Title: Just Pretend?
Summary: More than 'Just Pretend,' Harm and Mac's life suddenly take an unexpected turn. Anything more would spoil the surprise.
AN: Just for the sake of the plot, I'm changing a few details of the episode 'Four Percent Solution.' Let's just pretend that Mac was driving her Corvette that night, so decided to replace the totaled car with something more economical once she got out of the hospital.
In this universe, Mattie has also returned and stayed with her Father. No accident takes place and Harm has continued on in life without her.
Spoilers: Four Percent Solution, Yeah Baby.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. But what do I do with all of the crazy images in my head? LOL! Surely TPTB and the Top Gorilla can't blame me, huh?
AAN: Okay, part one is long. I'm really not into torture. Part two will be out tomorrow, come rain or come shine! Enjoy!
OOOO
"Are you free for lunch today, Mac?"
Sarah MacKenzie wasn't expecting the voice that spoke up behind her in the break room.
"Uh, sorry, Harm…I've got a meeting with a witness in twelve minutes and I still need to do some photocopying before he gets here."
"Too bad," Harm commented, before asking, "Is that a witness in the Simmons investigation?"
"Yeah," Mac nodded, "but could we do lunch at some other point, this week?"
"Sure we can," Harm nodded, smiling at Mac as they made their way out of the break room and back towards their respective offices. "Just let me know when is best for you. My workload this week is pretty light."
Mac didn't exactly have many cases on her desk either, but this one was growing every time she worked on it. Lieutenant Paul Littman, assigned to the USS John C. Stennis, had requested emergency leave when his daughter was involved in a household accident and had to be hospitalized, but his CO, Captain Jake Simmons had failed to grant him leave. There was some debate about why this had happened, but the matter had been referred to the JAG Headquarters when Lt. Littman had requested and been denied even a basic apology. Littman felt that it was a matter of principle, because if anything had happened to his daughter in his forced absence (luckily the child had made a full recovery) then he would have had to live with that knowledge for the rest of his life. Littman was now looking for monetary compensation; but Mac was afraid that this was going to turn round and bite him on the six. Sure, there was no way he should have been detained on the Stennis after he had requested emergency leave due to extenuating family circumstances, but Mac wasn't sure just how much or even if he'd be granted any compensation. In the back of her mind, she debated if Lt. Littman was just out to cause friction and get some money while he was at it. But as soon as the Lt. stepped into the bullpen, she knew that every assumption she'd had about him was incorrect.
The man who emerged through the glass doors into headquarters while Mac was requesting some research from Bud, was a tall, cool drink of water, with bright green eyes and dark blond hair. As he looked around and surveyed the people in the bullpen, Mac was able to study him for a minute. He wasn't quite as broad-shouldered as Harm, but was pretty much the same height. As he caught sight of her uniform and insignia and made his way towards her and Mac prepared herself, in case she would be dealing with another case of 'squid super-ego.' He surprised her by coming across as very polite and softly-spoken. But what surprised her most was the little figure that appeared as by magic from behind his long, uniform-clad legs. The little girl had a mop of curls in the same dark-blond shade as his and was dressed in purple overalls.
"I'm looking for Colonel MacKenzie, please?" he asked, "That is you, isn't it Ma'am? There aren't any other Marine Lieutenant Colonels in this office?"
"Yes, that's me," Mac smiled, politely, "and I appreciate you making time for me today, Lieutenant…Is this your daughter? She's adorable."
"I'm sorry that I had to bring her with me, Ma'am," the Lieutenant quickly dropped the little hand that he unconsciously held in his massive one, but settled for stroking the curly hair on his daughter's head to reassure her in these foreign surroundings, "I hope that's not going to be too much of a problem…You see, her usual sitter cancelled at the last minute and just as I was trying to make my way out the door, she fastened herself around my leg…She's never spent much time alone with the neighbor who volunteered to watch her and there was no way she was letting me leave without her…"
"No, it's not a problem," Mac shook her head, understandingly, " I just need you to recount your version of the events for my records. It shouldn't take too long and then, once I review the notes that opposing counsel will provide me with, we can decide whether we're going to take this all the way to trial."
