Day 12 - Desert Rose
"Colonel? Did you buy a flower shop?" Mid-day Friday after spending most of the morning in court battling it out with Sturgis, Mac pushed through the double glass doors to find her CO standing in the bullpen with his arms folded across his chest.
AJ had an amused expression as he motioned to her office. Even through the blinds it was visible, the collection of flower arrangements spread across every hard surface. "N-no sir...this...oh wow."
There were different flowers everywhere, the wild kind with vibrant colours in every shade imafinavle. Blues, yellows, reds, purples and greens.
"So the rumors of a secret admirer are true." Chegwidden grinned when Mac turned to him with a knowing look. "Scuttlebutt spreads faster than wildfire...Hope you don't suffer from hayfever." On queue, he took a handkerchief from.his pocket and covered his nose to prevent from sneezing. "Carry on."
She went to the most elaborate arrangement, the one on the center of the desk in search for the now infamous card. 'Wild flowers because I am wild about you.' Mac laughed at the message although it made her look into the flowers more closely.
They were wild flowers, specifically some of which were found in the desert of the south West where she was born. Uncle Matt had taught her some of the flora and fauna of the area and while Mac was no expert, some of the blooms were familiar.
"Helluva jungle you have in here, Colonel." Harm's voice called from her doorway. He was cooly leaning against the frame, arms crossed and that smug expression on his face. He was pretty damned pleased with himself. "I'm gonna keep SAR on speed dial in case we need to send a search party to find you later."
She honestly, didn't know what to say and could only stare at him in awe. Clearly, his point in this mission had been made in ways words never could. "Isn't this a bit… much? I mean...wow." She hadn't noticed the ones on the small table in the corner either, a vase full of yellow flowers but, there wasn't a rose in sight. "So Don Juan finally ran out of roses?" Except for red, she noted.
"Not that I'm an expert but, did you see the one on your filing cabinet?" In a small ceramic pot was a plant that looked not unlike a bonsai tree. She knew that flower, had admired it once when she was overseas on assignment. "It's a desert rose."
"Oh, that's beautiful." The flowers all grew out of small limbs which curled out of the trunk. They were delicate looking white flowers with a blood red tip and a red center.
"This one won't wilt as long as you take care of it." Harm said softly in that low voice that, once again, made butterflies flutter in her tummy. He watched her carefully, gauging the expression of sheer joy and awe. Her smile though, he was sure he'd never seen Mac so happy and it gave him a sense of male pride. Christ did he want to touch her, kiss her, make love to her, wake up with Mac in his arms. She was turning him into such a sappy romantic; Harm decided that wasn't such a bad thing. "Soooo, 6pm tomorrow?"