See previous chapter for notes.

Grimaldi's Restaurant
Culpeper, VA
November 26, 2029
1654 ZULU

The weekend passed and soon Mac found her way into the city to meet Nikki for their lunch. Nikki was a beautiful girl; she looked just like Harm, thin, tall, with brilliant Rabb eyes and pale skin. Mac spotted her child and moved to greet her with a hug, "Hello, Sweetheart."

"Hi, Mom," she replied. "How're you?"

"Not bad," Mac sighed having a seat. "Not bad. How's Philip?"

"He's good," said Nikki. "He's getting ready to go out of town on business for 4 days next week."

"Oh, he does that often," Mac sighed. "When your Dad was gone oh I missed him so much."

Nikki nodded. "I always hate it when he leaves, but I'm learning to get used to it. How is Dad, by the way?"

"He's all right," Mac sighed. "He's sleeping a lot."

"Is he okay though?" she asked.

"He seems to be. I think he's letting himself feel fatigued this time, which is good," Mac replied. "The more he rests the better off he'll be."

"That's what the doctors have always said," stated Nikki,

"I know. He refused to acknowledge it for so long, now I think it finally sank in. We've talked about selling the house," Mac sighed.

"Mark mentioned that last time I talked with him," said Nikki. "He said you two might move closer to him and Jenna & the boys?"

"Yeah, we're talking about it. My legs are not getting any better and Daddy probably won't get worse but he'll have more and more of these closer together and we're so isolated. But enough of that, let's talk about this lunch. What's this about?" Mac asked her daughter.

Nikki smiled, looking every bit the picture of her father. "Well, I have some news for you."

"Is it serious?" Mac fretted her mother' instincts kicking in.

Again, Nikki smiled. "Seriously good... Phil and I are gonna have a baby."

Mac screeched with delight and rushed over to Nikki's side of the table to hug her daughter, "Oh, that's amazing...I...Congratulations."

Nikki held her mother close. "Thanks, Mom. We're so excited!"

Mac pulled back and her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Oh, now Mom," smiled Nikki, her own eyes starting to fill with tears.

"What?" Mac laughed. "I can cry can't I? My baby is having a baby."

"You can cry, sure," said Nikki with a smile. "But it means I will, too and I've been doing a lot of that lately, mostly happy, but still..."

Mac nodded and hugged her daughter. She pulled back and sat down, "Let me tell you a story."

Home of Commander and Mrs. Harmon Rabb
Dahlgren, VA
December 15, 2000
1412 ZULU

"Mac," said Harm gently. "It's not anything to cry over, sweetheart. It's just lipstick. You look beautiful even without it.

Mac continued to sob, "You don't understand," she hiccupped.

"Shh...shh..." he soothed, bringing her close. "Try to calm down if you can."

"Its...just...That's my favorite and they discontinued it," she sobbed. "Why did they do that?"

"I don't know, sweetie," he said. "Do you have any others you could use? I know you have more than one tube of lipstick, right?"

"But those aren't my favorite," she cried. "You don't care."

"Oh, Mac," he said gently. "I do care; I care a lot, I do. I'll help you look for it if you want me to. Would that help?"

She sobbed even more, "No. It's your fault. I hate you, you hear me?"

His eyes grew wide. "My fault? I didn't take it, Mac."

"I know," she cried. "But you...you...You made me pregnant!"

He couldn't stifle a chuckle. "Well...yeah, that I did do."

"And that's why I'm so stupid and cranky and fat and ugly and...I hate you for doing this to me. I hate you for it!" she sobbed and flopped down on the bed sobbing hysterically.

Harm shook his head. She'd had moments like this before, but she always calmed down pretty fast. He walked over to the bed and knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry, Mac."

Grimaldi's Restaurant
Culpeper, VA
November 26, 2029
1708 ZULU

"It took Daddy close to two hours to calm me down, its normal Nikki and since I was so prone to it, you will be too, I imagine," Mac sighed. "I just hope Phil is as good with you as Daddy was with me."

"They're a lot alike," said Nikki. "Very strong and very...very amazing."

"When do you plan to tell Daddy?" Mac asked.

"Soon," said Nikki. "We're trying to figure out a really special way to tell him. Any thoughts?"

