Part 3
1903 Zulu,
Georgetown University Hospital.
Harm was very worried as he sat in the waiting room with their son. Fifty minutes had passed since he had left Mac to allow the doctor to examine her. And still nobody had come to tell them anything.
Calum was now a bit calmer after Mac had assured them both several times that she felt fine and would only go through tests to put all their minds completely at ease. Still, Calum gave a little sniffle every now and them, whilst sucking his thumb.
"Don't you worry, buddy," Harm stroked his hair, soothingly, "Mommy's just fine."
But Harm still wouldn't truly believe that until Mac's doctors told him that.
Finally a staff member in a white coat emerged through the door.
Harm released a breath of relief as the doctor told smiled and said, "Nothing to worry about, Mr. Rabb. Your fiancée is just fine…"
"Daddy?" Calum asked, quietly, "What's a f…a fee..?"
"It means that Daddy and Mommy love each other and are going to get married, son…"
Without even taking a breath, he asked the doctor, "She did faint?"
The man smiled and nodded, telling Harm, "We just wanted to make sure and run precautionary tests…We think she had just spent too much time on her feet."
Harm's mind did briefly consider this odd, as Mac spent a lot of her time on her feet as a lawyer, especially if she was in court. But he quickly pushed the thought aside.
"But what else would she stand on, Daddy?" Calum puzzled aloud.
Harm hushed him softly then continued to question the doctor.
Calum then began to giggle loudly and exclaimed, "Her head!"
Even the doctor couldn't help but laugh and Harm muttered "No son, that's just what Daddy does to keep Mommy happy…And she's worth all of the effort, too!"
The joke was again lost on the child, but not on the doctor, who added, "Yes, they usually are!"
He then showed them to Mac's room (or rather curtained cubicle.)
When Harm put his head around the curtain, Mac was just buttoning up her blouse, having just changed out of the hospital gown.
"Hey there, squid! She greeted him, then Calum, who ran in and was lifted by Harm onto the bed.
"Hey mini-squid!"
"Mommy!" Calum collapsed into her arms.
"Oh, Mac," Harm added to the 'scrum' as he hugged the two of them, "You scared the life out of us!"
"I told you," Mac rolled her eyes, exasperated, "I just fainted. The store was stuffy…and worried about being sued! That's why they insisted on calling an ambulance."
"The doctor said you'd been on your feet for too long," Harm nodded, "You've been working too hard, Marine."
"Actually," Mac hesitated, "the doctor's tests confirmed what I already had a suspicion about…"
"Is there something wrong, Mac?" Harm asked, his voice hushed, obviously worried again.
"No," Mac insisted, "but…"
"But…" Harm prompted.
"We're actually very lucky, Harm."
"We are?"
"Yeah, we've just hit the jackpot."
Harm now looked plain confused, so Mac continued.
"Our own 'two percent' lottery…I'm pregnant."
Harm's jaw dropped at her last words as their meaning permeated his brain. He then floundered for words to quite express the sentiment expanding in his chest.
"WAHOO!" he finally found something suitable (semi-appropriate!)
Harm's cry echoed through the ER and a couple of other patients and staff members chuckled in amusement.
Mac laughed as Harm lifted her into his arms and twirled her around once before setting her back down on the bed.
"Daddy?" Calum piped giggled as his Dad picked him up and did the same to him, "What's p…pr…"
"Mommy's having a baby, sweetie," Mac explained, still beaming like a lighthouse beacon, "Would you like that? A baby brother or sister?"
"Cool!" Calum grinned.
"Well said, young'un," Harm approved, but turned back to his fiancée.
"Wait, you already knew about the baby?"
"I was pretty sure," Mac nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me…"
Harm corrected himself as Calum gave his shirt a tug, a sharp, pointed look on his face,
"I mean us…"
"I wanted to surprise you," Mac justified, laughing.
"You did!" Harm laughed as well and added, "But next time, I'd rather you didn't go about it quite like that!"
Mac was about to point out that she hadn't intended to, but Calum piped up again.
"Mommy, where's the baby? I wanna see it."
"No sweetie," Mac explained softly, hugging her son, "The baby's not here yet. It's still in Mommy's tummy."
Harm picked their son up as Mac grabbed her handbag and they made their way to the exit. Harm wrapped his free arm around his fiancée as they headed out when Calum came up with another question.
"Mommy, how did the baby get in you tummy?"
Harm and Mac looked at each other with a smile and Mac told him,
"Mommy will explain later, sweetie."
1300 Zulu,
Rabb Residence.
Calum was the life of the party, a few weeks later.
"Do you think it's the sugar," Harriet asked, amused at the sight of Calum ripping around the living room, "or the good news?"
She and Bud had arrived and been told the good news earlier in the week.
"He's been on cloud nine since Mac told us," Harm beamed, wrapping Mac in his arms.
"Calum, sweetie!" Harm's Mom, who had flown in the week before, summoned him to the telephone, "Grandpa Frank wants to speak to you for just a minute."
Frank had not been able to make it, but had promised to phone.
"Hi Grandpa Frank!" Calum squealed, excitedly.
"Hey birthday boy! Did you get lots of presents?"
"Yeah!"
"Did you like them all?"
"Yeah! Even the underpants!"
Frank let out a bark of laughter and continued.
"Great! What else did you get?"
"Um…Forest friends and a plant grower and a doll…and a commander crush…and a toy car…"
At this, Mac looked to Harm, who looked away, assuming a face of perfect innocence.
"And what was your favorite present?"
"The baby in Mommy's tummy!" Calum announced, loudly, "And guess what Grandpa Frank?"
Frank stopped laughing long enough to ask, "What?"
"Mommy said that Daddy gave her the baby, but I can't see it yet, because it's in Mommy's tummy…Do you think Mommy ate the baby, Grandpa Frank?"
Frank could only laugh at Calum's conclusion.