Over the next hour, the three of them holed up inside Mac's office, Mac at her desk, Lt. Littman in the visitor's chair facing her and his little girl happily playing with a couple of toys on the carpet at his feet. Mac had not at first noticed the backpack filled with supplies that had been slung over one of his shoulders. It was hardly regulation attire, but she supposed that there was no way one could leave home with a small child and not be prepared for any eventuality.
The facts of the case soon became a bit clearer;
The Lieutenant had been contacted by his live-in nanny (he was raising his child alone,) to tell him that the child had fallen down a flight stairs and had been hospitalized. Although her injuries were not life threatening or permanent, it was still necessary for the Lieutenant to return home, so that insurance forms and the release documents could be dealt with. Lt. Littman had emphasized several times how important his presence back home was, yet his CO had repeatedly asked him for some more time, so he could arrange some cover for Littman's duties aboard ship. In fact, not once had his CO contacted anyone to arrange for somebody to step into Lt. Littman's shoes. In fact, Lt. Littman had to repeatedly find his CO aboard ship over the next few days, while he was frantic with worry, pondering why things were taking so long. In the end, the hospital had kindly sent the necessary documents by courier to the USS Stennis, which Littman dutifully signed and sent back via the same courier. But for three days since the emergency call had gone through to the ship, Littman still pursued his emergency leave request, which seemed to throw his CO a little.
"What baffled me the most, Colonel," Littman described, "was that after I first told him I needed leave, he seemed to avoid me. Once I had signed the hospital documents and sent them back, I was still so anxious to get back home and check that Erin was really okay. I went back to Captain Simmons, to make it clear that I still needed emergency leave, but he asked me, out-right, whether that was still necessary. I said, 'But Sir, my toddler is still injured. She's still at home in the care of the nanny and I need to make sure she's really okay. The hospital discharged her yesterday, but there's no way the nanny will be able to care for her and take care of the house-hold duties as well.' He still seemed unconvinced. I then asked him why it had taken so long to get my emergency leave sorted, since I had asked more than three days ago. He said that things were backed up and that he hadn't been able to get the message through. But I know the people involved, Ma'am. They all told me that the Captain hadn't attempted to get the message through. It seems as if he deliberately ignored my request. Things turned out okay and Erin didn't suffer any lasting effects, but she could have been more seriously injured and all of my requests were ignored. In fact, it was two weeks before the Stennis pulled into Norfolk and I was finally granted shore leave. That shouldn't have happened, Ma'am."
"No, it shouldn't have," Mac nodded, "but I must ask, Lt., why you are requesting compensation. I know it must have been a terrible time for you, but if we have to go to court, it won't look favorable in the records that you're looking for monetary compensation."
"I've already requested an apology, Ma'am," The Lt. argued, "but that request was ignored, too. I wanted some answers, but the CO was always conveniently too busy to see me. He even put me on duty at the other end of the ship during the first hour that we were docked in Norfolk. I didn't get the chance to confront him before he left the ship. How else am I meant to convey the way I feel about this whole situation? Hopefully it will make them sit up and start paying attention."
This all smelled a little too fishy for Mac's liking. She knew that there had to be more to this than was apparent. But if the Lt. knew, he wasn't telling her. He couldn't seem to pinpoint any reason why his CO would forcefully keep him on the ship; he was involved in no vital assignments that relied on his expertise, his job was one many officers in the Navy could do, his tasks were ones that many could take care of. He could pinpoint no grievance the Captain had towards him, one that may have inspired any sort of stubborn malice or spite. The Lieutenant had been the one to show his CO around his hometown where they were docked, when Simmons was first assigned to the Stennis a year back.
"And your daughter, Lt.? Has she been okay, since she was discharged from hospital?" Mac asked.
"Aye Ma'am," the Lt. lifted his child up onto his knee to show her the healing bumps, bruises and cuts. One cut was quite large but was hidden beneath the curls above her left eyebrow.
"She got the last of her stitches out yesterday. The scars shouldn't last long. The doctor said they would fade with time. And she said it's lucky she's so young, or her bones wouldn't have just bent, they'd have broken. She'd have been looking at a broken arm, leg and several ribs. As it is, they're just bruised."
Mac smiled at the adorable two-year-old playing with the Naval Academy ring on her Father's hand.
"It's been a lot better since I got shore leave," the Lt. continued, "I've been able to spend most of my time with her and it doesn't look like this accident is going to leave anything more than a few faint physical scars. She doesn't seem to remember too much about what happened, she's just glad to have me home."
