Chapter Fifty-Eight:
Isn't She Lovely?
FEBRUARY 19TH, 2002
0800 EST
BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
Harm bent over the bed, placing a kiss on Mac's cheek. He briefly pressed his cheek against hers to look down at his sleeping daughter. She'd calmed down since she'd first entered the world about two hours prior, and was now sleeping soundly in Mac's arms. Mac should've been sleeping as well, but she wasn't about to miss any moment of her daughter's first few hours of life.
"Are you sure you don't want me to put her in her bed before I go?" Harm asked. "So you can get some rest?"
"I am resting," Mac replied, shifting the baby's weight in her arms.
"Alright," Harm gave Mac another quick kiss before straightening up. "You two don't have too much fun without me."
"We won't, I promise."
Harm wasn't actually leaving, leaving. He was just heading down to the hospital cafeteria to tell the Admiral, Bud, Harriet, and Sturgis (who had been sensible enough to get some sleep before heading to the hospital) that he and Mac were finally parents. He also had several phone calls to make, including one to Chloe and/or her grandmother, one to Trish and/or Frank (if they weren't already on a plane), and Mac had also instructed Harm to call her mother, telling him to leave a voice message if she didn't pick up.
There was also another phone call that Mac wanted Harm to make that was the cause of their first disagreement as new parents.
"Harm," Mac had said to him a little while earlier, "I think you should call Mic."
Harm whirled around. "What?" he demanded in a fierce whisper. They were having this discussion while the baby was sleeping, making things more interesting. "Why do you want me to call him?"
"Because," Mac replied, her voice equally low. "He needs to know about the baby."
"No he doesn't."
Mac rolled her eyes, looking down at their daughter. I'm sorry you have to be here for this, she wanted to tell her.
"Harm, listen-"
"Mac, we went over this-"
Indeed they had. They had decided to get a paternity test done, for no reason other than a logistical one, with the caveat that Harm would be known as the baby's father regardless. His name was going on the birth certificate, he was going to be the one to help Mac raise the baby - Mic wasn't going to have any part of the child's life.
Mic going back to Australia without putting up more than a week-long fight was a clear enough sign to Harm that he didn't want to be a father, but Mac wanted all of her bases covered.
"I know you're her father," Mac explained, "Whatever the paternity test results are won't change that. But if Mic's the father - strictly biologically speaking - we need to get him to sign away parental rights."
"He did that when he hopped on a plane back to Sydney."
Mac rolled her eyes. "Harm, can you please start thinking like a lawyer? If he's - biologically - her father, then what happens if a year or so from now he gets bitter and decides he actually wants to be a father? He could sue us for custody!"
Harm shrugged. "He wouldn't win."
"I don't care," Mac insisted, "I don't want to go through that regardless."
After thinking it over for five minutes, finally able to turn his lawyer brain on, Harm decided that Mac was right. As much as Harm loathed talking to Mic, loathed even thinking about Mic, it was better to be safe than to be sorry.
As Harm gently shut the door behind him, Mac turned to stare down at her daughter. She reached down to trace a feather-light line down the bride of her nose, which Harm had remarked was the same as Mac's.
"You know him," Mac said softly, pointing in the direction where Harm had left. "He's your daddy. And he loves you so, so much. I promise."
Mac was utterly exhausted, probably the most exhausted she had ever been in her life. She'd been awake for over twenty-four hours, several of those hours being spent delivering her child, so Harm was probably right - she should be resting. But despite her obvious exhaustion, and the fact that she was aching all over her body, and the fact that she had stitches where Mac never thought she would ever need stitches, she was euphoric.
She had her baby. Her baby was here. She and Harm were still trying to puzzle out a name for her, but Mac was content with just calling her by every single cute nickname in the book for the time being.
"You tricked me," Mac told her softly. "I thought you were going to be a little boy, but you tricked me."
She bent down to smell the one spot behind her daughter's tiny ear that smelled like absolute heaven. Settling back against the pillows, she looked out the window at the early morning sun that was streaming down in between the buildings of Bethesda.
Laying there, Mac wondered what she would tell her daughter, when she was older and would come to her and ask, "What was the day I was born like?"
It was so cheesy, it almost seemed like it was too perfect of an experience for Mac to have. But it was how it was, and Mac wouldn't have wanted to have it any other way.
