Chapter Forty Four
USS Patrick Henry
Same Night
"Harm!" She screamed as she was brought down by another explosion.
"Did he eject?" Emily screamed. She saw the firemen over at the scene putting out the raging inferno.
They looked up in the sky and saw two chutes heading towards them. One chute was caught in an updraft and the pilot would end up in the drink, and the other pilot would end up on the deck. Both pilots looked as if they were just rag dolls flapping helplessly in the wind.
Mac looked up and saw a parachute heading towards them, he cleared the fire, but landed with a sickening crunch on the deck. The captain had run out to the deck. He couldn't catch her before she ran out to the parachute. He helped her unhook the harness, and pulled the parachute off of him.
"Colonel, is it the Commander?"
"No." She screamed. "He must have been the one caught in the updraft. Have you sent out a SAR team yet?"
"We are on it Colonel, we are sending out a zodiac now to retrieve him where we have his homing beacon."
"I want to be on that zodiac."
"I knew you would be."
It seemed like forever waiting on the zodiac to retrieve Harm. It felt like the last time he had to eject, and she just kept praying that he would be alright. They saw the chute before they actually spotted Harm. A couple of the men cut Harm free from the chute and pulled him into the zodiac.
"He's not breathing." Someone shouted over the sound of the ocean. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion from that moment. The medics started performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Then the most beautiful sound she could ever hear came from him, a cough. He had spit out the sea water that was invading his lungs. He didn't regain consciousness, but he was breathing on his own.
Mac started shaking as she was looking for a pulse, and sighed with relief. The medics came rushing over to work on him as soon as they got him on board of the Patrick Henry.
"Let him go Colonel. Let them do their jobs. We have to call your CO, and then down in sickbay, you can sit with him." The captain pried him from her arms. The captain sat there, "Colonel?" Mac stood there in a daze, she saw his blood on her hands; he must have gotten hit in the explosion.
Mac was not sure if her knees would hold her, and stars swimming before her eyes. She fainted into the captain's arms due to pure exhaustion and no nutrients in her body. The captain looked her over and found a piece of metal sticking out of her shoulder blade. "Damn." He carried her down to sick bay himself.
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Down in the sick bay, the men where working frantically on Harm. He had a deep gash in his side, various other bruises, and a concussion from what Captain Ingles could tell. A nurse saw the captain standing there, and rushed over to him.
"Captain?"
He put Mac down on the gurney. "This is the Commander's fiancée. She was down on the deck. A piece of shrapnel hit her. We didn't realize it when we were attending to the Commander. She was also hit by the food poisoning today, so she wasn't eating today."
The doctor went over to Mac and assessed her injuries. The metal didn't go in too deep, and she was taken care of fairly quickly. She started to stir, and wake up to see Harm wearing an oxygen mask, and he was unconscious. "Harm!" She started to rip the IV from her that was re-hydrating her body.
"Colonel, don't touch that." Captain Ingles said. "I was there for his first ramp strike. It was much worse. I was the CAG on the ship when it happened. He is strong Mac," he said using a term he never used with her. "He'll be fine. He is a fighter."
Harm's eyes fluttered open. "Sarah" he whispered, and he fell back into unconsciousness.
"He has a concussion, a broken ankle, and a dislocated hip. He is going to need stitches in his side. But other than that, he seems to have skated through this okay."
"I want to be with him as soon as I can be."
"Colonel, it doesn't help to sit with an unconscious man, he won't hear a word you say."
Captain Ingles looked up, "I doubt it with those two. I suggest you let her be near by anyway. When Commander Rabb wakes up, he will probably want her, if not get out of bed to find her."
The nurse nodded and set a chair next to Harm's bed. Mac immediately took up residence in it. She held his hand and started whispering to him, "You know Flyboy, it's a good thing Mattie isn't here, she would be so made at you right now! So you have to wake up soon and show me those beautiful blues."
Mac put her head down on his chest and heard his heart beating. She understood why this was Mackenzie's favorite place to fall asleep, it was so strong and reassuring. Sometime later, Harm woke up and felt Mac's head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and knew that everything would be okay.
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Patrick Henry
0900 local time
Mac Nightmare:
Mac started screaming. The last thing she heard was the sound of metal screeching on metal, and the marine guard trying to catch up with her. She felt something hit her, but she didn't care. All she knew as that she had to get to Harm. The flames were all around her. "Harm, hold on, I am trying to get to you. Please honey, hold on. HARM!"
End Nightmare
Harm heard her screaming and boosted himself out of bed. He reached over and picked up her hand and gave her a quick kiss on the palm of her hand. "Sarah, wake up, you are just dreaming." She had ended up curled up in the chair next to his bed.
She looked up with her eyes that always bore into his soul. She started crying. "I almost lost you yesterday. I felt so lost, so helpless."
He inched himself over on the bed and motioned for her to come sit on the bed with him. "You didn't. I'm here, alive, and too stubborn to die."
"Amen to that Commander. I was just checking up on you. What happened up there?"
"Captain," he said, both Harm and Mac were trying to get up to attention.
"Don't try you two. I understand."
