To Hell and Back
Chapter 6
Harm's expression of horror hadn't changed on the slightest as he stared at the smugly grinning teenager, trying desperately to come up with some form argument with which he could squelch her only to have his brain revolve around her last words, "God knows what Beth's going to say…"
Before he could recover any of his eloquence, or indeed even the power of coherent thought the still, dust-laden atmosphere of the apartment was broken by the shrilling of the cordless telephone on the coffee table. It was within Mattie's reach, so she automatically reached out and picked it up, "Hello?"
"Mattie! Hi, it's Beth. Is Harm there?"
"Of course!" Mattie grinned, and then switching her gaze to Harm she said ominously, "It's Skates – for you."
For one illogical moment Harm could hear his brain yammering at him, 'She can't know! She can't possibly know – can she?' before reason re-asserted itself, but even then his "Hello, Beth?" was cautious.
Too cautious in fact, as Beth's personal radar switched into high resolution, "Yeah. Harm… what's wrong?"
"Oh… nothing really, just one of those slight mishaps that occur when you start remodelling an apartment…"
"What's gone wrong?" Beth persisted.
"Oh… just an oversight on my part… I didn't spread enough dust sheets, so I just need to sweep up a couple of square yards of plaster and brick dust and then put down the dustsheets…"
"Oh… is that all? For a minute or two I thought you were going to tell me you'd put a hole through the outside wall!"
"Hey…." Harm protested as a surge of relief fuelled adrenalin rushed through his system, "I may have my moments, but I'm not that big a klutz!"
"Okay," Beth laughed, "I'll let it slide – this time!"
"Yeah, thanks! Now, what was you're calling about?"
"Oh… yeah, there's a bit of rush job on at the moment, so it looks like I'm going to be another couple of hours at least…"
"Oh… so home by… what… twenty hundred?" Harm asked, his mind beginning to race.
"Just about, so don't wait dinner for me," Beth said ruefully – since she had first left home she had rarely eaten so well as the past few days.
"Nuh-huh, not going to happen," Harm claimed, "I was going to put a casserole in the oven anyway, and that won't be ready until about then. So we'll all eat together like a family when you get home."
"Home… I like the sound of that," Beth smiled, and although he couldn't see her, Harm heard the smile in her voice, "And family, I like the sound of that too…"
"Yeah… so do I," Harm agreed softly, and then as if becoming aware of a keen pair of interested teenaged ears, he took a breath "So… We'll see you at about twenty hundred, then?"
"You will." Beth hesitated and then said simply, "'Bye, Harm."
"Yeah, 'bye." Harm put the phone down and stared at it for a few moments unaware that he wore a soft smile on his face and equally unaware that Mattie wore a pleased grin as she saw it. Then he gave himself an almost visible hake.
"Mats, in the fridge there's a Pyrex casserole dish, can you take it out of the fridge and put it in the oven please? Turn the oven on to medium… and then could you give me a hand here?"
Mattie looked at him, "Okay… I can do that… But Harm…"
"Yeah?"
"Like I said to Beth, lying is bad parenting!" but the admonitory nature of her words was given the lie by the amusement in her face.
"Lying? What lies?" Harm asked in surprise.
"Umm… does 'I didn't spread enough dust sheets, so I just need to sweep up a couple of square yards of plaster and brick dust…' ring any bells?" Mattie asked.
"Well… that wasn't lying, not really," Harm said.
"No?" Mattie queried, 'not enough dust sheets'? Harm, you didn't lay any dust sheets!"
"So… no dust sheets at all, equals not enough dust sheets!" Harm said defensively before he caught onto the teasing. "And anyway, if you don't tell Beth, then I won't. Besides, if we get a move on, we should be able to get this mess cleared up before she gets home!"
"We?" Mattie queried as she opened the fridge door.
"Yep, 'we'. All in the family, remember?"
"Oh… that's dirty pool!" Mattie complained carrying the casserole to the oven and putting it on the middle shelf.
"Ah… but did it work?" Harm grinned, heading for the storage closet.
"Yep!" Mattie glowered, but then gave in to the inevitable and grinned, "C'mon then, show me how a sailor copes with domestic disasters!"
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The clean-up operation was well underway when promptly at eighteen thirty hours there came a knock at the door.
"Who…?" Mattie started to ask.
"Ah…" Harm looked up at the wall-mounted clock, "That should be the Chief!"
"Chief…?" Mattie started again but found she was talking to Harm's back as he hurried to the door.
"Chief Hanratty, good evening," Harm greeted his visitor.
"Good evening, sir," the Chief, now in a blue and grey plaid flannel shirt and grey chinos, returned Harm's greeting, his eyes quickly taking in the dust coated coveralls that Harm wore, "This is still convenient, sir?"
"Of course, Chief. Come on in. Mattie, can you get a brew of coffee going for the Chief, please. Unless you'd like something stringer, Chief?"
"No. No thank you, sir, Coffee's fine by me," the Chief answered, although wondering what sort of brew would be served up by a school girl.
"Fine by me too," Harm grinned. "Do you want take that recce while it's brewing?"
"Yes, sir, that's what I came for…"
Harm spent ten minutes showing Chief Hanratty around the apartments and explaining what he was doing, and what would need to be gotten rid of. "Including all the bricks from the wall, sir?" the Chief asked.
Harm shot him a look, the Chief's tone had been just a touch too innocent, "No… I'm going to salvage a couple of hundred of them and use them to brick up the second doorway, but that's for the future, what I need now is to get rid of the kitchen fixings and fittings and the unsalvageable bricks."
The Chief nodded, "So… you wouldn't mind if I helped myself to the bricks that are going to end up in the dumpster? New barbecue for the back yard, sir," he explained.
"No… once they're out of the apartment, I don't give a cuss what happens to 'em, you help yourself to 'em and anything else you think you might need!"
"Thank you, sir. Now… how were you thinking of getting the wreckage down to ground level?"
