Chapters 1-7 Chapter 8-15 Chapters 16-23 Chapters 24-30 Chapters 31-36
Title: Twist of Fate
Chapter 8
“Actually, it’s a mild sedative that makes people more talkative, but not necessarily more honest. Those taking the drug become very communicative and share their thoughts without hesitation. Despite its nickname, thiopental sodium will not make a person tell the truth against his will. The recipient likely will lose his inhibition, and therefore he might be more ‘likely’ to tell the truth. However, I don’t like that it’s been combined with Desoxyn.”
AJ watched as the doctor regarded the paperwork in front of him carefully.
“In the fifties the CIA used these two drugs in combination for experiments in mind control. They had considerable success in extracting information and leaving the patient with little memory of the events discussed. The entire idea has since been virtually discarded. There is no perfect truth serum. If there were, we’d be able to get all the answers we want out of our enemies, but what really worries me is this unknown compound. The idea that these villagers might know more about chemistry than the best scientist the western world has, and actually may have succeeded in creating the perfect truth serum, or worse, mind control drug, is frightening.”
“Colonel, my people are lawyers. There isn’t very much classified information they would know that could be of any use to an Afghan warlord.”
“What were they doing alone in the desert in the first place?” Colonel Baker wondered for a moment if AJ thought he was stupid.
AJ paled slightly. He had no idea what information they may have become privy to while on the Seahawk, or while with that weasel, Webb. “I’ll inform the SecNav of the situation.”
“As soon as we know more on the tox screen, I’ll let you know.”
“Will this have any long-term effect on them?”
“The thiopental sodium is often used as an anesthesia. I see little chance of any significant repercussions from that. Desoxyn is an amphetamine, definitely more serious. Depending on the dosage, the length of time they’ve been subjected, and how it reacts with this other unknown compound, will determine how they recover. According to this report, there wasn’t more than 25 milligrams in either of their systems, but there’s no telling if more had been administered regularly at another time. The flunitrazepam, more commonly recognized as Rohypnol, may cause drowsiness, headaches, memory impairment, dizziness, nightmares, confusion, and tremors.”
AJ’s mouth dropped slightly open, but no words came out.
“The Rohypnol was found in both the colonel and commander’s blood systems. I suspect who ever held them didn’t want either of them to remember what happened.” The colonel did his best to reassure the admiral. Whatever had happened, it would probably be best if neither MacKenzie nor Rabb remembered.
“Should I be expecting the colonel to be waking up soon?”
“It’s possible. Without knowing what this additional compound is, there’s no way of predicting how it will affect the Colonel or the Commander.”
“I see,” AJ sighed heavily. He knew it was time to make some phone calls. “Please make sure I’m kept informed of any new developments.”
USS Seahawk
“Sir. You’ve got an email from Lieutenant Sims,” Jennifer Coates interrupted. “It’s about the commander and the colonel.”
Reading the message, Bud grinned from ear to ear. “They found them, alive and well. They’re in a field hospital outside of Qandahar. They’ll be sent to Germany from there, then released to Bethesda. Harriet expects them home in just a few days.”
“What about the in-country restriction on non-essential personnel?”
“Still in effect. I guess the SecNav is afraid he’ll lose more JAGs if he lets us off our posts.” Bud laughed the restrictions off, but he knew if, of all people, his two mentors could be taken prisoner while on assignment in-country, the rest of the legal weenies would be prime targets. He could easily miss a few more groundbreaking ceremonies until things settled down some.
Field hospital
Outside Qandahar
Mac’s eyes opened very slowly. She tried to blink away the dust, but it was no use. Lifting her arm to wipe the sand away was as challenging as opening her eyelids had been. Both felt as though they were made of lead. When she finally succeeded in clearing her eyes and looking around, she was appalled at how thin her arms were.
Blinking several times, she tried to remember what had happened. Obviously she was in a hospital of some sort. What she couldn’t tell was where. Looking down at her IV she thought back to the last thing she could remember. She’d been wrapped in Harm’s arms. That’s right, they’d been stranded in the desert. No, wait, that wasn’t right. They’d been stranded in the desert and found by Taliban rebels. Now she remembered. She’d been sitting in a grungy cell when Larry and Curly strapped her down and Bahriim stuck a hypodermic in her arm. She vaguely remembered feeling drunk, wanting to laugh, and then it was all a blank.
Surely she wasn’t still with Bahriim. There was no way he would have this sort of set up in that little village. She’d pretty much resigned herself to simply having to wait for all her answers, when a young lieutenant came through the door.
“Nice to meet you, Colonel.”
“Hi.” Mac’s voice was raspy and her throat raw. “Water,” she whispered, clearing her throat. “Where am I?”
“Still in Afghanistan, outside of Qandahar.”
Mac nodded slightly, extending her shaky hand towards the proffered drink.
Lieutenant Reidy helped Mac hold the glass steady and reach the straw. “You’re a little dehydrated, but we’re pumping lots of liquids and nutrients into you. You’ll feel like your old self in no time.”
Mac wondered how the woman knew what she was thinking. Some tough Marine, she couldn’t even hold a glass of water. “Commander Rabb?”
“He woke up a couple of hours ago for a few minutes, but has gone back to sleep.”
“He’s okay?”
“He’s just fine.” Lieutenant Reidy resisted the urge to express just how fine he was. He probably had a wife with six kids and always left the toilet seat up, but boy he was easy on the eyes.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” Colonel Baker beamed, coming through the door.
“I’d like to see Commander Rabb, please,” Mac managed a little more clearly.
“He’s asleep at the moment, and you still need more rest.” Baker could see Mac didn’t like that answer long before her lips started to move.
“I feel fine,” she protested.
“Perhaps in the morning we could arrange something, but now you need your rest. I’d like to send you two to Landstuhl as soon as possible, hopefully by morning.”
“We’ve got an assignment to finish. I’ll be ready to report for duty in the morning.”
“I don’t know what your assignment was, Colonel, but I’m sure by now it’s all taken care of.”
“What do you mean, by now?”
“It’s been over three weeks since you and the commander first went missing. Even the Marines won’t let that much time go by in the field without replacing an officer.”
“Three weeks?!” In her head, Mac quickly counted the days she could remember. To her horror, there were at least ten days she couldn’t account for. What the hell had happened?
“I don’t understand. I don’t remember.”
“Most likely the result of the drugs they gave you.”
