A Friendly Demonstration

Chapter 46

Mattie eased back against the canvas back of the chair and smiled mistily at Harm and Jen, "I'll have to give you your hug a bit later Jen. My legs get pretty tired pretty quickly!" and then before Jen could reply she craned her head up and around and flashed a brilliant smile at the Airman still holding onto the chair handles, "Thanks, Sam, but my dad's got it now, don't you Harm?"

"I do," Harm agreed gravely but with his happiness at seeing Mattie again plainly evident in his eyes, face and body language.

Sam grinned down at Mattie, "Okay, if you say so, but mind you behave yourself!" and then looked across at Ham, coming up into a brace, "By your leave, sir?"

"Yes, of course, thank you, Airman."

"It was my pleasure, sir!" And then as he caught the disbelieving expression on Harm's face he added, "It really was, sir. Miss Rabb… well… I'm very, very pleased to have met her!"

Harm blinked as the young airman drew himself up again and snapped off a salute, which he held for five seconds and then faced about and was soon lost in the crowd.

Jen glanced at Harm and the twinkled at Mattie, "Been flirting, again Mats?"

"Only a little," Mattie confessed, "he was a really nice guy, even if he had been detailed to look after me!"

"Flirting?" Harm frowned.

"Detailed?" Jen asked simultaneously.

"Whoa! One at a time, please people. I know I'm smart, but I can only process one conversation not two together!" She took a breath and looked at Harm, "It wasn't really flirting. Sam had been detailed to look after me at Andrews, on the plane and here until I was safely handed over. It was no big deal, all passengers in need of special assistance get a guardian angel detailed, mostly for emergencies, but Sam went above and beyond. I liked him."

"H'mm…" Harm looked at Mattie severely, "No more flirting, young lady. Remember, you don't get to date until you're thirty – at least!" but it was no good, he was so overjoyed at reuniting with the copper haired youngster that by the time he'd finished his warning, a huge, beaming smile had broken out all over his face.

Mattie screwed up her nose in a silent laugh, "Yeah, right!" she agreed insincerely, reducing both Harm and Jen to helpless laughter.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, something odd grabbed Harm's attention. "Mattie, where's your luggage? Don't tell me you travelled all this way with just your lap top and purse?" he nodded at the book bag hanging from the chair handles.

"No! Of course not! The load master said he'd take care of them for me, and that once he'd got them from baggage reclaim he'd come out here and find me!"

"Just how many of these guys have you got wrapped around your little finger?" Jen gasped as she started to laugh again.

"Just two!" Mattie claimed defensively, and then grinned again, "One for each hand!"

Jen chuckled while Harm just shook his head in mock despair while Mattie looked from one to the other an ecstatic grin on her face.

"I think your servant is on his way Mattie," Jen observed as she saw an approaching flight-suit clad Chief Master Sergeant, a suitcase in each hand.

Mattie craned her head around just about as far as it would go, "Yeah, that's him. Hey Eddy!" she added with a shout and waved a hand to attract his attention.

"Yeah, yeah, I can see you, shrimp!" he grinned and then turned his attention to Harm, "This…" he put down the cases and jabbed a thumb at Mattie, "belong to you, sir?"

"It does indeed! Say thank you to the Chief Master Sergeant, Squirt!"

"Yeah, thanks, Eddy!" Mattie grinned up at the Air Force Non-Com.

Eddy grinned in turn, "De nada… Squirt, huh? You kept quiet about that one!"

"Damn straight!" Mattie exclaimed, with half an eye on Harm.

Eddy chuckled and with a nod at Harm and Jen contented himself with an "If you'll excuse me, sir, ma'am," before turning and striding away to attend to his duties.

Harm looked down at Mattie and in the severest tones he could manage, which weren't very severe asked, "Is that everything, Mattie?"

"Yep. Two suitcases and a carry on!" she confirmed.

"Well, then let's get going. Jen, can you help Mattie with the chair. I got the bags!"

