A/N: Thank you for all the great reviews, y'all are the best. :) We're nearing the end of this story, but for those wondering, yes, there will definitely be a sequel. Keep the following thought with youas you read this chapter: keep an open mind! ;)
Thanks always to She'sAShipper for her creative nudges and ideas along the way. :)
Chapter 86:
A few weeks later, Harm decided that the Rabb family could use some down time, so on his way home from JAG he stopped for pizzas and a video. It had been awhile since they all sat as a family and did something fun. He thought it would be nice if they spent some time together.
When he walked in, bringing the aroma of pizza with him, Mac smiled. "Hi, honey!" she greeted, holding Ainsley facing forward. "Say hi to daddy, sweet girl."
"Hey, it's two of my favorite girls" he said with a smile, leaning down to kiss Mac on the lips and Ainsley on the forehead. "I got dinner, hope you're hungry."
"We are hungry" Mac replied. "You want pizza?" she asked Ainsley.
"You wanna give her pizza?" he asked in surprise. "She only has 4 teeth, I don't know if she can chew it."
"She can chew the crust" Mac replied. "It'll help that fifth tooth I thought I saw yesterday. What's in the bag?"
"Bruce Almighty" said Harm as he tossed his jacket over the back of the sofa and returned to the kitchen. "Looks really funny."
"Okay" Mac replied. "Two slices to start?"
"Yeah" he answered, opening the fridge to get drinks. "You want Sprite or Coke?"
"Sprite" Mac replied as she sat Ainsley in her high chair. "Did you tell Mattie she could go out tonight?"
"On the condition that she finishes her homework tomorrow night" he said.
"Just checking" Mac replied. "Want to eat in the living room?"
"Of course" he smiled, "much easier to watch the TV if you're in the same room with it."
Mac smiled and set the baby up in the living room with them. She cut the crust off one of her slices and gave it to the baby to gum, then set Harm's and her plates on the coffee table. He returned in a minute with the drinks and turned on the TV. Ainsley laughed and banged her treat on the tray of her chair with a big smile.
Harm laughed. "I think someone likes pizza crust."
Mac smiled. "She does." She settled in against the couch and ate her pizza. "Mmm. This is really good. What gave you this idea?"
"I thought it'd be a nice treat" he said. "Actually, I've thought a lot lately about doing this sort if thing every week."
"Really?" Mac asked. "That's a really sweet idea honey. Oh, it's starting."
Harm and Mac watched the movie and ate in silence, occasionally laughing at something funny on the screen. When they finished the pizza and Ainsley had destroyed three pieces of crust, Harm paused the film and helped Mac toss out the paper plates and refresh their drinks. When they resumed the film, she snuggled up against him, the baby now in her lap. He sighed and put his arm around them both, occasionally kissing Mac's temple or Ainsley's little hand.
"This is nice" he whispered to her. "Really nice."
"Yeah it is" Mac replied. "Right baby?"
Ainsley laughed and tossed her little head. "I think she agrees, mommy" Harm smiled.
They sat that way for the rest of the evening; Harm holding tightly to his precious girls, thinking that at this moment there was no where in the world he'd rather be than right there, with them in his arms.
As the weeks progressed and the time for Harm's decision on whether or not to keep his wings drew nearer, he though a lot about his wife and his daughters. Did he really want to risk being with them for the sake of his wings? He'd had his fun; he'd lived his dream for a time after all, hadn't he? He made the decision to at least have the physical and see if he could pass it, if he couldn't he didn't have anything to think about.
The day of Harm's flight physical was dismal and stormy. Ainsley was running yet another teething temperature and Mac had no choice but to stay home with her. The late June storm was doing nothing to settle the baby's tears and neither was Mac's nervous pacing about the living room floor. She wanted Harm to be well enough to fly, because that meant he was truly mended from that awful back episode earlier that year, but part of her dreaded a good result, fearing that it meant his return to the skies.
It was just passed 1900 when Harm finally got home from Bethesda, greeted by his wife holding his crying daughter as she paced and bounced her up and down, making nonsense shushing noises to calm her tears.
"Hi, babe" he called when he came in. "Made it."
