Will You Always Be There?
Chapter 50
Disclaimer: I don't own these JAG characters. I don't own any product or label mentioned for the purposes of telling this story. Any similarities to situations or persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
Spoilers: Anything up to and including 'There Goes the Neighborhood'. 'Ghost Ship' and 'The Return' are specifically referred to. Any spoilers may be loosely referred to.
A/N: Once again a reminder that this was written over the course of season 10 and is not meant to represent anything other than a JAG story.
A/N: Thanks to aerogirl for her beta reading and input.
1830
Sunday
December 26th
Pine loch cabin #1
The snow had finally stopped early that morning and the resort had snowplows going all day long to clear the way to the main building. Harm and Mac decided they would take a night out for dinner and dancing. It gave Mac another chance to wear something in yet another shade of red. She had worn something red every day since their wedding day. This was a deeper shade than she wore on the first night they spent here. She wore a long sleeved dress with a v neckline in front and in back. It was draped beautifully over her body, coming to rest just above her knees. Her shoes were of the same shade.
"You really are trying to kill me, aren't you, Mac?" Harm slid her coat onto her shoulders.
Mac gave him a mischievous smile. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"Yes… you do." He kissed her cheek.
Mac tugged the lapel of his gray wool overcoat. He was handsome in his suit of the same color, making his eyes a heart-stopping blue gray. "I just wanted to do something every day to make it special." She kissed him lightly on the lips and started to draw herself away, but Harm followed her and pulled her into a more passionate kiss... He reached for her arms to pull her even closer to him, but Mac stepped back and broke the kiss. "Hey Sailor, I want to make it out of here before midnight." Harm had her lipstick on his mouth; Mac laughed and started to wipe it away. "I don't think it's your color, Harm."
Harm looked into the mirror near the door and dabbed away Mac's lipstick. "All right, Marine, we're going." He gave her another long look and opened the door for her.
The small nightclub was framed with glass and stone. The large windows brought in the beautiful landscape covered with snow. The moon shone on the snow, making it glitter like tiny diamonds over the frozen ground. The room had a soft golden glow. After their dinner Harm led Mac to the dance floor. Mac turned into his arms and lifted her arms around his neck. Harm let his hands slide down her back and he pulled her close to him as they fell easily into the rhythm of the slow sweet jazz... Mac was looking around, taking in everything, and Harm was just taking in Mac.
"I never would have known this was here. Our cabin seemed so isolated – I wouldn't have thought there was this much to the resort." She looked up and saw that he was looking at her very intently but she didn't think he was listening to her. She leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "Harmon Rabb, are you even listening to me?"
Harm looked at her lips and then into her eyes. "I am now."
1935
Sunday
Interstate 64 south
North of Norfolk, Virginia
Bud drove toward Norfolk, growing more and more anxious with every mile. He had been trying to reach his father since Christmas Eve with no luck. Big Bud and Harriet's parents still didn't get along well, so Big Bud decided to stay in Norfolk for Christmas this year. He had told Bud that he was meeting an old friend who was staying in town over the holiday so he was too busy anyway. Bud had been unable to reach him at home or on his cell phone. Big Bud usually let his battery run down in his cell half of the time, but it had been too long and Bud just knew there was something wrong. Mike had been quiet most of the trip. Bud had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed it until just now.
"Are you okay, Mike?"
'Yeah…I just hope we haven't made this trip for nothing. Dad's probably with someone he picked up in a bar somewhere and he hasn't come home yet."
"I don't think so this time. I know how he is, but I just have the feeling something is really wrong. I appreciate you coming down here with me."
Mike looked at Bud and grinned. "Hey…where else would I be?" Mike hoped Bud was wrong. He hoped he was too. He wasn't in the mood to go walking in on Dad and some sleazy woman he brought home. He hated going back there. It brought back too many memories. He remembered more than one Christmas when their mother had sent them outside or to a neighbor's house just to get them away from their father when he was drunk. The hell of it was that going to their friend's houses just reminded him of what they didn't have. They were made welcome most of the time; but everyone knew how their dad was, which made it that much worse.
They pulled up in front of their dad's place. There was a light on in the living room. Bud and Mike got out of the vehicle and walked toward the house. Big Bud's car was in the driveway. Bud walked over to it and placed his hand on the hood of the car. It was cold, so he probably hadn't been out for some time. 'Why wasn't he answering the phone?'
When they got to the door they could hear the television. Bud knocked but got no answer. Mike pounded and shouted 'Dad!' No one came to the door. Bud used his key, fearing the worst. He and Mike rushed into the front room to find Bud lying on the floor face down in what looked like papers wadded up and piled in the floor. The smell of stale beer in the room was strong. Mike stepped further into the room and saw that the papers were letters. Taking a closer look, he recognized his mother's handwriting. Mike turned to look at Bud. Bud carefully stooped over on one foot and picked up a beer bottle from the floor, half full, and set it on the table. It was then that he saw what Mike had, his mother's letters. Big Bud started to rouse himself awake.
"Dad?" Mike stayed out of arm's reach, a lesson learned at a very young age.
Big Bud raised his head to reveal a cassette player that had been hidden under his folded arms that he had used for a pillow. "Wha… Who the hell?"
Mike stepped back, arms out, "Dad, it's me."
Bud stepped forward between Mike and his dad. An old habit, even if Mike could probably take him or his dad on and win easily.
Big Bud scrambled to his feet. "Boys?...Is that my boys?"
Bud reached forward to stop him from coming any closer. He saw that his father wasn't in the mood to fight, but he wasn't ready for whatever this was. His dad stepped back and fell back into a sitting position on the couch. He was still drunk. Big Bud looked at the floor and tried to focus on what was in front of him. Recognition dawned, and though drunk he fully realized what his sons saw. Their disgust was plain on their faces. He had been listening to letter tapes that his wife had made. The boys had sung Christmas carols and her voice had been so clear and real. Big Bud leaned forward, his head in his hands. He had ruined everything and they couldn't go back. "Too late…" He stood and staggered toward Mike and Bud. His face contorted in pain. He turned and staggered toward his bedroom. "Too late," he said more loudly, sobbing as he said it. "It's too late, Angie."
Bud felt his stomach lurch. He had to get out of there. He turned and made his way out the door. He wasn't even aware of where Mike was. He stepped out into the yard and took in deep gulping breaths to try and stop the nausea that had come upon him so quickly. After about ten minutes he began to calm down and as he turned to go in the house, he saw Mike sitting on the porch. "Hallmark moment, huh?"
Bud was cynical "As close as we'll ever get."
"I rewound the tape….do you want to hear it?" Mike lifted the cassette player from the porch beside him.
Bud thought for a moment. He had just gotten his stomach under control. He drew a deep breath. It was his mother, after all. "Go ahead."
Mike pushed the button.
"Now, come on, boys. Sing like we practiced. We wish you a Merry Christmas." She sounded so young to him, and then he realized that she had been younger than Harriet when that tape was made. She hadn't even been thirty years old at the time.
The boys sang off key along with their mother's beautiful lilting voice. As the boys finished, she clapped her hands in approval. "Very good, boys." She told their father that she would be back to finish the tape after she put them to bed. She came back on and filled him in on the details of her day, then in closing she said, "I miss you so much, Bud, can't wait till you come home. I love you. 52 days and a wake up. …Bye."
Bud felt tears stinging at the backs of his eyes. His mother. She had loved his father in spite of everything. Bud was old enough to remember that there had been some very bad times before he left for that cruise. 'Why? Why was she gone and that selfish bastard still here?' The anger rose up in Bud quickly and unexpectedly. "Turn it off!" He stalked away toward his car. He slammed his fist on the hood of his car.
Mike jumped up from the porch and walked quickly out to Bud. "Take it easy."
Bud tried to calm himself. "I'm okay." He managed to slow his breathing. "I'm all right."
