April 2007

Easter

Rabb Residence

London England

Kensington District

Trish looked at her daughter-in-law in sympathy as Mac rubbed her back as she walked off to the bathroom again.

“You okay, Mac?” Harm questioned as he passed her in the hall.

“Yes, I'm fine, just fine.”

Knowing that the best reply was no reply he continued on to the den and joined his mother on the couch.

“She's just testy Harm.”

“I know Mom, trust me, I know.”

“Mac told me that the baby is being stubborn and won’t turn so you can see if it's a boy or a girl. Sounds like Mac is in trouble if your child is already taking after you.”

“And just what do you mean by that Mom? That I'm hard to deal with?”

“In a nut shell, yes. I can’t wait to sit back and watch you struggle with Daddy duties.” Then, losing a little of her smile, “So how long till do you think it'll be before you're rotated back to the states?”

“A few more years I guess, I really can’t say for sure. Part of me wonders if this will be where I retire. We've become comfortable here, but I'm really going to hate it when Mattie heads off for college this fall back home.”

Trish's smile was melancholy. “Now you will know how I felt all those years after you headed off to the Academy. Of course your summer jaunt the year before was a wake up call that you were done with being a child.”

“I’m sorry. Now with Mattie I realize what I missed out on. I guess I wanted to give her the childhood I denied myself.”

“Well,” Trish said, “you've done a good job with her. She wouldn’t be walking today without your support, and she wouldn’t be ready to graduate from high school. You and Mac have done a good job, and your father would be proud. But there's a difference between getting them potty trained and having to totally care for their every need.”

Mac walked back into the room and jumped in before Harm could answer, “He knows that Trish. I give him a hard time that his key job when the baby comes home is diaper duty.”

Trish couldn’t help but laugh at Harm’s expression of disgust. On the inside she knew Harm would relish being a daddy. It was just a shame that these two hardheaded people hadn’t connected years earlier and so that this might've been their second or third child.

Trish continued to watch her son as Mattie came in to join them. His carefree attitude about his family, laced with a little fear over Mac’s health, was something she'd not seen in him in years. The fact that her little boy was finally happy had her praying silently that her son be granted the chance to live and see his child grow up. Since fate finally brought him and Mac together she hoped that that he'd be allowed a long and healthy relationship instead of the short one that the previous generations of Rabb went through.

Maybe, just maybe, this Rabb generation would get to have his or her father while they grew up.

May 25th 2007

Near the Westminster bridge

They held hands as they walked slowly along the banks of the Thames, enjoying the day before they headed to Mac’s appointment. They were going to get another look, another chance to see the sex of the baby.

Feeling quite chipper about making it far enough along in her pregnancy to deliver a healthy baby, and also feeling as big as a house, Mac had decided that if her child wanted to come early then he or she could. Harm on the other hand was loving each day of seeing her looking like she'd swallowed a basket ball and but wasn’t sure if he was ready for the baby to come early.

“So you're still stuck on Molly for a girl, but have no idea for a boy?” He asked.

“I want, if it is a him, for him to have his own name - a name that belongs to him and not half of the family.”

“I'm just glad that we settled on Mackenzie as a middle name no matter what the sex is. I'm also glad that you agreed that there only needs to be one Harmon in the family.”

“Humpf. I told you years ago, one Harmon Rabb in my life is enough. I unfortunately believe that if we have a boy he'll be just like you, so I'm doomed either way.”

“Mac honey, I don’t think that it matters what sex our baby is because there are way too many people cursing us with a child just like us. And if you take that to be a combination of both of us you're talking about dynamite in a small package. BOOM!”

Mac started laughing at Harm's statement as Big Ben started to bong out the hour.

“Still off, I wonder if I should call and tell them that it's slow?”

“I can just see the keepers saying ‘yes ma’am…thirty seconds?…okay…we’ll jump right on it and reset the big guy.”

She rolled her eyes at him and then stopped to ponder the date. “Wasn’t it this time last year when you made you tried to promise me that we would get our dream?”

“Yep, I said as long as Ben bongs out the time that some day we would be parents,” he said and then a big smile graced his face, “Ben? Benjamin?”

Mac ran it over in her head, Benjamin Mackenzie Rabb. “I like it, Harm. You promised me that we'd have a child, and here we are a year later just weeks away from having that promise.”

“Have I broken a promise to you yet?”

She shook her head no with watery eyes, “You always keep your promises.”

