Author: RD
Subject: Too Many Goodbyes (Part B)

See disclaimer in Part A

Too Many Goodbyes
By: RD

Part B

Twenty minutes later she was knocking on Harm's door.

Harm couldn't believe the day he had had. He was embarrassed to have been so caught off guard with Mic's sucker punch, especially in front of so many people. He could rationalize that Mic was a boxer and his punch packed a lot of power, but he was still embarrassed. Standing there in front of the Admiral, all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole.

He wondered for the millionth time what Mac ever saw in Brumby. He just didn't trust the guy. He knew he could have brought charges against him, but that would have hurt Mac and he cared about her too much to do that to her. When the Admiral dismissed them, he just wanted to get back to his office as soon as possible, but Mic wanted to make nice. Probably just a show for Mac, but two could play that game, so he shook hands.

As he sat in court, the ache in his stomach grew, as did a strange pain in his shoulder. It took all of his effort to concentrate and he was relieved when the proceedings were over and his client was found not guilty. He noticed Mac looking at him a few times with concern in her eyes. Did the pain show that much? He slipped into his office and closed the door. He just needed to make it through another half hour and then he could go home.

Sitting at his desk, Mic's words came back to him. Renee had obviously talked to him. Why, was anyone's guess? He was glad Mac did not pursue the issue though. He wasn't ready to have that conversation. Not just yet. After Mac kissed him on the Admiral's porch, he really started thinking about his relationship with both her and Renee. If he really cared about Renee, he wouldn't have feelings for another woman. He knew Mac was spoken for and he would never do anything to ruin that for her, but he also wasn't being fair to Renee. She deserved to be loved completely and only. He could never do that and he told her as much. She was surprisingly calm and resigned. She had suspected as much and was actually relieved not to have to pretend any longer. She had hoped for something that would never happen. Now she was free to find that special someone.

He had felt relieved as well. He enjoyed Renee's company, but there had always been a tension between them. He'd known what it was, and he suspected Renee did too. Mac. She had tried to get confirmation several times, but he had always brushed her questions and worries aside. He couldn't do that any longer.

By the time 17:00 rolled around, Harm was feeling worse. His shoulder really hurt and he was exhausted. He grabbed his briefcase and headed for the elevators, not even bothering to say goodnight to Mac. He couldn't face her right now. He hoped a good night's sleep would help him feel better.

He arrived home and barely had the energy to take off his uniform. Leaving it in a pile on the floor, he crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up around himself.

Some time later, he barely registered a knock on his door. He ignored it, hoping whoever it was would just go away. The pounding came again but he was in too much pain to care.

Mac knocked on Harm's door several times but there was no answer. She knew he was home since his car was parked downstairs. It wasn't like him to ignore a knock and she began to get worried. Selecting his key from her key ring, she unlocked the door and quietly opened it. The loft was dark so she wondered briefly if maybe Harm had gone out for a run or something. She decided to go ahead and wait for him inside, hoping he wouldn't mind. Closing the door, she was startled by a sound coming from the bedroom. She held her breath and listened. It came again and this time Mac recognized it as a moan.

Mac made her way towards Harm's bed. He was curled up in a ball, on his side, holding his stomach tight and rocking. Mac hurried over to his side and sat on the bed next to him.

“Harm?” no answer. “Harm?” still no answer. She placed her hand gently on his forehead. His skin was clammy and had a fine sheen of sweat. She reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. He was very pale and breathing with difficulty. She pulled out her cell phone and called 911. With an ambulance on the way, she again tried to rouse him by shaking him gently and calling his name. This time she was able to bring him around.

“Mac? What....what ....are you.....doing here?” His question was followed by a spasm of pain. He groaned loudly and closed his eyes tight while clutching his stomach.

“Harm? Come on, try to stay awake ok.” He opened his eyes but was having trouble keeping them open.

“Harm!!!” she shouted, trying to keep him awake.

“Sorry .... Mac....something's...wrong.....stomach....shoulder....hurts.” He groaned again.

“I know you are hurting Harm, but try to stay awake ok. An ambulance is on its way.”

“I'll...try...”

“Ok, good.” She got a damp washcloth from the bathroom and began smoothing it over his face and forehead, alternating between the washcloth and her other hand on his skin.

“Mmm... feels ...nice...Mac. Won't Mic ....be...mad?”

“I don't answer to Mic.” She smiled at him, then kissed his forehead. Before she had a chance to say any more, the EMT's arrived and she went to let them in.

While one of the EMT's took Harm's vitals, the other asked Mac questions. She told them about the punch Harm had received earlier in the day and that he had been complaining that his stomach and shoulder were hurting. The covers were pulled back and Harm's t-shirt lifted up. She gasped at the horribly large purple bruise that had spread across his stomach. Mic had definitely not pulled his punch.

She suddenly felt an intense anger towards Mic, but she forgot about it as soon as she saw Harm nearly jump off the bed when the EMT touched his abdomen. She was immediately by his side glaring at the man. “What did you do to him?” Her voice was barely controlled.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I had to check for rebound tenderness. He has all the signs of internal bleeding and we need to get him to the hospital quickly.”

Her anger dissipated at his words and she informed the EMT that Harm was military and needed to be taken to the National Naval Medical Center. They put him on the stretcher and headed out. Mac was right behind them.

She followed the ambulance to the hospital and quickly found a parking space. By the time she ran into the emergency waiting room, Harm was already being evaluated and prepped for surgery. She filled out all the necessary paperwork and was told it would be a few hours at least, but someone would come out as soon as they knew anything.

