~~Close Encounters of the AJ Kind~~
Admiral’s Office
0755 local (three weeks later, Thursday)
The trial was finished in little over two weeks, but the
acrimony between the partners wore on like the cold, damp weather that held the
city captive for most of autumn. AJ had hoped once the trial was over, Harm and
Mac would get back to some semblance of a friendship, like it used to be. “Not this time”, AJ sighed quietly.
Thankfully for the JAG staff, Harm and Mac’s next assignment
did not involve either one sitting on the bench. AJ didn’t have to put much thought into that
one. What he believed would be an
excellent opportunity for Mac to serve as judge, turned into an old-fashioned
out-for-blood Redskins-Cowboys game, playoff spot on the line. He thought Harm would have behaved better
under the circumstances. Who was he
trying to kid, ever since he “severed” him as defense council for PO Moritz,
Harm took everything personally.
Now, AJ was second-guessing the recent assignment he had
given them. It was a simple case
involving a Petty Officer charged with an Article 87. PO Douglas was scheduled to depart on the
AJ now sat in the solitude of his office with letter in hand
from Sebring, outlining “conduct unbecoming” and “contempt” charges against
both of them. He knew it would come to
this, but how to handle it delicately was another story. The letter was preceded by a phone call from
the judge yesterday, alerting him to the situation and the forthcoming formal
letter. AJ had worked his magic and
managed to persuade Sebring to allow him to handle the matter personally rather
than make a public affair out of the whole issue. Sebring withdrew the charges, agreeing with
AJ’s recommendation that the two receive professional counseling on keeping
their personal differences outside the court-room.
Tossing the paper on the desk, AJ stood up and paced the
office. He had warned them to keep
things down to a dull roar, but yet again, their emotions took control and they
were at each others throats in the court-room during pre-trial motions—PRE-TRIAL
motions, nonetheless! AJ was exasperated
and embarrassed. But, having had some
time to mull the situation over, he was more calm and rational at this
point. These were two of his finest
officers, his best lawyers, yet they were “family” to him as well. So he chose to deal with them as family,
rather than discipline them as officers.
Tiner had announced Rabb and Mackenzie 10 minutes ago,
however, AJ wanted a few extra minutes to gather his thoughts and put them in a
rational state of mind—a state that took him 14 hours to get to. Damn them for bringing this into the office,
he thought. He wished they’d get their
act together and resolve this anywhere but here. Hell, I’d let them have the office if I knew
that would help, he thought briefly before dismissing it entirely from his
mind.
AJ recalled his conversation with Meredith after the little
incident at Bud and Harriet’s. He had
known there was unmistakable electricity between the two for some time now,
although it took him a while to see it.
Meredith, on the other hand, noticed it almost immediately. She said that all of the passion they're
displaying was coming from a non-work related source and as soon as they
realize that they'll work it out. He
jokingly said they were candidates for couple’s therapy. How was he to know that his perceptions were
right on the mark?
A while back, he and Meredith had had dinner with another
couple. The woman was an old college
friend of hers, who just so happened to be a psychologist experienced in
counseling couples. AJ smirked remembering
the evening. He knew Meredith had had ulterior
motives for it, she usually did. For as
much as there was a quirkiness about her, she was
quite intelligent and perceptive. And
her friend, Maddie, who he had his “concerns” about, turned out to be a
delightful, intuitive woman. He was
quite thankful when Maddie said she didn’t like to discuss cases or analyze
people outside the office.
He took her business card, just in case. He never thought he’d have to call her so
soon—for Harm and Mac, nonetheless! He
gave her very little information when he spoke to her, saying he was doing this
for two friends. It was an intervention,
of sorts. He was relieved when she understood the delicacy of the situation and
left it at that. Now, it was up to him to
get Harm and Mac to understand the need to do this.
Deciding he was composed, he asked Tiner to send them
in. Mac entered the office first,
followed by Harm, as Tiner swiftly closed the hatch. Tiner silently wished he could be a fly on
the wall, but he knew that the less witnesses, the better. He gathered a handful of files from his desk
and headed off in the safe direction of the copier.
Their expressionless faces hid the real story quite
well. They snapped to attention upon
entering the room. AJ gave his usual “as
you were” and motioned for them to sit.
He moved to his place behind the desk and seated himself
comfortably. This may take a while, he
thought, putting on his reading glasses and retrieving the letter from its
place on the spotless desk.
Both officers were motionless as they watched AJ peruse the
letter, most likely for his 20th time. Neither was sure where this would leave their
careers, let alone their personal lives.
AJ drew a breath and, rather than read the now-dropped
charges, said calmly, “I gather you know why I’ve called you both here.”
Harm attempted to speak, but with a wave of the Admiral’s
hand was silenced without even another breath; his eyes fixed forward, not
daring to meet AJ’s gaze.
In a calm, matter-of-fact voice, AJ continued, “First issue
on the agenda, Lieutenant Commander Manetti and Commander Turner will be
replacing you as trial counsel and defense counsel respectively. You will turn over your case files
immediately upon conclusion of this meeting.
Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they responded in unison. That was the first they managed to accomplish
together in nearly 3 weeks.
“Secondly, Judge Sebring has dropped the charges of conduct
unbecoming and contempt in exchange for a resolution that I will address
shortly.”
Harm and Mac jointly sighed, both inwardly grateful for the
eleventh-hour leniency offered by Judge Sebring.
“Lastly”, AJ continued, “Since both of you have almost 60
days leave on the books, effective immediately, I am placing you both on 30
days leave.”
