Year 6 Part Two
Middle June
1000
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Dr. Jooyan's office
There are tears in her eyes. Her son is finally heading off to high school in the fall. It seemed just yesterday, he was being born, and they were bringing him home. Graham had been doing great with his heart until recently, and with it being summer break, Mac wanted to get everything figured out so he could hopefully start school on time.
He'd gone for his twice-yearly heart exam with Dr. Jooyan. Things had been weird lately with Graham, but the couple can't be sure it's not the summer heat. It's been unusually hot this summer, and he may be reacting to the heat and all the fun things we had planned this summer.
"I know it's been years since his surgery, but I'm seeing something on the Echocardiogram. I don't think it's anything, but I want you guys to take it easy and come back in a few weeks. Just to make sure it's not anything more serious." Dr. Jooyan explains, writing a few notes down in Graham's chart.
"I've prescribed him a heart monitor that he will wear for two days."
"If you notice anything, please let me know so we can get him in, but if you can't wait, please go to the ER."
Helping her son take his shirt off, Dr. Jooyan is getting ready to attach the monitor. He hooks on the Holter monitor, sliding it over his head and then attaching the electrodes.
"No showering or any water activities for the duration, and you'll leave it on."
Mac can tell her son is uncomfortable and unhappy as they drive home. She's unsure what to say to him that would make him understand why he needed this and what was wrong.
"I don't like this." He tells his mom as they drive home from Bethesda.
"I know, but Dr. Jooyan needs to check something. I'm sure you're fine."
"I want it off."
"I know, but it's just two days; if you mess with it, he has to do it again."
"Wish there was something I could do." Mac sighs as she looks back to the road. Their exit is in about a mile.
"Why didn't Daddy come?"
"He had planned on it since your health is important to him, but he had a last-minute meeting with someone important at work."
"He knows?" Graham asks, Mac not sure what he was referring to.
"Your heart monitor?"
"No. But I can tell him unless you want to do it yourself or do it with me?"
"Help?"
"Sure, Sissy should be coming home from practice with Dad soon. He is picking her up after his meeting."
Pulling off at their exit and finding home Mac pulls into the driveway.
20 minutes later
Rabb Residence
Georgetown VA
Harm is home, and they sent Teddy to go practice. Mac wanted to sit with Graham and Harm and let them talk about it without the pressure of his sister. Mac and Harm were in the living room waiting for Graham, who had gone to the bathroom.
"He alright?" Harm asks, a sigh and a little worry evident in his voice.
"He's not happy; I can tell you that." Mac sighs.
"Don't know if it's because of you not coming or the monitor or both. I know he expressed in the car he wanted the monitor off, so I know that for sure, but he easily could be bummed you couldn't make it."
Hearing a noise, the parents look up to see Graham enter the room.
"Come sit, G, tell Daddy about it."
"I have to wear this stupid thing!" Her son's voice is rough and raspy as he speaks. He's not in the mood to do any of this.
"I know, and I'm sorry. Did the doctor say why?" Harm asks, watching his son shrug and Mac look at Harm.
"He saw something on his last heart exam and wanted to double-check something," Mac says, knowing her son would have difficulty answering that one.
"You know, before your mom and I met, I was in a serious accident that landed me in the hospital, and I was hurt for quite some time. I had to be hooked on everything for a while. It was not fun. I know it's uncomfortable, but Mom and I want to know what's happening to you so we can help you so nothing else goes wrong, and so we can keep you out of the hospital."
"You were in the hospital?"
"I was; I got hurt badly flying in an airplane. But thanks to the doctors and my grandma, I am here today. If I hadn't listened to the doctors, I may have been hurt worse and not been there to meet your mom, and you wouldn't be here."
"But your better?"
"Yes, I am much better. I also think Mom helped." Harm winked.
"Look, G-" Mac starts.
"I know you are not too fond of this thing, but as Daddy said, if you don't listen to the doctors and do as they ask, things might get worse, so let's just take this one day at a time and not worry right now. No use getting worked up if it's nothing."
"Just relax, buddy; Mom and I will be with you every step. I promise."
"Promis?"
"Promise."
