Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: Who would claim it?
Summary: Webb is in a hospital in Uruguay; Mac recalls some moments; Clay�s mom arrives; You-know-who finally shows up
Author�s Note: Thanks to the six who are reading this and told me to continue; I still don�t know where it�s going.
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May 25, 2003
Mac�s Hotel Bedroom
Port City of Montevideo, Uruguay
Mac was disoriented when she awoke. The strange bed was soft and clean. Smiling, she rolled over expecting to encounter Clay�s sleepy eyes.
The empty pillow was a testament to her current reality. Reluctant to face the present, Mac closed her eyes and recalled waking up with Clay that first time:
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Still laying on his right side, Clay was asleep and Mac was wrapped around him from behind. It was a comfortable position that she was not inclined to disturb. Bright light filtered through the hotel curtains and Mac�s internal clock told her it was 9:16 AM. They had quite a bit of time before their afternoon meeting with Raul Garcia, so there was no hurry.
Relaxing fully against Clay�s back, Mac allowed herself to absorb his masculine warmth. After a few moments, she slid her left arm, which was curved around his middle, a bit higher on his chest in a slight hug. This was going to be an interesting adventure for them. It had been a long time since her last TAD and Clay was proving to be the ideal partner. She�d had no idea she�d feel so comfortable around Clay, but despite the gravity of their mission, she was having fun playing Mrs. Williams---a little too much fun. In fact, her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it lightly explored Clay�s chest.
Stopping herself, and amazed at her own brazenness, she pulled her hand back before it went into dangerous territory. Brief as it was, the slight movement allowed the heavy diamond wedding ring to slide right off her finger. Damn! She�d forgotten to take it off last night.
Trying not to wake Clay, she carefully felt around for the huge stone. Leaning up fully on her right elbow Mac gently foraged along Clay�s side with her left hand, but came up empty. She was reaching blindly over his chest and her arm was stretched as far as it would go. Angling her head higher, Mac�s line of vision was blocked by his left shoulder.
Eventually, having no success in retrieving the ring, Mac gave up the search. It was a big diamond. She�d search the bedding when they got up for the day. Pleased with her decision, she absently rubbed her right cheek against the smooth curve of Clay�s shoulder, then slid her left hand around to his upper arm. Engrossed in the light back-and-forth caress, she felt a slight bump under her check. Closer inspection revealed a half-moon shaped blemish on his lightly freckled skin. No bigger than a quarter, she gently traced the puckered skin with her fingernail. Scar? Tattoo? Birthmark?
�Looking for this?� Clay�s gravelly voice interrupted Mac�s inspection. She glanced up and noticed the ring he was waving over his shoulder. Uh-oh, caught in the act!
Mac made a grab for the ring, and quickly rolled out of bed. She made it to the bathroom before she heard his frustrated call.
�Hey, don�t take all day, Sarah! I NEED to get in there!�
�Yeah, well, patience is a virtue, dah-ling!� Mac grinned to herself as she heard his mumbled response. So, he wanted her to kiss his----�What was that? I couldn�t hear you clearly, Clay!�
�I was practicing my Spanish, sweetheart--- quiz�s, I said quiz�s---means MAYBE. *Maybe* patience is a virtue!� He was right outside of the door now. He had turned on the spigot of the outer pedestal sink. Mac stealthily eased open the bathroom door and peeked out at Clay.
Bent at the waist, Clay was sluicing water over his face and reaching for the towel he�d draped over his shoulder.
�Well, Hot Stuff, I�ve got news for you---,� Mac saw him abruptly stiffen at the sudden closeness of her voice.
He threw down the towel and looked around at her, �What?! What great news do you feel like imparting to me this morning?�
Uh-oh, something had sparked his fuse. She�d seen him like this before, so she knew it wouldn�t last very long. Nope, definitely not a morning person. And from her perspective, the morning had started off so well. Ah, well, he probably did need to use the bathroom pretty badly. Who would ever understand men�s mood swings, anyway?
�Well, I was going to tell you what a great ass you have---,� Mac meekly began. Clay�s jaw dropped. Yeah, that one was worth it. Just as she saw that he was regretting his small outburst, she walked over to the bed and sat down.
Pulling out the �Diamonds from A to Z� book, she randomly chose a chapter and pretended to settle down and read as she finished her statement,
�---but now I just think you ARE an ass!�
Mac was certain she heard him groan, �I know, I know� as he stalked into the bathroom. A childish grin creased her face as she patiently waited for him to finish.
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Mac came back to the present with a hint of that same grin on her face. Fighting with Clay was always fun. He never held anything back. He also never held anything against her. He knew she liked pushing his buttons, so he pushed her buttons. Also, since he wasn�t predictable like some men she knew, the retaliations kept her on her toes. Clay had kept her on her toes those last, sleepless nights in the Ciudad Del Este Hotel.