It was absolutely perfect, Mac decided she would tell her, You were born just before dawn and I held you as I watched the sun rise and you were absolutely perfect and it was the best day of my life.
"God, I'm such a sap," she said aloud, looking up at the ceiling. The baby stirred in her arms, and Mac turned to look down at her. She groaned. "You're so perfect though…"
Before Mac could start crying for the eighth time (at least the eighth time) that morning, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called softly, wiping tears away from her eyes. She might've been a new mom, but her Marine toughness was still very much ingrained in her.
The door opened slowly, and Admiral Chegwidden poked his head in. "Permission to enter?" he asked.
Mac smiled. "Granted."
AJ walked over to the bed, using the best of his SEAL skills to make as little noise as possible. He didn't want to be the asshole that woke up the sleeping baby.
"I see we have the newest recruitment for the corps," he asked.
"Maybe sir," Mac replied, "but right now she's my baby."
"Mac, you just spent the past day delivering a baby; you can just call me AJ."
AJ looked down at the bundle in Mac's arms. Usually he was of the belief that all newborns looked the same, with the only exception having been his daughter Francescs, but when he looked down at this baby, there was no doubt that she was Colonel Mackenzie's daughter.
"She has your nose," he observed.
Mac laughed. "I've gotten that before."
"From who?"
"Harm," Mac gave him a wry glance. "How over the moon is he?" she asked.
AJ chuckled at the recent memory of Harm barrelling into the hospital cafeteria, making a beeline for AJ, grabbing him by the shoulders and announcing, "Sir, I have baby!" so loud that the rest of the cafeteria had gone quiet.
"Very," AJ said. "I've never seen him that excited."
He met Mac's gaze and noticed the exhaustion in her eyes. "What about you?" he asked. AJ didn't make a habit out of picking favorites when it came to people who worked with him, but Mac was right up there with the best of them. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, I couldn't complain," Mac answered with a shrug. "I was pushing for almost two hours and got stitches to show for it, but I have her now so that's all that matters."
AJ's eyes widened. "Stitches?"
"All in a day's work, I guess," Mac gave him a rueful smile, "She weighs almost eight pounds, so that had to count for some of it."
"Oh wow," AJ replied, while in his mind he was thinking, Jesus H. Christ. Rabb better get her one hell of a bouquet for this. Either that or a Tiffany necklace.
"I guess that's what I get for deciding to have a baby with someone who's 6'4," Mac joked, moving one hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear. It was her left hand, and it was then that AJ caught sight of the ring she was wearing, glinting in the sunlight.
His eyes widened. "Colonel…is that what I think it is?"
Mac looked down at her hand. In all that had happened, she'd forgotten she'd been wearing her ring. She looked at him and nodded.
"I hope that's not another promise ring," AJ said.
"No AJ," Mac shook her head, "This is the real deal."
After causing a commotion in the hospital cafeteria, Harm found a quiet hallway to make his phone call. The first person he called was Chloe's grandma, who gave congratulations and said she would tell Chloe the news as soon as she got home from school - they would figure out the flights and when would be a good time to come visit as soon as possible.
Then, by some miracle, Harm was able to get ahold of his mother. By another miracle, she had been able to catch a flight to DC and had been at her layover in Chicago when Harm had called. She would be there in a few hours and absolutely could not wait to meet her first grandchild. Being able to only find one plane ticket on such short notice, Frank would be arriving a few days after.
When Harm called Deanne, the call had gone to voicemail, as Mac had predicted. Even though he was a little worried that Deanne had once again disappeared from Mac's life, Harm had to remind himself that it was 0500 in Oregon - Deanne was probably still asleep.
Finally it came time for the one phone call that Harm had truly been dreading - the one to Mic Brumby. Staring down at his phone, Harm took a deep breath before dialing. Even when he and Mic were coworkers, Harm had never taken the time to save his number to his contacts. The only reason he had the number now is because Mac had written it on the back of his hand with a ballpoint pen she'd found in the hospital room.
Look on the bright side, Harm thought to himself as he listened to the phone ring, This will probably be the last time you'll ever have to talk to Mic Brumby.
Just when Harm thought Mic wouldn't pick up, he did.
"Hello?"
"Brumby, it's Rabb."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Can I help you?"
Harm took a deep breath. Since decking someone over the phone was impossible, Harm decided that he would just stick to keeping the conversation as brief as possible. "Sarah had the baby this morning at 0630."