"Why don't you go watch some TV, and I'll get you a snack," Mac says, getting up and kissing her son on the head, and going towards the kitchen. His favorite food was popcorn, so she knew that would cheer him up.
The next morning
Rabb Residence
Having woken up and put some clothes on, and covered with a robe, Mac pads her way down the hall. She'd wanted to check on her son. Harm had been getting ready for work, so she left him to shower. Making it to her son's room, she slowly and quietly opens his door to see him sleeping. She was grateful for that because he had been so frustrated last night about everything that she was worried for him. Taking a moment, she sighs a sigh of relief that she can see his breathing. He just had to wear the device till tomorrow and would hopefully get the results by the end of the week. Turning to leave, Mac jerks back when she hears him call for her.
"Mama?"
"Yes, G?"
"Sit lease?"
"Sure, baby." Mac smiles, coming over to sit on her son's bed. She kisses his head and runs her fingers through his hair.
"I'm sorry, G." She sighs, wanting to cry for her son. She hated seeing him like this. The air is quiet except for the cries of her son. Letting him lay on the bed, she rubs his back and runs her hands in his hair.
"Just one more day and one more sleep."
Friday of that week
Dr. Jooyan's office
Bethesda Naval Hospital
He's finally able to take off the heart monitor, and Graham feels 100 percent better. Mac is sitting on one side of him, with Harm being able to come and sit on the other side of him.
"Hello, everyone. Nice to see you, Graham." He says, coming around to sit at his desk with Graham's chart in his hands.
"I come with not-so-good news." He sighs, opening up Graham's chart as he looks at the two adults and then at Graham.
"From the two echo's and the Holter monitor, I noticed another small tear, which will require another surgery. It's only a small tear, and the surgery shouldn't take but a few hours, if that." The doctor stops for a moment to give them some time. He knew it wouldn't be easy for them to explain things to Graham.
Turning to look at each other, Mac reaches to grab Graham's hand, hoping to calm him. Mac had a suspicion he'd need another surgery and now had to figure out what they were going to do next and how they were going to help Graham. His first surgery had been in the first few years of his life, and she knew he wouldn't remember any of it.
"Do you know what this means?" Mac looks at Graham, still holding his hand.
"You have to have another surgery." Harm sighs, shifting in his seat to ensure he can see his son.
"Your heart has another owie, and they have to fix it," Mac adds, feeling the air in the room shift. She could tell her son was becoming uncomfortable.
"This only happens in a few select people that have had surgery before, and I want to get this done as soon as possible to keep things from getting worse." The doctor speaks.
"Since I know you both have busy schedules and probably didn't bring your calendars, I'll have my secretary send a few dates, and you can call us with what works best. I know it's summer, and I want to get him healed and recovered before school; I heard you're going to high school! Are you excited?" Dr. Jooyan asks, having set down the boy's chart.
"School, I get to go."
"Yes, and you'll have cool teachers, including Miss Hutchins, your life skills teacher," Mac says.
"That sounds pretty cool!" The doctor smiles, getting up.
"I've got to go see another patient, so I'll leave you here so you can have some quiet time to discuss things."
"Graham, I know this is a lot, but Daddy and I will help you every step of the way. I know it's a bummer, but now I think we will be getting a lot of rest this summer, lots of movies inside."
The Beltway On The Way Home
The ride home was quiet. Mac knew this was a lot for her son to understand, but the adults were trying to keep him involved as they would do for Teddy. He was a teenager. Yes, he had Down syndrome, but not treating him like the almost adult he was, was not fair for him.
Pulling into the driveway, the family goes inside, and Mac helps Graham to a movie. Teddy had gone to Harriet's, and Harm would soon have to go to work. Pulling out her phone, Mac sits in the office and calls Harriet. She needed a friend to talk to that wasn't Harm.
"Mac! Hi!" Harriet's voice is happy as she answers, but it quickly changes as she can tell Mac's voice is not happy.
"Ok, I know you're not calling to say you're coming to pick up Teddy, so spill it."
"Graham needs surgery."
"Oh, is he alright?"
"He has another tear, and his doctor wants to repair it."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Do you have a date yet?"
"No, but he wants to do it so he can recover and be ready for school in the fall. I'm worried."
