Title: No Longer Adrift

Classification: Harm/Mac shipper

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Adrift, part I, Lifeline

Summary: Anne's own fantasy of what takes place immediately after the cliffhanger in "Adrift, Part I. Just a little something to help us get through the long hot summer.

Disclaimer: JAG, its characters, premise, etc. Are the exclusive property of Belisarius, Paramount and CBS. The original story of "Adrift" belongs to them as well. This is merely a speculation designed for entertainment purposes. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being sought or realized with this piece.

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NO LONGER ADRIFT

The rehearsal dinner hadn't been what anybody had expected. When the food was served, nobody seemed to eat much. Being hungry just wasn't that important to anybody right now. The bride had isolated herself in the restaurant lobby, not wanting to talk to anyone. The groom was sulking, because he knew there was nothing he could do to comfort her. Everyone's mood was dim. The shadow of the one who wasn't there lay over them all.

Harm was lost at sea, maybe dead. Mac, his best friend, the intended bride, was crushed and devastated by what might be happening out there. Harm's girlfriend, Renee, had broken down and cried with wailing sobs, while Bud and Harriet comforted her. Mac, too, cried, but she couldn't break down and lose control like that. She just couldn't. So, she isolated herself and fought hard to retain some composure. She would not let her inner feelings show, not even to her fiancée - especially not to him.

Admiral Chegwidden stayed on the phones, monitoring the situation minute by minute. Mic Brumby paced. Young Chloe. Alone was able to think. But as she turned from one adult to the next for reassurance, she found none. She was, though, very worried about Mac. She knew that Harm was the only person who could probably get through to her right now, but he was the source of the problem.

Even though she hadn't gotten off to the best start with him initially, Mic was growing on her. If Mac was marrying him, obviously she must love him. So, he'd have to do.

Chloe sidled up beside the handsome Australian and put her hand in his. He looked down at her and squeezed her hand. The young girl swallowed hard, then began, "Go talk to her again."

"Chloe, it's not me she wants to talk to."

"But she needs to talk to somebody. It's not healthy for her to be alone like that. You're the one who loves her, right? So, go try to talk to her one more time."

Mic felt a little energized by Chloe's confidence. "Okay, I will."

He dropped the girl's hand and headed back toward the lobby. Chloe, of course, followed him.

Mac was still staring out the window at the falling rain, her back to him. His heart ached for her; she was in such pain. Mic approached her slowly and tentatively. "Sarah," he whispered, placing both his hands on her slim waist. "Sarah, talk to me. I want to help you."

She turned to face him, automatically raising her hands to wipe away the renegade tears that she was powerless to stop. "Thanks, Mic, I appreciate it, really I do. But I don't think there's anything you - or anybody can do for me right now."

"Okay," he said. "then tell me how you feel. It might be good just to get the emotions out in the open."

"I'm scared." She stated emphatically. "I'm really scared.

His expression was filled with sympathy and love. It melted her just a little. "Hold me?" the question came through her sob.

Mic enclosed her in a big bear hug and pulled her close.

Mac relaxed some. "Thank you." She whispered, her arms wrapping around his neck.

They stood like that for a few minutes, then she gently pushed him away and turned back to the window.

Mic tried to say something else, but she didn't hear it. Realizing that he'd done all he could, he headed back for the banquet room and his guests.

Mac didn't even notice he was gone until she felt another touch on her arm - a gentler touch. A voice she couldn't ignore called out her name.

She looked at Chloe.

The young girl spoke. "Mac, do you remember that time that I got lost in the forest when I was out riding?"

Mac nodded. That had been one of the most frightening experiences she'd ever had. The little girl had been lost, cold, hungry for days. The searchers couldn't find her, and Mac was in Washington working so that she could not look for her.

"Well, isn't this like that, kind of? You got through that. I got found. Harm'll get found too."

All of a sudden a little bubble popped in Mac's mind. Chloe hadn't been found until she herself had gone out after her. That was it! Now Mac knew. She had to go out to the Patrick Henry. She had to go look for Harm herself.

