A/N: I concluded something the other night as I watched "Straits of Malacca". I concluded that the definiton of "Vukovic"is "a sneaky, slimy little weasel in dire need of an ass kicking!" I so do not like him! When they couldn't find him on board the Condon (I think?), I said to my friend that I hoped someone had thrown him overboard! No such luck, of course, but it sure woulda been nice. I hated that Harm was in all of one scene, that just irked me. He's not gone yet, people, let's use him as much as possible for crying out loud! I know, I know, they've been filming less and less of him in an effort to cut costs (according to the TV Guide piece anyway), but one scene, that's just crazy. I'm already dreading the March 11 episode, just based on the little bit they showed us and the "intimate moment" shared between Mac and Lt. Weasel, GRRR! I'll be sure to have a foam football handy that night so I can throw it at my TV when necessary. :(
Again, though, enough about how the real world of JAG is sinking fast. On with another shippery chapter... :)
Chapter 39:
"OK, stand right there" said Mattie, holding the camera steady.
"Was the last one not any good?" asked Mac.
"It was" replied Mattie, "but I wanna take another just to be sure we get a really good one." As Harm and Mac stood in the open doorway of their house, Harm holding Ainsley in her car seat, Mattie snapped one more picture of her baby sister's homecoming.
"All done for now" said Mattie. "I'm gonna go get some of the stuff out of the car."
"I'll come help you in a minute" said Harm. "Where should I put her?" he asked Mac.
"On the floor in the living room is fine for now" replied Mac. "She can stay in her seat and sleep while we get everything brought inside."
"OK" said Harm. He sat the car seat down gently in front of the couch, then headed outside. He passed Mattie, who was walking up to the front door with an armload of stuff, most of it Ainsley's gifts from visitors.
"There's tons more out there" she said, "this kid made out like a bandit to say the least!"
"Yeah, she did" replied Harm. He walked to the car and pulled out the suitcase, a plant in a little baby-themed flower pot, a bag filled with more gifts, and a big, stuffed giraffe from his mom. "I have no idea where this thing is gonna go…" he said to himself as he made his way to the house.
"Should I put all this in the nursery, babe?" he asked Mac, who was in the kitchen making herself a snack.
"The suitcase, yeah" she said, "but put all the gifts in the living room. I want to make a list of them in her baby book before we put them away."
"Can do" replied Harm. He sat the gifts down on the couch, and smiled as he looked down at Ainsley, still sound asleep in her carrier.
"I think that's all of it" said Mattie, walking through the front door with 3 gift bags, the freebie diaper bag from the hospital, a vase of pink roses and a big Mylar balloon.
"Thanks for your help" said Harm. "I'm gonna go unpack the suitcase and start a load of laundry" he called to Mac.
"Have at it, babe" said Mac. She walked into the living room, glass of milk in hand, and carefully sat down in the overstuffed chair.
"Still hurt to sit down?" asked Mattie.
"Only if I do it wrong" said Mac, "which interestingly enough seems to be most of the time!" A moment later, Harm returned from having gotten the laundry going, and he had Ainsley's baby book and a pen in his hand. He sat down on the couch and picked up a bag full of gifts.
"What're you doing?" asked Mac.
"I thought I'd get started on listing things in here so we can get them put away faster" he said, "if that's OK?"
"It's more than OK" said Mac, "in fact, if you're gonna be out here working on that, you can keep an eye on her and I can sneak away for a nap."
"Sure, babe" said Harm, "go curl up on the bed. I'll come get you when she needs to eat." Mac stood up, gave him a kiss and walked wearily down the hall.
Harm spent the next hour going through gift bags, carefully and neatly making note of each item and who gave it in the baby book:
Giant stuffed giraffe: Grandma and Grandpa
Pink teddy bear: Chloe
"Little Miracle" T-shirt: Bud and Harriet
Diapers: Bud and Harriet
"It's a Girl" balloon and plant: Uncle Sergei
Blue dress with matching headband: Jen
Pink and white baby blanket: Grandma
Purple outfit with baby cow on front: Mattie
Pooh and Friends storybooks: Little AJ & Jimmy
"My Favorite Airplane" storybook: Grandma
"Thank Heaven for Little Girls" bib and burp cloth set: Sturgis and Varese
One dozen pink roses: Daddy
As Harm glanced at the vase of roses upon the mantle, he heard a whimper. He put the baby book down and got up to check on the baby.
