Ooooh lewk! A cliffie... ye be warned. ;) This one WAS intentional. :D
Either live with it or wait until I post part 18. ;)

Jackie

Part 17 – Suffocating

December 31, 2010
0612 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Undisclosed Location

Loftness stood on the bridge, binoculars glancing out to the darkened skies. The first helo was coming in the one he knew carried two persons needing medical attention. No other news was given, no names, no ranks, nothing, just the need to have sickbay prepped. "Weather is picking up, Captain." The XO said, glancing out over the decks which were pitching violently. "It's going to be hell for them to land."

"Tell me something I don't know, XO." Loftness sighed deeply, this ride was getting worse before it would get any better. "Is sickbay ready?"

"Yes, sir. . .So far we only have the two wounded. . .And one dead." His head hung slightly, war wasn't fun, even for the diehards who had an itchy trigger finger. When all was said and done, it hurt. "Do you believe Colonel MacKenzie found Captain Rabb, sir?"

At that, Loftness had to chuckle. "Of that I have no doubt. . .I just hope he was alright when she found him. Although, I'm having a bad feeling about this." When the helo landed, those feelings weren't unfounded. He saw the medical crew step out first with a gurney. A gurney that Harm was lying on. "Shit." Next, one of the medical crew helped Mac step off of the transport. The way she was holding her arm, it was obvious that she too was hurt. "Damnit." And then there were the other two, who the hell were they? "XO, get your six down there, and figure out who those persons on my ship are." Yup, it was going to be a very long day.

Down below, the medical crew was racing Harm through the ship and into sickbay, Mac following closely behind, fighting the want to pass out. She'd lost a lot of blood during the trip back to the ship. "Move, move, move." They commanded anyone who stood in the way, as they winded down and entered sickbay.

Vukovic was still there, milking his broken finger for all that it was worth. If he was in sickbay, he wasn't locked up in his stateroom or worse, in the brig which Loftness was trying to stick him into. Bless the Navy doctors. His sleep was momentarily disrupted when, in the next room, he heard the commotion.

"Remove the bandaging from the leg." The doctor, Lieutenant Commander Jefferson Winchester said, pointing at one of the nurses on his staff. "I want to take a look inside the wound and make sure there isn't anything that's making the infection worse."

The team set themselves to cleaning the wound on Harm's leg, trying to remove any grime and debris before the doctor cut through the primitive stitching. The wound was infected, yellow liquid oozed out and it was obvious that the skin just wasn't going to heal properly. With special eyewear, he took a good look inside the wound. "Aha." He said triumphantly, finding several pieces of metal shavings still inside. "Once we clean these up the Captain's body should start healing." He continued checking the wound, irrigating ever so often to make sure nothing was missed. Thankfully, the wound looked much worse than it was. Nothing major had been nicked and because the infection wasn't too bad, the leg would be saved.

Two curtains over, Mac lay on one of the beds, grimacing in pain as Doctor Lieutenant Missy Evans, a Naval reservist, fiddled with the bullet that was still lodged in her right shoulder. "Colonel, you really need pain medication, this is going to get worse before it gets any better."

Mac's face, which had turned a slight alabaster color, was covered with sweat. She'd handled the pain of a bullet before and though the pain was excruciating, there was nothing worse than having to walk around with a bullet in your thigh. "I've been through worse." She grunted out, taking a deep breath when Evans resumed the search. Remaining silent, she could hear the ongoing from Harm's procedure. Hearing the word 'stable' made her feel marginally better. Now all he had to do was remember and things could go back to normal. If there was even a chance at normal anymore. There were so many things to do, one of them being Vic's ass nailed to the wall. Something inside Mac told her that he was responsible. She could feel it with every fiber of her being, but that wasn't enough, she needed proof.

"Oooh, gotcha." Evans said, ends of a smile poking out from the surgical mask. Leaning in she showed Mac the bullet she was holding between forceps. "Congratulations, it's a girl. . .That means you can pass out now." She patted Mac on her good arm, then turned to place the bullet on the top of a metal cart while she retrieved the supplies to clean the wound.

Ever defiant, the Marie on her table wasn't going to budge. "I'll pass out when I can see him." She motioned over to the opposite side with a turn of her head. "I need to know he'll be alright."

"As the doctor, I can order you to stay put, but I doubt you are going to listen to me anyway. . ." Evans cleaned the wound, then stitched it closed. "I have to say, my admiration for the Marines went up a notch."