He wasn't, but he wasn't going to tell Mike that. "Let's go back inside and clean up and get out of here." They walked back toward the house.
It took them less than a half an hour to put things back in place and return his mother's letters and tapes to the cigar box that his father kept. They left them in the middle of his kitchen table and locked the door on their way out. Bud opened his cell phone called his home. Jennifer Coates answered. "Hello, Jen, can I speak with Harriet?"
"She's sleeping, sir."
"Well, don't wake her. Look, we're on our way back. Dad's okay, just sleeping it off." Bud heard Jen chuckle a bit. "Jen, could you stay another night? It will be late by the time we get back and we both have to be back at JAG in the morning."
Silence on the line.
"Look, I know we've been leaning on you pretty heavily, but…."
"Sir, it's not a problem really, that's what friends are for." She would just get up early and get ready for work at her own apartment. She wasn't looking forward to going back there without Mattie anyway.
"You're a lot more than a friend to us, Jen. Thank you."
Bud ended the call and he and Mike drove north, back to Washington. As they came out of the Hampton tunnel, Mike turned to Bud. "You know, sometimes it seems that no matter what I do, I can't shake the way things were when we were kids. I know it's in the past and I know Dad regrets all of it, but its still there. I can't forget it. I'm not even sure I forgive him…you know?"
Bud nodded. He knew…too well.
2230
Sunday
Pine loch cabin # 1
Somewhere in Pennsylvania
Harm sat in the corner of the sofa near the fireplace. Mac sat near him with her feet tucked under her. He was looking at what lay under the Christmas tree; the picture she had framed for him. It was a rough but realistic painting of the flight deck of a carrier at sea. The colors were the blues and grays and black of the ship, sky and sea. A group of sailors and aviators in khaki and dungarees were getting reading for flight operations. Harm knew it was impossible but some of the faces looked almost familiar. He could almost smell the jet fuel.
It was titled 'U.S.S. Hornet 1965.'
"Harm?"
He was startled out of his reverie. "Sorry, I was just admiring one of my Christmas presents." He smiled and leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Thank you….How did you find it, anyway?"
"To tell the truth, I saw it while we were on Tilghman Island, in that book shop you insisted we stop into. It wasn't even for sale, but when I saw the title I asked the clerk if I could speak with the proprietor, and we worked out a deal." She knew about his father's deployment on the Hornet in the sixties.
"How did you hide it? I would have seen it when we went home."
"I had it sent to your grandmother's house. " Mac gave him a smug smile. "The only thing I had to hide before the wedding was this." She pointed to the chain around his neck.
He pulled the chain from inside his shirt. The chain was white gold on which there was a St Christopher's medal. On the back was circular indentation that held grains of sand.
"This was a unique idea."
"I thought so." She had taken a handful of sand from the shore of Tighlman Island and put it in a Ziploc bag. It might have seemed adolescent but back then she wasn't sure what the future held for her and the weekend had meant so much to her. She wanted to bring a piece of it home with her. While Harm was in Iraq she had the medal made and had the sand embedded into the back of it.
"I always want to remember that time – it was wonderful." The memory never failed to warm her heart.
"I'll never forget it." Harm pulled her closer into his embrace; she turned and lay across his lap, facing him. "You said you loved me there." Harm looked down and then intently into her eyes.
"Yes, I did, and I think that was when I finally let myself believe that you loved me." Mac leaned in and kissed him. She leaned back and looked at him. The fire glowed yellow against his skin, and his eyes, so full of love, spoke to her. He had made sacrifices he never told her about. She wished so much that he had. "Harm, why didn't you tell me about being offered chief of staff at JAG in San Diego? You never said anything about it when you came back from the Seahawk."
"Who told you about that?" That had come out of left field. He remembered then that only one who knew besides the command in CINPACFLT was…
"Jack."
"Remind me to have a conversation with him when I see him again," Harm answered, looking slightly irritated.
"He thought I knew; he didn't mean to tell me anything I didn't know."
"I could have told you….. but things between us were not what I thought they would be when I got back." Harm looked away. "By then I didn't think it would make any difference." He had a sad look in his eyes.
"I didn't do a lot to make you think otherwise….did I?" Mac began to trace his jaw line with her finger. "I'm not trying to start anything, Harm; I just wanted to acknowledge a sacrifice you made. I'm so glad you came back to Headquarters." She looked him directly in the eye. The look on his face tugging at her heart.
"Mac, we both have regrets about that time, but in the final analysis it was just the road that led us here. I wouldn't be anywhere else." He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Anything was worth this, Mac." He kissed her lightly and then deepened the kiss, taking in the sweet taste of her.
0630
Monday
Jen and Mattie's apartment
North of Union Station
Jen opened the elevator doors and stepped out into the hallway. She was startled to see several people standing around her apartment door.
"What's going on here?"
"Jennifer Coates, you are under arrest for the murder of Vincent Dolan."
"What? But I haven't even been here. You can't pin this on me!"
A uniformed policewoman held up her uniform – it had a bloodstain that she could see across the hallway. "Witnesses saw you leave here in uniform Christmas Day. We got a call reporting a fight and screaming. We investigated and found this in the floor of the elevator. Is this your uniform?"
"You could get that at any Army/Navy surplus store." Jen knew it was, in fact, her uniform. It was Pia, she knew that now. 'Where the hell was she?'
The officer lifted the name tag from the shirt. "This too?"
"That doesn't prove anything."
"Come with us."
1645
Tuesday
Mattie and Jen's Apartment
North of Union Station
The DNA evidence had freed her and Gunny could verify where she had spent the holiday. She had spent the night in a holding cell. That had been an experience. She didn't think she had given anyone the impression that she was afraid. She hadn't been in jail in DC before. She recognized the look in the eyes of the other women being held with her, but it was like stepping into another world – a cold harsh world, where there was no one that she could trust. She had seen that world before, but this place seemed to take it to a whole new level. Thank God Gunny had given her his phone number. What would she have done? She couldn't have called Bud and Harriet and involve them in this mess. Harm and Mac were out of the question. Gunny had met her at the police station and brought her home.
"You aren't going to try and stay here tonight, are you, Jen?" Gunny hoped she wouldn't insist.
"Look, Gunny, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. If I can stay in that holding cell all night, this should be a piece of cake. Besides, the commander and the colonel will be back tonight, so I won't be all alone in the building." She sighed and opened the elevator doors.
Gunny followed her out of the elevator and they both noticed the door to her apartment slightly ajar. Jen walked more quickly to the door and peered in. The room was completely torn apart. A huge bloodstain was still on the floor where Vince had fallen. The white tape tracing the place where he lay was still in full view.
"They never tell you on all those cop shows that the victims or their families have to clean this mess up most of the time. At least let me help you." He walked into the kitchen and took a bucket from under the sink.
Jen just stood and watched him, still unable to absorb it all. She had not shed a tear since this terrible ordeal began. Her friend had lied to her and betrayed her. She had tried to frame her for murder when all Jen had wanted to do was help her. Her chin began to tremble and she bit back the tears that stung her eyes. 'Damn it… I'm not going to lose it now,' she thought. She walked into the kitchen to help Gunny.
Victor looked over at Jen and saw her trying to get herself under control. He tried to help her by making a joke. "Yeah, leave it to the Marines…always having to clean up after the Navy." He looked at her with a sly smile, and she tried to laugh, but it came out more like an awkward and too loud sob. She clamped her hand over her mouth trying to hold it all in. "Jen, it's all right." She shook her head no and started to back away from him.
She turned and walked toward the living room "It's not all right…I feel like a fool. She was my friend, Victor…I was trying to help her. God…. I can't believe she would have let me get sent up for murder and walk away."
Victor walked toward her and, standing slightly behind her, touched the back of her arm. "You had no way of knowing how far she had fallen, you know?"
She turned toward him. "I would never have done that." Her eyes filled with tears "Not even on my lowest day, I would never have betrayed her that way."
