11
Harm was still not quite up to speed with what had just happened in the SecNav's office as Barker walked him out to the CP, where still in something of a daze he handed back his visitor's pass and signed out of the building, and headed out across the parking lot.
The sight of Mattie, apparently dozing in the passenger seat served as the first dose of reality as he unlocked the driver's door and settled behind the wheel.
Mattie who, despite the open book on her lap, had been listening with her eyes shut to the music stored on her I-Pod, felt the Lexus move as Harm climbed in, and detaching one of her ear-buds, she turned to him with a raised eyebrow and said, "Well?"
"Well, I know you weren't born to it," he answered, carefully choosing his words, "but if all goes according to plan, it looks like you're going to become a military brat…"
"So… I guess you're quitting the crop-dusting business?"
"Not until Friday, boss!" he grinned
Mattie nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah… I was going to have to let go all the pilots except maybe one, anyway... and probably a mechanic or two, as well…" she said sadly.
"Harm twisted in his seat and saw the troubled look on the teenager's face. "Well, you know, Catherine and I have been having a think about that sort of thing, and we've got one or two ideas to trot past you, this evening. So don't go firm on making any decisions until the three of us have talked this thing through, OK?"
Mattie nodded, and then gasped, "Oh… crap! I'm such a bitch… Oh, I'm so sorry! You said something about me getting to be a military brat… so I reckon that means you're back in the navy?"
"Umm… yeah. Yeah, I guess I am!" The reality of the situation suddenly broke over Harm, and his one-hundred megawatt smile lit up his face.
"Uh-huh, and I suppose that happy face means that is what you wanted, I guess?" Mattie still sounded a bit doubtful.
"Yes, Mattie, it really is." Harm looked at her soberly, "Is that OK with you?"
"I guess. If it's what you want, then congratulations!"
"Hey, don't sound so enthusiastic, squirt! Like I said, my being back in the service could really help our chances in court!"
"Yuh think?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah. I think!" he said emphatically.
Mattie nodded, considering, "How long before you have to check-in with the navy?"
Harm smiled at her choice of words, "I have to report for duty at oh-eight hundred hours on Monday," he told her.
"Uh-huh… and when do you reckon we'll go to court… about you becoming my guardian, I mean?"
"That I don't know Mattie… I've never done this before, but I do know that there's lots of formalities to go through, interviews, home visits, and then there's the matter of the court finding a space in the calendar… I honestly don't know."
"So… what happens now, between you… going for duty, and us going to court?"
"Well… right now, I'm not sure… but I'm not going to just stick you on a shelf and wait for the day… either Catherine or I will call you every day, and I'll come down to Charlottesville at least once a week, just to keep an eye on you. And I'll figure out how to get someone, maybe a neighbour, just to watch over you while I'm not there…"
"You don't have to do this, Harm."
"Yeah, yeah I do, Mattie. I'm not leaving you to CPS. A few years ago I was involved in the case of a little girl - two little girls, really, twins - who were in the system, but they fell through the cracks. I didn't find out about them until it was too late for Annie, but I was in time to help Dar-Lyn. But I am not going to take the chance that you fall through the cracks. I said I'd take care of you and I will. OK?"
Mattie nodded again, her eyes still troubled.
Harm shook his head gently, "It's going to be a while before we get to the hospital, do you want to stop on the way, maybe get a sandwich and a shake?"
"Yeah, I guess." Mattie replied making a brave try to shake of the sudden doubts she had felt ever since Harm had returned to the car.
"Good girl. I know a place over in Seven Corners where I'm told the Double Chocolate Thick Shake is to die for!"
"Oh, yeah?" scoffed Mattie. "I never met a shake I didn't like, so bring it on," she hesitated and then with a shy smile added, "sailor!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Well, you won't be needing a dinner this evening!" Harm commented as he waited for Mattie to settle herself back into her seat and buckle her seat belt.
"How do you figure that out?" an intensely curious, and very much surprised Mattie replied.
"You had breakfast this morning, right?" Harm asked, taking Mattie's nod to signify assent.
"Then we had lunch."
"Yeah, if you call a handful of grass and a tomato, lunch!" Matte muttered rebelliously.
"Yes, I do," Harm agreed cordially, "especially when it comes with spicy rice, celery, eggs and smoked fish! And now you've just had a chicken sandwich and just about the biggest, thickest chocolate milk-shake I've ever seen!" Harm shuddered in pretended horror.
"Hey, what can I say?" Mattie protested, "Growing teenager here!"
"Yeah", Harm grinned, as he trod on the gas and the Lexus accelerated smoothly away from the lights at the entrance to the parking lot, "Growing outwards!"