Mac chuckled. "Only a notch?" She bit her lower lip, the pain of sewing the wound was much, much worse than searching for the bullet. For some reason, the faint memory of the Appalachians came to her mind. Harm was standing in front of her, holding a flask full of bourbon. It had been sweet and cute, really, when he'd warned her of the liquor which he was about to pour into the wound to disinfect. To this day, that look on his face made her smile.

"Is it a good memory?" Evans asked. She'd been known for being a doctor with too much heart. The type that got too close to her patients and too involved. It was a good and bad thing for a doctor. The times when she'd lost those she'd worked on, it haunted her.

"Yes and no. . .It's complicated." God, was she using that word again?

Evans placed a patch over the wound and then motioned for the nurse to help her with Mac. "We're going to transfer you to another bed and wheel you just next door. I know you want to see your friend, but we have to wait for the doctor to finish."

Mac sighed. "Fine. . .I just don't want any type of medication until I see him. . ." She placed a hand on Evans'. "I mean it. . .For reasons I can't explain, I just need to see him."

"Okay, Colonel. . . No meds for now." The doctor requested the nurse made sure her patient was comfortable before the move. The nurse gave her a much needed sponge bath and then slipped Mac into comfortable clothing before helping her lay onto her new bed.

Relieved, Mac settled onto the bed and waited to be transferred to the adjacent room. Her relief, however, was cut short the moment she was rolled past Lieutenant Commander Vukovic. "What's he still doing in here?" She asked the nurse who promptly explained that he was issued intravenous pain medication which he'd had a bad reaction to. "Bad reaction my ass." Despite her protest, however, the doctor had approved it, therefore she, and every other senior officer onboard, had to keep their traps shut for the good of the Navy.

Once she was alone, she heard rustling on the bed next to hers which was separated by a stark, white curtain. "You disobeyed a direct order from the Secretary of the Navy, ma'am."

"Did I?" Out of all of the things she figured he'd say, this didn't rank up there. Somehow, she figured he'd be more concerned over his case, than her ongoing. "I wasn't aware that the SECNAV had ordered me to do anything."

Vic snorted. "Whatever, ma'am. . .So, does this mean you are going to spend most of your time in sickbay?"

"What's it to you, Commander?" She tried using a commanding tone but knew it wouldn't work, at the moment he had an agenda. If only she could figure out exactly what it was. This went far beyond an attraction or a want to be with her. Sure as hell, he didn't have that drive that stalkers had, no, this had to be something more volatile.

"Nothing, just that, I can get you off of my six now, ma'am. . .Maybe have an impartial investigator, not one with an axe to grind." He was going against higher orders, ones given to him by the SECNAV, but he didn't care. The cheap shots made him feel better, even if they incriminated him more. Not that it mattered, Hewitt would get him off of the Arjan wrap if it ever got that far. Vic had a feeling, however, that whether she liked it or not, Mac would be taken off of the case once the investigation was finished. He only hoped that was soon, at the moment, her presence was suffocating.

Mac grinned, "If you're referring to the investigation: I ain't going no where." She said with a twang, then stood slowly and pulled back the curtain. "I know you did something. . .I know Arjan is dead because of you. . .And when I piece everything together, you can kiss your Naval career and your life goodbye because I am going to personally make sure you spend the rest of it doing hard labor in Leavenworth." She wrapped her hand around the rolling I.V. stand. She was weak, wobbly, but she had things to say and a man to see. "I can understand a beef with me, Vukovic, but Harm didn't do a damned thing to you."

With that, she turned away from him, slowly walking towards the second room where she knew Harm would be. There weren't quite as many people as before. Most of the nurses had left and the only person available was Doctor Winchester and a female nurse that was checking Harm's vitals. Turning, he saw Mac and smiled faintly. "How are you feeling, Colonel?"

Shrugging, she stepped closer. "I'll be fine. . .How's he?"

Winchester took one peak at the machines, making sure they were all working properly. "The infection is pretty bad, but I got out all of the shavings that were still inside his leg and irrigated. . .That should heal well."

"Will he be awake tomorrow?" She chewed on her lower lip in expectance. The sooner he woke up, the sooner she would know the extent of his memory loss. Something told her to worry and yet, another part of her had a memory of his crash into the Atlantic. He'd lost his memory then too, but it came back to him. At least then he hadn't forgotten her.

The doctor crossed his arms. "Truthfully, ma'am. . .I don't know. . .I've looked him over and everything else seems to be alright. . .He does have a high fever, which I hope to bring down. . .Waking up is really all up to him. . .If his body needs the rest it will remain shut down until he gets it. And, right now, he needs his rest. . .so do you." He pointed out with a half-smirk.

