Title: In A Garden
Chapter Fourteen
By: LizD
Written: February 2004
Disclaimers: No disrespect to JAG's cast, crew or creators. With love and thanks.
A Garden – Part 14
X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x
"Hey man, is that your lady?"
Harm looked up to see Thomas, the newest intern, holding a bunch of files in one hand and Mac's picture in the other. Thomas was an anomaly. He was a WASP … blonde, blue and rich as the silver rolls he drove to work. Clearly spoiled by family cash, but he was smart – brilliant in fact. He was working on his third post graduate degree at 26; the first two being mathematics and fine arts. His next plan was to be a lawyer. The weirdest anomaly was that he dressed, moved and talked like an 18 black kid from the inner city … well more like what an 18 year old African American from the inner city would talk like on TV written by an old white man. He was only there for the semester and was working twice as hard as most of the paid employees.
"How did some ol' dawg like you get this fine piece of --."
"Careful Thomas, she is my fiancée," Harm hadn't got used to being treated without the due military respect by underlings. His weekend reserve duty refreshed for him how much he enjoyed being an officer.
"Man, she is fine. And I mean F-I-N-E!"
"Did you need something Thomas?"
"Yeah, man. KM wants these signed," he handed over the files. "So you gonna tie this lady down, huh?"
"Hmm Hmm," Harm was trying not to listen.
Thomas picked up another picture on his desk. It was the five of them at the boys' birthday party. "You two just making it legal now – after all these?"
"The boys are mine and the little girl is hers," he said absentmindedly as he was hurriedly signing the files.
"You sure? Brother, that girl's got your eyes. And that dopey grin you got."
Harm looked up and took the picture from him and looked at Hailey. He had always thought that Hailey was the spitting image of her mother, but now that he looked at her next to him, she did look an awful lot like her father. And as was said before, Harm and Alan could have been brothers – twin brothers.
"She looks like her mother to me," he denied the resemblance and replaced the picture on his desk.
"Going for round two with the death-do-you-part thing?"
"Two? More like a thousand and two," Harm said under his breath.
"Or at least until your next episode of Divorce Court," Thomas grinned at him. "When is the big day?"
"Haven't set a date."
"What you waiting for, man?"
"Her divorce."
"You a home wrecker? Who'd a guessed?"
Harm glared at him.
"Where did you two hook up?"
"We used to work together."
"Ah – little office booty. That's what I am talking about – late nights – flamin' that midnight oil – givin' new meaning to 'replacing the toner' –."
"Hey," Harm had had enough.
"What? Just us guys here. Is that when her old man found out?"
"We didn't – it wasn't. It was a long time ago. Before she was married. She's a marine colonel and I was a navy commander – we worked in the same office. We were friends."
"Friends?" Thomas got a wide grin on his face. "Oh, I get it. Don't ask; don't tell. Didn't want the higher ups to catch wind of the combat boo---."
"No," Harm looked up at him. "We were friends."
"Not love at first sight?"
"There were complicating factors."
"Oh, like the Ex's?"
"Neither one of us was married back then."
"BACK THEN? Jeez man – make it sound like a decade or better."
"I have known her since – well – January 1997."
"Twelve years? Damn that's a long time to be friends with her," he held the picture of her up.
Harm felt that he needed to explain just to shut him up. "We worked together for almost eight years – we were friends – we were more than friends – BUT NOT THAT MUCH MORE – it was never the right time – other relationships – other . . . things got in the way."
"Other things got in the way," Thomas repeated. "You worked together for eight years?"
"Seven and a half."
"Never once did the --."
"No."
"Did you want to?"
"Thomas."
"Just checking to see which way your wind was blowing," he smiled. "And now it's four years later."
"Math does seem to be your strong suit," Harm said sharply.
"What happened in the four years?"
Harm picked up the picture and pointed to the kids.
"But you kept in touch – being such GOOD FRIENDS and all."
"Actually no. I didn't see her again until last – well six eight months ago."
"MONTHS? Six or Eight MONTHS?"
"What?"
"Nothing," Thomas was thinking something. "How come I don't see her around much?"
"She lives in Virginia."
"VIRGINIA! That's some serious frequent flyer miles."
"I'm a pilot," Harm added, "We'll move."
Thomas laughed. "I should hope so."
"Thomas – don't you have something else to do?"
"Waiting on those files."
"Wait quietly."
There was a silence for a moment until Thomas couldn't stay quiet any longer. "I'm sorry, man. I am thinking there is more to the story."
"Such as?"
"Well you don't 'know' someone – a FRIEND – for eight years, walk away for four and then get married just like that – when she still has a husband - and you two ain't even living in the same time zone. I am thinking there is some serious history here – history that ain't so FRIENDLY."
"Thomas," he warned.
