Nope, Pain Killer doesn't mean that Vic's going down. Not yet. . .sorry to disappoint. Woah! I am high at the moment on essential oils! I've taken aromatherapy a bit TOO serious and am making my own soaps, lotions, soaps, lotions, soaps. . .erm. . .lotions and. . .umm. . .creams! Yes! Weee!
Erm, the test. . .Gosh, that test that had me tormented. . .Well. . . :sighs: Ummm :Chews on lower lip and glances around desperately.:
I PASSED! Which means, I am elligable to graduate once I finish clinic which, the way we're going it'll be NEXT week but I still have to stick around until March 24, then apply for the State Board exam, pass that, get liscened, start working. Make anywhere from $45 an hour to about $110 depending on the location and modality, clients. Woo Hoo!
Anyway, thank you for your patience:D I am moving this around. .. Umm. .. just ask Witchy V who was reprimanding me for sending her chapters instead of studying. :blush: I needed a study break! Right! Those are legal! Anyway, I am up to chapter. . .:takes a look: 13 I'm starting that one now, so we'll have somewhere to go. . .I am hoping to post at least 2 chappies a week, but don't quote me on that. I'm the "reliable" :laughs: erm, student in school so the school admin has me doing EVERYTHING. I'm heading up some events here in Miami and getting credit for it, which is nice. ;) Anyway… ok. . .here we go.
EnjoY!
Jackie
PART 6 – Pain Killer
December 11, 2010
1952 Local
Robert's Residence
San Diego, California
Missing so much of his godchildren's lives was not Harm's intent. When he took the job in London, all he could think of was getting away from DC and Mac. Inadvertedly, that also meant getting away from their friends who would, surely, have contact with her. It was cowardly and extremely selfish, but it was the only way Harm knew to survive without having been reminded that he'd left his heart, broken, in Washington.
When he'd met the Roberts clan again an overwhelming feeling of shame settled at the pit of his stomach. AJ had grown in leaps and bounds – something that he'd missed almost completely. As a godfather, he should have been there to help raise him, to give Harriet and Bud time alone by taking care of the kids like he and Mac had done in the past. Five years were missed – years that he couldn't get back, so he was working on the present and the future. In the last few months, Harm, Mac and the Roberts' had made an unspoken agreement to spend more time together.
Dinner was take out Chinese and while the kids were assembled in the living room watching Disney flicks Mac was helping Harriet with the dishes while Bud and Harm were outside on the porch having beers. From her vantage point, Mac could see Harm leaning against the wooden railing, engrossed in some tale of something or other. She grinned, which didn't go unnoticed by Harriet. "Glad to see things are working out."
Mac turned to the right where Harriet was leaning against the cabinets, drying plates. "It's working very well, actually."
"I always knew you and Harm would be good together. . .Too bad it took almost fifteen years for you to see that."
Damn. She'd never really put a real time frame to it. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She said with amusement in her voice.
"It isn't." Harriet clarified, placing a supporting hand on Mac's shoulder. "Some couples need a little time."
True. "But, more than a decade? That's more than just a little time." Sighing, she reached for the next plate, lathered it up with soap and used a sponge to remove the stains. "In a way, I guess it was good that we separated for so long. . .Made me see things from a different perspective. . .It made me realize that, I can't just turn off my feelings for him."
"Kinda scary isn't it?"
"Very." Mac shrugged and handed over another plate. "Thing is. . .I like this. . .I like depending on him and having him around." Giggling, she glanced out of the window and watched Harm who was still deep in conversation. "It hasn't become mundane either."
Harriet stared at her with a look of confusion that only she could pull off. "In English?"
"Every guy. . .Every guy I've ever been with. . .give it a month or two and it gets sort of boring. . .With Harm, I haven't felt that. . .I mean, I actually want to get home and be with him, even if it's just to sit on the sofa and watch the news." Finishing with the last plate, she turned off the water and turned around, leaning against the counter. "He made me realize that. . .that I don't need to be alone. . . He makes me feel whole, Harriet."
Outside, Harm and Bud were laughing over a few dirty jokes some of the boys at his office had been telling all week. "They get this stuff by e-mail and drive Gunny and I nuts all week long by e-mailing it to us."
Bud chuckled, sometimes he disliked military professionalism and all that was required of them. At times he wished to be a in a regular office where people didn't have such a high standard. "I think the Colonel would kill us if we used the internal E-mail for anything other than cases." He took a final pull from his beer and then placed the empty bottle on the ground next to the wooden bench. "You know, she looks very happy lately. . .And I know it's not just that Vukovic is out of the office." He chuckled. Having Vic away was nice, very nice. No gimmicks were being pulled and for the first time since his arrival, the office was running like a well oiled machine.
