Disclaimer: Since no one is using them in tv land anymore, I'll take 'em! ;)
Chapter 64:
"Time to awaken, beautiful wife of mine" whispered Harm into Mac's ear. He'd awakened at 7:00 and taken his shower while she slept, and it was now nearly 7:45.
"Unhh, don't want to yet" mumbled Mac as she pulled the covers up higher around herself and snuggled into her pillow.
Harm laughed a little as he leaned closer to her. "Sleepy, babe?" he asked, kissing the tip of her ear ever so gently.
"Yeeeessss" she groaned, "now go away and lemme sleep."
"Well" he replied with a grin, "I can't imagine what could cause you to be so sleepy. I mean, we were in bed before midnight."
She answered him without moving a muscle. "We weren't asleep till after 3."
"Well, yeah" he said, "if you wanna claim that has anything to do with it, I guess I'll allow it."
"Oh, you'll allow it, will you?" she asked, rolling towards him, a look of humored amusement on her face.
"Yes, I will" he replied, his blue eyes twinkling as he buttoned up the shirt he'd thrown on after his shower. "But if you don't get out of bed and get showered and dressed, we're not gonna be where we need to be by the time we need to be there."
"Why didn't you say so, silly?" asked Mac as she tossed the covers off of herself and sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I didn't know we had a timetable today!"
"Well, we do" replied Harm. "It's not set in stone or anything, but I'd like to get to where we're going before 9:00 so we can beat the crowd."
"Crowd, huh?" queried Mac as she rummaged through her suitcase in search of a bra and panties.
"Mm-hmm" said Harm, "could be a big one, never can tell."
Mac chuckled. "My husband, Mr. Cryptic!"
"Only this week, babe" he said. "After that, you'll always know what's on my mind."
"I'm not sure we need to go that far" laughed Mac as she headed for the bathroom.
"How long you think you'll be in there?" he asked as he pulled his socks on.
"However long it takes me to use this thing" she said, grabbing her double breast pump, "and shower. Maybe a half hour or so."
"I see the internal clock is still in the shop" said Harm as he noticed she didn't give him a concrete timeframe.
"Don't worry" smiled Mac, "it'll be back soon enough."
"What should I wear?" asked Mac as she stood over her open suitcase. "Casually comfy, like you?"
"That'd be best" replied Harm, "and comfy shoes for sure."
"Hmm…" said Mac as she dug through her clothes.
"I'll be right back, babe" said Harm, "I'm gonna go down and get a newspaper."
"OK" she answered, pulling a few items from the stack of clothes. "I guess this will work…" she said to herself.
"Hey, you look great" said Harm upon returning with the newspaper and finding his wife standing in front of the mirror, dressed and blow drying her hair. She had on jeans, a long sleeved pink shirt and a light blue fleece pullover.
"Thanks" she said, turning the hair dryer off and reaching for her brush. "It's the comfiest thing I brought that will go with my tennis shoes."
"It'll be perfect" said Harm, moving her hair up off of her neck so he could kiss her bare skin.
"Hey now" she said, feeling the goose bumps all over her body, "none of that or we'll never make it to where we need to be by 9:00."
"I know, I know" said Harm, "just couldn't resist. It is almost 20 till 9:00 though, you think you'll be ready in the next 10 minutes?"
"I'll be ready in about 3 minutes" she answered. "Just need to brush my teeth and throw a few things together."
"What things are you planning on taking" he asked, "considering you don't even know where we're going yet?"
"I figure" said Mac as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush, "that wherever it is, we'll be out all day, which means I'll take the things I always take when we go out all day."
"There's no tricking you, is there Marine?" said Harm with a smile. "We'll indeed be out all day and probably part of the night as well, so bring whatever you think you'll need."
"OK" mumbled Mac, her mouth full of minty suds.
She finished in the bathroom and hurried towards the closet to dig out her backpack. She grabbed a bottle of sun block, an umbrella, lip gloss, gum, hand cream and some Tylenol and tossed them into the bag.
"Where's the camera, babe?" she asked Harm.
"I think it's on the shelf over here" he said, "lemme see." He stood up and looked atop the shelf near the bathroom. "Yep, got it" he said, taking the small camera bag down and handing it to her.
