| Subject: Re: Family Christmas C5/8 plus |
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fananicfan
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Date Posted: 15:52:13 06/15/07 Fri
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "Family Christmas - story after How We Became Us in the series" on 09:10:59 06/11/07 Mon
CHAPTER FIVE – Can It Be That Easy?
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Since Mac hadn't returned his call, the uneasiness that Harm felt kept him tossing and turning all night. He woke from his restless sleep without the energy to take his morning run, yet he needed the run to get his blood pumping to energize him for the new day.
He returned from his run and knocked on Mattie’s bedroom door to wake her for breakfast the way he’d done every morning since she’d arrived. He showered in water cooler than usual, hoping that the temperature would aid in making him more alert. As the cool water began to have the desired effect, he wondered why Mac wouldn’t tell him about a routine doctor’s appointment. She wouldn’t…of course, if she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t know why. She might not tell him about going until after the doctor had told her what was wrong.
After breakfast, Harm left for work. He wanted to call Mac as soon as he arrived at the office, but the eight hour time difference made it the middle of the night in California. If Mac was even half as tired as Mattie thought or that she sounded on the phone, Mac needed the sleep. He settled in behind his desk with a cup of coffee and started his work routine. He checked his phone messages first. With nothing that couldn’t wait, he moved on to checking his email. He should have checked it sooner, knowing that Mac wouldn’t have wanted to call him in the middle of the night either. Two down from the top was an email from Mac. He read it first.
Dear Harm,
I wanted you to know that I got your messages. Jennifer said that you called twice, but that you didn’t say that it was important or an emergency. I was having such a busy day that I didn’t want to call you if we didn’t really have time to talk. I was hoping that you were calling to give me news on Mattie and I’m very interested in what you’ve uncovered. I’m leaving San Diego for a meeting and I’m not sure that my cell phone will be useful, but we’ll talk tomorrow, the 21st. I’ll call you.
Love,
Mac
PS No war zone, so relax.
Harm was able to release a little of the tension in his shoulders from worrying after reading her email. She was on her way to a meeting, meaning that the doctor hadn’t ordered a procedure, surgery or some other form of treatment that had kept her from working or traveling. So if she was sick, it couldn’t be too serious.
If she was going out of town, she probably wouldn’t get his email before they talked, so he scanned the other emails for work related items before closing the program and checking his calendar for today's appointments. His schedule was heavy today, and he’d be putting in a full day's work. He looked at his watch, fifteen minutes until his first meeting. He called Mattie to let her know that he’d heard from Mac and that she’d be calling them later today.
Rabb Residence - London
As Harm had calculated, he hadn't been able to get away from the office early, and arrived back at the apartment at 1710. Harm chatted with Mattie for a few minutes about what she'd done today before slipping back to his room to change into a more comfortable outfit of a knit pullover sweater and jeans.
As he passed through the living room in route to the kitchen from his bedroom, he spoke to Mattie. "You're in luck tonight because I'm fixing my famous stir fried vegetables with tofu."
Mattie crinkled her nose at his dinner choice. "Can't we talk about this? I mean, eating healthier is one thing, but tofu? Please!"
Harm heard her reply as he entered the kitchen. He then began to gather the necessary ingredients for his dish from the appropriate cupboard, drawer and refrigerator compartment when Mattie entered the kitchen and began to tease Harm about what she considered to be his strange choices of food.
Meanwhile, with Harm and Mattie in the kitchen...
Mac's large suitcase on wheels allowed her to place her carryon bag on top of it while she kept her purse over her shoulder, allowing her one hand to be free to reach for the doorknob. Since she didn’t have the key in hand, she was glad that the door was unlocked and that the knob turned easily, but she was surprised at the lack of security. Mac heard laughter coming from the room to her right, but she proceeded back to the bedroom.
The bedroom door was pulled to, but not shut tightly, so she pushed the bedroom door open with her foot. She looped the handle of her purse over the knob on the back of the door before moving further into the room. She parked her wheeled suitcase on the floor next to the left side of the bed and left her carryon perched on top of it, giving it some height and making it easier to retrieve the plastic bag from inside, holding what she hoped that Mattie would consider a treat.
Mac clutched the plastic bag as she made her way towards the room from where she’d heard the laughter coming when she’d arrived. If her memory served her correctly, they were in the kitchen. The trip had been long, but worth it because she was feeling better just being here. As she neared the kitchen, she gathered that the laughter that she’d heard when she'd arrived had been enough noise to mask her entering the apartment.
In the kitchen, as Mac got close to the doorway …
Mattie pulled out a box of shredded wheat cereal from a cupboard and teased Harm. "I'd rather eat the box this cereal came in than tofu."
The atmosphere was relaxed and playful, and Harm returned her jesting. "Okay, I'm having stir fry and you're having cardboard, or is that a paper box? And would you like milk with that?"
Mac could hear the exchange from her position just to the side of the kitchen doorway. She was saddened by the fact that she and Mattie didn’t enjoy playful interactions like the one she was hearing. Mac’s heart raced with anticipation. She was just seconds from seeing them. Mac took in a deep breath and stepped into the doorway. “I’d skip the box and go for the pizza that I brought from New York.”