"Mmm, yea, I've noticed." Wearing an undeniably smug smirk, he turned towards Bud, then finished off his beer. "It's nice between us. . .I can honestly say that I've never felt like this with anyone but Mac. It's strange, you know?"
"Strange? How?" Was strange a good thing? Knowing Harm and Mac the way he did, Bud couldn't be too sure. True, the petty arguments of old were gone now, but that didn't mean everything was running smooth. Bud knew, from experience, that the two of them were like a ticking time bomb at times. Maybe they had gotten passed that point? He figured so, but he wasn't certain.
Harm shrugged. Sometimes it was difficult to put into words what he felt. It was sad too, a lawyer who didn't know how to use his words. He wondered if that happened for other attorneys or if it was only a malady that effected him. "Damn, how do I say this without sounding like an idiot?" He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed deeply. Yes, he'd told Mac what he felt and what he needed, but to tell it to someone else. . . "This is new for me, Bud. . .I didn't know what it was to be in love until she came into my life. . .and it took me so long to figure all of that out. . .It's just strange to finally be on the winning side, you know? Sometimes I think I don't deserve what I got. . . She put me through a lot of grief those last years in Washington. But, that's nothing compared to all of the misunderstandings that led to the lowest points in our relationship." Frowning, he crossed the porch and settled next to his friend. "In Australia, for that Duncan case? Remember. . ."
"You and Commander Brumby broke my jaw. . .yup, I remember that." He rubbed his jaw softly and shook his head. That trip had been a huge nightmare, for all parties involved and that included Mac, though she would lead them all to believe that she was happy. Yea right.
Harm chuckled. "Did I ever say I was sorry?"
"You didn't mean to hit me, Harm."
"Right. . .Anyway." He shook his head and settled against the wall. "The night that Mac and I went to dinner together. . .We were on the ferry, crossing to Luna Park. . .Somewhere between the discussion about my client we wound up talking about the relationships between a woman and a man. . ." He cast his head down in shame. Why didn't he make a move then? "Mac. . .she implied a relationship between the two of us and I. . . just blew her off. . .Didn't even really give her a reason why nor. . .nor did I tell her that I wanted it too."
Bud's jaw dropped. It was difficult to know something had happened between your two best friends but not know how to fix it. He'd known that things between Brumby and Harm were getting sticky due to Mac. The fight certainly didn't have a thing to do with Duncan, it was about her. What he couldn't figure out was why the woman would go to a man like Brumby? Alright, so he was a good guy, fun enough, but for Mac. . .He didn't really think they made a good match. Being a supportive friend, he wished them the best and prayed it would work for their sake, but it was difficult to sit and watch Harm with a woman who was trying to manipulate him into marriage. "I was. . .This sounds bad, but I was hoping you didn't end up marrying Renee."
"You too?" Harm snorted. Just the thought of marrying that woman gave him hives.
"I wanted you and Mac to be happy, but. . . I knew you weren't happy with Renee and she wasn't really happy with Mic. . .It just wasn't my place to say anything. You two were senior officers and we are taught not to discuss those things with senior officers." Damn military protocol anyway. As a friend, he should have come up to the two of them, but what would he say? 'Find a hotel room and get it over with already?'
Harm gave Bud a friendly pat on the shoulder. "It's not your fault, Bud. . .I don't think either Mac or I would have listened. . .Too pigheaded. . .We're alike that way."
"I won't deny that." He chuckled, laughing harder when Harm gave him a mock look of annoyance. "C'mon, let's go inside, the girls should be done. We can get the kids to bed early and play some cards."
"Sure, but don't let Mac or Harriet know you called them 'girls.'" He chuckled, patting Bud on the back. "It's WOMEN."
The Roberts' kids, for the most part, were quite well behaved. AJ had passed through his running away stage and had an affinity for watching the others. Since he was the oldest, Bud and Harriet allowed him to stay up a little later playing video games, quietly in his room. The adults were attempting to play a game of Texas Hold 'Em for pennies. Sweet and innocent Harriet was playing everyone under the table. Harm had the second largest amount of pennies, Mac the third with Bud, who had managed to win the last three rounds, closing in on them.
