| Subject: Under Oath, Part 2 |
Author:
lauraloo
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 10:45:49 07/29/02 Mon
In reply to:
lauraloo
's message, "Under Oath, Part 1" on 10:39:53 07/29/02 Mon
***
1100 Local
JAG HQ
Lt. Lauren Singer rose and moved to the center aisle. “Commander Rabb, were you going to be dining alone at Bella Luna Restaurant the night of the alleged incident?”
“No, Colonel Mackenzie was planning to meet me for dinner.”
Singer continued. “Commander, could you describe the weather that evening?”
“It was raining.” He smiled inwardly. Singer was going to have to work for every tidbit of information.
Singer sighed, “Commander, isn’t it true that it was not only raining, but the Weather Services Bureau categorized that particular storm as one of the worst that D.C had experienced in months.”
“I’m not aware of the report, Lieutenant.”
“Would it be fair to assume that visibility was severely poor?”
“It would.”
Singer was pacing, gesturing with her hands. “The rain was pouring down, the wind was bowing around dirt and debris, thunder was crashing, visibility was hampered?”
“It was.”
“Why then, Commander, were you outside of the restaurant?”
“I was waiting for Colonel Mackenzie.”
“So then, Bella Luna doesn’t have a lobby or reception area?”
“It does.”
She looked him directly in the eyes. “Again, why then, were you outside waiting for the Colonel?”
Mac looked up. “Objection. Counsel is badgering the witness.”
“Overruled. Please answer, Commander Rabb,” Judge Sebring said.
The palms of Harm’s hands began to feel sweaty. He answered softly, looking directly at Mac. “I was worried about her.”
“Was she delayed that evening?”
“Yes.”
Singer nodded. “I see, Commander. Please tell the court, what is the relationship between yourself and Colonel Mackenzie?”
“We’re partners.”
“Commander, are you and the Colonel close friends?”
Mac’s eyes shot up. Something about this was wrong. Very wrong. Having to object about something regarding herself was just plain surreal. “Objection, irrelevant.”
“Approach!” Judge Sebring intervened. Mac and Singer marched up to the bench.
Mac spoke first in a hushed whisper. “Your Honor, Counsel is attempting to distract the court from the real issue in question here.”
Singer was not going to give up that easily. “Your honor, I’m attempting to establish the witness’s state of mind that evening, as it might relate directly to his perception of the alleged events between Cpl. Gomez and P.O. Moreno.”
Judge Sebring, paused briefly. “Objection Overruled. But, Lieutenant, you’re string is a short one.”
As Mac trudged back to her table, Singer repeated her question.
Harm took a deep breath. “Yes, we are close friends.”
Singer continued, “Commander, isn’t it true that you were consumed with anxiousness, with worry for the Colonel’s safety and whereabouts, so much so that you left the comfort of the lobby and subjected yourself to the elements just to see her, first hand, enter the parking lot?”
Harm swore inwardly. How Singer had climbed right inside his brain with her note pad was beyond him. But, he was under oath. “Yes.” His voice was low, defeated.
Singer went in for the punch. Her voice was fire. “Commander, isn’t it true that you’re in love with Colonel Mackenzie?”
***
Lizzie was jumping up and down in utter hysteria. “Omigod! Omigod! Mom, tell me that was a joke! Tell me Singer didn’t actually ask Dad if he was in love with you! ”
Mac sighed with a sly smile. Just relating the events to Lizzie had reminded her how monumental the whole thing had been. “Oh, Lizzie, it wasn’t and she did.”
“What did you do? Did you object?”
“That moment totally took my breath away. Do you have any idea how many years I longed to know the answer to Singer’s question? And the thing was, I had the power. I was in control. If I didn’t object, Dad would’ve been forced to speak truthfully. I would’ve gotten my answer. All I had to do was keep my mouth shut.”
Lizzie was kneeling on the bedspread, hanging onto every word.
“Remember what I said earlier, about litigating not being about the lawyer, but about the client. Well, though it killed me, I was forced to follow my own advice. Singer was trying to make it seem like Dad was so preoccupied with worry, because he was in love with me, that his perception of the events had been altered. But her question had gone one step too far. It was uncalled for and the answer could’ve hurt Cpl. Gomez’s case. There was really only one thing I could do.”
***
Mac was trying desperately to remove her stomach from the floor. She couldn’t even look at Harm. Singer, however, was just standing there, looking as annoyingly smug as usual. The courtroom had erupted in gasps and Judge Sebring, having to bang his gavel, demanding order, was the only thing that had bought her a few seconds to regroup. “Objection, irrelevant,” she barely managed. Her voice lacked the fervor usually associated with a motion to object. But this had been no ordinary objection. This had been no ordinary question.
