| Subject: Re: ...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 1 |
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TxJAG_b
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Date Posted: 12:15:40 05/17/11 Tue
In reply to:
TxJAG_b
's message, "...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 1" on 10:48:20 04/12/11 Tue
Chapter 6 …For Meritorious Service
A/N1: Thanks to JoshuaTree and ElfinKid for beta-ing chapters 1-6 of this story back in 2003-2004. You guys are the best. Special thanks to my friend and beta Karen who helped me see this through to the end.
A/N2: **~~** indicates flashback ( ) indicates the thoughts of a person. *~* indicates scene shift not otherwise indicated by a JAG time stamp. ~~~~ indicates a dream sequence.
**********************
1645 Local
BLT Headquarters, Camp Chesty Puller
Near Mirbullah, Iraq
Colonel Ashton R. Briggs sat in his makeshift office at an OD green card table reading after action reports. His gray crew cut, which was longer than what most Marines wore, was tinged with white. Despite the white hairs and haggard look, woe to the man who doubted Briggs wasn’t in control of his unit. Any man in the MEU that didn’t believe that would spend the next four deployments on latrine duty.
Right now, his special operations capable units were playing the same game they had been playing since they arrived here in March. Hide and go seek with Iraqi Baath loyalists and fundamentalist Fedayeen. If it weren’t for this mess with Dodge, they would have been redeployed halfway across the world by now instead of being stuck here. At least that’s what Briggs thought.
He hoped AJ would help him out of this muddle. The JAG lawyers from the NLSO -Bahrain had been total screw-ups and had only added to his problems. AJ owed him and now it was time to pay up. He wanted to get his people out of here before they rotted away completely. He looked up to see Major Vince Barnett approaching with Captain Johnson and the four JAG Corps lawyers from Washington, DC.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. (Four of them?! Thanks a whole hell of a lot AJ.) Irritated, he put down his papers. “Major.”
Barnett saluted. “Commanders Rabb and Turner, Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie and Lieutenant Roberts from the JAG Corps Headquarters, Sir.”
The JAG officers came to attention in front of the bird Colonel.
Briggs rubbed his stubble covered face--he had wanted to present a professional image--he wished he had shaved before they had arrived(…too late now). This factor only served to stoke his anger.
“I asked Admiral Chegwidden for a discrete investigation of this matter,” growled the Colonel glowering at the four lawyers. “Not a goddamned circus troupe.” He scowled at his two legal men. “You two are dismissed. But wait outside.”
Barnett and Johnson shied away at his snide dismissal. They knew better to stay around and antagonize the commanding officer. They wanted to be anywhere but here. Ashton Briggs did not tolerate foolishness of any sort and to him, using four JAG lawyers to investigate a murder must’ve seemed pretty foolish to the MEU Commander.
“With all due respect Sir, the Admiral does understand the delicacy of this situation,” replied Mac, carefully studying the man. “That is why he sent the four of us to work on this JAGMan investigation.”
“Don’t you think sending four JAG lawyers is just a bit of overkill Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie?” Briggs’ tone indicated his disgust with the situation. It was clear he didn’t think much of the Admiral Chegwidden’s solution.
“Begging the Colonel’s pardon, Sir,” interjected Harm, “but the Admiral sent the four of us so that we can get this done as quickly as possible.”
“Why only four, why not eight?” snorted Briggs, “Then you could get it done even faster.” The Colonel’s cutting remark was not lost on Harm. The Commander’s face became impassive.
Briggs, seeing the look on Harm’s face, decided to try a different tactic. “Look, Commander,” He said in a friendly tone, “Right now I have two men in the brig who claim they didn’t kill Lieutenant Dodge. Yet, they are the only ones that can be tied directly to what has happened. What if it is murder? What are you going to do then?” posed Briggs.
Harm’s surprise which rapidly degenerated into disgust with that comment showed on his face. “Colonel, if it is determined that a murder has taken place and that the helicopter crew did it, they will need counsel. Do you have anyone in the MEU that can provide unbiased competent counsel to these men?”
