Title: Finally on Solid Ground

Author: Karen Joy
Prompt: When both feet are planted firmly, nothing can shake you.
Word Count: 3969
Category: Drama/ Romance
Rating: A light PG
Summary: Takes place during and after the events of JAG: San Diego. Whatever factual errors I have made, consider as artistic license.


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Mac had just sent yet another voice mail to Harm’s cell phone. Since he hadn’t answered the phone she knew he was still at the hospital in Blacksburg, she would ask the General’s yeoman the number for ICU, just as soon as she was finished with her report on the conference, and her opinion on how Lieutenant had fared during his case while out in California.

When the General had informed her that Sturgis had taken command of the office because of the accident in Blacksburg, she’d wanted to leave San Diego right then and there, and catch the first flight that would get her remotely close to Blacksburg, Virginia as soon as humanly possible. Unfortunately, General Creswell had seen the look of determination in her face and he’d ordered her to stay at the conference.

Flashback

“Colonel, you have no choice, unless you want to want to go AWOL” She knew by his tone of voice he wasn’t kidding. Then to her surprise, his countenance softened, and she felt a flicker of hope. “I understand from Mister Roberts that Mattie means a great deal to the Commander. As soon as we return to DC, you are on leave for one week with the proviso, if I need you, that your leave is canceled.

“Thank you, General” was all she could say.

“While you are on leave I will have Commander Turner mentor Lt. Vukovich. That is all, dismissed.”

End Flashback

Mac had stayed, reluctantly, in San Diego, where she was not at all thrilled with having to wait another thirty-six hours before she could go to Blacksburg, but she knew that she would do Harm absolutely no good if she were cooling her heels in the brig.

The only good news in all this was that she was rid of the Harm wannabe. Sturgis Turner would have to deal with the Lieutenant. She knew that Sturgis would not let him get away with any of his antics, for some reason anything she said he ignored, and though she couldn’t prove anything yet, she was sure he had been underhanded in more than one of his recent court cases. She’d seen one too many smirks that suggested to her that he’d gotten away with something.

The ‘lucky’ conference attendees had finally returned to DC, and Mac quickly dealt with everything on her desk that could be handed off to someone else. These cases would go to Creswell for redistribution. The general had also strongly suggested that she check in with his yeoman every few hours, or when there were breakthroughs in the case, so that the amount of calls from the office would be minimal.

Her plan was to go home and get clean clothes, then head to Blacksburg after grabbing a snack, since her body was still on Pacific Time; she wasn’t ready for supper. Coates had told her she would make reservations so that she wouldn’t have to deal with that on a Friday night after a five-hour drive. She’d made it as far as her car, was about to put her suitcase in the trunk when her cell phone rang, she had Harm on a special ring tone, and made sure she answered it, even if it meant dropping her luggage on her shoe.

“Harm, how is Mattie doing?” The news from him was disheartening, as there had been no change since the one voicemail she had received from him. “The General gave me a weeks leave, but I am on call, though. I just need to go home and grab some clean clothes, then I’ll head down there. Coates make reservations for me.” She was fully expecting Harm to protest, that she didn’t need to do that, that he could take care of himself. but then she realized Harm’s world had just been hit with an earthquake of sorts, she hadn’t heard the despair in his voice since the confirmation that his father was indeed dead.

“Mac, I could really use your company,” Harm admitted. With those few words, Mac knew that Mattie’s accident had shaken Harm more than anyone had realized. One of the things that Mac had always admired about Harm was that he was always been so strong for everyone, his admission that he needed her said more to her about his emotional state than all the flowery words in a book of poetry. It also told her about the state of their relationship, in the decade they had known each other, Harm had always been the go-to guy for strength, but if he was the one suffering, he did it silently. Now he was letting someone else in.

Harm had been there for her after her Christmas Eve accident, foregoing his annual pilgrimage to the Wall to be with his father. The accident though physically painful had been a blessing in disguise, as it was the impetus for both to admit that they needed each other. By New Years the relationship, which had been platonic, headed towards a romantic one. If anyone had asked they would have said that they weren’t dating, but they spent nearly all their free time together, either watching videos, or going dancing.