"Honey, I know you're bluffing." Cheekily she told Harm. It had taken her a while, but Mac thought she could now read his tells. She'd noticed that he'd often rub his chin and end up bluffing his way out of the situation. Harriet she couldn't read, the woman was like a blank canvas. And Bud had the habit of clinking his chips together when he had a good hand.
Harriet scrutinized the cards once more and took a glance at the two cards lying face up on the center of the table. She already had a pair, but the chances of making more than that were kind of slim and if the showdown between Harm and Mac was real, she was going to be losing a lot of pennies. "Bud, you in or out?"
Sighing, he tossed the cards on the table, face down. "Nope, I'm out. . .Guess that kills my streak."
Harm grinned. "At least Harriet didn't win the last three."
"Yea, really." Mac continued. "Just how did you get so good at cards?"
Conspiringly grinning, Harriet tossed in a few pennies into the center of the table. The game would continue for her. "That online site Party Poker. . .I was home all day and though they are four kids, they aren't always up at the same time. . .Sometimes, I would get bored. . ." Snapping her fingers at Harm, she chuckled when he looked up at her with a perturbed expression. "She knows you're bluffing, Harm. . .So just fold already!"
"Uh huh, you know nothing Marine." Thinking his next move through again, he decided to go 'all in' and pushed his stacks of pennies to the center of the table. "All. In." He punctuated and sat back, waiting to see what Mac would do. "Your turn, Colonel. . .Just give up now, save your pennies for a rainy day."
Mac handled that whole 'look that could kill' with extreme precision. She cast an evil eye towards her opponents, settling on Harm with a positively evil smirk. "No, Captain. . .I will take my chances." She pushed in her stack, then sat back, flushing the two cards in her hands. "You're going down, Squid."
"Hah! Whatever, Jarhead!"
Harriet shook her head and tossed her cards in the stack with Bud's. "Never mind, too rich for my blood."
"Alright, Rabb, just you and me. . .Whattaya got?" The trademark MacKenzie eyebrow rose, challenging him to beat her. He wouldn't, she knew that a four pair was hard to beat. "If you thought I was going to fold under pressure, think again." As Harm made to turn his cards over, a rhythmic shrill cut through the air. It was Mac's cell phone. "Argh. . .Hang on." The roughly look of her face when she glanced at the caller ID only meant one thing to Harm – Hughes was calling. "Excuse me." Quickly, she stood, heading into the kitchen for some privacy. "Hello?"
"Hello, may I please speak to Angie Lawless." It was Hughes. His voice sounded too sweet, almost as if he were trying to sweeten her up. Men.
Mac cleared her throat and tried to settle her own voice, taking the edge off. "Yes, this is Angie. . .Doctor Hughes?"
Hughes chuckled. "Ah, I was trying to sneak one by you, but you're too good."
"I guess so." She tried to sound pleasant and interested all the while rolling her eyes. What a jerk. "How can I help you? Is there something wrong?" Of course there was, the last time that she and Harm were at the office, they'd gotten into another staged argument and it had slipped, several times, that he would be away for business. Angie, of course, had a problem with this and voiced it out with great and loud displeasure. This Angie was quite the wuss.
"Nothing wrong. I just wanted you to have dinner with me." Hughes had become the master of getting women – married women – to go out with him. He found that sounding apprehensive didn't work, that's why most of the women had trouble to begin with – men just didn't have a clue what to do anymore and, as a result, would fall into the 'less is more' mentality. However, every time he was direct, they would come to him, hook line and sinker.
Yup, definite jerk and what an ego! Remaining silent for a moment, Mac played the concerned, yet, intrigued thinking-about-being-an-ex-wife. "Well, I was. . .not. . .Ah. . .S-sure." She stammered out, giving the thumbs up to Harm who was leaning under the entrance of the kitchen. 'We're in'. She mouthed to him. "Umm, where do I meet you?"
Hughes grinned, the eager ones were usually the ones that had the most problems – the ones easiest to get into bed. "I'll pick you up."
Nope, that wasn't good. The last thing she wanted was for him to know where she and Harm lived. Addresses and information giving to the shrink had all been fake. "N-no. .. I have. . .really nosy neighbors. . .I'll meet you somewhere?"
This was getting better and better for the good doctor. Concern about nosy neighbors was a sure sign that the little woman was thinking of taking things a bit past doctor/patient relationship. "How about Zenith? It's a club, but they have a lovely restaurant, quiet, we can talk."