Victor didn't answer her but nodded his agreement. She was going from age 50 back to 18 again. No wonder she could con the best of them. Those big innocent eyes and the tears flowing down her cheeks were enough to break his heart.
She looked around her apartment at everything that had been thrown around, in some cases broken. She didn't have many valuables but this was all she had. She felt violated, like what she had called her home had been taken away from her. She hastily wiped the tears from her face.
"Look, Jen, let me take you back to Bud and Harriet's. They already offered to let you stay with them. Let your friends help you."
"I can't impose on them again."
"You could stay at my place…I could take the couch." Gunny knew he was treading on thin ice but he could not leave her here in this mess.
Jen thought for a moment. She knew she couldn't stay here. She was definitely not going to Gunny's. "I appreciate the offer, Gunny….but I think I will call Bud and Harriet and ask them if I can stay a few nights." She looked around the apartment. "Even after I get this cleaned up, I don't think I'll be living here."
"It's probably not a good idea." Jen was sounding a little more solid, more like herself. Gunny was relieved. He was also glad she had chosen to go back to Bud and Harriet's. He knew he wouldn't have left her alone but he wasn't sure he wasn't ready to have her stay at his apartment. He really did want to get to know her better, but he wasn't quite ready to get too close just yet. He reached out from arm's length and gave her arm a squeeze. "Let's get this mess cleaned up, kid."
"Hey….who are you calling a kid?" She pretended irritation.
"Get moving, Navy….or I'll see that you're put on report," he threw over his shoulder as he walked back toward the kitchen.
1715
Tuesday
Harm's Apartment building
North of Union Station
Harm pulled into his parking place in front of his building. He didn't notice the other two cars parked on the opposite side. He slid from behind the wheel and hurried over to open the passenger side door. Mac turned to get out and Harm scooped her up into his arms before she had a chance to stand up.
"What are you doing?" Mac was laughing.
"Hey, don't want to start this off the wrong way. I have to carry the bride over the threshold; we have to keep up with tradition."
"Harm we aren't even in the building yet."
"I'll be fine…although I will say you are getting a little heavier, Mrs. Rabb." He grinned mischievously.
"Oh is that right? I think you just may still be a little worn out from all that snow tubing yesterday."
"Don't worry, Mac, I think I'm recovering just fine." He gave her a 'wait till I get you alone' leer.
Mac whispered in his ear. "Was that look a threat…or a promise?"
He kissed her and carried her out of the elevator doors. They both saw Jen's door ajar and he put Mac down and they both went to make sure everything was all right. What they saw stunned them both.
"What the hell happened here?"
Jen was standing in her kitchen and Gunny heard the commander's voice so he walked out of the bedroom.
"Gunny?"
"Sir." He acknowledged him with a nod.
Jen thought she better explain as quickly as she could. "Pia and Vince came back…but Vince didn't leave."
The white tape and blood stain was still on the floor near her pantry.
"Are you all right?" Harm's mind was churning a mile a minute. 'What if Mattie had been here?' "Where is Pia?"
Gunny spoke up. "The police think she is long gone. They have evidence that she committed the murder." He nodded toward Jen. "She tried to frame Jen before she left town. She almost pulled it off – if it hadn't been for the DNA evidence she left behind on the uniform, Jen would still be in jail."
Harm walked toward Jen. "Are you sure you're all right? Where are you going to stay?"
Jen would never stay at Harm's that was certain.
Gunny stepped up behind Jen and placed his hand on the back of her arm. He looked at Harm directly. "She's going back to Bud and Harriet's." He knew that there was nothing inappropriate between Jen and the commander. He couldn't have said why exactly, but it was important that Jen handle this without the commander. She would be fine. He would see to it. His look was not angry but it definitely told the commander that things were already under control.
Harm saw that the gunny and Jen had become closer, although how close remained to be seen. He was relieved and glad for Jen's sake. "At least let us help you get this cleaned up."
Gunny and Jen spoke at once. "No, sir."
Then Jen alone spoke. "Thank you, but we have this under control." She was so relieved Gunny was there. This situation was embarrassing enough without having the commander involved in it. She smiled at Gunny and started back into the kitchen.
Gunny and the commander looked at each other. "Gunny, you will let us know if you need anything, all right?"
"Of course, sir."
Harm hadn't been paying any attention to Mac at all. She stood near the bloodstain on the floor. The smell and the sight of the ransacked room had brought back her memory of her encounter with Sadiq Fahd. She thought that death had a scent; she remembered it from that time. For a moment it had all come flooding back Harm looked at Mac and she was pale as a ghost. She looked at him and he saw what she was remembering.
"Are you ready to go?"
Mac swallowed hard. "Yes." She nodded as she said it.
Chapter 51
Disclaimer: I don't own these JAG characters and I don't own any product or label mentioned for the purposes of telling this story.
Spoilers: Anything up to and including 'Man on the Bridge' and any spoiler floating around out there
0235
Tuesday
December 28th
Harm and Mac's Apartment
North of Union Station
Mac woke suddenly to find she was alone in bed. She saw Harm standing in the living room. He had his back to her and she heard him talking to someone. 'Who could be here at this hour?' She got up and walked toward Harm, and he turned to look at her with a cold hard gaze.
She saw Sadiq standing with Harm, and heard him say. 'She is a whore…. She is barren.'
Mac couldn't believe what she had been seeing. It couldn't be real. "No!" she yelled at the top of her voice, as if the word alone could make it all disappear.
She looked again at Harm and there was Alicia standing close to him. Mac watched as she slipped her arm around him and Harm looked at Alicia with that soft look that Mac believed was hers alone.
"Harm?...what are you doing?" They both turned toward her…Harm pulled Alicia into his arms and Mac felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. She drew in a breath sharply. "No!...Please…this can't be happening." she was shaking, violently…then she felt herself being held by her arms, unable to get away. She struggled against it.
Harm tried to wake her. She pushed him away, frantic in her dream. Mac came awake and immediately recoiled from Harm, quickly tucking her legs up under her and scooting to the corner of the bed. She stood and backed away from him. She looked at Harm as if she were almost afraid of him.
"Mac? What is it?"
Mac shook her head, trying to clear it. She looked around her. The apartment was dark except for the street light that shone through the closed blinds. Her chest was heaving; she could still hear Sadiq, and she could still see Harm holding another woman in his arms. She couldn't speak. She stepped around the edge of the room and backed down the stairs and turned to walk into the kitchen. A glass of water, that was what she needed. Something to tell her she was not still in that nightmare. She turned the light on; there was no one else there. No Sadiq…..no Alicia.
Harm had gotten up, following her into the kitchen. He was talking to her, trying to find out what the hell was going on. She hadn't been able to hear him until now. "Mac, for God's sake. What is wrong?"
Mac turned to look at him, her eyes still full of fear and distrust. She walked into the living room "I had a nightmare."
"I gathered that. Why are you looking at me like that, Mac?" She hadn't looked at him that way in a long time. He knew it was just the result of a nightmare, but she didn't seem to be able to shake it, whatever it was about.
Mac sat down on the couch and Harm followed her. "Talk to me, Mac." He should have known she would react this way to the crime scene that had been left next door.
Mac looked at him and finally saw her husband. The love and concern was evident on his face. Relief flooded over her so quickly that she almost burst into tears.
"I'm sorry." She looked down, almost ashamed that she had even dreamed he could be so cruel.
"It must have been some nightmare." He tried to keep eye contact with her but she kept looking back down at her hands. 'What was that look?' he wondered.
"It was… I…"She wasn't sure she could do this without crying. She just didn't have a handle on any of her emotions tonight. The scene in Jen and Mattie's apartment had brought back Sadiq's words and her old fear of abandonment. This time it would be Harm leaving her because she was 'defiled' and 'barren.' Damn Sadiq Fahd and his twisted mind. His words tortured her still.