"It must be hard," Mac sympathized, knowing very few other men willing to put their all into protecting those dear to him, being a parent on their own, "when you're bringing up a child on your own, and are on active duty in the Navy."
"Women seem to manage it all the time," the Lt. admitted, honestly, "but sometimes I wonder how they manage to make it seem so easy…I know it's isn't really, but it just doesn't seem as hard for them as it does for Erin and I…"
He quickly changed the subject to other matters, such as what would be happening next.
"I'll need to get the Captain's testimony from his attorney, then if we manage to come to some sort of consensus, we'll take it from there," Mac told him, "If not, then we're going to court. I can't promise you anything, Lieutenant, but you'll get your answers, I'll make sure of that. But I'm not sure how much compensation you'll get, or even if you'll get any."
"I don't even care about the money, Ma'am," the Lt. admitted, "That's my way of making it up to my daughter. That will be her money and I'll invest it for her future."
Mac was satisfied with the information she had collected from the Lt., so she let him and his daughter be on their way while she set about arranging for an interview with Captain Simmons. She didn't get any further than his attorney, who told her he'd fax his client's statement but an interview was really out of the question; the Captain was much too busy.
"My client is considering filing charges against the Captain, which may or may not include a request for substantial monetary compensation for everything he and his child went through," Mac decided that she would light a fire underneath them, "I suggest that you let your client know that and we'll see if he is 'too busy' for an interview!"
Mac couldn't have known the consequences that her actions would have.
OOOO
It was the middle of the night when the call came and Mac was still so sleepy that she had to get the caller to repeat himself. The siren in the background on the caller's end didn't help matters either.
"I'm the county sheriff with the Virginia highway police, Ma'am. We've got a lieutenant and a little girl here who've been involved in a vehicular incident and we couldn't find any Commanding Officer's details on the gentleman. But we found your card and assumed that you were his attorney, Ma'am."
"No…I mean yes, I am his attorney," Mac told the man, " but the Lt.'s transfer orders are currently being processed so he has no CO at this present time…Are they both okay?"
"The Lt. has extensive injuries, Ma'am," the sheriff reported, "but his little girl seems to have suffered no sort of injury…If you could come down and take custody of her, Ma'am, we'd really appreciate it…"
Mac scrambled to find a pen and paper on her bedside table and scribbled down the directions the sheriff gave her.
When she finally got there, she found that it was that same exact stretch of road that she had traveled last Christmas Eve, the night of her car accident, although a different tree was involved, the one she hit being long gone.
She took in the scene of devastation, finding it hard to believe that anyone could have walked away from this crash alive. The bonnet of the car was completely crushed, the engine filled most of the driver's and passenger's space and the windshield was completely gone. There was even damage to the back of the jeep, though not to such an extent as to the front end. Mac also found it hard to believe that this much damage, especially to the surrounding brush, could have been done by just one car. The sheriff filled her in on what had happened, to the best of his knowledge and she surmised that she had been right.
"It seems like the lieutenant's car left the road, under force from another behind it and impacted with the tree. The lieutenant was partially thrown through the windshield when his seatbelt severed, but his daughter was fastened in her car seat, in the back and that held her in secure. The lieutenant was still alive when he left here with the paramedics, but his condition was very fragile. Judging by the foreign paint along the back bumper of his jeep, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet they were pushed from behind, off the road. There was only the jeep here when we arrived, but the damage to the brush suggests that our aggressors also left the road, so there was probably a lot of damage to the other vehicle, too…"
Just then, the police radio in the sheriff's car burst to life and he excused himself to go answer it. Mac took a few minutes to investigate the vehicle, but making sure not to get too close and disturb any evidence, mindful that it was essentially a crime scene. The sheriff returned shortly.
"That was one of our units, Ma'am," he explained, "They've detained a couple of naval officers in a damaged truck, just a couple of hours up this road. Seems their engine and tires gave out soon after this altercation. Both men are being taken into custody and their vehicle will be towed to the police impound. I've not been given any names, yet, but I'll contact you to let you know when the preliminary interview will take place."
Mac thanked the man, pondering how this case seemed to be getting worse and worse.
She was led to a police cruiser, where the Lieutenant's child was being cared for by another police officer…or at least watched. When the sheriff opened the door to the back of the cruiser, Mac discovered that the little girl was fast asleep, as if all of the commotion around them all didn't really concern her.
