A Man Called Ghost
Chapter 20
Harm struggled to open his eyes. Faintly in the background he heard a heart rate monitor beeping away. For the life of him he didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there. He couldn't hold back the moan that he let out as he looked around briefly. A hospital, again.
"Harm?" Mac said softly.
"Where am I?" Harm asked groggily.
"George Washington. Harm you were in a car accident and the police want to talk to you when you're ready." Mac said carefully. She still wasn't sure how coherent Harm was.
"Ah." he said simply and closed his eyes again. After a moment he opened them again and slowly turned his head towards where her voice was coming from. "Why are you here?" he asked bluntly.
"They called me when they brought you in. Apparently I'm still listed as your next of kin." Mac said. That was something she wanted to talk to him about, but it could wait.
"Ah." Harm said again as he once more closed his eyes. Mac waited for him to add more, but his breathing evened out and she knew he'd gone back to sleep. It was the first time he'd woken up since she'd gotten there, and she'd been sitting in his room for hours. She'd called the Admiral to inform him that she wouldn't be in today because she needed to take an emergency family leave. At first he'd argued with her, but when she explained that Harm had been in an accident he gave in and granted her the day. She wasn't sure, but it looked like the Admiral was regretting his decision not to take Harm back and was taking it hard.
Mac looked up at someone gently clearing their throat to see Doctor Warren standing in the doorway. "Doctor." she greeted him as she stood up and stretched.
"Ms. MacKenzie, has he woken up yet?"
"Just for a moment not too long ago." Mac said quietly. "He was pretty groggy, not too sure of what's going on."
"Probably has a lot to do with the drugs we're pumping into him. Where'd the suit go?"
"Webb? Oh he's probably around in a shadow somewhere." Mac said bitterly. "Shouldn't he be waking up soon?" she added looking at Harm.
The doctor couldn't help but notice the look in Mac's eyes when she gazed at his patient. That, coupled with the fact that they couldn't budge her from his room spoke volumes. "He'll wake up when he's ready. Are you and Mr. Rabb close?"
Mac sighed sadly as she considered the doctor's question. "We were, a long time ago." She answered softly.
"Well you obviously still care." The doctor said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sometimes caring isn't enough doctor." Mac said as she struggled with the tears she felt welling up.
"Sometimes it's all you need, Ms. MacKenzie. Or should I be calling you Colonel MacKenzie?" Doctor Warren asked with a smile.
Mac looked over her shoulder at the doctor with her confusion evident in her eyes. "I heard you speaking to your Admiral earlier. I didn't realize Mr. Rabb was in the military." Doctor Warren answered her unspoken question.
"He's not, at least not right now. He used to be a Commander in the Navy." Mac supplied as she sank back down into her seat.
"Have you known him long?"
"Almost nine years. We worked together for eight of those. He was the best partner, the best friend, anyone could ask for, better than I'm likely to ever see again."
"What happened?" Doctor Warren prompted.
Mac looked up from gazing at Harm to study the doctor. It really wasn't any of his damn business what had happened between her and Harm, but for once it helped to talk about it. It was almost like she was talking to Harm. Maybe somewhere in there he could hear her, finally hear what she had to say. "It's a long story."
"Well my rotation is almost up, and I have a feeling you're not going anywhere."
"Well the not so long version is that Harm gave up everything he'd ever struggled for to save someone. Don't get me wrong, its not unusual for Harm to find a cause and go crusading until he accomplished the goals he'd set for himself." Mac started her story. Over the next couple hours she told the doctor about Harm and his crusades. She told him about the search for Harm's father, his struggle to save Darlin, the quest to find the truth about Jimmy Blackhorse, and everything else she could think of, or had heard about him. She didn't mention Paraguay again though.
When she was done the doctor was busy looking between Harm and Mac. "I'm tempted to accuse you of pulling my leg."
"Trust me doctor, if I wasn't there for most of them I wouldn't believe it either."
"You say he was a lawyer?"
"And a pilot."
"Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy." The doctor said shaking his head.
"Something like that. But I don't sew worth a damn." came a mumbled answer.
"Harm!" Mac called joyously.
"Power down MacKenzie, my head feels like its three sizes too small." Harm grumbled.
"Welcome back Mr. Rabb. I'm Doctor Warren; I've been helping Ms. MacKenzie here look after you." The doctor said with a smile as he moved closer to check Harm's vitals.
"What happened?"
"You were in an accident on the Beltway. Apparently you decided to throw yourself from your vehicle and gave yourself a concussion. Or should I say another concussion?"
