Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb

Dahlgren, VA

November 22, 2029

1411 ZULU

They awoke the next morning to a romantic chill in the air as a fresh layer of snow fell outside. Mac snuggled into her husband and felt his arm tighten around her. After drifting back to sleep for a bit, she got up, fixed a little breakfast and started in on what few parts of their holiday meal remained to be prepared.

"That smells amazing," he said as he entered the kitchen and smelled the aroma of pumpkin custard in the oven. "I pulled the ornament boxes out."

"What for?" Mac asked as she set his breakfast on the table.

"So we can trim the tree after you get things settled in here," he said, pulling his chair out.

"You feel up to that?" Mac asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I feel really good actually. The hand is still nagging me, but other than that, I'm doing good. We may have a few rough spots, but we're not old geezers Mac."

She smiled and laughed, "No, though sometimes we feel like we are. All right then," Mac replied. "We don't usually trim the tree on Thanksgiving, but if you want to we can."

He took a bite of his bagel. "I thought it'd be nice to try something different; might be fun. I hope so anyway."

"Sure," Mac replied and sat down heavily in her chair. "Don't tell me you plan to shovel that snow outside."

"Nah," he said, taking a sip of his juice. "I'll call Randy, have him bring the blower over and do it. You remember when I used to shovel that entire driveway?"

"Oh, yes," Mac replied. "Remember the one and only year I tried to help you?"

He smiled. "I sure do..."

Home of Commander and Mrs. Harmon Rabb

Dahlgren, VA

March 18, 2001

1458 ZULU

"I can do this myself, sweetie," he said. "Go back inside and thaw out."

"No, this driveway is huge and I'm going to help you," Mac insisted.

He shook his head and smiled just a little. She was all Marine, and there was no stopping her when she put her mind to something. "Okay, but be careful. Snow is heavy."

"I'm a Marine, Harm," Mac retorted. "I can shovel a little snow."

"You're a Marine who needs to not overdo things," he countered as he tossed a shovelful of snow into the yard.

The worked on their separate patches for an hour or more, when all of a sudden Mac stopped and leaned heavily against her shovel.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately by her side.

"Nothing," she panted. "I just need..." She paused and breathed deeply.

"You need to go inside and rest," he said, placing a gentle hand against her back. "Please?"

Mac shook her head but did not reply in words.

"I'm worried about you, Mac," he said more insistently.

She took another deep breath, "Go get the truck."

With a short nod and wide eyes, he ran towards the garage as he fished his keys from his pocket. He backed out slowly, threw it into park and got out to help her climb inside.

"These babies are coming right now," Mac panted. "I'm sorry, Harm. I'm sorry."

"Right now?" he asked. "It's a month early! Are you sure?"

"My water broke," Mac cried. "I'm sorry, I should have...Ow:

"It's okay, it's okay," he soothed. "We're going right now, its okay."

Mary Washington Hospital

Fredericksburg, VA

March 18, 2001

1853 ZULU

Mac cried and apologized all the way to the hospital and into her labor room. Harm was made to wait outside while the nurses examined Mac then he was allowed back with her. "Almost Harm," she panted as she breathed through a contraction.

"Okay, you can do it, sweetie," he said.

And she did it. Three hours and fifty five minutes later their baby boy, Mark came into the world screaming loudly. "It's a boy," the doctor announced to Harm as he handed him the newborn.

"Oh, wow," was all he could think to say as he looked into the eyes of his little boy.

"Good job there," the nurse praised. "Here's baby number two. Dad, Mom needs your help there."

Passing the tiny boy off to another of the nurses, he once again took Mac's hand and held it tight. "Okay, sweetie, almost finished, come on..."

Twenty minutes, and eleven pushes later, the doctor announced, "A girl, Mr. and Mrs. Rabb. A healthy baby girl. She's little, but she looks wonderful."

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb

Dahlgren, VA

November 22, 20209

1448 ZULU

"You haven't touched a snow shovel since," he said.

He chuckled. "I learned my lesson, what can I say?"

He looked down at himself and brushed away the crumbs from his pajamas. "Okay, I'll shower and then we'll see what we can make happen with that tree, okay?"