"How serious is it?" Harriet asks, having sipped on her tea and made a quick scan of the backyard to count the kids.
"He says it's not that serious, but He's my baby, and I'm scared."
"I know just how you feel. Remember when AJ had appendicitis, and he had to have that emergency surgery? I was so scared even though I knew he was going to be ok, but because he was my baby, I couldn't shake that feeling. You know I'm here if you need anything, and I'll gladly watch Teddy while you guys are in the hospital."
"Thanks, Harriet."
July 15th
1025
Bethesda Naval Hospital Surgical Waiting Area
The family had a great Fourth of July, having spent it with the Roberts at their annual summer party bash. It was a lovely day out before the family would start to focus on Graham's surgery.
The three of them are in the little waiting room that they have been assigned, waiting for the medications that will put Graham to sleep before his surgery. The parents are nervous but doing all they can to hide it to be strong for Graham.
"Hello, Graham!" The nurse smiles, coming in with a cup of medication and an IV bag. Graham is scared as he sees her come in, and Mac takes his free hand.
"I need you to take these for me while I hook this up for you. Soon you'll take a nap and then wake up all fixed."
Letting go of her son's hand, Mac helps him take the pills, trying to distract him from the nurse who was installing the IV bag. Within the half-hour, Graham is asleep, and the couple walks with him till they get to the doors of the restricted area.
"Love you, my sweet boy." Mac smiles, kissing her sleeping son and letting go before walking out with Harm to the waiting area.
As they waited, Mac spent most of the time standing and pacing.
"Mac," Harm is up and puts an arm on his wife's shoulder to get her to calm down. Mac jumps and turns, looking at her husband.
"You need to sit. Have you eaten today? I just checked my phone, and your numbers are low."
"Not hungry."
"Please, you need to eat. If I go get you food will you eat it?"
Mac shrugs, checking her internal clock and then pulling out her phone to make sure they matched.
"If that will make you stop worrying, then sure."
"Please sit down, and I'll get you a sandwich. Take a glucose tab, and I'll be back." Harm sighs, feeling defeated as he looks at his wife.
"He should be out of surgery soon," Mac says, shifting and finally going to sit down.
"Thank you."
Harm peeks a smile as he kisses his wife's head and goes towards the cafeteria. He buys them both turkey and cheese sandwiches, a large water for Mac, and a soda for himself. Thanking the clerk, he carries the bag of sandwiches and the drinks back up to where Mac was. Walking in the door, he can see Mac has changed seats, and her face is different. She looks worried. Rushing over, he sets the stuff down so his hands can be free.
"What happened? Did I miss something?"
"The nurse was going to wait, but I knew she had to get back into surgery, so I had her tell me."
"What's going on?! Is he ok?"
"He's fine, but she said he lost some blood during the surgery. Something was nicked, and they had to sew it up and control the bleeding. I don't remember all s-she said I-I…"
"Did you eat that glucose tab?" Harm can tell she didn't as he can see the package wrapped tightly in her hand, and she's starting to slur her words.
"Mac, please, don't make me call the nurse."
Her face is staring off into the distance, and she's quiet. Harm has no clue how she feels, but he's thinking she wants to cry.
"Eat, please. You told me he was fine. I'm sure he will be in recovery soon, and we can go see him. The quicker you eat, the sooner we can see him, but I'm not letting you see him till you eat." Harm says, carefully taking the glucose tab and opening it. He makes sure she has it in her mouth, and she's chewing on it. Then he goes for her purse and finds her PDM. He would figure out the math and help get her insulin started so she didn't have to do it herself.
"Just half the sandwich, that's all I ask."
Handing her, her opened sandwich, he gives her the bottle of water and then starts on his food and soda. He had hoped for something healthier and maybe a little vegetarian, but in the moment of Mac's low, he just needed food for them. He didn't care what it was. Looking up, Harm hears a noise as the door creek opens. It was Dr. Jooyan.
"Hi, your son is out of surgery, he had some minor bleeding, but that's been fixed, and you should be able to see him soon; everything else went as planned. He will spend a night in ICU so he can be monitored more often, but he should be able to go to a normal room tomorrow. He's going to be really tired and might not wake up for a while, so you guys finish your food, and I'll get a nurse to come get you when they are ready."
