To Hell and Back
Chapter 4
"Okay…" Harm said as all three settled themselves in front of their loaded plates at the breakfast counter some twenty minutes later, "I know this is going sound wrong about face, but the first thing we need to do is organise your bedroom furniture," he nodded at Beth.
"That's dumb!" Mattie interjected and then as she received critical looks from both Harm and Beth she flushed, "I mean, Skates hasn't even got a room, and there's no space for them anywhere else… not if you're going to start knocking down walls and blocking off doorways… I mean…"
"First off, don't start a sentence with calling people or what they say 'dumb', not only is it bad manners when you don't really know what they're talking about, and secondly it only puts people's backs up and makes them less inclined to listen to you!" Harm said severely.
"Harm's right, Mattie," Beth added in softer tones with a warning glance at Harm, "On both counts, firstly about calling people or their opinions dumb, and secondly about the furniture. Going shopping for furniture is not like shopping for groceries. You may see all these furniture stores with beds, closets, vanities, dressers, whatever, all seeming to be crammed to the gunwales, but all those pieces of furniture are for show. They are there for people to see and select the ones they want. The store then places an order with a wholesaler or maybe even the manufacturer, and it can two weeks or even longer for the stiff to arrive at the store and then be delivered to the customer, or did you think that Harm was going to cram all that into the trunk of the Corvette?"
"I'm… no… I guess not," Mattie mumbled looking down at her plate, and then completely disarmed Harm by looking across the table at him, "I'm sorry Harm, I didn't mean to say that I thought you were dumb… I just didn't know about how those kind of stores worked."
"Apology accepted, Mattie, but that is why I came down on you. My math teacher in High school had a sign on his office desk… 'Oh Lord, help me to keep my big mouth shut until I know what I'm talking about!'"
Harm's quip instantly dissolved the slight degree of tension that had sprung up as both Skates and Mattie giggled, not so much at his words but the droll expression that had plastered itself across his face.
"So… tomorrow… no sleeping in for you, young lady. At zero seven thirty hours, I'm taking you to school, dropping you off before I head for Falls Church. I know its a few blocks over on N Street North West, but once you get more confident about finding your way around, you can take the bus, okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose it's for the best," Mattie sighed, although clearly not looking forward to returning to school after six months of freedom.
"Darn straight it is!" Skates interjected, "Especially if you really want to go to the Academy. You're going to have to graduate from High School with straight A grades! And have a completely unblemished conduct report!"
"That's true enough, so let's set some ground rules. First and foremost, no missing school unless you're sick. Secondly you do not go out on school nights. That is Sunday through Thursday. Unless it is a school activity accompanied by at least one teacher and for which either Beth or I have signed a permission slip. No smoking – no I know you don't smoke, but there can be a lot of pressure on a Noobie to fit in. No drinking alcohol – but you've experienced what that can do, so I don't really have any worries there. Anything else, Beth?"
"No boyfriends unless Harm and I have met them and approve of them – and that doesn't mean they have to be preppies or Ivy League candidates, just decent young men. You've got common sense Mattie, bundles of it, so you know that if you don't want to introduce a boyfriend to us, then he's not right. Back to you, Harm…"
"Hey will you guys quit double teaming me, please?" Mattie begged, "Heck, at this rate I'd be better off with CPS!"
"No you wouldn't, Mattie, and you know that too!" Beth contradicted her.
"Yeah, I know," the teenager sighed but then looked challengingly across the table at Skates, "I guess I was just trying to lay a guilt trip on you!"
"Nope, not working. Well, not here. Harm?"
"Nope, not working here either. And there are still a couple of things to go through Mattie. First off, homework. All assignments are to be completed on time. No excuses. That means you work five evenings a week. For math and sciences, you've got two of the best coaches here you could hope for. I'm pretty good at math and Beth is even better. We're both pretty well up on geography and history. Beth speaks Spanish like a native, and I can get by in it. English literature might be a little more difficult, but our years of reading must have taught us something, other than how to rip bodices!" he finished with a triumphant grin at Skates and her preferred reading material of that genre of romantic fiction.
Mattie's face had grown longer as Harm's litany went on, "Sheesh! No fun at all?"
"Of course!" Skates said. "We're not saying that you are a prisoner just that you need to get your priorities straight. If you want to sign up for any after school activities, provided we don't think they'll interfere with your studies then we'll sign the permission slip."
"And it would be a good thing too, physically and mentally as well as looking good on your academy application if you went out for a team sport. I seem to remember you saying that you liked to swim and play volleyball?"
"Yeah, and I like softball too!" Mattie said defiantly, as looking the picture of abjection she stared from one to the other of the two adults facing her. "Did you guys sit up all night cooking this up between you?"
"No, this is all spontaneous," Harm assured her. "Beth and I are both academy grads, so we know what's needed to be a successful applicant, as well as what's needed to succeed there. Remember, that only about a thousand midshipmen a year make it through the academy. It's a tough, academically, physically and emotionally demanding choice you're wanting to make, so you need to make up your mind now that it's going to take dedication and hard work."
Mattie sat silent for few seconds and then once again switched her gaze from Harm to Beth and back again, "But it's all worth it, right?" she asked with just a hint of appeal in her voice.
"Darn straight it is!" Beth smiled, "And what's more it may be tough, but I'm betting you're tougher!"
"This has been a pretty gloomy breakfast for you today, Mats, so I'm only going to say one thing more and then… Well, I've a suspicion that we ought to be hitting the furniture store. Apart from Beth's bedroom, according to the new plans I've laid out, we're going to need a dining room suite as well!"
"Okay…" Mattie said in a resigned voice, "What's the one more thing?"
