Chapter Forty-Eight:
The Season of Giving
WEEK 30-PART ONE
DECEMBER 22ND, 2001
1100 EST
DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WASHINGTON DC
Mac had been at Dulles six months ago, chasing after Mic, trying to salvage their engagement that was already dead in the water. Now, six months later, she was there again, this time waiting for someone. This person was someone she cared about a lot more than she cared about Mic Brumby.
"Do you see her?" Mac asked Harm. Being so close to Christmas, the airport was much more crowded than usual, and Harm's height provided him a much better viewpoint than Mac.
He scanned the crowd, squinting to make out any Chloe-like figures. They'd been standing there waiting for almost a half hour, despite Harm's numerous suggestions that they sit. Mac was practically buzzing with excitement, and Harm hadn't seen her this excited for something in awhile.
"Oh my god!" Mac's eyes lit up. Harm followed her gaze and saw a familiar looking bucket hat. "There she is!"
Harm had to grab Mac's hand to keep her from rushing off into the crowded airport at thirty weeks pregnant. Instead, Harm once again took advantage of his height and waved. Chloe paused, looking around with a frown until she finally noticed Harm. Her expression instantly changed, a grin spreading across her face.
"Mac! Harm!"
Chloe rushed over to them, her wheeled suitcase barely able to keep up with her pace. She instantly let go of it when she got within hugging distance of Mac, and Harm managed to catch it before it clattered to the floor.
Mac and Chloe embraced-a little awkwardly with Mac's bump in between them. "Whoa," Chloe said when they broke apart. "You look…"
"Different?" Mac laughed, looking down at her bump. "Yeah, I bet."
"It's so weird," Chloe said. Her eyes widened when she realized what she said. "No offense, though-"
Mac smiled. "No, you're right. It is weird," she said, rubbing a hand across her belly. She was wearing a red long sleeved shirt she'd gotten when she first went maternity clothes shopping with Harriet, an event that seemed like a million years ago in hindsight. It had been a little loose when she first bought it, but now it was stretched against every inch of Mac's abdomen. The shirt was one of Mac's favorite maternity items, so she was hoping it would make it to forty weeks, but she was getting less and less optimistic with each passing day.
"Just wait," Mac slung an arm over Chloe's shoulders. "I can tell you all the gory details over Beltway burgers."
As the two of them walked off, Chloe looked over her shoulder at Harm with wide eyes. Harm just grinned at her, gathering up her bags and following them out of the airport.
1515 EST
APARTMENT OF SARAH MACKENZIE
GEORGETOWN
The holidays had always been a bittersweet time for Harm. While it was a time full of cheer and fun activities with loved ones, the memory of his father never strayed far from the back of his mind. However, he would have to admit that this year was easier than many others had been. This Christmas, he had Mac and Chloe to spend it with. Not only that, but there were also all the things he had to look forward to after Christmas that made the holiday feel extra special this year.
"Next Christmas you're gonna have a baby," Chloe said. "Isn't that awesome?" Her and Mac were decorating the cookies Harm had just got done baking.
"Yep," Mac nodded, discreetly dipping her finger into the icing container and eating some of the icing. She looked over at Harm and smiled. "We can't wait."
Harm nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh," he reached out and slid the icing container out of Mac's reach. She glared at him and snatched it back.
"Mac, what's it like being pregnant?" Chloe asked. She broke off a piece of a pretzel, adding it to her cookie to make a reindeer antler.
"Hmmm…" Mac took a handful of m&m's from the bowl on the counter. After they picked up Chloe, Harm and Mac went straight from the airport to the grocery store to pick up supplies for the cookie baking. Mac and Chloe had gone a little overboard with the decorations, insisting any leftovers would make for good snacks. Harm suspected they were more concerned with snacking than they were with decorating, but he didn't say anything.
