A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! Special thanks to Ninjaturtle for being a superb beta-reader! I've reworked some of this chapter. I was painting myself into a corner and had to "unpaint" a bi tto get myself out of it. As far as the car crash idea... sorry if you thought it was "unoriginal" but if you want original write your own freakin' story!!!!! :-) ENJOY
Chapter 6 – Phone Tag
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Sunday, March 14th
0113 EDT
"Hello?" Mac said groggily into the phone.
"Mac it's Harm."
"Harm are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to hear your voice again."
"Could you have waited until morning, I just fell asleep."
"Mac, I....."
"Spit it out Flyboy."
Harm took a deep breath and let it out slowly, Maybe this is why I never did this over the phone.
"Mac, tonight we almost talked."
"Harm what are you talking about, of course we talked, much of the night." In her sleepy stupor she had trouble understanding him.
"Sarah, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the moments before Bud called me."
Mac inhaled sharply. She had noticed that moment too. The moment she seemed that was always interupted or otherwise unable to happen.
"I should have asked you to come with me to Bud and Harriet's to babysit. It just slipped my mind. Mac, does it mean nothing to you that I gave up everything to find you in Paraguay?"
Where the hell did that come from? she wonders almost angrily. "Harm, I....it.... " she takes a deep breath, "Harm, it means more than you could ever know."
"You sure have a funny way of showing it, with this Webb thing and all." Inwardly he rebuked himself. It just slipped out, Damn it Rabb! Control your mouth for once.
"Harm, can we not do this right now? I'm pretty tired. I fell asleep not that long ago, and I'm tired."
"If not now Sarah, when? We can't just keep putting it off. We've put it off since Paraguay and it's been affecting both of us."
"Harm! I just can't do this right now. You have to wait until it's the right time for both of us, which considering I was sleeping less than five minutes ago, isn't right now. I'm tired. I can't think straight and your asking these questions of me is the last thing I want to be doing and thinking about right now." It came out harsher than she intended, the raw emotions touching the edge of her voice. She was so sick of doing this dance with him.
"Harm, I'm hanging up now. Call me tomorrow and maybe we'll talk if that's what you want." Once again the words were spoken in anger. They weren't intended to hurt like the ones in Paraguay had been, but the were intended to sting the way it had stung her when he left without asking if she wanted to help with her God-son, or even attempted to continue the conversation that almost started.
"Sarah what I...."
Mac closed the line cutting him off, and slammed the phone angrily down. How dare he wake me up because the time is right for him to talk. We had that chance earlier tonight and he chose a friend over me. That's not my fault. How often are we going to bump into each other during the course of this dance? Sliding back under the covers she quickly fell back to sleep despite her seething anger.
Deeply lost in thought over the skirmish he just had with Mac, Harm did not notice the passage from city to country nearing Reston. In his distraction of talking on the phone, Harm failed to see the vehicle sitting ahead on the side of the road, poised, ready to make an entrance back on to the beltway. The car looked abandoned along this lonely stretch of road, with long distances between exits, and very few lights. From the shadows on the shoulder, the same car, without its lights on pulled out much too slowly onto the Beltway. The movement snapped Harm back to reality as he attempted to swerve and miss the vehicle.
"What the...?" I didn't see him coming Harm's car drives wildly over the road, as he frantically attempts to regain control having missed the slow moving vehicle. His hands grip the steering wheel and he is hanging on for dear life. The world outside has become a blur. It feels like he is back in the cockpit of his F-14 in the worst dogfight of his life. The difference being that in a cockpit of an F-14 he strapped in more tightly, he at least controls where he is going and has some idea where up is. His seat belt is too loose, and his chest slams forcefully into the steering wheel knocking the wind out of him. "Why can't I null this out?" he gasps painfully. Then he feels it It's too late and the front wheels bite into the soft dirt of the shoulder. In one smooth motion the car begins to roll. His front air bag deploys protecting him from hitting the steering wheel again, but does nothing to save him from the drivers door window. His head slams into the window several times as the vehicle rolls over and over. I should have paid the extra money for those side curtain airbags his head already pounding. Things are flying about the inside of his vehicle. His cell phone whizzes past his ear. The clothes bag he keeps in the back is now on the seat next to him. Amidst the sounds of glass shattering and metal crushing, Harm's last thoughts before sliding mercifully into darkness are of his Mac.
