A/N: I didn't post a disclaimer thingy, did I? I never do...but I believe you
all probably already know that I'm broke and don't own anything anyway,
right? Okay then! On with the story!
More Than Enough
Chapter Two
"Lieutenant, I'm going to need those files on my desk by the end of the day!" Harm hollered from his office. Suddenly, he heard a soft buzzing sound. On his desk, his phone was vibrating, and about to fall onto the floor.
He flipped it open. It wasn't a call, but an email. 'If you get this, we're at Mac's! We're in tr...' The message stopped right there. Harm's eyebrow raised, first, in curiosity, then worry, and finally alarm. It was about then that Bud ran into Harm's office with his phone held out in front of him like it was a bomb.
"Sir, look at this email from Harriet! It just cuts off! And they're not back from lunch yet, sir!" Bud yelped.
Harm frowned deeply. "Bud, she just sent me the same email. What do you think she was trying to tell us?" he wondered, but he was already heading towards his office door.
"I don't know sir. But whatever it is, it's not like the Colonel to be late for anything; Harriet would never try to deliberately scare me to death. I say we head to the Colonel's house and see what the hell's going on, sir..."
The Admiral was just coming out of his office when Harm and Bud reached the elevator. "Commander, I have to ask you about the Middleman case!" the Admiral called.
"Not now, sir! Something is wrong at Mac's house, and Lt. Roberts and me are going to go check it out! We'll be back as soon as possible!" Harm replied.
Harriet crawled over to Mac. She still wasn't awake, but at least the man was gone. It was all over. Harriet wrapped Mac in a hug and held her close. She could hear Mac's breathing. It was shallow, but not irregular. "It's all right, Sara," Harriet cried. "We'll be fine. I promise. Bud and Harm will be here soon, and we are going to be just fine..." She said this as if she were trying to convince herself of its truth.
Mac's apartment was twenty minutes away from the JAG Headquarters in Falls Church. Harriet sat with Mac the entire time. It was nearly three o' clock by the time Harriet heard the hinges on Mac's front door squeak again.
"Bud?" Harriet cried. "Bud! Bud! We're in the bedroom!" Harriet sobbed to him. "We're back here!"
Harriet could hear the footsteps, and she heaved a sigh of relief. When Bud and Harm ran into the room, both nearly screamed.
"What the HELL happened in here? Oh, my god...are you two all right? What happened, Harriet?" demanded Harm.
Harriet opened her mouth as if she were about to tell him everything. But instead, she only started to cry more.
"Honey, you need to tell us what happened to you and Mac. We've got to get the both of you to the hospital..." Bud whispered.
Harriet choked back another sob. "Bud...we were trying to get a file..." she began. "There was someone here, Bud...a man. I think he knew Mac. He beat her, Bud...and then...." Harriet gasped and started to cry again. "We were raped, Bud! He had a gun...and he beat Mac! She was unconscious... she still is..." Harriet broke down.
Harm's face was an indescribable shade of red. "Come on. We're taking you to a hospital." He bent down and picked Mac up. Bud stood and lifted Harriet up off the ground. "And that son-of-a-bitch had better hope I never meet him..." he swore under his breath.
At Bethesda, Harm and Bud rushed Harriet and Mac into the emergency room. The doctors took them back immediately.
"And what is your relationship to the patient?" asked the doctor.
Bud answered. "Harriet is my wife. We are very close friends with the Colonel. The incident happened at her apartment." He explained.
Several hours later, Bud and Harm could be found twiddling their thumbs outside the hospital room, waiting for the news from the doctors. The doctor they had talked to earlier stepped out of the room.
He sighed. "The rape test kit certainly confirms it," he frowned. His eyes were looking to the floor. "This is one of the more brutal cases I've seen...but they will both make a full recovery. The Colonel is awake now. If you guys want to visit, I think it should be all right for now. We're going to keep them at the hospital over night to monitor them, but after that, you should be able to take them home...." The doctor paused for a moment.
"What is it, doctor?" asked Harm.
"Does the Colonel live by herself?" he asked.
He nodded. "Yes."
The doctor frowned. "That won't do. Especially if the attack happened in her house. When you do take her home, take her somewhere other than her place for a while, and make sure you don't leave them alone, all right?"
