Chapter Forty Six
AN – I know a little bit about whopping cough, and from everything I read on it, this seems fairly accurate – if not, I must apologize.
0300 EST
1395 Kalmia Dr. (Harm's House)
King George, VA
Harm had heard Mackenzie coughing in her nursery. His brother was right, it was definitely not a normal sounding cough, and that caused Harm to worry. Mackenzie wasn't getting much sleep due to her discomfort so Harm picked his guitar up and started playing to her. She fell asleep on his chest, with a cough escaping at regular intervals.
Ham retrieved the snuggly from the top of the closet when the manila envelope that had come with Mackenzie tumbled down. It was amazing that it had only been a few months since his beautiful little girl had entered his life. She let out another cough. Harm let out a sigh. He had to get some sleep too, unfortunately the last crash and the circumstances surrounding it was accounting for many sleepless nights.
He walked into his room with Mackenzie still secure against her father's chest. Harm heard Mac tossing and turning in their bedroom. She had went home to her apartment, but ended up coming right back to his place. She smiled sheepishly and gave an excuse on how it would be easier to go together to the Bethesda then it would be for her to drive there. He knew secretly it was because she wanted to be close to the baby and she wanted him to hold her.
Mac yet again was in the throes of a nightmare. She had endured so much in the past couple of months, Harm honestly didn't know how she found the strength and courage to get up in the mornings. His eyes fell over Mac's body, the stitches from the shrapnel of the explosion clearly visible through the thin straps of her night gown.
Her nightmare was vivid again.
The Nightmare
"Please don't hurt Harm!" she screamed. There was nothing she could do though. She fought with all her might against the men that were holding her captive.
Lieutenant Aslambad held the knife to Harm's neck, grinning evilly. Then it was no longer Aslambad, it was Jeffers. Whispering for her to say goodbye to him.
End Nightmare
"NO!" she screamed. Her screamed jolted Harm and Mackenzie out of the sleep they were enjoying on their balcony. Mackenzie started crying, and it jolted Mac out of her nightmare. She wondered out the open balcony doors and found Harm trying to calm the baby down.
"Harm, I'm sorry. I have to handle these nightmares."
"It's okay Mac."
"Let me take her," she said. "You look exhausted."
He agreed and Mac started downstairs with Mackenzie while Harm caught a couple of hours of shut eye.
1000
EST
Pediatric Clinic, Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, MD
"Commander Rabb, Colonel Mackenzie, we are ready to see your daughter now."
Sergei had came with to help out. They were going to take him to look at colleges in the area after the appointment.
The doctor entered the small examination room where Mackenzie was clinging desperately to her father. "Hi. I am Dr. Anton Polinsky. What seems to be the problem with Mackenzie?"
"She has had a cough for several weeks now. Sergei has been watching her while her father and I were overseas. He may be able to tell you more than us. We were told it was allergies." Mac spoke up.
Harm spoke up, "This may sound funny, but her color is wrong."
"Commander, as her primary caregiver, anything you say is important."
Sergei started speaking with his thick Russian accent. The doctor held up his hand and started speaking, /Let's speak in Russian. This may be easier to help figure out what is going on without you trying to translate it all into English./
/I agree, Russian is easier in this case. I heard this type of cough before. We heard it during training for the Army, I was trained many months ago for emergency medicine. It almost sounds like whooping cough. But it may be my overactive imagination./
Mac gasped when he heard Sergei, and Harm gave her a stare. "What Mac?"
"Colonel, let's not be too hasty. Most of the time, babies have natural immunities up to six months, and Mackenzie is only 5 months old. Besides she has had allergies in the past. I am sure it is nothing. Are you her biological mother?"
"Yes."
"Well, immunities should pass from mother to child during breast feeding and through the placenta."
"Doctor, I am her biological mother, but I didn't give birth to her."
The doctor looked perplexed. He put his stethoscope up to Mackenzie chest and got alarmed. He took her pulse/ox and found that her oxygen levels were low. Then the coughing spasm came. The doctor reached over and put on a mask and gave one to everyone in the room.
"Commander, I need your consent to draw blood. I believe your daughter may have whooping cough. I also need to draw blood from everyone who has been in contact with her over the past couple of weeks. Is she in daycare?"
"Yes, but she hasn't been in over two weeks."
He looked at the nurse, "Go to the daycare, and ask about any other sick children."
"Sergei, good call," the doctor said. "I want to get her started on oxygen, and it sounds like she may have pneumonia. I want her admitted now."
The tears started flowing down Mac's face, and she fell into Harm's arms. "Harm, oh my God."
"Stay with her, she will be scared if she does not see her parents. I will call Jen, she wants to know what is going on, and I will be back soon," Sergei said. He had to remain calm for his niece's sake.
"Thanks Sergei."
Harm held Mac close. The doctor came in to give them some facts. "Colonel, Commander, the lab has confirmed the diagnosis of pertussis. It is contagious. Do you have anymore young children."
"I have a fifteen year old. But she hasn't been sick."
"Okay. When she gets here I have to draw blood. I heard she is the youngest one at the daycare, that is probably why she has gotten it."
"Isn't there vaccines?" Mac asked.