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Sunday, March 14th
0223 EDT
Mac's sleep is interuppted by the phone once again.
"Something had better be on fire, or heads will roll!" she groans to herself.
"What do you want?" Mac says crossly into the phone. Who or what could possibly need my attention at this hour?!
"Ma'am? " A tentative voice on the other end asks, "It's Bud. I was wondering if you had heard from Commander Rabb."
"Bud? What time is it?" Had over her eyes, she rolls and tries to focus on the clock. It's after 2am Sitting bolt upright, she exclaims, "I talked to him a bit ago, and he was pretty close to your place. He's not watching AJ yet?," Realizing the probability something has gone wrong, she visibly paled.
"Ma'am, I've tried his cell phone and it just goes to voice mail. Jimmy's temperature is up to almost 104. Harriet's starting to get hysterical and we can't get a hold of Commander Rabb and...."
"Bud!" Mac yelled into the phone. "Take a deep breath. I'm sure there's an explanation. Let me get dressed and I'll be to your place soon." With that she clicked the line off and went to get dressed.
As Mac grabbed her purse and keys, her blood ran cold. She paused and recalled the dream that she had woken from.
"Don't answer that."
"Why...?"
"Because it will only be bad news for us Sarah."
Was it some kind of warning? She pulled her cell phone from her purse. Maybe he's ignoring Bud, because he stopped off to get something to eat before going to their house. Not very much like Harm, but possible.
She pressed Harm's speed dial number on her phone and willed him to pick up. Her heart fell when it rolled over to voicemail, "You have reached the voice mail for Harmon Rabb Jr. Please leave a message at the tone and I'll get back to you shortly. Thanks!"
"Harm, it's me. Just calling to see where you are. Bud called and he's worried. If you stopped to get some food before going over to his place, and didn't tell him I'm going to kill you because this is the second time I've been woken up tonight. So call me back when you get this message.....bye."
Mac's corvette easily reached the beltway and set a rapid course for the Roberts' home in Reston. Unlike Harm she concentrated on the road. There is still little traffic to worry about. Despite her anger, her worries about Harm increased with each minute that passed without a returned phone call.
With the dream playing back in her mind she couldn't fight the strong feeling that she was near Harm.
Sarah!
She gasps as his voice echoes through her mind. Did she really hear that?
I must be more tired than I thought Her eyes focus on the road before her as she slowed her car slightly trying to decide how to proceed. She just can't shake that feeling, right there in the pit of her stomach. It's almost like the fullness you feel before the butterflies take off and start dive bombing. It's a feeling she has come to know well.
"Harm, where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone?" she says nearly pleading with him to answer her.
Sarah I need you. Come to me. What should she do?
"Where Harm? I don't understand. Where are you? Why won't you answer your phone? Where do you need me to go?"
Ahead, she notices some fresh looking skid marks, barely illuminated by the light above.
Sarah you need to stop. STOP NOW! This time she swore it was his audible voice and not just that voice in her head. She heard it is so loud that she looked over her shoulder to see if Harm somehow managed to fold his 6'4" frame into her back seat. Nothing. That did little to convince her that Harm was not near. However, shaken she slammed on the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder to collect her thoughts, the feeling is stronger than ever.
She bit down on her lower lip and tried to think. Again she tried to call Harm. Ever so faintly she heard the ringing of a cell phone.
Am I really hearing that? she wondered. As the line continued to ring she stepped out of her car. She could still hear it. She can feel Harm stronger than ever. There it is! She picks up the cell phone ringing in her hands. How odd for a cell phone to be randomly laying by the side of the road The phone looked strangely familiar to her.
A few steps further and the blood drained from her face. Her knees nearly buckled and she gasped in horror at the scene before her.
