A/N: Thanks to those who have been reading and reviewing. We love those reviews. We thrive on them. LOL! This chapter is a bit sad, but it is necessary. Trust us! ;)

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb
Dalhlgren, VA
December 13, 2029
1426 ZULU

A few weeks later found Mac waking Harm as it neared 0930 and he still hadn't even stirred. "Harm?" she said softly as she stroked his cheek. "Time to get up, Honey."

"Mmmm...don't wanna," he mumbled.

"Come on, Sweetheart," she urged. "We don't' have a very busy day, but we have somethings to do. We were going to do the outside of the house today."

He rolled back over in bed. "I'm sleepy. A few more hours."

"Honey, you've had ten hours," she reminded him. "Come on."

"I'd rather not," he said gently. "I'm tired."

"Don't you feel well?" she asked and stroked his forehead. He looked old today, she noted.

"Not really," he replied. "I don't feel sick, per se, but I don't feel...I dunno, I just don't wanna get up."

"You want me to make you some breakfast?" she asked.

"No, thanks," he said.

"You sure? Just a little bit?" she asked again. "You won't feel better if you don't eat."

He sighed. "Maybe some toast and jelly?"

"Okay," Mac smiled. "Can I do anything else?"

"You can make sure my favorite shirt is clean," he offered. "I think it is, but if not can you throw in a load of light colors and wash it?"

"Sure, I can, but why do you need that shirt?" Mac asked.

"It's comfy," he said.

"Okay," Mac replied. "I'll tend to that."

He gave her his softest, sweetest smile. "Come here."

She moved and sat down at his bedside.

He reached up and brought her face down close to his, and kissed her lips so softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mac replied. "I just wish you'd tell me what's hurting or what's wrong," Mac replied.

"There's nothing in particular," he said. "I'm just feeling lazy today; I'm okay."

"You don't get lazy," Mac replied. "Stop it."

"Everyone gets a lazy day now and again," he said. "This is one of mine."

Harm rolled back over in bed. He wasn't sick, he'd been honest about that part. He'd also been honest about just wanting a lazy day, though he knew she didn't believe him.

Mac fussed with Harm's breakfast and carried it up to him and a tray. "Here you go, toast with a smile," Mac smiled.

"Just the way I like it," he said, sitting up in bed.

"Harm, Honey please," Mac sighed. "Please...we talked about this."

"About what?" he asked, picking up a piece of toast and taking a bite.

"About you not hiding from me," she sighed. "You don't just stay in bed all day. You haven't done that once, even when you have your gallbladder out or that bad flu when the kids were little. You never didn't get up in the morning, not one time."

He looked up at her. "Sweetheart, I'm okay. I just don't feel good, that's all. I'm kind of tired and I...I just feel like being lazy."

"Tired like from..." She looked at his hand.

"No, I don't think so," he said. "Mac, why does there have to be a huge, complicated reason behind it? I'm tired, period."

"You don't get this way," she insisted. "You have never, in 29 years, done this."

"I guess it's about time then, huh?" he asked nonchalantly as he took another bite of his toast.

Mac sighed and slid off the bed, "I guess so."

"Mac?" he said, seeing she was upset.

"Yes?" she asked and turned around.

"I'm okay," he said softly.

"I'm scared," she sighed. "You've never done this. I don't want you to be sick, but you nearly died the once remember when you didn't tell me about your stomach ache and your appendix burst. Even then, not once did you not get up."

"Sweetheart," he said. "I'm 66 years old now. Things that didn't stop me or make me tired before will do that now. It doesn't mean I'm sick, it just means I'm not as young as I used to be."

"So what is the thing making you tired?" she asked finally thinking she was getting somewhere.

He sighed. "Being 66, I guess. Maybe I'm sad about the kids; maybe it's that we're looking at giving up our house and moving closer to Mark and Jenna. I dunno."

"Can I do anything?" she asked. "I don't want to just leave you up here and be down there."

He smiled. "Come sit with me?"

Mac nodded, "I can for a bit," she replied and sat beside him on the bed. She watched him eat then when he was finished he slid back down in the bed.

He put his arms around her and nestled against her. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"I think you said something like that last night," she replied. "Would you like me to rub your back? That might help you get back to sleep since you're tired."

"That'd be nice," he said, rolling onto his stomach.

Mac touched his back and began to rub in soft circles gently caressing his back through his pajama top. "Twelve days until Christmas," she sighed. "Mark is going to want an answer."