“Of course, drugs.” That would certainly explain why I felt drunk those few minutes before everything went dark, Mac thought.
“You don’t sound surprised.” Colonel Baker was hopeful this meant she remembered more than Commander Rabb had.
“The last thing I remember was the three stooges sticking me with a hypodermic.”
“The three stooges?” Baker interrupted.
“That’s the name we gave to the three goons who guarded us most of the time. The big guy we called Junior, sort of the sergeant of the group. Then there was Larry, the corporal, and Curly. He seemed to be on the bottom of the totem pole, like a private.”
“I see. Tell me whatever you remember about being drugged.”
“Almost immediately I felt drunk, giddy, overcome with the urge to laugh, then it all went black. I... I don’t remember anything else.”
“The last thing Commander Rabb remembers is someone carrying you back to the cell unconscious. You don’t remember that?”
Mac shook her head. She didn’t have to have a medical degree to know this wasn’t good.
“I’m an alcoholic. Does my shaking have anything to do with the drugs they gave me?” Mac held up her trembling hand.
“Partly, but I don’t think you or the commander got much food those last ten days you were sedated. Both of you are severely dehydrated, malnourished, and underweight. I think once we get some food in you those tremors will disappear.”
Mac sat quietly staring at her hands. She had so many questions. She didn’t know where to begin. Would there be any aftereffects, any physical remnants? Would she be walking down the street one day and suffer flashbacks? What on earth had happened to them for ten whole days?
Chapter 9
The next time Mac opened her eyes, she was surprised at how peaceful she felt. After Colonel Baker’s visit, she’d been tormented with all sorts of questions and concerns over the missing days in her life. The possibilities were just too awful to even consider.
It took a few more minutes before she was awake enough to recognize someone was holding her hand. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know who it was. “Harm,” she whispered.
“I’m right here,” his low voice replied.
“They wouldn’t let me go see you.” Mac batted her eyes, clearing away the nighttime fog.
“It took a little fancy footwork to convince Baker to let me out of bed,” Harm smiled.
Focusing clearly for the first time, one side of Mac’s mouth curled up in a wan smile. “I guess I can call you stickboy again.”
“You can call me anything you want.” Harm couldn’t help but worry over how fragile Mac looked. She simply couldn’t afford to lose the extra pounds. She looked so frail it was frightening. And if that wasn’t enough, he had to keep pushing away thoughts of what they might have done to her during all that time. He couldn’t forget the rush of sheer horror that surged through his body when they returned an unconscious Mac to the cell. Maybe it was a good thing neither of them remembered what had been done to them.
“Doctor says we’re flying to Ramstein later today.”
“I’m ready to go home, sleep in my own bed,” Mac tried to smile.
Sleeping in her bed held a certain appeal for Harm too, but he wasn’t going to go down that path now. Even if he were lucky enough to be granted bedroom privileges, in her currently weakened condition he’d be afraid to do much more than hold her hand.
“What happened?” she asked him.
“Don’t know. The admiral came by earlier. I spent most of the morning in here, waiting for you to wake up again. He’s heading back to DC, but he told me what little he does know. Bahmiir is a local warlord with visions of grandeur. The CIA has been following a trail of some guy named Condor. At first they suspected that he was someone in the US military. There’s definitely a leak of information coming from base camp, but it’s not Condor. Now they think he could possibly be a front man for someone much higher up in the food chain, maybe even Bin Laden himself.”
Mac’s eyes opened wide. “So what was Bahmiir wanting from us?”
“No one is sure. The word is he was trying to use us as leverage for more power from Condor, but we’re not sure how.”
Mac had so many questions running through her head, she wasn’t sure which to ask first.
“Do you think Condor and Kandhar is the same person?”
“Could be,” Harm shrugged one shoulder.
“Did they catch Bahmiir?”
“No, but they got the three stooges and a few others. They’re being questioned now.”
“So we don’t have any more information on what happened?”
“Not yet.” Harm wasn’t sure he wanted to continue this line of questioning. He didn’t want to go into the missing ten days, he just wanted to forget it all and go home with Mac.
“How did they find us?”
“Remember the lady who was weaving when we first arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Well, apparently she mentioned us to someone, who told her sister-in-law, who went to visit a cousin, or something like that, and a little boy overheard the gossip and mentioned it to Gunny in exchange for a chocolate bar.”
“Gossip?”
“Hey, whatever works.” Harm shrugged again with a smile, tightening his grip on her hands ever so slightly. “I’m just glad we’re out of there.”
“Okay, visit is over. I need to get you ready for transport.” The same nurse who had been with Mac when she’d first woken up came up behind Harm and pulled at his wheelchair.
“I’ll see you in a little while.” Harm let go of her hand.
Mac nodded, watching the nurse wheel Harm away.
Lieutenant Reidy wasn’t sure what the relationship was between these two, but she wouldn’t mind having this guy parked at her bedside all the time.
Next Morning
Landstuhl Army hospital
Germany
All Mac wanted was a cheeseburger. She’d had it with the clear broth and Jell-O she’d been fed for lunch and dinner the last two days. If the idea was to regain all the weight she’d lost, this was no way to accomplish it. She took one last bite of the green gelatin and dropped her spoon loudly in the empty bowl. A cheeseburger with french fries and a chocolate milk shake, no wait, make that a strawberry milkshake with a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Okay, that settled it. She was now officially fed up with her ‘light’ menu. The next medical person who stepped foot in her room was going to get an earful!
Pushing the rolling cart away, Mac sat back heavily on the bed and waited. Harm had come by to visit before lunch, if you could call it that, and she was hoping he would come back soon. She was feeling much better now and was climbing the walls waiting to be sent back to the States.
When the door squeaked its notice of someone’s arrival, her heart fluttered in anticipation only to see the doctor walk through. Any other female patient would have been delighted with Major Porter’s appearance. The man was tall, handsome, and single with a killer smile. Of course, it couldn’t compare to the full-blown flyboy smile, but it had possibilities, just not with her.
“Colonel, how are you feeling today?” Drew Porter walked over to Mac’s bedside.
“I’d be feeling much better if I had some real food. You don’t happen to have any french fries in your pocket?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m afraid I don’t, but I’ll see what I can do about your dinner menu.” He’d taken a liking to this woman. She’d been through more than most soldiers ever have to deal with in their military career, and had come through a shining example of Marine honor. It didn’t hurt that she was drop dead gorgeous, despite her lost weight, and had a killer sense of humor.