No! It couldn't be! That's not Harm's? She flipped open the phone and it only confirmed her worst nightmare: One Missed Call. The caller ID reads "My Mac".
Chapter 6 – Phone Tag
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Sunday, March 14th
0113 EDT
"Hello?" Mac said groggily into the phone.
"Mac it's Harm."
"Harm are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to hear your voice again."
"Could you have waited until morning, I just fell asleep."
"Mac, I....."
"Spit it out Flyboy."
Harm took a deep breath and let it out slowly, Maybe this is why I never did this over the phone.
"Mac, tonight we almost talked."
"Harm what are you talking about, of course we talked, much of the night." In her sleepy stupor she had trouble understanding him.
"Sarah, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the moments before Bud called me."
Mac inhaled sharply. She had noticed that moment too. The moment she seemed that was always interupted or otherwise unable to happen.
"I should have asked you to come with me to Bud and Harriet's to babysit. It just slipped my mind. Mac, does it mean nothing to you that I gave up everything to find you in Paraguay?"
Where the hell did that come from? she wonders almost angrily. "Harm, I....it.... " she takes a deep breath, "Harm, it means more than you could ever know."
"You sure have a funny way of showing it, with this Webb thing and all." Inwardly he rebuked himself. It just slipped out, Damn it Rabb! Control your mouth for once.
"Harm, can we not do this right now? I'm pretty tired. I fell asleep not that long ago, and I'm tired."
"If not now Sarah, when? We can't just keep putting it off. We've put it off since Paraguay and it's been affecting both of us."
"Harm! I just can't do this right now. You have to wait until it's the right time for both of us, which considering I was sleeping less than five minutes ago, isn't right now. I'm tired. I can't think straight and your asking these questions of me is the last thing I want to be doing and thinking about right now." It came out harsher than she intended, the raw emotions touching the edge of her voice. She was so sick of doing this dance with him.
"Harm, I'm hanging up now. Call me tomorrow and maybe we'll talk if that's what you want." Once again the words were spoken in anger. They weren't intended to hurt like the ones in Paraguay had been, but the were intended to sting the way it had stung her when he left without asking if she wanted to help with her God-son, or even attempted to continue the conversation that almost started.
"Sarah what I...."
Mac closed the line cutting him off, and slammed the phone angrily down. How dare he wake me up because the time is right for him to talk. We had that chance earlier tonight and he chose a friend over me. That's not my fault. How often are we going to bump into each other during the course of this dance? Sliding back under the covers she quickly fell back to sleep despite her seething anger.
Deeply lost in thought over the skirmish he just had with Mac, Harm did not notice the passage from city to country nearing Reston. In his distraction of talking on the phone, Harm failed to see the vehicle sitting ahead on the side of the road, poised, ready to make an entrance back on to the beltway. The car looked abandoned along this lonely stretch of road, with long distances between exits, and very few lights. From the shadows on the shoulder, the same car, without its lights on pulled out much too slowly onto the Beltway. The movement snapped Harm back to reality as he attempted to swerve and miss the vehicle.
"What the...?" I didn't see him coming Harm's car drives wildly over the road, as he frantically attempts to regain control having missed the slow moving vehicle. His hands grip the steering wheel and he is hanging on for dear life. The world outside has become a blur. It feels like he is back in the cockpit of his F-14 in the worst dogfight of his life. The difference being that in a cockpit of an F-14 he strapped in more tightly, he at least controls where he is going and has some idea where up is. His seat belt is too loose, and his chest slams forcefully into the steering wheel knocking the wind out of him. "Why can't I null this out?" he gasps painfully. Then he feels it It's too late and the front wheels bite into the soft dirt of the shoulder. In one smooth motion the car begins to roll. His front air bag deploys protecting him from hitting the steering wheel again, but does nothing to save him from the drivers door window. His head slams into the window several times as the vehicle rolls over and over. I should have paid the extra money for those side curtain airbags his head already pounding. Things are flying about the inside of his vehicle. His cell phone whizzes past his ear. The clothes bag he keeps in the back is now on the seat next to him. Amidst the sounds of glass shattering and metal crushing, Harm's last thoughts before sliding mercifully into darkness are of his Mac.