"You can take the child, Ma'am," she was told, "The paramedics checked her out and decided that she had no injuries from the crash at all. She seems to have some cuts and bruises, but they appear to be old…"
"That's right," Mac nodded, contemplating what to do next, "They're from a previous incident, a few weeks ago. Her pediatrician had just given her a clean bill of health."
"I'd get her checked out with her doctor tomorrow, just in case, Ma'am," the female officer advised her, "But other than that, she's good to go. I suggest you take her car seat with you to keep her safe, but it's been involved in an accident and will need to be replaced at the first possible opportunity.
Mac still had no idea what she was going to do next. She was glad for the officer's suggestions, she'd never have thought of any of that, having little hands-on experience with children. Occasional sitting sessions with her Godchildren just didn't cut it. What was she going to do with a toddler, especially when she didn't know if the child's father would be okay?
She decided to place a call to her CO. Cresswell picked up on the sixth ring, sounding pretty drowsy.
"It's Colonel MacKenzie, Sir…I'm so sorry to bother you at this time of the morning, but I had a call from a Virginia state highway police patrolman…"
She explained, as briefly as she could, the current situation, trying not to leave out any important details.
"I see," Cresswell finally spoke up, his voice low and serious.
He mulled it over for a minute then advised her to return to her home with the child, while he proceeded to the hospital to check on the condition of Lieutenant Littman.
Mac slipped her cellphone back into her pocket and decided to bite the bullet. She gently roused the sleeping child.
"Hey there, sleepy-head," she smiled at the child, to reassure her in the face of all of the no-doubt scary sights and sounds around them, "Do you remember me? Your Daddy asked me to come and get you."
"Dad-di?" the child murmured, sleepily.
"Yeah," Mac nodded, "he asked that I take care of you for a while, so I'm going to take you home with me tonight? How about that? Would that be okay?"
The child paused and then lifted her arms in aquiesence, but Mac knew she was probably taking little of this whole situation in. She unclipped the child from the restraints of the car seat and lifted her into her arms, while an officer assisted her by getting the car seat and installing it in the back of her car. Before she pulled away, Mac thought for a moment how uncomfortable it felt for the little girl to be so far away, instead of up front where she could see her clearly, but Mac knew the backseat was the safest place for her. Tonight's events had illustrated just that point.
The journey home passed without further problem and Mac quickly got little Erin inside and out of the cool night air.
She settled the child down to sleep in the middle of her bed, propping cushions around her to prevent her from rolling off. Mac didn't feel confident enough in her abilities to leave her, though, so she grabbed a spare duvet and pillow, the cordless phone and settled herself on the floor by the bed.
The General called a couple of hours later, just after Mac had drifted off the sleep. He was about to leave the hospital and informed her that they were now dealing with a case of murder.
"God, how am I going to tell his daughter?" she sighed, momentarily forgetting just who was on the other end of the line, "She's only two years old, Sir…"
"Let's just take one day at a time, Colonel," Cresswell advised her, "I'm going to see if I can track down the little girl's mother or some other family member. Why don't you see if you can find her out who her pediatrician is and take her for a precautionary check-up? Perhaps the nanny the lieutenant employed will know…I'll get Commander Rabb and Commander Turner to go downtown tomorrow and find out what they can about the suspects that were arrested."
"Aye-aye, Sir," Mac agreed and looked over to where little Erin was sleeping without concern.
After she hung up, she grabbed a quick shower with the bathroom door open and got a big mug of coffee, as it was obvious that she wasn't going to get any more sleep that night. At a decent hour, she dropped Erin off at Harriet's for a couple of hours, so that she could go and question Lieutenant Littman's neighbors and find the nanny he had employed. She had thought about taking the girl with her, but wasn't sure it would be safe bringing her back to their old neighborhood. For all they knew, anybody could be involved in the plan to run Littman and his daughter off the road and some individuals might still be on the loose. Once she had questioned the neighbors, got all the information she needed from the Littman nanny, Gloria Fuentes and taken Erin to a check-up with her pediatrician, she received a phone call from the General.
