Summary: Little A.J.'s finally turning five... here's my take on a possible H/M reaction. Please R&R! It's my first fanfic.
Disclaimer: Do I need to spell it out? I don't own them and I don't get paid for writing this, so please don't sue me.
Spoilers: "Yeah, Baby" ... well, pretty much all episodes are fair game (as usual).
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0917 Zulu; National Naval Medical Center; Bethesda, Maryland
Her breath coming in short, shallow gasps, Mac clenched Harm's hand tightly. She'd been pushing for nearly a half hour but so far didn't feel like she was making any progress. Now resting between contractions, she turned her head slightly to look at him, her expression earnest.
"You take over for a while, okay? I need a quick nap," she told him.
"Mac... you're doing great, honey. We're almost there."
"No," she protested. "I've had enough pushing. It's your turn." Her breath suddenly hitched, the next contraction rising.
"Here we go again, folks," Dr. Alexander instructed. As with previous contractions, both Harm and Harriet assisted in supporting Mac's knees, curling her body to help give more force to each push. "On my count, Sarah."
Shaking her head, Mac shot Harm a pleading look.
"Suck it up, MacKenzie! Whatever happened to, 'I'm a Marine – I can do it myself'?" he asked, deliberately goading her. "Didn't you get through worse on Parris Island? Or is my tough-as-nails jarhead finally admitting that she needs the Navy's help when the going gets rough? Always like a Marine to wimp out—"
"All right, SQUID. I get the point!" Mac cut him off with a snarl, gritting her teeth against the fresh wave of pain rolling over her.
"The baby's crowning. Push, Sarah!" the doctor's voice boomed.
Refocusing on the task at hand, Mac inhaled deeply and held her breath as she bore down with as much power as she could muster. Voices bombarded her from all sides. After what felt like an eternity, the count reached ten and she exhaled forcibly, breathless from the exertion.
"You're not done yet," Dr. Alexander suddenly announced. "The head is out. Sarah, I know you're pushing as hard as you can but I need you to give me more, all right? Once we're past the shoulders it won't take much. Now PUSH!"
Taking in yet another deep breath, Mac concentrated on the doctor's head and began to push once more. A low growl issued from her throat, the cords in her neck growing taut from her efforts.
Just as her companions reached the count of seven, the high-pitched sound of a baby's cry filled the room.
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Instantly everyone stopped counting, the piercing wail echoing that much louder as the room fell into silence. To Mac's surprise, the searing pain of the contraction abruptly dissipated, taking the urge to push along with it. She relaxed marginally. A moment later, however, her breath caught yet again as her ears registered the cries of her first child.
Dr. Alexander's head lifted to reveal a broad, elated grin. "Congratulations, Mom and Dad," she said warmly. "It's a girl!"
The flood of happiness that burst through their hearts was overwhelming. Closing her eyes against a deluge of tears, Mac found herself unable to contain the sob of joy and elation that escaped her as the biggest smile she'd ever experienced broke uncontrollably across her face. Then, almost immediately, her eyes fluttered open, her watery gaze lifting upwards to seek out Harm's.
Equally engulfed by a mixture of awe, wonder, and indescribable joy, Harm returned her smile before bending forward and placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. Resting his lips softly against her dampened skin, he squeezed her hand and murmured quietly. "You did it, Mac."
"We did it, Flyboy," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. Her free hand slipped up into his hair, and she tilted her head so that they were once again looking at each other. "I love you."
"I love you more," Harm smiled back. Their lips met in a delicate kiss.
"Congratulations, ma'am, sir!" Unable to control her delight, Harriet beamed happily at her two friends before wrapping an arm around Mattie's shoulder.
"I'm so happy for you," the teenager agreed. She brushed away her tears with the back of her fingers. "Thanks for making me a big sister."
"I hate to interrupt, but we're not quite done yet." At the foot of the bed, with the nurse's assistance, Dr. Alexander lifted the squalling infant and placed her tenderly on Mac's tummy. "Commander, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?"
Giving Mac's hand one last squeeze, Harm pulled back and turned to take the surgical scissors the doctor offered. As she instructed him on where to cut, his eyes couldn't help but settle on the tiny figure that lay kicking in front of him. His daughter. My daughter. Mac and I have a daughter. Sarah MacKenzie and I...
The reality of their new parenthood suddenly washed over him. A fresh wave of tears threatened and finally spilled, two trails of liquid joy falling down his cheeks. I'm a father!
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Barely ten minutes had gone by before the nurse was placing the still- crying baby girl into her waiting mother's arms. As soon as she felt Mac's presence, however, the infant immediately quieted and fell asleep. She'd been cleaned up and wrapped in a feathery soft blanket, her tiny face flushed red and swollen with the traumatic transition she'd just been forced to endure. Still unable to believe that she was truly, finally, a mother, Mac cradled the baby in the crook of her arm and ran the pad of her finger over her daughter's cheek.
"Hi, sweetie," she whispered with a smile, before turning back to look at Harm with a bright, happy grin.
"Have you two decided on a name?" the doctor asked as she finished attending to Mac's needs.
Mac and Harm smiled at each other before Mac answered. "Allison Patricia Rabb."
"Isn't 'Patricia' your mother's name, sir?" Harriet asked. Harm nodded.
"Since I was named after my dad, naming the baby after Mom seemed fitting. If she'd been a boy, her middle name would have been 'Patrick'."
"Is there significance behind the name Allison?"
Mac glanced up at her friend and smiled. "Not really, other than wanting the baby to have his or her own unique identity."
"Actually, it was the only name we could agree on that worked with the middle name 'Patricia'," supplied Harm. They all chuckled.
"What was your choice for a boy's name?" Mattie asked.
"Aaron," Mac said. She looked at Harm with an unspoken question gleaming in her eyes. He stared at her for a moment before nodding. Nervously stepping forward, he tentatively took the fragile bundle from Mac's outstretched arms. With the nurse's help, a moment later young Allison Rabb was comfortably settled into her daddy's embrace. An expression of awe and wonder overcame his features as he gazed rapturously at his newborn daughter.
"She looks like you, Harm," Mattie observed wryly. "I think it's the hairstyle."
Indeed, a patch of dark, fine hair capped the top of the baby's teensy head. The hairline was a miniature replica of her father's.
"Well, that was the deal... I promised that if we had a girl, she'd have her father's looks and her mother's brains. Right, Mac?"
"Absolutely," Mac grinned. "And as we all know Harm, you never make a promise you can't keep."
"I haven't yet," he agreed smugly.
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To be continued...
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