"Hi" Mac replied. "How bad is it out there?"
"Plenty bad enough" he answered. "What's wrong with her?"
"Fever, and I think she's scared of thunder" Mac replied as she continued to bounce the baby.
"Here" he said holding his arms out to her. "Let me try, you've been with her all day."
Mac gladly handed Ainsley over to Harm and collapsed down on the sofa. "How did it go?"
"Well...I passed" he said plainly as he gently soothed his little girl as best he could.
"That's good" Mac replied. "Isn't it?"
He nodded. "It is in that my body has healed to the point where the Navy will let me fly in combat again" he said. "But...I was almost hoping to fail, just so I could say 'it was out of my hands', you know?"
Mac sighed. "I know that. But it is in your hands now, and you are going to have to make a decision soon." She was leaning against the back of the sofa with her eyes closed. Her head was throbbing from the humid air and the baby's wails.
"Do you want me to take her out for awhile so you can have some peace and quiet?" he asked. "I know your head hurts, sweetie."
"No" Mac replied. "It's too yucky outside for her. Just try and make her stop, maybe put her in the tub and cool her off."
"Why is it so hot in here?" he asked. "I've been home 5 minutes and I'm sweating like a pig."
"The air quit working this morning" Mac replied. "They can't get someone out here until Thursday."
"Oh, lovely" he said sarcastically. "End of June, dead of summer, a sick baby and no air conditioning."
"Is she hot like sweaty or just hot?" Mac asked him rubbing her temples. "I lost track two hours ago."
Just then Mattie, who'd been hiding out upstairs bounded down dressed in Daisy Duke shorts and a tank top. "I'm outta here, its way too hot."
"Where are you planning on going?" asked Harm.
"Over to Kim's" Mattie replied. "Her A/C is working and the music choice" she looked at Ainsley, "is somewhat better."
Harm couldn't help but smile. "Just be back before 2200, okay?"
"Not unless the A/C is fixed" Mattie replied. "This is for the birds."
"I'm not sure if we'll be spending the night here or not" said Harm, "and in the event we're not, I need you here by 2200 so we can pack a few things and go."
"Can I call?" Mattie asked.
"Mattie, your dad told you what he wanted you to do, now do it" Mac replied from her spot on the couch. "Or better yet, you can stay here and help with your sister."
"2200 it is" sighed Mattie.
"Good" Mac replied and remained still until she heard the door slam. "You have to do something about her."
"Nothing to do, really" he said with a smile. "She's 16, enough said."
"She stayed up there all day since school let out with that stereo blaring, she didn't even try to help me with the baby" Mac sighed. "Can you get her teething ring? Try that again."
"Yeah" he said as he headed towards the freezer. "I'll talk with her soon, when we're not all hot and grumpy. I'm thinking we should go to a hotel until the A/C is fixed, what do you think?"
"I'm in no mood to go anywhere" Mac replied. "Call them up again or look at it yourself or something."
"Mac, I know nothing about air conditioners" he said, holding the teething ring in Ainsley's mouth. "I highly doubt my calling would get anyone out here any faster. Why don't you just lie down and rest, and I'll get everything packed and we can go to that new hotel next to Dr. Kendall's office? If we stay here, no one will sleep a wink."
"What good will that do? We're not going to sleep anyway with your daughter rehearsing for her Met audition" Mac replied.
He sat down beside her. "Then how about I stay here with her and you go check into the hotel? You need a break; you're exhausted, I can tell."
"No, I can't do that again, be away from you overnight" Mac replied. "Not until I have to." The baby reared back just then and spit out the ring, letting out a fresh set of wails.
"Ainsley Rose Rabb" sighed Harm as he repositioned the hysterical 9-month-old in his arms. "What is daddy gonna do with you, hmm?"
"Call a hotel" Mac replied sighing. "I'm going to take a shower and try to cool off a bit. If we can't get a hotel call AJ or Bud. We have to have a serious talk and we can't do it in here."
"What exactly do we need to talk about that's so serious?" he asked, having some idea but needing to check it out.
"I think you know. In two weeks you are going to have to tell Captain Hendricks if you plan to re-qualify, we need to talk about that" Mac replied.
