OOOO
Ch. 6
The group ran into the ER of Bethesda Naval Hospital, rushed up to the front desk and asked for any information about Catriona.
"Are you the people I talked to on the phone?" the nurse asked them.
"Yes, that's right, I'm Colonel MacKenzie and this is my husband, we're both Cathy's legal guardians."
"And these, I assume are family friends?"
"Yes," Mac told her, then asked, anxiously, "Is Cathy alright? Was she hurt?"
"The doctor is in with her now," the nurse told them, "She doesn't seem to have any really serious injuries, apart from a nasty bruise to her temple and a concussion, but when the paramedics arrived on the scene, Miss Carter seemed extremely distressed and was in the midst of a panic attack. We've had to sedate her rather heavily, so she can rest and get some sleep, which is the best thing for her right now. But if you'd like to take her home, her doctor is willing to release her to your care, providing that she'll get 24 hour care."
"Thank God," Harm exclaimed, after the nurse had left, as they sat back down to wait for the doctor. Mikey, however, remained very quiet and refused to relax until he had seen for himself that Cathy was truly okay. Harriet tried to talk to him, but his mind was fixed on one thought, and that was Cathy.
Finally, the doctor came through to see them and told them about what was known about the accident, so far.
"From people who were at the scene, we've been able to gather that Cathy's car was broad sided by another that had run a stop sign. We don't think Cathy even saw it coming, it was going so fast. Whether she was preoccupied by something else, only she knows, but from what we examined of her car, it shouldn't have even been on the road. The brake cable had been partially corroded and it's unbelievable that she's avoided an accident, so far. It really should have been replaced before now. Cathy herself has only had a nasty bump to the head, but when the paramedics arrived on the scene, she was pinned inside the car and was in an extremely upset state. Right now she's resting under sedation, but if you want, you can go see her then check her out and take her home. I, for one thing think that she might be a little more comfortable at home, in her own bed. But it's important that there will be someone to look after her. Miss Carter will be in no shape to care for herself for at least a couple of days."
"That won't be a problem," Mac told him, "Most of us will be on hand, all the time, to take care of her."
"Who will be her main care-giver?"
Mac looked at the others for a moment, then replied, "My husband and I are Cathy's legal guardians, but she lives with her boyfriend. Mikey will be looking after her."
Mikey nodded in agreement, then the doctor turned his attention to him.
"You're Mikey? When Miss Carter was brought in, she was asking for you, but we didn't manage to find a number for you in her belongings."
Mikey tried to force the lump in his throat down and keep his voice from breaking as he replied, "No, I don't have a house phone and I've only recently come back from deployment…"
Mikey was too upset to talk anymore, so the doctor told him, "It's okay…would you like to see her now, Mikey? I'm afraid you'll all have to take it in turns, because we're trying not to let her get worked up. She is heavily sedated, so she won't be able to respond to you just yet. After a good day or two of sleep and plenty of rest, she'll be feeling much better. And, of course, don't forget to heap on the love and support. That's the most important aid to recovery."
Mikey went in to see Cathy first, then Harm and Mac and finally Bud and Harriet. All of them were surprised to see the state that Cathy was in. She was unconscious throughout the entire period, but the only physical aspect of her injury was the bruise that spread from her temple to her right eye. They had been quick to check Cathy out of the hospital and get her home to her and Mikey's apartment, where they were sure she would be faster in recovering.
Mikey spent his time each day caring for Cathy, cooking her meals and feeding her, since for the first twenty-four hours, she was unable to do it for herself. The heavy sedation meant that Cathy was too out of it to talk, but now and then, she was able to raise her head in order to look Mikey in the eyes.
He would lovingly cup her cheek, telling her,
"It's okay, Baby. I know you're trying to tell me something, but just concentrate on getting better. The sedation will wear off soon."
That first night at home, and other nights afterwards, they both slept solidly with Cathy carefully cradled in Mikey's arms.
The next day, Cathy was sleeping when Mac, Harm, Bud and Harriet arrived to see her.
"I definitely think she's doing much better," Mikey told them, as he let them in, "She managed to ask me for a glass of water, this morning."
They walked through into the bedroom, where they discovered Cathy in deep slumber, again.
"That's the best thing for her," Harm approved, quietly, "she'll sleep all of the medication off and feel much better when she wakes up."
Mac crossed the room to sit beside the bed and gently brushed the hair back from Cathy's face.
"I can't believe that we almost lost her again," she murmured, half to herself, "It really is a miracle that she's still here for us to love, despite all that she's been through."
"I've been telling myself the same thing," Mikey told her, "Last night, before I went to sleep, I thought about how I never had a chance to let her know just how much I love her and want to be with her. When she left the house yesterday, I said that we'd talk about this whole job thing when we met at JAG. But I never had a chance to tell her that I'm going to Norfolk with her. She was so upset to think that we might be parted, but I told her that we'd talk about it later. Then, we had a bit of an argument about me fixing her car. I was supposed to check it, the day before, but I didn't get around to it…I was too busy on the damn phone speaking to Dan…She lost her temper and said that she thought Dan and this new job meant more to me than she did…But before she left, she apologized and told me that she loved me. But I don't think that she heard me say it back. I thought I'd have another chance to tell her how much I love her. What if I'd never got that second chance?"
