The surgery had finished, and Mac was finally home. As the weeks went by, the anticipation of activation day became increasingly present in Mac. She couldn't wait for everything to be hooked up finally and turned on.

It was Saturday, the day that Harm would finally take Parker out flying. She had finally agreed (on her own, with no pressure from the adults) and had been excited to go with her dad. She'd flown before but never in a bi-plane such as Sarah. So it would definitely be a thrilling Sunday.

Harm had mentioned to Mac that she and Jonah should come and they could watch and be a support system, but Mac had said no. She knew Parker and her dad really needed the time alone. So Mac would stay home with Jonah, and they would go out and do a little shopping. He needed new shoes for school, and a few fun shirts wouldn't hurt, either. She had joked with him that he needed to stop growing so fast.

Getting in the car, Harm and Parker drive out to Blacksburg. They arrive, and Harm shows her the airplane. They work at getting it out of the hangar, and Harm does his preflight check. Making sure everything is in tip-top shape, including checking the fuel line. He doesn't need a poacher incident, especially with his daughter. Helping his daughter into the plane, Harm smiles and shows her a few of the things she would need to know about the plane. Especially what to do if something went wrong; he had his cell phone, and Parker had the kid's phone, so they should be fine. He also told her they would be fine, no need to be nervous. Harm had flown a million times, and she shouldn't worry.

Getting the plane out onto the runway, they take off, and the plane is in the air. He gets them settled before doing a few small tricks. Once he can tell she's having fun, Harm finally does a barrel roll. He can tell from her happy movements that she's having a blast. Having installed a mirror in the front seat so whoever is upfront can see the person in the backs signs, Harm uses it to get her attention. When he can tell she's looking at it, he signs 'Fun?' and smiles. She gives him a big yes and cheers with her hands. That was all he needed. Just a few hours alone to be with his daughter. To hopefully make up for lost time. After seeing her so animated, he knew things were on the mend, and his daughter would no longer be scared around her father.

***same time***

Mac has gone to the local mall with her son. They found a shoe store and walked in. This was when Jonah knew he would have to interpret for his mother, and he was less than thrilled. Mac hadn't asked him to as she felt she could do it on her own, being as she only had to use her fingers to give numbers for his shoe size.

'You like these?' Mac asks, watching her son try on the pair he had picked out. Mac liked the color, but it was an instant no when Mac realized they were uncomfortable on him. She could tell by the look on his face it wasn't something he wanted.

They were getting looks. It made Jonah embarrassed to be seen with his mom. He knew he shouldn't, but seeing someone speaking with their hands always got people's attention.

'Hey, I know, and I'm sorry.' Mac sighs, picking out another pair of shoes.

'What about these? These look snazzy.' She smiled, handing him the box. He liked them, but they were a little pricy, and even though his mother had shown them to him, he was a little hesitant.

'I'll get them if you really like them; they look good on you.' She tells him, watching him walk back and forth to test them out.

'Money…' He sighs.

'Don't worry about it. You pick what you want; we've got the money.'

Mac had no clue why. All of a sudden, he was scared about money. They had made and saved decent money before the accident, and Mac was back to teaching. Not to mention, Harm qualified for disability, so they get some money there. It wasn't a lot, but they certainly made due and were by no means poor.

'If you want these, I'll buy them. Do you need anything else?' She asks before grabbing the shoes and heading to the counter. She waits her turn and then steps up to the counter with her son. She gets the lady's attention and uses her pointer finger with the rest of her fingers curved into each other to make the 'D' shape in sign language. She taps her ear in hopes the woman will understand her. Mac knew she could have spoken to the woman with her voice, but sometimes she felt it easier just not to say anything as some people don't take the deaf thing seriously when you have such a good voice. Hopefully, soon though, she will have her cochlear implants turned on and will hopefully be able to hear people's voices. Then she won't have to worry as much, and communication won't be as complex with the general public. As she helps pay for the shoes, she makes sure her son is following her as she carries the bag.

'Lunch?' Mac asks as they walk the mall towards the food court.

'I know you like that Asian place with the orange chicken unless you want Beltway Burger.' Mac says, realizing she hadn't had any bad memories come up when she mentioned Beltway Burger.

'I want orange chicken.' He replies as Mac, and he walks into the food court and towards the Asian food place he had wanted. They order and find a table to sit at. The two are hungry and scarf down lunch, barely talking to each other. As Mac is eating, she's thinking about what's gone on that day. What her son is feeling and reacting to a day alone with his mother. If they went out with the whole family, He had his sister to help defuse things and someone he could talk to. Like actually talk to, with his voice. She knew he was embarrassed, and that made her feel sad. The kids had people to talk to, but lately, it seemed like they hadn't been.

'Do you need anything else before we go home?' Mac asks, starting to clean up her lunch. Jonah replied with a no, just ready to go home.

The ride home was silent. Mac was scared to ask what was wrong, and Jonah didn't feel like talking. When they arrive home, Mac is greeted by Harm, who is on top of the world. He was so excited to talk about his trip with his daughter, but Mac was ready to cry. Heading up to the bedroom, Mac finally lets go. She's sobbing as she tries to get the words out.

'I don't get it; the whole day was awkward.' Mac cries, trying to calm down so her signs aren't shaky.

'What do you mean?' Harm asks.

'We barely talked. It's like he's embarrassed to be around me. I know we get stares, but I'm getting past that.'

'People stare at you?'

'Yeah, people stare at us when we sign.'

'You've never seen that?'

'No, I guess I don't pay attention.' Harm sighs, sadness in his face learning that his wife and son get looks when they are signing.

'I think he's also embarrassed when he has to interpret at the checkouts and when I order food. I mean, I knew the kids were not fond of it, but today I could see it. It was embarrassing, and I felt horrible. I can't believe he's had to do that. I can't wait for my cochlear implants to get turned on. I wished I could take his pain away.'

'Maybe you can talk to him. Man to man or something. See if there's anything we can do to help. I need a nap to sleep off this headache; I think my surgery sites are still healing.'

'Sure, you get some sleep, and I'll go talk to him.'

'Love you.'

'Love you more.'