Mattie and Harm crossed to where Esther sat in her wheel chair where Mattie hugged the older woman, and kissed her cheek and where to the accompanying smiles of Doctor Cameron and Nurse Brigid, once Mattie had stepped back, Harm gently placed Elizabeth in her Grandmother's arms and then crouched alongside the wheelchair, "There you are Grandma," he said gently,

Esther, whose attention had been wholly fixed on Elizabeth, lifted her eyes to Harm and with soundless tears of joy streaming down her face she whispered, "Thank you Harm, thank you so very much!"

Embarrassed, Harm coughed to cover his confusion, "Hell, I didn't do anything Esther, it was all Catherine!"

"Not so!" Esther contradicted him, "You've looked after her, made sure she ate sensibly, and you've been so kind, patient and loving. I even heard that you did drive to the all night store for jars of pickles!"

Harm laughed, "It was tins of sardines!" he corrected her, and both fell silent as Elizabeth stirred in Esther's arms. For long minutes they stayed like that, Harm crouched alongside Grandmother and baby while Mattie stood behind the chair, a hand resting lightly on Esther's shawl-shrouded shoulder.

Esther managed a further smile and said, "You'd best take her to meet her other admirers, Harm. I'm getting a bit sleepy, and I don't want to drop her. Tell Catherine I was here, and I'll be back tomorrow to see them both!"

Alison Cameron nodded approvingly as Harm retrieved Elizabeth and both he and Mattie bent to kiss the old lady's cheek. Esther smiled mistily at them both and then turned her head, "Back to the ward please, Brigid."

Bud, Harriet and Jen, had been waiting patiently for Esther to meet her granddaughter, now stepped forward, Bud with a huge grin on his face and a congratulatory hand outstretched, while Harriett had a huge smile on her face, as did Jen, who stayed a pace behind the two officers.

Mattie exchanged a brief smile of welcome with Bud and Harriet but hung back a little as the Roberts and Jennifer Coates came forward to catch their first sight of Elizabeth. Harm was still feeling distinctly overwhelmed, but in between receiving his friends' congratulations his ecstatic smile was replaced by two vertical lines between his eyes, at length he could no longer contain his curiosity, "Jen… not that you're not welcome, you are, very much so, and I am so glad that you are here, but how did you know…?"

A J had stirred from his half-asleep state and catching sight of his new best friend he crossed the room to Mattie, "I don't like it here!" he confided in her.

Mattie dropped to a crouch, "What's up big guy?"

"It's like when mommy brought the baby home!" A J fell silent his eyes going to Harm, "Is that another baby Unca Harm's got?" he demanded.

Mattie smiled, "Yes, that's my new little sister," she said encouragingly.

A J looked at her solemnly, "Does that mean you got to share all your toys with her?"

"Yep," Mattie rose and slid into a chair, and then extending her arms she helped A J to sit next to her, looping an arm around his shoulders so that he was able to snuggle up to her, "I'm so lucky! I get a new sister to share my toys with, and to look after, and teach her all sorts of things!"

Jen, who had been absorbed in watching Mattie's interplay with A J was taken off-guard by Harm's question and reddened, "Uh… well, after you dropped that bomb on Lynne and me, I… uh… figured that if anyone know the full story it would be Lieutenant Sims… so I kinda called her and asked her if she knew what was happening with you…"

Harm was still only capable of grasping one fact at a time, and there was something about Jen's confession that bothered him, "Lynne?" he asked blankly.

"Umm… yeah, Lynne Barker, sir. Your Legalman."

Harm nodded, he had known that Barker's initial was 'L' but he hadn't made the connection, and now satisfied on that count, he turned to Harriet and asked, in reproachful tones, "Et tu Brute?"

Harriet had the grace to look conscience stricken as she found an answer, "Sir, I knew that this was sooner than you and Catherine had expected; and that with your Mom out in California, you wouldn't have your real family around, so I figured that having friends here instead might be some sort of substitute…"

Harm felt as if the ground had been cut away from underneath him, "Alright, you're all most welcome, and you're all forgiven. Yes, I am glad you're here with us."

Harm was interrupted by the arrival of a scrubs-clad nurse, who smiled at him and said, "Mommy's all nice and clean now, and waiting to feed her new daughter, so if you'll follow me, I'll take you back to her."

Harm grinned, "Thanks, but give us a minute, please,"" he said laconically, and then turning back to face his friends, he continued, "Now, you can all tell me just how beautiful our new daughter is, and then I reckon I'd best do what the nurse says and take her back to her mommy!"

Despite her best efforts Harriet's eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, and she sniffled audibly, and then realising that everyone was looking at her, she mustered a watery smile, "I'm so sorry, Harm, I didn't mean to… it's just that… Sarah," she finished tearfully.

