, in front of the door. If he needs to get out of the room for any reason, he will have to be cuffed." She had pronounced every word distinctly, emphasising them. "And only if Ms Graham accepts his presence."
Christopher lifted his gaze to his ex-mother-in-law and questioned her with his eyes. "I accept, Colonel," she answered, softly. "Even though he might have killed my daughter, I know what it feels like to lose a child. I wish I could have been there for Maria, and I won't deny this man the possibility to nurse his son when he needs it the most."
Relieved by the arrangement, Christopher returned his whole attention to Marty and didn't even notice when the two lawyers left the room.
* * * * *
0015 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
For the second time that day, Major Alberts was walking in the dark corridors of the hospital's basement. The snapping of the colonel's heels on the tile floor was the only sound heard. Before leading the JAG officers to the morgue, he had showed the NCIS team the facilities, including the laboratories and the autopsy room.
"Alberts, when did they arrive?" Commander Rabb broke the heavy silence.
"They were here on lunchtime, sir," Nicolas replied, as he held the door of an office in front of the autopsy room.
"How many people did they send us?" Colonel Mackenzie inquired, before entering the room.
"One pathologist, one technician and four forensic experts," he answered, as he followed her in the office. "Sir, Ma'am, sir, I'd like to introduce you..."
"Terry!" Commander Rabb interrupted him, greeting the blond commander warmly.
"I should have known you were involved in this," Teresa Coulter responded, shaking his hand cordially. "Who else could have enough power to send me here?"
"Good afternoon, Teresa," Mac added. "We had no idea you were coming, but I'm very glad you're here. We'll need all your knowledge on this case."
"I'll be eager to help you, but I still have nothing yet. I have to meet the physician who studied the body first, and I have to look over everything by myself, to have my own opinion." She continued, presenting the persons she was working with. "Stephanie Morris will stay here with me to do the analyses, but Andy Ross, Peter Olson, Natalie Burke and Judy King are here to search for evidence. Just indicate to them where they should start, and we should have answers for you shortly."
"The court is in recess until 1000 tomorrow morning – do you think it would be possible to have preliminary findings by then?" Mac inquired. "And Marty, the victim's son, presents some of the symptoms his mother had. Can you verify if it could have been caused by some kind of drug? He is now in the ICU; they can send you a blood sample as soon as you want it."
"I'll do my best. I'll probably be working on this a good part of the night, so come here before the trial tomorrow and I should be able to give you some information then." That being said, Commander Coulter rose from her chair. "But for this, I have to get going, so if you'll excuse me. I hope we'll have time to have lunch before I leave, Harm," she said, shaking his hand once again. "Colonel, Major, Lieutenant, I'll see you tomorrow."
The technician followed the pathologist in the lab and the four forensic experts waited to be briefed for their new assignment and left the room, the lawyers right behind them.
* * * * *
0839 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
Admiral Chegwidden finally reached the guesthouse at the entrance of the base. As soon as he crossed through the door, a lady in her mid-fifties appeared behind the desk. "Good evening, sir. You should be Admiral Chegwidden. My name is Melinda. I'm the host of this place. Your yeoman informed me of your late arrival, so your bedroom is ready for you," she greeted him, handing him a key. "The room 103 is the second one on your right. It is really quiet this week; the few patrons are gone on a special mission, so you'll be our only guest for two nights. Naturally, breakfast is included, so you'll just have to tell me what you'd prefer, and it will be ready when you need it."
The admiral was impressed with her warm smile. "Thank you, Ma'am. Honestly, I'm exhausted right now, but I'll try to be more talkative in the morning. If you'll excuse me," he smiled in return and took the proffered key. 'A good night sleep is all I need,' he thought as he entered his room, placing his luggage in the cupboard before he slipped under the sheets.
* * * * *
1012 ZULU
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
The room was quiet. The only sound breaking the silence was the steady beeps of the machines surrounding the little child. The once unbearable pain was at present acceptable with all the drugs the doctors gave him. He was now able to breathe with ease; it was so much better than earlier. Suddenly, someone lit up the lamp beside his bed, and a blond woman approached slowly, taking carefully his hand in hers. Her hands were warm, and the young boy was not as cold as he felt before. Finally, she came close enough for Marty to recognise her features in the haze that was enveloping her. 'Mommy!' A second later, the room became perfectly silent.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
