From part 7…
"Well, I guess I'd better get going…"
"Harm," Mac spoke out, quietly but urgently. She wanted to stop any misunderstanding that may be happening between them, but she couldn't find the words, didn't know what to say. So she didn't say anything, but took Harm's hand from where he had placed in on the sofa, about to brace himself as he got to his feet. He just looked at their joined hands, then at her and gave a soft smile.
"I'll see you at work, tomorrow," he smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. Mac marvelled how much he managed to say something so normal and everyday, yet still portray so much more through it.
"G'night, Harm."
With a little ruffle of Calum's hair, Harm left and Mac was left to ponder the night's events.
Part 8…
Harm and Mac were stuck in their offices all of the next day, buried under a mountain of paperwork. They were under strict orders from the Admiral not to leave until they had completed it or until it was time to clock off, whichever came first. This admiral was a little less abiding than Admiral AJ Chegwidden had been. Still, Harm and Mac managed to share a few meaningful glances across the bullpen, during the day.
When Mac went to pick Calum up that day, she found that he was at first clingy, then angry and insecure.
"Hey buddy!" she greeted him as he ran up and hugged her tightly around both legs then pushed her away with his next breath, "Calum, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Harriet told her, "He's been like that a lot of the afternoon. I've tried everything I can think of, but I can't get him out of it."
"It's okay, Harriet," Mac told her, "I'll keep working on him once I get home."
"C'mon, sweetie," she behaved just as she normally would, acting if nothing was wrong.
'Just ignore the bad behaviour," she thought to herself, "You shouldn't reward it by reacting.'
She didn't even react as Calum shrugged out of her grasp as she put her hand on his shoulder to guide him to the car. From then on, she played it his way, letting him climb into the car himself, strapping him in with a calm, relaxed expression on her face.
"Wave goodbye to Aunty Harriet," she spoke up, brightly, waving herself, but said nothing when Calum remained motionless and sulky.
"You'd better watch out, Calum," Mac entreated, gently, "You're going to break those if you're not careful."
Calum only crashed his cars into one another with more force. Mac stifled the sigh she wanted to emit.
"Harm," she asked, "Would you give me a hand with these dishes?"
Harm had come over so that Mac could return the favour of cooking the dinner, tonight.
"Sure," Harm picked up the remaining plates and followed her into the kitchen.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," she confided, once they were out of ear-shot of Calum.
"I know that he's only doing it for attention, but at the same time, he needs reassurance…but I don't want to reward his bad behaviour…Why is taking care of a child so hard? How do Bud and Harriet always know what is best? Can you get some kind of book that tells you all of the secrets?"
"Whoa, Mac," Harm soothed her, then chuckled, "Yeah, parenting for dummies. I don't see why not, they've got those books for every other subject!"
"Seriously," Mac persisted, "How did you manage with Mattie?"
"Mattie already had a lot of maturity," Harm pointed out, "Even more than you'd expect from somebody her age. Calum is just a little boy who is scared, who doesn't understand what is going on and who doesn't know what to do about it. Give him a little time, Mac, he'll come around."
It was a lot easier said than done. Calum remained silent, yet ranging inside, all evening. Harm and Mac could see that it would only be a matter of time until something gave. By eight o'clock, Mac decided that the waiting game would have to recommence the next morning. She'd take a personal day and spend it with Calum.
"Alright," she told the boy, "It's way past bedtime for you, mister…"
Calum just pouted, uttering an obstinate, 'no.'
Mac ignored him, going into the bedroom and getting his pyjamas. When she returned with them, Calum's temper really lit up.
"C'mon," she entreated.
Calum shook his head.
"It's after eight," she told him, "You're never awake this late…"
Calum just glared. Mac saw his jaw clench as she grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head and off him. She had to give him points, he was holding up under an enormous amount of pressure. By the time he was in his pyjamas, his cheeks and even his under-eye area was flushed and rosy and he was breathing heavily.
"Okay, Calum," Mac spoke up, "Now it's time to put your toys away. We don't want anyone falling over them. Then we'll brush your teeth."
Calum shook his head.
"C'mon," Mac persisted, "There aren't that many of them. Here, Aunty Mac will help you with them."
She grabbed the empty wicker basket and placed it beside him.
"No!" he told her, verbally, this time.
"They're dangerous if they're left lying about, Calum, someone might slip on them."
She took Calum firmly by the arms, to pull him to her, but the boy just softened his legs beneath him and she ended up holding him up so he didn't fall to the floor.