"No problem." Harm agreed.
Harm and Bud were finally permitted to visit Harriet and Mac. As they entered, a nurse was leaving, and Mac was slipping back on her hospital robe. Harm cringed. She was severely bruised, and her face was cut in several places. Her left eye was blacker than any he had ever seen.
He sighed. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered.
"About this?" Mac's voice was harsh. "You couldn't have done anything, Harm. You don't have to be sorry. None of this was your fault..." she coughed.
"Colonel? Mac..." Harriet whispered. "Who was he? He called you Sara...like he knew you or something..."
Mac looked over, as if she just realized that Harriet was in the room for the first time. "Oh god, Harriet. I'm so sorry this had to happen to you. That man...he was so familiar to me...someone from my past...and you...I brought you into the wrong place at the wrong time..." Mac cried.
"No, Mac! None of this was your fault either, damn it!" screamed Harm. "If the blame is anyone's, it's that asshole who did this to you guys! What's his name?" Harm asked.
Mac shook her head. "That's just it, Harm. I can't remember. He was so familiar...but I can't remember who he is..." She sighed, and limped over to a chair across from the bed she had been sitting on. She had a pained look on her face.
Almost as soon as she had sat down, the Admiral came running into the room, his highly polished shoes nearly causing him to collide with the wall. "Oh god...I came as soon as I heard!" he gasped. "Are you two all right? Did they catch whomever it is that did this to you?" the Admiral frowned and sat on the bed where Mac had been only moments before. "How could this happen?" he wondered out loud. "You look awful. I'm so sorry this had to happen to you..." he apologized.
"Sir, why are you apologizing?" demanded Harriet. "We've already told Harm, it's not like you did anything wrong...and what could you have done to help us..." Harriet got quiet, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she shivered. "...It's not your fault," she whispered.
"Are you all right, sweetie?" Bud whispered. "Just breathe. You'll be all right..." he smiled as best he could.
The doctor and several nurses had reappeared in the room again. The doctor pulled Harm, Bud, and the Admiral aside.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave. Ordinarily, visiting hours would go until ten pm, but we would like to run some other tests tonight, and there are some investigators and a police sketch artist coming in like half an hour...." He explained.
The Admiral shook his head. "Don't you hand this case over to the civilian authorities." He warned him. "Those are officers in there...and more importantly, they are my officers. I want any information that is collected in this case tonight on my desk tomorrow morning, you hear? These were my people, and my people will lead the investigation. You tell the DCPD, if they have problems with complying to this order, they can speak to me and the Secretary of the Navy. In fact...let me write it down for them...." The Admiral took out his pen and wrote everything down quickly. "You make sure you give this to him, all right, doc?"
The doctor nodded. "I understand."
Harm drove home. He found himself again throwing things against the walls. His cover sat unattended on the floor. He laid his phone down so that it was off the hook. He could hear the beeping sound, but that was better than having to talk to anyone...
Why had this happened to two of his best friends? Why hadn't he been there? Had he and Mac not been fighting, it probably would have been he who took her out to lunch, and maybe, her and Harriet wouldn't be in the situation that they were in. He wanted to hit something, anything, to make himself feel better. He could only imagine how awful Harriet and Mac probably felt. Mac had always been good at hiding the way she felt from people...but Harm had noticed the look in Harriet's eyes...he had noticed how quiet she had gotten, and how detached she was...it was all terrible.
His cell phone was vibrating again. He thought about just turning it off, but thought better of it and answered it. "Rabb here. What do you want?" he demanded sharply.
"Commander Rabb? This is Dr. Hastings, from Bethesda."
"Where else would you be from?" growled Harm. "The last time I even set foot in a hospital other than Bethesda, I was on a carrier in the Pacific Ocean..."
The doctor sighed loud enough that Harm could hear him. "I am sorry to be calling you so late," he frowned. "They finally went to sleep...but Ms. Mackenzie was having nightmares. She was yelling for you...the nurses figured I'd better call you before she wakes the whole floor up..." he whispered.
"Really? Hold tight. I'll be there in half an hour," Harm promised. He clicked his phone shut, and sighed deeply.