Mattie and Harm's heads spun in the direction of the voice. Harm stared in disbelief for a moment. Mattie’s mind focused on the words and not the fact that Mac was here.
Mattie's eyes lit up. "You have a pizza with you?"
"It’s a personal sized pizza from a chain place in the airport in New York. I thought after almost two weeks with ‘almost a vegetarian’ here, you might appreciate a pepperoni pizza, even if it wasn’t from your favorite pizzeria."
Mattie was hoping that the pizza was her rescue from tofu. "Harm, can I have it for dinner?" Mattie asked.
Harm hadn't said a word since Mac had made her presence known until now. His eyes stayed locked on Mac as he answered, "Yeah, she got you out of tofu."
Mattie could see the need for them to greet each other building, and she didn’t want to witness it. “I’ll leave you two alone if someone will reheat my pizza.”
“No problem,” Harm replied quickly.
Mattie slipped past Mac. Mac moved closer to Harm. “Since I'm hungry and I just gave away my pizza stash, can I share with you?"
The kitchen wasn’t that big and she was within reach. His arms reached out for her, snaking around her and pulling her to him. “I’ll share,” he said as their lips came together.
The smell of the heating oil in the wok caused them to break from their kiss. “You tend to our dinner so it doesn’t burn, and I’ll heat Mattie’s pizza.”
Everything for the stir fry had been chopped, and the few minutes that it would take to heat Mattie’s pizza would be plenty of time for Harm to finish their dinner. Harm and Mac moved about the kitchen, working in silence. If Mattie hadn't been there, they wouldn't have been able to keep their hands off each other. In fact, they probably would have forgotten all about dinner and gone straight to bed. As it was, they couldn't keep their eyes off each other.
Harm entered the dining area with his completed dinner and called out, "Mattie, dinner's ready.”
Mattie came in from the living room and took her place at the table, focusing a piercing gaze on Mac.
Mac had hoped that Harm's call the other night was about Mattie and that tensions would've eased, but Mac wasn’t getting that impression over dinner. Mac had to concede that surprising Harm may have been a good idea, but just showing up may not have been such a good idea for Mattie. Mac didn’t address Mattie directly, but offered an explanation. "I would've let you know that I was coming, but my request wasn't approved immediately and, by the time I received the go ahead, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get a flight so close to the holiday. Once I was able to make the arrangements, I decided to surprise you instead. I hope that was all right," Mac added, referring to Mattie's reaction to her arrival.
Harm reached over and squeezed Mac's hand. "Of course, Mac. I'm thrilled you got to come. Having you here makes the holiday perfect."
"When are you returning to San Diego?" Mattie asked.
Mac didn’t detect any animosity in Mattie’s question, but she felt that Mattie didn’t want her here just the same. "The first of January. I’m booked on the same flight that you are. I was surprised that I could get that flight because it wasn’t easy booking flights to get here.”
"Sounds like you have a story to tell us about getting here." Harm wasn't sure what to make of Mattie's less than friendly greeting towards Mac this evening, when Mattie had been so worried about her a few days ago.
"Because of the late booking, I had to make multiple plane changes to get here. I left San Diego last night for Washington. I had a layover at Dulles and, even though it was late, Harriet met me at the airport. I gave her gifts for the children, and she gave us a present. She said that we needed to open it on Christmas Eve. She also gave me the annual Roberts' family Christmas photo to show you. We had a nice visit before my flight from Washington to New York boarded. During the layover in New York, I bought some postcards to send the Roberts' children and Chloe, and two pizzas, the one I ate before boarding the plane for London and the one Mattie just had."
"May I be excused?" Mattie requested. Harm thought that he should talk to Mac before she or they talked to Mattie, so he granted Mattie permission to leave the table.
Mattie scooped up her dirty dishes and moved to the kitchen. Mattie had to pass back through the dining room to go to either the living room or her bedroom, so Harm and Mac sat in silence while finishing their dinner. Mac was jealous that Harm hadn’t had to say a word to get Mattie to take her dirty dishes to the kitchen. Mattie passed by them a few moments later on her way to her bedroom. Harm and Mac remained silent until the last bites of their dinner were gone.
Harm stood and grabbed a few dirty dishes. "You've had a long journey. Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed? I'll do these dishes, check on Mattie and be in soon."
Mac picked up the last few remaining dishes on the table. "Let me help get the dirty dishes to the sink and then I'll get ready for bed." Mac followed Harm to the kitchen and put down the dishes before going to the bedroom to change.
Mattie was in her room, and heard Harm's room door close. She thought they’d gone to bed, so she headed to the kitchen to get a soft drink.
Mattie found Harm washing dishes. "I thought you'd gone to bed," Mattie said.
"Not yet, I'm trying to figure out how to ask Mac about a doctor's appointment that she told neither one of us about."
"I never thought about that." Mattie reached for a towel to dry dishes that Harm had washed.
"I sent Mac to bed because she looks every bit as tired as you said she did. I see why you've been worried."