Despite his rank, Briggs looked a little uneasy at that comment. “No.”
“I see. Do you have anyone that can competently argue the case for the government?”
He sighed. Damn this sailor-lawyer. “No.”
“That is why Admiral Chegwidden sent us. We’ll get our investigation done quickly, I promise you that. We can also provide the counsel necessary if this goes to trial.”
Briggs still didn’t look completely convinced.
“We will be discrete Sir.” added Sturgis hoping to win over the MEU commander.
But Harm didn’t want to win him over anymore. “And Sir, we *will* find out what happened and who was responsible. Whoever it is.” The Commander’s statement combined with his piercing stare made it obvious that he thought the Colonel might be involved.
Mac, Sturgis and Bud started a little at Harm’s comment. He had just driven a Mack truck across the protocol line, almost accusing the MEU commander of being involved.
They waited for the inevitable response.
Which didn’t happen. Briggs was really not fazed by JAG Officer’s anger. He decided to ignore Harm’s obvious breach of protocol. “Commander, what happens after you find out what has happened?”
Harm was a little surprised by his reaction or more accurately, the lack thereof, but he did not let Briggs see that. “Then we have orders to report our findings to Brigadier General Thornton and begin preparations for a hearing to determine if there should be a general court martial, Sir.”
Briggs sat back in his chair and studied the four officers for a moment. “What if I ask you to report your findings to me first?” His tone indicated this was what he wanted.
“For what reason?” asked Harm, knowing full well the answer he was going to get.
“I’d like to handle this within my own command. There’s no reason to bring in anyone else. We can take care of our own,” he shot the lawyers a smug look, “We always have and we haven’t had any problems.”
“Until now.” Added Harm sarcastically. Briggs did not respond. He merely sat looking at the four JAG busybodies.
Harm couldn’t believe what the Colonel was saying. An officer in his own unit had been murdered and Colonel Briggs was asking them to throw the UMCJ out the window.
“We can’t do that Sir,” said Mac “That would be viewed as obstruction at the very least. We’ve been told to report our findings directly to General Thornton.” Mac looked sternly at the man. She also could not believe what he was asking. Part of her understood his motive for asking, but he should have known better than to broach this. Bud and Sturgis’ expressions hardened, mirroring those of Harm and Mac.
Impasse. Colonel Briggs stared for a long moment at the four unflinching JAG officers.
“Fine,” he relented wearily, dropping his mask of arrogance. “Major, Captain, get in here.” The two division legal officers re-entered the office. “Major Barnett, furnish them with a list of the witnesses we have compiled so far.”
Barnett looked at his commanding officer and then at the JAG attorneys. “Sir, I thought we were going to handle this ourselves.”
“There’s been a change in plans, Major.” He looked from Barnett back to the JAGs. “Do as I have requested.” The man hesitated, causing Briggs to look sternly at him. “Now, Major.”
Barnett shot the JAG attorneys a dirty look. “Aye, aye Sir.”
Briggs decided for the time being not to call the Major on his comment. He turned his attention to the Captain. “Johnson, make sure all commissioned and noncommissioned officers cooperate fully with the JAG lawyers.”
Johnson looked briefly at Briggs and then at them. His glare made his feelings known even if he couldn’t object. “Aye Sir.”
Harm knew they had just stepped off onto a thin ice ledge. It was best to tread lightly from here on in.
Mac also knew they couldn’t push too much, but there was one group the Colonel had left out of this discussion and she wanted to be sure that they heard all points of view on this one. The hostile reactions of Johnson and Barnett made her doubly sure she wanted this.
“Colonel, we’d also like to interview all of the enlisted personnel we feel might be able to shed light on this incident.”
Briggs’s legal liaisons stopped in mid-stride at her request. They both looked to their commanding officer. For his part, the Colonel did not even address her. He only looked at Harm.
“Do you feel this is necessary?” was all he asked. Mac felt the color rising in her cheeks as she fought to control her temper. Now was neither the time nor the place for a confrontation with this man. Things were already strained enough as it was.
