Author's Note: WOW, that's all I can say! I'm glad that you guys all like my story thus far. As requested here is Chapter 3, I don't know how long this story is going to be, but so long as you guys like it I'll keep it going. I wanted to say a quick thanks to all of you that reviewed and asked for Chapter 3: XBlueShadowX, Jackia, Beach chicJASSNL, jonesie1, lilmissnitpick, Manda May, mandaj97, froggy0319 and anyone else I missed. You all need to say thanks to Calculus because that's where I finished this story this afternoon. So read and enjoy and let me know if I should start Chapter 4 or not...

Meanwhile at Bethesda Naval Hospital Admiral Chegwidden, Bud, and Harriet sat in the ER waiting for news of Mac's condition. She had been in the hospital for 2 ½ hours already...

A neighbor in Mac's apartment complex heard the banging then a scream and then rushed out into the hallway to see the door to Mac's apartment ajar with the lights off. She tried to push open the door but something was stuck in front of it. She leaned her head inside only to find a trashed apartment and a woman lying on the floor next to the door, she had been trying to open it to get help when she collapsed. The young neighbor pulled Mac away from the door, then carried her back to her apartment in case the assaulter came back, she didn't want Mac to still be there. She checked her vitals then dialed 911. The paramedics arrived, and Mac was lucid long enough to tell them her name and just as she lost consciousness again she said, "Call...Harm...please...". The nurses did a search in their database to find her next of kin and her Commanding Officer. They immediately called Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. who was listed as her emergency contact, but only got the answering machine so they left a message informing him that Colonel Mackenzie was in the hospital and he needed to come as quickly as possible. Next they called Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, informed him of Mac's arrival to the hospital and their inability to contact Rabb. Chegwidden hung up the phone, jumped in his car, and began to drive to the hospital; he picked up his cell phone and dialed Bud and Harriet's home number trying to find Harm then Sturgis's number, but Harm was still nowhere to be found. The doctor came out shortly after the Admiral arrived, in order to apprise him on the Colonel's condition.

"Are you Admiral Chegwidden?"

"Yes I am. How is she doing?"

"She's going to need surgery. We're running some tests to rule other possibilities now that she is stable. She has a punctured lung, 2 broken ribs, a concussion, black eye, and a broken collar bone. She is also still unconscious. She needs surgery in order to repair the lung, set the collar bone back into place, as well as her ribs. We are getting ready to take her down for X-rays and a head CT now to make sure there is no permanent brain damage. We've got her on oxygen to ease the breathing. I'll have the surgeon come down and explain the procedures to you and you'll need to sign the consent forms if her next of kin Cmdr. Rabb doesn't show up in time."

"May I see her?"

"Briefly sir, she's on her way to the CT room in a minute, follow me."

AJ walked into Mac's room and saw her lying on a hospital bed weak and limp with tubes coming in and out, machine's beeping, and an oxygen mask over her mouth. He walked to the side of her bed, trying to keep the tears at bay as he grabbed a hold of her hand. Mac lay there unconscious but upon closer look he could see her lips moving. He gave a questioning look to the nurse.

"She's been muttering the name, Harm, over and over again as she goes in and out of consciousness. She's got it stuck in her head. Do you know who Harm is?"

"He's her partner."

"They must be pretty close if she's this insistent on having him here. Most people ask for their wives or husbands, not their partners."

"She loves him..." AJ softly muttered. Where the hell is he!

After the nurse called him and told him about Mac he sent Sturgis out to find him, he needs to be here with her, for her.

"I'm sorry sir, but I need to ask you to go back to the waiting area while we take her for x-rays and CT."

"Uh...yeah...sure." He mumbled barely audible.

Who the hell did this to her, when I get my hands on him he's gonna need a lot more than surgery to save him. How dare he hurt Sarah...my daughter...

AJ walked back to the chairs, sighed, and put his head in his hands trying desperately not to lose control of his emotions. Five minutes later a very worried and concerned Bud and Harriet walked in and spotted the Admiral.

"Sir...Mac...!" Harriet stuttered out.

AJ took the next five minutes to fill them in on Mac's situation.

"Where's Harm sir?" Bud inquired.

"I have Turner out looking for him now."

"Do they know who did this to her?" Harriet asked fighting back the tears.

"She wasn't lucid long enough to tell anyone or answer any question other than her name." AJ explained.

"Where's Clay, sir? Harriet said, thinking it odd that he wasn't here since he was in town. He and Mac had gone out the night before and Mac had told her this afternoon that Clay had wanted to go out tonight too, but she had a court case to finish preparing for so she had to cancel.

"I don't know. I hadn't even thought of calling Clay. He's a spook though, so he probably knows already but is on a mission or something." AJ said nonchalantly not really caring about Clay's whereabouts.

"But he is in town sir." Then Harriet recounted what Mac had told her this afternoon.

"Well that's a bit odd then, perhaps I should call."

AJ got up, stepped outside and dialed Clay's number but got no answer so he left a message...

"Clay this is AJ. Mac is in the hospital give me a call on my cell phone. Bye."

What the Admiral didn't know was that Clay was home, but passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of Cognac on the floor next to him.

Where is Harm, dammit! Where in the world could he be?

He placed another call on his cell phone to Sturgis to find out if he knew anything on Harm's location.

Sturgis's cell phone rang and he saw the Admiral's name pop up and hesitated to answer it.

"Sir?"

"Any luck?"

"I found his car parked in McMurphy's parking lot and the bartender said he left about 15 minutes ago so now I am out on foot trying to find him. How's Mac?"

AJ gave him the run down then said, "Keeping looking Turner. If you can't find him in the next 15 minutes call me back and let me know and I'll send Bud over to come and help you out."

"Aye Aye, Sir"

With that they hung up the Admiral walked back inside to sit with Bud and Harriet till the surgeon came down. Sturgis put his phone back into his pocket and went on a foot pursuit for Harm.

I'm a submariner for goodness sake's, not a Marine. For once I actually regret being a bubble head and wish I were a Force Recon so I could find Harm and get him back to his Marine!