Chapter Seventy Three

Harm and Mac made their way to the Patrick Henry to meet their daughter and her group. They had made arrangements to have the Harm's parents keep Mackenzie while they were on the two day cruise. Trish was excited to get to have Mackenzie all to herself for a couple of days. The last time they talked, Trish was taking Mackenzie in Milan with AJ to go to a new baby fashion show with Francesca.

"It's not that funny Mac." Harm said protesting with her.

"What isn't funny Commander?" Captain Ingles asked reaching them on the flight deck.

They snapped to attention and he told them at ease. "My mother is turning my baby into a fashion freak. If I'm not careful she is going to end up walking the runways instead of flying off of them."

"Well, both of our children are beautiful. I think both of them would look beautiful in Marine green."

"Bite your tongue. Besides we both know what Mackenzie's favorite toy is." He said triumphantly.

They looked and saw a group of very tired cadets load off of the hotel shuttle van. Harm looked down at his watch to make sure Max and Mattie would get there on time, they still had twenty minutes to show up.

The group milled around the port for awhile when they saw Frank and Trish's limo pull up. "Wherever my parents travel, they travel in style." Harm told the Captain.

The Captain smiled, "It is a far cry from the navy life isn't it Rabb."

"Sure is sir, Dad was great, but Frank had been great for this family. He was the rock when I ran away to Laos."

"I had forgotten you did that Rabb. You hung out with Striker for awhile."

"Yeah."

"Does Mattie know what you did?"

"No, she know a little about the recent past, but not a lot about what happened when I was a teenager."

Mattie and Max jumped out of the limo to be followed by Frank and Trish. Mackenzie squealed when she saw her dad. "Harm look at what she can do." Frank said to him.

Trish leaned down, "Mackenzie, where is Daddy?"

She pointed at him and smiled. "Da!" She screamed triumphantly. She launched herself from her grandmother's arms to her father's arms.

"Mackie baby, Daddy missed you so much." She reached around his neck for his dog tags and began to play with them. He carried her up to the deck where they found the cadets standing at attention. She saw her mom standing there in uniform.

"Mami, dada, lalala." Mackenzie babbled to her mom. The captain stood their smiling at the family.

"Can you try captain?" Tobias Ingles asked the young baby.

"Tan." Mackenzie replied burrowing her head into her father's shoulder.

"Commander, do your parents want to stay for breakfast? We aren't shoving off until 1000. I'm sure you would love to have Mackenzie for a little longer today."

Harm nodded and thanked Captain Ingles. His parents readily agreed to staying on the ship for a little longer so Harm could spend time with his youngest daughter. Mackenzie smiled and reached for his wings.

He smiled. "I told you Mac, she is going to be just like me."

Mac looked at him, "That is precisely what I am worried about."

After breakfast Harm and Mac excused themselves to Harm's stateroom to change Mackenzie into an outfit that Harm had bought for her at the local NEX. Harm took the diaper bag.

"Man I have missed doing this."

Mac smiled, "Changing dirty diapers?"

"No, being her dad."

"Harm, just because you can't be there 24/7 doesn't mean that you aren't her dad. Trust me, she loves you and no one can replace her precious Da."

He sang his lullaby to her and she snuggled against his chest. "I have missed just being around the family, singing to them at night, checking Mattie's homework whenever she has problems."

"I know honey." She hugged him.

They left the stateroom and they made their way through the ship and found the cadets and his parents on the flight deck.

"Maybe we should take her on the tiger cruise."

"Maybe we should take her on one when she is a little bit older."

"You mean it?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I want our daughter to go on a tiger cruise with her father, it is Rabb family tradition."

"You know what happened on the last tiger cruise I went on with Josh Pendry."

"No Harmon, I don't know what happened on your last tiger cruise with Josh. What happened?" His mother said walking into the conversation.

"Mom, I don't think you want to know."

"No Harmon, I'm your mother, tell me what happened."

He sighed and Captain Ingles laughed, "Okay Mom, you want to know, I had to shot a woman in the head because she was threatening to kill all the tigers on the ship with a bomb." He said covering Mackenzie's ears as if to shield her from all the things that could happen.

"You never told me that."

