Chapter 2 -- The "Reel It In" JAG Ficathon

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 18:59:45 04/16/09 Thu
Author: .
Subject: Chapter 2
In reply to: . 's message, "" on 18:54:30 04/16/09 Thu

********************

Chapter 2

********************

The rehab center Harm had found for Mattie was in a converted mansion, a lovely old place with broad sloping lawns, gingerbread trim, and a front porch that practically begged for cozy tea parties and long afternoons of quiet reading. Mac loved it on sight, and she told Harm so when he came around to open her door.

"It is beautiful, isn't it," he said, turning to look up at the windows that glinted with morning sun.

"How'd you find it?"

"My yeoman. Her father was posted in London when she was a teenager." He took her hand in his. "Ready?"

Mac looked up at the double front doors and took a deep breath. Mattie was the last question mark. Would she see how important this was for Harm? Or was she too young--and too caught up in her own problems--to understand. Catching Harm's curious look, she squeezed his hand and mustered a confident smile. "Ready."

Despite the building's outer appearance Mac had been expecting something hospital-like, so she was pleasantly surprised by the warm hominess of the place. The furniture looked worn, but in a way that seemed lived-in rather than meager. The walls were painted a soft shade of blue and decorated with artwork done, Mac assumed, by the residents. And there were plants everywhere--hanging in the windows, warming up the corners, and spilling over the edges of coffee tables. At the center of it all a large tabby cat reigned supreme, lifting her head only long enough to acknowledge Harm and Mac's entrance before returning to her nap in the sunshine.

The receptionist welcomed them with a bright smile for Harm and a look of unabashed curiosity for Mac.

"Mr. Rabb," she said, "you're a might early today. Mattie'll be so pleased."

Harm shook his head with a rueful smile. "Six weeks, Maisy, and I still can't get you to call me Harm."

"'Twouldn't be proper," Maisy said firmly, but her bright blue eyes twinkled as she said it, and Mac sensed the exchange was a familiar one. "I hear Mattie will be leaving us soon," Maisy went on. "We'll miss her around here. She's such a sweet child."

Sweet wasn't a word Mac would've chosen to describe Mattie. Spirited, maybe. Precocious, certainly. But sweet?

Harm put his arm around Mac's waist, and she leaned into his touch, pleasure flashing through her when his fingers tightened against her hip.

"Maisy," he said, "I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Sarah MacKenzie." He turned to Mac. "Maisy's kind of like the resident Mary Poppins around here."

Maisy giggled girlishly, belying her gray hair and comfortable girth. "I'm no such thing."

Mac smiled. "Harm never lies." She extended her hand in greeting. "And he's rarely wrong. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Maisy--" Releasing Mac, Harm leaned against the reception desk, a serious look in his eyes. "I wonder if you could help us out with something."

********************

Mattie's room was empty, but the bed was made and the jumbled pile of textbooks on the night stand seemed to imply she'd done some studying. Harm glanced down at the math lesson that lay on top of the pile, checking over Mattie's work while Mac studied the small collection of photographs arranged on the dresser.

They heard Mattie's voice before they saw her. She was laughing, a sound that'd been all too rare since her accident. Moments later she rolled her chair around the corner and into the room, only to freeze in the doorway, her gaze sliding over Mac with a quickly shuttered look of surprise before coming to rest on Harm.

"Hi," she said, her voice laced with a faint edge of wariness. "You're early." She gave Mac a look of studied nonchalance. "Hi, Mac."

"Hello, Mattie." Mac smiled warmly and gestured at Mattie's wheelchair. "You drive that thing like a pro."

"Not for long." Mattie spun around, pushed the door closed, spun back. "I'll be switching to crutches for good in a few days. They're a pain in the ass, but at least people don't treat you like a leper."

"Language," Harm warned, but Mattie breezed on, ignoring him.

"James says I'm pushing too hard, but he's not the one trapped in this thing."

Harm caught the silent question in Mac's eyes. "Her physical therapist," he explained.

"Ahh." She turned back to Mattie. "At this rate you'll be back in the air in no time, huh?"

A shadow flitted through Mattie's eyes, but she nodded. "Better than that, I'll finally be able to blow this joint."

"Mattie �" Harm knew what was coming, and sure enough, Mattie rounded on him, her eyes blazing.

"I hate it here, Harm."

"So you've said." He crossed the room and crouched beside her chair. "Look, Mattie. We've been over this."