"Are you saying I'm fat?" Mattie challenged him, her voice not quite hostile.
Harm grinned and looked across at the slim teenager now glaring at him, "Fat? You? Never! But you might want to cut down on the junk food a bit, not just to keep yourself slim, but to avoid clogging your arteries up with all sorts of cr.. uh... rubbish. You know, healthy eating?" he finished on a hopeful note.
Mattie giggled at Harm's near slip of the tongue, and then grinned cheekily, "Like I said, growing teenager here and junk food is practically compulsory for teenagers!"
Harm shook his head in mock-disbelief and turned his concentration back to the road for the rest of the fifteen minute drive to Pimmit Hills.
x-x-x-x-x
Turning into the parking lot at the Kresge Medical Centre, he turned to face Mattie once more, "Remember we're here so that Catherine's mother can meet you. Don't worry about putting on a front for her, you won't be able to keep it up, and that lady is as sharp as needle she'll see straight through any bu... uh… any smokescreen that you throw out. So act natural, be yourself…" he eyed her in some slight concern, "but maybe, just maybe, power down a bit on the over-active lever?" he suggested.
Mattie nodded her understanding, and then in a quiet voice asked, "What's wrong with Catherine's mom?"
Harm had been half-expecting this question, and he had several answers half-prepared; which one he used he'd figured depending on how the question was asked. "Catherine's mom is pretty sick. She's got a heart problem that keeps her in bed most of the time and under medical care all the time. But, she doesn't let that get her down. I just told you she's sharp, in fact, she's one the sharpest people I know. She's also got a great, if dry, sense of humour." He smiled remembering some of their humour and repartee filled conversations.
Mattie continued to look at him gravely, "She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Mattie asked in a tone just as grave as her expression.
Harm looked across at her in mild amazement; he hadn't expected the mercurial girl in the passenger seat to be quite so perceptive. Making a quick recovery from his surprise he smiled gently and said simply, "Yes. Yes, she does."
Mattie drew a deep breath, "OK, I guess it's time I went and passed the inspection, huh?"
"No, Mattie, there's no inspection to be passed. Esther Gale is a wonderful, kind person… In some ways, the ways that count most, Catherine is very like her. Catherine likes you - a lot, and you like Catherine, right?"
"Yeah… of course, I like her - she's great… besides…"
"Besides, what?"
"Uh… nothing really… So, do I actually get to meet Catherine's mom at some stage this year?"
"Sure," Harm grinned, "let's get going squirt!" But as he walked with Mattie to the hospital entrance he wondered what she'd been about to say just before she changed her mind.
He still hadn't worked out what she might have been on the verge of saying when reaching Esther Gale's room, he knocked gently on the doorjamb before sticking his head around the frame to see to his surprise that Catherine was sitting reading a magazine, in a chair pulled up next to the bed, while Esther lay breathing gently with her eyes closed.
Catherine turned her head at Harm's knock and smiled, "Come on in," she said quietly, "Mom's just drifted off to sleep. I think she got tired of waiting for you!"
Harm groaned quietly at the pun, and shepherded Mattie in to the room, indicating that she should take the other chair while he propped himself against the window ledge.
"How is she today?" he asked equally quietly.
"She's… cyclical," Catherine replied with a slight frown, "When she's awake, she's like her old self, bright, alert… cheeky… but she gets tired quickly and nods off for a few minutes… I expect she'll wake up again soon and be as right as rain for a while."
Harm pulled a slight face and nodded to show his understanding.
Their words and byplay were not, however lost on Mattie, and she looked a little pale as she turned her attention from Catherine to her mother to Harm. However before she could say anything Esther Gale blinked twice as she awoke and as her vision came back into focus she smiled happily as she saw Harm leaning against the window sill.
"Commander!" she exclaimed joyfully, "What a lovely surprise! What are you doing here? Why aren't you cropping dust or something equally daring?"
"Good afternoon, Esther," Harm replied as he advanced and leaned over to place a kiss on Esther's cheek. "I'm not dusting crops this afternoon, 'cause my boss let me have the day off, but I think I've done something just as daring." He nodded towards Mattie, diverting Esther's gaze in that direction, "I've brought my boss to meet you!" He smiled encouragingly at Mattie as the teenager met the sharp, inquisitive, look that Esther turned upon her, and then stood uncertainly as Catherine interjected, "Mom, I'd like you to meet Mattie Grace, Harm's boss; Mattie, this is my mother, Esther Gale…"
Mattie smiled shyly and held out her hand, "Pleased to meet you, ma'am," she offered.
