December 10, 2003
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court – Montgomery County, Virginia
0852 Eastern
Harm and Mr. Peabody sat at the Plaintiff's table in Judge Morten's courtroom, while Mattie and Beth occupied the seats behind them. Harm and Beth had both elected to forgo uniforms today, since neither of them were appearing in their professional capacities. Harm had chosen a dark gray suit, with a white shirt and matching gray tie. Beth was dressed in a dark blue dress, with matching flats and no jewelry except her engagement ring. As for Mattie, she was wearing one of the outfits she'd selected with Beth, a dark blue pant suit with gray silk blouse and black flats.
Harm turned and smiled at the two women, before looking over at Mr. Peabody. The old man was wearing a black three piece suit with dark blue shirt and black tie, looking as much like an undertaker as an attorney. The gold watch and chain were sitting in his hand as he nodded slightly before putting it away and beginning to stand, just as the bailiff entered.
"All rise, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Montgomery County is now in session, the Honorable Judge Amie Morten presiding," the bailiff intoned.
"Please be seated," Judge Morten said, after she'd settled in. "We're here in the matter of the guardianship petition filed by Harmon Rabb Junior with respects to Matilda Grace Johnson and the counter-motion to that petition filed by Thomas Johnson. I see that there is representation present for Mr. Rabb."
"I have that privilege, Your Honor," Mr. Peabody said, standing. "Charles Peabody, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Mr. Peabody. And is there any representation present for Mr. Johnson?"
"Your Honor?"
"Yes, Mr. Peabody," Judge Morten said, while looking around the noticeably vacant courtroom.
"Your Honor, if you would turn to Plaintiff's exhibits 1 thru 3, you will find that we filed notice on Monday that Mr. Johnson was waiving his counter-motion. We also filed Mr. Johnson's waiver of all parental rights with regards to Ms. Matilda Johnson and we filed a final motion seeking the adoption of Ms. Johnson by Mr. Rabb, rather than just guardianship," Mr. Peabody told the judge.
"Very well, Mr. Peabody. I have those documents and notice that they have all been correctly filed and the signatures duly witnessed. Therefore, with regards to Mr. Johnson, his parental rights are revoked herewith. As to the petition for adoption by Mr. Harmon Rabb, I have here the reports filed by the guardian ad litem, Ms. LeMoyne, and the home inspection carried out by Mr. Watley," Judge Morten said.
"Both gave very positive reports, with Ms. LeMoyne noting the love between Ms. Johnson and Mr. Rabb and her belief that Mr. Rabb would be a positive influence on Ms. Johnson. Mr. Watley found the home to meet or exceed all of the requirements and only had one note of concern, which was the presence of a registered firearm. Mr. Rabb did advise that the weapon was kept in a locked case and records do show that he is licensed for the weapon. The presence of the firearm is a concern in any home with a minor, yet Mr. Rabb was forthcoming about the weapon and his method of safely keeping it. Therefore, I do not believe it to hinder his petition for adoption."
"I do have a few questions for Mr. Rabb, however, before I rule," Judge Morten said.
Harm walked forward to be sworn by the bailiff, then sat in the witness box next to the Judge.
"Mr. Rabb, if I was to approve your adoption petition, would you want Ms. Johnson to change her name? And if she were to choose not to, how would it affect your feelings toward her?"
"Your Honor, I would be deeply honored if Mattie made the decision to change her name. But I would still call her my daughter no matter what her name might be. I don't love her because of her name, I love her because of the person she is," Harm said.
"And I see you and Ms. Johnson have a support section with you. Would you introduce her, please?" Judge Morten asked.
"That's my fiancée, Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Hawkes."
"And does she share your love for Ms. Johnson?"
"I believe she does. When we spend time together, it's been as a family. And Mattie has really taken to Beth, often joining together to tease me," Harm replied.
"And you're getting married when?" the Judge asked.
"On Christmas eve, in a small private ceremony. Mattie is serving as Beth's maid of honor, in fact."
"I see. Thank you, Mr. Rabb, you may step down."
The judge waited until Harm had returned to his seat, looking at the small group in the courtroom and clearly liking what she saw. While Harm had been on the stand, she had noticed that Mattie's hand had sought out the Beth's for support. And Beth had instinctively wrapped an arm around the teenager, pulling her slightly nearer. She was also slightly curious about Mattie's father and the rapid turn of events there, not to mention wondering what sort of man would simply abandon his daughter. He most likely wouldn't have gotten custody of the girl, but to not even make an attempt helped make the Judge's decision.
"Ms. Johnson, would you please approach," the Judge said, motioning to the side of the bench where she could come up.
Mattie stood and walked forward, then continued on up as the Judge beckoned. When she stood next to the Judge, she bent down for Amie to whisper into her ear and for her to whisper something back followed by the Judge quickly writing something down. Harm watched, wondering for a brief moment what was being said. Then, Mattie stood back up and took the paper that was handed to her before turning. She walked down towards the table where Harm and Mr. Peabody awaited, stopping next to Harm.
"Judge Morten asked me to give you this, Dad," was all Mattie said, waiting for the message's meaning to sink in for Harm as well as Beth.
