A/N: I know I owe you a "Life Fate Wanted" AND a "Life Unexpected" Chapter, but I am going through some tough stuff right now and am having trouble writing. That being said, I dug up this fluffy family piece from the vault and cleaned it up for you. Enjoy! (NEX is the PX for the Navy)
Mac closed her eyes and released a long breath. She dug deep for any vestige of control the Marine Corps instilled in her nearly twenty years prior as her almost three year old flung himself on the floor in the middle of the NEX.
"Morgan." She ground out, all too aware of the growing stares from the other patrons. The little boy ignored her, screaming and flailing his limbs.
Any other time she would have scooped him up and carried him out of the store. This time though she was seven months into a high risk pregnancy and was very limited in her physical skills. She supposed she had her husband to thank for that. Actually the more she thought about it, her husband was the cause of this whole ordeal. If he was just here and not on some stupid boat in the middle of God knows where none of this would be happening. She would be at home napping and Harm would be here with Morgan who would never act like this for his father. That gave her an idea.
"Morgan Mackenzie Rabb," she addressed him in her sternest Marine voice. " Attention on deck!" she ordered. It was a technique Harm had started using recently when the toddler was out of line. The boy shifted, organizing his limbs into something that resembled attention, except horizontal. "On your feet," she continued. Surprisingly the boy complied.
"Aye, aye Captain," he whimpered. Mac had to bite back a laugh, not only did her son sound unbelievably pitiful, a crowd had now gathered to watch her put him through military maneuvers.
"Captain is Daddy, Momma was a colonel," she noted. It occurred to her that she met few adversaries as tough as the ornery boy in front of her, and she'd been alone with more than one known terrorist in her time.
"Daddy..." Morgan whined.
"I know, you miss Daddy. I miss Daddy too," Mac sighed. This was the first time Morgan was actually aware of Harm's absence. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite old enough to understand it. So instead he just screamed about it. And cried about it. And constantly asked when Daddy was coming home.
"Momma, hold you," Morgan switched tactics, extending his arms towards Mac. If he couldn't have Dad, he could at least have some comfort from his mom.
"Baby, you know I can't hold you, I'm sorry," she crooned, running her hand through his dark curls. That set the boy off again. He let off a high pitched shriek and flopped back to the floor. Mac looked to the sky and let out a silent prayer. She knew the attention trick wouldn't work twice. She ran a hand over her belly, considering doing something her doctor explicitly told her not to do. As if her daughter sensed her dilemma, a kick landed against her palm. She wasn't going to risk it, even if premature labor would bring Harm back on land.
"Morgan, please," she pleaded "if you help me get the shopping done I will make a shore to ship call to Daddy. I don't even care if he's in a Tomcat we will not leave the line until you hear his voice," she figured a little bribe couldn't hurt. However, Morgan only heard one word in that sentence: daddy.
"DADDY!" His cry grew in both volume and intensity. Mac scrubbed a hand over her face and let out a heavy sigh. Her only option was to try and get to his level. However, she wasn't sure that once she got there she would be able to get back up She shifted, trying to decide the best way to get to the floor.
"Ma'am, is everything ok?" a kind voice asked. Mac wasn't sure if she was going to cry or just pray the earth would open up and swallow her and her inconsolable son whole.
"Yeah," she turned towards the voice, setting eyes on a wholesome looking older woman. "Life is just not fair when you're three and your dad in on sea duty," she heard the tears in her voice long before she felt them roll down her cheeks.
"Oh honey," the woman crooned. "I understand more than you think. My husband's been in the Navy for the entire forty years we've been married. I've raised three sons with a husband on sea duty," she chuckled. "Do you mind?" She gestured towards Morgan.
"If you can get him to stop, or at least back to his feet, by all means," Mac allowed, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Hey little boy," the woman lifted Morgan into her arms. For the second time that day, Morgan surprised her. He tucked himself again the stranger's body and quieted almost instantly. It broke Mac's heart. All the boy wanted was the two things she couldn't give him: to be held and Daddy. "What is your name?" The woman asked gently.
"Morgan," the little boy croaked.
"Nice to meet you Morgan, my name is Shirley. And I'm going to hold you so your Momma can finish her shopping." Morgan nodded and dropped his head to Shirley's shoulder.
"Now, what is your name?" Shirley addressed Mac.
"Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, retired. US Marines." Mac replied. "You can call me Mac or Sarah," she added.
"And if I may, you said your husband is on sea duty?"
"Captain Harmon Rabb, force judge advocate. He's been leading an inquiry on the Coral Sea for just over a week." Mac disclosed.
