Monday, September 19th
Harm finished setting the table. He lit the candles and turned down the light, then headed over to the oven to check on the salmon.
"Oh, this seems romantic?" Mattie looked questioningly at him. "Was I supposed to not be here for dinner?"
"No, of course, you're supposed to be here," he smiled as he took the salmon out of the oven. "Where's Mac?"
"She's asleep on the couch," Mattie headed for the fridge. "She's been tired a lot lately."
"I know. She's been working really hard," he hesitated. "I'm actually a little worried that she's been overdoing it."
"But her first lecture went great, so she can relax now," Mattie put apple juice on the table. "Anything I can do?"
"Nope, I'll just go wake up…" he smiled. "There you are."
"Sorry," she rubbed her face tiredly. "I think I will sleep like a baby tonight."
Harm took her hand. "But first, dinner."
"It smells great," she sat down on the chair he held out to her.
"I thought we should celebrate," he rounded the table and sat down. "You've had a great start at the university and Mattie has had a great start at school."
"And you won your case today," Mac raised her glass.
"It went pretty well," he admitted as he held up his glass. "To us."
Mattie hesitated. "I was wrong about starting a new school. It wasn't so bad."
"We're so proud of you," Mac smiled.
Harm nodded. "I told you when you woke up at the hospital, that soon the whole thing would be just a bad memory."
"You did say that," Mattie smiled. "I know I have more work to do to be one hundred percent again, but I'm going to get there."
"We know you will," Mac was in awe by the young girl. "You're amazing."
"Not really," Mattie shrugged.
"You are," Harm smiled reassuringly.
"Okay, enough about me," Mattie reached for the food. "I'm starving."
Harm chuckled. "Dig in."
Later
Harm finished in the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He had been out shooting some hoops while Mac and Mattie watched some silly show on TV that they found was worth laughing about. He had gotten more active than intended and needed a shower before bed. He brushed his teeth and headed out of the bathroom. Mac was already in bed, hugging his pillow.
"Are you already asleep?" he wondered.
"Nah, just almost," she turned her focus on him as he slipped on boxers. "I like it better when you're in bed with me."
"I like that better too," he smiled as he got into bed. "Are you okay, Mac?"
"Just feeling a little," she hesitated. "I don't know. Off."
"You haven't quite been yourself lately," he felt her forehead. "Maybe you're coming down with something?"
She hesitated. "I haven't had any pains, but I haven't had my period either. I've been pretty regular since I stopped with birth control. My last Doctor did say that having a regular period would help if I wanted to try to get pregnant," she could see that he was worried. "Look, we have that appointment tomorrow, and we can ask then. It's probably just stress, so don't worry."
He cupped her face. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. I love you."
"I love you too," she kissed him softly, then snuggled into his arms.
The next day
Harm was waiting for Mac to get dressed. He still had trouble believing the news that Doctor Turner had just told them. He was going to be a father.
"Are we doing okay?" Doctor Turner stepped back into the examination room.
"We are," Harm smiled. "Mac is getting dressed."
"I'm here," Mac was still wiping her tears as she walked in front of the curtain and headed for Harm. "I guess we're still a little shocked, Doctor."
Doctor Turner smiled as she sat down behind her desk. "I can only imagine. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too hopeful that we'd be able to make this happen for you. Your endometriosis is severe, Sarah. You have scarring on your uterus. Most of it was removed, but still…" she chuckled. "I guess we don't have to worry about that. It's a miracle."
Harm took Mac's hand. "So, what now?" he wondered.
"Well," Doctor Turner hesitated. "Aside from the endometriosis, you're in excellent health. I want to follow you up closely to make sure the pregnancy is progressing as it should."
"Do you have concerns?" Harm wondered.
"We don't know how much damage the scarring has done to your wife's uterus, there might be weaknesses to the tissue," Doctor Turner stopped. "I don't want to scare you, but in cases like yours Sarah, I like to do whatever I can to make sure everything works out. You don't have to do anything different. Rest when you can, eat healthy, exercise, make love and try to enjoy this. This is amazing news."
"But you have worries?" Mac assumed.
"It's my job to think about risks, but at the same time, I don't think we should focus on what can happen before we actually have to worry," Doctor Turner smiled. "Please, enjoy the news. I'll give you some information that you can read; then I'll see you again in two weeks."
Harm and Mac both nodded than shared sweet smiles. "Thank you, Doctor," Harm stood and waited for Mac to stand before he pulled her close. "I'll take good care of her."
"I'm sure you will," Doctor Turner smiled reassuringly. "Congratulations."
Later
Harm had left for work after having lunch with Mac at home. She was meeting Mattie after school to go to her physio session. They had agreed to wait to share the news until Mac was further along. Harm had been going between feelings of absolute joy and feeling scared. He suspected that Mac felt the same way and he would try to keep his anxiousness to himself. What Mac needed was love and support, not his reminder that this could be a risky pregnancy.
"Hi guys," he smiled as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hi, Harm," Mattie closed her book. "Math homework is done."
"That's great," he kissed Mac softly. "What are you making?"
"Chicken," she reached for plates. "How was your day?"
"It was good," he reached for his phone as it beeped. "Damn, I forgot the files I was going to look over. I guess I better head in a little earlier tomorrow," he headed out of the kitchen. "I'm changing."