"Your phone. It's on contract for ninety minutes talk per calendar month and one hundred text messages a month. I will pay that bill each month. But," here Harm hesitated for emphasis, "If you exceed that allowance then you will pay the bill from out of your allowance. Not just the excess over the contract, but the whole of it for the month!"
"Um… can we negotiate that?" Mattie asked hopefully, "That's not an awful lot…"
"No we can't. And it's deliberately skimpy. I don't want you spending hours with your phone pressed to your ear when I think you're doing your homework!"
Mattie nodded glumly, "It's just that at the party the other night, I met someone…"
Harm looked startled at that as he frantically rummaged through his memory to come up with the face or name of a teenaged boy who might have caught Mattie's eye, but came up blank. "Uh… who did you meet?" he asked cautiously.
"It was a girl… well… she's not exactly a girl, but she was friendly and she sort of hinted that although she's older than me, that we might become friends. I said okay, because she said she works with you… Jennifer…"
"Jen Coates!" Harm supplied with abundant relief. "Of course! Yes, she's a good example for you to follow Mattie… well… not in her earlier days perhaps, but now you couldn't really ask for a better role model. And I'll tell you something, if you explain to Jen about the restrictions on your phone, she'll understand!"
"Okay… so could you give her my number tomorrow, or get hers and let me have it?"
"I'll do that as long as she tells me she's okay with it." Harm looked around satisfied that he had at least laid some ground rules that he hoped would curb Mattie's teenage excesses, or at least some of them.
"Um… there's just one thing from me though," the teenager added, "At the party, who was the fat blonde girl hanging on your arm, the one that looked about the same age as me?"
"Who…? Oh… Chloë! You had me there for a moment! Chloë's not fat!"
"Yeah, she is Harm!" Mattie said defiantly.
"No… No! I am not getting into an 'is, is not either' argument with you, Mattie, but I will tell you that Chloë Madison is the daughter of a Chief Petty Officer currently serving at sea duty. Some years ago, Chloë lived with her mom and her boyfriend. Then her mom died and boyfriend got a new girlfriend. Chloë was having a hard time until she was taken under Colonel MacKenzie's wing as part of the Big Sister programme. Since then she's almost become a little sister to me too."
"Colonel MacKenzie, huh? Is that Mac?" Mattie asked memories of the Roberts' party rising to the surface of her mind.
"Yeah, that's her." Harm agreed.
"She doesn't like me." Mattie said flatly.
"What do you mean she doesn't like you? She hasn't even met you!" Harm replied in astonishment.
"Seems like she didn't have to. The way she looked at me at the party the other night… Man, I'm telling you if she could have killed me on the spot and gotten away with it I think I'd be dead right now!"
"You're imagining things!" Harm objected, "What possible reason could Mac have to dislike you that much when she's never even spoken to you?"
Mattie folded her arms and her jaw jutted mutinously. "I don't care if you don't believe me. I know what I saw!"
"Harm," Beth interrupted, "She's right. I saw the way Mac was looking at her, and if it wasn't for fear of being thought melodramatic, I'd say that for some reason or other Mac doesn't just dislike Mattie, she actively hates her. Pretty much the way you and that Webb guy reacted to each other."
Harm shook his head in disbelief, "That doesn't sound like Mac," he said. "She was probably just curious as to who you are." But even as he spoke Harm was getting an uneasy feeling that Beth and Mattie may have been right in their perception. After all, Mac hadn't exactly leapt at the chance of helping him, and the fact that he had somehow won guardianship of Mattie anyway could well rankle with her. He shook his head in perplexity. He just couldn't read that woman any more. She had always been enigmatic, but now… he wondered how they got to where they were now… It can't all have been Paraguay… He shook his head to find that Beth and Mattie were both looking at him with concern.
"Where were you Hammer? I've been calling your name for a good thirty seconds!" Beth said, "Are you okay?"
"Um…. Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to get a handle on why Mac would be as hostile to Mattie as you say… I mean if she's got a beef with anyone it's me…"
"Yeah, and if she's got a beef with you… Look Hammer, I don't know how you feel about Mac anymore," 'although from what you said at the wall the other night, I guess there's hope,' "But she's always had a vindictive, not to say spiteful, streak. Just look at the way she goes after anyone in the aviation community if she's detailed for prosecution, and don't try to tell me she's just doing her job, she enjoys it too much! Anyway, if she's set against you, she wants you to be miserable, unhappy, isn't that why she claimed that you were a lousy son and would make a lousy father? She probably figured that without her to back you up you wouldn't get guardianship of a kitten let alone Mattie. And to see the two of you at the Roberts' both, happy, smiling it must have been like wormwood on her tongue!"
"Wow, Skates, next time, don't beat about the bush – just go straight for the throat!" Harm exclaimed, half amused and half in shock.
"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is!" Beth defended herself
"Is she really that much of a bitch?" Mattie asked, almost awe-struck.
Harm and Beth had almost forgotten the teenager's presence at the table and her interjection brought them back to reality with a jolt and Mattie's language brought a stern reproof from both adults.
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Skates' characterisation of Mac troubled Harm but soon pushed them to the back of his mind as he took on the task of checking on what plumbing and electrical supplies he would need in order to make Skates' bedroom safe and in finding and renting a builder's dumpster for the collection of the rubbish – he would need to hire that for a week he figured.
There was also the problem of how to remove the detritus from the flat and stow it safely in the dumpster. That thought occupied his mind almost all the way from the retail outlet at Tyson's corner back to Fourth Street NE. Obviously it couldn't just be jettisoned off the fire escape in the hope it would land in the dumpster, and he really didn't relish the thought of carrying/wheeling it down stairs or in the somewhat unreliable elevator. No, to solve this problem he needed expert advice on moving heavy loads in confined quarters… And hard on the heels of that thought his mental light bulb came on. The Navy was home to just those experts! Any competent Chief Bosun's Mate would not only have the expertise available to guide Harm, but he might also have a pool of skilled volunteers to help with the heavy lifting.