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Sunday, March 14th
0223 EDT
Mac's sleep is interuppted by the phone once again.
"Something had better be on fire, or heads will roll!" she groans to herself.
"What do you want?" Mac says crossly into the phone. Who or what could possibly need my attention at this hour?!
"Ma'am? " A tentative voice on the other end asks, "It's Bud. I was wondering if you had heard from Commander Rabb."
"Bud? What time is it?" Had over her eyes, she rolls and tries to focus on the clock. It's after 2am Sitting bolt upright, she exclaims, "I talked to him a bit ago, and he was pretty close to your place. He's not watching AJ yet?," Realizing the probability something has gone wrong, she visibly paled.
"Ma'am, I've tried his cell phone and it just goes to voice mail. Jimmy's temperature is up to almost 104. Harriet's starting to get hysterical and we can't get a hold of Commander Rabb and...."
"Bud!" Mac yelled into the phone. "Take a deep breath. I'm sure there's an explanation. Let me get dressed and I'll be to your place soon." With that she clicked the line off and went to get dressed.
As Mac grabbed her purse and keys, her blood ran cold. She paused and recalled the dream that she had woken from.
"Don't answer that."
"Why...?"
"Because it will only be bad news for us Sarah."
Was it some kind of warning? She pulled her cell phone from her purse. Maybe he's ignoring Bud, because he stopped off to get something to eat before going to their house. Not very much like Harm, but possible.
She pressed Harm's speed dial number on her phone and willed him to pick up. Her heart fell when it rolled over to voicemail, "You have reached the voice mail for Harmon Rabb Jr. Please leave a message at the tone and I'll get back to you shortly. Thanks!"
"Harm, it's me. Just calling to see where you are. Bud called and he's worried. If you stopped to get some food before going over to his place, and didn't tell him I'm going to kill you because this is the second time I've been woken up tonight. So call me back when you get this message.....bye."
Mac's corvette easily reached the beltway and set a rapid course for the Roberts' home in Reston. Unlike Harm she concentrated on the road. There is still little traffic to worry about. Despite her anger, her worries about Harm increased with each minute that passed without a returned phone call.
With the dream playing back in her mind she couldn't fight the strong feeling that she was near Harm.
Sarah!
She gasps as his voice echoes through her mind. Did she really hear that?
I must be more tired than I thought Her eyes focus on the road before her as she slowed her car slightly trying to decide how to proceed. She just can't shake that feeling, right there in the pit of her stomach. It's almost like the fullness you feel before the butterflies take off and start dive bombing. It's a feeling she has come to know well.
"Harm, where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone?" she says nearly pleading with him to answer her.
Sarah I need you. Come to me. What should she do?
"Where Harm? I don't understand. Where are you? Why won't you answer your phone? Where do you need me to go?"
Ahead, she notices some fresh looking skid marks, barely illuminated by the light above.
Sarah you need to stop. STOP NOW! This time she swore it was his audible voice and not just that voice in her head. She heard it is so loud that she looked over her shoulder to see if Harm somehow managed to fold his 6'4" frame into her back seat. Nothing. That did little to convince her that Harm was not near. However, shaken she slammed on the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder to collect her thoughts, the feeling is stronger than ever.
She bit down on her lower lip and tried to think. Again she tried to call Harm. Ever so faintly she heard the ringing of a cell phone.
Am I really hearing that? she wondered. As the line continued to ring she stepped out of her car. She could still hear it. She can feel Harm stronger than ever. There it is! She picks up the cell phone ringing in her hands. How odd for a cell phone to be randomly laying by the side of the road The phone looked strangely familiar to her.
A few steps further and the blood drained from her face. Her knees nearly buckled and she gasped in horror at the scene before her.
No! It couldn't be! That's not Harm's? She flipped open the phone and it only confirmed her worst nightmare: One Missed Call. The caller ID reads "My Mac".
