Subject: Story four - Custody

Author: FananicFan
Disclaimer: JAG and its characters are the property of Belisarius Productions, CBS and Paramount. No copyright infringement intended. Original characters, story ideas and story are the property of this author.
Author’s Note: The fourth story in my series.
Story Timing: This story takes immediately following A Memorable Memorial Weekend.
Story Summary: Harm and Mac prepare for Harm’s custody hearing of Mattie and deal with the effects of Mac’s denied request for separation from the Marine Corps.

Story Four

Custody

CHAPTER ONE – Tuesday, June 7, 2005

London, England

Harm's Office

Harm stared at the screen, reading Mac’s email from yesterday again.

Harm,

I’ve just come from General Cresswell’s office. I have an answer to my request for separation and terminal leave. I was going to call you, but I’m not sure that I know what to say. I mean, the news changes everything. My request was denied. I need time to let it sink in, as I’m sure you will before we can talk about it. I’ll be staying here as a judge temporarily, but my new permanent duty station will be Joint Legal Services, Southwest in San Diego when the office opens in October. I was caught so off guard by the denied part that I’m afraid that I didn’t ask for or perhaps just didn’t hear the actual dates for transfer. I need to get ready for a meeting with Lt. Vukovic because he’ll be taking over all but one of my cases. We’ll talk soon.

Love,

Mac

Harm had read this email at least twice yesterday and twice this morning. Denied...her request had been denied. She was right about this impacting their

original plans, but he knew that ‘everything’ was an overstatement. He still loved her and he wanted to marry her, so 'everything' was too big a word.

After his morning staff meeting, he’d call General Cresswell. If Mac couldn’t come to him, perhaps the answer was that he should go to Mac.

Harm took a moment to reflect on the phone call that he’d made to his mother the afternoon that Mac had left London.

******FLASHBACK to Saturday, May 7, 2005 ******

With a time difference of eight hours, he’d calculated the time in San Diego three times before he dialed. He must have calculated correctly because his mother answered in her usual pleasant way.

“Burnett residence”

“Hi Mom”

“Harm, how do you like London, darling?” she asked in her aristocratic tone.

“Its fine, but it should be getting much better soon.”

“So, you’ve heard news about Mattie. She’ll be joining you soon. When Frank and I tour Europe this year, I want to see you and meet her.”

“It isn’t that, Mom. I haven’t heard any news about Mattie’s custody yet, but I hope someone will be joining me soon. If everything goes well, you’ll be able to meet Mattie at my wedding.”

“That would be lovely, dear. Wait…you’re wedding? You mean that you spent ten years in Washington and, in about two months in London, you’ve met someone and you’re engaged?

“I actually met her in Washington. I’ve known her for nine years. She was here on business. In fact, I just put her on a plane back to Washington a few hours ago. We saw each other a few times while she was here. I actually proposed to her before I left Washington, but I didn’t put a ring on her finger until she came to London. So now it's official.”

“You said that you’ve known her for awhile. What’s she like? Does she want children? Is she okay with you taking on Mattie?”

“Yes, she’d like to have children. She supports me in getting custody of Mattie. In fact, she helped me to obtain her guardianship originally. What’s she like? Well, you once said that she was 'quite the girl'."

“I’ve met her?” Trish’s memory banks scanned for the person whom she’d called 'quite the girl'.

“Mac,” she shrieked into the receiver. Then she paused. “What took you so long?”

“I needed to go through some things to make me realize that my career isn’t as important to me as I'd thought and that Mac was more important to me than I'd realized.”

His mom was happy and excited, and they talked for about another ten minutes before they finally said their goodbyes.

******END FLASHBACK******

If his mother had been happy to hear that he and Mac were getting married, he wondered how excited she’d be to have him and his family in San Diego.

A knock on his office door told him that it was time for him to hold his staff meeting.

JAG HQ

Falls Church, VA

Mac arrived at the office and made her way to her computer, hoping to find a response from Harm to her latest news, but she had no new email.

A meeting with Bud this morning to pass on the Williams case would keep her busy and unable to check her email again for a while.

Once her meeting with Bud was over, she checked her email – still no new mail. She was sure that he’d had time to read it by now. Why hadn’t he replied? She should call him. As she was debating if she should call now or not, her desk phone rang.

No one else might have been able to tell, but he knew just from the way she answered the phone that she was upset. “How are you holding up, Marine?” Harm inquired.

“So you’ve read it.”

“Yes, I’ve read it. I’m guessing that, since we haven’t even talked about what kind of wedding we want, getting married while I’m there for the hearing isn’t likely?”

“You still want to get married?”

“Yes. Don't you?”

“I do, but we agreed that one of us would have to give up our career.”

“We did agree, but fate would seem to have a different plan. I spoke with the general. I’ll agree with him that I probably won’t have much better luck at getting out than you did, though I’m not sure that I’d agree with the reasons he gave.”

“Did he give you the - you’re valuable to the military, especially now. You’ve been places and done things that give you a unique insight into things that no one else can supply. You’re insights and skills are what our military needs right now and that these skills and insights need to be taught to others by people who’ve lived it, like yourself – speech?”

“That’s the one,” Harm replied.

Mac was holding back tears. “But I lost the coin toss...you shouldn’t be giving up anything.”

His voice became very soft and comforting. “The only things that I’m not willing to give up are you and Mattie.”

Mac heard someone through the phone telling Harm that his next appointment had arrived. She knew that the time had come to end their call. She was holding in tears. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, yet. I would’ve hoped for duty stations on at least the same continent. We’re not the first couple in the military to have to deal with this kind

of thing. I’m sure there's a way. I have an appointment waiting and I’m sure that you need to get back to work, too, but we will work out this out. I love you, and we are going to be married.”

He'd said it so matter of a factly that Mac couldn’t help but believe him. “And I love you,” she replied before acknowledging that it was time to say goodbye.

CHAPTER TWO – In the Weeks that Followed

Mac received the starting dates for both her temporary and permanent assignments. She briefly reported to Admiral Morris on Friday, June 10th, and received her court calendar for the coming week. Her assignment being temporary with the judiciary, she was able to retain her office in JAG OPS while serving as a judge. When Mac wasn’t working or visiting Mattie, her mind dwelled on San Diego. San Diego meant that she and Harm were back to being 5,489 miles apart. How difficult would a marriage like that be on them? What about having a family? Yes, she considered Mattie to be family, but she wanted a baby. If her chances of conceiving or carrying a child had been improved during the surgery to remove the bullets, it wasn’t relevant if the father-to-be and she weren’t together, and she knew that it was better to have no children at all than to have children with the wrong man, and she was positive that Harm was the right man for her as well as the right man to be the father of any children that she might have.

Harm’s office had become a well-oiled machine in the short time that he’d been in London and required minimal daily effort on his part to keep it that way. He was contacted about his flight status and reminded that he was due for his six-month quals in August.

In his personal life, a lot of things rested in the unknown or not yet categories. He was always positive when talking to Mattie, but the truth was that he didn’t know if he’d get custody of her. He did want custody and he rectified his error of not checking into schools the week after he got back. Mac was another matter. He was sure that he had Mac. However, her new assignment had certainly put a damper on being together the way they’d planned. He’d waited too long to find the woman with whom he wanted to be forever to let this chance at happiness pass him by. A little research, and he found several options for them to consider, but none of them could be implemented immediately. They’d talk over the options when he returned to DC for the custody hearing.

Mattie had passed her tests and would be advancing to the next grade level. The week of June 6 -10, her physical therapy schedule changed for the week. She spent her physical therapy time doing puzzles with blocks and writing the letters of the alphabet. Mattie could see no use for what they had her doing. It wasn’t going to help her walk or get ready to live outside the hospital. Unbeknown to Mattie, the tasks that she was performing over those five days in place of therapy were tests to assess her progress. Some tasks were used to assess the amount of brain damage that had been done. Was it enough to cause any long term problems? Some tasks tested her dexterity, stamina, coordination and such. What, if any, would her long term physical limitations be? The court had asked for a report to assess her future needs and the capacity of her prospective guardian to supply those needs, or to ensure that a proper foster home was selected for Mattie if custody wasn’ t granted.

