| Subject: Some Things are Better off Forgotten 3/ ? |
Author:
CLK
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Date Posted: 08:12:53 11/20/07 Tue
In reply to:
CLK
's message, "Some Things are Better off Forgotten 1/ ?" on 21:30:30 11/14/07 Wed
thank you for all the lovely comments.
I think we should be able to wrap this up in another chapter or two.
enjoy!
PART THREE
“Harm!” Renee slid to a stop beside Brumby.
Still holding Mac’s hand, Harm straightened and took a deep breath. At the sound of Brumby’s voice, Mac had barely moved. The minute Renee opened her mouth, he’d felt Mac cringe in his arms. Clearly she may have forgotten she was engaged to Mic Brumby, but hadn’t been as lucky forgetting about Renee.
With Mac’s hand gently encased in his, he wondered what the hell he’d been thinking, dating someone so completely different from the woman he truly loved. And worse, why was he dating a woman who was hoping for happily ever after when he’d known all along there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in the Bahamas of that happening.
As soon as everyone had arrived at the ER behind Mac and the ambulance, Renee had received a page from someone on the crew. A minor emergency had dragged her away. Just his luck the situation hadn’t kept her away a little longer. Facing Brumby was going to be difficult enough under the circumstances. He didn't want Renee to wind up as collateral damage, though at the moment that seemed unavoidable. “I’m not doing anything ‘to’ Mac, Brumby.”
“Mic,” Mac interrupted. “I think we need to talk.”
“What we need is for Rabb here to let go of your hand.”
“Brumby,” Harm tried again.
“I’d rather he didn’t.” Mac squeezed Harm’s hand. “This has been a very long, and very confusing night for me.”
“Mac.” Harm patted their clasped hand with his other hand. “You need some rest. I’ll explain what’s happening to everyone, outside.”
“Glad to see my patient’s feeling a little better.” A tall young man who looked young enough to be anyone in the room’s son, pushed the curtain further back and stepped between Brumby and Harm.
“We seem to have a slight problem,” Harm said.
“We don’t have any problems. You on the other hand,” Brumby sidestepped the doctor and stared Harm in the eye. “need to leave my fiancée alone.”
“Harm. What’s going on?” Renee lightly took hold of his forearm. The pained look in her eyes told him she most likely already knew the answer to her shaky question.
The doctor glanced back and forth between the two men, then back to Mac. “What seems to be the problem?”
“There are apparently a few gaps in my memory,” Mac answered.
The doctor pulled out a penlight and flashed it in each of Mac’s eyes as he spoke. “You answered all the appropriate questions. The day, the year, your name, rank, the president of the United States. What’s missing?”
“I don’t remember some of the filler.”
“Filler?” The doctor flicked off the light and put it back in his pocket.
“She doesn’t remember being engaged,” Harm offered, hoping to make this entire conversation easier on Mac.
The doctor’s eyes widened with surprise then narrowed as they focused on Brumby. “I see. I think it would be best if everyone went back outside and let me re-examine my patient.”
“Can he stay here?” Mac glanced at Harm.
Before the doctor could say yeah or nay, Harm eased his hand out of Mac’s tight grip. “I’d better wait outside with the others. Fill them in on what’s going on.”
Brumby inched a step closer and opened his mouth to speak when the doctor cut him off. “I think that’s best. I’ll let you know when you can come back.” With a gentle lifting of his chin, the doctor redirected the three visitors out of the cubicle.
They’d barely crossed the ER threshold when Brumby started, “Whatever you’re after Rabb, I won’t stand for it.”
“What I want Brumby doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it. I can’t tell you why, but the woman in there doesn’t remember you as anything more than a colleague and that is not my fault.”
“To hell it’s not. You think I didn’t see what was going on between the two of you on the porch? You’ve wanted nothing better than to sweep her away from me. Well I’m not going to stand for it.”
“And what do you think you can do about it?” Harm stood nose to nose with Brumby.
“Gentlemen. What the hell is going on here?” AJ bellowed from a few feet away.
Though Mic was no longer in the Navy and Harm was out of uniform, both men snapped to attention at the Admiral’s gruff address.
“I’m waiting,” AJ said, stopping in front of the two men.
“Mac has some gaps in her memory,” Harm explained.
“Gaps? What kind of Gaps?” AJ looked from Harm to Brumby, his jaw taut with tension.
“She doesn’t remember being engaged to Brumby.”
“So you say,” Brumby added.
“You heard her, man.” Harm relaxed his stance and turned to face Mic. “She doesn’t remember the filler. And when I said being engaged was the filler - did you hear her argue? No.”
“Why the hell is it every time the two of you circle around Colonel Mackenzie two perfectly fine officers turn into a pair of junkyard dogs. I will not have the two of you making a spectacle of yourselves in a public forum. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.” The two snapped to attention again.
“Fine. You will sit quietly, and separately, in the waiting room until the doctor gives us more information. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
AJ turned on his heel and Harm and Brumby followed, silently, but not happy.
“Sir, is something wrong?” Harriet asked Harm as soon as he stepped into the waiting room.
“Not exactly, Harriet.”
Harriet stuck her arm out to her left, searching for her husband’s hand. When Bud sidled up next to his wife, she squared her shoulders. “You can tell me the truth, sir.”
“Harriet, she’s just fine. Really.”
Harm could see the relief wash over her.
“Then, what’s the problem?”
“It seems Mac has forgotten a few things. Well, one that we know of. Brumby.”
Harriet’s eyes rounded like saucers. “She’s forgotten Mic?”
“Not entirely. Only that they’re engaged.”
“Uh oh.” Harriet lightly brought her fingers to her mouth then mumbled. “That’s a problem.”
Harm nodded, then noticed Harriet staring at some distant point behind him. Following the direction of he gaze, he spotted Renee, standing alone in the entry to the waiting room.
“Do you want me to talk to her, sir?”
“No thank you. This is my... situation.” He’d almost said problem. And it was a problem. Not that he’d discovered just how much he needed and loved Mac, but that a very good woman had just had her heart broken in a very public place and he could do nothing to undo it.
Leaning against the wall, Renee held up her hand. “You don’t have to say anything. I think I’ve known all along. I kept waiting, counting the days until I’d be safe. Until she was married and no longer available.” She glanced at the people huddled in the room behind them. “You’re an honorable man. I would have been safe, but I know now you still wouldn’t have been mine. You could never be mine. Whether she’s married to Brumby or anyone else, you’ll always be hers.”
Without another word, Renee turned around and walked away. She was right. Mac held a part of his heart that no one else would ever hold. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the empty hallway.
“Admiral.” Harm heard the doctor say behind him and hurried back to join the waiting group. “I would like to keep her over night for observation, but she insists on going home.” He turned to Harm. “Is there anything besides her relationship with her fiancée that seems to be missing from her memory?”
“From what I could tell, she seems to remember most of the events of the day and party except that she’s engaged.”
“That’s what she says. I don’t like the idea of letting her go home alone. Is there anyone who can stay with her, keep an eye on her overnight?”
“I will.” Brumby and Harm echoed simultaneously.
* * *
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