Title : When You're Ready…
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you.
Rating : G to PG-13 (Just in case!)
To all the readers/reviewers shown – thanks for the support, and please keep reading! It's nice to see from the reviews given that the 'format' for the story is still working out!
cbw; cool cat; froggy0319; Lisa Brown; ryne'smom; anna7; harmsgirl-03; dana; suz573; Grace; jaggurl; Nikki; Kirsty; kirsten; ss; Arian04; GuitarVixen; iammusic; JennaTripped; JagFan; starryeyes10; Kavi Leighanna; SarahRabb705; BrokenSkye; NavyCB; SailorGirl; moe; katydid13; serendipity112233; Dreamer20715; jtbwriter; joanoa; FoxyWombat; chawkchic; maidenpride21; r; heartandy112; General Mac; jagaddict; ducktapedmoose; lehcar412; laura carr; bluejay742; dansingwolf; Tina Frank; snugglebug; Jackia; The Fiction Spider; Maria; Lisa; aserene; JAGJenni; martini1988; skyefire; MaritzaCarmicheal; Manda
Apologies for lack of update on names/reviews; my computer has had the 'Monday morning' feeling well into the week! I will pull double duty on the next chapter as I want to post this chapter asap! Hope you all enjoy it!
What could have happened after the end of San Diego…
Saint Vincent Hospital – Blacksburg – Virginia
Mac watched through the window of the room in the ICU, to where Mattie lay immobile on the bed, and Harm sat by her side, her hand in his, his head bowed. Whether he was asleep or praying, Mac didn't know. Stepping inside the room she walked up to Harm and put her hand on his shoulder. Immediately he stood up and took her in his arms, without saying a word. Mac stood in his embrace, giving what comfort she could, drawing on him for her own support too. They stood together for some time then Harm drew back to look at Mac.
"Hi," she murmured, and he nodded.
"Hi," he said in response, his voice husky from unshed tears, and relief that she was there with him, safe.
"I came straight from the airport. My things are still in the car. What…what have the doctors said?" Mac was already aware of the details of the accident from an earlier conversation with Harm. When she had returned Harm's call after having dinner with the General and the others in San Diego, she had listened and then told him she'd be on the next flight home. No arguments. Harm needed her, and that was all that was important right then. The case was over, there was no reason to stay. While Vukovic had tried to dissuade her, using the case as a reason to 'discuss' results with her, the General had nodded at her decision to return to DC. Mac had given her thanks, and simply walked away. Vukovic watched her leave. Cresswell watched Vukovic, shaking his head in wry amusement at the younger officer.
"Mattie's holding her own right now, but there is a sign of damage to the spinal cord, and they won't know how bad until she wakes up. It's…it's not good, Mac. If there is the damage they suspect, Mattie could be paralyzed from the neck down, and will need a respirator to breathe."
"That's worst case scenario, huh? Well, we both know Mattie is a fighter…" Mac looked at Mattie's prone figure in the bed, and then looked hard at Harm. "We'll work this out, Harm. Whatever happens, we'll work this out. I'm here with you."
"God knows what I'd do without you," Harm whispered, and Mac smiled gently.
"You're not going to ever have to find out the answer to that." Her response was immediate, and she pulled Harm closer for another hug, before talking again. "Where's Tom?"
Harm's expression changed briefly to one of disgust, and Mac waited for the explanation of his reaction.
"He was here when I first arrived, told me what the doctor's at the hospital had said, and then said that they were waiting for the specialist from Johns Hopkins to arrive. I didn't see him for four days after that. He turned up day before yesterday, unshaven, hair mussed, as though he'd dragged himself out of a bottle."
"Oh, no…!" Mac's response was immediate and heartfelt. Both she and Harm had seen Tom Johnson make an amazing effort to sober up, and the fact that the Family Court judge had seen fit to return custody to Tom was testament to his success. Now it seemed like it was slipping away again. "Have you seen him since?"
"No. He's probably crawled right back inside that bottle." Harm's words were bleak, but Mac acknowledged that he was probably right.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to petition to look after Mattie again. This is the first big test of Tom's relationship with his daughter, and he's failed her. Badly! If this is his reaction now, there's no way he'd cope with her long term care."
Mac nodded, knowing that Harm was right. Having Mattie back in Harm's life full time would impact on her relationship with him, she knew that. And she accepted it. There was no doubt in her mind when she spoke softly to him.
"If you want to take this further, Harm, and take steps to adopt Mattie, don't you dare forget that I'm right here with you."
"Are you sure?" Harm was stunned by Mac's words, knowing that his unspoken decision to do just that – adopt – would change his life irrevocably, and therefore his relationship with Mac.
"I'm absolutely sure. Harm, we still have our plans and dreams, and now we have Mattie's too." Harm smiled at those words, remembering how he had told Mattie that she had to come out of her coma so that they could do the things they had planned. The difference now was that those plans would include Mac too.