Mac nodded. "And I will rest. . .But, I need a favor. . Two actually." The doctor stared at her eerily, but then conceded, she was higher ranking after all. "First, the Lieutenant Commander next door either has to be in the brig or his stateroom, not here. . .From this area it's easier for him to give his guard the slip. . .I'm the JAG officer which is investigating him and until the investigation is completed and I've decided that he is of no risk to anyone, he needs to remain confined."

"I understand that ma'am, but he claimed to have suffered from the meds we gave him."

"That's a lie, Doctor. . .In fact, if you go and look at him, you'll find that Vuckovic is just fine. . .Second. . .Give me a little time with Captain Rabb. . .Five minutes is all I ask. In that time, you can release Vukovic. . .As whinny as this sounds, I can't have him near me. . .he will not allow me to rest and I am not in the position, at the moment, to be harassed by a junior officer who thinks he's God."

Winchester stared at her for a moment before conceding. "Alright, Colonel. . .I'll have the Lieutenant Commander moved back into his state room. . .Take your time with the Captain. . ." With that he turned, gave the Nurse a nod and both of them left the room.

Finally, Mac deflated, settling into a metal chair just next to Harm's bed. "Geez, we can't do things the easy way, can we?" She could imagine his voice, strong and teasing: What fun would that be? Sighing, she reached over and placed a hand on his. "You have no idea how happy I am that you are safe. . .Memory or not, you're alive. . .That's all that matters. . .We'll work on the rest." She stood up slowly, then leaned in, giving him a peck on the lips. "I love you. . .I hope you don't forget that." Mac lingered a while longer, satisfied with his condition. He was looking better now, much better than when they found him. "Night, flyboy."

Holding onto the IV stand for support, she walked out of that room and to the other just a hatch away. She peaked inside, thankful that Vukovic was nowhere to be found. "Thank God." Wearily, she settled into the rack, careful not to yank the IV, she pulled the blankets over her and took a breath. Sleep came easily.

December 31, 2010
1430 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Location Undisclosed

Mac was sitting in the officer's ward room, an area that was blocked off while she did her investigation. The two cups of coffee had stopped her head from pounding and it wasn't any fun walking around with an arm pinned to your body, but she was dealing. She was dealing much better than Harm who still hadn't woken up. Doctor Winchester had assured her that it was a good thing and that once he was stable, he'd be sent to Bethesda so that testing could be done had he not regained his memory. All of this waiting was suffocating her.

Sighing, she raised her head, finding one Airman James Benson standing at the hatch, wearing his brown shirt. He stepped in, walked towards the table she was using and came to attention. "Airman James Benson, reporting, ma'am."

"At ease, Airman, take a seat." Reaching to the center of the table, she placed a recorder. "You don't mind do you? Kinda difficult to write at the moment." She smiled gently when he nodded at her. From the way he was acting, she was sure that he knew something. This was definitely the right place to start. "Would you like something to drink, James?" Using his first name and being hospitable had always proved to be a good way to calm the subject down.

James' mouth opened and closed several times as he was unsure what he should do. He knew why he was called in and was afraid that he'd, somehow, be linked to Arjan's murder. "Coffee would be great, ma'am."

"Good." Mac stood, headed over to the area with the coffee pots and brought back another cup. She placed it on the table and poured coffee from the pot she already had there. "It's not the best coffee in the world, but it'll do." She smiled warmly at him, then reached forward and pressed the 'record' button. "Alright. . .For the record, please state your rank, name, job title and location."

"Airman James Benson, plane Captain on the USS Patrick Henry." His nervousness seemed to dissipate slightly, but he was still leery.

"James, I understand that you were Airman Vincent Arjan's bunkmate, is this correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"The night that he. . .went overboard." It was better than saying 'suicide', it softened the blow. "Where were you?"

"Vinnie and I were on the port side of the ship where one of the F-14s was tethered down. . .We were basically having a look around the plane, making sure everything on it was ready. . .See, the pilots and the RIOs, during wartime, sometimes sit inside the planes, on the deck and remain there until they are launched. This can take hours. . .I've seen crews even sleep inside the plane until they launch."

Mac nodded. "Yes, I am aware of that. . .A friend of mine is a pilot." She nodded and sighed. They were much, much more than friends. And much more than lovers. Snapping out if it, she shook her head and then glanced up at the Airman. "Tell me what happened."

"Vinnie had this really. . .glazed look in his eyes. . .So I tried to get his attention and I had to shake him out of some. . .trance he was in."

"How long was he in this 'trance'?"

"I don't know. . .A minute maybe? Eventually he did snap out of it and went back to work. . .I was up on the plane when it happened. . .I was checking the ejector seat and Vinnie was down on the deck. . . That's when I heard the siren. When I stepped back down, I realized that Vinnie was gone." He stared at the cup of coffee as if it held answers to what he was looking for. "No one pushed him, Colonel. . .So that leaves one solution. . .he jumped off."