"It's OK, Harriet," Harm said calmly, "I'm so sorry, I should have known better…"

"No, it's not OK, sir!" Harriet said fiercely, "you have nothing to apologise for," she mopped her eyes. "Take every joy in your daughter, Harm! You and Catherine deserve happiness!"

Harm nodded in acknowledgement and softly said, "Thank you, Harriet," before turning towards Mattie, "Ready, Squirt?"

Mattie rose to her feet, disengaging he arm from A J's shoulders, and saying softly, "Hey, little man, I gotta go now, but you be good for your mommy and daddy, and remember what I said about sharing your toys with Jimmy, and all about teaching him when he gets to be a big boy, like you!" She smiled warily at Harriet, the teenager having been made uneasy by the sudden display of emotion on the blonde's part, but to her relief Harriet managed to return the smile, "It's OK, Mattie, I'm good… and thanks for looking after A J, I think he's still a little bit upset by hospitals!"

It was now Mattie's turn to blush, "No thanks needed Mrs Roberts," she mumbled, "I guess the little guy was feeling a bit left out, so I just…" she mustered a weak grin and then turned to Harm, drawing a deep breath and asked him, "Ready?"

Harm who had watched her interaction with Harriet nodded, "Yeah, ready. Nurse, if you'll be so kind…"

As they turned to leave the little group in the waiting area, Harriet called out to Mattie, "Oh, Mattie, it's not Mrs Roberts… it's Harriet!"

A startled Mattie could only managed a hurried "Yes, ma'am!" before scuttling after Harm as he held open the swing doors for her.

Jen who had on several occasions baby-sat for A J, and knew just how much of a demon he could be, was amazed by the manner in which Mattie had turned away what Jen thought was going to be a display of acting out on the boy's part, and as soon as the doors had closed behind Harm, Mattie and Elizabeth she turned to Harriet, "Ma'am… who's that girl with the Commander? I've never… and she was so good with A J," Jen quickly amended her sentence; she was consumed with curiosity, but was unable to openly give vent to it. After all, it wasn't her place to demand to know everything about Harm's life, no, sir! She was no Colonel MacKenzie!

Harriet grinned at Jen, she too had been eaten alive by unasked and unknown questions, and she had taken the opportunity of last night's prolonged visit by Harm, Catherine and Mattie, and had managed to elicit a goodly, but still incomplete, part of the story. "That's Mattie Grace," she told Jen, "apparently, she was Harm's boss while he was crop dusting…"

"Crop dusting!" Jen exclaimed in disbelief.

Bud, who had been comforting A J who was showing signs of tiredness induced grumpiness, interrupted, "Jen, if you start asking questions, we'll never get to the end of it, and it's gone time when this little feller should be in bed! And," he added pointedly, "there's the question of Jimmy's baby-sitter."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir…"

"No, don't apologise, Jen," Harriet said, "What little I know won't take too long, so walk out with us, and I'll tell you what I can. Now, as I was saying…"

Bud shook his head and rousing a drowsily irritable A J, he took his son by the hand and guided his faltering steps in the wake of Jen and Harriet, catching up with them as Harriet stopped by their minivan just in time to hear Harriet say, "And that's about all I know, except that we first met her yesterday, and she and little A J just seemed to click!"

xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv

Harm and Mattie followed the nurse down to a private room where Catherine, bathed and clad in a fresh gown and her hair neatly brushed was waiting for their return to her bedside and as soon as she saw them she lifted her arms to take Elizabeth from Harm's careful hold.

With a huge smile he placed their daughter in Catherine's arms and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before straightening up and asking gravely, "How is it with you, Catherine?"

"I'm OK, Harm. Really. I'm a little tired, a little sore and a lot, lot happy!" She smiled down at Elizabeth and then gasped, "Oh, Harm! Look!"

Some instinct must have told Elizabeth that she was now near the source of nourishment and she had turned her head into Catherine's body and started rooting at her breast. With a looked of stunned, but happy amazement, Catherine looked up at Harm and seeing his nod of encouragement, used one hand to slip the gown off her shoulder and then guided her nipple to Elizabeth's hungry mouth.

Elizabeth latched on at the second attempt and started to feed, drawing an "Oh!" from Catherine as she experienced that sensation for the first time, but causing Mattie to blush fire-appliance red and mutter, "Uh… I'm just going to find a vending machine and maybe get a soda…" before she backed out of the room, leaving Harm and Catherine laughing at her precipitous retreat.

As his chuckles died away, Harm sat on the edge of the bed and looped an arm around Catherine's shoulder, resting his cheek on the top of her head as he watched her nurse Elizabeth.

