Chapter Fifty Eight
AN-Side note to Joanoa- LOL, I am a Gamecock, I bleed Garnet, but after the last display at the Carolina/Clemson game, at that time these chapters were being written, well, I was feeling a little agnsty against my alma mater – but GO COCKS!
USC FB RULES!
1945 EST
Rabb Family Household
King George, VA
Mac walked in after a grueling day, and she knew that she was going to have to tell Mattie that she was leaving. She hoped she was going to take it alright.
Mattie was walking by Mac's room when she was packing her bag. "Mom, where are you going?"
"I have to go on an investigation on the Patrick Henry."
"When are you going to be back?"
"Why honey?" Mac asked while sitting on her bed smoothing Mattie's unruly curls.
"Well, there is a volleyball competition and a NJROTC thing that I wanted you to come see. I guess Jen and Uncle Sergei will have to do."
"Matts, look at me. I love you, and your dad loves you. I will try to wrap up this case soonest to be back in time. When are these events?"
"Friday night is the NJROTC, in the school gym, they are the exhibition for the squad. Saturday is volleyball at 1700, it is qualifiers for regionals."
"That might be doable." She kissed Mattie on the top of her head. "Is there anything you want me to tell your dad while I'm out there?"
"To be safe."
"Okay honey."
"Mom, if you get to go to see Dad, then I want to go."
"Mattie, don't be ridiculous, you know you can't come with. Besides, I don't know how much I will see your father."
"I know Mom, I just had to try."
Sergei and Jen came into the room to help smooth things over. "You know Mattie, with both me and Jennifer having to be at school or work until 1900, this means we will be eating a lot of pizza!" Sergei said with his thick Russian accent.
"I guess it will be worth it then for a couple of days." Mattie replied to Sergei. Just then the phone rang, and Mac picked it up.
"Rabb residence."
"Hi Honey."
"Harm! Hi. I miss you."
"I miss you too. How is ship life?"
"Same old same old. I miss my office, my family, and my bed partner. How is your new partner?" Harm inquired.
"WellGibraltar doesn't take up nearly as much room in the bed, he has blue eyes, a dark complexion, and he is a little shorter than you."
"Very funny Mac, I was talking about your partner at work. Bud imed me and told me you guys got in a new guy."
"Let's not talk about him. What is going on out there? I am being sent out for an investigation."
"Since I will see you tomorrow, do you want to put Mattie on if she is there?"
"Of course. I love you."
"I love you too." Mac tossed Mattie the phone. "Matts, it's your father."
Mattie squealed and took the phone to a quiet place where she could talk to him. She needed to tell him to look out for her Mom. She wanted at least one of her parents to come home.
Mac turned to Sergei and Jen. "Are you guys sure you can handle the kids?"
"Ma'am we have done it before. This time, AJ will be here more also."
"Thanks Jen. Call for what you want for dinner tonight, I have to go pack my bags again."
"Mac, how do you feel about getting a new partner?" Jen said, knowing that she shouldn't have been assigned another partner so soon.
"Deek is only temporary anyway. He just seems too perfect and maybe a little obsessive. But what Navy guys aren't like that?"
Jen started helping Mac pack when she found three more wrapped gifts. "Ma'am, I think your fiancé has struck again." Since the first week that Harm had been gone, the family had been finding little presents that Harm had left around the house constantly reminding them of his presence. Jen handed Mac the gifts and Mac. "I think I will leave you to this." Jen said feeling that she needed some alone time.
Mac unwrapped her tiny gift. It was a leather bound journal with her name inscribed on it. She opened the inside cover and he had wrote "For all of those thoughts that are in your beautiful head." She sighed and put the journal on her night stand. She knew it would be a poor substitute for Harm, but at least in her own little way she would be able to talk to him in her own way.
Mac looked at Mackenzie's larger gift and Mattie's. She looked at the wrapping and could tell that he had meant for those gifts to come around Christmas. She put them up in her closet for safe keeping. When she looked to his side of the closet she found other gifts that were wrapped up in Christmas wrap. She sighed at the thought of him not coming home in time for Christmas, but then decided that the holiday was too far away for her to think about. This investigation had to come first.
She went down to the kitchen to grab some water when she heard a knock on the screen door. Thinking it was the Japanese food that Jen and Sergei ordered, she answered.
"Colonel?"
"Deek? What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could go over the case history one more time."
"I guess that is fine. Come in." She heard Mackenzie over the baby monitor. "Hold that thought, I need to grab her." She opened up the door and ushered him inside.
Deek took in his surroundings. The Colonel kept a lovely home he thought. Just then Mattie came flying down the stairs in her riding gear.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?" Deek questioned back.
"I live here. Mathilda Grace Johnson, and you would be?"
"Lt. Commander Derek Smalls." He said suspiciously.
"You are Mom's temporary partner? You don't seem like the military type. Anyway, I better not tie you up to long. Mom is getting her stuff ready for the trip." Sergei came down the stairs.
"Mattie are you ready for you daily ride? Is the new instructor here yet?" Sergei asked.
"Natalie is on her way. She called and had gotten lost. I gave her better directions. Uncle Sergei, this is Mom's new partner, Commander Smalls."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My girlfriend is picking up the Japanese food, are you going to stay for dinner?"
"I don't believe so, but thank you."
"Mac's is gathering her things for the trip and digging out the information you needed. Have a seat at the table and wait for her." Sergei instructed as he was walking out with Mattie.
Mac came bustling down the stairs with Mackenzie in the snuggly. "Colonel you didn't tell me that you had a teenager."
"She's adopted. Now let's talk about this case. I will give you a moment to read that case file while I am warming up Mackenzie oatmeal."
While feeding Mackenzie, she ran over what she read about the case in her head. She left Mackenzie in the chair while she went to go get her a bottle. In the process, she watched the scene in front of her happen in slow motion. Deek was trying to be funny with Mackenzie and she was having none of it, so she picked up her bowl of oatmeal and flung it on him.
"Son of a" Deek began.
"Commander Smalls, let me apologize for Mackenzie, she is just a small child. She doesn't know any better." She handed him a kitchen towel to wipe off his shirt. "Now, from what I can gather, Ensign Kromer is denying that she created and loaded the virus that knocked out the navigational systems. She is saying that she did load a program on that was supposed to upgrade the older systems, but it was not a virus."
"So she is lying." Deek said.
"That, or she is being framed. Are you packed to leave at 0700 tomorrow?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I appreciate your eagerness about this case, but I should really spend some time with my children before I leave tomorrow for work."
"Sorry for bothering you Colonel. I will take the file with me and have it thoroughly reviewed before tomorrow."
"Thank you Deek."
She escorted him out the door as Jen was pulling up with the Japanese food and Mac went to help her. "Was that Commander Smalls I saw leaving?"
"Yes it was Jen." Mac said exacerbated. "He just showed up when I was trying to feed Mackenzie, and well, she got mad and threw her oatmeal on him." Mac said with a smile. "Now did you get me my noodles that I love so much?"
