A/N: We're finally here, the final chapter! I can't begin to apologize enough for such a long delay in posting. I can sum it up by saying that the weeks (all 6 of them) since I posted have been up, down and all over within my family, but things are good for the moment, and for that we're very thankful.
Without further ado, I bring you "The Journey: Chapter 96"... :) Please see the notes at the end...
Chapter 96:
Afew hours later the Rabb home was swarming with guests. The General and Mrs. Cresswell were there with Cami and Mikey Roberts. Bud and Harriet were there with all four of their children, Harm's parents, Mattie and David, David's mom and little sister, and of course the Admiral was there.
Ainsley wasn't too sure of what to make of all the excitement at first. All dolled up in her pink plaid dress with the frilly petticoat and matching hair bow, she clung to her mother for the first half hour as people made their way to her to pass along their birthday wishes. Finally, though, when David's little sister showed an interest in Ainsley, the birthday girl wanted to get down and play.
After dinner, everyone gathered around the sofa as Ainsley looked in awe at the stack of gifts on the coffee table. Some were in bags, some in boxes, and all were given with love.
"Here, baby girl" said Harm, putting a gift bag in front of her. "Open it up."
Ainsley looked at the object in front of her not sure what she was supposed to do with it.
"Okay, daddy'll help" he said, pulling the tissue paper from the bag and reaching in to unveil a Pooh DVD. "Oh, wow" he said. "Look, Ainsley, it's Pooh Bear!"
Ainsley looked at the picture of Pooh, but then her eye caught the yellow tissue paper Harm had pulled out of the bag. She picked up a piece of it and began to happily shred it.
"I guess she likes it" laughed Jen, the giver of the DVD.
"She sure does" said Harm, handing the movie to Mac to make note of in the keepsake book as he pulled another gift from the pile. "Wanna pull the paper off?" he asked Ainsley, who once again looked up at him in confusion.
"Show her Honey" Mac told him. "Pull a little spot off and see what she does."
With a nod, Harm peeled a corner of the paper from the box, but Ainsley was far more enthralled with the yellow tissue paper she was still shredding.
Mac laughed. "Harm try to get that from her before we have it all over."
The baby screeched in protest as her daddy took the paper away, but was immediately interested in the box before her. Grabbing the corner Harm had started for her, she slowly peeled the paper off, part of it anyway before looking at the other gifts on the table and reaching for the nearest gift bag in search of more tissue paper.
Harm finally ended up giving Ainsley tissue paper from another gift bag that held a new dress and a few story books from Harriet and Bud. He and Mac proceeded to take turns opening the rest of the presents, which included a Cabbage Patch Doll from David's family, a new sippy cup with hearts and flowers on it and a baby doll cradle from the Creswell's, and a "My First Kitchen" tea set from Mattie and David.
Still, it was Admiral Chegwidden's gift that thrilled Ainsley the most. Harm saved it for last, knowing that the Admiral gave really wonderful gifts so he was surprised to find nothing underneath the ballet shoe wrapping than a large, empty cardboard box with holes in the sides.
"Uh, I'm confused, AJ" said Harm.
"Babies love empty boxes" AJ replied. "That's the only thing Francesca played with from her first birthday. Look."
Harm turned to see Ainsley had crawled full-speed ahead over to the box, pulled up on it and turned on the undeniable Rabb smile.
"There's another little something in her card" AJ smiled.
"Oh, okay..." said Harm as he opened the card and pulled it from the envelope. Inside was a gift certificate for dinner for two at The Italian Patio, and a hand-written note which read "Go have a night out on me, I'll keep the munchkin. AJ."
Mac had looked over Harm's shoulder and smiled as she read the card. "Thank you, AJ. That was very sweet."
"My pleasure" he said, kneeling down to talk to Ainsley. "We'll have fun, won't we cupcake?"
Ainsley let out a loud laugh and smiled.
"Everyone ready for cake?" asked Harm.
"I am" replied Bud and began to rise from his chair.
"Let's do it" said Harm, reaching around the giant play box to fish out the birthday girl. "Let's go have cake, baby love."
Ainsley clung to her Daddy as he carried her to the kitchen and set her in her high chair. She was intrigued by the flame on the candle when Mac lit it, and shocked by the sound of many voices singing, "Happy Birthday to You."