They stayed together as a group for about ten minutes until with a milky dribble, Elizabeth released Catherine's nipple and as far as Harm could tell drifted off back to sleep. He looked down at her and then back at Catherine, "Wow! Just wow, unbelievable! She's here!" he said in an awed voice.

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Catherine said, but smiling alternatively up at him and down at Elizabeth, "Believe me, I know all about her arrival! I was there!"

Harm grinned, "Gee, were you?"

Before Catherine could frame a reply the door opened to allow Doctor Winslow, now clad in a white lab coat over a skirt and blouse, to enter. "I see she's been nursing," Winslow said approvingly, as she drew up a chair. "Now…" and her voice and expression became business-like, "we've had time to breathe, Catherine, I've been looking over your notes and again at Elizabeth's birth vitals. By all reckoning, Elizabeth is a preemie – a premature baby – but her weight, height and development at birth argue against that being the case, so… I'm going to have some tests run on her." She stopped as Catherine looked up in alarm, "Don't worry, they're non-intrusive tests and won't take very long. The biggest threat to premature babies is that their lungs are underdeveloped and that they have difficulty in nursing. From what I've seen, Elizabeth has no symptoms to suggest that is the case, so I strongly suspect that she is a full-term baby, and that someone, somewhere got the due dates wrong!"

Catherine looked anxiously down at Elizabeth, "When will you do them?" she asked.

"There's no time like the present," Winslow replied, "I'll send a nurse to collect her, and she'll be back with you within the hour!"

Catherine nodded unhappily, she knew in her heart that Elizabeth was a fine, healthy baby, but although there was that certainty, Doctor Winslow's words had allowed a small measure of doubt to creep in.

For the next forty minutes Catherine tried to respond to Harm's flow of small talk and plans for finishing the nursery, but found it difficult to tear her mind away from Elizabeth and the spectre that there was something wrong with her daughter, while Mattie, who rushed back into the room when she'd seen Elizabeth being wheeled away, after an initial flood of questions had subsided into silence and now perched on the bedside chair.

All three looked up whenever they heard approaching footsteps, only to sink back into their thoughts as the sounds passed the door, until at length a lusty bawling was heard and the door opened to reveal a nurse with a wheeled bassinet closely followed by Doctor Winslow.

"My baby, is she alright?" Catherine demanded.

"She's fine Catherine, just fine," Winslow answered as the nurse gently lifted a screaming Elizabeth out of the plastic confines of the bassinet and placed her in Catherine's arms. Once again Elizabeth's instinct led her to root urgently at Catherine's breast, so slipping the gown off her shoulder, Catherine again allowed her baby to nurse. To her surprise Elizabeth only suckled for a minute or two before she relaxed in her mother's arms.

"What just happened here?" a bemused Catherine asked.

Winslow smiled, "I think we upset her a little, and she needed reassurance more than nourishment right now. It's a perfectly natural reaction, so nothing to worry about there. Well, we've run our tests, and as you heard there's nothing wrong with Elizabeth's lungs, they seem to be fully developed, and we've just seen how readily she takes to the breast, so I think I can safely say that you did get your due date wrong, Catherine!"

xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv

Harm and Mattie's visit had ended shortly thereafter, Catherine was showing increasing signs of sleepiness, so after relaying Esther's message and Bud, Harriet and Jen's messages Harm and Mattie said goodnight, promising to back the following day, and quietly left a happily drowsy Catherine and sleeping Elizabeth in peace and quiet.

The drive home was mostly silent, both Harm and Mattie almost overcome by the events of the day, and it wasn't until they were just about to turn off the Leesburg Pike that Harm spoke, "Want dinner, Squirt?"

Mattie, who hadn't given a thought to her stomach since lunchtime suddenly realised that she was hungry, "I don't know Harm. Yeah I'm hungry, but I feel too tired to eat!"

Harm shot her a look and managed a tired grin, "Oh boy, that's not good! So, you don't want to eat, not even if I let you have free choice?"

Mattie turned to look at him, "Really, even pizza?" she demanded, showing a spark of interest.

Harm smiled, he had half guessed what her choice might be, "Yeah, tonight you can even have pizza."

"Special night, huh?" the teenager asked.

"Yeah, very special night," Harm agreed. That, plus the fact that he was too tired to cook, but there was no point in letting Mattie know that.

No sooner had they raeched home than Harm was on the phone ordering the half and half pizza, roast vegetables and triple cheese for himself and double pepperoni with mushrooms for Mattie, and to their relief the food was delivered within twenty minutes of them ordering. Mattie made a valiant effort to stay awake, but slipped off to sleep halfway through her pizza, and a smiling Harm took the plate off her lap, lifted her feet up on the couch, slipped a couple of throw pillows under her head and covered her with an afghan throw before he turned out the lights and climbed to his and Catherine's bedroom on the second floor, where after a quick shower and despite Catherine's absence, he slipped into sleep almost the second his head hit the pillow.

xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv

The following morning Harm awoke early, showered, shampooed, shaved, dressed and quietly made his way downstairs where to his amusement Mattie was still curled up on the couch, but had obviously woken up at some stage during the night. Her sweat shirt and jeans in a crumpled heap on the floor bore mute evidence to that event.