However, he had to file that thought at the back of his mind as when he pulled into the alley he saw that Skates' rental Toyota was parked outside the old warehouse, and he raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. Such an early return on the part of Mattie and Skates argued that they either couldn't find what they were looking for, or they had gotten lucky and found just the right furniture on the first or second attempt. Fearing the first, with its inevitable accompaniment of discontented pouts, and hoping for the sunny smiles and enthusiasm that went along with the second option, Harm drew in a deep breath and got out of the 'vette.
Three minutes later saw him heft the parcel of electrical blanks into the apartment and absorbing the light-hearted atmosphere announced his return with a cheerful, "Hi honeys, I'm home!"
Skates chuckled while Mattie gave him an amusedly disgusted glance as if to say 'You had to use that old cliché?'
Harm then, in Mattie's eyes, compounded his offence by dropping the parcel on the breakfast counter and crossing the room to the couch, passed behind it and ambushed the teenager with a kiss on the top of her head.
Mattie's expression of horror at being the recipient of even a minor public display of affection brought a chuckle from Skates which had the effect of bringing Harm's attention to her. For a second as Mattie looked up into Harm's eyes she was sure that he was going to bend down and kiss Skates too, and a fleeting glimpse at Skates' face seemed to say to Mattie that such attention wouldn't be wholly unwelcome.
The moment passed, the hint of something – whatever it was – between the two adults was gone and in its place was just the smiling, fully at ease and comfortable connection between two very good friends.
"So…" Harm rounded the end of the couch and settled down on the space between Skates and Mattie, "You're back much earlier than I expected, and from the lack of scowls and pouts, I take it you found what you were looking for?"
"I think we did," Skates replied cheerfully, "But a lot depends on you."
"How do you mean?" Harm asked.
"Well…" Skates picked up a furniture catalogue from the top of the coffee table. "I measured the kitchen next door and it's plenty big enough, but the proportions are all wrong. Or so I thought. I like this bedroom collection here… the one in light oak. There's plenty of storage under the bed, which is always a good thing. And there's more storage in the dresser. Plus there are two small drawers in the vanity. The mirror sits on top of that so I can see to fix my face in the morning…"
"Hey, I've seen your face in the morning!" Harm quipped.
"Yeah, and all the more reason for me to fix it before saying hello to the morning!" Skates grinned. "But anyway, there's a chair that matches the vanity as well as a couple of night stands. ln light oak. The only thing we couldn't find as a match in style or colour was an armoire, so I was thinking if you could put up a built-in closet on the wall opposite the window…"
"Yeah, that's no big deal, but it will add time to getting the room habitable."
"Again, not a problem. Provided the rest of the furniture is delivered I can move in and put up with a couple of days' chaos while you fix the closet."
"Delivered? You mean you've ordered it?" Harm asked in mild surprise.
"Yep. Once I've made up mind, it's made up!" Skates grinned smugly, "And besides I had Mattie practically dancing with excitement when she saw the set!"
"Is that so, young lady?" Harm turned to ask the teenager.
"Yeah, it was so… right… and we already worked out a colour scheme, and the furniture works great with that."
"Colour scheme?" Harm queried swivelling his head back to look at Skates.
"Yep, cream walls, with that light oak wooden accents and mid-blue soft furnishings. No carpet, I like the hardwood floor and it could be sanded down and stained to match the furniture, couldn't it?"
"It could," Harm agreed, "But again you're adding time to the finish of the job…"
"Again not a problem… and I'm a pretty good hand with a paint brush… I'd help with the staining…"
"Okay, then that's settled… Now… are you staying over again?"
Skates shook her head regretfully, "No… I really do need to get back to VOQs, I have a uniform to get ready for the morning, but I could stay until after dinner…"
"If you're angling for a free meal, then you just got it," Harm smiled. "I take it you took time out for a coffee and a sandwich for lunch?"
"We sure did," Mattie grinned.
"In that case I don't think I want to know what sort of sandwich you had!" Harm said emphatically and with a theatrical shudder.
"You're right," Skates told him, "Just think mystery meat!"
Harm shuddered again.
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Despite her protests at being sent to bed at what to her seemed a ridiculously early hour Mattie admitted, if only to herself, the next morning that if every school day was going to start so early – "Zero six-thirty hours!" Harm had bellowed at her door, "Up and at 'em!" – then a twenty-one thirty bedtime suddenly seemed pretty reasonable. But what really bit Mattie was that when she stumbled, still half asleep, from the bathroom and scrambled into jeans, a plaid shirt and a sweatshirt, Harm was not only up, showered shaved and dressed in his Service Dress Blue pants and a crisp white cotton shirt, but he had also made breakfast, and showed every signs of being aggravatingly wide-awake. Which he was, thanks in great part to the five mile run he had completed before showering.
Breakfast this morning for Mattie involved a quantity of scrambled eggs, toast, mushrooms, a large glass of OJ and a mug of coffee, which if not exactly strong enough by her standards, at least supplied some of what she considered her daily caffeine needs.
Harm watched approvingly as the youngster cleared her plate in record time and in less than record time it seemed she drained her glass and mug. Harm made haste to swallow the last of his own coffee before grabbing the dirty tableware and turning towards the sink. "I'll wash, you dry," he told Mattie in a voice that left no room for argument, so apart from a couple of sotto voce grumbles about needing to get a dishwasher Mattie pitched in and in a very few minutes the kitchen was once again back to Harm's, excessive in Mattie's view, standards of cleanliness and neatness.