"He likely knows my husband, Admiral Sam Parker." Shirley mentioned shifting from side to side, keeping Morgan calm. Mac nodded, the name sounded vaguely familiar but with their growing family and Harm's limited amount of free time, they barely talked about his work in detail. When he was home he was husband and father, the Captain stayed at the door. "Let's get your shopping done and then we can go to Sam's office to make that call," Shirley offered.
"Oh, you've already done too much. I can stop by Harm's office, they'll patch me through," Mac could feel the color coming to her cheeks. While she was grateful for the assistance with Morgan, she had never been very good at accepting help.
"I know that's the Marine in you talking. You need to listen to the momma." Shirley replied with a pointed look. Mac frowned at her trying to figure out why that expression reminded her so much of Harm. Perhaps it was the fact that she was echoing his request to take it easy while he was gone. "Sam can get a direct line. It's no problem." Shirley pressed. Mac nodded. It appeared the woman wouldn't take no for an answer.
Every ounce of Mac's military training shouted in protest as they literally barged into Admiral Samuel Parker's office. Shirley marched in like she had every right to be there and no one was going to tell her different. Mac watched as the Admiral's expression went stormy, ready to rail on whoever dared disturb him, but it was all for naught. As soon as he caught sight of his wife holding a strange toddler being closely followed by a heavily pregnant woman, all of the bluster blew out of him.
"Shirley…" his tone was full of affectionate exasperation. Mac's lips quirked into a smile. She wasn't sure what it was about children that turned salty sea dogs into puppies. "Who is this?"
"This is Morgan. Captain Harmon Rabb's son."
"Rabb?" He tested the name for familiarity. "Judge Force Advocate, right?" It finally clicked. Shirley nodded at her husband. The Admiral's eyes suddenly widened as he took in the sight of the child. "So that means he's..." he pointed at the boy.
"Commander Casey's, yes." Mac interjected smoothly. It was a question she had gotten used to in the past three years. Many of the people they encountered in London knew at least one of Morgan's birth parents.
"We had a tour together the year before his crash," the man remarked absently. "He's so big," the Admiral was in awe of the child. "How old are you?" He asked Morgan. The boy stuck out two fingers.
"Nearly three," Mac provided.
"And I see he's going to be a big brother soon...um, Mrs...," Sam noted, taking the time to actually look at Mac. She smiled and barely resisted the urge to salute him as protocol dictated.
"Sarah Mackenzie...Rabb," she stumbled over her married name. It wasn't that she wasn't proud of it, she was just stubbornly hanging onto Mackenzie, like a good Marine would.
"Retired Marine," Shirley chimed in. She was vaguely aware of who Commander Casey was and what the story was there, but she intended to pull the details out of her husband later. For now, she had a request to fulfill. "And they are in need of a shore to ship call to the Coral Sea because your Navy sent Captain Rabb on sea duty without giving him a chance to say goodbye to his son and that was 10 days ago." She frowned at her husband.
"Sir, you don't have to..." Mac sputtered. She hated looking weak and worse yet she didn't want it to look like Harm was getting preferential treatment or that he couldn't handle his duties that required him to be away from his family. The admiral held a hand up.
"Call me Sam and it's no problem. I am aware of the inquest on the Coral Sea. It's going on longer than any of us expected. A few minutes on the phone should be easy enough," he granted.
"Thank you sir...I mean...Sam."
Thirty minutes later, Mac sat on a couch in Admiral Sam Parker's office with her son tucked against her side as she waited for her husband's voice to crackle over the line. Thankfully her new friends Shirley and Sam had given her the room. She'd had about enough attention for one day.
"Mac, is everything ok?" There was a desperation in Harm's voice that twisted her gut.
"It's fine. Just a long couple days." She sighed.
"Jesus Mac, when they said Admiral Parker was calling on behalf of my wife...I...I thought..." he trailed off, not even wanting to voice every frightening thought that popped into his head.
"I'm sorry Harm, everything is ok. Morgan just had a meltdown at the commissary and Shirley, Sam...er Admiral Parker's wife witnessed it and was just trying to help. I was going to call from your office, but things just got out of hand,"
"It's ok," Harm replied softly. He could hear the weariness in his wife's voice and wanted to address it, but he was still hung up on the idea of his son having a meltdown. "what's going on with Morgan?"
"He misses you. And there's little I can do to make him feel better."
"I'm sorry, I never expected to be gone this long. I thought a day at most, but things really went sideways." He mentioned.
"I know, and it's fine. He just doesn't understand. Do you have time to say hello to him?"