"Could you stop by the office, Colonel?" he requested, "we've been able to find out a few things that you need to be informed of…"
She fastened Erin into the car seat Harriet had loaned her, in her SUV (acquired after she totaled her Corvette in that crash on Christmas Eve, last year,) and headed straight over to JAG Headquarters, deciding that she couldn't really bother Harriet with minding Erin again that day.
The General, Harm, Sturgis and Bud were waiting for her in the General's office when they arrived and if Cresswell was surprised at the little girl's presence, he hid it well.
"I managed to sort something out with the nanny Lieutenant Littman hired, Sir, but she's going to be busy until the day after tomorrow…"
Cresswell just nodded non-plussed and then surprised everyone by rising from his chair and lifting Erin into his arms. Erin didn't seem bothered in the least and what the adults didn't know was that she was used to being passed around a whole ship-full of enlisted personnel and officers, from an early age, every time there was a family day aboard the carrier her Father was deployed to.
Cresswell took a seat and got Erin distracted with all of the shiny, alluring objects on his desk before he began to fill Mac in on what had gone on that morning.
"It seems that two young sailors were taken into custody, last night; two petty officers who were previously deployed to the USS Stennis, along with the unfortunate lieutenant. They have yet to crack, but physical evidence seems solid, placing them at the crime scene when the Lieutenant was run off the road…What is more interesting is that these two POs also report directly to one Captain Jake Simmons."
"You think he may have recruited the two of them to do this?" Mac asked, her face clearly showing her surprise.
"It seems possible," Harm spoke up, revealing, "Like the General said, they aren't saying anything, but I can tell they're hiding something. A couple more rounds of interrogation and I'm sure that they'll spill their guts."
"The Commander and Lieutenant Roberts will oversee the case against the two POs," Cresswell now continued, "And I will be sending you and Commander Turner to question Captain Simmons. Do you think that you'll have any problem in staying objective, seeing as you were Lt. Littman's attorney, up until yesterday?"
"No, Sir," she shook her head, but couldn't stop her gaze dipping to look at Erin, where she was still playing with the nik-naks on the top of Cresswell's desk. She just as quickly snapped her gaze away and if Cresswell had seen it, again, he wasn't saying anything.
"Good," he nodded, "I'll keep you informed on how my search for family members is going, further on down the line. Dismissed."
Mac executed a salute, but was hesitant to leave, not sure how to point out that the child in her charge was still seated upon her CO's knee.
"Oh, yeah, of course…this belongs to you, Colonel…" Cresswell chuckled, gently as he pried a paperweight out of Erin's hand, then passed her over the desk to Mac, adding, "And make sure you see Coates on your way out. Naval Family Services has forwarded a cheque for you, to cover any expenses you incur, while you're looking after this little lady here."
"Thank you, Sir, I'm sure I'll need that this evening, when I go shopping for supplies. Lieutenant Simms-Roberts has said she'll assist me," Mac said, and Creswell nodded in approval.
Without anything else left to say, Mac executed the perfunctory crisp turn pretty well considering the two-year-old perched on her hip.
By the time she got back to her office, Mac found Harm already there, waiting for them.
"Did you get everything you need from the Lt.'s nanny?" he asked, as Mac lifted a quilted blanket out of the supply bag and seated Erin on it, on the carpeted floor.
"Pretty much," Mac nodded, "and she's also agreed to help me with supplies, as has Harriet. At least I'm not going to have to worry about how expensive it will get."
She waved the cheque she collected from Coates, then safely stored it in her purse.
"What about family?" Harm asked, "Surely this woman knew if the Lt. had any family?"
"She said the Lt. never talked about his family," Mac shook her head, "not even about Erin's Mother. He told me that she left both him and the baby by choice, but I have no idea where she might be living or how long they've been separated. Littman gave me the impression that she had no contact with them at all, but I couldn't say that for sure. The General said that he would take care of contacting any living family and all of the preparations for the funeral…"
That was another matter that Mac had thought about, since she had learned of the Lt.s passing away. Was it appropriate for two-year-olds to attend funerals? She'd always thought that it was just not an occasion for young children, but then again, this was Erin's Father they were burying. The poor child didn't even know her Father was gone forever and Mac had no idea how she would tell her. The opportunity suddenly presented itself when Erin twisted around to look for Mac and caught sight of Harm's long, dark-clad legs. She crawled a foot or two, then got to her feet and toddled the remaining distance to collapse against Harm's legs.