The last thing this guy wants is to talk, puhlease! "Zenith?" She glanced at Harm and shrugged. Mac didn't have a clue where that was. Clubs and bars had been two things she'd avoided like the plague. There was no reason to tease her temptation to drink. The last time she did the clubbing (before Harm) was with Michael and it had always been a hassle to make the man understand that she didn't drink, period. To her relief, Harm nodded, then made an 'okay' sign with his fingers. "Yea, I know where that is. . .In an hour?"
"Hour sounds good. . .See you then Ange." With that, he hung up, not even allowing the woman to come to her senses. That worked too, he found out – never give them an out.
Mac shook her head in disgust, then slipped the phone into her jean pocket. "This guy is some piece of work.. . .You could hear the ego over the phone."
"What? His ego is bigger than mine?" He chuckled.
"Amazing isn't it?" Sighing, she glanced around the kitchen, then back to the entrance where Bud and Harriet stood with concerned looks. "Guys, I'm sorry, Harm and I have to go. . .Something about a case I am helping him with."
Harriet cringed. She'd heard about the last case they'd been on together. The term 'frightening' had a new meaning. "Ugh, there go my chances of sleeping well tonight. . .Be careful you guys." She enveloped Mac in a tight hug, then turned to Harm. "Call me when you get home, I don't care what time it is, I just want to make sure you guys are safe."
"Yes, Mom." Harm said, getting a good whack on the shoulder for his efforts. "So I guess that means I won?" He pointed to the three pair on the table.
Whipping around, Mac leveled a glare at her lover. "Yes, Harm. . .You won." Alright, so she'd stroke his ego just a little bit. He didn't have to know that she had a full house.
2245 Local
The Zenith Bar and Restaurant
San Diego, California
It had been agreed, that the best course of action was for Mac to hail a cab about a block or two close to the place and get off, glancing around as if she were worried that someone would spot her. She would carry that act inside and always seem semi-available, but never fully giving in. For sure, Harm wasn't going to make the same mistake he did with Jarvis and Manda, this time, he was ending it quickly. The pin camera on Mac's dress allowed him to see what was going on. A small device behind her ear allowed them to communicate. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" He grumbled into the microphone. Using Mac as bait was killing him, especially the outfits that she chose for the occasions.
Since this 'date' was supposed to be an 'outside of the box' experience for Angie, Mac decided that an uninhibited look would be preferable. The burgundy dress she wore had no sleeves with a slit up to mid thigh. The matching shawl was used to help keep her modesty which was quickly disappearing along with the deep 'v' at the front of her dress. "Nope. . .What you said was, and I quote, 'lucky bastard.' I am curious why though." She teased him. Harm had seen the dress before. In fact, she wore it to a formal party just a few weeks ago. He'd worn a tuxedo, something that she'd never seen him in before, and was turned back into a Harmon Rabb groupie. The man looked, in a word – hot. His broad shoulders made the monkey suit look divine. They made quite the pair and had been the talk of the night.
Harm snorted. "Oh nothing, really. . .I was just hoping that dress would stay between the two of us."
Mac chuckled, causing a few of the patrons waiting for entrance to stare. Sobering, she whispered. "I just got a vision of you wearing the dress. . .I gotta say, you need to shave those hairy legs if you want to pull it off."
"My legs are not that hairy! You make me sound like sasquatch." Her laughter though, was infectious and he could only imagine the manic look the patrons were giving her. "Mac, c'mon, try to be serious."
"I will." Ignoring the looks that other men were giving her, she stepped into Zenith and quickly found Hughes. He was waiting for her at the reception area, dressed in a black, pinstriped suit. It made him look like a modern day gangster. "Doctor Hughes, how are you?" She received a kiss on each cheek and was surprised when he leaned in and brushed a barely there kiss on her lips. Smiling politely was difficult to do when all she wanted was to give him a knuckle sandwich.
"Did he kiss you?" She could hear Harm's exasperated voice call over the communications system.
"Call me Jeff." He smiled, taking her hand and raising it up to his lips. "Angie."
Oh, brother! Smooth operator. And though Mac wasn't thrilled with his wiles, she could see how a woman, scorned and betrayed, could easily succumb. "Jeff, lead the way." She bit back a grin when Harm groaned audibly.
He weaved them through the club portion and headed towards the large wooden doors that house the restaurant. Stepping inside, the environment changed completely, it was, what one could categorize, a romantic setting. "I called ahead of time so we have the table at the back. Nice, quiet. No one will bother us."
Mac was tempted to slap him upside the head. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with him. "You know, the last thing I want is for you to be alone with him." Harm said over the intercom, sighing deeply as the waiter set them up away from the other guests. "Watch, the creep will want to order the most expensive champagne on the menu. . ."