Mattie had been supplied with bridal magazines, as Mac had said she would. One of the magazines had the article, “Be Your Own Wedding Planner” in it. With the guidelines in that article, Mattie set out to do more than just write down some ideas. She was going to help plan their wedding, if only on paper. When Mac visited, Mattie always had new wedding questions for her. In her emails to Harm, Mattie asked at least three wedding questions a day.

On Tuesday, June 14th, joy was an appropriate word to describe Harm, Mac, and Mattie’s feelings. After reviewing Mattie’s test results, the doctors felt that Mattie would be able to lead a perfectly normal life. During testing, it was found that small objects, like a marble or a pencil, were sometimes hard for Mattie to hold and manipulate, but with some changes in her physical therapy routine to address that over the last two weeks, that was improving. Today, the doctors had upgraded Mattie from the walker to crutches. Mattie began to learn the proper way to use them immediately. Mattie was beaming as she and the therapist, who was instructing her, demonstrated her newfound independence to Mac as she walked down the corridors with her, trying out her crutches. Mac then made a call to Harm so that Mattie could tell him the good news.

Alas, the joy would be short lived. On Thursday, June 16th, Mac arrived for her regular evening visit. Dr. Browning was with two other doctors. Dr. Browning invited Mac to join them while they talked to Mattie. At first, the room was filled with laughter and happiness as Mattie’s doctors informed those present that Mattie had surpassed everyone’s expectations and was ready to be released from the Westover facility. A physical therapist would be required to do exercises with Mattie twice a week, and Mattie was given exercises to do by herself on days when she didn’t see the therapist. The doctor’s warned that Mattie would have some difficulty during the first few weeks after discharge. Her muscles would be sore since they’d be used more, and she’d become fatigued quickly, but all of those things were normal and would get better with time. They wanted her to return for follow-up visits every two weeks. That’s when the bomb was dropped. With no parent or guardian to take physical custody of her, Mattie would be released from the program and facility on Monday, June 20th and placed in a foster home. It was wonderful news and painful news all at the same time.

After the doctors left, Mac called Harm to tell him the news. Mac knew that the news would upset Harm, but in true Harm form, he held it in. After getting the news from Mac, Harm spoke with Mattie for a few minutes.

Mac altered her regular schedule and visited Mattie after work on Friday, then she also visited her on Saturday as usual. The news today would go from bad to worse. Ms. LeMoine was there to greet Mac when she arrived.

“Mattie told me that you planned on coming by today. I was checking with the staff to see when I could pick up Mattie on Monday. I also spoke with Mattie for a little while. She’s not happy about her release. I wonder if you know why?”

“She’s happy about being well enough to leave the hospital, but she’s upset with not being able to go home.”

“Mattie said as much. I guess I was more interested in knowing if the two of you had as good a relationship as Mattie and Dr. Browning have made it seem.”

“I see. Why is that of interest to you now?”

“Because, once Mattie is moved to the foster home, you won’t be able to visit her.”

“I understand that it might be disruptive to the home if I visit often, but are you saying that I won’t be able to visit even once or twice?”

“Yes, I’m afraid that is what I’m saying. Ms. MacKenzie, you’re a lawyer. You know that, legally speaking, you have no rights when it comes to Mattie. You’re not a relative and your name isn’t on the petition for custody. From speaking with Dr. Browning, I know that the three of you have already formed a family. I’m sorry, Ms. MacKenzie. I wish that there was something I could do, but my hands are tied in this matter.”

What could Mac say to that? Legally, the woman was right. Ms. LeMoine told Mac that she’d be contacting Mr. Rabb to see if he’d be in town prior to the hearing so that arrangements could be made for him to visit Mattie. Ms. LeMoine got a small smile from Mac when she added that Mac could accompany Mr. Rabb on his visit. After another apology, Ms. LeMoine left.

Mac couldn’t imagine what the next week was going to be like - for Mattie or for her - without the visits. Harm wasn’t here, and now they wouldn’t have each other either.

Sunday would be the last day that Mac could see Mattie until Harm arrived. Sunday’s visit was pleasant, but awkward. Neither one of them wanted to admit how much the absence of the other was going to hurt. Harm had called yesterday as usual, but Mac called him today so that they could both talk to him. Mac and Mattie each tried to make the other feel better with phrases like, “the week will just fly by” or “with the time you save in travel time alone, you can make your own wedding dress.” It was time to say goodnight, and they both knew it. Mattie reached for a school notebook. The cover read ‘Harm and Mac’s wedding plan.’ Mac’s eyes filled with tears as she turned the first few pages. When Mattie said that she hoped it helped and wished that she could finish it, Mac couldn’t hold the tears in any longer and, once hers started to flow freely, Mattie’s did as well. Mac put the open notebook down and pulled Mattie into a hug. Their tears eased and the hug ended. Mac closed the notebook, picked it up and pulled it to her body, grasping it tightly as if she were carrying the Ten Commandments, and then the two said goodnight...neither was going to say goodbye.

Mac took a moment in the car to compose herself. Mattie had given her the book as if tonight were goodbye. She’d thought about leaving the book, but then she’d thought that doing that might hurt Mattie more. Mac didn’t know what the court was going to decide, but how could they keep the three of them apart? Why did they have to transfer Mattie on Monday? It was only a week until the custody hearing...why couldn’t they wait seven days to move Mattie?

Once Mac was safely at the apartment, she had to call Harm. She had to ask if she’d done the right thing in accepting the notebook. She needed to hear his voice.

In the days that followed, Mac tried to fill her new ‘free time’ in positive ways. She’d begun to pack nonessentials for the move to San Diego. It was hard to talk about Mattie and hard not to. Every email she received from Harm, somewhere in its contents, he asked if she’d heard from or been able to see Mattie. In order to keep their sanity, they had to assume that no news was good news and that Mattie was doing well.

CHAPTER THREE – Friday, June 24, 2005

Mac's Office

JAG HQ

Mac had been in court all day. Lt. Vukovic was prosecuting the case that she was hearing. It wasn’t that the lieutenant wasn’t or couldn’t be a good lawyer, but he wasn’t as good as he thought he was, and that was his weakest point. Commander Turner was tearing the prosecution’s case apart. She was glad that this case was up to a jury because she personally thought that the man was guilty, but Sturgis had raised more than enough doubt in everyone’s mind. If the lieutenant didn’t reevaluate the facts and bring them to light when court resumed on Tuesday, Mac felt that the defendant was going to be a free man. The trial was hard for her to watch because she didn’t think that it was going the way it should – she had to remind herself that that was her lawyer side talking. She was the judge and needed to be impartial.

If the trial by itself wasn’t sapping more of her energy than it should, Lt. Vukovic wasn’t helping. He was becoming more trying by the day. After she’d dismissed court today, he’d followed her back to her office. Once in her office, he'd begun pleading his case to go to San Diego with her. When she’d said that the answer was the same as the first time, 'no,' he'd left, and she’d thought it was over. Then he'd appeared back at her office door just as she'd been beginning to straighten up her desk to secure for the day. He'd leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his body in a way that Mac was sure that he was trying to imitate Harm. Was it his attempt to imitate Harm? Was his tone of voice supposed to seduce her? Or was the invitation to dinner so that he could convince her of his worthiness to go to San Diego? Whichever one it was, she’d had enough.

