Chapter Seven
1700 ZULU or 0920 EST
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
"Josh I would like to ask you some questions about this excursion and how Captain Rabb fits into all of this," the general began.
"As I said before sir Captain Rabb did not have anything to do with this. Captain Rabb was a friend of my father's and therefore became a friend to me. I emailed him last fall for a letter of recommendation for the naval academy. . ." Josh answered.
"Josh you had no right to ask Captain Rabb for anything," Annie Harrison interrupted.
"Mother I believe you are wrong. I am eighteen and an adult. I am glad to consider Captain Rabb a friend, and I asked him to help. And I will be applying to the naval academy. I realize that you are not happy with my decision, but it is my decision. Captain Rabb has offered to sit down with me to try to speak with you about this, but I already have pulled him into the middle of my problems. And it is not fair the way you have treated him. You have filed a complaint to the navy about him when he had nothing to do with our problem." Then turning back to the general he added, "Again I want to apologize for any problems that I have caused the navy, Captain Rabb, and to this office, please forgive me. Captain Rabb has made me aware of my selfishness. I also want to apologize to my mother, Paul, and my sister for my adolescent behavior. I shall endeavor to improve myself in the future."
General Cresswell thought about the teenager's sincere comments for a moment. "Mr. and Mrs. Harrison in view of the resent developments, the return of your children, I hoped that the original complaint that was filed against Captain Rabb could be withdrawn."
"General Cresswell . . ." Annie began slowly shaking her head but was cut off.
"Mother!" Josh angrily reprimanded.
Paul Harrison interrupted "If you could please allow us some time to let today's developments sink in general. Neither I nor my wife slept very well for several days. I feel we are functioning on shear adrenalin at this point. I would hate to see anyone make any decisions that they would not think through thoroughly," he finished glancing sternly at his wife.
"Yes, If we can have until tomorrow," Annie added softly her eyes never leaving her husbands.
"Certainly, we will table this discussion until tomorrow and I will have Petty Officer Simon drive you to your hotel. What time would you like to meet tomorrow?"
"Is 9 o'clock to late?" Paul asked.
"9 o'clock is fine. I will see you then and I will inform the SecNav of the time also," General Cresswell then pushed the intercom, "Petty officer can you drive the Harrisons back to their hotel, and send Captain Rabb in."
"Yes sir."
Rabb knocked on the door-frame. "Enter," the general replied.
"Captain Rabb and Petty Officer Simon reporting as ordered sir," Rabb addressed the general formally as they stood at attention.
The general then shook hands with the Harrisons and added, "I'm happy to see your family reunited. Have a good day and I will see you tomorrow. The petty officer will drive you."
After they left he turned to Rabb and added, "Captain you can have the rest of the day off. I will expect you to be here at 0900 tomorrow when we can hopeful put this incident to rest."
Another knock sounded at the door the general glanced up, "Enter."
The door opened the room was quiet for a brief moment. Then a squeal filled the room, "Da da."
Harm whipped around to see Sarah holding Connor who was reaching out for him.
"Da da," he squealed again with his arms outstretched clenching and unclenching his small fists in a plea for Harm to take him from his mother.
Rabb hesitated he had already broken protocol when he failed to stay at attention he glanced over at the general then back at Connor.
"At ease Captain," the general ordered with a grin.
Harm glanced back at the general to see him nod. He took a step toward Sarah and grabbed a squealing Connor from her arms and swung him airplane style in a circle to the little boy's glee. He giggled as Harm pulled him in for a hug squealing "Da da, Da da."
"Oh man, I missed you guys. When did you fly in?" he asked pulling Sarah to his side and a hug.
"We just landed twenty minutes ago. Bud picked us up at the airport. And as if you did not know, your son was born to fly. He loved it," Sarah explained.
Connor continued his chant while patting Harm's chest with his hands. "Of course he loved flying it is in his blood, adopted or not." Harm ruffled Connor's hair. "When did he start to say Dada instead of babbling?"
"Probably about a half hour after you left he started and he has not stopped," she complained with a chuckle.
"That's my boy. Did you like flying in a big plane?" he made a sound like an airplane engine. Connor responded with a loud squeal and giggling as he continued to pat Harm's ribbons and gold wings.
The general rose from his chair and walked over to Harm, Sarah, and Connor. "It has been a long time since my daughter was this size," he said grinning and patting the little guy's back.