"Thank you, Honey." she gushed, kissing Chloe's cheek. She hurried back into the dining room to rejoin the others.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Everyone was gathering round the table where the telephone equipment had been set up.

"Admiral," she addressed her CO, "I need to talk to you privately for just a moment."

"In a minute, Mac. We're about to get patched back through to the bridge of the Patrick Henry for an update."

She sighed impatiently.

The hoarse-sounding voice of Captain Tobias Ingalls wafted over the speakers to fill the room. The search helicopter had been launched again, but visibility was still poor and weather conditions showed no sign of improving soon.

AJ, Bud, Harriet and Tiner listened intently.

Renee Peterson covered her face with her hands and turned away with a despondent sob.

Mic Brumby carefully watched his fiancée trying not to let his face show the torrent of emotions he was feeling.

Mac also looked away from the group. She made eye contact with the admiral, giving him a pleading look. Then, she turned and walked away.

AJ and Mic exchanged a worried glance, then Chegwidden followed the colonel out into the lobby.

"Mac, don't you want to hear about the rescue effort?"

"No, Sir. It scares me."

The admiral reached out and touched her arm. "He'll be okay. He has to be."

"But you don't know that, Sir. You can't."

"The rescue team is doing everything they can. We have to believe that it'll work out."

"Admiral, I want to, really I do. But, Sir, I feel so helpless." She paused here, taking a deep breath. "Sir, I want to go join the search effort. I know I can help them. I need to find Harm. Or, at least, I need to try."

"Colonel, I can't send you out there."

"Please, Admiral. I'm trained for this sort of thing. I'm a marine, remember?"

"I don't doubt your qualifications, Colonel, just your wisdom - on this, at least.

"He's my partner and my best friend. Sir, I need to go. I can catch a transport from Andrews and be there in a couple of hours."

Her eyes pleaded with him. But he saw more in her face. She was determined - so much so that he knew he couldn't change her mind.

"I'll talk to Captain Ingalls." He conceded.

"Thank you, Sir."

She rejoined the group monitoring transmissions from the Patrick Henry.

When AJ came back into the room, he had the broadcast interrupted and transferred to a private phone in the next room. He spoke to the ship's captain privately.

Reentering the dining room, he noticed that the party guests had gotten very restless without any news.

"Sir, what's going on out there?" Bud Roberts asked, urgently. "Have they spotted Commander Rabb yet?"

"No, Lieutenant, they haven't found him yet." The regret was evident in AJ's voice. "However, they have been able to resume the search. The Patrick Henry is dedicating as much manpower as they can to it."

Bud sighed. "I know they're doing their best, Admiral. I just wish there was something else we could do."

Harriet stepped near her distraught husband and placed a hand on his arm.

Mac glared directly at her CO, as if to challenge him.

He returned her gaze before he engaged her. "Colonel, how soon can you be ready to go join the search effort?"

"No!" Mic Brumby exclaimed.

"I'm ready anytime it's convenient for you, Sir." came Mac's reply.

She ignored her fiancée’s outburst.

Renee Peterson didn't though. She looked around the room at the worried faces, then announced, "I think I should go too, Admiral."

"No, Miss Peterson." Chegwidden answered. "There's nothing you could do out there."

"I could do whatever Mac's going to do." She rationalized.

"Colonel MacKenzie is a trained and experienced Marine Corps officer. She's done search and rescue missions before. Ma'am, I know you want to help Harm, but you're a civilian. We can't let you go out there."

Renee looked pointedly at Mic

Brumby reached for Mac's arm. "Sarah, what are you doing? We're getting married in the morning."

"I know." She answered. "We may just have to delay the beginning a little while. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

Chloe positively glowed. "C'mon, Mac, I'll go home and help you pack a bag."

Brumby was beside himself. "Can we at least talk about it?"

Mac touched Chloe's shoulder. "Wait for me for a few minutes?"

"Sure." The young girl agreed.

Then Mac took Mic Brumby's hand and led him out into the lobby area.

"Okay, talk." She invited.

His eyes pleaded with her, "Don't go, Sarah."

