18

"Go… Good morning, sir," Harm stuttered.

AJ Stared at the younger officer, his face pale with rage. On top of Rabb's refusal of his offer of a return to JAG because he no longer trusted or respected the admiral, his presence here, in the SecNav's office appeared to be no less than a calculated insult.

"Lock it up, Mister!" he snapped.

Harm froze at attention.

Chegwidden, although lacking an inch or so of Harm's height seemed to loom over him as he hissed, "You have got some pretty fancy explaining to do Commander!"

"Sir, The Commander does not know what the Admiral means, sir!"

"I mean, Rabb, that I want you to tell me what the fu…" a memory of Penny Maybridge's presence caused a hasty revision to the sentence, "Just what the hell you are doing here in uniform!"

"The SecNav offered me an opportunity to return to active duty status, sir, and I accepted his offer!" Harm laid just a touch of truculent emphasis on his last two words.

"Just what do you mean by that, Commander?"

"Sir, if you'll recall our last conversation, you'll remember that I stated that I wished to continue to serve my country, sir. And that is what I am now in a position to do, sir!"

"You haven't answered my question, Commander! Why here?"

"Sir, the circumstances of my leaving JAG were such that I didn't feel I could return there, sir, so when the SecNav offered me a posting here, I accepted it with thanks, sir!"

"And why could you not return to JAG?"

"With respect, sir, if you'll continue to think back to our last conversation, you know the reason why. And… there are other, career-based and personal reasons for my not being able to return to JAG HQ!"

Chegwidden was conscious of a deep-rooted feeling of hurt. Rabb had been the finest litigator in the office, unorthodox at times, but brilliant nevertheless. As good an attorney as Mac was, Rabb's record outshone hers, especially when the two of them had faced off as opposing counsel. He had mentally earmarked Rabb as a future JAG, and to find him now, dancing attendance on a politician felt like a betrayal. Chegwidden mentally snorted, "Career based reasons, Rabb?" he sneered.

"Yes, sir!" Harm fought back his own rising anger, getting into a pissing match with a two-star, even if it was that two-star's last day in the navy was a major losing proposition, "I have years of experience as a litigator, but my career is somewhat one-sided – out of balance. I have no staff experience, I have no command experience. If my career is ever going to advance, then I need to get those two positions noted in my SRB! And at this time in my personal life, a more-or-less static billet in DC fits best both my professional and personal lives, sir!"

"Don't try and bullshit me, Commander – it's been tried by experts!"

"Very well, sir. If you want the gloves off, then off they'll come! I'll remind you sir, that I no longer trust or respect you, and at the time Secretary Sheffield offered to return me to active status, I was unaware that you were about to submit your request for retirement, sir, so to me it seemed that a return to JAG would have meant a return to serving under your command. An option, which if I may remind you, I had already told you was not one that I prepared to consider under any circumstances! Furthermore, even if I had been prepared to override my concerns over your leadership on those grounds, I remember only too well the months of scut-work you dumped on me on the occasion of my previous return to JAG and had no wish to spend the next few months of my life buried in FOI requests and resolving junior ranks leasing dispute, sir!"

"You arrogant son of a bitch!" Chegwidden erupted, "Where the hell do you think you get off talking to me like that…"

"With respect, sir," Harm interrupted him, almost visibly trembling from the adrenalin rush, "You asked for it!"

"That is it! Commander, you can expect to face charges on…"

Whatever Chegwidden had been about to say was interrupted as Secretary Sheffield opened his office door and stepped into his PA's office, where Penny Maybridge had been an unwilling and uncomfortable spectator to the clash between Admiral and Commander.

Sheffield had heard enough of the conversation, particularly as its volume increased, and while he was prepared to let the two angry naval officers vent their frustrations on each other, he had no wish for the confrontation to end in a physical brawl or in any disciplinary charges being levelled, and judged that now was the time to remind his pair of intransigent officers of their whereabouts.

"Good morning A J," Sheffield said urbanely, "Thanks for calling in on what I know must be a difficult and busy day for you. Please, come on in. Hopefully I won't detain you long." He nodded in Harm's direction, "Commander, while I understand that passing the time of day with old shipmates can be highly congenial, I do believe that you have something pressing that needs your attention?" he sent a pointed look at the Manning Plot file folder that Harm still held in his left hand.

