Chapter Fifty Three

0630 EST
13 days later
King George, VA

The whole house woke up in a solemn mood knowing that Harm would be leaving for the Patrick Henry the next morning. Mattie had wanted to stay home, but since it was her first week of school they made a compromise, she was going to be picked up in the middle of the day for lunch to spend some time with Harm, but then she would have to go back to finish up the day, and they were going to pick her up twenty minutes early before dismissal.

Harm had woken up to the sounds of Mackenzie crying. He stepped into her nursery and found her looking up at him with big blue eyes. "Come on Mackie, Daddy has something he wants to do with you." He picked her up and changed her diaper and made her a bottle.

He reached the living room and went to his office pulling out a camcorder and set it on the fireplace mantel. He started the camcorder and sat down with Mackenzie, cradling her in his arms.

He looked down at his little girl and then looked at the camera. "Mackenzie, today is September 12, the day before I have to leave you for a very long time. Baby, I want you to know I am sorry I am going to probably miss your first steps, but I know that Mama is going to figure out a way to let me know how much you grow. I am so sorry I am going to miss that sweet pea.

"Let me explain something to you, Daddy never wants to leave you ever. But I know that it is impossible. If I don't come back though from the God-forsaken desert, I want you to know one thing, you were always a very wanted and loved little girl, no matter the circumstances behind how you came into this world. I remember the first day I saw you. You were sitting in a carrier on my desk. You were wearing a yellow sleeper that had ducks on it. You came to live with me and your mommy on that warm April day. I was scared to death but overwhelmed with love for the little wiggle worm.

"There are a couple of things I want you to know about life that a daughter should learn from her father. When picking out a good man to spend the rest of your life with, pick one like your father. I may not be perfect, but I love you and so will he. I am sure that Mattie will teach you how to fly, no matter how much your mother hates it. Make sure you listen to her, she is a natural. No matter what the DNA says, Mattie is your older sister, respect her . . . she loves you too baby.

"Under no circumstances are you or your sister going to spend your life in regret. Make sure that you always dance when you hear music and sing at the top of your lungs. Always tell your mother that you love her before you go to sleep. Look at the stars and tell me goodnight before you go to bed. I love you Mackenzie Nicole Rabb. Be a good girl for Mommy." He got up with Mackenzie and turned on the stereo. "My Girl" came playing out of it and he danced with Mackenzie. Mac had woken up and came downstairs. She stopped at the bottom three steps and sat down and waited for their moment to be up. She quietly slipped into the kitchen and started making breakfast for her family.

"You hear that Mackenzie, it is the most beautiful, loving woman in the world. She is going to take great care of you while I am gone." He kissed his baby on the cheek and set her down in her high chair.

Mac was making the batter for the pancakes and was reaching in the cabinet for the syrup.

"Harm, honey, can you get down the plates and go wake up Mattie before she is late for school."

"Sure, call down Sergei, his first class is at nine and he needs to come down. I don't know where he has learned to sleep in like this."

"Okay honey." She picked up Mackenzie and headed up to Sergei's room above the garage. "Sergei, rise and shine. You better get a move on."

"Yes ma'am," he said groggily. He pulled on his shirt and headed down stairs to meet his brother and nieces for breakfast.

Harm stood in the entrance way sipping his coffee after finishing up his pancakes, just watching Mattie wipe syrup from Mackenzie cheek, Mac laughing over Mackenzie tipping her bowl of oatmeal over her head, and his brother reading the newspaper. He went from having no family to a family that would be there for him always.

"Dad, are you going to stand there all morning, or are you going to take me to school?"

"As soon as you are ready, I will let you drive to school today, that way I know you can drive the path, and then maybe when things calm down you can convince Mac to take you for your driving test."

"So cool Dad!"

"Okay Mattie, if you do pass your driving test, this means no late night driving, no driving with Mackenzie in the car just yet, and you always have to let me or Mac know where you are. The only way we can do this is through this," Harm said pulling something out of his pocket.

"Dad, you got me a cell phone!"

"Correction, it was Mac's idea. You, Mac, and Sergei all have a cell, use it wisely. You have 400 daytime minutes and unlimited nights. Now go get ready."

She ran upstairs and Sergei took off to go to school. "You know Harm, if she didn't already worship the ground you walk on, then I would think that you got one up with her just now."

"I'm her Dad. Right now I can't do wrong."

She picked up Mackenzie out of her high chair. "Did you pack you sea bag?"

"I am going to pack as soon as I get back dropping of Mattie."

"I'll pack it for you. That way I can sleep better knowing that you have everything you need."

"Thanks Mac."

Mattie came bounding down the stairs. "Which car are we taking, the vette?"

"No, we are taking the Lexus. Mac, me and Mattie are heading out. I will see you soon."

She walked out the kitchen with a clean Mackenzie in her hands. "Ok you two be safe. I love you. Mattie be good in school, and I will see you for dinner tonight. What do you want?"

"Pasta primavera, grilled chicken, Caesar salad."

"Okay. That is a can do."

Harm kissed Mackenzie on the cheek and gave Mac a kiss on her nose. "I'll be back in about two hours. There are some things I have to pick up after dropping Mattie off, and I have to run by JAG to give stuff to Bud for the kids."

"I understand. Do what you have to do honey."