And stay away from both of them, he wanted to add, but held back. The last thing he needed to do was antagonize Brumby enough to get him to fly back to the United States.
"Oh. Tell her I said congratulations."
"I won't," Harm said. It felt good to get that one jab in. "I was uh, just calling to let you know that I'm getting a paternity test done."
"Alright…that's fine by me, mate."
Harm scowled. "They're doing fine by the way, Mac and the baby - incase you wanted to know."
"That's great, Harm. I'm happy for you three," there was another pause, "I'm not going to interfere, if that's why you called."
"That is why I called," Harm informed him dryly, "Kudos to you for puzzling that one out, Brumby."
"You win, alright? I have enough going on in this hemisphere."
"Like what?" Harm found himself asking before he could stop himself. He had never heard Mic sound…stressed before. Harm had heard him sound smug, pissed off, and entitled, but Harm had never heard him sound stressed.
"I'll tell you if you promise to tell Sarah."
"Why do you want me to tell Sarah?" Harm asked.
"Because I'll think she'll have a good laugh."
"Alright," Harm leaned against the wall, unable to contain his anticipation at getting a glimpse of how karma must've caught up to Mic Brumby. "I'm listening."
"I uh, I got a girlfriend I used to see down here pregnant a couple of years ago. Turns out you're not the only one who just got a daughter around here.
Harm's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really?"
Once Harm got done laughing, he shook his head in disbelief. "You're right, Mac's going to find that hilarious," he said. "But umm, I guess congratulations are in order for you huh, mate?"
"Thanks," Mic responded dryly. "Means a lot."
Harm chuckled. "Come on Mic, daughters are fun. I love mine."
After ransacking the hospital gift shop and buying more overpriced balloons and other trinkets than she had sense enough to buy, Harriet peeped into Mac's hospital room after knocking and not receiving a response. When the Admiral had left, he had said that Mac wanted to see Harriet, but now it appeared as though Mac was dozing off, her newborn asleep in the bassinet right by the bed.
Sitting her hastily put together gift basket in the arm chair in the corner - the armchair that would probably be where Harm would take his nap when he came back to the room - Harriet tiptoed over to the bed and the bassinet. Mac was sleeping on her side, facing the bassinet, no doubt having fallen asleep watching her baby.
Despite the fact that Mac was the closest thing she had to a best friend, and that she had explicitly said that she wanted to see Harriet, she felt like she was intruding. She knew how precious the first hours that a mother spent with her baby were, and she didn't dare want to interrupt that.
Besides the argument they had when Mac was in the hospital, the last time the two of them had been in a hospital room together had been after Harriet had lost Baby Sarah. Bud had gone back home to gather up Little AJ, who was being watched by their neighbors, and Mac had sat with Harriet in the hospital room so she wouldn't be alone.
Harriet was in the middle of a storm of grief, pain, and shock and Mac had sat beside her during those first few, impossible hours after losing her child. She'd hugged Harriet while she cried, listened to her as she tried (and failed) to talk through what had happened and how she felt about it, and then talked to her about random, anecdotal stuff to provide a distraction.
Like Harriet had found out about Mac's nose piercing and the year in law school that she spent celibate. She also told her about how she got her lotus tattoo and how she wanted more tattoos - she just didn't know what to get.
Mac had been there for her, and now Harriet was going to be there for her. Their situations were different, but they were both mothers all the same.
"Hi."
Harriet looked up from the bassinet to see Mac watching her, a tired smile on her face.
"Hi yourself," Harriet replied. "How have you been? How did everything go?"
Mac smirked, stifling a yawn. "Can I be honest with you?"
"I've been through it," Harriet told her frankly, "I'll know if you're lying."
"Well…it sucked," she said, and Harriet laughed. "It was by far the worst pain I've ever felt in my life and I don't think my vagina will ever be the same again."
"It will be; don't worry."
"But she's here so it was all worth it," Mac said, reaching over to gently place a hand on top of her daughter's swaddle.
"She's beautiful."
"I know," Mac said as she sat up in bed. "Harm and I are making you and Bud godparents, if that's okay with you two, of course."
Harriet immediately nodded. "That's absolutely fine," she answered, knowing Bud would have the same answer, "We'd be honored."
"You can also hold her, if you want," Mac said. Harriet turned to look at her Mac with wide eyes as she gestured down to the baby, "The Admiral held her earlier and she started screaming after five seconds, but I have a feeling you'll have better luck."