"Okay then, squirt, we made good time this morning. So tomorrow, if you feel like it, you can get up when I do and we can both go for a run."
"Running? At that time of the night? No way! Harm, you're crazy!"
"Well, I won't force you into doing anything like that, but although you're pretty fit and active, you will have to work on your fitness for the Academy."
"Is it really that tough?" Mattie asked, "I figured that you and Skates were just trying to put a scare on me."
"Tough… well… no, not if you're prepared. It's the preparation that can be tough. No, I'd say that Annapolis was challenging for those midshipmen that are prepared but very tough for those who aren't. That's one of the reasons I'd like to see you get involved with team sports. Volleyball will sharpen your reflexes and give you good aerobic value, but it won't do much for your stamina. Swimming is a good all round muscle toner, but again it's a little short on the ideal for physical stamina."
Mattie looked at Harm with fresh eyes, "You've really thought all this out haven't you?"
"Only since leaving the Academy," Harm grinned, "C'mon, Squirt, grab your book bag and let's go!"
Once settled into the Corvette and having breakfasted, it wasn't long before Mattie's customary sunny nature re-asserted itself. "Harm… this is a really cool car, y'know?"
"I kind of figured that one out for myself a while ago," Harm's smile disguised his misgivings. True, the 'vette was his pride and joy, but it wasn't really designed for town driving in wintry conditions. The combination of its powerful engine and rear-wheel drive made it susceptible to losing traction when cornering, and while he was more than capable of handling the car in almost any conditions he never knew when some less experienced driver would cause him to take sudden evasive action, and while he was reluctantly prepared to take that risk for himself, he had, he told himself sternly, no right to put Mattie at risk. First thing then, this evening, was to drive to the lock up and swap out the 'vette for the Lexus RX 330, which in comparison was built like a tank and had all wheel drive and furthermore scored the highest possible marks for driver and passenger protection in the event of a crash.
Harm's thought process was interrupted by Mattie who smiled across at him and in a voice of the purest innocence asked, "Harm, when I get to June and I'm old enough, can I get a learner driver's permit?"
Harm took a swift sideways glance at Mattie, he wasn't deceived by her act for a single second. "Yes, I'll sign off for you get a permit, and yes, I'll enrol you in Driver Ed at school and no, I will not let you drive the 'vette. I've just decided to mothball it until the spring, and drive the Lexus instead. And in any case, the insurance for me to drive this thing is already astronomical, to add a fifteen year old learner to the insurance, that would raise the price of insurance to cosmic levels!"
Mattie nodded in reluctant acceptance. A flat 'No' would have raised objections, but her experience of running a business for six months had left her understanding economic arguments. "Makes sense, I guess," and with a self-deprecating grin sat back to enjoy the rest of the short drive to her new school.
Pulling up in front of the building Harm knocked the gear selector into Park and asked, "Do you want me to walk you in?"
Mattie looked at him in horror, "God, no! I'd never live it down if you started acting like a soccer mom with a six year old on her first day! No, thanks, I know what I have to do. I have to find my way to the school office, show them my registration card and they'll fix me up with a home room and a class calendar!"
"Okay... if you're sure…" Harm said slowly, feeling in fact just like Mattie's soccer mom, "And remember, either Skates or I will be here to pick you up at fifteen-thirty hours. If you can't see either of us from the doorway, stay inside the building until we arrive. If neither of us have arrived by sixteen hundred, then call me and find out what's happening! Capisce?"
"Yeah, I got it, Harm. I really do!" she assured him, "But you will remember to give my number to Jennifer, won't you?"
"I'll remember, Squirt, now off you go and happy landings!"
Mattie treated Harm to a parody of a salute and laughing said, "Aye, aye, Commander!" before climbing out of the low slung car and with book bag slung over her shoulder joined the building bound herd of students ready for their first day back at school after the holidays.
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The first staff call after the holidays yielded its usual bumper crop of drunks, assaults, unauthorised absence and even one missing movement, although given that the movement had been ordered for Christmas Eve, it was a miracle that more sailors off that particular ship hadn't missed, but it left Harm wondering who could be so insensitive to order movement for that day. He wasn't allowed the luxury of his thoughts for long as Admiral Chegwidden looked down the table at him as he finished his briefing for the day, "And one last item, Commander Rabb, my office when we're done here!"
A surprised Harm could only answer "Aye, aye, sir," and pummel his brains to try to find a reason for the unexpected summons.
Nevertheless three minutes after the end of staff call Harm arrived in Jennifer Coates' cubby hole that passed for the admiral's outer office.
"Any idea what I'm in for?" he asked her hurriedly.
Jen shook her head, warm sympathy in her brown eyes, "Sorry sir. I've no idea, but for what it's worth he doesn't seem to be too mad at the world today."
"No, just me," Harm muttered and then more loudly, "Thanks Coates."
"You're welcome sir," she dimpled up at him, "But you're also going to be late!" she ended with a heavy hint.
"And that would never do," Harm agreed and rapped on the admiral's office door frame and waited for the customary gruff, "Enter!"
Entering smartly Harm closed the door behind him, if he was due for a chewing out then he wanted at least some of the details muffled by the door. Lord knows there was more than enough fuel for scuttlebutt in the normal, daily activities at JAG.
"Commander Rabb, reporting as ordered, sir!" he barked out as he halted in front of the Admiral's desk.
A J Chegwidden sat back in his chair, his expression more of curiosity than anger, "Mister Rabb, I had the opportunity to see your arrival at the Roberts' place on Christmas Eve. I noticed that you were accompanied by two ladies, one of whom I have a feeling I should recognise, but the other was a younger lady, a very much younger lady." Harm picked up what he thought was a hint of disapproval in the older man's voice, but before he could answer any implication there might have been, the admiral spoke again, "Might I presume she is a sister, cousin or niece?"