His hunch had been right. "I know. I'll see where we can go for tonight, go take a nice cool shower. Has she been fed lately?"
"She won't eat" Mac replied. "That's all she does."
"She hasn't eaten anything all day?" he asked. "No wonder she's in a mood, poor baby."
"She ate some cereal for breakfast, would only nurse at lunch for about ten minutes, she spit all her supper at me...I hope it's just her teeth" Mac replied.
"I think it is" he said, Ainsley still whimpering as she tried to get her daddy's finger to the back of her mouth to gnaw on it. "Go on, we'll be fine."
Mac smiled at him and headed for the shower. She set it to cool and stood under the spray, washing the sweat and grime from her body. She could hear the baby's cries through the falling water until finally she heard nothing but blessed silence.
Half an hour after she'd gone in, Mac came out of the shower and in a light cotton robe sought out her husband and daughter. "How did you do that?" Mac asked referring to the quiet.
"Took her outside" he said. "We stood on the porch and watched the rain."
"And that got her to stop crying?" Mac sighed. "Bless you."
He smiled as the baby laid her head against his shoulder. "Feel better, mommy?"
"A little" Mac replied. "At least I don't smell anymore. Want to put her down?"
"No, but I need to" he said. "I need a shower and then I'll get us packed up. I got a room at the hotel, and I called Mattie on her cell and said she could either come with us or spend the night at Kim's. She chose the latter."
"Figured as much" Mac replied. "Is she sleeping?"
"I can't tell" he said, turning to the side so Mac could look.
"Nope" she replied. "She's just hanging out, feeling miserable. Let me take her, I'll see if I can't make her eat."
With a nod, he passed the baby carefully to her mother.
Mac took her daughter and held her in close. "Okay, baby girl" Mac cooed. "Let's have some dinner, huh?"
Ainsley began to fuss and whimper, her bottom lip quivering.
Mac settled the baby in her high chair. "Mama's got apples for you." Harm smiled as Mac started to feed their baby her food, thinking about how precious this was to see before heading for the shower to clean up.
Two hours later, Harm, Mac, and a sleeping baby Ainsley checked into the Arlington Plaza Hotel. It was nothing like the Plaza in D.C. or New York; in fact one was lucky if there were breath mints in the venders, never mind pillow mints. Still, it was cooler than home. "Here we are" Harm sighed as he dropped the suitcases on the bed. "Motel sweet motel."
"Yeah, in the loosest sense of the word" Mac laughed. "Still it has an A/C."
"That it does" agreed Harm. "Where should I set up her bed?"
"Near the luggage rack" Mac replied. "It'll be out of the way over there. Then we can relax until she wakes up. Did you grab her teether?"
"It's in the diaper bag" he said as he pulled the portable crib from its carrying case. "Something tells me she won't sleep straight through tonight."
"I doubt it" Mac replied unpacking her things and settling them about the room. "Ugh!"
"What?" he asked, stopping his assembly of the baby bed.
"We have company" she called from the bathroom. "Get in here."
"Don't tell me we have mice or bugs in here" he said.
"Bugs" she replied. "I'm seeing three right now. Please get in here."'
With a sigh, Harm went into the bathroom and saw what Mac was creeped out about. "Okay" he said as he spied the centipedes in the tub, "this is sick! We're not staying here, I'll go tell the clerk-"
"Harm, we don't have a choice. We have to stay here just for..." The baby began to wail again just then.
The pair looked at each other. "You want her?" he asked.
"Sure" Mac replied. "Take care of our friends."
Harm turned on the shower and sent the bugs on their merry way before returning to the half-erected baby bed. Ainsley was crying steadily within her mother's arms. "Teeth again?" he asked.
"Yeah, and she needs a new diaper, too" Mac replied laying her on the bed. "Oh, poor baby" she frowned once she got it opened and saw the baby's bright red behind. "We'll call Dr. Cameron in the morning, okay?"
"He'll probably just laugh and say 'welcome to teething!'" said Harm as he finished setting up the crib.
"I'm not sure if she should have this with teething, Harm" Mac sighed cleaning Ainsley's little bottom. "We can't even bathe her in here."