Getting to her feet, Mac took a quick shower and put the scrubs back on. Visiting hours began in fifteen minutes and she couldn�t be a minute too soon.
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May 25, 2003
ICU of MUSA Medical Center
Port City of Montevideo, Uruguay
Porter Webb rang the bell of the ICU ward at eight o�clock that evening. Harm observed as the nurse met her at the door and ushered her to the small waiting room. As they approached, he stood and greeted Clay�s mother.
�Mrs. Webb, I�m Harmon Rabb.�
�Oh, yes, Commander. I appreciate you phoning me this morning.� She offered her hand and he held it for a moment.
�Just Harm, please, if you don�t mind. I�ve resigned my commission.� Mrs. Webb looked into his eyes, nodded her understanding, and took the seat he offered.
�Please excuse me, Com---Harm. Harrison did explain your new position to me on the way down.� Mrs., Webb didn�t look as though she approved of his career change, but he could just be reading her wrong. After all, her only son was in a foreign country, in critical condition, and she�d just flown cross-country for several hours to get here.
�I�d say you have more important things on your mind right now, ma�am,� he said in a soft voice as he took the seat next to her. �Am I to understand that Mr. Kershaw accompanied you down to Uruguay?�
�No, no, of course not. Again, please excuse me, Harm. No, Harrison contacted me on the airplane once he found out I was en route.� Mrs. Webb continued to stare at Harm and finally came to some sort of conclusion.
�Harrison is a charming man---highly intelligent as well.�
Harm agreed with that assessment..
Porter pointedly stared into Harm�s eyes, �You can trust Harrison Kershaw, Harmon.�
Harm had instinctively known that, but it was nice for Mrs. Webb to confirm it. Nodding his head in agreement, he knew it was time to update her on Clay�s condition. Just as he was concluding his update, Nurse Monfuego entered the room.
Harm made the introductions and stepped back so that the women could enter the ICU. Before the door closed, Harm caught the following exchange:
�Mrs. Williams---,�
�Please call me Porter, Delia.�
�Thank you, Porter. Your daughter-in-law is in with Clay right now, but I am certain that once she knows you are here, she will want you to change places with her. It is for the patient�s sake that we only allow one visitor at a time. You understand this, yes?
�Of course, I understand. How is my dearest Sarah holding up, Delia?�
�Last night, I believe was difficult for her, seeing him for the first time after his surgeries. This morning she was waiting at the door before visiting hours began. She has stayed by his side the entire day. She talks to him until she is hoarse, and yet she keeps talking. Sometimes there is much laughter, some tears as well. Always she holds his hand. I believe he must hear her. Their love is great, yes?�
�Definitely, yes, Delia. It is a great love, a love that began with friendship. Over the years, they have acknowledged their need and trust for one another. Now their love has entered maturity. Although they were married only a short time ago, they are fully committed to one another---.�
As Porter Webb�s voiced faded away, Harm considered the conviction of her words. There was a story here that would change his entire relationship with Mac.
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May 25, 2003
Mac�s Hotel Bedroom
Port City of Montevideo, Uruguay
Mac rubbed her eyes, but the shopping bags were still on her bed. Picking up the one with the Hanes logo, she poured out the contents: white cotton socks and underwear, three to a package. There were even a couple of running bras---but who�d done the legwork?
She sat on the bed and thought for a minute: Harm had the Company credit card. He and Gunny must�ve gone shopping this morning. Considering the small collection of tees and jeans, she skew she was right. Thank God for them both, regardless of their spartan shopping skills.
The new clothes inspired Mac to take a quick shower and wash her hair. The clothes were a bit loose but felt fantastic. The running shoes felt a little strange after wearing archless flats for so long, but it was a good kind of strange.
As she sat cross-legged on the bed and removed the tags and stickers from the rest of her wardrobe, she considered the day�s events. All things considered, it was a good day. Clay was down to two tubes and was breathing on his own; she was certain that he had smiled with her a couple of times. All of the doctors were pleased with his progress. Even her brief meeting with Clay�s mother had gone surprisingly well.
Porter had treated her like a, well, like a daughter. She had hugged her, kissed her, praised her---it had been a bit overwhelming. Strangely enough, it hadn�t felt like an act either. Afterwards, Mac had watched Porter through the glass doors as she saw Clay for the first time: the reunion of mother and son broke her heart all over again.
Porter had approached the bed with firm steps. Once she reached Clay�s side, she had placed both hands on his face, leaned down, and kissed his forehead. Her thumbs had stroked his cheeks as she continued to cradle his battered face.