"Dad-di," she exclaimed, her expression playful, as if to say, 'I've got you!'
"Oh, no…no, honey," Mac struggled for the words as she lifted Erin up into her arms, "That's not Daddy. Daddy's…gone."
The little girl seemed puzzled that it was not her Father standing beside them, but curiously leaned outwards to peer around Harm, thinking that maybe Daddy was behind him.
"Sorry, honey," Harm apologized, gently, "It's just me; Uncle Harm…"
Erin blinked a couple of times and just as Harm and Mac thought her face was going to fall and that she'd surely dissolve into tears, she lifted her arms out towards Harm.
"Yeah!" Harm immediately received her, "That's right, come and see Uncle Harm! Did you have a good time playing with all of the stuff on the General's desk, huh? You're a lucky girl; he never lets us play with any of that cool stuff! And somebody told me that you went round to play at Auntie Harriet's today…"
At Mac's quizzical look, he explained, "She stopped by with AJ, Jimmy and the twins, a few hours ago."
They didn't stay around for too much longer, just long enough for Mac to change Erin's diaper, then Mac explained that she needed to get Erin back home where the child had a pre-packed children's meal sitting on a shelf in the refrigerator with her name on it.
"Okay," Harm looked mildly disappointed and conceded, "Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call…I should be at home all tonight and I'd be happy to help."
Mac nodded and bid their goodbyes. She felt for Harm, especially since his contact with Mattie had dropped to nothing, despite his valiant efforts. Maybe she would call him after she was done shopping with Harriet.
That evening passed quickly, in a flurry of shopping to get anything needed for Erin, any items not given by the Littman nanny. Of course, Mac also had to stock up on perishables like food and drinks for Erin too and by the time they got settled at home, Mac's back, arms and shoulders ached. She was most surprised, albeit pleasantly by Harm, who dropped by at 1900 hours.
"Sorry to come without calling," he lifted a carrier bag of take-away, "but I thought you'd probably be so wrapped up in getting Erin sorted and fed that you'd probably forget about yourself."
Mac didn't need to answer for Harm to surmise that this was true. She had fed Erin more than an hour before, but she had yet to even think about preparing something for herself. She'd simply been too busy setting up the equipment and unpacking all of the supplies she and Harriet had purchased or which had been passed on from Gloria.
"And I also figured that you'd probably stock up on loads of commercially prepared garbage, too," Harm added, lifting the bag in the other hand, "So I thought I'd try my hand at preparing something homemade and nutritious for her."
Mac couldn't say for sure that her mouth hadn't dropped wide open at this point, but she knew that her stunned silence had lasted a good few seconds.
"You spent your evening mushing up your rabbit food into pulp?" she finally came up with.
"Uh, yeah! Well, some of it is mashed, some vegetables are just chopped…That's what loads of parent are doing, these days," Harm adopted a blasé attitude about it that he didn't quite manage to carry off, "You can never really trust what is going inside your child unless you prepare it yourself. Tell me you weren't actually going to feed her that commercial junk."
"I'm not exactly an expert on this 'commercial junk,' Harm," Mac shot back, "But I'm sure it'll be nutritious and balanced."
"Yeah, and full of additives that allows them to stock it on the shelves for years," Harm interjected, "C'mon, Mac. I prepared this myself…"
"You're also responsible for 'Harm's toxic meatless meatloaf'," Mac teased him, "so I'm not sure if I should trust you…"
Harm just shot her a filthy look and continued, "Made from fresh, organic ingredients, with no kinds of additives at all, not even salt. Just 100 fresh produce. Fresh veg, organic wild-cod fish-sticks breaded with crumbs made from a family recipe of mine…"
Mac looked at the contents of the Tupperware containers inside the bag and surmised that it really didn't look as bad as the stuff she'd nuked in the microwave, earlier that evening.
"Okay," Mac gave in, warning Harm, "but if she eats this stuff and it causes an eruption in her diaper, or comes up the same way it went down, then you're the one changing her and cleaning her up."
Since Erin had already eaten a full meal that evening, Mac tried her with a small portion of dessert; applesauce, which Harm had prepared by hand. Erin polished it off with gusto and then tucked into seconds.
"See," Harm smiled broadly, "what did I tell you? She loves it!"
"How on earth do you know what parents with young children are giving them to eat, anyway?" Mac asked.