“Then I'll make a new one today,” he said as he took her hands in his, “I promise that I'll be here when this one gets married. Whether I am the proud father watching his son take a wife, or the anxious Dad walking his little girl down the aisle to her future husband, I'll be here for that day.”

A few tears ran down her face as she said the expected line. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

“I haven’t yet, Marine.”

“I really need to write this day down in the baby book.”

“Why?” he asked as they headed toward the tube station.

“Because we just had a Hallmark moment and you didn’t screw it up.”

“Funny, real funny,” He remembered something. “Just a second.”

“What are you doing Harm?” Mac asked as he went through his pockets and fished out a camera. Grabbing the first tourist he could, he asked them to take their picture with Big Ben in the background.

“I want to have a picture with us at this place with you looking so beautiful with the soon to be Rabb. We've been given this chance Mac, and I want as much evidence as I can get.”

“Excuse me, can I take the picture now?” The twenty something tourist asked?

“Sorry.” Mac said as she leaned into Harm.

The guy snapped off several pictures, including one of Harm and Mac kissing. Harm thanked him and took back the camera.

Leaning over to kiss her again, he couldn’t think of a more perfect day.

June 20^th 2007

Rabb Residence

London England

Kensington District

0500 local time

“Either come on out of there or get off my bladder kiddo.” Mac said rubbing her tummy as she attempted to roll out bed for the fourth time that night.

She wanted to turn around and glare at Harm through the darkness as she heard him chortle at her efforts to sit up. Finally giving up, “you going to lay there and laugh or are you going to get your six up and help me?”

Knowing that laying there was the wrong answer, he got up and came around the bed taking his time enjoying Mac’s non amused look.

“Look here sailor, you either hurry up or you will be sleeping on the wet side of the bed.” She snapped.

He hid the next smile as he watched her waddling over to the bathroom door. He was about to head to the kitchen to get a drink of water when saw her grab the doorframe. “Mac?” Harm squeaked as he was at her side in flash.

“Damn that hurt.” Was the first thing she uttered while catching her breath.

“Braxton-hicks?”

“If that was it was one of the worst ones I’ve felt.”

Giving her a good look over he noticed something she must have missed, “Well either my being slow mixed with that cramp caused your delay to be a mishap or your water just broke.”

The “huh” and then the simultaneous feeling of being wet hit her as did another contraction. Gripping Harm’s hand she tried to breath through it.

Harm did his best to remain calm as it hit him that it was time. “Just try to breath through it, just like we practiced in class. In out in out.”

“Shut up Harm.” She ground out as she slowly tried to make her way back to the bed. “And if cramps felt like that then there would be no man left alive.”

Trying not to react to her edgy tone, he helped her sit back on the bed. “Besides the obvious, how long do you think that you have been labor? I know that your back was hurting last night during dinner.”

“I have felt odd since Mattie’s ceremony but I didn’t want to alarm you.” Trying to smile at him, “I know how you get when you start worrying about me and I wanted Mattie to have her day.”

“That was two days ago Mac and you are damn straight that I worry about you.”

“Honey I know that family means everything to you…”

“And if I don’t get you changed and to a hospital I will be delivering the newest member right here in our bedroom.” He said laying his hands on her extended tummy.

Grimacing, “Well grab my case, call doctor and lets get going because I would really like something to take the edge off these contractions.”

As soon as he felt her tummy relax some, he leaned up and kissed her. “Yes ma’am”

An Hour later

Local Hospital

OB Ward

After an eventful ride and more eventful check in where Mac kicked into full Marine and let the receptionist have it they were finally getting settled into the birthing suite.

“I’m not sure how long it will be but please don’t rush back. I don’t think that your newest sibling will be upset whether or not you are here okay? Listen the doctor just showed up….Yes, as soon as I know…. Love you too.”

“She upset that she is missing this?” Harm asked as he took the cell phone from Mac.

“You know she is. Here comes another one.” She announced as the Dr. Evan smiled and nodded a hello to Harm.

“So the shy baby Rabb has decided to come out and announce themselves eh?” Dr. Evan asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves and watched the fetal monitor.

Relaxing for a moment Mac answered, “I hope so because if there are Braxton-hicks I will hate to see what real ones are.”

“Just relax a little more Sarah and I am going to see where we stand. I know at your appointment last week that you had started to efface some and were dilated to a two. I was sure that we would have a baby by now but you surprised me.”

“It’s here timing Doc, she has perfect timing and since you guys told her the twentieth then the twentieth it will be.” Harm said looking at Mac instead of where the doctor was looking.

“So how long do I have till I can push?” Mac asked.