"Sorry, babe" he said. "This place used to be really nice, not sure when it became such a dive. I wish the new hotel I called first had a vacancy, but it didn't."
"It's not your fault" Mac replied. "Oh Ainsley" Mac nearly whined.
"What'd she do?" he asked, looking up from his suitcase.
"I can barely change her before she goes again" Mac sighed. "Harriet warned me about this."
"Did she tell you what to do about it?" he asked.
"Nope" Mac said. "She said it will run its course. She just put AJ in the sink and let it go. Oh, and some Pedialyte."
With some coaxing, Harm convinced Mac to put the baby in the sink until he could go home and get her baby tub and a bottle of Pedialyte. It took nearly four hours to get the bed set up, get the baby cleaned and quiet, and finally get into bed. Once it was time to lay down, Mac's head was aching and so was Harm's back from the intense exam he'd been put through earlier that day. As the collapsed on the bed simultaneously, they both let out a groan then asked in unison. "You okay, babe?"
Mac laughed. "I'm exhausted. I had almost no sleep last night."
"I know" he said. "Little Miss down there didn't cut you any slack."
"No she didn't" Mac replied. "You either?"
"I slept a little more than you did" he said.
"True, but you had a pretty rough day today" Mac replied. "Back sore?"
"Oh yeah" he said. "Forgotten how much fun those flight physicals aren't."
"Bad?" Mac asked with a yawn.
He nodded. "Not horribly, but I'm hurting for sure. This mattress isn't gonna help any. I could sure use a…"
"A what?" she asked.
"Nothing" he said softly.
"What?" Mac asked. "I can always do something. Just tell me what."
"I don't want to wear you out with a back rub" he said as he snuggled in close. "I'll live; it's not too bad, baby."
"Liar" Mac laughed. "But I love you for it. Can I wear you out?"
"Hmm...that depends" he said, "on what you have in mind."
"My head is killing me" Mac sighed. "I'm not going to be able to sleep with this..." Before she could finish the sentence, there was a rhythmic pounding noise from the wall behind their bed. "Pounding."
"Oh, lovely" laughed Harm sarcastically. "Just what we need, to be next to a couple who'll probably be going at it all night."
"Usually I'd say if you can't beat them join them, but..." Mac sighed
Harm and Mac lay together holding each other through various sessions of love making going on in the room behind theirs. She would doze or he would, then their neighbors would start again and they would both be awake. The fourth time, Mac looked at Harm, "Make it stop."
"I'd love to" he said in frustration, "but I doubt they'd take too kindly to me banging on their door."
"I don't care" Mac sighed. "I'm tired, I want to sleep. My body hurts, your body hurts, and this is ridiculous. I'm surprised the baby's still sleeping."
"Well, what do you want me to do, sweetie?" he asked. "You know the clerk won't give a damn. I'll go knock on their door if you think-"
"They'll probably clean the porch with you" Mac sighed. "Let's just make love, we're not sleeping anyway." She said this completely devoid of enthusiasm.
He laughed wearily. "Gee, Mac, you make it sound so exciting."
"I'm too tired to be excited" Mac replied and lay on her back. "You wanna be on top?"
Again he laughed. "You're not serious."
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Mac sighed. "Top or bottom, you pick."
He shook his head and once again laughed. "I guess top, but I can't just 'do it' on demand, Mac."
"Fine" Mac replied and reached her hand over to touch him. "I'm not in the mood for foreplay" she replied and began to massage his masculinity with her hand. "This should do it."
"Hey now" he exclaimed softly, "since when do we skip foreplay for...this?"
"Since I'm too tired to be bothered" Mac replied. "Anyway, its working."
"I know its 'working'" he said, "but...this is so...not like us. Why bother if you don't actually want to do it?"
"I want to make them shut the hell up" Mac sighed. "Anyway, I'll get into it once we get going; I always did the other times."
"What 'other times' would those be?" he asked, his voice as calm as could be, showing no evidence of his current physical condition.
"Those other times you felt amorous and I didn't" Mac replied as she continued her work on his body.
"I don't remember those times" he said with a grin.
"I'm better than I thought" she replied. "You liking this?"
