Okay, been a while since I've posted anything, but trust me, I have been working hard!
Summary: Second part in a series, following on from 'Close To Home.'Suggest you check it out before reading this.This seriestakes place in an alternate world where Mattie still decided to move back with her Father, but never got hurt. The shipper ending we were all hoping for still will happen. It may take a while, but I will get there eventually...
Written from the point of view of many of the story's characters.
Spoilers: Just the epi where Mattie moved back in with her Dad. And if you want this story to make any sense, I suggest you read 'Closer To Home' first.
Disclaimer: JAG and its main characters belong to DPB and to CBS. I don't make any profit from writing any of these fics, but simply get to exercise my overactive imagination every now and then. Please don't sue me, as I'm poor with very little money!
Rating: Pretty much T (Due to some disturbing subject matter) Still, I think you'll like it anyway!
Category: H/M shipper.
The Long Journey Home
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Part 1
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PO Jen Coates
"Ma'am, would you like me to go and check in Commander Turner's office? Just in case he didn't pass it back to you," I ask, as Commander Rabb stands in the doorway, watching the two of us fuss over the mess on the colonel's desk.
"No," she tells me, her voice soft, though irritated, "I'm almost 100 positive that he gave it back to me…If I could only manage to get into some kind of routine with sorting my cases out as I go along…"
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Harm
I know it's been a long week for Mac. Sturgis got unexpectedly called out of the office on a personal matter and Mac had to pick up the case that he was supposed to be going to trial with, tomorrow. She's poured her heart into taking over this prosecution, a murder case against a twenty-eight year old sergeant had allegedly beaten his wife to death and dumped her body in woods near their home in Quantico. This piece of missing documentation was to be an important part of her case and she had to have it submitted with the rest of her evidence by 3pm today.
"Mac, how did you manage to lose a piece of evidence that you've been working with, just this morning?" I ask, curiously.
"I did not work with it today," she maintains as she rifles through a pile of disorganized sheets, "I was working with a photocopy of the document this morning. But I need the original to submit to the prosecution and the photocopy, with my notes on it just won't do."
I stand there a little bit longer and eventually Mac turns around and with a sigh, entreats to me, "Just go and check Sturgis' office for me, would you? I'm sure he doesn't still have it, but you never know…"
I turn around, wondering if she's really asking me for help, or just to get away from my scrutiny and judgment. It's true, her office does resemble a garbage tip, she really needs to spend some time organizing the mess on her desk. But at this time, it would be far from helpful to say just that and she has already acknowledged the need for a sort-out.
I'm stopped in my tracks by the sight of a little-person, entering the bullpen through the clear glass doors. Well, not a little-person exactly. I'd say around twelve or thirteen years of age or something around that. Most probably in junior high, judging from the back-pack. It's a dark shade of purple, adorned with iron-on transfers and badges, but not of rock-groups like older teenagers would have, but of what looks like Japanese cartoon characters. Hello Kitty and the likes. Quite cute, really…
"Hey," I smile at her softly, as her gaze falls on me, "Can I help you find somebody?"
Her deep brown eyes are wide and shiny, almost teary, but I can see no other outward signs that she is upset. Nervous, by the way she keeps fidgeting with her long, dark hair, but not upset, I don't think.
"Uh…" my hunch is proven correct, "Is Colonel MacKenzie on this floor? I'm sure she told me eight, but I can't really remember…"
"Yeah," I move to put her at ease, "That's her office just over there…you'll know you're in the right place when you find a mess of papers and hear the cursing."
The kid cracks a tiny smile at this, because Mac chooses that moment to let loose with some mild cuss words.
"Mac," I knock on her open door as she still has her head buried in mountains of papers, "you've got a visitor."
Giving the kid one last smile, I turn away and go to take care of looking for that document in Sturgis' office.
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Mac
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask Carol-Anne, "How come you're not in school?"
"It's an in-service day, today. The teachers had to go in, but we don't…"
I try to appear that I'm listening as I try to find that damn paper amongst all of this paperwork that has accumulated since I left town over four weeks ago. Sure, I've been back for nearly a week, but I've just been putting it off.