"Thanks" she replied. "Lemme think - got that, that, that, oh, almost forgot…" her voice trailing off as she knelt down and searched for something in one of her other bags.
"Definitely don't wanna forget this!" she said, holding up her manually-powered breast pump.
"No, we don't!" agreed Harm. "We can't have you miserable come this afternoon" he said, "we'll be having too much fun."
"Oh really?" asked Mac, clearly becoming more intrigued as she finished packing her backpack.
"Yep" replied Harm, "lots of it, too."
"Well then" she said as she pulled the backpack over her shoulder, "what are we waiting for?"
"Oh my gosh, Harm" she squealed as they neared the entrance to the Six Flags Astroworld parking lots. "I haven't been to a Six Flags park since I was in junior high!"
"Really?" he asked, "that long? Wow!"
"Yeah, that long" she said, "but I love thrill rides, which of course you already know or we wouldn't be coming here, but this is gonna be such a blast!"
"I hope it is" he replied with a warm smile. "Where should we park?" he asked.
"Someplace where we won't lose the car" she said. "These lots are enormous."
"I don't expect there'll be a full house here today though" he said, "being the off-season and all, but just to be safe, we'll park right here, OK?"
"Works for me" she said as the convertible came to a stop directly beneath a sign bearing the likeness of Bugs Bunny and the number 9.
"Bugs Bunny 9" he said, "remember that."
"Got it, flyboy" she replied, reaching to the floor to get the backpack.
"Think we need sun block yet?" she asked.
Harm thought for a moment. "Nah, not yet, but by early afternoon it'd probably be a good idea."
"OK" she said, zipping the bag up and stepping out of the car.
"Give me that" he said, "you don't need to be carrying this."
"Why not?" asked Mac, "it's not heavy."
"I know" he answered, sliding his arm through the strap before reaching down to take hold of her hand. "I just want to carry it for you, that's all."
Mac leaned into him, resting her head on his arm as they walked towards the gate.
"Oh, I wanna ride that first!" exclaimed Mac as she saw the Texas Cyclone roller coaster in the near distance. It was a figure-eight style coaster, much like one at a park back east, only this one was taller and faster and something Mac just couldn't resist.
"Lead the way, my dear" said Harm as Mac grabbed his hand.
They made their way through the small crowd and towards the entrance to the coaster.
"Wanna sit in the very front or the very back?" asked Mac.
"Back, please" replied Harm with a slight laugh. "I'm not a fan of the front of these things, babe."
"Back it is, then!" she said as they got in line. Moments later, the coaster pulled up to the loading platform and the riders stepped off as the operator came over the loudspeaker.
"When the gate opens" he said, "please watch your step as you board the ride. Pull the lap bar down as low as you can, one of us will be by to check it momentarily."
"You wanna get in first?" asked Harm as he carefully tossed the backpack into one of the holding bins near the platform.
"Sure" answered Mac, holding onto his hand as she stepped into the car. Once she was seated, he climbed in beside her.
"That's hard to move" she said as she took a hold of the lap bar and tried to lower it.
"I'll get it, babe" said Harm. With one hand, he was able to bring the bar down until they felt it lock into place.
"My big, strong hubby" smiled Mac, "whatever would I do without you?"
"I haven't the foggiest idea" replied Harm, tipping his head sideways and giving her a little flyboy smile.
The operator and his assistant ran along both sides of the coaster car, making sure everyone was safely secured. They returned to their stations, and with the turn of a key and the press of a button…
"Oh, here we go!" said Mac as she felt the coaster car begin to jerk slightly.
Harm reached his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"You'll wanna move that before we get to the top of the hill" she said, nodding towards his arm.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I'll end up smacking you in the face when I throw my arms up in the air" laughed Mac.
"Oh, yeah" replied Harm, "forgot about that!"
The coaster trudged up the hill, the ground below shrinking with each passing moment.
"Ooooh..." said Mac as they reached the top of the hill, "I love this part!"
Not wishing to leave the ride with a shiner, Harm quickly removed his arm from around her shoulders.