Covering her back up, “I wouldn’t say too long, you are already at a seven and a little bit of a lip of the cervix left, I’d say a couple of hours. I am going to give you a little something like you asked to take the edge off the contractions unless you want an epidural?”

“No epidural.”

“Okay then. I will be back in an hour to see where we are unless you get the urge to start pushing. And no pushing unless I am here, understand?”

“Yes sir.”

After the doctor walked out Harm sat gently on the bed beside her, “So we finally find out what we created,” and added after leaning over Mac to talk directly to the mound that was their child, “since you decided that you were going hide your stuff every time we got a chance to look.”

Laughing, “All but that last time and you decided to just wait.”

“Well after eight months what was four more weeks? By then I figured that you had brainwashed our child in the womb and that I needed to save all my strength for after he or she was born to convert them to my way of thinking.”

Any reply she had was cut off by another contraction so her revenge was to try and cut off the circulation in his hand. ‘Show you who is in charge.’

“Just breathe like we learned in class Honey.” Harm encouraged as he panted with her, “and a cleansing breath.”

Trying to grab a minute of rest, “That really sucks, worse than when I got shot and those damn breathing rituals truly don’t do a darn thing for me Harm.”

Harm remained silent as he was taken back to that awful day, the day he finally decided that he started falling in love with her. Finally realizing that she was waiting for an answer from him, “what?”

“I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“What Mac?”

“I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories on day like today.”

“Its okay, I just was thinking that it was during all than when you were hurting that I really started falling in love with you and today I just realized I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

Sniffling, “Oh how sweet,” then “Oh,” Came out strong as a new contraction hit, along with, “where is that damn nurse with that shot of stuff!”

“I will check as soon as you make it through this one.”

“Now Harm,” she growled as Harm used his free hand to search blindly for the call button.

0900 local time

OB ward

Mac was sure that sooner or later she would just split in two or that she was going to kill one of the men in the room, starting with her doctor, then Kenny the nurse and lastly her husband for getting her this way. She hoped that her chance at murder happened first as the contraction and the episode of pushing ended.

As tried to catch her breath hr thoughts then lead her to the conclusion that Harriet was nuts and that her and Bud needed counseling for having that many children. Why would any woman do this more than once came and went as the emotions of being happy to just do it once came back to the top.

“Well Sarah it looks like we are in the home stretch here. I can see the top of the head, you want to see Harm?”

With some trepidation, Harm leaned around to look and saw the small tuff of dark hair. Grinning like some fool, he turned back to Mac and then leaned down to kiss her.

Mac let the tears fall as he whispered, “I love you now lets push and see what we got.”

The doctor positioned himself at the end of the bed and watched as the fetal monitor started to show a new contraction, “Come on now and give me a good one here.”

Mac felt Harm’s are go around her as she crunched forward pushing with everything she had.

“10, 9, 8, 7, good push, 3, 2, and 1 and again…” Evan said aloud with Harm keeping the same cadence in her ear through out the contraction.” Harm saw the doctor reach for so scissors and hoped that he wasn’t going to have to cut her, Dr Evan seeing Harm catch his movement, “Just getting them for you Dad. I think one more strong long push and we’ll have ourselves a baby here.”

“I think that I have one more in me.” She said as she grabbed Harms hand and got ready for the next contraction and lead the charge as it hit.

Harm could only squeeze her hand back as she whimpered as the baby’s head emerged followed quickly by the body before Evan could stop her from delivering all at once.

The unhappy newborn let loose a wail and started crying, joining Harm and Mac as Harm took the scissors and cut the cord.

Taking the baby offered to him by the doctor he handed it to Mac could hardly see it through the tears, “Well what do we have?”

“A boy Mac we have ourselves a son, a Ben. Welcome to the world buddy.” Getting as close as he could to hugging them both Harm kissed her on the head as she ran her fingers over the boys fine hair and tried to calm him down.

“Let me have him for a few minutes Ma’am, Dad can keep him company while the doctor finishes with you.” Kenny said as he reached for the baby.

Seeing that Mac wasn’t totally ready to let him go, “Let me have him Mac, I want to see how much he weighs in at.”

Reluctantly she let go, “He must weigh over 9 pounds, at least he felt like he did.”

Harm set his son down on the scale and watched Kenny take his measurements, “Lets see 24 inches long, looks like dads height alright and seven pounds and eight ounces.”

“Sorry Mac, l think that what you thought was him was the extra ‘I’m eating for two’ pounds.”

