| Subject: Re: How We Became Us - C8/9 |
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fananicfan
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Date Posted: 21:48:05 05/05/07 Sat
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "How We Became Us - story after Custody in the series" on 22:53:25 04/29/07 Sun
CHAPTER EIGHT – Saying Her Goodbyes
Monday, September 26, 2005
The hearing was at 1100 this morning, but they had to drive to Blacksburg, so there was no sleeping in this morning. They did stop on the way to Blacksburg for a late breakfast.
The judge asked a few questions before rendering his decision with a big smile. “I sometimes wonder if I make the right decision when I’m up here, but with this case, I’m sure that I’m making the right one. I hereby grant joint permanent custody of Matilda Johnson to Harmon and Sarah Rabb. Take care of each other.” The gavel fell against the block of wood on the bench, and court was dismissed.
Harm and Mac took in a deep breath, realizing that they’d been holding their breath while the judge had been rendering his decision. They all hugged. It took longer to sign the papers than it did to hear the decision. The drive out to Blacksburg had taken twice as long as hearing the decision and signing the papers put together.
Once the trio had left the courthouse, they made their way to Harm’s rented 4-door sedan. Harm shook his head in disbelief. It wasn’t a mini van, but the rental car said 'family man' just the same. Harm watched Mattie get into the backseat, all smiles that she had a home. Mac slipped into the passenger seat.
Harm folded himself into the driver’s seat of the sedan. “You know, ladies, we should have some lunch and then, if there's any place that you’d like to stop on the way back, we have time to do it.”
Mattie spoke timidly, “While we’re still out here, can we stop by Grace Aviation and my old house?”
Mac had reservations about Mattie going to those places, but made no objection to doing either as long as lunch was first.
Harm started the car and backed out of the parking spot. “Okay, lunch first and, since I haven’t seen Sarah in awhile, we’ll make Grace Aviation our second stop.”
Harm wasn't surprised that Mattie persuaded Mac that they needed pizza for lunch. They stopped at Mattie’s favorite pizza place. It was only a few minutes from the courthouse, so there wasn't much time for conversation.
They lingered over lunch. As promised when they left the pizzeria, Harm drove towards the airfield where Grace Aviation was located. They were within a few blocks of the airfield when Harm slowed the car.
“Mattie, are you sure that you want to see the place?” Harm asked, concerned.
“You mean, do I think I can handle going back to the scene of the accident?”
“It can be rough.”
“I’m sure that I’m ready to try, but I know that I don’t want to do it alone.”
“If it gets to be too much, give me the word and we’ll leave.”
“Thanks, Harm.”
Harm nodded and returned to the posted speed limit. The airfield came into view, and Harm drove towards the Grace Aviation hanger where the office was located.
They’d exited the car and were looking around the hanger. There was no sign of anyone and no sign of anything that Mattie would recognize as her Grace Aviation. Mac knew that this was one area with which only Harm could help Mattie.
“Harm, I’ll stay close to the office to see if anyone comes around. You two can go check on your plane and whatever else you need to do.”
“Thanks,” the two said in unison.
Harm watched Mattie get a few paces out in front of him before slipping his arm around Mac’s waist and placing an appreciative kiss on her cheek.
“Harm, she needs something from this visit. I’m not sure that she’ll find it without you. Until she asked to come here, I hadn’t thought about how her crash might effect her feelings about flying out of here in a few days. I can hold her hand on the plane, but I think it's going to be up to you to help her get on the plane in the first place.”
Harm gave her waist a little squeeze before pulling his arm back and turning to walk away. He took a few steps and stopped. He looked back over his shoulder. “You’re pretty smart. You know that?” Mac smiled at him for the compliment.
Harm caught up with Mattie. Neither said anything as they walked towards the hanger where Harm’s plane was stored. Nothing was said until they began giving his vintage plane the once over, looking for any signs of damage.
“Harm, have you ever crashed your plane?”
“This plane, no, but I’ve been in four crashes. Of course, naval aviators prefer the term uncontrolled landing to the word crash. I took a plane into some trees a little more than six months before I met you. I dumped a Navy F-14 into the Atlantic four years ago. I got shot down in a Russian MIG seven years ago. I think the only word for the first one is crashed, though. The Tomcat that I was piloting hit the ramp on my attempt to land on a carrier.”
“None of them killed you, obviously, but did you get badly hurt any of those times?”
“I had a concussion after parking the plane in the trees. I had stage-four hypothermia after the dive into the ocean. I was sore form ejecting out of the MIG. I didn’t have injuries like yours after the ramp strike, but I was in bad shape for awhile. It took me months to recover. A crash like my ramp strike or your crash does more to your head than it does to your body, though.”
“So it’s normal to feel like you never want to fly again even if, before the crash, you didn’t think you could live without flying?”
“Yeah, it’s normal. Some people never go back...some people do. Do you think you’ll be able to get on that plane on Thursday?”