Mac had gotten ready for bed, but grew impatient waiting for Harm, so she decided to go help Harm get the dishes done so that he could join her sooner. Mac arrived at the kitchen doorway just in time to hear that Mattie had been worried about her. Mac entered the kitchen. "No one needs to worry. I actually had a check up this past Friday, and the doctor said that I'm healthy. She hoped that I'd be able to take a few days off and get some rest over the holidays, but other than that, I’m fine."
Harm breathed a little easier, but Mattie was so relieved that, without thinking about her actions, she went over and hugged Mac. "I'm glad you're okay."
Mac was surprised and thrilled at the same time by the genuine affection that Mattie was displaying, and returned the hug without hesitation. "Thank you." Mac released the hug when Mattie began to pull away.
"I came in to get something to drink. If you can finish the dishes, Harm, I'll get my drink and go back to my room," Mattie said while placing the drying towel back on the rack.
"Yeah, go ahead," Harm replied, and Mattie moved to get a cold soft drink. Harm asked, "Mac, would you like a cup of tea? Might help you sleep."
Mattie slipped quietly from the room.
"No thank you. Really, I'm fine. Do you want me to dry those last few dishes?"
"No, I want you to go start getting some of that rest you need."
Mac moved close to Harm and kissed him on the cheek. "Come to bed soon."
Harm watched as her cream colored silk robe-covered-body moved gracefully out of the room. The memory of the matching gown fluttering through his mind made it hard to return to his chore, but he did. Once the dishes were finished, he went to check on Mattie. The swings in Mattie’s reactions to Mac from caring to indifference and back again had him baffled. He knocked on Mattie’s door and, with her reply of “come in,” he opened the door and took a step inside.
“Mattie, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m glad that Mac’s okay.”
“Me, too, and I'm happy that I didn’t have to ask about an appointment that I didn't know about."
“Yeah, could've been akward."
“Goodnight, Mattie.”
“Goodnight, Harm.”
Harm left the room, sure that Mattie had been crying before he'd entered it. If Mac was still awake, maybe it was time for him to talk to her about Mattie and his assessment of why she was behaving so strangely. Harm was hoping that Mac was still up so they could talk, and yet he hoped that Mac was asleep because talking wasn’t the only thing that he wanted to do, and she really did look exhausted.
Harm’s bedside lamp was on when he entered the room. He stripped down to his boxers before he lifted the covers on the right side of the bed and slipped in. He switched his alarm clock on, turned off the lamp and pulled the covers up over him. He'd just put his head on the pillow, trying to settle in without waking Mac when Mac began to snuggle against him. His arms not resisting the chance to hold her, he moved to allow her to get as close to him as she wanted. She rested her head on his shoulder, and his arms moved around her as she wiggled her body as close to his as possible.
He spoke softly. "I thought you were asleep."
"I've been waiting for you. I wanted to know if you had any clue yet as to why she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. When Mattie and I had our talk the other night, she was worried about you. She said that you worked long hours and were very tired.”
“She did seem to be happy when I mentioned my check up and said that I was okay.”
“From our talk the other night, worrying about you was one thing that was bothering Mattie. She still doesn’t have the confidence level in herself that she had prior to the accident. I think it amplifies the usual teenage worries about having friends and fitting in. When we were talking about school and her grades, I think that the residual affects that her injuries left, like her short term memory issue, is causing her more trouble with studying than she’s been leading us to believe. She had me mail some postcards for her a few days after she arrived. One of them was addressed to Miss Nancy at the foster house where she lived, but the note that she wrote was to Tyler. I think she enjoyed having someone who looked up to her and I think she misses him, and I have a theory of why her emotions run so hot and cold towards you, too."
“A theory, huh. So you’re saying you have a guess?" She was smiling. "Let me hear it.”
“Do you remember telling me that you wondered if she wasn’t really mine because of something she said?” Mac nodded to keep him talking so that she could hear this theory of his. “And do you remember me telling you that she’s like you because she wants time to deal with things internally before she’s ready to talk or ask questions?”
“Yes.”
"She is like us in a lot of ways. She loves you, but she isn’t ready yet to admit it. Since her mother died, I don't think that she's quite ready to accept you in the mothering role that you have in her life. I think the reason that she hasn’t talked to you about it is because she doesn’t know if she can. And you probably feel that since you visited her when she was in the hospital, took custody of her, saw to her daily needs and so on that she should know that you love her, but I think that she needs to hear you to say it.”
“Do you really think that will help? Can it be that easy?” Mac was sleep deprived, and she yawned as she spoke.
“Well, it seemed to work for me with you.”
She lifted her head off his shoulder and whispered “I love you” against his lips before their lips touched in a tender kiss.
Their lips parted. “I love you,” Harm replied. This is what I miss most when we’re not together…just being with you.”
This was important information, but here in a place where she felt warm, comfortable, safe, and loved, her eyelids were becoming too heavy to stay open. Once her eyes were closed, she drifted quickly to sleep.
The even breaths and the lack of response to his words let Harm know that Mac had fallen asleep. Any more talking would have to wait. Having Mac here and the joy of being able to hold her kept him from falling asleep right away. Once his mind had wrapped itself around the reality that she was really here, he relaxed and fell into a deep sleep himself.
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