“Sir, if I may . . . . .” Mac asked tentatively, “why are we
placed on leave if the charges have been dropped?”
“I’m getting to that, Colonel,” AJ said, the tone of his
voice rising slightly in annoyance. He removed his glasses and leaned back in
his chair, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to quell an impending headache the
aspirin he took earlier didn’t chase away.
Despite the throbbing in his temples, AJ struggled to keep his cool,
“Please allow me to finish what I have to say before commenting; is that
understood?” Why in the hell are they so
thick-skulled, he asked himself, repressing the urge to rip them apart.
“Yes, sir,” was the response, again in unison.
The Admiral rose from his seat and walked around the desk,
choosing to sit on its corner casually.
He resembled more of a father about to chastise his belligerent
teenagers than that of an Admiral infuriated by his officers.
“I am recommending, and Judge Sebring concurs, that you
attend counseling to deal with your personal issues,” AJ began, until Harm
interrupted him with a muttered “Unbelievable” that the Admiral picked up
instantly.
“Do you have something to add, Commander?” the irritation in
AJ’s voice apparent as he stood up in front of Harm.
“No, Sir,” Harm replied. Damn, he can probably hear what goes on at the
guard shack too, he thought as he avoided looking anywhere but straight ahead.
“Good.” AJ hated reproaching them, but it was a
necessary evil. He continued, “The
counseling is for both of you—together.”
Both had confused looks on their face, but neither spoke nor
glanced at the other; if either of them had anything to say, it was certainly
lost in the deafening silence of the office.
“Look. Harm, Mac, you
know I can’t force you to do this.”
Harm was fidgeting a little, trying very hard not to
comment. His biggest problem besides the lack of a filter between the brain and
the mouth, was understanding the rules of engagement
where his mouth was concerned. Harm
began, yet again, to question the Admiral’s motives, “But, Sir . . . surely
there must be another alternative.”
“ALTERNATIVE? You want an
alternative?” AJ bellowed. His face was
red-hot angry, neck veins bulging. The
thread that held his patience together had just snapped.
“I’ll give you an alternative. How about writing wills or reviewing junior
enlisted lease problems for the rest of your career? Better yet, let’s take a look at the conduct
unbecoming and contempt charges!” AJ’s
voice was echoing off the walls of the office.
Mac watched as Harm cringed, filing the incident under ‘How
to avoid getting the Admiral pissed off’.
She sat there still and quiet during AJ’s tirade, thanking God for the
ability to know when and how to keep her mouth shut.
Regrouping, AJ straightened his uniform and walked back
around the desk. Maybe 30 days isn’t enough for me, he thought, rubbing the
back of his neck. He made a mental note
to take tomorrow off. “Dammit, I think
I’ve earned it after today,” he mumbled out of Harm and Mac’s earshot.
AJ turned to face them, the color in his face returning to
normal, although irritation was still apparent in his voice, “As I was saying,
I believe you two might benefit from some professional help. There has been an unmistakable hostility
between you two the past few weeks. If
it were the War Games trial alone, I’d dismiss it. But it seems to be a culmination of many
factors that I’d rather not pursue personally.”
“Sir?” Mac spoke tentatively, not
wanting to push any more buttons. AJ
nodded for her to continue. “So you are suggesting that we attend counseling?”
quite sure she knew the answer to the question.
“Yes, Mac, I am. I
think it is the only way we can resolve these . . . issues. I am not just suggesting it, I am requiring
it.”
Yet again, Harm started to speak. AJ, reading his mind, said in a loud,
commanding voice that had become the tone for this meeting “And, either one of
you transferring out is without a doubt NOT an option. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” was the immediate reply, neither obviously not
wanting to agitate the Admiral further with any other stray comments.
“Rather than have you both see a military psychologist,
which I’m sure you’d also prefer to avoid, I am sending you to a psychologist
in
Eyeing the card, Mac responded the only way she could, “Yes,
sir”. Harm, on the other hand said, “I
can’t believe . . . . .” before AJ silenced him with a look that could strip
paint from the walls. Regaining his
composure, Harm replied, “Yes, sir,” as well, knowing that any more discussion
on the subject would be dropped. He
pocketed the card with a sigh.
AJ sat down, saying firmly, “Since I have nothing more, you
are both dismissed.”
The officers stood immediately and said, “Aye, Aye”. Turning on their heels, they exited the
office, Mac first. By now, Tiner was
back at his desk. He breathed a sigh of relief seeing them leave. At least there wasn’t any blood shed, he
thought.
“Tiner!” AJ shouted, “Where’s the damn aspirin?” The young
Mac paused in the hallway, wanting to say something to Harm about their situation.
She knew they had no choice, but wanted to tell him she was relieved
that they were actually doing something to resolve matters.
“Mac, don’t start,” was all he said, walking by her in huff,
eager to grab his belongings and leave.
Anywhere is better than here, he thought.
Mac was hurt. She
truly hoped that the Admiral knew what he was doing, otherwise there would be a
transfer in their future—hers. She
returned to her office to lock the drawers of her desk and get her briefcase
and cover. Once done, she pulled the
door closed behind her softly.
The entire JAG ops was quiet,
having heard only the bits and pieces of the Admiral’s diatribes that shook the
windows. Everyone’s eyes were on their
work. They saw Harm leave abruptly, now
it was Mac’s turn. Watching her leave,
Harriet longed to ask what transpired in the Admiral’s office but thought it
was best to let it alone.