"Yeah," he said. "I think we should really think about doing it, you know? I think it'd probably be for the best."

"He wants us to move in with them," Mac reminded him. "Not near him."

Harm sighed. "I know. It'd be asking a lot of them, but I know they want to have us closer because they love us."

"He's you," Mac sighed.

Harm smiled. "He is. He really is."

Mac continued to rub Harm's back, especially his lower back, the part that hurt him sometimes, "Your back has been good lately," she smiled.

"Mmhmm, it has," he agreed, moving his shoulders in response to her work against his lower back.

"Need me to go up?" she asked.

"A little, yeah," he replied.

She slid her hands up and pressed against the middle of his back, "You going to stay in here all day?"

"With this kind of treatment," he said in a low, deep voice, "I just might."

"I just wanted to know because if you are, I'm going to wrap your gifts in a little bit," Mac whispered and raised her hands to his shoulder, finding a bit of a knot at the top of the left one and kneading it.

"Mmm...wrap away my dear," he said. "I won't stay here all day, just a bit longer, I promise."

"If you need to its okay," she soothed. "As long as I know you aren't sick."

"I'm not sick," he said reassuringly.

"Good," she replied and continued her rub.

Harm drifted off to sleep beneath his wife's loving caress, one of his most favorite ways to go.

2053 ZULU

Mac went downstairs and wrapped up Harm's gifts He slept for hours, nearly four by the time their phone rang. "Hello."

"Hi, Mom," Chris greeted. "I'm glad its you."

"How come?" she asked. "Something wrong?"

"No, no," he replied. "I just wanted to say hi to my mother that's all."

"You need to say more than 'hi' to me, son," she said sternly. "And you certainly need to say more than that to your father."

"What's the problem?" Chris asked.

"The problem is that Mark told us why you skipped out on coming for Thanksgiving," she said. "You can't handle seeing your dad when he's showing signs of his illness, and that hurts him so badly, Chris."

"He's still showing signs," Chris exclaimed. "Mom, he's not getting better. The hand is gone. That's it!"

"You don't know that for a fact!" she shot back, illustrating easily where Chris inherited his temper. "Regardless, he's your father and you're supposed to love and support him, not avoid him, not for this or anything else."

"I can't watch him Mom!" he shot back. "I can't watch him get like those people I take care of. I can't."

"The people you take care of have the worst kind of MS!" said Mac. "Your dad doesn't, and you need to be here for him."

"Why can't you respect my wishes here, Mom?" Chris asked. "I don't want to watch my Dad suffer."

"He's suffering from your absence a lot more than you're suffering from seeing him," she said gently.

"I doubt that, he has the others," Chris replied. "I'm not coming home for Christmas Mom."

"You listen to me, Christopher Sean Rabb!" Mac exclaimed. "Your father needs you here, needs all of his kids here, and unless you've got the best reason ever concocted by a child to get out of doing anything, but best be here! Am I clear?"

"He doesn't' need us every year," Chris argued back. He was stubborn like Harm.

Mac began to cry. "Chris, please?"

"Mom," he sighed. "Mom please don't cry. What do I have to do to make you not cry?"

"Come home for Christmas," she answered softly.

"I can't Mommy," he sighed, like he was when he was little and trying to learn to ride his bike.

"Please?" she asked. "It'd mean the world to your dad."

"Can I think about it?" Chris sighed. "Maybe he'll be better. But Mom, I don't think...and I know your legs aren't like the used to be."

"Think about it," she said with a sniffle. "Let me know soon, okay?"

"Okay," Chris replied. "I love you Mom."

"I love you, too. Call soon, okay?" she asked.

"I will," he replied and hung up the phone.

2136 ZULU

Mac stayed downstairs on the sofa and softly cried about the call. How could Chris not want to see his dad? Why was he making such an issue out of coming home for Christmas? Her heart ached as she sat alone, Harm still sleeping upstairs. Before long, the phone rang and startled her out of her sadness. Picking up the receiver, she looked at the id screen and smiled. "Hello, son," she said.

"Mom?" Mark's strong voice greeted her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's your brother," said Mac. "He won't come see your dad because he's…Well, you know, you're the one who told me."

"I was afraid of that," Mac replied. "Still Chris is like you."

"I know," said Mac softly. "He's stubborn, that much is certain. I don't see how he can be stubborn about this, though. It's his father, you know?"

