~~~Stormy Seas and Safe Harbors~~~
Walking down the stairs, the echo of Mac's shoes on the steps thundered in her head, intensifying the dull ache already there. She welcomed the coolness of the railing as she grasped it with her right hand to steady her descent. Unable to see Harm's expression as he walked behind her, Mac wondered what was going through his mind at the moment. So much had come out during the session today-the night in Sydney, the impact of her father on her life. She couldn't even begin to digest everything right now. All she wanted was respite from the past and all its torment.
Since they had left the second floor hallway Mac hadn't said a word, just an occasional sigh. It had been a long time since Harm had seen her in such an emotional state and it tore at him to know she was hurting and he didn't know where to begin to make it better. Instead of pushing her to talk about it, he continued to walk with her out of Maddie's building, keeping a protective step behind. The early evening darkness was already illuminated by the glow from the streetlights, causing their shadows to mingle with one another as they crossed the street to her car.
Ever since they had left Maddie's office, he had been entertaining the idea of driving her home. But he knew he would be given the "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself" speech that he'd heard so many times before. And of course leaving her Corvette behind would have never been an option for her.
As they approached her car, Mac already had her keys out. He waited while she opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Harm then stooped down by the open door to peer in.
"I'm parked up the street a bit-give me a minute and I'll be right behind you. Okay?" He was a little concerned that she might change her mind about having him follow her home. But seeing how drained she looked he knew she wouldn't give him a fight.
Deciding to broach his idea with her after all, Harm said, "Look, Mac, you're tired. I think it would be best if I drove you home."
"You're kidding, right? Leave my car here?" she said almost incredulously. "I'm alright to drive home-really." Seeing the serious look on his face Mac knew he wasn't kidding. He was right, she was incredibly tired and she truly wasn't looking forward to driving either. Even thought it was only about a twenty minute ride, when you're exhausted, twenty minutes could feel like forty.
Contemplating his suggestion, she asked, "What about my car?" His idea had better include a contingency plan for my Corvette, she thought.
"I'll drive you home in it. When we get to your place, I'll call Sturgis for a ride back to get my car," Harm explained, silently hoping that Sturgis was home so he could retrieve his own car when all was said and done.
Too worn-out to argue with him, Mac nodded and said, "Okay" in a weary voice. The session today had taken the life right out of her. Maddie had warned her that she would feel exhausted and she did, but her whole body ached as well. Her only concern at the moment was getting home and going to bed-no matter how that was accomplished.
She climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and slid in. Harm shut the car door for her and watched her buckle up before returning to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel. Glancing briefly in her direction to make sure she was okay, he then started the car and pulled away from the curb, beginning the journey to her apartment.
Harm thought about finding something soothing on the radio, but wondered if it would be too much for her at the moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mac rub her temples-a gesture he'd seen dozens of times before-usually accompanying a headache. So he decided to let silence envelop the vehicle instead.
Mac knew he meant well by driving her home, but she also hoped that he wouldn't want to talk about today's session either. Frankly, she had had enough. Right now her head was throbbing, but her emotional collapse was the icing on the cake, as far as she was concerned. For a split second, she berated herself for falling apart like that in his presence. In the same instance, she was grateful he was there to catch her. Had this happened when she was 19, it would have resulted in a drinking binge.
Mentally she ticked off the years and months since her last drink-Dalton Lowne's death-4 years 8 months-an accomplishment to say the least. It certainly wasn't one of her finest moments, she recalled. Harm had tried to reach out to her and she had reacted by pointing out his faults when she was clearly the one with the issues. Now this, she thought. She briefly glanced in his direction, wondering where all these issues would take them this time. Harm looked in her direction, a concerned expression filling his face. Mac whispered "thanks," allowing her lips to form a small smile. Harm returned the smile, saying "Anytime."
****
Georgetown
1855 hours
Before long, they were pulling up in front of Mac's apartment. Harm parked the 'vette and exited it before Mac had even unbuckled her seatbelt. He opened the door for her, watching as she retrieved her purse from between the two seats and got out. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't. Rehashing everything that transpired today would do more harm than good. So, he stood there, trying to gauge her emotions before saying goodnight.
Mac was incredibly relieved to be home. Harm was in over-protective mode at the moment-and although she was grateful-she truly wanted to be alone. They stood there facing each other, neither knowing what to say at the moment. Mac shivered slightly as the cold autumn wind swirled around her. Craving the warmth of her apartment she started walking toward the door to the building, and noticed that Harm wasn't following her. She turned to see him still standing by the car, pulling his phone out to call Sturgis.
"Harm, don't bother," she called to him, "You can use the phone in my apartment."
He hesitated, "I don't want to intrude, I just thought you'd want some time alone."
"I do. But, I'm not going to let you freeze to death either," Mac said, "Besides, it's the least I can do-you did drive me home." Standing just inside the open door, she motioned for him to follow her in.
Moments later, they were in the hall outside Mac's apartment. Unlocking the door, Mac made her way into the room, turning on the light as Harm followed her. Once he was inside, he shut the door behind him. She tossed her purse on the table and removed her jacket, laying it over the back of one of the chairs. The first item on her agenda was the aspirin. She headed into the bathroom and quickly gulped the pills and some water. Returning to the living room, Mac was too tired to do anything else at the moment, so she collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh, kicking off her shoes.