"Mom, I didn't think it would be a good thing to bring up in conversation. Besides, would you have really wanted to know that I had to kill a woman, I mean, that is not exactly great dinner conversation. We are getting ready to shove off." He handed the baby bag to his mother and handed Mackenzie to Frank.

"We will be by to pick you up at 5:00 pm tomorrow."

"Thanks Frank. Make sure Mom doesn't go crazy with Mackenzie at the fashion show."

"Harm you know better than me that I can't control what your mother does. Is there anything you need from The Hague? I am going there tonight for business."

"Actually Frank when Mac and I were there last year she really loved the chocolates. Can you pick some up?"

"Sure Son. No problem. Mackie, say bye bye to daddy?" Mackenzie smiled. Mattie came up and held her little sister.

"I'll see you in a couple of days." Mackenzie held on to her sister, she didn't want to let go. Frank coaxed her away and made their way down to the limo.

"So how many times have Mattie and Mackenzie been separated?" Captain Ingles asked the family.

"Not much. Even when Mackenzie was sick, Mattie visited her every day." Mac answered.

"You can't even tell that they are not blood related." The CAG on the ship said.

Harm smiled as he watched Mattie fall into formation. The captain began his lecture to the cadets. He had written down the ten mentors and let each cadet draw a name out of his cover.

"After each cadet draws a name, I want you to find your mentor. Cadet Johnson, if you end up with your dad's name you can choose to follow him around, or you can pick someone else."

Max drew Harm's name and Mattie drew Captain Ingles' name. Mattie walked up to him. "Looks like you are stuck with a Rabb sir." Mattie said smiling.

"Well then, maybe I can get your head out of the clouds and get you thinking about commanding a ship. Hey Commander, you daughter is your CO for the day."

Harm grinned, "So what you are telling me is that it is like any other day at my house."

Max looked down at his feet, "Tell me about it," which solicited a laugh from Captain Ingles.

Captain Ingles got the cadets together. "If you want to go up in the air, we will do that this afternoon when we are further out. Harm, there has been no record of a father and daughter ever being in the air together. So if you don't mind flying with your old man . . ."

"Sir, I love flying with my dad, he makes it, well interesting."

"Huh?"

"Well Dad always makes it into a lesson about aerodynamics, or he tells me about Grandpa Hammer. It is like bonding time, so honestly I am looking forward to it."

The NJROTC instructor came up, "So that is why Cadet Johnson knows a little about aerodynamics."

"Yep."

"One day we caught her and another student flying paper airplanes in the gym. The poor kid bet Cadet Johnson five bucks that he could build a better airplane and Mattie bested him."

"Mathilda Grace Johnson." Harm said smiling at her, he had done that with her a couple of time launching paper planes off the balcony in their bedroom.

Mac piped up, "Harm she paid her penance. She takes after you after all. Mr. Gun in courtroom. Besides, you are the one who taught her all this stuff."

"Okay point taken. Let's get to work."

Mac collected the papers from the kids to find out what they were interested in learning about. About half of them wanted to know about military law, all of them wanted to know about wartime procedures, and then there was a hodgepodge. She knew that most of the parents consented to having their children fly, however many of them would go up in a COD. Mac consented to letting Mattie up in the F-14 with Harm and one of the other parents who was also in the military were letting their son up in the air with another one of the F-14 pilots.

Mac wandered around the ship and spotted Harm and Max in the ready room. Harm was outfitting him with the things he would need. He was going to teach the kids a lesson in survival in the water.

"Harm, some of the cadets are interested in military law, what would you think of having a fake court marshal?"

"Great idea marine."

"Good. We can use one of the old cases where all of the research is already done and then they would have to present it too us. We can do a military tribunal since they seemed really interested in the Mohandese case."

"Good teaching experience to let them know what goes on. We will let them draw parts out of a cover that way it is fair what part they get to play."

Captain Ingles walked up. "Sounds like a good idea. Mattie is getting ready to make her the announcement for the cadets to meet in the ready room. We will let them know about the court case, and then Commander can lead the exercise in survival in the ocean."

"Well Flyboy, that is something you should know something about." Mac told him.

"Well, let's just put it this way, according to the review board, I did everything wrong that night when it came to surviving, but what can I say, I had something I had to go home to."

"Renee?"

"No, silly, I was coming home for you."

They heard Mattie's voice over the PA announcing that the cadets were expected in the ready room.