Summarily dismissed, Harm had no option other than to respond with a crisp "Aye, aye, sir!" and after a pause, added in acknowledgement of Chegwidden's presence, "By your leave sir!" before crisply about facing.

"Come on in, AJ," Sheffield repeated, indicating that his visitor should take one of the leather armchairs by the coffee table at the side of the office, rather than cross to the solid desk. Sheffield took one of the other chairs and leaning back he crossed his legs and smiled at the Admiral.

"You seemed a little… concerned out there AJ?"

"No, I was not concerned… I was, am still goddam angry! I gave that insubordinate son of a bitch the opportunity to return to active duty in his previous post and he turned me down flat! And now I find he's gone behind my back!"

Sheffield contemplated his aggrieved guest for a few moments before he spoke, "AJ, Rabb did not go behind your back," he said quietly but firmly. "If anyone is guilty of that, then it's me. I sent Commander Manetti to find him and it was I that made the approach to him. An approach I admit of which he was extremely wary."

"But why?"

"AJ, Rabb is a damn fine officer, and speaking frankly, from where I'm sitting, you totally mishandled him over the past year."

"But…"

"No… listen to me for a few minutes, please. I am still your boss – well at least up until midnight, OK?"

Chegwidden grunted and settled back in his chair.

"Before I offered Rabb a return to active duty status, I went over his personnel file with a fine-tooth comb. Up until last year, his fitreps at JAG, all written by you, showed him to be an outstanding attorney and an outstanding naval officer. And then, all of sudden he stopped being the poster boy for JAG. What happened AJ? And when did it happen?"

Chegwidden thought back for a minute or so, while Sheffield remained silence. At last Chegwidden said reluctantly, "Moritz… Petty Officer Moritz."

"What was that all about, AJ?"

"Rabb investigated Moritz in a case of negligent homicide and recommended charges. Moritz then asked for Rabb to defend him. Rabb wanted to refuse the case, saying that he couldn't be objective, but I ordered him to take it." Chegwidden paused, and ran his hand over his scalp before continuing, "His performance as defence counsel was… less than stellar, and he lost his client's confidence. I had no choice but to sever him from the case."

"On what grounds, AJ?"

"His inability to overcome his bias."

"His lack of objectivity?"

"Yes."

"A lack which he had previously expressed to you his concern?"

"Yes."

"Tell me AJ, what would you consider to be Rabb's greatest virtues?"

AJ, temporarily taken aback at the seeming non-sequitur, paused for a second before responding, "His drive and determination to get to the truth, his commitment to justice, his stubbornness in sticking to his ideals…"

"In other words, loyalty?"

AJ had a sinking feeling that he knew where Sheffield was headed and conviction that grew as the Secretary continued, "So… can you see perhaps where, in Rabb's eyes, in the case in question, you set him up to fail?"

Chegwidden nodded, "In hindsight Mister Secretary, yes, I can see perhaps that Rabb might have felt that way…"

"You don't also consider that Rabb might have seen it as a betrayal? A man, you, in whom he had placed his loyalty and respect, forced him to act against his convictions, and then rather than supporting him, cut the ground out from underneath him?"

"No, Mister Secretary, I don't see it in that light…"

"Well, perhaps you should, AJ. Tell me, what do you think the effect of severing Rabb had on his co-workers' attitude to him? I hardly think that such an act could have been kept secret. Did they commiserate with him, did they distance themselves from him or did they rub his nose in it?"

"There was some friction …" Chegwidden grudgingly admitted.

Sheffield nodded, "And this wasn't all that long before the Lindsey report and then the Singer case, was it?"

"No, no it wasn't."

"Well we won't re-hash those particular messes, but would it surprise you that Rabb emerged from them feeling abandoned and betrayed by those he considered his friends?"

"That was not my idea, Mister Secretary. Those instructions to sever JAG HQ from the case came from this office!"

"True, AJ, true. But if Secretary Nelson had issued those instructions, how would you have reacted? Would you have blindly followed them, or would you have loyally supported one of your best officers, and told Nelson to go to hell? No, don't answer that. So you were pissed off with Rabb, but tell me AJ, what had Colonel MacKenzie done that was so bad that you were willing to abandon her, and then prevent Rabb from going to her aid?"