"I collect them. Everyone needs a hobby, right?" Harm said with a bitter little smile followed quickly by a grimace as the pain in his head hit him anew.
"I might suggest looking for another one Mr. Rabb. You're lucky to wake up after this concussion. I'm going to see if I can go schedule you for a CAT scan as soon as possible. You may also be in some pain when you breath; you've got three cracked ribs, as well as minor bumps and bruises. Excuse me, Mr. Rabb. Ms. MacKenzie, it has been very enlightening, and very entertaining."
After the doctor left Mac pulled her chair closer to Harm's bed and put her hand on top of his. She wasn't surprised when he pulled his hand away from hers. "Take it easy there Harm. Don't want to go hurting yourself again."
"Why are you...no I asked that already, didn't I?"
"You did." Mac struggled to keep the frustration out of her voice. Now was not the time to pick a fight with Harm.
"Well, thanks for coming. Don't want to keep you."
"I'm not going anywhere. The Admiral gave me the day to look after you."
"Don't strain yourself MacKenzie." Harm tossed out as he rolled painfully over onto his side so he wouldn't have to look at her.
"I won't." Mac said with a hint of anger. "Look, there's a police officer who wants to take a statement, I'll go see if he's still lurking around."
As Mac reached the doorway Harm thought of something. "Mac?"
"What?" Mac snapped as she looked over her shoulder. She didn't even notice it was the first time he called her Mac instead of MacKenzie in awhile.
"The doctor said I was in an accident. Were there any other people hurt?"
"You don't remember?"
"Nothing. Last thing I remember is leaving the restaurant."
"There was no other car Harm. It was a single vehicle accident. You were the only injury."
"Good." Harm said as Mac left the room.
When the door opened again a few minutes later Harm expected Mac to be bringing the police officer in, but the steps he heard come into the room weren't hers. Craning his neck a little Harm looked back towards the door and saw Webb standing just inside the room.
"Ah shit Spider, can't I get any time away from you?" Harm asked with a sigh.
"Just looking out for a fellow agent Rabb." Webb said lowly. "Do you remember anything about what happened?"
"Doc says I was in an accident." Harm said.
"Any details?" Webb pressed.
"Not really." Harm said after trying to dredge up something, anything. "Nothing after leaving the restaurant."
"Good." Webb said under his breath.
"What's that?" Harm asked. It sounded to him like Webb had said 'Good'.
"That's too bad. Well I'll let you get your rest." Webb said hurriedly when he heard Mac's voice in the hall approaching Harm's room. "Take it easy Ghost."
And with that he was gone. Mac saw him slip from the room and stopped in the middle of the hallway with a frown. "Ma'am?" the young police officer said to her when she stopped.
"Sorry? Oh...I apologize officer. I just thought I saw someone I'd hoped to never see again." Mac said as she started moving towards Harm's room again. The police officer just followed quietly behind her.
"Harm? This is Officer Gomez, he's here to ask you some questions about your accident." Mac said softly as she entered the room.
"Good morning Mr. Rabb. I'm sorry to have to do this so soon after waking up, but I'm sure you want to get this out of the way as soon as I do. Colonel, if we could have a minute please?"
"Sorry Officer, I'm not going anywhere. I'm Mr. Rabb's attorney." Mac said stubbornly.
"Alright then." Officer Gomez said before Harm could react to Mac's statement. "Mr. Rabb, do you remember anything about the accident at all?"
"I'm sorry, I've been trying, but I can't remember anything." Harm said with the frustration clear in his voice.
"What were you doing this evening before the accident?"
"I'd gone out for dinner with some friends."
"Where?"
"Ed's Embarcadero."
"Did you have anything to drink with your dinner?"
Harm had been waiting for this question. Undoubtedly the hospital had done a blood alcohol test when they'd brought him in. "A few beers."
"How many are a few Mr. Rabb?"
"Four...maybe five." Harm answered evasively. He couldn't look at Mac as he answered the cop's questions. Wasn't the Agency supposed to be here to cover for him?
"You're not sure?" Officer Gomez pressed.
"Five."
"Five beers and you got behind the wheel of your car Mr. Rabb?"
"I was distracted."
"By what?"
"I'd had a fight with someone." Harm grunted. He could feel Mac's eyes boring into him from across the room.
"Mr. Rabb, I'm going to go find your doctor and get the results of the blood alcohol test they administered when you were admitted. I need to warn you that in all likelihood it appears that you will be brought up on charges for driving under the influence." The cop said with his disgust unmasked. He spun on his heel and left Harm's hospital room.
Shortly after the cop left he heard Mac walk quickly to the door, slamming it behind her as she left.
