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Date Posted: 16:16:02 12/14/13 Sat
Author: Nettie
Subject: 2010 A Christmas in London

*ho*ho*ho***A Christmas in London***ho*ho*ho*

It was supposed to be a five day stay in London to investigate the alleged impropriety of a London based General; however, it had now spread into its eighth day, thanks to the severe snow storms which had affected all forms of transport in and around Europe. With their initial investigation over in the first four days, Harm and Mac found themselves confined to the hotel and boredom and frustration had taken hold. With Christmas two days away and thousands of people already camping out at Heathrow Airport, the chances of being back in DC for Christmas was looking more and more remote every hour.

The hotel was The Adeline, a small, old one with none of the luxuries of home. True, they had adjoining rooms and each had their own cramped bathroom but the beds were king singles and Mac was sure there wasn't even room to spin the proverbial cat in between the walls which seemed to close in further and further every time she looked at the faded, stained wallpaper.

In the early hours of the morning, Harm lay in his bed, his knees bent to compensate for the lack of length in the bed. The room was warm with the radiator still working and the extra duvet on his bed kept him from feeling the freezing conditions outside his window. Alas, the same couldn't be said for Mac. Her room was ice cold and two visits from the maintenance man couldn't repair the ancient radiator. The extra duvet was useless and she was sure there were gaps around the window letting in an icy chill.

Annoyed with winter, snow, being stuck away from home, feeling cold and just generally fed up, Mac padded her way through to Harm's room and inhaled deeply when the warmer air hit her face.
"What's up?" Harm asked, opening an eye and watching Mac come closer to him.
"I want to sleep with you," she grumbled, pulling up the covers and sliding into the small space beside him.

Harm shuddered as her icy feet and hands touched his skin. Immediately, his arms surrounded her and tried to warm her.
"How'd you get so cold?" he questioned, as she burrowed closer to him.
"No heating, cracked window," she mumbled, tucking her head into the crook of his neck as she shivered.
"Should have come in earlier," he said, rubbing her back.
"Didn't want to disturb you," she replied, pulling the covers over her head trying to trap in all the heat she could.

Despite the lack of room in the bed, Harm smiled, it had been a while since he and Mac had shared a bed and he had missed it. Over recent months, Harm and Mac's relationship had developed somewhat to include sleepovers and romantic trysts however they had avoided the clichéd scenes of declaring their love before hitting the sheets. Their entanglements had been the results of witty banter and challenges. They had always spent the night, shared breakfast the next morning and, while they were not seeing anyone else, they had still not articulated that this was love or the fact that this 'thing' was actually a relationship.

Hours later, Mac was considerably warmer but still awake. She had been intensely frustrated and easily irked in recent times and hated herself for it. The case had gone well but anytime Harm had said anything remotely funny or witty it had earned him either a glare or a punch ... it took four bruises on his arm to get him to keep his mouth closed.

Now, she contemplated the reasons for her behaviour. It wasn't PMS, it wasn't that he had done anything to really annoy her, it wasn't that she was...was...

PMS

It struck her that she was well overdue for her period, even as irregular as she was, she'd never gone this long without one. She was moody, emotional, irrational at times and it definitely seemed to be related to her hormones. If it wasn't her period then it could really only be one thing ...couldn't it?

"You still awake?" Harm asked as she moved around in his arms.
"Yeah, can't sleep," she replied, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"You warm enough?" he asked, opening his eyes and watching her.
"Yeah, just feeling..." she let it trail, she wasn't at all sure how to explain how she was feeling – nervous, scared, excited, exhilarated, panic-stricken.
"You hungry?" he questioned, "You haven't eaten much recently and it's already dawn...not that you can tell with this weather."
"Yeah, maybe," she said. "But the food at this place sucks," she grumbled. "I mean who ever heard of an English hotel who didn't serve full English breakfasts? This Continental breakfast crap is a poor substitute."
"How about I go out and get you something?" he offered, raking his fingers through her mussed hair. "There's that early opening Sainsbury's on the corner...what would you like?"
"Wouldn't matter, can't cook it anyway," she groused, fed up with it all.
"Trust me," he replied and kissed her head before getting up and dressing before going out into the bitterness of an icy London morning.

