Chapter 13

Saturday, March 20th

1857

Mac's office at JAG

Sighing, Sarah Mackenzie pushed back from her computer. The research she had been working on was finally completed. She felt confident for tomorrows opening statements, and she could go home. Or rather, go back to the hospital to see her Harm.

On her way to the hospital she stopped to get some curbside takeaway from Bertucci's, one of her favorite Italian restaurants. Her route from JAG, down Route 50 would take her right past the one in Clarendon. She smiled, after nine years of knowing someone you come to learn exactly what they would want without even asking. Tonight was no exception, and she walked out with two orders of chicken piccata, with side salads and plenty of their fresh bread to boot. She topped it off with a Diet Coke for Harm, and a Diet Raspberry Snapple Tea for herself. If she hurried she it would still be hot when she arrived at the hospital. It smelled great, and she was starving so she could hardly wait. She only hoped that those tourists would cooperate on her way into the district.

Driving in DC was always a nightmare. Driving to the hospital showed that today would be no exception. Mac wound her way through the DC streets choked with pedestrians, most of them tourists relying on her military training to resist the urge to roll down her window and give a piece of her mind every now and then.

"Must be spring break or something" she muttered to herself.

Nothing, she told herself could possibly put her in a bad mood today. No, not even the unintelligent, most unwise and brainless of tourists that choked the streets of the District this evening. For when she opened her eyes this morning she never thought that she would be opening them to a whole new world of possibilities. It was like she had suddenly satisfied a part of her life she had no idea was missing. The ironic thing was, that she had known all along what it was missing, and yet, the solution to her problem was right before her for the last nine years. All those years of saying that all she wanted was to have the right job, the right man and lots and lots of comfortable shoes. Now she truly had it all, and now the sunset seemed a little more magnificent and the bird's song a little sweeter.

Slowly she swung into the hospital parking garage. Nodding to the night guard as she took a ticket she wound her way around the tight garage looking for a spot. After what seemed to be an eternity she found one on the lowest level, the fourth subbasement in a corner.

Mac chuckled to herself, "God must know I'm going to need the exercise after this dinner, because the elevator doesn't even make it to this level. I have to take the stairs." and as an after thought, "I'm a marine. I can take it! Yes. Even with ten pound of food!"

Of course Harm would have to be on the seventh floor of the hospital, which meant she actually had to trek up eleven flights of stairs, but she managed to make it and still look gorgeous on the flip side.

The instant she stepped into Harm's room he smiled that smile that nearly made her melt.

"Hey" he said.

"Hey yourself Sailor. I brought provisions." she smiled with that smile that little did she know, would make him go weak in the knees if he had been standing.

"Thank GOD Sarah. You would not believe the stuff they have been trying to feed me here today! Please tell me you got something good."

She smiled again, lifting the bag to his line of sight.

With the fresh food wafting to his nose and making his palate water, they said at the same time, "Chicken piccata." and chuckled.

"You could have read my mind." he said.

"I think I must have."

"Well what are you waiting for? You have one starving sailor here. Break it out!"

Mac didn't need much encouragement. Her stomach was growling with such a great intensity that it caused Harm to give a pointive glance in the direction from which the growl had come.

"Sounds like you're as hungry as I am!"

"Don't you know it!" she replied.

They ate in silence for awhile, enjoying both the food and the company. It hadn't been like this, for what seemed to be years and they were enjoying it.

After awhile, Mac broke the silence. "So when are you getting out of here Sailor?"

"Well the docs won't give me a specific time, but all my tests are normal and they tell me that as soon as I can get around well enough that they would release me. So I figure that it should be in the next day or so. Then after about 6 weeks, it's on to physical therapy at Bethesda."

"Hey that's great news!" she smiled again with sincerity. It was good to see that he was not only on the mend, but in good spirits.

"No one will be more grateful than I to get back to my place. No more poking and prodding at all hours of the night. I mean, sometimes they wake me up just to ask if I'd like a pill to help me sleep. How ironic is that?"

Mac tossed her head back and laughed lightly. She could only imagine how annoying it must be.

When she looked up from a final bite of chicken picatta, she was surprised by the intensity of his gaze. It was like he was examining the very depths of her soul. Their eyes locked in a moment of complete vulnerability. It was in moments like these that her "tough, marine" confidence failed her. "Will he like what he sees?" She wonders silently. She prayed that those walls wouldn't come up. She had to let herself believe that this time was different, HE was different. She could be her own true self here and not worry. If only he would do the same.

When he looked at her, he saw everything he desired in a women. He wished he could tell her everything that he had dreamed of while he was away. Maybe then, her confidence wouldn't fail her. He could see her fighting the protective wall. He could understand why she, of all people a beautiful, poised woman, a marine, lacked confidence with men. Everything she had known, had failed her in that area. The men she picked: her husband Chris, Dalton, even himself at times.

"Sarah" he started gently, "don't be afraid. I love you."

She would never hear enough of that, but even if she heard it a thousand times, it would never undo the hurt that she had faced in the past. She took a breath to speak, but couldn't find the words. They just looked at each other. The silence speaking volumes. She could feel the warmth of his love as she sat near him.

"I love you too Harm."

He just smiled at her. It wasn't that one hundred-watt flyboy smile, it was one she had never seen before. It was the smile that was left when she turned away or when he thought of her during the day. It was the smile that came out when he thought she wasn't looking. It was the smile that he saved just for her.

Then, as if fate knew that they had just come together and were almost to the point of talking, they were once again interrupted.

"Commander! How are you doing!" It was an exuberant Bud and Harriet. Harriet took one look at the situation and knew that they were interrupting. She had tried to talk Bud into approaching the room slowly so they could make sure they wouldn't be bothering the Commander, but he would hear none of it and barged right into the room. As Harriet had feared, it looked as though they HAD interrupted something, and after a few moments Mac looked ready to excuse herself.

"Well I'll let you two boys catch up." Mac said as she grabbed her purse.

"Ma'am I could use a cup of coffee too, I'll go with you."

Mac looked at Harriet a little surprised. She hadn't intended to get a cup of coffee, she had intended to go home, but it seemed that Harriet would have none of it. To turn her down now would be rude. Harriet knew that Mac had more social graces than that and that she would accept the invitation for a cup of coffee, no matter how lousy it had potential to be.