“Lieutenant, let me make something perfectly clear to you. I don't like the careless manner that you use to investigate. You look for information that sways you to one side or the other. You don’t delve into any small details to be sure that the truth is found. You care about your chances of winning a case and that’s all. You think that you were sent to JAG headquarters because you’re such a good lawyer. It's my opinion that you were sent here to find out that you’re not that good. It's also my belief that you need to stay here until you’ve learned what you were sent here to learn. I don’t need a lawyer in my command who will not or can not conduct himself in a respectful and proper manner when interacting with female staff and superior officers. I believe you need to figure out how to repair the damage that the commander did in court today, and I was just leaving. You’re dismissed, Lieutenant.”

With a simple, “Yes, ma’am,” he was gone. He wanted to say something, but knew that it wasn’t the time or place to respond to her comments. He had three months to get on her good side and get her to change her mind. The colonel might be a Marine, but she was also a woman, and he could handle her. He’d get her to change her mind.

Harm and Mac's Apartment

North of Union Station

Once inside the confines of her home, Mac began to relax. She'd planned to reheat some leftovers for dinner, but she didn’t have the energy. She was physically and mentally exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the past week. Mac had been relieved and thankful that Ms. LeMoine had made arrangements for Harm to visit Mattie tomorrow and Sunday. The foster home was in Blacksburg, so they were going to be spending a lot of time on the road this weekend. Mac prayed that Monday would bring resolution and not more heartache.

A shower helped to rejuvenate her, not as much as a bath, but it helped. She thought about wearing something sexy, but she knew that Harm would be tired when he arrived, so she put on her green satin pajamas.

To keep as much leave time as possible in reserve for his flight quals and for their wedding and honeymoon, Harm had opted to work today and take a late flight out of London. Even with the time difference between London and Washington, he was going to be coming in late. The plan was that Harm would rent a car at the airport so that they could take Mattie out if they had the opportunity, and drive to the apartment.

She began to pull files from her briefcase and place them on the coffee table as she’d done many nights in the past few weeks. Before she opened the first file, she decided that some reheated Chinese food sounded good.

After she’d eaten and made sure that the kitchen was clean, she settled onto the couch to read over the trial material in preparation for Tuesday. She opened the first file and began to read.

Harm’s drive from the airport had seemed to take hours, but in reality, traffic had been light and it had taken only forty-five minutes. He’d put the apartment key on his key ring in his pocket before leaving London this time. As he approached the apartment door, he reached into his pocket to pull out the key to the door. He hoped that it was also the key to a good night’s sleep. Since Mattie’s move to a foster home, he hadn’t been sleeping well.

When Mac heard the key in the lock and saw the knob turning, she got up to meet him. The door opened and there stood her handsome sailor with his travel bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes had a vacant look, and fatigue showed in his face, accented with worry lines. His current look was almost an exact duplicate of the way he’d looked when he’d been commuting to see a comatose Mattie.

He made eye contact with her briefly before he turned to shut the door. “You shouldn’t have waited up.”

“I wanted to.” The door clicked closed, and he turned. She was close to him now, and he looked even more tired close up. She touched his shoulder. “You look like you’re ready for some shut eye.”

He nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting his arm fall away.

She followed him to the bedroom. He dropped his bag at the end of the bed. “Did you get a call today from Ms. LeMoine?”

“No, why?”

“She called me today at the office. She wants us to meet with her before we go to see Mattie.”

“Did she say why?”

“No, I just hope that she isn’t going to tell us that we can’t see her.”

“Where are we suppose to meet her?”

“I wrote the name down, but I don’t remember right now. It’s a diner near the mall in Blacksburg. She said that we could talk over coffee.”

“I don’t think that she’d have you drive to Blacksburg to tell you that you can’t see Mattie.”

Harm smiled at her comforting tone and logical assessment. “You’re right. I hope you don’t mind, but I made reservations at a hotel in Blacksburg for the next couple of nights. I thought it would be easier on us if we didn’t have to make the drive back and forth for the next three days. We have a few things to talk about while I’m here.”

“Yes, we do, but it can wait. We have more pressing matters at the moment. The first of which is getting you to get some sleep.” She patted his arm. “You get into bed. I’ll go put away the files that I was reading and then I’ll come back in here and pack a bag.” She kissed his cheek.

While she went to the living room to put her files away, Harm stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He’d just pulled up the covers when Mac reentered the bedroom.

He watched as she reached for a bag off a shelf and pulled a smaller one out of a drawer. His eyes were heavy, and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She moved quickly and efficiently, filling the larger bag with some clothing and the smaller bag that she’d taken from the drawer with toiletries.

“I’m sure that the hotel has a bathtub, so if you have any bath stuff around here, you should pack that, too,” Harm suggested.

“Good call, thanks.” She responded.

He didn’t know exactly how long it took her to pack, but it didn’t take long.

She felt his eyes on her, watching her pack. She moved her bag to the end of the bed next to his before coming back to her side to pull back the covers. Her eyes made contact with his. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all…looking forward to it.”

She slipped into bed. His arm went around her, and she snuggled into him. They quickly fell asleep, cuddled together.

CHAPTER FOUR – Time to Visit, Time to Talk

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Harm had slept, but not peacefully, so the sight of the woman at his side sleeping soundly gave his heart a needed boost. He watched her sleep for a few moments before placing a soft kiss on her cheek and slipping out of bed. He carefully placed his travel bag on the end of the bed, pulled out a few things and headed for the shower.

Mac felt the warmth and gentleness of his lips on her cheek. It took her only a minute to open her eyes, but, by the time she did, there was only empty space beside her. The sound of the water turning on in the shower let her know where he was. She got out of bed and began to dress. She thought of joining him, but he’d been distant last night. He was concerned about the meeting with Ms. LeMoine this morning and the outcome of the hearing on Monday. She needed to let him have his space, but be close by if he needed her.

He came out of the shower area with wet hair and barefoot, but with his jeans on. As he walked towards his travel bag perched on the end of the bed, she asked, “Can we grab some coffee on the way to Blacksburg? I’d make some, but if we’re going to be gone a couple of days, I’d like to leave the kitchen clean.”

“Sure. We can grab some breakfast, too, or we can wait until we get to the diner to eat.”

“I think coffee now and breakfast later, if I’m hungry.”

They continued to dress, and he finished dressing first. He administered a quick peck on the lips before turning to go into the living room with his bag. He saw her looking at him strangely. He looked down to make sure that he hadn't left his zipper down before asking. "What's wrong?"

She got a smug look on her face. "Men have it so easy...pants, shirt and shoes, and they're dressed. Women have to put on all of that plus an extra undergarment, make up...and it needs to be orchestrated in a way that reveals enough to draw attention, but not so much that she attracts the wrong kind of attention."

"And if you don't hurry, there won't be time to get coffee."

“Give me ten minutes. I’ll be ready.”

Mac clocked herself. She went into the living room with the bag that she'd packed the night before with time to spare. Mac opened the armoire, reached in, took out a spiral notebook and slipped it into her bag. At her ten-minute time limit, they'd put their bags in the trunk of the rental car and were on their way to a coffee shop for a couple of cups of morning caffeine before heading to Blacksburg.

They arrived at the diner in Blacksburg at 0845. The meeting with Ms. LeMoine was scheduled for 0930, so there was plenty of time to order breakfast. Harm was one of those people whose nerves kept him from eating. He ordered only a fruit plate and coffee. Mac was a nervous eater and ordered the breakfast special: two hot cakes, an egg, bacon and toast with coffee.

The time between ordering and their breakfast arriving at their table was filled with awkward silence. Thank goodness their breakfast arrived promptly.

Mac took a few bites of her breakfast before breaking the silence. “Did she give you any idea of why she wanted to meet with you?”

“No, but I’m guessing that it isn’t a good thing."

Mac couldn't think of any comforting words for him, so they fell back into silence. At 0915, the silence was broken by Ms. LeMoine's voice. “Mr. Rabb and Ms. MacKenzie. I’m so glad that you could meet with me this morning.”

