Chapter Twenty One

Harm watched as Mattie, Mackenzie and Max danced through Jingle Bell Rock. Mattie was holding Mackenzie and Max was jingling sleigh bells they had found in the barn. He laughed as he watched Mackenzie lung for the bells and captured them, shaking them – eliciting sounds of glee from the small child. He marveled at how his children forever changed his life. He watched as Mac glowed, making her way through each guest with a goblet of water in her hand. The eggnog didn't agree with her, and Harm watched in horror for the first time as Mac proceeded to throw up in front of him. He was more or less angry at himself for his physical limitations; he couldn't even stoop down to hold her hair back, something that he thought that he would always be able to do when the time was right for them to have their children.

"Dada!" The sound of Mackenzie voice rang clear through the room. What had disheartened Harm the most was that he wasn't able to play with Mackenzie the way he was able to before. To make matters worse, she had taken up to pointing to where the pictures of Harm were when she said Dada. It was like she didn't recognize him in person anymore.

She looked up at him and hoisted herself up, standing while holding on to the coffee table. She jingled the bells at him, or as well as she could holding on to the table and gave him a slobbery grin. "Dada!" She said in a more definitive voice pointing at him. This time Harm shook out of his self induced reverie and saw what she had done.

He inched himself over to where she was and gingerly picked her up with the arm that wasn't attached to the IV pole. "Mackie!" She smiled at him and giggled. It was like she had discovered him again. "How much does Daddy love you?"

She stretched her arms out wide and blew him a kiss. "Dada! Mama! Mad!"

Max and Mattie looked over to where they heard Mackenzie, and Mac looked over. Tears filled her eyes as she saw Mackenzie give her father a drool infested kiss on the cheek, and she heard him really laugh for the first time. She really missed his smile and his laugh. Mackenzie started squirming, her way of asking to crawl around on the floor, and Harm acquiesced to her request, putting a very well dressed Mackenzie on the floor in her Christmas dress to crawl away to her hearts content. His eyes followed her as she weaved her way through the crowd.

Mac sat down next to him. "Our daughter commands the room."

"That she does. I think our next one will be the same."

"Our oldest daughter is making her way towards the mistletoe." Harm grumbled.

"Do you have something against mistletoe?" Mac asked him.

"No, just my daughter standing underneath it." He sighed. Mac put her hand on his chest and felt his heart beating.

"Good, because I brought us some." Mac leaned in and kissed him. "There was once a time that I never thought that I would be able to do that again."

"The thought of being back with you was one of the things that kept me going while I was in prison there."

She wrapped him up as well as she could in her arms and held him close. "I love you."

Harm looked around his house and saw everyone he loved gathered around in one place. He squeezed his eyes shut and knew that there were going to be dark times ahead but could get through it with the help of his friends.

TBC

AN –Sorry it has been so long – and so short. I have had a rough couple of months – for this reason and a bunch of stuff I have to deal with, I honestly don't know when I am going to update again. Hopefully I will finish this story – the readers deserve that. I am going through a real dark time right now, and that may reflect in the writing.