"Of course I do. You're on the admiral's line. Unless the SECNAV calls, I'm pretty much on the highest priority call I can take. We could talk all night if you want," he chuckled. She returned his laugh but it fell just short of genuine. She really didn't want to make him feel worse, but she didn't have energy for false bravado. Nearly three years of marriage and it had never been this hard when he was away. She hoped it was just a combination of hormones and exhaustion from dealing with a cranky toddler.
"Morgan," She nudged the little boy at her side. After settling down for Shirley and meeting an Admiral who dressed a lot like Daddy, the boy had yet to get upset again. Not to mention he was much happier curled against his mom's side, with her hand carding through his curls. "You want to talk to Daddy?" He nodded enthusiastically, thumb tucked firmly in his mouth. Mac reached over and hit the speaker button on the phone.
"Morgan?" Harm's voice filled the room. Morgan looked from the phone to his mom, clearly surprised.
"Say hello," she urged. The boy waved with his free hand.
"He waved, Harm," she giggled, trying to tug the boy's hand from his mouth with little success.
"Hey buddy," Harm pressed on. "I wish you were here with me. We could watch all of the airplanes take off and land."
"Planes?" Morgan asked quietly.
"Yeah the loud ones Daddy flies. They fly all the time here." Harm answered.
"And has Daddy been flying?" Mac interjected. Harm's knowing laugh lifted her spirits some.
"No, haven't had time. But I've stared longingly at them." She could picture the grin on his face.
"I bet." She mused.
"Daddy flying," Morgan pointed at the phone.
"No bud, Daddy is sailing. If I was flying, I'd fly back home to you and Momma. I miss you so much." Harm said softly.
"We miss you too," Mac countered, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
"Miss you," Morgan agreed.
"Buddy, I need you to be really good for Momma until I get home. Be a good sailor, Rabb." He addressed his son, slipping into the tone he only used when giving orders.
"Aye, aye Captain," Morgan replied just like he'd done at the store but with more conviction.
"I love you," Harm added.
"Love you," Morgan parroted.
"Mac, you have an extra second?" He asked his wife. Mac caught his meaning and clicked the phone off speaker.
"What can I do for you, Captain?"
"Daddy!" Morgan yelped, looking between the phone and his mom as his father's voice disappeared. "Where's Daddy?" his dark eyes went round and Mac quickly hit the speaker button again.
"Morgan, buddy, I'm right here," Harm sighed.
"Daddy," Morgan whined, somewhat placated now that he could hear Harm again.
"What was that you said about being on the phone all night?" Mac said wryly.
"No wonder you sound so tired," he realized. If their son had been like this for days, he didn't envy her.
"Somewhere between that being seven months pregnant and not able to even comfort him, Yeah." She replied sharply.
"Mac..." he started gently.
"Sorry, I know. It's not your fault...I'm just not used to being this useless. There was a time I was a Marine, ya know." she relented, knowing she wasn't being fair. Harm laughed despite himself.
"Well, I highly doubt you're actually useless. Let me at least see if I can get you some reinforcements. I can call my mom or find someone at the office..." he offered. He'd had to fly out so quickly that he hadn't fully realized how shorthanded he was leaving her especially with her on precautions because of her pregnancy. They'd created a small group of friends during their time in London, but none close enough for her to feel comfortable leaning on. Not to mention the fact that she had a near pathological issue with asking for help.
"Harm, you don't have to do that. We've been ok. Going to the store was a mistake, that's all." she objected.
"Fine. For now. If I can't get back by the end of the week, we're going to have to compromise. Deal?" He bargained.
"Aye, aye Captain " she conceded
"Aye Aye Captain," Morgan echoed.
Noise came over the line, someone was giving information to Harm. His response was muffled, but Mac got the gist of it. He was needed on deck.
"Ok, good news, bad news. The bad news is I have to go, but the good news is this inquest is finally moving forward so maybe I'll make it home before our daughter is born,"
"Harm, don't even joke like that," Mac chided. The thought of him being away for the remaining two months of her pregnancy horrified her. He'd been gone just over a week and she was already at her limit.
"You know wouldn't miss that for the world, even if I had to borrow a Tomcat to get there," he quipped.
"God, don't do that," she snorted. Every time he tried to use a Tomcat to expedite his travel time, it inevitably ended up taking even longer and sometimes with dire consequences. He laughed whole heartedly. Honestly, he was glad she took the joke so well. The last time he mentioned Tomcats she was less congenial.
"Alright, I really do have to go," his regret was evident. "Morgan?" he addressed his son again.
"Daddy," the boy mumbled around the thumb that found its way back into his mouth.
"I have to go to work buddy, but I am going to try to be home really soon," Harm promised.
"No Daddy," Morgan cried, recognizing his dad's goodbye voice. Harm released a ragged breath. The boy was breaking his heart.