She could hear Porter�s voice through the door. Although her face was etched with the raw pain and tears of a mother facing the mortality of a beloved child, her voice was strong and never faltered.
�Clayton Webb, is that any way to greet your mother? I know you�re tired right now, but when you�re better, I expect you to show your proper manners.� Porter gently tapped him on the cheek and took the chair Mac had occupied most of the day.
�Oh, son, have I�ve got so much to tell you! Where shall I begin?� Porter settled herself back in the chair, dabbed at her cheeks, and began her litany of gossip.
�Well, first off, I want you to know right now that I�m not keeping this color. Herve decided to try a honey blond, when for years you know I�ve never wavered from my �natural� blond. I know dear, Herve is a pissant, but he does know how to texturize.� Clay�s mother patted the side of her hair and gained momentum.
�And speaking of pissants, I saw your cousin Alex last week. Little twerp sought me out at Tavern on the Green. Turns out you were right about him: he�s cheating on Claire again, but I don�t think she even cares this time.� Porter patted his hand.
�He wants to know if you�d be interested in taking over his Beltech interests since you manage that end so much better than him. Frankly, I hesitated to tell you, since you�re such a soft touch, but I�m warning you right now to stay away from that boy.� Porter was pointing at him and Mac could almost imagine that Clay was nodding his head in agreement.
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The ringing of the telephone broke her reverie. Mac rose from the bed and gathered the discarded tags and wrappers. Stuffing them into the trashcan, she sat back on the bed and answered the phone.
�Hello?� came her hoarse greeting.
�Mac, is that you? Mac? Hello? I�m calling for---who gave me this damn number anyway?� Mac could hear a small commotion in the background as her caller became frustrated.
�Admiral?� she choked out.
�Mac, it�s AJ Chegwidden here. You going to speak to me or what?�
�Oh, Admiral.� Mac breathed as her mind went blank.
�Mac? Mac? What the *hell* is wrong with this phone, goddamnit? Never mind, just leave it alone. I said, never mind! Leave it---,� Mac heard a loud click, but kept staring at the handset. When the receiver started beeping, she placed it back on its cradle.
Outside of her bedroom door, she heard someone enter the suite. She figured that Harm had finally returned and he was talking to Gunny. She was still trying to figure out the Admiral�s aborted phone call when there was a tap on her door.
�I�m not hungry! You guys go ahead without me!� she called from the bed.
When the door opened, she was gearing herself up to politely refuse whatever food plans Harm and Gunny had come up with this time. Lately, whatever she ate tended to come right back up, so what was the point?
�Mac?� She hadn�t heard that particular voice in what seemed like a long time. Looking to the side, her eyes met Meredith�s. �Mac, hon, we came as soon as we could.�
Mac blindly rose from the bed as Meredith came over to giver her a hug. She patted Meredith on the back, not sure if this was real. Meredith noticed her confusion and pulled AJ forward.
�Mac? Colonel?� Even dressed in civvies, Admiral Chegwidden was the most commanding presence Sarah MacKenzie had ever encountered. She wanted to hug him and have him promise that everything would be all right. She wanted to be strong and stoic, to show her commanding officer that she was one devil-dog Marine. She wanted to reassure him that she was okay, that it was Clay who had endured the torture. She wanted him to tell her that it was all over and that she�d made him proud. Instead, Mac blankly stared up at the man who was like a father to her.
AJ glanced at Meredith as fat tears slowly fell from Mac�s eyes. At the door, Gunny felt his own eyes water and gently closed the door.
AJ looked down at the young woman and felt helpless. This thin, hollow-eyed waif couldn�t be his Chief of Staff. Fear that she and Clay were dead�or worse---had dictated many of his actions throughout the past two weeks. Now that she was safe, he didn�t know what he should do. She looked like she would break if he did the wrong thing or even breathed too hard. The Mac he knew was in there somewhere.
�AJ, do what feels right,� Meredith urged him.
Without any further hesitation, he opened his arms wide and waited. His smile was bittersweet as he staggered back from the impact of Mac�s slight form. AJ gathered her into his arms and held on as Mac�s loud sobs echoed throughout the room. He blinked back his own tears as this tough Marine cried out her pain and helplessness within his embrace.
Meredith patted his shoulder as she left the room, choking back her own tears as she witnessed her friend�s catharsis in the safe haven of AJ�s arms.
AJ held Mac for a long time, comforting her as best he could. He never asked her a question or expressed any emotion as the tale of Clay�s torture emerged. He held back all comments that came to mind when he heard her account of the plane crash with Rabb. She finally cried herself out and AJ didn�t know if this was a good thing or not.