"Yes, and Mackenzie was scheduled to come in a month for that shot. This is why she contracted it, young children are very prone to picking up illnesses. Also, she has pneumonia, and we are going to put her in on oxygen so she can continue moving oxygen around her system. We are blasting her with antibiotics. Your brother has a very keen ear. I would have called it allergies too and treated her with antihistamines and kept her overnight for the pneumonia."
The doctor left the room leaving Harm and Mac to collect their thoughts. Sergei walked through the door. "Brother, if I knew, then I would have brought her in so much earlier. When Jennifer had problems with her allergies, I thought it was the same. I'm sorry. Harm, you need to call Trish and Frank. They have been calling every night since you left."
"Sergei, keep an eye on Mac will you?"
"Of course brother."
"Sergei thank you for saving my little Mackenzie. I owe you." He embraced his brother and walked to a cell phone safe area. He was going to hate this call.
"Brother, you owe me nothing, she is my niece."
Ring . . . Ring
"Burnett residence."
"Maria, I need to talk to my mom and Frank."
"Hold on Harm." He heard Maria in the back call his parents to the phone.
"Harm what is it?"
"Mackenzie is in the hospital. She has been diagnosed with whooping cough."
Frank immediately got on his cell, took the rest of the week off of work and secured a flight out on the company jet. Trish stayed on the line talking to Harm. Frank jumped back on.
"Harm, we have a flight in an hour. We will meet at the hospital."
"You guys don't have to come out."
"No we don't, be we are her grandparents."
"Thanks Mom, Frank."
Harm walked back inside to find Mackenzie finally resting peacefully. Sergei looked up. "I called Admiral Chegwidden; he is meeting Mattie after work to bring her here."
"Thanks for covering that Sergei."
The medical staff had put Mackenzie in a private room due to her being contagious and brought in rocking chairs for the tired adults to sit in. Mac caught a quick nap as Harm reached into the crib and stroked her cheek.
"Mackenzie, Daddy loves you so much, and when you get better, we will all take a trip to your great grandmother's. You would love it up there. I did. Please baby, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see your sweet face. You have to get better soon. My sweet angel." He voice started cracking raw with emotion. He didn't know how much longer he could stay strong.
Mac woke up and heard him pleading. "Harm?"
The doctor came in right at that moment. "I have the blood results back from the rest of you guys. You are looking healthy."
"Thank you doctor."
The JAG staff all came in to get tested for exposure, and though they all wanted to go in and see Mackenzie, they understood. The doctor allowed Jen and Admiral Jonas in to see her and draw their blood.
"Commander, Colonel, unfortunately I can't give both you guys off at once, we are too back logged." Admiral Jonas said explaining the situation at work.
"But sir," Mac started.
"But, here is a compromise, half days of family leave, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and administrative cases that can be worked on from here. However, if something big lands, I will need you guys back, understood?"
"Aye sir."
An hour later Mattie came in with AJ, and they too were also subjected to getting their blood drawn. Right after they came in Frank and Trish came and knocked on the window. Harm went out to greet them.
"Mom, Frank, I have to get out of here. Mac and Mattie need to eat, AJ and Admiral Jonas will stay with Mackenzie."
"Okay Harm, I understand." Frank motioned to Mac to come out, Trish escorted her son downstairs to his car.
"Harm," Trish started addressing her son, "Tell your father I said hello, and I miss him terribly. Hopefully he will tell you this is not you fault, and there are just some demons you can't fight."
"Mom," he started.
His mother held up and hand and interrupted him. "When you were a baby, your father got this horrible feeling. He walked into your room, and saw that you were turning blue. You were choking on a piece of cracker, and you dad saved your life. The point behind this is that your father was looking out for you when you were a baby, and he will be looking after his granddaughter."
"Thanks Mom. I know you want to go in and see Mackenzie, but she could get you sick. If the doctor allows it, make sure you are masked up, I don't want you to get infected." He hugged her and jumped in his Lexus. He picked up the phone and dialed Catherine Gale's number. "Catherine, I need you to find a number for someone, a Jordan Parker, probably living underneath an assumed name in Ireland."
"What for Harm?"
"She is Mackenzie's birth mother, and I need some health information for the future."
"Okay Harm, but from one parent to another, don't go ballistic when you call her about stealing your sperm. She gave you your daughter."
"I know Catherine, but little Mackie is sick, whether or not she is alive, I don't know, but on the off chance she is, she should know that Mackenzie is sick. Can you call her first and ask her to call me at my office?"
"Sure Harm. I hope Mackenzie gets better. I will try to find her."
"Thanks Catherine."
"No problem Harm." He didn't know if he was making the right decision, but he knew he would have to get this information just in case Mackenzie ever became sick again.
He drove the familiar route to the Wall. He killed the engine, and turned around in the back seat and saw his little girl's stuffed F-14 and he buried his head in his hands and sobbed quietly to himself.
He walked among the ranks of the men who had given up their lives for their country and he touched his dad's name. "Dad, my baby, she's sick. I don't know what to do. I feel so powerless. If I could give up my life for her I would. Dad, don't admit this to anyone, but I love waking up in the middle of the night and rocking her back to sleep, I love smelling like Desitin, and love kissing her chubby little cheeks." He sank to the floor. "Dad protect her." He sent his prayer to the heavens. From somewhere deep inside, Harm gathered all his strength and picked himself back up and drove back to the hospital.