"She's beautiful when she's having fun" he thought to himself. No sooner had he completed that thought than…
"Here we go!" she exclaimed as the coaster rounded the top of the hill.
She threw her arms into the air, screaming with glee as the momentum carried them down and around, up, over and back down again.
Harm wasn't much of one for screaming on thrill rides, or for letting go of that lap bar.
He held tight the whole time, which could've been mistaken for a sign that he wasn't enjoying himself, but that wouldn't have been further from the truth.
Two minutes and some odd seconds later, the ride ended and the coaster returned to the loading platform.
The operator pressed the button to release the lap bars, and all at once the passengers began to disembark.
Harm stood up first, holding his hand out to Mac.
"Thanks" she said, taking a hold and pulling herself into a standing position.
"I'm gonna grab the backpack" he said as they stepped out of the car they were in.
"OK" she replied, walking to the exit ramp to wait for him.
"What'd you think?" she asked him when he rejoined her and they began their stroll down the ramp.
"It was great" he replied. "Of course I'm not quite the coaster enthusiast that you are, but I liked that one."
"Me, too" she said. "I love the feeling of being so totally out of control while having so much fun."
Harm smirked and pulled her near. "Now that I can agree with, baby."
Mac smacked him playfully on the behind.
"Insatiable, I swear…" she mumbled with a smile.
"I'm not the only one" he countered.
"Oh…my…gosh!" exclaimed Harm as they neared the top of the Dungeon Drop tower. They were overlooking the entire park as they sat harnessed into their seats, which had been slowly taken up, up, up until they were over 20 stories nearer to the sky. "I can not believe you talked me into this, Mac!"
"Oh, come on" she laughed, "you're a pilot, Harm - you've been way higher than this before!"
"Yes" he replied, "while encapsulated inside the cockpit! This, this is sheer lunacy!"
"You're so funny" said Mac. Half a second later…
"AAAHHHHH!" The ride went into motion, going from zero to 60 in no time flat, sending the riders straight back towards the earth. Just when it seemed like it'd go right into the ground below, it slowed and the seating clusters bounced back up some 50-odd feet.
"WHOA!" exclaimed Harm as he retained a death grip on the handles, the seats still moving up and down at various heights as the ride drew to a close. "THAT was CRAZY!"
Mac's laughter was two-fold. She was laughing out of joy because she loved that kind of ride so much. She was also laughing at her husband and his obvious dislike of said ride.
"Don't wanna do this one again, huh?" kidded Mac.
"HELL no!" exclaimed Harm. "In fact, when we get off this death trap, I think we'll take a little break from the rides and do some shopping."
"It's not a 'death trap', babe" replied Mac, "but you know I can't pass up a chance to shop, so OK!"
They left the Dungeon Drop and walked down one of the many paths that wound through the park, eventually coming to a gift shop.
"Wanna see what they've got?" asked Mac.
"Sure" answered Harm, stepping just a bit in front of her so he could get the door.
They entered the small, climate-controlled shop and were bombarded with a plethora of souvenirs - shirts, hats, stuffed toys, T-shirts and hundreds of other items all bearing the park name in some form or fashion.
"I want shirts for you, me and the baby" said Mac.
"OK, babe" said Harm as he began spinning the postcard rack. "Get whatever you want for whomever you want, it's fine."
"Oh boy!" replied Mac, "you may regret saying that, flyboy - you know how I love to shop!"
Harm just nodded and smiled, keeping silent as he browsed the postcards.
Mac went over to the children's section and looked through the selection of infant wear. It took a few moments, but she found one that was perfect for Ainsley. It was a pink T-shirt with the words "Six Flags Astroworld, Houston, Texas" stitched on the front in blue gingham lettering.
She smiled as she held the shirt in her hands, remembering how much she missed her little girl. Knowing if she didn't shift her thoughts quickly, she'd be in tears, she walked to the other side of the store to look for shirts for herself and Harm.
"Find anything?" he asked as he joined her.
"Yeah" she said, holding up the baby's shirt.
"Oh, that's cute" said Harm, reaching out and taking it from her. "She'll look adorable in it."
"Name one thing she owns that she doesn't look adorable in" said Mac.