"I do know, and I have an idea. Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I do," she answered. "Anything you can think of that will help is welcome."

"Just leave it to me," he said firmly. "Stop your crying okay? Where's Dad?"

"Taking a nap," she said. "Actually, he's not taking a nap; he just hasn't gotten out of bed yet today."

"It's 430!" Mark exclaimed. "I'm coming over."

"Be my guest if you think it'll help," said Mac. "He claims he's just feeling lazy, but I'm not so sure."

'"I'm on my way," Mark told her and clicked off the his phone.

December 14, 2029
2339 ZULU

Mark made his way through the foyer to the living room where Mac sat on the sofa. He went to her and hugged her, "Is Dad still sleeping? Have you checked on him?"

"I assume he's still sleeping," she said. "I haven't been back upstairs, but he hasn't come down, so I assume..."

"I'll go check," Mark said. "You try to stop crying." He reached into his pocket and wiped his mother's cheeks. "He'll be fine. So will Christmas, I promise."

"I hope so," she whispered, trying in vain to stifle another stream of tears.

"Mom, its okay," he comforted. "I'm here now. It's okay." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled close.

"I love you, son," she said. "Go check on your dad."

Mark squeezed her gently and jogged up the steps to his parents' room. Sure enough his father was still sleeping. He sat on the bed and gently shook him, "Dad? Dad?"

"Huh? What?" gasped Harm, unsure of who was waking him up and why.

"Dad?" Mark said getting slightly nervous. "Its Mark."

"Oh," he said, wiping his eyes. "Hi, son. Why...? Is your mom okay?"

"Mom is just fine," Mark assured him. "She's fine. But it is 642 pm and you are still in bed," he indicated. "She's scared."

"I was just tired today." said Harm plainly. "She's worried, I know, but she needn't be."

"Dad," Mark said firmly. "It is almost 7pm, you've been sleeping all day. That is not normal. Come on, let's go. Up. Now."

With a sigh, Harm threw his covers back. "Alright, I'm coming..."

"Get dressed, we're going to see the doctor," he told him in his Rabb tone.

"No, we're not because I'm not sick," said Harm.

"My mother is downstairs crying," Mark told him. "Remember her? Your wife? Who's crying! If you aren't sick, then I owe you dinner," Mark said. "Let's go."

"Has anyone ever told you you have your mother's hard head?" asked Harm as he rose from the bed.

"Yeah," Mark replied. "You. Now level with me Dad. Its me, I'm not going to tell her. Am I going to hear something I don't want to when we see the doctor?"

"Not unless I hear it, too," said Harm. "I'm fine, son."

"How's your hand?" Mark asked. "Is that worse?"

Harm held it up in front of himself and looked at it. "Doesn't seem to be, no."

"Get dressed," Mark told him. "I'm going to try to convince Mom to stay home."

"Good luck," said Harm sarcastically as he headed towards his closet.

Mark sprinted down the steps, "Mom?"

"Is he awake?" she asked in a concerned voice,

"He is now," Mark sighed. "We're going to the doctor. You are going to rest."

"I'm coming with you," she said, moving to rise from her seat.

"No, no," Mark said. "You are not. Remember, you both need to rest some and I know you've been worrying all day. I bet you have a headache right?"

Her son knew her so well. "I do. I'll stay, but I'd really rather go."

"I know," Mark soothed. "But how about this, you can rest a bit, and then fix us some supper and I'm going to stay the night, okay?"

She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling for the first time all day that things really were okay. "Sure, sweetie. You take care of your dad, and I'll have something nice ready when you get back."

Harm came down the stairs and spied his wife on the sofa. "Hey, sweetheart," he said. "You don't need to be worried, I promise."

"I'll believe that when you come back and are fine," she told him and rose to squeeze him tight.

He took her in his arms and held her near. "I love you, Mac."

"I love you too," she replied. "Go on."

"Ready?" he asked his son.

"Yeah," Harm replied. "Let's go."

Mary Washington Hospital
Fredericksburg, VA
December 14, 2029
0104 ZULU

Mark took Harm to the ER where an old girlfriend of his worked. She took Harm back right away, "Good to see you, Mr. Rabb," she greeted. "Though not in the ER. What seems to be the trouble?"

"My wife and son think an old man who's tired has to be sick," joked Harm.

"How old are you now?" she asked. "Fifty-eight? Fifty-nine? That's not old."

"Try 66," said Harm. "But you just made my day!"

