AN: I'm so grateful for all of the reviews. Thanks a lot!
Part 4: Unemployed
May 27th 2003
The next morning Mac and Harm walked into the office together. They had spent the night in the hospital with Elena. Harm had come in to the office to see if they could some how forget about his resignation so he could resume his duty and Mac needed to ask for additional leave time since Elena wouldn't be allowed to go to daycare yet for a while because of the risk of infections.
They came to attention in front of the admiral and he told them to stand at ease.
"I'm sorry, Commander, but you've been a civilian for the last 72 hours," he told Harm truly apologetic.
"But sir, he saved my life. He saved my daughter's life," Mac couldn't believe that Harm wasn't let back in and the tone of her voice was closing in on the limit of what was OK for a subordinate.
"I understand that it might be hard for you to believe, but even two-star admirals have superiors who tell them what to do," the admiral answered back harshly now looking at Mac. Even though Lindsey's audit had been rebutted and through Singer's murder been given even less credibility, Admiral Chegwidden had lost some of his abilities to make creative 'assignments' for his staff. That was what had forced him to not let Harm go look for Mac and make the paper work for his resignation go through. That's what he explained in a little softer tone to the two officers, as two officers was the only way he could think about the two of them, standing in front of him. Eventually he dismissed them and Harm followed Mac into her office and closed the door behind them.
Mac had gone to her office room to look at the papers that had gathered there during her time away and check her messages. Sturgis had cleaned it up and taken all the cases that needed to be reassigned to the admiral when she had been admitted to the Hospital exactly one month ago but in her absence some reports and files had somehow ended up on her desk.
"I'm so sorry, Harm. I was so sure he'd take you back," Mac glanced over her desk and sunk into her chair. She closed her eyes trying to shut everything out.
"Well, it seems like it wasn't really up to him," Harm said. He was just as shocked about it as Mac was. He sat down in one of the visitors' chairs.
"I don't know if I can continue to do this?"
"Do what?" Harm was confused about what she meant.
"Go to work here for them... without you. Maybe I should just resign too."
"Mac, I don't want you to do that."
"Why not? You did it for me, I can do it for you," Mac wanted so desperately to show her loyalty. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her.
"I did that to save your life. My life isn't in danger here and you don't have to do that to show your loyalty to me. Honestly Mac, you belong here and you should stay," he had understood what she had tried to do, but that wasn't necessary.
"But it will be better for me too. I can find a job with less travels and better hours, that will work better for me and Elena."
"If you resign for that reason, I won't stop you, but I don't want you to do it for me, please. Don't put that on top of our relationship too. Why don't you take the rest of your maternity leave and think about it and if you still want to quit then, you can do it after you've thought it through and not now in the heat of the moment."
"I'll wait, but I'm still not sure I'll want to come back here," Mac was insecure about the whole thing. She had thought that when she came home from Paraguay with Elena everything would go back to normal again and they would all be able to go on with their lives.
"So what are you going to do now?" she asked Harm.
"I don't know. I'll find a job, you don't need to worry about that, Mac," he said "One thing I want you to know for sure and that is that I don't regret going after you. I never will."
TBC
Part 4: Unemployed
May 27th 2003
The next morning Mac and Harm walked into the office together. They had spent the night in the hospital with Elena. Harm had come in to the office to see if they could some how forget about his resignation so he could resume his duty and Mac needed to ask for additional leave time since Elena wouldn't be allowed to go to daycare yet for a while because of the risk of infections.
They came to attention in front of the admiral and he told them to stand at ease.
"I'm sorry, Commander, but you've been a civilian for the last 72 hours," he told Harm truly apologetic.
"But sir, he saved my life. He saved my daughter's life," Mac couldn't believe that Harm wasn't let back in and the tone of her voice was closing in on the limit of what was OK for a subordinate.
"I understand that it might be hard for you to believe, but even two-star admirals have superiors who tell them what to do," the admiral answered back harshly now looking at Mac. Even though Lindsey's audit had been rebutted and through Singer's murder been given even less credibility, Admiral Chegwidden had lost some of his abilities to make creative 'assignments' for his staff. That was what had forced him to not let Harm go look for Mac and make the paper work for his resignation go through. That's what he explained in a little softer tone to the two officers, as two officers was the only way he could think about the two of them, standing in front of him. Eventually he dismissed them and Harm followed Mac into her office and closed the door behind them.
Mac had gone to her office room to look at the papers that had gathered there during her time away and check her messages. Sturgis had cleaned it up and taken all the cases that needed to be reassigned to the admiral when she had been admitted to the Hospital exactly one month ago but in her absence some reports and files had somehow ended up on her desk.
"I'm so sorry, Harm. I was so sure he'd take you back," Mac glanced over her desk and sunk into her chair. She closed her eyes trying to shut everything out.
"Well, it seems like it wasn't really up to him," Harm said. He was just as shocked about it as Mac was. He sat down in one of the visitors' chairs.
"I don't know if I can continue to do this?"
"Do what?" Harm was confused about what she meant.
"Go to work here for them... without you. Maybe I should just resign too."
"Mac, I don't want you to do that."
"Why not? You did it for me, I can do it for you," Mac wanted so desperately to show her loyalty. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her.
"I did that to save your life. My life isn't in danger here and you don't have to do that to show your loyalty to me. Honestly Mac, you belong here and you should stay," he had understood what she had tried to do, but that wasn't necessary.
"But it will be better for me too. I can find a job with less travels and better hours, that will work better for me and Elena."
"If you resign for that reason, I won't stop you, but I don't want you to do it for me, please. Don't put that on top of our relationship too. Why don't you take the rest of your maternity leave and think about it and if you still want to quit then, you can do it after you've thought it through and not now in the heat of the moment."
"I'll wait, but I'm still not sure I'll want to come back here," Mac was insecure about the whole thing. She had thought that when she came home from Paraguay with Elena everything would go back to normal again and they would all be able to go on with their lives.
"So what are you going to do now?" she asked Harm.
"I don't know. I'll find a job, you don't need to worry about that, Mac," he said "One thing I want you to know for sure and that is that I don't regret going after you. I never will."
TBC