“Dear God Man,” Kenny came back surprised, “She might have just given birth but with some of the things she said earlier I would still giver her two to one odds over you.”

“On any day I would give her those odds.”

“Lean over here before she gets at ya so I can put your sons foot prints on your shirt.”

By the time the doctor finished cleaning Mac up the nurse was finished with Ben. “Okay now Sarah. You did tear just a bit but not too bad so before you are dismissed a nurse will go over all the dos and don’ts. The biggest one I am afraid is no sex for at least six weeks and only then after I have cleared you. Understand?” He ended as he looked from Harm to Mac and back to Harm.

Despite the soreness Mac snickered at Harm’s look of ‘why did he pick on me’ as the doctor patted him on shoulder and left the couple alone with Ben for the first time. “Bring him back over here Harm and share.”

Walking back in easy gentle steps, “Yes ma’am,” he replied seeing an anxious Mac waiting for him.

Taking her son from his father’s arms she laid him down beside her unwrapping the blanket to check the baby out herself.

“I counted them Mac, all fingers and toes accounted for, the male equipment too.”

“Hush Harm, you got your inspection and now its my turn.” She fussed back with tears in her eyes. She looked upon her sons face and the down his little perfect body and back to his face.

“I didn’t mean it like that Honey. Don’t cry.” Harm said afraid he’d hurt her feelings.

Shaking her head at his misunderstanding, “I’m not crying over what you said. I’m crying because he’s finally here. My four percent dream. The child I never thought that I was worthy of or was going to ever get.”

Hitching a hip onto the edge of the bed, Harm tried to draw her close without squishing Ben, “I love you and you deserve it more than anyone I know.”

They both jumped as Ben started to squirm about and then the knocked heads as the both leaned forward to watch his little face make expressions. Mac knew she was a goner when he finally opened his blue eyes, his daddy’s blue eyes and looked at her.

“Welcome to the world Benjamin Mackenzie Rabb, Mommy loves you and so does Daddy. And we are going to do our level best at giving you the childhood we never had.” Harm spoke as he helped Mac wrap him back up as the baby nodded back off to dream land.

Several hours later and very unhappy about missing the birth, Mattie got to meet her knew brother. She claimed that it was too bad that he was eighteen years her junior because if he was anything like his daddy then girls were going to be all over him.

Jen came by the next day with balloons and presents from both offices and from across the pond to new proud parents. Though she wouldn’t say anything for years, she thought of the newest Rabb as her little brother too along with Harm and Mac the parents she never really got to have.

On the day that Ben and Mac were dismissed, Harm got an orderly to take some pictures, though they were all great, the best one and the only one where Ben had his eyes open was with Jen and Mattie in it. The Rabb Family.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Commercial Break

~+~+~+~+~+~+~

September 20^th 2025

Rabb Residence

2300 local time

Mac turned the last page of the book Harm put together so many years ago. “I never knew you took so many pictures of us, of me back then.”

“I wanted to catch that special time and…” Harm started.

And Mac finished, “Have evidence of our love as you tried to put it.”

“Yes. I wanted to show the world that Batman and Robin, or Butch and Sundance, or whatever nickname we had at the time, loved each other and you were carrying that love in the form of our son.”

She snuggled up to him as he set the album aside. “Do you think he'll be okay at the Academy?”

“If he can survive being raised by a Marine, then the Academy should be a piece of cake right?”

“You’re right. Those squid upperclassmen have nothing on me.”

“It's okay to worry about him, Mac. He'll always be our little boy. It doesn’t matter that he's six foot three and eighteen years old, can bench press more than we can, and can run ten miles without stopping by the coffee shop after each one mile lap.”

“Jerk,” she said as he kissed the top of her head.

“Besides, Kevin Roberts will look after him and make sure that he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

“This will be hard for him because his daddy is a retired two star and his mother is a retired colonel. I just hope that he's allowed to prove himself instead of living in our shadows.”

“He’ll be fine, Mother. Now let's get to bed. Mattie and her gang will be here in the morning for a fun day of school stuff shopping and you'll need all your strength to just hang in there with our three grandkids.”

“Are you saying that I'm old?”

“No ma’am, just a little aged, like a fine wine. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Whatever old man, I would like to show you what a fine wine can do to you,” Mac said as she stood up.

“Really!” His eyes lit up.

“Ya, it puts you to sleep, and that's where I am heading.”

Trying not to laugh at the crestfallen look on his face, she reached out for him and they headed up the stairs……..(fade to black)

And the rest you can dream on yourself……..

The end.