November 2009

Harm had a busy day so far, and it wouldn't become any less busy after lunch. He had consider skipping lunch all together, but his Petty Officer reminded him discretely that his mood was less than enjoyable when he was hungry, so he decided to follow her advice and stop by the galley to get something to eat. He decided on meat loaf and turned to find a table. He noticed that his wife was seated by a table across from a Marine Corps General, and headed there.

"Harm?" Mac said when she noticed him. "I didn't think you had time for lunch today," she teased.

Harm put his plate down on the table. "My Petty Officer reminded me that I'm not very nice when I'm hungry, so I decided to have a quick bite," he smiled and sat down.

"You do tend to get grumpy when you skip meals," Mac agreed. "Admiral Harmon Rabb, this is General Nick Wayne. We served together a long time ago," Mac introduced them. "Harm is my husband."

The men shook hands. "Navy Mac?" Nick questioned with amusement.

Mac laughed softly. "Love works in mysterious ways."

"I'll say," Nick joked.

"Nick was a witness on a case, we bumped into each other while I was on my way to lunch," Mac explained.

"Where did you serve together?" Harm wondered.

"Germany. I was there six months before Okinawa," Mac explained.

"And then you decided to be a fulltime paper-pusher," Nick shook his head in wonder. "But I promised I wouldn't give you a hard time about that."

"You always give me a hard time about that," Mac reminded him.

"Smartest thing the Marine Corps ever did was putting you through law school. You were arguing cases a long time before that. I don't think I've ever won an argument against you." Nick started to stand. "Well, I better get it in gear so my plane don' leave without me. Look me up if you're ever at Pensacola. It was nice catching up."

"Absolutely," Mac said.

"Nice to meet you, Admiral."

"You too," Harm said.

"I better get back, I have court in ten minutes," Mac stood. "Will you be late tonight?"

Harm looked unsure. "Might be."

"See you when I see you then," Mac smiled and left him.

Harm had a few questions about General Wayne, but it could wait until later. Now he had to hurry up or he'd be late for his 1400 meeting.

That night when Harm came home his family were already seated by the table having dinner. He hurried to change clothes before he joined them.

"Did you get everything done?" Mac asked when she greeted him with a kiss.

"Almost," he sat down beside her. "How was everyone's day?"

"School sucked, soccer practice was fun," Nathan said.

"Don't forget about my riding session tomorrow," Claire reminded them.

"It's in big letters on the calendar," Mac said with a reassuring smile.

"I get to ride a wilder horse, since I'm getting so good," Claire was satisfied.

"I don't know if I love that idea," Harm said.

"It's not a wild horse," Mac reassured with amusement. "Can you come?"

Harm hesitated, then noticed the pleading look from Claire. "Sure, of course I will be there."

"Great," she smiled and stood. "May I be excused?"

"Sure," Mac said.

Nathan hurried to finish. "Me too?"

"Sure," Mac was amused.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom. May I go over to Jim's place? Just for a little while?" he pleaded.

"Okay," she agreed.

Mac started cleaning the kitchen while Harm and Matthew finished dinner. "Daddy, I wanna fly."

"Me too, buddy," Harm laughed. "But I take it you mean your toy plane. Daddy didn't have time to fix it yet after that hard landing."

"Why don't you drive your car instead. The remote is over there," Mac pointed to the kitchen aisle.

"Okay," Matthew got the remote and fetched the car from the floor and ran into the living room.

"Cars aren't as fun as plains," Harm pointed out as he stood and carried his dishes to the sink. "May I go play too?"

Mac smiled. "Yes, you are dismissed."

He flashed her a charming smile and kissed her quickly.

After cleaning up after dinner Mac found them in the backyard. Harm was trying to glue together a toy plane, while Matthew eagerly awaited by his side.

"Sorry, buddy, I have to pick up stronger glue tomorrow," Harm said and smiled when Mac joined them. "Hi, beautiful."

Mac smiled lovingly. She loved his sweet side. "No plane?"

"I'm gonna drive the car," Matthew said, defeated.

Mac sat down with her husband. "Busy day?"

"Aren't they all?" he leaned back in his chair. "How about you?"

"Not so bad," she smiled. "Just ask the questions?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"General Nick Wayne," Mac said with a slight eyeroll.

"Oh, the Marine poster boy," Harm shrugged. "Why would I care?"

"Oh well," she stood. "I'll just go spend time with the kids then."

He reached her hand before she could walk away. "Okay, so what's the story?"

Mac smiled and sat down. "He's just someone I once knew. We've met here and there over the years. The last time was in Afghanistan, the last time I was there before I went into the reserves. He's a good man."

"And you served together for six months?" Harm questioned with a dirty tone.

Mac rolled her eyes. "We never slept together. Haven't you ever met a member of the opposite sex, gotten along great, without there being anything sexual?"

He looked thoughtful. "I worked with you for nine years," he smiled teasingly. "Of course I have. I was just curious."

"I could tell," she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "You always get that look."

"What look?" he put his hand on her thigh. "I'm not jealous."

She laughed softly and took his hand. "I better go get Nathan. Can you get Matthew ready for bed?"

"I can," he tugged on her hand and waited for her to sit up before he leaned in and kissed her. "I need a vacation."

"She smiled. "Christmas isn't that far off. A week in Beallsville is what we need."

"I can't wait," he stood and stretched his sore neck. "I need a long run."

She stood as well. "How about an alternative?" she suggested and wiggled her eyes. "I could give you a massage."

"Yeah?" he smiled. "But that's not much exercise?"

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "But what I had in mind for afterwards could qualify as exercise."

Harm smiled and kissed her deeply.

"Mom, Dad, isn't it our bedtime now?"

They broke the kiss and turned to Claire. "It is," Mac confirmed.

"You can help me get Matthew ready for bed," Harm released his wife and walked over to his daughter.

"Okay. Can you read to me?" A really long book," Claire pleaded.

Harm knew that Claire could read a book herself, but she needed time with him. He had been busy since they moved and he'd taken over his new command, and Claire had a way of reminding him when she felt neglected. "I can read a long book," he promised. "This weekend I can take you flying."

"Cool," Claire took his hand. "Come on, let's get Matthew to bed.

Mac smiled as she walked down the steps from the back porch and headed for their neighbors to get Nathan. She was beginning to feel home there. The kids were adjusting great, work was going well, they were busy, but happy.