"She's awake now," the doctor informed him. "They both are. I don't think they'll be sleeping that well tonight. Would you like to stay here with them? I could have the nurses bring in extra pillows and blankets. That chair over there folds out..." the doctor pointed.
Harm nodded. "Yeah, if it would be all right," he turned to Harriet. "Harriet, you want me to call Bud for you?" he asked her.
"No, AJ and Jimmy are at home with him. I don't want them to see me like this. I don't want them to see their mommy like this, Harm..." she began to tear up.
Harm held up his hands. "It's all right. I understand," he smiled. "I'll stay here. I'll keep you guys company..." he offered.
"Thanks, Harm..." they chorused.
Harm sat in his chair. He was sprawled out at an odd angle, and the blanket the nurses had brought to him was at least a foot and a half too short for his body. He didn't mind though. On one side of him was Harriet, and on the other, Mac. Neither one slept that night. To Harm, they looked as if they were afraid to shut their eyes...afraid to let their guard down, and he could understand.
No you can't, he scolded himself. You couldn't possibly comprehend what they must be going through, you idiot. How dare you think like that. His brow furrowed with his efforts not to yell in anger. His anger finally subsided, if only momentarily, and he continued to watch Harriet and Mac. At around four in the morning, Harriet finally permitted herself to close her eyes. Nearly an hour later, Mac did the same.
At six in the morning, nearly an hour after Mac had finally drifted off to sleep, someone shook Harm awake. The man was unfamiliar, and he wore a DC Police Department jacket.
"What do you want?" Harm demanded violently.
The man took a step back. "Sorry to startle you, sir. I'm supposed to give this to you. It's all the evidence we've collected on the case so far. Good luck with it." The man nodded.
Harm took the file folder from the man's hands, and stared at it for several minutes. He did not dare open it. He didn't want to see the photos...he didn't want to read about what had happened. It was all already too real. He glanced at Harriet and Mac, who were still sleeping soundlessly in their hospital beds. He looked at the file folder again. He certainly didn't want to be the one who had to handle this case, but he had to. He had to figure it out for Harriet, and he had to figure it out for Mac. God help the stupid asshole who did this to them...because when Harm found him...
A/N: I hope you all like this so far!
More Than Enough
Chapter Two
"Lieutenant, I'm going to need those files on my desk by the end of the day!" Harm hollered from his office. Suddenly, he heard a soft buzzing sound. On his desk, his phone was vibrating, and about to fall onto the floor.
He flipped it open. It wasn't a call, but an email. 'If you get this, we're at Mac's! We're in tr...' The message stopped right there. Harm's eyebrow raised, first, in curiosity, then worry, and finally alarm. It was about then that Bud ran into Harm's office with his phone held out in front of him like it was a bomb.
"Sir, look at this email from Harriet! It just cuts off! And they're not back from lunch yet, sir!" Bud yelped.
Harm frowned deeply. "Bud, she just sent me the same email. What do you think she was trying to tell us?" he wondered, but he was already heading towards his office door.
"I don't know sir. But whatever it is, it's not like the Colonel to be late for anything; Harriet would never try to deliberately scare me to death. I say we head to the Colonel's house and see what the hell's going on, sir..."
The Admiral was just coming out of his office when Harm and Bud reached the elevator. "Commander, I have to ask you about the Middleman case!" the Admiral called.
"Not now, sir! Something is wrong at Mac's house, and Lt. Roberts and me are going to go check it out! We'll be back as soon as possible!" Harm replied.
Harriet crawled over to Mac. She still wasn't awake, but at least the man was gone. It was all over. Harriet wrapped Mac in a hug and held her close. She could hear Mac's breathing. It was shallow, but not irregular. "It's all right, Sara," Harriet cried. "We'll be fine. I promise. Bud and Harm will be here soon, and we are going to be just fine..." She said this as if she were trying to convince herself of its truth.
Mac's apartment was twenty minutes away from the JAG Headquarters in Falls Church. Harriet sat with Mac the entire time. It was nearly three o' clock by the time Harriet heard the hinges on Mac's front door squeak again.
"Bud?" Harriet cried. "Bud! Bud! We're in the bedroom!" Harriet sobbed to him. "We're back here!"