"Do you have a spare ultrasound picture?" Mac asked.

"No, but I can make a copy," she answered.

"That's a good idea. You can wrap it up and give it to him for Christmas," Mac suggested.

Nikki sipped her ice water. "Yeah, we could do that. How did you tell the grandparents?"

"Well, I called Uncle Matt in Leavenworth, and Daddy took me to visit Grandma Sarah when Nana and Pop were there when I was five months along with you and Mark," Mac sighed. "They nearly fell over."

"I'd imagine so!" laughed Nikki. "Five months along with twins looks like eight months along with a singleton. They must have been floored!"

"I've never been happier than when I was pregnant," Mac sighed. "Daddy either. That's why it hurts him so much. About Chris..."

"I know," sighed Nikki. "He just...I dunno, he doesn't seem to understand. Daddy needs him, but he's afraid."

"Daddy needs all of you, and he needs a big lift of his spirits," Mac told her. "That why I'm so glad you are going to visit later in the week."

"Oh, uh, about that..." began Nikki.

"Nikki," Mac sighed. "Please..."

"I'm sorry, Mom," she said. "I found out this morning I have to be in Richmond for a 3-day workshop this week, and I have meetings all day tomorrow."

"Fine, that's okay," Mac sighed. "So we won't see you for a while then?"

"Probably not," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Mom. I really am."

Mac nodded, "That's okay." For the rest of the meal mother and daughter chatted idly, until it was time to part.

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb
Dahlgren, VA
November 26, 2029
2012 ZULU

Mac got home just after three pm and didn't see Harm downstairs but his car was in the driveway.

He head her call his name when she entered the house. "I'm in here!" he called to her from the study.

"What are you doing?" she called from downstairs. "You gonna come down?"

"In a little bit," he replied. "I'm reading the paper."

"Just now?" Mac asked. "It's after three."

He sighed. "Got a late start. I'll be down for dinner."

Mac wanted to accept that, but her wifely worry drove her to climb the long staircase to check on him.

He saw her peek her head around the doorframe of the study. "Mac, I'm fine. I just want to sit up here and read."

"Did you nap?" she asked. "Did you eat lunch?"

"I'm not hungry," he said. "I did take a nap, though. Two hours."

"How do you feel?" she asked. "Any improvement?" She hoped the rest would make a difference.

He shook his head as he continued to look at the paper. "Same."

"Can I get a kiss?" she asked. She sensed his mood was off.

For the first time all day, he smiled and looked up to kiss his wife. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mac replied. "Dinner's at six. You want to eat up here? I can bring it up for you."

"No, I'll be down," he said, his mood lightening just a touch.

2319 ZULU

Mac cooked their meal, chicken pot pies with soy chicken for Harm and real chicken for herself and had them set on the table to cool and Harm still hadn't come down. She walked to the foot of the steps and called him, "Dinner!"

He heard her call, and with a sigh folded his newspaper, tossed it onto the side table and made his way down to the kitchen. "Smells good," he said as he joined her at the table.

"I'm glad you think so," Mac sighed. "I've hardly seen you at all today."

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry. I've been kind of down today. I'll get over it, though."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Mac asked as she began to eat her dinner.

"Nah, nothing really," he said. "If I think a lot, you know, about the kids and the holidays and everything...makes me kinda blah."

"The holidays never made you blah before," Mac countered. "Need help?"

"No, no," he said. "I'll be fine, Honey. Honest I will. This pie is amazing."

"Thank you," she told him, quiet herself.

"I never asked you how your lunch with Nikki went," he said, taking a swallow of ice water.

"It was nice," Mac replied. "We had a nice talk."

He nodded. "She doing well? How's Phil?"

"They're good, she has a busy week and he'll be traveling this week," Mac told him. "Don't forget we have tomorrow."

"I know, I remembered," he said.

"Do you even know why we're going to Dr. McKeever?" Mac asked.

"You told me," he said. "But I'm having a senior moment. Tell me again."

"My legs," Mac reminded him. "The increased pain I've been having, partly from climbing stairs since my husband won't come down and spend time with me."

