Chapter Forty Three

AN-I don't actually know if Harm could sit RIO, I know he has a couple times with Admiral Boone and Mac has rode in the back seat, but it fits my story, so . . .

The next morning, Mac and Emily weren't feeling to well. Upon going to the sick bay, they found out there was an outbreak of food poisoning. Turns out there was some contaminated meat used in yesterday's spaghetti. The meat was only used in the officer's wardroom, and only those who ate the spaghetti were filling ill.

Harm sat with Mac and held back her hair as she was throwing up whatever it was she tried to hold down. "Harm, we need to finish up this investigation."

"I know Mac. After lunch is the first interview. They are going to be coming to the office since you are under the weather. I already informed them of it. I don't want to worry you, but the captain also told me this morning I was going to have to sit RIO for a couple of the pilots whose RIOs are sick. I think I am actually filling in for Emily. It is a simple recon mission."

Harm looked at Mac's face, and tried to gage her reaction. "Harm, orders are orders. Have fun up there flyboy, and just come home so you can hold back my hair again."

"I don't have to go to the ready room until a couple more hours. I will stay with you until then. Let me help you." He took a cold wash cloth and pressed it up against her forehead, and planted a soft kiss there.

"I don't deserve you."

"I think it is the other way around, I don't deserve you."

"We really need to investigate this case." He helped her up from the cold steel floor. She fixed her hair. Since another officer had thrown up on Mac's last clean uniform, she had to wear one of Skate's clean flight suites. They went up to vulture row to talk about the case, she also thought the fresh air would help settle her stomach. The ship hit some rough seas and she lurched into his arms.

"Thanks for catching me."

"I will always be there to catch you Mac."

"Where is Emily?"

"Sleeping off the food poisoning."

He brushed the hair out of her face. "Come on Mac. I have to go get a piece of fruit in me before I go fly this mission." They left vulture row unaware of the pair of eyes that were watching them from deck.

"Are you disappointed you aren't flying it, and sitting in the back seat."

"No, as I said, it is routine. And besides, if I need to grab the stick back there, I can."

Harm mulled the ideas over in his head who could be stalking Mac and Emily as he munched on a fruit salad. Mac bit at some saltine crackers and ginger ale. He gave Mac a quick kiss on the cheek when no one was looking and excused himself to go get ready for the days mission.

He took a seat in the room. The CAG went into the ready room to address the squadron. "Everyone, I want to introduce you to Commander Rabb, JAG."

Harm stood up. "For those of you who don't know, Rabb has extensive combat flying skills, and 3 DFCs. He is also filling in for our sick RIOs. So in all intensive purposes, he is saving this mission. Harm?"

"Yes sir?"

"You will be paired up with Nails. Hammer and Nails. I think you guys will make a good pair."

"Yes sir."

Harm held his breath as he listened to the mission. They were to go in, sweep the area for combative forces to find out if the area was safe for ground troop movement.

"Rules of engagement?" a younger pilot addressed.

"Hammer, as resident lawyer?"

"Pretty simple, don't fire unless fired upon. I don't want to have to defend another hotshot."

Before leaving, Harm approached the captain. "Captain Ingles?"

"Rabb, thank you for filling in."

"No problem sir."

"You are always in the right place at the right time."

"Seems so sir. There is something I need to ask. Colonel Mackenzie has been receiving threatening emails along with Lt. Commander Graves. I want them both placed under Marine protection, just in case. They both are under the weather with the food poisoning, and Mac is questioning some of the suspects today."

"Understandable. I will send a marine to the office. She is going to be one pissed off marine."

"I'd rather have her pissed at me for 48 hours than something else happen to her."

He gave him a quick nod and ran out to the deck.

"What kept you Hammer?"

"I needed to brief the captain on the progress on the investigation."

"Oh."

Harm looked up at vulture row and found Mac looking down at him. She waved and blew him a kiss and sent a prayer up to heaven that he would be coming back soon. She turned and walked back inside. Nails looked up just in time to see Mac's retreating form.

An hour into the interviews, Mac figured that none of the people they were interviewing were the stalker, two of the men didn't know Emily very well, the other 5 men were all together at a club during their liberty. Emily had said she had trusted Jeffers with her life. Mac and Emily went together to talk about the case over a cup of coffee. "Emily, what can you tell me in depth about Lt. Commander Kyle Jeffers?"

"Nails is his call sign. I have known him since high school. Mom and Dad had moved us to Chicago, per Dad's orders. I was the new kid in town, attending a private Catholic high school. I didn't really fit in until Mom made me try out for the cheerleading team since there wasn't a gymnastic team at the school. Kyle and my husband, Louis, were best friends. Louis was popular. He once told me when he saw me it was love at first sight. Kyle and Louis used to joke around about how they used to fight over me after football practices.

"When Louis and I got married, Kyle was our best man. Louis was on a business trip to NYC at a training session for the company he worked for in their Trade Center office. He was on the top floor. He didn't stand a chance. He called me on his cell before he died." She started chocking up. Mac went over to comfort her cousin.

"Emily, I can't imagine."