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"Wow! Nice wheels! Love the colour!" Mattie grinned as Jen stopped the wheelchair next to the Subaru.

"Anything else?" Harm asked with a smile as he opened the rear hatch and slid Mattie's cases forward until they butted up against the back of the rear seats.

"Well…" Mattie pretended to think for a few moments before she continued… "Is it big enough? I mean, all my gear, me, the chair…"

"Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Harm grinned, "but unless you have any different ideas, I think I've worked out a way to get you out of the chair, and into the car."

Mattie looked doubtfully at the height of the Subaru's seats and then said cautiously, "Okay… If you stand in front of me, but sideways on, I could stand, and then you could help me up into the car?"

Harm nodded, "Right, so once you're standing, hook an arm around the back of my neck and I'll try to scoop you up and lift you."

"Will you be able to do that?" Mattie asked anxiously, "I mean with your back and all?"

"Well, I figure we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Harm smiled, "But don't worry, I won't drop you!"

"Oh, I'm not afraid of that!" Mattie declared blinking away a sudden rush of tears.

"Okay, while you do that, I'll put the chair in the trunk," Jen said and dropped a hand onto Mattie's shoulder to give her an encouraging squeeze.

"Right!" the teenager breathed, "here goes nothing!" and with a heave of her arms she stood, wobbling uncertainly for a few seconds, until she had anchored herself with her arm around Harm's neck.

"Ready?" he asked her, and as she nodded he bent his knees slightly and scooped her up, one strong arm under her knees and the other supporting her back, and then with a slight grunt of effort, he straightened up and took the needed step nearer the car and carefully edged Mattie into the vehicle until she was positioned over the seat nearest the door. Letting her get settled he waited until she was comfortable before he admonished her, "Now, buckle up. Okay? Good! Well done, Squirt."

"I'm fine," Mattie replied as she cast a concerned look in Harm's direction, "But what about you?"

"Oh… I'm pretty good." Harm dismissed the teenager's worries with a casual wave of his hand. "You're not so heavy that I couldn't carry you all day if I had to."

"Well you don't. And with any luck I'll be able to climb in and out of the car by myself before too much longer!"

"Yeah, how about that!" Jen enthused twisting around in the front passenger seat so she could look at Mattie, "Just when did you start standing and walking?"

"Uh… I told my therapist a couple of weeks ago that I had pins and needles in my feet. So the doc prodded and poked and carried out all sorts of tests, and then after that the therapist, had me on the torture rails… most of my weight was on my hands, but I sort of let my feet take more weight each time, and then two – no, three – days ago, I was able to stand on my own for a few seconds before I had to grab the rails again. As for walking, well, shuffling, I took my first couple of steps yesterday. I'm not very good at it yet…"

"That will come Mats," Harm assured her.

"How can you know that?"

"Because you're too much a fighter to give up now. I reckon in six months or so, you'll be coming with on my morning runs!"

"You may have to cut your pace a bit," Mattie warned him, "until I get aerobically fit! But then, you just watch out. You won't see me for dust!"

"Bring it on!" Harm grinned as he drove out of the parking lot, "We'll soon see who is left in whose wake!"

Both Jen and Mattie chuckled at that and Harm took the opportunity at the obligatory halt at the main gate barrier to exchange a happy grin with Jen, who smiled back before she turned back to Mattie.

"So… how is everyone back in DC?" she asked.

Mattie launched into a long and complicated version of all that had happened in DC and Falls Church since Jen had left for the UK and Harm was able to let the conversation wash over him, his attention fixed on the road ahead.

Before too long however the stream of chatter died away. Harm glanced up at the rear view mirror in which he could just see Mattie. The teenager was leaning back against the seat and her eyes were closed. Harm thought he saw stress lines at the corners of her mouth and between her eyebrows. "Tired, Squirt?" he asked sympathetically.

Mattie opened her eyes and smiled wanly, "I guess. It's dumb really. I know it's only about eighteen hundred in DC, but I feel like I've been up for a whole day…"

"Well, you've just had a long flight in C-17, and they're not the most comfortable passenger planes in the world, a couple of hours in them is tiring, and you've just flown three thousand miles. So don't feel bad. It's allowed."