"This way, Chief." Harm led the way over to the double window that led onto the fire escape. "I've arranged for the dumpster to be placed alongside the fire escape and I thought that maybe your guys could rig some sort of tackle to lower the debris away?"
Chief Hanratty looked over the edge of the fire escape and then up at the overhead gantry, "Yes, sir, it could be done. An eight by eight beam secured to the gantry with a double sheaf block at the end, a single sheaf hook-block in the bight. Bricks, an oven and a kitchen sink, plus piping and wiring? Six hands, three hours on Saturday, say zero-nine hundred hours, sir?"
"That would be great, Chief, thank you! Now… that coffee I mentioned?"
"On its way, Harm!" Mattie chimed in from the kitchen area as Harm thankfully closed the windows, shutting out the cold air.
Chief Hanratty didn't delay his departure, and once he'd swallowed what he admitted to himself was a surprisingly good cup of coffee, he hauled himself to his feet, "Got to pick up my middle girl from band practice," he grinned, "But I expect you know all about that, sir!"
Harm nodded and grinned, "Getting there, Chief, getting there!"
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Despite the interruption due to the Chief's recon, by the time Beth got home from the Pentagon, Harm had not only cleared up the mess and covered practically the whole of the lounge area with dust sheets but had also finished his demolition work, leaving a ragged archway between what had previously been two apartments.
Mattie, after she'd helped with the clean-up, had retreated to her bedroom and with her ear buds firmly in place had continued with her homework, the music from her current favourite band almost drowning out the rhythmic bangs and slams as Harm got back to swinging his sledgehammer.
Beth opened the apartment door and blinked, a freshly showered Harm was just emerging from his bedroom, his hair still damp and dressed in jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt with a white 'Go Navy' screen printed on the chest.
Harm stopped dead as he saw Beth and then changing is angle of approach from the direct line to the kitchen, he swerved towards her, and after a quick glance to make sure Mattie wasn't in sight, he leaned in and planted a gentle kiss to her cheek, "Hey, you," he said smiling warmly.
Beth stood still, almost in shock, and then one hand rose hesitatingly to her cheek, "What… what was that all about?" she asked.
"Well… I figured that was the proper way to say welcome home to my girlfriend," Harm smiled, his eyes never leaving Beth's.
"G… g… girlfriend?" she stuttered.
"Yeah… I figured that as about the best way to describe you, since we decided that we'd start dating… But if you don't like the idea…."
"Oh, no! No! I like the idea! I like it fine! It's just… just… just that you took me by surprise…"
"And that wasn't fair of me, now, was it?" Harm grinned, "Just when you thought you had me all figured out."
Beth shook her head and grinned, "Hammer… I don't think I'll ever figure you out!"
"Well, that's got to be a good thing, hasn't it?" he asked.
"Maybe for you… But I have a feeling that living here with you and Mattie is going to be even more interesting than the Judge reckoned! Now… Speaking of Mattie, where is she?"
"In her room, doing her homework… I kind of startled her when I started the demolition work…"
"M'mm…" Beth looked at the hole in the wall the pile of broken bricks and a second pile of bricks that seemed to be whole, "I'll just bet you did! Well, I'm going to grab a shower and get changed, will dinner be long?"
"Nope, about twenty minutes… I just need to put the bread in the oven and then we're ready. Oh, if Mattie's finished her homework, ask her to come out and give me a hand with the setting up, please?"
"Will do… see you in fifteen!"
Beth was as good as her word, in just over fourteen minutes she reappeared from the bathroom she shared with Mattie, her uniform on a hanger in one hand and dressed in a sweater and a pair of slacks, her hair, as Harm's had been was still damp, and she carried her blow dryer on her free hand.
Stepping gingerly through, and with a cautious look up at, the rough arch she asked Harm, "Is there somewhere I can plug this in?"
"Sure… I'll get you the extension and then you can sit on the couch in comfort," he smiled turning away from the counter, where he and Mattie had laid out three place settings. "Two minutes, Squirt, and then the bread can come out, okay?"
"Yeah… I got that Harm – already!" Mattie turned an exasperated face towards Beth and complained, "That's three times in the last ten minutes he told me when the bread has to come out!"
"Hey you have to tell computers three times don't you? And they're supposed to be pretty darned smart!" Harm defended himself as he hauled the electrical extension reel out from the bottom of the closet.
Beth and Mattie just looked at each other for a long moment and then in unison trained their eyes on Harm, "No, they're not!" they chorused.
"Who aren't what?" Harm asked, straightening up, the extension reel in his hand.
"Computers," Beth replied. "Computers aren't smart, they just do very simple math very quickly!"
"Sounds smart to me!" Harm disagreed as he plugged one of the reel into a wall outlet and led the other end towards the couch.
Beth shook her head pityingly and said in an undertone to Mattie, "Don't bother trying to point out where he's wrong!"
Mattie also grinned. "I wasn't going to!" she answered.
"Good girl!" Beth said approvingly and crossed to the couch, where she twitched aside the dust sheet that now covered it and sat down only to exclaim "Ouch!" and shoot to her feet, one hand rubbing a butt cheek.
"What? What's wrong?" Harm asked in quick alarm.
"Not sure…" Beth replied leaning over to examine the area on which she had tried to sit. "Ah…got it!" she exclaimed looking at the jagged lump of plaster in her hand and then levelling an accusing eye at Harm, "Yours, I believe?"
"Uh… yeah, I guess… uh… tricky little suckers aren't they?"
"I guess!" Beth said carrying out a minute inspection of the couch before she risked further injury by sitting down on something equally as jagged. Then reassured as to her comfort and safety she retook her seat and leaned over to plug in her blow dryer and then straightened up as another thought occurred to her, "But as tricky as they may be, how can you account for it getting under the dust sheet?"
To Beth's surprise and Harm's dismay, Mattie gave a shout of laughter, "Oh! You are so busted!" she chortled.