Looking through the aisles for food stuffs he recognised and he knew Mac would like was a difficult task. Firstly, the shelves were looking rather bare and secondly, anything she liked needed cooking or heating, a facility not available in their rooms. Seeing a home products section an idea started to form – he'd buy what he thought she'd like and then he'd cook it for her.

Into his trolley went an electric frypan, egg lifter, toaster, small hotplate, saucepan and a powerboard and lead. Happy he had everything he needed to prepare the meal; he then set about collecting paper plates, plastic cutlery and napkins. Finally, came his biggest challenge – food. Knowing they were going to be room bound for a bit longer, Harm put in loaves of bread, eggs, bacon, cheese, butter, fruit, vegetables, ketchup, mustard, frankfurts, ham, baked beans, juice, soda and a whole host of confectionary and snacks.

Laughing to himself as he headed to the checkout, Harm figured there was enough in the trolley to do her until dinner. He wasn't laughing so much as the register crossed the £100 mark, then the £150. It was going to one damned expensive breakfast.

Deciding to set up his 'kitchen' in Mac's now unused room, Harm let himself in and set up his cooking equipment on top of the bureau. Quickly, he went about preparing bacon and scrambled eggs for Mac's breakfast. Finally, when it was ready, he slipped off his coat and shuddered in the chill of her room.
"Mac, breakfast," he called, closing the door behind him.
"Don't want any," she mumbled from beneath the covers.
"C'mon, it's your favourite," he cooed, placing the makeshift tray on his bedside table.

Mac opened her eyes and peeled back the covers slowly. It didn't take long before the aromas hit her.
"Smells like food," she said, pulling the covers down further.
"It is food," he said, picking up her plate and waiting for her to sit up. "All your favourites."

As much as the aromas had enticed Mac, three mouthfuls in and she was bolting for the bathroom, her stomach not as keen for Harm's offerings. Harm followed her.
"Hey, Mac," he said holding back her hair. "Sorry you're not well."

Anything she was going to say was lost when she vomited again. Grabbing a face washer, Harm rinsed it under cold water before wiping her face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, helping her sit on the edge of the tub.
"Just wonderful," she said sarcastically, grabbing the washer from him. "How the hell do you think I feel?"

"Anything I can do?" he asked, they were the safest words he could utter.
"Leave me the hell alone," she grumbled, pushing him away. If she was going to be a vomiting, smelly mess in crumpled pyjamas and looking revolting, the least he could do was let her be one in private.

Granting her wish, Harm exited the bathroom and went about cleaning up the remains of their breakfast – it was obvious neither of them were in a state to finish their meals. Meanwhile, Mac burst into tears and slumped to the floor. She felt terrible, she felt like a bitch, she felt scared to death and she felt her world was spinning out of control. All those swirling emotions went from her mind to her stomach and she vomited three more times.

Twenty minutes later, when Harm had waited long enough, he knocked on the bathroom door and opened it slowly.
"Hey," he said, spying her on the floor, her eyes puffy and red, her face pale. "Can I help?" Mac nodded and so he offered her his hand and helped her stand.
"I'm sorry," she said tearfully as Harm steadied her.
"It's okay," he replied. "You can't help being sick."
"It's no excuse, I shouldn't have yelled at you," she said, shuffling forward and resting her head on his chest.
"Come on," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Let's get you back into bed."
"Sorry," she whispered again once she was lying in his bed. "I don't mean to be such a bitch...I just can't help it."
"It's okay," he replied, caressing her face. "Just sleep and hopefully you'll feel better when you wake up."
"Doubt it," she mumbled, her physical condition was one thing but when she woke she'd still have to confront the possibility, the strong possibility, that she was pregnant with his baby.

All through the two hours she was in bed, Mac's sleep was restless and disturbed. Not wanting her to wake before she needed to, Harm sat by her in the bed and raked his fingers though her hair. Closing his eyes, he leant his head back against the wall and thought about the situation they were in; the snow, the hotel, Mac being grumpy, Mac being sick, Mac being...

Instantly, his eyes were opened and were on her. Was it possible she was pregnant? It all fit the profile. It all fit the timing. It was possible...very possible.
Figuring there was no time like the present; Harm slipped from the bed, back into her room and put on his coat once more before heading across the road to Sainsbury's. Scanning the personal products aisle, Harm picked up the first pregnancy test he found. Clutching it tightly as he walked towards the checkout, he spied a range of ornaments, as he made his way over he saw a small red Christmas stocking with 'Baby's First Christmas' embroidered in white. He picked that up too – just in case.