By ten, she was in Blacksburg, having made excellent time once she left the Beltway, taking only one break, to stretch, get gas and a quick bite to eat. She registered at the hotel Coates had made the reservations for, and asked for directions to St. Vincent’s Hospital. Soon she was at the hospital and on the ICU floor. “It’s too late for visitors” a young nurse said, not impatiently.”

“I know that, I actually came for one of the visitors, he should be in Mattie Johnson.”

“I wish you can persuade him to go and get good nights sleep. The only time he leaves is when he goes looking for her pitiful excuse for a father.” The nurse said the last part quietly as other families were still present in the area. “He, the patient’s father, was here once, and we’ve been told to call the police if he comes here, intoxicated.”

“I think I can persuade him to go, at least for tonight, because if I have to, I can order him to leave,” she smirked, “I outrank him by a few months.” The nurse grinned; she wasn’t above a little trickery to get the families of patients to get much needed rest. “I haven’t had supper yet, and my guess is neither has Harm, where are some good places to eat, for someone who is basically vegetarian.”

The nurse thought for a moment, “The diner across the street, not really vegetarian friendly, but if you don’t mind a bit of a drive, I know of a great Chinese place. It’s close to Virginia Tech, and it’s open until two in the morning. My family eats there all the time. I’ll get you the address.”

“I’ll let you know” Mac said then entered the room.

Harm’s face lit up when he saw who was entering the room, and he stood up and walked over to where Mac was, he gave her a hug and a kiss. The kiss was starting to become passionate when they both heard a stomach grumble. Mac grinned. “Harm, when was the last time you actually ate something that didn’t come out of a vending machine.”

“Two days ago,” he finally admitted.

“The best thing you can do for Mattie right now is one: go have something decent to eat, and two: get good nights sleep. You won’t do here any good if you end up down the hall as a patient yourself. Let the doctors and nurses do their job. Besides, if there is any change you can easily be reached, there is this handy little device, it’s called a cell phone.” She smiled, and to her relief, he returned it. She’d taken the right approach with Harm. “By the way, Coates intentionally made reservations for both of us, we both know you too well, and were both sure you really haven’t slept in days. The chair cannot be very comfortable to sleep in.” She looked at him, willing him to listen to her. Finally, Harm sighed.

“All right, at least for tonight” with that, they both walked over to the teens bedside and gave a kiss on the cheek and left her room.

The nurse smiled when they both left the room and picked up a piece of paper. “Here is a menu, and the directions to Hsu’s Soups. If your hotel is close to it, I suggest that you get your order to go, so you can eat it in your room.”

“Thanks, we’ll do that.” Mac took the proffered menu and gave it to Harm. “Flyboy, let’s go, your stomach is grumbling, and I’ve only had a small bite to eat since breakfast, and that was in California. You know what I always get, so order for me.”

“Okay, I’ll order” he muttered and walked over to the payphone to order.

Soon they were in the parking lot, and Harm stopped suddenly, realizing that they had two cars, “Mac, I know where the place is, I’ll meet you there…” He stopped when he recognized the car next to the rental he’d been using---Mac’s corvette.

“What can I say, there was a space open when I got here, and that it was after visiting hours when I arrived. Let’s stop by the hotel first, and get you registered, Creswell all but ordered me to make sure you sleep in a real bed tonight.”

“This way you can tell him I left willingly.” He wasn’t thrilled that Creswell had interfered, but deep down he knew he really needed to get some sleep, and was pretty sure that if he’d slept one more night in that chair he would have needed a crane to get him up in the morning.”

Mac got into her Corvette and Harm maneuvered his long body into the rental. Mac had to smile, Harm normally took the time, when renting, to get a vehicle that would easily accommodate his size. She made a mental note to persuade Harm to return that car in the morning.

Soon they were at the hotel, “Harm this is an all suite hotel, it’s a win-win. We can share the cost, and we won’t be breaking any regs. All you need to do is give them your information, and give you a key, I’m already registered.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat there, at Hsu’s Soups.” Harm knew that if he even sat down on a bed he would be asleep before his head hit the pillow. Mac thought that Harm looked like he could fall asleep standing up.

For Harm the past three days had been the emotional equivalent of an 8.0 on the Richter scale, He’d been initially disappointed when the General hadn’t selected him to go to San Diego, then secretly pleased when he was put in charge. Maybe Creswell had a heart after all, as it seemed that since Creswell had become JAG, Harm had been in the doghouse for no discernible reason.