"Okay, you want candle and angel lights or colored lights," Mac asked. "I'll start on that."

"Let's do the candle and angel ones," he answered. "We haven't used them in a couple years."

Mac got started on the lights while Harm showered. She did a layer of white smaller lights, then began stringing the angel lights across the top of the tree, then the candle lights to every third branch for the remainder of their 7 ft blue spruce.

"Oh, wow," he said as he came downstairs and caught a glimpse of her handiwork. "That looks amazing, Mac."

"Thanks," she replied. "I'd like to hide some more of these wires, but with the clips like they are I can't get it right," she sighed and stood back hands on her hips.

"Want me to try?" he asked, looking at the tree to see what he could do.

Mac hesitated, doubting he's have the motor function to be able to do anything with the tiny clips on the ends of the light, "If you want," she replied softly.

He took hold of one of the offending wires and reached for the clip with his left hand. He maintained a soft grasp on it, but without the feeling in the tips of his fingers, he let it slip as he worked. With a little shake of his head, he gave it another try.

"Harm, let me do it," Mac said moving in to handle the wire after seeing his hand slip.

"No, it's okay," he said. "I think I can get it." He tried a few more times, but each time the wire would slip from his hands, causing him a little more frustration than the time before.

"Harm," Mac said with a bit more frustration in her tone than she meant to have. "Let me do it, you..."

"I can do it, Mac!" he insisted as the wire slipped from his hands for the fifth time. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath.

He flopped down into his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe this wouldn't be the best thing to do today after all.

Mac knew she'd crossed a line with him, when he'd first been diagnosed, six years ago, two days before Christmas he'd made her promise him...and she'd just broken it.

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb

Dahlgren, VA

December 22, 2023

1723 ZULU

The day started out as normal as any other in their married life. Mac made breakfast for Harm and he joined her after her shower. He'd been quiet for the past two days, but this morning he seemed brighter.

"Hey, beautiful," he said as he sat down to eat.

"Hey, Honey," Mac replied. "You seem in a better mood this morning."

"Do I?" he asked with a smile. "Guess I am!"

Mac smiled, "So...did you get my Christmas present yet?" Mac asked. "Three more days."

He picked up his fork and took a bite of his scrambled eggs. "Maybe," he said. "But you'll find out in 3 days." He reached the fork down for another bits, and it dropped from his hand, landing on the plate.

"Loud eating there, Sailor," Mac teased buttering her toast.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said, half-smiling as he picked up his fork and gripped it with extra concentration. He didn't want her to worry about him. He was plenty worried about himself.

As it turned out though, by that evening there was no hiding it. Mac was relaxing on the sofa, her left knee had been bothering her so when the dryer buzzed Harm jumped to run down and get the laundry up.

He returned a few moments later with a heaping basketful of clothes. He managed fine until seconds before he went to set the basket on the coffee table. The right side slipped fro his grasp, sending the laundry all over the floor and leaving the basket swinging from his left hand.

"Harm?" Mac asked. "What on earth? That is the sixth thing today you've dropped like that."

"I didn't know you were keeping count!" he said harshly.

"I'm not, but...Harm are you all right?" she asked studying his face, his stance, the harsh way he'd just spoken to her. "It's not like you to be so harsh."

He shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm...I've been dropping everything for two days. I can't feel my right hand. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"What do you mean you can't feel it?" Mac asked, alarm registering in her voice.

"I mean I can't feel it," he said, holding it up. "It's numb; it's asleep. Can't feel it, can't really move it."

Mac put her hand in his, "Squeeze," she told him.

He did as she asked, or he tried to anyway. "I can't."

"Okay," Mac said calmly. "Get your coat. You need a doctor."

"Right this second?" he asked.

"Right now," Mac told him. "I don't like this, not one bit. Go on now."

As he went for his coat, a part of his was relieved that she finally knew something was wrong. The fear of specifics remained, but at least he didn't need to hide it any longer.