Harm, being a gentleman, asked if she’d like something to eat or drink. After her coffee was ordered, they made several minutes of polite small talk. The small talk caused Harm and Mac a great deal of anxiety. Finally, Ms. LeMoine got to the point. “I wanted to tell you a few things about Mattie before you see her."

Harm was sitting on the edge of his seat. "What's happened?"

Ms. LeMoine looked at Harm then at Mac before she began. “Mattie's had some set backs."

Mac was on the edge of her seat as well and getting more irritated by the minute with Ms. LeMoine for dragging out what she had to say. The intense look on Harm's face and news that Mattie had had some set backs was enough to put the lady Marine in 'protect family' mode. “Ms. LeMoine, I’m sure you’re trying to be gentle with the news, but just tell us what's happened.”

With the intense looks on both Harm and Mac's faces, Ms. LeMoine took in a deep breath. "Very well. Mattie's the oldest one of five children in the foster home that she's in. Being a member of an active household has caused her to have some muscle pain as the muscles are worked and stretched. Her foster mother was concerned that her pain was more than the normal disomfort that she’d been told that Mattie would have. On Wednesday, she took Mattie to see the doctor. The doctor put Mattie on bed rest for the remainder of Wednesday and all day Thursday. He prescribed a mild muscle relaxant to make her more comfortable. He also recommended that she use the walker instead of the crutches for awhile.”

The couple's intense looks of worry had turned to concern, and they were paying close attention to her words. “Mattie wasn’t thrilled about moving to foster care to begin with, but she seemed to be doing all right until the visit with the doctor. Mattie saw her need for bed rest and the walker as more than just a precaution. By Friday afternoon, she was noticeably withdrawing from the others in the house and lacked an appetite. I conferred with with Dr. Browning, and she feels that Mattie is depressed. Yesterday, before I called you, Mr. Rabb, I spoke with Dr. Browning again about how she felt Mattie might feel about your visit. We’re sure that she wants to see you, but with her current mental and physical condition, she may be self-concious and, therefore, could respond negatively to you. Mattie doesn’t know that I've arranged for you to visit. Dr. Browning and I felt it best to let her believe that she wouldn’t be seeing you until the hearing, just in case you had flight delays or, after we informed you of her current state, you didn’t want to see her.”

Mac was incensed at the thought that this woman would think for a moment that they wouldn't want to see Mattie. Harm saw the look in Mac's eyes, reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze while he spoke. “While we appreciate the information so that we aren’t caught off guard by Mattie’s mood or the use of her walker, it doesn't discourage us from wanting to see her."

Mac relaxed a little under his reassuring grip. She was also proud of Harm's more delicate handling of what she was thinking, but she had a question. “What's Mattie’s current physical condition?”

Ms. LeMoine was relieved, although not surprised, by the couple's decision to see Mattie. She addressed Mac's question. “With the medication, she seems to be in less pain and she seems to be steadier on her feet. The doctor said that she could try crutches again after her appointment next week if she was feeling better. The visit this morning will be conducted at the foster home. I'll be staying to observe. We'll all leave at lunchtime. If the morning goes well, I’ll make arrangements for you to go back this afternoon after Mattie's had lunch and a chance to rest. You'll be able to stay with her then until dinnertime. We can leave here whenever you’re ready. You can follow me in your car so you'll be able to find the place this afternoon.”

The check had been delivered at some point during their conversation and lay on the table. "Let me take care of this, and we're ready.”

While following Ms. LeMoine's car, they remained silent, but Harm reached for Mac's hand, and both of them took comfort from the contact.

They drove for less than fifteen minutes before Ms. LeMoine pulled up in front of a house that was painted a sunny yellow color with white trim and porch. Harm pulled his car up behind Ms. LeMoine's, and everyone got out of their cars.

Ms. LeMoine said, “I’ll go in to make sure that Mattie's up and dressed. I’ll let you know when Mattie’s ready for visitors.”

When Ms. LeMoine entered the house, a blonde little boy about six years old ran out. He was headed for a bike on the grass. The boy made two passes by them on the sidewalk on his bike, but he stopped on the third. "Who you here to look at?"

Harm and Mac looked down at the boy, knowing what he meant. "Mattie," they replied.

"She's old. You sure you want her?"

"We're sure."

Ms. LeMoine called from the porch. "Tyler, they need to come inside now. I'll come out and talk to you when I get them settled in. Okay?"

"Okay, Miss Donna."

Ms. LeMoine waved to the couple to come up to the house. Once Harm and Mac reached the porch, she gave them more information. "Mattie was on the deck, reading. I told her that she had visitors and I didn't get much of a response, but when I told her that it was the two of you, she wanted to comb her hair. She'll be out in a minute. She asked me to show you to the back deck. She says that it's the quietest place in the house."

Harm was pacing the small deck. Mac was sitting at the end of the picnic table that allowed her to see the sliding glass door. Ms. LeMoine stood waiting for Mattie. Mac was wondering how much longer Mattie was going to be. They had to leave at a certain time, and she was wasting it. A check of her internal clock and she realized that she was just being impatient. It had been only three minutes and forty-two seconds since they'd been shown to the deck. Mac was scolding herself for not giving Mattie a reasonable amount of time to spruce herself up and didn't hear the door open, but she heard Mattie.

"You guys are really here."

Harm made it across the deck to Mattie in two strides. Her walker made it difficult for him to get close enough to Mattie to give her the firm holding hug that he'd wanted to. Mac hugged Mattie when Harm let her go.

They all sat down to talk. Mattie started. "I guess you noticed the walker. It isn't permanent. I was just getting too tired with the crutches, but they gave me some medicine to take and I feel much better. I should be back to crutches next week."

Harm and Mac weren’t sure if they should let Mattie know that they already knew or not, so they just let her talk. Her next topic was about the other children in the home. Harm and Mac didn’t listen to more than the names and ages of three of the other children, but when Mattie got to Tyler’s story, they listened to what Mattie had to say. Tyler had been in foster care since he was a day old. The identity of his father was unknown, and he had a drug addicted mother, who'd gotten clean once when Tyler was two, but she hadn’t been able to stay clean. She'd been clean only long enough to get supervised visitations with Tyler as a way of reintroducing him to a mother whom he’d never known, but within a few months, she was using again and, before his third birthday, she wouldn’t come by anymore. Knowing the stories of the other children, Mattie said, was one of the hardest things about being here.

Ms. LeMoine sat on the other side of the deck, watching. After thirty minutes, she excused herself to go talk to Tyler as she’d promised. She hadn't been inside more than two minutes before Mattie started to cry. “I don’t want to stay here.”

Harm reached for her hand, and Mac put an arm around her shoulders. Mattie leaned her head against Mac, and Harm tried to comfort her with words. "Monday's only a couple of days away. Hang in there.”

It took several minutes, but Mattie calmed and started to ask questions about a wedding date and about Jennifer.

When Ms. LeMoine had entered the house, she'd stopped to greet Mrs. Potter. She turned to check on the trio on the deck before going to find Tyler. Ms. LeMoine couldn't hear the words, but she witnessed the tender exchange between the three. She hoped that the judge who was presiding over this case on Monday wasn’t an idiot. She had several children in her care, and none of them had caring people wanting to care for them and waiting in the wings for the legal right to do so. If this couple didn’t get custody, Mattie would be in foster care until her eighteenth birthday when her age would expel her from the program. After a certain age, children aren’t considered ‘cute’ anymore, and it's hard to find them permanent homes. A teenager coming up on her 17th birthday would be almost impossible to place.

The time passed by quickly. A short stocky woman appeared at the patio doors. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but lunch will be ready in ten minutes.”

Mattie told them that the woman was Mrs. Potter, the foster mother. Mattie explained that, because of the movie about Harry Potter, she preferred to be called Miss Nancy to avoid having to explain to the younger children that she didn’t know Harry.