"Well, yeah" he said with a smile, "but there's a lot missing."
"Harm" she said with firm warning.
"Well, there is" he said as he rolled towards her. "But...I suppose I can deal with it."
She reached up her neck muscles and sought out his lips, taking them in a searing kiss. She forced her tongue into his mouth, delving deep until they both ran out of breath. "Better?"
"Much" he replied, moving to straddle her body. "Want your shirt on or off?" He laughed after he asked, hearing how funny it was to ask something like that after having been lovers for so long.
"I don't care, just do it" she sighed rolling her head against her pillow.
"This isn't one of your sexier moments, my dear" he said with a smile as he slowly covered her body with his, "but I think maybe we can still pull it off. Think so?" He leaned down to kiss her.
Mac leaned up and returned his kiss. "You bet" she sighed and wrapped her legs around his back.
The next few minutes were fairly quiet, save for the assorted "mmm's" and "oh's" from the couple. Before long, though, things began to heat up.
Harm began to move within Mac, using his weight to move her body. Somehow the awkward rhythm managed to push him to climax, and he filled her with his seed just as Ainsley began to wail.
"Oh, baby girl" whined Harm. "We're a little busy, love. Go back to sleep for us. Please?"
The baby only cried harder, working herself into a fit rapidly. Mac sighed. "Done?"
"I suppose" he said down-heartedly, "but listen." He quieted and over the baby's cries, the incessant pounding from next door could still be heard. "Our plan didn't work, not to mention we're only half finished here."
"Oh, Flyboy" Mac sighed. "We are so finished here. I'll flip you for her."
"No, I'll get her, babe" he said. "You just lie there; we're not done...and from the sound of it, neither are they."
He slid out of bed and threw his shorts on before getting Ainsley out of the crib. "Hey, shh..." he said softly, trying to comfort the child to no avail. "Baby girl, it's okay, I've got you." Ainsley continued to holler as her daddy worked to calm her cries and dry her tears. "Little one, please..." he begged. "I know, your teeth hurt; I'm sorry, but you need to go to sleep, yes..."
Just as Harm soothed the baby's howls to a mewl, a loud knock came on the door. Harm walked over to Mac and handed their screaming baby to her mother before opening to door just a crack to see a large, irate man in leather chaps in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" asked Harm.
"Yeah" the man replied. "Shut up that brat. Some of us are trying to have sex!" The man's breath reeked of alcohol and his pupils showed he was high on something other than pheromones and beer.
"SOME of us" countered Harm, keeping his distance from the disgruntled Behemoth, "are trying to get our sick babies back to sleep so we can go to sleep ourselves, and we'd appreciate it if you'd keep your encounter a little quieter than you have been!"
"This ain't a place for sick kids" the man replied. "This is my place. Shut it up!" the man ordered.
"We're working on it" spat Harm defensively, "but for her sake, not for yours. Now get lost; go back to whoever you're doing in there and don't bother us again."
"I'll do whatever the hell I want" the man countered. "And if you can't get her quiet, I'll do it for you."
"I'm two seconds away from calling the cops" threatened Harm. "Now I mean it, get lost!"
Bad move. At the mention of the word cops, the large man kicked the door open, hauled back and connected a right cross to Harm's jaw. Harm staggered back seeing stars from the impact of the punch.
Mac set the baby down on the bed and wiggled into her shirt, "Harm!" she gasped and leaped out of bed going to the phone on the bedstead.
Harm stood up ready to fight. With very little forethought, he reared back and decked the burly creep, sending him backwards onto the pavement outside.
While the two men battled outside, Mac lifted her baby again and laid her back into her crib before heading outside in case Harm needed back up. He was a good fighter, but not much of a match for a man nearly twice his width. Still, he held his own, but overall was losing the fight. When Mac reached the battling men, the larger man had Harm on the ground and he'd ceased battling back much. "Harm!" Mac cried out again.
The burly man turned at her voice and looked her up and down. She was covered only in a thin cotton shirt. "Well, looky here. If it ain't the little Mama." The large man left Harm lying on the pavement, eyes drifting closed and moved in on Mac.
"Shut up and get back to your room!" ordered Mac.
