A little later

Harm had changed his mind and decided to do some errands instead of golf and then make dinner for his family. He knew that Mac didn't think much of her premonitions, but he did. He knew that she wasn't psychic or anything but she did have some unexplained powers. She did after all find him in the middle of the ocean. And Chloe when she was lost in the woods. There was that thing with her telling the time too. One time they had postponed a weekend trip to Beallsville because Mac had a dream that their car was hit by a three. It was after a rainy period and the road had washed away taking two cars with it. A three had also fallen over the road leading up to Grandma's farm. Harm didn't question Mac's intuitions at all after that. This time though she hadn't had any dreams, just experiencing worry. He figured it was the stress of having a son who was both graduating and getting married. Then Mattie had her wedding coming up later in the summer.

Harm's phone rang and he saw that it was Kelly. He reached out and answered. "Yeah?"

"Dad, it's Mom," Kelly said.

Harm froze. "What's up with Mom?"

"There was this gunman in the store and we got to leave, but Mom is still in there," Kelly continued.

"What store?" Harm questioned.

"The dress store," Kelly said.

"I'll be right there," Harm ended the call and pushed the find my phone icon on his iPhone. He found the address of Mac's phone.

Ten minutes later Harm parked his car and got out and looked around. Police. Cordon. Cars. All around the street. He saw a special response team getting ready and he wondered if they were storming the building.

"Sir?" he found a policeman walking back and forth between two cars yelling into a cell phone. He assumed he was in charge."Sir?"

"Civilians have to stay away," the man motioned for Harm to get out of his way.

"My kids and my wife are involved," Harm said firmly. "And I'm not leaving until someone tells me what the hell is going on. I'm a retired three-star admiral, so you need more people than you have available to get rid of me. "

"Admiral Rabb," the man suddenly offered his hand. "I'm Detective Olson. Your kids are perfectly fine," he motioned to an ambulance standing a few feet away.

Harm noticed Kelly, Rose, and Sophia. "Kids!" he hurried over.

"Dad!" Rose stood and hugged him.

"Are you okay?" he lifted Sophia into his arms.

"Mom is still in there," Kelly said.

Harm hugged her too. "I know. Mom will be okay." He hoped he was right.

"Are they okay?" he asked the paramedic.

"They are doing great," the woman reassured.

"Admiral?"

Harm turned and faced Detective Olson.

"We're in contact with the robber. I've spoken to your wife. She seems to have everything under control," Olson said.

"She's a Colonel in the Marines," Harm said matter of factly.

"Yeah, and a damn good one too, I hear," Olson looked past Harm. "I better get back."

"Keep me in the loop," Harm demanded.

"I will, sir" Olson promised.

At the same time

Mac notices that Ray looked anxious. They had come to take his brother away ten minutes ago and Mac could see that Ray wanted to go with him. He didn't behave like someone who wanted to hurt anyone which made her feel like this could all be okay. Worst case scenario she had to go with him to make sure he got away. He'd probably let her go when he felt safe. In the best-case scenario, he would put the gun down and surrender.

The phone started ringing again and she looked at Ray.

"You talk to them," Ray said.

Mac walked over and picked up the phone. "Yeah?"

"How's it going in there?" Olson wondered. "He sounds calm. There hasn't been any talk since the paramedics left with his brother."

Mac now knew they had planted a bug inside the store. "Everything is okay," she confirmed.

"Should we bring you food?" Olson wondered.

"Do you want food, Ray?" Mac asked.

"I want a damn car and a way out of here," he mumbled.

"No, he's fine," Mac said. "Any news about the car?"

"Can I talk with him?" Olson wondered.

"He'd like to speak with you, Ray," Mac said.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to talk to whoever it is," Ray nervously scratched his wrist.

"He doesn't want to talk," Mac said.

"Keep him calm while we figure this out, Colonel. I'll call again soon."

The line went dead and Mac put the phone down. "They're working on giving you what you want. But Ray, they'll find you. You'll be a wanted man and they'll look for you."