"Make a wish" whispered Harm into the baby's ear as she gazed intently at the candle.
Mac closed her eyes and wished for her baby girl before Mattie, with a noise maker in her mouth, assisted Ainsley in blowing out her Piglet candle.
"Where's the cake knife, sweetie?" Harm asked his wife after she snapped one last picture of the baby with the cake.
"I'll get it" Mac replied and went to the drawer where she kept their knives locked up.
"Are you giving her the first piece" asked Mattie.
"But of course," replied Mac. "Its good luck.
With a smile, Harm cut one corner piece from the cake and placed it in front of Ainsley, who now had a full-sized bib covering her party frock. It took mere seconds for her to plunge both hands into the cake, eyes growing wide as she felt the frosting squish between her fingers.
Harm snapped a picture of this priceless moment before he passed cake out to the rest of the guests.
The party guests enjoyed their cake and coffee, then slowly began to take their leave. AJ and Harm's mom and Frank left last, but finally it was only Harm and Mac left in the house, Mattie having gone over to David's for a few hours.
They were busy tossing out the used plates and cups and getting the dishwasher loaded, the usual post-party chores, when Harm realized the cake was still sitting uncovered on the dining room table.
"Should we do something with the cake?" he asked Mac.
"Wrap it up, we can eat some more of it during the week" Mac replied.
He pulled the plastic wrap from the drawer beside the fridge, and went towards the dining room, stopping dead in his tracks halfway there. "Mac!"
"What? Are you okay?" Mac asked as she rushed to answer Harm's call.
He nodded and pointed straight ahead. "Look..." Right before their eyes was Ainsley, putting one little foot in front of the other as she toddled towards the table and what remained of her cake.
"Oh, Harm" Mac gasped as she watched. "She's...she's..."
As a proud, bittersweet lump formed in his throat, he put the plastic wrap down and pulled his wife close.
Mac snuggled close to him for a moment, then, "You better go catch her."
Snapping out of his mesmerization, he went to intercept the baby before she was able to reach the cake. Scooping her up in his arms, he kissed her over and over. "Daddy's so proud of you, Ainsley!"
Ainsley laughed a minute, and then lay her little head down on Harm's shoulder.
"I think the guest of honor is ready for bed" he said.
"I think the hostess is too" Mac smiled. "I'm so...let me kiss her. Do you want to put her down?"
Mac sensed that the joy of this milestone for Harm was overshadowed by another feeling, "Then we need to talk, I suspect."
With a half-hearted nod, he headed down the hallway to the nursery.
Harm settled the baby in her bed after changing her out of her frilly little dress. She didn't even stir as he did that. When he laid her in the crib, he felt his heart start to ache just a bit. His baby was walking, she was growing up...and that hurt. As joyous as this day was, that fact stung.
He stood at her bedside for a good twenty minutes, just watching her sleep; looking at the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each content breath. He didn't even hear Mac as she joined him. He just felt her slip her arms around his back. "Penny for them?"
He turned towards her, a look of complete peace upon his face.
"What?" Mac asked. "What is it?" Her voice was hushed.
His reply was simple. "I'm ready."
A/N: Yay, Harm! He's ready, after all this time and all the pain, he's ready! Work has begun on the sequel to this piece, entitled "The Journey Continues", and after a hiatus of some length, it'll be out and I can only hope it has even a fraction of the following and support that the original story had. I never thought when I began working on it over a year ago that by conclusion time, there'd be over 1,000 reviews...never. It means a lot to me to know that people have enjoyed the story, and that what began as a means of catharsis for me turned into something so many people had fun with.
I'd be terribly remiss if I signed off without thanking someone who's been so much more than a co-author to me. To my little sister, She'sAShipper... This story began as something about me, about my life. It's not all mine anymore. This piece was the stepping stone from which a precious friendship began, and for that it'll always be special to me...and so will you. Love you, girly. Can't wait to see what life holds for all of us. She'sAShipper Big hugs...
Thank you all for your undying patience, support and enthusiasm about this story. I don't know when the sequel willbegin being posted, but I hope you'll find the wait worth it.
Snugglebug