Well, here's the final part! Sorry about the delay. Hope you all enjoy it, it's been a blast to write...
Part 35
Ow!" Mac exclaimed softly, as she read to Tiegan, who was sitting on her lap.
"What is it?" Mattie asked, looking up from the dining table, where she was helping Tyler with his homework and trying to do her math homework, as well.
"Just my back aching again," Mac dismissed, "It's been doing that a bit, lately."
"Do you think that you should go back to your doctor?" Mattie asked.
"No," Mac shook her head, "I know basically everything I need to and there isn't a whole lot he could do for me, anyway. I've got pills for the pain, when it gets too bad, but I try not to take them. They're not a long-term solution. There is no long-term solution."
Mattie let it go, but was sure to mention it to her Father, later on, when he got home from work.
Harm stirred as Mac shifted in bed, during the night.
Mac was so sleepy, she slipped out of bed without a word to Harm, heading towards the bathroom.
Harm rolled over and snuggled into the warm vacant space that she left behind.
"Hmm?" was Harm's spoken reaction, when his bare leg hit something.
'What's that?' he thought, suddenly very awake.
It felt wet, but not cold, exactly.
Just then, any remaining fatigue was jolted out of him when he heard Mac's cry from the bathroom.
"Harm!"
He took off toward the bathroom, pulling the covers halfway off the bed. He didn't get the chance to see the small patch of blood left behind him, on the mattress.
"Good morning," Mattie greeted the two children, as they made their way into the kitchen.
She silently poured out a bowl of cereal with milk for each of them, then got them seated at the table with their breakfast.
"Where are Mum and Dad?" Tyler was the first to ask.
Mattie had thought this through carefully, since her Father had awakened her, six hours before. She knew that she couldn't lie to them, but she didn't want to panic them before they knew just what they were dealing with.
"Uh, well…Mom and Dad woke me up, early this morning," she began, keeping it vague, "They had to go out, because Mom was feeling a little ill and they decided to go and see her doctor, just to be cautious. Do you remember when Mom had that pain in her back, yesterday?"
Both children nodded, their cereal now forgotten.
"Well, they wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything to do with that," she continued, explaining, "so they decided to play it safe."
"Is Mommy going to be okay?" Tiegan asked, her face pale and serious.
"Yeah, of course she is," Mattie reassured her, "This was just a precaution. I promise, she wasn't in pain, she was just feeling a little poorly, that's all. There's no need to worry."
"Then why are they still gone?" Tyler asked the obvious, "Why aren't they home yet, if it's not serious?"
"They're probably just waiting to see a doctor, that's all," Mattie leaned down to hug them both, "It's very busy at the hospital, this time of the morning. I'm sure they won't be too much longer."
Both children just looked at her, their tension not dispelled, not by a long shot.
They watched her as she put the bundled-up bed sheets in the in the washer (they were the last thing that Harm and Mac had thought about; so Mattie said that she would take care of them, before the children got up.)
"Hey," she suggested, "how about we go and get some paper and some pens from Dad's office, then we draw some pictures for Mom? I'm sure they'll make her feel better, once she gets home and sees them. We'll put them up on the refrigerator, so she'll see them once she and Dad get in."
Both children nodded.
"Not long now, Marine," Harm soothed his wife, from his place by her bedside.
The doctor had been with them more than an hour before, to take a blood sample from her, but they had not seen him since. Mac was quiet, the entire time and this unnerved Harm.
"It'll be okay," he soothed her, stroking his fingers through her hair, reassuringly.
"But…but what if…" Mac asked, in a whisper.
"No," Harm shook his head, "No, don't think that. No matter what, we're going to be okay. I need you to know that."
"Yeah," Mac nodded, "I do…I know that. I'm just scared, that's all."
"I am too," Harm told her, "But we're going to get through this."
It was a further twenty minutes before Mac's doctor reappeared.
"I'm sorry this has taken so long…" he apologized, "The lab has been backed up, these past couple of days."
