Mac shifted slightly in her seat. She had been wondering when to bring up the certain topic that had been bothering her for some time. She wasn't sure how Harm would the news but she knew she would have to bring it up sooner or later...and now seemed like the perfect time.
 
"Eh...Harm?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"I've been meaning to talk to you about this...Remember how we've talked about adding Child Number Six to the family?" She could see he was now on the alert, his eyes were narrowed slightly and he was sitting up straighter.
 
"What about that?"
 
Mac sighed, gathering her courage. "Well, I'm not...I'm not sure if we should have another child."
 
Harm nodded slightly. "Why not?"
 
That was a fair question. She had been worried he would see it as a rejection. "I've decided to put Jacob on the transplant list. He's growing up now, already eight years old, and dialysis is not something he needs holding him back, especially since it won't be long before he's in high school."
 
"I thought he was already on the list," Harm frowned.
 
Mac looked away. "No, I haven't felt as if I could put him through that. It's a big operation and he's such a little boy. Also, all that waiting, never being able to go far from the hospital in case the pager went off. It was too much worry for a child...But since we've met you and the kids, I've watched him and I can see he's changing. He needs the transplant. All I have to do is finish filling out the forms."

Eight years she had devoted her life to protecting Jacob. She had been there with him through everything but the time he broke his leg at age two stuck out in her mind. He needed surgery and she could never had predicted he would have taken so badly to the anesthetic. He was sick and weak for hours after the operation. It was then she decided to put off having his name added to the transplant register...Then she met Harm six years later.

Mac had watched painfully as Jacob struggled to keep up with the Rabb children. The kids made allowances for his ill-health, considering that whenever they had an activity, but it anguished Jacob when the other children splashed in the lake nearby or when they played hide-and-seek as he was having his dialysis. Tom was the same age as Jacob and his agility was miles ahead, even Kat could run circles around her son. That was when she made the decision to the give her son a stake in his future, a chance to be healthy.

But in giving Jacob that opportunity, she would have to make sacrifices...and one such sacrifice would be not to have any additional worries as she concentrated on her son. A newborn child would definitely be counted as an additional worry.
 
Taking her hand, Harm smiled. "I'm glad you're giving Jacob the chance of a transplant...And I think you're right. We shouldn't have another child."
 
Now it was her turn to frown. "Why not?"
 
She could tell his reasons had nothing to do with Jacob. Maybe the idea of having a child didn't appeal to him.
 
He sighed deeply. "Spending time with the kids today, I've realized they are still kids and so much change has happened recently. Meg only died two years ago and now there's a new woman in my life. They've accepted you and Jacob but I think it might be a bit much to have them accept a new child."
 
"So we just enjoy our five, huh?"
 
"Yep, I think five is enough anyway. It might have been nice to have another kid but I can just imagine telling that to Kat. I'd have to get the protective armour out."
 
"Oh, come now...Big Captain Rabb isn't scared of a little five-year-old, is he?" teased Mac.
 
"Too right I am, that 'little five-year-old' can make life pretty difficult when she wants to."
 
Smiling inwardly, Mac had to agree with him. In some ways, it could be seen as a blessing not to have another child. After all, if the child was a girl and Kat took her under her wing, God help anyone who crosses their paths. No, she was quite content to have one biological son and four surrogate children.
 
                                                 *********************************************
Harm And Mac’s Residence
Washington DC
0528 EST, December 25th
In the midst of her sleep, Mac become aware of whispers and muffled giggles filtering through into her dreams. Suddenly, tiny hands shook her and she awoke to five grinning faces staring down at her. Next to her, she heard Harm undergoing a similar assault.
 
"It's Christmas!" yelled Tom. "Time to get up."
 
"Yeah, we wanna open out presents," Jacob said.
 
"Oh, kids," groaned Harm, barely awake, "it's only half five. Can't you wait until a little later?"
 
"NO!" was the simultaneous response.
 
"Okay, okay..."
 
Grudgingly, Harm sat up and pivoting, he planted his feet on the floor. Equally reluctant, Mac mirrored his movements. On the bed, the children were getting impatient. Benjy and Kat were jumping on the bed and flung themselves at Harm when he stood up. Thankfully, he caught them before they ended up on the floor.
 
He studied their sticky faces and surmised, "I take it you've all opened the presents in your stockings then."
 
Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course, Dad, we opened them ages ago. Now we're just waiting for you."
 
Harm arched an eyebrow. "Oh, are we holding you guys up?"
 
"Yes," Kat stated, "but we know you're both old and don't have as much energy as us so we forgive you. Just hurry up, we've been waiting for hours. Nick made us wait 'til half past five before we could wake you."
 
Mac did not want to know what God-awful time they had roused at- if they slept at all. Children never ceased to amaze her; on a schoolday it was murder to wake them yet on weekends and Christmas it was like they had been revitalized.
 
Still holding the youngest pair, Harm started to move out the bedroom with the three older boys eagerly on his trail. When he noticed she hadn't moved, he turned to her.
 
"Are you coming, Mac? I don't think these lot can wait any longer."
 
"I'll be there in a minute," she assured him.
 