"It wasn't like that, Mister Secretary… I had strict instructions from State, that it was a CIA matter, and that they would resolve it…"

Sheffield looked at him in disbelief, "AJ, you cannot sit there and tell me you believed that?"

"I didn't like it, Mister Secretary, but my hands were tied!"

"So…" Sheffield breathed out, "From Rabb's point of view you had already been disloyal to him –twice – and now you were being disloyal to his long-time partner. I am not going to go into your treatment of Rabb on his successful return from Paraguay, having broken up a terrorist cell, destroyed an arsenal and rescued three operatives, two of whom would almost certainly have died if not for his intervention, but can you see how all these incidents accrue to a point where he feels he can no longer serve under your command?"

"Well… yes, but for him to accept a return to active status before I was even out of the door…"

"Better this way AJ. If I had waited until you retired before I reactivated Rabb, it would have been widely assumed that your dismissal was the price he demanded for reactivation. Rabb is good, but he's not worth that. But scuttlebutt would have made the most of it. As it is, the navy register will show that he returned to active duty before you submitted your application for retirement."

Chegwidden's "H'mph!" seemed to indicate that while he'd heard Sheffield's arguments, he was not entirely convinced by them, but he settled back in his seat.

Sheffield stood, waving Chegwidden back as he made suit to follow, "No, stay where you are, AJ!" Sheffield crossed to a cabinet and returned bearing two shot glasses and a bottle of Wild Turkey. "The sun's bound to be over the yardarm somewhere AJ, so we'll have one last one, just to wish you Godspeed!" He poured two glasses and passing one to his guest, he raised his glass in silent salute,

After a moment's hesitation, AJ raised his own glass and acknowledged the other's gesture with a nod of his head.

xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii

Harm drew a deep breath as the door closed behind Secretary and Admiral, and with a rueful grin, turned to Penny Maybridge, "I'm sorry we put you through that, Penny!"

"I'll survive, sailor!" she replied cheerfully, returning the smile as Harm exited her office into the hallway, but, her face creased with worry as she thought, after arguing like that with a two-star, will you, sailor, will you?

Harm headed down the hallway, back to the complex of offices he shared with three other naval officers working directly to the SecNav. Nobody seeing his confident walk and the air of unconcern in his expression would have dreamed that inwardly he was shaking and dreading a summons to the SecNav's office that would inform him that with effect from his encounter with Admiral Chegwidden his naval career had ground to a halt. It was almost with a sigh of relief he opened the door to the ante chamber, to be greeted by Barker's friendly smile.

"Any sign of Commander Coleman, yet, Legalman Two?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, she's in her office, got back abut twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks, Barker." He wheeled and headed for Faith Coleman's office, calling back over his shoulder, "As soon as I've finished speaking with Commander Coleman, I need you in my office, with your pad, OK?"

"Yessir!"

Harm nodded, and turning his attention to the door in front of him, he rapped twice of the doorjamb, turning the door handle and stepping into the office on the invitation to enter.

Faith Coleman swallowed nervously as she saw her visitor. She had spent the best part of the last three weeks avoiding any contact with her erstwhile client. Now caught in her office she had nowhere to run and hide. Nervously, she got to her feet, "How may I help you, sir?"

"Sit down, please, Commander," Harm said, and indicating an empty chair, he added, "If I may?"

"Of course, sir!"

Harm seated himself and waited until the female officer the other side of the desk had also taken her seat. He noticed that she sat bolt upright in her chair, her upper and lower legs forming an almost perfect right angle.

Faith Coleman regarded him with trepidation, she was aware that her defence of Commander Rabb during his Court Martial had not been one of her better moments, and that she had been thrown into a major trial before she'd been prepared for the experience. She had honestly expected to be facing charges of Dereliction of Duty for providing him with an inadequate defence, and had breathed a sigh of relief when she's heard that he had resigned his commission. Now that he had been re-instated, and worse assigned to the same office, she had been in an agony of anticipation, waiting for the other shoe to fall. But now she had nowhere to run or hide; the only option was to face the music.

"Sir, if this is to do with your court martial…" she began.