"Oh, and you too, child!" Esther exclaimed with real pleasure in both her eyes and voice. "Come here, so I can look at you! Catherine, I thought you said that you and Harmon were going to apply for legal guardianship of a child!" And then she won Mattie's heart, "But I don't think this young lady really needs a pair of guardians, she looks perfectly capable of looking after the both of you!"
"Mom!" Catherine protested, fearing that Esther's encouragement might make Mattie resistant to the idea of guardianship, but her protest was overridden by Harm's deep chuckle.
"Yeah, you got us Esther. This is all a cunning plan to put Mattie under an obligation to us, so that she can look after us in our old age - which, after all, is only just around the corner!" He accompanied his outrageous statement with an outrageously broad wink directed at the teenager, to ensure that she realised he was joking.
The success of his intervention was witnessed by Esther Gale's broad smile and by Mattie's crow of laughter, which she hastily smothered and then flashed a quick glance at Esther, followed by a guilty look at Harm. Esther's chuckle which followed as she observed this by-play was all that was needed to give the quietus to any lingering awkwardness.
Harm levered himself off the window sill and came to stand behind Catherine, reassuringly laying a hand on her shoulder. Catherine felt a sense of relief and settled back in her chair, smiling up at Harm, and covering his hand with her own, as Esther turned back towards Mattie and cocking her head said, "Come over here, Mattie, you can sit on the bed - if those jeans are clean - and let Harmon sit down." She lowered her voice and added in conspiratorial tones, "It gives me a crick in the neck to have to stare up at him all day; he's too damn tall!"
Mattie's face creased in a cheerful smile as she moved towards the bed and answered, "Yes, ma'am, he has that effect on me too sometimes!"
"H'mm, you know, that 'ma'am' you keep calling me, just doesn't seem to fit, it makes me sound old. I tell you what: I'll call you Mattie and… and you call me, Esther, OK?"
Mattie looked at her dubiously, "I don't know… it doesn't seem respectful… it doesn't seem right…"
"And why not, young lady? I don't want you to call me 'ma'am', and I'm certainly not about to have you go all formal and start calling me 'Mrs Gale' - when anybody calls that it reminds of my husband's mother," she continued in a mischievous aside, "and she was a terrible woman, she frightened me to death!" Esther paused as much to allow Mattie to giggle as for her own need to catch her breath, before she returned to their point of contention. "So, if I'm not Mrs Gale or ma'am and I'm not related to you, what else are you going to call me? And when all is said and done, Esther is my name!"
Mattie looked doubtfully at Esther, and then in an unspoken request for guidance she turned to Harm, only to find that he and Catherine had moved away to the corner of the room and appeared totally absorbed in each other.
Harm softly asked Catherine, his voice shaded with concern, "What are you doing here so early?" He was well aware that the Kresge was also Catherine's Health Care provider for her pregnancy and delivery. "Is everything alright with Elizabeth?"
"Everything's fine, Harm don't worry." Catherine replied just as quietly, "I just called in to the office and took a personal day. I went down to Charlottesville first thing this morning and filed the application for our co-guardianship of Mattie, and I also filed a ninety day injunction against Tom Johnson preventing him from exercising his power of attorney over Grace Aviation." She shrugged, "Not that it will do much good, if the court can't get in contact with him to tell him. And that applies to the application I've made to the court for its revocation. Still it's got to be done! I… uh… also paid a brief visit to the CPA of record… and that needed to be done too!"
"Yeah it had," Harm replied, his eyes still dark with worry, as he raised his hand to cup her cheek, and gently ran his thumb along her cheek-bone, "But I wish you hadn't made that drive alone!"
Catherine reached up and held his hand in place while she pressed her face against it, "You worry too much. I keep telling you, I'm only pregnant, not made of glass!"
"I know, I know… I hover too much. But still…" he sighed.
"Yeah… I guess," Catherine agreed.
Esther followed the young girl's eyes and smiled, "Yes, they look good together don't they? And better, they look happy too!"
"Yes, ma'a…"
"Mattie!"
Mattie smiled, shrugged her shoulders and surrendered, "Yes, Esther, they look pretty good."
"Well?" Harm asked taking a quick glance back across the room in the direction of the bed and, smiling down at Catherine, "What's the verdict, counsellor?"
Catherine cast a quick glance sideways at the sight of her mother arguing with the teenager, "Yes, it's going well, it's early days yet, but they seem to like each other…"
"H'mm… yeah, they do… but do you want to bet who'll win that argument? Mattie's got some pretty strong notions about what's right and fitting!"