The Judge simply smiled as she saw the moment it had, with Harm almost knocking his chair over in order to stand and hug Mattie. Beth joined them a second later, planting a kiss on Mattie's cheek that mixed with the tears the teen was shedding. Judge Morten waited a few minutes while the family rejoiced before lightly striking her gavel to get their attention.
"Congratulations, Mr. Rabb. I will be entering an order of adoption in your favor, as well as a legal change of name. A printed copy of that order will be mailed to Mr. Peabody, so that you can make arrangements for collecting a new social security card and other identifications for your daughter," Judge Morten said.
"Name change, Your Honor?" Mr. Peabody asked.
"I think I'll let her tell you," was all the Judge said with a smile. "We're adjourned."
As the Judge left the courtroom, the three adults all turned to Mattie who was grinning from ear to ear.
"So?" Harm and Beth asked, almost in unison.
"I told the Judge I wanted my name to be Matilda Grace Rabb, so that everyone will know I'm your daughter," Mattie told them. "Besides, you didn't think I'd wanted any reminders of him, did you?"
Harm knew instantly what she was talking about and wondered again about suggesting she see someone. Especially now that she was legally his daughter, he could get one of the staff psychologists or psychiatrists at Bethesda to see her. For all he knew, this was a normal thing, but it still concerned him that Mattie was essentially cutting all ties to her father. He just didn't want her to come to regret these decisions later in life.
Giving his head a shake, Harm announced that this was cause for celebration. Leading the group out of the courthouse, he asked Mattie where she wanted to have lunch. It didn't surprise him when her choice was a steakhouse, so he just smiled and waved them towards the Lexus. Mr. Peabody told them that he would see them there, as he went to his own car.
Scott and Martin Funeral Home – Washington, DC
1923 Eastern
Mac sat in the first row of chairs, next to Mrs. Webb, at the visitation. Across from her was the half-open casket containing Clay's body. The mortician had done an excellent job, giving the face a peaceful look that suggested tranquility rather than the violence that had preceded his death. This was, for her, the final confirmation that Clay was really dead. It was pretty hard to fake the presence of an actual body.
The room was populated by knots of people, mostly associates of Clay's from out at Langley. Bud and Harriet had made a stop earlier, offering their condolences, as had the Admiral. She knew in both cases that their stops had been for her benefit rather than out of any special feeling for Clay. This was especially true of the Admiral, who had despised Clay and the way he had endangered her and Harm over the years.
Feeling a little restless, after sitting for so long listening to the repeated sympathies of people she didn't know, Mac got up and walked towards the door. She figured on getting a drink from the small snack lounge down the hall and stretching her legs, before going back to Mrs. Webb's side. As she was nearing the door, she saw Harm come through it. In light of the events of the last six months or so, she was surprised to see him here tonight.
For his part, Harm almost hadn't come. He and Clay weren't friends, per se, and his relationship with Mac at the moment could only be described as tattered. Still, he could also remember those occasions when Clay, maybe not always willingly, had come through for him. So, it was because of those memories and out of respect for his sacrifice that Harm had come. He walked to the front of the room and stood before the casket for several long minutes before walking over to where Mrs. Webb sat.
"I'm very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Webb," Harm said, not knowing what else to say while also recognizing how utterly useless those words were.
"Thank you, Commander," was all Mrs. Webb said in reply, seeming not to have really heard what he'd said.
Other people were approaching, so Harm moved off. He looked for Mac, but didn't see her. He at least wanted to express his sympathy to her before he left, but he also wasn't exactly interested in hanging around. Then he caught a glimpse of her near the doorway and he walked over to her.
"Mac, I'm sorry about Clay's death," Harm said.
"Why are you here, Harm? I mean, obviously I don't mean a thing to you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have thrown your engagement to that mouse in my face, the way you did. And adopting a kid, too. My, my, you're all in on the instant family thing, aren't you?" Mac said bitterly, while also keeping her voice low enough that nobody had noticed yet.
"My God, Mac. You made your choice perfectly clear in Paraguay, remember? You chose Clay when you told me there would never be an 'us', remember? So, I found happiness with Beth and we're getting married. Or was I just supposed to wait for you to come back around, so you could play yo-yo with my emotions again?"
"You son of a bitch," Mac said as she slapped him, drawing people's attention.
Harm saw this and rather than continue the conversation and disrupt the solemn nature to the evening, elected to leave the room. Unfortunately, Mac wasn't quite so willing to let it go. She stalked after him, her rage boiling over. By the time she caught up to him, they were outside the building in the parking lot and away from people.
"Don't you dare walk away from me," Mac shouted.
"Mac, I'm sorry that Clay was killed. I truly hoped things would work out for you and that you'd finally find some happiness," Harm said. "But I'm sick of this anger you have about me moving on with my life. For both our sakes, I think it would be best if we don't talk for a while. You need to go to Hawaii and try to heal, while I need to spend time with my family. If things change, maybe in a few years, we can try to be friends again."
With that, Harm climbed into his SUV and drove off, leaving Mac standing there staring at the taillights as they receded into the distance.