Hughes took the wine menu which was offered to him, leafed through it and then presented it back. "Bring me a bottle of your most expensive champagne. Thank you."
Biting her inner cheek managed to keep the laughter at bay and yet, it didn't. The sound that came out of Mac was like a cross between a sneeze and a cough. "Excuse me, allergies." She took the napkin from the table and wiped the tears that had come out. She was going to kill Harm later, that's for sure. "So, why did you want to have dinner with me?"
"You know why."
Yes, she did, but he wasn't supposed to know that. "I don't. . .Enlighten me."
The look in his eyes changed from playful to serious. But, it wasn't serious enough and anyone really searching would have seen the façade. "I like you, Angie. . .I like you a lot. . .Truth is, I can't stand the way Jessie treats you. . It's wrong. . . You're his wife, not a play thing. . .A woman as beautiful as you should not be left alone. . .She needs to be taken care of. . .Her needs must come first." It was quite possible that in his endeavor to seem the perfect man, Jeffery Hughes spent quite a while reading romance novels, Mac thought.
Harm, once again, let his displeasure be known. "What? Did he read that out of a romance novel? What a jerk!"
What a jerk indeed. "Doctor Hughes. . .Ah, Jeff. . . I. . .I like you too and not just as a friend." Ah, there was the clincher, the one thing that she hoped would snag him. "When you called. .. I'd be lying if I said it didn't. . .do things to me." If her JAG gig ever went sour, definitely she'd try her hand at acting. This was actually fun. "I'm just. . .so. . .God! I'm so afraid." She took the napkin and brought it up to her face, pretending to be sobbing quietly.
Trying to soothe 'Angie,' Hughes slid his chair around the table and came to her side. "Don't cry, please." He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to his body as his hands ran over her arms. "I can help you, I can. . ." He leaned in close, brushed another kiss on her lips and then placed another on her forehead. "Ange, baby. . .Let me take your pain away."
Inwardly, Mac was cringing. Did women really buy into this bs? She knew they did and though she understood why, she couldn't fathom how someone could just give in, especially when this is the man they came to in hopes of returning to marital bliss. "How."
"Spend the night with me." Well, that was certainly blunt. She was hoping that he'd, at least, talk to her over dinner. Hell, even a little dancing would be acceptable. Jeffery Hughes was definitely a character if he could get a woman into bed that quickly, without alcohol. "I'll take all of your pain away."
Harm was panicking. Though they caught him in the act, red handed, he needed more information to make the rest stick. "Mac, not yet. . .ask him some questions. . .I need all of this on tape."
To her horror, the type of pain killer wasn't sex, but something far worse. Making sure the coast was clear, he reached into his suit pocket and produced a small vial of cocaine, shaped so that the product could be inhalator immediately without having to use a mirror or a table. "This will help. . .It will set you free."
"Mac! Is he offering you coke?" Clenching his jaw, he waited for an answer of some type, which came in the form of a moan. One of the things his client had stated was that his wife seemed to be intoxicated and not by alcohol. Now he knew why.
Mac pulled away from Hughes and then reached for the water goblet on the table, taking a long pull. "What about Jessie? If he finds out he'll. . .oh God! He'll kill me." She whispered to him, placing her hands on either side of his face.
Hughes placed his hands over hers, sliding them down so that he could clasp them. "Baby, I have a friend who's a divorce lawyer. . .He'll help. . .We can be together."
"That's it, Mac! Get out of there, I'll be waiting up front." Happily, Harm left the equipment taping while he headed out of the black SUV and crossed the street. Hughes wouldn't know what hit him.
Relieved, she took Hughes' hands and tugged him up with her. "Let's go now. . .I need you now." A cocky grin spread across his lips. She figured he was already adding another notch to his belt, damn how wrong he was. Mac led him through the restaurant and then into the club. As she was weaving her way through the crowd, Harm stepped in front of them. She grinned up at him. "Jessie!"
"What the hell are you doing, Angie!" Harm yelled at the top of his lungs, turning from her to Hughes who suddenly popped in front of Mac to play her 'protector' Ouch, buddy. She's going to be pissed about that. Harm thought, cringing as he envisioned Mac flattening this man into pulp. "Hughes!"
"Look, man. . .It's not what it looks like." Keeping a slight distance away from Harm was a good idea, Hughes thought. He was also acting the brave male, keeping the fragile, loose canon female behind him.