"Sixty six still isn't' that old, Mr. Rabb," she sighed. "Do you have any pre existing conditions?"

"I do," he said, matter-of-factly, sounding like he had all those years in the court room. "I have MS."

"What type?" she asked.

"Relapse-Remitting," he answered. "You know the 'good kind' to have."

"Not always I imagine," she smiled. "Is it in relapse?"

"Mildly, yes," he said, holding up his hand. "Little numbness, but nothing much."

"Do you have mobility?" she asked. "Squeeze both my hands."

Harm did as he was instructed. "Not bad for an old guy, huh?"

"Not at all, though the left is noticeably weaker," she sighed. "Let me take a listen here," she said and got out her stethoscope.

"I always hated this part," he said to his son, who was standing off to the side.

She listened to his heart and his lungs "Have you have a cold or the flu lately?"

"No," he said. "Been healthy as a horse."

"You have congestion in your lungs," she told him. "Let me get a chest X-ray."

She leaned down and pushed up his pant legs, "How long have your legs been swelling at the ankles?"

"I dunno, few weeks maybe," he said. "Is that bad?"

"Yes," she told him. "EKG and a chest X-ray. Now."

The doctor took blood, an X-ray, and EKG and a cardiogram, all the indicated the same thing. "I'd like you to come back in after Christmas for a stress test, but...I think I'm certain of why you've been so tired, and not just today, am I right?"

Harm looked at Mark, then back at the doctor. "Yeah."

"Mr. Rabb, there is no easy way to say this," she began. "And I'm only 99% on this, so you have to come back after the holiday, but I'm seeing from these tests all the signs that your body is going into heart failure."

He sat dumbfounded on the table. "Are...are you...no, you're not sure, you're only 99% sure, which is as good as 100% sure..." he rambled.

"Relax," she soothed. "It's treatable. It is early and it is treatable. I'm going to give you several prescriptions now that won't hurt you if I am wrong, but will help you if I'm right." She began to scribble. "For now, rest, drink plenty of water, and take this medication. If you can sleep with your legs elevated to reduce the swelling."

"I can, yes," he said, still not fully sure he believed the diagnosis.

"Here," she handed him the scripts. "This one is a water pill, it will reduce the congestion, this is a blood thinner, and this is for pain."

"Okay, thank you," he said, taking the papers from her. "I didn't...I'm not...I didn't know it was this bad."

"If you take this medicine, eliminate salty foods and table salt from your diet, and begin a light exercise regimen, it should resolve to a manageable state," she replied. "You should have come in sooner."

He sighed. "I'm stubborn, I guess. I thought I was just tired, really."

"That's okay," she comforted. "Its just good you came in now. I'll see you after the holidays."

Once they were alone, Harm looked his son in the eye. "Guess I owe you dinner, huh?"

"Don't worry about it," Mark sighed. "If you tell Mom we'll be even."

"I can't tell her this," he said. "I can tell her a lot of things, this isn't among them."

"Dad, this is going to be noticeable," Mark sighed. "The drugs alone, Mom is not stupid."

Harm laughed. "No, she's sure not. Ideas, son?"

"Tell her," he sighed as he steered Harm out of the ER to the car.

"How about," suggested Harm. "We tell her together, but after the new year?"

"Dad, no," Mark shook his head. "We have to tell her something. If you can come up with something that she would buy I might bend on that."

He thought for a moment. "The beginnings of the flu, maybe?"

"You'd have to get sicker," he sighed. "Nope. Fatigue related to your flare up?"

"Yeah, that should work," said Harm. "And I promise, after the new year, after we have all the results back, if it is what we think, then we'll tell her."

"Dad, do you...Catherine is the best doctor I know..." Mark began.

"Let's just wait," he said, his expression a broken one.

"Dad..." Mark pushed. "Come on...You can't do this. You've known for weeks haven't you?"

"No," he said.

"Dad?" Mark raised his eyebrow. "You can't not have noticed this."

Harm shrugged. "I've been tired, so what, you know? I'm old, old people get tired."

"The ankles?" he pressed.

"I wondered," he admitted.

"Okay," Mark relented. "Let's get back to Mom. But you have until the 6th to tell her, or I will."

"Agreed," said Harm. "And son?"

"Yeah, Dad," Mark said as he started the car.

"It'll all be okay. I promise."

"I know," Mark replied. "Let's go huh?"

