Chapter Forty Seven
AN-Thanks Alicia for the info – the stuff I got was off a CDC site, and they said that it was rare of an adult to catch whopping cough. Also, they said that in severe cases, a child could die (not going to happen here – but coughing fits stink)
So let me clear things up, okay, so lets say she caught it at the daycare two weeks ago (still puts her in the contagious stage) – picked it up because she was the only one not vaccinated yet – the rest of the whopping cough is taken from a case study I had in undergrad premed classes.
0800 EST
Bethesda, MD
Harm and Mac had told everyone to go home the night before, and they stayed with their little girl overnight. During the night, Mackenzie started another coughing fit, causing the monitors to go crazy and her pulse ox dropped dangerously low, and her heart rate to go erratic.
Mac and Harm could do nothing but sit there and watch the coughing fit take over her little body. Harm threw the one crutch he was using across the room and sank to the ground. Mac put her arms around him, "Damn it. Do this to me, not to her, she is just an innocent baby." He pleaded with God. Mac put her arms around him. "I would change places with her in a heart beat." Mac looked in his hands and saw the little stuffed F-14 that they had won at the carnival.
"Listen to me Flyboy. She is our daughter, and that makes her part Rabb, which means she is stubborn, and she is part marine, so that makes her incredibly stubborn. She is going to get better. Now, I am going to go to the house, pick up our uniforms that way we won't get charged with UA. Also, don't forget to take the antibiotics that Dr. Polinsky gave you, we don't need someone else down from work."
"I love you Mac."
"I love you too Harm. Take care of her okay, and I will be back as soon as Admiral Jonas allows me to leave."
Harm watched her get up to leave, and the doctors came out to tell him that Mackenzie had a bad coughing fit, but it was unlikely that any damage occurred during the brief period she as having problems breathing.
He put his mask back on, hobbled back into the room and sat back down on the rocking chair asking God and his dad to help Mackenzie through her battle. Mackenzie woke up several hours later and reached for her daddy.
"You are just like your mommy, you need Daddy to hold you in the mornings." He picked her up from out of the crib. He started singing to her softly and opened up the blinds so she could see out there. "Mackenzie, you see out there, it is a huge world that you need to see. When you get better, I am going to take you around the big bad world."
Frank and Admiral Chegwidden had slipped inside. "Harm, that sounds wonderful, but I doubt she will remember. Your mom is waiting for you in the hallway with food. When was the last time you ate?" AJ said to him.
"Breakfast yesterday." He replied with his head hanging down.
"Harm, please eat."
"Yes brother, eat. You cannot take care of Mackenzie if you can't take care of yourself." Sergei said to him as he entered the room with the doctor.
"Yes Commander, so far, your brother has never missed a diagnosis. I have come to draw more blood and to take her to x-ray to take pictures of her chest, I want to check on the pneumonia."
"I am going to stay with my niece while you go to take care of yourself."
"Okay." He squeezed his brother's shoulder, conveying the message of take care of her. AJ nodded and said he was going to stay with Mackenzie too.
Harm and Frank took off their masks and they went to go meet Trish. "Harm what was the doctor and Sergei talking about back there?"
"Sergei didn't tell you? He came with us to the hospital yesterday and was telling the doctor he suspicions. The doctor didn't seem to think it was whooping cough, and thought it was pneumonia and allergies, but he ran the tests anyway. Sergei got it right."
"So Sergei saved Mackenzie's life."
"Seems that way," he said biting into his omelet. "I feel bad we were supposed to take him out to look at colleges. But with everything with Mackenzie, I don't think we will find on in time to get him started for the next term."
"Harm, we'll take him out."
"Thanks Mom, Frank. I will tell him about it."
Sergei came and found them after the test were ran on Mackenzie. "Harm, Trish, and Frank, the doctor would like to speak to you."
They all went into the family waiting room. "Commander, we have some good news. Mackenzie's pneumonia is responding to the treatment and the bacteria is beginning to recede. Mackenzie should be strong enough to be released in about a couple weeks if nothing goes wrong. Mackenzie could end up having seizures, breathing problems, or have brain damage. We are going to keep her in an isolated room, and you are going to have to continue with the precautions, but I am remaining cautiously optimistic."