Mattie smiled and closed her eyes again, her murmured thanks just about reached Harm's ears. He shook his head indulgently and glanced sideways at Jen. "Grab my cell phone out of the glove, and call speed dial one, please. Tell Gill that we're about an hour out, so if she waits about forty minutes and then puts the pizza in…"

"Did someone just say pizza?" Mattie asked hopefully.

Harm flashed a quick glance at the rear view mirror, "Someone did," he admitted with a grin. "But don't get too fixed on the idea, this is a special occasion. And I made this one myself, so I know exactly what's in it!"

Mattie swallowed and then asked in a smaller voice, "Uh… you made it?"

Harm grinned triumphantly "Yep!"

Jen chuckled and twisted in her seat once more to look back at Mattie, "Hey, cheer up, it might not be all that bad!"!

"Oh yeah?" the teenager asked cynically. "I've only got two things to say about that: Meatless Meatloaf!"

Jen's eyes sparkled with laughter again as she looked sideways at Harm, "Mattie does have a point, sir!"

"Oh, c'mon you two, it wasn't that bad!" Harm defended his signature dish.

Mattie and Jen exchanged another look and chorused, "Oh, yes, it was!"

"H'mph! Well, it's not on the menu tonight. And neither will the pizza be, unless you make that phone call!" he added pointedly.

"Aye, aye, sir! On it!" Jen replied and flipped the phone open.

Mattie sat up straining her ears to try to hear what Gill might sound like, but her distance from the phone and the noise of the vehicle combined to defeat her efforts, and with a pout she slumped back in her seat, but perked up slightly when Jen closed the phone with a snap and then chuckled.

"Something tickled your funny bone, Jennifer?" Harm asked, his own eyes crinkling in amusement as he fell victim to the contagion of Jen's low laugh.

"M'mm… Captain Shephard says to tell you that she was struggling with the front door ramp, when someone called Tim came across the street to help her!" Jen explained and then added, "Who's Tim, sir?"

Harm didn't appear to have heard Jen's question as his jaw dropped in dismay and he thumped the side of his fist on the steering wheel, "Damn! I knew I forget something! I should have seen to that before we left home!" he said remorsefully.

Mattie's ears perked up, "So… she's a pretty switched on lady, this… Captain Gill?" she asked.

Even in the gloom of the Subaru's interior, and through the rear view mirror Mattie caught the flash of Harm's teeth as he grinned, "She sure is! She's also pretty laid back, but don't let that fool you, she's one of the sharpest knives in anybody's drawer, and she's no pushover, so she probably won't fall for any tricks, or stand any nonsense! And… she's one of best things that's happened to me on a long time."

"Just one of them?" Mattie asked innocently. Too innocently, Harm decided.

"M'mm," he replied non-committally.

"And the other good thing or things?" Mattie asked, still fishing.

"Well, there was getting to know Jen better and then having her ask to come to London with me…" Harm said musingly. "And then peace broke out between Trouble and Strife… and then there was that girl in Virginia, the one I adopted… she was pretty okay too…" Harm finished on a teasing note.

Mattie's grin spread across her face. "You do realise that you're going to pay for that, don't you?" she observed.

"I figure that there might be some payback, somewhere along the line," Harm agreed. "But I do have a trick or two up my sleeve, just in case!"

"Yah think?" Mattie drawled.

"Oh yeah!" Harm said enthusiastically.

Jen looked back over her shoulder again, "Uh, Mattie, you might want to consider that Harm not only controls your allowance, but he was also the prankster of the year for three years out of the four he was at Annapolis."

"H'mm… good point about the allowance, Jen," Mattie concurred, "But his day at Annapolis was so long ago…"

"Hey, watch it Squirt! Don't forget that I'm still faster on my feet than you!"

Jen gasped, "I don't believe you just said that… sir!" she added hastily.