"H'mmm… maybe, but mom's pretty damn stubborn herself… and she's got experience on her side! She's had to deal with Donnie all his life…"
"Oh, yes, of course. But, then again, she had you as well, but I don't suppose you ever even attempted to contradict her, did you?"
Catherine eyed him dubiously. It was difficult to judge, from his expression, whether he was being serious, or whether he was teasing her. After a few seconds thought while she searched his face for a clue, she decided that he had been teasing her, and responded in kind. "Me, argue with my mother? Of course not!"
Unfortunately for Catherine not only was Harm not deceived by her protestation of innocence, but Esther and Mattie had dropped into a momentary silence, and Catherine's words, although softly spoken, carried clearly across the room. Both Harm and Esther stared at her for a moment or two with almost identical expressions of staged disbelief on their faces, before they exclaimed simultaneously, "Catherine!"
The look of chagrin on Catherine's face and the identical stress and tone of Harm and Esther's interjection was too much for Mattie, who burst out into a giggle, which set both Harm and Esther chuckling, and after a moment when her face flamed red, Catherine was forced to follow suit, protesting to Mattie through her laughter, "What did I tell you about making me laugh!"
Mattie only giggled the more, as Harm stopped halfway across the room as he supported Catherine back towards her chair, "Are you OK?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"What?" a surprised Catherine replied, and then, "Oh, yes, of course! Yes, I was just reminding Mattie about the perils of laughing while pregnant." And then as Harm's face still failed to register any comprehension, she sighed, "It's nearly a two hundred feet waddle to the bathroom in case of emergency!" she explained.
"Oh… yeah… right…" Harm mumbled, blushing; he had carefully tuned out that part of last Sunday's conversation, as he resumed helping Catherine back into her chair. His reticence was seen by all three women who reacted with indulgent smiles and pitying head-shakes.
x-x-x-x-x
"OK, people, let's settle down shall we?" Harm suggested as the giggling between Catherine and Mattie threatened to get out of hand. The two women at once adopted over attentive attitudes, moving to the forward edges of their chairs and looking sat him with expectant faces.
Despite what Harm considered the huge amount of ground they needed to cover this evening, he couldn't entirely suppress a grin as he took a seat on the couch next Catherine and growled, "OK, you two clowns, knock it off. This is serious. Mattie, Catherine and I have gone through the company books, and unless something is done pretty damn quick, then you're going to lose the company, and your home with it!"
Mattie's eyes filled with tears, which she angrily wiped away with the cuff of her sweatshirt, and in a gruff little voice, said, "Harm, we can't let that happen… the company, the house… they were mom's…," the pitch of Mattie's voice changed as her emotions changed from fear to anger, "They're all I've got left of her… And I'm not going to lose them too because of him!"
Harm and Catherine exchanged a look of understanding and Harm fell silent as Catherine took over their end of the conversation, "Well, we're hoping too, that won't happen. And we think we've got a couple of ideas that might let the company have enough breathing time to recover. But we need you to listen carefully to what we are going to say, and if there is anything that you don't understand, then you've got to tell us that, so we can go over it again, and again, and again, if need be, until you are happy that you do understand, OK?"
Mattie nodded, and Catherine shooting another glance at Harm took a breath and continued, "What the company is in urgent need of is capital; that is, money. Not money that is raised by a loan, and that has to be repaid at interest, but money to that is invested in the company, by people who would expect a share of the profits, once the company starts making money again. Do you understand that, Mattie?"
Mattie sat still for a minute, "Yeah, but how would that work?" she asked doubtfully.
Catherine took a piece of paper and wrote down a figure. "That is what your books and your bank and your CPA all roughly agree is what the company is worth. Now, if we divide this figure by a hundred, we end up with this new figure. That figure represents the value of one per cent of the company, so let's call that a share. You can form a partnership by selling off some of these shares to other people…"
"Sell part of the company!" Mattie exclaimed angrily, "I'm not going to let the company go! It ain't gonna happen! Find some other way!"
"Power down, Mattie," Harm soothed her, "and hear us out." He took up the argument, not wanting Catherine to appear as the bad guy, "Nobody's saying you lose the company. Look, whoever owns fifty-one per cent has the controlling interest, what we're suggesting is that you sell off forty per cent of the company - with a buy back option - so you keep firm control of sixty per cent, the company is still yours, you're still the boss."
"M'mm…" Mattie seemed to be giving the matter some thought. "But what happens… if the company doesn't make a profit, and these other people want out?"
"Well, we set up conditions so that if they want to sell their shares, they have to offer them to you first."
"Yeah, OK, but what if I don't got the money, if the company isn't making a profit?"