"It's...complicated," Mac finally answered after chewing thoughtfully for a few moments. "Part of it's great, you know? It's the whole...miracle of life thing, but the other part is…"
"Sucky?" Chloe offered, wrinkling her nose a little. Mac smirked and nodded.
"Yeah, the other part sucks," she said. "Some days I feel like a human science experiment."
"Do you think it's going to be a girl or a boy?"
"Boy," Mac answered just as Harm replied, "Girl."
Chloe looked between them with raised eyebrows. Before Harm could plead his case, arguing seemingly in vain against Mac's intuition, his phone began to buzz in his pocket. "Just one second," he said, fishing his phone out of his pocket and stepping out of the kitchen. Walking into the living room, he picked up.
"Hey, it's Harm."
"Hey," it was Sturgis.
Harm sat down on the sofa. "What's up?"
"Nothing much," Sturgis said. "I was just calling to let you know that the eagle has landed."
"What?"
"The eagle has landed."
Realization suddenly dawned on Harm and he sat up, eyes wide. "The eagle has landed?" he parroted, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair.
"Yes it has," Sturgis confirmed. "It landed approximately ten minutes ago."
"Oh...Did it park-land in the right spot?"
"Sure did."
"Okay," Harm nodded. "I'll…" his eyes darted over to the kitchen. "Mac and Chloe are here, I'll come by later. They might go to the mall or movies later, so I should be free."
"Alright, do you want to code to get into the garage?"
As Sturgis told Harm the code, and Harm committed it to memory, Chloe watched from over Harm's shoulder. She'd overheard the conversation, or at least Harm's end of it, and she wasn't too thrilled with what she'd heard.
"Who's the eagle?" she asked. Harm jumped, whirling around.
"Chloe!" He tried his best to act as nonchalant as possible...and doing a terrible job at it. "What are you doing?"
Chloe leaned over the back of the sofa, looking Harm dead in the eye. "I think a better question would be what are you doing?" she glanced down at Harm's cellphone and pursed her lips. "Or who are you doing?"
Harm frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you cheating on Mac?" Chloe demanded, a little too loudly.
"Shhh!" he hissed, looking over to the kitchen, praying the radio was playing Christmas carols loud enough that Mac couldn't hear what Chloe said.
"Well, are you?" Chloe glared at him.
"No!" Harm turned around to fully face Chloe. "Of course not!"
"Then who were you talking to?"
"Sturgis."
Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Who's Sturgis?"
Harm groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sturgis is an old friend from the Academy. He's helping me with Mac's Christmas present," once again he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Mac was still cookie decorating.
"Mac's Christmas present?" Chloe's eyebrows shot up, her demeanor doing a complete one-eighty. "Oh my god, what did you get her?"
"It's a secret," Harm told her.
"A secret from Mac," Chloe corrected. "You can tell me."
"Alright," Harm gestured for Chloe to come closer. "I got Mac a car-"
Chloe gasped. "A car!"
"Shhh!"
"Sorry."
The decision for Harm to get Mac a car was not a decision he'd come to easily. Sure they were going to have a baby together, but a new car was still a risky gift. They had his Lexus and Mac was still driving her Corvette, but Harm figured she might want her own car that could fit a car seat for the baby. Harm knew Mac would never part with Corvette (he wouldn't let her), so he'd talked it over with Trish and Frank. There was still a trust fund Harm had that Trish wouldn't let him have access to, not believing that he would only use it for emergencies. Needless to say, Harm was able to pull some strings to get access to it - even if it was only temporary access.
It was incredibly embarrassing, being almost forty having to ask your mom and stepfather for access to your own trust fund, but Harm wasn't about to bite the hand that controlled a chunk of his money.
Whenever Harm thought of giving the car to Mac, he came to two different conclusions. He either thought, She's going to love this, or, She's going to kill me.