"Oh, it's okay, Jen. I'll get him back for that!" Mattie grinned. "Just as soon as I can run faster than he can!"

Harm and Jen exchanged a glance and then all three in the car roared with laughter.

Harm eased the car through the complex system of off and on ramps from the M11 to the M25, paying particular attention to his wing mirrors as he accelerated to a safe speed before pulling out onto the inside lane and then settled the Subaru at a steady seventy mph. Once satisfied that all was as it should be, he leaned forward and switched on the Satnav.

"What's up, don't you know the way home?" Mattie teased him.

"Oh, I know that alright, but I'm not sure of the roads to Jen's new place, and then from her place home. Although I get the feeling that route is going to get pretty familiar pretty quickly!" Harm grinned.

But for once there was no grin on Mattie's face. "You mean that Jen isn't coming home with us?" she asked some dismay.

"Not tonight, Squirt," Harm said sympathetically. "It's late and Jen hasn't got a car, so we'll be dropping her off before we head on home."

"But I thought… I mean can't she stay over?"

Harm regretfully shook his head. "Not an option any more Mats. Sorry."

"But…" Mattie started to object but was cut off by Jen.

"Your dad's right, Mattie. It's not like we're still back at the loft. Things are different, now. We came pretty near to crossing the line back then But at least at night we had two locked doors between us and Harm… uh… sorry, sir…" Jen broke off in red-faced confusion.

"It's okay, Jennifer, just don't call me that at work! Go on with what you were saying."

Jennifer gulped and turned her attention back top Mattie, "Back then your dad was just one of the officers I worked with. But now he's my CO, and it would be totally inappropriate for me to stay over."

"I don't see how," Mattie objected, "After all, I'd be there to keep my eye on you – and so would your British Captain!" she added hotly to Harm.

"That's true enough, Mattie, but it just wouldn't work. All three, all four, of us know that if Jen stayed over it would be one hundred per cent innocent. But not everyone would believe us, and just the appearance of impropriety would be enough to finish both Jen's career and my own, plus probably cost us a few years behind bars and loss of all the pension and benefits we've worked for."

Harm cocked an eye at the rear view mirror and saw that Mattie was still unimpressed, "Besides, Jen has her boyfriend waiting for her at her place, if I'm not mistaken. Right Jen?"

Once again Jen felt her face burn as the blood rushed to her cheeks and was again thankful that the darkness hid her blushes, "Um… yeah, right, sir! So, you see Mats, I do really need to get home. But if it's alright with you both, I could get Victor to bring me over maybe tomorrow, maybe Sunday, and we could go someplace for a coffee?"

"Well, let's hold off making any plans for the moment, Jen, until Mattie and I have had a chance to work the weekend schedule out with Gill. I've learned the hard way not to take anything for granted."

"Wow! Is she a witch, then?" Mattie asked worriedly.

Harm gave a bark of laughter, "No, Gill isn't a witch at all; I was thinking of past experiences with past girlfriends! There were a couple of times when I made arrangements with a third party and didn't bring them in on the decision making process. And even I can learn from past mistakes."

"Uh… okay… I can see where you're coming from, both on the impro – whatever thing, and learning from… from before…" Mattie agreed somewhat grudgingly, remembering just in time not to say 'Mac', "but what about me getting to bed and getting dressed and…"

"All under control, Mattie," Harm reassured her. "I'll go into details when we get home, but Gill will look after you as far as that's concerned for the weekend, and I think I've got the bases covered from next week on."

"Okay…" Mattie agreed still slightly unhappy. "So… is it alright if I call you tomorrow Jen? Say about ten hundred?"

"Of course it is, Mats!" Jen said emphatically, "In fact, I think I'd be upset if you didn't!"

"So… then I get to meet Victor?" Mattie inquired, and once again, just a shade too innocently for Harm and especially Jen's liking.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Jen demanded suspiciously.

"Nothing, just my arms," Mattie said artlessly immediately reminding Harm of Chloe at her most mischievous.

