Chapter 14

"Oh my God! NO! It was all supposed to be a joke! That letter wasn't real!" Chloe shouted in disbelief.

Mac could hear Chloe's loud protests even though AJ had the phone close to his ear and motioned for him to hand it to her. Once he passed it over, she tried to make her voice as weak and as husky as possible while still trying to keep the amusement at the trick they were playing on her little sister from her voice. "Chloe," she croaked, "I wanted to say thank you too! I don't know how you knew, but you made my wish come true!" She handed the phone back to AJ as she buried her face in the pillow to muffle her laughter.

AJ could hear Chloe's wails of "No! No! No!" before he got the phone to his ear. Looking over at Mac to see that she still had her face hidden, his tender heart took pity on the distraught girl. Glad that Francesca had insisted on teaching him how to 'text' so that they could send messages back and forth to each other while at the ballparks. He typed in as quickly as he could, 'car accident, not dying, she will be fine, all a joke' while saying into the receiver, "Chloe, I need to go now, I'll call again later if there is time." He hung up with her demands for an explanation still ringing in his ear.

Now that he was off the phone, Mac was able to allow her mirth free reign. Her giggles filled the room as she asked AJ between gasps, "Did you hear her? I definitely think we got her good! Do you think letting her be in the wedding will make up for the trick we played?"

"She might forgive you for that, but I'm not sure about me," he told her with a grin at her delight.

"Maybe we shouldn't let her suffer too long. If you called her with the truth once I'm released, she would have to forgive you too. Don't you think?" Mac asked, feeling compassion for the distressed young girl.

"I think that would be a good idea," he told her as the door to her room was pushed open to reveal the sad faces of Bud and Harriet Roberts.

As soon as Harriet saw Mac her tears started to flow, "Oh Ma'am! The Admiral told us the news!" she cried as she hurried across the room to Mac's side.

Mac turned her gaze on AJ with just a touch of accusation in her eyes. He had been the one to worry her friends this way. Even though Chloe had started all of this, AJ was there and clearly had to have been the one that passed on the bad news to Bud and Harriet.

He was just about to begin explaining the mix up when Harm strolled in through the open door. He looked at all the people in the room and then said, "Gee, Mac, you could have let me know you already had others here to escort you out of here tonight!"

Harriet turned her tear filled hostile eyes on Harm and scolded, "That is very inconsiderate, Commander! A person needs all their friends around at a time like this!"

"Huh?" Harm looked very confused. "Why would she need more than one…"

Getting angry with his apparent lack of sympathy for the situation, Harriet told him, "Well, if you can't understand that, then maybe Mac doesn't want you around when she's dying after all!"

"Dying? Whose dying?" Harm demanded.

"I'm not dying!"

"She's not dying!"

Mac and AJ insisted in unison.

"But Sir! You told us over the phone that Colonel Mackenzie was dying!" Bud protested to AJ.

"I know I did and I'm very sorry to have caused all this confusion and sadness. It seems I was misinformed on the subject by a very mischievous teenager."

At the blank looks he got from all but Sarah, he went into more detail, "Chloe sent me a letter saying that Sarah was dying. That was why I told you that and the reason I rushed back from Italy."

All three of them started to speak at once:

"Why would she have done something so mean?" Bud questioned.

"How could she have claimed something so tragic?" Harriet asked.

"Why would that have brought you rushing back from Italy?" Harm wanted to know.

To be continued…..