Title: From Ghosts to Grins

Author: JAG Junkie (rondayoung@yahoo.com)

Rating: G

Category: Vignette

Disclaimer:  They are (sadly) not mine.  If they were, we would have seen a lot more scenes like this.

Spoilers: Ghost Ship

 

Summary: Missing Scene; Episode Reaction

 

Author’s Notes: This is all mkim’s fault!  LOL!  She started that thread about adding a scene to the ep “Ghost Ship” and then mentioned that it would have been nice to have seen a little of the two days that Harm was in the hospital.  That got me thinking and I had to get my thoughts down on paper.  This is just a little something I squeaked out in my spare time this week, so don’t expect anything earth-shattering.  I know nothing about concussions or hospitals (thankfully), so forgive me if any of this seems unrealistic.

 

The way I wrote this would have negated the dialogue in the scene on the steps--the one with the Energizer Bunny joke, so I sort of worked that dialogue into this story.

 

Now, I have to say something about the little book with Harm Sr’s name in it.  I believe that Harm would have been a total basketcase until he got that book back.  I really think that Mac would have gone to get the book while Harm was still in the hospital, rather than waiting for him to be released and going to the police station together.  But, if I wrote this that way, I would *really* be rewriting the ending of the show, and since that was not my intention when I started this, I’m choosing *not* to address the book of names.

 

I was deliberately vague about *when* Harm actually got to the hospital, because the episode seemed to give us conflicting information.  So I just decided to concentrate on the fact that he said he was there for two days.

 

Since this is way back at the beginning of season 3, it doesn’t really resolve anything.  It’s nothing but pure friendship fluff--just a glimpse into the way they were back then.  Sigh…

 

Finally, this story is my belated answer to Pixie’s September fanfic challenge.

 

And now I’ll move on, before my notes become longer than the story itself!

 

 

-----

 

 

Mac quietly sat by the hospital bed of her partner and friend.  They’d only been working together for a year, but already their bond was strong.  They’d been through enough together to know that they could trust and depend on each other.  It was for that reason that she was so insistent on being at the hospital with him.  She wanted to be there when he woke up.  He depended on her and she didn’t want to let him down…again.  She couldn’t forgive herself for leaving him alone the first time.  She felt somewhat responsible that he was in the hospital in the first place.  If she had been there, would he have fallen and hit his head?

 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard him stirring in the bed next to where she was sitting.  Reflexively, she stood up and hovered over him, her forgotten magazine falling to the floor.  He groaned a little and his eyes fluttered open.  It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and he squinted against the light.  As her face came into focus he smiled weakly.

 

“Hey.”  His voice was barely above a whisper.

 

Mac smiled in relief.  “Hey, yourself.”

 

“Where--”

 

“You’re in the hospital, Harm.  You have a concussion and the doctor said you need to rest for a couple of days.”  She lightly touched his arm, hoping to soothe him and keep him relaxed.

 

Harm grimaced.  “Head hurts.”

 

“I’m sure it does, now go back to sleep.”

 

“Sleep…”  Harm’s eyes closed again under the weight of his heavy eyelids.  Mac, satisfied that he was asleep again, returned to her chair next to him and picked up her magazine.  The doctor had said that it was best for him to sleep the first day, so she was content to wait.

 

-----

 

Hours later, Harm once again stirred in his bed before waking up fully.  He seemed somewhat confused by his surroundings until his eyes rested on Mac.  A warm smile of understanding crept across his face as he remembered.

 

“You were here earlier.”  Harm’s voice was much clearer than before.

 

“Yes.”

 

“You didn’t have to stay with me.”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“I’m surprised you’re not with Falcon.  You two seemed to have hit it off pretty well.”

 

“Yeah, it sure *seemed* that way,” Mac said wistfully.

 

“So, why weren’t you with him again today?”

 

Mac lowered her eyes before looking away, a little embarrassed.

 

“I don’t know.  He never called.”  Mac bit her lip.

 

“That’s too bad for him.  His loss.  I’m sorry, Mac.”

 

Mac forced herself to look at Harm again and was surprised to see sincerity and concern in his eyes.  Touched by his caring, she allowed a small smile to form before squaring her shoulders in resolve.

 

“Don’t be sorry--I’m not.  It was nothing but one casual, friendly date.  We live on opposite sides of the country, after all.  The hungry marine in me just wanted a steak dinner, that’s all.”  Truthfully, she had been flattered by Falcon’s attention and was disappointed when he hadn’t called.  But that was something she was not about to admit to Harm.  What she had said was mostly true, anyway.