"True" said Harm. "After all, she's her mother's daughter."
Mac looked at him and smiled. She knew how he felt about her, but it never got old hearing it.
"How about this one and this one for us?" she asked, holding up a couple different T-shirts.
"Yeah, they're great" said Harm. "Is that all you want to get, was there anything else?"
"I'm not seeing much else here" she said, "besides I'm getting hungry, so why don't we pay for this stuff and go find a restaurant?"
"Certainly, my dear" said Harm, holding his hand out to take the shirts from her. "I'll take care of this if you wanna go look at the map out there and pick a place for lunch."
"Alright" she said, following him as far as the register before stepping outside to find the map posted on the side of the building. By the time he came outside, she'd made her mind up.
"How about Italian?" she asked him.
"Works for me" he said. "Where is it?"
"A little ways in that direction" she said, pointing to the left.
"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm to his bride.
"You know I'd go anywhere with you, babe" she answered, wrapping her arm into his.
"That was good" said Mac as she finished her pizza. "Not as good as some I've had, but for where we are, it wasn't bad at all."
"Yeah" said Harm, twisting the last bite of spaghetti onto his fork, "this wasn't bad either. You want dessert or anything?"
"No, thanks" said Mac as she leaned back in the booth, looked at the clock on the wall, then sat up again. "Can you pass me the backpack, please, babe?"
"Sure" he replied, handing the bag over the table.
"Thanks" she said as she went to slide out of the booth. "I'll be a few minutes, you wanna wait here or meet up someplace?"
"I'll wait here" he said after swallowing his last bite, "it doesn't take you that long, it's fine."
"OK" she said, leaning down to kiss him, "be back as soon as I can."
She headed into the ladies room and found an open stall. Shutting herself inside, she dug her breast pump out of the backpack and snapped it together.
"I'll be glad when I don't have to do this 6 times a day and twice every night" she thought to herself. It was something she had to do, though, otherwise her body would decide that week that she wasn't nursing anymore and her supply would begin to diminish. She was really trying to keep her promise to Harm and not think too much about the baby, but there were some times - at least 6 of them a day and two at night- where it was impossible to think of anything else.
"All set?" she asked Harm when she returned to the table and found him enjoying a milkshake.
"Yep" he answered. "Here, got you one, too" he said, handing her a lidded Styrofoam cup with a straw already in place.
"Aww, that was sweet" she said, "what flavor?"
Harm simply looked at her and smiled.
"Chocolate?" she asked, her voice hopeful.
"Not just chocolate" he replied, "double chocolate with Oreo crumbles."
"Ooohhhh…" said Mac as she put the straw to her lips and sucked down a large gulp. "You have no idea how good this tastes, babe!"
"You said you wanted to go crazy with chocolate this week" he said, "so I thought I'd help nudge you towards the brink of insanity."
"Well this is a great way to start!" exclaimed Mac before taking another taste of her shake and thinking again of what a wonderful man she'd married.
A/N: I know that none of the Six Flags parks are open in January, but for my purposes, this one was. :)
In keeping with the thrill of all my fellow shippers over the ending of the finale the other night, I came across a very interesting interview over the weekend. It's at www dot paramount dot com slash television slash jag dash bellisario dot htm (or you can go to www dot paramount dot com and choose television, then choose JAG and it should take you there), and it's DPB talking about the legacy that he feels JAG will leave behind. It confirmed one of my fears, the one that the finale ending wasn't going to be shippery because of the chance that there was going to be a season 11. I was right! DPB CHANGED THE ENDING when the show got cancelled! Had CBS not chosen to make the announcement a month earlier than usual, we would NOT have gotten a shippery ending! We would have gotten the "ambiguous" one that DPB spoke of in an interview he did in February that had me sooooo mad! I guess this means all us shippers owe the execs at CBS a big thank you for getting their minds made up when they did, otherwise the ambiguity of the ending wouldn't have been who was going to give up their commission and where the wedding was going to be, it would have been if they were even together at ALL!
On the plus side, DPB also said in this interview that a JAG TV movie in the future is a possibility! It better be, they left too many big questions unanswered, the "baby deal resolution" being among the biggest!