"Yeah, I know the drill. Best place for me, only way we can be together, blah, blah, blah �" She folded her arms across her chest, a mutinous look in her eyes. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Nobody's asking you to like it, but you know this was the only way I could bring you out here with me."

Mattie set her jaw and glared at him, and Harm stood up with a sigh. He knew her attitude came more from her feelings of helplessness than from any real animosity toward him, but that didn't make her anger any easier to take. Thinking it prudent to change the subject before she worked up a good head of steam, he gave her a bright smile.

"How would you like to come out with us for a couple of hours?"

Mattie blinked, the looming tirade temporarily derailed. "Now?"

"Sure, why not?"

Off-balance, Mattie looked from Harm to Mac and back again. "I don't know �"

"Come on," Mac urged. "It'll be fun. Haven't you always wanted to see the Tower of London?"

Sudden interest sparked in Mattie's eyes. "Isn't that the place where they beheaded Anne Boleyn?"

"Yup."

Mattie looked at Harm. "Can we?"

"It's already arranged." He moved to take the handles of the wheelchair. "And while we're out," he said, "there's something we need to talk about." He glanced over at Mac. "As a family."

********************

Harm stretched out his legs and relaxed while Mac and Mattie debated the relative merits of beheading versus the electric chair as methods of execution. The discussion was graphic, lively, and punctuated with laughter that might've seemed out of place to anybody who didn't understand how miraculous it was.

They'd spent the entire afternoon together, ending with dinner at a little out-of-the-way bistro where they lingered over ice cream in the gathering twilight. Mattie glowed with happiness and good health. The outing had done her good, and it had given her and Mac an opportunity to get to know each other better. As Harm watched the two of them he began to feel for the first time that they might actually make this thing work.

It was time to discuss the reason Mac had come all the way to London.

"Mattie," he said, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, "there's something Mac and I need to talk to you about."

Mattie took a spoonful of ice cream and eyed him curiously. Under the table, Mac slid her hand into his. He squeezed her fingers lightly, grateful for the silent support.

"Remember when I told you I was going to give up my commission?"

"You said you had to if you and Mac wanted to get married." Mattie shrugged. "Yeah, I remember. So what? You're a great lawyer. You'll find another job."

If only it were that simple. "There might be another option."

Mattie put down her spoon. "What kind of option?"

"The kind that'd let me stay in the Navy."

Mattie leaned forward in her chair. "Would we be able to go back to Washington?"

Harm knew it was what she wanted most. Reluctantly, he shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Her shoulders tensed, her eyes taking on the look of studied indifference he remembered from the first time they'd met. She was putting up walls, a skill she'd mastered entirely too successfully for her age.

"Where, then?"

Harm took a breath. It was easier to deliver the closing arguments in a murder trial than it was to find the right words for this. "There are a couple of things you should know before we get to that."

"Mattie," Mac spoke up, startling Harm. He'd been so focused on Mattie that he'd momentarily forgotten she was there. "The military won't approve co-location unless Harm and I are actually married. Being engaged isn't enough."

Mattie visibly relaxed. "Can't you just get married while you're here? Doesn't the Navy have chaplains or something?"

"Yes, they do," Mac said carefully. "And we can do that, if it's okay with you."

Mattie's shrug was eloquent in its simplicity. "Seems like the obvious solution."

"There's more, Mattie." Harm knew this was where the plan could fall apart. "It's � a little more complicated than just getting married."

"Complicated how?"

"The billets we're considering � Since I'm only your guardian, the Navy won't let you come with me."

The silence that met his words was deafening. Harm saw fear flicker through Mattie's eyes. "You'd go without me?"

"No." Harm shook his head. "I told you that right after your accident, remember? I said I wasn't going anywhere without you. That hasn't changed."

"I don't understand. If you aren't going without me, but I can't go as your ward �"

"You could come with us � if you're willing to let Mac and I formally adopt you." He said it in a rush, wishing he could cushion the shock, knowing he couldn't. "Mattie � as far as I'm concerned, we're already a family. The only thing this would change is that the Navy would see us that way, too."

Before Mattie could react, Mac reached across the table to take her hand. "Mattie, I know this is kind of sudden, but I'd be honored to have you for a daughter."

Mattie snatched her hand away, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them back furiously. "I already have a mother." She looked at Harm. "And a father."