"I know that," Ray ran a hand through his hair.

"So what's the plan?" Mac wondered as she sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the counter.

"You tell me," Ray let out a sigh.

"You'll run away. At first at least. They'll put out a wanted notice. Maybe you'll manage to stay hidden for a while, Ray, but somewhere down the line, someone will figure out who you are and turn you in. You won't see your family."

"Might just be my mom left if…" Ray stood. "She needs these meds. They're expensive."

Mac looked at the other woman in the room. She had finally stopped crying and was now just sitting there staring straight in front of her. "You should let her go too, Ray. You don't need both of us here."

"You don't want to go?" Ray wondered.

"I think she needs it more," Mac reasoned.

"You have nowhere else you'd rather be, Sarah?" Ray sat down again. "I guess the kids have a father?"

"Yeah, he's probably out there with them right now," she hesitated. "My son is getting married in a week. And graduating from Annapolis. So yes, I have places I'd rather be than here."

"Must be nice to be on that side of the hierarchy," Ray finally said. "A good education, a good job. House, family."

"It wasn't always like that," Mac offered.

Ray was surprised. "Yeah?"

"My father was a drunk who used to smack my mother around. I grew up with next to nothing because he was busy spending all our money on alcohol," Mac said. She couldn't tell how many times she had used her story to create a connection with someone and create a bond. It was often what people needed, just someone who could relate.

Ray lifted his head to look at her. "My dad ran away when I was a kid. My mom, she works two jobs. I got a job as soon as someone let me. Then I realized that it paid off to just bend the rules a little. Then I bent them a lot. My mom, she really wouldn't approve of this."

"I think she'll be mostly worried," Mac reasoned.

"What would you do if it was your son? If he did something like this?" Ray wondered.

"I'd try to understand, I guess," she hesitated. "I'd be furious. At first. Then I'd find a good lawyer."

"Like you?" Ray questioned.

"Yeah, like me," she smiled.

Ray stood and pointed his gun at the shop lady. "You can go."

At first, she didn't move, then she got to her feet.

"Go on now," Ray motioned to the door.

She looked at Mac who nodded and then she left.

"And then they were two," Ray hesitated. "Why are you nice to me, Sarah?"

"Because it seems like you need someone in your corner today," she reasoned. "And I guess if you were my kid, I'd want someone to try to understand and not use excessive force." That was a message to the people listening in on the conversation just as much as she was talking to Ray.

Ray thought about it. "You're a good mom, right?"

"I'd like to think so," she answered honestly. "It's not easy being a mom. The constant worry if your kid is okay or…"

"Robbing a damn store?" Ray chuckled.

Mac chuckled too. "Yeah."

The phone interrupted them.

Outside

Harm tried his best to stay calm as time went on. The kids seemed okay. Kelly had explained to him that they had been behind the counter until they got to leave the store. Harm had called Nathan and explained the situation and he assumed he and Eve were on their way back from Beallsville.

"What's taking so long?" Kelly wondered.

"They can't rush these situations," Harm reasoned. "When there are hostages."

"Mom was really calm," Kelly looked thoughtful. "Like she knew what she was doing."

"She does know what she's doing," Harm said reassuringly. "She's trained to handle just about anything."

"He seemed like a nice guy," Kelly said quietly. "Ray. He didn't seem like he'd hurt anyone on purpose."

"Let's hope he is," Harm pulled Sophia closer. She had fallen asleep in his lap. He knew he should have gotten her home but he couldn't leave.

"What's going on?" Kelly stood.

Harm made sure Sophia was safe with the paramedic and stood. The cops were nearing the building as the door to the store opened. He saw a young man walk out with his hands raised. Two cops grabbed him and got him to the ground.

Harm waited without breathing then he let it out in relief when Mac walked out of the store. She was looking around after the cops had talked with her and her eyes met his eyes from across the street. She smiled and he smiled back.