HALF AN HOUR LATER
Ten minutes after Mac had given up the fight to keep her eyes open, Harm was struggling to keep from joining her in sleep. Since he'd regained consciousness, he'd barely been able to stay awake for more than ten to fifteen minutes most of the time, except when he'd been forced to stay away during his testing earlier that day. He figured that this time, with Mac lying in his arms, he had plenty of incentive to stay awake. He could lie here all day and just watch her, marveling that something was finally going right for them. If only his body would cooperate with him ….
The sound of the door opening drew his attention, and he looked over to find one of the ICU nurses entering the room, a disapproving look on her face. He started to laugh, but it turned into a cough, which he stifled, trying not to disturb Mac. The look on the nurse's face reminded him of the same one his mother had worn when she'd caught him trying to reach second base with Jessie Andrews the summer before his sophomore year of high school. He only wished he was doing something as interesting this time, especially since he still owed his wife a honeymoon.
"This isn't what it looks like, Nurse Simpson," he said with a sheepish grin.
"Commander Rabb," Simpson said in a tone that again reminded him uncomfortably of his mother. He thought that maybe it was because she was about the same age as his mother, and she knew how to handle him. When she'd first come on shift before he'd gone for his tests, Sarah and Sergei had been visiting. Sarah had made a joke about Harm being a handful, to which Simpson had replied that she had three sons, so there was probably nothing he could pull that she hadn't seen before. "This is the intensive care unit, not the honeymoon suite at the Hilton."
"Believe me, Nurse," he said, "I only wish I was up for something like that." He wondered if he'd be able to do something with Mac later, maybe after he was out of ICU and didn't have assorted hospital personnel wandering in and out of his room as they pleased.
Simpson raised her eyebrows as she picked up his chart, jotting down the vital signs displayed on the monitor. "You need your rest, Commander," she said, pushing a button to inflate the blood pressure cuff on his arm.
"I am resting," he protested.
He smiled, but she was having none of it, shooting him a disbelieving glance as she made some more notes on his chart. "I'm sure your wife thinks your smile is captivating," she said, "but you're not the first pilot who's tried to charm the nurses here."
"You'd be surprised," he said distantly, caught up in the memories. "The smile didn't seem to have much of an effect when we first met." He looked down at Mac, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead, ignoring the slight tug from the IV tubing attached to that arm.
"Apparently she changed her mind," Simpson said in a softer tone.
"I don't know," Harm admitted. "Sometimes, I think she's the only person I can't charm."
He glanced away as Simpson knelt down to check the bag hanging from the side of the bed. "So how much longer do I have to wear that thing?" he asked in distaste.
"Likely at least as long as you're in ICU," she replied, noting the output on his chart. Swiftly, she switched the full bag for an empty one. "The doctor's not even going to try to have you get out of bed until after you're out of ICU and until you can get up and go to the bathroom by yourself …."
"I get the point," he said with a groan. "So when do I get out…."
"Commander," she interrupted, "I believe we had that discussion this morning. Are you always like this?"
A chuckle came from beside Harm, and he looked down to find Mac gazing up at him sleepily. "Usually, he's worse," she said, tongue in cheek.
Harm gazed at her for a long moment, noting the puffiness under her eyes. He wondered if it was from tears or lack of sleep – or perhaps both. Either way, he was the one who'd caused it. If he hadn't dumped his plane in the ocean, they'd be back in Washington now, perhaps spending a quiet holiday together. He would have been there to help her deal with the aftermath of her breakup with Mic. Now, all he could do was lie in this hospital bed, hooked up to monitors and tubes, while Mac struggled through everything on her own.
"Hey," Mac said softly. "You look like you're a million miles away."
"Just thinking," he said. He noticed Simpson giving him a stern look out of the corner of her eye and he sighed inwardly. He wasn't ready for Mac to leave yet, but as long as he was here, he didn't have as much of a choice as he would've liked. "When was the last time you got any sleep?"