Harm felt a pang of guilt. She was right; he was making her climb stairs to find him, and he knew it needed to stop. "I'm sorry, love," he said. "That'll change, I promise."

"Fine," she sighed and continued to eat her supper.

"I haven't been much fun to be around lately," he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. "I'll really work on that, okay? I know the kids love me, I need to stop feeling so sad."

Mac pulled her hand back, "Fine," she replied again.

Realizing she was upset with him, Harm shied away from further attempts at affection and ate the rest of his meal in silence.

November 27, 2029
0325 ZULU

The evening went on without much interaction, and when bedtime rolled around, the pair readied themselves in relative silence. There was no thick animosity or tension, just...not much talking. When he went to kiss her goodnight, he could feel her broken heart, and it in turn broke his.

Mac stepped around the side of the bed, stumbling on one of his shoes. She gasped at the pain that shot through her knees at the sudden shift of weight.

"Mac!" he exclaimed. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

"I tripped over your damned shoes," she snapped. "Why didn't you put them away?"

"I didn't think about it," he said, holding his arms out to her. "I'm sorry, Mac, I am."

She ignored his out stretched arms and sat on the edge of the bed, flinching and whimpering as she lifted her legs in.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I am. I really am. Can I get you anything? Can I do anything?"

"Just leave me alone," she snapped at him. "Leave me alone."

"But you're in pain," he said. "I want to help."

"I don't want your help!" she snapped.

He felt as if someone had punched him right in the heart, hearing she didn't want his help. His face fell and his eyes stung as he asked her why. "I can't help you?"

"No," she said coldly. "No, I'm fine. I can do it myself."

He sensed there was a deeper issue here. "Are you mad at me for being so reclusive these last few days? Is that it?"

"No," she snapped. "I'm mad at you because you are annoying me. Go to sleep."

With a long sigh and a heavy heart, Harm went to his side of the bed and climbed into bed. He wanted to make her aches and pains stop, but she was pushing him away. He'd asked for it, in a sense. She'd wanted to help him with things throughout the course of his disease, and he'd usually only allow her to do a fraction of what she offered.

Mac lay and fumed in her anger, bit her lip in her pain, and finally sobbed at the uselessness of it all.

"Mac?" he said softly, rolling to face her as he heard her cry.

"Go to sleep," she sniffled.

"Mac, please," he said. "This is hurting me. Please talk to me."

"Hurting you?" Mac rolled over. "If you're hurting think of the pain I'm in. You...Go to sleep."

"I can't sleep with you like this," he said softly.

She didn't say anything that time, she just cried harder.

He couldn't handle her hurting so badly. Despite her order to go to sleep, he once again turned to face her and put his arms around her, holding her affectionately as she cried.

And she let him as she cried and sobbed and hiccupped until she was finished.

"There, its okay," he soothed. "Can we talk or do you just want to lay like this for awhile?"

"Talk," she said softly. "Talk and lay like this." Playing with his chest she asked, "Why can't you let me be your wife?"

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Why won't you let me be your wife? Why do you insist our vows be one sided?" she asked. "I had pain and you wanted to help me right?"

"I did," he agreed softly.

"How did it feel when I wouldn't let you?" Mac asked. "When I didn't ask you to help me get in bed because my knees are hurting so bad right now, how did it feel? Huh?"

He was quiet for a moment. "It hurt," he finally admitted, as the meaning behind her sadness clicked in his mind. "I've been hurting you, haven't I?"

She nodded, "You're been hurting me for six years."

"Oh, Mac," he said, squeezing her closer. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Can you forgive me?"

"No, because you still don't understand what you do that hurts, do you?" she asked.

"I think so," he said. "But maybe not. Can you tell me?"

"Tonight, I sat there and watched you work on that pot pie with one hand, it had to have been cold by the time you finished, but you didn't even say, Mac can you help me?" she sighed. "I offer because I know you, I know you need my help. If you were a younger man, in your twenties or thirties and this hit, it might be different, but you are not, you are nearing seventy years old and doing those things, they put stress on your body that...Have you wondered why this one has lasted nearly four months?"

He sighed. "Not until now, I guess. I've been doing too much, haven't I?"

