"Mac?" Harm called as he let himself into the house on the following Saturday just after midday. "Mac? Grams?" He called but received no response. He dropped his seabag on the floor and started looking through out the house but couldn't find anyone. "I guess they could be at the wall." He muttered to himself. He walked towards the kitchen, on the fridge door there was a note.

'Dear Harm,

I thought I should just leave a note in case you did come home, seeing as I don't know when you're coming home, you may not even ever read this. Also since I haven't heard from you since you told me you were staying on the Patrick Henry, if you are reading this a phone call would have been nice to let me know you were still in one piece. The couple of times I tried calling you, you were off flying and apparently didn't get my messages or e-mails asking you to call me back.
If you're wondering where Abi and I are, we've gone away for the weekend. They fixed Grams' electricity and heating so we drove her home and are planning on staying for the weekend. We could both do with the fresh air. We'll be back late Sunday as I have court first thing Monday morning.

Mac.

P.S. Abi learnt something new while you were away. As I thought you shouldn't miss it because you had to play Captain America, press play on the VCR, it's all set up.'

Mac definitely sounded annoyed with him. He re-read the note as he walked into the living and switched the TV on. He then pressed the play button on the VCR remote. The screen flickered then an image of Abi lying on a blanket on the floor came up.

"Smile for Daddy Abi." Harm heard Mac's voice in the background. Abi cooed and gave a drooling smile. "Now let's show Daddy what you've learned since he was away." The camera moved so it was resting on the floor behind Abi's head but giving a wide enough shot so he could see Abi's favourite stuffed toy. "Abi come get bunny."

Mac held the bunny over Abi's head and wiggled it then moved it so it was still in Abi's line of sight but just out of her reach. "Abi come get bunny." Abi slowly but surely rolled towards the bunny balancing on her side for a few seconds before rolling over onto her stomach.

Harm smiled at his daughter's new found skill and watched Mac's face light up with joy and pride. The video faded, Mac had obviously switched the video camera off. The tape could be added to, he thought all of Abi's new accomplishments to come, but that didn't change the fact that Mac was mad at him.

Harm staring at the fuzzy screen for twenty minutes trying to decide what to do. He picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Turner." The voice on the other answer.

"Sturgis, it's Harm."

"Hey buddy, are you calling to check in or are you back from your little adventure?"

"I'm back. I got back almost an hour ago."

"And you thought you'd call me?" Sturgis questioned. "Thanks for the though buddy but you don't usually call to tell me your home."

"I was actually calling to see if you were busy. If not do you want to meet and play some basket ball, we haven't done that in a while."

"Shouldn't you be spending time with your wife and kid?" Sturgis asked.

"She left." Harm replied.

"Mac left you?"

"Technically. They fixed Grams' house so Mac drove her back and is staying the weekend, she'll be back tomorrow."

"I thought she would have been straight home if she knew you were back." Harm didn't respond. "She does know you're back doesn't she?"

"No. She left me a note in case I came back, she's pissed at me."

"I know. I'll meet you at the usual place in an hour."

"I'll see you then."

~

"You said you knew she was pissed at me how?" Harm asked as he and Sturgis played one-on-one.

"Let's see there is the scuttlebutt that she threw her pen holder across the room and cursed your name after you told her you were staying."

"Let me guess Jen told Tiner and it got round the whole office." Harm said as he scored a point.

"Sounds about right. Then there was the fact that Mac usually lets people have a little leeway in court, this week everything has had to be by the book, every time some has stepped close to the line she called them on it."

"What was I supposed to do? The skipper asked me to stay, was I supposed to say no?"

"Scuttlebutt has it you were given the option."

"Sturgis you know as well as I do about implied orders. You don't say no what the skipper asks you to do something."

"I'm not the one with a wife who is pissed at me because I stayed longer than I was supposed to somewhere and didn't put my family first." Sturgis sunk a basket.

"Mac agreed to me going to do my quals."

"Harm, you know as well as I do that Mac hates it when you fly. She lets you do your quals without much fuss because she loves you and knows how important flying is to you. She'd also rather you called to let her know you weren't stuck in sickbay or dead once in a while."

"How did... I don't want to know."

"Harm, why are you here playing basketball with me? You should be at your grandmother's farm making it up to Mac. I bet you haven't even called her since we spoke have you?"

"No."

"Harm, grow up. Go and sort out your family, you have a beautiful daughter and a wife who has been in love with you since the day she meet you. Go and talk to her, fix it and let us get a judge back we can work with."

TBC