"I was just sleeping," she pointed out in a teasing tone.
"That's not what I meant and you know it," he said. He shot Simpson a pleading look and she nodded, returning his chart to the end of the bed and leaving the room. "Mac, I'm worried about you."
"You're worried about me?" Mac echoed in disbelief. "Harm, I'm not the one lying in a hospital bed after nearly dying of hypothermia and a head injury! You …." She broke off, fighting a losing battle to maintain her composure.
"Hey," he said gently, pulling her tightly against him. "I'm going to be okay, but I know I'd feel a lot better if I knew you were taking care of yourself. I think you should go back to the VOQ and get some sleep."
"I'm fine," she insisted. "I've never needed much sleep …." She broke off at the sound of a knock on the door.
"Come in," Harm called out, wondering who it was. None of the doctors and nurses would knock, and then wait to be invited in, so it was probably a member of the family.
He was surprised at the person who pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Mac pulled out of his arms and sat up, her cheeks tinged with pink as she brushed through her hair with her fingers, trying to return it to some semblance of order.
"Father Gilly," Harm said with a puzzled frown. The last time he remembered seeing Father Gilly was in the sickbay on the Henry. The details weren't quite clear to him, but he assumed Gilly had been the one to marry him and Mac. "Shouldn't you be on the Henry?"
Gilly pulled up a chair and sat down. "I accompanied you and Sarah on the helo from the ship," he explained, "along with Doctor Reed. He went back to the ship yesterday morning a few hours after you got out of surgery, but I requested permission to stay behind until you were out of the woods. I've been providing regular reports on your condition to Captains Ingles and Pike. You've got a lot of people back there concerned about you."
"Thank you, Father," Harm said gratefully. "I appreciate everything you've done for us."
"Yes, thank you," Mac echoed, squeezing Harm's hand.
Harm had a sudden memory of something he and Mac had discussed on the ship, and he looked at Mac and then down at her wedding ring, a question in his eyes. She understood what he was trying to say and nodded, turning back to Gilly. "You probably remember that when Harm and I asked you to marry us," she said, "we said that we were planning on having another ceremony later so that all our friends and family could be there. If you're available, we'd like you to perform the ceremony."
"I'm not sure," Gilly said, trying to mask his hesitation. "As you know, I've still got a cruise to complete."
"It won't be for a few months yet, I'm sure," Harm added with a cough, groaning a little at the pain that shot through his head. "The Henry will probably be back in Norfolk by the time we can plan anything."
"We're not talking about anything very big," Mac said, "probably just Harm's family, our friends from JAG and a few other people. I don't really want a big wedding. I nearly had that…." She trailed off, flashing an apologetic look at Harm. He gave her a reassuring glance.
Unnoticed by Harm and Mac, Gilly studied the two of them as they seemed to hold an entire conversation with their eyes. As their fingers slowly entwined, he made a decision. After another moment in which they seemed to forget his presence, lost in each other's gaze, he cleared his throat. "I'd be honored to perform a ceremony for you to renew your vows," he said.
"Thank you, Father," Mac said for both of them, stifling a yawn.
"Mac," Harm drew out her name, reminding her with his tone of their earlier conversation before Gilly had joined them. He glanced at the priest. "Father, you could do me a favor right now. Mac hasn't gotten much sleep the last few days, so I'd appreciate it if you could make sure she gets back to the VOQ."
"Harm," Mac began to protest, cut off when another yawn escaped.
"I'll just wait outside for you, Sarah," Gilly said, standing. Without waiting for an acknowledgement, he left them alone.
"Mac," Harm said softly, his gaze fixed on hers. "Do this for me. It would make me feel better."
Mac sighed. It was so hard to refuse him when he looked at her like that. "Okay," she said, "if you'll promise to do the same. Get some sleep and try not to give the doctor and nurses around here too hard a time."
He raised his eyebrows, giving her a "Who, me?" look. She chuckled, shaking her head. Harm was just being….Harm. After everything that had happened, it was comforting in its familiarity.