Harriet could hear the footsteps, and she heaved a sigh of relief. When Bud and Harm ran into the room, both nearly screamed.
"What the HELL happened in here? Oh, my god...are you two all right? What happened, Harriet?" demanded Harm.
Harriet opened her mouth as if she were about to tell him everything. But instead, she only started to cry more.
"Honey, you need to tell us what happened to you and Mac. We've got to get the both of you to the hospital..." Bud whispered.
Harriet choked back another sob. "Bud...we were trying to get a file..." she began. "There was someone here, Bud...a man. I think he knew Mac. He beat her, Bud...and then...." Harriet gasped and started to cry again. "We were raped, Bud! He had a gun...and he beat Mac! She was unconscious... she still is..." Harriet broke down.
Harm's face was an indescribable shade of red. "Come on. We're taking you to a hospital." He bent down and picked Mac up. Bud stood and lifted Harriet up off the ground. "And that son-of-a-bitch had better hope I never meet him..." he swore under his breath.
At Bethesda, Harm and Bud rushed Harriet and Mac into the emergency room. The doctors took them back immediately.
"And what is your relationship to the patient?" asked the doctor.
Bud answered. "Harriet is my wife. We are very close friends with the Colonel. The incident happened at her apartment." He explained.
Several hours later, Bud and Harm could be found twiddling their thumbs outside the hospital room, waiting for the news from the doctors. The doctor they had talked to earlier stepped out of the room.
He sighed. "The rape test kit certainly confirms it," he frowned. His eyes were looking to the floor. "This is one of the more brutal cases I've seen...but they will both make a full recovery. The Colonel is awake now. If you guys want to visit, I think it should be all right for now. We're going to keep them at the hospital over night to monitor them, but after that, you should be able to take them home...." The doctor paused for a moment.
"What is it, doctor?" asked Harm.
"Does the Colonel live by herself?" he asked.
He nodded. "Yes."
The doctor frowned. "That won't do. Especially if the attack happened in her house. When you do take her home, take her somewhere other than her place for a while, and make sure you don't leave them alone, all right?"
"No problem." Harm agreed.
Harm and Bud were finally permitted to visit Harriet and Mac. As they entered, a nurse was leaving, and Mac was slipping back on her hospital robe. Harm cringed. She was severely bruised, and her face was cut in several places. Her left eye was blacker than any he had ever seen.
He sighed. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered.
"About this?" Mac's voice was harsh. "You couldn't have done anything, Harm. You don't have to be sorry. None of this was your fault..." she coughed.
"Colonel? Mac..." Harriet whispered. "Who was he? He called you Sara...like he knew you or something..."
Mac looked over, as if she just realized that Harriet was in the room for the first time. "Oh god, Harriet. I'm so sorry this had to happen to you. That man...he was so familiar to me...someone from my past...and you...I brought you into the wrong place at the wrong time..." Mac cried.
"No, Mac! None of this was your fault either, damn it!" screamed Harm. "If the blame is anyone's, it's that asshole who did this to you guys! What's his name?" Harm asked.
Mac shook her head. "That's just it, Harm. I can't remember. He was so familiar...but I can't remember who he is..." She sighed, and limped over to a chair across from the bed she had been sitting on. She had a pained look on her face.
Almost as soon as she had sat down, the Admiral came running into the room, his highly polished shoes nearly causing him to collide with the wall. "Oh god...I came as soon as I heard!" he gasped. "Are you two all right? Did they catch whomever it is that did this to you?" the Admiral frowned and sat on the bed where Mac had been only moments before. "How could this happen?" he wondered out loud. "You look awful. I'm so sorry this had to happen to you..." he apologized.
"Sir, why are you apologizing?" demanded Harriet. "We've already told Harm, it's not like you did anything wrong...and what could you have done to help us..." Harriet got quiet, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she shivered. "...It's not your fault," she whispered.
"Are you all right, sweetie?" Bud whispered. "Just breathe. You'll be all right..." he smiled as best he could.
The doctor and several nurses had reappeared in the room again. The doctor pulled Harm, Bud, and the Admiral aside.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave. Ordinarily, visiting hours would go until ten pm, but we would like to run some other tests tonight, and there are some investigators and a police sketch artist coming in like half an hour...." He explained.
