| Subject: Worth the Wait- Ch. 4 |
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Grandma JAG
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Date Posted: 23:06:52 10/26/02 Sat
In reply to:
Grandma JAG
's message, "Worth the Wait" on 22:59:22 10/26/02 Sat
Chapter 4
USS Patrick Henry
1 Feb. 2002
0900 hours
“Commander Rabb and Lt. Colonel MacKenzie reporting, sir.” Harm saluted the now-familiar CAG he’d reported to on several occasions, including his ill-fated flight last May.
“Nice to see you in one piece, Commander. Colonel.....”, the CAG acknowledged Mac as well as Harm. “I suppose you want to get started right away on your investigation.”
“Yes, sir. We’d like to interview anyone who worked closely with Seaman Harrison and Seaman Gunther, as well as Seaman Andersen,” Mac explained. “Especially anyone who might have seen what happened or knew of any friction that may have been building among the men.”
“You have my full cooperation. You may use my office to conduct interviews,” the CAG responded.
“Very well,sir. We’ll start with the men on duty the night the fight broke out, and go from there. Thank you, Captain.” Harm and Mac saluted the CAG as they turned to leave the bridge.
Once inside the CAG’s office, Mac looked at the list of men on duty that night. She spoke to the seaman assigned to be their assistant. “Let’s start with Seaman Bogle.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the seaman led in a tall, blond sailor who looked to be all of 18 years old.
“Seaman Bogle, how long have you been stationed on the Patrick Henry?” asked Harm.
“Just three months, sir. This is my first assignment out of boot camp, sir,” replied Seaman Bogle.
“And how well did you know Seamen Harrison, Gunther, and Andersen?” asked Mac.
“I knew Seamen Harrison and Gunther pretty well, ma’am. They bunked together across the hall and had weekly poker games in their room when we were off duty. They were good sailors, ma’am, and got along with everybody, that I could see anyway.”
“And Seaman Andersen?” asked Harm. “How well did you know him?”
“Not very well, sir. He kept to himself most of the time. He did his job and all, but off duty he pretty much stayed in his bunk and didn’t socialize,” Seaman Bogle squirmed in his seat.
“Were you on duty the night of the alleged altercation?” asked Mac.
“Yes, ma’am. I was on the port side, standing watch, when I heard some yelling,” responded Seaman Bogle.
“Could you hear what the yelling was about?” inquired Harm, looking up from his notes.
“I couldn’t really make out what was being said, sir,” said Seaman Bogle, obviously uncomfortable. “But I thought I recognized Seaman Harrison’s voice. He’s lost his temper before, sir, during a poker game.”
“Do you think Seaman Harrison would lose his temper enough to come to blows?” Mac sensed that the seaman was keeping something from them.
“If his honor was being questioned, yes ma’am,” replied Seaman Bogle.
“And had you ever heard Seaman Andersen question Seaman Harrison’s honor in any way?” Harm was also wondering what Seaman Bogle was hiding.
“Well, sir, there were rumors,” Seaman Bogle hesitated to say anything more.
“Seaman Bogle, do you understand the penalties for withholding information from a JAG investigation?” Mac used her most authoritative voice as she confronted the seaman. “I’m sure that you don’t want to jeopardize your career so early into your enlistment, do you?” She was in his face now.
“No..... no, ma’am, but like I said, they were only rumors,” stammered the seaman.
“Answer the question, seaman. What were the rumors?” Harm stood up to assist Mac in confronting the seaman.
“Well, sir, uh, ma’am....... The rumors were that Seaman Andersen is gay and that Seaman Harrison was going to report him to the CAG,” Seaman Bogle responded nervously.
“Wasn’t he aware of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy?” Mac inquired.
“Yes, ma’am, but apparently Seaman Andersen made a pass at Seaman Harrison. He thought that since Harrison and Gunther spent so much time together that maybe they were........ well......... involved, and so Seaman Andersen thought he could confide in Seaman Harrison.”