A new car wasn't the most responsible financial decision when there was a baby on the way, but Harm had that nice nest egg saved up and guarded by his parents for a moment just like this. Technically the car was partially a gift from Trish and Frank. But Frank and Trish were spending Christmas in La Jolla-they wouldn't be in Mac's direct line of fire. Harm would be.
"Can you keep it a secret?" Harm asked. "Mac has no idea."
"Of course," Chloe scoffed. "She's gonna lose her mind, you know that, right?"
Harm took a deep breath and nodded, hoping that Mac would lose her mind in the good way, not the bad way.
ONE HOUR LATER
HARM'S RENTAL GARAGE
WASHINGTON DC
As the garage doors lifted, Harm could do very little to contain his excitement. Mac had decided to take a nap, so Harm had offered to take Chloe to the 'hardware store' so Harm could get something for a 'project.' It technically wasn't a lie, Harm was going to swing by Home Depot after showing the car to Chloe.
There was one problem though, as Harm was about to find out.
"Just wait until you see it," Harm told Chloe as the garage doors lifted. "I think she's going to love it-"
There was no car. Harm and Chloe were left staring at an empty garage. They both looked around, trying to see if the Jeep was hiding in the shadows or in the rafters.
"Is it a gag gift?" Chloe asked, turning to look at Harm with raised eyebrows. "Is this one of those scenarios where you got her a toy Jeep instead of a real one."
"No…" Harm blinked a few times, willing the Jeep to reappear. He even walked out of the garage to make sure he'd opened the right one.
"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed. "Who would steal a pregnant woman's car?"
Chloe shrugged. "Technically it's not her car yet."
Harm ignored Chloe's comment. He was too busy trying to rack his brain for a solution and trying not to panic. This was supposed to be Mac's Christmas present. He didn't have any back-ups. He'd gotten some earrings, but those were meant to be stocking stuffers. He didn't have any back ups for the 'big' gift.
"You could get her a candle," Chloe offered. "Nick got me a candle."
Harm nodded faintly, not even bothering to ask who "Nick" was. All he could think was, This Christmas is ruined.
THAT SAME TIME
ROBERTS' RESIDENCE
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Harriet had never been good at stealth. She was clumsier than she would like to admit, a terrible liar, and overall just not someone good at sneaking. So that's why she wasn't surprised when Bud caught her trying to hide her newest purchase under the bed.
It wasn't the stone age, of course. Harriet wasn't afraid of Bud finding out she'd bought a brand new laptop two days before Christmas; she was more worried about the questions he would ask than them getting in an argument. Bud was the tech-savvy one, not Harriet. Harriet had been so clueless when she'd gone out and bought the thing that morning that she didn't even know there were different brands of laptops.
Nevertheless, she bought it, and now Bud knew she bought it.
"What's that?" he asked. Harriet froze, halfway through stuffing the laptop box under their bed.
"Oh," Harriet chose to take the route of nonchalance. "It's nothing."
"Okay," Bud suddenly paused, one foot in the bathroom. "I thought we got Little AJ all of his presents already."
"We did...this isn't one of his presents."
"Well, then what is it?" Bud started over to the bed. Harriet quickly shoved the laptop under the bed before Bud could see.
"Nothing," Harriet looked over her shoulder and smiled up at Bud sheepishly. "I was just doing some last minute Christmas shopping and I realized I didn't get anything for myself."
"Yourself?" Bud asked, furrowing his brow. She couldn't blame him for his confusion; December was traditionally the season of giving and that didn't usually include giving gifts to yourself.
"Uh-huh," Harriet nodded and glanced down. As much as she didn't want to have a discussion about it right then, she felt like Bud should know what she wanted to do. Biting her lip and biting the bullet, Harriet pulled out the laptop from its hiding spot.
"I got this," she said. "For me."
Bud didn't say anything, but the way his eyes almost bugged out of his head told Harriet everything she needed to know.
"Harriet, what is that?" he asked, even though he knew exactly what it was.
"It's a laptop," Harriet said, holding up the box. "I got it today."
