Monday; 1421 Zulu; JAG Headquarters; Falls Church, Virginia
By mid-March, rumors had begun to surface regarding what Admiral Chegwidden planned to do while Colonel MacKenzie was gone on maternity leave. Fast approaching the end of her pregnancy, Mac was starting to make sure all of her cases were ready to be transitioned off to other JAG attorneys. No official plans had yet been announced as to how or when that transition would occur, however, and the staff was beginning to wonder what would happen.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Morning, Harriet." Checking her email before staff call, Mac wasn't surprised when the Lieutenant appeared in her office doorway with a welcoming grin. She deleted an unwanted message and turned to face her friend. "Did you have a good weekend?"
Harriet chuckled. "It was fine. We had to take A.J. to the emergency room on Saturday, though, but otherwise—"
"What happened?!"
"You know those little pink triangular erasers?"
"Oh, no..." Relaxing a little, Mac smiled. "Let me guess – in his ear?"
"Up his nose," Harriet corrected with a shake of her head, her eyes dancing in amusement. "One in each nostril. According to the doctor, that sort of thing isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence." Her laughter subsiding, she stepped forward and changed the subject. "What about you, ma'am? How have you been feeling?"
"Like I want to drop-kick the next person who asks me that." Smiling, Mac shrugged. "I can't see my feet anymore, my ankles have swollen to the point that my shoes don't fit, and I feel like I'm approximately the size of the Goodyear Blimp. I sooo cannot wait to get back to kickboxing class."
"Believe me, I've been there," Harriet commiserated. "But you don't have too much longer to go, and trust me when I say it's worth all the misery," she grinned.
"Two weeks and counting," Mac sighed.
"Mac? Are you ready for staff call?" Interrupting, Harm stepped into the doorway beside Lieutenant Sims.
Mac smiled. "As ready as I'll ever be." Pushing her chair away from the desk, her expression turned sheepish as she glanced up at them. "Would you guys mind giving me a hand?"
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Holding the door for Mac as they entered the conference room, Harm was surprised to see an old friend grinning at him from the seat next to Admiral Chegwidden. Flashing the newcomer a hearty welcoming smile, he waited until Mac was comfortable in her chair before sitting himself. Now that everyone was present, the Admiral began the meeting without preamble.
"I'm sure most of you remember Commander Caitlin Pike," he said. "Effective immediately, Kate is TAD to JAG Headquarters to provide coverage while Colonel MacKenzie is out on leave. Colonel, you'll begin transitioning your caseload over to Commander Pike starting this afternoon."
"Aye, sir."
Chegwidden continued. "The remainder of the Colonel's responsibilities will be divided between the rest of you as follows..."
With the characteristic efficiency everyone had come to expect from the former SEAL, the Admiral detailed out the new allocation of tasks and then proceeded onto the usual agenda. An hour later, once the meeting had adjourned, Harm, Mac and Kate lingered behind in the room as the other attorneys headed back out into JAG Ops. As the door swung closed, Kate turned with a grin to Harm and gave him a bear hug.
"It is so good to see you!" she laughed loudly.
"You too, Kate." Patting her on the back, Harm smiled at Mac and pulled away. "It's been what, three years?"
"More like four," Kate admonished, her hand lingering on his arm. She glanced over at Mac as well. "He never calls, never writes..."
Mac chuckled. "Well, in his defense, he has been pretty busy."
"Yeah, he always has some excuse." Kate turned back to Harm. "The last I heard you'd taken a little swim in the Atlantic. What on earth were you thinking, flying in the middle of a tropical storm?"
Suddenly uncomfortable, Harm's gaze dropped to the floor before lifting up to meet Mac's. "I was trying to get back for Mac's wedding, actually."
Glancing between the two other officers, Kate felt the instant tension and decided to press Harm for the story later, when they would be able to talk in private. "I'm a little surprised that Admiral Chegwidden passed you over for Chief of Staff," she said instead. "Aside from Mac, aren't you the most senior officer here?"
"I think the Admiral knows how much Harm hates doing administrative paperwork," Mac smiled.
"He knows that I'm going to be taking two weeks myself when Mac goes into the hospital, which automatically makes me the wrong person for the job," Harm amended. "Besides, Sturgis is a much better fit. He actually likes that sort of menial stuff."
"Why are you taking two weeks?" Kate looked at him quizzically.
"To help Mac with the baby. Where else would I be?"
Brow furrowing, Kate turned to Mac with a frown. "What about your husband?"
Mac's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"The last time I was in town, you had recently gotten engaged." Puzzled, Kate glanced at Harm and folded her arms across her chest. "And didn't you just say that you went down at sea trying to get back for her wedding?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
Realization dawning, Mac instantly understood the source of Kate's confusion. "She doesn't know, Harm," she said, her eyes capturing his.
"Know what?" Kate asked cautiously, her gaze once again passing from Mac to Harm back to Mac. During her last visit to JAG, she'd immediately sensed the emotional connection between these two officers. Obviously that connection hadn't lessened in the intervening years. If anything, the silent communication Harm and Mac shared was now stronger than ever.
At Harm's nod, Mac looked at Kate compassionately. "The wedding was cancelled as a result of Harm's crash and my fiancé returned home to Australia shortly thereafter," she explained. "I never married Mic, Kate."
"Then whose baby—"
Stepping forward, Harm reached out to his friend. "Kate, the baby is mine. I'm the father."
"Oh." Not quite sure how to react, Kate simply stared back and forth between the two of them for a moment. Then she broke into a smile as a wave of laughter burst forth. "Well, congratulations!"
Both Harm and Mac began laughing as well, the tension in the room disappearing as quickly as it had come. "Tell you what," Harm grinned, "why don't you come over for dinner tonight? That way we can fill you in on everything that's gone on around here over the last few years."
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"Don't argue, Kate. It would be our pleasure," Mac said.
"C'mon, it will be fun," insisted Harm. "What do you say?"
Glancing between them again, Kate finally caved. "Okay," she nodded. "But you have to let me bring something."
"Deal." Laughing as they all started towards the door, Harm smiled. "And this way you can see our house, too."
Kate stopped and stared at her old friend. "You bought a HOUSE?"
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To be continued...
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