Back alongside Mac before she woke, Harm had left the stocking in his jacket pocket while he placed the test on the bedside table and waited and waited and waited.
Mac eventually woke with a desperate need for the bathroom and Harm wondered if he should tackle the situation head on. After all, how much damage she could do to him in her current state?
"Before you go in, Mac," he said, tugging at her hand as she tried to climb out of bed.
"What?" she growled, needing to go and needing to go now.
"I thought that maybe..." he paused as he handed her the pregnancy kit.

Looking from the box to his face, Mac didn't know whether to laugh, cry or be insulted.
"Thanks," she finally muttered grabbing the box and heading into the bathroom.

After peeing on the stick, Mac sat it in its holder and waited. The box said seven minutes...seven minutes! 'Why the hell couldn't he pick the three minute one?' she muttered. Not doing too well with the waiting aspect on the other side of the door, Harm paced up and down the small room. A couple of times he got as far as putting his hand on door handle before retreating.

Five minutes into the marathon wait, Mac was a nervous wreck. Unsure what it would all mean, unsure what Harm was thinking, she decided to open the door and find out.
"Well?" he said the moment the door opened.
"Still have 107 seconds to go," she said, her eyes darting everywhere but his face.
"Okay," he said, padding across and standing with her.
"Okay," she echoed, not too sure if seeing him was going to make this whole process better or worse.
"What do you think the result will be?" he asked, linking one hand with hers.
"I'm thinking that a positive result is a long shot but ah...um...I was kind of thinking earlier that maybe being pregnant would explain a few things...so ..." her voice trailed as her line of thought deserted her.
"So, you think it might be positive?" he questioned, using a finger to raise her chin and look at him.
"Yeah, I do," she whispered, afraid to voice it aloud.
"So do I," he agreed.
"I figured," she replied. "After all, you're the one who bought the test."

The tension of the last twenty two second wait was palpable. Both had so much they wanted to say, neither could find the words.

Eventually, as the buzzer went off on Mac's internal clock she took a deep breath.
"Guess the wait is over," she said, letting go of his hands.
"Before we find out," Harm said quietly. "Can I just say that we have had our baby deal for a long time now and I will be over the moon if that dream's been realised."
"Me too," Mac whispered.

Rather than go in alone, Mac took Harm's hand and took him in with her, whatever the result it would affect both their lives and it was only fair that they found out together.
"Ready?" she asked, moving over to the counter.
"Ready," he replied and watched as Mac lifted the stick to reveal the outcome.
"Positive," Mac said as the first tears trickled down her cheeks. "It's positive."

Instantly, Harm had her wrapped up and was kissing her. "Positive," he echoed. "That's amazing."
"Aha," she replied, the emotion just overwhelming. Soon she had dropped the stick in favour of wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Their worlds had effectively collided and merged into one forevermore and right now all she could think of was holding on for dear life.

Deciding the bathroom probably wasn't the most romantic place to celebrate the news, and mindful of the fact Mac wasn't all that well; Harm scooped her up and carried her to the bed.
"Join me," she said as he lowered her to the mattress.
"Thought you'd never ask," he said, slipping in alongside her.

Quickly, they were cuddled up in a tight embrace, arms and legs entwined, the covers pulled up comforting them. Mac had kissed his chest a couple of times as she tried to relax but couldn't. This was mind-blowing stuff.
"Breathe," Harm said softly as he felt Mac's heart pound against his chest.
"Trying," she replied, holding him a little tighter.
"It's all good," he whispered, tilting her face up to his. "Isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's all good," she said, her voice shaky.

Wrapping her hand around his neck, Mac drew him closer to kiss him. She had tried to convince herself that she could handle a non-committed relationship with him. That the times they had spent together were more of a 'friends with benefits' thing than anything else...but even she hadn't believed herself. What she wanted was him, all of him.

Just as quickly, she tucked her head into the crook of his neck as the emotions overwhelmed her.
"What are you thinking?" Harm asked, disturbing her thoughts.
"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to hide her tears.
"Really?" he questioned. "With this news I would have thought there were lots to think about."
"There is," she said, "Too much."

