November 29, 2003
Sycamore Street – Falls Church, Virginia
1302 Eastern
The morning had unfolded almost flawlessly. Beth had come over to the loft early that morning, where she had joined Harm and Mattie for breakfast. The trio packed the last few items in the apartment, so that everything would be ready when the movers came at 1100. Then it was time for them to split up. Beth and Mattie would stay at the apartment waiting for the movers, while Harm drove over to the new house.
Fortunately, the weather was a nice late fall day, with the temperature cool and the sky clear. This would make it easier for both the movers and the furniture delivery people, while virtually eliminating mud from being tracked through the house. Traffic was relatively light, since tourist season was over and with it the extra traffic that resulted from it.
Harm arrived at the house on Sycamore just before 1000, pulling in just ahead of the first delivery truck. Seeing the store name on the side, Harm remembered what had been bought there and mentally calculated where the various items were supposed to go. Climbing out of the Lexus, he hurried to open the house and begin directing the delivery people. It was as the first load was entering the house that Sturgis arrived. The two friends shook hands while watching the delivery people come back down for the next load.
This was destined for the downstairs bedroom and Harm pointed it out as he led them through the house. Sturgis, on the other hand, was simply admiring the sheer size of the house, curious why his friend would have bought such a big home for just two people. His contemplation was broken when Harm called for him to come back. The delivery people were going back out to the truck for another load, while Harm was wrestling with setting the bed up.
"Grab the footboard, Sturgis," Harm said, as he connected the side rails to the headboard. Once the footboard was standing, the side rails were connected to that. Then followed the lengths of board that went between the side rails, which would support the box spring and mattress.
"Whose bedroom is this, Harm," Sturgis asked.
"Oh, just a guest room for when my mom and Frank visit."
A call from the front of the house brought them out of the bedroom to find the delivery people bringing in the new living room set. Standing behind them were Bud and Harriet, each carrying bags of linens from the truck. Harm showed the delivery people where he wanted the couch and love seat, while telling Sturgis to show Bud and Harriet to the back bedroom. He figured that the linens could just be put there for the time being. Once everything was in the house, then he could sort where everything would go.
Once the living room was done, the truck was empty of Harm's purchases and they left. Fortunately, the timing worked perfectly, as the second delivery truck arrived not 10 minutes after the first one had departed. This truck had the last bedroom set aboard, along with the dining room furniture and the home entertainment system that Mattie had convinced him to purchase. When that was in, Harm directed Bud to set it up. Then, he and Sturgis went upstairs to set up the two new beds while Harriett got the dining room situated after it was brought in.
The only slight problem in the day came when the movers' truck arrived while the delivery truck was still in the driveway. That problem was quick to solve, however, since all that remained were a few bags of linens. Harriet, Beth and Mattie quickly grabbed those, enabling the truck to leave and allowing the movers to begin to unload. Coates was the last person to arrive and apologized profusely for her tardiness. However, she refused to comment on what the source of her delay had been, but rather jumped in to help get things put away.
Beth and Mattie had planned things out well, carefully marking each box as to where in the loft its contents had come from. This enabled the movers to leave kitchen items downstairs, while Harm's books and bedroom items were carried upstairs to be left in the master bedroom and office. As the kitchen boxes came in, the group quickly unpacked the contents and loaded them into drawers and cupboards. The empty boxes were then broken down and placed by the backdoor, ready for Harm to either store them in the garage or place them out with the trash. While this was going on, Harriet left to collect the boys from the babysitter. With all the furniture inside the house, she felt it would be safe to have the boys around.
After the kitchen was finished, the next step was sorting out the various linens. Harm had simply kept his old ones for his bedroom, while it was easy to identify the ones Mattie had selected for hers. The remainder were divided between the upstairs and downstairs guest bedrooms. However, before any of the linens went on the beds, they would all need to be washed, with Mattie's having first priority. So, Harm gathered up a load and headed for the basement laundry room, thankful that the house had come with appliances.
Coming back upstairs, he found everybody settled in the living room.
"Is that everything?" Harm asked, as he went over to the loveseat and settled in next to Beth.
"Looks like it, Harm. There's still some stuff to be unpacked upstairs, but it's mostly your books and personal stuff. I kind of figured you'd want to do that yourself," Sturgis told him.
"The television is all set, but until you get cable you'll only have 4 or 5 channels," Bud said. "The house already has the connections installed, you'll just need the cable company to come out and turn the service on."
"I didn't think about that. I'd already had the other utilities either turned on or transferred over to me when I bought the house. Never even considered needing cable."