Harm again locked eyes with Briggs. “Whether I think it is important is immaterial Sir. You need to address Colonel MacKenzie, not me.” With that, he looked at Mac and then back at Briggs.
Colonel Briggs smiled sarcastically. “I’m sorry.” He turned to Mac; the condescension in his question was palpable. “Colonel, do you really feel this is necessary? I think all you’ll get is a lot of hearsay.”
Mac’s tone was firm. “I think we’ll be able to separate the hearsay from true eyewitness accounts, Sir.”
“That’s a lot of people to talk to and you don’t have a lot of time,” he countered.
Bird Colonel or no Bird Colonel, she wasn’t going to let herself be intimidated by this man. “Yes Sir, we know. That’s why Admiral Chegwidden sent *four* of us.”
Again Colonel Briggs sighed in resignation. He wasn’t going to win this argument either. “Fine. Do what you have to.” He got up and walked toward the back of his office where he had his sleeping quarters walled off by temporary wall. “The Major and the Captain will provide you with any assistance needed. Dismissed.”
The JAG officers snapped to attention, then walked past a sullen Barnett and Johnson and left the portable building.
They walked out into the warm evening air and started to make their way back across the compound to their barracks. Harm was moving fast, and Mac rushed to catch up with him.
“Harm?”
The Commander was still aggravated. “What is it Mac?” he snapped, then he immediately realized he had channeled his anger to her. “Sorry Mac, he just got under my skin.”
“So I noticed,” she shot back angry and hurt. “But you’re damned lucky he didn’t chew your head off for you suggesting he might be involved.”
He knew she was right but something else bothered him. “The man is hiding something, Mac.”
She looked at him, exasperated. “That may be, but right now, let’s concentrate on the murder case, okay?”
“Mac, this may be part of it.”
“Harm you just don’t like the way he treated us--”
“Maybe, but he’s also hiding something – he doesn’t want us reporting to Thornton right away.”
“He’s a Marine, he just rather take care of it within his own unit.”
“And you know he can’t do that Mac.”
“True, but we need to concentrate on investigating the murder first and verifying Dodge’s actions…”
As Harm and Mac continued to argue, Bud exchanged looks with Sturgis as they walked behind them. “You look like you have something to say, Lieutenant.”
“He’s not very friendly Sir,” replied Bud under his breath, not listening to the arguing senior officers. “I was expecting more cooperation since it was his request that got us here in the first place.”
The former submarine officer put on his boonie hat as they continued walking. “He’s under a lot of pressure, Bud. A murder investigation involving his officers is the last thing a commander wants, especially during a black op. It would signal the end of his career.”
2307 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
“Have you heard from Lieutenant Roberts, Ma’am?” Jennifer asked hopefully. She had noticed that Harriet’s email was open.
“Yes; Bud said they arrived safely,” Harriet replied absently, reading the rest of her husband’s message. He had used one of the message kiosks at Baghdad International and later at the Al-Rasheed air base.
“I heard there was another ambush in Baghdad today…” Jen let her words drift in the air, hoping that Harriet had good news.
“Everyone’s fine, Jen.” Harriet turned to see that Jennifer Coates was visibly relieved. “I’m worried too, but Bud said they’re okay, though he can’t say much else.”
Jen looked away, embarrassed. “I know Ma’am, I’m sorry….”
“Don’t be,” said Harriet with genuine warmth. “I know you’re worried about them and I know about your concerns for Bud.”
“Ma’am?” responded Coates in a stricken tone.
“Don’t worry Jen,” reassured the naval Lieutenant. “Bud told me all about the close quarters on the Seahawk and I remember how it was.”
“Ma’am, I assure you, nothing happened.”
“I know it didn’t, Jen, but I would have been surprised if Bud hadn’t noticed you.”
Jennifer Coates, used to people accusing her first and looking for the real culprit later, was unsure how to respond to that one, but Harriet’s warm smile put her at ease.
“All of you are like family to me Ma’am, more so than my real family. You’ve all been so kind to me…you and Lieutenant Roberts, Commander Rabb, Colonel MacKenzie…I just would hate to lose any one of you.”