"Well, that's what people mean when they say that value of investments can fall as well as rise. The only reason for people to bail out is because the value of their investment has gone down too far, and if that's the case then probably the only person wanting to buy those shares would be you."
"Yeah… but the company ain't making money right now, so who would want to buy right now… except for me?" Mattie asked, managing to find a weak grin at the end of her sentence.
"Well, now," Harm said expansively, "I'd be willing to buy… say… ten per cent… and I know a guy who might be prepared to buy the other thirty per cent…
Mattie looked at him, at first she had looked hopeful, and then as she started to figure things out, her expression changed to one of suspicion, "Why would you want to buy into a company that's headed down the toilet?"
"Because, Mattie, I have faith in the company, I have faith in you. Hell, if it hadn't been for that damn' loan, you wouldn't be in trouble now. You wouldn't be in easy street, but you wouldn't be in a mess. And I figure with good management, and a rest from having to cut the electricity use to pay the fuel bills, the company will do alright. With good management!"
Mattie scowled, "That's the second time you've said that! What are you up to?"
"Mattie, you're going to have to go back to school, and you won't be able to do that and run the company. So we need to find someone with aviation savvy and who can satisfy the FAA licensing regulations to be able to run the company for you. To be your hands-on guy at Blacksburg, while you can't be."
"Oh, yeah, scoffed Mattie, where are you going to find someone with those qualifications, who'd be willing to take on that job for what I can't pay… Oh, you've already found someone, haven't you? All this was just a set up!"
"Well, Mattie, no. It wasn't a set up," Catherine chimed in. "We've thought of somebody to be the manager, but we haven't said anything to anyone."
"Just the same way I haven't said anything to the guy who might be willing to invest. Like I said earlier, we don't do anything without your say-so. Hey, I might be back in the navy, but as far as Grace Aviation is concerned, you are still, and will still always be the boss!" Harm said earnestly but with an encouraging smile.
Mattie who had had little reason recently to trust the adults in her world looked at them both, wanting them to have been straight with her but still half-afraid of trusting them, gulped, and then asked as would a child, "Honest?"
They both nodded, "Yes, Mattie, honest."
"OK..." she said doubtfully, "Can we give it a try?"
"Of course we can, honey," Catherine held out her arms and Mattie lid of her chair onto her knees and allowed Catherine to hold her, as she fought back tears of something she was not really certain of: relief, sadness, happiness, or some other emotion.
Harm gave a nod of approval, unseen by either Catherine or Mattie and got to his feet, digging his cell 'phone out of his pocket. Hitting a speed-dial number, he waited for the answer across the other side of the continent.
"Burnett."
"Hi, Frank, it's Harm, is mom home yet?"
"Hello, son... No, not yet, why?"
"Uh... I've got some news... several bits of news really, and I figure that I'd best tell you first, because if I start to try and tell mom over the 'phone things are going to get..."
"Complicated?"
"Uh... well... more complicated." Harm confessed with a grin at Catherine and Mattie who had just become aware that he was talking on the 'phone.
"OK, son, I'm sitting down. Hit me."
"Well, it's been kinda a busy day... First off, Catherine and I are buying a house on the edge of Vienna, up by Tyson's Corner."
"Yeah, we kind of worked out that was going to happen, that apartment of yours is no place for a baby, nor that neighbourhood any place for a child to grow up! Is that it?"
"Um... no. I've been reinstated back in the navy, and I report for duty on Monday morning."
"Well! That's fantastic... or is it? Are you back at Falls Church?"
"Um... no. I can't go back to Falls Church for a while. The Admiral resigned, so if I go back it'll seem..."
"Yeah... it would. So where...?"
"The Pentagon. Working directly for the SecNav."
Catherine looked up in surprise at that, although a hasty conversation in the parking lot at Pimmit Hills had let her know that Harm was indeed back in the navy, their focus since arriving at her apartment had been on Mattie and the financial questions concerning Grace Aviation. Catherine bit her lip, she wasn't totally sure that working so closely with the SecNav was something that Harm, with his highly developed sense of right and wrong, was something that he could or should be doing.
"Ah... how's that going to work out?"
Harm grinned, somewhat mirthlessly, "I'll let you know when - and if - it does."
"You have reservations?"
"A few, but we'll see..."
"Yeah. Well. You sure said a mouthful, son."
"Umm..." Harm hesitated and looked over again at Catherine and Mattie, "Uh... I've not quite done yet, Frank"
Frank was silent for a few seconds, which to Harm seemed to stretch into minutes before he said "And...?"
"Uh... I kinda... saved the best 'til last."
"Stop beating about the bush, Harm. What?"
"Uh... Catherine and I, we sort of... filed for the guardianship of a teenage girl today..."