"Uh… no sir, she is in fact my ward… well mine and Lieutenant Hawkes' ward, sir, we have joint custody. And as a matter of fact sir, you've already met her… she's Mattie Grace, the girl who ran the crop dusting…" Harm's voice tailed off under the impact of Chegwidden's gimlet stare.
The older man stared at him wordlessly for what seemed to be an age before he cleared his throat and said, "Let me get this straight, Mister Rabb, you and Lieutenant Hawkes are the legal guardians of that mouthy teenager I met at Charlottesville?"
"Yes, sir."
Chegwidden gave a bark of laughter and shook his head, "I thought that we were long past the days when anything you did surprised me. Obviously I was wrong! You'd best take a seat and tell me how and when this all happened!"
Harm gratefully sank into the left hand of the two wing chairs that stood in front of the desk, "Well, sir, it all began when I discovered that Mattie's father had skipped town after her mother was killed in a DUI traffic incident…"
Chegwidden sat back and listened patiently, his steepled fingers just touching his chin, only breaking silence to seek clarification on some rather confused point. Eventually, however, Harm reached the end of his saga, "And it was a hell of surprise to me and Skates – and Mattie, when the judge sprang her ambush. But we had to take it, or I'd have lost Mattie and well, she's too spirited to do well in the system. As it is, she now wants to go to the Academy… well, we'll see how long that lasts sir, she is only just fifteen."
Chegwidden shook his head in amazement, "I was obviously very wrong when I thought that nothing you could do would ever surprise me again! I don't know if you've realised this Rabb, but you've picked a pretty tough row to hoe. I know very little of teenage girls, and I'm willing to bet that you know even less. But I'm also willing to bet you'll learn quickly – damn quickly! But I still have a couple of questions; first what happens to this girl if I have to send you on an out of town investigation, or even worse on an extended TAD for weeks at a time?"
"We think we have that base covered, sir. Lieutenant Hawkes has just been assigned to the Pentagon on a three year tour and she will be moving in with Mattie and me, in fact I start work on her bedroom this evening as soon as I get home."
Chegwidden blinked, "How close are you and Lieutenant Hawkes, Rabb? And have you ever heard of wrongful co-habitation?"
"Skates – Lieutenant Hawkes – was my last RIO on the Patrick Henry and you can't get much closer than that, and the reason you seem to recall her sir, is that not only was she with me when that bucket of bolts dumped us in the ocean, but she also faced a court-martial for dereliction of duty when she was acting LSO. But as for wrongful co-habitation, I don't think so, sir. We have separate rooms, we have two bathrooms. The whole set up is strictly platonic, sir."
"H'mm, well Rabb, I'm not going to make a fuss over it, God knows there are enough single officers sharing beds, let alone apartments. You aren't in the same chain of command…" Chegwidden paused and eyed his officer shrewdly, despite Rabb's statement as to the nature of the relationship between himself and Hawkes, there was a certain lightening about his eyes when he mentioned her name. The admiral prided himself on his ability to read people and although Rabb was as near as an enigma as he had ever met, he still thought, despite this sudden and unexpected turn of events, he could read the younger man pretty well.
However, "But if things should change, then I expect you to come and tell me. I do not want to have to make you report to me so that I have dig the information out of you like digging a clam out of its shell! Which brings me to my last point, how come nobody here knew about this? Why all the secrecy? I appreciate that you're a very private person, but even so I would have thought that perhaps you might at least have told the Colonel…"
"Ah… It wasn't so much that it was a secret, sir. It was just…" Rabb nearly shrugged and he did spread his hands, a gesture that brought a momentary frown to Chegwidden's face, but sensing that Rabb was perhaps about to open up he merely nodded and said encouragingly, "Go on, Harm."
"It's just that this was very important to me, maybe the most important thing I've ever attempted in my life, and I didn't want to sound off about it because it was not only important but the outcome was so totally uncertain. It would have been hard enough coping with the disappointment if the Judge had turned us down, and I don't think I could have stood the sympathetic looks and would-be consoling remarks if I'd told people what I was hoping for. As for the Colonel, I did mention the idea to the Colonel, in fact I asked for her support, but she made it very clear that she was not interested in what I had to say other than to point out that because I hadn't seen my mother in a while and had been a bit lax in calling her, that I was a bad son and would make a bad father."
It was the bitterness in Harm's voice as much as his words that made Chegwidden wince. "Damn it Rabb, what the hell happened to you two down in Paraguay?"
Harm grinned mirthlessly, "You'll have to ask the Colonel that, sir, because I'm damned if I know!"
Although suspecting that once again that Rabb was just locking down his defences Chegwidden decided to let him slide on this occasion. Instead he sighed and said, "Very well, Mister Rabb, this office shall try to meet your parental needs the same as it would for any other single parent, and I shall make it known that is my policy."
"And does that include securing at fifteen hundred hours for the next few days, sir? To pick Mattie up from her new school… just until she gets used to the neighbourhood, sir."
Chegwidden passed a hand backwards over his scalp and grinned somewhat ruefully. Having Rabb secure so early in the day could be awkward, but then again, Rabb had put in more than his fair share of midnight oil sessions, so a little quid pro quo wouldn't hurt, and besides having just promised that Rabb's parental needs would be viewed sympathetically, it really didn't leave him much choice, "Very well, Mister Rabb, subject to the exigencies of the service, make it so! You are dismissed."
Harm sprang to his feet and into the position of attention, "Aye, aye, sir!" he responded crisply and performing a perfect heel and toe about face and headed for the door. He had barely touched the handle however, when Chegwidden's voice came to his ears once more, "Oh, and Rabb… I fully expect to see Lieutenant Hawkes and Miss Grace at the next JAG get together."