"No, it's not…" Harm answered her, "Well, not directly, although if you had been a civilian attorney, I would seriously considered the idea of suing you for malpractice. But that…" he held up a hand to stop her protest, "was in the immediate aftermath of the case. Since then I've had time to consider and reflect on your performance, and also to read the transcripts of your previous capital cases. Frankly Commander, I'm not impressed. Most of the cases you won should never have gotten to court, and all could have been won by a first year law student. Sadly, it seems that someone saw your win/lose record and decided that was the only criteria involved in selecting you for the defence."

He regarded her in silence for a few moments, "Faith, you've got a decent record. You have performed well here at the Pentagon, and despite the Singer case, I feel that you have potential; to become a good trial counsel – once you have been given the opportunity to hone your courtroom skills. I have made those representations to the SecNav and he agrees with me. So… I'm here to give you a heads up. Sometime within the next forty-eight hours you will be receiving orders to PCS to a TSO somewhere in CONUS. Have you any preferences?"

"Am I to consider this a punishment posting, sir?"

Harm sighed, "No, Faith. The idea is not to punish to you, but to place you in a situation where you can benefit from the advice and experience of other trial counsel."

"It's just that… I don't… seem to get on with other… people, sir. It's why I've been happiest here."

"Which is just one more reason to give you a gentle nudge in another direction." Harm waited for her reaction, and when it was not forthcoming he asked gently, "Have you any ties to any particular state or area?"

Faith Coleman looked at him helplessly, "What ties I have, sir are bound up with the mid-Atlantic region, sir," she said so softly it was almost a whisper.

"Alright, Faith, we'll find you something in the area. You can expect your orders to direct you to report to your new billet in early January. In the meantime, if you are having any problems linked with the move, come and talk to me, OK?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir." Again her voice was barely above a murmur.

Harm excused himself and closing her door behind him as he left her office, he turned to Barker, "Ready Legalman Two?" he asked.

"Ready, aye, sir!" Barker replied

Harm led Barker into his office, "Take a pew, Barker, and get ready for some pretty complex note taking!"

He waited until she was settled and then asked, "How long will it take you to hand over your duties here?"

"Uh… one working, week, sir!"

"Good… In that case, cut orders for Legalman Petty Officer First Class Coates, Jennifer A, to PCS from JAG HQ Falls Church to the Office of the SecNav. To take effect from Monday week. Then cut orders for Legalman Petty Officer Two Barker to PCS from the Office of the SecNav to JAG HQ, Falls Church. To be effective from the following Monday." Harm smiled as Barker's face split into a huge grin.

"Thank you, sir!" she said exuberantly. "I must admit, sir, that I thought you'd forgotten!"

"Not at all, Barker, not at all. I just had to find the right time! Now, onto the real business of the afternoon!"

He walked around his desk and dragging a second visitors' chair alongside Barker's he spread the Manning Plot Spread Sheet out on his desk.

"I need you to come up with two mail-merged letters. The first is to be addressed to all those officers with a 'One' in the column marked 'Tranche'. This letter is an invitation to those officers to apply for a PCS to any of the billets listed against those officers names in Tranche two. The second letter is to be addressed to those officers in Tranche Two, inviting them to apply for any of the billets in Tranche One." He paused, "Does that make sense?"

"Yes, sir," Barker said, although slightly uncertainly."Officers in Tranche One to apply for billets in Tranche Two and then the other way around?"

"That's it, good for you! Now, all those letters are to be copied to all BUPERS detailers for designator 2500. Deadline for preferences will be December twenty-fourth, all applications to be at this office by that date. Not in transit, but at this office, All officers in Tranches One and Two will PCS – no exceptions, and all PCS are to be complete by March first, understood?"

"Aye, sir!"

"And last but not least, four more sets of orders to be cut. Firstly, Lieutenant Commander Lydia Bellingham – she's a Tranche One name – so don't send her a letter of invitation, just her orders. To PCS to the Office of the SecNav, to report here by January first. Second, Lieutenant Commander Megan Austin, to PCS to JAG HQ, Falls Church, again by January First, third, Major McBurney – look up his details on the Rabb Court-Martial file – to PCS to JAG HQ Falls Church, again by January First, and finally, Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman… to PCS from the Office of the SecNav to…" he thought for a few seconds, "RLSO Mid-Atlantic, Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, again effective January First." The decision made, he drew another breath. "All Orders and letters copied to BUPERS and detailers, and to the appropriate USMC Monitor for Major McBurney, and all to go out under the SecNav's signature. And," he grinned wickedly, "By endex tomorrow! But get the individual orders out first, OK?"