"Gee, thanks, Squirt!" Harm said sourly as he caught the questioning frown on Beth's face. "Okay… I'll 'fess up, but over dinner! Which is just about ready! The bread, Matte?"
"On it!" the teenager gasped and turned back to her kitchen chores.
As she ate Beth listened with growing amusement to Harm's somewhat hesitant story as he tried to make light of what had happened at the same time trying to hide his embarrassment. Beth occasionally turned to Mattie for clarification of some point or other as Harm writhed inwardly while Mattie tried to clarify his tale at the same time she fought a losing battle against the giggles that threatened to overwhelm her.
"You're not helping, Mats!" he complained at one point, which only had the effect of increasing the teenager's difficulty in controlling herself while Beth's grin seemed likely to take over her whole face.
Eventually Beth cleared her plate, and taking a sip of wine, she asked, "Okay… so you say you were working off frustrations and couldn't wait to hit something, and Mattie says you were pretty grim when you picked her up from school… so that begs the question, what happened to put you in a foul mood?"
"Mac," was all that Harm said, but it was enough to cue Mattie and Beth to exchange a meaningful glance.
"And?" Beth prompted.
"Let's just say that I no longer doubt you when you claim she was being hostile. I mean, I've heard Mac say some pretty nasty things in the past, but they were about me, so I could shrug them off, but when she started alluding to one or both of you in less than complimentary terms… well… I probably overstepped the bounds, and let her have it with both barrels." Harm shrugged, "I'll probably have an unpleasant five minutes with the Admiral tomorrow and then have to make a formal apology to Mac."
"That sucks, majorly!" Mattie objected.
"Yeah, it does, kinda," Harm agreed.
Beth gave a slight shake of her head, to her mind, his failure to reprimand Mattie's language was an indication of just how upset he was.
"But Mac, it seems can do no wrong in the Admiral's eyes." Harm continued and then shrugged, "Even when we both broke the rules, it seemed that I always got the major part of the blame… So, sucky or not, I'll probably have to apologise to her."
'And I can just see that supercilious smirk on her face, when he does!' Beth thought and then spoke aloud, "Relinquishing the moral high ground to her. Won't that make her even more insufferable?" she asked.
"Probably!" Harm agreed and then sighed, "I don't know what's gotten into her recently…"
"What I don't get," Mattie objected, a frown creasing her forehead, "is if Old Baldy is so mean to you, and he was mean in the past too, why did you ever agree to go back to work for him?"
"H'mm… That's a darned good question, Mattie," Beth agreed, and then lifted her eyes to look straight at Harm, "So why did you agree to go back to JAG?"
"A couple of reasons… firstly, and most importantly, reactivating my commission gave me a stable job, which went a helluva long way in getting Mattie's guardianship. Secondly, I'm a Navy JAG… It's what I am… the only other thing I know than the law is flying. Thirdly, I'm a couple of years shy of my twenty… and the pension plus retirement benefits are sure going to come in handy in the future. And… one more thing… The Admiral isn't mean the whole time, Squirt. He's been very understanding about our situation, how else do you think I can secure early to pick you up from school?"
"Oh… I guess…" Mattie said uncertainly.
"M'mm… but that's not going to last forever, is it?" Beth said.
"No, it's not. So over this weekend, Mats we're going to have to work out your optimum route to school. I don't like it, but it looks as if you're going to have to walk part of the way, and I don't like the idea of you walking in this part of town in the dark."
"But it's only dark when I go to school, Mattie pointed out, "And getting a ride with one of you in the morning shouldn't be that much of a biggie, should it? And then I can get home on the afternoon all on my ownsome. I mean we've turned the corner, right? It's starting to stay light until later in the day and it's only going to get better for the rest of the semester."
"That's true enough as far as it goes, but there's still the question of what happens when you start any after school activities…" Beth started to say and then caught herself, "But by the time they're over one of us should secured for the day, so no, that's not a problem either!"
Harm, although still uneasy at the idea of Mattie wandering around the neighbourhood on her own was forced to acquiesce. Although his protective instincts were nudging the envelope of zone five, he was realist enough to acknowledge, even if only to himself, that he couldn't wrap Mattie up in absorbent cotton forever.
"Okay… that sounds workable… with maybe one or two minor adjustments."
"Like what?" Mattie demanded, and then as Beth and Harm both turned severe expressions her she protested, "Hey, this is me we're talking about, right? So I'd like to know what's going on in my life!"
"Well, that's fair enough," Beth conceded after a cautionary glance at Harm, "But you need to take a little more care in expressing yourself. You probably don't realise it kiddo, but you sounded pretty darned rude just then."
Mattie looked stunned for a moment or two and then blushed crimson, "I did?" she asked in a small voice.
"'Fraid so, Squirt," Harm told her gravely.
"Oh… Well… Then I apologise, I didn't mean to sound rude or brattish…"
"Apology accepted," Harm replied, "We know you didn't mean to sound rude, but like Beth says, just a little thought before speaking couldn't hurt."
Mattie nodded, "I'll try… but, what kind of minor adjustments were you talking about?" she asked, determined to get back on track.
"I think you should carry a whistle and maybe a pepper spray," Harm suggested.
"A pepper spray? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Beth asked.
"No… I don't think so… I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that the Metro PD offer courses on its responsible and proper use… and I don't think there's anyone who could say that Mattie isn't responsible for her age."
"M'mm... Maybe… but I'm not sure that she needs to be carrying something like that to school – that is even if the school allows it!"
"Now that is a good point. I'll have to check up on that, so let's table this conversation until I've… uh… until we've checked a few facts. Now, Mattie, how was your homework tonight?"
"Oh… ah… pretty easy. Creative writing for English Language and a couple of pages of algebra…"
"Do you want me or Beth to take a look at that for you?" Harm asked.
"No, no thanks," Mattie flashed him a smile, "I think I've got that covered… Besides, I don't want to use up too many favours too early!"