Ms. LeMoine asked Mattie if, after lunch and some rest, she’d like her visitors to come back for another couple of hours. Of course, Mattie said that she wanted to see them again. “Let me go tell Mrs. Potter that they’ll be back this afternoon.”

Ms. LeMoine returned a few minutes later. “Mattie, I’ll walk your guests out. Your lunch is ready.”

Ms. LeMoine used the walk out to the cars to tell Harm and Mac that they could visit from two until five this afternoon. She asked if they’d like to meet her tomorrow at 11AM at the mall. She’d bring Mattie if they promised to make sure that she got lunch and have her back at the foster home by five for dinner. They quickly agreed to a chance at another visit. Harm and Mac thanked Ms. LeMoine for their help before they went their separate ways.

Mac and Harm went to get themselves lunch. After lunch, it was still too early to return to Mattie and too early to check into the hotel. Harm remembered seeing a public park in route to the foster home. He drove back to the mall and followed the way towards the foster home until he found the park. He got out of the car and walked around to open her door.

Mac looked at him, puzzled. “Why did we come here?” she asked as she got out of the car.

He reached for her hand and started walking down the sidewalk into the park.

“I didn’t come to Washington just about Mattie, remember. I also came so that we could make some plans. We have time, and this looks like a nice place to walk and talk.”

She smiled at him and moved closer to him as they strolled down the path in awe of the sights and sounds of the lovely park. When they reached a bench under a shade tree just off the path, it was the perfect quiet place to sit and talk. They sat side by side, holding hands.

He brought up the options that he wasn’t in favor of first before listing his favorite option. The plans that required that they do nothing for the next two years until he or she could retire weren't the options that he wanted. His favorite option called for them to go ahead and get married. Since her career path seemed to be too rigid to work with at the moment, once the ‘I do’s’ were done, he’d request geographic relocation to be near her. Mac’s only concern seemed to be that he'd have to give up his command and the potential to be the next JAG. After a brief discussion about wanting to be the next JAG being less important to him than being with her, he could see her coming around to the idea. He knew that he had her almost on board with his plan when she asked when he wanted to get married. He was ready with that answer, too. He pointed out that, according to the dates that she'd emailed him, she had a gap between her judiciary service and her transfer to San Diego. It should be easy for her to get leave between the two in mid to late September, and they could get married then. If they could both get enough time off, they’d go on a honeymoon and, if they couldn’t, he’d owe her a super nice first anniversary getaway.

Mac then pointed out the time to him, and they walked back to the car, arm in arm. They left the park and returned to see Mattie with the feeling that something had gone right today - they’d decided on when they wanted to be married.

Whether it was the absence of an observer or the fact that Mattie was feeling less depressed since their earlier visit, Mattie seemed to be more relaxed and happier. Mattie asked what they’d had for lunch and other questions of little importance. Mattie told Harm that her laptop hadn't been allowed in the home, but they’d put it away for her to take with her when she left. She explained that that's why she hadn’t emailed anyone. She understood the rule, but she said that it made her miss everyone even more – especially Harm.

The afternoon visit also seemed shorter than the three hours allowed them, but when it was time to go, they left without prodding, knowing that they'd be seeing her tomorrow.

They went from the foster home to the hotel. After checking in and putting their bags in the room, they went out for an early dinner.

Mac was able to relax, knowing that Mattie was doing okay and that they had a time frame for being married. Harm was still keyed up. He'd hold her hand or put an arm around her, but he was still being distant and he wasn’t talking about it.

Once back in the room, Mac told him that she was going to take advantage of the bathtub. She soaked in a warm bath and scented bath oil for twenty minutes. She'd brought something a little sexier than the pajamas, a long silk nightgown. When she came into the room, Harm was in bed with his back to the bathroom door. As she moved closer, she thought that she heard a faint snore, but when she got into bed and snuggled up against his back, he spoke.

“The bath helped, right?”

“Yes, maybe you should try it. It might help you relax.”

“I’m a shower man, but thanks.”

She slipped her arm around him. “You can talk to me, you know.”

He wrapped his hand around hers that was pressed against his chest. “I know,” he said as he brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss there. He moved their joined hands back down to rest on his chest over his heart. The talking stopped, and they fell asleep in that position.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

The morning went much like yesterday. Harm was up first and in the shower when Mac woke. She dressed and waited for her turn in the bathroom. After they were both dressed and ready, they went to the same diner near the mall for breakfast.

They arrived at the mall only a few minutes before Mattie and Ms. LeMoine. Ms. LeMoine informed Harm and Mac that she knew that the mall was a hard place to bring a teenage girl and then tell them not to buy her anything, but there were things that weren't allowed in the foster home out of fairness to the other children and, in some cases, to protect Mattie and the others. "Instead of shopping, I thought you might see a movie," Ms. LeMoine said.

Mac asked, "Why wasn't Mattie allowed to have access her laptop to email us?" Mattie had had the laptop long before she'd gone into the foster home."

Ms. LeMoine responded, "Laptops and game systems are very valuable as trade items or 'for sale' if they fall into the wrong hands. I know that Mrs. Potter wanted to give Mattie her laptop while she was in bed for those thirty-six hours so that she could email her friends and make her feel less lonely, but there are two younger girls in the house, one twelve and one thirteen, who would be suspectible to internet predators if they were able to get hold of Mattie's computer even for a few minutes. It might have resulted in diaster, so she held to the rule. She encouraged Mattie to write letters to you, but Mattie's still self-conscious about her penmanship and didn't write. I will give you a suggestion. If you can't resist buying her something, a new outfit for court tomorrow or a DVD that all the chilren can watch would be acceptable choices."

After making sure that Mattie was set for the day, Ms. LeMoine reminded them that Mattie needed to eat lunch and be back at the foster home by five for dinner.

They looked around the mall until lunchtime, then grabbed lunch in the food court. To break up the day and give Mattie a chance to rest, they took Ms. LeMoine's suggestion and went to the movies. After the movie, they got ice cream. After ice cream, Mac went into serious shopping mode and found Mattie an outfit to wear to court tomorrow. They got Mattie back to the home at 1645, fifteen minutes early.

A day at the mall with two women would have been a nightmare for some men, but, for Harm, it was one of the best days that he'd had in awhile. 'His girls' were smiling, talking and laughing, and it made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

Unfortunately for Mac, the evening went the same as last night. When she came out of the bathroom from taking her warm bath, Harm was in bed. He was on his back and sound alseep. Just like the night before, she climbed into bed and snuggled her body close to his, letting him know that she was there.

CHAPTER FIVE - Monday, June 27, 2007

When Harm woke at 0230, he was on his side facing Mac. Mac was lying on her back with her head on his arm. His eyes took in the beauty of her face while the smell of the bath oil that she must have used last night teased his nostrils. With the room so quiet, he could hear her breathing. The silk nightgown and the warmth of her body made him want to indulge his senses of touch and taste. His body craved her, but it wouldn't be fair to her because his mind was on the custody hearing, and she deserved his full attention. Unable to rein in his desire, he began to kiss and nibble on her shoulder, allowing his sense of taste to join his other senses in enjoying her. He nuzzled her neck and felt her stir. That’s when he knew that he needed to gain control of himself. He began to pull away.

Her eyes opened. “Don’t stop, sailor,” she said as she pulled him into a kiss. He was tense when her lips first covered his, but he started to relax as the kiss intensified. She knew that his mind was elsewhere, but she wanted him.

He started to speak, to give her some kind of explanation of why he hadn't been as forthcoming with his affection this homecoming as last time. She placed her index finger over his lips. "Shhh, just kiss me again."

He saw the understanding in her eyes and moved his lips to cover hers. When his lips were close to hers, he whispered “I love you” before his eyes closed and their lips met.