“So Harrison thought his sexuality was being questioned and confronted Andersen with his accusations,” Mac was beginning to wonder what the SecNav was going to say when he heard this.
“Yes, ma’am, and apparently Seaman Anderson threatened to tell the CAG that Harrison and Gunther were gay if Harrison reported him. At which point, Gunther threw a punch and Harrison jumped on Andersen’s back.”
“Seaman Bogle, you said that you didn’t see the altercation. How do you know all this? Are there others that can back up your story?” Harm was beginning to see what a messy situation this could turn out to be.
“Yes, sir, there were two others who were off duty at the time, catching a smoke on deck,” Seaman Bogle replied reluctantly.
“So they were somewhere where they weren’t supposed to be, and saw this incident take place. Is that correct, seaman?” Mac backed down as she tried to get the names from the seaman. “Who were they?”
“Petty Officer Getty and Seaman Holley, ma’am,” Seaman Bogle responded, sadly.
“I’ll finish up with the seaman while you go interview those two, Mac,” Harm pulled Mac aside. “Go easy on them..... the charge of withholding information is much more serious than smoking in the wrong place.”
“I’ll use my best Marine manners,” Mac smiled back in response.
Later, when Harm and Mac compared notes, they found that everyone had said basically the same thing: Seaman Andersen was gay and threatened Seaman Harrison if he tried to report him. Seaman Gunther threw the first punch, and continued to throw punches as Seaman Harrison jumped on Andersen’s back.
“So what do we do now?” asked Mac.
“I’m going to give Sturgis a call and see what Andersen’s condition is and share what we found out. We’ll see if he has found out the same information about the seaman,” Harm hated to share information with the prosecutor, but homosexuality allegations were serious in the military. He needed to find out if Sturgis had discovered the same thing about his client.
“So I guess that leaves me to go share what we’ve learned with the CAG. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy,” Mac said, sarcastically. “I’ll meet you in the mess hall for lunch in an hour.”
“Still thinking food, huh, Marine?” Harm teased.
“Well, I’m sure whatever they have won’t be as good as the ziti I had the other night,” Mac smiled back. See you in an hour.”
1200 hours
Mess Hall
“What did you find out?” Mac asked as she took a big bite of barbecued beef.
“Seems that Seaman Andersen is out of his coma and talking. He admitted to everything, being gay, threatening Harrison...... doctors say that he should recover fully, with time.” Harm dove hungrily into his salad.
“Well, thank goodness for that. But that doesn’t get our guys off the hook. They still have to face assault charges,” Mac was still concerned about the trial. “It turns out that the CAG was well aware of the rumors surrounding Andersen’s sexuality, and was about to confront him with it when all this broke loose.”
“There won’t be a trial,” Harm said, between bites. Mac looked at him, puzzled. “The SecNav doesn’t want the media to get ahold of this story, so we worked out a deal so it doesn’t have to go to trial. Both seamen will have punitive letters of reprimand and forfeiture of a month’s pay, but no confinement. Sound okay to you?”
“I’d say they’re two lucky sailors,” Mac replied. “But what about Seaman Andersen?”
“The SecNav will arrange a medical discharge of some sort. And he’ll go quietly into civilian life,” Harm responded, sarcastically.
“You don’t sound too happy about that,” Mac looked at him questioningly.
“I just worry about what all this does to the morale of a ship,” Harm said, diplomatically. “It’s important for men, and women, to be able to trust one another without question. You’re like family on board a ship, but you also have to have respect for each other. That’s why there are rules. I’m not judging anyone’s private life, but when your life can depend on someone else, you have to have that mutual respect.”
Just then the CAG entered the mess hall and everyone snapped to attention. “At ease,” he said, as he walked over to Harm and Mac’s table. “I just got a call from Admiral Chegwidden. It seems that Seaman Andersen will recover and will receive a medical discharge. Harrison and Gunther will be disciplined, but not confined, so they will be reporting back to duty by the end of the week. I’d say you two wrapped this thing up in record time. Congratulations!”
“I’m sorry the outcome couldn't have been better, sir,” Mac said.