"Of course, sir!" Harm answered and then at last he gratefully made his escape back to the sanctuary of his own office.
Only it didn't feel like a sanctuary, it felt more like a goldfish bowl. Obviously word had got out that Rabb was up to something, something strange and fanciful even by his standards, and throughout the early part of the morning Harm became conscious of a stream of passers-by, not exactly stopping by his office door to stare at him, by certainly slowing their steps and then when he looked up they hurriedly averted their eyes and quickened their pace once again.
Harm tried to ignore the evident curiosity, repeatedly muttering under his breath the mantra 'patience Rabb, patience,' and he stuck it for as long as he could but then at about eleven hundred hours, with an exclamation of impatience he got up from his desk, slammed the door and closed all the office blinds, finally gaining some privacy.
Lunch was also, he felt a bit of an ordeal, Bud Roberts joined him at the table, and thankfully apart from asking, with a twinkle in his eye, how the new mom and dad were, he made no further comment about Harm's changed status, but Carolyn Imes who had missed the party and only just made it to the chapel on time had heard second and third hand distorted versions of the new women in Harm's life and with a cheerful "Hiya, Harm!" had plumped into the chair opposite Bud Roberts.
At least she had the grace to wait until she'd eaten and passed a few trivial comments before she laid down her knife and fork and said, "What's this I hear about you turning up at Bud and Harriet's with a harem in tow?"
Harm groaned, "I thought you knew better than to listen to scuttlebutt!" he said in a voice that didn't quite conceal his annoyance. But Carolyn was not deterred.
"Oh, I don't, that's why I've come straight to the source!"
He gave her a disgruntled look, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope!" Carolyn replied popping the 'p' for emphasis.
Harm stood and gathered up the wreckage from his meal, "Well, in that case, you can ask Bud, he was there when it all happened!"
"Harm? Harm" Carolyn called after him but saw by the set of his shoulders that he wasn't in a mood to turn back, so she looked instead at Bud who also seemed to be on the verge of picking up, "Oh no you don't, Mister Roberts! You stand fast! You heard the man, so now, give!"
Harm made his way back up to Ops, he hadn't deliberately snubbed Carolyn, but if he was to secure at three so he could collect Mattie from school, then he really needed to cut his lunch short, although he was honest enough to admit that part of his annoyance at her had been the result of covert inquisitive glances in his direction from every corner of the cafeteria.
Reaching the Ops Section bullpen he noted that apart from the duty Petty Officer the only other occupant was Jennifer Coates, partaking of a hasty, and strictly speaking forbidden, sandwich at her desk and the sight of her reminded him of promise he had made. Veering off towards her office he stopped in the doorway and quietly cleared his throat, a grin breaking out across his face as Jen tried in vain to swallow the mouthful of sandwich she was chewing while at the same time surreptitiously hide the remains of her lunch in her purse.
"Relax, Coates, I'm not here to gig you for eating in the office, or even give you indigestion. So slow down, chew properly and then swallow!"
"Sir! Yes, sir! I'm sorry, sir… It's just that I didn't have time to take a lunch break and…"
"Whoa! Slow down, Coates! I'm not worried about you grabbing a sandwich at your desk. Lord knows we've all done it from time to time. The only difference is that we have blinds to hide our guilty secrets! No, what I've come to see you for is that Mattie said you went out of your way at the Roberts' place to welcome her and entertain her. So thank you for taking care of something I should have made sure of from the get go, but I got side-tracked…" he said, the tips of his ears pinking with embarrassment.
"Oh, that was nothing, sir! And to tell the truth, I was being just a teensy bit nosy. Mister Roberts co-opted me to baby sit James while they rushed off to Charlottesville, so I might be able to plead mitigating circumstances? Besides, I liked her."
"No excuses needed! Mattie also said that you and she planned to call each other and maybe arrange to go for a coffee or a soda somewhere?"
"Yes, sir. That is if you don't mind."
"No I don't mind, providing a few simple rules are adhered to. Firstly, no smoking, no alcohol and no drugs. Take it easy on the junk food too. I've a feeling that you're pretty choosy about what you eat, but Mattie would live entirely off pizza and burgers if I let her. No girly get togethers that 'accidentally' turn into a keg party… oh yes… no 'Tiny' or others of his ilk…"
"Oh, sir! I haven't seen Tiny since that time I tried to fool you about having a brother!"
"No… I didn't think you had. You've done wonders turning your life around, Jennifer and I believe you will be a good steadying influence on Mattie… she can be a bit headstrong and Lieutenant Hawkes and I are just her 'parents'. Yes, you're older than she is, but you're young enough to be able to relate to her, and maybe she'll listen to you where she wouldn't listen to us oldies."
Jen blushed faintly under Harm's praise but smiled and said, "I'll try and keep her on the straight and narrow, sir.
"I know you will. But you won't get very far of you don't have a number on which to call her. Oh yes, two more no-no's. Firstly she doesn't go out on a school night, that's Sunday through Thursday. Secondly when she does go out on a Friday or a Saturday, she will have a curfew. That curfew will be set according to where she's going, what she's doing and with whom she's doing it, so it may vary from occasion to occasion, but once set, it is set in stone!"
"Understood, sir!" Jen said gravely.
That's it then I think… oh… no, something else has just occurred to me. Mattie was used to driving while she was down at Charlottesville. Yes, she's underage and hasn't even got a learner's permit, or any sort of insurance, but the County Sheriff cut her a lot of slack. You have a car, don't you? An old Ford?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, Mattie might try to get you to let her drive it. That is a total no-no! She might be able to drive around the county roads in rural Virginia, but that does not equip her for DC traffic. Let alone the legal fall-out that would happen if something went wrong!"
