A/N: Are you ready to kill Webb? Me too! The title of this chapter comes from a song about a man in prison about to die for a murder he committed. Before he draws his last breath, he wants to get a message to the woman he loves. I don't know the logistics of GWU Hospital, so any errors are my own.

Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
January 12, 2004
0010 Local

Sleep had evaded Mac since Harm left for his latest mission. Truth was she always rested better when he was with her, but during his previous mission, she had managed to get in a few winks each night. All she could do tonight was toss and turn.

She had been uneasy since Harm left. Maybe it was because of the way he'd acted their last evening together. Mac had eventually coaxed him back to bed, but he was restless, often talking in his sleep. His words were mostly mumbled, but she heard him call her name several times.

Mac turned to her side, grabbed the extra pillow, and wrapped her arms around it. Not the same as cuddling with Harm, but it would have to suffice.

Please come home soon, Harm. And please stay safe.

With warm thoughts of her lover, Mac drifted off to sleep.

The old warehouse was dark inside—almost too dark to see. She tiptoed so as not to alert anyone to her presence. Although it looked deserted, Mac sensed there were others here, hiding behind the rows of crates and boxes.

She found what she thought was a good place to hide, then waited. It wasn't long before the door opened and a man stepped inside. Mac's pulse accelerated as he drew near. This man brought danger; of that she was sure. But who was he?

He walked past without seeing her, then stopped when another man spoke. She couldn't see the second man's face. He was tall, and he carried a gun. The two men talked, then the first pulled a pouch from his pocket.

That's when all hell broke loose. Another voice. Shots rang out. The man with the pouch pulled a weapon and fired at the taller man. He went down. Two other men stepped into the open, both of them armed. They fired several shots at the assailant, and he crumpled on the floor, blood pouring from his bullet-riddled body.

"What the hell are you doing here? You had orders to stay away from this mission."

"To hell with orders. This was supposed to be my operation."

"Well, thanks to you, my partner is down. Call an ambulance." He rushed to the downed agent. Mac watched as he felt the carotid artery.

"He's alive. Damnit, don't just stand there. Call 9-1-1 NOW!"

She stepped from her hiding place, inexplicably drawn to the downed agent. And that's when she saw his face.

"Harm!"

Mac bolted up in bed, her breathing rapid, her pulse accelerated.

Calm down. It was only a nightmare.

She willed herself to breathe normally.

But you've had dreams before that came true. When Chloe was lost. When someone killed Commander Aiken.

When the phone rang, she knew. No. No. Please, God, no. Summoning her courage, she answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Sarah Mackenzie?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'm Brandon Vance, Harm's partner. I'm sorry to tell you he's been an accident. Harm's been shot in the chest."

"Oh, God. Is he?"

"Alive. He's at George Washington University Hospital. They just rushed him into surgery."

"He's in Washington? I thought he was away on a mission."

"He was on a mission. Right here in DC. I'm at the hospital. I thought you'd want to come."

"I'm on my way." Mac hung up the phone, then hurried to her closet. She was dressed and out the door less than five minutes later.

George Washington University Hospital
January 12, 2004
0130 Local

Mac paced the surgical waiting room. Harm was still in surgery, and there had been no word on his condition.

Brandon Vance sat in a chair—the only other person in the room. "Col. Mackenzie? Do you want some coffee?"

How could he think about that now? She wanted to lash out at him. At anyone. But Vance seemed like a nice person. Harm had spoken highly of his new partner. She didn't have the answers to what happened tonight but felt sure whatever went wrong wasn't this man's fault.

"No, thank you." She continued to pace. "I just wish we had some kind of news."

"He's a strong person. Has plenty of reasons to live—the biggest one right here in this room. I'm sure he'll be okay."

Mac stopped pacing and managed a weak smile. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if—"

She turned at the sound of someone entering the room. A man dressed in surgical scrubs approached her. "Sarah Mackenzie?"

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Marshall. Mr. Rabb has you listed as his next of kin. He took two shots to the chest but came through the surgery with no complications. The bullets missed any vital organs. However, he did lose a lot of blood. We're giving him a transfusion. We'll keep him sedated and on a ventilator for now."

"When can I see him?"

"He'll be moved to SICU within the hour. Visiting hours begin at 0700. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? No point in you waiting here."

"I'm not going anywhere. Just tell me where ICU is."

The doctor sighed. "Very well. It's on the second floor. There's a waiting room outside the unit."

"Thank you, doctor."

SICU Waiting Room
January 12, 2004
0704 Local

As much as she tried, Mac found it impossible to sleep during the night. At 0645, she stood, then began to pace the floor. Twenty minutes later, she began to lose patience. "It's past 0700. Why doesn't someone let me in?"