Chapter 20
Harm struggled to open his eyes. Faintly in the background he heard a heart rate monitor beeping away. For the life of him he didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there. He couldn't hold back the moan that he let out as he looked around briefly. A hospital, again.
"Harm?" Mac said softly.
"Where am I?" Harm asked groggily.
"George Washington. Harm you were in a car accident and the police want to talk to you when you're ready." Mac said carefully. She still wasn't sure how coherent Harm was.
"Ah." he said simply and closed his eyes again. After a moment he opened them again and slowly turned his head towards where her voice was coming from. "Why are you here?" he asked bluntly.
"They called me when they brought you in. Apparently I'm still listed as your next of kin." Mac said. That was something she wanted to talk to him about, but it could wait.
"Ah." Harm said again as he once more closed his eyes. Mac waited for him to add more, but his breathing evened out and she knew he'd gone back to sleep. It was the first time he'd woken up since she'd gotten there, and she'd been sitting in his room for hours. She'd called the Admiral to inform him that she wouldn't be in today because she needed to take an emergency family leave. At first he'd argued with her, but when she explained that Harm had been in an accident he gave in and granted her the day. She wasn't sure, but it looked like the Admiral was regretting his decision not to take Harm back and was taking it hard.
Mac looked up at someone gently clearing their throat to see Doctor Warren standing in the doorway. "Doctor." she greeted him as she stood up and stretched.
"Ms. MacKenzie, has he woken up yet?"
"Just for a moment not too long ago." Mac said quietly. "He was pretty groggy, not too sure of what's going on."
"Probably has a lot to do with the drugs we're pumping into him. Where'd the suit go?"
"Webb? Oh he's probably around in a shadow somewhere." Mac said bitterly. "Shouldn't he be waking up soon?" she added looking at Harm.
The doctor couldn't help but notice the look in Mac's eyes when she gazed at his patient. That, coupled with the fact that they couldn't budge her from his room spoke volumes. "He'll wake up when he's ready. Are you and Mr. Rabb close?"
Mac sighed sadly as she considered the doctor's question. "We were, a long time ago." She answered softly.
"Well you obviously still care." The doctor said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sometimes caring isn't enough doctor." Mac said as she struggled with the tears she felt welling up.
"Sometimes it's all you need, Ms. MacKenzie. Or should I be calling you Colonel MacKenzie?" Doctor Warren asked with a smile.
Mac looked over her shoulder at the doctor with her confusion evident in her eyes. "I heard you speaking to your Admiral earlier. I didn't realize Mr. Rabb was in the military." Doctor Warren answered her unspoken question.
"He's not, at least not right now. He used to be a Commander in the Navy." Mac supplied as she sank back down into her seat.
"Have you known him long?"
"Almost nine years. We worked together for eight of those. He was the best partner, the best friend, anyone could ask for, better than I'm likely to ever see again."
"What happened?" Doctor Warren prompted.
Mac looked up from gazing at Harm to study the doctor. It really wasn't any of his damn business what had happened between her and Harm, but for once it helped to talk about it. It was almost like she was talking to Harm. Maybe somewhere in there he could hear her, finally hear what she had to say. "It's a long story."
"Well my rotation is almost up, and I have a feeling you're not going anywhere."
"Well the not so long version is that Harm gave up everything he'd ever struggled for to save someone. Don't get me wrong, its not unusual for Harm to find a cause and go crusading until he accomplished the goals he'd set for himself." Mac started her story. Over the next couple hours she told the doctor about Harm and his crusades. She told him about the search for Harm's father, his struggle to save Darlin, the quest to find the truth about Jimmy Blackhorse, and everything else she could think of, or had heard about him. She didn't mention Paraguay again though.
When she was done the doctor was busy looking between Harm and Mac. "I'm tempted to accuse you of pulling my leg."
"Trust me doctor, if I wasn't there for most of them I wouldn't believe it either."
"You say he was a lawyer?"
"And a pilot."
"Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy." The doctor said shaking his head.
"Something like that. But I don't sew worth a damn." came a mumbled answer.
"Harm!" Mac called joyously.
"Power down MacKenzie, my head feels like its three sizes too small." Harm grumbled.
"Welcome back Mr. Rabb. I'm Doctor Warren; I've been helping Ms. MacKenzie here look after you." The doctor said with a smile as he moved closer to check Harm's vitals.
"What happened?"
"You were in an accident on the Beltway. Apparently you decided to throw yourself from your vehicle and gave yourself a concussion. Or should I say another concussion?"