Harm was relieved to see her laugh. With everything that had happened, it was good to know that she could still find something amusing. "Okay," he conceded. "We'll both get some sleep. Why don't you come back …?" He trailed off, considering. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but he wanted to make sure that she got as much rest as she could. He considered saying 'tomorrow', but knew she'd never go for that. "….after dinner," he finished.
Mac opened her mouth as if to argue, but closed it again. "Fine," she said. She kissed him, and then started to get up before he pulled her back, deepening the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, they were both a little breathless. "Hold onto that thought," Harm said as a sexy grin spread across his face. "There's more where that came from."
She smiled as she got up from the bed. "I'll hold you to that," she said. "I love you."
"Love you, too," he replied.
-----
When Mac closed Harm's door behind her, Gilly was waiting for her in the hallway. "Ready to go?" he asked, motioning towards the exit.
"I appreciate the gesture, Father," she said as they started walking, "but it's not necessary to escort me back to the VOQ."
"Actually," he said as they reached the elevators, and he pressed the down button, "you'd be doing me a favor if you'd let me escort you back there. It will save me from having to ride the base bus."
"Okay," Mac said, masking her reluctance.
"Sarah, we don't have to talk," he said as they stepped onto the elevator. She stared at him, surprised that he seemed to sense the direction of her thoughts. "If you want to be silent on the drive, that's fine with me. I think it would be good for you to talk to someone, and I sense that you don't really have anyone here that you'd feel comfortable confiding in."
"I guess you're right about that," Mac mused as the elevator opened up to the first floor. "Normally, I guess I would talk to my uncle, but….I forgot completely about him! He doesn't know I got married. Well, actually, he doesn't know that I married Harm."
"Your uncle wasn't going to be at your wedding?" he asked as he followed her to the parking lot. "I suppose that's why he's not here with you now."
"No, he couldn't be here," she replied distractedly, pulling her cell phone from her purse. "Damn, the battery's low. I probably should call him from my room, anyway. This is going to be an….interesting conversation."
They arrived at her car and she motioned Gilly towards the passenger side as she pressed the button on the remote to unlock the doors. "I assume that's because he thought you were supposed to be marrying Mr. Brumby this past weekend," he commented as they strapped themselves in.
Mac was silent as she pulled out of the parking lot, considering the statement. She'd spoken to her uncle two weekends previously, the day after her fateful engagement party. He'd sensed something was bothering her and had called her on it. She'd been on the verge of confessing everything, but something had stilled her tongue at the last moment. Finally, she'd just claimed a case of pre-wedding jitters, a part of her hoping her uncle would sense that she wasn't being truthful with him and press her further.
He hadn't done so, and she knew deep down that he never would. He'd always trusted her to make her own choices, ever since Red Rock Mesa. In that way, Harm was a lot like her uncle. She'd told them that she was going to marry Mic, and they'd both respected her decision, assuming that she knew what she was doing. She sighed heavily. Chloe and Harriet had been the only ones to question her judgment, and by then it'd almost been too late.
"I'm sorry, Father," Mac said, shaking herself out of her reverie as she realized that he'd been speaking to her. "What did you say?"
"I asked about your parents," he said. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him watching her intently. "I haven't seen them here, either."
"My father died two years ago this month," she explained. "My mother….I don't know where she is. She left us on my fifteenth birthday and the only time I've seen her since then was at my father's deathbed."
"I'm sorry, Sarah," Gilly said.
"That's okay," Mac assured him, putting it immediately out of her mind. As far as she was concerned, her parents hadn't been a part of her life since she was a teenager.
"So you said your uncle couldn't be at your wedding," he reminded her.
She thought this was a safe enough topic to discuss. "Do you remember almost five years ago when a militia group stole the Declaration of Independence?" she asked.
"They were a bunch of former Marines," he recalled. "Their leader appeared on TV a few times, explaining why they'd done it." He stared at her, putting it together in his mind. "Your uncle?"