He didn’t like the conversation he was going to have to have with her. He’d been praying the entire walk from his office that his suspicions were incorrect.
“In that case, a steak with baked potato would be appreciated.” Mac’s anger was quickly deflating. This man may not be up to the Rabb standard, but that smile was disarming nonetheless.
“We’ve been monitoring the tox levels in your and Commander Rabb’s blood since you were rescued.”
Mac tensed unexpectedly. She hadn’t noticed the hint of concern in his eyes when he’d first entered the room.
“At this point, there is no longer any trace of the drugs in your system.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Mac interrupted.
“Yes it is. From what we can tell, there doesn’t appear to be any significant repercussions. We were hoping for those results so we could ship you and the commander off to Bethesda.”
“When?”
“Could be as early as tomorrow morning.”
The next hour wouldn’t have been soon enough for Mac. She was more than ready to go home.
“We do, however, have to do a full blood workup in order to discharge you or transfer you to another medical facility.”
Mac forced herself to breathe. Something in his tone of voice had her sporadically holding her breath, waiting for the other shoe to fall.
“Nothing of any import, other than the drugs, showed up in the original blood work when you were rescued. I’m not sure how it was missed when you were shipped out of Qandahar, but on today’s tests, your HCG levels have climbed considerably.”
For some reason that sounded vaguely familiar, but Mac wasn’t able to place the meaning.
“Is there any chance you might have been pregnant when you were captured?”
Chapter 10
Mac eyes almost fell out of her head. Reaching down for a strength she wasn’t sure she had, she ignored the bile rising in her throat and tossed back, “Not unless there’s another star rising in the east.”
The fallen look in the doctor’s eyes told her everything she needed to know.
“We could order a sonogram to determine how far along you are, or you can wait until you get back to DC to see your regular gynecologist, but judging from the HCG levels, you’re not very far along. I’d guess only a few weeks.”
Mac thought back. The last day of her period had been the day before they’d been captured. Closing her eyes and raising her hand to her face, she took slow deep breaths. A well of tears rushed behind her lids. Using the back of her hand to wipe away any trace of dampness before opening her eyes again, she looked at the sympathetic face before her. “Any chance there’s a mistake?”
“Is there any chance you might have recently miscarried and not known it?” Major Porter was reaching at straws. He already gathered from her ‘rising star’ comment that the answer would be no, but he asked anyhow.
Mac shook her head, closing her eyes again. “What about...”
Major Porter cut her off. “We ran a standard battery of tests when you came in and again this morning. No STDs. You’ll have to redo the HIV test in three months, but it’s extremely unlikely. Of all the problems with the healthcare in Afghanistan, HIV isn’t one of them. I checked the original medical report when you arrived in Qandahar. Because of the state in which you were found they did do a rape kit, but the doctor detected no signs of vaginal tearing or evidence of recent sexual activity, so that could be why they missed the HCG levels.”
Mac was sure the doctor had just said something important, but nothing was registering anymore. This isn’t what was supposed to happen, she was supposed to wait two more years and go halves on a baby with Harm. That was the plan.
Without knowing this woman very well, Major Porter could see the turmoil within. Not that he honestly expected anything else. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through her mind. The only consolation he could think of was that at least she couldn’t remember what had happened. Perhaps the sense of violation wouldn’t be as strong, but if the look on her face was any indication, lack of memories wasn’t going to make this situation any easier for her.
“Would you like me to have the chaplain come see you? Or perhaps one of our counselors? SOP will require counseling for both you and the commander before you return to duty, but I could arrange for someone to see you now.”
“NO,” Mac answered a little more strongly than she’d intended. “I... I need a little time for this to sink in.”
“Very well. If you need anything at all, just have the nurse page me.” He hated leaving her alone right now. What a miserable mess.
Meanwhile, Harm had become very good at getting Lieutenant Kuhn to let him walk down the hall to Mac’s room. At least in a military hospital he didn’t have to wear one of those ridiculous gowns and worry about giving any passerby in the hall a free show.
When Harm walked into Mac’s room he was taken aback by what he found. She was sitting up staring into space with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms tightly wrapped around her legs, and her chin resting on her knees. He could see the white of her knuckles from the tight grip she held on her own hands.
No matter how close he got, she still hadn’t reacted to his presence. This was not his Marine. She usually knew he was coming to see her before he did. When he finally arrived at her bedside he saw the slow trail of tears crawling down her cheek.
“Mac?” He gently reached for her, startled at how she screamed and jumped back.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” Mac quickly wiped the tears away.
“Sneak up? Mac, an entire platoon could have come in here and you wouldn’t have noticed. Where were you, and why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying. I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m cooped up, and I want to go home.” She couldn’t do this. Those beautiful green eyes staring down at her with nothing but honest concern were going to be her undoing. “I really am not feeling up to company. Would you please go back to your room? I want to get some sleep.”
“Talk to me,” Harm urged. The last thing he wanted right now was to leave her alone.
“Harm. Please. I just want to take a nap.” She closed her eyes, and pressed her lips together. If she kept her eyes open, there was no way she could keep the tears at bay.
“Mac?”
“HARM!” Mac snapped in his direction. Yes, that was it. Anger. If she stayed angry then she wouldn’t cry. “What part of ‘leave me alone’ don’t you get? Go away!” She scooted down under the covers, and turned her back to Harm. She had to be alone. She just had to.
Harm stood numb. What the hell had happened? He couldn’t leave her like this, but then again, he couldn’t have her yelling for the entire ward to hear. Reluctantly walking away, he realized, post-traumatic stress. That had to be it. After all, it was expected after spending three weeks as a prisoner of war. He’d have Lieutenant Kuhn check on Mac again as soon as he saw her. As much as it killed him, if space was what Mac needed, then he’d give it to her.
The next couple of days passed at a snail’s pace. They departed first thing in the morning for Bethesda. It was a nine hour flight from Germany to Andrews and Mac hadn’t said more than an ‘uh huh’ or ‘mm’ the entire flight. She’d been completely closed mouthed and introverted, and Harm had no idea what was going through her pretty little head. The more he thought on it, the more he suspected she might be blaming him for their ordeal as much, if not more, than he blamed himself.