Harm looked sheepish for a second then admitted that it was from some article he'd found online, after Mac and Erin had left the office that afternoon.
Mac just laughed and set about getting Erin prepared for bed. Once Erin was settled for the night, Harm and Mac finally got round to eating themselves.
OOOO
Mac was hardly in the door the next day when The General requested her (and Erin's) presence in his office. Again, Erin took her usual place upon the General's knee, while he explained the situation to Mac.
"It seems that this is going to be harder to resolve than we previously thought," Cresswell announced, once he was sure that Erin was sufficiently absorbed in her games, "It seems that the lieutenant only has some very distant relative living in South Africa…"
Mac frowned, thinking about how she didn't want Erin being dragged half-way around the world, just to find a family.
"And it seems that the biological mother is without any family and uninterested in taking her…"
Mac really did see red, here, because she knew that many people (she was one of them) wanted children, yet were unlikely to have them biologically. She just about kept herself from speaking out, though.
"But with time, I'm sure that we'll get something sorted, Colonel," Cresswell continued, "Commander Roberts is heading to Norfolk this morning, to speak with Captain Simmons. I'd like you to go with him, just in case things get ugly…"
Sensing that Mac was about to point out that she had the lieutenant's child in her care, Cresswell added, "And don't worry about the child…Somebody's going to spend some time with Uncle Gordon…"
Mac was only mildly successful in keeping her face straight as her CO fussed over the little girl on his knee. But she was sure to have it unreadable again by the time he looked up.
"We'll be okay for a couple of hours, Colonel," he dismissed her, "Go find Roberts and nail that lousy excuse for a officer's six to the wall."
OOOO
A nasty surprise was waiting for them at Captain Simmon's residence.
After getting no answer to their knocks on the door, Mac peered in a window.
"Damnit!" she cursed, "There's nothing there…The whole place is cleaned out. It looks like he's gone…permanently"
Indeed, Harm and Sturgis soon convinced the two petty officers to give up, and when they did, the two sang like canaries, confirming the JAG officer's suspicions. Apparently the Lieutenant had witnessed his CO getting a bit too merry and friendly with a local waitress during shore leave last Christmas and the Captain was afraid this whole case was the lieutenant's way of extorting money out of him to keep silent. He'd asked these two young men to run him off the road and make it look like an accident. When he'd heard that they'd messed the job up and had been caught, he'd obviously decided to run.
"There are few things I hate more than a dishonorable officer," Cresswell boomed, when he was told the news, "and a senior officer who tries to evade justice is one of them!"
Erin looked slightly perturbed, where she had been quietly playing on the floor.
The General was soon pudding-soft again.
"Sorry, Pumpkin," he apologized, stroking her gorgeous curls, "don't pay any notice to Uncle Gordon. He's not really angry, and certainly not with you…"
Erin went back to her toys.
In a hushed voice, Cresswell told Mac and Bud to put out an APB on Captain Simmons.
Mac didn't even have the nerve to ask if she should take Erin back. The General was leaning back in his seat, his mind absent-mindedly stroking his hand through Erin's hair again.
She took a short coffee break, before she went back to retrieve the little girl!
OOOO
The next day, Mac was able to leave Erin with the nanny, so felt more prepared to sink her teeth into the case. However, she'd left a vital report out of the case file at home, so ended up going home in her lunch hour. Erin was glad to see her and let her pleasure be voiced.
"Momma!" she exclaimed, loudly.
All the blood drained out of Mac's face, until Gloria the nanny reassured her.
"Don't worry," she told the stunned woman, "it is a common thing for children her age. She will sometimes call me 'Momma' too, but we just need to re-enforce how we want her to refer to you."
Mac thought for a second then went to pick the child up.
"Hi Erin!" she greeted the child, "Your Aunty Mac has missed you, today. Have you had fun with Aunty Gloria?"
She looked behind her for guidance from Gloria, who nodded and gave her the thumbs up.
While Mac found her missing documents and made herself a sandwich for lunch, she sat the little girl in her high-chair and listened to Erin ramble on in toddler-speech about her day. She was better with words than Jimmy, who was similar in age to Erin. She made a mental note that she'd have to get the two of them together for a play-date.
Mac didn't at immediately realize what was going on when glass started flying everywhere, but soon dove across the room to grab Erin from her high-chair. The explosions went on and Mac shouted out when Gloria went to put her head around the door to see why Erin was shrieking.