 

“Mac, when we get back to DC, I promise I’ll treat you to the steak dinner you deserve.”  Harm reached for her hand and squeezed it.

 

“Thanks, you’re a great friend.”  Mac instinctively reached out with her other hand to cup his cheek.  Harm covered her hand with his free one.

 

“And so are you.”  Harm was looking deep into her eyes with a look that conveyed sincere gratefulness and something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.  She resisted the urge to kiss his forehead or cheek.  Instead, she just smiled and squeezed his hand back.

 

“Go home, Mac.  Get some rest.  It’s late.”

 

“No!”  Mac didn’t have to look at the clock to know how late it was, but she didn’t care.

 

“Yes.  *One* of us should get to sleep in a real bed.  I realize that the beds in the VOQ aren’t that great, but they are better than that chair you’ve been sitting in.”

 

“He’s right.”  An unfamiliar voice rang out from the doorway.  Mac pulled her hands away and jerked her head up to see the owner of the voice.  Her eyes met those of a beautiful redheaded nurse.  Mac looked back at Harm and saw his eyes close slowly as he gave in to his fatigue.

 

“Mac, please go get some sleep.  I have this lovely nurse here to tuck me in.  I’ll be fine.”

 

“Yes, he will.  I promise I’ll take good care of him.”  The nurse smiled knowingly at the two officers.

 

Mac wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw the corners of Harm’s mouth turn up in a faint smile.

 

Mac suddenly realized her own fatigue and relented.  “Okay, I’ll go.  But I’ll be back tomorrow.  Goodnight, Harm.”

 

“Goodnight, Mac.”

 

-----

 

The next morning, Mac walked in to the room to find a much more alert Harm than the man she had left the night before.  He smiled as she entered the room.

 

“I brought breakfast.”

 

“Funny, that’s what the nurse said, but she was mistaken.  What she brought me was not edible.”  Harm’s eyes were dancing with laughter and Mac was relieved to see that her old partner was back.

 

“Well, I brought you a fruit pastry--definitely edible.”

 

“And what did you get for yourself?”

 

“A sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit.”

 

“Definitely *not* edible.”  Harm chuckled.

 

“Hey, it’s not for you to eat anyway!”  Mac exclaimed, just before taking a big bite.  Harm just shook his head and began eating his own breakfast.

 

“So you seem much livelier today.  Are you doing what you are supposed to, or are you giving these nurses a hard time?” Mac challenged.

 

“Well, I’m finding it difficult to stay in bed after being cooped up here for so long,” Harm sheepishly admitted.

 

Mac laughed.  “Why am I not surprised?”

 

“Nurse Julie even threatened to tie me down if I so much as stuck my nose out the door.”

 

“Sounds kinky.”

 

“Yellow light, Major.”

 

Mac rolled her eyes.  “Oh come on, Harm, haven’t we reached the point where we can drop the traffic signals?”

 

Harm smiled mischievously.  “Absolutely.  Have I ever told you why a female Marine is like the Energizer Bunny?”

 

Mac was suddenly uncomfortable.  This wasn’t what she had intended.  “On second thought, let’s not.”

 

Harm smirked triumphantly and took the last bite of his breakfast.  Mac gathered their trash and got up to throw it away.  She went into the private restroom to wash her hands and take care of nature’s call.

 

While she was in there, Harm began getting out of the bed.

 

“Hey, Mac?  I can’t stand to stay in bed any longer.  Let’s go for a walk or something.”  Harm called out loud enough for her to hear.  He quickly stood up, practically jumping out of the bed, hoping to be halfway out the door before she could stop him.  Unfortunately, his head did not like the sudden motion and the room started to spin.  He reached out to the nearest table to steady himself, knocking a large metal tray and its contents to the floor in the process.

 

Mac heard the loud crash and her mind immediately thought the worst.  In an almost panic state, she flung the door open and ran back into the room.  At the same time, a blond nurse was running into the room to investigate the commotion.  Mac almost ran right into the woman, but her marine reflexes kicked in just in time for her to avoid another disaster.

 

“Mr. Rabb!  Am I going to have to make good on my threat to tie you to the bed?” the frustrated nurse exclaimed.  In the meantime, Harm had managed to find his way back to the bed and sit down.