"It's okay Mikey," Harm comforted him, "You have that chance, we all do. We'll let her know how much we all love her."
"I won't let her out of my sight until I do," Mikey told him, "In fact, I don't think I'll ever be able to let her out of my sight again. How could I, knowing what might have happened the last time?"
"It's okay Mikey," Harriet assured him, hugging him tightly, "she's still here and once she's better again, you'll be able to let her know all of what you've just told us."
OOOO
As Harm and Mac got home later that day, Harm took a glance at the calendar on the dining table.
"Wow," he told Mac, "In all of the excitement that's been going on lately, I forgot what day it is today. It's Father's Day."
"Father's Day…" Mac thought to herself, remembering the home pregnancy kit that was still in her briefcase.
"I'll go up to see my Dad, first thing tomorrow," Harm told her, referring to the Wall in Arlington National Cemetery, "Would you like to come with me, Sarah?"
"I think I should," Mac replied, "because after this, we're going to have a lot to tell him."
"What, you mean about Cathy and Mikey?" Harm asked her.
"Well, yeah about all of that," Mac replied, "but I've got some good news too."
"What is it?" Harm asked her, unsuspecting.
"Well, in all that has been going on lately, I wasn't really able to pay much attention to our own life, but I discovered yesterday that our lives are going to be pretty altered from now on." She paused and opened her briefcase. "I know it hasn't been very long since we got married, but I really believe things have turned out for the best, in the end."
With this, she took out the results stick from the home pregnancy test and handed it to Harm.
"Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"
OOOO
After that, time seemed to fly by and Harm and Mac threw themselves into preparing for the baby's arrival, decorating and preparing the nursery, booking the first doctor's appointment and registering for antenatal classes.
Of course, everyone at JAG was delighted for them, especially Cathy, who was extremely excited about becoming an Aunt. But Mikey had not yet told her about taking the job in Norfolk, saving the good news for the ideal opportunity. It was over two weeks before Cathy went back to work, but within the week, she had prepared to get back to JAG to resume tutoring the Admiral. Mikey had seen this as the perfect moment to tell Cathy, when they were surrounded by all the people they loved most. Mikey had let the others know that this would be the big day, but did not let them in on too much detail, so as to spoil the surprise. He arrived in the bullpen early, while Cathy was still in the Admiral's office.
"You all set, Mikey?" Bud asked his brother, to which Mikey replied, "All's ready, Bud."
Everyone around was extremely excited, but tried to at least pretend to carry on as normal, which was no easy feat. Harm and Mac sat in her office, trying to look as if they were discussing a case. Harriet settled herself at the Xerox machine, with a large stack of papers. The rest of the staff simply milled around the bullpen, trying to act busy, when AJ emerged from his office with Catriona. Everyone watched, acting in an inconspicuous manner, as the Admiral looked up and spotted that Mikey was there and in position. He pointed Mikey out to Cathy, off-handedly, who looked up, delighted, then came over to greet him. Mikey then urged her to take a seat next to him.
"What is it?" she asked him, suspecting nothing.
"I've got some good news," Mikey told her, "It looks like I'm going to be moving to that new job at around the same time as you are. I'm going to be staying in accommodation on the base, a nice little ground-floor apartment, so you'll be able to spend as much time as possible there."
"I don't know just how much time that will be, since I'll be traveling so far…"Cathy started.
"Well," Mikey told he, "It looks as if that is going to be much more time than we first anticipated."
"How's that?" Cathy asked him, puzzled.
"Well, Cath…I'm not going to Pensacola. I'm going to be taking a job in Norfolk, which will be even better, mainly because that means that I'll be with you."
Cathy let out a squeal of delight and threw herself into Mikey's arms. He held her tightly then pulled her into a long kiss, oblivious to the happy smiling faces of the people around them. The Admiral chuckled happily to himself, while, in Mac's office, Harm put an arm around Mac, both of them looking over the proceedings, proudly. Over by the xerox machine, Harriet blotted away a happy tear with her hanky. However, what happened next, none of them could have anticipated.
"Cath?" Mikey asked Cathy, pulling away for a second, "Over the past few weeks, I've come to realize just how much I need you. After all that's happened, I've realized that I need you in my life, that I couldn't live without you by my side. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, I want you to come and live with me on the Naval base in Norfolk, but I want to do it properly…"
As Catriona looked on in amazement, Mikey dropped down to one knee, in front of the entire bullpen.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to grow old with you. I want to be the person you turn to for love, I want to raise a family with you."
Cathy clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent letting out a cry of joy, as Mikey reached into his jacket pocket and took out a sparkling diamond ring.
"Catriona Carter, will you marry me and be my wife?"
As tears of joy flowed freely down her face, Cathy was so over come, she could only nod, eagerly.
Mikey grinned as he slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand, which he held tightly within his own. Everyone let out a cheer as Mikey stood and passionately kissed Cathy, holding her in his tight embrace.
Watching the happy couple, the wise Admiral noted quietly, to himself, "I guess it goes to show that dreams really do come true!"
OOOO Continued in SP 11: Celebrations OOOO