"Mic, I have to. That's Harm out there."

"Yeah, it always is about Rabb with you, isn't it?"

"No. And that's not fair."

"Sarah - our wedding."

"I'll be back, Mic."

"Would you be going if it were me out there?"

"Of course I would."

"Sarah, I know you have feelings for him. I just hope you won't forget how much I love you."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

"Anytime." He responded. "I can't say this doesn't hurt - you running off after him again. But I'll be here when you get back. We'll talk. I'm sure we can work things out."

"I hope so, Mic, really I do."

He squeezed her hand. "Good luck - and be careful."

Chloe in tow, Mac left to pack a bag and catch her transport. She would drop her young charge off at Bud and Harriet's house on her way to the helicopter.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

USS PATRICK HENRY

The noise of the blades continued as Mac stepped off the helo onto the deck of the aircraft carrier. A rather young looking officer greeted her, "Welcome aboard Colonel MacKenzie. I'm Lieutenant Hopkins. The skipper wants to see you on the bridge as soon as you're safely board."

Thank you, Lieutenant. If somebody can stowe my gear in my quarters, I'll head right up to the bridge."

"Yes, Ma'am," the eager young man responded. He yelled to another sailor walking past. "Seaman Yothers, take Colonel Mackenzie's bag to the guest suite on the 0-3 level, please."

"Aye, Sir." The seaman answered.

Hopkins had already pulled another crew member aside. "Colonel, this is Petty Officer Carson. He'll escort you to the bridge."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Hopkins." She dismissed him. "After you, Petty Officer."

Moments later, she entered the bridge and stood at attention before Captain Tobias Ingalls.

"At ease, Colonel." He invited.

She assumed the posture, then said, "It's good to see you, Captain. I appreciate your letting me come join the search. Is there any word yet?"

"No, Colonel, we haven't found any sign of him yet. And, colonel, just so you know--- I wasn't happy about having you out here. It's certainly not my idea. I allowed you to come out of respect for Commander Rabb - he's a good man, and a brave one. And I know that you mean a lot to him. He'd want you here."

"Understood, Sir. Whatever the reason, I'm glad to be here to help find him."

"Oh," Ingalls continued, "the other thing you need to know is that we're not in charge of the search effort anymore."

Sir?"

"The Coast Guard has taken over the primary search and rescue. We're still ready to assist them as needed. And we will keep our rescue helicopter flying. But I'm not necessarily the one making all the decisions anymore."

Mac looked a little concerned.

Another man entered the bridge, and Captain Ingalls introduced him to her.

"Colonel Mackenzie, this is Commander Riley. He's our search and rescue expert. He's totally in charge of our chopper out there. I've made arrangements for you to fly along with him as an observer when he goes back out."

"Thank you, Sir." Mac acknowledged. She shook hands with Commander Riley.

Riley addressed her. "It's good to meet you Colonel. We're going to be heading out again in about an hour. Why don't you go to your stateroom and get some rest, we'll call you when we're ready."

Thank you. Commander."

In the room, Mac took a very quick shower and changed her clothes, putting on the flight suit that Commander Riley had suggested that she wear for this mission. Then she stretched out across the bunk to just relax.

She thought about Mic. It had hurt him when she left. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she had to be here - it just couldn't be helped.

Before long, her thoughts turned, as they always did, to Harm. He was out there in the ocean someplace. She prayed that he was okay. They would find him and bring him home. She would make sure of it.

A knock at the door, exactly 47 minutes later alerted her that it was time to go.

Up on deck, Commander Riley was preparing for the flight. Captain Ingalls pulled her aside. "Colonel, I want you to understand that Commander Riley is in charge up there. You do what he says. Period. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And, Colonel, you are only an observer, okay? You don't get involved. You stay out of the way."

She nodded, but they both knew that she couldn't promise anything like that.

The helicopter took off and Mac, sitting in a back seat, watched the Patrick Henry disappear from sight.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

They had looked and looked until Mac's stomach was turning over and over at the mere sight of the ocean. At this point she wasn't sure she'd ever even be able to sit in a bathtub again. They had seen nothing but rolling waves.