Bud frowned. "I didn't know you wanted one."
"I didn't really," Harriet replied with a shrug. "Not until recently. I figured it would be a good investment, you know?"
Looking down at his wife's eager expression, Bud sighed. "That's a lot of money, Harriet-"
She held up a hand. "Don't even worry about it. I have it covered." Need I remind you about the car(s) my father drives? Money wasn't an issue.
"Sweetheart…" Bud was at a loss for words. Harriet had to ask his help with the fax machine at work. Why did she suddenly want to own a laptop that probably cost more than their monthly car payment? "This…" he paused again, not wanting to come off as mean. "This doesn't make any sense."
Harriet nodded, blushing slightly. "I know," she said. "But….Do you remember when I told you I was almost an English major? Before I switched to political science?"
"Yeah," Bud nodded along, still not quite understanding what Harriet was getting at.
"Anyway, Mac and I were talking and-"
Suddenly Bud's cell phone began to ring. Harriet stopped herself mid-sentence and watched as Bud pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked down at it and frowned. "It's the Admiral," he said.
Harriet's shoulders sagged as she watched Bud exit the room to take the call. She looked down at the laptop and ran her fingers over the picture of it on the box. It's not like I'm trying to tell you something important or anything, she thought. Harriet knew Bud couldn't ignore the Admiral, but sometimes it felt like he was married to the Navy before he was married to her.
When Bud returned, Harriet took it as her opportunity to start over, but she could tell immediately by the way he was walking that he had somewhere he needed to be, so she stopped herself.
"I'm sorry sweetie," Bud said as he went to go get his jacket. He gave Harriet a look that stifled her irritation; whenever Bud apologized, he meant it. "Can we talk later?"
"Sure," Harriet nodded.
"There's a Petty Officer that just got arrested for impersonating Santa Claus at the mall," Bud explained. "She needs someone to defend her."
"Impersonating Santa Claus?" Harriet frowned. "You can get arrested for that?"
"She was also taking money meant for donations."
"Oh."
Harriet was left in relative silence once Bud left, seeing as Little AJ had gone down for a nap. "I'm trying to write a book," she said aloud, to the air and pictures hanging on the wall. "Not that that's anything important."
She was still sitting on the floor next to the bed, a corner of the laptop box poking out from underneath the bed. Harriet nudged it, hiding it away. She got to her feet, deciding to worry about it after wrapping presents.
1630 EST
BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
Melinda Gardner was en route to hunt down her ex-husband, for once actually having good intentions. The tiny gift bag she was carrying didn't have a pile of dog shit in it. Nathan probably deserved a pile of dog shit, but Melinda was in a charitable mood. Plus, she couldn't violate the hippocratic oath, even when it came to her ex.
Just as the elevator doors opened, her phone rang. Being someone with a one track mind, Melinda hated being distracted.
"Hello?" she got off the elevator and stepped to the side, out of the way of people who had more important tasks at hand.
"Hi Melinda, it's Mac."
"Mac?"
"Yeah. I was just wondering if you were free on Christmas Eve."
"Christmas Eve?" Melinda frowned. "We don't have an appointment then, do we?" she began to rack her brain to make sure she hadn't completely gone off the rails and started scheduling appointments on holidays.
"No, we don't," Mac answered, and Melinda's shoulders sagged with relief. "Some of us from JAG are going to a Christmas Eve sermon at the Navy chapel and I was wondering if you wanted to come, too."
Melinda paused, blinking a few times in surprise. "Oh!"
"I didn't know if you had plans or not. It's okay if you do-"
"No," Melinda shook her head. "I don't have any plans. I would love to come."
After solidifying her plans for Christmas Eve, Melinda went back to tracking down Nathan. Taking full advantage of her security clearances, Melinda found Nathan in a scrub room, scrubbing out of a surgery.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hey," Nathan replied, glancing up from the sink. It didn't take him long to notice the gift bag she had in her hand. "Is that for me?" he asked, nodding down at it.