They didn't rush the experience, taking the time to kiss and touch each other before any attempt was made to remove the few items of clothing that they had on. After their joining, they lay tangled together in the sheets and fell back to sleep, more relaxed than either of them had been in days.

Later that morning, Mac was the first to awake. She wanted to let Harm get as much sleep as possible, so she slipped out of bed and showered as quietly as she could. By the time Harm woke, she was dressed and ready to go to breakfast. As soon as Harm got himself ready, they packed their bags in the rental car and checked out of the hotel. Harm was thankful that the hearing had been set for nine, so the wait was almost over. Since Ms. LeMoine would be bringing Mattie to court this morning, they left the hotel and went to breakfast before heading to the courthouse.

Blacksburg Family Court

Court Room Three

Mattie was sitting between Harm and Mac at the table to the judge’s right. Harm was displaying a calm exterior, but Mac and Mattie were starting to fidget. Ms. LeMoine sat in the gallery behind Mattie.

The bailiff entered the room from the side door and called the court into session by calling for everyone to stand for the honorable Judge Marshal Jacobs.

The judge sat down behind the bench. “You may all be seated.”

Judge Jacobs wasted no time in convening the hearing. “I’ve read the case file and would like to get started. I understand, Miss Johnson, that you’ve dazzled the doctors with your rate of your recovery and that you were released from the program last Monday, but not the doctor’s care. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Miss Johnson, have you ever been in a judge’s office before?”

“No, Your Honor.”

"Well, after today, you won't be able to say that. Ben is my clerk. He'll show you to my chambers. I want to ask Mr. Rabb and Ms. MacKenzie a few questions before I join you. I want to talk to you privately about where you'd like to live and why, although the court reporter will be present to record our conversation into the record. Do you understand, Miss Johnson?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well then. Ben, will you escort Miss Johnson to my chambers?"

The tall, good looking man had already made his way from the judge's bench to their table. It took Mattie a moment to stand, but once on her feet, she moved fairly well, and it took only a minute to exit the courtroom through the door that the judge had entered a few minutes ago.

The judge lowered his head and shuffled some papers that were laying in front of him. When he looked up again, his smile had turned into a scowl. The judge scanned the courtroom to make sure that Mattie was out of the room before he spoke in a harsh tone. "As I said earlier, I've read the file, so don't bore me with things that you think I want to hear, Commander Rabb."

Harm began. "The file needs some updating, Your Honor. It’s now Captain Rabb. As for saying things that I think you’d like to hear, I wouldn’t say anything simply to be saying it.”

The judge chuckled with a snort. “I should have known that my hard ass act wouldn’t work on a military man and a lawyer to boot. I see that you had temporary guardianship of Miss Johnson before she went back to her father, and now you’re seeking permanent custody. Why didn’t you ask for temporary guardianship again? No one would have given this case a second look and it would've been approved based on the fact that you’d already cared for her.”

Harm took a moment to gather his thoughts into something that didn’t sound too lawyer like. “I thought that her going back to her father was in her best interest at the time. I now have the hindsight of knowing that Mr. Johnson isn't up to the job of providing Mattie with a stable home. Because of the accident in which she was involved, I don't want her to think that I feel sorry for her or will turn my back on her when things get tough or if she doesn't get any better than she is right now, so I requested permanent custody."

The judge briefly looked down at the file on the bench. He looked up and made eye contact with Harm. “I see that you’ve found an agency that can provide you with a care giver or a nurse for Miss Johnson in London. I was in the Navy from '72 to '78. I know that they don't just let you say that I've got to stay in town with my kid. So, what if I grant you custody and she isn't yet able to travel? Do you have a plan for that?"

Mac answered. "Your Honor, if you grant his petition and Mattie is unable to leave the country with him, he could leave her with me until she can travel."

"If the two of you are to be married and Ms. MacKenzie is willing to care for Miss Johnson, why isn't this a joint petition for custody?"

Harm responded. "Your Honor, I petitioned the court before I got orders to London. I had three days to prepare for transfer. I almost didn’t have time to propose. In the haste of moving, taking over my new post and acquiring suitable housing, I’m afraid that joint custody wasn’t something that Ms. MacKenzie and I discussed.”

"Well, Ms. MacKenzie, let me ask you. How do you feel about starting off your life with him and a teenager? I mean, don't you think that custody will put a cramp in your newlywed life?”

“I suppose that it may cause some issues of privacy. However, I think that we can resolve any issues that arise. So I have no hesitation concerning either matter, the custody petition or the marriage.” Mac hadn't consciously slipped into lawyer mode, but that’s how she delivered her lines.

“I see. Let me guess. You’re a Navy lawyer, too?”

“No, sir...yes, sir.” She sounded like Bud when she answered, stammering a little. “I am a lawyer sir, but Marine, not Navy.”

Judge Jacobs chuckled. “Is that legal? I mean, a Marine marrying a sailor?”

Mac eased at his humor. “Legal, but not advised, Your Honor.” She smiled a sweet smile. The judge chuckled again.

“Are you going to be joining Captain Rabb in London?”

"That was the original plan, Your Honor, but the military has changed our plans."

"How's that?"

"Beginning in October, my new duty assignment will be in San Diego, California."

"Is Mattie aware that you're moving to San Diego?"

"Yes, she is, Your Honor. I was able to tell her before she left the hospital."

"Do you still plan to be married?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Have you set a date?"

"Not exactly, Your Honor. What we currently have is a window of opportunity between my current and next duty stations. We hope to take advantage of that and be married in mid to late September."

Judge Jacobs’s response was, "I see." After a moment’s pause, he said, "I think I should speak with Miss Johnson now." A second later, with a bang of his gavel, Judge Jacobs dismissed the session and went into his chambers to meet with Mattie.

Judge Jacobs Chambers

Blacksburg Courthouse

Judge Jacobs had read in the file about Mattie’s accident and injuries, and had expected a much more fragile young lady in court this morning. He entered his chambers and greeted Mattie. She was sitting in the chair in front of his big oak desk. To give the court reporter time to set up and so that he could get seated behind his desk, he asked Mattie how she was feeling.

“Overall, I’m good. I have a few aches and pains, but nothing like before. I overworked some muscles, and the doctor has me using the walker until my appointment next week.”

“You’ve been through a lot. How are you dealing with all the stress?”

“Before I was moved to the foster home, I had friends who emailed me. Harm emailed me at least once a day and called at least once a week. Jennifer and Mac visited. Jennifer worked with Harm before he was transferred to London.”

“Mac?” The judge was confused and said her name as a question.

“Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, his fiancée. Harm calls her Mac. I guess all of her friends do.”

“How do you feel about the captain’s engagement? I mean, it was sudden, wasn’t it?”

“No, sir, not really. I mean, the proposal was sudden, but he’s been in love with her for a long time.”

“Do you and Ms. MacKenzie get along?”

“Yes, sir, we do."

"One more question, Miss Johnson. Do you like your foster home?” He saw her searching for an answer. “It’s okay, young lady. I want to hear the truth.”

“I don’t like it, sir. They’re nice people, but I don’t know them. It isn’t where I feel at home.”

“Do you feel at home with Mr. Rabb?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"How about Miss MacKenzie?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Judge Jacobs stood and walked around his desk. “You looked pretty steady on your feet when you came in. Do you need assistance in returning to the courtroom?”

“No, sir. I can make it alone just fine.”

The judge wondered if her statement was referring to her walk down the hall or the rest of her life.

Blacksburg Family Court

Court Room Three

Mattie came back into the courtroom, followed by the bailiff. Court was called to order and the proceeding began again.

Judge Jacobs began, "I have a few more things. First, Mr. Rabb, Miss MacKenzie volunteered to care for Mattie if she isn't able to travel by the time you have to leave. Would you have any apprehension about leaving her in Ms. MacKenzie’s care?”