Harriet was touched. She remembered when Jennifer Coates had given them, particularly the Commander, so much grief not that many Christmases ago. Now she was a dedicated member of the JAG Corps Ops support staff. Harriet embraced the young petty officer, taking her by surprise.
“God is watching over them Jen,” she whispered her eyes bright with tears. “They will be back, you can bank on that.”
Jen found herself crying too.
They both pulled away, chuckling and wiping at each other’s tears.
2142 Local
Camp Chesty Puller
Near Mirbullah, Iraq
Harm was sitting looking over the after action reports that Johnson and Barnett had left on his bunk. There was a knock at the barracks door.
“Enter.” Harm said as he put the first report down and picked up another.
“Hey, did you find anything useful?”
He smiled briefly at Mac before looking back down at the report. He handed her a folder.
“Take a look….”
Mac walked over and took the open folder. “That wasn’t much help,” she said as she handed it back to him after a few minutes.
“Yeah, they all pretty much say what we thought they would. Like everyone we’ve met so far, they fall into two categories: either an undying supporter of these guys or ready to burn them at the stake--”
“Burn them at the stake?” She quirked an eyebrow at him.
He smiled sheepishly looking into her questioning brown eyes, “Metaphorically speaking.”
She smiled at him. “I didn’t know you were so literary.”
He shook his head, chuckling. “I have my moments, besides, you never asked.”
She sat down on the chair next to his bed. “Okay Commander Metaphor,” her tone indicated her playfulness. “So what do we do now to keep these warlocks—oh sorry—these men from being ‘torched’?”
“Ha, ha, MacKenzie,” he said mirthlessly. “Very funny, you ought to take that on the road.”
She chuckled, smiling at his embarrassment. “Well you started this with that ‘burning them at the stake’ comment.” Her smile faded when she looked at another negative report. “Seriously Harm, how should we tackle this?”
Harm looked at her in profound shock. This was certainly unexpected. Colonel MacKenzie actually wanting to work with someone rather than try to take over an investigation? He thought about teasing her with a pod people comment, but thought better of it. He didn’t want to ruin this. (Okay, MacKenzie, I can dance this tango…)
He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes, “What do you think we ought to do?”
Mac sat back. (Whoa, this is definitely new territory for us. I’d better get this back on an even keel before we have an x-rated Hallmark moment.) “Let’s not try to out-nice each other here, Harm. What do you say to interviewing Lukens and Buell first and then go from there?”
Harm pulled back as well. Now was not the time for this dance, but it sure was fun seeing her reaction. “Okay, as long as we can get a copy of the previous team’s preliminary report. We don’t want to make the same mistakes they made.”
0137 Zulu
Alan Mattoni’s apartment
Visiting Officer Quarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Alan had just settled down for the evening, having finished his frozen dinner. He settled into his easy chair, reaching into his briefcase sitting beside him. The Commander pulled out his case file.
He smiled ruefully in remembrance of this afternoon. It took Carolyn the rest of the afternoon, but she convinced the Admiral that Carly could be rehabilitated. Alan had added his own arguments which finally convinced Chegwidden. Truth be known, Alan thought it was going to be much tougher to convince him.
He and Carolyn made a pretty good team and with Jason’s and Harriet’s support, Carolyn was put in charge of Carly. It was Alan’s job to be John’s mentor. AJ had had his fill of these two. He was not a fan of the three strikes rule. So they wouldn’t get another chance.
“I’ll just hit a few of the high points before I call it a night,” Alan said to himself, picking up a marking pen that was sitting on his chair’s armrest. He uncapped it and began marking key points he wanted to be sure and hit at tomorrow’s hearing.
He worked for about thirty minutes according to the wall clock when he heard a knock at the door.
Reluctantly he stopped what he was doing. “Just a minute.” He put down his pen and papers got up and walked to the door.
“Who is it?”
“Delivery from the House of Fu.”