"General would you like to hold him?" Sarah asked.
"Yes colonel I would, but I am not sure the captain will relinquish that honor," he joked. Harm deferred and handed Connor over to him. Connor immediately became fascinated by the general's ribbons.
Harm chuckled, "Yeah Connor, the general has quite a few more ribbons than mom and dad have," Rabb pointed out.
"You are definitely a handful Connor Rabb," the general admitted.
"Well being a Rabb he has a reputation to uphold," Sarah added with a grin.
"Now that is a scary thought, more Rabb's to deal with," the general contemplated with a chuckle as he ruffled the little boy's hair. "Alright you three get out of this office and enjoy the rest of the day, that is an order," he added as he handed Connor back to Sarah. "He is adorable and very well adjusted considering his father's and mother's unusual . . . methods," he admitted grinning. "I'll see you back here at 0900 tomorrow," he said to Harm.
"Thank you general," Harm said as he came to attention and then departed.
xxxxx
Outside Harm asked, "Can we go back to the hotel? There is a lot I need to tell you. And then we need to discuss why I am in the middle of this mess and come up with a strategy of how to handle it."
"Harm you are starting to worry me. I thought this whole incident was over. You found Josh and his sister. What more could they want from you?" Sarah asked. Connor was picking up on her uneasiness and began to fuss in her arms.
Harm looked around at the officers coming and going from the building. "Sarah this is not the place to be discussing this. Can we please go to the hotel?" He took Connor from her and tried to comfort him.
"You're right let's go to the hotel," Sarah agreed.
xxxxx
1855 ZULU 1355 EST
HILTON HOTEL 16TH STREET
WASHINGTON DC
Once in the hotel room Sarah settled Connor down onto the bed, he had drifted off to sleep while in the car. Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed. Harm began to pace back and forth.
"Josh took off after a fight with his mother. As you already know the split with me and Annie came rather sudden, and immediately after the tiger cruise mishap she told me not to call. I had no contact with Annie or Josh until the email from Josh requesting a letter of recommendation from me." Harm sat down on the bed beside Sarah with a heavy sigh. He continued, "The Harrisons filed a complaint with the navy against me for interference with the custody of a minor, removal of a minor from parental custody, and a tentative: transporting a minor across international boundaries."
"Wha . . . And what do they have to base this complaint on? It's ludicrous," Sarah angrily exclaimed.
"Well the transporting across international boundaries will be dropped since they were found in the states, but the other two complaints remain and may become formal charges which we both know would become a court martial. The investigation revealed that Josh's little sister, Karissa's birth certificate had Luke listed as her father."
Harm sat down beside Sarah with a heavy sigh and placed his hand upon her leg and gave it a slight squeeze. "Karissa was born in October of '98, which would make her conception in late January which . . ."
". . . was the time frame that you and Annie were together." she filled in the blanks. "That means . . ."
"Yes, Karissa is probably my daughter," Harm filled in the last blank that Sarah did not want to express out loud.
"So that is why Josh was trying to do," Sarah said slowly.
"I think he felt I should know about Karissa but when he went to my apartment and could not find me he was not sure what to do. He ended up going to the one person he could always talk to, his father."
"So that is why Arlington," she pondered. "You seem to know Josh, maybe even more than you realize . . . So is he saying you had anything to do with him being UA?"
"No he has been forthright with his admission of responsibility for this incident," Harm answered.
"But I still do not understand how they are still accusing you?" Sarah asked. "And why haven't they dropped the complaint?"
"I think Annie is using this to keep me away, at least at a minimum. . . arms length away from Karissa. If she pushes the complaint, this will in effect, keep me away, maybe even permanently. Especially since I can never force the issue or prove paternity, it would basically be a done deal at least as far as the navy is concerned."
"Harm if she is your daughter, can you just walk away from her? And even if you did, will that stop them from coming after you? How can they prove any of this?" she queried.
"Well I think a lot of the pressure is coming from the news media on this one. So my question to you is how do I deal with this. I, or actually, we need a game plan when I go in there tomorrow. This decision affects our entire family. I cannot play to emotions for this one. And you know as well as I do, the SecNav will not think twice about sacrificing me for the good of the navy. And reduction in rank, if not a forced retirement would probably be the outcome," he ground out frustrated at the entire situation.
xxxxx
1335 ZULU or 0835 EST
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
Harm arrived at JAG Headquarters early per Sarah's insistence, he knocked on the general's door frame.