“None, Your Honor.”

"Miss Johnson, would you have any objections to staying with Miss MacKenzie?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Given Mr. Rabb's current duty station and Miss Johnson's medical needs, I'd like to render a decision in this matter today." He paused. He seemed to be just thinking out loud and not really talking to anyone. "Miss Johnson, I see something unique in the two people with you. I don't see it in my court nearly often enough. Most potential parents usually sit together with the child sitting close to one or the other parent. They've sat on either side of you to provide you with support from both sides. That's very rare. From my observation, I think I can say with certainty that we’re all here to do what’s best for Miss Johnson. I see the love and bond that’s formed between the three of you, but, with Miss Johnson's recent setback, I don't think that it’s in her best interest to leave her current doctors and programs that have helped her so much thus far."

Mattie reached for Harm and Mac's hands.

Judge Jacobs leaned back in his chair and made the mistake of looking at Mattie. Tears had started to roll down her cheeks. Judge Jacobs cleared his throat. "Mr. Rabb, do you have any objections to amending your petition to include Miss MacKenzie as a petitioner as well?"

"No objection, Your Honor."

"Miss MacKenzie, any objections to having your name added?"

"None, Your Honor."

"Then let the record reflect the addition of Miss MacKenzie to the petition." He wrote something in the file on his desk, leaving the room silent for a moment. “Then I think I’m ready to render my decision.”

Harm thought that he was about to lose, so the judge's readiness to render his decision caught him by surprise. Mac was surprised, too. Mattie's grip on Harm and Mac's hands tightened.

Judge Jacobs shuffled papers for a few seconds before speaking again. "It is the decision of this court that temporary guardianship of Matilda Johnson be granted to Miss Sarah MacKenzie and it is to commence immediately. This court will continue to receive medical updates, as per the schedule, and her schedule of doctor’s appointments are to be maintained, including her counseling sessions. Do you understand your responsibilities in this matter, Miss MacKenzie?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“And are you willing to accept these responsibilities?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“This court will reconvene in ninety days at which time it will render a decision on the joint petition for permanent custody of Miss Johnson. Court is adjourned.” He brought the gavel down with a bang, and then the judge stood and left the courtroom. Ben approached the trio and said that it would take him a few minutes to put together some paperwork. He’d need a few signatures and an address to which to mail other documents. While Ben spoke, Ms. LeMoine came from the gallery to join them. After Ben left, Mattie spoke, “Can someone please tell me what just happened, because I’m not sure.”

Harm responded. “The judge has reservations about you receiving proper health care in London, so he didn’t grant me permanent custody.”

Ms. LeMoine continued. “The judge also saw that they love you, and he didn’t want you to be in a foster home if you had people to take care of you.”

Mac spoke. “By adding my name to the custody petition, I became an interested party, and he could then give me custody of you without us having to file any other paperwork.”

Mattie stammered. “So I’m going to live with Mac?”

The three adults answered. “Yes.”

Mattie was smiling from ear to ear as they left the courtroom. After a brief conference between the three adults, it was decided that Ms. LeMoine would take Mattie back to the Potters. That would allow Mattie to get some lunch and rest while Mac and Harm waited for the paperwork to be ready.

CHAPTER SIX – Hello, Goodbye

Monday, June 27, 2007 – Part Two

Harm and Mac’s Apartment

It had taken two hours to get to the Potters to pick up Mattie and another thirty minutes to get Mattie and her things into the car and them on the road. They'd arrived home a little over an hour ago. Mac had awakened Mattie and taken her upstairs while Harm had unpacked the car. He and Mac had only one bag each, and Mattie had three pieces, if you included her laptop case.

From the time of the judge’s decision, Harm and Mac had been focused on taking Mattie home. At the courthouse while they'd waited for Ben to reappear, they'd spoken about hiring someone to stay with Mattie while Mac was at work. Mac had called Harriet and told her what they needed. She'd also told her that Harm's flight didn't leave until late tomorrow evening, so he'd be free to do interviews throughout the day. Harriet had agreed to make some calls and get back to them.

With Mattie asleep in the backseat during the trip back to Washington, it hadn’t been the place for them to talk, though Harm had some things that he'd wanted to say to Mac.

Mac seemed to be quickly adjusting to her new ‘mother’ role. She’d wanted Mattie to lie down in bed and get some ‘real’ rest when they’d arrived, but Mattie had said that she felt better, and Mac had given in to a compromise: Mattie could rest on the couch until dinner.

Mattie was settled on the couch, resting, but wasn't asleep. Harm was in the bedroom, having just brought in their bags, and Mac went up to the bedroom to talk to him.

She got close enough to Harm so that Mattie wouldn’t hear. “Looks like you’re sleeping on the couch tonight, sailor.”

He pulled her to him in a tight, but loving embrace. “Yeah, but for a good cause. I owe you big time for this one, Marine.”

“You don’t owe me. I’ve missed not being able to see her this past week. If I missed her, I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. I’m sorry that the judge didn’t award you custody, but I’m sure that he’ll award us custody in ninety days.”

“Yeah, especially if you marry me.” He kissed Mac softly, then a second time that lingered a little longer. His lips were poised to take hers in a far more passionate exchange when a question being bellowed from the other room stopped them dead in their tracks. “What are you guys doing?”

Harm knew that he shouldn’t say 'making out,' so he stalled, letting Mac answer. “We’re talking about getting married.”

Mac reached for the spiral notebook in her bag and swatted Harm on the six with it before she left the bedroom. Harm then followed her to the living room. Mac waved the notebook in Mattie's direction. “I took this with me, but I didn’t have a chance to give it back to you." Recognizing the book, Mattie sat up. "Harm and I have decided to get married in mid to late September.”

“That’s in like three months. Is that enough time?”

“According to ‘The Complete Wedding Planner,' second edition,* it's doable if we can find a place to hold the ceremony,” Harm explained.

Mac and Mattie just laughed. “You’ve been reading about planning a wedding?” Mac asked.

Harm defended himself. “I had to know what to expect, didn’t I? We've already done one thing out of order. According to the book, we were suppose to tell parents before we told friends…who knew?”

"Have you told your mother yet?" Mac asked.

"Sure did. She thinks that it's about time, and she wants us to have a short engagement."

Mac looked surprised by his answer, but both ladies were smiling.

“I think, instead of a movie or something tonight, we should order a pizza, discuss some locations, and look over Mattie’s notebook together.” Mac’s suggestion was quickly agreed upon by the other two. “I don’t suppose you have any idea about what this book that you've been reading says that we should do next, do you?” Mac asked.

“No, but I can look. The book's in my bag.” Harm retreated to the bedroom to retrieve the book. After handing the book over to the ladies for review, he ordered the pizza.

With the pizza ordered, it was time to begin location discussions. They looked in Mattie’s book, and three places were listed from their responses to her questions over the weeks prior to her leaving the hospital. They began talking about each location individually, and were on number three when there was a knock on the door. They assumed that it would be the pizza, but it wasn’t. It was Jennifer Coates, inquiring about Mattie and the results of the hearing today. Harm invited her in, and she was thrilled when she saw Mattie sitting on the couch. Jennifer went to Mattie and gave her a hug. After the brief embrace, Jennifer asked, “So, you got custody, sir?”

There was another knock at the door, and this time it was the pizza delivery. By the time Harm had exchanged money for pizza, Mattie and Mac had explained the court’s decision to Jennifer. “So you got custody, ma’am?” Harm heard Jennifer ask.

The smell of the pizza made its way to Mac’s nose. “Why don’t you stay for dinner, Jennifer? We can fill you in while we eat."