At Bethesda, it had gone from bad to worse. If they took any more blood out of him, he was going to be mummified. Each of them underwent test after test. Every time he would ask about going to see Mac, he was told she was off having some test or other done. Then the visits by the psychologist started. He knew it was SOP, but it was mostly time consuming and a PITA. He just wanted to visit with Mac, make sure she was okay. What he didn’t know was that Mac had made it perfectly clear she wanted NO visitors of any kind, and the staff was running interference for her with her friends and coworkers.
“Colonel, I think the commander is going to rip someone’s head off if he doesn’t get to see you soon. Fortunately, he’s undergoing quite a bit of testing too, but we can only do so much. At some point we’re simply going to have to tell him you don’t want visitors.”
Mac knew that would only make matters worse. Harm was like a dog with a bone when he smelled something wrong. Telling him she didn’t want to see him was as good as an invitation to dig into her life until he discovered what was bothering her, and she didn’t want him finding out from anyone but her. That left one glaring question. How was she going to tell him she was pregnant?
Chapter 11
Mac took a deep breath and slid off the bed. Grabbing the robe Harriet had brought her on her first day back in DC, she slid into it, tying the sash tightly around her. She had been feeling much stronger since she’d been put on a diet of real food. Well, as real as you could consider hospital cooking.
Making her way down the hall, she was relieved to see Harriet coming down the other end of the corridor. This would mean she wouldn’t have to answer any of Harm’s personal questions. Maybe she could convince him all was well with the world and skip over the future inquisition.
“Colonel!” Harriet called excitedly from down the hall.
“Hi.” Mac reached Harm’s door a few steps ahead of Harriet. “Were you coming to see me or Harm?”
“Both of you. So this will work out well.”
Straightening her shoulders, Mac took one long breath, plastered a smile on her face, and shoved the door open.
“Look who I found lurking in the hall,” Mac grinned happily.
Harm’s head shot up, a wave of relief washing over him at his pretty Marine’s bright smile.
“Sir.” Harriet stepped around Mac and gave Harm a warm greeting.
“What brings you here at this time of day?” Harm asked, his eyes still watching Mac as she took a seat at the foot of the bed.
“Admiral Chegwidden sent me to check up on you. He was informed you’re being discharged tomorrow and is arranging transportation for you, unless you have other plans.”
“I didn’t know we were being discharged.” Harm raised an eyebrow at Mac.
“Don’t look at me. I thought they had more plans to continue using me as a human pin cushion,” Mac shrugged.
Harriet filled Harm and Mac in on what was going on with Bud and Jennifer aboard the Seahawk. She spent a good deal of time talking about changing the wallpaper in little AJ’s room, and signing him up for piano lessons now that her parents had given them a new piano. She discussed everything and anything except her friends’ time in Afghanistan or their current health status.
“It will be so good having you two back at work, sir, ma’am. You’ve been missed.” Harriet stood up from her seat and headed over to Harm’s side.
Mac stood up to hug Harriet goodbye, then watched as she made her way to the door. “I’ll confirm what time you’ll be picked up tomorrow,” Harriet waved.
Waving back, Mac turned and walked over to the chair closer to Harm. “How ya been doing?” she asked softly.
“I was going to ask you the same question.”
Shrugging one shoulder, Mac smiled softly. “I’m ready for that long hot bath and a real steak dinner.”
“I guess you are feeling better,” Harm laughed out loud.
“I am, but you still haven’t told me how you’re doing.” Mac figured the best defense was a good offense.
“Worried about you. It’s not like you to not talk to me unless you’re mad at me.”
“I think the current circumstances qualify for a suitable exception. I wasn’t mad at you. Just winding down from all the stress.”
“And the drugs?”
Mac considered his question. “Maybe.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Harm shifted over and reached for Mac’s hand, surprised when she not only took it but climbed up to sit on the bed next to him.
“I just realized how much I’ve missed my best friend the last few days.” Mac felt the tears threatening to flow again.
“It’ll be okay. We’ll get out of here tomorrow and before you know it, all will be back to normal.”
Normal. Nothing would ever be normal again, Mac thought. One tear escaped down her cheek.
“Mac?” The hair on the back of Harm’s neck was standing on edge and alarm bells were sounding in his head. Something was definitely wrong. “Talk to me.”
“I think it will be a while before this rollercoaster of emotions settles down.” Mac hoped Harm would buy her excuse.
She couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around the idea she could be, was, pregnant. For three years, even when she’d been engaged to Mic, she could only picture children with Harm’s looks and her brains. It was always Harm, no matter how much she tried to hide it, no matter how far she tried to run. And now, now it was all ruined.
For longer than she could remember she wanted children of her own, but how would she feel every time she looked into the face of her own child and saw one of her captors staring back at her? She didn’t think she could do it, but the alternative scared her even more.
“Hey, are you still with me?” Harm asked, brushing his fingers lightly across her forearm.
“Sorry. It’s such a change being home. I think I’d better get some rest if we’re being sprung tomorrow. My apartment is probably filthy by now, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the mail is higher than my front door.” She tried for an amused smile, but wasn’t sure she was pulling it off.
“Okay, but tomorrow night we’re going out for that steak dinner.”
“I don’t think I’ll be up to going out so soon.”
“If the Marine won’t go to the steak, than the steak will go to the Marine. I’ll cook.”
“Harm...”
“No arguments. Your place or mine?”
“I don’t know...”
“I’ll make it easy. I’ll bring everything for a nice steak dinner to your place. This way you won’t have to worry about going out.” Not to mention he wouldn’t have to worry about her not showing up. If Mac was suffering from PTSD, she was going to need to talk to someone, and at least he’d been through the same thing.
Mac’s apartment
Georgetown
Next night
“You have really outdone yourself. This is absolutely wonderful.” Mac savored another delicious piece of meat.
“Glad you’re enjoying it.” Maybe he had been worrying over nothing. Ever since he’d arrived, Mac had seemed her perfectly normal self. Perhaps she’d been right. All she’d needed was the familiar surroundings of her own home.
“How’s your salmon?”
“Delicious.”
“I bet mine’s better.” Mac wrapped her lips around the fork and very slowly pulled the utensil away from her mouth, humming happily at the wonderful burst of flavor.
Oh, how he hated it when she did something so totally sexy and he couldn’t do a thing about it. Every sound she made only served to heighten his awareness of how much he needed this woman in his life, in so many ways.