"Take your time." He reached out to touch her arm.
Mac stiffened at first and then relaxed under his touch. This was her Harm, the man who loved her. She drew in a breath, calming herself.
"When I saw the mess in Jen's apartment – the tape on the floor, the smell of blood – it just took me back to my confrontation with Sadiq." Okay… she had done okay so far, she thought.
"Mac, a situation like the one we walked in to tonight is bound to trigger those memories. Just remember that I'm on your side." He tipped her chin to try to catch her gaze again.
"That wasn't all, was it?"
"No."
"Tell me, I can't help if I don't know."
There it was. That soft, indulgent and loving look that made her heart ache. She didn't want to tell him. It was silly to even think about it. It had so little to do with the truth.
She looked away from him. She knew if she didn't tell him he would know she was holding something back from him. That would hurt him, and she was not going there ever again if she could help it.
"It's silly..."
"Maac." If they had to sit up all night she was going to tell him.
"You were in my nightmare. Sadiq was saying to you what he said to me…that I was 'defiled' and 'barren,' and you believed him – or in my nightmare you did. You looked at me as though you never had loved me at all. Then suddenly I saw you with…" She drew a deep breath to get herself under control. "Alicia and you were leaving me. I saw that you cared about her….its stupid, I know, but I 'felt' you leaving me."
Harm gathered her into his arms. "I'm never leaving you, Mac, ever. You know there was never anything between Alicia Montes and me, right? I agreed to help her on a case, but ended up having to recuse myself because of Commander Lindsey's involvement."
Sadiq had left his mark on Mac even in death. He had begun his mind game even before Mac left Paraguay and what he had said still haunted her. Harm understood more than she knew.
Mac knew what he said was true, but she couldn't shake how the nightmare had made her feel. "I think I'll call Commander McCool in the morning. I finished up with her earlier this month. I have a follow up appointment in March, but I think I still need to sort some things out."
"Good idea." Harm looked at the clock. It was a little after 0300. "We had better hit the rack or we're both going to be walking in our sleep."
They settled back into bed and Harm pulled her into his arms. Mac rested her head on his chest. She could hear his strong steady heartbeat and very soon she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
1000
Friday
December 31st
Commander McCool's office
National Naval Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland
Mac settled back in her seat on the couch. She was not in the least uneasy with Commander McCool. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
"You're welcome, Colonel Rabb." Commander McCool opened her file.
"Let's just start at the beginning."
"Harm and I came home from our honeymoon last Tuesday evening. The apartment next door to Harm's…ours was a crime scene. A man was murdered. The tape was on the floor and I could smell the blood."
Mac stared blankly at nothing as she spoke. She seemed to be transporting herself back to another crime scene.
"I know you cannot give me details, but apparently this has resurrected another experience when someone was killed. Someone you knew."
Mac smiled sarcastically. "You could say that. I can only say he was a very bad person, who had a central role in torturing and killing a great many people. He never hurt me physically, but his words are still in my mind. He knew a great deal about my past, my heritage, and he used what he knew against me."
Commander McCool listened intently. It had shown great progress that the colonel knew she needed to come in right away. She had made more progress than she realized.
"Anyway, after Harm and I left the apartment where the murder occurred and returned to our own, I thought I had shaken off whatever thoughts I had about this person. Then I had a nightmare, a very realistic one. Harm was in it too; in my dream Harm didn't love me, he was leaving me and he was hearing some of the things this person said to me. I was so shaken by it that it took a while for me to even let Harm near me after I woke up. I felt awful for being that way toward him."
Commander McCool was silent for a few moments. "Why do you think you had the nightmare, Colonel?"
Mac had been thinking about this since Wednesday morning. "I have some ideas. I had just come back from what was probably the best five days of my life. I walked into a situation that took me back to one of the worse moments of my life." She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands. "I know I still have trouble believing I deserve to be happy."
"Have you had any more nightmares since the night you came back?"
"No."
"Has your husband seemed distant or unsupportive in any way?"
Mac shook her head. "On the contrary, he is as supportive as ever."
"Colonel, do you feel you have lost some of the progress that we made while you were here in counseling?"
"No."
"Then why the immediate call? Don't misunderstand me: I want you to call and make an appointment anytime you feel that you need to." She waited for Mac to answer the question.
"I suppose I don't want to make Harm go through any more than he already has with me. I want to be healthy and whole both physically and mentally. It bothered me that I couldn't shake the nightmare immediately."
"It speaks well that you recognized a potential problem and moved quickly to resolve it. It also shows great progress that you already understand what the reasons for your nightmare could have been. Does your husband know the details of your dream?"
"Yes – in fact he knows more about it than you do. He was indirectly involved in the first situation that made my CO insist I go to counseling. "
"That may have been another reason he was in your dream." Commander McCool rose from her desk and walked around to the front of it.
"Colonel, I don't believe there is a need to resume counseling at this point. You have made more progress than you realize. However, I would like to hear from you if you experience any other nightmares of this severity on a consistent basis. Apparently the trauma you experienced, the one that triggered your need for counseling the first time, may surface from time to time. It is not uncommon for persons who are required to perform at the level you were."
Mac smiled without humor. She had never heard it said quite that cleanly. 'The level at which she was required to perform.' That was one way to put it. She shook her head. Sadiq Fahd was dead. The world was well rid of him.
Commander McCool spoke again, pulling Mac from her thoughts. "I would like you to keep your follow-up appointment in March. When will you see Captain Morrison again?"
"Mid January."
"Feeling well?"
"Great, really. I didn't realize how badly I must have been feeling until I began to recover after my surgery. I always passed weakness off as fatigue. Pains in my back as a muscle pull. Now I'm feeling more like myself than ever."
"That's good to hear." She walked back around her desk. "Are you still working on your 5 year and 10 year goals?"
"Yes, nothing has changed where that is concerned." She lifted her hand, showing her wedding band. "I already met one goal." She smiled sheepishly. Children – one way or the other – and private practice were quite a while away, or so she thought.
"Congratulations, Colonel."
Mac stood as their session ended. She already knew what had happened and had done what she needed to do to sort things out. 'Maybe I am doing better than I think,' she mused.
1400
Friday
December 31st
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Harm closed his briefcase and turned to shake Sturgis's hand. This had not been the most exciting case to argue. It was an Article 32 hearing regarding a minesweeper which had hit a Chesapeake Bay buoy, causing some damage. Harm couldn't believe it came to an Article 32. It was an accident pure and simple. The ship was still seaworthy. There was no need for this.
"Tough case." Harm rolled his eyes.
"We prosecute and defend to the best of our ability, Commander." Sturgis assumed his temporary CO demeanor for a moment. He winked and they left the courtroom.
"You and Mac have any plans tonight?"
"No, not really."
"Why don't you two come to the Blue Note and celebrate the New Year with Varise and me?"
"Sounds good – I'll run it by Mac. I think we're both ready to leave this work week behind us, even if it was only three days long."
"I know what you mean. I think I'm ready for some cases I can sink my teeth into. The case load over the holiday has been almost mind-numbing. Frankly, buddy, I don't know if I would have been able to stand it if you had been here over the holiday too. There was almost nothing to do."
Harm walked along listening to Sturgis. They both entered the bullpen.
"So what time?"
Sturgis shrugged "Oh... say about 2000."
Harm was looking over his shoulder and was walking toward his office. General Creswell was directly in his pathway and saw the commander coming. Harm sensed something in his path and stopped abruptly as he turned to face the general. Harm came to attention. "Sir." Sturgis was already on his way down the hallway to his office. The rest of the office had been ordered to stand at ease before Harm came in to the bullpen.
The general was carrying a cup of coffee and studied Harm as he raised it to his lips. "Quick reflexes, commander." Harm still stood at attention.
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."
He studied Harm and walked around behind him. "Are you going to celebrate the New Year?"
