TITLE:  "Need You Ask?"
AUTHORS:  Anne R. and Pat Steiner 
SUMMARY:  Missing Moments #1-Cowboys & Cossacks.  The first in a summer 
long 
series of 'in lieu of a new JAG' stories wherein older episodes will be 
revisited and we'll explore what happened that we did not get to see.  
DISCLAIMER:  JAG of course belongs to Paramount and DB productions et 
al.  No 
copyright infringement is intended.
FEEDBACK:  If you would like, but never expected or demanded.  Feedback 
addy 
is ssbpmn@aol.com

NOTE: This story, as well as much of our previous efforts, will be 
available 
to registered Yahoo users at:  
                         
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnniePatJAGstories
                  No subbing is required to read from the message 
archives.
           
Other archives of our work:
              http://thearchive.mine.nu:85/exlibris/
  -               
    http://hmarchive.topcities.com/index2.html  [sadly, not always up 
and 
running]
    
http://www.wtv-zone.com/trgarchive/btl/
*************************
"Need You Ask?"
  
  With one last look at the sinking Vasiliev, Harm let out a long sigh 
and 
  turned to head inside. A momentary wave of dizziness swept over him 
and he 
  grabbed onto the handle on the hatch for support.
  
  "Sir you okay?" Bud asked. "You look a little unsteady. Can I help 
you to 
  sick bay maybe?"
  
  "I don't need sickbay Bud" Harm said with a weak smile. "Just a hot 
shower 
  and my bunk." He finally took a step and walked through the hatch, 
surprised 
  to see Mac still there.
  
  "Harm you don't look so good" Mac said as she studied him closely. On 
the 
  deck of the ship she hadn't noticed the large gash on his forehead 
and how 
  pale he looked. "What happened to you two while you were on the 
Vasiliev?"
  
  "Long story" Harm sighed.
  
  "I can tell you ma'am" Bud spoke up. "First they had a party and we 
had 
lots 
  of vodka."
  
  "Vodka?" Mac asked with a raised eyebrow.
  
  "Some of us had lots of vodka" Harm corrected. "Mr. Roberts here for 
one."
  
  "Bud you got drunk" Mac laughed.
  
  "Ma'am that was the real stuff. Like 200 proof."
  
  "Okay Bud. I get the picture. What happened after the vodka?"
  
  "Can I be excused while Bud spends the next hour telling you" Harm 
sighed 
as 
  his hand reached to grab onto the wall for support as the world 
around him 
  started to spin again.
  
  "Easy Sailor" Mac said as she reached an arm out to steady him. "I've 
got 
  you. Bud quick version here before I take Harm to sick bay."
  
  "He got knocked out when we were trying to take over the ship" Bud 
answered.
  
  "Unconscious?" Mac demanded. "And for how long?"
  
  "Yes ma'am. And I'm not sure. Things are still a little fuzzy."
  
  "Is that how you got that gash?" Mac asked Harm as she continued to 
hold 
  onto him.
  
  "No ma'am" Bud spoke up before Harm could.  "That was when the ship 
was hit 
  by the missile and we were locked in the brig and the water came 
shooting 
in 
  and knocked us both over."
  
  "Oh my god you both could have drowned in the brig" Mac gasped as she 
got a 
  mental picture of what Bud was saying.
  
  "Yes ma'am" Bud nodded before his hand flew to his mouth. "Excuse me 
I 
think 
  I'm going to be sick" he managed before he turned and ran.
  
  "Sick bay for you mister" Mac said as she reached her arm around 
Harm's 
  waist. "That gash needs to be cleaned and you need to be checked to 
make 
  sure you don't have a concussion."
  
  "Mac I just need a hot shower and bed" Harm countered weakly. 
"They're 
  probably swamped with guys from the Vasiliev and the last thing I 
need is 
to 
  sit there waiting for three hours to see a corpsman."
  
  "All right I'll take you back to your quarters" she sighed. "But I'm 
not 
  leaving you alone."
  
  "Mac I'm fine" he sighed.
  
  "Harm don't argue with me" she said firmly. "Either I stay with you 
or it's 
  sick bay. The choice is yours."
  
  "I guess we're roomies for the night" he said with a small smile.
  
  "Good. But I still reserve the right to take you to sick bay if I get 
any 
  inkling you're not okay."
  
   "Yeah that's fine," he mumbled distractedly.
 
 "OK that moment has arrived," she growled.  "You wouldn't be that 
agreeable 
if you weren't in trouble."
 
 "Please let's try the hot shower, the aspirin and the bed," he begged.  
"I'm 
just cold and wet and tired.  And a good man died tonight."
 
 "Yeah I know," she nodded seriously.  "OK but I've got my eye on you."  
Her 
arm tightened across his back and to her surprise she felt him lean in 
to 
her.  'God let him just be tired and not really injured' she prayed 
silently 
as she guided him along.
 
 "Here you are Commander.  Our home for the night," she said softly, 
pushing 
open the door.  "I think a shower first don't you?  You need to get 
warm and 
dry, and then we'll tend to your cut."
 
 "OK yeah," he sighed, giving her a vague look. 
 
 "Harm?"  
 
 "Yeah I'm fine," he said again, in that same vague tone.  
 
 "Yeah and I'm going to be the next CNO," she groaned, giving him a 
slight 
push toward the shower.  He staggered on his feet and instinctively 
reached 
out for her to steady himself as she went to grab him.
 
 "Hey you're all wet too here," he gasped.  "What about you?"
 
 "I'll borrow one of your tees and sweats or something," she assured 
him.  
"But I'm not putting on a show.  Get in there mister."  She guided him 
to the 
door, holding his arm firmly.  "Are you going to manage or should I 
call 
someone?"
 