"And we'd never presume to take their place," Harm said gently.

Mattie brushed that aside. "Where is it, anyway? Where do they want to send you that being my guardian isn't good enough?"

Harm looked at Mac, and at her slight nod, turned back to Mattie.

"Korea."

********************

Harm navigated London's busy streets with practiced ease, but he didn't say much, and Mac knew he was thinking about Mattie. Their meal at the bistro, begun in such high spirits, had ended in strained silence, and Mattie had asked to be taken back to the rehab center right after. She hadn't even let them walk her up to her room, insisting that she could find her way on her own.

Wishing she could smooth away the tension that stiffened Harm's shoulders and deepened the lines in his forehead, Mac laid her hand on his leg. Corded muscle flexed beneath her fingers.

"She'll come around, Harm."

He shook his head. "I don't know, Mac. She was pretty upset. I can't really blame her, either. Korea's a hell of a long way from Washington."

"Mattie's a bright girl. And she loves you. Give her some time."

"She's already been through so much. How can I ask her to do this, too?"

Mac considered that, remembering back to her own formative years. "Maybe it'd be good for her. A year or two away from everything � It might be just what she needs."

He gave her a sideways glance, then returned his attention to the road. "Red Rock Mesa all over again?"

"In a way, yes."

Harm swung neatly into the parking garage. He negotiated the narrow structure with ease, and Mac decided she was glad he was the one driving. She'd already seen enough of London traffic to be glad she wasn't going to have to deal with it on a daily basis.

"Look, there's nothing more we can do tonight," she said as he pulled into his assigned space. "Let's let her sleep on it, and we'll talk with her again in the morning. In the meantime--" she leaned over to give him a soft kiss. "I could use cup of tea and a long, hot bath."

Harm seemed to relax a little, his eyes warming with interest. He wrapped his fingers around hers where they rested on his thigh. "And then what?"

Mac eased her hand a little higher, and smiled in satisfaction when she heard his breath catch. "Oh, I imagine we'll be able to come up with some way to keep ourselves occupied until morning."

********************

Maisy knocked lightly on Mattie's door. At the muffled call, she turned the knob and went in. Mattie was sitting in her wheelchair by the window, her head turned toward the day that was just beginning on the other side of the glass. She glanced around at Maisy's entrance, her jaw set, her eyes dark with some turbulent emotion Maisy couldn't quite define. Maisy had been expecting something like this since her conversation with Mr. Rabb the previous day. Still, her heart ached to see Mattie so unhappy. She sighed and shook her head. Growing up was so very hard.

Right then. She'd promised she'd do what she could. Squaring her shoulders, she adopted her cheeriest voice and crossed the room to set down Mattie's breakfast tray.

"Good morning, Miss. And what a lovely morning it is, too."

Mattie turned her head back to the window. "If you say so."

"I've brought your favorite today. French toast."

"I'm not hungry."

"Ah. Well that'll never do, will it? You need to eat. You've got a pool session in an hour. You'll need your strength for that."

"I'm not going."

"Oh?" Maisy sat down in one of the guest chairs. "Whyever not, dear?"

"I just don't feel like it."

"But you've been doing so well."

The observation was met with stony silence, and Maisy decided to try another tack.

"Will you be going out again today? It's perfect weather for a stroll along the Thames."

"I doubt it."

The words were flat, uninflected, and clearly dismissive. Maisy ignored them.

"Ms. MacKenzie's a lovely woman, isn't she? Did the three of you have a nice time yesterday?" She busied herself making Mattie's bed, something she wasn't supposed to do, strictly speaking, but she'd never been one to mind the rules overmuch. While she worked, she kept up a steady stream of idle chatter, hoping to find a chink in Mattie's armour. When it came, it was from an unexpected quarter.

"Me mum used to say a day like this shouldn't be wasted," Maisy was saying as she slid open the window. "She'd shoo me out the door soon's the sun come up and tell me not to show me face again before dark."

"At least you have a mom," Mattie said, so quietly that Maisy almost missed it.

"Aye," she said softly. "And a da'. And they love me dearly." She moved across to sit down near Mattie, close enough so they could talk, but not so close as to crowd her. "But you've people who love you, too."

"My mother's dead, my dad's a drunk, Harm �" Mattie shook her head. "And I don't even know Mac. Not really."

