Author: Nancy
Disclaimer: Don't own JAG or characters. This is for entertainment
only. Quotes are from "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
Classification: Drama Harm but other characters are present
Rating: PG
Summary: Harm finds himself the target of an old enemy. Once again
Harm is the pawn and placed in an uncontrollable situation. I hope
you will find compassion in the characters I use later on. This
occurs during season 6. Mic is still around.
A special thanks to Barb and Carolyn for beta reading!
PART 8
Mac's apartment
"Clay, you still can't find a connection to Palmer." Mac sighed in frustration.
"Maybe we're chasing the wrong fox." Clay replied, "I went to Leavenworth and checked it out myself. Palmer is still there."
The longer this takes, the more likely it is that evidence is going to be lost." Mac moaned.
"Mac, when are you going to admit to yourself that you are in love with Harm and not Mic?" Clay said out of the blue.
"Clay, where did that come from?"
"If I can't figure out who set Harm up, at least I have figured out that you shouldn't be marrying Brumby." Clay gave her one of his typical Webb looks.
"So the super spy is giving up?" Mac decided to ignore Clay's comments.
"I didn't say that."
"Yes, you did."
Clay rolled his eyes. "You're changing the subject."
Mac thought before responding. "Clay..."
The sound of the door opening, and Mic entering the apartment, interrupted the conversation.
*********
Harm had difficulty finding sleep, as he replayed the day in his mind. 'When he got out of here he was personally going to head up an investigation on some of the staff.'
He rolled over and finally fell asleep, well after midnight.
A noise of some sort woke him and he turned over, scanning the room, and decided Nate was talking in his sleep.
"Harm" the voice brought Harm to a sitting position. He looked again, while his eyes were still adjusting to the dark.
"How does it feel to be locked up and everyone think you're crazy." The voice made Harm's heart begin to race in anger.
"Palmer!" Harm stood and tried to see the face that stood near his door.
"You think you're going to get out of here but your not." Palmer laughed.
"You SOB!" Harm lunged towards the figure standing at the door, only to have him slip out and run down the hall to the entrance.
Harm ran after him, reaching the entrance door as it shut and locked. Palmer's face was grinning evilly through the small window.
Harm began to beat at the door and yelled for someone to stop Palmer. Palmer waved and retreated towards the elevator, when the night attendant arrived and tried to calm Harm, who was frantically insisting he open the door and get Palmer.
"I don't see anyone. You need to calm down." The attendant insisted.
"He's getting away. He's the reason I'm here. Open the door!" Harm was pushing the man away. Seeing the keys on the attendant's belt, Harm struck the man in the nose, knocking him down, and grabbed the keys. Harm hurriedly tried key after key to unlock the door. Three other night attendants arrived and restrained Harm against the wall and took away the keys. Harm attempted to struggle free, but the combined strength of the three men overtook him.
Harm was pushed over the desk while the night nurse arrived with an injection that she gave quickly in his hip. Harm felt the burning sensation and continued to struggle against the men who restrained him.
They pulled him up and pushed him into a small room, bare except for a plastic mat on the floor. Harm ran his hand through his hair in frustration and called out for them to call Maggie. Palmer was there and could be getting away. Harm paced the room, trying to think of what to do next.
The strange numbing feeling hit him all at once. He shook his head in attempt to clear the fog that was rapidly descending on him. He felt everything was going in slow motion. His depth perception was off, and he felt as if he was looking at everything from the end of a tunnel. Slowly, he slid down the side of the wall and sat on the mat in the room. He couldn't think. The feeling was frightening, but at the same time he couldn't feel anything...
**********
Anthony laughed as he looked through the small window of the seclusion room. Harm was curled up, asleep, on the mat. "I told him his time was coming. They all break eventually." He muttered to himself. He opened the door and pulled Harm up to a sitting position, "Get up, I'm taking you to the showers." Anthony pulled Harm up and called for another attendant. Harm was unable to stand without assistance. "Walk!" Anthony ordered, and Harm tried to move his feet, only to slide them mechanically.
The unit had two fights that morning. Four men who were on level four were knocked back to level one as a result. "What is it a full moon or something?" One of the nurses commented.
"I think they're upset about Rabb." The overweight attendant replied. He had worked there long enough to recognize that the patients acted out by fighting whenever they were upset about something.