Harm took a little bit to digest the information, and called Mac, who then informed the admiral and Jen. They all came during lunch and they sat in the room watching Mackenzie through the glass. For a man who barely had any family at all, he now didn't know what to do without them.
He changed into his uniform and went into the Mackenzie's room. She seemed to recognize him better with the uniform on and he held her. "Okay listen to daddy Mackenzie. He said shifting to his other shoulder. "Daddy has to go to work or else I won't be able to buy you your heart's content. Don't scare Mommy. I know Mommy is a Marine, but she is your mommy first, and she is scared for you. No more coughing fits, okay. Be that little marine, and kick this disease butt? Daddy loves you so much." He put her in the crib and watched her until she fell asleep.
"Commander, I need to see you in my office as soon as you get back to Falls Church. There is a small case." Admiral Jonas told Harm after filling his prescription.
"Yes sir."
"Commander, do you need a ride back to JAG?" Jen asked.
"Jen, I can take myself."
"Well, I was going to come back to the hospital and meet Sergei for dinner after work and after he gets back from college hunting."
"You and my brother huh?"
"We will see sir. I don't want to jinx it. But yeah, I like him."
"That's nice Jennifer, and yes, I would like that ride to JAG." They rode to JAG making idle chit-chat.
Harm was able to clear the case that the admiral gave him within a couple of hours and was able to have the petty officer plea bargain in the drunk and disorderly case to forfeiture of one day pay.
Harm was getting ready to leave his office when he heard the telephone ring.
"Rabb speaking."
"Harm, it's Jordan."
Harm hid his surprise, in the back of her mind, he had believed she was dead. "Hello Jordan. I thought you were dying."
"I am Harm, I only have a couple of months left. I was trying to not call, but after a Ms. Gale called and asked me to call, I wanted to know how the baby is doing."
"Mackenzie is doing fine. That is what I named her."
"That's a good name, named after Colonel Mackenzie?"
"No, named after her mother."
"Mac is her mother?"
"Yes. Why, didn't bother looking at whose eggs you stole Jordan?"
"Harm, I didn't know, I swear. I just wanted to have a child."
"I have to thank you though Jordan. That little girl has brought me so much joy and happiness."
"Harm, I want to see her."
"No Jordan. Out of the question."
"I am her mother!"
"I am her father, her custodial and biological parent. Mac is her mother, who has been there for her the past two months. I love that little girl more than my own life and I refuse to let Mackenzie be subjected to any more of this. I don't think it would be wise to travel with her right now."
"Why?"
"She has whooping cough and is hospitalized."
"Harm, she is not fine!"
"Where you vaccinated? Did you breast feed her?"
"No, my mother didn't believe in vaccinations, I was home schooled, and until I joined the Navy, I didn't get any shots. And no, I didn't breast feed her. Is Mackenzie alright?"
"No, but she will be, I have to go Jordan. My baby needs me right now. Thank you for doing the right thing and sending her to come live with me, but as of right now, I no longer want anymore contact with you."
Harm disconnected the phone and met Coates by the elevators. "Sir, are you alright."
"I'm just fine Coates. Let's go do you can meet Sergei for dinner. I will pick up dinner for Mac."
"Sounds good Commander."
Harm got on his cell phone and called the Chinese food place that was close to the hospital.
He walked in and Jen was carrying the packages of lo mien since he was on crutches when he caught Mac standing outside Mackenzie's room.
"Mac did she go into another coughing fit?"
"No Harm. I just couldn't watch the doctors start another IV on her. Our baby is being fed through tubes when she should be getting fed by a bottle or baby food! Our baby is fighting a disease, and all we can do is stand here." Mac melted into his arms, and he was caught her.
"I was wondering when you would freak." Harm said holding her. He saw the look Mac was giving him. "It's not what I meant. I crashed into a carrier a week ago, you were recovering from food poisoning, you were in an incident overseas, our baby is hospitalized. It is a lot of stress." The doctor overheard this and decided for their sake he was going to send over a psychologist.
She sighed, "Then, why am I the only one crying?"