"That's not going to happen!" Beth assured her, "Right, Harm?"
"Darned straight!" Harm agreed, "Homework doesn't fall under the heading of favours anyway. But if you're happy with what you've got done, then so be it!"
Mattie nodded, "Yeah… I'm happy… and I'm happy with dinner too! That was great, thanks, Harm!" she enthused as she laid her knife and fork neatly on her plate.
"M'mm… It is good!" Beth agreed as she gathered the last scraps of her meal onto her fork, "But what exactly was it?"
"Oh… leeks, mushrooms and kale in a cream sauce topped with gratin sweet potato."
"Oh, wow… the calories…" Beth mourned, "I can see I'm going to have to take my work-outs to the next level!"
"Too much?" Harm asked anxiously.
"Maybe just a little…" Beth agreed.
"I know… it's the cream… but you can't make gratins without cream… and the cheese… Maybe not so often in the future, though…"
"Sounds like a plan!" Beth agreed with a smile as she slid down off the stool, "Now, Mattie, you want to give me a hand here, while Harm caries on with his demolition work?"
"Can do!" the teenager exclaimed, starting to gather up the empty plates and the casserole dish.
It didn't take very long for either the washing up, or indeed for Harm to finish knocking out the last few bricks to tidy up the arch he had made in the wall, and as he stood casting an appraising eye over his handiwork Beth joined him, "Well, what now?" she asked.
Harm nodded to the two piles of bricks. "Tomorrow, I call by the home improvement store and get hold of a couple of industrial dumpster liners. The broken bricks go into one of them, and the whole bricks get the old mortar chipped off, so they're ready for use when I close up the other doorway. Which needs to be done by Friday night."
"Why the rush?" Beth asked.
"I've got some hands from the Navy yard coming on Saturday morning to clear the debris, and the door and the door frame falls under that general heading."
Beth nodded, "Okay… but…" she looked doubtfully at the pile of bricks, "Are you going to be able to clean up all those bricks by then?"
"Well… I was kinda hoping for a little help with those…" Harm suggested innocently.
"H'mm… I just bet you were!" Beth told him. "Anyway, are you finished for tonight?"
"Sure am!" Harm agreed.
"Good, 'cause Mattie's got some milk on the go for hot chocolate, and then… well… I don't know about you, but it's definitely getting on for Mattie's bedtime, and I shan't be too many minutes behind her!"
"Now that does sound like a plan!" Harm agreed.
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Mac sat, slumped, on her couch a half-empty mug of cold coffee forgotten on the table in front of her as she tried to work out why the Admiral had suddenly, and without warning lowered the boom on her.
She did her job to the best of her ability, and she knew that her best was very good. She didn't bring personal problems into Ops and she certainly never pleaded for time off to meet any extra responsibilities that grew out of her personal life. And that was all substantiated in her fitreps, they uniformly graded her as outstanding – well, except for that FUBAR when she'd been accused of murdering her husband, and even the ding on her record that had left had been swiftly forgotten – witness her early promotion to Lieutenant Colonel! No, she wouldn't have received a second early promotion if she wasn't an outstanding JAG and officer!
So why had the Admiral suddenly decided that her performance was sub-standard, and that she need counselling? After all, she wasn't the one making off the cuff quixotic decisions that were impacting her professional life! Counselling? What the hell did he mean by saying that she needed counselling? She didn't need counselling; she was fine! But if she wanted to keep her career then she'd have to go through the motions, so she supposed she'd have to make an appointment to see someone, and it would have to be at Bethesda – there was no way she could afford to pay some civilian shrink hundreds of dollars just for a formality. One session is all it would take for the shrink to realise that she didn't need therapy. So much for the Admiral's opinion!
As for Rabb! Where the hell; did he get off? Telling her that she lacked loyalty! And then throwing her one slip off the wagon in her face! And that had been due to extraordinary circumstances. Well the hell with him! And that bratty little red-head, it had been sickening watching her cosying up to him at the Roberts, she was probably scheming to empty his bank account and then disappear over the horizon. A blind man could see that, but Rabb – and that deformed witch Hawkes – were too dumb and too wrapped around that brat's little finger to figure it out for themselves. Well the hell with them too! But if anyone was in need of therapy, then it was Rabb!
And Webb? Where the hell was Webb, when she needed an adult to talk to? "I'm going out of town," He'd told her, "I can't tell you where, and I can't tell for how long, or what I'll be doing!"
Nothing like that sort of secret squirrel crap to let a girl know how far trust went in a relationship!
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Harriet Sims coped with the usual demands made on a working mom, Jimmy was collected from the nursery and AJ from school, and with Bud's help the chicken casserole that had been in the slow cooker was served along with its accompaniment of mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
The boys were bathed, dried and put into their pyjamas and into their beds, yet throughout the entire evening Bud had the feeling that Harriet was more or less operating on auto-pilot. Not that she was brusque or off-hand, indeed she was as attentive and as loving towards him and the boys as she ever was, but there was a certain air of abstraction about her.
Bud waited until the boys had been read their bedtime story and received their goodnight kisses before he had tackled Harriet. He waited until she was settled in the family room, wedged into a corner of the couch, and idly turning the pages of one of her magazines before he poured two glasses of chilled white wine and carried them through to the family room.
Harriet took the glass he offered with a smile that fell short of reaching her eyes, "Thanks, Bud… but what's this for?"
"You… uh… seem a little pre-occupied this evening, so I thought that maybe there's something on your mind that you might want to talk about, and that maybe the wine might help…"
Harriet took a grateful sip of her wine before a suspicion occurred to her, "Bud Roberts! Are you trying to get me drunk?" she demanded.
"No… not drunk… but maybe just enough wine to get you to loosen up and tell me what's wrong…"
"The Colonel," Harriet said succinctly and miserably.