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Any problems, get back to me!"

"Yes, sir. And sir?"

Harm cocked an eyebrow as Barker got to her feet, collecting the manning plot as she did so, "Thanks, again, sir!"

Harm waited until Barker had left his office, and then dialled a fast-becoming-familiar Langley, Virginia number. "Hey, beautiful, how's the work load?"

"Hey, Harm… Approaching critical mass, I'm afraid… and I could really use some help… but I can't ask you because..." Harm frowned, Catherine sounded… tired… or maybe even a little depressed.

"Oh, let me guess – I don't need to know!"

"Damn!" Catherine's voice perked up, "I love it when you talk spook to me… it's such a turn-on!"

"You shouldn't have said that, sweetheart," he teased her; "I've now got all sorts of NSFW images running through my mind! But, making a major effort here, I'll try and revert to the reason I called."

"Oh, you had to have a reason?"

"Well, yeah, I can't call you up just to flirt with you on Uncle Sam's nickel!"

"Is this going to cause me more work or worry?"

"No… it's just that it occurred to me with this Ms Des Moines coming to visit us tomorrow, I thought it would be good if both of us could get to Kresge after secure? Because I don't think we can risk not being there on time when this woman calls round tomorrow!"

Catherine giggled, "It's Le Moyne, Harm! For God's sake get it right tomorrow! But you're right, we can't risk being late for her tomorrow. And it's been a few days since we both got to see Mom together. Are you going to call for Mattie on the way?"

"Uh… no, not today. I figured that all three of us could go see your Mom on Friday, and then again sometime over the weekend. Mattie's still a bit exuberant, and I don't want your Mom to tire out too much!"

Catherine became serious, "I don't think that's such a good idea Harm. Remember how ambivalent Mattie got last night? I don't think we ought to exclude Mattie from any age appropriate activity. Besides, you know how well she and Mom get on!"

Harm nodded, "Good argument Counsellor. I'll give her a call, and we'll both see you at Kresge, about seventeen forty hours? That'll give us nearly an hour before it's time for your Mom's evening meds." Many visits to the Kresge Medical centre had inculcated in Catherine and Harm a fine awareness of the hospital routine.

"OK, Harm, see you later!"

"Yeah, later, baby," Harm growled down the phone, and was rewarded by an overacted whimper at the other end. Smiling, he disconnected the call and dialled Catherine's home number.

"Hey, Mattie…"

xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii

Mac shook her head. It just couldn't be done, her sitting in the big chair effectively removed her from litigation leaving her with only two experienced trial lawyers, Sturgis Turner and Bud Roberts, in addition to Manetti, who as far as her courtroom abilities were concerned, was very much an unknown quantity to Mac, and with Turner's present attitude to Roberts, putting the two of them into the same courtroom would be like pouring gasoline into a fire.

She had spent most of the morning trying to move cases to other TSOs in the North Central Region, even managing to transfer two down to the Memphis Branch Office, but she still had way too many cases pending, and not enough attorneys to go around.

Mac sighed, she hated bargaining from a position of weakness, and although she might be the acting JAG she was outranked by any one of half a dozen four ringers who commanded regional offices, and could only ask for, rather than demand, help. Reaching for the 'phone, Mac pressed the talk button and got an immediate response from her yeoman.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Coates, get me a line to Captain Richardson at Newport, please."

"Yes, ma'am!"

xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii

Edward Sheffield smiled, as he sipped the last of his second shot of Wild Turkey. The door had only just shut behind Rear Admiral A J Chegwidden, USN (Retired). It had taken two shots of Bourbon and a further hour of hard talking to make the stubborn former SEAL realise that any charges laid against Commander Rabb would be seen as being petty and vindictive. Oh, the old sea dog had readily, well almost readily, admitted that he had mishandled not only the whole JAG office in general but Commander Harmon Rabb in particular, but still the Admiral had wanted to raise charges of insubordination against his former officer. But Chegwidden was gone now, and no longer his concern. What was his concern was getting somebody into that big chair at Falls Church before the whole of JAG ended up as a gigantic cluster fuck. The trouble was, there weren't many admirals in the Navy who had passed a bar exam somewhere, even in the dim mists of ancient history. But, he had an idea.

