Chapter Fifty
0800 EST
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
Harm and Mac pulled up to the office after their perfect weekend with the kids. They had gotten Mattie all squared away for school which would soon be starting. Mac had an early morning meeting with a client so Harm unstrapped Mackenzie from her car seat. "Say bye bye to Mommy"
"Ma," Mackenzie echoed back. Mac heard as she was going to the building. She ran back and gave Mackenzie a huge kiss.
"Mommy loves you baby. Be good for Daddy and Nikki."
Mac ran upstairs and Harm dropped the baby off at the nursery. He dropped his briefcase and cover in his office and made his way to the break room to grab a cup of coffee. "Commander, the Admiral would like to see you in his office ASAP."
"Thanks Coates." Harm dumped his coffee in the sink. It tasted like sludge, the new guys must have made the coffee. Harm approached the Admiral's office and walked in. "Commander Rabb reporting as ordered sir."
"Have a seat Commander."
Harm sat down. "Commander, I have been fighting with the SecNav for weeks on this but unfortunately there was nothing I could do to change this."
"Change what sir?" Harm asked getting a nauseous feeling.
"You have been temporarily assigned to the USS Patrick Henry, to the air wing. It seems that with fighting is going to continue. The Navy is falling a couple of pilots short, so you are it."
"Damn." Harm muttered. "I need to tell Mac."
"I will have Coates send her in."
A few moments later, Mac came walking in through the doors. She greeted the admiral and was old to take a seat.
"Colonel, I was just telling Commander Rabb that he is TAD to the Patrick Henry. He will be in their air wing."
Mac let out a quick gasp and then quickly recovered. "How long sir and starting when?"
"He is to go out in two weeks, for a period of no less than three months but no more than one year."
Mac stood up abruptly. "Permission to be dismissed sir." Harm could tell that something wasn't quite right with Mac.
"Dismissed."
Mac quickly exited and Harm looked at his CO. "Rabb, I am giving you two weeks to put your affairs in order. Update your will, do whatever you deem necessary. I am reassigning all of Mac's and your cases. As of 1700 today you and her are placed on leave. You have two weeks. This week the colonel will be on administrative cases this week that can be worked on from your home office. Next week I will put her on family leave."
"Thank you sir."
"Dismissed."
Harm left the office to find Bud standing by the bathroom door. "Sir, Colonel Mackenzie is in there."
Harm went into the bathroom to find Mac hunched over the toilet throwing up her breakfast. He wet his handkerchief and pressed it to her forehead. He sat on the floor and held her tight. "Mac, honey, I am so sorry."
She clung to him. "The call of duty right."
"My duty to my family means so much more."
"But you can't deny your duty to the country right?"
"I do have a duty to my country, but I love you and my girls. I'll resign my commission if you want me to."
"I don't want you to. Promise me you will fly smart."
"Always."
He knew he was breaking protocol but he tilted her chin and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now lets get you off this cold bathroom floor and dry your eyes. In one hour we get to pick out our 6 month old to finish up her infant vaccinations, and I know that you are going to cry when Mackenzie starts crying."
"It's not like you good job keeping the tears at bay." She countered back at him.
"Yeah I know, but this is for her own good. Did you know the first time I took her to get her blood drawn, there were tears in my eyes when I heard her cry?"
"Mackenzie has always had you wrapped around her little fingers."
"Don't tell her that though, she could really take me for a spin."
"Kinda like our teenager."
"Kinda like that. Oh, you get to explain to Mackenzie how this was for her own good, because whenever I do, she gets all teary eyed on me, and I brake down and buy her a new toy."
"Well, I'll take this time since she is only six months old. But you get to do it when she is older and we ground her for her own good. You walked into that one."
"Yea I did."
"Harm, I need to go ask the Admiral for time off."
"Already done, one week administrative cases that can be down from the comfort of our home, and then next week you are on leave. I was thinking about taking the kids up to Gram's farm."
"Splendid idea Harm. Now let's get out of the bathroom and face what is to come." Mac suggested.
"Okay." Harm led Mac out of the bathroom and gave her a reassuring smile. He looked around his office and pulled out the picture of Mattie, Mackenzie and Mac. He placed that picture in his briefcase. That would be one picture that would be taken with him to the Henry. He then requested a moment of the admiral's time.
"Sir, I need someone to verify the changes in my will."
"Very well."
"Nothing major really. I'm in the process of adopting Mattie officially. She will be a Rabb hopefully by the time I return. Mac had guardianship of the two girls and that will remain. Mattie and Mackenzie will split the liquid assets I have in the bank, which will remain in trust for them until they decide where they want to go to school, even though I am sure Frank already has that taken care of. I think that is it." The admiral signed off in Harm's will. "I will have my office cleaned out by the end of the day."
"Why? I'm not going to replace you. The temp is only going to work here for a couple of months, and you will be back," Admiral Jonas said.
"Thank you sir."
"Rabb, fly safe out there and come home to your beautiful girls."
"Thank you sir." Harm said standing to leave. He stopped at Jennifer Coates' desk. "Jen, I need you to come to the house tonight. There is a family announcement I have to make over dinner. That is if you don't have plans."
"No problem at all sir. Is there anything you want me to pick up for dinner on the way there?"
He took out his wallet and handed her forty dollars. "I think this should be enough. I need you to pick up dessert."
"Okay sir."
1500 EST
Somehow Mac managed to make it through her rough day of work and picked up the administrative cases from the admiral. He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Mac, have faith in Rabb."
"I have complete faith in Harm sir. It just the people that are over there shooting at him I don't have faith in." She said with a sigh as she stood at attention and walked out the door.
"Colonel, collect your fiancé, your daughter, and go get her vaccinated. Don't let the angel cry too much will you, and keep Rabb from breaking down. Last time he got her blood drawn, he bought out half of Toys R Us to make it up to her."
Mac laughed, "Somehow I can tell I am going to be the bad guy with her."
Mac walked into Harm's office and saw him staring at a picture that was taken at the carnival. The looked so happy together. "Mac, sorry, I didn't see you standing there."
"Lost in thought of better days?"
"You could say that."
"Hey flyboy, the admiral told me to collect you and Mackenzie and to head home, so grab what you want to take with you, and we will be our way. I'll grab Mackenzie and meet you by the car. Then we will take her for the rest of her vaccinations."
"Okay Mac."
Harm walked around his office doing a once over, knowing that he would be back, but still feeling uneasy about this assignment. He walked out into the bullpen and found Jen standing outside his office, Sturgis, Bud, the support staff, and even Harriet were gathered. Mac had entered carrying Mackenzie.
The admiral walked out to the bullpen with AJ Chegwidden following, he had come to take Admiral Jonas to the driving range. Harm was wondering what was going on.
"Commander, I just gave the news to the staff, they wanted to say farewell and good luck."
Harm smiled at everyone, "I will be back again. Don't worry." He saw Mac and Mackenzie standing by the exit. He started to leave and his colleagues fired off a salute out of curtsey and respect for the man who was going to the trenches so to speak. Harm turned around and the admiral gave him a slight nod off. AJ raised his eyes to the heavens. He got on the elevator, and the bullpen quietly got back to work.
