The next day everything went like clockwork. After a short prayer to the porcelain god, during which Harm held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back, Loren drove Harm to his apartment so he could shower and change into a fresh uniform and then dropped him off 3 miles away from JAG. Obviously Tiner couldn't keep secrets to himself as some of the staff looked at her strangely when she got in and then at Harm when he arrived 14 minutes later.
After the staff meeting Harm headed out to conduct his interviews, while Loren returned to her office. There she found a box of crackers and a bottle of ginger ale, along with a card. "This should help with your stomach. H." She smiled softly, grateful for such a considerate man. And he was all hers.
She saw Col. MacKenzie walk by her office and shook her head. 'That woman doesn't know what she's missing and what she threw away. On the other hand, thank god. Her loss is my extremely considerable gain.'
Half an hour later she stopped by the records department and retrieved Harm's blood test results.
Lunch time came quickly and Loren hurried to meet up with Harm. They applied for their marriage license and were told to pick it up in 3 work days.
After that they picked up some food and went to a park to have their lunch together. When they were done with it Harm dialed his mother's number.
After the greetings Harm immediately launched into the main reason for his call. She was upset that he had never told her about dating Loren, but became suspicious when she'd heard they were getting married. She immediately assumed the worst (and she was correct) that they were getting married because he got her pregnant. After coming to that conclusion she launched in a tirade about her having taught him better and about other dangers of unprotected sex that lasted a few minutes until Harm stopped her with only one sentence.
"I'm hearing the buzzing, Mom."
That stopped her cold. There was silence for a few minutes during which Loren and Harm exchanged worried glances until she came back on line.
"Oh. The buzzing."
"Yeah."
A tremulous sigh was heard. "Then real congratulations are in order. I apologize, Harm, for going off at you like that. I thought you impregnated just some random girl. But with the buzzing the matter is completly different. Congratulations, Harm, I mean it, you've managed to accomplish the rarest thing in the world, having found your soulmate. Can you put Loren on the phone, please?"
"Thank you, Mom. Here's Loren."
Harm gave Loren, who had true fear in her eyes, the phone and she took it, pressing it to her ear. She was soon deep in conversation with her future mother-in-law. By the look in her eyes Harm guessed that things were not going badly. The she gave him the phone back.
"Mom?"
"I just wanted to say goodbye to you too. Oh, forgot to ask, when's the wedding?"
Harm was watching Loren for confirmation as he answered "Next Saturday?" He received a confirming nod from her and repeated more surely to his mother "Next Saturday, Mom."
"Good, we'll be there. You've found a good woman there, son. Don't leave her like your father left me."
Harm nodded somberly. "I won't. I have quals in May and I won't be taking them. I don't want to risk dying and leaving my family behind. It's happened too many times in the last few generations of Rabbs and it stops now. Take care and see you soon, Mom." and he closed the phone.
Loren's eyes had grown misty when she'd heard what Harm intended to do. He was giving up so much for her and their baby. When he turned to her she drew him into her arms and, much to her utter embarrassment, started crying.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed out "it's just these damn hormones! Yesterday I cried because of a Kodak commercial. Can you believe it? It's stupid, embarrassing and annoying."
Harm just held her while she cried. He attempted to cheer her up. "Well, don't dis the hormones. In a few months when you get another kind, you'll be very grateful for them."
Loren stopped crying, sniffed and thought about what he meant. He knew the exact moment she figured it out as a slow, seductive smile spread on her lips. "Oh, yeah. You think you'll be 'up' to it?"
Harm laughed. "I'll certainly do my best, Lt. You won't be disappointed."
The sultry look she gave him sent blood in all the, considering where they were, inappropriate places. "I can't wait."
Soon after they packed up and returned to work. Separately.
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Harm's parents and grandmother arrived next Friday. Trish and Sarah stayed the night with Loren, while Frank stayed with Harm. Frank was honored and flattered that Harm wanted him to be a witness.
Cheggwidden was so shocked by their news when they had visited him at home that he sat speechless for over 5 minutes. Finally he had managed to recover and agree to be there. He had also agreed to not to let anyone in on the secret. At first he was skeptical over their marriage and it's success, but when he started examining their behaviour carefully, he noticed several subtle indicators. How close together they always stood and walked, how they unconsciously leaned into each other, the way they silently confirmed everything with each other. It was harmony in flesh and blood.
The next day dawned sunny and cold. Both Harm and Loren had decided on their dress whites, being proud of who and what they were. Plus, it didn't seem sensible to Loren to waste a lot of money on a dress she would wear only once. And renting a wedding dress just didn't seem right.
They said their vows, all the while looking into each other's eyes without interruption and sealed it with a sweet kiss.
They both got the thrill of their lives when being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Rabb.
Because of the enormous case log they had decided to postpone their honeymoon for a few weeks and spent the rest of the weekend in Loren's bedroom.
The next week they moved Harm into Loren's apartment completely, since it was bigger than his, and put Harm's up for sale.
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RABB RESIDENCE
OCTOBER 2008
While laying in Harm's arms in their marriage bed, Loren remembered with anguish and devastation on how their plans and happiness were destroyed.
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