She decided she’d better call the Admiral and let him know what happened. He told her he’d be there shortly and for her not to worry.

‘As if that were possible’ she thought to herself. With nothing left to do but wait, she finally sat down. After a few minutes, she began to shake. It suddenly hit her what all had transpired today. She had started this morning as an engaged woman with a best friend, and now she was no longer engaged and her best friend was in trouble. The only things she was sure of right now were that she was in love with Harm….and she couldn’t lose him.

The tears started falling down her face as she thought about all the happy moments with Harm and all the wasted time. She brought her knees up to her chest and began rocking herself. This was how the Admiral found her.

“Mac? Oh God, he isn’t….he didn’t….?”

Mac looked up and shook her head. She wiped at the tears and took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke. “He’s still in surgery. They are supposed to let me know something soon.” She wiped away more tears. “I’m just so scared sir. After I called off the wedding, I wanted to go see how Harm was doing.”

“Wait a minute – you called off the wedding?” He couldn’t help the little smile that played around his mouth. He never really did like that smug bastard.

Mac nodded. “I realized I didn’t love him and needed to see Harm. When I went to his loft… at first I couldn’t get him to wake up…then he was in so much pain. I..I didn’t know what was wrong so I called an ambulance. The EMT’s said he had internal bleeding. God, when I saw the bruise from Mic’s punch…..I wanted to kill him right on the spot for what he’d done.”

“So this is Mic’s fault? Wait till I get my hands on that…that…” He turned and looked at Mac and realized now was not the time for that, though he would, at the very least, make sure Mic was charged with assault. “Mac, Harm is going to be ok. He is strong and stubborn – as we both well know.”

“I know sir. I’m still scared though.” Mac answered.

“I know.” He was unsure how to comfort her. “I should call the Roberts and let them know what’s going on.” He stood up and looked down at her. “It will be ok Colonel.”

“Admiral, what about his Mom?”

“I think it best to wait until we have something to tell her. No sense worrying her without reason.”

She just nodded.

Two hours later, Mac, the Admiral, Bud and Harriet all sat in the waiting room, each thinking about their friend. The Admiral had briefly described what had happened, leaving out the part about the Colonel breaking up with Mic. Given the circumstances, it was a good thing she had broken it off as it appeared the news affected everyone the way it had himself. They all wanted to kill Mic.

When a surgeon finally came out Mac immediately stood up and approached him.

“Are you family of Commander Rabb?”

“No sir, but I hold his medical power of attorney. Is he ok?”

By this time everyone had gathered around Mac to hear what the surgeon had to say. The doctor looked at the group, then back to Mac. “Should we go someplace else to talk?”

“No, it's ok. We are all here for Commander Rabb. Please just tell us if he's ok.”

“He lost a lot of blood due to a ruptured spleen. We were able to stop the bleeding and for now his spleen has been repaired.”

“I thought the spleen had to be removed if it ruptured?” the Admiral asked.

“I believe in a conservative approach when at all possible. In CDR Rabb's case, there was enough viable tissue for the spleen to be repaired. I won't know for about 72 hours if the surgery was successful. He may still lose the spleen, but for now, he is stable.”

“For now?” Mac's voice was wavering. “Does that mean he isn't out of danger?”

“I can't give you any guarantees. We will need to monitor his heart and make sure the bleeding does not start again, but given how close he was to bleeding out, I'd say he is doing very well.”

“Can he have visitors?” Harriet finally found her voice.

“He will remain in the ICU for at least 24 hours and they only allow family.” He looked at Mac. “Colonel, you can see him for a little while tonight. I'll have a nurse take you back in just a few minutes. The rest of you will have to wait until he is transferred out of the ICU. I don't expect him to wake up until tomorrow so you should all go home and try to get some rest.” He glanced at his watch. “I'm sorry, but I really have to get back now.” He started to turn away, but stopped and looked back at Mac. “You know Colonel, you saved his life tonight. If you hadn't gotten him here when you did, he would have bled to death in his sleep.”

Mac was glad she was sitting down. Her body felt numb. The full force of what the doctor said hit her like a ton of bricks. If she had stayed home instead of finally following her heart, Harm would have died.

No one moved or said anything for several minutes. They were all in shock thinking about how close they had come to losing Harm. There was still a possibility that he wouldn't be ok, but they didn't want to dwell on that.

The Admiral was the one who broke the silence. “Ok people, it is getting late and we still have an office to run tomorrow. I think we should all do as the doctor suggested and go on home.”

Harriet told Mac to call if she found out anything more or needed anything, then she and Bud headed home.

The Admiral turned to Mac. “I’ll go ahead and call his mom, let her know what happened.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I don't suppose telling you to go home would do any good?”

“No Sir. I can't leave. I need to see him, to ... sit with him. He could wake up and I need to be there.” Mac was about to say more but the Admiral cut her off.

“It's ok Mac. Just be sure to take care of yourself too and try to get some sleep. You won't do yourself or Harm any good if you wear yourself out.”

“I will Sir. Uh, Admiral, I'd like to request a personal day tomorrow, if that's ok.”

“Granted. Just be sure to keep me apprised of Harm’s condition.”

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”

The Admiral left and Mac was once again alone with her thoughts. She promised herself that as soon as Harm was out of danger, she would tell him exactly how she felt. She was no longer going to hide her feelings for him, from him. Not for the first time tonight, she hoped she wasn't too late.