"Are you sure?" Harriet asked.
Mac nodded. "You're her godmother, go ahead."
Reaching down, Harriet gently scooped the baby girl into her arms, instinctively hushing her when she began to whimper. Harriet wouldn't have been offended if she had started screaming like she had done with the Admiral, but she also wasn't surprised when she settled comfortably into Harriet's arms. She was Harriet's goddaughter, after all.
"Hi sweetheart," Harriet cooed softly. "It's so nice to finally meet you."
"I think she likes you," Mac said.
"You think?"
"Uh-huh," Mac moved over to make enough room for Harriet to sit down at the edge of the bed. As Harriet sat, she looked from the baby to Mac.
"Have you thought of any names?" she asked.
Mac shook her head. "Nope. We've kind of hit a roadblock on that."
Harriet shrugged. "Don't worry about it, you have plenty of time. All the time in the world, even."
"Yeah," Mac agreed, taking a moment to glance down at her left hand and the ring that was on it. Harriet hadn't noticed and Mac felt weird pointing it out.
"You know," she said, looking out of the window at the sun, which was now fully up and a little blinding. "I didn't think becoming a mom would change me, but I already feel completely different."
"Is it a good different, or a bad different?" Harriet asked, knowing the answer could be a complicated one.
"I don't know," Mac replied. "It just feels like everything…shifted. Like I'm looking at everything with a different pair of glasses on, or something."
Harriet nodded. "I get that."
Both of them were quiet for a few moments, listening to the quiet, listening to see if they could hear whatever shift Mac had been trying to describe. Neither of them could hear it, but it could be felt. It could definitely be felt.
Suddenly, Harriet reached out, expertly shifting the baby's weight to rest in the crook of one arm. She grabbed Mac's hand and gave it a squeeze.
"You're going to take such good care of her," Harriet told her. "I know you are."
Mac squeezed her hand back. "Thank you," she said. "She's going to have an amazing godmother too, so I won't have to worry too much."
1220 EST
DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
DULLES, VIRGINIA
AJ was staring straight ahead until there was a very polite knock on his passenger side window. He looked over, hoping it wasn't someone who was mistaking him for an airport taxi. He'd been parked at the curb long enough that he was surprised he hadn't been towed.
Thankfully, the person knocking was who he was there to pick up. He could tell by the grin that it was Trish Burnett, Harm's mother. He rolled down the window.
"You wouldn't happen to be Admiral Chegwidden, would you?" she asked.
AJ smiled. "You wouldn't happen to Commander Rabb's mother, would you?" he replied.
Not wanting to leave the hospital, Harm had asked AJ if he would do the honors of picking up his mother from the airport. Being nothing short of the most supportive commanding officer, AJ had agreed.
When AJ got out to help Trish load her luggage into his trunk, (he was surprised she was able to park that much on such short notice) they were able to introduce themselves to each other more formally. After shaking hands, Trish looked AJ up and down and said, "You know, I had trouble finding you because Harm told me to look for 'an intense-looking bald man,' and I walked past you three times because you looked harmless."
AJ laughed. "I got a lot less threatening with age," he told her as they climbed into his car.
"So, how did everything go?" Trish asked immediately. "Tell me everything you know. Harm hasn't been able to tell me much because we've only been talking between flights-"
"Oh well-"
"How is she?"
"Mac or the baby?"
"Both."
The last time AJ had been trying to answer that many questions and comments in such rapid-fire succession was when he'd had lunch with the SecNav a few weeks ago. He should've expected nothing less from a new grandma, though.
"They're both doing fine," AJ replied. "And everything went well as far as I know, but I don't know that much either-"
Trish looked at him, bewildered. "Well then step on it, Admiral!" she said. "Take me to the hospital! I need to see my grandchild."
AJ's eyes widened. "Aye, aye ma'am."
THAT SAME TIME
BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
Mac had spent the bulk of the late morning and early afternoon falling in and out of shallow sleep. Once Harm returned to the room, he'd been able to convince her to try and take a legitimate nap. Mac had been asleep for a while, but was instantly roused from her sleep when the baby began to fuss.
I just got comfortable, she thought in mild despair, getting a taste of what the next few months (years) of her life was going to be like. As much as she wanted her sleep, it would have to wait.