"Bud, I'm sorry, I'll love you. Be good for Momma," he repeated. There was little else he could do from the middle of the ocean.
Morgan let out a whimper and pressed his face against his mother's side. Mac gently stroked the boy's back and picked up the receiver.
"We're fine, Harm. Go do your job and hurry home. I love you," she said quickly. Honestly, she was barely holding it together. Between her son's cries and the guilt in her husband's voice she was going to be a sobbing mess if she didn't regain some control.
"Love you too, see you soon," he replied nearly as fast, the connection ending.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
"I saw the light click off," Shirley mentioned sheepishly. Mac smiled tiredly at the woman. "Did it help?" she asked, somewhat bemused by Morgan's continued distress.
"I think he's too tired," Mac shrugged. "I'm sorry, would you mind running us home?" she asked. She didn't mean to be dismissive of the woman but right now she felt the only thing that was going to make both her and her son feel better was to curl up in bed for a few hours. Mac could give into her exhaustion and provide the comfort Morgan needed. It was what she would have done had she not run into Shirley. As grateful as she was to actually talk to Harm, it may have just made things worse for all parties involved.
"Of course," Shirley smiled brightly. Looking at the woman was looking through a window into the past. She'd been exactly where Mac was on multiple occasions. Because of her pregnancy, not only could she not keep up with her son physically, his emotions were overwhelming her as well. Not to mention she was warring with herself and the idea the Navy wives were supposed to be tough. "Let's get you home."
Harm stared at the blinking cursor on the screen. He was trying to write an email to his wife, but everything seemed inadequate. The phone call earlier in the days was more concerning than comforting. His heart nearly stopped when they said he had a call from Admiral Parker regarding his wife. Every horrible scenario including Mac, Morgan, and their unborn daughter flash through his head in a split second. The relief he felt when that wasn't the case was overwhelming however the actual reason for the call didn't make him feel a whole lot better.
He realized now why he'd always been so hesitant to settle down earlier. Leaving his family behind was harder than he expected, even for a short time. He thought it was hard when Morgan was younger because he didn't want to leave the baby but now hearing him pleading and crying over the phone sliced into his heart in a whole different way. Not to mention he was worried sick about Mac and her pregnancy. He had been since she told him she was miraculously carrying their child. The pure exhaustion he heard in her voice unsettled him.
The force judge advocate job was supposed to put an end to TADs. He was supposed to be home. With that thought, he typed Mac a quick note telling her he loved her and logged off the computer. He decided it was time to exercise a little Captain's privilege.
Mac felt better the next morning. Morgan was content to cuddle with her most of the previous evening and actually slept through the night. She was better rested than she had been since Harm left. Currently, Morgan was playing in the living room while she finished up the breakfast dishes. Her mind wandered to Harm. His nightly email had been a little thin, but she knew the phone call had rattled them all a little bit. They'd gotten used to being together. Every once in a while Harm would be gone for three or four days, but they were on day eleven and his departure had been unexpected.
"Daddy, Daddy, daddy," Morgan babbled from the other room. She could hear him running back and forth across the wood floor.
"I know, you miss Daddy," she sighed, hoping this was not an indication of how the rest of the day was going to go. She dropped the dish towel and went to find her son. "But he's..." she started to remind the boy that his father was still at sea. However, she rounded the corner to see her husband full as life, holding an ecstatic Morgan. "...in the living room.. Harm..." She finished.
"Hey beautiful," Harm grinned. She shuffled towards him as quickly as she could manage. A mix of surprise, excitement, and relief had tears pressing at the backs of her eyes.
"No, you're beautiful. The best thing I've seen in eleven days," she said breathlessly as she melded herself against his side, desperate to convince herself he was actually there. "What are you doing here? Please tell me you didn't do something stupid like resign again or steal a Tomcat." She mumbled against his chest, enjoying the feel of his warm laugh rolling through his body.
"Nothing of the sort. I just decided to delegate and took the first flight home. I may have a few late nights at the office but I'll get to be home every night." He promised, rubbing her back reassuringly. He considered setting Morgan down so he could properly greet his wife, but he wasn't quite ready to release either of them. "I missed you guys so much," he admitted softly.
"I could never be a real Navy wife," Mac replied, feeling a little silly that it had really only been eleven days.
"Of course you could, you were a Marine, remember?" Harm teased. "But I don't want that for you. Or me. I used to love sea duty, it was like running away from home. Now all I want to do is run home. To you and our kids," He added.
"I love you," Mac said with a watery smile.
"I love you too," Harm replied finally kissing his wife for the first time in eleven days.
"Love Daddy!" Morgan squealed, breaking his parents apart.
"Love you too, buddy," Harm chuckled.