"I collect them. Everyone needs a hobby, right?" Harm said with a bitter little smile followed quickly by a grimace as the pain in his head hit him anew.
"I might suggest looking for another one Mr. Rabb. You're lucky to wake up after this concussion. I'm going to see if I can go schedule you for a CAT scan as soon as possible. You may also be in some pain when you breath; you've got three cracked ribs, as well as minor bumps and bruises. Excuse me, Mr. Rabb. Ms. MacKenzie, it has been very enlightening, and very entertaining."
After the doctor left Mac pulled her chair closer to Harm's bed and put her hand on top of his. She wasn't surprised when he pulled his hand away from hers. "Take it easy there Harm. Don't want to go hurting yourself again."
"Why are you...no I asked that already, didn't I?"
"You did." Mac struggled to keep the frustration out of her voice. Now was not the time to pick a fight with Harm.
"Well, thanks for coming. Don't want to keep you."
"I'm not going anywhere. The Admiral gave me the day to look after you."
"Don't strain yourself MacKenzie." Harm tossed out as he rolled painfully over onto his side so he wouldn't have to look at her.
"I won't." Mac said with a hint of anger. "Look, there's a police officer who wants to take a statement, I'll go see if he's still lurking around."
As Mac reached the doorway Harm thought of something. "Mac?"
"What?" Mac snapped as she looked over her shoulder. She didn't even notice it was the first time he called her Mac instead of MacKenzie in awhile.
"The doctor said I was in an accident. Were there any other people hurt?"
"You don't remember?"
"Nothing. Last thing I remember is leaving the restaurant."
"There was no other car Harm. It was a single vehicle accident. You were the only injury."
"Good." Harm said as Mac left the room.
When the door opened again a few minutes later Harm expected Mac to be bringing the police officer in, but the steps he heard come into the room weren't hers. Craning his neck a little Harm looked back towards the door and saw Webb standing just inside the room.
"Ah shit Spider, can't I get any time away from you?" Harm asked with a sigh.
"Just looking out for a fellow agent Rabb." Webb said lowly. "Do you remember anything about what happened?"
"Doc says I was in an accident." Harm said.
"Any details?" Webb pressed.
"Not really." Harm said after trying to dredge up something, anything. "Nothing after leaving the restaurant."
"Good." Webb said under his breath.
"What's that?" Harm asked. It sounded to him like Webb had said 'Good'.
"That's too bad. Well I'll let you get your rest." Webb said hurriedly when he heard Mac's voice in the hall approaching Harm's room. "Take it easy Ghost."
And with that he was gone. Mac saw him slip from the room and stopped in the middle of the hallway with a frown. "Ma'am?" the young police officer said to her when she stopped.
"Sorry? Oh...I apologize officer. I just thought I saw someone I'd hoped to never see again." Mac said as she started moving towards Harm's room again. The police officer just followed quietly behind her.
"Harm? This is Officer Gomez, he's here to ask you some questions about your accident." Mac said softly as she entered the room.
"Good morning Mr. Rabb. I'm sorry to have to do this so soon after waking up, but I'm sure you want to get this out of the way as soon as I do. Colonel, if we could have a minute please?"
"Sorry Officer, I'm not going anywhere. I'm Mr. Rabb's attorney." Mac said stubbornly.
"Alright then." Officer Gomez said before Harm could react to Mac's statement. "Mr. Rabb, do you remember anything about the accident at all?"
"I'm sorry, I've been trying, but I can't remember anything." Harm said with the frustration clear in his voice.
"What were you doing this evening before the accident?"
"I'd gone out for dinner with some friends."
"Where?"
"Ed's Embarcadero."
"Did you have anything to drink with your dinner?"
Harm had been waiting for this question. Undoubtedly the hospital had done a blood alcohol test when they'd brought him in. "A few beers."
"How many are a few Mr. Rabb?"
"Four...maybe five." Harm answered evasively. He couldn't look at Mac as he answered the cop's questions. Wasn't the Agency supposed to be here to cover for him?
"You're not sure?" Officer Gomez pressed.
"Five."
"Five beers and you got behind the wheel of your car Mr. Rabb?"
"I was distracted."
"By what?"
"I'd had a fight with someone." Harm grunted. He could feel Mac's eyes boring into him from across the room.
"Mr. Rabb, I'm going to go find your doctor and get the results of the blood alcohol test they administered when you were admitted. I need to warn you that in all likelihood it appears that you will be brought up on charges for driving under the influence." The cop said with his disgust unmasked. He spun on his heel and left Harm's hospital room.
Shortly after the cop left he heard Mac walk quickly to the door, slamming it behind her as she left.