"Colonel Matthew O'Hara," she confirmed. "My mother is his younger sister. Actually, that case is how Harm and I met. I was brought into JAG HQ to assist in tracking down the group. The CIA knew that I was Colonel O'Hara's niece and thought that I'd be able to lead them to him. When I finally told Harm the truth, he convinced me to trust him and take him to Uncle Matt. I held a gun on him, trying to convince my uncle's men that I was with them and that Harm had been pursuing me. Despite that, Harm volunteered to defend Uncle Matt. He didn't know me, he didn't know my uncle, but he laid it on the line for us. He didn't get my uncle off, but Harm did manage to prevent the government from throwing the book at him."
"I assume he couldn't be at your wedding because he's still in Leavenworth?" Gilly asked.
"He's eligible for parole in less than a year," Mac replied. "Harm's probably already planning for the hearing, knowing him."
"So you were the one," he began, breaking off at the puzzled glance Mac shot him. "Harm told me some things when he was on the Henry last year. One of those was the story about representing your uncle and how close the two of you had been up until he left JAG."
"He told you that?" she asked in wonder, remembering how she'd thought he'd cut himself off almost completely from his old life. He'd never called; he hardly ever wrote. As far as she'd known, he'd left everything behind when he'd walked out of JAG that last afternoon. It was unsettling to learn that he'd apparently been thinking about her while he'd been gone. If she'd known that before, the last two years might never have unfolded the way they had. Her heart wept for the lost chances.
"He didn't mention you by name," Gilly said. "I can't say too much, but….what he said to me was very telling."
"You took confession from Harm?" she asked, surprised. Harm rarely opened up, even to those closest to him. To find out that he'd talked to a priest about their relationship – or lack thereof – disturbed her. Why hadn't he been able to talk to her?
"Not confession, no," he explained. "I was just a fellow officer offering a friendly ear. Sarah, I could be a friendly ear for you as well."
"What, do you think I need to confess?" she asked sarcastically.
"I think the question really is," he replied gently, "is do you think you have something to confess?"
Mac was silent for a long moment, staring at the road ahead of her. What had Harm been thinking, asking Father Gilly to accompany her? Did he think she needed to talk to someone? Maybe he'd managed to find some solace in talking to the priest, but she wasn't Harm. It wasn't that easy for her. "Tell me something, Padre," she said angrily. "What's the right answer here? I dumped the man I'd promised to marry hours before the ceremony and married someone else. Or should I have just married Mic and made everyone around me miserable? When I think about what my marriage would have done to Harm….I saw his face the day I told everyone I'd accepted Mic's proposal. I might as well have taken a knife and stabbed him through the heart, but even seeing that, I couldn't make myself do anything about it until the last minute."
"Sarah," he said, "stopping yourself from making a mistake is not a sin."
"Do you really believe that?" she retorted. "Back at the hospital, when we asked you to perform the ceremony to renew our vows, you hesitated. Why?"
"I had some concerns," Gilly easily admitted. "When I found out about Mr. Brumby and Ms. Peterson, I have to admit that I'd wondered whether I'd done the right thing by officiating at your wedding."
"'Had some concerns'," she repeated. "You mean you don't anymore?"
"Sarah, do you have some questions about what you've done?" he asked pointedly, deflecting the question back to her.
"I love Harm," Mac insisted.
"After what I've seen the last two days," he said, "and knowing now that you were the one Harm was talking about when he told me some of the stories about the two of you, I don't question that."
"You don't?" she asked quietly. She wanted to believe that. She needed to know that someone was in their corner. So far, not a single one of their friends had mentioned the marriage, and the silence bothered her more than she cared to admit. She could imagine the eyes that would be on her for a time to come, the whispers behind her back.
"No, I don't," he replied. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Mac shrugged, keeping her eyes on the road. She didn't think it really mattered at this point. Somehow, he'd gotten her to open up in spite of herself. "Go ahead," she said.