(I didn’t order any takeout…wait a minute that voice, it couldn’t be…,) he yanked open the door to see his wife standing in his doorway dressed in a dark green silk oriental shirt and slacks.
Jacquelyn Mattoni’s eyes shone brightly, “Did someone here order take-out?”
Alan grabbed her in a crushing hug “God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her hair.
0145 Zulu
Carolyn Imes’s apartment
Visiting Officer Quarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Carolyn had just gotten out of the shower. She had a towel tied around her body and she was running another through her strawberry blond hair when her cell phone began ringing.
“Imes,” she sat down on the edge of her bed continuing to dry her hair. The line clicked several times. She stopped toweling her hair, listening intently, “Hello?”
“Hey Carolyn,” she recognized the female voice at once.
“Mac!” Smiling, she pushed herself back onto the bed so that she was sitting against the headboard. “How’s it going over there?”
“Tiring.” Carolyn frowned. It was not even 0500 in Iraq and yet it sounded like Mac had been up for hours. She surmised the Colonel was having trouble sleeping again. “Mac why aren’t you asleep? You’ve still got at least an hour of left before you need to be up.”
The reply came back easily. “Harm and I have been trying to formulate our plan of attack on this investigation.”
“That rough?” She decided to accept Mac’s comment at face value rather than probing.
“Yeah, it doesn’t look real good right now.”
“Anything I can do?” Her concern was genuine. After all, she considered Mac to be a friend. Even if at one time, they had had a thing for the Commander –Carolyn smiled – truth be told, she thought Mac still had a thing for the Commander.
“As a matter of fact there is, Carolyn. Can you get us a copy of report filed by the first JAG team that came out here?”
Carolyn twisted a strand of her hair, not sure that she wanted to go there. “I don’t know Mac; they clamped a pretty tight lid on anything related to this case.”
“Come on Carolyn, if you can’t do it for me, do it for Harm.”
She smiled, “How is the Commander these days?”
She could hear the grumpiness in Mac’s voice. “As unpredictable as ever.”
She stifled a laugh. “You still interested in him?”
Silence filled the line.
“Mac, are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Well?”
“I don’t know Carolyn, he says the sweetest things sometimes and other times I just want to cold cock him.”
Yeah, she still had it bad for him.
“Well let me know if you ever change your mind, I’d like a crack at your Flyboy.”
Mac’s voice became harsh. “He’d drive you nuts in a heartbeat.”
Carolyn noticed that Mac didn’t dispute the ‘your Flyboy’ comment. In the old days Mac would have gone out of her way to deny the Commander was ‘her’ Flyboy. (Mac you and I are going to have a long talk before I go back to my duty station.) She decided to see just how attached Sarah MacKenzie was to Harmon Rabb, Jr.
“That’s what I’m guessing too, but it would be fun getting there.”
Mac’s voice took on a joking tone. “Carolyn, you’re incorrigible. Why this sudden interest in my feelings for Harm, anyway?”
“Oh, come off it Mac, someone would have to be blind not to notice the sparks between you two.”
She heard the Colonel pause. (Aha!)
“Mac, are you still there?”
“Carolyn, you’re a romantic, did you know that? There is nothing going on between me and the Commander. I’ve called him ‘flyboy’ lots of times, he was a pilot, remember?”
She smiled. (Good ol’ Mac--always keeping your cards close to your chest.) “So they’ve told me. Look I’ll see what I can do regarding the case,” she smiled as she added a dig, “For Harm’s sake.”
“Thanks Carolyn. By the way, how is it being back at Headquarters?” (Damn, I thought she’d take that bait….)
“Not too bad. I’m working with a Marine Major--”
Mac broke in, Carolyn could hear the ear to ear smile on the other end. “A Marine, well I knew the Admiral would pair you with somebody good--”
“I don’t know if good is the word I would use to describe her--”
“Why?” Mac asked, Carolyn could tell curiosity was getting the best of her. “Who is it?”
“Carly Clemons from Pearl.”
“Captain Clemons?” Mac’s tone was incredulous. Carolyn could imagine the look on her face. The two women had crossed swords back when they were stationed at Okinawa. Anyone who knew Mac knew her opinion of Carly.