"Go on…"
"Well… she's been so… so…"
"Bloody minded?" Bud replied. He still hadn't figured out how Mac could have refused to help the Commander, the guy who was supposed to have been her best friend, when he had asked for her help. Asking for help was something that Harmon Rabb only ever did in extremis, and for the Colonel to have turned him down must have felt like a betrayal to the aviator turned attorney.
"No!" Harriet refuted hotly, but then as she remembered Mac's reaction to seeing Harm, Lieutenant Hawkes and Mattie together, her innate sense of justice compelled her to admit, "Well, yes, alright. She has been more hostile to the Commander, and, well… a bit more prickly than usual lately…"
"Ever since she got back from that half-assed scheme of Mister Webb's down in Paraguay!" Bud finished for her firmly.
"Yes!" Harriet agreed. It seemed that once the dam had been breached the waters would flow, "And what was she thinking, taking up with that creep! When I think back to how the Colonel and Commander used to be! I used to think that they would make a perfect match… but now…"
"But now, with the way she had been – especially since the Commander was re-instated – I wouldn't wish her on anyone, Harriet!"
"That's unkind, Bud!" Harriet protested.
"Well, it's the way I feel, and Harriet she's brought that on herself!"
Harriet thought back a little to this afternoon. Mac had almost stormed out of the Admiral's office, and Harriet recognising that her friend was upset, had followed her to her office and asked, "Is there something wrong, ma'am? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, there is, Lieutenant!" Mac had snapped, shocking the blonde both with the formality of her chosen form of address and the harsh, acidic note on her voice, "You can keep your damned curiosity to yourself!"
Blushing slightly, she recounted the incident to Bud, who pulled a long face and said, "Well, she obviously doesn't need or want your help!"
But Harriet shook her head and pulled a long face in her turn, "Bud, maybe, but does that really sound like the Colonel MacKenzie we've known for the last eight, nine years?" She shook her head again, not waiting for answer, "No… she may not want my… our help… but that doesn't mean she doesn't need it!"
Bud nodded, his face serious, "I agree with you sweetheart, but there's no point in offering help before she's ready to receive it."
"Bud, she's our friend… and since she seems determined not to be friends with the Commander any more, it looks like we're the only ones she has left, except for Webb – not that he'll be much of a friend, when he's even around, that is!"
"You're right," Bud agreed and took a contemplative sip of his wine before continuing, "But look at this afternoon. By your own account she told you to butt out – and don't tell me that didn't hurt, because it did; that's as plain as the nose on your face. So, what I reckon is the best thing for you to do, is to stand back and let her stew in her juice for a while until she realises that she has no-one to turn to, and then comes back to you with an apology. I know it's going to be tough on you seeing her suffer, but, honey, she's brought it on herself."
Harriet nodded glumly, "You're right, I know… but like you said, it's going to be tough!"
"M'mm... I know… but I know what else is going to be tough…"
"And what's that? Harriet demanded.
"Getting Jimmy to let us sleep right through the night, three nights running!"
"M'mm… so… what say we get an early night?" Harriet said.
Bud looked at his watch, "It's a bit early to go to sleep, sweetie," he objected.
Harriet stood and held her hand out to him, looking at him through half-closed eyes, "Who said anything about sleeping?" she asked a half-smile on her lips.
"Huh…? Oh… yeah, right…" Bud grinned as he took her hand in one of his and with his other hand levered himself to his feet.
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It was obvious to Harm as he took his seat at the long conference table for the next morning's staff call, that he wasn't the only person to have noticed Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie's absence, but no-one was looking at her customary seat, now empty, and then at him. It seemed as of everyone knew there was an 800 pound gorilla in the room, bit no-one wanted to mention its presence.
Their unease was finally put to rest as Coates opened the door and called out "Admiral on deck!"
The assembled officers rose to their feet as their CO entered the room and despite his gruff "As you were!" remained in their feet until he had seated himself at the head of the table. He waited until the scuffle of chairs had ended and two rows of expectant faces turned towards him.
"First order of business," he began, "You will have noticed that Colonel MacKenzie is not with us this morning. She has taken leave. I know that we are busy, but she presented me with a pressing reason for taking lave at this time."
"Excuse me, sir?" Alan Mattoni spoke up.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Um… how long does the Colonel expect to be away, sir?"
"As long as it takes to resolve the reason she asked for leave."
Mattoni subsided with a "Thank you, sir!" but his eyes dropped to contemplate the briefcase on the table in front of him, and for a few minutes declined to make any effort to look at anyone or anything else.
"With the Colonel being on leave," the Admiral continued, "Of necessity, her case-files will have to be re-allocated. Commander Imes… Seaman Apprentice Bander, Article 134 Abusing a Public Animal, two counts… Commander Rabb, you'll defend. Commander Mattoni… MA Two Makepeace, Article 107, Making a False Statement, Article 97 Unlawful Detention, Article 93 Maltreatment and Cruelty, Lieutenant Singer, you'll defend. Commander Turner… Lieutenant Ramsey and Lieutenant Bartlett, Article 92, Disobeying an Order or Regulation, Lieutenant Roberts, you'll defend."
The Admiral took a breath and peered the length of the table over the top of his glasses. "I realise that you all think you have overflowing in-trays as things stand, but these cases must be dealt with and they must be dealt with expeditiously. Now, moving right on with fresh business… Commander Rabb… Construction Man Three Edwards, Article 108 Damage to US Government Property… Lieutenant Singer you'll defend. Lieutenant Roberts… Seaman Davies, Article 115 Malingering, Commander Imes, you'll defend. Commander Turner… Corporal Adams, Article 85, Desertion, Commander Mattoni, the defence is yours."
The Admiral bit back a grim smile at the fleeting expressions of dismay and then, stood, waving off the attempt of the assembled officers to follow suit, "Stay put, I'm just stretching my legs!" he growled as he picked up yet another file and then paced towards the far end of the room before turning his back to the wall an contemplating his staff. He inclined his head slightly and Legalman One Coates got to her feet and with a couple of curious glances following her, headed for the door, but before anyone became too distracted by her movements, the Admiral spoke again, "Attention to Orders!"