"Yes, sir." Harm was a little uncomfortable standing at attention in the middle of the bullpen. A lot of the staff had secured for the day but there were enough present for Harm to have an audience.
The general walked toward his office. "At ease."
Harm started to walk into his office.
"Oh and Commander?" The general turned back toward Harm.
"Yes, sir?" Harm looked back at him questioningly.
"Happy New Year." He turned again and walked into his office.
"Thank you, sir."
Harm walked into his office and sat down. He looked out of his open door to see Gunny at his desk grinning from ear to ear. Harm watched him until he looked up and gave him a sharp look. Gunny immediately looked back down again, minus the smug grin. This new CO could make Harm feel like he was fresh out of the Academy. He still didn't know how to take him. He wondered if he would ever get used to it. He turned his chair to face the window and couldn't help but laugh at himself. It probably had made a good show. He turned back around and picked up his phone to dial Mac's office.
"Colonel Rabb," said the familiar voice.
"Hello, Colonel Rabb." He loved the sound of that. "How would you like a date with the sharpest lawyer at JAG?"
"Sturgis, you know I'm a married woman." Mac was laughing now.
"Very funny." Harm narrowed his eyes.
"You asked for it," she said smugly.
"Hey, seriously, what do you say we join Sturgis and Varise at the Blue Note tonight?"
"Sounds good. I have another couple of hours of paperwork to clear up and then I'll be ready to go. How about you?"
"I have a bit to do, not much. I'll be glad to see this week end. I don't know when it's ever been this…."
"You're bored? I'll have to let the admiral know, and maybe he and the general can think up something challenging for you to do." She was chuckling.
"Knock it off, Marine. I know all of your weaknesses and I'm not afraid to use them against you ….should I choose." Mac could hear the leer over the phone.
"That's true, Sailor….but I know all of yours too." She ended the call and looked at the phone for a moment. She grinned and shook her head. 'Back to work…or I'll never get out of here,' she thought.
1645
Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman's office
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Major Mike McBurney knocked on the closed door.
"Enter." Faith looked up from her desk. She was in the process of finishing up for the day and clearing her desk.
"I'd like to make you an offer on the Medina case."
"I'm listening." Petty Officer Medina had been caught fraudulently enlisting recruits by altering their test results. The evidence was irrefutable.
"Six months confinement and forfeiture of half a month's pay for three months. Bust him down to E 4 but he stays in the Navy." McBurney raised his eyebrows, trying to turn on the charm to no avail.
"12 months confinement, he forfeits half a months pay for six months. He will be demoted to the rank of E 2 and given a bad conduct discharge. " He was still trying to use that 'charm' that she could spot a mile off. It took all of her control not to laugh at him.
"10 months for the confinement and pay cut, busted to E 2, letter of reprimand in his record and he stays in the Navy." She was going to deal, he could tell. He would have settled for the 12 months but she didn't have to know that.
She would win, she was sure; this guy would leave the Navy. He'd be so broke that he would have to get a civilian job to support his family. "Done. I'll speak to Judge Helfman."
"I can do it." He was trying to offer an olive branch. She seemed more mechanical and distant than usual.
She arched an eyebrow. 'What is this about?' "Fine."
"So, are you going to celebrate the New Year?" He had been working with her since October, but they could have just met for all that he knew about her.
"I never have. I usually like this time of year, though."
"Oh…new beginnings and all?" Conversation was like pulling teeth with her. No rapid fire questions or summation, as in court. In fact now that he thought about it, it was the only time he had ever seen her smile. She smiled beautifully when she was kicking his butt, which she had done three times since they began their rotation at JAG.
"No, I liked it as a child because it meant I returned to school, the holidays were over."
McBurney wasn't sure what to say. He needn't have worried. Faith Coleman had a great deal of perception. She knew how to make the major uncomfortable and how to get him to back off. She had been successful in keeping every one at arms length. She preferred things that way. It helped her maintain the status quo and that was the only thing that gave her any peace of mind. She looked down at her desk and at her briefcase. She would need to begin again. She took her pens out and placed them in a cup she kept on her desk. She removed her paper….
"OCD?" McBurney had seen her begin this ritual nearly every time he worked with her. She was not as obvious as she was right now though.
She looked up at him quickly. "Yes, Major, I have a mild form of the disorder." Her voice took on an edge. "My symptoms are completely manageable. I am not unstable nor do I have a weak personality."
"Look, Faith, I never said…" He hadn't meant to offend her.
"In the future, Major McBurney, I would appreciate it if we spoke on a professional level only. I would also prefer that you not use my given name. I will strive to keep my…problem from interfering in any work that I do with you or with JAG as a whole. I have served without difficulty for 10 years and I expect to continue."
'What's the point?' he thought. He could not win with her. At least she had been willing to make a deal with this case. He didn't know what was worse, opposing her or trying to work with her on the same team.
She took a calming breath. "Major McBurney, I do appreciate your efforts to build some type of rapport with me. However, I do not pursue relationships of any kind with anyone that I work with. I do not expect to change that in the future. Stressful situations seem to make the disorder more apparent to others, as I am sure you have already read in your research."
Mike looked at her dumbfounded. Relationship? Hell, he was just trying to talk to her.
"I was referring to friendship, Major." She looked at him smugly.
She could read him too well and he did not like it at all.
Faith sensed his discomfort and could not keep from smiling.
"Well, what do you know? Faith Coleman can smile outside the courtroom….Oh… sorry, Commander Coleman." With that he turned and left her office before she had an answer for him.
She continued to smile as her eyes followed him out of her office and into the bullpen.
2345
New Year's Eve
The Blue Note
Georgetown
Varise stood at the microphone dressed in shimmering silver. There were ribbons and confetti of almost every color already lightly resting in her hair. Couples were on the dance floor, located just in front of her. Sturgis stood just outside of the crowd taking her in, beaming with pride. She looked at him and gave him a wink. She brought her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss. A diamond sparkled on her left ring finger and she began to sing. "I want a little sugar in my bowl…"
Harm and Mac were on the dance floor, enjoying the music and each other. Mac giggled when she heard the music begin.
"Harm, do you recognize that song?" She looked at him slyly and arched a brow.
He listened and then he remembered.. It was song that had come on the radio while they were in his grandmother's kitchen last October. His grandmother had taken great pleasure in teasing him about that song, if he remembered correctly. He looked down at Mac and gave her a lopsided grin.
"You and my grandmother had a little too much fun at my expense that afternoon."
"But you made it so easy." She leaned back and touched his cheek. She ran the tips of her fingers through his hair. He was giving her a look that made her want to take him home right then.
"You know they say whatever you're doing at midnight is what you'll be doing all year."
"What are we doing here, then?" He teased her with a dangerous look in his eye.
The crowd suddenly began to count down "5,4,3,2,1! Happy New Year!"
Harm pulled her body flush with his and kissed her with all the love and passion he felt in his heart.
It was a Happy New Year, the best that either of them had ever had.
Chapter 52
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the JAG characters. I don't own any label or product mentioned for the purposes of telling this story. Any similarities to situations or persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
0935
Friday
14 January
Captain Morrison's office
National Naval Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland
Captain Dan Morrison entered the room and sat down behind his desk. Mac sat on a chair in front of it.
"Things are looking good, Colonel. Your incision is healing nicely. You have gained 10 pounds and returned to your previous activity level. We should have the results of your blood work by Monday."
"Great."
"Do you have any concerns?"
"I have a minor concern, sir, but I can discuss it with Commander Fletcher when I see her."
"And that would be…" The captain frowned.
"Well…I haven't, um, menstruated since long before my surgery. I know I was taking medications to stop my ovulation. I began birth control in November, but I haven't had a regular cycle yet." Mac looked at him directly. "I feel fine, so I'm sure it's nothing."