"No, don't come in. There's somebody firing from across the street! Get down on the floor!"
With Erin tucked underneath her, Mac crawled out the door and took cover in the living room, alongside Gloria, behind the couch. The poor woman had her arms over her head and looked petrified, now she had identified the disturbance as gunshots.
When the noise finally ceased, Mac grabbed up her service weapon, the baby and instructed Gloria to follow her. She didn't emerge from marine-mode until the three of them were safely at JAG Headquarters.
OOOO
"Looks like somebody's looking to silence a witness," Clayton Webb commented, three hours later.
"She's two years old," Mac argued with the man she wished she'd never have to lay eyes on again, "What on earth could she be witness to?"
"I'm only stating the obvious," Webb went to argue, but Cresswell interrupted him.
"Enough, Webb. I've heard plenty about your dealings with this office and I will say it once more with feeling; I will not put up with you using my people. This time, we are going to collect on the very many favors you owe JAG…"
Again, Webb tried to argue, but Cresswell cut him off.
"No, listen to me and listen good. We are going to need four covers; one for Mac, one for this innocent child, here, one for the nanny and one for…"
"Who else needs to be protected?" Webb argued, enraged that he'd have to work for the JAG and not the other way around.
"And also, for Commander Rabb…" Cresswell finished.
Mac, Harm, Sturgis, Bud and Webb all stared at him, open-mouthed.
"Rabb?" Webb ground out.
"Yes, Rabb," Cresswell confirmed, ignoring his officers.
It was obvious to him that there was some kind of tension between Webb and Rabb. He'd seen the steely looks that had passed between them when Webb entered the office, earlier. And it went beyond a mission or two going south. There was only one person close enough to Rabb to catch Cresswell's attention; MacKenzie. But she had shot Webb a look of malice when she had spotted him…Was it a case of the green-eyed monster arising when a woman didn't return Webb's affections? Did Rabb sense it and react accordingly?
"I want two officers in there, watching each other's sixes, just in case your planning turns out to be as shoddy as it usually is," Cresswell announced, "Roberts is married, Turner has a significant other, so that leaves Rabb. Rabb, you and MacKenzie will make the perfect Daddy and Mommy to our precious goods, here. I want you three, along with Ms…."
"Fuentes," the kindly woman provided, adding, "but please call me 'Gloria,' Mister Cresswell."
Nobody knew why, but Gloria had really taken to the General, perhaps it was because of his gentle manner when dealing with Erin. The 'precious goods' was again seated on his knee, this time playing with the medals and ribbons on his shirt, but he didn't say anything about it.
"…along with Gloria," he amended, "out of the state, under assumed names, for the time being."
"Do you really think that is necessary…" Webb again spoke up.
"I will not have my officers shot at!" Cresswell was stern with only his facial expression this time, which Erin could not see at this present time, as opposed to his tone and volume of voice, which she could hear. Still, Webb silently picked up this unspoken rule, as well as the fact that he wasn't likely to get his own way.
"You will have those cover identities waiting on my desk by the end of the day," Cresswell warned the man, "or your director is going to have hell from me, am I understood?"
Webb wisely chose to nod, so that he'd be dismissed and would have as much time as possible to work on his task for the day.
Once he was gone, Mac spoke up.
"Are you certain you need both of us, Sir?" Mac asked, careful with her phrasing, "I mean, Commander Rabb doesn't need to be pulled away from his important cases…"
"Commander Rabb is here to do as I say, Colonel," the General's tone brokered no argument, "and I want two of my officers taking the best of care of this child…"
"Mama!" Erin suddenly exclaimed, joyfully, holding out a service ribbon to Mac, one that she'd pried free from the General's uniform shirt.
'Oh, no, Erin!" Mac quickly took it from her, going to pin in back in place, when she realized that it was her CO's chest she was contemplating.
"Uh, here you go, Sir…" she settled for handing it to him, "And yes, I'm now crystal clear on your reasoning, Sir."
Harm tried to disguise a snigger with a cough, but the General turned a stern eye on him, too.
" I understand, too, Sir," he added, mildly sheepish.
"Good!" Cresswell's tone was as sharp as a rapier, "Dismissed!"
Again, Mac wisely left Erin sitting on his knee.
OOOO