Anthony shoved Harm into a chair and proceeded to poke food in his mouth. Harm wanted to push his hand away but couldn't concentrate enough to protest. Anthony wiped his face and ordered him to stand and walked him to the nurse's station for medications. Maggie was off, and the new nurse pulled up Harm's medications. "The doctor added a new one, Loxapine, 25 mg twice a day, and this is his amitriptyline, 50 mg. He's going to be pretty sedated after the Haldol last night and with the dosages the doctor has ordered with his po meds." The nurse looked doubtfully at the patient in front of her, who looked as if he could barely stand, much less take a pill.
"I'll make sure he take it." Anthony took the cup and poured the medication into Harm's mouth and pushed a cup of water up to his mouth and ordered him to swallow. After taking the medication, Anthony walked Harm to the couch next to Charles and left him. Harm leaned against the armrest and drifted to sleep where he remained most of the day. Finally, the day shift nurse instructed one of the attendants to take Harm to his room, where he could sleep off some of the effects of the medication.
Nate remained on the unit singing and rambled on about angels, "Satan is here! He is the prince of darkness and will lock you in the gates of hell forever, beware!"
Dr. Deglin came by and checked on Harm who wasn't aware of the visit. He added a new diagnosis to Harm's chart. Major depression with psychosis, rule out bipolar disorder.
The next morning, Anthony awakened Harm, who seemed a little more alert, but continued to be confused. He set a tray in front of Harm, "Eat, I'm not feeding you again today. Remember what I said about that tube."
Harm looked at the plate in front of him and had difficulty choosing the correct utensil to eat with. Mike walked over, looking to make sure Anthony wasn't watching, and picked up a spoon and put it in Harm's hand. He then opened his milk and juice, before leaving with the others to go to the cafeteria. Harm slowly scooped a spoonful of cereal and brought it to his mouth, dropping half of the contents back on the tray. After about three bites, Harm put the spoon down and propped his head on his hand and began to drift to sleep.
Jerrod, the Pacer, was back and continued to walk his rounds. As he passed Harm, he slowed enough to reach on his tray and pick up a piece of toast. With each round, Jerrod slowly emptied most of the uneaten food from Harm's tray.
Anthony walked back in the room to check on Harm and saw the tray was almost empty. Only Charles remained in the room. He looked at Harm, who was sleeping, and frowned, trying to figure out how Harm managed to eat.
Again, Anthony forced Harm to swallow the pills, which kept him lethargic.
Harm sat, sleeping, in his usual spot across from the catatonic giant, Charles. Nate brought two sodas and opened them. He tried to get Harm to take one, but was unable to get him hold the can, so he set it on the end table, between the two couches, and walked away.
No one noticed the large, black hand pick up the can and put it carefully in Harm's hand and lift it to his mouth. Harm took several sips before nodding his head in sleep. The same hand took the can and replaced it on the end table. Charles repeated this most of the afternoon, as the two men sat alone in the day room. When the others begin to arrive back in the day room, Charles sat unmoving and unresponsive as Harm slept.
***************
Trish and Frank Burnett waited anxiously to see Harm. Captain Deglin had notified them about the change in his condition. Captain Deglin sat explaining the episode that occurred that caused a change in his treatment. "Your son had what I would describe as a psychotic break. He had an episode of hallucinations and became delusional during the night. He believed that a man named Palmer was in his room. He blamed this Palmer for his being here. When the night attendants tried to calm him, he struck one and broke his nose. He had to be chemically restrained and placed in seclusion until he calmed down."
"There is a man named Palmer who has threatened my son's life on several occasions." Trish explained. "Did anyone check to see if he was present that night?"
"Mrs. Burnett, no one reported seeing anyone in the halls except the regular staff. As you can see this place is secured at all times." Deglin spoke soothingly.
"When can we see our son?" Frank spoke up, as he held Trish's hand tightly in support.
"Let me caution you. The medication he's on has made him lethargic. This is an expected side affect and will lessen the longer he's on them." Delgin stood to escort the Burnetts to see their son.
"What kind of medications do you have him on?" Trish stopped and asked pointedly.
"An antidepressant and an antipsychotic drug. Together these should help control any future episodes and lift his mood. It takes about three to six weeks before they become effective, that is why I'm recommending that Harm stay an additional three weeks. We can better evaluate the effectiveness of his medications," Deglin added.
"I just want to see my son, and then we'll talk about his length of stay."