Harm took off his jacket and laid it on top of hers. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, he walked over to her phone and dialed Sturgis' number. After about two rings, he picked up.
"Hello?"
"Sturgis, its Harm. Are you busy?"
"Not at the moment. What's up?"
"I need a favor. Could you pick me up at Mac's?"
"Sure. Something happen to your Lexus?" he asked hesitantly, curious as to why his friend needed a lift-especially from Mac's.
"No, I just need a ride," Harm said, looking in the direction of the sofa and Mac, not really wanting get into things right now with Sturgis. He had wanted to keep the information to a minimum, for both their sakes.
"Give me 25 minutes-okay?" Sturgis replied.
"That's great. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate it," Harm said, hanging up the phone, relieved that Sturgis didn't cross-examine him at the moment.
He turned around to see Mac still sitting on the sofa, head against the back with her eyes closed. From this distance he couldn't tell if she was asleep or awake and just resting her eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked quietly.
"Um . . . fine," was the mumbled reply.
"Sturgis should be here in 25 minutes." He paused, and then asked, "Do you want some tea or maybe something to eat?"
"Tea sounds good," she said, attempting to get up.
"Don't get up-I think I can find the water and the teabags," Harm said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Okay-thanks," she said resting her head on the back of the sofa and closing her eyes again. The tea was the only palatable thing she was interested in at the moment. When her earlier nausea had finally left her it also took her appetite with it. Now, exhaustion was clearly winning this battle.
In the kitchen, Harm set the kettle on the stove to boil while he retrieved the tea bags from the canister, occasionally peering out to make sure Mac was alright. By the time the kettle boiled and he had steeped the tea bags, Mac was sound asleep on the sofa.
Walking into the living room, he softly called her name. When there wasn't a response, he set the mugs down on the coffee table, noticing she didn't move even as the stoneware clanked together. Wavering between leaving her be and making sure she was comfortable, he decided on the latter. Harm gently picked her up-careful not to disturb the sleeping Marine-and carried her into the bedroom, gingerly placing her on the bed. He covered her up with the blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed. She never even stirred from her deep sleep.
"Good night, Sarah," Harm said softly as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I promise things will get better."
Waiting a minute or two to make sure she didn't wake, he then left the bedroom. After returning the mugs to the kitchen, he retrived his jacket from the chair where he left it. Scanning the apartment one last time, he turned out the lights and left-locking the door behind him.
Walking down the stairs, the echo of Mac's shoes on the steps thundered in her head, intensifying the dull ache already there. She welcomed the coolness of the railing as she grasped it with her right hand to steady her descent. Unable to see Harm's expression as he walked behind her, Mac wondered what was going through his mind at the moment. So much had come out during the session today-the night in Sydney, the impact of her father on her life. She couldn't even begin to digest everything right now. All she wanted was respite from the past and all its torment.
Since they had left the second floor hallway Mac hadn't said a word, just an occasional sigh. It had been a long time since Harm had seen her in such an emotional state and it tore at him to know she was hurting and he didn't know where to begin to make it better. Instead of pushing her to talk about it, he continued to walk with her out of Maddie's building, keeping a protective step behind. The early evening darkness was already illuminated by the glow from the streetlights, causing their shadows to mingle with one another as they crossed the street to her car.
Ever since they had left Maddie's office, he had been entertaining the idea of driving her home. But he knew he would be given the "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself" speech that he'd heard so many times before. And of course leaving her Corvette behind would have never been an option for her.
As they approached her car, Mac already had her keys out. He waited while she opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Harm then stooped down by the open door to peer in.
"I'm parked up the street a bit-give me a minute and I'll be right behind you. Okay?" He was a little concerned that she might change her mind about having him follow her home. But seeing how drained she looked he knew she wouldn't give him a fight.
Deciding to broach his idea with her after all, Harm said, "Look, Mac, you're tired. I think it would be best if I drove you home."
"You're kidding, right? Leave my car here?" she said almost incredulously. "I'm alright to drive home-really." Seeing the serious look on his face Mac knew he wasn't kidding. He was right, she was incredibly tired and she truly wasn't looking forward to driving either. Even thought it was only about a twenty minute ride, when you're exhausted, twenty minutes could feel like forty.
Contemplating his suggestion, she asked, "What about my car?" His idea had better include a contingency plan for my Corvette, she thought.
"I'll drive you home in it. When we get to your place, I'll call Sturgis for a ride back to get my car," Harm explained, silently hoping that Sturgis was home so he could retrieve his own car when all was said and done.
Too worn-out to argue with him, Mac nodded and said, "Okay" in a weary voice. The session today had taken the life right out of her. Maddie had warned her that she would feel exhausted and she did, but her whole body ached as well. Her only concern at the moment was getting home and going to bed-no matter how that was accomplished.
She climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and slid in. Harm shut the car door for her and watched her buckle up before returning to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel. Glancing briefly in her direction to make sure she was okay, he then started the car and pulled away from the curb, beginning the journey to her apartment.