"Oh, not my room, honey" he smirked. "Yours maybe. You're a fine looking woman" he reached out to touch her cheek.
She reached out and grabbed his dirty hand, using it as leverage to bring the bully to his knees. "Don't even think about touching me" she hissed.
"What you gonna do about it?" he hissed showing a mouth full of yellow teeth. "Your man ain't gonna help you now." He reached with his other hand and aimed for her chest. He got a grab full of her breast before he felt a hard punch to the back of his head. He dropped forward full onto Mac before he could even turn to see his attacker.
"You okay, baby?" asked Harm as he pulled her from beneath the monster, out of breath and a little banged up.
Mac was shaking but she sighed, "I'm okay. Are you okay?" she reached up and touched his lip which was bleeding noticeably.
He nodded. "I'm okay; did you call the cops?"
"Yeah they..." The sound of sirens came through the parking lot, and two police units pulled up next to Harm and Mac. "I have to get the baby."
"What happened here, folks?" questioned one of the officers as they approached.
"Oh, this guy came over, kicked our door in and demanded we get the baby to stop crying" said Harm. "Said he was trying to have sex in the next room and we were bothering him."
"Oh, that's Hugo" Officer Miller smiled. "He's an old friend of ours. If you'll come down to the station in the morning and file a complaint we'll take him and his lady with us now. Everyone all right?"
"I think we are" said Harm. "He's one nasty guy, huh?"
"Just really messed up" the officer replied. "Go back to bed; we'll see you in the morning."
Harm nodded. "Thank you, officer. We'll be there."
Mac walked back inside quietly and laid the baby into her crib before going to the shower, turning on the water and stepping inside.
Harm popped his head in the door. "Trying to wash the grunge off, babe?"
Mac didn't answer him, she didn't hear him, she just continued to scrub at her body.
"Mac?" he said tentatively. "You okay in there?"
"I've got to get it off" she replied through the curtain.
"Get what off?" he queried, putting his hand to his still-bleeding lip.
"My skin is crawling" she answered. "Just go check on the baby. I'll be there soon."
"Uh, okay" he said, pulling the bathroom door closed and going to peek into the baby's bed.
Half hour later Mac stepped out of the shower, skin rubbed nearly raw. Harm was sitting on the bed, his lip clotting, his eye swelling, with one arm across his chest. Mac went to him. "Are you all right?" she asked presenting the picture of a squared away Marine.
"I'm good" he said. "Nothing broken, I'm a lucky guy. You feel better now?"
"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied. "You sure? Let me see. Lie back and take off your shirt."
He did as she asked, moving slowly on account of a few pains he wasn't aware he had before then.
Mac reached out a gentle hand and ran it along his rib cage. There were bruises already forming, but she didn't feel anything out of place. She pressed near one of the darker bruises.
He drew in a sharp breath. "Ooooh..."
"Hurt?" Mac asked softly.
"Little bit" he replied. "It'll heal; I just wish it hadn't happened."
"It will heal, it's just bruising thank God" Mac sighed. "Want me to get some ice?"
"Okay" he sighed, leaning his head back wearily.
Mac quickly went to the ice machine and came back just as quickly. She wrapped ice in the towels and gently applied some to his ribs. "There. How's that?"
"Much better" he said softly. "Come lie next to me."
Mac nodded and went around to the other side of the bed and crawled in. "I'm very tired."
"I'd imagine so" he said. "Been a long day."
"Do we have to finish what we started?" she asked. "Can't I just go to sleep?"
"If you're that sleepy, my love" he said, "you go right to sleep. I'll make tonight up to you later."
Mac nodded and rolled onto her side, closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
Harm set the ice-filled towel on the floor beside the bed, and almost immediately joined her, finally, in peaceful slumber.
The next morning Harm and Mac took Ainsley down to the police station and filed a complaint against Hugo and his lady friend. Then Mac ordered her husband to Bethesda for X-rays of his ribs which, thankfully, were just bruised. The little family spent the remainder of the week at a Motel 6 in Manassas, while Mattie continued to bunk with Kim. Harm did not press Mac to talk about what happened that night nor did he try to initiate love making as his body was just too sore. Finally, it was Thursday and time to go home. Mattie had beaten them there.