 

“Threat?  I thought it was a promise.”  Harm winked at her and Mac swore he couldn’t have had a bigger flyboy grin on his face if he had tried.  She was relieved that he was okay, but deep down, a small part of her felt a tinge of jealousy that his incessant flirtations were not being directed towards her.  She could see by the woman’s nametag that this must be the “Nurse Julie” that he had referred to earlier.  It was then that she noticed that not only was this woman blond, but she was also strikingly beautiful, just like the redhead from the previous night.  Apparently, Harm had the good fortune of being assigned to the part of the hospital where all the nurses looked like supermodels.  No wonder the Rabb charm was operating on full power!

 

The exasperated nurse turned to Mac.  “See if you can keep him straight.  Maybe you’ll have better luck than I have.”  The nurse walked out of the room, shaking her head.

 

“Well, I see the blow to the head didn’t injure your ego,” Mac laughed sarcastically.

 

Harm put his hand over his heart and put on his best “hurt” look.  “Aw, Mac!  You wound me!”

 

Mac rolled her eyes.  “You’ll get over it.  Now stay in bed where you belong.”

 

Harm let out a frustrated sigh.  Mac gave him a stern warning glare and he reluctantly leaned back in the bed.

 

“I feel fine.  I just don’t want to be stuck here anymore.”

 

“Harm, you are obviously *not* fine!  What just happened is proof of that!”

 

“Okay, I admit it.  It was a little too much too soon.  I should have known better than to jump out of bed like that.  This is certainly not the first time I have had a concussion, after all.  But if I’m careful, I don’t see why I can’t go home.”

 

“Harm, the doctor said that you need to stay one more day.  You’re not well yet.  You are not a magician and neither is the doctor.  You can’t be magically healed overnight.  The quickest way to get out of here is to follow the doctor’s orders.  Please?”

 

Harm sighed reluctantly and averted his eyes.  “As much as it pains me to say this, you’re right.”

 

“Of course I am.  I’m a marine.”  Mac grinned.  “And I’m the best person to talk some sense into a stubborn squid like you.”

 

“Hey, watch it, jarhead!”  Harm’s playful, teasing expression betrayed the sternness of his words.

 

Mac smiled.  Her partner was definitely back.

 

-----

 

That evening, the same redhead from the previous night came into the room for her nightly rounds.  Harm grinned as she went about her business.

 

“Wait!”  Harm blurted out as she finished up and turned to leave.  She turned back around at the sound of his voice.  “Are you going to tuck me in like you did last night?”  Harm’s voice was slightly lower than normal and his eyes were dancing mischievously.

 

“No, you’re a big boy.  If you really want to be tucked in, you have someone here who has been willing to stay here with you despite your moodiness.  I’m sure she’d be willing to tuck you in.”  The nurse walked out of the room before either of them could respond.

 

“She’s right, you know,” Harm said softly after a few seconds.

 

“About you being moody?  Yeah, she nailed that one!”

 

“No, about you being willing to stay here with me.”

 

“Well, that’s what friends are for.”

 

“No, I don’t think that’s the whole reason.  Why are you here?”

 

“Because, you are my partner and one of my best friends.  And I’m not going back to DC without you, so you need to get well quickly.  And if I have to sit here and make sure you stay in bed I will.”

 

“Go home and get some rest, Mac.  I promise I’ll be good.  I don’t make promises I’m not going to keep.”

 

Harm’s expression seemed sincere, so Mac gave in and picked up her purse to leave.

 

“I’m holding you to that, sailor.  I’ll be here in the morning to get you out of here.”

 

“I’m counting on it.”  Harm smiled.

 

“Goodnight, sailor.”

 

“Goodnight, marine.”

 

Mac walked out of the room, hoping that she was doing the right thing.

 

-----

 

The next morning, Mac was greeted by an anxious Harm.  He was dressed, sitting in a chair, and more than ready to leave.

 

“I just got my release papers.  We’re out of here.”

 

“Great, let’s go.”  Mac started to turn towards the door, but Harm reached out and stopped her.

 

“Wait.”  Harm had a pleading look in his eyes.

 

“What?  I thought you were in a hurry to leave.”

 

“I am.  It’s just that…well…I just wanted to say thanks.”

 

Mac cocked her head to the side and looked at him with a puzzled expression.  “For what?”

 

“For being here.  For putting up with me.  For being my friend.”

 

Mac smiled.  “Ditto.”

 

Harm pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, lingering hug.  When he pulled back, he continued to hold her and smiled warmly.  When the silence was becoming deafening, he quietly said, “Let’s go home.”  Mac smiled in agreement as he offered his arm to her.  Arm in arm, they walked out of the room together.

 

Mac wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but she knew that over the past few days, there had been a decisive shift in their relationship.  She didn’t know where they were going, but she *did* know that they were at least heading in the right direction…together.

 

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