Chapter 5
Later that evening Mac's apartment Georgetown
"Well, well. Right on time. Getting old must be agreeing with you." Mac teased.
"Wait till YOU'RE almost 40, pay back is hell marine." Harm loved how they'd grown closer again since Christmas. It was nice feeling comfortable enough to return to the old banter. He had missed that so over the last year.
"I've already ordered the pizza, half and half, standard issue." Mac explained as she pulled some dishes from the cabinet. "What would you like to drink?" she asked.
"Water will be fine. Trying to stay away from the calories in pop or beer." It worked with the lemon drops. He hoped, maybe this would be a better approach than the coffee.
Harm was delighted to see Mac eating the pizza with her usual enthusiasm.
"Mac, how come you didn't get meat lovers on your half, just extra cheese?" Harm was a little curious.
Hesitant to respond, Mac paused, finally resigned, she answered, "Well, meat hasn't been sitting well with me lately so I thought I'd just do extra cheese tonight."
Mac was relieved Harm didn't take this opportunity to tease her. She had avoided mentioning her bout with meat for fear of his reaction. Maybe she underestimated her squid. Then again, hmn.
Finished with dinner, Harm walked over by the tv in the living room. "Do you want to see what's on tv, watch a movie, or should I just leave the stereo on?"
Cleaning up the last of the mess in the kitchen, Mac popped her head out the doorway, "I think music would be nice."
Harm picked out a cd with a combination of Jazz musicians. Something light, relaxing would work. Sitting down on the sofa, he watched Mac walk in and sit down beside him.
"You look beat." Knowing Mac, she was already probably pushing herself too hard.
"Why don't you sit here." Harm threw a cushion on the floor by his feet. "Let me rub some of that stress out."
"Don't have to ask this marine twice." Mac moved enthusiastically to the comfy cushion. She nestled between his legs, sighing in perfect contentment.
Mac sat there like a rag doll. All the tension from the previous weeks had slowly rolled away under the skillful fingers of one Harmon Rabb Jr. Harm gently swirled his fingers around her neck, across her shoulders, and down her shoulder blades. He mixed hard and easy pressure with soft and deep caresses. Mac was basically melting at his touch. Her mind couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to let his fingers roam wherever they wanted. Wherever SHE wanted. She let out a deep sigh.
"You okay? Am I pressing too hard?" He wasn't quite sure how to interpret her sigh.
"No, this is heaven." Her head hung low, rolling back and forth at the will of Harm's fingers.
"You should ask Clay to do this for you." Harm couldn't think of any other way to bring him up.
Mac's shoulders tensed slightly even under Harm's masterful touch.
"Things not going well?"
"Things are not going." At Harm's continued ministrations, Mac was returning to her earlier limp state.
'If that s.o.b. is giving her a hard time about this baby, I will personally see to it he's drawn and quartered.' Harm had to make a conscious effort not to take out his irritation with Webb on Mac's soft shoulders.
Not quite sure how to get the information he wanted without giving away how much he already knew, "Hit a rough patch?" He asked nonchalantly.
"You can't hit a rough patch unless you have a smooth one first. We shared an intense experience, but you can't build a relationship on that."
"Webb has other good qualities to build a relationship on." Harm had to work really hard not to choke when he said that.
"I'm too old and too tired to waste my time trying to make something out of nothing. We'll always be friends, but there's nothing else there." She was starting to feel really agitated despite Harm's best efforts to keep her relaxed.
"When two people create something special, it's worth the effort to continue to build the relationship." Harm wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. What he really wanted was to ring Webb's scrawny little neck.
Completely confused, and a little ticked off, Mac pulled away from Harm and turned to look at him.
"What the hell has come over you? For months you have had nothing but snide remarks to make about Webb and me, and NOW you think we've created something special! You wouldn't recognize something special if it were painted on the broad side of a barn!"
"I want what's best for you, especially now." Harm tried to control his tone, he was starting to accept he was going to have to tell her he knew about the baby, and although he wished otherwise, a baby needs his father.
That was it. Mac stood up and pranced across the room to no place in particular. Turning back to face Harm, she waved both arms at him. "You think Webb is best for me?"
"Maybe now, yeah." Harm tried to sound more convinced than he actually was.
Rubbing her hands through her hair, she started to speak. A low growl was all that came out. Taking a deep breath to regroup, Mac sat down on the chair across from Harm.
"Something is going on, and you're going to tell me what it is. I know I told you Clay and I didn't have a relationship- we had one night. Remember you convinced me THAT wasn't being a whore? SO what is all this he's a jolly good fellow BS about?"
"I know, Mac." He looked down suddenly very interested in the cushion Mac had been sitting on.
"You know what?"
"I know about the baby." Harm looked her in the eye this time.
"What baby?" Mac had gone from very angry to very confused.
"Yours." Taking a deep breath, "and Webb's." He was still staring into her eyes, unsure of what they were saying.
Mac raised her hand pointing at Harm a couple of times as if she were about to say something.
Harm didn't know what to make of her silence. "Mac, say something."
"Sure." She paused another moment. "I have no earthly idea what you are talking about. I'm just sitting here trying to figure out if there's some reason you should know something I don't know- and I can't come up with a single thing that makes any sense."
"What's so difficult to understand. I know you're pregnant and I know Webb's the father."