"James, did Arjan have any problems? Anything out of the normal that he told you about?"

James shook his head. "Not really, but he did take Captain Rabb's mishap seriously. . .I mean, I guess you have to if it's your ass. . .uh, six on the chopping block. . .They are taking forever on that investigation and, you know, I think he was afraid he did something wrong. . .or forgot something." He shrugged. It was a big fear, especially at the rate they were working with such little time off.

"Did he say anything about the Captain's plane? Any speculations?"

The Airman took a sip of his coffee and settled back into the chair. This was a touchy subject and something that he didn't want to really discuss with anyone. God knows that with Loftness' iron fist, it was possible that he'd be brought up on charges. "Off the record?"

Mac shook her head. "I can't do that, Airman. . .This is very important."

"Fine. . .I just don't want to get into trouble." James sighed deeply. "The night of Captain Rabb's mishap, Vinnie was acting really weird." He trailed off, his mind racing back in time to the on goings in the hangar bay.

"Weird how?"

"Well, our group of plane captains, we work out together, shoot the breeze, unwind. . .We usually do this in the hangar bay. . .That night Vinnie was just. . .not Vinnie. . .He was pretty pissed off. . kept beating the pulp out of the punching bag. . .He hit it so hard that it was knocked off of its anchor." James sat up and rested his elbows on the table. "So I riled him up a bit. . .I didn't do it on purpose, I just. . .you know, as a captain you take it seriously, too seriously when something happens to a plane. . .and Vinnie was. . .he was a wreck about it. . .So I started joking with him, trying to ease the mood. . .You know? Stupid sailor jokes."

"Go on."

The look on James' face changed completely. It wasn't as animated as it was when he was telling the tale. Now, it was harder, worried. . .scared. "I might have pushed him too far. . .We ended up having a. . .well, we had a pretty big tussle. . .worked him over pretty good. .. But, Vinnie, he didn't go to anyone. . .not even sickbay." But, there was one thing, one detail that James never understood. "The oddest thing was that. . .after I knocked him down, he thanked me. . .told me that he had it coming." He frowned, finished off his coffee and stared directly into Mac's eyes. "You know, now that I think about it, that whole week he was acting odd. . .Like something was buggin' him. . .He was a di. . .I mean, a pain. . ."

Mac took a breath then asked the one thing she needed confirmation on. "Do you think that Airman Arjan could have tampered with Captain Rabb's plane?"

A white pallor transcended over James' face. As much as he wished his friend wasn't , the truth was, he wasn't sure. "Ma'am, normally I'd say that there wasn't a chance in hell that Vinnie could have. . .But, the way he was acting. . . Something had to have bothered him badly. . .I just can't understand why he would have. . .Captain Rabb was a stand up guy, ma'am. . .Not some jerky officer."

She understood all about 'jerky officers', during her time at JAG and in the Marines, she'd rubbed elbows with a lot of men and women that shouldn't wear a military uniform. "Okay, That's all for now James, if something else comes up, come see me. . . Please send in the next person waiting."

The next person to step inside was a young woman, pretty, with dark blond hair and brown eyes. The woman came towards Mac's table and stood at attention. "Seaman Andrea Chambers, reporting as ordered, ma'am."

After going through the usual hoopla and trying to get the woman comfortable, Mac settled in for the questioning. On the norm, Mac had no reason to call the woman if it wasn't because of the rumors that she and Arjan were an item. "Seaman, what can you tell me about the way Airman Arjan handled Captain Rabb's accident?"

"Well, he got closed off. . ." She fidgeted, toying with a fake piece of lint on her slacks.

"Was he normally closed off?"

Andrea glanced up, then away, shaking her head. "No. . .No he wasn't. . .At least, not up until a week or so before the Captain's plane malfunctioned. . .That week he was a real creep. . ." Reaching for a napkin, she took it and wiped at the tears which were starting to form in her eyes. It was difficult for the ship to hear about Arjan's suicide, but it had affected her the worst in particular.

Mac frowned, her mind going to the man she loved, who was just a few decks below. She knew Harm was well liked and knew that what had happened affected the ship tremendously. She just needed proof, something that would stick. "I know this is difficult, Andrea. . .I'll try to finish quickly. . .Did Airman Arjan say anything to you? Maybe something to make you believe he was angry at the Captain?"

She shook her head. "No ma'am. . .Vinnie always liked Captain Rabb. . . Ma'am, I know that there are investigators on board, I know they are looking for something with what's left of the plane. . .Vinnie couldn't have done it."