"Thank you." Harm smiles, looking up at the doctor. It was then he realized that Mac and hospitals don't seem to mix. The last time he had surgery, she was acting like this, and when Teddy fell and broke her arm that one time a few years ago, she almost also went low.
An Hour Later
Graham's ICU room
Bethesda Naval Hospital
"Hey there, buddy." Harm smiles, seeing their son open his eyes. Mac had been sitting by his bed and holding his hand as she quietly sang to him.
"Tired." He says as his eyes close again. The room was a bit bright.
"I know, you sleep; the surgery went great. You had a little hiccup, but they said you're fine and should recover great. He even told me you should be done and ready to go back to school if we do all the resting he asked."
August 9th
Graham's Birthday
It's the morning of Graham's birthday. He's turning the big 1-6, which for him is exciting. His presents had been wrapped and set on the kitchen table, ready for them to be opened after breakfast. They had planned a big fun day, but the surgery threw a wrench in their plans, so relaxing at home and then dinner at the pizza place with the games for dinner with the Roberts would be his big thing for the day.
Hearing footsteps, Mac smiles when she sees Graham come down the stairs. He had a big happy smile on his face.
"Happy birthday, G!" Mac smiles, seeing Harm come behind him.
"You excited?" Harm asks, seeing the presents on the table.
"You got me presents?"
"We sure did, and Daddy has a surprise for you."
"Why don't I make pancakes, and you can open your presents when sissy wakes, ok?"
"What's my prize, Daddy?" Graham asks, shifting to go sit at the breakfast bar to watch his parents make breakfast.
"You sure you wanna know? Because I could just-"
"No secrets, Daddy!" The boy playfully pouts.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you." Harm chuckles, helping Mac get the ingredients for pancakes.
"I got the whole day off to spend with you! I don't have to go in at all!"
"Whole day?"
"Yup! Not a single meeting! My yeoman is at work and telling everyone that calls for me I'm out of the office on important duty!"
"That means my party?"
"Yup! Including your party! Mom and I got you some cool stuff, so maybe we can hang out and play with everything until your party."
"We go ride bikes, Daddy?"
"I wish we could, but Doctor hasn't approved that yet, sorry."
An Hour Later
Rabb Kitchen Table
There are four packages on the table. One from each of the parents, one from Teddy, and one from all three of them.
Opening the first package, it's from Mac. It's one of those new-fangled karaoke microphones that has all the buttons on it that hooks to your phone and lets you sing with music on your phone.
"This to sing?" Graham asks.
"Yeah, I thought we could add singing to our dance parties if you want. Or if dancing is too much, we can just sing."
The following package is from Harm. Graham had an older phone, and now that he was going off to high school and getting older, his parents thought it was time he got a nicer phone. It wasn't the newest fanciest iPhone but a simple one that he can get YouTube and texts and calls and stuff on. Things he likes to do.
"Daddy thought it was time you got a new phone; you'll have the same number, so no worries about giving a new number to your friends. Plus, it's got Dad, and I's number along with Harriet and Bud's, just in case."
Getting up, he excitedly goes over and throws his arms around his father, giving him a big squeeze.
"Thanks, Daddy!" He smiles happily.
"Welcome, G!"
"Love you." Harm smiles, hugging his son back.
The last gift was from his sister. It was a set of DVDs of a TV series he had loved watching, and now he could watch every episode thanks to his sister.
"I knew that was your favorite." She smiles, feeling her brother come over and squeeze her.
"This my favorite sissy, thank you!"
"Welcome, G."
August 20th
1437
Rabb Living Room
The TV is on, and a movie is playing. Harm was at work while Mac worked on recovery duty. Things had been going great though Mac had felt like they had watched all the movies they owned, including the ones they were able to borrow from the Roberts. Mac had all these fun things planned, but with Graham's unexpected surgery, they had to cancel a lot of things. Thankfully he was recovering well and quicker than expected, so that gave them a little extra summer to do a few things before going back to school.