Later that evening Mac's apartment Georgetown
"Well, well. Right on time. Getting old must be agreeing with you." Mac teased.
"Wait till YOU'RE almost 40, pay back is hell marine." Harm loved how they'd grown closer again since Christmas. It was nice feeling comfortable enough to return to the old banter. He had missed that so over the last year.
"I've already ordered the pizza, half and half, standard issue." Mac explained as she pulled some dishes from the cabinet. "What would you like to drink?" she asked.
"Water will be fine. Trying to stay away from the calories in pop or beer." It worked with the lemon drops. He hoped, maybe this would be a better approach than the coffee.
Harm was delighted to see Mac eating the pizza with her usual enthusiasm.
"Mac, how come you didn't get meat lovers on your half, just extra cheese?" Harm was a little curious.
Hesitant to respond, Mac paused, finally resigned, she answered, "Well, meat hasn't been sitting well with me lately so I thought I'd just do extra cheese tonight."
Mac was relieved Harm didn't take this opportunity to tease her. She had avoided mentioning her bout with meat for fear of his reaction. Maybe she underestimated her squid. Then again, hmn.
Finished with dinner, Harm walked over by the tv in the living room. "Do you want to see what's on tv, watch a movie, or should I just leave the stereo on?"
Cleaning up the last of the mess in the kitchen, Mac popped her head out the doorway, "I think music would be nice."
Harm picked out a cd with a combination of Jazz musicians. Something light, relaxing would work. Sitting down on the sofa, he watched Mac walk in and sit down beside him.
"You look beat." Knowing Mac, she was already probably pushing herself too hard.
"Why don't you sit here." Harm threw a cushion on the floor by his feet. "Let me rub some of that stress out."
"Don't have to ask this marine twice." Mac moved enthusiastically to the comfy cushion. She nestled between his legs, sighing in perfect contentment.
Mac sat there like a rag doll. All the tension from the previous weeks had slowly rolled away under the skillful fingers of one Harmon Rabb Jr. Harm gently swirled his fingers around her neck, across her shoulders, and down her shoulder blades. He mixed hard and easy pressure with soft and deep caresses. Mac was basically melting at his touch. Her mind couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to let his fingers roam wherever they wanted. Wherever SHE wanted. She let out a deep sigh.
"You okay? Am I pressing too hard?" He wasn't quite sure how to interpret her sigh.
"No, this is heaven." Her head hung low, rolling back and forth at the will of Harm's fingers.
"You should ask Clay to do this for you." Harm couldn't think of any other way to bring him up.
Mac's shoulders tensed slightly even under Harm's masterful touch.
"Things not going well?"
"Things are not going." At Harm's continued ministrations, Mac was returning to her earlier limp state.
'If that s.o.b. is giving her a hard time about this baby, I will personally see to it he's drawn and quartered.' Harm had to make a conscious effort not to take out his irritation with Webb on Mac's soft shoulders.
Not quite sure how to get the information he wanted without giving away how much he already knew, "Hit a rough patch?" He asked nonchalantly.
"You can't hit a rough patch unless you have a smooth one first. We shared an intense experience, but you can't build a relationship on that."
"Webb has other good qualities to build a relationship on." Harm had to work really hard not to choke when he said that.
"I'm too old and too tired to waste my time trying to make something out of nothing. We'll always be friends, but there's nothing else there." She was starting to feel really agitated despite Harm's best efforts to keep her relaxed.
"When two people create something special, it's worth the effort to continue to build the relationship." Harm wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. What he really wanted was to ring Webb's scrawny little neck.
Completely confused, and a little ticked off, Mac pulled away from Harm and turned to look at him.
"What the hell has come over you? For months you have had nothing but snide remarks to make about Webb and me, and NOW you think we've created something special! You wouldn't recognize something special if it were painted on the broad side of a barn!"
"I want what's best for you, especially now." Harm tried to control his tone, he was starting to accept he was going to have to tell her he knew about the baby, and although he wished otherwise, a baby needs his father.
That was it. Mac stood up and pranced across the room to no place in particular. Turning back to face Harm, she waved both arms at him. "You think Webb is best for me?"
"Maybe now, yeah." Harm tried to sound more convinced than he actually was.
Rubbing her hands through her hair, she started to speak. A low growl was all that came out. Taking a deep breath to regroup, Mac sat down on the chair across from Harm.
"Something is going on, and you're going to tell me what it is. I know I told you Clay and I didn't have a relationship- we had one night. Remember you convinced me THAT wasn't being a whore? SO what is all this he's a jolly good fellow BS about?"
"I know, Mac." He looked down suddenly very interested in the cushion Mac had been sitting on.
"You know what?"
"I know about the baby." Harm looked her in the eye this time.
"What baby?" Mac had gone from very angry to very confused.
"Yours." Taking a deep breath, "and Webb's." He was still staring into her eyes, unsure of what they were saying.
Mac raised her hand pointing at Harm a couple of times as if she were about to say something.
Harm didn't know what to make of her silence. "Mac, say something."
"Sure." She paused another moment. "I have no earthly idea what you are talking about. I'm just sitting here trying to figure out if there's some reason you should know something I don't know- and I can't come up with a single thing that makes any sense."
"What's so difficult to understand. I know you're pregnant and I know Webb's the father."