"I believe that, maybe, someone made him do it, Andrea. . . If that is the case, I want to go after who it was. . .I want to stop them and maybe clear Vincent's name."

Andrea nodded. "Sometimes I think he had something to do with it. . .Or he forgot something and that caused the accident. . .Then there was the stuff he said in a note. ."

Note? "What note?" Mac interrupted, staring at Andrea with a look of disbelief. When the woman didn't answer, she applied a little more pressure. "Seaman, did Airman Arjan leave you a note?"

"Yeah, he did leave one for me." She took a breath and pulled a white piece of paper out of her pocket, then slid it across to Mac. "Vinnie and I were. . .close. . .I know we're not supposed to be but. . .I really couldn't help it. . .Sometimes it's difficult to help it." She smiled sadly, then wiped at a tear that ran down her cheek.

Carefully, Mac read over the note. "Andrea, I always promised I'd never lie to you and that was exactly what I did anyway. . .I'm sorry about this last week when I blew you off. . .And I am sorry for the future. . .Please know, it wasn't my intent to hurt you. . .I love you. . .Please forgive me for everything that I did. . .Forgive me for what I'm about to do. . .Tell them it wasn't my fault. . .Tell them that he made me do it. . .All my love, Vincent."

"I didn't know what he meant, ma'am. . .I'd found that note before. . .before he. . .." She was full out crying now, shoulders heaving with each sob. "I loved Vinnie, but I was so angry for the way he treated me that, I didn't think anything of it. . .I didn't know he was saying 'goodbye.' I could have stopped him(.) I should have."

Reaching across the table, Mac placed a hand on Andrea's. "You didn't know. . .And this wasn't your fault. . .I do need to keep this, it's evidence, I hope you understand?"

Andrea nodded. "I understand, ma'am. . .Just please, please find who made him do this. . .Vinnie wouldn't have ever committed suicide, he loved life too much. .. He loved the Navy. . .Damnit, He wanted to be a pilot!"

"I'll find out what happened, I promise." Hopefully, she was going to be able to keep that promise.

1720 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Location Undisclosed

With the help of Secretary of the Navy Caroline Hewitt, Vukovic had managed to lose his guard. The woman had told the Captain, in no uncertain terms, that he was not a criminal and until formal charges were brought up, they were to allow him his freedom. "Freedom my ass." Vic muttered. There was only so much 'freedom' you had on a ship. Angrily, he traipsed his way down to sickbay, the doctor needed to see him and make sure that his broken finger was doing alright. It hurt like hell and he'd spent the night in the merciful arms of pain killers.

Stepping inside sickbay, he immediately spotted a sleeping Harmon Rabb Jr. and the nurse which was taking his vitals. The man is like a bad rash! He thought to himself as he tried, as hard as possible, to remove the angered look from his face. "Nurse, how's Captain Rabb doing?"

Startled, the woman glanced up. "He's doing better, sir. . . I bet you're here to see Doctor Winchester."

"Right you are."

"I'll go get him, take a seat." She stepped around him and out of the hatch, leaving Vic alone with Harm.

Glancing around, he made sure they were alone before he took a few steps closer. "You are a lucky son of a bitch, Rabb. . .What? Do you have an angel on your shoulder? Or did you just make a deal with the Devil?" He studied Harm for a moment, taking note of the IV tube attached to his arm. A zillion malicious thoughts were running through his head. It would be so easy to remove the liquid from the IV bag, let it fill with air and then squeeze it, pumping it into Harm's veins. If he recalled correctly, it would be called an air embolism.

"That would be a little messy." And it would be difficult to cover up. It would be so obvious that someone had tampered with the IV lines and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take. There were other ways.

Taking a step back Vic took quick note of all of the gadgets that could be used as a murder device. Murder? He shrugged, the word didn't phase him much anymore anyway. This wasn't a murder anyway. It was a way of getting what was his and securing a future.

A pristine white pillow was the catalyst that formulated a perfect plan in his head. "Now that, is believable." He walked briskly towards the hatch and closed it, then settled his eyes on his intended target. Vic took a pillow from an empty cot and brought it up to chest level, then began the brief trek to Harm's cot. The man was asleep, unconscious, whatever the medical community would call his moment of rest. It wouldn't be too unbelievable for something to go wrong, for the Captain to expire in his sleep. It was even possible, that because of Harm's state, there wouldn't be too much of an investigation on his cause of death.

"Chalk it up to trauma." Grinning evilly, Vic raised the pillow and placed it over Harm's face. "Nighty, night, Captain."