Author: usmgrad, just a little late
Subject: HBX Challenge March 2008 - Friends and Family

Title: HBX Challenge March 2008 - Friends and Family
Author: usmgrad

A/N – I have changed a pronoun in the challenge lines from “we” to “you’

Another snippet of life with Harm, Mac and their adopted daughter Emily.


After a long day, Harm was finally home. Exiting the car with briefcase in hand he noticed the grass needed mowing, ‘maybe this weekend if it doesn’t rain’ he thought. But his mind was already on what was waiting for him inside the house not outside. As he opened the front door, Harm remembered something his father use to say when he would come home, “This is my favorite time of day.” Harm smiled, Dad was right.

The house was quiet, no laughter or talking, just music coming from the direction of the kitchen. He knew Mac was home, he smelled dinner cooking and figured this close to dinnertime Emily was sure to be home, but where was everyone?

“Hello, anyone home?” Harm voiced as he set his briefcase and cover on the entry table, removed his jacket and hung it on the hall tree.

“In the kitchen” came the response from his wife but his daughter was MIA with a greeting. Harm waited for the “sneak attack” from a certain mini marine, but it never came. Something was wrong.

Heading to the back of the house Harm found both his wife and daughter, but it was way to quiet; before speaking again Harm did a little recon. Mac was busy in the kitchen putting the last minute touches on dinner; Emily was sitting on the sofa in the den. So far nothing was out of the ordinary except Emily wasn’t helping with dinner preparations. Dinner smelled good, one of Emily’s favorites; Mac’s mood seemed okay, so he didn’t think there was a problem between his girls. He saw no notes from pre-school that would indicate a problem there. He was at a loss to determine what it was, but something was defiantly wrong.

Kissing his wife hello Harm whispered. “What’s up? Something I should know about?”

Mac responded in normal tone, “Hi, dinner should be finished in a few minutes, can you get the salad out of the refrigerator.” But in a whisper, “Emily and Rachel had a fight.”

Eyebrows rose in response, Emily and her best friend Rachel never fought, this was serious. Harm did as he was asked, retrieved the salad and placed it on the table, but instead of returning to the kitchen to help he headed into the den and sat next to Emily. He was greeted with a cold shoulder.

“How was your day Emily?”

“Fine”

“Did you have fun at school today?”

“Yes”

“Do anything special today?”

“No”

Harm was beginning to wonder if he would get more than a one word answer from his daughter. “Did you play with Rachel today?”

Emily’s express went from non existence to mad; folding her arms across her chest she replied “I don’t like Rachel anymore.”

“Why?” He waited; no response. He looked at Mac who shrugged her shoulders, she didn’t know either.

“Emily?”

“She was mean to me.”

“And?”

Emily shrugged her shoulders and looked away, a definite guilt reaction.

“You did nothing?”

“Well she started it.” Emily’s eyes began to water.

Harm hated to see his daughter cry. He was at a loss as how to comfort her when she cried. As he gathered her in his arms he sure wished there was a magic button he could push to make everything alright for his little girl. Just how do you tell a five year old that it wasn’t the end of the world, that she and her best friend would probably be best friends again in the morning? Then he remembered something his Grandmother use to tell him, it might not be a magic button but hopefully it would work.

“You know Emily, just because you’re fighting today doesn't mean that one day you can't mend fences with Rachel.”

Emily looked at her daddy like he had two heads, “Daddy, why would I want to do anything with Rachael when I’m mad at her?”

Chuckling, Harm tried again, “Emily, it means that one day you will make up and be friends again.”

Timidly Emily replied, “Oh, well she has to want to mend fences too.”

Kissing his daughter’s head, “your right Emily, now go wash your hands for dinner.”

All this time Mac was watching with amusement at the interaction between her husband and daughter. Getting the last of the dinner on the table Mac provided her own interpretation to Harm’s words of wisdom.

“While I appreciate your solving the problem so we can have a pleasant dinner I think you have it wrong.”

Getting up from the sofa and intercepting his wife for a proper welcome home kiss, “what exactly did I have wrong?”

Laughing as she embraced her husband, “ knowing your grandmother as I do, I think the real meaning of that expression was ‘you’re finished working for today but tomorrow you need to fix the fence’.”

Harm succeeded in getting his proper welcome home and whispered with a grin in his voice, “You’re probably right, but don’t tell Emily.”

Later after the dinner dishes were washed and put away and Emily had her bath it was bed time. If coming home was the best time of the day Harm thought, this must be the best of the best, snuggling with his daughter as he read her a story. It was a time they both looked forward to every evening and something he missed terribly when he was away. Emily picked out a story and both were getting comfortable when they were interrupted.

“Harm you have a phone call, its Admiral Simpkins.”

Harm looked at Emily and she understood an Admiral was the only person that could interrupt this nighttime ritual. Mac took over as Harm left to answer the phone.