Harm stopped for a breakfast coffee on his way to Arlington and arrived before his usual hour at the CP and headed straight to his office and tried to immerse himself in work. He was not to be given the chance to be productive. He'd asked Jennifer the previous evening not to sign in at the Pentagon CP, but to call him when she'd reached the entrance so that she could drive up to Langley with him and drive his Lexus back to the Pentagon, while he retrieved Catherine's Malibu. Jen, keenly aware of her own need to get up to speed in her new billet had also made an early start to the day, so they were back at the Pentagon before the majority of those who worked there had signed in for the day. The rest of Harm's morning passed in a blur. As scuttlebutt bruited abroad his good news, the morning had degenerated into a maelstrom of 'phone calls and visitors, some of whom he barely knew, all offering their congratulations on the birth of Elizabeth. To his pleased surprise one of the calls was from Mac who offered her congratulations albeit somewhat stiff, stilted and formal.

But the biggest surprise was perhaps the knock on his office door which announced the unheralded arrival of Secretary Nelson, who taking a seat in one of the visitors' chairs, smiled and said, "I understand that congratulations are in order, Commander? A new daughter I understand?"

"Yes, Mister Secretary, thank you," Harm replied, struggling to cope with the concept of the Secretary of the Navy coming to visit him, rather than summoning him to the Secretary's office, and then as his mind grappled with all that had happened in the last twenty four hours it seized on an irrelevancy, "If you'll forgive me for asking, Mister Secretary, how did you find out… I mean, I have deliberately kept the whole pregnancy thing low key and…"

Secretary Sheffield laughed. It was the first time Harm had seen honest, unaffected good humour in his sometimes acerbic Chief. "Harm," the SecNav said, stunning his junior into silence by the unprecedented use of his first name, "If you wanted to keep it a secret, then you shouldn't have blurted out anything about breaking waters in front of two female members of staff. You may think that the Navy's scuttlebutt machine is impressive, but I can assure you that it isn't a patch on the female mafia's bush telegraph! Once your two Legalmen knew, it was inevitable that other female members of my staff would hear – probably before you even made it to the hospital, and I heard about the birth from my PA before you even made it through the doors this morning! It's funny," he went on whimsically, "How any birth that comes to their notice, even if the connection is extremely tenuous, seems to spark off a sort of feeding frenzy in women!"

"Uh, yes, Mister Secretary," a still stunned Harm managed.

The SecNav eyed him shrewdly, "I recall you saying, when I first offered to re-instate your commission that you had personal reasons for wanting to stay in the DC area. I take it your partner's pregnancy and your daughter's impending arrival were paramount amongst those reasons?"

"Yes, Mister Secretary, very much so!"

"Good… good," Secretary Sheffield nodded his head in pursed lip approval and then smiled again, "Commander, you should take every blessed minute of your daughter's life and enjoy it to the full! Which reminds me, I don't seem to have received a request for personal time?"

"I don't really think I can take the time, Mister Secretary, my Yeoman is in the process of handing over her duties, as is Commander Coleman and we are still waiting for Major Sheddan to rotate in, and I'm still feeling my way in many respects and… I just don't feel I could justify taking time right now…"

"Nonsense! The world and this department won't grind to a halt without your presence, Commander! Remember the old saying, Harm, 'cemeteries are full of indispensable men'! Take the time to enjoy this experience. I understand your daughter is your first child? Well, relish every minute of it. It's not something that can ever be truly repeated. Now, I understand that hospitals no longer keep new mothers for more than about forty-eight hours, so I don't expect to see you back here after the end of the day tomorrow and before Monday of next week! And, in the unlikely event," he continued with heavy irony, "that I might need you to save the world, we do have your contact details! Now, is there any part of that little rant that you don't understand, Commander?"

"No, Mister Secretary. Thank you!"

Secretary Sheffield stood, Harm rising to his feet with him, "I'm glad we understand each other." Then with a decisive nod, the politician pivoted and crossed to the door, waving off Harm's attempt at seeing him out.

He had been hunted out of his office at midday by the combined efforts of Jen Coates and Lynne Barker, who bullied him into taking a lunch break, and when he'd protested they had looked at each other and then in chorus answered, "It's for your own good, sir!"

Harm glowered at them, "Did you two rehearse that?" he demanded suspiciously.

"No, sir, honest. It was just… spontaneous, sort of… kinda thing…" Jen answered.