"Why did you agree to marry Mr. Brumby?" Gilly asked.
"Does it really matter?" she countered.
"I think it does to you," he explained. "No matter how much you love Harm, you're understandably troubled by how it came about. You need to be able to recognize what troubles you about it in order to reconcile yourself to the situation. It's very difficult to begin a new life with someone when you're mired in the past."
"I'm not mired in the past," Mac insisted. "Right now my only focus is making sure my husband makes a full recovery. I'm looking towards the future, not the past. Or is this a lecture along the lines of 'Those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them'?"
"This isn't a lecture, Sarah," Gilly said as Mac pulled into the parking lot at the VOQ and found a spot near the end of the building. "Just call it food for thought. It helps if you're sure about what you're doing."
Mac's hand froze on the key as his statement struck a cord with her. Harriet had almost those same words when Mac had returned from Australia wearing Mic's ring. Too bad she hadn't been able to bring herself to listen to the doubts instead of letting herself be dazzled by the brilliance of the diamond and the promise it held of everything she'd ever wanted.
"Sarah, is everything okay?" Gilly asked.
"Everything's fine," she replied, brushing his concern aside. She was sure that she loved Harm with everything she had in her. As far as she was concerned, that was all that mattered.
-----
LATER THAT AFTERNOON
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER
Since those who were in the military had to return to duty tomorrow, Harm's co-workers, after waiting for two days, were finally allowed to see him for a few minutes before they left for the drive back to Washington. They came in groups of two or three, wishing him a speedy recovery with varying degrees of effusiveness – and sincerity. Harm was mildly surprised to learn that none of them had left yet. After his return from the Henry, he'd felt like he didn't really fit in anymore. This was the first real indication he'd gotten since then of just how much a part of the fabric of the JAG office he was.
When Loren came in with Carolyn, Harm thought her well wishes merely masked her ambition to take on a few more cases, since JAG was going to be short one lawyer for the foreseeable future. Harm was unable to resist rolling his eyes at the thought, and he noticed Carolyn covering her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh when she caught his gesture. Loren, fortunately, was oblivious, waxing on about how happy she would be to help out on some of his cases until he was back on his feet.
Alan and Jackie were the next visitors on the docket. Harm learned that Alan had been asked by A.J. to cover as chief of staff while Harm and Mac were both out. They spent a few minutes discussing some of Harm's cases that would need to be reassigned, Alan mentioning that Loren had already pounced on him, wanting to make sure he kept her in mind for any important cases.
After the Mattonis, Victor and Jason dropped in. Sarah had told Harm that they'd driven in the middle of the night to bring her to Washington, and he thanked them for their kindness in looking out for his grandmother. They both told him to let them know when Sarah was ready to return home, and they'd be more than happy to drive her back. Harm was grateful for the offer, since he'd already been warned by the doctor that long trips by car were out of the question for a while, which was the reason he was going to be sent back to Washington by helo.
Bud and Harriet were next, and Harm could see as soon as they'd walked into the room just how shaken they were to see him in this condition. Neither had ever been very good at hiding their emotions. Bud rambled on a bit, as he used to when he'd been newly assigned to JAG, and Harriet nearly burst into tears. They hadn't brought baby AJ in with them – he was sitting out in the hall with big A.J. - both because the hospital wouldn't let such a young child in, and because they weren't sure how he would react to seeing his beloved godfather with a shaved head and wires and tubes connected in various places. Harriet kissed the bruise on his forehead, telling Harm that AJ had wanted to make sure Harm got a 'tiss' to make his 'owie' better. Harm said to tell AJ that the kiss did make him feel better, which had the intended side effect of bringing a smile to Harriet's face.
Although they weren't leaving until Tuesday afternoon, Chloe visited next with her father. Unlike Harriet, she did burst into tears. Harm took her into his arms, trying to assure her that he would be fine eventually. He promised that with her father's and grandparents' permission, he would bring her back to Washington later in the summer so they could catch the Orioles game that they'd missed on Sunday. Slyly, Chloe asked if he would invite Sergei as well, Kyle and Harm exchanging a knowing glance over her head at her obvious crush on Harm's younger brother. Harm didn't make any promises since he didn't know how long Sergei was going to be able to stay in Washington.