"Enter," the general answered.
"Captain Rabb reporting as ordered sir," Harm said at attention.
"At ease captain. The SecNav and the Harrisons have not arrived yet . . . Would you like some coffee?"
Harm positioned at parade rest, "No thank you sir."
The general studied Harm for a moment. "You do understand that the civil court would have to get involved to force the issue of a paternity test. And the little girl would have to be tested to prove you are the biological father," the general advised.
"I am aware of that sir," Rabb responded quietly as he stared straight ahead at the paneling behind the general.
"Then you are also aware with the media attention already focused on this incident. You will be tried and convicted by the media nothing in your personal life, or for that matter the lives of your family will be off limits. Hell they will probably even make stuff up as they go along. They will in effect ruin your naval career, and maybe even the Colonel's marine career. Are you sure you have taken everything into account?" the general asked then sighed deeply. "I really do not like any part of this captain, but I do not see a way around it at this point," he added sourly.
"Yes sir I am aware of the consequences," Rabb responded. "General my father was shot down in Vietnam when I was six. I know the pain of growing up without a father and waiting for a miracle that would bring him back. Karissa is at an age where her mother is her foundation. If she loses that ability to trust, she will grow up not knowing who to trust. She has two loving parents. Maybe someday when she is older she could understand the situation. But now the media attention alone would rip this little girl apart, while alienating her from the only family she has ever known," Harm surmised.
A knock at the door interrupted any further discussion of the matter.
"Are you sure you are ready for this captain?" the general softly questioned, as he assessed the captain.
Harm nodded his response as he stood quietly at parade rest, his eyes never wavering from the spot on the paneling. "General, I do not really have a choice is the matter. And I have to protect Sarah, Connor & Mattie first, as well as, do what it best for Karissa." His body appeared slightly tense but his face was calm seemingly oblivious of the turmoil that had already overtaken his life and could possibly even end his military career.
The general finally broke the silence, "Enter."
The SecNav strolled into the office with the Harrisons in tow. He glanced over at the captain and asked, "I told the petty officer to take Joshua and Karissa into the conference room while we discussed this matter. I hope that was okay?"
"That's fine. I believe we can wait to get a statement from Joshua until later," the general offered.
"Do you think we could get some coffee? I have not had my morning cup and I am usually not ready to face the world until I have at least one cup," the SecNav asked.
General Cresswell leaned over his desk and punched the intercom. "Petty Officer Simons could you bring in some coffee?" Then he addressed Rabb, "Captain if you would wait in the outer office I will call when I am ready. Dismissed," the general ordered.
"Aye aye sir," Harm responded clicking his heels together doing an about face and exited the room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have you thought about the complaint against Captain Rabb and what we talked about yesterday?" General Cresswell asked.
"I do not want to pursue the complaint any further. I would hate to see Captain Rabb's career damaged from this incident. Josh would never forgive me if it did. But at the same time, I want to protect Karissa. . . " Annie started but stopped when Paul Harrison laid his hand on her knee.
After a period of uncomfortable silence, "Mr. and Mrs. Harrison let there be no mistake, if you feel Captain Rabb was in any way involved in this incident he will be punished to the full extent allowable," the SecNav explained.
Mr. Harrison glanced at his wife. He offered, "We wish to thank you for utilizing all your resources in finding the Joshua and Karissa, and bringing them back unharmed. Captain Rabb has gone beyond the call in making this happen. I believe he is an exemplary officer. We all wish the complaint could just disappear."
"So am I correct that you do not believe that Captain Rabb had any influence on Joshua's decision to leave with his sister?" the general clarified.
"We spoke with Josh at great lengths last evening and understand that we were wrong in accusing the captain of any wrong doing in the incident," Paul answered.
The SecNav and general exchanged knowing glances. "I guess my last question would then be in reference to the comment about protecting Karissa, Mrs. Harrison. What do you feel, should be done to protect Karissa, ma'am?" the general asked.
Annie sat quietly and staring at her hands in her lap. After a few moments the SecNav stated, "The news media approached me yesterday about this incident. I gave them a simple statement last evening without disclosing any details of your identities, that the missing child had been located. Today, I will need to persuade them that the outcome of this incident was taken care of and that a proper unbiased investigation was completed."