The captain picked up his phone and spoke into it. "Corpsman, I'd like to add another test to the Colonel Rabb's blood work…." He added the test and ordered the corpsman to notify him immediately when the results were in. He hung up and sat back in his chair.
He did not like this turn of events. This could complicate a case that he had hoped would have a successful result.
"When do you see Commander Fletcher?" His expression was unreadable.
"Next week." Mac was starting to worry.
"Colonel, we may have a problem here." The captain steepled his fingers and looked at her directly.
"Captain, I'm sure I'm not pregnant. I feel great; I have no signs of morning sickness. I'm stronger than I've been in months. I'm running again. I work out at least three times a week.. I'm due for my PFT Monday and I'm sure I'll do well."
"Colonel, you will need to hold off on the PFT until we get a result on your blood work."
"I didn't think there would be a problem so I went ahead and scheduled it." Mac had been looking forward to seeing how she had progressed and what her abilities were compared to her scores last year.
"There may not be. I don't want to alarm you, but as I have said before, we have to be cautious."
"I haven't even thought of the possibility of being pregnant now." She had known what he suspected without his having to say it. Mac could barely grasp it.
"It would be a risk, Colonel, a big one." He had cautioned her that she should wait at least a year. A pregnancy this soon would leave her open to a reoccurrence of the tumor and a rapid spread. There was still a great deal of discussion with Johns Hopkins about the origin and type of tumor they were dealing with. The risk was great all the same. He discussed this with Mac.
Mac was trying to get her mind around the possibilities. Harm was due back this afternoon. He had been away for a week, on the Coral Sea. She was ported in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an extended yard period. Harm had called and told her they had wrapped up the investigation. They had both been extremely busy since the first of the year.
"My husband and I haven't even really talked about this, not in any detail anyway."
She knew Harm would be worried, to say the least. "I didn't think I had to even think about it for another year."
"It is of course your decision, Colonel. Medically there is justification to terminate…"
"There will be no termination, sir." She could not fathom it. "I believe in a woman's right to choose, Captain, but if I am pregnant this may be my only chance. I won't give that up."
"Let's just discuss this when and if you are pregnant."
Mac sat looking at her hands, at her wedding ring. She had already gotten into the habit of twisting it on her finger when she was deep in thought.
"Colonel?"
"Yes, sir….I'm sorry – I was lost in thought." Her mind was still reeling with the possibilities.
"Johns Hopkins is still working with us on this case. I will contact Dr. Ahrens, he may want to see you as well." He truly did hope that Ahrens was right. Dr Ahrens believed that this tumor was of a different characteristic and origin. This would give the colonel a greater chance of survival, should she be pregnant. He stood and Mac rose from her chair.
"Sir."
"Colonel Rabb, if you have not heard from my office by 1200 Monday you should contact me."
Mac left the office slightly dazed. What would she tell Harm? He had been so adamant that they not even consider having biological children around the time the Roberts twins were born. She understood his fears and dismissed them because she thought the possibilities were so small that she'd ever be able to conceive.
She walked out to her car and started back to the office. She knew she would have to talk to him about this. She also knew what his reaction would be. The more she thought about it the more she knew that she would just wait until she had the results of her blood work before she discussed this with Harm. There was no need to upset him with something that might not be true. She couldn't believe it yet herself.
1430
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Harm exited the elevator and pushed the glass doors of the bullpen open. He was so glad to be back. This investigation had been hellacious. A mess from start to finish. As much as he hated to do it, he was going to have to recommend an Article 32 hearing for the engineering officer and some of the senior enlisted aboard the Coral Sea. There might be other charges as a result of the hearing.
A young sailor was dead. They were in port and due to poor follow-through, in his opinion, from the captain to senior enlisted, a family lost a son. If this went to court-martial it would be the second major incident aboard this vessel in the last year. Their CO had been relieved of command last year. This was definitely going to get worse before it got better.
Harm was to report to General Creswell immediately. "Is the general available, Petty Officer?" Jen looked up to see Harm standing just outside the doorway.
"He's expecting you, sir." Jen buzzed the general's office. "I have Commander Rabb here for you, sir?"
"Send him in."
Harm walked into the general's office and came to attention.
"At ease, Commander. Have a seat."
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm just going over your preliminary report. This is going to be difficult, Commander, but I agree with your findings in this matter."
"Yes, sir."
"It's a shame. This ship has a long, proud history, but it has been plagued by one catastrophe after another."
"There are a number of problems and contributing factors, sir: the extended yard period, new engineering officers, and a leading chief that didn't seem to know the basic safety procedures aboard that ship or any other. The specific extraction gear was not in place, the very equipment needed to reach the sailor after the casualty. The boilers had been tagged off but the engineering officer of the watch authorized their removal."
"The new LCPO?"
"Yes, I think it is safe to say a lot of this is going to come down on his decision making and lack of leadership."
"What about the engineering officers?"
"As I stated in my report, sir, they were either unaware or not involved enough to know."
"A terrible way for anyone to die, Commander."
"Yes, sir." Petty Officer Thomas White had been inside boiler number three when it was inadvertently lit off by other engineering personnel in the fire room. The petty officer was burned to death inside that boiler because the repair tags had been ordered to be removed by the engineering officer of the watch.
General Creswell closed the file. "That will be all, Commander."
Harm stood and came to attention. "Sir." Then he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him
"Sir, you have a call on line three. It's Mattie, sir." She gave the commander a small smile. There was no personal conversation when they were standing that close to the general's office. They had never discussed it, but it was understood between them.
"I'll take it in my office, Petty Officer." He gave her a quick wink and left her office.
Since the incident at the apartment Mattie had stayed with her Dad in Blacksburg. It was sooner than they had planned but it was for the best. Jen had decided that she was not coming back and there really wasn't anywhere for her to stay in Harm's apartment. Harm suspected that Mattie was secretly pleased about the arrangement. She got to be near her new 'friend' Kevin that much sooner. She was supposed to go with him and Mac to Belleville at the change of semester for a long weekend. He hoped nothing had happened to change that.
He picked up the receiver. "Hey, kiddo."
"Hey yourself – did you just get back?" He had sent a couple of e mails during the week.
"Yeah, just, I was walking out of the general's office when I got your call. I haven't even seen Mac yet." She was in court, just down the hall. He wished she could call 'a short recess' as he looked longingly in the direction of the hallway.
"I just wanted to call and say hi. You still want me to go to Belleville, right?"
"Of course. Nothing has changed on your end, has it?"
"No, I'm looking forward to it. I like your grandmother, Harm. I think she and I have a lot in common."
"Yeah, you and she like to gang up on me and give me a hard time. I don't know if I can handle you, Mac and my grandmother. Maybe I'll invite Keeter so I won't be outnumbered."
"From what your grandmother tells me…I don't think he would be much help." She chuckled over the phone.
"All right, Ms Grace, I think that's enough." He laughed as he said it.
"Hey, I have to go. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute and make sure we were still on for next weekend."
"We are. We'll see you Friday afternoon."
"Bye, Harm."
Harm ended the call. He looked at his phone for a moment. He did miss her, but he was relieved that she hadn't gone back to the apartment. After seeing the police tape and the mess in that apartment, he could not stand the idea of her being anywhere near the place. Pia was still at large, so no one knew when she might show up at the apartment.
Harm sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. He began what he knew was going to be a long afternoon. All he wanted was to get home to Mac. This was grim work this time. This was a sad story, and so unnecessary. This was the part of the job he hated. He enjoyed the investigation, the time in court, but the paperwork – especially on a case like this – ramped up the tension like nothing else. He shook his head and began his final report.
1645
JAG Headquarters
Harm's Office
Falls Church, Virginia
Mac could see Harm sitting at his desk. He looked tired. He hadn't been able to discuss anything with her. She could end up presiding if the case went to trial, so she couldn't have access to any of the details. She knocked on the open door.
Harm didn't look up. "Enter."
"Nice greeting, Commander Rabb." Mac knew he hadn't realized it was her.