She waited until they were out of earshot before dashing for the bathroom. Mac didn't want to worry Harm and kids but she had been feeling queasy for some time. Just after Jessica had died and Dalton had cut any emotional ties they had shared before, she had been diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. The symptoms were not exactly the same but what else could it be?
 
                                                 *********************************************
Harm watched in contentment at the children tore at the presents under the tree until the living room looked like a Tasmanian devil had hit it. Wrapping paper lay strewn across the floor and furniture, packaging from toys cast aside and five pyjama-clad children were occupied with their new gifts.
 
They were all satisfied with the presents- Nick had received the miniature motorbike he had asked for under the condition he wore a helmet and took lessons; Tom was happy with the first aid kit, a set of medical programs for his computer and videos of the goriest episodes of his favourite programme 'Medic'; Jacob was happily playing with his games console; Kat was content with her palmtop computer; and, Benjy had received a box of Lego and Play Dough.
 
As the children tore open their presents, Harm had noticed Mac was oddly distant to all the excitement. She was looking a little pale and was not really focused on the kids. He had asked her what was bothering her but she gave him a lame excuse that she had a slightly headache. Harm knew that Mac had a headache she was short-tempered and irritable, not silent and  inattentive.
 
The morning quickly passed into afternoon, the children abandoning their parents and the living room for the comforts of their bedrooms where they could better examine their goodies and fill themselves up with sweet crap. It was then Harm decided it was time to confront Mac about her mood.
 
"What's wrong with you?" he asked casually.
 
"I don't know what you mean," Mac replied, not looking away from the television screen.
 
"Mac, you weren't even in the same world as us."
 
"I don't know what you're talking about, Harm, you're imagining things."
 
Harm sighed angrily. "I wish you would just talk to me, you always do this." He took a calming breath. "Please, I thought we put all the hiding things and not talking behind us. Please, Mac, just...just talk to me."
 
She shifted then turned nervous eyes to him. "I...I think you might have to get the protective armour after all."
 
"What?" Harm frowned. "You're not making any sense, Mac. What are you trying to say?"
 
Mac inhaled a quick breath of air. "What I'm trying to say is that we're going to have to do up that spare room...I'm pregnant, Harm, we're going to have a baby." Harm eyes bulged, his jaw dropping to the floor. "Yeah, that was my reaction. I estimate in about seven or eight months our five will become six. Heaven help us when we tell the kids. You think if we just keep quiet they won't notice..."
 
She hadn't realized she was babbling until Harm dropped down to kneel in front of her and took her hands gently. His smiled was far from the look of horror and rejection she had been expecting.
 
When they had first began their relationship, they had both agreed to always put their children first- they weren't kids any more, they had a responsibility to their children now. She was so certain when the pregnancy kit tested positive that Harm would not want to know for fear of how his children, especially Kat, would take it. Hell, she hadn't planned on getting pregnant- with Jacob's health problems and the house already rowdy with five kids- but something had compelled her to buy that kit some weeks ago. It seemed intuition had paid off.
 
"A baby?" he said in wonder. "We're going to have a baby?"
 
"Well, technically, *I'm* going to have the baby but yes, we're going to have a baby."
 
"Wow..."
 
Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. "You seem pleased."
 
"I've always been pleased each and every time I've found out I'm about to become a father again."
 
"But what about Kat and the others? It's going to be so difficult for us, we're not even married."

He sighed. "Any new baby causes difficulties, but we'll manage. This isn't the Stone Age, we don't need a piece of paper for permission to have a child. And Kat and the other kids will get used to the idea." He smiled. "It would be nice to have a child together."
 
He was right. A child was a symbol of a bond between two people, and this child would signify a complex connection that had existed between her and Harm that spanned fourteen years.
 
"Six kids? That's going to be quite a handful." Harm's eyes drifted to the portrait of the two combined families, complete with pets, that hung above the fireplace. "But we've been through an eleven-year separation, a reunion, a plane crash, resentful kids not to mention all the crap when we were both at JAG. I think we can handle a child together, I think we could handle anything fate throws at us."
 
Suddenly the living room door opened to reveal a tinsel-covered Kat closely followed by Tom and Jacob. The little girl studied them carefully.
 
"What are you guys doing?" she asked, a touch of suspicion in her voice.
 
"Nothing, honey," Harm replied sweetly. "Just talking." When the three kids vacated the room to go into the kitchen, Mac shot Harm an incredulous glare. "Well, we need some time before we break this to them." A cunning look passed over him. "How long will it be until you start to show?"
 
Mac blinked. "You're not planning to hide this, are you?"
 
"For as long as we can, Mac, for as long as we can."
 
Mac just shook her head. She patted her stomach maternally. *Oh, little one, you have no idea what you're coming into,* she thought with a smile. *But it's going to be a lot of fun, that's for sure.*
 
A man who was practically her husband, the memories of a dead mother, an immature ex-husband not to mention a teenager, a kid who wants to cut up everybody, a child  with a list of health problems, a resentful and vindictive five-year-old, a toddler, and a new baby on the way. Why did Mac get the feeling that she was about to learn the true meaning of complicated?

But she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world...
 
 

                                     THE END...FOR NOW???

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Well, e-mail me and tell me what you think about Harm and Mac's extended family. I might do another instalment about the events leading up to the baby's birth but I'm not sure.