The helo's constant communication with the Coast Guard vessels in the area was providing what they hoped was a fairly thorough search, but it was impossible to be sure.

Information from the National Weather Service indicated that another storm cell was moving into the area. If they stayed in this sector, the one that Harm's last radio transmission had come from, they would likely run right into it.

Commander Riley was prepared to go back to the ship so the crew could rest and get a hot meal, then resume when the storm had passed. Everyone was in agreement - everyone except Mac. And she disagreed very loudly. "Commander, we have to sweep the sector one more time. After the storm starts, the currents may shift again. Wherever Harm is, it could carry him farther away."

"Why are you so sure that he's still out there somewhere?"

"Because I know him. He's out there someplace. All we've got to do is find him.

Very reluctantly, Riley agreed to 30 more minutes or until the weather got too bad.

One of the surface search vessels reported sighting something. The helicopter flew over the coordinates. They saw a large chunk of metal floating, partially submerged in the water. It was obviously a piece of Harm's plane.

This piece of the wreck was so badly damaged that Mac leaned back in her seat in sheer terror. Harm could have been torn apart and killed. This search could be just a fool's errand. It was the first time it had occurred to her that he might not be alive. But when she closed her eyes, she could see that grin he always wore on his face. She could feel him close to her.

Mercifully, they only saw a little bit of rain, the storm passing to the north of their position.

It was the pilot, Gunnery Sergeant Parker who first spied him. At first, he was just a colored speck in the channel of ocean current. But as they got closer, they could see a man, flight suit inflated, floating up and down on the crests of the waves.

They circled the position several times.

When Mac looked out, she could tell that it was Harm.

As Riley prepared the rescue equipment, she bargained with him to let her be the one to go down the rope with the rescue harness.

He was adamantly opposed to her plan. He reminded her who was in charge here. But, by the time he'd finished his speech, she was already strapped into the harness and ready to go.

Commander Riley shook his head. "Back off, Colonel. You are not going down there."

"Let's don't argue, Commander Riley. Time may be critical for him. You don't understand. I have to go."

"What is this guy to you?" he was shouting now because of the increased noise of the hovering bird against the wind.

"He's my partner, my best friend, and my...... my....... and...uh....."

She never finished the thought.

Gunnery Sergeant Parker informed them, "The wind is shifting. I can't hod this position much longer. If you're going down, it's now or never."

Riley and Mac exchanged a glance, then he helped her into drop position.

He gave her specific instructions. "Get down there and transfer the harness to him. I'm not sure whether we'll be able to pull you both up at once. If not, you'll have to wait down there while we get him on board, then we'll drop the harness back to you."

She nodded.

Riley touched her arm. "Be careful, Colonel."

"You too." She returned.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

She was almost in the water before Harm realized it was her. He looked awful, she thought. After spending nearly 24 hours in the water, though, it's a wonder he was even still alive.

Mac touched down just a few feet from Harm. As soon as she hit the surface, she closed the distance and moved over to hold to his inflated suit. One of his powerful arms scooped her up and pulled her closer. "Hi." He said softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were going for a swim, and .... Well, you know that you're never supposed to swim alone, so....."

"Mac. You're getting married today."

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Later .... maybe."

Soon she noticed that the water was very cold. She shivered some, but was quickly warmed by Harm's embrace - even though she knew that he was very cold himself. Relief washed over her to feel the strength that was in Harm's arms. He was exhausted and could have been near death, but he wasn't. He was still strong enough to fight - and to comfort her.

The helicopter had been forced to make a circle around the area to avoid the updraft of wind currents. That gave her extra time to talk to Harm and to check to see that he was unhurt before she had to strap the rescue harness onto him.

He held her close as they bobbed up and down on the sea. "Mac, why did they send you out here looking for me?"

"Because I wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Well, I've never been so glad to see anybody, but I really wish you were in a safer place."

"I wish you were too."

"You should be getting married right about now. I can't believe that you walked out on your own wedding to come looking for me."