Sitting in front of the TV watching the movie, Mac cuddles with Graham. He had fallen asleep, and as the movie ended, Teddy decided to go up to her room and practice. With nothing else to do, Mac decided to turn the TV off and turn on her soothing playlist on Alexa. Letting it play so she could relax with Graham. Thinking maybe she'd just check out social media and or respond to some text messages while Graham napped was not what happened. She must have been tired, too, because she fell asleep.
About an hour later, the front door clicks open and Harm walks in. He slips his summer whites cover on the coat rack and sets his briefcase down by the door. When he'd announced his arrival, and no one answered, he went looking. Her car was in the driveway, so she had to be home unless they went on a walk, but Mac's keys were still on the key hanger, so she had to be home. As he walks farther in the house towards the living room, he can hear music. It wasn't loud, so he knew it wasn't the daily dance party, which he'd hoped he hadn't missed.
Moving closer, he could tell the music was quiet music, almost like music for sleeping. Definitely not for a dance party. As he came towards the back of the couch, he could see two heads leaning on each other. Rounding the couch, he sees Mac and Graham asleep on the couch. Mac has her mouth open, and it sounds like she might be snoring. Getting ready to go upstairs and change, Harm turns on his heel as he hears his name.
"Mac, hi; I was going to let you sleep."
"No, it's ok; I need to get up. Will you help me?" She asks, putting her hand out for help getting up.
"I'll lay him back down, he fell asleep on our last movie, and I was going to respond to emails and stuff on my phone, but I ended up joining him." She adds, getting up with the help of Harm and carefully laying her son on the couch and covering him up with a blanket.
"Is he ok?" Harm questions, worried.
"Oh, he's fine, we took our walk this morning, all three of us, and I think he wore himself out. There was so much going on in the neighborhood. He got to play with the new family down the street, they just got a puppy, and they have their three-year-old."
"Ah, so I guess that means no dance party." Harm sighs, walking with Mac up the stairs to change out of his summer whites.
"Well, doc gave him allowance for more moving around, and he is having a nap, so I don't see why not. We can ask him if he's up for it when he wakes."
Making it to the bedroom, Harm starts unbuttoning his uniform and hanging it on the hanger to be worn tomorrow. He had one more day on that uniform before it needed to be washed. Slipping off his pants, he goes into his closet to put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. It was one he'd kept from the JAG-a-Thon years ago. It was so soft and comfortable now, and after being in his uniform all day, that was something he needed. Moving, he goes to kiss his wife, who had just come out of the bathroom after washing her face.
"If our daughter-" Harm starts.
"I know," Mac kisses him back.
"Tonight, but not now; I want to be there when G wakes up so he's not scared," Mac says, pulling away and turning to go back down the stairs.
"You know how he can startle," Mac says, leaving the bedroom.
She finds her way down the stairs and then into the living room. Graham was still asleep and now awake; Mac sat on the couch reading emails. She could hear the faint noises of her daughter's French horn as she looked over to see Graham stir.
"Hey, you're awake." She smiles, seeing him sit up.
"Did you have a good nap?"
He shakes his head yes as he yawns. Noise is heard as Mac looks up to see Harm enter the living room from down the stairs.
"I'm going to make dinner; I'm thinking ravioli or something. I got those new ones to try from the freezer."
"Sounds good to me," Mac says, getting up to help the sleepy Graham off the couch.
"Where are you going? You wanna help Dad with dinner?" Harm asks.
"Potty, Daddy."
"Ok, well go; then, if you want, you can help me make dinner."
Watching him, Harm goes into the kitchen to start boiling water. Moments later, he hears the feet of his son come into the kitchen.
"You here to help?"
"I'm hungry."
"Well, I've got the cure for that. Help me make this, and it will be done sooner. Then you can eat however much you want."
"I help you."
"Great, just go into the freezer; there's a bag in there of the ravioli that I just bought right on top." Harm instructs, waiting for the water to boil. He turns to watch Graham, ensuring he grabs the right thing but not hovering too close. They are working on independence with him.
"These daddy?" He asks, holding up the bag of requested ravioli.
"Yes! Perfect! Now bring those here, and we will put them in the pot."
"Then go get the kitchen scissors from the knife block."
Watching him come with the bag and scissors, Harm shows him what to do next.