"What can you tell us, Doctor?" Harm asked, nervously.
"Well, Colonel, Captain," the doctor took a deep breath, "From what we were able to get from the blood test, it does indeed appear that you are pregnant…"
Mac felt her breath restrict in her chest and her eyes sting. Of all the times she had imagined and dreamed about this moment, none of them had ever included her being in a hospital bed, bleeding and facing the prospect of miscarrying.
Harm immediately took her hand, squeezing it within his.
"…but it isn't necessarily bad news, not exactly," the doctor quickly added, "That is the thing that is most puzzling about this; your hormone levels seem to be well within the optimal range…Of course, we will not know this for sure, until we can arrange an ultrasound, to determine what stage your pregnancy has reached, so we can predict what level your hormones should be at."
"And when can we do the scan?" Mac asked, allowing just a grain of hope to mingle within the desolation she felt.
"I'll try my best to get hold of a machine, as soon as possible," the doctor promised her, "But it may be some time. I'm going to get a nurse to check on you, in the meantime, so we can see if the bleeding has stopped yet. But it was relatively light, so that is another factor in our favor."
"Thank you," Harm and Mac thanked him and he disappeared again.
Lying back in bed, with Harm at her side, Mac prepared herself to wait some more.
"Hello?" Harriet asked from the doorway, "Anybody home?"
She had received a call from Harm at the hospital, who had asked her to stop by and quickly check up on the kids. Harriet had rung the bell, but nobody had answered, so she had used the key that Harm and Mac had given to her for emergencies. They had one that corresponded to Bud and Harriet's house.
"Harriet?" Mattie called, from the doorway, on the far side of they kitchen, that led out into the garden, "Is that you?"
"Hi," Harriet smiled, "I got a call from your dad. He asked that I drop by the make sure you're all okay. He was a little worried, because they've been caught up at the hospital for so long."
"We're fine," Mattie told her, but dropped her voice to ask, "But what about Mom? Is she okay? Why is it taking so long? It's not serious, is it?"
"I honestly don't know," Harriet regretfully told her, "Harm only spoke to me briefly. He said they were waiting on some tests then they'd see the doctor again. But that was all. I'm sure if it had been anything serious, he'd have said."
"Yeah," Mattie nodded, but knew that this was unlikely. If something was really wrong, her Dad would tell them all in person. That wasn't the sort of news to deliver over the phone.
"Where are the kids?" Harriet asked.
"In the back yard," Mattie told her, "We're doing some work that Dad was planning to do today. That way they won't have anything to worry about, once they come home."
Harriet smiled; the kids were so thoughtful, even when they were this worried.
"I hope you didn't leave them in charge of the lawnmower or something," she laughed.
"No," Mattie laughed for the first time that morning, "I don't think watering cans are too dangerous. The lawn will have to wait to get mowed, because Mom and Dad would freak if they knew I had used it when they weren't here."
"I'm sure," Harriet smiled and peeked out through the sliding door.
"Hey Tieg, Ty!" Mattie called out to the children, "Look who is here!"
"Auntie Harriet!" they came running in.
Harriet smiled and hugged them both, touched that they would be so happy to see her, when they were waiting so eagerly for their parents to get home.
"Hey, you two," she greeted them, "You big sister tells me that you're doing an excellent job on the garden. What have you been doing?"
"Well," Tiegan told her, "we were watering the plants…"
"But then we got bored and played on the tire swing, instead!" Tyler grinned.
Harriet laughed and gave the children the cookies that she had brought with her.
"Do you guys want me to cook you anything for lunch?"
"I was just going to heat up some baked beans and pour them on top of toast," Mattie told her.
"How about I give you some help?" Harriet volunteered.
"Thanks," Mattie smiled, "that would be great."
Harm stroked the hair back off his wife's face as they waited for the doctor to return. The nurse had been in fifteen minutes before to check Mac out and had left silently again, without comment.