"Hey, beautiful girl" he said as he took Ainsley's blanket off and unbuckled the car seat straps. He lifted her from the seat and kissed her cheek before putting her head upon his shoulder and heading into the nursery to change her diaper.
"I know, I know, how dare daddy change that diaper" said Harm gently as Ainsley laid crying loudly on the changing table. "It's just the worst thing ever, huh?"
"Dang" said Mattie, waking in to see what the baby was crying about and witnessing Harm's diapering skills in action for the first time, "you really are good at that!"
"Thanks" he said as he picked up a now hysterical Ainsley from the changing table and tried to soothe her. "It's really not hard, I don't see why most guys act like it's rocket science."
"Because" said Mattie with a smile, "most guys aren't like you. Face it, you're 'Super Dad'." Harm smiled and gave Mattie a one-arm hug.
"I dunno about 'Super Dad'" he said over the baby's howls, "but I'm doing the best I can, which right now means I need to go wake Mac up."
"Yeah" replied Mattie, "surprised she's not already awake with all the noise."
Harm carried Ainsley the short distance between the nursery and the master bedroom, and found Mac already sitting up in the bed.
"How long have you been awake, babe?" he asked, rubbing the baby's back while Mac got ready to feed her.
"6 minutes" replied Mac, unbuttoning her shirt. "I heard you changing her diaper. She really doesn't enjoy that too much, huh?"
"She does a lot better if she's not hungry" answered Harm, passing Mac the baby.
"You do know I was kidding about you being responsible for every diaper change until you go back to work, right?" asked Mac.
"Yeah" said Harm, "but I really don't mind doing it. After all, you're responsible for every feeding, so why can't I do all the diapering?"
"I'm not about to say you can't if you really want to" said Mac, "but you don't have to."
"I know" said Harm, "but I wanna help you as much as I can."
"You've been a great help with her, Harm" said Mac, moving Ainsley just a little, "and that means a lot to me."
"She's my daughter" said Harm as he sat down beside Mac on the bed, "our daughter. I wanna do everything I can for her and for you." Mac leaned over and kissed him tenderly.
"I need to go switch out the laundry" he said after the kiss broke. "I'll come burp her when she's ready."
"OK" said Mac. She looked down lovingly at the baby in her arms, and felt herself tearing up. Ainsley was so beautiful. Her fine, dark hair covered just a tiny bit of her head. Even at 3 days of age, her complexion was very much like her mother's, something Harm noticed soon after her birth. When she stretched her tiny body out, she illustrated that Mac's theory of the Rabb height being passed on was a very real likelihood. She leaned down and kissed her little girl, and stared at her in loving amazement for the next several minutes. She was almost in tears over her again as Harm came back into the room with a burp cloth already over his shoulder.
"Is she done?" he asked Mac.
"I believe so" replied Mac, blinking away a tear. "I think she's just using me for a pacifier now, she's not really eating anymore."
"OK" said Harm, "let me have her, you go back to sleep."
Mac handed an almost asleep Ainsley to Harm. "When will you get a nap if I sleep all afternoon, babe?" she asked him as she redid the buttons on her shirt.
"I don't need a nap" he assured her as he gently patted the baby's back, "I'm fine. I'd rather you get some sleep."
"OK" said Mac, "but if you get too tired, either come wake me up or ask Mattie to watch her, understood?"
"Understood, Mac" replied Harm. "We'll be fine, though, and I know you'll feel better if you get a few good hours of sleep this afternoon."
"Yeah, I think I will" said Mac. Harm bent down to give her a kiss before she laid back on her pillow. "Thanks, babe."
"Welcome" he said as he carried Ainsley back into the living room. He sat with her in a rocking chair and patted her back until he got a good burp out of her, then he laid her in his lap and began talking to her…
"Has daddy told you today how beautiful you are? I haven't? Well, you're as beautiful as your mommy, yes you are, and until I laid eyes on you, she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Now she's got some competition, but I don't think she minds."
Ainsley looked up at her daddy with a cross-eyed newborn expression.
"You're one of the most loved little girls in all the world, Ainsley Rose. You have so many people who love you - your grandma and grandpa, your big sister, your uncle, all your honorary aunts and uncles and cousins, of course your mommy and I…" His words were interrupted by a ring of the doorbell, and he carried the baby with him as he went to see who it was. He looked through the peephole and smiled as he unlocked the door.
"Hey, sir - I mean, AJ" said Harm, "Come on in!"
"Is this a good time?" asked the retired Admiral.
"Sure is" replied Harm, "the little miss here just finished eating, Mac's napping for awhile, and Mattie is around here somewhere."