"I was getting ready to get out of the military, when I found out I was pregnant with Brennen. It was a mixed blessing really, to be pregnant with his baby while he was buried underneath the rubble. At least a part of him, his legacy, would still be alive. My CO at time was informed of the situation. He told me he couldn't lose good officers like me, not now, and that I should take time, and transfer to an inactive reserve unit. If I wanted, I could come back in time. After Brennen was born, May 11, 2002 exactly nine months after his daddy died, Kyle was my birthing coach, I was so lost, and I couldn't pull myself together, not even to take care of my son. Kyle was given emergency time off. He held me, and told me everything was going to be okay. I miss Louis so much. Brennen looks so much like his dad.

"Kyle was my safety net. He helped me with Brennen so much. Last year, he proposed, and I said I couldn't. I was still in love with Louis. After that, Kyle got withdrawn, and drunk more often then not. I got my parents to look after Brennen when I got assigned out here for six months. To my surprise, Kyle was out here. I was so excited to have him back in my life."

"He sounds almost too good to be true. Was Kyle ever jealous?"

"Well in high school, all the time. Would get upset and throw things. He went to anger management and it cleared right up. Sarah, you don't think Kyle is the one who is doing this? When he got drunk, he told me he would stop at nothing to have me." A slow recognition was dawning on Emily. "Oh my God."

"I think he was in love with you, and still is. Where is Kyle now?"

"He is flying right now with Harm."

Sarah ran to the bridge, she was aware of the marine guard with her. 'Damn it Harm, always trying to make sure I'm safe, but what about you.' "Captain Ingles, I need to get in radio contact with Commander Rabb. Commander Graves and I have found out who the stalker is, and Commander Rabb needs to know."

"Colonel, right now is radio silence. We will have them back online in twenty minutes."

"Damn," she muttered. She stood on the bridge and waited.

Meanwhile in the air

"So Hammer, I heard you were a ladies man?"

"I used to be, now I have kids, Mattie is fifteen and Mackenzie is five months, and they make it hard for me to date." He stated, not wanting to tell his relationship with Mac.

'Bastard,' Kyle thought to himself. 'To bad I am going to have to kill you.' "A teenager huh. You must have been fresh out of flight school when you had her."

"No, she is adopted. She needed me I was there. How about you anyone special?"

"I thought there was about a year ago, but she shot me down."

"Why?"

"She was still in love with her dead husband. You know who it is, Lt. Commander Graves. I guess now that is a good thing, considering we are in the same chain of command now. No man can have her on the ship." Harm noticed him stiffening.

Just then, Harm heard Mac on the radio circuit.

"Harm?"

"Yeah Mac."

"I am so pissed about this marine guard, I'm gonna kick your six later flyboy. I received a call from Lt. Zuzello. He says hi." She said cryptically.

The light bulbs went off in his head. "Tell Zuzello's son Andy I said I am thinking about him, and I will bring him back something cool from this deployment. Mac, we are going to be back on the carrier in about thirty. We will wrap up this case tonight."

Zuzello was the RIO that was killed when the pilot used a bad oxygen ring to kill him. Harm was sitting RIO, that meant that Jeffers had to be the stalker, and Mac figured it out.

Harm played on Jeffers' insecurities to receive more information. "Commander Graves seems like a nice girl. I have spent some time with her while we were on board. I am hoping she will come out for a visit when you guys dock in Norfolk."

"She is one of the best RIOs out here." He said wistfully.

"How long have you been in love with her?" Harm asked.

"Almost 18 years. I watched her marry my best friend, and I will be damned if I let her go off with a playboy like you with a ready-made family waiting."

"I don't want Emily. Trust me, I have enough girls in my life to have to deal."

"If I can't have her, you can't have her."

"Nails, what are you talking about?"

"I saw you wave to Emily today while she was standing on vulture row."

"That was her cousin, Colonel Mackenzie. My JAG partner."

Jeffers let out an evil laugh. "It doesn't matter, they are one in the same! I wanted to have both of them, I knew it the minute I saw her step off the COD. I watched her while she slept in the JAG office. So beautiful. You have no clue what you are missing out on. But since I am sure you have figured out that I am the one causing Emily and Mac's problems, I am going to have to kill you and me. I refuse to go to jail."

"You are talking crazy. What are you going to do?"

"Commander, do you remember you ramp strike?"

"Nails, don't do it. I can plea bargain this case, you won't have to go to jail." Harm said, trying to hide the panic in his voice. Another ramp strike was something that he did not want to go through.

"Why in the hell would you help me?" Nails turned back on the radio. "Now, shut up so I can do this."

The LSO could be heard telling Nails to call the ball and to be ready for landing. Nails told the LSO he was ready and began his descent at and started dipping dangerously low. Harm decided to take control.

"Damn it Nails. What the hell did you do to my controls?" Harm reached for the stick, to find in nonfunctional.

"I downloaded a virus last night, only comes up after we are catapulted off. Your controls are fried." He started laughing manically.

'Oh shit, this can't be good.' The plane started dipping even lower. Mac and Emily had come out to the flight deck to arrest Nails when he landed, and was watching all this happen. Harm started working through the eject sequence praying he had enough time to go through it. He pulled the handle and shut his eyes, hoping he was able to do it in time. He closed his eyes, and his last thought of was family.

The LSO was yelling into the headset to pull up. The plane would have hit the edge of the ship if it hadn't dipped at the last second, but the ship didn't dip enough in the swells of the ocean.

"HARM!" she screamed over the screeching metal and tried to run to the plane.

AN: Read and review - I love reading what you guys have to say - hopefully I will post more soon.