"Hey, guys!" she smiled as she bit into a pretzel. "Thank God it's cool in here again."
"Amen to that" said Harm. "Feels good to be back home."
"How's the baby feeling?" Mattie asked, smiling at her little sister sleeping in her seat.
"Much better now that she cut that darned tooth" he said. "You have fun with Kim?"
"Yeah, I like sleeping over there. It's quiet all night" Mattie smiled. "How're those ribs, dad?" she asked as Mac took the baby's seat and began to remove the little girl so she could sleep in her crib.
"Bruised" he answered, "compliments of 'Hugo, the Town Thug'."
Mattie laughed and got off the couch. "I'm going to finish my homework" she said and went to hug her dad gently. "I missed you."
"Missed you too, kiddo" he said.
Mattie smiled and ran upstairs to do her homework. Harm ordered pizza for dinner and the family caught up on missed time. Soon it was time to sleep again, and Harm was feeling like he needed to make up for lost time. He hadn't touched his wife in a week and he missed that closeness
Mac was already in bed once Harm finished putting the baby down and locking up. She was on her side looking at the wall, eyes closing.
"Hey, beautiful" he whispered.
"Hi" she replied. "Tired?"
"Mmmm...not really" he answered. "You?"
"Very" she answered. "I'm going to go to sleep."
"Oh, I dunno about that" he said. "Not just yet, anyway." He slid in closer to her, draping one arm over her back.
"Harm, I said I was tired" she replied moving away.
"I know" he said softly, "but I still owe you a few things."
"No you don't" Mac replied. "I'm not really in the mood tonight."
He was a little confused by her rejection. "I guess...if you're really that tired, we can go to sleep. I love you."
"Do you?" Mac whispered so softly he barely heard her.
"Of course I do" he said, leaning his head against her shoulder. "You...are you okay? You seem upset."
"Yeah" she replied stiffly. "Well, I am."
He looked towards her. "Wanna talk about it?"
She shrugged. "You don't listen to me anyway."
"I'm always happy to listen to you, babe" he said softly. "Is there something I didn't listen to that has you upset?"
"No" Mac replied, starting to feel the lump rise in her throat. "I mean yes. I mean I don't know. You didn't even..." She lost her battle then and started to sob.
"Hey, hey" he said, rolling even closer to her, wrapping his arm around her body. "It's okay..let it out, whatever it is. I'm here; I'll listen."
"That man..." she cried and curled herself up a bit tighter. "He..."
"The guy from the motel?" asked Harm softly.
She nodded and tried again. "He..."
"Shh...it's okay" he soothed, gently rubbing her arm. "I know that was scary for you; for me, too. It's okay, though; it's over."
"No it's not," Mac cried. "He...I have his...He had his hands on me, Harm. He touched me. You..."
"He touched you?" asked a clearly surprised Harm. "Where?"
"My chest" she whispered. "I still...he..." She started to pull away from him. "I still have him on me."
"I...I don't follow" said Harm, more concerned now than before.
"Let me go and I'll show you" she whispered through a tear clogged voice.
He released his gentle hold on her, unsure of what she could possibly "show" him.
Mac fumbled with the thick material night shirt she was wearing, "Close your eyes."
He obliged, fear mixing with a great deal of concern.
Mac wanted him to see it all at once, so she simply removed the shirt altogether, and then turned on the bedroom lamp so he could see the dark purple bruising highlighted with the redness of broken blood vessels clearly. "Okay."
He opened his eyes and stared in horror at the sight before him. "Oh my God, Mac" he gasped, reaching out to touch the bruise, stopping just short for fear of hurting her. "He did this to you - the drunk pothead from the other night?"
Mac nodded. "I can still feel it."
He leaned and kissed the horrid looking bruise very softly, very gently. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't know about this. I'm sorry he got to you."
With tears still leaking out of her eyes she whispered, "You mean you really didn't know?"
"No" he answered softly, eyes wide with concern. "I heard him gawking at you, and I nailed him upside the head. I didn't know he'd gotten his hands on you."
"Well, he did" Mac replied. "And...I don't want to be touched right now. I'm sorry."
