Title: Falling Into Place

Author: Vivienne

Prompt: LobsterDoc

Her foot slid on the slippery surface and she became airborne. As she began her uncontrolled descent, she knew her day was only getting worse. Landing was really going to hurt.

Category – Pretty much fluff. Another way to fix the Paraguay/Webb mess.
Author:?????
Rating: Pretty much anyone can read this.

Takes place after “A Merry Little Christmas” right after Mac leaves Harm and Mattie at the Vietnam Memorial.


**********


Dec 24, 2003

She paused at the top of the stairs, looking back at Harm and Mattie hugging. Smiling, her heart warmed at the sight. At least she’d done something right – she hadn’t “screwed it up,” to borrow Harm’s phrasing. In her heart she couldn’t blame him for thinking that she screwed everything up. She thought she did too.

Sighing, she turned to continue back to her car. In spite of Harm’s belated invitation, she didn’t really feel welcome to spend Christmas with him. Horning in on the happy moments of Harm and Mattie’s first Christmas together would have been…well…she would have been out of place. She didn’t really know Mattie, and she definitely didn’t belong on Harm’s Christmas list this year. So she’d lied about a date with Webb.

It was something Harm wouldn’t question – he was already convinced she was in a relationship with Webb. And in a way, she was. It just wasn’t the type of relationship Harm thought it was. They were only friends. And these days, she couldn’t afford to turn a friend away.

The parking lot was partially empty, and it didn’t look like the snowplows or salt trucks had been through. It was well lit, but she’d have to be careful. Picking her way amidst the ice and snow, she mourned a little for all she had lost – thrown away. It was all so bizarre. Never had she envisioned her life as it was now. And she couldn’t blame anyone but herself.

Slipping, she caught hold of the rearview mirror of a nearby car. She waited a moment, catching her breath. That’s all she needed now, a good fall. It would really top off her year.

Stepping out more carefully, she tried to edge around the ice puddles covering the parking lot. It wasn’t easy.

Well, she thought, at least she had a nice warm apartment to go to. And if there was no one special in her life, and her friends seemed distant, she still had her work. A cold comfort, to be sure, but at least it was there. And if the last few months had been bad, at least she’d started a tentative new friendship with Harm.

There was a quick darting movement to her left, and she swung around quickly to see what it was. Unfortunately, she realized much too late that it was only some small animal, a squirrel perhaps. Because that quick turn had been her undoing.

Her foot slid on the slippery surface and she became airborne. As she began her uncontrolled descent, she knew her day was only getting worse. Landing was really going to hurt.

There was a terrible sensation of falling, a kaleidoscope of the surrounding world flashing, and then nothing. The next thing she knew, she was staring up at the light in the parking lot. For an instant, she felt relief that she hadn’t really been hurt, but then every part of her body started to ache. Wet snow was plastered to her, and she was freezing.

Somehow, she wasn’t sure how; she’d landed with her legs under the car she’d been passing by. Testing to see if anything was actually broken, she began the laborious process of pulling herself upright. The door handle of the car she was half under was convenient, and she used it to lever herself up. She shifted her legs, trying to get her feet under her to stand up.

It was then she discovered she’d damaged her left ankle.

Pain lanced through her when she tried to stand, and she quickly lowered herself back down into the slush, gasping. “Shit,” she said aloud. “This sucks.”

Well, she thought. So much for a comfortable, if lonely, evening at home. Even if she managed to get to her corvette, it was doubtful she’d be able to step on the clutch to shift gears. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

Once again she attempted to stand, this time being careful to put her weight on her right leg. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to ignore the pain. It wasn’t easy, and there were tears in her eyes when she was done.

She took a deep breath and looked around, trying to get her bearings and make a plan. Now what? Her car was not far, only about 10 spaces down. It seemed like a twenty-mile hike with a full pack on.