“I’ll go put on some coffee.” Harm needed a little distraction right about now, before getting up proved too embarrassing.
“No, thanks.”
“How about dessert?”
“Not yet. Maybe later.” Mac took the last piece of meat from her plate, then joined Harm in the kitchen. “You don’t have to worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them later.”
“It’ll just take me a minute to scrub down this griddle. The dishwasher can do the rest.”
“If you insist.” Mac returned to finish clearing the table. When she stepped back into the kitchen and saw Harm puttering around so comfortably, another flood of tears erupted. This is what she had hoped for one day. If she went through with this pregnancy, she’d never have it, have him, but could she live with herself if she didn’t?
“Mac?” Harm spotted her standing in the doorway, holding the salad bowl and an empty water glass with tears streaming down her face. Tossing the dishtowel on the counter, he was at her side in one very long stride. Grabbing the items from her hands before she dropped them, Harm set them on the counter and pulled her into his arms.
“What’s wrong, Mac?” he whispered into her hair. “What’s wrong?”
Chapter 12
Harm was more than surprised when Mac fell into his embrace sobbing. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know.”
“Hey, whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.” He couldn’t decide what to make of this. She hadn’t even been this upset when Brumby left her. Soothing her back with gentle strokes, he waited for the tears to subside, but they just continued to pour out. Finally, he nudged her towards the sofa. Coaxing her to take a seat, he pulled her across his lap and into his arms. “Now, tell me what this is all about.”
This was where she’d wanted to be for so long, safe in his arms. It’s how she’d felt every night in those caves, then later on in the cell. Even in the deplorable conditions, as long as she’d been in his arms, everything had felt right. Until Bahriim had returned.
The memory of Bahriim coming at her with the needle, and all that it now signified, just made her cry even harder. She didn’t deserve to have Harm in her life, ever.
“Mac, you’re really scaring me now.” He had never seen her fall apart this badly and didn’t know what to do for her.
She had tried composing herself, but for the first time since she’d heard the news, she’d allowed herself to cry, really cry, and now she couldn’t seem to stop the floodgates.
Left with no other choice, Harm cradled Mac in his arms until her sobbing slowed. When he felt her pull away, he asked, “Want to tell me what this is all about?”
Mac swiped at her wet face. Looking down at Harm’s shirt, she almost chuckled. “I’m afraid you’re a little wet.”
“What’s a little water amongst friends?” Harm brushed his hand through her hair. He wanted so badly to take away what ever was causing her so much pain.
“I have to make a decision,” Mac blurted out, climbing off Harm’s lap. She sat down on the seat across from him, her legs tucked neatly underneath her. Taking a few seconds to decide where to begin, she began playing with her ring.
Patience was something Harm was usually very good at. He’d waited patiently for months for Mac to recognize Bugme wasn’t the man for her. He’d waited again for her to come home to him from her self-imposed exile. Now he was trying desperately to give her the time she needed to explain why she was so upset, but if she didn’t say something soon, this would become the one battle he was going to lose.
“The doctors ran tox screens on our blood tests every day after we were rescued.”
Harm nodded. So far this wasn’t anything new.
“They were mostly concerned with what drugs we’d been given and how they might have affected us.” Every sentence was a challenge to compose. She didn’t mean to keep Harm waiting, but finding the words wasn’t any easier now than it had been all the times she’d tried to plan what to say.
Harm resisted the temptation to add, ‘Or made us do.’
“In Germany, in order to release us to Bethesda, they had to do a complete work up. This time the lab techs noticed something that had been overlooked in Qandahar.” Mac snuck a peek in Harm’s direction. He was quietly watching her, but she could see him trying to put the puzzle together before she’d supplied all the pieces.
Looking back at her ring, she continued. She just couldn’t say this and look at him, she just couldn’t. “The HCG levels in my blood had been increasing. Doubling, actually. I have to go to my doctor here to get a complete check up, exact dates, that sort of thing, but the bottom line is... I’m pregnant.”
Harm had no idea what HCG levels meant, but his brain had scrambled to try and figure out all the things that could have been wrong with Mac. His heart pounded as the possibility she might have cancer flashed through his thoughts, but it sank to his stomach when she uttered the word ‘pregnant’. He was trying to speak, to move, to somehow react, but he was frozen. Now he understood finding her curled up in her hospital bed, lost in another world. If he was numb, how must she feel? Then it hit him.
The minute the complete reality of her words registered in Harm’s mind would have been obvious to any idiot passing by. Harm’s brows practically kissed the ceiling and his eyes were ready to fall out of their sockets when he found his voice. “How pregnant?”
“A...a few...weeks,” she finally managed to get out.
The silence hung heavily in the room for what felt like an eternity. Harm sprang off the sofa and began slowly pacing the floor, running his hand over and over across the back of his neck. The urge to snap someone in two was overwhelming. He’d failed her. The one thing he’d been afraid of from the moment he’d seen the rifles pointed at them had not only happened, but had left them with a permanent reminder of the worst case scenario.
Unable to piece together a coherent thought, Harm stepped over to where Mac was sitting and squatted down in front of her. Taking both her hands in his, he said the only thing he could think of, “I’m sorry.”
Anger rising rapidly through her, she found the courage she’d previously lacked to look him in the eyes. “Don’t you DARE make this about you!”
Before he knew how, Mac had shot up out of the chair and brushed passed him. Standing by the dinette table, with her arms crossed and her back to him, she rubbed the sides of her arms as if trying to ward off a chill.
“This isn’t about you. This isn’t about the handsome strong sailor not being able to protect the weak and fragile Marine from the big bad guys. What’s done is done. Now this is about me and a baby, and a father I don’t know, don’t want to know.”
“Mac.” In three long strides, Harm was standing behind her, debating if he dared touch her. “I didn’t know what else to say.” Harm could almost feel her body shaking from where he stood. Placing his hands carefully on her shoulders, he pulled her against him. When he didn’t feel any resistance, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her head. “What can I do?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing anyone can do.” Mac leaned more heavily against him. She needed him right now. More than she wanted to admit.
“Does the admiral know?”
“I don’t think so. I mean... I haven’t told him about the pregnancy. I don’t know if he knows about ... what happened.”
“What about you? Have you remembered anything more since you found out? I mean, has it jarred your memories any?” Harm closed his eyes, waiting for her response.
“I can’t remember a damn thing,” she snapped.
“Thank God,” he mumbled to himself.