Finally, fifteen minutes after Chloe and her father had said their goodbyes, Harm received the visitor he'd been both anticipating and dreading. "Admiral," he said in greeting as A.J. walked into the room. Even dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, A.J. exuded command authority, and Harm started, out of habit, to bring himself to a close approximation of attention before A.J. waved him off.
"No need to stand on ceremony, Commander," A.J. said, taking a seat. "How are you doing?"
"I've been better, sir," Harm replied, making light of the situation. "Of course, I haven't figured out whether this crash or my first one was worse. From where I'm laying, they both feel about the same – too many machines that I'm hooked up to and too many drugs being pumped into me."
"That's good. But I came here for an additional reason, Commander," A.J. said in a serious tone. "We need to discuss the crash."
"I assumed that was coming at some point," Harm replied, unable to mask his weariness. "I've been down that road before. I suppose the investigation has already begun."
A.J. studied him for a moment, trying to determine if he was in any condition for this discussion. Only when Harm motioned for him to go on did he continue. "The investigation itself is being handled here in Norfolk," he explained. "They've already started going over all the communications between you, the Henry, Oceana and Andrews while salvage crews are pulling up as much of your Tomcat as they can. I believe they've also requested maintenance reports from the Henry on that Tomcat."
"And…?" Harm asked, realizing that A.J. was holding something back.
"I've already gotten a call from COMNAVAIRLANT," A.J. explained with a sigh of barely concealed frustration. "Even though there is nothing right now to suggest this was anything other than massive systems failure combined with the storm, some concern was expressed because this is your second crash and ejection – third, if they knew about your little escapade in Russia. They just want to make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's crossed."
"Meaning what exactly, sir?" Harm asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. From an objective standpoint as an investigator, he could understand the concern, but it was hard to be detached when he was the one under scrutiny. Even with his memories still scattered, he had the strong feeling that he'd done everything he could to keep that plane in the air.
"Commander, need I remind you that you have dumped not one, but two, forty million dollar aircraft?" A.J. pointed out. "When you manage to single-handedly cost the Navy eighty million dollars, there are going to be questions that will have to be answered and not just by you. I'm sure they'll have some hard questions for some of Captain Ingles' crew, such as why you were cleared to take off in that weather. The last thing the Navy is going to want is someone questioning why they're keeping a man in the air who goes through so much of the taxpayers' money."
"They said the storm was supposed to be out of our flight path," Harm remembered. "Have they talked to Skates yet? She's probably a lot clearer on the details than I am right now."
"I don't know, Commander," he replied. "I've had a request from the CNO to stay out of this as much as possible. The investigators are to report directly to COMNAVAIRLANT with their findings, and their Force Judge Advocate will handle the mishap board and any charges that might arise, whether on your part or on the part of someone on the Henry. Hell, I think if they could find a way to do it, they'd assign investigators from another branch of service in order to avoid undue command influence." A.J. spat out the final three words, his disgust clearly evident.
"I'm sorry, Admiral," Harm said, recognizing the undercurrent in A.J.'s voice. He wondered what had happened to the fool who'd apparently suggested to the Admiral that he couldn't oversee an objective investigation when it concerned one of his own people. Harm knew that was an invalid assumption from personal experience. When he'd been suspected of murder, A.J.'s only involvement had been bringing Carolyn in from outside HQ to represent him and assigning Alan to prosecute. Other than that, A.J. had maintained a strictly hands off approach until it came time to chew him a new one for the brig break.
"There's more, Commander," A.J. said, brushing off the apology. At Harm's questioning glance, he continued, "I don't know how to say this but straight out. It's probably a good idea if someone besides the colonel represents you. In fact, I'd probably even go outside the personnel currently in our office."
