The moment that the door slams in his face he raises his fist to knock.
"Mac, please just hear me out," he begs.
She stares at the door, willing him to go away.
"I'm not leaving until we talk about this," he insists.
She begrudgingly reopens the door. She allows him to step inside the apartment. He closes the door, and places his shoes on the floor.
"Is it easier for you to just push me away when things don't go your way?" He asks.
"I just want…"
He cuts her off, "I want this to work."
"You're not making a very good effort," she points out.
"Why do you have to make this so damn hard?" He growls.
"Me? You are the one who makes everything so damn complicated," she argues.
"I think it would be a mistake for us to just jump into a relationship. Mac a couple of weeks ago you were getting married to another man."
"I know."
"I just think that we should get ourselves in order before we try to work on whatever is going on between us."
"What about last night?" She queries still wrapped in a towel.
"We got caught up in the moment," he explains.
"What are you telling me?"
"We need to pump the brakes," he answers.
"What have we been doing?"
"Mac, please."
"I am so tired of waiting around for you."
"You're tired of waiting for me, or you're tired of waiting?"
"Excuse me?"
"You want what you want, and you want it right now."
"So?"
"So, you can't have everything that you want when you want it," he tries to reason with her.
"I have tried to be patient."
"Patience isn't your strong suit. Mac, please just trust me."
"I do trust you, that's the problem" she finally locks eyes with him.
"I know that you are tired of being alone. I know that you are ready to get married, and start thinking about the future."
"But, you're not?"
"I am ready to take this one step at a time."
"You walk rather slowly these days."
"Did you ever think that maybe you just walk to fast?"
"What are you asking me, here?"
"Can you be content just to walk beside me?"
"That is what I have been doing for the past five years."
"Is that a no?"
"You want space?" She probes.
"Yes, are you going to fault me for that?"
"Harm I don't know how long I can wait."
"I am not asking you to wait forever."
She smirks, "No, just until we're retired, senior citizens, maybe by then you will finally be ready."
"If we rush this it will end about as successfully as my last flight did."
"We'll nearly drown?"
"Yeah," he nods.
"And you'll nearly die?"
"Something like that."
"Okay."
"You're just saying okay so I'll leave, aren't you?"
"Probably," she nods in confirmation.
"How long are you going to be mad at me?"
She shrugs, "I don't know."
"I should go."
"That is the first thing that you've said all day that I actually agree with."
He turns to leave. She watches him go, closing the door behind him. She heads into her bedroom, and proceeds to get dressed.
The following day at work she finds herself distracted. She's sitting behind her desk, staring at her computer, blankly. She's thinking about Harm's notable absence. He hasn't returned to work just yet. She feels herself replaying the events of the past 72 hours. She's so consumed by thought that she doesn't hear someone enter her office.
"Ma'am," the gunny repeats.
She looks up at Victor, "Huh?"
"Ma'am did you hear me?"
"Sorry, gunny I was distracted. What did you say?"
"I have the file that you asked for earlier," he waves a manila folder.
She nods as he extends his arm across her desk. She slips it from his grip.
"Thank you, gunny."
"You're welcome, ma'am," he smiles, "Anything else?"
"No, that will be all."
"Ma'am you are aware that it's after two, right?" He questions before leaving the room.
"Is that significant?"
"You've been in here since you finished in court four hours ago."
"I've been busy gunny."
"You never went to lunch."
"I don't have time today. I've got to finish reading these case files so that I'll be prepared for court tomorrow."
"You're sure that I can't help you?"
"I'm sure."
"Ma'am I would like to remind you that you have a meeting at two thirty."
"Thank you, gunny."
He leaves the room. Without a word he closes the door behind himself, despite the fact that it was open when he entered. She opens the case file that he's given her. She begins to read the file. By the time that she's finished reading all the case files it's after seventeen hundred. She's making notes when someone knocks on her door.
"Enter," she gives permission.
Harriet enters the room.
"Do you need something lieutenant?"
"I just came to ask you if you needed anything before I go."
"No, thank you for the offer."
"Ma'am?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Simms?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Are you okay?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You just seem different today," Harriet observes.
"I'm just distracted, I guess."
"Okay," Harriet decides not to push the matter any further.
"You should get going," Mac tells her.
"Aye," she agrees.