However, Harm beat her to it. Just when she was about to open her eyes and sit up, she heard Harm's voice right next to the bed, where the crib was.
"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly. "What's wrong?"
Mac tried to remain as still as possible, not wanting to interrupt Harm's first solo interaction with their daughter, but she briefly opened one eye to watch Harm as he scooped the baby up from the crib and into his arms, cradling her to his chest.
Before he held her for the first time, Harm had been so nervous that he'd ask the nurse to double check and see if he was putting his hands in the right places and if he had a secure enough grip on her. Despite the fact that she was still completely out of it, Mac had found it incredibly amusing and endearing. Here was a man who flew Tomcats and operated other heavy machinery on a semi-regular basis, and yet he was worried he would have trouble holding a baby.
After the nurse had assured him that he was indeed holding her correctly and had nothing to worry about, he stood there completely still, afraid to move an inch.
"You know," the nurse had told him, "It would be more comfortable for the both of you if you would…relax a little."
"At ease, soldier," Mac had said.
But now, as Mac stealthily observed Harm through half-opened eyelids, she was grateful to see that he looked like a natural. The baby was still crying, but Mac wasn't all together that worried. Harm had her, she was okay.
Mac closed her eyes again, trying her best to make it look like she was still sleeping. Harm was humming something as he gently rocked the baby (God we really need to think of a name for her, Mac thought) by the window. It was a song she'd definitely heard before, but for the life of her she just couldn't place it.
"Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful," Harm began to sing softly, "Isn't she wonderful?"
Mac couldn't help but smile. That Stevie Wonder song was actually a song Harm had been singing for weeks. He'd started doing it partly out of spite when their debate about what gender the baby would be had started to kick into high gear. Mac had been so insistent based on her dreams and an overall gut feeling that the baby would be a boy that Harm's protest had been to sing or play "Isn't She Lovely" at every single opportunity. He would croon it in the shower, play the song on the stereo while he was cooking - Mac would even catch him whistling it around the bullpen at work.
"You're really making our son feel excluded," Mac had told him after a solid week where she'd heard that song at least twice a day.
"No I'm not," Harm replied. "I'm just letting our daughter know how wonderful she is. Lovely, if you will."
Now that Mac had been forced to eat her words, she had to agree that the song choice was perfect for their little girl.
"You want to join in?" Harm asked, finally noticing that Mac was watching.
"Oh no," Mac quickly shook her head. "If I start singing she's going to cry more."
Harm laughed. "I'm sure that's not true," he said, turning to look down at the baby. "That's not true huh, sweet girl?"
Mac had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling. Fatherhood was a good look on her Commander. "Is that going to be her name? 'Sweet girl?'"
Harm grinned, his ears turning the slightest shade of pink. "Either that or angel."
He walked over to Mac, still rocking the baby in his arms as he sat down on the side of the bed. Mac, purely on instinct, had almost reached out to take the baby back until she realized Harm was going to keep holding her. The Admiral and Harriet even had handed her back after a few minutes, but Mac realized that her baby was just as much Harm's baby as she was hers. Harm could give her all the cuddles and TLC in the world - as long as he promised to share with Mac.
"We really do need to think of a name," Mac told him.
"We have time," Harm said, his eyes not leaving his daughter.
Mac rolled her eyes. "Knowing us, if we don't pick one before we check out, we're going to never decide on one."
"We decided on a middle name, right?" Harm asked, looking at Mac for confirmation.
She nodded. "Yeah, Patricia."
They would tell Trish that news when she arrived at the hospital.
"Okay," Harm paused to think for a few moments. "So we just need something that goes well with Patricia?" he asked. "And Mackenzie? And Rabb?"
Mac sighed. "Yeah."
"Well it should probably be something short; her full name is already seven syllables."
"Right," Mac replied, quickly recounting the syllables in her head. Harm was right; "Patricia Mackenzie-Rabb' was indeed already seven syllables.
"So we're working with names that are two syllables or less?" Harm asked.
"Ideally, yes," Mac said, sighing again and looking at her daughter. She knew it was an unreasonable thing to be upset about, but her daughter was almost seven hours old and she didn't have a name. What kind of parents would they be if they couldn't even name their baby?
They had already gone through the lists of names they had picked out, and through a large section of the baby name book Mac had thrown in her hospital bag 'just in case they changed their minds and didn't want their son to be named Henry anymore.'
Now, once again, Mac was eating her words.