"It just wouldn't feel right getting married without you there, Harm." She touched his cheek. The skin was wind- blistered and pruny from prolonged water exposure. It felt rough - almost not like human skin.

Harm thought that her hand was just like satin against his skin. It felt good. He turned his head lightly to kiss its palm.

She smiled. "Harm, there's so much that we should talk about. So much that I want to say to you, but I can't.

"I know," he sympathized. "We never did really say everything that needed to be said the night of your engagement party,"

"I guess not." She agreed.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a brief minute, then their lips met. At first it was a soft, gentle kiss, but it began to turn more passionate. Before they could really get into position to deepen the contact, though, a big wave of cold water swept over them, effectively ending it.

"That's part of what I want to say." She confessed.

"And that's something I definitely want to hear." He informed her. "There'll be a time to continue this very soon."

"I hope so."

The helo was moving back into its hovering pattern.. She pulled herself up holding onto his floating suit. He questioned her as she began removing the harness.

"We have to get this on you, Sailor, so they can pull you up."

Immediately his expression changed. "What about you? Will they pull us up together?"

"They'll try. If they can't, I'll stay here while they get you on board, then they'll send the line back down for me."

"No." He stated very emphatically. "Either we both go, or you go alone. They can send it back for me after you're safe."

"Harm, you've been in this water all night. We've got to get you out of here."

"Not without you." He pronounced.

"And I won't go without you." She declared. With this confession, her lips once again fused with his. This time even the icy water couldn't interrupt their kiss.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By the time Riley and company were back in place, she had the harness strapped around Harm's chest.

He felt the tug as he began to be lifted out of the sea. He wrapped his arms securely around her, intending to take her with him. She, likewise held fast to him.

They both elevated several feet, before Riley called to her to drop back and inflate her flight suit.

Harm yelled a resounding, "NO!" Nevertheless, she pushed away from him and dropped back into the ocean. Her inflated suit quickly brought her up to floating.

Harm was panic-stricken. Without thinking, he called to her. "Hang on, Sarah! We’ll get you out. Then, he added, "I love you, Sarah."

He hadn't meant to say that right now, like this. But during this long, lonely night, she was all he had thought about. As hard as it was to admit to himself, that's what he had learned from this experience. He was in love with Mac. Even if he hadn't intended to, now he'd said it. The wind had begun to blow again so that he thought she probably didn't hear him.

But Mac certainly did hear him. These words filled her with calm and peace. She had talked to Skates on the Patrick Henry before they had taken off. The conclusion she had been left with was that she might very well be in love with her handsome partner. That's the only explanation she could offer as to why she had been able to walk away from Mic so easily last night.

She really hadn't dreamed that Harm felt the same thing, though. Knowing that something magical might be happening between them gave her energy to endure this plunge into the icy sea.

Mac saw Harm's form disappear into the safety of the helicopter. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon she saw the harness apparatus thrown back her way. The wind caught it though and it wouldn't descend toward her. There was no way she'd ever catch it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Commander Riley pulled the rope back up. Then he had to deal with Rabb. "You've got to do something!" Harm yelled.

"I'm trying, Commander. I've got to get some weight on here so it will descend."

"Let me go down there and get her."

"No!" Riley proclaimed. "That would just put us back where we started. What is it with you two? She'll go get you - you'll go get her."

"We have a special relationship." Harm admitted, but left it at that.

Soon Riley had found some heavy bags and had strapped then inside the rescue harness.

The harness fell to Mac and she quickly slipped into it.

It was Harm who sighed in relief, from the corner Riley had assigned him, as her lithe form appeared over the edge of the helo door.

Once aboard she moved quickly to him. He had deflated his flight suit and she did the same.

Harm's heart was filled with something he couldn't quite explain and hadn't quite expected as he watched her move toward him. When she got close, he opened his arms and pulled her tightly to him. He thought she might balk at this, but instead, she snuggled in closer. Her arms wrapped themselves around his waist and her head lay on his chest.

He kissed the top of her head, "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Me?" she questioned. "Yeah, of course. The real question here is are you okay?"

"I am now." He touched her cheek as he said it.