Jennifer did join them and, after she was given the information about Mattie, she joined in the wedding planning. Jennifer volunteered to call the three locations tomorrow to see if the date that the couple wanted was available at any of them. They told Jennifer that they hadn't set a day aside, but gave her the window of time in which they were trying to schedule things. Jennifer asked if she should inquire about a reception hall being available at the location as well, or if they preferred to have separate locations for the ceremony and reception.

They were all on a second slice of pizza when Harriet called. Mac wasn't sure how Mattie would react to having someone stay with her, so she'd tell Harm later what Harriet had said.

Harm was becoming more relaxed by the minute. Mattie was with someone whom he loved and trusted, and she'd be fine. Jennifer had joined the wedding planning, and he felt sure that, once Harriet got into the game, too, he wouldn't have to worry about anything except showing up on time.

The four of them were enthusiastic about getting some decisions made while the bride-to-be and groom were in the same country. It was Jennifer who brought up the subject of calling it a night. "Ma'am, I was just thinking about turning in, and it occurred to me that I have the place with two bedrooms. Would you like for Mattie to use her old room at my place?"

"Could I? Especially tonight, it would be better than Harm having to sleep on the couch," Mattie begged.

"I don't want to inconvenience you, Jennifer," Mac replied.

"No, inconvenience, ma'am. I've missed having her around. It'll be fun. And the captain is still paying for the room since I can't afford the place on my own, so, technically, it never stopped being Mattie's."

The dark circles under Mattie's eyes told Mac that she should decide quickly and get Mattie to bed. She'd had a very long day. Mac looked at Harm, and he nodded his approval of the idea. He was secretly thankful that Jennifer had spoken up. He hadn't wanted to ask, but allowing Mattie and Mac to each have their own space was a good idea. He was also glad that he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch tonight.

It took them a few minutes, but they got Mattie and her bags into her old room at Jennifer's. The couple then returned to their apartment, and Harm suggested that he clean up the mess from their piza dinner while Mac got ready for bed. He said that he'd come to bed in a few minutes.

True to his word, Harm entered the bedroom eleven minutes later, according to Mac's internal timer. She was in bed when he came into the room, and he stood by the bed, unbuttoning his shirt.

She watched a moment before speaking. "Harriet's the one who called during dinner. She says that your first interview is at ten. You'll have three interviews in all. If you don't like any of them, let her know, and she'll call the agency back to set up some interviews for me on Wednesday at the office."

"Okay." The tie that he'd worn to court had been removed soon after they'd picked up Mattie. The jacket had made it until a stop for gas on the way back from Blacksburg. His shoes hadn't lasted two minutes once they'd arrived at the apartment, and now he was pulling off his shirt. He unfastened his pants and unzipped the zipper before easing them down his legs, stepping out of them, and hanging them up on a hanger.

He got into bed, and she was soon at his side. His arms immediately went around her.

"Mac, are you okay with the way the judge ruled?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I meant what I said earlier. I'm sorry that she won't be in London to keep you company, though."

Harm laughed politely, but something else was on his mind. He gave Mac a little squeeze. "Mac, I'm sorry about this morning."

Mac didn't know to what he was referring. "Sorry about what?"

His hand was rubbing up and down her arm. "When we, when I ... it wasn't fair to you."

She lifted her head off his chest to look him in the eye. "I needed you this morning, too. Being with you eased my worries, as well. I know that, as long as we're together, everything else will work itself out somehow. So you don't need to apologize. I understand. You couldn't talk about it, but you needed me."

"You know me better than anyone else ever has."

"So it isn't so bad letting someone in, is it?"

"No, or letting go once in a while." They exchanged warm, loving smiles before their lips met in a passionate kiss that led them to loving each other. He took things slowly and made up for the one-sided activity of this morning.

Tuesday, June 28, 2007

Harm made sure that they were awake early enough for them to make love this morning before the day's activities began.

After lovemaking, Harm took a quick shower. After his shower, he slipped on jeans and a shirt before leaving the bedroom so that Mac could get ready for work. While Mac got ready, he made breakfast.

Harm thought that he heard a knock on the door, but it was so light that he wasn't sure. He went to the door to find Mattie there. "I didn't want to come in...in case you and Mac were busy." There was a blush on her cheeks.

Harm stood aside, making a sweeping motion with his arm for her to come in. "We are busy. She's getting dressed for work, and I'm making breakfast."

"I didn't mean that kind of busy," Mattie said with a grin.

"I know what you meant," Harm replied, shaking his head.

They were all smiles with each other over breakfast. After breakfast, they got Mac off to work. Harm then explained to Mattie that today they were going to be interviewing three people for a job as her aide - Harm avoided using the term care giver to keep from upsetting Mattie further - someone to stay with Mattie while Mac and Jennifer were at work, just in case she needed assistance, and to take her back and forth to her doctor's appointments if Mac was unable to do it herself.

All three interviews were over by one o'clock and, by three, Harm had called the candidate that he and Mattie liked the best and, if she could start tomorrow, she had the job. She could and, by 3:15, Mattie had an aide.

Harm had the chance to play 'dad' all day. He made sure that Mattie took her medication. He made her lunch and had her resting on the couch between interviews and, after lunch and their conference on the interviews, he had her take a nap in her room.

Harm had packed his bag while Mattie napped and put it in the rental car. He'd be able to have dinner with them before he had to leave for the airport.

Mac called to tell him that she was on her way home, and he started dinner.

Jennifer stopped Mac in the hall outside her apartment door and handed her a list of the three potential wedding places, followed by dates in September when they were available. Also listed was whether or not they had a reception hall, and if they did, the available September dates for that. Before excusing herself and heading into her apartment, Jennifer said that she'd be happy to call and make the reservations as soon as they'd made their selection.

Mac opened the door to find that Harm had dinner on the table. They ate dinner while Harm and Mattie filled her in on the aide that they'd hired that Mac would meet when the woman started work tomorrow morning. Mac showed Mattie and Harm the list that Jennifer had given her in the hall. By the time dinner was over, a place and date for the wedding had been decided. She'd have Jennifer book the place tomorrow while she was in court.

With dinner over and the dishes cleared, it was time for Harm to leave. Mattie and Harm gave each other a hug and said their goodbyes, then Mattie said that she wanted to say hi to Jennifer. Harm knew that she was just giving him and Mac time to say goodbye. Once the door had closed behind Mattie, Harm took Mac into his arms.

"I hope that, after we're married, they quickly find a new duty station for me. I'm getting tired of feeling like I just said hello before I have to say goodbye."

"I know what you mean." They kissed again, this time with a little more gusto.

"Have Jennifer email me to confirm that she's booked the chapel. Once I get her email, I'll request leave for the wedding and honeymoon."

"Honeymoon, that sounds nice. Do you know where we're going yet?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, your book says that it’s your job to take care of the honeymoon."

"It does? No problem then. I'll take care of it."

After one more kiss and a hug, Mac let him go. "Time for you to go or you'll never make it in time. I love you. See you in September."

"I love you. See you in September," Harm responded.

Within moments, he was out the door, and Mac moved to the window to watch him get into the car. At the sound of the door opening thirty seconds later, Mac was hopeful that it was Harm returning, but it was Mattie.

"I heard him leave. Can you see his car from there?" Mattie asked.

Mac nodded, and soon Mattie was at her side. Mac slipped an arm around Mattie's shoulders as they watched Harm get into the car and drive away.

Watching his car leave was hard for Mattie, but not as hard as when he'd left her at the hospital, because, this time, she was with Mac and Jennifer.

Mac watched as the taillights of his car rounded the corner and disappeared. Mac missed him already, but she had Mattie to keep her company, and that helped. Mac drew comfort from knowing that, the next time Harm came to town, it would be for their wedding.

***

Jennifer would book the chapel and reception hall the next day, and the wedding was set for September 17th, 2005.

The end...or should I brush off the wedding story?

*The book 'The Complete Wedding Planner, Second Revised Edition" is a real book by Majabelle Young Stewart.