"H'mm…" unseen in the darkness the look Harm sent to the rear view mirror was full of misgiving.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

It wasn't much longer before Harm pulled off the motorway and into the streets of suburban London where Mattie woke from the half-doze into which she dropped for the past twenty or so minutes and looked around with interest. At this time of night there wasn't much to see, even most of the pubs were closed, except street lights and lighted shop fronts, with here and there a knot of younger people gathered in front of a kebab shop, pizza restaurant or a Chinese or Indian take-out place.

"Looks kinda… scary…" she commented.

Jen nodded, "It can be, but it isn't as bad as it looks, and anyway where I live is a bit more upmarket… you'll see." A grin crossed her face, "In fact the Captain wouldn't sign off on my living off-base or my BAH until he'd vetted the apartment and seen the area!"

"Couldn't be bothered training a new Legalman to my ways is all!" Harm grunted in a gruff voice that did nothing to convince either of his passengers of his sincerity. Jen and Mattie exchanged another raised eyebrows glance and Jen, remaining silent left it to Mattie to drawl, "Yeah, riiight!"

Almost on the heels of Mattie's comment, Harm indicated left at a junction and turned into Church Street. Where after only a few yards he swung across the road and into the small parking lot alongside Jen's building.

"This is it!" Jen smiled at Mattie as she paused with her hand on the door handle, "And if it wasn't so late, I'd invite you up for a coffee, but as it is…"

"Yeah, I get it!" Mattie grumped, still not quite happy about leaving Jen behind, "but you'd best get your butt around here, 'cause if you think I'm going to let you go without getting a hug…!"

"The thought never crossed my mind!" Jen laughed as she opened the door and slid out of the car. Latching the door behind her she walked around to the side of the car and opened the door, leaning in so that not only could she wrap her arms around her young friend, but so that Mattie could hug her too.

For a few long seconds Harm watched with a soft smile on his face as Mattie's copper curls combined with Jen's brunette tresses, his smile deepening as he heard Jen's "Oh, Mattie, it is so, so good to see you again! You wait, once you are back on your feet, we're going to have so much fun!"

Mattie sniffled damply, "You bet your ass!"

Jen's startled eyes flew to meet Harm's but she saw to her relief that they were glinting with amusement as he shook his head in resignation, and it was left to Jen to murmur in Mattie's ear, "Language!"

Mattie looked up at Harm and blushed slightly, "Oops, sorry!"

"I should think so too!" he admonished her in a voice that aimed at sternness, but missed by a good country mile

Dismounting from the car so that Mattie shouldn't see his grin, Harm stood and waited while the two girls finished their goodbyes and goodnights and then turned to Jen as she closed the rear passenger door. "Thanks for coming to the airport to meet Mattie, she was pretty insistent that you should be there. I guess she really missed you."

"Oh… I was more than happy to go with you, sir." Jen replied gravely, "but I also suspect that Mattie wanted to surprise us both with her progress!"

"And she certainly did that!" Harm grinned, "But that doesn't stop me from being grateful, you know, and not just for Mattie's sake." His smile broadened, "So, we'll see you at some time tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight Jen."

Jen smiled in return, "Goodnight, sir."

Harm waited until he could see that Jen was safely inside the building and the door was properly closed after her before he turned back towards the car. Opening his door he looked into the rear of the vehicle, "Are you alright back there, Mats?"

A soggy giggle escaped the teenager, "Yeah, I will be, thanks… I'm not really upset, just a little tired, kinda…"

"Okay," Harm decided to take Mattie's words at face value, although he was having trouble believing them; she was always so full of energy that he doubted that being a 'little tired' would reduce her to tears, although there had been that long not very comfortable flight to take into consideration. "So, he continued, "Do you want to come sit up front with me?"

"How much longer?" Mattie countered.

Harm rubbed his chin between finger and thumb, "At this time of night? Twenty, maybe thirty minutes…"

Mattie considered for a moment or two and then gave an emphatic shake of her head, "No… If you don't mind? It's hardly worth the hassle of moving me for such a short distance, besides, you'll be focusing on the road right? You did say you'd have to use the Satnav."