“Under the circumstances, I think everything turned out about as well as can be expected,” replied the Captain. “Commander, since you wrapped this up so quickly, how about doing your quals while you’re here? It’s been six months, and the Admiral said he can spare you for a couple of days.”
Harm turned to Mac. “That okay with you?”
“Sure. It’ll save you another trip back here,” Mac replied.
“I’ll get a flight suit set up for you. Oh, and is it okay with you if you have Skates as your RIO?” the Captain winked at Harm.
Harm grinned. “Absolutely. By the way, what’s the weather report?”
“Clear and calm. Not a cloud in sight. Should be a rather boring flight,” the CAG teased Harm.
“That’s okay. Boring is good sometimes,” Harm responded. Turning to Mac, he flashed his flyboy grin and said, “Catch you later, Colonel.” And saluting, he turned and strolled out of the room.
Later, as Mac watched him from the bridge as he nailed trap after trap, she thought about how he had asked her if it was okay that they stay so he could do his quals. He wasn’t asking her permission, she realized, but he was being considerate of her feelings about staying an extra day or two. That was definitely unlike him. When it came to flying, Harm thought of no one else. He was in a zone when he flew, as he should be. Could it be that she really was his top priority now? Could she expect him to give up something that he loved so much?
After all, it was that cocky self-confidence that attracted her to him in the first place. She really didn’t want him to change.
During his night quals, Harm came out on top, as usual. He was so exhausted by the end of the day that he didn’t even have time to talk to Mac. Oh well, I’ll see her in the morning, he thought, as he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the CAG asked him to report at once to the bridge. After acknowledging his salute, the CAG got down to business. “Commander, you have again come out on top in all your traps. I could sure use another instructor pilot on board. Your talent should be utilized more than just every six months or so. What do you say?”
Harm couldn’t hide his surprise, or his pleasure at the offer. “I’m flattered, sir, and honored at your offer. As much as I would like to accept it, I have other priorities in my life right now. I’m very happy at JAG, and, well frankly sir, I’ve put my private life on hold long enough.”
The CAG raised an eyebrow as he said, “Are you thinking marriage and family, Commander?”
Harm smiled as he said, “It’s crossed my mind, sir.”
“With the Colonel, I assume?” The Captain smiled mischievously.
Harm looked surprised. “What makes you think that, sir?”
“Oh, Commander, it’s obvious every time you two come on board. And didn’t she call off her wedding when your plane went down?”
“You don’t miss a beat, do you sir?” Harm tried not to smile.
The Captain returned the smile and said, “That’s why I’m the CAG.”
Just then Mac entered the bridge. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” She tried to hide her admiration as the CAG related how well Harm had done on his quals.
“So, Marine, are you ready to go?” Harm asked.
“All packed and ready to return to headquarters, Commander.” Mac turned to the CAG. “Thank you for your hospitality, once again, sir.”
“My pleasure, Colonel. You’re always welcome on board. And, Commander, good luck to you,” the Captain said.
As Harm and Mac walked out onto the flight deck, Mac asked, “What was he wishing you luck for?”
“He offered me a position on board as a flight instructor.”
Mac suddenly got quiet as they boarded the helicopter. She dared not ask what his response was. She could see how much he loved flying and she knew how invaluable he would be as an instructor. But could she stand it if he left JAG again?
Harm took her by the hand and said, “Mac, I turned him down. I told him I have other priorities in my life now. My private life has been on hold long enough. He was wishing me luck with that. I’m not leaving you again.”
Mac looked at him with such relief in her eyes that he couldn’t help but fall in love with her even more. “I just know how much you love flying,” she said, hesitantly. “I couldn’t ask you to give that up.”
“You’re not. Yes, I love flying, but the truth is, I love you more. I’m content to fly tomcats every six months and take my other “Sarah” up whenever I can. The most important thing to me right now is you. Now let’s get back home so we can start this courtship!”
Mac looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time. He really did love her! And if it took her a lifetime, which she hoped it would, she was going to return that love tenfold!
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