"Well, good" said AJ. "I didn't make it out to the hospital, so I wanted to stop by and see how everyone was doing."
"We're doing good" said Harm, "here, come have a seat."
"Thanks" said AJ, following Harm into the living room and taking a seat on the couch.
"Would you like to hold her?" Harm asked him.
"Of course I would" replied AJ.
"Well, here you go" said Harm as he gently handed the sleeping baby over to his former CO.
"Hello, angel" whispered AJ as he looked down at Ainsley. "Aren't you just the prettiest little girl there ever was?"
"We think so" said Harm, "but rumor has it we might be a bit biased" he added with a little laugh.
"One thing you'll find, if you haven't already" said AJ, "is that objectivity about ones own child is often very hard to come by."
"Understood, sir" said Harm. AJ noticed the "sir" but let it go.
"So, how's fatherhood treating you?" asked AJ.
"Oh, I'm loving every minute of it, AJ" said Harm, "it's more amazing and more wonderful than I ever imagined, and she's only been here a few days."
"Funny how someone so small can have such a big effect on us, huh?" replied the retired Admiral. "I remember when my little girl was born, I felt the same way you do now."
"As in you were totally hooked from the moment you saw her?" asked Harm.
"Hook, line and sinker" said AJ. "Hell, even as old as Francesca is now, she's still got my heart on a string, no doubt always will."
"Yeah" said Harm with a smile, "I know the feeling, one I'm sure Ainsley will use to her advantage someday."
"That's a really pretty name" said AJ, "where'd it come from anyway?"
"Mac saw it in a baby name book" explained Harm, "and took a liking to it. We didn't decide on her name until she was a day old, but Mac had that one on her list and we agreed it was a perfect fit."
"What's her middle name again?" asked AJ, gently caressing the back of Ainsley's tiny hand. "I know you told me on the phone, but I forgot."
"Rose" replied Harm. "As in…"
"The White House Rose Garden, no doubt" replied AJ with a grin. "It definitely works."
"Yeah" said Harm, "we both had 'Rose' picked as a middle name for a girl, guess we're kind of sentimental that way."
"Nothing wrong with that" said AJ, "besides, I think it's very fitting."
"Well, thank you, sir" said Harm, again reverting back to the Admiral's pre-retirement days. "Hey, come see her nursery!"
"I'd love to" said AJ, looking down at the still sleeping baby in his arms. "Do you want her back?"
"Not unless you're tired of holding her" laughed Harm.
"Well, if that's the criteria you're basing things on" said AJ, "you may never get her back!"
"Oh, trust me" laughed Harm, "when she wakes up hungry and starts screaming like a banshee, you'll gladly give her back!"
"You have a point!" agreed AJ as the two men walked down the hall and into the nursery. Harm opened the blinds to let the sunlight in.
"Wow" replied AJ, "I don't know much about this sort of stuff, but I think it looks really nice." The furniture he'd given them as a shower gift was all there. The Pooh bedding set, which came from the Creswell's, was all in place except for the comforter, which was hanging on the wall adjacent to the dresser. There was a 4 foot high bookshelf, which didn't have much on it yet but it still looked nice, and next to it sat the glider rocker. On the wall behind the crib was Ainsley's name spelled out in quilted letters, hand-made by Harm's mom in record time and hung up by Mattie just in time for the baby's homecoming. On the dresser sat the Navy and Marine teddy bears from Sturgis and Varese, and the silver picture frame with the special picture from Harm's mom.
"Thanks" said Harm, "we're happy with it."
"Did you paint it yourself?" asked AJ.
"Sure did" replied Harm, "got slowed down a bit with the car accident, but I still got it done in time."
"How're you doing with your recovery" asked AJ, "any after-effects at all?"
"Not really" said Harm, "I'm still working to get full strength back in my knees, but other than that I feel really good."
"Well, if Ainsley here is anything like Francesca was" said AJ, "all the sleepless nights you'll spend in the coming months walking her through the house, begging her to go to sleep will get those knees back in shape."
"I think you're right" said Harm, "but you know, crazy as it sounds, I'm looking forward to those nights. I mean, not the part where she's upset and won't sleep, but the part where she needs me and I get to spend that time with her."
"I understand" replied AJ. As the men stood in the nursery, one reminiscing about the past, the other dreaming about the future, Mattie walked in.
"Uncle AJ!" she said, "I didn't know you were here!"
"I came by to see the baby" replied AJ, giving Mattie a hug with his available arm. "How are you, kid?"
