The Ultimatum

Title: The Ultimatum

Category: Harm/Mac

Rating: G

Disclaimer: These characters belong to DPB, not me.

Author: Astrid

Mac rushed into the emergency room frantically searching for a nurse or someone, anyone, to help her. After waiting in chairs for 37 minutes and 19 seconds, a nurse came and got her.

“Ma’am. You can come back with me now.”

“How is he? Is he okay? What happened?” she asked as the walked down the hall to the trauma rooms.

“I really can’t tell you, ma’am. The doctor will need to talk to you,” the nurse said not realizing that Mac was no longer following her. A doctor walked out of the room and spotted Mac looking shocked as if she had just gotten some very bad news.

“Are you Sarah MacKenzie?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. What happened? Is he okay?” she asked almost afraid to get the answer.

“He’ll be fine,” the doctor said. “He was in an accident and totaled his car. He has a concussion, a couple of broken ribs and such but he will be fine. He is sleeping now but you can go in and see him.”

Mac walked through the door that the doctor held for her and she looked at the bed and saw him lying there. The man she had feelings for for so long was lying on the bed looking pale and bruised, his breathing a bit labored.

“Oh, Harm. What am I going to do with you? You aren’t supposed to get hurt like this. I thought that I lost you this time. The nurse wouldn’t tell me anything. I thought you were gone.” She walked closer to the bed not realizing that the doctor pulled the door shut leaving them in privacy. Mac sat on the chair and gently picked up his hand.

Mac sat there for a while quiet, simply thinking, staring at his hand. She didn’t notice Harm’s eyes opening and his smile when he recognized her. He was just about to speak when she spoke.

“Harm, I know that this is not a good time to say this, but I need to. Anyway, you aren’t awake yet. Maybe you can hear me, I don’t know. I love you, Harm. I have for a long time. I told you that I would wait for you and I will. I will probably wait for you until the day I die if you don’t say anything. I’ll do it because I love you but I’ll be unhappy. I don’t deserve that. I need someone to love me like I love you. If you can’t do that then I will have to try to move on.” She looked up at his face, his eyes now closed, part of her knowing that she will never be able to leave him.

“God knows how I’ll do it but I’m a Marine. I’m tough and I can do it, if I have to,” she said, the tears in her voice betraying her words. “I just don’t want to have to.”

Harm looked at her, hating to see her in pain and hating himself because he caused it. He had hurt her too many times in the past. The fact that she still loved him just about boggled his mind. He really didn’t know why he never could tell her the truth. He loved her just as much as she loved him.

“Mac,” he whispered, kind of surprised his voice cracked.

“Harm! You’re awake, let me get the doctor.”

“No,” he grasped her hand tighter. “Please don’t leave.”

“I’m just going to get the doctor to tell him you are awake,” she explained.

“No, Mac. Don’t leave. You don’t have to.” He looked into her surprised eyes, she realized he had heard her. “I love you, Mac. I am so sorry that I’ve never told you before.”

“Harm,” she said trying to hide her tears. “You have a concussion, you don’t know what you are saying.”

“Yes, I do, Mac,” he said her name tenderly. “I was at home thinking about you and I realized just how lucky I was not only to have found you. But the fact that you have waited for me for so long when anyone else would have left…” he stopped to catch his breath. “I got into my car and headed straight over to your place. I know it was late but I needed to tell you. I couldn’t wait for the morning.”

“Are you serious?” Mac asked not really sure if she could believe what he was saying.

“Yes. Very serious. And I will try to prove it to you for as long as you will let me. I love you, Sarah MacKenzie. And I always will.”

The End