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Trailer:
April 20, 2014
Washington, DC
2030 local
Benjamin Rabb ricocheted off the walls from the garage into his father's study, fueled by excitement. His orange Tiger Cub shirt was smeared with chocolate, a fact which had Mac cringing as he bounced off the wallpaper. Some days, it really didn't pay to volunteer to go to Cub Scouts. She grinned at the thought of Harm's reaction to their son's news.
"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what!" Ben bounded into the study and would have jumped straight into Harm's lap had it been possible, but his father was surrounded by multiple stacks of papers.
"What, Ben?" Harm began piling the stacks into larger, more identifiable piles. "Did you and Mommy have fun at Scouts?"
"Yep. We had lots of fun. We had a cookie decorating contest." He pulled out his shirt. "I used chocolate. Lots and lots of it." He gave a beatific smile. "You shoulda been there, Daddy. Mommy ate five cookies." His eyes widened as he recalled the looks on the other mothers' faces. "Mrs. Jenkins barely took one bite of Timmy's cookies."
Harm laughed. "Well, maybe Mrs. Jenkins doesn't get as much exercise chasing Timmy around as your mom gets chasing you." He looked up to see his grinning wife posed near the doorway.
"I'll have you know, Ben is the calmest one of the bunch." Mac smiled at her son. "Tell Daddy the big news, sweetie."
"Right. I almost forgot." Ben bounced on the balls of his feet. "You know how in May we turn into real Cub Scouts, instead of stupid, baby Tigers?"
Harm bit back a laugh. "Yes."
"Well, in June, since we'll be real Cub Scouts, we get to go to day camp." Ben smiled at his father. "And you get to go too!"
"I do?" Harm raised appalled eyes to Mac. "How did this happen?"
"Mommy can tell you." Ben took another look at his shirt. "I better get a new shirt."
"You better get a bath, Tiger. It's almost bedtime." His mother reached for his hand but missed as he darted out of the room. "I'll be right with you, okay?"
"Okay." He ran off toward the stairs.
Harm cleared a spot on the sofa and patted it in invitation. "Nice try, Marine, but you can give me five minutes."
Mac lowered herself onto the seat. "Get the budget figured out?"
"It's getting there. But I think you know that isn't what I want to talk about right now."
"It's not? Because if it can wait..."
"It can't. What is this about I get to go to day camp too?"
Mac patted his arm. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's not that big of a deal. I just signed you up to be the second leader when Ben's group goes to day camp in June. I'd do it myself, but I have a conference I'm presenting at the first two days that week."
"Really?" His tone was dry.
"Really. I told you about it a month ago. The Commandant asked me to present a paper at some conference about women in the military. It's here in town, but I'll be busy from Sunday to Tuesday."
"I don't see what that has to do with volunteering me to go to day camp with Ben. Aren't there other parents in his group?"
"None that can go. Everyone else either can't get time off or has other, younger children to deal with. Besides, I'm going to go Wednesday through Friday. You just have to go Monday and Tuesday, although it would be better if you went Wednesday too, while I get acclimated."
Harm shook his head. "What makes you think I can take leave then?"
"Because you're the JAG. You can take leave when you want to." She smiled at him again. "Besides, it'll be fun."
A burst of laughter exploded from Harm's mouth. "You can't really expect me to believe that, can you?"
"Why not? It sounds like fun to me. I think the theme is space exploration this year."
"I can hardly wait. As to why it won't be fun, well, all I can say is I've been to Cub Scout day camp. Trust me, it's not fun."
"How can it not be fun? You get to spend a couple of days in the outdoors with your son..."
"Smearing sunscreen and insect repellent on five other kids, none of whom want it because only sissies use sunscreen. Eating hot peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, crushed potato chips, drinking lukewarm generic fruit punch. Believe me, Mac, day camp is many things, but fun isn't one of them." He shook his head. "Are you sure we have to do this?"
"Yes, Harm. Rich Donahue is going to be the den leader, but there have to be two adults there at all times. If you and I don't do it, the kids can't go."
Harm sighed in resignation. "All right. I'll even go with you on Wednesday. But you owe me."
She rose and wiggled her eyebrows. "You can collect right after I get Ben into bed."
Harm laughed as she left the room.
June 16, 2014
Washington, DC
0715 local
Harm looked frazzled as he stuffed sandwiches and apples into the thermal pack. "You will recall that I said day camp week is always the hottest one of the summer. Did you see today's forecast?" He glared at Mac as she sat sipping a cup of coffee, her summer class A's neatly pressed and her briefcase ready to go.
"No, why?" She thumbed through the national news section of the Washington Post. "Is there something I should know?"
"The forecast for today is a high of ninety-six with eighty-five percent humidity. These kids will have passed out from heat exhaustion by noon." He dumped another tray of ice into the gallon thermos, then filled it with water. Harm glanced at his son who was shoveling Cheerios into his mouth. "You about ready, buddy?"
Ben nodded, then reached for his milk. "What's heat exhaustion, Daddy?"
"It's when you get too hot and can't get cool." Harm screwed the top down on the thermos jug. "So when I tell you to drink water, you do it."
"Aye, aye, sir." Ben chugged the rest of his milk, then pushed back from the table. He carried his dishes to the sink. "Do you want me to put these in the dishwasher?"