The silence in La Jolla was deafening in Georgetown, until Frank drew a ragged breath and said, "How do you mean you sort of filed..."
"Yeah, well we did. We filed for the..."
"No. No. Do not repeat that, if I don't hear it again, I might be able to plead plausible deniability. Harm, you don't really expect me to tell your mother that, do you? Have a heart son; I have to live with her!"
"Well, I was kinda hoping..."
"Uh-uh, forget, Harm. I'll tell her you called, and that you want her to call you back because you have some news for her. I am not putting my head in that lion's mouth!"
"Oh... OK... but before you go, Frank, I have an investment opportunity for you: a thirty per cent share in a business with a lot of potential, once we get it under proper management."
"Harm..."
"I'm serious Frank. If I had the money to buy both the house and the whole forty per cent option, I'd do it. As it is, I'm in for ten per cent."
Frank was quiet again for few seconds before he spoke again. "OK, fax me a copy of this company's latest quarterly figures, and a business plan, and I'll look them over."
"Yeah, will do. And Frank, there's one more thing."
"Go on." Frank's voice was rich with resignation.
"You're still in the property market back here, aren't you?"
"Yes... why?"
"Umm... there's a domestic mortgage I'd like you take a look at, with a view to taking it over..."
Frank chuckled grimly at that, "Are you sure you don't want a pound of flesh from nearest my heart, too?"
"I couldn't Frank. We all know that belongs to mom!"
This time Frank's chuckle held real amusement, "Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Well, I'll pass on most of your news to your mom, but there is still no way that I'm going to tell her about the guardian thing."
"I'd call you a coward, if I wasn't afraid of her myself!"
"Right back at you, Harm. Talk to you soon!"
"Yeah, 'bye Frank!"
Harm turned to Catherine and Mattie who had huddled together on the couch and had been listening to his side of the conversation round-eyed and open-mouthed. "That went well, I thought." He quipped, but unable to completely hide the relief he felt.
"Gee, ya think?" queried Mattie.
"Yeah, I do, squirt. Now, get back over there where you belong and let me snuggle up to my girlfriend here!"
Mattie scowled but did as she was asked, "No full on displays of affection, please. I don't want to be scarred for life by watching you oldies make out!" she commented with a grin as she sat cross-legged in the armchair, a cushion hugged to her stomach.
"H'mmm," Catherine mused, fixing Mattie with a stare, "That sounds like bed with no dinner to me!" She cocked her head up to face Harm, "What do you think?" she asked him.
"I think, that we ought to her slide - this time."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it's her first evening with us, and we haven't yet explained to her how rude it is to accuse you of being old..."
"Me?" Catherine interrupted indignantly, as Mattie sniggered, "It was you she was talking about!"
"H'mm, we're not going to agree on this, are we?" Harm asked.
"I shall treat that as a rhetorical question!" Catherine stated with immense dignity, before changing the subject, "Now have we decided what we're having for dinner?"
"Pizza?" Mattie suggested hopefully.
"After what you ate today?" Harm raised an eyebrow, "I don't think so! What do you fancy, Catherine?"
"Nothing too spicy... Thai.. no... that is too spicy... Italian... no...Chinese? There's a menu of the fridge door..."
"I'll get it!" Mattie volunteered and disappeared into the kitchen.
Catherine and Harm looked at each other, "This guardian thing is going to be interesting," Catherine remarked with the air of someone commenting on the weather.
"Oh, yeah!" Harm agreed as Mattie burst back into the room.
The next fifteen minutes were spent in deciding on the exact make-up of their order and 'phoning it in to Catherine's favourite Chinese restaurant just a couple of blocks away on O Street. The order placed, Harm turned to Mattie and said, "Getting ready for the guardianship court hearing, Matts, we are going to have to look at getting you into a school...No, don't pull a face. It's got to happen. If we can show that you are provisionally registered with a school in the area near the house, which I'll take you to see tomorrow, it will go a long way toward showing that we're taking this thing seriously." He looked across at Mattie's unhappy face, "Mattie, it's going to happen, whether you come to us, or whether CPS take you into the system. I know you don't like the sound of it, kiddo, but this time there's no way around, you just gotta suck it up!"
"Yeah, I s'pose. But..." she glared at the two of them, "I don't have to like it!"
"H'mm. Mattie what did you like at your previous school?" Catherine asked.
"Well I was pretty damn... uh... darn good at volleyball, and I was on the swim team. That was cool."
"Uh-huh, and what about in class?"
"Well... I was pretty good at math and chemistry and physics... but I pretty well sucked at English, especially lit... the rest were OK I guess..."
