Chapter Fifty One

1700 EST
1395 Kalmia Drive
King George, VA

Mac had put down Mackenzie for a quick nap while Sergei went to the store to pick up some spaghetti sauce. Harm and Mattie had gone out for their ride, and Mac sat on the sun porch waiting for someone to be come back.

Harm and Mattie were the first ones to return, he and Mac had decided that they were going to have to tell Mattie together. They walked up and Harm and Mac asked Mattie to take a seat.

"What's wrong?"

"Mattie we have something to tell you," Mac started off gently.

"You guys are breaking up?!"

"No, Mattie, it's nothing like that." Harm answered. "But, I got orders to go to the Patrick Henry."

"What case is it?"

"It's not a case Mattie. I am being assigned to fly in the air wing for at least three months, but no longer than a year."

Mattie's face completely fell for two seconds, and then she completely recovered. "Fly safe up there dad, and I will see you for your two week r and r soon right?"

"You can bet on it Matts." He gave her a hug, and then she quickly excused herself so she could scrub up for dinner.

Mac and Harm looked at each other. "Harm, she isn't handling this very well."

"I know Mac, I know my daughter very well."

"Did you call your grandmother and make arrangements for taking everyone up there?"

"Yeah. She is looking forward to meeting Mackenzie and Mattie. I haven't been able to make the time for the girls to see her yet."

"She must be so excited."

"She is. She is also excited to meeting you."

"I am looking forward to meeting the other Sarah in your life."

Jen came to the door knocking with a chocolate cake. Sergei had met her in the drive and Mackenzie had awaken, and Mattie was doing her older sister duty. Mattie came down a couple minutes later and found her dad with the cake on the server with the spaghetti ready to go.

"Dad, Mackenzie has been changed and powdered."

"Thanks honey."

The family sat down to dinner with Harm and Mac at the heads of the table, Sergei and Jen at one side, and Mattie and Mackenzie at the other. "Jen, as you are aware I am being transferred for three months." Sergei let out a small gasp. "I was wondering if you could stay here while we went to go visit my grandmother."

"No problem Harm. I'll even feed the horses for you. Don't worry I won't ride them, I know how you feel about riding alone, but I will let them run the ring."

"Thanks Jennifer. Sergei, Gram really wants to meet you, and I know you have school starting on Monday so I figured we would fly you up if you want to go. There is a ticket for a red eye tonight, Ms. Haskins the neighbor is going to pick you up."

"Thank you brother."

"We will meet you there tomorrow."

"Okay."

Jen smiled, "I'll help you pack after dinner and then take you to the airport when it is time. I will pick you up, just call me with the flight time on Saturday."

"Thank you Jennifer."

Mattie just sat there eating dinner in silence and Mac gave Harm a knowing look. She excused herself after dessert and went to go pack her bag. She was excited about meeting her great grandmother, but wished it was underneath better circumstances.

Mattie feel asleep around 2200, Harm looked in on her when he didn't see her after dinner, and he could feel Mac come up behind him.

"Mac, I knew it was too good to be true."

"What was too good to be true?"

"Life. My beautiful girls, our love, having Sergei here, I'm losing it all Mac."

"You aren't losing it all. You are leaving for a couple of months. We will all be here when you get back."

Mac watched him watch Mattie sleep. "Promise me Mac that you won't let her revert back into being a 15 year old adult. Promise me you will help her stay a teenager, let her go out, have AJ scare away her boyfriends." He said holding himself trying to find some comfort. "She is just a kid Mac."

Mac led him away from Mattie's room. "I promise you that she will always be able to be a teenager. I won't let her grow up too quickly. Come on Flyboy. Let's check on Mackenzie. We have to pack the car with all her stuff. We need the pack-n-play, her Tommy, her pacifier, her blanket, a ton of clothes, bottles, the walker." She said starting to get teary eyed.

"Mac, honey," he thumbed away her tears. He led her downstairs to the couch and switched on the stereo. "Shh, it's okay. Let it out." She cried silently in his arms, seeking the warmth that was him, the arms that would cradle her and never drop her, and his eyes that would tear into her soul.

"Dance with me Sarah." He pulled her up from the couch and pulled her into his arms. He swayed with her slowly to the lyrics of the song.

THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME (Bon Jovi)

It's hard for me to say the things

I want to say sometimes

There's no one here but you and me

And that broken old street light

Lock the doors

We'll leave the world outside

All I've got to give to you

Are these five words when I

Thank you for loving me

For being my eyes

When I couldn't see

For parting my lips

When I couldn't breathe

Thank you for loving me

Thank you for loving me

I never knew I had a dream

Until that dream was you

When I look into your eyes

The sky's a different blue

Cross my heart

I wear no disguise

If I tried, you'd make believe

That you believed my lies

Thank you for loving me

For being my eyes

When I couldn't see

For parting my lips

When I couldn't breathe

Thank you for loving me

You pick me up when I fall down

You ring the bell before they count me out

If I was drowning you would part the sea

And risk your own life to rescue me

Lock the doors

We'll leave the world outside

All I've got to give to you

Are these five words when I

Thank you for loving me

For being my eyes

When I couldn't see

You parted my lips

When I couldn't breathe

Thank you for loving me

When I couldn't fly

Oh, you gave me wings

You parted my lips

When I couldn't breathe

Thank you for loving me

"Mac, I don't have much to give you but my love."

"Honey for me that is al I need in life."

He kissed her eye lids. He led her outside. "Look at all the stars."

"They are beautiful."

"When I was younger me and Dad used to look at the stars, he taught me the constellations. He told me that when I was missing him that I should look at the stars and thing of him because that it where he would be, flying among the stars."

She held him even tighter. "I don't know how to let you go now."

"Then don't. Keep me forever in your heart."

"You got it Harm."

They went up to their room and started settling in for bed and turned on a movie. An hour later they heard sobbing coming down the hall. A minute later Mattie walked into their room.

"Dad?!"

"Mattie come here baby."

Mattie climbed in the bed between Harm and Mac. "Dad, I had a dream that you went down." She sobbed into his chest. "Dad, can I sleep in here with you and Mom."

Mac jumped in. "Yes honey." Just then Mackenzie started crying. "I'll go get her. Go wash your face, and then all of us will camp out in the big bed."

Mattie gave her a nod and Harm went to the closet to pull out Mackenzie's bassinet. Mac walked in a couple minutes later with Mackenzie who was wet and that was the reason that she woke up. "Da!" He cradled her in his arms and settled her down in the bassinet and Mattie crawled in to bed beside her parents. Mac set her internal alarm for eight so they could get on the road to his grandmother's farm.