"Yeah," Melinda held the bag out. "I figured I'd keep with the tradition."
After drying off his hands, Nathan took the bag and gingerly removed the tissue paper, pulling out what was inside. It was a Christmas ornament, a miniature Capitol building covered in glittering snow. Nathan held the ornament up to the light to get a better look at it.
"I wasn't expecting to get one of these this year, Mel," he said. Melinda smirked and shrugged.
"Like I said, it's tradition," she told him, "We're technically still married."
For every year of their marriage, Melinda and Nathan had a Christmas ornament. It had become a tradition of theirs by accident, but they'd stuck with it nevertheless. Melinda didn't see why this year needed to be any different. After putting up with each other for eleven years, they deserved one last hoorah as Mr. and Mrs. Gardner.
"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Melinda asked.
"No," Nathan looked at her, still holding up the ornament. "Why? Do you?"
"I do...but it's not a date or anything," she added quickly. "Because that would be…"
"Weird."
"Yeah," Melinda nodded in agreement. "It would be."
The two stood there in silence for a few moments, trying to figure out where to take the conversation. They used to think communicating as a married couple was difficult; they had no clue how difficult things would get once they split. Suddenly, Melinda got an idea.
"Do you want to come with me?" she asked.
"Melinda-"
"It's not going to be anything romantic," she interrupted. "It's going to be at a church. A Christmas Eve sermon."
Nathan's eyebrows shot up. "A church?"
"Come on," she gave him her best bedside manner smile. "It'll be fun."
Melinda and Nathan had been at each other's throats for the better part of a year now, but Melinda was hopeful they would be able to put aside their differences for the time being. After all, they were the only 'family' they had in DC, and it was a very important time of year.
1915 EST
MACKENZIE-RABB RESIDENCE
GEORGETOWN
After filing a police report, calling Sturgis to tell him that 'the eagle' was missing, and swearing Chloe to secrecy about the entire thing, Harm devoted every ounce of his being to the art of nonchalance. He was in the kitchen, brewing some hot cocoa for himself, Mac, and Chloe. Mac and Chloe were sitting on the sofa, both dressed in holiday-themed pajamas, talking and waiting for their cocoa.
"Are they kicking yet?" Chloe asked. Once Chloe had gotten through giving Mac an in-depth explanation of her first semester of high school, their topic of conversation drifted to the baby. They sometimes talked about it over the phone, but pregnancy was one of those things more easily discussed in person.
"Yeah," Mac nodded, shifting her position in a vain search for additional comfort. "They've been kicking for a while. If you put your hand...here, you should be able to feel it," she took Chloe's hand and guided it to a spot on Mac's bump that had become a recent hotspot for kicking.
"Sometimes you have to wait. I read somewhere that the baby sleeps in there, which I think doesn't make any sense but-"
Mac was cut off by a kick, and Chloe's eyes lit up with surprise. "Oh my god, was that it?"
"Uh-huh," Mac smiled. "Pretty crazy, huh? There's a human in there," she poked the place on her bump where the baby had just kicked. "I'm a walking miracle."
Chloe smirked. "You're like the Virgin Mary."
Mac gave her a dry expression. "Chloe, you know I'm not actually-"
"Yeah."
"Okay, good."
Harm strolled out of the kitchen, awkwardly balancing three steaming mugs of hot cocoa in his hands. "Here's your cocoa, ladies," he said, handing Mac and Chloe their mugs.
"Thank you," Mac pecked Harm on the cheek when he bent down to sit his own mug down on the coffee table. "Can you go get my pregnancy pillow from the bed? Pretty please?" she asked, batting her eyelashes up at him.
"Sure, hon," Harm said as he straightened up. Chloe turned to give Mac a strange look.
"They make pillows just for pregnancy?" she asked.