Leaning forward, he pressed the 'call' button on his intercom. "Penny, what time is it in Brussels?"

"It'll just becoming up to four o'clock in the afternoon, Mister Secretary"

"Good, get hold of Admiral Tucker at NATO JFC Brunssum, please."

"Yes, Mister Secretary."

For a moment or two Edward Sheffield debated whether or not to pour himself a further shot of bourbon, but decided against it. His wife seemed to have an uncanny knack of knowing just how much he'd drunk during any given day, and he really didn't want to endure another of her rants on the perils of daytime drinking.

He was not left with his sobering reflections for long before his phone gave its discreet buzz.

"Sheffield."

"Mister Secretary, I have Admiral Tucker on line two for you."

"Thank you, Penny, put her through please." He waited a few seconds while the connection was made and then, leaning back in his chair, so that his suit jacket fell open, he hooked a thumb into the armhole of his vest and said expansively, "Amanda, hello, how are you?"

"I'm well, thank you Mister Secretary!"

"Amanda, how long have we known each other? And I'm Mister Secretary?"

"You are when you call me at the office, Mister Secretary."

"Ah… I remember when you used to call me Edward…"

"Paris was a long time ago, Mister Secretary,"

"Not that long ago!"

"Mister Secretary, I was a jg, and you were an intern for the senator from…"

"Idaho, yes. I hadn't forgotten. But was it really all those years ago?"

Amusement and memory added warmth to the female voice in his ear, "Yes… yes, it was, Mister Secretary… But, you didn't make a transatlantic call just to talk about the past, did you?"

"No, I'm actually calling you about the future. Your future." Sheffield added with heavy emphasis.

"Go on… you've caught my interest."

"AJ Chegwidden has retired as JAG. I'm looking for a replacement for him. Are you interested?"

"Where's the advantage in that for me?"

"Amanda, you've got to keep this absolutely quiet. If word leaks out, I shall deny all knowledge of this conversation, and I will hang you out to dry. The joint Chiefs are pushing the house to agree that all three service JAGs should be three star appointments, with a two star deputy. Now are you interested, or not?"

"Mister Secretary, if all goes according to your plan, then you've gotten yourself a Navy JAG!"

Sheffield smiled in satisfaction. Not only had he caught a Navy JAG, he'd gotten one who tough-minded, fair, intelligent, and now one who was in his debt!

"The situation here is getting a bit out of hand Amanda, the current incumbent pro-tem is a Light Colonel of Marines. Start packing, I'll have your orders for TDY cut tomorrow, and then subject to senate committee approval, of course, that TDY will become a PCS. But look to be in situ before Christmas!"

"Yes, Mister Secretary!"

"'Bye Amanda, look forward to seeing you soon!"

"Yes, Mister Secretary!"

xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii-xviii

Having been caught out on his first day at the Pentagon by the gridlock that hit the Pentagon's enormous complex of parking lots at secure Harm waited long enough to be fairly certain that there was going to be no immediate fallout from his unexpected confrontation with AJ, before he secured for the day, and telling barker that he was headed for the hospital, he was indeed able to beat the gridlock and in a comparatively few minutes he was heading for Georgetown to collect Mattie.

Over the past month, as it had grown darker, so he had forbidden Mattie to wait on the doorstep for him and asked her to wait in the apartment. A lively and remarkably free and frank exchange of ideas had, on that occasion, resulted in a compromise. Mattie would wait in the building lobby and not come out until Harm was stood on the doorstep, ready to take her straight to the car.

This evening she was waiting impatiently just inside the door, her face almost pressed to the glass and her hand visoring the reflections and allowing her to see outside. The instant she saw Harm she threw the door open, and lunged down the steps at him, throwing her arms around his neck and crying exuberantly "Lower altitude!"

Harm obediently bent his head and was rewarded by an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Straightening up, he removed Mattie's arms from his neck and grinned down at her, "Not that I'm complaining, but that was for, what exactly?"

