Spoilers: If it's in an episode... consider yourself forewarned!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, so thanks to Donald Bellisario for loaning them to me for a while.
A/N: As a token of my appreciation for your patience when I didn't post for three weeks due to my European travels, I'm posting this a little earlier than usual. Thanks again for all of the wonderful feedback – I enjoy reading everyone's comments and always look forward to hearing from you!!!
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Monday; 1920 Zulu; JAG Headquarters; Falls Church, Virginia
Stepping into the break room, Mac stifled a yawn and headed directly for the box of decaffeinated tea sitting on the counter next to the coffee machine. Now that she'd entered the third trimester of her pregnancy, the energy she'd experienced during the last few months had suddenly vanished. Fortunately, Harriet's advice for having a mid-afternoon cup of tea and a small snack seemed to help combat the lethargy. Grabbing a mug off of the shelf above, Mac filled it with hot water and dropped in a teabag. Then she leaned back into the counter and heaved a tired sigh.
"Hey, everything okay?"
Looking up, she caught Harm standing in the doorway, an expression of concern on his face.
"Yeah, I'm just a little worn out," she said. "Nothing to worry over."
"You sure? Because if you don't feel like going tonight, I'm sure we can reschedule," he told her, moving closer. Every day he seemed to grow more protective of both her and their child, which to Mac's surprise only made him that much more charming.
"I'm fine, Dad," she smiled. "And you know perfectly well that we can't miss our first class. I'll manage somehow, don't worry. You brought the pillow, right?"
"And some civvies for us to change into." Crossing the room, he nudged her aside and poured himself a cup of coffee. "The bag is in my car."
Before Mac could reply, their discussion was interrupted as Jennifer Coates strode into the room.
"Good afternoon, ma'am, sir." Smiling at them in greeting, Jennifer took a step in the direction of the refrigerator, then paused. "Ma'am, forgive my asking, but was that a new minivan I saw you driving in this morning?"
Mac and Harm grinned at each other. "Yes," Mac told her. "I finally realized that in a few weeks I wouldn't be able to fit into my Corvette anymore and that a bigger car was probably in order."
"It's cute – very stylish! When did you get it?"
"Over the weekend." Harm chuckled. "We went to a few different dealerships but had trouble agreeing on what we liked best."
"One didn't give enough leg room in the back seat."
"Another didn't have big enough cup holders."
"And I wanted something that came equipped with reverse sensors." When Jen looked at her questioningly, Mac shrugged. "Makes it easier to back up without having to constantly worry about replacing the bumper."
"So what made you decide on the Quest?" Opening the fridge, Jennifer pulled out a can of soda.
"It had everything we wanted," Harm said. "Not to mention that both side doors open at the touch of a button on the remote. Mac figured that would probably come in handy." Glancing with a frown at his watch, he looked at them apologetically. "Sorry to run, but I need to head out or else I'm going to be late for a client meeting. You're sure about tonight?" he asked Mac.
She nodded. "I'll meet you downstairs at seventeen hundred hours."
"Okay then." Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, Harm turned and quickly strode off out into the bullpen. Mac looked over at Jennifer, who watched the loving exchange with feigned disinterest.
"We were seriously thinking about the Ford Explorer, too," Mac said, taking a sip of tea. "But of course, Harm pushed for the minivan, which is what we finally decided to go with."
"Why that and not the Explorer?" Jen inquired.
"The Nissan dealership had a Quest in stock that had everything we wanted. We drove it off the lot the same day. But more importantly," Mac smirked, "I don't think Harm was very enthusiastic about me driving an SUV that's larger than his Lexus."
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Monday; 2303 Zulu; National Naval Medical Center; Bethesda, Maryland
"Face it, Sturgis has me dead-to-rights on this one," Mac grumbled.
On the drive to Bethesda from Falls Church, she'd asked for Harm's opinion regarding a client she had recently been assigned to defend. It was a relatively straightforward situation, but Mac knew that it would be nearly an impossible case to win and was starting to get frustrated. Even Harm, who had managed to successfully argue equally hopeless cases on a number of occasions, couldn't seem to come up with a good strategy.
"Mac, it's not as bleak as you seem to think," he said, trying to provide her with encouragement. "A few years back I personally defended a Marine Gunnery Sergeant on similar charges and was able to get them dropped."
"There were special circumstances in that case, Harm," she reminded him. "You were able to prove there was no premeditation, the Gunny didn't intend to injure his CO, and he had the skills to make the shot. That defense won't work here – Lieutenant Graves' last PFT clearly demonstrates that he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if he were aiming for one. He pulled the trigger at close range and seriously wounded his commanding officer."
Her footfalls echoed loudly on the corridor's linoleum tiles. Harm walked a few steps behind, a clean pillow tucked casually underneath his arm. He tried again.
"Still, there's no reason to believe you've lost the case before it even goes to trial."
Stopping outside of the door to the classroom, her eyes glinted with barely concealed irritation.
