Here we go again!! Enjoy!!
By the way, thank you for all my reviews:o)
JAG HQ - TUESDAY
"Sir?" Tiner knocked on the Admiral's door and went in, "Colonel Mackenzie and Commander Rabb were wondering if you had a minute."
"Yes Tiner, send them in." Tiner nodded to Harm and Mac as they passed him and entered the room, standing attention in front of the Admiral's desk.
"Stand easy." Chegwidden told them both, and they relaxed slightly.
"Sir, may I talk to you about a personal matter?" Mac started, hesitantly.
"Certainly, have a seat."
"Sir, when they took me to the hospital on Sunday after my accident, they ran some tests and discovered that I have a condition call endometriosis." She paused, looking to Harm for support. He reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "It's in the early stages and not too serious, but they do want to operate soon to remove the damaged tissue."
"Are you in any pain or discomfort Mac?" AJ asked, concern for the woman he considered a daughter flashing across his face. Mac managed a smile at that.
"More so from my bruised ribs sir."
"You'll be wanting to take some leave then?"
"Yes sir," Mac replied, "They have me booked in for the operation on Thursday. Its an outpatient procedure, I'll be in and out within a few hours." AJ turned to Harm.
"And you're here I presume because you want to be with her during and after the op?" Harm smiled nervously; even though Sturgis had assured him that the Admiral approved of their relationship, the situation was still akin to meeting the parents for the first time.
"Yes sir. The doctor said Sarah should be able to return to her duties next Thursday, but that she shouldn't be left alone for the first couple of days at least. I was hoping to take some of my leave to make sure she doesn't get herself into anymore trouble." An impish grin flashed across his face and Mac shot him a look, "I mean to cater to her every whim." He continued.
"That's fine Commander. God knows the two of you have an awful lot of leave accumulated. Both of you take as long as you need." The pair got to their feet.
"Thank you sir."
"You're welcome. Before you go, I just wanted to let you know; I've had a word with the SecNav. We are working on an agreement that will allow you both to stay working here despite any personal developments that have recently occurred. I thought you'd like to know." Mac and Harm looked at each other in surprise.
"Thank you sir." They said in unison, before turning and leaving the office. When they got to the door AJ said,
"Take good care of her Harm." He meant both after the operation and in general. Harm turned slightly, his hand on the door handle.
"I will sir." He replied nodding at him. He understood the double meaning.
Admiral Chegwidden sat at his desk after the pair had left the room, a huge smile on his face. I always thought those two would be the death of me, he thought in amusement, there's no denying that they make a fantastic professional team when they aren't bickering like an old married couple, but now they have figured out what was in front of them the whole time, they make an even better personal team. I hope Mac's going to be ok. He stopped suddenly, the cup of coffee he had been drinking paused in mid air, half way to his mouth. He called her Sarah. He realised, And he's still standing! They are going to be fine. He concluded with a grin; Harm will take good care of Mac, and they'll get the future they deserve, I'm sure of it.
"Well that went well." Mac said as they both walked into her office, shutting the door behind them. Harm walked up behind hear and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a gentle bear hug, dropping a kiss on her hair.
"How are you holding up there Marine?" he asked.
"I'm a little nervous," she admitted, turning in his embrace to face him, "but I'm glad you're here." They both looked at each other smiling for a few seconds, eyes caught in each other's gazes.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be" he replied sincerely. He pulled away, giving her hand a squeeze. "You know where I am if you need me, but I better get to work, I've got a meeting with a client in half an hour."
"I'll be fine. Good luck with your case." He flashed her a smile and left quickly.
For Mac, Thursday came around far too quickly. Although she knew that it was important that she go in for this surgery, she was, like most people, nervous and scared that something might go wrong. Her bruises from the accident had faded to that unattractive yellow-brown hue and that, coupled with the nerves about the operation had made her more than a little bit snappy over the last day or so. She was standing in the bathroom looking at her reflection in the mirror as she absent-mindedly brushing her short dark hair when she heard the knock at the door.