"She seemed very nice to me," Maisy said. "They're to be married soon, aren't they? They do seem so very much in love." She remembered the way Mr. Rabb had looked at his fiancée yesterday. There'd been such tenderness in those gorgeous eyes of his. "Wouldn't you like to get to know her better?"

Mattie shrugged. "Maybe, but �"

"But what, dear?" Maisy hoped Mattie wouldn't shut her out now. God knew, the poor dear needed somebody to talk to. She'd had such a hard time, and while Maisy didn't know all the details of Mattie's young life, she knew enough to want to help her.

"They want to adopt me."

Maisy had known about that, of course. When Mister Rabb had asked her to check in on Mattie today, he'd told her why. Still, it broke her heart to see Mattie so unhappy. "Would that be so bad?"

Until now, Mattie had kept her gaze trained on the tree outside her window, but at Maisy's words she turned. There was resentment in her eyes, but there was also a hint, just a hint, of something else, something Maisy hesitated to call hope.

"I already have a family."

"Most people do," Maisy said cheerfully. "The lucky ones, anyway. And just think. You could have two families." She leaned closer, wishing she dared take Mattie's hand. "Mr. Rabb loves you very much, you know. He'd do anything for you."

"Except leave the Navy," Mattie said bitterly.

Ahh, thought Maisy. Now we're getting to the heart of the matter. "Oh?"

"They want to get married, adopt me, and move to Korea," Mattie said, the words spilling out all in a rush. "But I just want to go home."

Maisy wondered if Mattie knew how plaintive she sounded. Probably not. Mattie tried so hard to act like she was all grown up, but behind all that bravado, she was still a little girl.

"We all want to go back sometimes," Maisy said carefully, "but life doesn't work that way. You have to go forward."

"What if I don't want to?"

Maisy shrugged. "Well � then life goes on without you."

Mattie was quiet for a long minute. "He gave me a choice." Mattie plucked at the sleeve of her shirt. "He said we could go back to the states if I wanted to. He'd leave the Navy and we'd go to live in San Diego with Mac."

"Well there you go," Maisy said. "It's not Washington, but it's a lot closer to home than Korea."

"Yeah." But Mattie didn't sound happy.

"You don't want to go?"

"I don't know." Mattie reached for the paper napkin on her breakfast tray and began methodically shredding it. "He really loves the Navy."

"And?"

"And if there's a way he can stay in �" She trailed off, the napkin reduced to a pile of tiny flakes on the table. "Maybe I owe him that much." She scooped up the remains of the napkin and dumped them on her tray.

Satisfied that she'd at least opened a door, Maisy got to her feet. "Well dear, you think about it. I'm sure you'll make the right decision. In the meantime--" she picked up Mattie's orange juice and handed it to her. "--eat your breakfast."

********************

Harm and Mac were just finishing lunch when the telephone rang. Harm excused himself to answer it while Mac busied herself with the dirty dishes. They were both worried about Mattie, and though they'd tried to enjoy their time together, every minute had been shadowed by question marks.

She dumped the dishes in the sink and turned on the hot water, reaching for the dish soap while the sink began to fill.

Maybe she should've kept Cresswell's offer to herself. If she hadn't told Harm about it � No. That wasn't fair. Harm had to make up his own mind. He already knew how she felt. The IG spot would be every bit as challenging as what she was doing in San Diego, and if there was a way Harm could keep his commission �It just seemed like the perfect solution. Except for the part about being stationed in Korea.

Please, Mattie. Don't ruin this chance for Harm.

When his hand landed on her shoulder she jumped. Lost in thought, she hadn't heard him come back into the room. She turned into his arms and he held her close for a long moment, his cheek resting against the top of her head.

"That was Mattie," he finally said quietly. "She wants to see us."

She pulled back, and his arms slid down to loop around her waist. "Did she say what she'd decided?"

"No," he said. "But Mac � I want you to know. If it doesn't look like she's going to be able to handle this, I'll resign my commission. I won't cause her any more heartache."

She sighed. "I know. I just hope �"

"Yeah." He nodded and pressed a kiss against her temple. "So do I."

********************

When they walked into the rehab center the tabby cat was lying in the same patch of sunshine she'd been in the day before. Once again, she favored them with a regal glare before returning to her nap. At the reception desk, Maisy was busy with some paperwork, but she looked up with a smile when she heard the door.

"Well hello," she said cheerfully. "I'm sorry I missed you when you came back last night. Did you have a nice time?"