"Okay" he said softly. "Just let me hold you; I want you right beside me tonight, okay?"
Mac nodded and leaned into him a little bit. "Can we just go to sleep?"
"I was hoping we could have that talk we've been putting off" he said.
"Only if I can stay in here" Mac replied. "Just like this okay?"
"That's fine, baby" he said. "Let's lie down. You can lay your head on my chest, okay?"
"Okay" she whispered, snuggling in a close as possible.
He gently kissed her hair. "I've been doing some thinking."
"Mm-hmm" she replied wearily.
"You know in two weeks I have to re-qualify for the Hornet or I won't be able to do it again for a year, right?" he asked and began to gently stroke her arm up and down.
"Right" she said, fearing where this was headed.
"Well...I think I'm going to do it" he replied as he continued his caress of her arm.
"Oh." She didn't know what else to say.
He moved his hand from her arm to her back and continued to rub. "Is that all you're going to say?"
"I don't know what else to say" she said plainly. "I don't want you to do it, but I agreed to support you in your decision, so I won't fight you on it, as much as I hate the idea."
"I'm not going to do it regularly" Harm replied. "But I...I need to prove to myself I still can. Do you understand?"
She sighed. "In that sense...yeah, I do. It's just so risky, though."
"What's the worst that could happen?" he asked her, dipping his hand lower to the small of her back.
"You know the worst that could happen" she said, relaxing a little as his hands moved against her body. "I don't even wanna think about it."
"If it does...Mac we have to talk about what happens then" he said. "I don't want to have that on my mind up there."
"Then don't go up there" she replied quietly.
"Mac..." he sighed. "It's in my blood. But we have to...to talk about what happens if things go bad. I don't expect them to, but I don't want to be distracted up there."
She looked into his eyes. "I said 'for better or for worse', and whatever it means" she said, "is what we'll do. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. You know I don't like you going up, and I think you're risking a hell of a lot just to prove to yourself you can do something, but I said I'd support you, and I will...somehow."
Harm offered her a tiny smile and leaned down to touch his lips to hers. He did it lightly; he didn't want to upset her. When he pulled back he asked, "was that okay?"
"Mm-hmm" she answered softly. "It's always okay for you to kiss me."
He slid his hand up her arm and let it drift back towards her chest. "Is this?"
She nodded. "Watch the bruise..." she added in a whisper.
"I'll be careful" he replied and moved his hand to lightly rub her breast, careful of the damaged skin. "That's all we'll do tonight, love. I know you're tired."
"I am" she agreed. "But..."
"What?" he whispered against her hair as he continued to gently caress her breast.
"Nothing" she sighed. "Do that a little more; it's kind of nice."
Harm nodded and continued to gently touch her breast. "I...God Mac...I..." He stopped and kissed her temple again.
"You really didn't know?" she asked timidly. "You didn't know he'd touched me?"
"I didn't, Mac" he replied. "I swear I didn't. If I had..." He squeezed her tighter as his anger rose up in his throat.
"It's okay" she said. "I should've told you then, I just..."
"I'm almost glad you didn't" he replied softly.
"How come?" she inquired.
"I'm not sure what...I'm not sure I could have controlled myself" he replied. "You're mine to touch, Mac. No one else's."
"I know" she said. "I hated it; all of it. Yours are the only hands I want on me."
"Good" he replied. "How are you feeling now?"
"Tired" she said. "Tired and tense."
"How about I put you to sleep?" he asked her softly. "Tomorrow there will be time for other things."
"Okay" she replied, he eyes already heavy.
"Roll over for me, baby" Harm whispered. "On your belly."
She did as he asked, trying not to fall asleep on her own.
Harm took both of his hands and began to gently caress her back. "I'm won't let it ever happen again, Mac" he whispered. "Not ever."
"Mmm...I know" she whispered in reply.
He continued to touch her. "I love you so much. You're my life" he told her. "Sleep now. I'll be right here."
With his hands and voice soothing her body and mind, Mac drifted off into a deep and restful slumber.
A/N: Coming in Chapter 87: Will Harm take to the skies again, will he change his mind, or will it even matter?