"Oh," Mattie said airily as she linked her arms through his, "That's for taking me to see Catherine's Mom, for being on time – so I don't have to listen to you get frustrated by and swear at the rat runners – for being you, and… well… just because!"

Harm grinned down at her again, as she lifted her eyes to look into his face, "You know something, Mats? Even when I was a kid, I never thought much of 'because' as a reason!"

"Yeah? Well get used to it buster, 'cos that's the only reason you're getting!"

"Yeah, my Mom used to say the same thing!"

"Harmon Rabb!" Mattie exclaimed indignantly, "Are you comparing me to your mother!"

"Oh, no Mattie Grace! I'm not getting into that one with you!" he laughed as he unlocked the car. "G'wan, git in thar!"

As soon as they were both securely belted in, Harm pointed the SUV towards Pimmett Hills. Mattie settled back and watched the lighted store fronts pass until they were clear of Georgetown and then grinning slyly across at Harm she said, "Besides…"

"Besides, what, Squirt?"

"Besides every time we all go to see Esther, neither you nor Catherine want to cook dinner by the time we get home, and we get to order in."

"And?" Harm took his eye of the road for a second to try and gauge where this gambit was headed.

"Well, recently we've had Thai, Chinese, Lebanese, Italian, Provencal, Greek… so that means we're about due for a pizza!"

Harm laughed, "I tell you what Mats, we'll get a pizza tonight…"

"Yeah, well! OK!" she exulted.

"Unless that bid is trumped."

Mattie glared at him suspiciously, "How would it get trumped?"

"Well, Catherine gets the final vote, and as she's the one who's pregnant, she gets the baby's casting vote too!"

"Oh… that is so not fair!" Mattie said torn between annoyance and amusement. "So… does that mean if I want to get to choose what we eat, I have to get knocked up too?"

"Mattie Grace!" Harm exploded. "That is so not going to happen for at least another twenty years! Longer if I have any say in the matter!"

Mattie giggled, "Gotcha!"

Harm shot Mattie an evil-eye sort of look which only had the effect of sending her into more giggles, so drawing the tattered shreds of his dignity around him he relapsed into silence for the rest of the journey. A silence that was punctuated by recurring fits of giggles from the passenger's seat.

At length drawing to a halt in the parking lot at Kresge, Harm cast his eye around in a search for Catherine's Malibu, finally spotting it, in a well-lit spot near the main entrance. He nodded in approval, and pulled into an empty slot just a couple of vehicles away.

Turning the key in the ignition, he half turned in his seat to look at Mattie, who now, with an expression of angelic innocence, smiled beatifically at him. Harm grinned, and shook his head, "Come on, pain! Let's go visit Grandma!"

Wrapping her arms around her to ward off the evening chill after basking in the warmth of the car's heating, Mattie tucked her chin into her chest and hurried ahead of Harm to reach the warm and well lit hospital lobby.

Harm who until then hadn't given much thought to Mattie's wardrobe gave a frown, and catching up with the teenager, he looked askance at her padded gilet and asked, "Haven't you got a proper coat? I thought I saw one on my credit card receipts for last month?"

"Yeah, Catherine got me one to wear for the court hearing, but it's a bit too… nerdish for normal, everyday, things, ya know?" Mattie ended on a hopeful note.

"What you mean, is you don't like, because it isn't cool?" Harm asked somewhat severely.

"No, not exactly," Mattie tried to explain, "It's actually a beautiful coat. But it's the sort of coat you'd wear over a dress, or a skirt and jacket, or a dress pants suit. It's not the sort of coat you could wear with jeans or joggers, you know? And it's a light khaki colour, and it'd get real dirty, real quick." Mattie finished as they entered Esther Gale's room.

Esther was already sat up in bed, talking animatedly with Catherine and a petite brunette in a lab coat, with a stethoscope draped around her neck. Esther's eyes lit up with even more delight, as she spotted Mattie!

"Mattie, honey, it's so good to see you again! Come and tell me all about what you've been doing!" And dropping her voice to a stage whisper, she added "And spill some dirt on these two!"

Mattie flashed Harm and Catherine a grin and perched on the side of Esther's bed, giving her a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Well I did catch them making out on the sofa, last night," she whispered to Esther.

"H'mph," Esther snorted, "Well, it's about damn time!" sending Mattie into further giggles.