"Morning ninja girl" Harm said softly, leaning in to give her a kiss before dragging the bag he had next to him into the apartment. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Like I'll be glad to get back here this evening" she replied, the worry she was feeling evident in her eyes. She looked away as he tried to reassure her with his eyes and she felt him slowly tilt her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eye. Her legs felt weak at the intensity of the expression she saw in his eyes.
"You'll be fine Sarah." He said, leaning in to kiss her again. "We better get going though. You know what they say; the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back!"
A little under 2 hours later, the nurses came into her room to fetch Mac.
"I'll be right here waiting when you get back ok?" Harm said, seeing the look of fear appear on her face.
"Do you promise?" she asked, sounding even to her own ears like a small child. Surprisingly though, she found that it didn't bother her. Showing weakness in front of someone, even Harm who had been her best friend for a good few years, was something new for her, and something she had never thought she would ever do. But somehow now, with Harm, it was ok. She didn't feel scared anymore. There was no need to put on a front with him.
"I promise." He said, walking with the wheelie bed to the door, only letting go of her hand so that she could go through in front. They started to wheel her off down the corridor and Harm had already turned away when he heard her voice.
"Wait!" she said. He turned around to see that they had stopped, and she was twisting round to look at him again. "I'm sorry I've been such awful company for the last couple of days." She said desperately. She didn't know what had made her so anxious to apologise at that moment, but she felt a weight lift off her shoulders when he moved quickly to stand next to her.
"Shhhh, it's ok" he said, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her forehead, and then one on her lips. "I love you." He whispered. "See you in a little while."
"I love you too." She said, calmer now.
Dr Richardson, the doctor who had first treated Mac in the emergency room, was actually a surgeon who had been helping out in the ER when Mac was brought in, and was the one who had carried out Mac's surgery. When the nurses told her that Sarah was awake, she went quickly to her room, eager to share the good news. She paused at the open door however, watching the tender scene in front of her with an almost voyeuristic fascination:
The tall handsome man who had been with her previously was perched on the edge of the bed, a completely smitten look on his face as he gently stroked Sarah's hair while she was dozing peacefully. His other hand was firmly entwined with hers. Dr Richardson shook her head slightly. I would give anything to have someone to look at me so adoringly! She thought with a wry grin, forcing herself to break up the moment and knock on the door. They both looked at her as she entered, but Harm made no move to shift his position on the bed.
"So Doc, what's the prognosis?" Mac asked weakly, fear still evident in her eyes.
"The operation was a complete success." She smiled, "We managed to remove all of the damaged tissue and there has been no actual damage to your uterus. Your chance of conceiving in the future is still normal." A relieved smile broke across her patient's face, and that of her companion, who lent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Thank you doctor!" Mac said, earnestly. "That's the best news I've had in a long time!" Harm pouted at that.
"Heeeeyyyyy!!" he whined, a teasing tone very evident in his voice, "That's what you said about me less than a week ago!"
"Can it flyboy." Mac retorted, laughing at the boyish expression on his face. Harm grinned and rolled his eyes at her.
Dr Richardson couldn't help but smile at the pair. They were just too cute.
"You should be fine to go home in a couple of hours, once you have been able to eat something. And then you should stay off your feet as much as possible until at least Monday. How much leave have you taken?"
"Until Friday." Mac replied, "But our Commanding officer has cleared me to take more if necessary."
"Well we'll make you an appointment for a follow up on Thursday then. We'll do another ultrasound just to make sure everything's ok and then we can clear you for work again."
"Thank you Doctor" they both chorused.
Finis…….for the moment, not forever!!! Next chapter'll be up soon. Let me know wot you think of where I'm going with this – in fairness all the planning has gone out the window now, its kind of ad hoc (I never know where I'm going to end up!!) but I hope I'm putting in enough soppy moments mixed with funny/silly moments!!!!!
Thanks for reading!!!!