Chapter Nineteen:
Christmas Eve
Harm and Mac's house
Mattie watched intently as the doctor applied antibiotic ointment to her father's wounds and watched her change the bandages. "Your mother tells me that you should have your ankle looked at." The doctor stated.
"They're over-reacting. It's a little infection." Mattie said. "Besides, my father needs it more than I do."
"Mathilda Grace, do as the doctor says," Harm told her from his seat in the sunroom. Harm looked out into the virgin snow. The forecaster had predicted more snow to come during the night. "I don't want you being sick." He said in between his breathing treatment. The doctor was concerned about his lungs still and was having him breathe in steroids to help his breathing status. She had wanted him to go back into the hospital, but understood that he needed disappear for his own safety.
"Harm, your back is healing nicely. Now breathe in the steroids. You aren't taking deep enough breaths."
"I can't take any deeper breaths. It's too hard!" He coughed and then grabbed his ribs. "God that hurts."
Mattie hid her head into her boyfriend's shoulder. It pained her to see her hero, her almost larger than life father have problems breathing. Max rubbed her back, scooped up Mackenzie and took them into the living room. He reasoned that Harm wouldn't want his children to see him hurting like he was. Harm smiled gratefully at him.
Mac walked in a couple minutes later. "If I could take away your pain I would."
"I guess I will be saying that to you soon. How many months are you along now?"
"We are almost two months along now. It must have happened when I was sent out to the Pat for the investigation around your birthday. I was going to name our son after you." She whispered to him.
"I don't think we should."
"I think we should discuss names at a different time though Harm. We have so many things we have to deal with right now, and the first thing on the priority list is getting you better."
"After everything has blown over, we are overdue for that vacation we won doing the tango." He said, as the doctor handed him another round of medication to breathe in.
The doctor smiled at him, "Now, you have to get better before you can do anymore dancing, and your lovely fiancée may not be up to going on a cruise while pregnant."
"I'll take her on the cruise to get her pregnant again," Harm said chuckling, taking the inhaler, and beginning to inhale the medication. He started to couch wildly.
"That's what you get. Do you understand how hard this pregnancy has been? I was constantly sick, and I thought that I would have to raise our children without you." Tears started rolling down Mac's face. "And I hate myself now because it is nothing compared to what you have gone through! I should have been there, I shouldn't have let everyone tell me that you were dead! I would have know, I would have felt it, I would have felt empty." She whispered.
"If you were there, you would have been my main priority, I would have given them everything they wanted, just as long as I could have kept you safe." He sighed. "The only thing that kept me going was my love for you and our children, and the promise I made to Em as the plane was going down."
"What promise did you make her?"
"The same promise that you made her when you were kids, if anything happened to her we would raise Brennen, and I would raise him like our own. It was like she knew something was going to happen on the last trip. It's my reason that she's dead, I couldn't save her from Corporal Taylor." He said bitterly.
"Harm do you remember who did this to you?" Mac asked him.
"Corporal Taylor, he was a marine I did a HALO insertion with. We left his body when he was shot on insertion, but when we went back for it he was gone. I drug his body to cover and hid him." He said, the memories still coming back. "It is hard to forget the man who beat you everyday for almost three weeks." He inhaled more of the drugs and started coughing violently.
Mac rubbed his back. "Have you seen what your daughter and her boyfriend did for you?" She said, changing the topic.
"No, I haven't left the sunroom, it feels nice and warm in here."
The doctor placed a hand on his forehead and whipped on the thermometer, 102. "Harm, you are burning up again. The pneumonia is certainly taking a toll on your body. I need to run back and get stronger antibiotics."
Mac winced. "He will get better though right?"
"We have to keep monitoring, he isn't out of the woods yet." Liz claimed to Mac. "He has to take it easy, no romping around in the snow with the kids just yet. But he could definitely stand to look around the house." Liz smiled, helping Harm up. "I will be back soon."
"Thanks Liz."
Harm held most of his weight on the ever constant IV pole, and Mac slid her arm around his waist and pulled him close. "Mattie, he is coming." She called out in front of her.
Mattie dimmed the harsh overhead lights and plugged in the white lights that were wrapped in green garland. She turned on the Manheim Steamrollers Christmas CD and turned toward her parents.
"Do you like it?"
"Oh Baby, it will be perfect for the party tonight."
"Are we still throwing that?" Mac asked. "You aren't feeling great."
"Well everyone is set to come over, and I will feel a ton better having all my friends around. I won't over do it, I promise."
"Promises promises."
"I always make good on my promises. We have two children of our own and two adopted children, and I came home to you."
"Just keep on keeping your promises."
"I plan on it." Harm said staring at one of the family pictures that was reflecting the light of the white lights that were now flooding the house. He was going to make sure that his family was going to remain safe once and for all.
AN-Sorry for the long wait in between chapters everyone, I will try to be step up the postings, but not until after July 4th, I am going out of town yet again. Thanks for the reviews everyone. I will be writing about Christmas of course, um, we will find out what has happened to Harm being over there, the birth of the baby, vacations, a wedding - but you guys have to tell me what you want!
D - RL keeps interfering, but I will try to step up the postings.
Snugglebug - Thanks - I try to write sweet things - the next couple of chapters are really sweet.
Charmed Ali - Thanks
Aserene - I am trying to keep it happy for at least a couple of more chapters.
To everyone else - Thanks, I love the reviews, makes my day feel great! Read and review as always, the more reviews, the more I write (I know that it kinda sucks, but if I don't know people read, then I don't know if I should write)