Harm looked at her more closely, her previous existence as a con-artist had allowed Jen to develop the habit of lying convincingly, but Harm had known her long enough to pick up on her 'tells' and was satisfied that on this occasion she was telling the truth. So taking advantage of the unusually bright and for late November warm weather, he took his coffee to one of the outside benches, where he also took the chance of calling Mattie, "Hi Squirt, did you sleep alright?" he asked with a chuckle in his voice.

"Yeah, great thanks!" Mattie's voice dripped sarcasm, "I slept right through until your Mom woke me up by banging on the door at Oh Christ hundred hours!"

"She's here already?" Harm asked in astonishment.

"Nope, it was just an hallucination I had!"

Harm winced, he obviously had a lot of work ahead to restore Mattie's usually sunny nature. "Where is she now?"

"She's gone shopping for a layette at Tysons Corner!" Mattie told him with satisfaction.

Harm's wish for a restoration of Mattie's sense of humour was partially filled when his "Oh, crap!" brought a giggle from her.

"That's enough of that, young lady!" he scolded her, but his heart wasn't really in it, and again he was further disarmed by the sound of Mattie's giggles.

Harm drew a deep breath, "Right, now listen up! If my Mom gets back from shopping before I do, tell her I'll be home at about seventeen hundred. We'll have dinner and then we'll all go to visit with Catherine. Got it?"

Mattie's crisp "Aye, aye, sir!" couldn't hide the laughter in her voice and Harm could easily imagine her snapping off one of her horribly executed mocking salutes.

Harm returned to the office in a thoughtful frame of mind, but the day hadn't stopped plying him with surprises. As he secured for the day and walked into the outer office, Barker's voice stopped him, "Sir, there's been a package left for you."

Harm looked at the two young women and could see happiness plastered all over both faces, as Jen stood and handed him a gift-wrapped box. "Is this your doing, Coates?"

"No, sir!"

"Barker?"

"Not me, sir!"

Now curious, Harm opened the wrapping paper to reveal a lightweight wooden box bearing the logo of 'Ancient Age Ten Year Old Bourbon', and as he did so, a slip of white card fluttered onto Barker's desk. Without thinking the young Petty Officer picked up the card, and as she read the handwritten message her eyes grew wide and round, "Sir…" she said in a whisper, holding the card out to Harm.

Harm took the card and read the message, his eyebrows climbing almost to his hairline, "Thank you, Barker. This is a surprise!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's keep it between us for the moment, shall we, ladies?" his sweeping glance made it clear that he included Jen in the secret, as he slipped the card into his pocket. He picked up his cover and briefcase, and with the cover tucked under his arm quit the office for the day, leaving Jen to fix Lynne Barker with a flat stare.

"OK, what was on the card?" she demanded.

"Oh… just 'congratulations on the birth of your daughter'… but it was signed 'Edward Sheffield'!"

"The SecNav? Wow!"

xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv

As he turned into the drive Harm saw, parked in front of the garage, the late mark high-end Chrysler with the Hertz Rental sticker on the rear windscreen, and with a wry grin reflected that it was just like Frank to get a rental that came from his own company's stable, even if it wasn't the best choice available, but of course, as far as Frank was concerned it was!

Further proof of the descent of his Mom and her husband, if it were needed, was supplied by the number of large parcels that cluttered the lobby and by the sound of cheerful voices coming from the direction of the kitchen, so bracing himself, he placed his cover on the side table and walked through to the kitchen.

Mattie and Frank were sitting at the refectory style kitchen table while Patricia Rabb-Burnett, or Tricia Burnett as she preferred to be called, busied herself at the work surface next to the cooker where an already impressive pile of chopped, diced and sliced vegetables was growing by the minute as her knife flashed through yet more vegetables.

"Hi Mom, Frank, Mattie," he said casually from the doorway Tricia Burnett gave a squeal; of pure joy and almost threw herself across the kitchen, colliding with his chest with enough force to stagger him backwards, throwing her arms around his neck and delivering two smacking kisses, one to each cheek, which he as enthusiastically returned, and then stood back sliding his hands down her arm until he could take her hands in his own, "It's good to see you, Mom," he smiled.

"You too son," Tricia smiled as she blinked her to clear her sight which had, for some strange reason, suddenly become blurred.

Harm saw her eyes shining with unshed tears and giving her a space in which she could regain control, he turned to Frank and offered his hand as the older man stood, "You Mom's right, Harm, it is good to see you again!"

"Yes, of course she's right! Mom's prerogative, she's always right!" Harm joked as he gripped Frank's hand before he held a chair for his mother to sit at the table, while he turned and placed the kettle on a burner and busied himself with the making of a pot of tea.

"So… what have you been up to today?" Harm asked Tricia.

