Chapter Five
Disclaimers – Most characters don't belong to me, they belong to the production people in Hollywood, – but writing definitely doesn't pay the bills or my tuition – All of the sudden the NAVY recruiters are beginning to make sense in my head.
1700 EST
North of Union Station
He got finished unloading the Lexus, and had little Mackenzie down for a nap, and about dropped down dead when he realized that Mattie was getting ready to leave with her volleyball team. He then saw a little package that Harriet had picked up for him. There was a little note.
-Harm-
For all those little moments that you never
want to forget. A little token from me, the
boys and Bud.
Love
The Roberts
Harriet had really out done herself. She snuck a digital camera in and said that it would be real easy to send pictures to his mother.
He heard the knock on the door.
"Dad, it looks like you bought out the store. Where were you today?"
"Well Mattie, while you were out with Tom, I learned that I had a little daughter. I named her Mackenzie. Don't freak out." He said when he saw her expression, "It just means we will have to get a bigger place."
"Dad, do you want me to go back to Tom?"
"Mattie never. I love you as much as I love Mackenzie. You are my little girl, and always will be. Don't doubt that kiddo. Before you leave with your friends, I am going to take a picture with the new digital camera that Harriet got us."
"Dad, I love you." Mattie hung to his shirt.
"I love you too." He saw the van down below. He picked up the baby monitor, and the digital camera. Harm headed outside and greeted Ms. Vargus.
"If she gets in any trouble let me know."
"Mattie is always the poster child Commander."
"Dad is going trigger happy with his new camera, so can we get a shot?"
"Sure."
The group lined up, and Harm took some pictures, some tame ones, some crazy ones. The team all piled into two vans and left. Just then the baby monitor started to let out some soft cries.
Harm went back upstairs with a run. He got inside to smell that Mackenzie needed another change. He changed her, bathed her, and noticed his machine beeping. He hit the button and listened to the message.
"Harm, its Mac. Just want to call, talk to my best friend. I am breaking about a thousand rules right now to use this phone, but oh well. I will see you in a couple days Flyboy."
Harm smiled at the term of endearment used between them, but he couldn't help but hear the strain in her voice. This mission must be rough on her, he knew it was on him. Maybe tonight he would get some sleep.
Harm picked took some pictures of the baby, figured out how to download them, and called his mother.
Ring . . . ring. . . ring. . .
"Hello?"
"Hi Frank, it's Harm."
"Trish, its Harm, pick up the extension," he heard his stepfather say, "Harm, is everything okay out there?"
"Is Mattie doing okay?"
"Yeah, Mom, Mattie is fine. I have some news though, and you may want to sit down."
"Harm, I don't think you could shock your mother and I any worse than you running away to Laos."
"Can you check your email?" Harm asked.
"Sure, give me a minute." Trish walked over to the desk where her husband was sitting. They pulled up their email and saw the pictures he took of Mackenzie in her bath, and in her robe chewing a rubber duckie. "Harm these are cute. Who are they of?"
"Mom, Frank, Jordan stole some sperm from a fertility bank."
"The story that broke on ZNN?" Frank asked.
"Harm why are you donating sperm?" Trish asked her son.
"One question at a time. Yeah Frank, that's the story that broke. I didn't even think of that. Mom, whenever I go do my quals, I normally go and store sperm. While back in flight school, we learned that the high altitudes could hinder the possibility of pilots having children, so I decided that if it was the case, at least me and my imaginary wife would have some options." Harm paused, "But back to the original question, Jordan stole my sperm and some woman's eggs from the bank. More importantly, she has terminal cancer, and sent me my daughter." He then proceeded to tell them the story.
"Well Harm, it sounds like you are handling it the best way you can."
"Tomorrow during lunch, I am taking Mackenzie for a paternity test just to be on the safe side."
"Harm, there's no need for that. She looks just like you when you were a baby. Except the mouth and nose." Trish commented.
"Well, Trish it is better safe than sorry."