Mary Washington Hospital

Fredericksburg, VA

December 23, 2023

0121 ZULU

It took hours in the ER as they ruled out injury, stroke, and any number of other diseases until finally the doctor came and gave them news. "Mr. Rabb, I'm Dr. Kearney a neurologist. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," answered Harm.

"Well, you might be happy to know we've found the problem," he said as he said down. "But you won't be happy when I tell you what it is."

"Okay," he said apprehensively, taking a deep breath. "Tell me."

"It appears, Mr. Rabb, what is causing your numbness is a form of multiple sclerosis," the doctor replied.

He sat dumbfounded. Of all the things he'd wondered about, that wasn't among them.

They sat, Harm and Mac hand in hand as the doctor outline the type he suspected, various treatments, and repeated over and over again there was no cure. Finally, he left the couple alone. "Harm," Mac said softly her voice choked.

"It's okay, Mac," he said. "I need you to promise me something."

Mac sniffled and nodded her head, wet brown eyes looking at steady blue ones.

"I need you to promise me," he began. "That you won't treat me like I'm sick; like there's anything wrong with me. Can you do that?"

"But Harm you can't...You are sick. I need to take care of you," she protested.

"No, no," he said gently. "I don't want you to look at it like that. Look at it as a little challenge that we need to deal with together. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied. "I promise to never treat you like you are sick. You're not sick, just a bit...You're perfect. Perfect in my eyes." With that she leaned in for a kiss. The road was long, and maybe hard, but they would, as one unit, travel it together.

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb

Dahlgren, VA

November 22, 2029

1503 ZULU

"Guess I'm not perfect after all, huh?" he asked.

"What?" Mac asked him moving to sit on a still sealed box in front of his chair.

"I'm able to do less and less each time this happens," he said, looking down at his hand.

Mac reached out for it and held it firmly, "I know. And that's why it is harder for me to stay on the sidelines and pretend its not there. It is there and you have to acknowledge it. Pretending you don't have it isn't going to make it go away."

"I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm guess I'm more upset than I thought I be, you know? I go so long in-between flare-up's anymore, these things get me down."

Mac gave a little laugh, "Well would you be happier if they came more frequently?" she asked him knowing the answer but trying to read his thoughts.

He smiled just a bit. "No, I guess not. It's just easier to not think about when its not staring me in the face."

Mac nodded, "I know Honey. I do. It's not very easy for me to think about it either, you know. And I do."

"I know you do," he said. "Hard not to. I just can't help but wish it wasn't an issue, that's all."

Mac rose and moved to stand near him, indicating she wanted to sit in what was in her mind the best seat in the house, his lap. She waited for his permission.

"Have a seat, baby," he said with a smile, patting his lap.

Mac sat down and leaned against his chest, "I know you wish it wasn't an issue, Honey, so do I. But it is an issue and I think after the holidays, we should sit down with the kids and just hammer out a game plan. You know how I feel about what ifs with no plan."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I really do. We'll do that; we'll talk with them all soon, okay?"

"Then, whatever happens," she told him playing with a piece of silver gray hair. "We'll know exactly what to do. Now do you want to finish this tree?"

He kissed her tenderly. "I'd love to."

"Would you like to try to get the clips to cooperate?" she asked wanting him to have the power there.

"If you hold it for me," he said. "I think I can get it to go where I need it to."

"That's what we're all about," Mac smiled. "Team work." Mac held the light clips and Harm did, quite expertly then get the wires to sit back farther on the branches. When they were finished they both stood back glad the first leg was finished.

"Mmm, I smell pumpkin pie," he said, noticing the comforting scent coming from the kitchen. "Smells almost done, huh?"

"It should be," Mac replied. "Why don't' you pull out all the ornaments you want up and I'll set it to cool."

"Will do," he said, going to open the ornament box on the floor. He moved the newspaper and bubble wrap and began unearthing the ornaments one at a time.

"Hey," he called into the kitchen. "Come look at this."

Mac tossed her over mitt on the table and her towel over her shoulder and came beside him. "Oh wow, I haven't seen that in years."

"I know," he said, holding the glass bell with the silver ribbon in his hand. "I thought we'd lost it a few years ago, but here it is."

