Chapter 118

"Harriett, I know you see the world through love-colored glasses, but that doesn't make wishes come true. I won't keep him from seeing Angel, any time he wants, I told him that, but if he didn't believe me you can tell him again."

"Mac, I'm not here for him, I'm here for you. You need a friend right now and I thought you might like to talk. If not, tell me to leave and I'll walk out the door."

"It's just that there's nothing to talk about. I'll get Angel into a daycare and go back to work...my life will go on because of her...no other reason."

"Why don't you let me fix us some tea and sit down and talk? You might feel better afterward."

"Harriett, I will never feel better again...maybe it's time for you to go home to the men that love you..."

"If that's the way you feel, Mac, just know that I'm here if you need me. Remember, I'm your friend and have been for a long time. The Admiral just called and told me you had left and asked me to check on you not to report back to him. In fact, he made it clear I wasn't to do that. So when you do feel like talking, call me," replied Harriett as she picked up her purse and walked to the door letting herself out.

Mac eyed the bottle still on the coffee table. She had lied to Harriett; she had been thinking of drinking it, the only thing that had stopped her was Angel. She remembered how it had felt to have a drunken parent; she wouldn't do that to her daughter. Getting up, she poured the vodka down the sink and rinsed the bottle out for good measure. Knowing that Chloe would be there the next day and that she would also need to look for baby furniture as well as calling the SECNAV about her job, she fell across her bed hoping that she might sleep, but figuring that she would not.

She lay there for several hours before she finally dozed off, only to be woken up thirty four minutes later by Angela wanting a bottle. It took her nearly an hour to get the baby settled and back to sleep. Angela could sense how upset Mac was and had a hard time getting back to sleep. Falling back across her bed, Mac was out in minutes. She didn't wake until Angel woke for another feeding.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

1000 EST

Mac's apartment

Because she knew that Chloe was due that afternoon, Mac headed to the grocery store to get some food into the apartment. Then, she began removing several weeks of dust from the furniture. When she had returned from the store, there had been two calls on the answering machine. She spent the entire time she was cleaning up trying to deny that there had been a conspiracy to the order of the calls. First was AJ's call asking her to please pick up if she was there, then just telling her that he had wanted to stop by on his lunch hour to see Angela. That call had been followed ten minutes later by one from Harriett, asking Mac if she wanted to go to lunch.

Angela was fussy most of the day. She was still sensing that something was not right in her little world. At 1359 EST, there was a knock on the door. Mac opened it and was immediately grabbed into a bear hug. "Wow, Mac, you look like death warmed over!"

"Thanks, Chloe, I really needed to hear that. Come in and bring your bag with you."

"Where the baby, Mac? Can I hold her, please? You know how careful I am!"

"She's in there on her blanket...she's been fussy all day so she might not want you to pick her up..."

"She's upset that she's not home, silly. Babies can sense these things. Isn't that right, you adorable thing, you? I bet you miss your daddy too, don't you?" cooed Chloe, while glancing at Mac out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't start, Chloe! It's already been a rotten day."

To be continued….