"Harm, we will be out there on Thursday. I will get the company jet so we can help you with everything. Besides, we haven't been able to see much of the lovely Mathilda Grace."
"You don't have to drop everything."
"Harm, we are your parents. We are going to come out there."
"Thanks Mom, I love you. Can I talk to Frank privately?"
"Sure baby." Trish hung up her extension.
"Yeah Harm what did you need?"
"Frank, lately Mattie has been calling me dad, and I realized I never gave you that chance. However, I am asking your permission so my children can call you granddad. You are the only one they will ever know."
"Harm, you are the closest thing I have ever had to a son, I would be honored."
"Thanks Frank. I know I haven't said it, but I love you too."
"You are welcome son. I love you." They hung up the phone and realized the power that these women were having in their life.
Mattie came home around 2010, and charged up the stairs to meet her new little sister. "Hey Dad, guess what!"
"What kiddo?"
"I am starting next fall on the team!"
"High five." Harm held his had high, and made Mattie jump for it. Instead he grabbed her in a hug. "I am proud of you, are you ready to meet little Mackenzie?"
"Sure."
Mackenzie was sitting in her pack-n-play looking drowsy, but trying her hardest to fight sleep.
"She's beautiful."
"She's getting sleepy."
Harm started singing to the baby.
Daddy's little girl
paints the world with her magic wand
Daddy's little child breathes
new life to the morning time for me
Though we're apart, her
thoughts follow me
When I come home, Mackenzie smiles with the
dawn
Mackenzie smiles, and she radiates the glow around her
halo
When she plays, Mackenzie smiles
On a summer day,
Mackenzie smiles
A new day, Mackenzie smiles
Daddy's little
girl ties a ribbon around my heart
Daddy's little child waves
goodbye to the ocean tide that sweeps me
Though we're apart, she's
a part of me
Mackenzie smiles with the dawn
Mackenzie
smiles and she radiates the glow around her halo
When she plays,
Mackenzie smiles
On a summer day, Mackenzie smiles
A new day,
Mackenzie smiles
When I come home, Mackenzie smiles with the
dawn
Mackenzie smiles and she radiates the glow around her
halo
When she plays, Mackenzie smiles
On a summer day,
Mackenzie smiles
A new day, Mackenzie smiles
When the days
have gone grey,
Nothing's wrong when Mackenzie smiles
"Dad, that was a great, if I was your daughter, would you have sang to me?"
"I will sing to you now, and you are my daughter. Mattie, never think otherwise."
Daddy's little girl
paints the world with her magic wand
Daddy's little child breathes
new life to the morning time for me
Though we're apart, her
thoughts follow me
When I come home, Mattie smiles with the
dawn
Mattie smiles, and she radiates the glow around her halo
When
she plays, Mattie smiles
On a summer day, Mattie smiles
A new
day, Mattie smiles
"Dad you are such a dork but I love you. I love Mackenzie too."
Together Mattie and Harm put Mackenzie down to meet the sandman.
Harm and Mattie sat down for a cup of tea. If Mattie didn't have dinner with Harm, they normally sat down and had a cup of tea together.
"Mattie, how are you handling this?"
"Good, I really am."
"Well, your grandparents are flying in to help with finding a house. Since your school is a private school, I don't have to worry about zoning laws. So you can still start on the volleyball team. In fact, we might be able to move closer to your school."
"I'm thinking, we should buy a five bedroom house, in-ground pool, a fixer upper. An older place we can transform into ours. What do you think?"
"I think five bedrooms would be too large."
"Dad, there would be one bedroom for me, one bedroom for you, one bedroom for Mackenzie, and two bedrooms for guests. It would be perfect."
"We will see what we can find."
"When is Mac coming home?"
"This is out of the blue, two days why?"
"Well there are going to be a lot of changes, and I think she will want to know about them."
"Don't worry about it, I will let Mac know."
AN-Song doesn't belong to me, it's Molly Smiles from the Uptown Girls Soundtrack