"You're right, I did," Harm agreed, and although he also agreed with Mattie's logic he couldn't help but feeling a little disappointed, but he would have died before he let Mattie see that, so with his flyboy grin firmly in place he slid behind the wheel and said, "Okay, Squirt, here we go, the last leg before home!

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Harm's estimation of the time the drive would take fell neatly into the middle of the bracket he had suggested. Almost exactly twenty five minutes after pulling away from Jen's apartment he braked to a smooth halt in front of his quarters at RAF Northolt where he noticed with grim amusement that not only was his place the only house on the street still showing lights but also that Mattie had once more dropped into a light sleep, however the cessation of movement had her stirring and as she realised that Harm had switched off the ignition and with a gleam of mischief in her eyes she put on her best whiny brat voice, "Are we there yet?"

"We certainly are! So let's get you out of this thing and into the house!" Harm replied, the amusement in his voice showing that he appreciated Mattie's light-hearted teasing.

It was easier lifting Mattie out of the Subaru and settling her in her wheelchair than it had been lifting her into the car and once Mattie was settled Harm swivelled the chair around until it was facing the newly installed ramp.

"Can you handle the ramp, Mats?" he asked, "Or would you like a push."

Mattie considered the prospect. From her perspective there was a slight problem the angled surface of the ramp extended all the way to the door. Ideally it would have had a horizontal platform at the top so she could negotiate the door without having to worry about rolling backwards and out of control down the slope.

"Uh… If you can open the door, I think I can manage," she said slightly doubtfully.

"Are you sure?" Harm asked picking up on the note of uncertainty.

"I'm sure I can try!" Mattie affirmed with a determined nod of her head.

"Okay then, Squirt. Just let me grab your bags and I'll open up for…" but his sentence was interrupted by Gill opening the door.

"Are you two going to stay out there all night?" she asked lightly.

"Nope, but you need stand back from the doorway, I think, because here comes the cannonball express!"

Mattie shot him an exasperated look, "Yeah, right, very funny!" she growled and then looked up at Gill, "but he's right, I don't want to run into you." 'And I don't need you in the way and maybe causing me to lose control!' she added silently.

Gill however had already taken a couple of steps back, away from the door and with Harm's soft voiced and encouraging, "Go for it, Mattie," in her ears the teenager rolled up the paved walkway to foot of the ramp, gathering speed with every push of her now muscular arms.

Her speed started to bleed off as soon as the wheel were squarely on the ramp and for a second or two the teenager wondered if she had enough power to keep rolling forward so it was with a sense of triumph, not unmixed with a little feeling of relief, that she rolled over the threshold and into the hallway where she stopped.

Gill had a soft smile on her face, the result of seeing Matte's determinedly ferocious scowl as she stormed the ramp, her teeth gritted and her arms pumping. "Hello, she said coolly, "You must be Mattie. Welcome to the UK. I'm Gill." As she spoke she offered her hand to the youngster.

Mattie dutifully reached up to take the offered hand, "Hi, yes, I'm Mattie Rabb" she replied "I'm pleased to meet you."

Both were silently impressed by the firmness of the other's handshake while Gill was also impressed that despite her exertion in getting up the ramp, Mattie's breathing showed no sign of the effort she had expended.

Mattie for her part breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had been more than half-afraid that Harm might have fallen for a Mac look alike, but this Gill… well… she was different. Yeah, her hair was dark but lighter in colour than Mac's and it had natural seeming auburn highlights where the light struck it. Her complexion was lighter than Mac's too, and her eyes seemed to be hazel, or maybe greenish… or maybe a combination of both. She didn't seem to be as tall as Mattie remembered Mac, maybe a couple of inches shorter, and her face was open and friendly with a warm smile, but she seemed to be slightly nervous. Nervous of what, though? Mattie pondered and then it struck her. Gill was just as nervous about meeting her as she was about meeting Gill. These thoughts chased though Mattie's mind in swift confusion, taking no more than a couple of seconds, but enough time for Harm to have carried her cases up the ramp and drop them just inside the door.