************
Harm sat at a table in a small private conference room. His head propped up by his hand and staring vacantly. Trish gasped as she saw the man that was her son. He had no affect and his eyes looked dull and tired.
"Harm," Trish sat next to him and touched his cheek. "Harm, it's Mom."
Harm looked slowly at the woman who sat next to him and tried to remember how he knew her.
"Mom?" A slight smile crossed his face and vanished almost immediately.
"What have you done to my son." Trish turned in anger to Deglin.
"I warned you that he would be this way. You don't need to worry, this is expected initially and will wear off as he adjusts to the medication." Deglin tried his soothing approach.
"Don't tell me what I need to feel. This is unacceptable. My son has gotten worse since he has been here and I intend to get him out!" Trish responded like any mother who felt her child, although an adult, was threatened.
Frank stepped in; "We will take our son home or to a private facility in California, where we live. So you just start the discharge process and gather his things."
"Mr. and Mrs. Burnett, I wish you would reconsider. You are seeing him at his worst. He will get better. I must also inform you that his admission was based on a court ordered commitment. I can not release him until his original 21 days are up, or he is directly transferred to another facility. I will be more that happy to assist you with those arrangements, but let me warn you, sometimes it takes weeks for a transfer to happen." Deglin now knew where his stubborn patient got his personality.
"Fine, you can start now." Frank said firmly. He looked at Trish who didn't want to leave and added, "We will want to come and see him everyday until the transfer can be arranged."
"I see no problem with that, may I suggest you come in the late afternoon, so the hospital's routine will not be interrupted."
"You'll see us tomorrow at three o'clock sharp." Trish added in a threatening tone. She then turned to Harm and hugged him, "We'll be back, and soon we'll take you home." She fought the tears that threatened to fall, for Harm's sake and to not give this idiot of a doctor the pleasure of seeing her cry. Standing up, she lifted her chin and left with Frank at her side.
Once they got in the car and drove out of the gate, she leaned against her husband's shoulder and sobbed, releasing her pain and fear. Frank held her with one arm as they drove and began to think of his connections that could expedite Harm's release.
**************
Clayton Webb had looked into almost every possible explanation of how Harm could have been drugged. Anyone could have found a way into his apartment and probably drugged his water or the wine he drank, but so much of any evidence was burned.
The fire...that was another factor. Harm was lucky someone had spotted the fire in time to alert the fire department. Clay picked up his cell phone and made one more contact. "I'd like to get the tape of the 911 call in on the night of...."
**************
Mic had tried everything he knew to improve Mac's mood. He told her his best funny stories and tried to get her to go out for a night of dinner and dancing, but she begged off, saying she just didn't feel like it tonight.
"Sarah, I was thinking Valentine's day would be a good date to reschedule our wedding. We could fly to Las Vegas or anywhere you want to get married and honeymoon the rest of the week." He kissed her gently on neck.
She smiled, but didn't respond right away.
Mic pulled away and leaned back into the sofa. "We're not getting married are we?"
"Mic I didn't say that." Mac looked tenderly into his eyes.
"Sarah, you know I love you and would do anything...anything in the world for you." Mic held her hands in his. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him, only to have him withdraw. She looked at him in confusion.
"Sarah, I've thought a great deal about us, and I think it would be a mistake if we got married." Mic looked down as he said the words.
"Mic?" Mac's eyes clouded with tears.
"Believe me when I say, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, including reserving my commission." He added with a laugh.
"I know you don't love me like I love you." Mac started to interrupt but Mic placed his finger against her lips. "I need someone that I have no doubts about and doesn't have any doubts about me. We don't have that." He smiled sorrowfully. "You don't know how much I wish we did. I'm not going to blame anyone because, if you really loved me, no one could get in the way...ever."
Tears streamed down Mac's face, as she saw the hurt in his eyes and felt the pain in her heart. He was such a special man, and she knew he was right.
He stood up and smiled, as he wiped tears from his own eyes. "I guess this is good-bye."
Mac stood up and kissed him, and they hugged tightly before he removed her arms and walked towards the door.
"Mic, wait." Mac slid the ring off her finger and placed it in his hand.
"I told you I wanted you to keep it no matter what." Mic said.
"Somewhere out there is a very special woman who deserves you. Take this ring and trade it in on a bigger one, because she will deserve it." Mac smiled and folded Mic's fingers around the ring.
He nodded and walked out the door.
* NancyT's Stories * Please send Feedback! *
