Chapter 15: Outside Forces
Harm is still in a jovial mood as he saunters back to Mac's room, eager to continue where they left off. As he passes some of the same folks that he saw on his way down to the nurses' station, he sees that his mood has become infectious. They are now smiling at him. He can't wait to praise Mac for beating the pants off of Jack in the desert in their arm wrestling contest. He also wants to know her secret, because he hasn't seen too many people able to defeat his ruggedly built friend over the years. But what really piqued his interest about that conversation was regarding her need for a genie. He may have failed her in the past, but he hopes to make her every wish come true for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, when he returns to Mac's room, he finds her in a much sullener mood than when he left. He doesn't even need her to say anything, it is completely evident in her body language. She isn't facing his direction, but he can visibly see that her shoulders are slumped, her chin is tipped downward, and that she is idly toying with the blanket in a frustrating manner, like she can't get it comfortable.
She reminds him of a puppy that he had as a child that would turn circles around a blanket, pawing at it in various places, making it so that it was just right to plop down on. Then it would immediately get up, and crawl under the blanket, leaving just the tip of its tail and/or its nose visible. This would last for just a few minutes, before it would crawl out and repeat the whole process. He never quite understood the meaning behind the repetitive process, but it certainly was amusing to watch. He doesn't find watching Mac do it entertaining at all at the moment, in fact it just concerns him more.
He wonders what could have occurred in the short span of time that he was gone to cause her sudden mood shift. He certainly hopes the doctor didn't come by with bad news during his absence. However, he senses that her mood shift is totally based on something emotional, not physical. It dawns on him that she is probably going over everything that has happened in her mind, and she is probably over analyzing it. In the past, he would have been guilty of doing the same thing, but since he first saw her, he has just been acting instead of thinking. His mood quickly sours, he knows he has to address this immediately, before it festers into something bigger. The teasing, and the flirting, will have to take a backseat for now. And all he wanted to do was step back in here, tease her a little about Jack, and pick up where they left off before the nurse's interruption, with his lips almost covering hers. He steels both his resolve and his spine before walking over to her with soft steps. He gently places a finger under her chin to lift her gaze to his. He quietly asks, "Sarah, are you ok?"
She sighs, "I don't know, Harm. Today has been completely unexpected. When you are sitting here with me, the questions don't go away, but your mere presence seems to set me at ease. When you leave, it's like all the dark storms from my past come swirling in and take over, and I don't know which way is up. I just don't know what to do."
Harm holds a single finger up, asking her to give him a moment, and proceeds to scoot the chair a little closer to the bed. He sits down, takes her hand in his, and looks directly into her eyes. He tells her, "Sarah, I don't have all the answers either. You, at least, had prior knowledge that you were going to see me today. I, on the other hand was completely surprised by your appearance. I don't know what made you decide to reach out after all this time, and frankly I don't care. The last several years of having a tortured mind and battered body faded into oblivion the instant I felt your presence at the ceremony. My very soul felt healed. So, I am extremely thankful for whatever mysterious force of nature that blew you into my flight path. I just wish it had happened years ago. I know that we have a lot to figure out, but honestly the logistics of it don't scare me in the least. Not anymore. This thing between us can weather whatever comes our way. No matter how far apart we become, something always pulls us back together."
Mac listens intently, but the doubts keep invading her every thought. She quietly says, "You sound so sure. How can you possibly know that we will actually get it right this time?"
Harm sets her hand down in her lap, and leaps from his chair. In a booming voice that would reach the rafters in a football stadium, with his arms bent and muscles flexed, he exclaims, "Because, if we start to falter….I, Harmon Rabb Jr., will climb to the gates of Olympus and challenge Zeus himself to a duel!"
Mac chuckles at his bravado. The tension in her body seeping out a little at a time with each word. She laughs, "And you think you can beat Zeus! Sorry, Flyboy, but you aren't a god."
Harm sits back down, chuckling, and lightly kisses her hand. He shrugs his shoulders, and teases, "I may be a mere mortal, but if you can beat Jack in arm wrestling, I feel I have a pretty fair shot against the King of Olympus."