It wasn't that Harm disagreed in principal with the suggestion. Mac had enough on her mind, between her cancelled wedding to Mic and his situation, and he didn't think she needed the additional stress of dealing with the investigation into his crash. However, the way A.J. said it was setting off his radar. There was something else going on.
"Sir, on my part, I don't anticipate this going any farther than the mishap board," Harm said. "My memory still has a few holes in it, but I don't think I could have done more to prevent the crash. Why shouldn't Mac represent me? She's certainly proven to be a passionate advocate for me in the past."
"There's a possibility she may be called as a witness, Commander," A.J. replied.
"A witness?" Harm repeated incredulously. "What could Mac possibly have to tell the mishap board? She has nothing to do with this. Do they know that she's my wife and can't be compelled to testify?"
"I've just been told, as her commanding officer, that she needs to be available for an interview at some point," A.J. said. "If they don't know yet, the investigators are going to find out about your hasty marriage on the same day she was supposed to have married someone else. It's inevitable that there are going to be questions."
"Mac had called off the wedding before I even left the carrier," Harm pointed out.
"Commander, I'm not here to discuss your personal life," A.J. said firmly.
Harm heard the unspoken message. There was going to be a discussion eventually. Although he'd been aware of the possibility in the back of his mind ever since he'd first found himself attracted to Mac, what their marriage would mean for their careers had been the last thing on his mind when he'd proposed. He could imagine that it was going to be a lot harder for A.J. to invoke Admiral's privilege to keep both him and Mac at JAG HQ.
"So am I going to be assigned outside counsel?" Harm asked, steering the conversation away from more personal matters.
"If I might offer a suggestion," A.J. said. When Harm nodded, he continued, "We have a new staff judge advocate PCSing into headquarters next week from Pearl, a Commander Sturgis Turner. He's a former submariner, but his record for dispassionate advocacy since he joined JAG has been impressive."
"Sturgis?" Harm repeated. "I was beginning to think he intended to stay in Hawaii for the rest of his career."
A.J. sighed. "You know Commander Turner?" he asked.
"We were in the same company at the Academy," Harm explained, wondering if A.J. was going to suggest someone else now that he knew Harm and Sturgis were acquainted. He hoped not. If he couldn't have Mac represent him, and A.J. was probably right in that it was for the best, then Sturgis was a good second choice. "Sturgis is a good man and a fair one. He'd be a good advocate."
"Fine, he's your representative," A.J. agreed. "He's not due to report for duty until next week, but I believe he was flying in today to search for a place to live and spend some time with some family in the area. When we return to work tomorrow, I'll have Tiner find a contact number so you can get in touch with him. I don't know if the investigators are going to be able to get past Dr. Stafford to interview you here, or if it will have to wait until after you're home. Just in case, you should contact him and see if he's available."
"I will," Harm promised. "Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me, Commander," A.J. said. "I just want to make sure that this investigation goes as smoothly as possible."
"Understood, sir," Harm said. He understood the hidden message. Admiral Chegwidden the commanding officer wanted as little as possible to disrupt the smooth running of his office, and Harm had just inadvertently sent it into an uproar. A.J. the friend was doing everything he could to smooth things over for Harm. Harm was grateful, but he knew that it was probably best, knowing A.J., to leave that unsaid for now.
"I'll leave you to get some rest, Commander," A.J. said, standing to leave. "Dr. Stafford was hesitant to let a parade of Naval personnel through your room to begin with. Take care of yourself and keep me informed."
"Will do, Admiral," Harm promised, letting his eyes drift closed as A.J. turned to leave. When he heard the door open and close, he sighed in relief. Reluctantly, he could understand Dr. Stafford's position. The parade of people had been somewhat exhausting, and A.J.'s visit had reminded him that there was still the fallout from his crash to deal with. He just hoped Mac wasn't going to be too upset when he told her that she wasn't going to be representing him before the mishap board.
-----
To be continued….