She nodded, "I'm not healthy all the time either," she sighed. "My legs are hurting and I ask you, 'Harm, can you do this?' and you do it. Do you think less of me?"

"Not at all," he said adamantly

"Fine," Mac sighed. "So tomorrow, instead of taking fifteen minutes to get dressed, will you let me help you?"

He smiled just a little. "I'll even let you pick my outfit if you want to."

She chuckled, "Now let's test this out. Harm, my knees are on fire. Can you get me my pills?" she asked.

"I'll be back in just a second," he said, releasing his grasp of her in order to go get her pills. He returned with the pill bottle in his hand and a bottle of water tucked beneath his left arm. "Here," he said, holding the pill bottle out to her. "Can you open this for me, please?"

Mac took the bottle and opened it. She took the medicine and thanked him. "You see that wasn't hard was it?" she smiled and turned out the light.

November 27, 2029
1733 ZULU

Mac's appointment the following morning went well, all things considered. Dr. McKeever confirmed what she knew, that her arthritis was worsening. He gave her a cane to use, and he recommended she begin physical therapy. She was expecting this, and she knew there was a chance he'd suggest surgery, which he did. Not wanting to make and hurried decisions, she told the doctor she'd give it some thought, and with a kind goodbye, she and Harm returned home.

Mac used that cane to climb their steps and collapsed onto the sofa before removing her coat. "Finally!" she sighed.

"Can I get you anything, sweetheart?" asked Harm.

"One of my pain killers and some water," she replied. "That exam was murder on these bones or lack thereof."

"I know," he said. "I'm so sorry. I'll get your pill, okay?"

As he'd been doing Harm brought Mac her pain pill bottle to open then assisted her with removing her coat and propped her swollen knees up on pillows. "Thank you Darling," she sighed. "Why don't' you go up and nap?"

"How about I recline in my chair over there and nap?" he offered. "I'd rather not be so far away from you if I can help it."

"You won't be comfortable in your chair," she sighed. "I'll be fine."

"What do you mean I won't be comfortable?" he asked, sitting down beside her. "That chair is the finest that La-z-Boy had to offer in 2010, it's barely 19 years old. I love my chair; it's so...me. Fits my body perfectly, just like you fit my heart."

"Someone is being sweet today," she sighed. "What did you do or not do?"

He laughed a little. "Nothing! Can't a guy be sweet just because he wants to be?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Mac sighed. "If you want to sleep in the chair sleep in the chair, I have to get up and start wrapping gifts."

"I'll help if you'd like," he offered.

"Okay, sure," Mac replied. "You can do all the bags and the labels, you do those best," she sighed. "After you rest. How's that hand been? I forgot to ask today."

He moved it a little and looked at it. "About the same, I suppose. No worse."

She sighed, "That's better than the alternative I suppose. Go rest."

With a nod and a smile, Harm went upstairs to bed. He knew he'd rest better there, despite not wanting to leave her alone. She'd be fine; he'd just miss her a little more if she was downstairs.

Mac rested her sore legs for a few moments, the picked up the phone to call her son at work.

Mark lifted the phone, "Mark Rabb."

"Hi, sweetheart," she said.

"Hey, Mom. How are you? What did the doctor say?" he asked worrying just like his Dad always did.

"He said the arthritis is worsening," said Mac.

"We knew that though from the increase in pain," Mark sighed. "What is he going to do about it?"

"I have a cane now," said Mac. "And I'll get into therapy for it a couple days a week."

"No surgery?" Mark asked. He worried that if she had to have surgery his father wouldn't be able to care for her as she needed.

"It's an option," she said. "We're thinking about it."

"Okay," he sighed. "How's Dad?"

"He's good," she said. "Tired, but really good."

"Any more feeling or mobility?" he asked.

She sighed. "No, but at least it's no worse than before. We take each day like that as a small victory."

"That's good. Listen Mom, I have to go. Thank you for letting me know about the doctor. I was worried," he sighed. "Have you and Dad talked about moving in with us?"

"Some, yes," she said. "We're still talking, we'll let you know what we decide soon, I promise."

"Good, I love you Mom," Mark told her.

"I love you too," she said. "Give Jenna and the boys a hug and kiss for me, and I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, will do. Bye now," he replied and hung up.