The rest of the group just shook their heads at that. Everybody but Coates had visited Harm's apartment and knew that he didn't have a television, so it wasn't entirely shocking that he wouldn't think about getting cable. Still, it was slightly funny, as was the look of horror on Mattie's face at the prospect of just 4 channels. That, to the teen, was almost as bad as having no television at all.
Harriet returned with the two boys. Jimmy went straight to his father, while little AJ stood there looking around at his new surroundings. His mother had told him they were going to Uncle Harm's but this wasn't Uncle Harm's. Yet, Uncle Harm was here, along with the nice girl with red hair he'd met at Thanksgiving. So, little AJ went over to where she sat and held his arms out for a hug. Mattie quickly scooped the young boy up and gave him a big hug.
Harm saw the interaction and raised an eyebrow at Bud.
"At Thanksgiving, when the Admiral and Colonel pulled you into the den, we were all introducing ourselves to Commander Hawkes. Well, little AJ was feeling left out, so he went up to Mattie and did that. When she hugged him, his face lit up," Bud said.
"Yeah, Commander. They were inseparable until it was time for dinner. After dinner, when it was time for you to leave, he got this sad look on his face," Harriet put in. "He was very excited when I told him we'd be seeing Mattie again today."
Everybody's eyes went back to where Mattie sat. Little AJ was now sitting on her lap, just looking up at her as she quietly talked to him. Harm smiled at the sight, thinking that Mattie looked like the perfect older sister. Harriet must have thought so too, because she took a camera from her purse and quickly snapped a couple of photos.
"You know, Harriet, if you and Bud are ever looking for a baby sitter, I might know where to find one," Harm said.
"We'll definitely take you up on that, Commander," Harriet said with a smile.
"Just let me know. Now, how about I order some lunch for us?"
"Don't get anything for me, Harm. I've got to be going," Sturgis said as he stood up.
"All right, thanks for all your help, buddy," Harm told him as he stood to walk his friend out.
When they were outside, Sturgis walked to his car and stopped before quietly turning to Harm.
"What in the hell is going on, Harm? I spent an hour on the phone with someone from the IG's office, answering a lot of questions about you and Admiral Chegwidden," Sturgis said softly.
"I really can't talk about this, Sturgis."
"Harm, you're not in any trouble, are you?"
"Just leave it alone. Please, for your own sake, just leave it alone," Harm said.
Whatever else Sturgis might have said was cut off as Coates came outside, so he just nodded his head, got into his car and drove off. Harm watched her walk to her old Escort and drive away, noticing that she still seemed distracted and quiet before realizing that she had probably gotten a call from the IG's office as well. Harm shrugged slightly, wondering if having a two-star involved was responsible for the speed the investigation was taking.
Going back into the house, Harm smiled as he looked around. While he had loved his loft, this was definitely somewhere he could picture as home. And not just for him and Mattie, but hopefully for Beth too. Their family home.
December 1, 2003
JAG Headquarters – Falls Church, Virginia
1148 Eastern
Staff call had been stiff this morning, with neither the Admiral nor Harm saying a single word more than was absolutely necessary. The frost in the air had nothing to do with the time of year, but rather from the close proximity of the two hostile officers. So, unfortunately, the rest of the staff was forced to simply hunker down and ride out the storm. This they were used to, but previously it had been the occasional chill passing between Harm and Mac.
A giant sigh of relief passed when the meeting was over and the staff could escape to their offices or the courtrooms. Harm, given no new cases today, was one of those who went to their offices. Other than the meeting, he'd had a good morning. With the new house and their residence in Falls Church established, he'd told Mr. Peabody on Sunday that Mattie would be able remain with him. This morning, he'd taken her to the high school and gotten her enrolled for, he hoped, the year.
A knock on the door brought Harm's head up.
"Hey, Harm," Mac said as she slipped into his office and shut the door.
"Colonel," Harm replied, keeping his tone civil yet slightly distant.
"I … um, I'm sorry for what I said at Bud and Harriet's, Harm. I don't want to lose your friendship."
Harm mentally sighed, wanting to take her words at face value. He could sense her difficulty in saying the words and the emotions beneath her voice.
"That's easy to say, Mac. But it's going to take me some time to believe that you actually regret those words. Because, while I do want to keep our friendship, Mattie and Beth are more important to me than being your friend."
"I understand that. For now, I guess, I just need to know you're still there for me," Mac said, softly, the ache plain in her voice, before turning and walking out of the office.
Harm wondered what had been about. Yes, her words had hurt him, but they also hadn't exactly surprised him. She had simply done what she'd often done, presumed that their friendship gave her the right to judge his decisions without all the facts. He'd often taken it in the past because he'd hoped for a deeper relationship with Mac. Now, he was no longer inclined to simply let those things pass. Their relationship was different now. He was different now.