"I am thinking you had a hot and heavy thing – it got too hot and you both had to step back and let it cool off."
"I told you -."
"Yeah, 'we were friends'. I heard that," Thomas laughed. "Just cause you didn't DO the nasty – don't mean it wasn't too hot to handle. I'll bet you two went at it like a couple of alley cats – lots of noise, fur flying everywhere taking a few bloody chunks and leaving a shit load of scars."
"Very graphic."
"I bet you never finished that fight – maybe that's worth swapping left coast for right. DING Round two … or a thousand on two," he shook his head. "One problem."
"Enlighten me."
"Cats is cats brother – unless one of you has been fixed – it ain't over and nothing says that this round will end any different – it might be worse. Cause after you make it all nice and legal like – it won't be that easy to walk away – not with that litter of kittens."
Harm studied him for a moment.
"I am just saying, man. I seen this kind of thing before."
"It is not like that," Harm protested.
"You don't up-n-diss someone for four years and then turn around and marry 'em."
"Even when you're in love?"
"That is not love, that there is lust – unfinished lust. And you can convince yourself anything when there is three time zones between you, but get in the same room? 24/7? Fur will start flying. And you can take that to the bank."
The phone rang ending Thomas's lecture on relationships. Harm handed him back the files and nodded toward the door and picked up the phone. "Rabb."
"Hey, sailor," Mac's voice floated through the lines. "Got any plans for the weekend?"
"I do," he leaned forward to adjust the pictures that Thomas had rearranged.
"Oh really?"
"There is lady I know who is celebrating a very special day and she invited me for the weekend."
"The weekend, huh?" she said playfully.
"Uh huh."
"This lady – is she important to you?"
"I'd say she has captured a piece of my heart."
"Just a piece?"
"Gave the rest of it to her mother," Harm looked up. "OH MY GOD."
"What?" Mac asked.
"You will never guess who just walked into my office."
"Turner. I told you he was going to be out there for an investigation."
Harm stood and shook his friend's hand. "How are you, buddy? Looking well."
"You too. Is that Mac?" asked Sturgis.
Harm nodded. "Honey, let me go. I'll call you back later."
"I'll see you this weekend."
"You will. Bye"
"Harm?" She cooed.
"Yeah."
"I love you," he heard the smile in her voice. She was trying to force him to say it in front of Sturgis.
"Yeah – me too."
"Love yourself? Egomaniac," she laughed.
"I'll call you later," he smiled and hung up.
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Harm and Sturgis were having lunch. They got all the old stuff – work, family, old stories – out of the way before they started on the new stuff.
"So, you and Mac."
"Yeah," Harm nodded.
"Some things don't change."
That was the wrong thing to say. Harm was still a little shaken by Thomas's comments. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Sturgis said defensively. "It's just that – you two always had something between you."
"Do you think it is strange?"
"What?"
"I don't know. It never worked out for us when we were back at JAG."
"I know."
Harm took a deep breath before he continued. "Don't you think it's strange that we would run into each other four years later when we were both in the process of getting divorces, and within six months we are engaged?"
"Considering you live three thousand miles apart."
"Exactly. Is that strange?"
"Not sure if 'strange' is what I would call it," Sturgis thought for a moment and decided not to enter into the debate. "Who am I to say?"
"Come on, Sturgis. You're my friend; you're Mac's friend. You knew us then and you know us now. Who better to act as objective observer?"
Sturgis hemmed and hawed a little before he answered. "I guess – yes – it does seem a little quick. But again – who am I to say? You two know best. Hell, you were always telling me to butt out."
"This time I am asking."
"There was always something chemical about you two – I suppose time and life changes don't have to take that away. It would make sense that when you met again you would feel the same attraction."
"That is true. We picked up right where we left off."
"That's good – what you couldn't figure out then – you figured out now. You dealt with the old issues and moved on – forgive and forget. So – I don't think six months is too short."
Harm felt a pain in his gut. "What if we haven't?"
"Haven't what?"
"Dealt with the old stuff."
"You mean you two haven't talked about what ended your relationship?"
"A little – not much. She is writing all the stuff that happened off to bad timing."
"Bad timing?" He looked disappointed and shook his head. "You two will never change."
"Why do you say that?"
"You don't deal with anything head on. You walk around it until it either takes care of itself or you get so used to it you forget that it was ever not there."
"Is that true?"
"Then usually one of you trips over it and the other walks away."
"What does that mean?"
"For example – Brimbet, Bramble, Brombol?"
"Brumby? Mic Brumby?"
"Yeah, that happened just before I got there. You two were impossible to be around – snapping and hissing at each other like a couple of - - - ."
"Cats?"
"Exactly, like a couple of cats. Then all of a sudden - nothing. The switch was thrown and you were fine. Next thing we know Mac is in Paraguay with Webb and you were a crazy man chasing her down."