Judge Sebring was not amused. “Sustained! Lieutenant, your string of leeway has officially run out! You’ve managed to establish a close relationship between the witness and the Colonel. But I will not have this courtroom turned into a set for Days of Our Lives! Now, please continue.”
Singer nodded, her manner displaying no evidence of the reprimand. “Yes, sir. Commander Rabb, given the harshness of the elements, the poor visibility, and your preoccupation with worry over the Colonel, how can you be absolutely certain that the event you responded to wasn’t actually a mutual fight, provoked by Cpl. Gomez herself, who happens to be a highly trained marine?”
Mac finally ventured a quick glance at Harm. It wasn’t pretty. She’d seen him enough times to know when something had gotten to him. And Singer’s bombshell question had definitely gotten to him. He was rubbing his temples, sweating profusely.
Harm let out a deep breath, trying his damnedest to regain control of himself. “Because it is not a mutual fight when one person is less than five and a half feet tall, and she’s just been punched, then gotten her head bashed into a brick wall. And, not only that, an intoxicated man over six feet tall, weighing more than two hundred pounds, is grabbing her neck with his hands! No matter what the circumstances, or the weather, or who I was worried about, what I saw was not just an altercation. It was assault.”
There was nothing more Lieutenant Singer could do. “No further questions.”
Harm couldn’t find her anywhere. Court had been in recess for at least an hour and she’d just disappeared. He had to see her, to at least try to deal with the awkwardness of what had happened or it was just going to become another thing that stood between them. He entered the break room, encountering only Commander Sturgis Turner, filling his coffee mug.
“Hey buddy, have you seen the Colonel?”
Sturgis stared at his friend. “No, haven’t seen her. Harm, are you okay? You look a little frazzled.”
Harm sighed, “That’s putting it mildly.” He looked around, moving closer to Sturgis. “Look, you’re never gonna believe what Singer did in court.”
Sturgis listened in amazement to Harm’s recount of the courtroom fiasco. If he’d thought so before, now he was certain. Harm and Mac’s relationship, or whatever the hell it was, had officially taken over JAG Headquarters. First it had been the constant cat and mouse bickering, then the inadvertent insults, then Mac’s secret declaration of love in her office. And now, it had actually ventured its way into the courtroom, the sacred place of all that is true and honorable. Sturgis shook his head in total wonder. The thing was, this time, he wasn’t sure if Mac wanted to kill Lt. Singer...or kiss her. Harm’s murderous desires, however, were quite obvious.
“Sturgis, can you believe it? Can you actually believe she did that? And to make it worse, the courtroom was packed! The Admiral was there, plus two visiting two stars from the Pentagon. Hell, the only people missing were Webb and the SecNav. Just think of the party we could’ve had then!” Harm was trying his best to keep his voice down. He was failing miserably.
Sturgis nodded in sympathy. “Buddy, I sure feel for you. That particular question is hard enough to answer as it is, but then, for you to have to answer it on the witness stand, whew!”
“It was beyond terrible, I mean, what if Mac hadn’t objected? Talk about your worst nightmare coming true…” Harm heard the clicking of her heels, smelled the spicy fragrance of her perfume, felt her presence in the pit of his stomach before he turned and saw her there. She had her cover in her hand, purse draped over her shoulder. Her expression was pure ice.
“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Mac brushed past both of them, heading to the refrigerator.
Harm grabbed her arm, “Mac, wait, please…what you heard…that was…”
“It’s nothing, just forget about it Harm. Just forget about the whole thing.” She opened the door, digging out her Tupperware bowl.
“Mac, please. I owe you an explanation…”
She broke free of his hold, flying out the door. “Save it, Rabb. You don’t owe me anything.”
Harm bolted towards the doorway, whipping around to face Sturgis, “Call me foolish, but this time I need to…”
“Move it, Commander. You’re a bigger fool if you don’t.”
Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie managed to make it to her car with some semblance of the grace, of the proud decorum due her rank. But once the door closed, the tears came. And they came in floods.
Any JAG HQ support staff member working amidst the fifth floor bullpen that particular day would’ve been given quite a show. For he or she would have seen a 6’4” full Commander in the United States Navy virtually running down the hallway, flinging open the door to his office, only to emerge seconds later with his cover and briefcase. Then he or she would have seen said Commander flying towards P.O. Tiner’s office, narrowly avoiding a disastrous collision with Lieutenant Harriet Sims; weighted down with a two-foot tall stack of files.
“Tiner, is he in? It’s an emergency!”
P.O. Tiner immediately picked up on the Commander’s ‘push the intercom button or die’ glare. “Excuse me Admiral, Commander Rabb would like a moment, sir.”
“Send him in.”