Home of Captain and Mrs. Harmon Rabb
Dahlgren, VA
December 14, 2029
0325 ZULU

Harm and Mark arrived home to find Mac sleeping peacefully on the sofa, the scent of her special tuna melts coming from the kitchen. With infinite tenderness, he leaned down to her and whispered against her cheek "I'm home, my love."

She was up immediately, "What did the doctor say?"

"That I'm fatigued from the flare up," said Harm. "I'm going to be fine though, just like I promised."

Mac smiled, "You rest more then. You stay in bed as much as you want and do whatever you need to do...I'll take care of everything."

Harm smiled to her, but to himself he thought "if only she could."

"Suppertime is long over but the food is ready and waiting. Then up to bed," she said rising neglecting her cane in favor of her husband's arm.

"It smells wonderful," he said as he walked with her towards the kitchen. "Wonderful as always."

The small family ate their late supper, and then Mark called Jenna and explained all that had happened while Mac took Harm up to bed. "Now what do you need?"

"Just my pajamas and a couple extra pillows," he said.

She got his pajamas, "Extra pillows?"

"Might help me get more comfy and sleep better," he said.

She got the pillows from the box, and once he was changed and in bed she asked, "Where do you want them?"

"Under my feet would be great, sweetie," he answered.

"Under your feet? Why there?" she asked doing it anyway. "Want your socks off?"

"No! No, that's okay," he said. "Feet are kind of cold tonight."

Mac nodded and settled the pillows, "Why there?" she asked again.

"Just think it might help is all," he said.

Mac took that for now, "You sleep. I'm gonna go check on Mark."

Mac went down to check on her son who was settling on the sofa bed, "Do you need anything, Sweetheart?" she asked him.

"No, I'm great, thanks Mom," he replied. "Did you get Dad all settled in?"

"Yeah," Mac sighed. "I'm still not sure he's as fine as he says he is. He wanted a pillow for his feet. He's never done that."

"You know dad," said Mark. "He can be different just for the sake of being different."

"I don't know," Mac sighed. "Is it me or does he seem weaker to you, not himself. Old, even?"

"I don't know," sighed Mark. "He's tired, that much is certain, and he's not as young as he used to be."

"This past month, Mark," Mac sighed. "But Daddy and I have some good news."

"Oh?" he asked. "Tell me."

"We've decided to take you and Jenna up on your offer," she told him. "We think its best."

He smiled wide. "That's great, Mom. We think its best, too; we really do."

"But I have to ask you a favor," she said.

"Okay, sure," he replied.

"Try not to undermine Daddy," Mac replied. "Please don't take away his independence. He needs his autonomy. He needs to be needed."

"He does, yes," agreed Mark. "We'll keep our distance where independence is concerned, I promise."

"Thank you, Son," Mac replied. "It might be nice for you and Jenna too. More time to spend together and work on more grandbabies for us to enjoy. Does she mind you staying here?"

"Not at all," he said. "She loves you two, she really loves you."

"And we love her," Mac smiled. "You get some sleep now." As she heard a "Mac!" from upstairs.

Mac kissed Mark's cheek and hurried to the best of her ability upstairs. Mac's name was called about six more times in the trek up, "What is it, Sweetie?" she asked when she got into the room and saw him curling up to avoid shivering.

"I'm freezing," he said. "Can you grab another couple of blankets, please?"

"Sure," Mac said softly and went to their hallway and got out three heavy blankets and brought them in. She covered him up with two of them, "How's that?" she asked laying them over him then easing them up to his chin.

"Oh." he sighed. "So much better, thank you, sweetheart."

"You want me to leave the third one on the foot of the bed here?" she asked.

"That'd be great," he said softly. "You should get to bed, you look sleepy."

"I'm coming," Mac replied and slid in beside him. She reached for his hand, "Your fingers are so cold."

"They'll warm up," he said, gently squeezing her hand. "Mark sprawled out on the sofa bed?"

"Yes, he's good. I told him we'll move in with him and Jenna," she replied. "Come here, lay against me."

He slid closer to her. "Better?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Put your head on my chest and just snuggle in close."

"I love sleeping like this," he said as he nestled right against her. "Seems we've been like this as long as I can remember."

Mac stroked his hair gently, "Its okay." She gently stroked his his hair, "Go to sleep. I'm here and you're warm and safe. If you need anything, you wake me up, okay?"

He nodded. "I love you, Mac. I love you so much."

Those were the last words he said, before he fell into a peaceful sleep.