"Hurry up, dinner is ready," Mac called after him as she walked over to the table "Do you have room for plates?" Mac wondered teasingly.
Mattie smiled and started gathering her things. "I can make room."
"All done with homework for tonight?" Mac wondered.
"I have an English essay to finish after dinner. Miss Addington is really expecting us to work hard to earn our grades." Mattie put her books away. "Dinner smells amazing. I'm starving."
"I thought carnivore night wouldn't be so bad," Mac chuckled.
They finished dinner, then Mattie excused herself to work on her essay in her room. Harm pulled Mac close when they were alone. "How are you feeling?"
"Happy," she leaned in and kissed him softly. "And a little scared."
"It'll be fine," he reassured. "We got this."
"Always so confident," she was amused.
"I have a good feeling about this," he kissed her again. "It's a miracle," he put his hands on her belly. "Our miracle."
"Yeah," she agreed.
Friday, September 23rd
Harm looked up from his book and let out a contented sigh. He loved these quiet moments with his wife. He was leaned back on the couch, his feet on the table. She was resting against the sofa cushions, her feet resting over his lap. It was the perfect way to spend a night. Mattie was out with friend's and would be back in about an hour. He wasn't too keen on her being out at night, but it was a safe neighborhood, and she was responsible. He had to remind himself that she had lived in D.C and knew how to be careful in a big city.
He put his hand on her thigh, caressing it softly. "You're beautiful."
She turned her focus on him, offering a funny look.
"You are incredibly beautiful," he smiled.
She raised her eyebrows. "I'm without makeup, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing your old Navy t-shirt, and I'm in my pajama pants."
"Yes, and you're beautiful," he caressed her thigh again. "You don't need any makeup or pretty clothes."
"That's sweet," she put her hand on his. "Mattie will be home in 57 minutes and three seconds."
He chuckled. "Are you worried Mama?"
"Just keeping track of time," she smiled. "Okay, yes, I'm a little worried. She is a teenager."
"Going on forty," Harm reminded her. "Mattie can take care of herself," he hesitated. "But it's a scary world out there."
"It sure is," she put her book away. "I'm using the bathroom; then I'm having ice cream. Can I get you something?"
"It's 21.30 and you're having ice cream?" he was amused.
"Are you afraid I'll get fat?" she wondered as she stood.
"Women do have ten percent more body fat than men," he teased but sobered up as she offered a less than amused look. "You can have ice cream. You look perfect by the way."
She chuckled. "Nice save."
A little later she was back with ice cream and slumped down on the couch. "So, why did you have to go in tomorrow?"
"Just getting some things out of the way. I have Commander Carter on assignment at Sigonella, and she's checking in," he smiled. "I won't be too long."
She took another spoonful of ice cream. "I promised Mattie we'd go shopping for shoes, so you can stay for as long as you need."
He raised his eyebrows. "Uh oh."
"What?" she smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, I'm not buying any shoes."
"You say that now, but…" he noticed her look and shut his mouth. "Have you noticed that you can make people nervous just by looking at them?"
She nodded. "I know."
"I'm not scared of you," he chuckled. "Just slightly afraid of what you'll do to me."
"I can kick your butt," she reminded him.
"The scary thing is, you probably could," he agreed and smirked.
She offered a cute grin. "You're doing a strange mix of complimenting me and saying things that are not very nice."
"Just trying to keep it interesting so you won't get tired of being with me," he reasoned and flashed her a cute smile.
She chuckled and took another spoonful. "So, Commander Carter is at Sigonella investigating that crash?"
"Yeah, she had a few more interviews tonight, then she'll report in tomorrow. She's working with the local JAG who witnessed the whole mishap."
Mac hesitated thoughtfully. "Is Sigonella where you'll be going to keep up your qualls? I know you have to go to a carrier too, but I don't imagine they'll send you back to the States to keep up your flight status."
He hesitated. "Well," he sat up straighter and put his feet on the floor.
"Harm?" she questioned his long hesitation.
"I'm probably not keeping up my flight status," he admitted.
"Is the Navy not letting you?" she wondered.
"No, that's not the problem," he leaned back on the couch, taking her hand in his. "You are, Mattie, the baby."
"Harm," she smiled. "Flying is important to you. I support your decision to keep up your flight status."
"I know you do, and I appreciate that," he smiled. "It's just that things have changed. Priorities have changed."
"Harmon Rabb, are you telling me that you're growing up?" Mac pretended to be shocked.
He chuckled as he pulled her into his arms. "Me?"
She put away the ice cream and relaxed against him. "What changed?"
"We're having a baby," he cupped her face. "It changes everything. I don't want to be away from you more than necessary. And I have responsibilities when it comes to Mattie. She's been through a lot and needs stability in her life."
"How long have you been thinking about this?" she wondered.
"Not for long," he shrugged. "The chance to take a few days and go investigate the crash at Sigonella also would have given me the opportunity to fly, and I decided to send someone else to investigate instead of doing it myself. By doing that I realized that things were different. I'm different," he smiled. "Don't worry, I won't change too much. I'm still going to be arrogant, stubborn and totally get on your nerves."
She laughed softly and leaned in and kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you more," he kissed her again.