"No, I'll get them. I don't have to be at the Hyatt till nine." Mac smiled at her son. He was so cute when he was trying to be helpful. "Ben, you be a good boy today, all right?"
"I'm always good." His lower lip jutted out for a second, then he winked at his mother. "Just like you and Daddy were when you were kids." He darted out of the kitchen, calling to his father, "I'll be right back. Gotta get my hat."
Harm hauled the food and drinks out to the car, then returned to the kitchen. "Ben! Come on!"
"Coming, Dad!"
Mac raised an eyebrow at the term. Seemed like their little boy was growing up - or at least hoping to. "Come give me a kiss, Ben."
Ben wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. "Bye, Mommy. We'll miss you today."
"I'll miss you guys, too. You can tell me all about it at dinner time." She stood and kissed Harm, then watched them leave the house. She would miss them. Harm might not believe her, but she really would have preferred going to camp to making a presentation. Sighing, she began to load the dishwasher.
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0830
Loudon County, Virginia
Camp Tunnel Creek
"Hi, Harm. Glad you could make it." Rich Donahue held out his hand in welcome.
Harm shook it briefly and said, "Thanks, I think. Mac tells me I'm going to enjoy myself."
Rich grinned. "Best time you've had in years, trust me. What could be better than spending some quality time in the great outdoors with your son?"
"Good question." Harm pulled the thermos jug and lunch cooler out of the car. "So what, exactly, do we do here?"
"We take roll. The kids should be arriving any minute. Fall-in is at nine, so they better get here soon."
"Okay, then what?" It had been a long time since Harm had been to day camp.
"Each pack lines up around the flag pole. Then there is a flag ceremony. Our pack is doing it tomorrow afternoon." Rich turned to look at his son and Ben. "Tommy, Ben! You two get back here."
The youngsters looked up in surprise. "What, Dad?"
"You know the rules, Tommy. No wandering off without permission." Rich squatted down at the boys' level. "You guys need to be extra good this week, since your parents are the leaders, okay?"
"Yes, sir." Ben stood at attention.
"Remember, you're the den leader and Ben's the assistant leader. Admiral Rabb and I are looking to the two of you to set a good example for everyone else."
"Yes, sir." Tommy nodded at his father.
"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now can you two stand right here, while Ben's dad and I go over the schedule for a minute?"
"Yes, sir," they chorused.
"So how long will that last?" Harm said in a low voice.
"I give 'em five minutes, six if we're lucky." Rich grinned. "If I'm not mistaken, here comes the rest of the gang."
A red minivan pulled up and four more boys practically tumbled out. They raced across the parking area while an attractive blonde followed more slowly.
Rich introduced her to Harm. "Mary Lichtefeld, Harm Rabb. Mary's the one who drew the short straw when it came to carpool duty this week," he explained. "She's Ryan's mother."
Harm grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Mary. I don't envy you doing the driving."
She shrugged. "It could be worse. I could be you or Rich." She smiled at the two men. "After all, I just get to listen to them for an hour or so each way. You all get them for the whole day."
"Now, Mary. Don't scare Harm off. I've been telling him how much fun it's going to be."
Mary laughed. "If you believe that, I've got a really nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you, Harm."
"Oh?" Harm was intrigued.
"Yeah. I've been to Cub Scout day camp before. Ryan is my second son. Rich here conned me into being a leader at it a couple of years ago." Her eyes twinkled. "I don't know how it happens, but every year, the week for day camp is the one where it's ninety-five in the shade at ten in the morning." She turned to go. "I'll be here at three. In the meantime, I'll think of you while I'm lounging around the pool."
"Good-bye, Mary." Rich grinned at her.
"Bye, guys." With a cheerful wave, she was gone.
Twenty minutes later, the Wolf Den of Pack 235 was falling in by the flag pole. "I pledge allegiance to the flag..."
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1530
Harm's car
"Oh, Tom the Toad, oh, Tom the Toad, Why are you lying in the road?
You used to be so green and fat, But now you're small and red and flat.
Oh, Tom the Toad, oh, Tom the Toad, Why are you lying in the road?"
Harm looked over at his son. Ben's face was sunburned despite the sunscreen he'd slathered on him, and he was scratching at a mosquito bite on his arm. So much for DEET. Maybe he should have believed that other den leader who was coating all the kids in her den with what looked like bath oil. None of them had gotten bitten. Of course, all of them were also walking oil slicks.
"You know, Ben, you might not want to sing that song for Mommy."
Startled brown eyes met his. "You think she won't like it? I guess I could sing Oh, Sue the Skunk, why did you make my tires go clunk."
Harm laughed. "I think I'd avoid that one too. I'm not sure it's quite Mommy's type."
Ben scrunched up his face and thought for a minute. Then he nodded. "You're probably right. She likes really gross songs."
"She does?" Harm was surprised.
"Yeah. She taught us how to sing 'I'm looking over my dead dog Rover' at Tiger Cubs last month. We did the one about I'm squishing up a baby bumble bee too." He smiled smugly. "It's really disgusting."
"I see." Harm took a deep breath. He still wasn't sure he was having fun at day camp, but he certainly was getting an education. So much for squared-away Marines.
The rest of the drive home was quiet, since Ben dozed off about five miles farther down the highway.