Jen went white at the thought, "Oh, God, no! Sir, even I don't like driving in DC traffic and to get around the city I usually use the public transit system!"
"Where do you live, Jen?" Harm asked out of concerned interest for Mattie. He really didn't want her making long trips across town to the outermost reaches of DC South East or North West.
"Oh, I share with three other Petty Officers in an apartment in an old townhouse right at the north end of Fourth North East, right next to the tracks leading into Union Station, that's how come we manage the rent."
Harm nodded, "Okay, that's a fairly quiet area, so I have no objection to you inviting Mattie there, but only if you want to. Now…" Harm fished in his jacket pocket and pulled out one of his cards and scribbled Mattie's new cell phone number on the back. "Keep hold of that, it's got all my contact details on it, as well as Mattie's new number!"
"Yes, sir!" Jen grinned, her dimple making a flashing appearance, "I'll guard it with my life!"
"H'mm…" Harm grinned unable to resist the laughter in the brunette's eyes, "I'd best leave you now to finish your sandwich before the Admiral gets back! No, don't get up!" He flipped Jen a casual two finger salute and crossed the bull pen, his spirits somehow lifted by the brief interlude with the young Petty Officer.
Harm spent a mostly productive afternoon, still behind closed doors, including arranging a trip to the Navy Yard brig to interview a young sailor he'd been tasked to defend on charges of misappropriation of government property. The charge was pretty well irrefutable from what Harm could see, but he still needed to visit his client, and what's more, once the interview was over he could make a quick side trip to the Bosun's shed and take advantage of the Chief's expertise, and maybe even pass the word for a volunteer working party.
It was surprising how quickly fifteen hundred hours came around and there's no doubt that Harm would have missed it if he hadn't set the alarm on his cell phone. Even then when its harsh buzzer sounded in his pocket he nearly jumped out of his skin at its unanticipated summons. A couple of minutes saw his office secured with all files and papers locked away and Harm, brief case in hand and cover tucked under his arm, heading for the elevator.
The only person who took any notice of his departure was Sarah MacKenzie, a glance across the bull pen confirmed that his office was closed and darkened, a sure sign that he had no intention of returning that day. A check of the officers' disposition board showed that he wasn't heading out to interview a client or a witness and so she was left with the inescapable conviction that Rabb was securing from duty at an unprecedented early hour.
Making her way across to Coates' office Mac stopped in front of the young Petty Officer's desk, "Do you know where Commander Rabb has gone?" she demanded without preamble.
Jen looked up in mild surprise at the edge in the Colonel's voice. It was old scuttlebutt that Colonel and Commander were at odds with each other again, but most personnel at Jag had become inured to that particular state of affairs, and even newcomers soon became accustomed to periods of frostiness between the two top attorneys.
"I'm not sure, ma'am, but…" Jen looked at her watch, "Maybe he's gone to pick up his ward from school?"
"You think so? Well! Please ask the admiral if he can see me for five minutes!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Jen said. She didn't like the tight lipped expression on the older woman's face and she could only hope that the Marine wasn't planning on causing trouble for the Commander.
Unfortunately that was exactly Mac's intention. Once admitted to the Admiral's office, she too made certain that the door was closed behind her before she marched up to the desk, "Thank you for seeing me, sir!"
Chegwidden looked up and saw the red patches of colour high on Mac's cheeks that were a sure indication that she was in a rage over something, and given certain recent happenings he was pretty sure what she was upset about.
Chegwidden sighed and passed his hand over his scalp before leaning back in his chair, his hands resting lightly on the arms. "What's on your mind, Colonel?"
Mac spoke through tight lips, "Sir, are you aware that Commander Rabb seems to have secured for the day and without a word to anyone. I am your Chief of Staff, sir, he should at least have informed me!"
Chegwidden regarded his officer expressionlessly, "Is it that time already? Yes, Colonel I knew that Commander Rabb would be securing early today and for at least the rest of the week. He has added family responsibilities now. Surely you know that? Just as when Lieutenant Carmichael gives birth and returns to duty she will need to leave early to pick up her infant from the baby sitter, and just as did Lieutenant Sims when she was still on active duty status, she or Lieutenant Roberts would leave early each day to collect their children from day care."
"But… but that's totally different, sir! With Commander Rabb, we're not talking about newborns or pre-school kids! That girl must be sixteen if she's a day!"
"That girl is just turned fifteen, today is her first day in the city. The rest of her life she has lived in a rural community in Virginia, so in many ways, Colonel, she is at as much risk, or even more given her age and sex, than any pre-schooler! Commander Rabb, no matter how unconventionally has become a new parent with all the challenges that new parents face. I have given him permission to secure early for the next few days until his ward can find her way to and from school on her own." Chegwidden paused, and then said, "And on the matter of him reporting to you or requesting permission from you in your capacity as Chief of Staff, may I remind you that in deference to his long tenure here, Commander Rabb has always reported directly to myself. Now, Colonel, was there anything else?"
Still tight lipped, Mac replied tersely, "No, sir!"
"Then you are dismissed, Colonel!"
"Aye, aye, sir!"
Chegwidden watched her march back across the door her whole posture stiff with outrage and with self-righteous indignation almost visibly emanating from her. The door closed behind her and Chegwidden leaned forward for an instant, his elbows on his desk and his hands covering his face.
"She really has got her claws out for him this time!" But a moment's thought reminded him that the relationship between Rabb and MacKenzie had been strained ever since she had tried to have him removed from the bench in that friendly fire case. In fact, thinking deeper, it seemed the wheels had started to fall off Rabb's career at about the same time, notwithstanding his resignation to go after her in Paraguay which at the time still seemed to speak of some degree of attachment between them. But now? Chegwidden shook his head again.