"Oh, okay," I nod, straightening up, but still looking around the room to find a place I still haven't searched, "Well, I don't want to rush you or anything, but I'm kind of rushed off my feet today and…"
"Oh," Carol-Anne utters softly, "sorry…I just…I wondered if you had time to talk about something. Paula's been pretty busy, because there are things going on at the house…anyway, I haven't been able to get to see my Mom these past couple of weeks, because her doctors say that she's not been doing so well on a combination of meds and they've had to try switching the different things around…They say that she has to be stable before I can go and see her. I just hoped that maybe you could convince the doctors to let me see her, if I had an adult accompanying me…"
Half-listening to the child, I continue to look around my office during this explanation.
"Carol-Anne," I eventually have to stop the girl, "I'm really sorry, but I don't think that the doctors are going to budge on their decisions. They've got procedure to follow and they could get into trouble if they make any exceptions…I know this is really hard for you, honey, but it's important for your Mom to have the time to herself in which to heal, before she can start giving her attention to others. Do you understand what I mean?"
"She has to have some time to focus just on her?" Carol-Anne's eyes are full of tears and her voice wavered slightly, but she was keeping it together remarkably well, despite the terrible strain she must be under.
"Yeah," I nod, adding softly, "and I really think you've done a great job so far of coping with all of this. I'm sure this is only going to be for a little while longer and soon your Mom is going to be able to have visitors again. And she's going to be proud of how strong you've been, too."
Carol-Anne just nods, morosely, so I add, "And in the meantime, if you need anything else, just give me a call, okay?"
She nods and goes to leave my office.
I resume my quest, moving to the big filing cabinet, clattering the drawers open.
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Harm
I'm on my way back from Sturgis' office, empty-handed, when I see the young girl regretfully about to exit Mac's office. She looks like she's of two minds, she's fidgeting with her hair again and deep in thought.
"Uh, Mac?"
She turns back at the last second, but is still in the doorway and even though I'm not actively listening, I hear what she says anyway.
"Yeah?" Mac replies, albeit distractedly, with her head in the files stored in the filing cabinets.
"Could…I mean, would…please…"
"Uh-huh…" Mac again replies, from the back of the drawer of the filing cabinet.
There is a pause, then Mac quietly curses, "Damn," closes the first drawer with a bang and moves to the next drawer, pulling it out with a clang.
Unfortunately, it comes just as the girl finally comes up with what has obviously been difficult for her to say.
"Can I have a hug?"
It is almost a whisper, but I still manage to catch it.
But Mac doesn't hear it.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't catch that…what did you say?" Mac speaks up, after a pause.
"Nothing," the girl dismisses, quietly, "It was nothing..."
She then adds, quietly, "It was stupid."
"Well, if you need anything, just let me know, okay?" Mac tells her.
"Yeah," the child tells her, before moving out the door, "Bye then."
But Mac is so absorbed in her hunt, she doesn't actually reply.
The girl passes me and offers a small (though nowhere near whole-hearted) smile, before she heads out the door.
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"Found it!" Mac virtually sings, as she prances out of her office, fifteen minutes later.
"Where was it?" I ask, with a small smile.
"In with those case notes for the case we signed off on, on Tuesday," She tells me, "Makes sense, figuring as that's the last time I can remember seeing this. Must have gotten mixed up with all of those pages."
"Was that the girl you're mentoring?" I ask about the child in her office.
"Yeah," she nods, "That was Carol-Anne. She's having a hard time without her Mom.
Mrs. Bailey has just had her medication changed, because the FDA just withdrew one particular medication. Now, her doctors are having trouble synchronizing all of the different meds so that they don't throw each other off or react with each other and until that's all sorted out, they don't want to let Carol-Anne in to see her."
"That's harsh," I note, "from what you told me, she's very close to her mother. First she's suffered her lashing out at her, then watched her being involuntarily institutionalized…the poor kid needs something to go her way."
As if she's just realized, Mac jumps out of her haze, asking, "Wait…where did she go?"
"Out to the elevator…she went more than ten minutes ago," I tell her.
"Damn, I was so involved with this," Mac curses, "I didn't even ask her if she had a lift home…"
She returns to her office, compiling the rest of the evidence she needs to submit, then grabs her cover and briefcase.
"I've got to go and submit all this to the defense," she tells me, "Do you want to go and have lunch once I get back?"
"Yeah, sure," I nod.
"Okay, well, I'm going to keep an eye out for Carol-Anne as I leave, see if she's still around. I just hope she's not tried anything dangerous. You know, her case-worker caught her trying to hitch-hike the other week…"
I manage a 'kids-will-be-kids' smile, contemplating the utter chaos that awaits me back on my own desk.
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