“What?” Mac turned to face him, still loosely wrapped in his arms.
“I’m sorry, but if we couldn’t do anything to stop it, at least if you don’t remember, you won’t have to relive it over and over in your mind for the rest of your life.” It wasn’t much consolation, but it gave Harm a small piece of sanity to hold on to.
Chapter 13
Mac snorted loudly, “Like looking in the face of my child and seeing his or her father isn’t going to remind me of what happened for the rest of my life.” Pulling away from Harm she walked back to the sofa. “Nooo. I’d get to look at my child for the rest of my life and wonder, who does he or she look like? Was it Junior, or maybe Larry? No, wait, Curly was the one who was willing to risk having his hands cut off to have a little fun with me. Was it him?” Mac’s voice was getting louder and louder with every sentence. “Maybe it was one of the other, lesser henchmen? Hell, maybe it was all of them!” Mac grabbed a pillow from the sofa and threw it across the room. “Damn it!” she shouted loudly.
Harm walked up to her and tried to wrap his arms around her again, only this time she pulled away. Earlier she had really let go and let the tears flow, and now she was finally letting out the anger. Maybe he needed to let her rant, as he’d let her cry. Right now he wished he’d studied a little more psychology.
“That lousy, stinking, SOB. You know the ironic thing?” She looked at Harm, not really expecting an answer. “I don’t even care.” She noticed his contorted expression of confusion. “No really. I don’t care what they did to me. You know what pisses me off?”
Hoping it was all she expected of him, Harm shook his head.
“Those SOBs stole you! This was supposed to be your baby! Damn him, them! All I’ve ever seen in my dreams for the last three years was a baby with your green eyes staring back up at me. Your looks, my brains. And now what have I got? God, I don’t know if I can do this!!!” Mac spun around and flopped on the couch. It wasn’t until she noticed Harm’s still stunned expression that she realized all she’d confessed to.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that.” She grabbed another pillow and began fiddling with the fringe.
Slowly, Harm managed to place one foot in front of the other until he was close enough to the couch to sit down beside Mac.
“Did you mean it?”
“What?” Mac had just spouted an awful lot of information. Exactly which ‘it’ was he referring to?
“All you’ve thought about for three years was having my baby?”
“That was the deal.” It was the least incriminating response she could come up with.
“Yes, it was.” Harm hesitated a few moments putting his thoughts in order. “What if he has your looks?”
Mac curled her brow. “That would have worked.” It was part of the deal.
“Do you want this baby?” He took hold of her hand again. He wasn’t sure why he had bothered to let go of it at all.
“That’s just it. I don’t know. I’ve dreamt my entire life of having children of my own, but I don’t know if I can live with the doubts, with the reminders, with what it’s cost me.” Her eyes dropped down to their clasped hands.
“What if she has your looks and not her father’s? Will who he is still haunt you?”
“I don’t know.” Mac had asked herself that same question over and over since the doctor had walked out of her room that fateful day. “It’s so much more than just that.”
“Like what?” Harm wondered how many obstacles there were to climb.
“Just for argument’s sake, let’s say this child looks like me. Let’s say I can forget I know how he or she was conceived. What am I going to tell him when he asks about his father? Sorry, kiddo, but your father was a rapist and a terrorist. Oh and by the way, I’m not sure which one of several men he is? That’ll go over really well!”
“You wouldn’t have to tell him all that.”
“Harm, don’t be dense. Every kid wants to know about their parents, their grandparents. It’s only normal. Think of the horrible scars just knowing how he was conceived could have on a child, never mind by whom!”
“Mac...” Harm started.
“No. Don’t ‘Mac’ me. It’s true. This is the family background from hell. Your father is an unknown terrorist who may be responsible for the deaths of who knows how many American soldiers, your mother is an alcoholic, and your grandmother abandoned your mother after your grandfather abused the crap out of her for years. Shit, what kind of heritage is that to hand off to a child?”
“Stop it!” Harm practically shouted at her. “Don’t do this to yourself. Your mother and father’s actions have nothing to do with anything, and you know damn well you’re much more than ‘just’ an alcoholic!”
“Harm, I can’t do this to a child. I can’t saddle him with questionable parentage. It doesn’t matter how much I might want this baby. I can’t tell him the things he’ll want to know.”
“Then you do want this baby?” At least a little of the litigator in him was working well enough to have caught her comment.
“What?” Mac was more confused now than she had been when they’d started this God-awful conversation.
“You said it didn’t matter how much you wanted this baby.”
“I did?” Mac seemed surprised to hear that.
“You did.” Harm swallowed hard. He was trying to suppress the same feelings Mac had been spewing. He’d held onto the idea of a child with her looks and his brains for as many years as she had. All through his relationship with Rene, he couldn’t stand the thought of having blond-haired children. All he’d ever wanted was to end up with Mac. When he’d made that deal on the front steps of Headquarters, he’d been reaching for the only connection he could find that would keep him from losing her, and now he was watching that same connection severed out from under him. Those bastards had taken so much more from Mac, from both of them.
“I don’t know,” Mac repeated. Tears threatened to overwhelm her once again.
“Yes, you do, Mac. This baby is a part of you. The rest doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does!” Mac sprang off the couch again. “You’re not the one who is going to have to sit down and explain his parentage when he starts asking all those questions: What was my father like? Was he a nice person, a good man? What did he do for a living? How did you meet? What should I do then, lie?”
“Yes,” Harm answered without skipping a beat, standing up to follow Mac.
Mac’s eyes almost fell out of her head. “What do expect me to do, make someone up? Wouldn’t that open a pretty can of worms! Why don’t you have any pictures of you and Dad? Where did he grow up? Why did he leave you? Or maybe I should say he died, then all I have to do is figure out where the hell he’s buried so we can visit the grave!”
Walking up behind her and carefully wrapping his arms loosely around her waist, he rested his chin on her head and whispered into her hair, “You wouldn’t have to make anyone up. You could tell him I’m his father.”
Chapter 14
Mac spun around in his arms. “You’d be willing to do that?”
“I’d be honored to do that. If memory serves me correctly, and I’m sure it does, the deal was we would go halves on a baby. We never discussed how we’d go about it. There’s a lot more to being a father than conception. Ask any adoptive father in the country and they’ll give you an earful.”
“I...I... I don’t know. I don’t think I could do that to you.”