Brandon Vance looked up from where he sat. He'd waited all night with Mac, even though she'd insisted he go home. "That's my partner in there. I'm staying until I hear some news," he had said.

"I'm sure they'll be out soon. You look tired, Colonel. I know you probably don't want to leave, but after you see Harm, why don't you go home and try to sleep?"

Her answer was the same she'd given the doctor hours earlier. "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. And by the way, call me Mac. That's what my friends call me." She liked this man. Her instincts told her he was someone who could be trusted—someone who didn't hold to the CIA's usual MO of abandoning an agent if they got caught or something went wrong.

"Okay, Mac." He smiled.

She turned when a clerk walked up to the desk outside the unit doors. "Can I go in now?"

"Your name?"

"Sarah Mackenzie. I'm here for Harmon Rabb."

The clerk punched a few keys, then looked at the computer screen. "Okay, Ms. Mackenzie. Mr. Rabb is in room 243. Fifth door on the right. You can stay for fifteen minutes." She pressed a button that automatically opened the doors.

Mac walked swiftly down the hallway, then paused outside Harm's room to prepare herself for what she would see. Harm had always been strong and healthy. Seeing him in a setting where he was potentially fighting for his life was another matter.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the room. The person lying in bed looked nothing like the strong, healthy man she knew. He was pale and had more tubes coming out of him than she wanted to count. A nurse stood at the head of the bed, checking his vital signs. She at Mac.

"Should I come back?"

"No, it's fine. I'll be finished in a few minutes," the nurse said.

Mac walked to the bedside, then started to reach for Harm's hand, but quickly pulled away."

"It's okay to touch him. You can talk to him too. He's sedated, of course, but a familiar voice is often the best medicine patients can get. I'll leave the two of you alone now."

Mac waited until the nurse had left the room before speaking softly. "Hey there, flyboy. What's the deal with you scaring me like this? I thought you were somewhere on the other side of the world. Your partner called to tell me what happened and I got here as soon as I could.

"Harm, I have so many things to say to you, but you know me. I can't seem to find the words. I promise you as soon as you can hear me, I'll have plenty to say. But I can't take too much of this kind of thing. I told you once that no matter what happened, you would never lose me. I need you to promise me the same thing. I can't lose you now. Please get better soon."

She continued whispering to him, all the time holding his hand. Before long, the minutes were up.

The same nurse entered the room. "I'm sorry you'll have to leave now. It's time to change his dressings."

"Okay. When can I see him again?"

"At 10:00. The doctor wants to wean him off the vent. If all goes well, he'll be on regular oxygen by this afternoon, and we'll bring him out of sedation."

"Thank you." Mac turned back to the bed, leaned close to Harm, and whispered in his ear. "I'll be back flyboy. I love you."

Brandon Vance was still in the waiting room when Mac returned. "How is he?"

"He looks pale, but according to his nurse, they're going to wean him off the vent. That's a good sign, I guess."

"Sounds promising." Brandon stifled a yawn.

"You've been up all night. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"Can't. Got to go to Langley for debriefing. Something I'm not looking forward to."

"Brandon, I know your work is classified, but can you tell me what happened?"

"We were on a mission. Harm was working undercover as a diamond smuggler. We were to meet with the suspect in a warehouse."

Mac gasped. My dream.

"A warehouse?"

"Yes. I was there, hiding behind the scenes. Harm was just about to make the switch when another agent who wasn't supposed to be there showed up. Had orders to stay away from the case. Everything happened fast. Harm caught a bullet, then we took down the assailant."

"Why did the other agent disobey orders?"

"It was originally his case. Didn't like the fact that someone else, well that Harm, had stepped on his turf. If he hadn't shown up, Harm wouldn't have been shot. We had Fahd right where we wanted him."

"Fahd? Sadik Fahd?"

Brandon nodded.

"Was the other agent Clayton Webb?"

"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but yes."

SICU
January 12, 2004
0745 Local

Harm stirred restlessly. He heard voices. Unfamiliar ones.

"He's starting to come out of sedation."

"It's too soon. Not until we extubate him."

Where am I? The last thing I remember, I was about to make a deal with Sadik Fahd. We were at a warehouse.

Voices. Gunshots. The pain. Then darkness.

Mac. I heard her voice. Wherever it is I'm at, she was here. I'm sure of it. Did she say what I think she said?

I have to get out of here. I need to talk to her. Tell her how I feel. I've never told her that I love her.

The voices again.

"Something's happening. His pulse rate is too high. Blood pressure skyrocketing. Quick. Call a code."

A/N: I've Gotta Get a Message to You by the Bee Gees