The assemblage immediately leapt to their feet as the Admiral continued, "Lieutenant Singer! Front and centre!"
Loren went pale and then fighting down any thoughts of guilt marched forward and halted in front of the Admiral.
"Raise your right hand!" he commanded.
Loren visibly and audibly gulped as she did so.
"Repeat after me…" the Admiral continued.
Loren's voice began shakily but gathered strength as she spoke, "I, Loren Marie Singer, do solemnly swear that having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy, I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The Admiral let his smile of pleasure show, "Congratulations, Commander, now I believe Lieutenant Commander Medwick has a new Service Dress jacket for you, suitably embellished…"
Loren gasped with pleasure and risked a quick sideways glance out of the corner of her eye to see a broadly grinning David Medwick stood holding a jacket on a hanger, and her fingers nervously plucked at the buttons of the jacket which she was wearing. Eventually the buttons came undone and Loren started to shrug out of the jacket but was interrupted in her attempt by Coates' voice from behind her, "Allow, me, ma'am!"
After a few more moments Loren stood freshly attired and still at attention in front of her CO. "Commander Medwick, I believe it is your duty to bestow the customary congratulations!" the Admiral said and a grinning David Medwick took a step forward and bestowed a chaste kiss on his wife's cheek.
"Congratulations, Loren!" he said as he straightened up to a burst of applause and a ragged chorus of congratulatory remarks from the other officers.
Loren felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but couldn't hide her grin of pleasure as the realisation of her new status sunk in, "Thank you, sir!" she addressed the Admiral.
"Don't thank me!" he retorted, "This is all you own doing… well… almost all," he added with a sly look at David Medwick.
"Sir!" Loren replied in a suffocated voice, but whether she was agreeing with or protesting against the Admiral's observation was anybody's guess.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Harm sat back in his chair and stretched. He had been at his desk for the past two and a half hours without a break. The first task he'd completed was to re-shuffle and re-prioritise his work-load after being handed Mac's case. He had whistled, silently of course, as he saw just how close to the ninety day deadline for trial the case was. He was going to have to devote his attention to this case until it was put to bed, but he also needed to keep a close eye on the Missing Movement case. Just to complicate matters, Seaman Apprentice Bander was still at his duty station at Norfolk, which meant he would have to lose a day's productivity for the sake of driving to Norfolk and back for an interview that was only likely to last twenty minutes or half an hour at the outsider. Tapping the end of his pen on his desk blotter he toyed with the idea of having Bander brought up to Falls Church for interview, but knew that the chances of that happening would be extremely slim.
Still, even with the extra work that had appeared today, it hadn't all been bad news! Loren Singer's promotion, although it had left her dumbfounded, hadn't come as a complete surprise to Harm Loren was too good an attorney to lose, especially because of the up or out regulations. Although it had been funny watching the still occasionally acerbic blonde reduced to helpless silence.
But what had been even funnier was the expression on Harriet Sims' face when she saw the new half-ring on Loren's sleeve cuffs. Although the former hostility between the two blondes had dissipated, they still weren't really friends, and the realisation that Harriet would once again have to call Loren "ma'am" had produced an expression on Harriet's face as if she had just bitten into bitter wormwood!
But now… 'Time for lunch, Rabb!' he told himself and for the next couple of minutes he busied himself tidying away the files on his desk before he grabbed his cover and locked his office door.
His slightly early arrival in the cafeteria meant not only were the dishes on offer the freshest they were going to be, but that there also were plenty of vacant tables from which to choose. Deciding on a table to one side of the large room, Harm took his seat and dug into his vegetarian variant of a cottage pie, but barely six mouthfuls later he was joined Sturgis Turner, who merely raised an interrogatory eyebrow, receiving a vague gesture in return which he had no difficulty in interpreting as an invitation to sit down.
The two men ate in silence until their plates were clear, when Turner looked across the table and asked in a carefully neutral voice, "Well, what did you think about this morning's proceedings?"
"In what way?" Harm asked, his bottle of mineral water poised in mid-air before he took a sip.
"Well… everything… For a start, how come Mac gets leave, when we're all pushed to the limit already, without having to take on her cases?"
"Now that's a question that is better addressed to the Admiral," Harm answered with a bitter grin. A grin that was imitated by Turner as both commanders considered what their CO's reaction would be if asked to explain his actions. Especially if the request was made by junior officers.
"I just thought that as you and Mac are friends that you might know something of the background…" Turner started to say but was cut off by Harm's savagely slicing hand movement.
"Used to be friends, Sturgis, used to be friends. Our relations haven't been exactly… ah… cordial since my commission was reinstated, or actually for some time before that…"
Turner's brow knitted in a frown, "Harm… what exactly happened down there in Paraguay?"
"Well… the mission details are classified so…"
"No! I don't mean that! And you know it. What I mean is what happened between you and Mac? You resigned your omission to go down there after her, and now you tell me that you haven't been on friendly terms since you got back! What the hell happened?"
"Sturgis, I don't kiss and tell, so I'm hardly likely to kick and tell, am I now? If you want to find out what Mac was thinking, then you'll have to ask her. And if she tells you, then you can come and explain it to me. That woman's thought processes have become completely alien to me!"
Turner looked more closely at his friend. Although Harm had tried to keep his tone light, he hadn't quite been able to completely disguise the edge of bitterness in his voice. At length he said sarcastically, "And of course, she'll be much more forthcoming than you, won't she?"
Harm shook his head, "Once again, I no longer have any idea of how she'll react to any given set of circumstances!"
This time the interruption came in the brightly voiced, "Commanders?" making both men aware that Harriet Sims had come bustling up to their table.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" Sturgis asked in a voice edged with impatience.
Harms shot him a quelling glance and asked in a much milder tone, "What can we do for you, Harriet?"