Mattie honked the horn to the car and Harm made his way to his not-so-little girl. Mac stood watching Harm tense as Mattie started backing the Lexus out of the driveway. She started chuckling, the man who has nerves of steel was nervous when his teenager drove. She took Mackenzie arm and helped her wave bye to them and she turned around and walked back into the house.

Inside the house, Mac put Mackenzie down in the playpen in the living room and switched on a DVD for her to keep occupied with, knowing it wouldn't last long, Mackenzie liked to experience the world through doing it herself, not by watching it on television. She cleaned up the kitchen hearing Mackenzie cry out for her Mom.

"You want to be with Mommy?" Mac asked as she walked in with her hands all sticky from cleaning up their mess. She picked her up blowing kisses on her stomach causing her to laugh. "Let's go get clean for Daddy." Mac took her into the shower with her just enjoying the little moments that they had together. She walked down to the office to finish some of the administrative cases while Mackenzie played on the mat.

Just as Mac was settling in on her second case, the phone rang.

Ring . . . Ring . . .

"Rabb/Mackenzie residence."

"Sarah, its Trish."

"Trish, how wonderful to hear from you. Harm isn't here right now."

"That's alright. Frank and I are in New York. I am just calling to find out if it is okay if Frank and I come over to say bye to Harm before he leaves."

"Totally fine. I'll prepare the guest room for you. Can you be here for dinner, Harm doesn't know it but his friends are coming in to say bye to him."

"When is dinner?"

"1800. Mattie is going to convince Harm to take her out for something around 1600, and is going to keep him occupied until 1745. Will that work for you?"

"Sure will. We will see you soon."

"Okay Trish. Looking forward to it. Bye."

"Bye honey."

Mackenzie was playing with a ball when she threw it at Mac causing her to look up. "Want to play with Mommy?" Mac leaned down to pick up the ball when she saw the video camera (a DVR to be more correct) that Harm had purchased. She looked at the DVDs he had neatly stacked up. Each one had a label on it: Jen, Sergei, The Roberts Family, AJ, Admiral Jonas, Frank and Trish, Mackenzie (who had a couple), Mattie (who also had a couple), and Mac.

Harm walked into the office just as she got finished pulling out the tapes. "Mac did you watch the tapes?"

"No. I figured that these were something private of yours. Mackenzie knocked them over when she threw her ball under the desk."

"I made a couple for Mattie and Mackenzie for you to play that way they would always remember me. There is one of me reading different stories to Mackenzie for bedtime, there is one of me singing different songs to her," he pulled them out of the stack. They were labeled a little bit differently so he could tell what they were. "Mattie has one of me giving her advice about driving and another DVD is ready for her birthday in case I can't call on that date. There is one for you. I hid it, so you have to find it. I will let you play it when I'm gone. Whenever you miss me, play that. The rest are for in case I don't make it back."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't leave." She asked irrationally knowing that he was going to have to go.

"I would give anything to stay here with you and the kids." He whispered in her hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. Do you think Mackenzie will go down for her nap?"

"I think she will be ready to go down soon. I can't wait to spend some time with you alone."

"I know the feeling." Just then Mackenzie seemed to have become aware that her father had walked into the room. She reached for him to pick her up and she sleepily set her head down on his shoulder. He started singing softly in her ear and she quickly drifted off to sleep. Harm reached out to Mac and she followed him up to her nursery as he put her to bed.

Harm reached for the baby monitor and the couple made their way back to their own bedroom. Harm and Mac were able to spend about an hour together just being with each other until the baby woke up. He picked Mattie up to take her to lunch at their favorite place like he promised, and then he worked on some of the household projects that needed to be finished before he left.

1500 EST

Mac came walking in through the doors with Mattie who was mumbling stuff about school. Harm had decided to stay behind to finish building Mackenzie's new swing set and to finish installing the new diving board while Mac picked up Mattie.

"Mom, where's Dad?"

"He is around here somewhere. Check the backyard. Tell him I will be in the kitchen, remember keep him out for awhile Mattie."

"Got it Mom."

Mattie walked out to the patio and found Harm sitting by the pool with Mackenzie. "Dad, you put in a diving board!"

"Yes, I did. Do we have to go over the rules?"

"Sure, why not, this is the last time in a couple of months you will be able to lay down the law."

"First, no diving without an adult out here watching you. Second, no friends can dive off without us knowing that they can swim first."

"Seems pretty simple."

"Dive lessons start next summer. I already set up lessons for Mackenzie to do baby swimming, and Miranda is staying to teach you."

"Dad, how awesome. I wanted to learn all this before I went to the academy."

"I know honey."

"Dad, I am going to miss you."

"I am going to miss you too. Any last requests before I have to go?"

"Well, me and you rootbeer floats and birthday shopping?"

"Your birthday isn't for two more months."

"But you won't be here for it."

"Point taken, lets tell your mom and Mackenzie, and we will head out." He went inside and found Mac and Mackenzie in the living room, Mac was reading Mackenzie a fable on how the world came to be.

"Mac, me and Mattie are heading out to do father/daughter things." He picked up Mackenzie and tickled her tummy. He was rewarded with the famous Rabb smile. "Wiggle worm." She started wiggling in her daddy's arms. He kissed her little face and smiled. "Daddy loves you so much. We should be back in around two hours. Do you need me to pick up anything for dinner?"

"The garlic rolls. I love you."

"No problem honey. I love you too."

He handed Mattie the car keys and they headed down the stairs of the porch to the Lexus. "Dad, while we are out, can we go car shopping?"

"Don't push your luck kiddo."