“Why did you keep going back after you crashed?”
“I probably wouldn’t have gone back after the first one, but my grandmother wouldn’t let me give up. I can’t explain how she did it. She pulled the tarp off of Sarah here, and the thought of flying again started to build in my head. She didn’t push me or lecture me, but she led me to the answers just the same. Since then, no matter what's happened, I’ve never doubted how much being in the air means to me.”
“You named your plane after Mac?”
“No, after my grandmother.”
“Oh. Sarah looks to be fine, so maybe we should go get Mac and get out of here. If I’m scared on the flight, do you think Mac would hold my hand?”
“I’m sure she would if that’s what you need.”
“I need to fly again to know that I can, but Grace Aviation is over for me. I just needed to say goodbye.”
Harm and Mattie came back through the hanger from the opposite side of the office. Mac was sitting behind a desk, looking bored when they arrived. She'd actually been wondering how Mattie was handling all this, and was glad when they returned and were ready to leave. Neither one of them seemed to be upset, so Mac assumed that, either they hadn’t talked or they’d talked and things had gone well. She'd have to wait until later to find out.
Grace/Johnson Home - Blacksburg, Virginia
They allowed Mattie to go up the steps and enter the house alone. Unaware of what she needed from visiting here, they stood ready to be there for her if she needed them. Once Mattie had entered, Harm and Mac moved up the steps. While standing on the porch, Mac seized the opportunity to put her arm around Harm, and he responded in kind.
At Harm’s side, she snuggled against him. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she just needs to say her goodbyes.”
Harm placed a soft kiss on her lips and, before their lips parted, they heard Mattie calling for Harm from inside the house. Harm dropped his arm from Mac’s waist and went into the house. Mac waited for a few seconds before following Harm inside.
Mattie was standing in the living room and saw Harm coming towards her. As she made a waving gesture with her hand towards the stairs leading up, she said, “I don’t think I want to try that many steps. Would you go up for me and see if he’s here?”
Harm had made it up the first couple of steps when Mac entered the living room. “Mattie, are you okay?”
Mattie hadn’t heard Mac approaching, so she was a little startled. “Yeah, I’m fine. I thought if my dad’s here, I could say goodbye.”
Mac couldn’t help it. She reached out without thinking and rubbed Mattie’s shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but it meant a great deal to Mattie, even though she didn’t say so.
Mattie was looking towards the stairs where she’d sent Harm. A few minutes passed, and Harm was almost halfway down the steps before he saw the inquisitive look on Mattie’s face. He shook his head no. Mattie nodded in understanding that her father wasn't here and turned towards the front door.
She walked to the mantle and removed the picture of her parents and the picture of her mother holding her when she was a baby. “He won’t miss them, and I want to be able to remember that things used to be different.”
Mac relied on her sixth sense to guide her actions while Harm made sure that Mattie made it down the front steps and back to the car okay. Mac’s sense didn’t fail her. She spotted a small, two-door cabinet in the corner and she knew that it would contain what she was after. She walked over to it and retrieved a leather bound family bible, a family photo album and a scrapbook. Mac had a single moment of shame when she removed the family items from their home. Mac knew from her own childhood experiences, however, that Tom would probably lose everything to the bank and never think to remove these treasures from the house and, therefore, Mattie would lose these things that would later bring a smile to her face when she reflected on them.
Mac emerged from the house and discovered that Harm and Mattie were already in the car. Mac motioned for Harm to open the trunk. She’d hold onto these items that she'd taken for now. Mac closed the trunk and joined the others in the car.
The car ride back into Washington from Blacksburg was quiet. Harm and Mac held hands in the front seat while Mattie slipped on headphones and listened to her MP3 player. Harm did call his parents during the drive back to ask them to meet them for dinner at one of Harm’s favorite restaurant for a little celebration of the fact that Mattie was officially their granddaughter.
Harm’s parents were returning to San Diego tomorrow, so the proper goodbyes were said before they left the restaurant. After dinner, they returned to their apartment, and Mattie wasted no time in going to tell Jennifer that she was definitely going to San Diego, too.
Mattie hadn’t slept well for the last couple of nights, worrying about the way the judge would rule today and about the move, so it was no surprise when she started yawning early in the evening, said that she was tired and excused herself to go to bed.
Harm and Mac found themselves alone again. They started to watch a movie, but the movie couldn’t hold Harm's attention. He began to kiss her neck. She responded by turning to kiss his lips. Soon they were making out like two teenagers on the couch. Mac pulled off Harm’s shirt and he removed hers. “We won’t be able to do this on the couch when we’re living together with our teenage daughter,” Mac reminded him.
“Good point, but since our daughter's next door, let’s be sure that we don’t give her a show.” Harm made it to the door, and locked and bolted it before returning to Mac. They made love on the couch before going to bed.
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