Before Harm and Mac could start brainstorming again, there was a knock at the door. A nurse, a different one than the one who had helped Harm stop freaking out about holding the baby earlier, poked her head in the door.
"Hi," she said. "I'm just checking in to see how everything's going."
Mac smiled. "We're going fine, thank you."
My daughter is currently nameless, do you have any suggestions?
"Okay," the nurse strolled into the room, heading for Mac's chart. "Remind me of your name, again? Is it Clara Mackenzie-"
"Uh, no," Mac shook her head. "I'm Sarah Mackenzie."
After the nurse left, Harm and Mac looked at each other. Mac sat up to get a good look at her daughter's face.
"Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?" Harm asked.
"What do you think? She looks like a Clara, doesn't she?" Mac asked back.
"I mean I think so," Harm looked down at their daughter, "Hi Clara," he greeted softly, "How are you doing?"
Mac laughed. "Hello Clara Patricia Mackenzie-Rabb."
Harm looked up at her. "It has a nice ring to it."
"It does."
Harm did give the baby back to Mac when he received a phone call that Trish was finally at the hospital, after making the Admiral drive her there at breakneck speed.
"Are you sure Mac is okay with me coming in?" Trish asked Harm in the elevator. After greeting him with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, she'd quickly began trying to make sure everything was running as smoothly as possible.
For the sake of Mac and the baby - Harm had been enlisted by her to help make sure everything ran smoothly.
"Yes. She's perfectly fine with that, Mom. "
"Because I don't want to intrude."
Harm chuckled. "You won't be intruding, Mom, I promise."
About three seconds of silence passed before Trish spoke again. "So," she said. "What have you gotten Mac?"
"Uhh…what do you mean?"
Trish looked at her son, completely bewildered. "Harm, do you mean to tell me you haven't gotten Mac anything?"
Harm instantly began to blush. "Mom, I've been a little busy-"
"So has she!" Trish exclaimed. "She just spent hours of her life delivering your baby and you didn't think she deserved a present?"
Feeling a sudden stab of guilt, Harm suddenly remembered that he hadn't gotten Mac anything. "No, I didn't think that," he insisted. "I gave her an engagement ring, if that counts-"
"Harmon," Trish scolded, and Harmon wasn't even sure if she'd noticed that he'd let his engagement to Mac slip. "When I had you, your father bought me our house in Lemon Grove-"
"Ma, I'm sure Dad was already saving up for the house….The housing market isn't what it used to be-"
"Still! You need to buy her something," Trish looked at Harm with an expression that he knew meant she wasn't messing around. "You have a credit card, put it to use."
The elevator doors opened, and Harm sighed in relief. "Yes ma'am."
Trish's entire demeanor changed as soon as she entered the hospital room, her entire face lighting up as soon as she saw Mac. "Oh my God, Sarah how are you?" she greeted, bending down to give Mac a one-armed hug. "And who is this?" she asked, looking down.
"This is Clara," Mac said, gently shifting her weight so Trish could get a better look at her grandchild.
Harm had been hovering a few feet behind, observing. "Clara Patricia," he added.
Trish gasped, looking at Mac and then turning around to look at Harm with wide eyes.
"We figured it was only fitting," Harm said, as he walked over to the other side of the bed. He bent down to kiss Mac on the cheek. "Are you okay with me heading out for a little bit?" he asked.
Mac nodded. "Sure…" she raised an eyebrow. "Where are you off to on such short notice, sailor?"
"It's a surprise," Harm answered with a wink.
"Alright…" Mac said, still skeptical about what her Flyboy might be up to. "Just don't do anything crazy, like buy me a house or anything."
Harm laughed. "It won't be a house, but you'll still love it, I promise."
Surprise...the Clara Mackenzie-Rabb from Family Ties is The Case baby! Turns out Family Ties wasn't exactly just a random collection of one shots, but rather an extension of this universe. This has been in the works for awhile, and it feels weird now that my little secret is out.
I always knew there was more I wanted to write for this story, but I was on the fence about making a full-blown sequel, so my solution was just to make a little collection of vignettes that took place in this universe, and that was what lead me to publishing Family Ties.
Don't worry, there are still a couple of chapters left of this story (and I am thinking about writing an official sequel, but I haven't quite decided yet...hehe...), but now you have something to read in between updates if you haven't already checked out Family Ties :)
As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the surprise :)
-Harper