"Great" she answered, "I'm loving this 'big sister thing'."
"I bet you are" said AJ, "she's a cutie, isn't she?"
"The cutest!" exclaimed Mattie, leaning in to kiss Ainsley's nose. "Who do you think she looks like?" she asked him.
"Hmm…" replied AJ as he looked closely at the baby. "Well, her complexion is definitely Mac's, the hair could go either way, what color are her eyes?"
"Still kind of blue-ish gray for now" said Harm, "but the pediatrician said they'll change within a few months."
"I see" said AJ. "It's hard to say who she takes after just yet, Mattie, but give her a few months and I'm sure we'll see some very definite resemblances to one or the other."
"Yeah" said Mattie, "that's what I'm thinking, too."
"Has the dryer buzzed yet, Mats?" asked Harm.
"Yeah" she replied, "but don't worry about it. I already took the dry load out and hung it up and put the next load in."
"Thank you" said Harm with a yawn. "I was gonna go do it, but you're one step ahead of me."
"Looks like your daddy needs a nap, Ainsley" said AJ.
"Nah, I'm alright" said Harm.
"How many hours out of the last 96 have you spent sleeping?" asked AJ.
"Oh, I'd guess maybe 12 or so" replied Harm, "I didn't sleep but 2 or 3 hours the night she was born, but the couple nights after that were better."
"Don't let yourself get run down" said AJ, "make sure you get some rest this afternoon."
"That sounds a lot like an order" chuckled Harm.
"If you'd like to interpret it as such" said AJ, "I won't stop you! Oh, hey, what's wrong little love, huh?" he asked as Ainsley began to squirm and fuss.
Harm glanced at his watch and thought for a moment. "I dunno. She shouldn't be hungry for another hour or so."
"Well here" said AJ, "why don't you take her and see if she'll settle down while I go get something out of my car?"
"Alright" said Harm. "What's wrong, angel?" he asked as he took Ainsley from AJ. He swayed gently back and forth with her as he rubbed her little back. "Let's go back out here" he said, "let's go see what the Admiral brought, OK?"
A short time later, AJ returned from his car with an envelope in his hand.
"Just a little something special for the family" said AJ, setting it down on the table in front of Harm.
"Oh, thank you, AJ" replied Harm as Ainsley began to cry harder. "I'll look at it here in a sec."
"Any chance she's hungry?" asked AJ. "I know you said it's early, but…"
"I was just thinking the same thing" said Harm, standing up to take the baby to her mother. "I'll be right back."
"I'll be here" said AJ with a smile. He sat on the couch and looked around the room. His officers had made a right nice home for themselves and their family, and he liked to think he played a part in it in some small way.
"Was she hungry?" he asked as Harm came back and sat down across from him.
"Very" answered Harm. "Mac said she'll come out and visit after she feeds the baby."
"Great" replied AJ as he noticed Harm looking at the envelope on the table. "Go ahead" he said, "open it up." Harm took it in his hand and lifted the flap, reached inside and pulled out a single sheet of paper. He unfolded and read it, a big smile coming across his face.
"Wow" he said as he finished reading. "This is really great, AJ, Mac's gonna love it."
"I thought she would" said the retired Admiral.
"I'll tell her about it when she gets out here. Would you like something to drink" asked Harm, "beer, soda, anything?"
"Iced tea?" asked AJ.
"Coming right up" replied Harm as he headed towards the kitchen. He returned a minute later with two glasses of iced tea.
"Thanks" said AJ as he took his drink.
"Welcome" replied Harm. "So, what keeps you busy these days?"
"Anything I damn well choose to do!" laughed AJ. "How's life at JAG?"
"It's good" said Harm, "the General's way of commanding took a lot of getting used to, but I think everyone has settled into their niche."
"Glad to hear it" said AJ. "Sometimes I miss being there, then I wake up!" Harm couldn't help but laugh at that one.
"What's so funny?" asked Mac as she walked into the room carrying Ainsley.
"Oh, AJ was just commenting on how much he wishes he was still the JAG" joked Harm.
"Somehow I doubt that!" replied Mac. "How are you, sir?" she asked. "I mean, AJ."
"I'm wonderful, Mac" he said, standing up to hug her. "Congratulations on the little beauty there."
"Thank you" she said, "have you gotten to hold her?"
"Oh yes" said AJ, "It took me back about 33 years. Been awhile since I held one that little."
"Here, babe" said Harm, "come look at this." He picked up the piece of paper that AJ had brought.