“You wouldn’t be doing anything ‘to’ me. Think about it, Mac. Deep down you want this baby. This would solve everything you’ve brought up and more. At some point you’re going to have to tell the people you work with you’re having a baby. As much as you try to keep his parentage private, eventually they’ll all do the math and then scuttlebutt will takeover and figure out what must have happened.” Harm was now giving the most important closing argument he’d ever had to present.
“I hadn’t even considered the office. I was still stuck on the should I or shouldn’t I.”
“Everyone knows you and I were held captive together. It wouldn’t require much of a stretch of the imagination for them to think there was at least some ‘comforting’ going on. You know, eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” It wasn’t as though he hadn’t wanted her every night in those caves. Maybe if he hadn’t been so damn noble this would have been his child.
“No. I suppose not, but what if the baby doesn’t look like either of us?” Mac prayed Harm would be able resolve this as well. Maybe he was offering her the answer she needed to be able to forget what had happened and live in her own fantasy world.
“Genetics are a funny thing, Mac. We could always blame any unexplained trait on some long lost relative. As long as he doesn’t need a blood transfusion, there’s no reason he, or she, has to ever know.”
“It sounds too easy. What happens if ...”
“Mac. Whatever it is, we can work through it together.”
“If I decide I can go through with this, and IF I agree to tell people you’re the father, it will have an impact on a lot more than just the baby.” Mac let her head drop on Harm’s shoulder for a moment.
“Like what?” Harm began running his fingers casually in circles along her back.
“Rape is a war crime. It might come up again.”
“Mac, you know as well as I do that almost all female military personnel who have been captured by any enemy wind up getting raped at some point, but for obvious reasons it’s not brought to the public’s attention.”
“I think the admiral should know.”
“Okay,” Harm wasn’t sure he agreed, but if Mac was seriously considering letting him in, he wasn’t going to argue.
“Before you got all noble on me, did you give any thought to exactly what you’re volunteering for and how it will affect your life and our careers?”
Harm looked down at the top of her head. He knew what he meant. The same thing he’d meant when he made the deal three years ago: marriage, house, picket fence, even a dog. But he hadn’t stopped to think what the required adjustments to their careers would mean to Mac’s already fragile emotional state.
“Enough,” he replied quietly.
Mac pulled back slightly. “You’re making this too simple.”
“You’re making this too complicated.”
“Don’t do that! Don’t tell me this isn’t complicated! You don’t know anything about what this is like, what I’m going through!”
Stepping completely away from Harm, Mac’s voice went up several octaves.
“You have no idea what a shock it is to have someone tell you there’s another person growing inside you. Never mind you have no idea who the hell the father is.” Mac tried to control her temper, but she was angry.
“We prepare for this over and over. You run through your mind how you’re going to deal with it. What will you do to turn off your mind, your feelings? How do you live with being raped by the enemy? You step into that uniform and you pray it never happens, but you think you’re prepared if it does. And then it happens. Even if you don’t remember it, the unthinkable happens. It’s too late for medication, now you have to decide, make a choice.”
Mac turned her back and walked a few more steps away from Harm, wrapping her arms around herself the way she had earlier in the evening when she first tried to tell him she was pregnant.
“Easy, right?” she continued. “It’s a no-brainer. You’ve been violated by the enemy, by an animal! There’s no way you should even consider carrying ‘it’ around for nine months. You go to a doctor, have a procedure and it’s over. It’s all gone and life goes back to normal. Everything gets put behind you like it never happened. After all, it’s not really a baby yet, doesn’t matter that it’s a part of you. Well, it’s not that damn easy!” Mac spun around waving her arms at him wildly. “What you think you expect and what you actually feel aren’t always the same damn thing!” she yelled.
Harm stood frozen, his feet planted firmly in the carpet. She was practically hissing at him. She was right, there was no way he would ever understand what she was feeling, going through, and he was starting to doubt if there was anything he could really do to help.
“This shouldn’t be that hard. There’s only one obvious answer. Then your mind starts playing games. What if this is the only child you’ll ever have and you don’t choose to have it? What if you do have it and every time you look at it you see the face of your enemy? What if you can never learn to love it? What if it knows you hate it? What if I just give it away? What if the people I give it to turn out to be like my mother and father? What if I just jump out the nearest damn window?!!!”
Now that got Harm’s attention. He’d been giving her space, letting her vent. He knew deep down Mac didn’t mean it literally, but the possibility scared him to death.
“Mac.” He walked towards her, afraid to get too close, yet afraid not to try.
She felt Harm’s hands on her shoulders and took a deep breath. Leaning her head back against his hand, she spoke more softly. “What if every time I look at this child I’m wondering, was it Curly? Maybe it was Larry? What if I can’t help myself? What if I can’t pretend he’s yours? Then what do I do?”
“I don’t have any answers for you. I can only tell you that I don’t need to have my blood in a child to love it. I can promise you that. I’ll love it because he or she is a part of you. I know it’s not the same thing, but I’ve seen how much you love Chloe and she’s not a part of you. And before you interrupt, I know she’s not a reminder of a violent or painful past, but I know your capacity for love is enormous. I see it every time you pick up little AJ.”
“You’re right. It’s not the same thing. There are no painful memories when I see Chloe or hold AJ. There are no doubts, no questions.”
Turning her around and easing her into his arms, Harm kissed her temple. “I just want you to know, whatever you decide, I’m here for you. If all you need is a friendly ear, you have it. If you need a shoulder to cry on or a man to yell at, I’m here. If you need someone to go to the doctor with you, I’m your man. And whenever you’re ready to have a baby, if you need a father, I’m volunteering.”
A/N – Rape is a serious crime that I do not wish to trivialize. Anyone familiar with rape will have noticed that I have not portrayed Mac in anything near the traumatized state a true rape victim should be in. Two of the reasons for this are: First- I have been told that there are a few published reports that claim a female assaulted as a prisoner of war is less likely to feel the assault was somehow her fault. This feeling of guilt of somehow having brought it on herself, although unfounded, is very typical in a non-military sexual assault victim. Second is the theory that not having any memories of the event lessens the physical and emotional struggles that a typical victim deals with. Regardless of the veracity of these two viewpoints I have chosen to incorporate them into the telling of this story.
I ask patience. To read a fanfic that accurately deals with the issues of rape I recommend Vivienne’s Darkness Descending. It is an excellent story that deals tastefully with the after affects of rape.