"We did a little shopping for the nursery," Tricia smiled, "Mattie showed us around and explained that the birth was earlier than expected, so you hadn't gotten round to finishing the nursery, so we helped out. And then we got back from shopping we sat down with Mattie had a cosy little chat!"

Harm kept a straight face but winced inwardly as he poured them all a cup of tea. If Mattie had been subjected to one of his Mom's 'cosy little chats' then she had experienced a level of interrogation that a mission-toughened SEAL would have been hard put to withstand.

"Yes, we had a chat, but I have to say Harm, that your young friend is not very forthcoming!" Tricia said in very much aggrieved accents.

Before Harm could answer this surprising announcement, Frank spoke up, "I'm sorry, Harm. I tried to get her to stop, but…" he spread his hands and shrugged helplessly while Mattie, although her ears were burning red, threw a wholly unrepentant grin at Harm.

Harm nearly laughed aloud at the look of chagrin on Tricia's face, but contented himself with stretching out a hand, ruffling Mattie's already unruly curls and bestowing on her a "Bravo Zulu, Squirt!"

"Anyway," Tricia dismissed the subject of her failed attempt to worm Mattie's secrets out of her and with one of her characteristic mercurial changes of mood turned back to Harm and said, "We did manage to get Elizabeth's birth statistics from Mattie, but she was very close-mouthed about everything else!" and then her voice lost its teasing tone as she asked, "How is Catherine?"

"When we left her last night, she admitted to being a little tired and a little sore and a lot happy!" Harm repeated Catherine's self-description word for word.

Tricia nodded, "I expect she was! But as we're all going to visit her and my granddaughter this evening, we shall soon see for ourselves!

Harm nodded, "Anything else I need to know?" he asked humorously.

"Um… yeah," Mattie turned to the work surface under the kitchen cabinet, "This… uh… arrived in the mail this morning. It's from Charlottesville family court…"

Harm grabbed a knife from the drawer and hurriedly slit open the envelope and unfolded the single sheet of paper it had contained, and then he raised his eyes to Mattie and said with a smile. "They've set our court date, Wednesday December twenty fourth at ten hundred hours at Charlottesville!"

xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv-xxv

Harm temporarily halted the procession at the hospital's main reception, "Can you call CCU and find out if Esther Gale is fit enough to be wheeled up to maternity, to see her daughter, please? We'll be in M Two Ten. Thank you"

Although Harm was later than he'd wanted to be in visiting Catherine and was now in an agony of impatience he was forced to shorten his stride so that the rest of the party could keep up with them. He had planned for a quick snack dinner with Mattie and then dashing straight to the Kresge Hospital, but Tricia and Frank's presence had inevitably led to a full dinner followed by a leisurely coffee before Tricia – who refused to be rushed at meals – finally decided that she was ready to quit the house.

On reaching Catherine's room, Harm opened the door and poked his head around the doorjamb to see Catherine lying half on her side, with Elizabeth nestled in her arms and with a smile on her face that Harm had never seen before but one that he instantly decided he liked the best of all her smiles.

His softly spoken "Hey, sweetheart, how are you doing?" brought Catherine's face up to look at him, and the soft smile on her face broadened to one of pure happiness. In an instant Harm was across the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, his arm supporting Catherine as she reached up and with a hand at the back of his neck pulled him down for a long, tender, loving kiss. Harm had the presence of mind to arch his back to ensure that he wasn't leaning on Elizabeth, but other than that the two of them seemed oblivious to their surroundings.

Frank and Tricia exchanged a look brim-full of slightly embarrassed amusement, but it was furiously blushing Mattie who broke the spell, "For Chrissakes, people, I know I said to get a room. But I meant in a motel – not a hospital!"

Harm and Catherine broke their kiss, but still holding on to each other they grinned and looked towards Mattie and Catherine said, "Hey Kiddo, a room is a room is a room, and you are going to have to get used to it, 'cos we've got a lot more where that came from!"

Mattie groaned and raised her eyes heavenwards, "Shameless! That's what you are, just shameless!"

The pantomime was too much for Frank and he laughed out loud, bringing Catherine's focus to bear on him and Tricia. Catherine had been aware of the others in the room, but her attention had been fully focused on Harm and then on teasing Mattie, so turning back towards Harm, she asked, "Darling…?"

Harm stood to allow Tricia and Frank better access to the bed, and carefully lifting Elizabeth he took her in his arms, smiled and said, "Catherine, this is my Mom, Patricia Siobhan Rabb-Burnett and her husband, my step-father, Frank Burnett. Mom, Frank this is my Catherine, and this," he looked down at the bundle in his arms, "is our wonderful, beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Patricia Rabb."

Tricia gasped in surprise and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, Harm smiled and nodded, "Yes, Elizabeth for Catherine's Grandmother and Patricia for you."