Harm tilted Mac's face up and wiped away her tears. "Talk to me, honey," he said gently.
"What if the test is a false positive?" she questioned. She didn't want to get too carried away with all of this just to have her heart broken if the doctor came back with a negative result.
"What makes you think it's a false positive?" he asked, holding her a little tighter.
"Nothing," she said. "I guess I just want it confirmed before I let myself believe this is actually happening."
"That's understandable," he replied, wiping her face. "Want to see if we can find a local doctor?"
Mac nodded. That's exactly what she wanted.

Two hours later they were back in the hotel room; Harm was taking a shower as Mac sat in the armchair and watched the small television. The news bulletin was covering the weather and there was nothing about it that made Mac smile. Flicking the channels, she found nothing of interest and so switched it off and stared at the blank screen instead.
"What's happening in the world?" Harm asked coming out of the bathroom wearing sweatpants and a white tee-shirt.
"It's snowing," she said, not taking her eyes of the screen.
"Everywhere in the world?" he questioned coming nearer to her and looking at the screen. Confused when he saw it was blank.
"Yep," she said, tossing the remote onto the table. "Even in Australia."
"It's summer in Australia, Mac, it wouldn't be snowing," he said with a laugh.
"Are you calling me a liar?" she challenged getting to her feet. "The meteorologist said it had snowed at Mt Buller in Victoria, Australia, yesterday, is he a liar too?"
"Sorry," he apologised, reaching for her hand but she snatched it away.
"Leave me alone!"

Stalking back to the bed, Mac kicked of her shoes and threw herself under the covers, she needed lots of love and reassurance right now and she needed nothing. Without knowing how to balance the two she burrowed further into the warmth.

Harm gave her five minutes exactly before he moved over to the bed. Sitting beside the lump he rubbed what he figured was her back and waited for her to speak to him or kick him. Right now, he'd take either one as it meant she was still communicating with him.
"Sorry," she finally said, pulling the covers back off her face. "I know I'm a mess."
"You're allowed to be," he said, trying to be supportive but realising his choice of words could be damaging. "I don't mean that I'm giving you permission...I mean that...well,..."
"I know what you mean," she said slumping on him; she'd had enough of all this already. God help both of them if she was to remain this way for the duration of the pregnancy.

The afternoon and evening were spent huddled up in the small room. It was hard to tell where day ended and night started as everything outside the window was just varying shades of grey.
"Do you think you could eat something for dinner?" Harm asked from the armchair.
"Maybe," she replied with a shrug.
"What do you feel like?" he asked putting down the paper.
"Beltway Burger," she said with a pout.
"Sorry," he replied, "It's a little too far away. Anything else?"
Mac shrugged again. There was little inspiring about English food when she was well let alone in this state.
Finally, she spoke. "A salad."
"A salad," he echoed, unsure if he'd heard correctly.
"Yes, a salad, something wrong with that?" she challenged.
"No, not at all," he replied with a grin, maybe this pregnancy would be a good chance to get her to eat properly. "One salad coming right up. What dressing would you like?" he asked as he headed into the adjoining room.
"Chocolate syrup," she replied and Harm spun around. "Only kidding," she said with a laugh when she saw his face. "Any dressing will do."

For dinner, Mac ate three serves of salad with French dressing, two large glasses of juice and five slices of bread. For dessert, she ate anything chocolate related and then fell asleep. Harm could only smile as he fixed himself baked beans on toast, Mac having eaten his share of the food as well.

Neither slept all that well, both waiting for morning and the doctor's phone call. Mac was too hot, or too cold or too cramped or too far away from Harm. Eventually, just as he had managed to fall asleep, Mac woke with a cramp in her leg and grabbed at it, in the process kneeing Harm in a most sensitive area.
"Good God!" he exclaimed writhing in pain. "What the hell?"
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" she said quickly, realising what she had done. "Harm, I'm so sorry!" she repeated until struck by the humour of the situation that only women could see.

It was then she started to laugh and laugh and laugh.
Not too sure whether she was laughing or crying, Harm managed to look up at Mac in time to see her wiping her eyes.
"You okay?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Aha," she said with a giggle. "You?"
"Yeah," he grumbled. "But it's probably good that you're already pregnant because I think you've killed it."
"Aww, poor baby," Mac said, leaning down to kiss his head. "Sorry."
"It's okay," he replied, moving back a little more, not too sure he could trust her just yet.