Sycamore Street – Falls Church, Virginia
1829 Eastern
Harm carried the plates to the kitchen table, where Mattie sat waiting for him. Beth was staying up at Annapolis tonight, because she had tests to grade as well as laundry to get done. So it was just the two of them for dinner. When he'd arrived home, Mattie had been at the table working on homework. So, while she did that, he had started cooking while also calling to schedule a time for both cable and high-speed internet service to be installed.
Dinner was going to be vegetable stir-fry with rice followed by homemade black cherry ice cream for dessert. As he was gathering the ingredients, Harm realized he'd definitely need to go shopping tomorrow. The refrigerator was getting bare, although he could probably scrape together one more dinner out of what was left. He'd deliberately not stocked up before the move, so there would be less to bring over. Now that they were here, however, he needed to fix that.
"How was your first day at the new school, Mattie?" Harm asked after sitting down.
"It was all right, I guess. I mean, I got my schedule, went to my classes, got homework and came home. Nothing much to it."
"Did you make any friends?"
"There are a couple of kids, but it's hard to make friends in just one day."
"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to ask," Harm said with a smile.
"Not at all, even if you probably already knew the answer," Mattie told him.
"And the classes, similar to what you were taking in Blacksburg?"
"Yeah, same classes except for English Lit. This one's a college prep course, so there'll be more homework for that one. Also, the teachers are calling my old school to see how much makeup work I'll have to do before I'm caught up."
"I'll try to help you with any other that that I can."
"It's all right. I know I need to get caught up and the only way to learn it is to do it."
Harm smiled with pride at her attitude. No complaints about how hard it would be to do the extra work. No begging for help, either. She'd just put her head down and push on through. He hadn't expected any different. The phone rang then, drawing Harm from the table.
"Commander Rabb, Sir."
"And was your call this morning another duty call, Commander," came a gruff voice over the phone, one that brought a smile to Harm's face.
"No, Sir. I was calling to talk to you about a business opportunity."
"I was under the impression you are still in the Navy," Thomas Boone said. "So what business proposition could you possibly have for me?"
"Well, I have become the guardian of a young lady who owns a crop-dusting business. And as you put it, I'm still in the Navy, so I can't manage the business for her. We're looking for someone we can trust to manage the business until either I get out of the Navy or she's old enough to run it herself."
"And how soon do you need an answer, Harm?"
"It's the end of the season now, so the planes are being stored for the moment. We do need someone to supervise the employees while they handle maintenance. Of course, keep up on the bills and then report back to me and Mattie," Harm said.
"Is that her name, Mattie?" Tom Boone asked.
"Yes, Sir, Mattie Grace."
"And she'll be involved with the business, or will I be reporting to you?"
"You'll be reporting to both of us. And don't mistake the fact that she's a teenager for thinking you'll be able to snow her. She was running the business when I met her," Harm told him.
"I'll have to think about it, Harm," Tom temporized. "I've already got a job, you know."
"Yeah, but I've got something they don't."
"And what might that be?"
"A Stearman begging to be flown. I know you've got your private pilot's license, so you'd just have to find an instructor for your tail-wheel endorsement. There's a couple of them flying for Grace Aviation right now," Harm said with a smile.
"You're talking about your father's old plane?" Tom said, forcing back the emotion of that thought. Harm Sr. had planned to restore the old plane but had been shot down before that could happen.
"Yes, Sir. Fully restored and painted as a Navy training aircraft from World War Two."
"Well, Harm, give me a couple of days to think about it and I'll call you back."
"That's fine, Sir. I'll await your call, then. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, Harm. I haven't said yes," Tom Boone reminded him before hanging up.
'Maybe not, but I'll bet that you do,' Harm thought to himself as he hung up the phone.
"Who was that, Harm?" Mattie asked. She'd listened in on Harm's side of the conversation, so she didn't have to ask what it was about.
"That was an old friend of the family, Admiral Thomas Boone, retired," Harm told her, sitting back down at the table next to her.
"He's not a jerk like that Admiral you work for."
"Not every Admiral is a jerk, Mattie. And no, Tom Boone is not a jerk, although he sometimes comes across as one. He's just a very blunt, opinionated man who's not afraid to say 'This is who I am, if you don't like it, tough.' He's also honest and takes care of his people. He's someone I can trust to look after Grace Aviation until you're ready."
"All right, Harm. If you say I can trust him, I will," Mattie told him, hoping her faith in her guardian wasn't misplaced.