His good mood had evaporated when St. Vincent’s had called. He’d only taken enough time to tell Sturgis what happened and called Creswell to ask for emergency leave. He didn’t want to take the time to drive down and asked the temporary yeoman to make reservations for him to fly down to Blacksburg. He had a sea bag in the trunk of his car and went to get it while he waited for a taxi. He called Jackie Mattoni to have her take his Lexus to her place while he was out of town. Before he was out of the parking lot he had the flight information. He knew that if Mac had been in town, he would have asked the General if she could go with him, even if this wasn’t the best way to announce to the General that they were a couple.

They were not as circumspect as they thought; Creswell had easily made the decision for Mac to be on leave as well, since they were experiencing a lull in the amount of cases. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to recall Mac before the end of the week. He had already begun to figure out how not to lose both of them if they were to make their relationship permanent.

Harm hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself but Mac was a steadying influence for him, and he knew that he didn’t have to be strong when he was with her, knew that he could lean on her inner strength. When he saw her enter the hospital room, he became fully aware that Mac was what grounded him that she was what was missing in his life. He wanted her in his life---for better and for worse.

Shortly before Christmas Eve he’d read a saying, but he was so tired he couldn’t remember now where he’d read it, that at the time he hadn’t registered with him, until the call from the hospital telling him that Mac had been in a car accident—‘When both feet are planted firmly, nothing can shake you.’ When he realized that he could have lost her, for good, had been the impetus he’d needed to get his life out of neutral, and he’d finally had the courage to tell Mac exactly how he felt about her.

Now he knew that with Mac in his life he was complete, without her he felt like a puzzle with several pieces missing. In the weeks since they had started their relationship, whenever either of them was out of town on assignment he felt as if a vital part of him was missing. The call from Blacksburg telling him that Mattie was injured critically had been devastating, and he felt all the more alone because Mac was all the way across the continent, he needed her to be a comfort to him. He needed her strength.

If someone had asked him how he felt those first few days in Blacksburg, until Mac arrived, he would have described it as an individual with one leg trying to stand against hurricane force winds. Now, with her close by, he felt whole, for the first time in days.

Within ten minutes, they were seated in a booth at Hsu’s Soups, where the wait staff had been quite happy to change their order to staying in. Harm was very grateful that it wasn’t noisy, after the past few days all he wanted to hear wasn’t the sound of the monitors. They had asked to add a bowl of soup to their order, which was brought out immediately, since the order was not quite ready.

Mac watched, with some amusement, as Harm quickly ate the bowl of soup, which he could have sworn was his grandmothers prized chicken soup recipe. She didn’t say anything until after the rest of their order arrived and Harm continued to eat like he hadn’t seen food in months. He finally stopped and said “I didn’t realize just how hungry I was.”

“I had a small bite to eat, on the way down here,” Mac was laughing now, it wasn’t often that Harm was the one who ate with such relish. Usually she was the guilty party. “I can see why the nurse and her family come here, this is good food.”

While they ate conversation was kept to a minimum but Harm did let it slip that Mattie had tried to get Harm to come here when he had visited her after she had returned to live with her father.

“That weasel, hasn’t been there for his daughter, he was there when I first got there, but shortly after that he left, and every time I’ve managed to find him he’s been three sheets to the wind. I think the commonwealth is about to revoke custody.” Harm was torn, he wanted Mattie in his life, but he also wanted Mattie to have a solid relationship with her father. “The social worker was by earlier, and she said if he doesn’t show up at the hospital very soon—and sober---Mattie will be taken from him. Because I’m on the books as her foster father, I’ve been allowed to stay with her, but I can’t make any decisions for her. She hinted that I might get full custody of her.”

“When she wakes up she’s going to be crushed to hear that Tom retreated back into the bottle. I think that he got her back too early, that he wasn’t emotionally ready. He’s been an alcoholic for years, and frankly it would have taken a miracle for him not to be at least tempted to take a drink.” Mac would look up an AA meeting while she was here; this had shaken her world as well.

When they finished eating, they were each given a fortune cookie, Harm opened his and had to laugh at what his said, most of his fortune had already come true. Mac tried to take a peek at it, and he used his considerable height to his advantage, keeping it out of her reach. “Didn’t anyone tell you that if you tell your fortune to someone, it doesn’t come true?” Mac looked at him like he was missing a few marbles and smiled at him when he continued, “Give me seventy-two hours, then I’ll tell you what it said.”