 "Who?  Bud?"
 
 "Not quite.  I don't need two of you half dead on your feet," she 
groaned.  
"I was thinking more like a corpsman who would haul your six down to 
sick 
bay."
 
 "Don't."  One word.  And then he was in the bathroom.  
 
 "Lord save me from stubborn Sailors," she muttered, listening for the 
shower 
water before stripping out of her wet uniform and into dry clothes from 
his 
duffel bag.  It was but five minutes later when she thought she heard 
him 
call her name.  
 
 "Harm is that you?  You need something?"
 
 "Maa-aac."
 
 She could hear his wail and then the shower water shut off.  "Mac I'm 
sorry 
but I can't. . .I need you.  It's OK.  Open the door."

   "Harm what is it?" she demanded as she burst through the door. He 
was 
  leaning against the shower wall, somehow having managed to wrap the 
towel 
  around his waist before she arrived.
  
  "Dizzy" he managed as she hurried to grab him as he swayed unsteadily 
again.
  
  "I got you," she said softly. "Big step out of the shower and then 
we'll 
get 
  you to your bunk."
  
  She guided him from the bathroom and to the bed, gently lowering him 
down 
on 
  it.
  
  "Harm you still with me?" she asked anxiously as she knelt down in 
front of 
  him.
  
  "Yeah I'm here" he murmured so lightly that she barely heard him.
  
  "Harm you're scaring me. I'm going to call for a corpsman."
  
  "No don't" he managed firmly as he looked up at her. "No I'm okay. I 
just 
  have a really bad headache and everything just started to spin while 
I was 
  in the shower."
  
  "Exactly why you should be checked to make sure you don't have a 
concussion" 
  she sighed. "But we'll argue about that after I get you dressed. 
Sitting 
  there shivering isn't helping you any." She reached for his duffel 
bag and 
  pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and a pair of boxers which 
she 
  promptly handed to him.
  
  "I can manage those alone thank you" he sighed.
  
  "Just don't fall on your face please." She turned to give him some 
privacy, 
  waiting until he reached for the sweats to turn around. Moments later 
he 
was 
  dressed and he sank down on the bed.
  
  "You okay?" she asked.
  
  "If the little guy would stop pounding in my head I'd be fine" he 
said with 
  a long sigh.
  
  "Let me get that cut cleaned up and then you can get some sleep" she 
said 
  gently.
  
  "You're not really going to stay here and watch me sleep are you?"
  
  "Would you rather I went and watched Bud instead?" she teased.
  
  "No" he said finally. "And thanks for taking care of me."
  
  "Getting to be quite a job being your partner" Mac smiled. "I didn't 
realize 
  how much trouble you get into."
  
  "It's not my fault they send me on a ship where the Captain has a 
death 
  wish" Harm sighed. "Course it was a disaster from the moment we 
stepped 
  aboard the Vasiliev."
  
  "Ending with you and Bud almost drowning in the brig," she said 
quietly.
  
  "It wasn't that close" he assured her quickly. "And Yuri was on his 
way to 
  get us out."
  
  "Well you can tell me about it all later. I'm sure the Admiral is 
going to 
  want to know everything that happened. Including how he almost lost 
his two 
  officers."
  
  "I'm sure he will" Harm nodded.
  
  "You know I tried to stop Captain McNamara from firing at the 
Vasiliev. I 
  knew you and Bud were aboard somewhere and I was scared to death for 
you 
  both."
  
  "Afraid of getting a new partner?" he smiled.
  
  "Yeah I'm kind of getting used to you Rabb" she smiled as well. "And 
enough 
  talking. Let me find some first aid stuff and I'll take care of that 
cut 
and 
  then I want you to rest."
  
  "I hope there's some aspirin in there somewhere" he sighed.
  
  "I'll find those first."
  
  A short time later she'd cleaned and bandaged the gash on his 
forehead and 
  given him several aspirin before helping him back against the 
pillows.
  
 "You take good care of me," he sighed, closing his eyes against the 
dizziness that made her face blur and the room spin.  
 
 "It's my new hobby," she smiled, giving his cheek a gentle stroke with 
the 
back of her knuckle.
 
 "So were you worried?"
 
 "About you?  Hell no," she grinned and smacked him gently.  "I was 
terrified," she admitted after a moment.  "And when it blew and I 
didn't see 
you at first, well terror went up about ten notches.  In case you 
haven't 
noticed Mr. Rabb, I'm pretty used to having you around.  I. . .well I 
don't 
get attached easily to people."
 
 "You hated me at first," he grinned despite his pain.
 
 "Gee I can't imagine how that could have happened.  I'm suddenly 
partnered 
with this ex fighter jock who thinks he's all that," she laughed.  
"Anyway, 
like I said I don't form attachments easily.  But from the first day, I 
felt 
you and I connect."
 
 "Just how far do you want that connection to go Major?" he asked 
softly, his 
eyes closing in his exhaustion.
 
 The question startled her and she was silent for a moment, then took 
the 
easy way out. "This is a conversation we'll have another time when 
you're not 
delirious with pain," she told him, pulling the blanket up under his 
chin.  
"Sleep now.  I'll be here."

 "You know what, I'm sure I heard an 'always' in there," he sighed.  
"But 
then what do I know, I'm high on aspirin."
 
 "Sleep Rabb, you're losing it," she whispered, slipping her hand into 
his.  
A few moments later his even breathing told her he was doing just that.
 
 Carefully she tucked the hand she had been holding under the blanket.  
"You 
were right," she whispered.  "There was an always."
 
 THE END