"A precedent also exists in the case of a junior lieutenant who was charged with attempted homicide after firing on HIS commanding officer at close range, resulting in severe bodily harm. Not only did the prosecuting attorney prove that the attack was premeditated, the defendant was found guilty on all charges and received a dishonorable discharge and fifteen years hard labor. Government vs. Marchek, 1953."
"How did you find that?"
"I'm pregnant, not incompetent." The door swung heavily on its hinges as she turned the handle and yanked it open.
He followed as she stormed into the room. "I never said you were incomp—"
Nearly plowing into her, Harm was caught off-guard when Mac stopped unexpectedly just inside the doorway. On the floor in the middle of the room sat a number of people, who now turned their heads simultaneously to look at the latecomers. A middle-aged woman stood over by the far wall, playing with the controls on the A/V unit. Glancing over, she smiled warmly at Harm and Mac.
"Come on in and make yourselves comfortable." She straightened and gestured for them to join the assembly. "We were just about to get started."
Suddenly self-conscious, the two attorneys glanced at each other uneasily, the conversation about Graves forgotten as they together stepped forward towards the others. Dropping the pillow at his feet, Harm paused to help as Mac awkwardly lowered herself to the carpeting. He joined her a few moments later, his hand lingering idly on her lower back.
"Okay, that should be everyone," said the woman at the front of the room as she turned to face the class. "First of all, welcome to Lamaze! I'm assuming you all remember signing up for this course. If you don't," she said with a wry grin, "the psychology department is located two floors down."
As expected, a ripple of uneasy laughter flowed through the group. Harm looked at Mac and gave her a small, reassuring smile. The instructor continued.
"My name is Anne Trudeau, I'm a licensed nurse practitioner, and have been teaching this course for nearly seven years now. Before we begin, though, I'd like to take a few minutes to go around and introduce ourselves." Leaning back against the desk, she crossed her ankles and motioned to Harm and Mac. "Why don't you go ahead and start?"
Their eyes met briefly in silent discussion. Why not? Mac nodded at Harm.
"I'm Harmon Rabb."
"I'm Sarah MacKenzie." Rubbing one hand across the side of her tummy, the other searched out Harm's hand. He gave her fingers a squeeze as she turned to look at him, their gazes intense with mutual excitement. "And this is our first baby."
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To be continued...
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A/N: As I'm not a lawyer and know very little about Naval case law, any mention of legal cases (except for Harm's defense of the Gunny, which was from S1 episode "High Ground") are products of my imagination and will not be found in any real law tomes. If they're not entirely plausible, please chalk it up to author's privilege.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, so thanks to Donald Bellisario for loaning them to me for a while.
A/N: As a token of my appreciation for your patience when I didn't post for three weeks due to my European travels, I'm posting this a little earlier than usual. Thanks again for all of the wonderful feedback – I enjoy reading everyone's comments and always look forward to hearing from you!!!
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Monday; 1920 Zulu; JAG Headquarters; Falls Church, Virginia
Stepping into the break room, Mac stifled a yawn and headed directly for the box of decaffeinated tea sitting on the counter next to the coffee machine. Now that she'd entered the third trimester of her pregnancy, the energy she'd experienced during the last few months had suddenly vanished. Fortunately, Harriet's advice for having a mid-afternoon cup of tea and a small snack seemed to help combat the lethargy. Grabbing a mug off of the shelf above, Mac filled it with hot water and dropped in a teabag. Then she leaned back into the counter and heaved a tired sigh.
"Hey, everything okay?"
Looking up, she caught Harm standing in the doorway, an expression of concern on his face.
"Yeah, I'm just a little worn out," she said. "Nothing to worry over."
"You sure? Because if you don't feel like going tonight, I'm sure we can reschedule," he told her, moving closer. Every day he seemed to grow more protective of both her and their child, which to Mac's surprise only made him that much more charming.
"I'm fine, Dad," she smiled. "And you know perfectly well that we can't miss our first class. I'll manage somehow, don't worry. You brought the pillow, right?"
"And some civvies for us to change into." Crossing the room, he nudged her aside and poured himself a cup of coffee. "The bag is in my car."
Before Mac could reply, their discussion was interrupted as Jennifer Coates strode into the room.
"Good afternoon, ma'am, sir." Smiling at them in greeting, Jennifer took a step in the direction of the refrigerator, then paused. "Ma'am, forgive my asking, but was that a new minivan I saw you driving in this morning?"
Mac and Harm grinned at each other. "Yes," Mac told her. "I finally realized that in a few weeks I wouldn't be able to fit into my Corvette anymore and that a bigger car was probably in order."
"It's cute – very stylish! When did you get it?"
"Over the weekend." Harm chuckled. "We went to a few different dealerships but had trouble agreeing on what we liked best."
"One didn't give enough leg room in the back seat."
"Another didn't have big enough cup holders."
"And I wanted something that came equipped with reverse sensors." When Jen looked at her questioningly, Mac shrugged. "Makes it easier to back up without having to constantly worry about replacing the bumper."