She chuckled. "Thank goodness. I was really worried, you know."

"I know.. And I'm sorry about that. But thank you for coming to get me."

"You're welcome. Sailor." She looked up into his eyes and turned serious. "Harm, what do you remember about the crash?"

"Not a whole lot. Skates was giving me coordinates and ......Skates! Have they found her? Is she okay?"

"She's okay. I talked to her before I left the ship. The rescue team picked her up soon after the crash."

He breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Now, what was it we were talking about down there?" Harm pointed toward the door.

Riley and the rest of the crew had moved away, sensing their need for privacy.

"I think I remember." Mac claimed. She touched his cheek as she brought her lips close to his to initiate the kiss. "Was that it?"

A slight moan escaped from Harm's throat, as he kissed her. "Yeah, that was it."

Another kiss followed before she wondered, "What's going on? What's happening with us?"

"I'm not sure." He replied. "Whatever it is though, I think it's long overdue."

"We shouldn't." She proclaimed, pushing him away.

"Isn't this why you pulled me out of the water?"

"Yes.......No.....I don't know....."

"It's Brumby, isn't it?"

"Well, I am getting ready to marry him."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to be."

"Then you're not?"

"I just don't know, Harm. But you're confusing me."

"I'm sorry." He said. "Mac, while I was in the water, I couldn't be sure whether I was going to live or die. I learned something about what's important in my life. And you were on the top of the list."

"Me and Renee?"

"No, not Renee. You."

"When we heard that your plane had gone down, something inside me shut down too. All I could concentrate on was that we had to find you."

"I said it before, but I wasn't sure if you heard me, so I want to tell you again: I love you, Sarah. It's always been you."

"That's the problem. I love you too."

"You do? Then what's the problem?"

"The problem. Let's see, where do I start? First, we work together. Second, it's against Navy regs. We're always at each other's throats. Then, of course, there are our respective significant others. What would you call these feelings we seem to have in context of your relationship with Renee if not a problem?"

"Details!" Harm exclaimed with a broad smile. At the same time, he caressed her cheek with his weather-roughed hand.

Mac grasped the hand and pulled it away.

"C'mon, Harm, what would my fiancée - almost husband, say about this?"

"You're still going to marry him - after all of this?"

Yeah......maybe........I'm not sure. Why shouldn't I?"

"Mac, knowing how we both feel could change everything."

"What makes you so sure?"

"All that time I spent out there alone in that water. It gave me a lot of time to think. In all my life, I've never really had a successful relationship with a woman - and I want that, really I do.

So, I had to think about why. What I came up with is that my love life has always been just like being out there in the ocean. I was just drifting along - no compass and direction, no anchor to keep me in one place. It was scary to realize that i might never find love and a permanent relationship."

"Harm, what are you talking about?"

"If I'm ever going to have the right kind of relationship, I'm going to have to open myself up and let go of my fears."

"That sounds about right."

"Mac, I want to do that. I think you might be the right woman to help me."

Mac couldn't believe what she was hearing, This was Harmon Rabb, the man who wasn't ready to let go and let her in. Could he be telling her that he was ready now?

"What are you saying? Are you sure that we can do this?" she cupped his face in both her hands as she asked.

'I'm not sure, Honey. It would be a really big step for me. But I do know that I want to find out. How about you?"

At first she didn't know what to say. These sounded like the words she had waited forever to hear from this man, but was he really capable of a commitment? Maybe she better try to slow this down.

"I don't know, Harm. We'll have to wait and see," Was all she could manage to say.

That's when the pilot began his landing descent back onto the deck of the Patrick Henry. The landing was bumpy. Lt. Riley showed up as hey touched down to inform them of the arrangements he'd made. "Medical teams from sickbay will meet us." He said. "You were both in that freezing water, so they're going to examine you both. I understand that Admiral Chegwidden is on his way out to check on you. You're a couple of fine officers. Good luck to you." He shook both their hands as he finished this.

As soon as the doors opened, Riley and his crew were on their way to the bridge to give Captain Ingalls a report. Two Corpmen came aboard and began loading Mac and Harm onto stretchers.