Doing her best to keep the weight off her bad ankle, she leaned on the car and managed to scramble-hop over to the next one. Her ankle throbbed with each movement, and she gritted her teeth against the pain.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Moving hurt…a lot. In fact, just standing there hurt. She’d never make it to her car at this rate. She was considering giving up and just crawling through the ice and snow to her car - dignity be damned - when she heard her name called.

“Mac! Wait up!” It was Harm, of course. She closed her eyes in resignation. So much for a dignified retreat.

She leaned against the car as she waited, listening to his footsteps crunching in the snow.

“Hey, Mac, what are you still-?" He broke off when he got a look at her. “What happened? Are you alright?”

She nodded, feeling her damp hair swinging against her neck. “Yeah, I just slipped. Where’s Mattie?”

“She’s waiting in the car.” His eyes traveled over her, taking in her bedraggled appearance and pale countenance before settling on her ankle. “Holy crap, Mac, what did you do to your ankle? It’s the size of a basketball!”

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “I just twisted it, but it’s difficult to walk on.” Shifting uncomfortably, she continued, trying to sound nonchalant. “I know you need to get going, but could you just help me to my car? I’ll just ice it at home.”

He looked at her incredulously. Before she could anticipate his move, he leaned in and swooped her up in his arms.

“Harm! You don’t have to carry me!” She would have been thrilled at the gesture, but her ankle hurt too much. “Really, put me down.” She did her best to sound stern.

He didn’t answer, just turned and started walking back the other way. “Hey, where are you going? My car is over there.” She pointed her finger over his shoulder.

“I know.” His calm reply irritated her.

“Then why are we going this way?”

“Because MY car is over here.”

“But…but,” no, this couldn’t be happening. The mortification was too great to bear.

“No buts, Marine.” His tone was unyielding. “I’m taking you home.”

“Please, just take me to my car.” She was totally embarrassed now. “I can handle this, Harm. It’s not that bad.”

They’d reached his Lexus by now. Mattie had seen them coming and helpfully scrambled out of the front seat to open the back door.

“No way, Mac. For once, can you just accept my help?” He set her down on the seat and reached to gently help her shift inside. “You can rest with your leg up if you ride in back.” When she didn’t cooperate, he heaved a sigh of impatience. “Webb will understand.” Amazingly, he didn’t sound bitter, but a little ‘something’ leaked through his tone.

She stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. “It’s not that.” She didn’t have the heart to make him suffer, even if his assumptions were all his own doing.

His eyes were shadowed as they met hers. “Then what?”

Blushing, she nodded towards the silent Mattie. “I don’t want to intrude on your first Christmas with Mattie. You two deserve this time together.”

Mattie had figured out what happened and piped up. “Colonel, I’d be glad to share Christmas with you. After all, you made this possible.” She winced as she looked at Mac’s ankle. “And that looks painful. Maybe we should stop at the Emergency Room.”

“I think you’re right, Mattie,” Harm agreed, his tone lightening a little. “First stop, Emergency Room.” He tried once more to help her shift her legs into the car. When she still refused to move, he looked at her. “Do you want to call Webb, or shall I?”

“Wait, just wait a minute!” She tried her best to think of a way out of this, but kept hitting a stone wall. “Please, can you just take me home?” She hadn’t had much practice at wheedling Harm, but figured it was worth a shot. “Please? I promise I’ll take care of my ankle, and you two can go ahead and have fun.” Briefly she considered batting her eyelashes, but realized that she wasn’t looking her best. “Please?”

Her hair was wet and limp, as were her clothes. She shivered and managed to look even more pathetic.

He softened. “I’ll take you home on one condition.”

“What condition?” She knew him too well to feel triumphant yet.

“You call Webb, and have him meet you there. He’ll take care of you then.” It cost him to offer this, she could see that.

Shamefaced, she looked down. “I…um…well…I can’t call him.” It was time to face the music. Damn it, she always got caught when she lied.

“Why not?” Surprisingly, he didn’t sound irritated, only perplexed.