"Sir. We had completed the mission, and we were making idol chitchat. He had asked me about my personal life, and I told him about my girls. I pointedly left out my relationship with the Colonel because we had suspected him in the case. Something just didn't seem right with him. I knew he knew Commander Graves before they were stationed together. That is when Mac called and told me Lt. Zuzello. Mac, that was ingenious."
"Who is Lt. Zuzello?"
"He was a RIO a couple of years ago. His pilot killed him using a defective oxygen ring. Since I was sitting RIO, she hoped I would remember this and put two and two together." Harm supplied.
"The pilot was in love with the RIO's wife, and killed him for it." Mac filled in for Captain Ingles.
"Now it makes more sense. It was smart to think of using a case. I was wondering how you were going to let the Commander know without letting Commander Jeffers know. How are you two feeling?"
"Better than the last time I had to eject out." Harm answered, shuddering remembering his first ramp strike.
"Like I got hit with a piece of metal in my shoulder."
"Well, all things considering, I think you guys faired pretty well. I called Admiral Jonas to let him know of the events last night. He is waiting to here from you two when you are up to it."
Harm spoke up, "What happened to Jeffers? Did he make it?"
The Captain looked down. "No."
Harm shifted and sat ramrod straight. Mac knew that look on him. "Harm," she said softly, "don't go blaming yourself."
"You know Mac, that is the hard part, I can't blame myself for this. He tried to kill me. I would have left you and the girls alone, that is what I feel guilty about."
"But you didn't." Mac being the stronger of the two leaned over and put his hand over her heart. It was a simple gesture, but for Harm it helped him realize that he had so much in his life in the present, not to dwell on the past.
The doctor on the ship came in. "Look at you two. Colonel, you will be allowed to leave sick bay today, but my guess is that you won't. Commander, you will be allowed to leave a little bit later as soon as I am satisfied that you are okay. Commander, how do you feel about crutches?"
"Hate using them. I am king of the one crutch technique. I have a five month old at home, and I think I would have a hard time running back and forth. And carrying her up and down the stairs would be difficult. "
"Commander, you are going to have to find more help with you being not as mobile as you would like with your cast."
"Well, my younger brother is in town. He will be willing to help with the kids."
"I was unaware that your father and mother had any more children." Captain Ingles said, knowing of the Rabb family history.
"They didn't. Sergei is my half brother, Russian born. Dad was held captive there until he escaped. Sergei is staying with me for the time being."
"I'll help you out after work flyboy." Mac said, pointedly ignoring that she was there most days of the week any way. They had talked about moving in together, but decided to wait a little longer into their engagement.
"It seems you have everything covered Commander. Try to use two crutches as much as possible. You dislocated the hip on the side which we casted. I don't want you to be putting undo pressure on that hip. Colonel, the stitches in your shoulder are going to have to come out in about a week. Call Bethesda when you get back and schedule an appointment. Considering what transpired last night, I think you two escaped with very minor injuries. When does their COD arrive?"
"I would have to say there was a higher being out there looking out after you two. I have your transport coming in at 1500 Sunday. Commander, about your quals, either these guys aren't training well enough, or you are just one damn good pilot. You scored the highest on your quals." The Captain stated.
The next morning:
An ensign came in to give them some clean flight suits. "We wanted you guys to be comfortable, and the laundry service is backed up right now."
"It quite alright." The doctor left, but was recalled through the help button because his most amusing patients were trying to get flight suits on with various mobility problems. He called the nurse to help Mac, and he ended up having to rip open the pants leg for Harm's cast.
Harm grudgingly took the crutches and Mac and him made their way out to make the phone calls. "We need to call the Admiral to let him know about the incident."
"I know. We should probably also call Mattie and Sergei so they don't freak out." Mac answered back to him.
"I'll call the kids, you call the Admiral."
Ring. . . Ring. . .
"Hello, Rabb residence."
"Jennifer, it's Harm."
"Commander, it is good to hear from you. The Admiral called last night and told us you and Mac were in some kind of accident. Sergei has been worried sick, Mattie hasn't gotten off of the couch because she is so worried, and Gram and Grandpa were worried too."
"Jen, keep holding down the fort. How is Mackenzie?"
"Her cough keeps getting worse and more frequent. I took some emergency family leave time to help Sergei out with her, and I was able to make her an appointment at Bethesda for Tuesday morning 1000."
"Thank you Jennifer."
"No problem Commander. I am going to put Mattie on the phone, she is dying to talk to you."
"Okay. Bye Jen."
"Bye Harm."
"Dad. Where's Mom? What happened, are you two okay?" Mattie said freaking out over the phone.
Harm smiled at the idea of her calling Mac mom. "Slow down honey. Both me and Mom are fine. I have a broken ankle and Mac's shoulder is a little tender from having to get stitches."
"Dad what happened?"
"That is a story for another time. Me and Mac aren't leaving you anytime soon though, and we will be home soon, I promise you Matts."
"Good to know. I can't stand anymore of Uncle Sergei's cooking. Tell Mom I love her. I love you too Dad."
"I love you too honey."
AN-I couldn't kill off anyone – just yet – I have plans for them. R and R