"Hello, Colonel, close the hatch." He looked up and gave her a welcoming smile. "Have a seat." His look softened and he leaned forward on his desk. "So, did you miss me?"
"Oh, maybe, just a little." She wished she could just walk across the room and greet him like any other wife, but she was in uniform. She sighed audibly. "When do you think you'll be ready to get out of here?"
Harm's expression turned serious. "Not for a while. This is going to be a bear, Mac." He wasn't going to say more.
Mac understood, seeing the dark circles under his eyes. She was glad she had decided not to discuss Captain Morrison's concerns with him. That was the last thing he needed tonight. "You look tired."
"I am." Then he thought of how she might interpret that statement. "Not too tired, though." He gave her a sly smile.
"I didn't think that for a minute." She stood and walked back toward the door, then turned back toward him. She was suddenly serious, and just a little seductive. "I wish I could kiss you hello."
Harm returned her look. "Maybe it's a good thing you can't."
She raised an eyebrow, considering. "See you at home."
1830
Friday evening
Home of former SECNAV Nelson
Alexandria, Virginia
A.J sat in an overstuffed leather chair in the office of his old boss, wondering why he had been asked to meet him this evening. He heard the door bell and then heard another familiar voice. Tom Boone was shown into the den as well, and A.J. stood to shake his hand. Nelson followed and closed the large wooden door behind him.
"I suppose you are wondering why I called you here today."
Tom and AJ turned toward Nelson and waited.
"There aren't many secrets in Washington, gentlemen, as you know. It has come to my attention that you are both looking into an incident that happened late last year in London."
Tom and AJ looked at each other. "What about it?" Tom spoke first.
"I know that with the shake ups at Langley and other difficulties at State, information has been difficult to get on this matter."
AJ folded his arms across his chest. "With all due respect, sir, how would you have any access to any intel, given that you were persona non grata on the Hill after the dirty nuke situation in the Persian Gulf?"
"Well, AJ, as you may be aware, Watts is no longer DCI. Kershaw is also no longer with the Company."
Tom listened to his friend and to his most recent boss before his second retirement. He knew that there was still a lot of animosity between and AJ and Nelson.
"Make your point, Nelson." He wouldn't get any 'sirs' from him. He would never have agreed to be a 'dog robber' for this man if 9-11 had not happened.
"I'm getting there, Tom." He turned back to AJ and asked, "Do you think that Webb was the only source I had when I allowed your JAG officers to pursue that missing uranium?"
"Go on." AJ was intrigued.
"I have a number of contacts overseas, some in London."
"MI-5?" Tom asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say."
AJ couldn't believe that Nelson would do this out of the goodness of his heart. "What's your interest in this, Nelson?"
"Let's just say I would like to 'right a wrong,' and to be perfectly honest, I want to prove a point."
"To whom?"
"I'll keep that to myself."
Tom and AJ looked at him suspiciously.
"If you're not interested, we won't discuss this further. We'll have a brandy and I'll tell you how…..great it is to be in the private sector again." Nelson turned to walk toward his bar to pour his guests a drink.
Tom had heard enough. One of his oldest friends had been killed by a terrorist's bomb. He wanted answers, and he had been unable to uncover any new information in weeks. The trail was cold and he thought that he would find nothing. He wanted to resolve this for Harm. And he didn't want to see him risk everything to pursue this. He wanted answers…..now.
"Let's have it. I'm in no mood to play games. You know I am not patient man."
Nelson returned with a drink for both of his guests. He then walked up to his desk and turned his computer screen on. He clicked the mouse and a picture came to the screen.
"This may help shed some light on what happened the day of the incident at Trafalgar Square."
It was a security video and appeared to be of a man walking into an automated teller machine cubicle. The time stamp in the corner of the screen read November 24 at 359 pm. A minute before the car bomb exploded in Trafalgar Square. He wore a cap pulled down over his eyes. As he leaned forward, the bill caught on the frame of the machine, revealing his face. Nelson paused the video.
"Take good look, gentlemen, before I continue and keep in mind, this ATM cubicle is located less than 50 yards from the site of the explosion."
He clicked the mouse again and the man pulled the cap back down over his eyes. He began his transaction and appeared to punch in a code. Just then the windows of the cubicle blew out. The man leaned into the cubicle until the dust had settled. He stepped back from the machine, taking no money. He turned to look out and around the broken frame of the cubicle. They had a view of the side of his face
Nelson paused the picture again. "Take another look" He gave them a moment and then clicked the mouse to continue. The man walked away from the cubicle and the screen went blank.
Nelson clicked the mouse again and an English passport picture came into view. "Gentlemen, meet Kevin Donlon." The young man appeared to be in his early twenties. Dark hair and eyes, with features that appeared to be Middle Eastern; the same man they had seen a few minutes ago on the computer screen.
Tom smiled without humor. "What do you want to bet that dear old dad wasn't a wild Irishman?"
Nelson clicked the mouse again and another picture of the same man appeared. This time the passport was Pakistani. "Aziz Nasiri, and his father is Iranian. He also has relatives in our military prison and in Britain as well."
AJ knew he had heard that name before. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
"It should – that name was associated with a media mess we had three years ago, with Stuart Dunston. Remember our embedded reporter with the assistant that was not so helpful?"
"The Holy Land Liberation Crusade." AJ remembered now, Ginny Baker had been convicted of espionage as a result of what Harm and Mac had uncovered. Stuart Dunston's arrogance had made him oblivious to what she was until it was almost too late. Nasiri was her cousin and her contact in Islamabad. "What was he doing in London?"
"We don't have all the information yet. They have someone in the banking system. The code from the automated teller set that bomb off. The bank has the code attached to the name Kevin Donlon. We assume it was to shift the blame to the IRA, though compared to 10 years ago things are a lot calmer for them now."
Tom spoke up. "Anything that slows the investigation buys them time."
Nelson turned back toward his computer and keyed in a code and clicked onto another video. The man in the ball cap was passing a woman on the street and bumped into her, causing her to drop her purse, spilling its contents onto the sidewalk. The man in the ball cap helped her pick everything up.
Nelson stopped the video and pointed to him reaching for what looked like a credit card on the ground. "Watch what he does with this." The man picked up the card and placed it in his own pocket. Nelson enlarged the picture. The card was a bank card. "This was taken from cameras they use to monitor traffic – it has a time stamp." It was dated November 24 at 1441 pm; a little more than an hour prior to the explosion. Mr. Nasiri was not working alone. The woman in question did not appear to be of Middle Eastern decent. She was not in anyone's computer base with a picture. This terrorist group had a way to blend in more seamlessly than anyone had expected.
'How did you get access to this information, Nelson?" AJ had no idea he had any contact in intelligence that he had not been made aware of.
"I still have friends in high places, AJ."
"And in low places." A voice spoke from behind them. Jack Keeter had walked quietly into the room.
"The Company got this information to you?" AJ couldn't believe it.
"I didn't say that." Nelson would not give any information about the source. That had been the deal.
"Webb has no involvement in this, does he?" AJ was sure he couldn't stomach another visit from him.
"He has nothing to do with this." Jack did not particularly like Webb either, but to him he seemed a pathetic figure. He had burned himself and all his bridges out in one fell swoop.
Nelson seemed to pick up on Jack's thoughts about Webb. "It really is a shame. Clayton Webb comes from a long line of people who served this country with honor and distinction. His parents left the company with class; Webb had to be dragged out kicking and screaming."
AJ raised his eyebrows. "It's a cutthroat business."
"It always has been," Tom added.
"How was this information accessed?" AJ thought that this would be impossible to find.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "The way a lot of things are figured out sometimes…. purely by accident. Scotland Yard was investigating a bank card theft ring based in London; this was on one of the tapes being reviewed. Our contact got it to us. The picture is nowhere near complete, but I think it's safe to say we know who we are dealing with."
