Disclaimer: Don't own JAG.

A/N: Finally a new chapter. I know it isn't very long, but I haven't got very much time to write. So it's better with on shorter chapter, than no chapter at all. Keep reviewing; it makes me write more. 

Part eight

CIA-agents turned the Hospital upside down in their search for Palmer. They weren't successful. Palmer had gotten away again. Police officers had been sent out to guard the airports and train stations. It would be a difficult task. Palmer's aliases and brilliant disguises would make him almost impossible to track, if he got out of the country it would get even more difficult.

Patients, some with worried expressions others just curious, wondered what all the commotion was about. They had no idea what was going on, and the CIA didn't give any information, they usually never did.

The CIA quickly found out that Palmer had left through the ER. The search for evidence of Palmer's whereabouts continued.

The first pieces of evidence were the bottle and the syringe Palmer had dropped as Dr. Felsenstein interrupted him. The content of the bottle would be analyzed right away; it maybe could tell something about where he had got it. Different companies often make the same chemicals with slightly different ingredients.

"Sir, we found this in a storage room down the hallway, it doesn't seem to belong to any of the staff," junior agent Benson held up a plastic bag, with a black bag inside. Benson was in a good mood. He was just happy that he still was in town, and not in Alaska.

Webb grabbed it, ripped the plastic bag open and opened the bag inside it. Syringes, plastic gloves, nothing more. "It's definitely Palmer's," Webb stated. He was just going to hand the bag back to Benson, so that he could put it together with the rest of the evidence, when something caught his attention. "Wait a minute, get me a pair of tweezers, this might be interesting," Webb said, Benson quickly handed him his pair.  With the tweezers Web picked up a part of one of those matchboxes you get at hotels or motels.  "Royal Chateau Motel, you're first choice for a good night," the slogan read.

Webb smirked. "What have we got here, it seems like Palmer is getting shaky. We should probably take a look at this place."

- - - - - - - - -

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Mac cried out in terror, she entered Harm's room as a doctor was about to turn of the respirator. She feared the worst.

The doctor smiled, "take it easy, it's good news. Maybe all the fuss had some unforeseen consequences, or maybe it is just coincidences, but when I came in to check upon Mr. Rabb here, it seemed like he was fighting the respirator, he is breathing on his own now." 

"Thank God, I thought he was dead", Mac said with obvious relief. Her hands were shaking profusely, the tension that had built up in her body in the moment she came in, started to wear off. She had to sit down.

"But he is still not out of danger, just a little further away from it. His breathing is quite good, but his oxygen level is low, so we'll give him some extra through this tube," the doctor held up a tube of which one end was connected to an oxygen tank and the other to Harm's nose.

The doctor finished up and left a little while later. Mac and Harm was alone. Of cause she knew it was a god sign that Harm was breathing on his own, but she just wasn't able to be happy. She was emotionally exhausted. Waiting for Harm to wake up, and knowing that even if he did wake up, everything necessarily wouldn't be like it used to, had taxed her energy. Being in the surreal world of the hospital didn't make it better. She had to get some fresh air, so that she could regain some strength.

- - - - - - - - -

"'Royal Chateau', yeah right, what were they thinking? 'Crappy Dump' would be a more suiting name," Webb stated as he drove up to the motel. Benson laughed.

The agents burst into the motel reception, making the guy behind the counter jump in his chair. The receptionist then tried to straighten his back and look important as the suits entered, which turned out to be a complete failure. As he straightened up his all too tight T-shirt crept up and revealed his fat stomach, and his open fly. Not a pleasant sight.

"CIA," Webb flashed his badge.

Have you seen this guy here," one of the agents held up a picture of Palmer.

The receptionist scratched his behind and then his head, making his greasy hair go in all directions. "Yeah sure, he stayed here a couple of days, left half an hour ago, really creepy fellow. Something about his eyes, you know. Has he done something bad?"  

"That doesn't concern you; hand over the key to his room, please," Webb brushed him off.

"OK, OK, here they are nr 32. It's the fifth door to the left," the receptionist gave Webb the key.

The agents quickly found the room and entered it. It seemed that Palmer had left in a hurry. There were some clothes hanging over a chair and a pair of shoes in the closet. Webb picked up the waste basket.  It was empty, except for a half-burned travel catalogue called "Tropical paradise", which offered long-time travels to small Pacific islands. The crispy pages almost crumbled into dust in Webb's hands. The catalogue described hundreds of islands and archipelagos, all Palm trees, white beaches and clear blue sea. But some of the archipelagos were underlined with a black pen; the Phoenix Islands and Gilbert Islands of the Kiribati, the Carolines of the Micronesia Federation and the Cook islands.

"Maybe we have a lead after all," Webb showed the pages with the underlined names to the other agents.

"Do you know how many islands that is, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," one of the agents said silently.

"The Carolines alone has over 600 islands, and all together it would be around 900 islands," Benson stated, eager to show off some of his extensive geographical knowledge.

"You don't need to rub it in," Webb gave him an angry look. He knew how difficult this would be. But he would do everything to catch Palmer, and would continue his search with or without help until he found him. Then Palmer would pay for his actions. Webb felt he owed that to Harm.

- - - - - - - - - -

Tiner walked down the hallway to Harm's room. There was no guard outside. He knocked on the door. No answer. Chegwidden had sent him to deliver the information they had gathered about Palmer. Mac had asked for a copy but she had turned her phone off, so Tiner though he would find her at the hospital. He carefully opened the door and went in. Now that he was there he wanted to se how Harm was doing.  Some of the bandages on Harm's head had been removed, revealing two long scars on his shaved head. It looked like he was sleeping, Tiner thought. It was strange seeing one of his superiors like this, so human.

Suddenly Harm opened his eyes. At first he looked around confused. Where was he? Then he felt pain and vaguely remembered something about being in his own apartment, unable to move. Then he spotted Tiner and everything else was forgotten.

"What the hell is going on between you and my fiancée, I saw you two in that garden, disgusting," it was meant to be loud, but only came out as a whisper.

Tiner turned around, and looked directly into a pair of angry eyes. His expression was indescribable; surprised that Harm was awake and talking, and even more surprised of what Harm was saying. He looked like a big question mark. "Me and the Colonel, I wish," Tiner mumbled.  "You must have been dreaming, and I better go tell a doctor that you are awake," he continued. He left the room and found a doctor. "Dr, Cmdr. Rabb is awake and talking, but what he is saying doesn't make much sense," Tiner told the doctor, who then hurried to Harm's room. Harm was drifting back into unconsciousness when Tiner and the doctor entered; he just managed to say a faint "hi" before his eyes again closed.

It was late; Mac felt it was time to head back. The fresh air had made wonders. She felt much better and was ready for another night at the hospital. On the way into Harm's room, she met Tiner who was going in the opposite direction.

"Colonel, good to see you ma'am. I've got the papers about Palmer that you requested, ma'am" he handed them over to her.

"Thank's Tiner, you should go home, do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah I'm on my way, the visit here just got a little longer than planned, Ma'am, the Commander was awake for some minutes."

"He has been awake? You don't know how relieved I am to hear that. You just made my day," she spontaneously gave Tiner a hug.

That completely took Tiner by surprise. The last woman who had hugged him was his mother. "Oh man, Commander Rabb would freak if he saw us now," Tiner thought for himself, he made sure that the door to the Commander's room was closed, in case he was awake again, and then enjoyed the moment.