Author: Nancy
Disclaimer: No infringement rights are intended to those who own JAG.
Classification: PG- 13
Category: Harm/Mac Drama
Summary: Although Harm aggressively works to help his brother gain US
citizenship, he fails to provide the needed evidence that Sergei is truly
his father's son. A major life threatening turn of events however creates a
greater need for Sergei to remain in the US.
Three months later...
"Okay people we've got to beat the God Squad in order to play the Spooks in the second game of this double header." The Admiral had his JAG baseball team surrounding him.
"Everyone know your positions, let's go give 'em hell! No disrespect intended padre." The Admiral smiled at the passing chaplain.
The JAG team easily defeated the Chaplain's team by a score of 7 to 3. The Admiral pitched, Sturgis played short stop, Mac first base, Harm second, Tiner catcher, Singer third while Bud, Harriet and Arledge played outfield.
Webb and company were warming up while the JAG team rested before the second game in the bleachers. Harm stretched out on one of the benches and dosed in the warm sun. Mac had tried not to hover, but she had noticed that he had tired easily for the past week. He had dismissed it to jet lag and a hectic schedule, which the Admiral was already beginning secretly to adjust to decrease the strain on the senior attorney.
The second game was more of a challenge with each team taking turns capturing the lead. They finally made it to the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, and JAG was trailing by two runs. Bud was on first, Singer on second and Harm on first. Mac was up to bat. "Batter, batter, batter! Knock em home!" Harriet cheered.
Mac dug her feet into the dirt and took a couple of practice swings with her bat. "Send those Spooks back undercover!" The Admiral yelled.
The first two pitches were balls. "Keep your eye on the ball!" Sturgis instructed from the bench.
Mac swung and missed the third pitch, "Strike one!"
"That's okay, bring me home Marine!" Harm yelled from first.
"Strike two." Mac let the bat drop momentarily, and then regained her concentration.
The pitcher signaled the catcher. He then wound up his pitch and let it go. Mac smacked the ball with a loud WACK! Bud, Loren and Harm began to run. The ball bounced in front of the right fielder who picked it up and threw it to the shortstop. Bud had made it home and Singer followed tying the score. Harm looked over his shoulder to see the shortstop catch the ball as he rounded third. Kicking into full gear, he stretched his long legs towards home as the shortstop threw the ball home. Harm slid into the base as the ball landed into the catcher's mitt. "SAFE!" the umpire yelled bring the JAG team to their feet cheering.
Webb removed his catcher's mask and helped Harm up. "Good run, bad call." He said in his typical spook manner.
"Good run, good call." Harm replied, but continued to gasp heavily having difficulty catching his breath.
Webb looked at him with concern. "You okay?"
Bud ran over to congratulate Harm on his winning run. "Sir, you're bleeding." He pointed to Harm's skinned up elbows.
Mac arrived as the small group began to gather around the runner. "Harm are you alright?"
"Just a little winded." Harm smiled. "Great hit Marine." He added breathlessly.
"Let's get something to clean up those elbows." She directed him towards the bleachers and a first aid kit.
As bottles of PowerAde were passed around as Mac and Sturgis applied peroxide and a dressing to Harm's bleeding elbows. Mac concern grew, as he still seemed to be struggling to slow his breathing. "I'll be okay. Just give me a minute." Harm he smiled and tried to sound convincing. He thirstily drank an entire bottle and began to breathe a little slower.
"Harm, you okay?" The Admiral approached and noticed the dressing on both elbows were rapidly becoming saturated with bright red blood. The Admiral's eyes darkened with concern and gestured towards the unchecked bleeding. In a controlled but firm voice he whispered to Mac, "We need to get him to the hospital now."
*********
Sweaty dirty softball players filled the waiting room at Bethesda while Mac remained with Harm. The busy staff of the emergency department efficiently drew multiple tubes of blood for labs, and hung platelets to rapidly infuse through a newly inserted central line. A mask with 100% oxygen flowed into Harm's lungs as he wearily dosed on and off.
Dr. Owen gestured for Mac to follow him into the hall as Harm slept. "Mac it looks like he's in a blast crisis." David's tone conveyed the seriousness of the situation. "His body is producing very primitive white blood cells or myeloblasts very rapidly. These useless cells crowd out the other needed cells. His platelets are at a critical low level. That is why we are having a hard time stopping the bleeding."
"What are you going to do?" Mac sounded panicked.
"I'm going to start a very large dose of chemotherapy to stop the production of these cells. If I don't they will clog up his circulation and start shutting everything down. However, the treatment is almost as dangerous as the disease at this stage. We're likely to wipe out his immune system and he could succumb to infection. Either way there is a real possibility that he could die." David added gently.
"There must be something you can do. I read that bone marrow transplants are curing this type of leukemia." Mac demanded frightened by the doctor's words.
"I've already put him on the BMT emergency list, and I just got approval to go ahead. Harm has no brothers or sisters listed on in his file, so we will have to try to get a close match, but the odds of getting a close antigen match from a non-relative may take weeks. He only has days if that long. We are trying to notify his next of kin?"
"The Admiral has called Harm's mother. She's on her way. David, Harm does have a half brother. Commander Teresa Coulter did a DNA match on them, remember." Mac added frantically.
"She never mentioned that to me when she called me initially about Harm's case. I can put a call into her, and she can tell me if his marrow would work. Can you get him here?"
"He's in Russia, but I'll get the Admiral and the Secretary of the Navy to pull any strings necessary to get him back."
"I'm having Harm moved into an isolation room and starting the chemotherapy. Why don't we go talk with your friends."
The group looked more like a team huddled around their coach before a tense championship game than the friends and coworkers finding out from Harm's physician that he was precariously hanging on to life after a pleasant afternoon softball game.
The Admiral and Webb quickly exited and began the process of getting Sergei back in the country while one of the chaplains led the remaining group in prayer for Harm's recovery. All of them were stunned by the sudden change in their friend's condition.
Mac quietly retreated to cry alone unable to bear the thought that he might not survive. "Are you going to be alright?" Sturgis's deep voice drew her out of her dark thoughts. This was too much like the night of her rehearsal dinner.
"It's May 19th." She said through tears.
"May 19th?" Sturgis repeated searching for clarification from his distraught friend.
"Harm's F-14 went down a year ago today. It was the night of my wedding rehearsal to Mic. He survived that and now look what's happened. What did we do to God that was so bad!" She demanded. "It's not fair! He's been through enough. We deserve a chance at happiness!" She then dissolved into to tears as Sturgis drew her into his arms and allowed her to sob.
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