"So what made you decide on the Quest?" Opening the fridge, Jennifer pulled out a can of soda.
"It had everything we wanted," Harm said. "Not to mention that both side doors open at the touch of a button on the remote. Mac figured that would probably come in handy." Glancing with a frown at his watch, he looked at them apologetically. "Sorry to run, but I need to head out or else I'm going to be late for a client meeting. You're sure about tonight?" he asked Mac.
She nodded. "I'll meet you downstairs at seventeen hundred hours."
"Okay then." Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, Harm turned and quickly strode off out into the bullpen. Mac looked over at Jennifer, who watched the loving exchange with feigned disinterest.
"We were seriously thinking about the Ford Explorer, too," Mac said, taking a sip of tea. "But of course, Harm pushed for the minivan, which is what we finally decided to go with."
"Why that and not the Explorer?" Jen inquired.
"The Nissan dealership had a Quest in stock that had everything we wanted. We drove it off the lot the same day. But more importantly," Mac smirked, "I don't think Harm was very enthusiastic about me driving an SUV that's larger than his Lexus."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Monday; 2303 Zulu; National Naval Medical Center; Bethesda, Maryland
"Face it, Sturgis has me dead-to-rights on this one," Mac grumbled.
On the drive to Bethesda from Falls Church, she'd asked for Harm's opinion regarding a client she had recently been assigned to defend. It was a relatively straightforward situation, but Mac knew that it would be nearly an impossible case to win and was starting to get frustrated. Even Harm, who had managed to successfully argue equally hopeless cases on a number of occasions, couldn't seem to come up with a good strategy.
"Mac, it's not as bleak as you seem to think," he said, trying to provide her with encouragement. "A few years back I personally defended a Marine Gunnery Sergeant on similar charges and was able to get them dropped."
"There were special circumstances in that case, Harm," she reminded him. "You were able to prove there was no premeditation, the Gunny didn't intend to injure his CO, and he had the skills to make the shot. That defense won't work here – Lieutenant Graves' last PFT clearly demonstrates that he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if he were aiming for one. He pulled the trigger at close range and seriously wounded his commanding officer."
Her footfalls echoed loudly on the corridor's linoleum tiles. Harm walked a few steps behind, a clean pillow tucked casually underneath his arm. He tried again.
"Still, there's no reason to believe you've lost the case before it even goes to trial."
Stopping outside of the door to the classroom, her eyes glinted with barely concealed irritation.
"A precedent also exists in the case of a junior lieutenant who was charged with attempted homicide after firing on HIS commanding officer at close range, resulting in severe bodily harm. Not only did the prosecuting attorney prove that the attack was premeditated, the defendant was found guilty on all charges and received a dishonorable discharge and fifteen years hard labor. Government vs. Marchek, 1953."
"How did you find that?"
"I'm pregnant, not incompetent." The door swung heavily on its hinges as she turned the handle and yanked it open.
He followed as she stormed into the room. "I never said you were incomp—"
Nearly plowing into her, Harm was caught off-guard when Mac stopped unexpectedly just inside the doorway. On the floor in the middle of the room sat a number of people, who now turned their heads simultaneously to look at the latecomers. A middle-aged woman stood over by the far wall, playing with the controls on the A/V unit. Glancing over, she smiled warmly at Harm and Mac.
"Come on in and make yourselves comfortable." She straightened and gestured for them to join the assembly. "We were just about to get started."
Suddenly self-conscious, the two attorneys glanced at each other uneasily, the conversation about Graves forgotten as they together stepped forward towards the others. Dropping the pillow at his feet, Harm paused to help as Mac awkwardly lowered herself to the carpeting. He joined her a few moments later, his hand lingering idly on her lower back.
"Okay, that should be everyone," said the woman at the front of the room as she turned to face the class. "First of all, welcome to Lamaze! I'm assuming you all remember signing up for this course. If you don't," she said with a wry grin, "the psychology department is located two floors down."
As expected, a ripple of uneasy laughter flowed through the group. Harm looked at Mac and gave her a small, reassuring smile. The instructor continued.
"My name is Anne Trudeau, I'm a licensed nurse practitioner, and have been teaching this course for nearly seven years now. Before we begin, though, I'd like to take a few minutes to go around and introduce ourselves." Leaning back against the desk, she crossed her ankles and motioned to Harm and Mac. "Why don't you go ahead and start?"
Their eyes met briefly in silent discussion. Why not? Mac nodded at Harm.
"I'm Harmon Rabb."
"I'm Sarah MacKenzie." Rubbing one hand across the side of her tummy, the other searched out Harm's hand. He gave her fingers a squeeze as she turned to look at him, their gazes intense with mutual excitement. "And this is our first baby."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
To be continued...
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
A/N: As I'm not a lawyer and know very little about Naval case law, any mention of legal cases (except for Harm's defense of the Gunny, which was from S1 episode "High Ground") are products of my imagination and will not be found in any real law tomes. If they're not entirely plausible, please chalk it up to author's privilege.