"Yes, we did, thanks." Harm said. He lowered his voice. "How's Mattie?"

"She was pretty upset when I took in her breakfast tray," Maisy said. "But we had a nice chat, and I think she's doing better now."

Harm nodded. "Bless you, Maisy. I knew we could count on you."

"Aww," Maisy blushed. "It was no trouble at all. Like I said, Maisy's a sweet girl."

"She in her room?" Harm asked.

"As far as I know. She's just finished her pool session."

"Great." Harm took Mac's hand. "Then we'll head on up."

"Right." Maisy handed them their visitor passes. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Mac took the passes and handed one to Harm. "Harm was right," she said to Maisy. "You are a godsend."

********************

Mattie was waiting for them in her room. She'd changed out of her swim suit, but her hair was still wet. A chemistry textbook lay open on the table, pencil and notebook beside it. When Harm and Mac came in, she turned from the window, watching them in silence.

"Hey," Harm said. "How are you?"

She shrugged and set down her hairbrush.

"This means a lot to you, doesn't it," she said without preamble. "Korea."

"Yeah." Harm crossed to Mattie's side. "Yeah, it does." He knelt next to her chair. "But I meant what I said yesterday. If you don't want to go, we won't."

Mattie's eyes shifted to Mac. "What about you?" she asked. "What do you want?"

Mac joined Harm and Mattie by the window. "The way I see it," she said, "I win either way." She rested one hand on the arm of Mattie's wheelchair and took Harm's hand with the other. "All I want," she said quietly, "is a family. And whether I get that in San Diego, Korea, or--" she paused, thinking. "--or Keflavik--" She shrugged. "It's all the same to me. I just want you two to be happy."

Mattie considered that for a minute, then looked at Harm. "Do you think Dad would understand? The adoption, I mean."

Harm nodded. "Yeah. I think he would. He wants what's best for you, Mattie. And I think he knows that right now, he isn't it."

Mac held her breath, almost afraid to hope. San Diego would be easier. She'd be the first to admit that. But keeping his commission would make Harm happy, and for that she'd pay any price.

Abruptly, Mattie nodded her head, and the nervous tremble in her voice was barely noticeable when she spoke.

"I guess we're going to Korea."

********************

Mac tugged at the cream-colored linen jacket, adjusting its lay against the matching skirt. Beside her, Mattie leaned on her crutches. She held Mac's simple wildflower bouquet in her hands.

"Relax," she said. "It's only a wedding."

Mac snorted and smoothed her skirt, wishing she could quell the nervous tremble in her hands. She hadn't been this terrified since her first jury trial. "Easy for you to say."

"Come on, Mac." Mattie needled. "You two have had the longest courtship in the history of mankind. What could you possibly have to be nervous about?"

Mac cast a sideways glance at the young woman who would soon be her adopted daughter. "Motherhood," she said dryly.

Mattie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

Before Mac could reply, Harm joined them, resplendent in his dress whites. When he stopped in front of her, Mac reached up to trace the familiar gold wings with the tip of her finger.

"I guess they were right after all," she murmured, smiling up at him.

"About?"

"Dress whites and gold wings."

Instead of answering, he kissed her, his hand pressing into the small of her back with a kind of casual possessiveness that made Mac's heart sing.

"Geez, you two. Don't you know anything? It isn't time for that yet." Mattie's exasperation was clear, but when Mac turned to look at her, she was grinning.

Harm reached out to tousle Mattie's hair, and she swatted his hand away with a mock glare, making him chuckle.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Jealous?"

"Of you guys?" She shook her head, but her eyes sparkled with laughter. "No way."

Just then the heavy oak doors of the small chapel opened and a young man stepped out. His uniform was pristine, black shoes polished to a high shine, insignia perfectly aligned, and Mac wondered if he wore gloves when he buttoned his jacket so as not to risk a wayward fingerprint.

"Captain Rabb?" With his short cap of red hair and startling green eyes, Chaplain McConnell looked more like a benign leprechaun than a member of the clergy. "Colonel MacKenzie?"

They nodded.

"Are you ready?"

Mac felt Harm's arm tighten around her waist, but it was Mattie who answered, her voice strong and sure.

"Yeah," she said, handing Mac the bouquet. "We're ready."

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> Nicely done. Thanks. -- ANM, 09:46:19 04/17/09 Fri [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]