"Oh… no… nothing like that, sir! Just to let you know that Commander Singer's wet-down will be at nineteen thirty hours at McMurphy's on Friday evening, that's the day after tomorrow, casual dress, gentlemen!" Harriet said brightly.
Harm frowned, "Will the Colonel be there?"
Harriet's face lost its smile, "I don't know, sir. I've just tried calling her home number and her mobile. There's no answer from home, and her mobile goes straight to voice mail…" for a moment longer the bubbly blonde looked troubled but then brightened, "But I'll keep trying! Um… Commander?" she looked at Harm.
"Yes, Harriet?"
"Do you know why the Colonel has suddenly taken leave? I mean, it's not like her…"
Harm shook his head, "Sorry, Harriet, Mac's doings of late are as much of a mystery to me as they are to everyone else…"
Harriet forced a half-smile, "Well… thanks, anyway, sir. Well, I'd best get going, I still have a whole tranche of people to tell about the wet-down!" and with a final smile, she scurried off to stop at the table where Carolyn Imes and Alan Mattoni were having lunch with Elizabeth Fairchild.
Turner watched her go, a disapproving frown on his face, "You let her get too familiar, Harm," he commented, and you calling her by her first name doesn't help! It's dangerously near to conduct to the prejudice…"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Sturgis! Just listen to yourself!" Harm snapped, his patience worm thin. "Calling a subordinate by their first name is pretty common practice, except maybe in submarines! And anyway Harriet is the mother of my two Godsons. So in an informal atmosphere like the cafeteria here, or even in the O Club, I don't think there's any risk of violating long standing naval tradition!" Harm deliberately invoked the wording of the relevant Navy Regulation before he looked long and consideringly at his long-time friend and then continued in a much more moderate tone, "You know, Sturgis, you really need to be a little more laid back, otherwise you're going to find yourself with a reputation for being inflexible and unable or unwilling to adapt to changing circumstances. Look around you… these people are some of the most intelligent on the Navy, which is a good thing. But by and large, they're not going to be content to blindly follow orders, they are far more likely to question – even if only internally – if the order is necessary or the best answer to the current situation, and then use their intelligence to find the answer and act accordingly. Think about it… how many times since you've been here has a Legalman said something, or suggested something, another way around a problem, for instance?"
"Too damned often!" Turner snapped, "And every time, I've had to remind them that I'm the officer and they are the enlisted. It is not their job to question orders!"
"Even if the order is for them to commit a crime?" Harm suggested.
"Of course not! And I wouldn't give such an order anyway! Look, Harm, an order is an order and is to be obeyed unflinchingly! On board a submarine you can't afford to have orders questioned, the safety of the boat and the lives of every man aboard depends on orders being followed on the instant and without dispute!"
"That's exactly what I mean, Sturgis. You aren't serving aboard a submarine now. This is JAG Corps HQ, you need to adapt and adjust to that change of circumstance as much as any other! Alright," he held up a hand to forestall the objection he could see forming on his friend's lips, "I'll say no more on the matter – for the moment. But do yourself a favour, Sturgis, think about what I've just said."
Sturgis grunted something that might have been agreement as Harm gathered his used plate and utensils and pushing his chair back from the table, stood and nodded a friendly farewell to the still seething former bubblehead.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Harm spent his afternoon working through what cases he could without having to leave the office, and also made arrangements to travel to Norfolk to interview Bander, not that Mac's notes and transcripts of her interview with him were in any way incomplete or unsatisfactory. He had a twofold reason for making the trip, firstly to introduce himself to the Seaman, and explain to the best of his ability, why he was being given a change of counsel and secondly, because no matter how good the paperwork he had inherited, there was no substitute for a face to face meeting with his client.
At length the hands of the clock ticked around to fifteen hundred hours and with a sigh of dissatisfaction with the day, he once again secured his office and headed for the elevator on his way to collect Mattie from school, and as he passed through the bull-pen he could hear Harriet Sims on the phone, and it sounded as if she was speaking to the manager at McMurphy's about the wet down on Friday. He smiled to himself and pondered on the blonde's take on life. Whether she liked Loren Singer or not, Harriet Sims had at some stage decided that she was the best qualified to arrange JAG's social events whether that be the annual football and softball games or a wet-down for a newly promoted staff member, or even some sort of sponsored event to raise money for a charity – her latest effort had been three months ago, a sponsored speed march for six man and women teams of thirty miles to raise money for the USMC's annual Christmas Toys for Tots. He smiled – or grimaced – at the memory. The event had certainly raised a considerable amount of cash for the campaign but it had also raised a considerable number of blisters on the feet of the participants!
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Harm pulled up outside the school gates, the wipers on the Lexus doing their best to keep the windscreen clear, but he had to open the passenger side window to squint through the rain in an attempt to make out Mattie amongst the throng of students who were either dashing for their parents' cars, or waiting in the school doorway in the hope that the rain might stop, or least lessen in intensity so they could make a dash for a bus stop, or even all the way home.
Then, as his eyes caught sight of Mattie he grinned, she was walking, quite calmly down the path from the school doorway, quite dry under the protection of a blue and yellow golf umbrella being carried by a bespectacled, stocky black youth. Shaking his head in amusement he reached over and opened the door for her.
Mattie smiled winningly at the black youth, and said "Thanks, André, that saved me from a soaking!" and then turned to Harm, "Harm, this is André Biggs, the guy I told you about, who wants to go to the academy."
"You want to be sailor?" Harm asked the youth.
Andre's face split into an enthusiastic grin, "Yes, sir!" he rapped out smartly, so that Harm was forced to bite back a laugh.
"Well, you've got a couple of years to go yet, I guess… but for the moment, can I give you a ride home?"
"No. No thank you, sir! You're facing the wrong direction, and I only live a couple of minutes away, so by the time you drive around the block, I'll be home already! And I've got this…" he raised his eyes towards the umbrella, "to keep me dry!"