Mac stormed across the bull pen her face white except for the two temper patches on her cheeks and her expression set. Those denizens of the bull pen who saw her expression promptly buried their heads in their work, having no wish to be on the receiving end if the Colonel should decide to vent her spleen on some innocent third party.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Harm made surprisingly good time from Falls Church and drew up outside the school five minutes before the final bell. Glancing at his watch, he decided that the weather was mild enough for him to get out of the car and wait for Mattie. It was in fact one of those rare Washington DC winter afternoons, the sky was clear, promising bitter cold later in the night, but for the moment a pale yellow sun provided the illusion, if not the fact of warmth, so he climbed out of the 'vette and leaned back against the side of the car facing the school, oblivious to the glances, the most of them admiring, from mom who had come to collect their children.
A minute late by his watch he heard the shrilling of the school bells and it seemed within seconds the main doors flew open and hordes of teenagers poured out down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Harm had a few anxious moments as he strove to spot Mattie among the throng but then relaxed as he saw walking towards the street engaged in animated conversation with a blonde girl who appeared to be about her own age.
Mattie might have been busy talking away nineteen to the dozen, but her keen eyes soon spotted Harm and with a cheerful, "Bye! See you tomorrow!" she abandoned the blonde and hurried towards Harm.
"Hey Squirt, how was first day?"
"I'll tell you about it later!" Mattie grinned and then sighed with relief as she sank down into the 'vette's passenger seat, "Man I never knew sitting down all day could be so tiring!"
"Hey, welcome to my world!" Harm grinned as he slid back behind the diver's wheel. "So?"
"It all went pretty well, registration wasn't a problem and I have a full week apart from one period a day which can be either home room study or an elective."
"And your choice?"
"An elective. We had physics today, and it's not something I've ever studied before, so I thought I might get in an extra class!"
"Good thinking, but hold up until we speak to Beth, I've a feeling that physics is one of her strong subjects!"
"Not one of yours?" Mattie teased him gently.
Harm didn't reply for a moment, all his concentration being taken up in filtering into the left land for the lights ahead, but then said, "All I know about physics is velocities, weight, drag and lift coefficients. No… Beth's your best bet to check out high school physics. But, I do pretty well on chemistry!"
Mattie laughed, "Chemistry isn't until the day after tomorrow, so maybe I'll give you a call then!"
"You'll be more than welcome!" Harm assured her, and then flipped the subject, "And the other kids?"
"The usual high school crap, the princesses, the jocks, the dweebs, the geeks, the nerds… 'Bout the same as any other school I reckon."
"And where do you fit in?" Harm asked, overlooking or perhaps not hearing exactly what Mattie had said.
Mattie chewed her lip for a moment or two, "Well… I went to the Phys Ed Department during lunch and asked to try out for the swim team and the volleyball team. The coach gave me the permission slips, they're in my bag," she patted the aforesaid item that was sitting on her knee. "So I guess that makes me one of the jocks!"
"Did you have time for lunch?" Harm asked.
"No!" Mattie said emphatically, "I didn't think to bring any cash with me so… So, I'm starving! How long before we get home?"
"You didn't eat the lunch I made for you?" Harm asked in surprise.
"What lunch?" Mattie asked, equally surprised.
"The egg sandwiches, the orange, the mineral water, all neatly packed in a Tupperware box. I left it on the counter to give to you… Oh…"
"Yeah, 'Oh'," Mattie said with a grin, "What time were you thinking about making dinner?"
"Well not until Beth arrives. She won't secure until seventeen hundred, give her forty minutes at that time of day to get from Arlington to home… so say eighteen hundred, maybe eighteen thirty."
Mattie pulled a face, "Hey, hungry teenager here! If I'm going to be a jock I need lots of high energy food!"
"You've got quite enough energy young lady, but I guess one of those sandwiches won't hurt, and it will tide you over until dinner – while you're doing your homework!"
"Yeah… I guess…" Mattie said disconsolately, "Hey where are we?" as Harm pulled into an alleyway somewhere off Sixth Street North East.
"At the lock up. Like I said this car isn't really suitable for DC winters, so I'm swapping it out for the Lexus. Not quite so cool, but a whole heap safer! So, out you get!"
It took less than five minutes to swap out the cars and get back under way again. Mattie who had never ridden in an SUV before looked at her surroundings with an appreciative eye, "This is pretty cool," she said, "I mean it's not as cool as a red Corvette, but it's like being in a truck but with all the comforts of a car!"
"That's hardly surprising. The first SUV were based on truck chassis, and some of the bigger ones still are. This style of medium sized SUVs are sometimes known as crossovers, because they are built on car chassis. This model is built on the Toyota Camry chassis, I think." Harm finished with a triumphant look at Mattie as he indicated to turn into Fourth NE.
Five minutes later Mattie was seated at the breakfast counter devouring one of the egg sandwiches that had been destined to be part of her lunch, together with a pint of milk, cold from the fridge. The bottle of mineral water being spurned as disgustingly warm.
Harm took the opportunity to dive into the shower and emerged to find Mattie had rinsed off her plate and glass and migrated to the couch, where she held up two slips of paper to him.
"And these are?" he queried.
"The permission slips for the try-outs." She answered with great patience.
"Ah, of course! Well, get off and do your homework now, you have a couple of hours I guess until Beth gets here. We'll have a look at your work, and if it's all complete, then the permission slips will be signed."
With a mutinous look Mattie left the slips prominently on the coffee table and gathering he bag made her way to the apartment door, pausing to ask doubtfully, "Two hours?"
"Two hours," Harm confirmed and then added a caveat, "That is if God's willing and the creek don't rise!"