1935
Friday
Harm and Mac's Apartment
North of Union Station
Mac heard Harm's keys in the door and walked toward it to greet him. He looked even more tired than he had earlier today. Harm didn't say anything; he just looked at her and hung his cover on the peg by the door.
"Hey." Mac slipped into his arms, and he pulled her close and kissed her.
"Hello." She felt so good in his arms. He kissed her cheek.
She leaned back and looked at him. "I made dinner – are you hungry?"
Harm smiled at her apologetically. "I got something at work while I finished up my report."
"Coward," she teased and slipped out of his arms toward the kitchen.
Harm began to get out of his overcoat and uniform jacket. He walked into the kitchen, loosening his tie. "I could still eat if you're going to sit down to dinner." He did appreciate the effort.
"Oh, don't be silly, I was just teasing. This will keep, and I nibbled all the way through making it anyway. Why don't you get a shower and I'll get all of this put away."
"That sounds good." He walked toward their bedroom and turned back to look at her. She really wasn't angry. He could swear she looked better every day.
"Hey, what did the doctor say today, anyway?"
"Oh, he seems pretty happy with my progress, although you know how he is; he won't say anything until he gets my blood work back."
What she had just said was completely true; she had just left out one of the major concerns. She knew she should tell him about Captain Morrison's concern that she might be pregnant, but she just couldn't do it now. He was so tired and she didn't want to be the cause of another minute of worry for him. She wanted to make him as happy as he had made her. If she were being honest, she wanted to be happy too. She didn't want to think about the possibility of anything going wrong, not tonight.
"He's just being cautious, Mac." Harm appreciated his thoroughness. It gave him less cause to worry. He turned to walk further into their bedroom. His breath caught and he grimaced in pain.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing; I'm just a bit sore from trying to move around that fire room. It wasn't made for sailors over six feet tall."
He grinned sheepishly. If he played his cards right, he might get a nice long backrub out of this. He slowly turned back and walked toward the shower, rubbing his lower back and stepping carefully.
Mac's brow knitted with concern and she followed him into the room. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Harm pulled his shirt out of the waist of his pants carefully and sucked in his breath, exaggerating a bit, just for effect. 'Oh boy, this could get me a nice long backrub.' He could barely keep the smile from his face.
"I'll be fine."
"So you need me to help you get undressed?"
"No, Mac, I think I can handle this." He kept trying to mentally telegraph…'backrub… backrub.'
"Okay….why don't you lie down after your shower and I'll give you a nice long backrub?"
Harm had his back to Mac and he was grinning from ear to ear. He was a bit sore, but it really wasn't that bad – not that it would stop him from taking her up on her offer.
"Sure…I'll be out in a sec…" He answered her, keeping the smile out of his voice.
Mac turned and walked out of their bedroom. Harm thought he was so smart, but he forgot about the position of mirror. He really must be tired. She had seen the big wide grin on his face. She would play along; she didn't mind, anyway. She chuckled and thought, 'Poor man...he has to feel like he's winning some of the time.'
About a half an hour later Harm was settled into bed, lying on his stomach. Mac was turning out lights and locking the door. Harm was so tired and stretching out in his own bed felt so good. They didn't have beds his size at his quarters at Norfolk. Mac came in and turned out the bedroom light. Harm smiled when he felt the weight of her body on the mattress.
She pulled back the blanket and sat low on his six so that she could access both sides of his back and use her body weight to work out the knots that she knew were there.
"Is this okay?"
"Mmm Hmm…" He couldn't wait to feel her slowly undo the tension of an entire week.
"This lotion is a bit cold; I'll try and warm it with my hands before I put it on your back."
Mac squirted a generous amount of lotion on her palm and rubbed her hands together and then onto Harm's back with long strokes. She heard him groan in approval as she deepened the strokes, searching for any unusual tightness at his lower back. She found it.
"Uh… Mac…" The sound came from deep in his chest. She'd found the place that hurt most, but her hands felt so good there was no way he wanted her to stop.
"Just relax." She gently but firmly placed her thumb on the knot and slowly pressed down. "Breathe in, Harm." As he did she began to press more firmly. "Now, let it out slowly."
Harm did as he was told and he felt it slowly release.
"Better?"
"Yeah…you're not stopping, are you?" Surely she wasn't done yet.
"No, Harmon, I'm not finished….. Not by a long shot." She smiled mischievously.
Harm thought that sounded an awful lot like a threat, but that was just fine with him.
"Knock yourself out, Mackenzie." He thought, 'I can take anything you've got.'
Mac began to push down deep with her hands on each side of his back, she used her body weight to deepen and lengthen the stroke. She could feel the muscles in his back tighten then relax under her hands. She pushed up between his shoulder blades and used her thumbs to explore the smaller and tighter muscles there. She found another place that didn't loosen immediately so she instructed Harm as she had before to release the tension in the muscle.
"Ungh…Aw...that's nice." Harm was beginning to feel boneless. He had begun to relax to the point of being suspended between asleep and awake. His body felt heavy, as if he were sinking into the mattress. If he had known that his day would end this way, he would never have finished that report.
"Glad you like it." Ah yes... the man was putty in her hands. She giggled out loud; she couldn't help it.
Harm opened one eye. "Are you having a good time?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."
She placed a hand on each of his shoulders and began to knead the hardened muscle at the top of his arm. She worked her way to the long muscle that connected his shoulder to his neck.
"Uh…yeah…me too." His voice was deep and slurred, she was undoing him and this felt so good.
She found another knot on the right side and gently but firmly began to isolate it and used the technique she had before to release it. Harm's breath was deepening and he had stopped talking. He started making low and almost incoherent groans of approval from deep in his chest.
"Turn over, Sailor."
Harm lifted his head and looked at her through half-closed eyes. "Okay."
She got up so he could turn and sat closely to his side and began to rub his temples on both sides, working her way down to the strong column of his neck.
"Oh, Mac….this feels so good." His eyes were half closed when he looked at her. "I needed this so much."
Mac leaned over and kissed his lips lightly. "I know."
His arms went around her and he deepened the kiss.
Mac felt herself being drawn into the kiss, her body was already responding to just touching him. She had to put a stop to this or she wouldn't be able to finish what she had started. She wanted this night to be all about him.
"All right, Sailor, I'm not finished yet." She kissed his forehead, her face directly over his.
He arched an eyebrow. "You're the boss."
"Yes, I am." She started at his right hand and massaged his palm with both of her hands, separating the bones, and working her way up his arm, kneading the thick muscles with both hands. She repeated this on the left hand and arm.
She returned to his shoulders and he drew in a breath and let it out slowly. She worked her way down to his chest, the muscles at his side tightening and relaxing under her touch. Harm raised his arms allowing them to come to rest above his head and sighed audibly. He closed his eyes and arched his back feeling his body continue to unwind.
Harm felt Mac's hands begin to work down his sides to his hip bones and back up to the hollow of his well-defined torso. She was teasing the hell out of him and he knew it. He would not beg and plead…although he was dying for her to bring her massage down just a little bit lower…. Mac continued to use her thumbs to smooth and knead. She scooted to the bottom of the bed, pulling the blankets back so that she could sit between his legs. She began to massage his right foot, working her way up to his ankle and calf. She used both hands to knead and caress the muscles of his upper thigh. She heard him breathe in sharply when she got to the very top. She repeated the same action on the left side. 'Oh… he is definitely glad to see me,' she smiled to herself. She used her hands to massage her way up both of his legs from his knee to the place that he was straining for her to touch.
Harm was aching with need but he loved the feeling of her hands on him so much that she could do this all night if she was so inclined. He lay there taking it all in, thinking to himself, 'It would be so nice if she…' Then he felt it, wet warm and just what he had been waiting for…. Harm's eyes snapped open and a grin spread slowly across his face.
Then she began to wind him up and take him to the edge and back….a number of times.
TBC