"Colonel, Captain," they both jumped at the voice of the doctor, who was behind a large portable ultrasound system, "I'm so sorry this has taken so long, but we're ready to proceed with the ultrasound examination, now. You wouldn't believe how many people were in line for this machine…"
Harm did have some idea, he knew that it was used for examining patients other than those who were pregnant, but he still didn't understand why it had taken so long.
As they waited, the machine was all hooked up and the settings adjusted. The doctor then asked Mac to lift her gown up and the bed sheets down. After spreading gel around, he began to run the wand over her lower abdomen and stared at the monitor carefully.
Harm concentrated on his wife, who looked as panicked as she had when they had first realized that she was bleeding, earlier that morning. The long day had served to down-grade it to shock. But now, it was back full-force and Harm could likewise feel the panic obstructing his throat. It's going to be okay," he managed to choke out, before the doctor spoke up.
"Well," he told them, "I'm getting a pretty clear picture, here. Would the two of you like to see?"
Mac looked to Harm and he to her, communicating wordlessly.
"Yeah…okay," Mac nodded, hesitantly to the doctor.
They watched as he turned the monitor towards them. At first it was only a grey blur. They couldn't figure out what they were looking at. But as Mac continued to absorb it, it began to resemble those that she had looked at during her treatment for the endometriosis. The contours were familiar…except for one, a small orb that was pulsing.
"Wait!" Mac whispered, "Is that…what is that? Is it…"
"What you think it is?" the doctor finished the thought, "Yeah, that is a strong, healthy heartbeat."
Harm gasped, quietly.
"The baby's still there?" he stammered, "It's okay, I mean…but what about the bleeding?"
"It happens during pregnancy, sometimes," the doctor told them, "It wasn't too heavy, so it might just be due to implantation or hormone increases affecting the cervix or any number of things. But it was light and it has completely stopped now. Also, the baby seems healthy. I'd estimate gestation at about the seventh week or so."
"Healthy…Thank God," Mac smiled, trying to keep back the tears as she felt Harm grip her hand, 'I must admit, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear, today!"
"I know these things are very scary," the doctor reassured her, "but the scan indicates that everything is okay, at this stage. Please try not to worry. I'm going to write up a prescription for you, for several things, but the best advice I can give you is to take it easy for a while. Complete bed rest for at least three days…avoid any heavy lifting and just try to get plenty of rest. I take it you work, Colonel?"
"Yes," Mac nodded, "at the US embassy."
"Well, I'm going to give you a doctors note for your CO, recommending that you take some time off. I'd advise nothing less than two weeks, just to be on the safe side, but these are merely precautions, you understand. Your scan indicates that everything is going well."
"Thank you, doctor, Thank you so much!" Harm thanked the man, thinking that he had never been so glad that Mac had been told to take it easy.
Once the man had left, Harm and Mac looked at each other with a new spark in their eyes.
"Wow!"
"Oh wow!" Mattie exclaimed, quietly, "This was unexpected…Wonderful, but unexpected…"
"No kidding!" Harm smiled, softly, "But are you okay with this?"
All three of them just stared back at him, Mattie trying to say something, but with no luck.
"We want all three of you to know," Mac spoke up, to reassure them all, "no matter what, once the baby arrives, we're going to love all of you just the same. Just like we love all of you equally, now."
Mattie took a second to digest this then nodded her head in understanding. Of course they would. They had proven that when they had begun fostering Tiegan and Tyler. They had proven it when she had had her accident. Mac was there to support Harm then, and also, later on, was there to support Mattie. They didn't have to bring her with them to London, when they had gotten their transfer papers, they could have just left her behind and begun a new life together. She had no doubt that they now loved her immensely, even more so than they had when they had all arrived in the UK. There was no reason why that would change, even now that they were having a child of their own. They had more than proven this to her over the past couple of years.
"Yeah," she smiled, "I understand…and I'm really happy for you both!"
She hugged her parents then turned to her younger siblings, who looked more at ease, now that they had seen this good example from their big sister.