"Now I know I'm getting old because I do not remember the significance of that ornament, though I do recall you being very upset that we couldn't find it," Mac said and sat on the sofa near where Harm was kneeling.

He looked at her wide-eyed. "Mac, this is the first ornament we ever got. This was back before they made them all fancy like they do now, all that 'Our First Christmas Together' and all that jazz. This is our 'First' ornament. We picked it out at that little store-"

"Off of Route 5, now I remember. We were taking that southern plantation tour and you detoured off the road and got us lost..."

He laughed. "Yeah, that was the one. They had all kinds of little knick-knacks in there, even some really fancy ornaments, but for some reason, we both saw this one and it...it was the one."

"I think it's like us," Mac said. "A bit cloudy to look at but it still..." She shook the delicate bell so it made a pure clear tone, "Rings true."

His smile grew as he pulled her close for a hug. "I love you, you know that?"

Mac wrapped both arms around him, "I love you."

"How'd the pie come out?" he asked.

"Good, but way too hot so don't get any ideas," Mac warned. "What else do you have there?"

He reached into the box and pulled out a newspaper-wrapped bundle. "I dunno, see what's in there."

Mac carefully unwrapped the ornament to reveal a Winnie the Pooh dressed in a Santa suit hugging a snowflake. "Remember this?" she asked showing him.

"I do," he said. "It's from Nikki's 'Pooh phase. Gosh, everything that girl had, every outfit, every...everything was Pooh."

Mac laughed, "She's still in her Pooh phase Harm. When she has a baby, the nursery will be Pooh. I'll put money on it."

He reached for the Pooh ornament and held it up to look at it. "Yeah, I think you're right. Aren't there some more of these things around somewhere? I seem to remember a whole set."

"She took some with her when she got married, but you loved that one so she let you keep it," Mac reminded him. "Isn't' there a Tomcat in there somewhere?"

"Oh yeah," he said, digging through the box in search of it. "From Mark's model airplane phase. You remember what the ceiling of his room looked like for those few years? I couldn't go in there without knocking myself silly on one model or another."

"Mark wanted to be a pilot so badly," Mac sighed. "Still I think he's happy where he is. Do you think we should call and see how the boys are?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice," he said. "I'll see what else is hiding in our little treasure chest here."

"I though you'd want to call," Mac said. Harm was very protective of his little grandsons.

"If you bring me the phone, I will," he said, pulling out another airplane ornament, this one a Stealth fighter.

Mac walked to the phone and handed Harm the handset. "I'm going to baste the turkey."

Harm pressed the automatic dial button and after three rings, he heard his son's voice on the other end.

"Hello," said the deep yet tired voice.

"Hey, son," replied Harm, still pulling things from the box. "How're the little guys doing?"

"Hi Dad," Mark replied. "They're a bit better. Jenna's been up most of the night with one or the other of them, so it's my turn now. How are you and Mom?"

"We're good, we're good," he said. "She's working on the turkey right now, and I'm pulling ornaments out of boxes. We decided we'd put the tree up after we eat today."

"That's a little soon isn't it?" Mark asked.

"Not really," said Harm. "Besides, it'll be nice to see it up a bit longer, you know?"

"I guess so, Dad," Mark replied. "How are things otherwise?"

"They're okay," he said. "We're feeling pretty good, staying busy; it's good. Hey, I need to go to the basement and get some more boxes, so I'll let you go for now, I know you need some rest. Give the boys and Jenna hugs and kisses from me, okay?"

"Will do," Mark replied. "Want to say hi to Johnny. He's fussing for his juice. Johnny, its Grandpa."

Harm listened closely as the little boy mumbled something akin to "Hi, Grandpa," before Mark came back on the line.

"He's got his mother's gift of gab," Mark joked. "Okay, kiss Mom and I'll call you next week."

"Sounds good," said Harm. "Talk to you then."

After one more goodbye, Harm ended the call, sat the handset down and headed for the basement to find the rest of the ornament boxes. He wished the kids were there to help decorate, but he was determined that this was still going to be a fun, happy day.