"I knew there was a really good reason I fell in love with you," Harm murmured, raising his hands to cup Mac's face. As they stood there, just looking at each other, the nurse on duty knocked on the glass panel to announce her presence. Harm pulled away from Mac to acknowledge the nurse, but he didn't let go of Mac totally, dropping one hand to extend his arm around her shoulders, and turn her to face the nurse also.
"I have to take Miss Johnson's vitals, if you don't mind? You can come back in when I'm through. Better yet, why don't you both take a rest? If there is any change, we will call you."
"I'm not leaving," muttered Harm, stubbornly, and the nurse gave him a glaring look. Mac watched the byplay with interest, and an amused smile.
"I take it he's been a nuisance?" she asked the nurse, who gave her a baleful smile.
"If you could call being here almost 24/7, when he's not at work. I know he's not Miss Johnson's father, ma'am, but if I hadn't been informed, I would have taken him for her father first off. I don't know where Mr Johnson is, but this man has done more in the past 72 hours than her real father. That's what counts with me. What worries me is that he's not getting any rest, and if he keeps this up, he's going to end up in a bed right next to her!" The nurse had turned her gaze back on Harm, and Mac gave him a soft smile.
"How about it, sailor? We go home, get something to eat, have some sleep and get back here in a few hours?"
"I don't want Tom coming in here drunk and disturbing Mattie," Harm grumbled, and the nurse patted his arm reassuringly.
"Don't you worry. When you leave, other than the doctors on duty, no-one is going to be disturbing this girl until you return. I promise you that."
Harm didn't look convinced, but Mac reached up and rubbed his shoulder gently. Moving over to Mattie, she leaned down and kissed the young woman's forehead.
"We'll be back soon, sweetheart. I need to take Harm home to rest, but we'll be back to stay with you." Mac spoke as though Mattie just had her eyes closed and could hear every word. It was something that was encouraged, talking to coma patients as though they were just resting, in the belief that the person could hear voices and music, and that something familiar would jog their mind. Harm followed Mac, reaching down to kiss Mattie's forehead too.
"We'll be back, kiddo. Don't you dare go walkabouts while we're gone. I expect you to be right here when we get back. We love you, Mattie."
Harm followed Mac out of the room without a backward glance. The nurse watched the pair of them leave, and then busied herself taking details from Mattie's monitors. As she wrote she spoke also.
"That's a nice guy you've got there, Mattie Johnson. Why wasn't he around when I was growing up? Not that my Pop wasn't a good man, but boy he sure didn't look like Harmon Rabb!" There was no response from Mattie; the monitors maintaining a steady rhythm. It didn't stop the nurse talking though, and she kept up her monologue until she had finished her duty at Mattie's bedside, moving onto the next patient.
Harm's Apartment – laterMac was seated on one end of Harm's couch, her legs pulled up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her gaze was fixed on Harm, who was asleep, stretched out on the couch. When they had returned to his apartment, Jennifer had stuck her head out of her door to ask about Mattie. Harm had told her there was no change, but that Mattie was stable. Along with Harm, Jennifer had been a regular visitor also, after work. Sometimes riding along with Harm to the hospital, after which he had brought her back to the apartment building. Jennifer had noticed, however, that as soon as he had dropped her off, he had turned right around and gone back to the hospital. When Jennifer saw Mac with Harm, she smiled, knowing that Mac at least would make sure Harm got something to eat, and some rest. Mac smiled to herself. As she had prepared food for them Harm had gone to sit on the couch. When Mac turned around, he was fast asleep! With the meal ready to cook, Mac had continued with her portion – her last meal having been on the flight from San Diego. For Harm's portion she prepared the ingredients, and covered it loosely before placing it in the refrigerator. Right now, rest was more important to him, and she continued to watch him sleep.
A little later Mac woke up herself, to find that she was curled up on the bed, Harm wrapped around her. It was obvious that he had woken at some point, found her asleep, and brought her to bed with him. Turning in his arms, she saw his open eyes, and the smile on his face.
"I missed you," he murmured, and Mac nodded in agreement.
"Did you eat?" she asked, running her hand gently from the side of his head down to his chin.
"Yeah, I found the stuff you left. I've eaten that, and some fruit. Thanks."
"How long have we been here?"
"In bed, about an hour."
"Is there anything else I can do?" Mac asked softly, and Harm gave her a smile in return.
"You're doing it," he answered, before leaning over and kissing Mac. It was a gentle kiss, meant to reassure, and not as a prelude to a more physical expression of love. Between them it was understood that all they needed right now was to hold each other and draw strength. Mac was the first to pull back and Harm looked at her as she did so.
"I think we should get back to the hospital. I'll check in on Mattie with you, then I need to get back to my place and sort out stuff from this past week. I'll be back as soon as I can." Mac's explanation was accepted, and Harm nodded.
"Okay. Sounds like a plan," he answered, but didn't move, just looking at Mac, who tipped her head slightly and grinned at him.
"What?" she murmured in query.
"I love you, Sarah Mackenzie."
"I know. I love you too."
tbc