Mattie was spared any further grilling by the entry buzzer announcing the arrival of their meal. Harm dived into his wallet and produced two twenties, and handing them to Mattie said, "Go get 'em, tiger!"
Waiting until the teenager had disappeared on her way down to the lobby, Catherine turned to Harm and asked, "Well... all things considered, that wasn't too bad, to borrow a phrase. I guess I should call Beth tomorrow?"
Harm nodded. "Yeah... I think she's the right one for the job. Besides, there's that twin engine beast sitting idle in the Hangar, and I shouldn't be at all surprised if Beth is rated for it, and that should generate extra income. The DC area is always short of small charter aircraft and with an ex-navy pilot..."
"And OGA, don't forget," Catherine interrupted with a smile.
"True," Harm acknowledged, "we might even get a transport contract with the government, say the DoD for example..."
Any further machinations were put to an end by Mattie's re-appearance bearing two brown paper sacks containing dinner. Catherine saw to their meal's careful re-heating in the microwave, while Harm and Mattie set the table. Catherine mildly surprised Harm by opening a bottle of Muscadet to accompany his prawns in black bean sauce, while she and Mattie shared a bottle of sparkling cider.
The meal over and done with, Harm insisted that Catherine relax on the couch while he and Mattie policed the dining area and kitchen. And as they stood at the sink, Harm up to his elbows in suds and Mattie drying the plates, he turned to her and asked, "Mattie, are you sure you're OK with Catherine and me just walking into your life and taking over?"
Mattie carefully put down the plate she'd been drying, and looked squarely at him, "Harm, if you keep on doing what you've been doing then it's OK I guess... Yeah there are probably going to be times when I get pis... uh... ticked off at you. But from what my friends at school told me, that's kinda normal, you know?"
Harm sighed, "No, Mattie, I don't know, and I guess that's kinda why I'm asking you. I've never done this before, so I guess what I'm saying is that when I make mistakes, and I surely will, then don't beat on me too much..."
"Yeah, well I've never had a real family before either," Mattie said shyly, "An' I know I'm going to foul up, so I guess we'll have to learn to forgive each other, right?"
Harm reached out with a sudsy hand, despite Mattie's squeal of protest, ruffled her already wild hair, "I knew you were a smart kid," he smiled, "but until just now, I didn't realise just how smart!"
Mattie turned scarlet and muttered something inaudible before she looked up at him her heart in her eyes. It was at that instant that Harm realised that what he had at initially seen as a duty of care, had somehow, somewhere along the line, turned into love.
Neither of them, capable of more words at that instant, smiled at each other and in silence turned back to finishing the kitchen work.
As they walked back into the living room Catherine looked across at them and saw that something between them had changed, where they had always, to her eyes, seemed to be comfortable with each other, now they seemed to be more... right together.
"Come on you two, come and sit down, and relax with me. Mattie, do you want to watch TV?"
"Umm... no thanks, Catherine, if it's alright with you, I'd like to try and get on with this book I've got. It's pretty good, it's called Anna Karenina, it's by some Russian guy..."
Catherine was surprised; she struggled upright from her slouch and said, "I thought you didn't like literature?"
"Huh?" Mattie replied elegantly, "Oh, we never got really cool books like this in lit, we got weird stuff, like Lord of the Flies and a lot, and I mean a lot," she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, "of really boring stuff by an English writer, Charles Dickens! Man was he depressing!"
Catherine bit her lip in an effort to keep back her amusement, "And Tolstoy's not depressing?" she asked, not entirely able to hide the quiver in her voice.
"No, he's not," Mattie's forehead furrowed in thought, "Not in the same way. I mean, yeah he's pretty dark in some places, but not overall as depressing as the other guy. Like it's the difference between a sudden shower and a whole day filled with rain and dark grey clouds?"
Catherine poured them all a further drink, before she snuggled back into the circle of Harm's arm. ""You know," she said to him, "Our girl is pretty damn' smart!"
"Yeah I noticed that earlier!" he agreed with a smile that encompassed them both.
Mattie's heart had leaped at Catherine's words, not at being described as being smart, but because Catherine had called her 'our girl' without the slightest sound of hesitation.
However they were not to be left in peace for long, Mattie had hardly got through five or six pages and neither Harm, nor Catherine had yet finished their freshened drinks when Harm's cell 'phone announced that the outside world required at least some of his attention. With a sigh, he unlooped his arm from around Catherine's shoulder and dug into his pocket for the 'phone. He checked the caller ID display, grimaced and just said "Mom" before opening the 'phone.
"Hi, mom!" he said cheerfully.
