AN: Thank you all so much for the encouragement concerning the story. I know this is short, but it was the best way to break it up in parts. The next one will be longer, I promise.

Part 2

Standing there in the doorpost he looked very different from earlier today when he had been composed and in control. Now he was so obviously tired and exhausted, but in a way he also looked like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulder. In the corner of his eyes she saw a tear that was threatening to break loose and travel down his cheek. Mac motioned him to step inside the apartment.

"She woke up," he got out. He took a step closer to her and she immediately wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Is she OK?" Mac asked with fear in her voice and she sighed in relief when she felt him nodding against her shoulder in response.

"She's ... she's my Mattie," he said. She could feel him crying now. All the tensions that he had kept all to himself these last weeks were finally now let loose. "The look in her eyes when she realized that her father had left her again ... I just ... I will never be able to make that up to her."

"But you're there for her," she tried to comfort him. It pained her to see him so upset and sad, but she was still relieved that he was finally coming to her and letting her in. He had needed space and she had given him that, but it had hurt so much to see him take on all the troubles alone.

They remained standing together for several minutes. Mac would have been able to tell you exactly how many, but even his wage sense of time was completely lost for Harm.

"Do you want some coffee?" she asked him when she felt him having clamed down.

"I'm sorry, Mac. I know it's too late to show up like this unannounced and everything. I don't want to be any trouble for you."

Mac took a step back from him so she could look straight into his eyes "Harm, it's never going to be too late for you to come to me. Whenever you need me, promise me you'll never hesitate to ..."

"If you do the same," he interrupted her.

"I do."

"Coffee would be wonderful, Mac."

"Just go and sit down on the couch and I'll be right there," Mac said and left to start the coffee.

"So what are the doctors saying now?" Mac asked him when she returned to the living room. Harm was back to his old self. He still looked tired, but he was now in much more control.

"This is positive of course. She doesn't seem to have suffered any brain damage, but ... they still don't think she'll ever walk again."

"But she's alive."

"She's alive," he nodded. Harm didn't have to say anything, just him being there now made them both feel like they were together on a deeper level than they had before. He was letting her in.

"Mac," he said when she returned after having gotten two steaming cups of coffee out of the kitchen. "I'd like your help with something."

"Anything," Mac smiled.

"I got custody of Mattie again," he started talking. He knew this was probably going to hurt her. Not the fact that he had custody of Mattie, but the fact that he hadn't told her about it. He reached out his hand and squeezed hers tenderly "And you know it won't even be possible for us to stay in my apartment when Mattie gets out of the hospital. I mean the elevator doesn't even work half the time."

Mac smiled and she lifted her coffee cup up to take a sip.

"So I need to start looking for a house again and I need some help with that ... from someone who knows what Mattie and I like, but most of all someone who has great taste and ..."

"I'll go with you house-hunting, if you want to," Mac smiled reassuringly at him. All he needed to do was ask her, flattery wasn't needed.

"Do you have time after work tomorrow?"

Mac nodded "Sure."

"The general gave me the afternoon off tomorrow so I can go and see Mattie and talk to the doctors about her treatment."

"That's good."

They continued to talk for another hour and a half, until Harm decided it was definitely time for him to return home.

"Harm," Mac said as he was already half way out the door and they had already said good-bye.

"Yeah," he looked over at her.

"Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," he protested.

"No," Mac slowly moved to grab a hold of his hand "Thank you for letting me in. It hasn't been easy to watch you ... and I know I've put you through exactly the same thing ... so many times before and now I finally realize exactly how much it hurts when you're pushed away."

"Mac, I haven't done it to punish you, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do," Mac sighed out "I guess we're just a lot alike sometimes. We make the same mistakes."

"Yeah, we do," Harm nodded sadly.

"I'm done making that mistake," Mac said and looked him straight into her eyes. She hoped he would trust the sincerity he'd see there.

"So am I, Mac."

A minute later Mac stood by her window and watched him drive away. She felt better about her and Harm than she had in a very long time.

TBC