"What is it?" she asked as she sat down next to Harm and took the paper from him.
"You'll see" he said. Mac carefully read the paper, a letter from a photographer friend of AJ's. By the time she finished reading, the same smile that had graced Harm's face by the end graced hers.
"Oh my gosh!" she said. "This is great! Thank you, AJ!"
"You're quite welcome" he replied.
"How'd you manage to do this?" Harm asked him.
AJ explained. "He called me a few months back and we got to shooting the breeze, and he mentioned he'd love to come to DC and do a shoot but he didn't have any clients in the area. Knowing that all new parents want pictures of their baby, I told him that if he could wait a few more months, I knew of the perfect family for the shoot."
"Wow" said Harm again, "well, we really appreciate you thinking of us for this."
"We'll make sure you get some pictures from it" said Mac, "I promise!"
"I'll hold you to that!" said AJ. "Damn, look at the time, I better be going. Mac, enjoy the little one there."
"Oh, I already am" she said.
"Well" said Harm, standing up to walk AJ to the door. "It was great to see you, thanks for coming by" he said as he extended his hand.
"Oh, to hell with a handshake" said AJ as he gave Harm a solid hug, "I'm proud of you, son, you did good."
"Thank you, sir" replied Harm, this time calling him "sir" on purpose.
"Any idea on a wedding date yet?" whispered AJ.
"Nope" replied Harm quietly, "but I'm hoping it'll be within a few months."
"Ah yes, gotta let Mac get her figure back" chuckled AJ.
"Precisely" laughed Harm. "Drive carefully, and please feel free to come see Ainsley whenever you'd like."
"I just may do that" replied AJ as he stepped out the door. "Good seeing you, Harm."
"Same to you, AJ" he replied, stepping back and closing the door. He walked back into the living room, expecting to see Mac still sitting on the couch with the baby, but neither of them were there.
"Mac?" he called, walking towards the master bedroom.
"In here" she answered from the nursery.
"What'cha doing, babe?' he asked as he entered the room.
"Changing her diaper" replied Mac. "I know, I know, it's 'your job', but you were visiting and I had her and it didn't make sense for me to save it for you."
"That's fine, Mac" said Harm. "Hey, are you hungry?"
"Starving" answered Mac, "are you gonna cook?"
"No, I'm too tired" replied Harm, "but I'll call out for pizza if that sounds OK?"
"Have you ever known me to turn down pizza" said Mac, "except when I was pregnant and couldn't stand anything about it?"
"Never" said Harm with a smile. "What would you like on it?"
"Pepperoni and mushrooms" said Mac, "and I'm sure Mattie will want her usual."
"Double cheese and Italian sausage" said Harm, "got it. You want me to take her, babe?" he asked, nodding towards Ainsley.
"No" replied Mac, picking the baby up from the changing table, "I'll put her in her swing and work on putting some of her gifts away. You've had her all day, you need a break."
"I don't so much need a break" said Harm through a giant yawn, "as I need a nap."
"Well" said Mac, "as soon as we finish dinner, you can go lay down."
"Did you get enough sleep?" he asked her.
"I got 3 hours or so" replied Mac, "I'm good, but you need to slow down a bit and get some rest or you'll end up returning to JAG as a zombie."
"Odds are that'll happen anyway" laughed Harm, "I mean, we've got a new baby to take care of, let's face it, that means very little sleep for awhile."
"Yes" agreed Mac, "but while you're home these couple weeks, we can trade off napping so neither of us gets overwhelmed."
"Sounds like a plan to me" said Harm, kissing Mac and Ainsley before leaving to order the pizza.
Mac carried the baby into the living room and put her into the swing. She buckled her in and turned it on, and within less than a minute, Ainsley was fast asleep.
"Good" thought Mac, "maybe I can get all this finished before dinner." She looked in the baby book to see what Harm had listed already so she'd know what could be put away.
"Where do you think the best place for this is?" she asked him, holding the stuffed giraffe in her hand.
"Not sure" he replied as he flopped down on the couch next to her and laid his head back. "Over there in the corner, maybe?"
"Let's see how it looks" said Mac. She carried the giraffe over and placed it in the corner, then stood back to assess the appearance.
"I like it" she said, "how about you?"
When he didn't answer, she looked over at the couch and found him sacked out right where he sat. She smiled, grabbed a throw blanket from the back of the couch and covered him with it.
"Have a good nap, my love" she said, "you've certainly earned it."
A/N: Next chapter should be up in a couple days...