"Calum!" she was really starting to lose her patience, now.
After this, Calum seemed to just snap and Harm and Mac both braced themselves for a terrific show. Calum didn't disappoint them. There was much screaming, crying and tears, first on the floor where Calum had thrown himself, then directed at Mac, when she lifted him into her arms. Harm went to give Mac a hand, keeping Calum's arms and legs still so they didn't inflict any damage. They let him vocalise all of his anger and he managed to maintain it for a very long time. By the time that Calum started to lose steam, he had screamed himself hoarse, the front of his pyjama top was wet with all of his tears and his face was glowing like a lighthouse beacon.
"Shh…" Mac soothed him, softly as she rocked him in her arms, "It's okay, now. Everything's going to be okay…"
Harm stroked the boy's hair, trying to get him calmed down. But for a while, it seemed as if Calum couldn't get his breath and neither Harm nor Mac could understand anything he was trying to say.
"I know," Mac tried to placate him as he let out another barrage of half-words/half-heaving sobs, "I know, everything going to be alright…"
The anguished expression stayed on his face as he closed his weary eyes to the onslaught of the bright lights and tears still ran from the corner of his eyes.
"I'll be right back," Harm said softly, getting up from the couch and heading to the bathroom. He returned with a couple of the medicines from the medicine cabinet. Sitting back down beside them, he commented, "He's probably given himself a tension headache from all of that crying and screaming."
Harm rubbed some of the eucalyptus oil across Calum's forehead then placed a cool patch on to cool the boy's still-glowing skin.
"Thanks," Mac told him, "That should help him rest a bit easier."
They passed the rest of the evening just sitting together on the couch, watching Calum sleep.
"Good morning, Ma'am!" Bud Roberts greeted Mac as he arrived back from court,
"How's Calum doing today? Harriet said that he was having a few troubles, yesterday."
"Yeah," Mac nodded, "I think it's just because he's picking up on everything that's going on. He's doing much better today, but last night was really hard. Your wife has the patience of a saint! I don't know how she managed to put up with it all day!"
Bud just chuckled.
"Children have a tough time knowing how to respond to things that frighten them," he commented, "But just reassuring them can help a lot."
Suddenly, Harm burst in without even knocking.
"Mac!" he said, urgently, "That was Harriet on the phone. She couldn't get through to you."
"I was talking to a client…What's wrong? Is Calum okay?"
"She said to get there quick!" Harm told her, "The social services have showed up at her house."
"Would you like me to drive you, Ma'am?" Bud questioned.
Mac nodded then looked to Harm.
"You go with Bud," he told her, "I'll be along as soon as I can…I'll cover for you with the Admiral…"
So Mac grabbed her briefcase and cover and rushed out with Bud.
Harm gave a little knock on the door before resorting to using his spare key when she didn't answer. After leaving JAG headquarters, he had first gone to Bud and Harriet's, who had given him a brief rundown about what had happened. He then quickly made his way to Mac's apartment, where he knew she would be. She would probably value the privacy and solitude in which to lick her wounds. Quietly walking into her living room, he found her on the couch, silent and with a blank look on her face. Her face was now dry, but he could see the sticky residue of long-dried tears.
"I'm sorry I took so long," he apologised, softly, "I couldn't get away from the Admiral. He wanted me to file some paperwork before I left for the day…"
Mac just nodded.
"Are you okay?" Harm asked her, waiting to hear her answer before he sat down next to her.
She just shrugged.
"What happened?"
"They came and got him."
"Why didn't they let you know?"
"I'm not a blood relative or a legal guardian."
"That's bull! How did they know he was at Harriet's?"
"I had to inform them when I put him someplace other than their 'approved' daycare providers…Hell! Why did I do that? Why didn't I just lie, say my Mother was looking after him or something?"
"You know you couldn't have done that…It would have damaged your career if they had found out that you'd lied."
"But what about Calum? Harriet said that he got so upset…"
"She asked me to tell you how sorry she is."
"There was nothing she could have done. Apparently, they had gotten a court order forcing the daycare provider to relinquish him to them."
"Why the hell weren't we informed?" Harm asked angrily, more out of temper than towards Mac.
"They said it was an admin error," Mac sniffled, wiping her eyes, "Apparently David, Calum's social worker, has been reassigned to an office in another city and the person taking over from him isn't up to speed, yet."
Harm just snorted in disgust then focussed his attention back on Mac.