Chapter 15
JAG Headquarters
Monday Morning
“Good to have you back, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Tiner. It’s good to be back.”
“The admiral would like to see you and Commander Rabb in his office before this morning’s staff meeting.”
“Is Commander Rabb in yet?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Let me know as soon as he arrives.” Mac nodded at the young petty officer and pushed the door to her office open. This room was like an extension of herself. It felt as much like home as her apartment.
She’d spent the better part of the weekend cleaning the inches of dust that had accumulated in her absence, all the while trying not to think about the only thing she could think about. Though she did succeed in scrubbing the apartment to near-brilliant perfection, she hadn’t gotten any surer of what she wanted to do than she had been during her all-night session with Harm.
At least she was sure of one thing, whatever she did, she would still have Harm’s friendship. She’d also clung to another foolish idea, but it gave her hope, helped her maintain her sanity in that empty apartment. First thing this morning she was going to call her gynecologist. Maybe, there had been some mistake. Maybe she wasn’t pregnant at all, or maybe there was something naturally wrong and she wouldn’t have to make any choices. She knew it was unlikely, even silly, but it was easier this way.
Opening her personal phone book, she located her physician’s name and shakily dialed the number. Fifteen minutes later Tiner was tapping on her door.
Holding one finger up at Tiner, she finished the call. “Yes, I understand. You will call me if there’s an earlier cancellation? Thank you, I’d appreciate it.” Mac scribbled the time a week from tomorrow on her calendar then looked up at Tiner. “Yes?”
“Commander Rabb just arrived. I told him the admiral is waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Tiner.”
Taking a deep breath, Mac tugged on the edge of her uniform blouse, and made her way to Harm’s office. She could do this. A week wasn’t so long. It certainly wasn’t going to make a difference either way. She would just have to push this all to the back of her mind until the diagnosis was confirmed or denied.
“You ready, sailor?” Mac leaned into his doorway, smiling as brightly as she could.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Harm snapped his briefcase shut and stowed it at the side of his desk. It was back to the grindstone, and as always, Mac was in Marine mode. Somehow, she had managed to check the confused woman at the door and only the competent attorney had reported for duty this morning. He’d never understood how she did that.
Tiner had announced the two attorneys before they’d completely passed through the doors of the admiral’s anteroom.
“Go right in. He’s expecting you.”
Knocking before fully entering the room, Harm spoke for the two of them. “You sent for us, sir?”
“Have a seat.” AJ eyed his two attorneys carefully, especially Mac. He’d seen the condition in which they’d been found. It galled him to think of what those ten days must have been like for her, even if she couldn’t remember.
“You’ve both been cleared for full duty, and you’ve both refused the additional thirty days leave available to you. Are you sure you do not want to take some more time off?”
“Yes, sir” Mac answered loudly. “I’m ready to get back in the thick of things.”
“Same for me, sir,” Harm added.
“Well, we’re up to our eyeballs in cases, so I’m not going to insist. Is there any reason either of you can’t handle a little extra work?”
“No, sir,” they echoed. Mac was actually delighted. The more work she had to hide under, the less likely she was to count the minutes ‘til next Tuesday.
“Good. If either of you find coming back full steam ahead is too much, I expect you to come to me immediately. Is that understood?” This time he couldn’t help focusing clearly on Mac. Officially, the only information in her file was the initial results of the rape kit. Unofficially, he was keeping a close eye on her.
Mac suppressed the urge to squirm in her seat. She still didn’t know how much the admiral knew, and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted him to know.
“I need you both at Norfolk today. We’ve got a petty officer caught standing next to a dead body last night, his CO’s wife. I don’t want a media circus. Get in, find out what happened, and keep a lid on the press.”
“Aye, sir.” Harm accepted a file, then passed it to Mac.
“I’ll have the rest of your cases on your desk when you return. Dismissed, and Colonel, I’d like a word with you.” AJ watched Harm leave, his stride somewhat hesitant. AJ also thought he actually saw Mac squirm out of the corner of his eye. Damn, this couldn’t be easy for her as it was. It hadn’t been his intention to make it any worse.
“Sir?”
“At ease, Mac. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay with the expected workload.”
“No problem, sir.”
“Mac, I’m not asking you as a CO. I know you’re an extremely capable lawyer and Marine. I have no doubts you’ll handle every case I pass your way with the highest standard of excellence. I’m asking if Mac the woman is okay?” AJ didn’t want to overstep his bounds, but he was worried about her. She and Harm’s psych evals had been signed off on too quickly for AJ’s liking, under the circumstances.
Mac studied AJ a few moments, trying not to chew on her lower lip as she considered what to say next. “Sir, it’s not the same for me. Not like for other assault victims.” She couldn’t bring herself to use the word rape. “I know what happened, some of what happened, but I have no memories to haunt me. I just need to get back to my routine.” She wasn’t ready to tell her commanding officer that she had a more solid reminder to haunt her every waking moment.
“Are you talking to anyone about this?” AJ knew how important it was not to ignore something like this. Even if Mac had no memories, the knowledge alone of having been so intimately violated could wreak havoc on a person’s emotional stability.
“Yes, sir, the commander.”
That wasn’t who AJ had in mind, but Rabb would know better than anyone how she would feel about being drugged and held prisoner. Not sure if Mac would be in denial, AJ had debated if this was the right time to tell her all about Terri’s initial findings, but if she was indeed accepting the situation, now was probably the best time to lay all the cards on the table.
“The official report on your captivity is still incomplete. I had Commander Coulter helo’d to the prison compound to oversee collection of any forensic evidence. I also insisted she accompany you to the field hospital. She did the...” AJ stumbled a moment over his own tongue. “... physical exam. Although there was no recent evidence of any body fluids... on you, there was evidence on some of your... garments. I’m waiting for her final DNA reports.” AJ carefully watched Mac’s expression.
“I see, sir. Thank you.”
“Mac, if you need to talk to someone, off the record.” AJ handed her a business card. “She’s good and discreet.”
“Thank you, sir.” She clutched the proffered card tightly.
“Very well. If there’s nothing else, dismissed.” AJ walked back around his desk. He wasn’t sure what he had expected Mac to say. The odds of actually bringing any of these thugs to a military court for war crimes against Mac was extremely unlikely, but he had to let her know at some point that physical evidence of the crimes against her did exist. He had no choice.
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