Harm thought about finding something soothing on the radio, but wondered if it would be too much for her at the moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mac rub her temples-a gesture he'd seen dozens of times before-usually accompanying a headache. So he decided to let silence envelop the vehicle instead.
Mac knew he meant well by driving her home, but she also hoped that he wouldn't want to talk about today's session either. Frankly, she had had enough. Right now her head was throbbing, but her emotional collapse was the icing on the cake, as far as she was concerned. For a split second, she berated herself for falling apart like that in his presence. In the same instance, she was grateful he was there to catch her. Had this happened when she was 19, it would have resulted in a drinking binge.
Mentally she ticked off the years and months since her last drink-Dalton Lowne's death-4 years 8 months-an accomplishment to say the least. It certainly wasn't one of her finest moments, she recalled. Harm had tried to reach out to her and she had reacted by pointing out his faults when she was clearly the one with the issues. Now this, she thought. She briefly glanced in his direction, wondering where all these issues would take them this time. Harm looked in her direction, a concerned expression filling his face. Mac whispered "thanks," allowing her lips to form a small smile. Harm returned the smile, saying "Anytime."
****
Georgetown
1855 hours
Before long, they were pulling up in front of Mac's apartment. Harm parked the 'vette and exited it before Mac had even unbuckled her seatbelt. He opened the door for her, watching as she retrieved her purse from between the two seats and got out. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't. Rehashing everything that transpired today would do more harm than good. So, he stood there, trying to gauge her emotions before saying goodnight.
Mac was incredibly relieved to be home. Harm was in over-protective mode at the moment-and although she was grateful-she truly wanted to be alone. They stood there facing each other, neither knowing what to say at the moment. Mac shivered slightly as the cold autumn wind swirled around her. Craving the warmth of her apartment she started walking toward the door to the building, and noticed that Harm wasn't following her. She turned to see him still standing by the car, pulling his phone out to call Sturgis.
"Harm, don't bother," she called to him, "You can use the phone in my apartment."
He hesitated, "I don't want to intrude, I just thought you'd want some time alone."
"I do. But, I'm not going to let you freeze to death either," Mac said, "Besides, it's the least I can do-you did drive me home." Standing just inside the open door, she motioned for him to follow her in.
Moments later, they were in the hall outside Mac's apartment. Unlocking the door, Mac made her way into the room, turning on the light as Harm followed her. Once he was inside, he shut the door behind him. She tossed her purse on the table and removed her jacket, laying it over the back of one of the chairs. The first item on her agenda was the aspirin. She headed into the bathroom and quickly gulped the pills and some water. Returning to the living room, Mac was too tired to do anything else at the moment, so she collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh, kicking off her shoes.
Harm took off his jacket and laid it on top of hers. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, he walked over to her phone and dialed Sturgis' number. After about two rings, he picked up.
"Hello?"
"Sturgis, its Harm. Are you busy?"
"Not at the moment. What's up?"
"I need a favor. Could you pick me up at Mac's?"
"Sure. Something happen to your Lexus?" he asked hesitantly, curious as to why his friend needed a lift-especially from Mac's.
"No, I just need a ride," Harm said, looking in the direction of the sofa and Mac, not really wanting get into things right now with Sturgis. He had wanted to keep the information to a minimum, for both their sakes.
"Give me 25 minutes-okay?" Sturgis replied.
"That's great. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate it," Harm said, hanging up the phone, relieved that Sturgis didn't cross-examine him at the moment.
He turned around to see Mac still sitting on the sofa, head against the back with her eyes closed. From this distance he couldn't tell if she was asleep or awake and just resting her eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked quietly.
"Um . . . fine," was the mumbled reply.
"Sturgis should be here in 25 minutes." He paused, and then asked, "Do you want some tea or maybe something to eat?"
"Tea sounds good," she said, attempting to get up.
"Don't get up-I think I can find the water and the teabags," Harm said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Okay-thanks," she said resting her head on the back of the sofa and closing her eyes again. The tea was the only palatable thing she was interested in at the moment. When her earlier nausea had finally left her it also took her appetite with it. Now, exhaustion was clearly winning this battle.
In the kitchen, Harm set the kettle on the stove to boil while he retrieved the tea bags from the canister, occasionally peering out to make sure Mac was alright. By the time the kettle boiled and he had steeped the tea bags, Mac was sound asleep on the sofa.
Walking into the living room, he softly called her name. When there wasn't a response, he set the mugs down on the coffee table, noticing she didn't move even as the stoneware clanked together. Wavering between leaving her be and making sure she was comfortable, he decided on the latter. Harm gently picked her up-careful not to disturb the sleeping Marine-and carried her into the bedroom, gingerly placing her on the bed. He covered her up with the blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed. She never even stirred from her deep sleep.
"Good night, Sarah," Harm said softly as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I promise things will get better."
Waiting a minute or two to make sure she didn't wake, he then left the bedroom. After returning the mugs to the kitchen, he retrived his jacket from the chair where he left it. Scanning the apartment one last time, he turned out the lights and left-locking the door behind him.