"Saving her life."
"But you came back not on speaking terms. Doesn't the hero usually get the girl?"
"Not that time."
"Then you were gone. Like I said – to the rest of us you two were working your issues out and coming along fine. You never stepped up and then you tripped over another one of Mac's men and you ran away."
"There was a little more to it than that."
"I am sure there was. I am sure there was a ton of stuff that happened that I have no knowledge of – and there are a few things that I know that you don't."
"Such as?"
"Not breaking a confidence – even now."
"Sturgis."
"Look, Harm. If you have come this far with her – I say you stick it out and make it work."
"What if it was never meant to be? And we are just reacting to the bad place we are right now. Getting into an old relationship is much easier than starting a new one."
"You are over analyzing this. But --."
"But what?"
"Do you have to get married right away?"
"No – I suppose not. She is still waiting for her husband to sign the papers."
"And you have this court case with Linda."
"Yeah."
"So you are not making any move right now – you've got a little time."
"True."
"It is too bad you can't at least live in the same state and get used to each other again."
"Same state? You mean move so we can date?"
"Not a bad idea. Making all those changes at once is going to be tough."
"Changes?"
"Say you move east or she moves west (better for you, but not necessarily the best move) – you have to adjust to living with her, her daughter, the kids have to acclimate, new babysitters, new job etc. All that when you are starting a marriage. It is a lot in one fell swoop."
"It is."
"Whereas if you lived closer you could maintain pretty much what you have now only more of it. Get used to each other again, maybe work through some of the old issues and take the next step when you are ready."
"One way to go," Harm was thinking that Mac had suggested that and he dismissed it out of hand. For the life of him he could not remember why he dismissed that idea.
"It is moot right now anyway. She is not free to get married and you have this thing with Linda."
"That is going to be long and ugly."
"What is going on?" Sturgis asked.
"Her lawyer."
"I thought he was a friend of yours."
"I know him, would not call him a friend. He is running the defense all wrong. He has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the judge to get this thing continued."
"When is the trial date?"
"December first."
"What is the defense strategy?"
"Temporary insanity with mitigating factors – she was abusing prescription medication. She nearly OD'd the night that Lawson was killed," Harm was clearly not happy with that strategy.
"You don't think that is the best way to go."
"I don't think she did it."
"Why not?"
"For one, she said she didn't do it."
"She is not the most reliable witness."
"Granted, but the physical evidence does not add up. Her tox screen indicates that she would have been incapable of pulling the trigger much less picking up a gun. She says that she remembers coming home from court, fighting with her father and taking a double dose of sleeping pills – should have kept her down until Tuesday. If she is right – that would have been in the afternoon. Lawson was killed between 2300 and 0400. What happened in the mean time? And there are other things."
"Such as?"
"Walter was found the next morning. Where was the girlfriend? No one heard anything – the maid lives in the back, the gardener? I find it hard to believe that they were alone in the house all night. Not to mention that the stuff that is coming out about Lawson's financial dealings – hell he probably had a ton of people that would have liked to have seen him dead."
"Did the prosecution pursue any other leads?"
"I don't think so. Linda confessed."
"Is it admissible?"
"No, but they have built a case."
"On what?"
"Other circumstantial evidence. Linda's fingerprints were on the gun. She had blood on her clothes. She admits to hating her father and fighting with him."
"What were they fighting about?"
"On that night it was the boys. Lawson was trying to get custody. Linda tells me now that it was not her idea and she didn't want them."
"Do you believe her?"
"I don't know. She never actually told me that she wanted custody of the boys, it all came through her father."
"So she could be telling the truth," Sturgis offered.
"There is always a first time."
"Have you talked to her lawyer?"
"Repeatedly. He won't listen. He wants her out of jail. He's a – well -," Harm was hiding something.
"What?"
"He should recuse himself," Harm didn't want to say it out loud. "He fell in love with her – well he thinks he is anyway."
"Did he tell you that?"
"No, she did."
"She's not trying to make you jealous?"
"Maybe, but I don't think so."
"You don't think she killed her father?"
"No, but not because of anything she said or anything I know about her. This is strictly based on the facts of the case. If this were handled properly, that would be enough reasonable doubt."
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing I can do. I am not involved in this. I am an observer and a witness for the prosecution."
"But you will do something." Sturgis knew his friend well.
Harm sighed. "I have to."
"Hero Rabb is not dead."
"Guess not."
"What is Mac going to say?"
"I'll find out this weekend," Harm smiled sheepishly at his friend. "I thought I would ask for her help."
Sturgis laughed. "You are going to ask your fiancée to help you to get your ex-wife acquitted of murder?"
"Is that a bad idea?"