It was all that Harm needed. In a flash he was standing in front of Admiral Chegwidden’s desk. “Sir, request permission to leave…
The Admiral hadn’t even looked up from his file. “Have a nice afternoon, Mr. Rabb. I’ll expect you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Harm was just about to execute the fastest salute and about-face in history, when he noticed something on the Admiral’s bookcase; something that gave him an interesting idea. He grabbed the item. “Sir, if it wouldn’t be inappropriate, or too much trouble, might I borrow this? I promise to bring it back tomorrow, sir.”
Only then did the Admiral look up to face Harm. What Commander Rabb needed with that particular item was beyond him. But, he ventured a guess that it had something to do with the circus show that had recently taken place in the courtroom. He sighed, wondering if these words would become the death of him. “Yes, Commander, you may borrow it. Now get the hell out of here and that’s an order!”
“Aye, Aye sir.”
The Corvette screamed down the beltway. Mac was overcome by the emotion of it all. It was just too much. The whole day had just been too much. The question was throbbing, pounding, burning like fire in her mind as her foot pressed against the gas pedal. “Isn’t it true that you’re in love with Colonel Mackenzie?’ She willed herself to stop sobbing, to stop thinking about that damn Commander. Singer’s question had been bad enough but the overheard response was a knife to her heart. Again, she willed herself to stop sobbing, to stop loving him.
Harm finally reached his Lexus, noticing her now empty parking space. She was miles ahead by now. As he threw his belongings in the back, he cursed himself for leaving the Vette at home today. The engine hummed, tires squealed as he flew out of the gate. This was by no means the first time Sarah Mackenzie had run away from him. But this time, she wasn’t going to get far.
The knocking on her door had startled Mac from her self-induced coma. She was sprawled out on her sofa, comfortably dressed in denim shorts and a black tank top. The dim afternoon light, the thick haze of quiet had settled upon her, offering her a morsel of peace from the reality she would be forced to face again in the morning. The knocking had broken that peace, signaling that part of that grim reality was standing on the other side of her door. She remained still; part of her wishing that he would just go away, the smaller, weaker part daring to wish that he wouldn’t.
“Mac, open the door, please.”
Only silence answered.
“Mac, I know you’re home. Your car’s right out front. Please open the door. I really need to talk to you.”
Again, silence.
Harm didn’t want to do this, but it had to be done. “Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie!” he yelled, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Now, the easy way is for you to let me in to talk to you, just for a minute. The hard way results in you having a broken down door!”
Mac rolled her eyes, rising from the sofa. The last thing she needed was an angry landlord. She unlocked the dead bolt, opening the door to let him in. She stood aside as he walked through the doorway. The hurt, the frustration poured forth. “Why, Harm? Why did you come here? I already told you. There’s nothing that needs to be said. Just forget about it. Just move on!”
Harm, grabbed her by the wrists, forcing her gaze to meet his. The sight of her swollen, tear-stained face broke his heart, but he had to get through to her. He used his courtroom voice; one reserved for the hardest of witnesses, for the most jaded jury members, one that was thick with power and persuasion. “You’re wrong, Sarah. There’s so much that needs to be said. There’s no way in hell I’m moving on and neither are you.”
She looked up in confusion, “But you said...”
His fingers gently, but swiftly pressed upon her lips, silencing her. “No, not yet. Just here me out first.” At her nod, he pulled an item out of his briefcase.
She’d thought this day couldn’t have possibly become any more bizarre. She’d been wrong. “A Bible? What, are you trying to convert me or something?”
Harm opened it. “No silly, look.” he showed her the inside cover stamped ‘JAG Courtroom Issue.’ “Mac, court is again in session.”
“What are you talking about?”
He led her to the sofa, closing the Bible. “Swear me in.”
“Are you crazy? I still don’t get it.” Mac watched him place the Bible on her coffee table. One hand rested on the cover, the other was raised. Then he looked at her. She’d seen this particular look only a handful of times; on the fairy in Sydney, on the dock at Norfolk when he’d kissed her, on the Admiral’s porch at her engagement party. It was the look that made her knees weak, her palms sweat, her heart flutter.
“Sarah, please. Swear me in.”
Her voice shook as she began, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
“I do.” He rose from the sofa. “Now, this is going to sound like the worst insult you’ve ever received, but you’re gonna have to trust me here.”
She nodded; still unaware of what he had planned.
“Do you remember the last two questions Singer asked in court today?”
She laughed, “Harm, how could I forget them? This whole day is going to haunt me forever.”
Harm’s eyes twinkled. “You’re right about the forever part, but I promise you, after this, it’s not gonna haunt you. Now, I need you to be Singer.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Ask the questions, Mac.”
She finally understood. And that understanding totally blew her away. Somehow, she managed to rise from the couch, positioning herself in front of him. “Commander, are you and the Colonel close friends?”
Harm smiled, speaking slowly, letting every word enjoy its own moment. “Yes, counselor. Colonel Mackenzie is the best friend I’ve ever had. She’s been through so much with me; put her life, her soul, her very sense of reason on the line for me countless times. She’s the one I love to laugh with, to grieve with, to be with. She’s my ally and my equal. She’s my rock.”