"Isn't this going to be exciting?" she asked them, "You're both going to be a big brother and sister!"
"But I'm already a big brother," Tyler pointed out.
"By less than a month…by 24 days!" Tiegan objected.
"Okay," Mattie quickly broke in, "That's just about even, isn't it? And so now you're a big brother and a little brother…just like Tiegan; she's a big sister and a little sister."
The children seemed to forget their argument and instead smiled at her, then at their Mum and Dad.
"Can I call Chloë and tell her?" Tiegan requested.
"No, I want to," Tyler argued.
"Hey," Harm broke in, faking (badly) being stern, "I'm going to tell her; I'm the man of the family…"
"She's my 'little sister'," Mac laughed, "Why don't I get to tell her?"
"Guys, guys," Mattie broke in, "It's important that we don't fight about this…so I'll tell Chloë!"
Everyone broke into loud laughter as they all scrambled for the cordless phone.
Harm jolted awake at the feeling of cramping in his arm.
"Oww, oww!" he cursed, quietly.
The sensation, while not quite painful, was unbelievably irritating. Like tickling, you couldn't just lie there and put up with it. But the reason his arm was cramping was because Mac was laying her head on it and he couldn't just pull it out from under her head. He gently tried to move her head without waking her up, but was unsuccessful.
"Hmm? Harm? What is it?" she asked, now fully awake, "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Angel," Harm apologized to her, kissing her softly, "I was trying to get my arm back without waking you up. I just can't feel it, is all…"
"Are you implying that I have a big head, squid?" Mac narrowed her gaze at him, "Because I think we both know that you're the former naval aviator with an ego the size of Texas…"
"Easy," Harm moved to placated her, "That's not what I meant at all…I…I …what I meant was, my weak, puny arms just aren't as muscled as they used to be, that's all…"
Mac laughed, "You'd better believe it, sailor. Marine can beat Navy, any day of the week. Let me hear you say, 'Ooh-rah!' C'mon, squid, say it…Ooh-rah!"
"Excuse me," Harm objected, "May I remind you that I played a very important part in getting us into the position we now find ourselves! Me and my guys!"
"I'm the one who's carrying this baby," Mac laughed, teasing him, "You provided sperm…BIG DEAL!"
"Big Deal! It was a huge deal, Mac!" Harm spluttered, "Why, I'm…I'm…"
A huge grin spread across his face as 'divine inspiration' hit him.
Mac simply watched him as his expression became cocky.
"What?" she asked, but he said nothing, "Really! You're what?"
"I'm the Daddy!"
Mac laughed loudly and shook her head.
"No way…"
"Oh yeah!" Harm exclaimed, "You know it…I know it…I'm the Daddy, I'm the Daddy, I'm the…!"
Mac cut him off by smacking him on the arm.
"Yeah, and now the whole neighborhood knows it. Thanks, we'll probably have all of the kids in here, now…"
Her assessment proved to be correct, when they heard a quiet knock at the door, less than five minutes later.
"Come in!" Harm called, both of them smiling, Harm sheepishly.
Tiegan, Tyler and Mattie ran in and jumped onto the bed. (Well, the younger two did. Mattie walked over sedately then settled beside Harm, on the edge of the bed.)
"You three are awake awfully late," Mac commented.
"Couldn't sleep," Tiegan told her, cuddling in.
"Too excited," Tyler added, as he snuggled between his sister and his dad.
"This is going to be an awful long eight months, if you're going to be too excited to sleep," Harm grinned, putting an arm around his son, on one side, and his older daughter, on the other.
"Hopefully, the novelty will wear off, sometime soon, or we're not going to get any sleep for the next two years!" Mac laughed, wrapping her younger daughter in her arms.
However, despite what she had said, all five of them were asleep within fifteen minutes, even with the cramped conditions.
The End
AN: Sorry, I know I usually steer away from anything too sappy and mushy, but I just had to include some of it in the final part! Hope you enjoyed it!