Tricia's eyes flooded with tears and she managed a tremulous, "Thank you, Harm and…" crossing to the bed she sat on the edge and held out her arms to Catherine, who wincing slightly, sat and took Harm 's mother into a hug, "thank you, thank you, thank you…" she repeated in a whisper muffled by Catherine's hair.

Catherine returned the whisper, her voice too betraying her emotion, "Don't, please don't… it's the least we could do…"

For a minute or so the two women sat their arms around each other and tears on their cheeks as they strove to convey by touch and empathy all that they could not for the moment put into words.

It was Tricia, who applying the stern self-discipline she had learned through the years of silently grieving Harm's father that broke the embrace, and diving into her purse brought out a packet of Kleenex, and offering them first to Catherine, she dabbed at her eyes, trying to minimise the damage to her make up, and said in still slightly quavering voice, "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. What must you think of me? Not even introduced properly and I'm acting like a watering pot and soaking you!"

"No worse than I am, Mrs Burnett," Catherine answered in an equally shaky voice, "and I bet I look a sight!"

Harm silently disagreed. Catherine had benefited from the suitcase he and Mattie had delivered and had changed from the hospital gown into a blue and white striped retro version of a nineteenth century men's nightshirt that had been bought specifically because not only had it a button front, was voluminous enough to slip off one shoulder allowing Catherine to breast-feed with the minimum of inconvenience, and to Harm's eye she look more beautiful than ever before.

Tricia smiled at Catherine and half turning held her hand out to Frank who advanced towards the bed, took hold of one of Catherine's hands and smiling said, "Welcome to the asylum, Catherine!" and was surprised when Catherine tugged on his hand to bring him nearer, while stretching up to offer her cheek. Nothing loath, a surprised and gratified Frank accepted her unspoken invitation, and continued to hold Catherine's hand as she lowered herself with a sigh back onto her pillows.

Harm had been watching her carefully and her sigh and momentarily closed eyes brought a look of concern to his face, "Not too tired, sweetheart?" he asked, not quite able to conceal his anxiety.

"No, I'm fine, Harm. A little more sore than tired, but Doctor Winslow has assured me that the soreness will pass!" Catherine smiled reassuringly.

Harm nodded in relief and re-took his seat on the side of the bed as soon as Tricia stood and with a questioning glance at Catherine said, once he had received Catherine's silent agreement, "Mom, would you… uh… like to… hold Elizabeth?"

"Oh, darling, of course I would! I thought you'd never ask!"

A general shuffle ended with Harm and Mattie perched on the bed, flanking Catherine, while Tricia, with Elizabeth safely cradled in her arms sat in the bedside chair with Frank standing behind Tricia's right shoulder, both their attentions firmly focused on the newcomer to the family, while the three on the bed looked on with approving smiles.

It was Mattie, with perhaps less emotional involvement with the proceedings who first noticed the additions to the room's décor, "Um… Catherine… where did you get all these incredible flowers?" indicating the profusion of blooms that seemed to occupy every horizontal surface.

"Oh…" Catherine answered, with a flush of pleasure, "Aren't they beautiful! That bunch arrived this morning with a card from Bud, Harriett, A J and Jimmy; and that bunch was brought in by Jennifer and Lynne – from your office?" she added with a look at Harm who nodded as she continued, "And that bouquet arrived this afternoon from Beth and Gina, and those also arrived this afternoon with a card signed by Edward and Doreen Sheffield!"

"Sheffield?" Harm asked in amazement, putting aside for the moment the question of how Beth and Gina had gotten the news, and just shook his head in wonder as Catherine smiled her confirmation.

"Who're Edward and Doreen Sheffield?" Tricia asked.

"He's the Secretary of the Navy, and I assume Doreen is his wife," the more politically informed Frank answered, "and I believe he is Harm's direct boss!"

Whatever else might have been said was forgotten as a knock on the door announced the arrival of Esther Gale, her wheelchair propelled by a huge smiling African-American man with his dreadlocked hair safely contain by a colourful head cloth, who withdrew to the hallway once he had applied the wheelchair's brakes.

Mattie leaped off the bed and almost ran across to the wheelchair, but her delighted smile swiftly turned to an expression of concern as she spotted Esther's nasal cannula and the cylinder of oxygen attached to the chair, "What's this, Esther?" she demanded gruffly as soon as she had hugged and kissed Catherine's Mom.

"Oh, nothing to worry about, dear," Esther smiled brightly, "it's just all this excitement got my heart pumping a little faster, and Doctor Cameron thought that a little precautionary oxygen would be better than waiting for any more problems to develop!"

Mattie, still holding onto Esther's hands dropped into a crouch and looked the old lady straight in the eye, "You're not trying to snow me, now are you?"