Mac smirked. "You would be surprised at the stuff they make for pregnancy."
Harm had one foot in the bedroom when the doorbell rang. "Could you get the door?" Mac called. He paused, eyes going from the bed where Mac's precious pregnancy pillow was back to Mac.
"Which do you want more?" he asked. "The pillow or for me to get the door?"
"I think the door takes precedence," Mac replied.
When Harm opened the door, he was surprised to see Bud standing there. Beside him was a young woman Harm didn't recognize.
"Hey Bud," he leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest. "What's up?"
Bud sighed. "A lot, sir," he looked over his shoulder at Mac and Chloe. "Can we come in?"
"Sure," Harm stepped aside. Bud and the mystery woman walked in, looking like the oddest couple Harm had seen in awhile. He wanted to make a joke, asking Bud about Harriet's whereabouts, but he had a feeling it wouldn't go over well.
"This is Petty Officer Coates, sir," Bud, gesturing to the young woman. She smiled politely as she looked around Harm and Mac's apartment with interest. "Petty Officer Coates, this is Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie."
Harm shook her hand and Mac waved from the sofa. "What brings you here, Petty Officer?"
The petty officer opened her mouth to speak, but Bud decided to speak on her behalf. "I was wondering if she could stay with you and the Colonel, sir. Just for the night."
Harm frowned. "Why?"
This time, Petty Officer Coates spoke before Bud could intervene. "Well, sir, I wasn't able to get into the brig-"
"The brig?" Harm's eyes widened. Rather than deal with the Petty Officer, he turned to Bud. "You brought me a criminal for Christmas? To stay in my home?" he asked incredulously. He turned back to the Petty Officer. "No offense, of course."
She smiled. "None taken, sir."
"She isn't dangerous, sir," Bud said. "But if you don't have any room-"
"We don't," Harm replied automatically. "We already have Chloe sleeping on the pullout couch. We're at capacity, unless the petty officer can fit in a crib."
"Wait a minute," Mac said. She hauled herself into a sitting position. "What are you supposed-to be in the brig for, Petty Officer?"
Coates blushed. "Well ma'am, would you believe me if I said I was dressing up as Santa Claus to try and get some extra cash?"
"So you were just pickpocketing?" Mac asked. Coates nodded.
Mac rolled her eyes - not at Coates, but at Harm. "Harm, stop it," she said. "You're being dramatic."
He whirled around. "Me?"
Chloe snorted and Mac nodded. "She's harmless," Mac continued, gesturing to Coates.
"Mac-:
"Harm, I used to shoplift all the time when I was a teenager. Now look at me.
"I've done it, too," Chloe added in a murmur. She shrank away when Mac's gaze turned to her.
"See?" Mac turned back to Harm. "We've all made mistakes."
Harm sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I don't know…"
"If Mac feels safe around her at seven months pregnant, I think you should," Chloe said. "I vote that she stays."
"We don't have any room-"
"There's an inflatable mattress in the back of my closet," Mac said. "We can stick it in here."
"But-"
"Jesus was born in a manger because the innkeeper turned away Mary and Joseph," Mac continued, ignoring Harm's protest. "I don't think Petty Officer Coates is going to find any mangers in DC tonight."
"Especially this time of year," Coates added. "Mangers tend to be in high demand right now."
Sighing again, Harm looked at everyone. They were all waiting for him to answer. He knew it didn't really matter what he said; Petty Officer Coates was staying with them that night. Mac thought she was harmless, Chloe said herself that she wanted Coates to stay, and Bud clearly needed to get her off his hands. Despite his reservations, it was Christmastime, and the last thing Harm wanted to be was a Scrooge.
Not to sound insufferable, but I do love Christmas. Editing this chapter definitely got me in the mood for it. I had to remind myself that October's barely started! I was also very excited to introduce Coates; she was one of my favorite side characters.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed reading!
See you in two weeks!
-Harper