"If you're quite sure, then all I can say is nice to have met you, and thank you for letting Mattie take advantage of it! Harm said as he slipped the car into gear.
"See you in the morning, André!" Mattie called as she hastily let down the window.
"Yeah, see you, Mats!" André grinned and then turning away marched resolutely along the soaking wet sidewalk.
Harm drove ahead to the junction where he had to stop for the lights before he said, "Seems like a nice young man…"
"Yeah… I was lucky to get him as my lab partner for Chemistry!" Mattie exclaimed happily, having totally missed the questioning note in Harm's observation."
"Oh?" was all Harm said but this time around Mattie did catch the speculative tone in his voice.
"Yeah… he's a wiz at Chemistry, although most of the other guys reckon he's a bit of a geek… And," she added meaningfully, "he's my lab partner and a friend!"
"So… I don't have to be cleaning my weapon when he comes to take you on a date?" Harm teased her.
"If... If you ever do that!" Mattie started and then realised what Harm was doing, and laughed, "You are so bad!" she complained.
"Mattie, you have no idea!" Harm grinned.
"So… you'd actually sit down and clean your shotgun in front of any boyfriends I might have?"
"Nope, ain't got a shotgun. I have a Beretta… it's more accurate!" Harm laughed.
Mattie looked at him searchingly, almost, but not quite, sure he was joking.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Beth nodded approvingly as she walked into the apartment, Harm had given her the spare key this morning before they'd left for duty. The last vestiges of plaster dust had been, or so it seemed, meticulously vacuumed up and the only sound was the steady chipping noise as Harm used the edge of a pointing trowel to chip the old mortar off the salvageable bricks.
But the noise stopped as Beth closed the door, Harm having caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye, "Hey there…" he smiled as he rose to his feet.
"Hey you," Beth smilingly answered as he walked towards her and leaned in to kiss her cheek, only to be taken slightly by surprise as she turned her head so that her lips just grazed his.
At his look if surprise she grinned, "Well, a kiss on the cheek didn't seem much of a welcome from my boyfriend," she teased him, her eyes alight with laughter.
"Careful woman," Harm answered in a mock growl, "It may not be safe to tease the beast!"
"I'll take my chance," Beth smiled, "At least when Mattie's around! Um…" she suddenly cast a nervous look around the apartment, "she is around, isn't she?"
"Yeah, relax, you're safe. She's in her room doing her homework – I hope! She says that I was making too much noise for her to do it out here…"
"H'mm… maybe not too much noise… but that regular tap, tap, tapping could be an intrusion if she's trying to concentrate. Did she say what the homework was tonight?"
"Uh… yeah… Chemistry and Geography…"
"Wow! That school certainly seems to believe in mixing things up! Are we sure that she's in the right place? I mean, I know she missed a semester, but if she's struggling to catch up…"
"She says she's coping okay… but then again, she would say that…" Harm mused aloud and was rewarded by Beth's confirmatory nod, "So… what say we just keep an eye on the situation and then if we feel that she is struggling, then maybe an intervention could be called for?"
"Okay… we'll play it your way for a while and see what happens. Now… I'm going to get a shower and get changed into something a bit more comfortable. Have you started dinner yet?"
"No, not yet. I figured a Spanish omelette with a side of sausage for you and Mattie. Should take about twenty-five minutes."
"That's good for me," Beth smiled and then again took Harm by surprise by reach up and kissing him lightly again.
"Oh… wow… um… yeah…" he floundered as Beth walked towards the archway, flashing a distinctly naughty grin over her shoulder at him.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
It was twenty-five minutes, almost to the second when a frowning Harm called out "Come and get, afore I throw it to the hogs!"
But it was almost a minute later that Beth and Mattie walked out of the latter's room, Beth obviously trying to explain something to the youngster and Mattie frowning as she tried to take in what Beth was saying.
Harm waited until they were all seated, and he poured a glass of wine each for him and Beth and a glass of sparkling cider for Mattie before he asked, "What was the confab all about?"
Mattie hastily swallowed a chunk of sausage and said, "Uh… I was having a bit of difficulty with slotting various elements in to the periodic table, and Beth was drilling me on them. I mean, I can interpret most of the abbreviations, but I can't seem to get my head around valances, and then have you seen the table? It wanders all over the place. I mean if it's a table then just lines and columns like a spread-sheet would be so much easier!"
"Like a what?" Harm said, pretending ignorance, but all he achieved was to draw a basilisk like stare from a pair of blue eyes and a pair of brown eyes.
"Don't even think about it!" Beth said.
"Yeah, c'mon Harm, how dumb do you think we are? We know you know what a spread sheet is!"
"Manners, Mattie!" Beth said in a reproving voice. "You shouldn't speak to Harm like that. Having said that though…" she switched her view back to Harm and glared at him, "The girl has a point, just how dumb do you think we are?"
"Hey, play nice!" Harm protested, "Otherwise, I won't take you to the wet-down on Friday!"
"Wet-down? What's a wet-down?" Mattie asked.
"A celebration for when someone gets posted, or in this case promoted," Harm explained.
"So who got promoted?" Beth asked.
"Loren Singer picked up her half-ring today, and Harriet Sims has organised the wet-down for Friday, and I'm under orders to bring you both to the next JAG function. So I figured if I brought you to this one, then I'd have obeyed my orders and it would give us an out for anything more normal if we wanted it."
"Do I have to get dressed up for it?" Mattie demanded suspiciously.
"No, it's casual dress, so clean jeans and a sweater should do the trick; at least that's what I'm planning to wear," Harm replied.
"Sounds like a plan," Beth agreed but then her forehead wrinkled, "bit won't that knock a hole in your plan to have all those bricks done for Saturday morning?"
"M'mm…" Harm agreed over the top of his wine glass, "That's why, when the washing up is done, I intend to draft the two of you into helping me! It won't take too long with three of us working at it!" he added in a slightly louder voice over the duet of female groans.