When Harm hadn’t returned by the time the book was finished Mac tucked Emily into bed, kissed her goodnight and told her daddy would be in as soon as he could. Then she went to look for Harm. She found him in the office still on the phone. Listening to only one side of the conversation it took a few minutes before Mac understood the reason for the phone call.

“Yes sir, I understand . . . I agree fighting is not acceptable behavior . . . yes sir . . . Emily showed poor judgment . . . I understand . . . she has to go . . . in the morning . . . good night sir.”

Harm hung up the phone.

Mac was concerned, “Harm, is everything alright?”

“I had hoped to be able to keep her, but the Admiral had other ideas, Emily is out.”

The Emily in question was Emily Rodriquez a Petty Officer charged with fighting, Harm was prosecuting. The case was set to go to trial the first of the week but at the last minute the defense offered a deal. Harm had presented it to the convening authority and had been waiting to hear his response. Apparently the convening authority agreed to the deal with one added condition, the Petty Officer had to leave the Navy.

Mac knew for some reason this was a difficult case for Harm, it seemed even though he was the prosecution he had tried everything he knew to keep her in the Navy. He saw something in her that no one else saw, kind of like he saw something in Jennifer Coates. But Mac also knew Harm needed to keep a perspective on the case, he couldn’t argue with an Admiral.

“I know this changes things Captain, but there’s nothing you can do. The Admiral is right; she did wrong and has to accept the consequences of her actions.”

Letting that sink in for a moment, she asked, “Do you think they’ll take the deal?”

“Yes, it’s better than going to trial.”

“Harm, you did all you could for her.”

As Harm and Mac talked, neither saw the little figure standing outside the door listening. She had gotten out of bed for her goodnight kiss from her daddy, but instead she overheard his phone conversation and returned to her room, crying.

Realizing there was nothing he could do about it tonight he left the office and went to kiss his daughter goodnight. He hadn’t been gone two seconds when he came back, “Mac where’s Emily?”

“She’s in her bed.”

“No she’s not.”

“Maybe she’s in the bathroom”

“No, I checked.”

“Harm she couldn’t have disappeared. She has to be here somewhere.”

Before they let panic set in they searched the house. Harm checked the den and kitchen and Mac checked the living room.

Catching Harm as he came out of the kitchen, a relived Mac whispered, “Harm, I found her.”

“Where?”

Pointing toward the living room, Harm saw his daughter sitting in her daddy’s favorite chair cocooned in his uniform jacket, asleep. Upon closer inspection it was apparent she had been holding on to the jacket tightly when she fell asleep and had been crying.

“What is she doing . . . ?” he didn’t have time to finish as Mac touched his arm to get his attention.

“Harm, you don’t think she overheard your phone conversation and thought you were talking about her do you?”

Harm stood there in disbelief, “Oh god.”

As they entered the living room Mac saw a packed overnight bag sitting next to the chair. Tomorrow, Mac thought, she and Emily would have a mommy to little marine talk about running away. But tonight was for reassuring Emily of her place in this family. Harm reached to pick up his daughter from the chair as Mac removed the jacket. Harm replaced the removed ‘security blanket’ with his embrace.

Gently he woke his daughter “Emily, honey, what are you doing out of bed?”

She woke, saw Harm and Mac and started crying again. “I’m sorry Daddy. I tried really hard to be good. I didn’t mean to fight with Rachel.”

Sitting down in his chair Harm pulled Emily close. Emily buried her head into his chest. Sitting next to them on the arm of the chair, Mac attempted to get Emily to talk “Emily did you overhear Daddy’s phone conversation?”

Emily won't talk be she did nod her head yes.

Harm tried, “And you think the Admiral was taking about your fight with Rachel?”

Again the head nodded yes. Harm looked up at Mac for guidance silently asking, what do we do now?

Mac began to speak again as she stroked Emily’s hair, something Mac had discovered early on that Emily found reassuring. “Emily, do you remember when we all went to court. Not for mommy or daddy’s work but together as a family.”

Again the head nodded but she still hadn’t looked up.

Mac continued, “We all talked with the judge and he asked you if you wanted Harm and me to be your parents.”

Still no response from Emily, so Harm tried, “The judge signed a paper that day that made you our daughter. You became Emily Ann Rabb.”

Pulling Emily away from his chest so he could see her face and she could see their faces, Harm wiped the tears and continued “Emily you’re our daughter, no one can ever change that. No one can ever take you away from us, we will always be your parents and you will always be our daughter.”

“Not even an Admiral?” Emily asked timidly

“Not even an Admiral.” Harm answered firmly.

“I don’t have to go away?” Emily asked with a little more confidence.

“No Emily you don’t have to go away.”

“Does this mean I can stay and mend fences with Rachel?”

Laughing and hugging his daughter, “Yes it does sweetheart, yes it does.”