Tears were threatening her eyes once again. But these were new tears, joyous tears that filled the tracks of sorrow already prevalent on her face. She took a deep breath before asking the next question. Her voice was fueled by wonder, by curiosity, by the simple love she felt for this man. “Commander, isn’t it true that you’re in love with Colonel Mackenzie?”
Harm stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his, looking up at her with eyes saturated with emotion. “Yes. Yes it’s true. I love her so much. I love her because she’s smart and funny and so, so beautiful.” He grazed her face with one finger, brushing away a tear. “I love her because she’s power and grace and elegance all wrapped in one. I love her because she can tell time without a watch and she can eat mounds of junk food and still look like a supermodel. I love her because she understands me, she knows me and she still wants to be around me. I love her with a love that has always been there and that always will be. I love her and I hope to God she loves me too.”
“She does,” Mac was crying openly now, “She does love you. I love you.” She felt his arms draw her to him, his lips upon hers, claiming her. Owning her. She savored every move, every permutation of their lips, their tongues. This kiss, the feel of his love, of his body pressed against hers, had been worth it. It had been worth every day, every hour she’d pined for him. Dreams of this kiss had come to her countless times before. But the dreams had paled sharply in comparison to the reality of this moment; to the sheer perfection of it.
Harm reluctantly pulled away, still holding her close. “Mac, you need to know the truth about what you overheard with Sturgis. Don’t you see? If I didn’t love you, then Singer asking that question wouldn’t have mattered. I would have just said no. But I did love you, I do love you. I was so frustrated because I didn’t want the first time I said it to you to have to be in a courtroom, in front of all of those people.”
Mac nodded, rubbing his muscular arms back and forth. “I know Harm. I understand.” She began to laugh. “God, the Admiral was there!”
Harm joined in the laughter. “I know.” His face turned serious, lips brushing her forehead. “You deserved so much more.”
“I deserve you.”
His answer was another passionate kiss. “You do realize that this is it. I’m not talking about casual dating here. Sarah, this is forever. I want it all; the big house, the proverbial white picket fence, the two o’clock feedings…”
Mac’s heart swelled. “Harm, you’d better be serious, besides you’re still under oath!”
“I’m damn serious, Sarah Mackenzie. And to think that Singer had a hand in this. Now, I don’t know whether to string her up or send her flowers!”
“String her up!” They said in unison.
Harm led her to the sofa, pulling her down on his lap, nestling her in his embrace. His voice was a low, throaty whisper. “But, the thing is,” he paused, covering her neck, her bare shoulders with feather-weight kisses, “we have plenty of time to muse about ways to torture Lt. Singer. Now, I have a few legal maneuvers of my own to share with you.”
***
Lizzie was beside herself, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “Oh, Mom! That was…that was just amazing. It was like something out of a movie.”
Mac sighed wistfully, still feeling the effects of having relived the moment. “It really was. From that day on, we were inseparable. We were married only one month later. I managed to still plan a huge wedding, with all of our friends and family. There was not a dry eye in the church during the ceremony, including your father’s. But don’t tell him I said so!”
“Don’t tell him what?”
Both women turned to see Admiral Harmon Rabb Jr. poised at the door, eyebrows raised.
Mac shook her head. “Sorry Admiral, that’s classified. Hey, how were the driving lessons with Hammer?”
Harm snorted in laughter. “Let’s put it this way. It’s gonna take a major miracle for any DMV office in the state of Virginia to issue Harmon Rabb III a drivers’ license. He’s downstairs raiding the pantry for junk food. So what are you two ladies up to in here?”
“Well, Lizzie was having a little Sean trouble, so I thought I tell her the story of the first time you said you loved me.”
Harm beamed with pride at the two beautiful women who meant the world to him. “Hmm, if Sean is anything like I was, I think I have something that might help.” He opened the bottom drawer to his dresser and took out a worn item.
“Dad, is that the Bible you used when you went to Mom’s house?”
“The one and only. Uncle A.J. gave it to us a part of our wedding gift.” He handed the Bible to Lizzie. “Now scoot, future Midshipman Rabb, and that’s an order. You march right on over to Sean’s house and get yourself some answers. If he gives you any trouble, just tell him that the Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy’s gonna put him on the witness stand.”
With a salute and swift kiss to her father’s cheek, she was off. She popped her head back in the room for a few seconds. “Mom, thanks. For everything.”
Mac smiled, moving into the open arms of her husband. He was fast approaching sixty, but had the body of a man half his age and a distinguished face that still brought butterflies to her stomach. As his lips came down on hers for a searing kiss, one thought came to her mind. It had been twenty years and he still had it. He still looked damn good.
The End
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 