"Harmon, hello darling, Frank said you called earlier and said that you had some news for us."
"Yes mom, I do; did he tell you about the house?"
"Yes he did! And it's about time you moved out of that apartment, with that wonky elevator. How did you expect Catherine to cope with that, a baby and groceries?"
"We didn't mom, that's one of the reasons we decided to go house hunting, together. Now did Frank tell you that I've gone back into the navy?"
Trish's voice lost its edge of motherly exasperation and instead became loaded with maternal concern, "Yes, he did, darling. Are you sure that's what you want?"
"Yes, mom. It's come at an important time for me. I... I've got responsibilities coming up, and a regular pay packet and a secure job is what I really need right now."
"OK, son. If that's your reason, and you're happy, then I'm happy with it too. But Frank said something about you not being able to be at Falls Church because you'd get the blame for the admiral leaving the navy?"
"Yeah, mom, I know it sounds dumb, and it is dumb, but if I went back there now, it would be seen as a slap in the face of every Admiral in the navy. I'm happy with my new billet at the Pentagon, as I said it's going to provide stability just when I need it."
"Alright then darling, that's good. But Frank said you some more news for me?"
Harm drew a breath. "Mom did I ever mention Mattie to you? She's my crop-dusting boss. Well she's just fifteen years old, her mom died earlier this year in a car wreck, and her dad's completely dropped off the radar. Since then she's been living alone, and trying to run her mom's business. Well so far she's managed to avoid being noticed by CPS and the FAA, but that can't last for long. So to try and stop her getting swallowed up by the system Catherine and I have applied to become her legal guardians."
"Oh, Harm! Isn't that just like you! I guess I must have done something right when I raised you. Your dad would be so proud of you! If you're sure you're doing the right thing, and it sounds to me that you are, then Frank and I are behind you all the way, what is you used to say to your RIOs, 'to hell and back', wasn't it?"
Harm felt an unexpected tingle in his eyes, "Yeah, mom, he said softly, that's what we used to say..."
"Well, Frank and I shall be back east in the next two to three weeks, we'll let you know when the itinerary is set. Until then darling, just remember I'm proud of you, and I love you!"
"I love you too mom," Harm said in wondering voice and waited for the click that told him his mother had disconnected the call.
"Harm, are you alright," Catherine asked him worriedly.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. That was my mom," he explained unnecessarily.
"Duh... Yeah we got that much," Mattie smirked.
"Yeah? Well get this Miss Smarty Pants; she's coming back east, all the way from La Jolla, just to meet the pair of you!" That wasn't quite true, she was coming back east to accompany Frank on one of his business trips, but neither Catherine nor Mattie needed to know that at the moment, besides, after the tail spin his mom's reaction to his news had thrown him into, he reckoned that he was justified in nudging Catherine and Mattie a little off balance too!
He had succeeded it seems beyond his wildest dreams. Mattie closed her book and turned to Catherine, "I... I'm feeling a bit tired. Today's been pretty crammed full of stuff... is it alright if I go to bed now?"
"Of course it is! I showed you where everything is earlier, but if you need anything else, just holler."
"Yeah, thanks... I will."
"And don't forget to stick your head back around the door to say goodnight," Harm admonished her.
"No... No, I won't"
Harm reached for the bottle and re-filled his wine glass, sitting back with a sigh and raising his arm to allow Catherine to rest her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
"I take it then, that your talk with your mom went well?" she asked teasingly as she raised her face to his.
"Yes, yes it did," he smiled at her, pausing to kiss her gently, "In fact it went so well, it almost scared me!"
"Well that calls for another drink!" Catherine stated reaching for the Muscadet.
"No... I can't... I've still got to drive home. In fact..." he put his half full glass down on the coffee table, "I probably shouldn't drive now. I'd best get some coffee on and wait for an hour or so..."
"No. If you're not fit to drive, then you don't drive," Catherine told him seriously with a nod towards the bathroom where Mattie could be heard singing.
"Yeah... I'd best call a cab..."
"No, don't do that. By the time you've paid for a cab for tonight and then back in the morning, it'll end up costing you an arm and leg. Why don't you stay here for the night?"
"Well, Mattie's got your spare room, and this couch is way too short for me, Catherine..."
Catherine stopped him speaking by the simple expedient of kissing him on the lips, "So, you share with me," she told him matter of factly.
"Whut?"
"Harm, we're going to be living together in a few weeks, or did you think that once we'd moved into our new house that we were going to have separate bedrooms."
"Well... I guess..."
"Forget it buster! It's not going to happen. You said we were in this together for the next eighteen years, at least. Well if we're in it together, as far as I'm concerned that means together - all the way!"