"Cut open the bag, and we will carefully dump them in the pot. Just not too fast. We don't want to get burned." Harm explained, shifting slightly on his feet to move so his son can have room. Watching him, he smiles as he carefully pours the frozen ravioli into the boiling water.
"Good job, G; Mom would be impressed."
"Now, we need to see how long they cook. Do you see that anywhere?" Harm asks as he watches him turn the bag over. Graham is quiet because he can't find the instructions.
"Right here, it says 7 minutes. Let's set a timer for 7 minutes."
Standing in the doorway, Mac watches her husband work with her son on making dinner. They were working well together, and it made Mac happy. Her son may never move out, but he could definitely gain some independence.
"Smells good in here," Mac says, pushing herself off the doorframe.
"Thanks; G is making dinner." Harm smiles, perking up as he hears the ceiling creek above him and moments later, Teddy appearing in the kitchen.
"What's for dinner, Dad?"
"G is making ravioli. Will you set the table? Dinner should be ready soon."
"Ok!" She smiles, grabbing the silverware and napkins to help set the table. She comes back to the kitchen, waiting for more instructions.
"Will you get four bowls? I'll load them up. Do you want cheese?" Harm says, grabbing the jar of sauce and getting another pot to start the sauce.
"Ok, G, the timer is about to go off, so we can turn off the burner for the ravioli but turn on the one next to it for the sauce. We want to warm it up a bit."
"Anyone want a drink?" Mac asks, opening up the fridge and reaching for a sparkling soda drink for herself.
"Diet Coke Harm?"
"Yes, please." He replies, helping Graham.
"I'll take a water!" Teddy says, getting the bowls for her dad.
"What do you want, G?"
"Juice? Or water? Or a soda like Daddy or a soda like mine?"
"Drink like daddy."
"Ok." Mac smiles, reaching for the drinks people wanted and taking them to the table.
Dinner is finally served, and the kids are finally in bed, with Harm and Mac sitting in their bed talking.
"I'm so proud of him."
"He did good, didn't he?"
"Yeah, you are such a good teacher." Mac smiles, leaning to kiss her husband.
Beginning Of September
First Day Of High School
It's the first day of high school for Graham, and to say he is nervous is an understatement. He'd told both his parents at various times the last week he didn't want to go. When the morning finally came, Harm was able to convince him. The nice thing was the school was just a quarter-mile walk from the house, so while Harm took Teddy to middle school, Mac could walk Graham to school for some nice exercise.
Walking up to the school, Mac stands there with Graham. She's holding his hand as he takes a moment.
"I know you are scared, but I'm only a call away; I wish I could stay, but I can't." Mac sighs, nudging her son onto the campus. Going inside the gate, Mac walks with him to his classroom.
"Graham!" Mrs. Hutchins smiles, watching Mac and Graham come into the room.
"We are having a rough morning. He's got all the nerves." Mac sighs, letting go of her son's hand.
"Well, I can tell you we are going to have an awesome day. So no need!"
"Alright, G, love you, see you this afternoon." Mac smiles, hugging her son and walking out of the room.
This Afternoon
School Pick Up
Walking up to his classroom Mac smiles and waits at the door till the bell rings. Once it rang, the door came swinging open, and a teen with a backpack came running out with an aid behind him. Moments later, Graham comes out with his backpack.
"Hey!" Mac smiles, hugging him.
"Mommy!"
"How was the school, my boy?"
"Good, Mommy."
"Great, I'm glad; let's go home."
Walking down the street and towards home, a honk is heard behind them as they round the corner. Turning, Mac spots the tan SVU driven by none other than Harmon Rabb Jr. The two both wave excitedly as the SUV pulls into the driveway.
"Hey! How's my high schooler?!"
"Good day, Daddy!" Graham smiles, watching his father get out of his SUV while Teddy gets her horn out and heads inside.
"I'm glad. Did you meet any friends?"
"There's a girl; her name is Olivia. She's like me."
"Is she nice?"
"Yeah, she's cool!" He smiles, walking into the house with his mother and father.
"I'm glad." Harm smiles, giving his son a hug. They get inside, and Teddy is off to do homework and practice her horn while Harm and Graham work on dinner. Working on any life skills they can. After dinner, the couple puts the kids to bed, and they find themselves in bed. Tired of the day's events.