The Admiral shook his head. "Don't you hand this case over to the civilian authorities." He warned him. "Those are officers in there...and more importantly, they are my officers. I want any information that is collected in this case tonight on my desk tomorrow morning, you hear? These were my people, and my people will lead the investigation. You tell the DCPD, if they have problems with complying to this order, they can speak to me and the Secretary of the Navy. In fact...let me write it down for them...." The Admiral took out his pen and wrote everything down quickly. "You make sure you give this to him, all right, doc?"
The doctor nodded. "I understand."
Harm drove home. He found himself again throwing things against the walls. His cover sat unattended on the floor. He laid his phone down so that it was off the hook. He could hear the beeping sound, but that was better than having to talk to anyone...
Why had this happened to two of his best friends? Why hadn't he been there? Had he and Mac not been fighting, it probably would have been he who took her out to lunch, and maybe, her and Harriet wouldn't be in the situation that they were in. He wanted to hit something, anything, to make himself feel better. He could only imagine how awful Harriet and Mac probably felt. Mac had always been good at hiding the way she felt from people...but Harm had noticed the look in Harriet's eyes...he had noticed how quiet she had gotten, and how detached she was...it was all terrible.
His cell phone was vibrating again. He thought about just turning it off, but thought better of it and answered it. "Rabb here. What do you want?" he demanded sharply.
"Commander Rabb? This is Dr. Hastings, from Bethesda."
"Where else would you be from?" growled Harm. "The last time I even set foot in a hospital other than Bethesda, I was on a carrier in the Pacific Ocean..."
The doctor sighed loud enough that Harm could hear him. "I am sorry to be calling you so late," he frowned. "They finally went to sleep...but Ms. Mackenzie was having nightmares. She was yelling for you...the nurses figured I'd better call you before she wakes the whole floor up..." he whispered.
"Really? Hold tight. I'll be there in half an hour," Harm promised. He clicked his phone shut, and sighed deeply.
"She's awake now," the doctor informed him. "They both are. I don't think they'll be sleeping that well tonight. Would you like to stay here with them? I could have the nurses bring in extra pillows and blankets. That chair over there folds out..." the doctor pointed.
Harm nodded. "Yeah, if it would be all right," he turned to Harriet. "Harriet, you want me to call Bud for you?" he asked her.
"No, AJ and Jimmy are at home with him. I don't want them to see me like this. I don't want them to see their mommy like this, Harm..." she began to tear up.
Harm held up his hands. "It's all right. I understand," he smiled. "I'll stay here. I'll keep you guys company..." he offered.
"Thanks, Harm..." they chorused.
Harm sat in his chair. He was sprawled out at an odd angle, and the blanket the nurses had brought to him was at least a foot and a half too short for his body. He didn't mind though. On one side of him was Harriet, and on the other, Mac. Neither one slept that night. To Harm, they looked as if they were afraid to shut their eyes...afraid to let their guard down, and he could understand.
No you can't, he scolded himself. You couldn't possibly comprehend what they must be going through, you idiot. How dare you think like that. His brow furrowed with his efforts not to yell in anger. His anger finally subsided, if only momentarily, and he continued to watch Harriet and Mac. At around four in the morning, Harriet finally permitted herself to close her eyes. Nearly an hour later, Mac did the same.
At six in the morning, nearly an hour after Mac had finally drifted off to sleep, someone shook Harm awake. The man was unfamiliar, and he wore a DC Police Department jacket.
"What do you want?" Harm demanded violently.
The man took a step back. "Sorry to startle you, sir. I'm supposed to give this to you. It's all the evidence we've collected on the case so far. Good luck with it." The man nodded.
Harm took the file folder from the man's hands, and stared at it for several minutes. He did not dare open it. He didn't want to see the photos...he didn't want to read about what had happened. It was all already too real. He glanced at Harriet and Mac, who were still sleeping soundlessly in their hospital beds. He looked at the file folder again. He certainly didn't want to be the one who had to handle this case, but he had to. He had to figure it out for Harriet, and he had to figure it out for Mac. God help the stupid asshole who did this to them...because when Harm found him...
A/N: I hope you all like this so far!