Esther drew herself up erect and said sternly, "Young lady, I am totally unfamiliar with such slang expressions and heartily disapprove of them! And if by using those words you are accusing me of lying to you, I shall take leave to inform you that I heartily disapprove of that too!"

Mattie blanched at the severity of Esther's words and at her tone, but barely two seconds had passed before she saw the twinkle in the older woman's eye and burst into a gurgle of laughter, "Liar!" she condemned her tormentor and had the satisfaction of seeing Esther's face crease into pleased amusement at the success of her teasing.

"Um… Squirt?" Harm's voice broke into their amusement, and Mattie saw him with a raised eyebrow as he nodded towards Tricia and Frank. Mattie stopped laughing, but with a smile of genuine pleasure on her face she stood, still holding on of Esther's hands and with grave pleasure she said, "Frank and Tricia Burnett, I'd like you to meet someone I love very much, allow me to introduce to you Esther Gale, Catherine's Mom. Esther, this is Tricia and Frank Burnett, Harm's Mom and step-dad."

Tricia carefully transferred Elizabeth back into Harm's care and rose to her feet, and then accompanied by Frank she walked the few steps across the room to take Esther's hand in hers, "I am so very pleased to meet you, Mrs Gale…"

Esther smiled mischievously and cocked her head to one side in her bird-like manner, and looked searchingly at Tricia, "It's Esther, dear, and I hope you don't mind me calling you Tricia?"

"No… of course not, please do…"

Tricia stepped back to allow Frank to greet Esther, and she smiled in obvious delight at his natural politeness and good manners, but still could not resist teasing him, "Ah, so you're the used-car salesman that Harm's so proud of!"

Frank shot a startled glance at a now red-faced Harm, but managed through his surprise to smile and agree, "I am that, Esther, I am that!"

Esther continued her lopsided visual inspection of Tricia, and then said. "You'll have to forgive for not getting up to give you a proper welcome…" a disclaimer Tricia quickly waved off.

Esther nodded and relaxed and smiled, "He's very like you, you know."

Tricia was startled, "Oh… Everyone's always said, and I've always thought that he was so much like his father!"

"Oh, no doubt, no doubt," Esther agreed, "But there's a wealth of you in him too!"

A strangled wail of protest was forced from Harm's lips, "Mom! Esther!"

A burst of laughter from the others was the only comfort his outrage received apart from a tenderly mocking, "Oh, poor baby," from Catherine, which only served to produce a second burst of laughter.

The laughter had two unwanted side effects, firstly it drained Esther of breath and her breathing became laboured, and it woke Elizabeth who signified her displeasure with the proceedings by once again proving that there was nothing wrong with the development of her lungs.

Tricia and Frank exchanged glances while were not lost on Harm as he placed Elizabeth back in Catherine's arms as she quickly unbuttoned her nightshirt, while Mattie stuck her head out into the hallway to summon the orderly to check on Esther.

The commotion died quickly as Elizabeth started feeding; an event which caused Frank and Tricia to excuse themselves from the room, while Marcus, the orderly, checked on Esther's breathing and increased the oxygen flow, easing Esther's breathing which in turn eased Mattie's anxiety. He released the brakes, but was stopped from wheeling the chair away, by Esther's quiet plea, "Just hold on a minute please, I won't have many chances to see my Granddaughter like this!"

Harm, Catherine and Mattie exchanged shocked glances, but it was Mattie who said fiercely, "Stop it, Esther! I won't have you talking like that!"

"Oh, no, dear, nothing like that! I'm a long way from giving up!" Esther chuckled, but Harm and Catherine after each looking at Mattie exchanged a worried look as Esther continued, "It's just that Catherine will be back home in a couple of days, while I'll still be in here, and I'm going to miss so much that I want to see as much as I can while I can!"

Mattie was only partially convinced, "Are you sure?"

"Honest Injun!" Esther averred, her eyes dancing with mischief, "And no, before you ask, I am 'not' trying to snow you!"

"Mrs Gale, I really ought to be getting you back to your room, you know?" Marcus interrupted in his rich, deep voice, the lilting accent of which betrayed his Caribbean origins.

"Very well, young man!" Esther smiled up at him, "You may have the privilege of driving me home! 'Bye 'bye, all!" she twinkled as the burly orderly wheeled her from the room and those who were left could hear her laughing voice scolding as she was wheeled down the hallway, "For heaven's sake, Marcus! Can't you go any faster?"

Harm looked at Catherine who seemed to be dozing while Elizabeth nursed at her breast. Deciding that mother and daughter had had enough excitement for one evening, he called Tricia and Frank back in and roused Catherine long enough for her to acknowledge their goodbyes, and with a promise of a further visit tomorrow, the four members of Catherine's suddenly increased family made a smiling exit.