Annie looked up the tears welling in her eyes threatening to spill over. She glanced at her husband and then over at the general and the SecNav but remained silent.
"Mrs. Harrison maybe I can alleviate some of your fears. I spoke with Captain Rabb this morning about the issue of Karissa's paternity. He does not want to undermine your relationship with Karissa. And he does not think Karissa could handle the pressure and media attention, at her current age, that this incident has raised. I believe he would agree to wait until Karissa is old enough to understand the issues better," General Cresswell explained. "If Captain Rabb was to agree to those terms, and If you approve of this solution, I am sure the SecNav would agree that no disciplinary action need to be taken against the captain."
Annie nodded her head in agreement as she began to cry openly as Paul tried to comfort her.
"Just as long as Captain Rabb understands that Mrs. Harrison will pick an appropriate time to inform Karissa of her paternity; after it is also explained to him that I will not tolerate any attempt to manipulate this situation; then I will agree to this solution," the SecNav offered. "If this solution is satisfactory with the Harrisons, then I believe you can have Captain Rabb come in and have the finer points of this agreement explained, general," the SecNav finished.
When Annie and Paul both indicated they agreed. General Cresswell buzzed the intercom to have the petty officer send Captain Rabb back into the office.
Harm knocked and then entered the office coming to stop in front of the general's desk at attention. General Cresswell explained the fine points of the solution with the SecNav's additions. The general added that there would be no disciplinary action if he agreed to the terms.
"Yes, sir I understand," Harm added.
"I will hold another press conference to notify the news media that no charges are going to be filed for this incident that an impartial investigation has cleared the naval officer of any wrong doing. If that is okay with everyone involved?" the SecNav proposed. He then shook hands with Annie and Paul bade them luck with their future endeavors and left the room.
General Cresswell clenched his jaw and glanced at Harm. "Mr. and Mrs. Harrison if you want, you can go and join your children in the conference room. I will have the paperwork to cancel the complaint ready for you to sign in a few minutes. Thank you for your patience in this matter I am glad everything worked out for you," he continued as he showed them out of his office.
"Thank you Captain for agreeing to this, I realize that you got the shitty end of the stick here," the general conceded after he closed the door.
"I just wanted to protect Karissa. The rest of it, I really do not care about," Rabb stated shortly.
"I did not figure you agreed to this for Annie Harrison," the general admitted. "Come on, I need to get that complaint to them to sign off on it." He walked with the captain into the bull pen.
Harriet, Sarah and the kids were there talking to Bud. They smiled when they approached.
"So is this mess over Sarah asked Harm.
"Yeah," Harm responded quietly as he took her hand.
"Da da," filled the room, Connor who was being held by Harriet was leaning toward Harm to take him.
Bud announced, "We are having an impromptu gathering tonight at the house. Everyone is welcome. Captain and Colonel I was wondering if you would like to call Mattie and ask her to come. General if you would call your wife and daughter. Sturgis call Vereese. We are not having anything fancy probably some pizza, tacos, and salad but a whole lot of camaraderie with the whole gang together. And the kids can play they will have a ball."
"Sure Bud thank you we would be glad to on the condition we pay for some of the food, we will get some wine, beer and soda too," Harm added.
"I agree, sounds like a great idea to get the gang together, and we all thank the Robert's for opening their home once again," the general indicated smiling.
As they were planning and talking the children took off running through the offices and ended up bursting into the conference room. Harm had been trying to round up AJ, who seemed to be the leader of the pack. Harm entered following a sprinting AJ. He had forgotten the Harrison's were still in the conference room. He skidded to a halt, "Sorry, I apologize for the intrusion," he stated softly, when he realized that he had interrupted them. He glanced to his right as AJ went running into bookshelves of the law library. "AJ come on give Uncle Harm a break here," Harm grumbled attempting to sound annoyed, as he strode after him.
xxxxx
I hope this chapter is up to par, the plot hole, made for some major revamp & changes. As always all mistakes are mine and mine alone. I'm back from another weekend vacation. There is nothing like camping and hiking to bring the world back into perspective for me. Someone left graham crackers and trail mix out on their picnic table not to far from us and a neighborly bear decided to take care of the clean up for them. I'm really sad to see that summer is winding down (this weekend was rather chilly), I hope everyone enjoyed their summer,
Lyn