“Well, first off, he’s not in town.” Looking anywhere but at Harm, she continued. “In fact, I’m not sure where he is, but I think it’s somewhere warm.”

“But you said…” Now the irritation showed up.

“I know.” She cut him off. “I lied.” Before it could get any worse, she rushed on; “I just wanted to give you something, without you having to give me something. I could give you this night with Mattie, and I didn’t want to screw it up for you.” Her voice got progressively lower as she spoke.

His demeanor was completely neutral for once. “And you chose to lie about Webb, because?”

Sighing, her voice went even softer; her eyes were still averted. “Because you always assume I’m in a relationship with him – you always assume the worst.”

“And was I wrong? Are you in a relationship with him?” He wasn’t accusing or sarcastic. He sounded like the old Harm, who used to like her, not judge her. Before everything had gotten so messed up.

Suddenly, it was all too much for her. The last few months of pain and misunderstanding overcame her. “No, I’m not.” Finally she looked at him, but with a little trepidation. “In spite of what you thought, I never was. We're friends. That’s all.”

There was a short silence as they eyed each other. It was broken by a giggle from Mattie. “Let me see if I understand this. You’re not in a relationship with Webb, whoever that is; you just let Harm think that because he kept assuming that. And let me guess, Harm was not very nice about it.”

It was then the idiocy of the whole situation hit both Mac and Harm. He gave Mac a bright smile as he answered Mattie. “That’s about the size of it.” There was an answering smile on her face.

“Boy, and I thought high school was stupid.”

That cracked them all up.

Once the hilarity died down, Harm addressed the situation at hand. “Ok, Marine, let’s get you home and warm and dry.” Finally, Harm was successful in shifting her so that her legs were in the car, her ankle carefully cushioned with his coat. Once everyone was inside and belted in, he repeated his first stop routine. “To the Emergency Room first, ok?”

“How about if we just head for my apartment? I promise, I’ll stay off it and ice it. If it’s not better in the next day or so, I’ll go to the doctor.” She couldn’t bear the thought of spending hours at the hospital. “I’m sure it’s just sprained.”

He looked doubtful, then ready to argue when she pulled out the big guns. “I have mocha cheesecake at my apartment.”

“Oooooh, my favorite!” Mattie was happy. Mac knew it was Harm’s favorite too.

He gave in, albeit ungraciously. “Fine, but if it gets worse, you’re going to the hospital tonight!”


Dec 24, 2004
Vietnam War Memorial


She paused at the top of the stairs, scanning anxiously for Harm. When she couldn’t see him, she took a cautious step forward.

Her foot slid on the slippery surface and she became airborne.

This time, she felt two strong arms catch her and bring her safely back to earth. “Mac! I told you to wait in the car; I would only be a few minutes!”

He set her on her feet and continued to scold. “What if you had fallen? You’re nine months pregnant, for God’s sake! You could have hurt yourself badly, or the baby! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“I’m sorry. I tried to be careful.” She tried to soothe him, but he was visibly upset. “But I think I’m having contractions, and I didn’t want to stay by myself in the car.”

“Damn it, why didn’t you say so!” He picked her back up and began hurrying to the car. “We’d better get to the hospital right away!”

“Why don’t we head home for now? It will probably be hours; my water hasn’t broken.” Her attempt at avoiding the hospital wasn’t going well, judging by the look on his face. “And you don’t have to carry me. I can walk!”

“I don’t care. I’d rather be safe than sorry.” His tone was absolutely unyielding. “Our daughter is going to be delivered at the hospital.”

He opened the door to the car as she tried the big guns. “I've got mocha cheesecake at home.”

He grinned as he set her down. “You know, under most circumstances that might work, Mrs. Rabb. But I have to tell you, we ARE going to the hospital NOW. Cheesecake or no cheesecake!”

Well, she thought to herself as he headed out, if you HAD to go to the hospital, this was the best reason to go!

The End