Closing the door, he cast an impassive glance at both of the women in his life and saw nothing but friendly but cautious curiosity as each formed their first impression of the other.

Gill looked away from Mattie at Harm and her smile widened into what Mattie recognised as an expression of happiness. 'Score one for the Brit!' she told herself silently. In her book anyone who was happy at seeing Harm was one of the good guys.

"Hello, sailor," Gill breathed.

"Hey there, soldier," he returned her greeting just as quietly, and taking two steps he closed the gap between them and leaned in to give her a light kiss.

Mattie sat still, almost shocked into silence. While she knew that Harm and Gil were in a relationship she had never seen him kiss a woman, not even Mac, and she felt an unaccountable pang which she realised to her horror was jealousy, and for the first time she fully realised that while she had encouraged Harm to try his hand at romance it meant that she would have to share him with his partner.

Harm turned from Gill to grin at Mattie, "Did I hear right? That you two introduced yourselves?"

Gill startled Mattie by dropping a conspiratorial wink in her direction, "Yes, we managed that all by ourselves."

"Yeah," Mattie was quick to chime in, "And without a man to tell us how to do it!" and then she giggled.

Harm turned an indulgent eye on Mattie, but his expression turned to one of pain when Gill also giggled.

"Oh, well, if you've introduced yourselves, the only thing left for me to do is to introduce Mattie to her dinner."

Gill nodded and glanced at her watch, "Another three, four minutes and it should be ready. I put a baguette in with it and tore up some salad leaves…"

Harm nodded approvingly, "So… we're eating in the kitchen?" he queried.

"Seemed like a good idea to me," Gill agreed and indicating the kitchen door asked Mattie, "Through there, do you need any help?"

"No thanks, I can manage, I think…" Mattie eyed the doorway slightly dubiously, it didn't seem as wide as the doorways she was used to in the states.

Appearance however were deceptive and Mattie manoeuvred her chair through the door and into the kitchen with no problems. Then when she arrived at the table, she applied the brakes on the chair and with a heave of her arms surged to her feet and took the one shuffling side step she needed to reach one of the chairs at the table.

Gill nodded approvingly, while Harm's beaming smile was fill of love and pride.

Mattie became aware of the stares both adults bestowed on her and blushed under their scrutiny, "What?" she demanded gruffly, "Haven't you ever seen anyone sit at a table before?"

"Well, yeah, of course, but…" Harm began.

"Hey, it's no biggy," Mattie said slightly defensively "It's just that wheelchair is a little too low for comfort at the table."

"Okay," Gill interrupted as she turned to the oven "This should be just about ready…" she turned back to the table having slid the pizza onto a serving plate, "Now… who's up for what?" she placed the plate on the table.

"I'll have a slice of the ham and mushroom portion, please," Mattie said, "But try to make sure you don't cross into Harm's bit of the pie – he actually likes those horrible little fish things!" she finished, eying the quadrant of the pizza that seemed to her critical eye to be overly well supplied with anchovies alongside the peppers and mushrooms.

Gill pulled a face of disgust, "Yes, I know totally depraved isn't it!"

"You bet! And he won't even let me have pineapple with the ham!"

"Mattie, no matter what culinary horrors seem acceptable, there is never any excuse for putting pineapple on a pizza!"

"It's not as bad as those fishy things!" Mattie disputed hotly as she helped herself to salad, "Besides, it's fruit which is like veggies and you're always on at me to eat veggies!"

"There's a huge difference between proper veggies and pineapples, Mattie…"

"Yeah, yeah," Mattie grinned, "You've told me before. Pineapples have too much sugar in them!"

"Exactly!" Harm agreed as he warmed to his theme.

Gill sat back with a smile on her face as she watched Harm and Mattie happily squabbling as they rehashed what was obviously a long-standing and good-natured difference of opinion.