But, Harm kept his charade, more for fun and the fact that he was waiting for two particular persons to arrive. Scrubbing his eyes, he pretended to be crying now. "How could you, Angie? I loved you!" He reached out for her and to Hughes' shock, she reached back, allowing 'Jessie' to pull her into his arms.
Her hands gently caressed the contours of his face. It was something that she loved doing. Harm had admitted once that it relaxed him to feel her hands on his body. Well, not all of his body, some parts got more excited than relaxed. "You're never there. . .I need a man who is there for me."
"I'm sorry. . .Forgive me." He leaned down and captured her lips with his own, causing an uproar of catcalls from the other patrons.
Hughes was suddenly yanked into the twilight zone. Never had he had a couple as unpredictable as the Lawless'. Nothing about them had been fun or enjoyable, it had been a mess from beginning to end and this was one gig he didn't mind losing. "You know what? Forget it! Find yourselves another therapist. . .I quit." As he made to leave the establishment, Harm's hand came around his forearm, roughly tugging him back. "Look Lawless, let me go. I can kick your ass faster than you can scream for help, you dig?"
"I'll tell you what, Jeffy. . .How about you go to jail instead?" Spotting the two undercover police officers, he waved them over to Hughes. "Officers. . .If you check this man, I'm sure you'll find some snow on him."
Roughly, the two officers poked and prodded through every pocket on the man, finally pulling out the small glass vial. "That's not mine."
"But you're in possession of it." Mac said, standing beside Harm. They each wore matching grins of accomplishment. Another baddie had been nailed.
As the cuffs were being tightened, Hughes finally realized that he'd just been scammed. His partner had always tried to keep their little negotiations silent and urged Hughes to not be so frivolous with the women he picked. Now, it came back to bite him on the ass. "Who are you?"
Now it was Harm's turn to have an over inflated ego and for good reason, he earned it, so did Mac. "I was paid to look after you and your associate's little scam to destroy marriages for personal gain. . .I'm personally going to make sure that you see some time for that. .Have a good evening." With that, he patted Hughes on the shoulder, wrapped an arm around Mac and headed out of Zenith. "Good job, Colonel."
"You too, Captain." She leaned against his broad shoulder, sighing contentedly.
2230 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Undisclosed Location
Captain Loftness stood at Vulture's row alone, save for one junior officer which stood to his left. "Two more planes." The officer said, a hint of remorse in his voice that was barely recognizable. It was almost as if the officer wanted things to happen. But, that couldn't be, he was military for Christ's sake! "Skipper, I recommend you do as Admiral Klein suggests."
It wasn't Admiral Klein that suggested it though, the order came straight from the top – SECNAV Caroline Hewitt who was acting like a kid with a magnifying glass on a pile of ants. After the meeting just four days ago with Admiral Klein, the decision to have Captain Harmon Rabb Junior join the squadron was squashed. All parties involved felt that the man's talents were far too valuable for the game they were about to play. Cruelly put, he wasn't expendable and in a war with an unidentified military force, they needed the expendable types of pilots who didn't care that this was a suicide mission. "Commander, you and I will never see eye to eye on things. . .This is one of those things." As Captain, he had the right to refuse certain on goings with his ship. Hewitt gave him a buzz, followed by a pissed off Admiral Klein, threatening to chuck his eagles if Loftness didn't comply.
Vic sighed deeply. The ball was in Loftness' court for now, but the options weren't exactly favorable – let Captain Rabb on board or lose your command. A man with a family, like Loftness, wasn't likely to take option B. "Look, he's a kick ass pilot, he'll survive. . . If that's what you're worried about."
Loftness glared at the younger man, wishing his eyes had lasers. "Commander, we lost two more pilots today. . .I would hope you have some remorse about that and yet, I don't see it."
"I feel awful about this, Skipper. . .All I want is to see a resolution and as on board JAG, I am giving you an option."
"Yes, an option that has nothing to do with your responsibilities as a JAG. . .You're playing God, Vukovic, and I might not be able to stop you, but some one will, eventually." Angrily, he turned from Vic. He would have thrown the hatch closed if he could.
Leaning against the railing, Vic pulled out a cigar. He watched as the crew prepared a Hornet for flight. Those damned things always reminded him of Rabb now. Lighting the cigar, he settled in for a moment, content that his sea sickness was gone and his case load had lessened after the Cisco fiasco. So he didn't beat Mac, big deal. He had better ways to tame the wild MacKenzie. Grinning, he took a puff from the cigar and sighed as he glanced on to the Heavens. "This will be our crowning achievement."