“Uh huh. Only, she’s a Major now.”
“Wow, that’s a curve ball.”
“You said it.”
“How was her first day?”
“You remember how Singer did in interpersonal relations?”
Mac was astonished. “Damn, in just one day?”
“The Admiral reamed her out for about one hour solid. It took Alan and me another hour--”
“Hold up Carolyn. You and Alan, as in Commander Alan Mattoni?”
Carolyn smiled. “The same.”
“Wow, the SECNAV really pulled a lot of strings didn’t he? Sorry, I interrupted, so you and Alan--”
“Right, Alan and I along with Harriet and Tiner talked to the Admiral for about an hour convincing him to give Carly another chance--”
“Another chance? I’m surprised he didn’t toss all of you out on your ears. So why are Tiner and Harriet involved?”
“They were trying to help. Mac, everybody deserves a second chance.”
“Now you sound like Harm.”
She smiled at that comment. “I learned from the best.”
“Spare me, please.” She could hear the sarcasm in Mac’s voice.
“Okay, well anyway, she’s under my supervision now.”
“Sounds like quite a challenge.”
“I think she just needs the right kind of mentor.”
“Well good luck, because it sounds like you’re gonna need it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, MacKenzie.”
“Anytime, Imes, anytime.”
“Look, I’ll talk to Tiner in the morning. I’ll see what we can do about getting you the previous team’s report.”
“Thanks Carolyn, I knew I could count on you.”
“So I can count on you to bail out my six when the Admiral starting chomping on it?”
“What are friends for?”
“Right, goodnight Mac,” Imes cut her eyes to desk clock. “I mean, good morning.”
Mac was unfazed, fatigue was settling in. “Yeah, get some rest Imes, I’ll call you later.”
Carolyn closed her phone and set it down on the nightstand. (So she and Harm are still playing the game after all these years. What does it take to get these two together?)
Several hours earlier
Near Mirbullah, Iraq
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mac found herself in the cockpit of an F-14. She looked toward the front and saw the pilot. Her heart leapt when she saw the name stenciled across the back of the helmet –HAMMER.
“Harm” Her voice sounded like she was talking underwater.
“Not now Pete, I’m trying to keep her from shaking apart....”
She noticed the shaking which was becoming more pronounced with each passing moment. Alarms were blaring and smoke began to fill the cockpit.
“Punch out Pete! I’ll join you in a minute!!”
A puff of choking white death filled her nostrils and mouth. She gagged, causing her to involuntarily to suck in more of the foul air, trying to replace the precious oxygen that she had lost.
She could hear Harm’s voice but she also felt strangely peaceful, the smoke curling seductively around her. Then the cockpit began to shatter, replaced by boiling, flaming death. Mac felt her flight suit catch fire. She lifted up one arm and watched the fuel soaked fabric covering her arm ignite, the flames marching up her arm toward her fingertips. Mesmerized, Mac watched as the fire roared toward her face.
OH DEAR GOD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah MacKenzie sat up panting, sweat pouring off of her. Her olive.drab sweatsuit as well as her t-shirt and panties, were damp with perspiration. They felt cool and clammy next to her skin. She shivered as she yanked her covers off and swung her feet out of bed and sat on the edge trying to will her heart to slow down.
The worst part was that she could still taste the metallic tang of the electrical smoke in her mouth and smell its pungent odor in her nostrils. She had to fight hard to resist the urge to retch.
She sat up a little straighter and forced herself to do an internal time check. 0200 hours, two minutes, thirty nine seconds. Like clockwork, the dream ended at the exact same time as it had every other time. This was the tenth occasion in two weeks that this horror had visited her. And, this one was the most vivid and the most frightening.
It, along with other equally disturbing visions, had tortured her, making nightfall a dreaded time. For Sarah MacKenzie, sleep on these nights became a memory. She sighed and pulled on her BDUs, not wanting to lie down anymore. She looked around the room, glad she had not screamed out loud. She always heard the same words screamed out at the end of the dream, but there was no way to discern who spoke them.