The problem in moving backwards in a king single bed occupied by two people is that there is no 'back' and Harm ended up on the floor on his six, hitting his head on the bedside table as he went.
"Ow," Mac said for him as she peered over the side. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he said, closing his eyes for a moment waiting for the pain to subside.
"Can I help?" she asked, feeling quite bad for him.
"Just stay where you are," he replied, wanting to give himself a chance to recover.
"I am sorry," she said as she watched him rub the back of his head.
"That's okay," he replied. "You didn't mean it."
"Do you want me to go sleep in my room?" she asked sadly.
"Not at all," he said standing up gingerly.
"Are you going to get back into bed?" she asked, watching him closely.
"Is your cramp gone?" he asked and she nodded. "Okay then."

Slowly, he padded across and sat on the edge of the bed. Quickly, Mac turned away not wanting to chance her knees getting anywhere near where they shouldn't. Mistaking her actions for being upset, Harm slid behind her and wrapped his arm around his waist while kissing her shoulder. Silence ensued for a bit before Harm kissed her shoulder again.
"I'm okay," he whispered into the grey light of the room.
"Good," she replied, entwining her fingers with his as they rested on her abdomen.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, wondering if it would be another morning spent into the bathroom.
"Nervous," she admitted. "Dr Jenkins said he'd call at nine, so it's another 97 minutes of waiting."
"Do you think he's going to say you're not pregnant?" Harm asked wondering about her state of mind.
"I don't know what to think," she said honestly.
"If you could have anything for Christmas what would it be?" he asked gently.

Long ago Mac had given up the idea of getting her Christmas wish, her 'happily ever after'. Figuring she'd take what she could get, rather than what she wanted, she figured for now she would have to have Harm as her baby's father and maybe, one day in the future, her baby's daddy would become her husband.

Not able to voice any of it, Mac just shook her head.
"Can I tell you what I'd like?" he asked and Mac nodded. "Well, if I could have anything for Christmas it would have to be you." He felt Mac stiffen. "I know we were very casual with our baby deal way back then but now having you as my baby's mommy just isn't enough. I want you for me first and baby second. Does that make sense?" Mac nodded. "Good, because, Sarah MacKenzie, I am very much in love with you."
"You are?" she whispered in disbelief.
"I am," he said confidently. "And what I'd like to know is how you feel about me?"

Slowly, Mac rolled over and her glassy brown gaze locked onto his glassy blue eyes.
"I love you," she whispered, snaking a hand up to caress his face. "So very much."
"Regardless of what the doctor says?" he checked, wanting to make sure this wasn't just a situational declaration.
"Regardless of what the doctor says," she echoed as she snuggled in closer.

When the shrill of the phone shattered the silence both startled before Harm reached across and answered it. The call was short and he gave nothing away as he thanked the doctor and wished him a Merry Christmas. Not being able to read him and being concerned he was now climbing out of bed, Mac's tears began to fall. Grabbing his jacket, Harm fished around in the pocket and pulled out the stocking he'd bought the day before.
"Guess we can put this up now," he said tearfully as he handed it to her.
"Baby's first Christmas," she read before wiping her eyes. "So, we're definitely pregnant."
"We definitely are," he said, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"That's amazing," she said breathlessly. She had thought she was, prayed she was but hadn't wanted to really believe it until it had been confirmed.
"Truly amazing," Harm said, moving in to kiss her. "Our little Christmas miracle."

Mac smiled; it was definitely a Christmas miracle, something she believed would never really happen for her, for them.

As the snow continued to fall outside pushing plans for a flight home even further, Harm and Mac remained ensconced in a small hotel room in the heart of London and, with their one Christmas decoration meaning more than the biggest Christmas tree in the world, life couldn't have been better.

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Replies:

[> They certainly manage to lead the most 'un'ordinary life, but how wonderful is that! Thanks Nettie, for the memory. -- JoyZ, 17:32:47 12/14/13 Sat [1]


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[> another winner Nettie a happy xmas to you and Molly -- Bev uk, 08:09:15 12/15/13 Sun [1]


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[> Loved this one. Thanks for sharing Nettie. -- Beth, 11:04:49 12/15/13 Sun [1]


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[> Such a sweet story, thanks for reposting. -- Can Sheshe, 19:50:35 12/31/13 Tue [1]


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