When they got back to the hotel, Harm barely took the time to undress before falling into bed. He slept soundly, knowing that Mattie was cared for, and Mac was in the room next to him. He was surprised to find out that it was nine in the morning when he finally woke, feeling refreshed.

When she heard movement in the room next to her she called St. Vincent to get another update on Mattie’s progress. There was good news, it appeared she was coming out of her coma. “We’ll be there in less than an hour.”

Harm knocked on the suite’s adjoining door, after Mac told him to come in she gave him the update. “As soon as we’ve eaten breakfast, we can go.”

“I’m not that hungry” Harm replied, but the look Mac gave him changed his mind. “I’ll get something from the hotel’s continental breakfast, satisfied.” Mac nodded. As they left, with Harm finishing his breakfast he told Mac that he wanted to return the rental. “We don’t need two cars; let’s take it back before going to the hospital. I don’t think I could do the pretzel thing much longer—not without ending up in traction.”

“That’s a deal fly-boy, just as long as I get to drive my own car, once in a while.”

“Deal.”

Before the hour was up, they were at the hospital, and the social worker Harm had seen the day before was there. She notified him that Tom Johnson had been served with papers revoking his parental rights for the near future. Harm had been given custody, thus allowing him to make decisions for Mattie. Her doctor joined the group with another update; Mattie was indeed coming out of the coma, a process that could take hours, or days before she was fully conscious.

With Mac by his side, Harm spent the next few days waiting for Mattie to wake up, he arranged for her to be transferred to a hospital in the DC area, once she could travel. Both were devastated when the doctor told them the extent of her injuries, and the fact she might not completely recover from them. The injuries had been eerily similar to those he’d received during his long ago ramp strike. If Harm knew Mattie he knew she had the determination and will power to fully regain her mobility.

That first afternoon he excused himself, saying he was going for some fresh air, and he called his grandmother and asked that she send down a certain item he had at her place for safekeeping. By supper the next afternoon he had it with him, thankful that it arrived by courier when Mac was at an AA meeting. It had been the first meeting she’d been to in nearly a year.

When Mac returned Harm was ready to go to the hotel. “Let’s go, they’ll call if there is any change.” Mac didn’t mind her words being parroted back at her, this time, and she couldn’t figure out why Harm seemed nervous, but chalked it up the upheaval in his life.

They stopped by a grocery store to get items for supper and returned to their rooms, Mac’s had the kitchenette so they ate there. When they had finished Harm finally spoke. “Mac, you’ve been my anchor the past few days, and I don’t want to go another day without telling you how I feel. “You make my life complete, without you I’m not whole. I felt my world had been shaken like a snow globe held by a sugared up preschooler when I got the call about Mattie, but when I saw you, I felt like I was on solid ground, for the first time in days.”

Mac eyes filled with tears, “We’ve been quite the pair these past few years, trying to stand alone, when we should have been working on standing together, with both of our feet firmly on the ground.”

He got down on one knee, “Sarah, we’ve wasted a lot of time, and that is water under the bridge, since we can’t get that time back, but now we have the future, for as long as that might be, and I pray that it is an eternity,” grinning his famous smile as he said the last word.

Mac smiled back at him, but hers was rueful, if she had really listened to what Harm had been saying in Australia, they would not have had the years of regret.

“Sarah Lee MacKenzie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife” Harm said, his voice full of emotion.

“Yes, I will Harmon Andrew Rabb, as long as you become my husband.” They began to kiss, until Harm’s cell phone rang, and they pulled apart reluctantly. “Let me check who it is.” Seeing that it was the ICU department he answered the phone. “We’ll be right there.”

Mac figured it was the hospital, and by the look on her fiancé’s face, it must be good news.

“I was just about to give you this when the phone rang” Harm reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an emerald ring. “I know that diamonds are forever, but I think that my Marine should have an emerald.” He placed it on her finger, “Mac, the reason I didn’t tell you the fortune from my cookie was I’d been thinking the same thought all day, and frankly I didn’t want to jinx things.” With that said he pulled a small piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, it was the fortune. The words on it were---when both feet are planted firmly, nothing can shake you.

Let’s go, our life awaits.”


The End