Walking outside and sitting down on the steps of the portable building that served as her apartment, she put her head in her hands. God, how she wished she could sleep. These disturbing visions were beginning to affect her judgment and emotional control during the day, not to mention her new relationship with Harm.
Harm. Her greatest source of comfort and her greatest source of turmoil had been revealed to be at the center of these…these visions. Was he in danger? What did they mean? Did they mean anything? Honestly, she just didn’t know anymore. How she wished she could just drop off into unconsciousness, but she knew the same flight and the same awful crash was waiting for her with open arms. She looked up into the night sky, tears blurring her vision. She dropped her head again praying for relief as she wept silently.
*~*
Harmon Rabb, Jr. could ‘see’ Mac waking from a nightmare. In his mind’s eye, he watched her get up and get dressed—Was that a smoky odor? His eyes snapped open at that sensation. He breathed deeply. No smoke here. He threw back his covers and swung his feet out of the bed. Dressing, he quietly got up and walked outside.
The night air was cool. The sky was dark, sprinkled with the minute flashes and twinkles of a thousand stars. Dawn was still hours off, and now fully awake, he decided to check on Mac. Just in case.
As he walked over to her barracks, he knew what would happen if she caught him doing this. (Harm, I don’t need a guardian. Please don’t do this. I’ll be fine, really.)
“I’m a Marine, I can handle this,” he chuckled humorlessly at the words.
“Well Mac,” he said determinedly to himself, “Whether you like it or not, I’m going to watch your six.” He made his way across the compound to her barracks.
*~*
Mac stirred from her semi-slumber. She felt movement near her. She was instantly on alert, but pretended to still be out of it.
*
There it was again, a whiff of… electrical smoke? He looked at the steps of the barracks and saw the huddled female form. It was Mac. It had to be nearly three in the morning, what was she doing out here?
He moved closer. “Mac?”
She didn’t move.
“Mac?” This time he touched her lightly on her forearm.
*
Mac felt the warmth of Harm’s touch. Instantly, she knew what she wanted. She lifted her head – she hoped the darkness would hide the fact she had been crying. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” He noted immediately by the hoarseness of her voice that she had been crying. Better start with a joke and see how that plays. “What’s the matter Marine, bed not lumpy enough for you?”
Mac smiled brightly at his attempt at humor. (Good ol’ Harm, always a joke first to test the waters.) “Not sleepy,” she lied, “Too keyed up about this case.”
Harm was not convinced. “Want to talk about it?” He sat down next to her. “Come on Mac, open up to me.”
(Enter the investigator,) she thought, (Okay Flyboy, let’s talk.) “No one seems especially happy about us being here.”
“True. But that usually doesn’t rattle you Mac.”
(Damn, he usually doesn’t catch on that quickly.)
“I’m fine Harm. Just a little taken aback by their hostility.”
“They’re a very close group Mac. You told me that, remember?”
“True, point taken counselor.”
“Look there’s a couple of hours left before reveille, come here.” He scooted closer to Mac. She stiffened at his touch. He felt the response and gently rubbed her back. That seemed to relax her a little.
“We’ll rest for a little while, you can lean into me and then I’ll wake you and I can lean into you. It’ll be warmer than hugging ourselves.”
It sounded inviting, really inviting, but they were on an assignment, so she decided it was best to remind him of that. “And what if a sentry comes along? How are you going to explain this, Harm?”
He smiled at her. “I’ll tell him I’m up with a sick friend.”
She shot him a playful look. “Funny Harm.”
“Better than sitting here hugging yourself.”
She tried one last time to reason with him. “Why don’t you just go back inside?” she pleaded. “I’ll be fine really; I just need some quiet time.”
But Harm wasn’t about to be swayed. “Good try Ninja-Girl, but you’re not shaking me that easily.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I had to give it a try.”
“Just relax Marine and try to get some shut-eye. I’ll think of something if a sentry comes by.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Harm playfully punched her on the arm, as she scooted closer snuggling down on his chest.
---TBC…
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