"You didn't exactly answer me before. Are you okay?"
"I honestly don't know," Mac sighed, "I knew this day was coming, but how do you prepare for something like that? His Mom must have been such a brave, amazing woman, to do what she did for him…I never expected it to happen like it did. I didn't even get to say goodbye."
Harm pulled Mac into his arms as her tears began to fall again.
"It's going to be okay, Mac," he soothed her, softly, holding her tight as her frame was wracked by sobs, "I'm here…"
"Calum," Gina Becker spoke up to the newest member of the family, "Why don't you come and join us? We're having fun over here…"
Calum just looked very unimpressed with the papier maché volcano that the whole family was helping build for 10-year-old Amy's science project. There were now four children in the house; Amy, Kevin aged seven and a-half, Tina aged six and Calum. The other children had all come to Gina and her husband Alan aged between three and five, but she couldn't remember any of them being so resistant as Calum. Of course, it would be months before anything became official, but unlike her previous times settling in a new child, Gina was starting to become distinctly uneasy.
"Mommy, why doesn't Calum want to play?" Tina asked her Mom.
"He's just taking some time to get used to being here, hon," Gina told her daughter, "It's always a little strange when you're somewhere new."
"He's a brat!" Amy expressed her professional opinion.
"And a baby," Kevin added, "He still wears baby diapers."
"No he's not!" Gina told her older children, sternly, "You guys remember what it was like when you first came here. It's a scary thing to be in a completely new home with people you don't know yet. Now, I want you all to start being a lot nicer to Calum and help him get settled in, you hear me?"
All three children looked contrite and uttered, "Yes, Mommy…"
From his place in the corner, Calum's resolve hardened even more. This wasn't his Mommy. This wasn't his home. His Mommy was at their home, all alone. But she wouldn't leave him here, she'd come and get him before long, just like she did everyday when she left him with Aunty Harriet. And he'd wait for her until she did.
"Mac?" Harm asked her, gently shaking her awake, "Dinner's here."
She had slept through the noise of the doorbell and Harm receiving their take-out from the delivery boy.
"I'm not hungry," Mac grumbled, putting her head back onto the arm of the couch.
"Okay," Harm nodded, "Ill put yours in the oven until you're ready for it."
Harriet was sitting on her son's bed, with both of the older boys in her arms.
"Mommy," Little AJ asked his mother, "Calum's not going to come to my birthday party, is he?"
"No, sweetie," she told him, gently, "Calum's gone to a new home."
"Does he have a new Mommy?"
"Yeah, sweetie."
" But Aunty Mac is Calum's Mommy…" Jimmy spoke up, looking puzzled.
"No, honey," Harriet told him, "Aunty Mac was just taking care of him for a little while."
"Will Calum be happy in his new home, Mommy?" AJ asked.
"Yeah," Harriet nodded. She wanted to say that, no, Calum wouldn't be happy without the woman whom he'd come to know as 'Mommy' until now and vice versa, but she also wanted to protect her children from getting hurt, "Probably."
"But what about Aunty Mac?" AJ read her thoughts.
"Uh," Harriet hesitated, "Well, she just wants Calum to be happy…"
"Calum?" Gina spoke up, with a hint of hesitancy in her voice, "Time to get ready for bed. C'mon, honey, let's get you into your pyjamas."
All of the other children were already settled for the night.
"No!" Calum adamantly refused, "Staying here. Mommy's coming…"
Gina frowned.
'Didn't Calum's social worker say that Calum's Mother had passed away?' she thought to herself.
With that, she picked up the phone and started looking for the social worker's number in the rollerdex.
"You calling Mommy?" Calum questioned, hopefully.
"Umm, I'm just calling my friend Pete, sweetheart. Remember him? He brought you over, earlier."
Calum remembered the nasty man who had taken him away from Aunty Harriet's. He was definitely in Calum's bad books!
"Call Mommy," Calum issued his demand with confidence, "Tell her come get me."
Gina just seemed to ignore him and Calum began to think of what he could do to get her attention…it would have to be big, if he really wanted to get to her, she was just as determined as Mommy was. A little smile played across his face as an idea came to him. Oh, this was going to be good! He hated these funny underpants that Gina had put on him, after his bath. They felt weird and they didn't have any fun designs on them like the ones Mommy put on him. He took a deep breath and launched his 'master plan!'
"Calum!" Gina's mouth fell open and she dropped the phone as she watched Calum deliberately wet himself.