Harm paused to glare at Mattie, and then slipped his arm around Catherine's shoulders, dropping a short kiss on her lips before straightening up, and greeting the other woman. "Good evening Doctor Cameron, it's good to see you again! It's always good to see, you in fact, and you've done so much for Esther!"

"Good evening to you too, Commander! I hope you realise that because I've met your family that flattery is going to get you precisely nowhere!" Alison Cameron smiled.

"If it was flattery, Doctor, then I would accept your rebuke with equanimity, but as it wasn't flattery…" Harm clasped his hand to his chest and staggered backwards in mock pain.

Catherine laughed, "Clown! Stop it! Or I'll have to try the two hundred foot waddle! Doctor, can't you do something about this bladder problem!"

Alison Cameron chuckled, "Well I could probably schedule some sort of procedure in say… six weeks' time?"

"Well, gee, thanks, Doc!" Catherine drawled in sarcastic acknowledgement.

Harm frowned, "Six weeks… but isn't that just about when the baby's due?" Then as the realisation hit him, he muttered a crestfallen "Oh. I've just been got again, haven't I?"

Alison and Catherine smiled and nodded in agreement, "I should say so," Catherine grinned.

"I was just asking how Catherine was," Doctor Cameron added, "I'm no OB, although I have done rotations in L and D, but everything sounds about right!"

"Yeah, Catherine grumped, "I'm about the size of the Goodyear blimp, I haven't seen my feet for weeks, my back aches and my legs hurt, I can't sit down, I can't stand up, I'd kill for a cup of coffee and…"

"As I said, everything seems to be normal!" Doctor Cameron smiled, not unsympathetically at Catherine, and then picking up her notes from the foot of the bed, she added, "Anyway, you didn't come out here to visit with me, so I'll leave you to Esther's tender mercies! And you," she added, turning to her patient, "don't be too hard on her, that's your granddaughter in there you know!"

With an all-encompassing smile, she turned and left the room, leaving a grinning Mattie a smiling Esther and a scowling Catherine behind her.

"All normal, everything going well, my ass!" she grumbled, "I'd like to see her being so goddam cheerful at seven and a half months!"

"Yeah, and she's so petite, that she'd probably look like a house that far along!" Harm added in an attempt at comfort.

Catherine turned to glare at him, "Don't try to make me feel better! Not when I've got a legitimate complaint! It doesn't help."

"No, dear, sorry, dear," Harm answered in way overacted tones of contrition, and fighting desperately to keep a straight face.

Mattie and Esther were, if the amusement sparkling in their eyes was anything to go by, hugely enjoying the comedy being performed in front of them, and their amusement was only increased when Harm complained, "Well, seeing as how I've already gotten grief from Mattie, and now I'm getting it from Catherine, I'll see if I can get some sympathy from Esther!" Crossing to the bed, he bent and took Esther in a gentle hug and kissed her gently on the cheek, his eyes carefully searching hers for any sign that she might be dissembling when he asked, "How are you today, Esther?"

"I'm pretty good, Harm. Pretty good. Doctor Cameron is keeping a close eye on my blood-iron levels, and she's such a tonic in herself too, she always has a smile and a polite word. And I'm very lucky that way with Nurse Bridget too! Doctor Cameron had me wheeled down to the day room again today for lunch, and I was able to sit there for a couple of hours and read a book. But," and she shrugged, "I got a bit tired about two o'clock, so I had one of the orderlies wheel me back here and I had a little nap. But that's all the excitement I've had today. But what about you?" she asked, the old mischief dancing in her eyes, "any flying around the world, keeping us all safe? Or spraying dust on crops? Or were you Perry Mason, tricking the bad guys into confessing all?"

"No nothing like that today, but I was cheeky to an Admiral!"

"What, the mean, old, bald guy?" Mattie asked eagerly.

"Yep, A J Chegwidden himself!" Harm confirmed.

"Cool!" Mattie enthused, "what did you say?"

Harm related the morning's events, deliberately downplaying the very serious consequences they could have had for him, and placing exaggerated emphasis on anything that might possibly be seen as comedic. By the time he'd finished his tale, all three women were wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.

Harm sat back, happy that the women now in his life were, for the moment at least, free from cares about health, pregnancy and guardianship