Before they were carried away, Harm reached out to plant a gentle kiss on Mac's lips. He whispered, "I want us to continue this discussion later."

She just nodded and squeezed his hand.

SICKBAY

U S S PATRICK HENRY

They were taken to separate rooms. The medical staff was obviously more worried about Harm. Mac was too.

When the doctor came in to talk to Mac and check off on the corpman's evaluation, she asked repeatedly about Harm's condition.

"Commander Rabb is suffering some of the long term effects of hypothermia and exhaustion. We've gotten him warmed up. As soon as he gets some rest, he'll probably be as good as new." Commander Stubbs, the ship physician told her.

She was relieved. "Can I see him?"

"You seem to be doing fine, but he really needs his rest. You can go in for a few minutes, but not too long, okay?"

"Thanks, Doctor." She acknowledged enthusiastically.

Mac made her way into Harm's room. He was resting, but smiled when she came in.

"Feeling better, Sailor?"

He nodded Then he moved over to the far side of his hospital bed. He lifted the covers and patted the bed beside where he lay.

She acted out of instinct this time. Quickly removing her shoes, she slid in next to him, snuggling close.

Harm's arms wound themselves around her. She felt so good.

They shared a kiss, short, but full of intensity. They both knew that they needed to talk about everything that had happened today, but neither of them mentioned it.

Instead, they followed the doctor's order that Harm should get some sleep - together. After all, it had been a tiring day.

AN HOUR LATER

FLIGHT DECK

U S S PATRICK HENRY

Admiral Chegwidden's helicopter landed and he disembarked. Then, he turned and extended a hand to assist a blond woman behind him. After Renee, Mic Brumby got off the transport. They were met by a young ensign who escorted AJ to the bridge, while having Mic and Renee taken to sickbay to check on the conditions of their loved ones.

Dr. Stubbs came to talk to them in the waiting area. He reported that neither Harm nor Mac was significantly worse for the wear. Both patients were resting, however, so Mic and Renee were told that they would have to wait to see them.

A corpman pulled Stubbs aside to complain about the irregularity of two patients being permitted to rest in the same bed. The doctor, though, advised the young medic that they were receiving a kind of therapy that medicine couldn't provide and not to worry. He was glad these two civilians hadn't heard the conversation, because he didn't want to put an end to what was probably a very beneficial arrangement for both his patients.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Mic stood at one end of the small waiting area, arms crossed over his chest. He was relieved that Sarah was okay, but he didn't like having to wait to see her.

Renee paced back and forth in the small room. Finally, she could stand it no longer. Harm had been gone a long time. He had almost died. She just needed to see him-just for a minute - to know that he was all right.

She went to the door of the room to take a quick peek. Very quietly she cracked open the door and glanced in. What she saw might have made her blood boil, if it hadn't shocked her so much. She had been so worried about Harm, and there he was - with her! She quickly backed away.

Brumby, noticing that Renee had looked in on Harm, thought he'd do the same to allay his fears about Mac. He walked toward the door. But Reneee stopped him with a gentle pressure on his arm.

He looked at her questioningly.

"You really don't want to see." She informed him.

"Why?" he was confused.

"Just trust me on this one, Mic."

That piqued his curiosity. He moved to the door and glanced in.

Shock wasn't the right word for what Mic Brumby felt. He was disappointed and hurt.

He took Renee by the hand and suggested that they go up on deck for some air. They did, but he didn't breathe any easier there.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Truly exhausted, Harm and Mac slept well into the night. When they awoke, they lay looking at each other for a long time.

Finally, Mac wrapped her arms around his neck and declared, "I think we have to find out where this takes us."

"I think so, too." He confirmed with a kiss. "Does that mean that you're not going to get married today?"

"Not today."

"And I was looking forward to seeing you in that wedding dress."

"Maybe we could arrange a private showing."

"Good. What are you going to tell Mic?"

"I don't know. What are you going to tell Renee?"

He shrugged his shoulders and kissed her again.

They both knew that they had come too close to losing each other this time. The details would just have to work themselves out.