0800 EST

Harm and Mac's House

Rosslyn, VA

Mac woke up in the morning and turned to reach for her husband.  She groaned realizing his side of the bed was cold.  Where could he be?  She threw on her robe and made her way down the stairs.  She heard voices coming from the living room.  Harm must have gotten up with the boys today.

“Daddy?”

“Yes Gabe?”

“Can you teach me how to make snow angels?”

“Sure son, why?”

“Well, Momma doesn’t like this weather, and I thought if we make her snow angels they would keep her safe.”

“How do you know Mom doesn’t like this weather?” Harm asked his young son.

“Mattie told us that Momma was real scared, and you found her, saved her, and kept her warm.” Gabe said.  He climbed up on his daddy’s lap.  “You’re momma’s hero.”

Harm scooped him up and laid a blanket over Jakie who had fallen asleep.  Mac was in the kitchen.  “Hi Gabe.”  She kissed him and then kissed Harm.  “Gabe what do you want for breakfast?”

“Pantakes.”  He told her.  “I help my momma.”  Harm set him down on the countertop and got everything that they would need.  He heard Jake stirring on the sofa.

“The boys woke up last night when the power went out for a couple of minutes and we had a campout in the living room.” He explained to his wife.

“That would explain the missing Graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars.”

“Don’t worry, they only had one apiece.  I made sure they didn’t spoil their appetite.”

Mac smiled at her husband and leaned up and kissed him.  Gabe started giggling from on top of the counter.  “Get a room!” He exclaimed.

“Gabriel Dustin Rabb, where did you hear that from?”

“Mattie says it all the time.”  As if on cue, Mattie came down the stairs. 

“What do I say all the time?”

“Get a room.”  Harm smiled at his teenager.

“Sorry Dad, I will watch what I say around the twins now.  I heard them get up last night.  How come you didn’t get me for the campout?”

“Well, if the power goes out tonight we just might.”

Mac looked up, “Do you guys what chocolate chips in your pancakes?”  She asked her family. 

Mattie’s face lit up.  “You are the best!” 

Jake made his way into the kitchen.  “I want my daddy.” He said reaching for Harm who was sipping his coffee.  Harm picked up his other twin and smoothed his hair.

“What’s wrong Jakie?”  Mac came up and kissed her young son on the cheek.  Jake was his rambunctious twin, but in the morning he was so much like his brother.  Mac loved the morning with her boys.  There were days when Harm had to go overseas, that the boys would crawl into bed with her and they would tell her stories about what they did that day at daycare.

Mattie was so much like Harm to.  Harm and Mac had signed Mattie’s application to get into the Naval Academy and they were waiting on word, it seemed like a lock though with Admiral Boone and Admiral Chegwidden backing her.  Mattie would stay up at nights with Mac when the baby was making her sick and she would help corral the boys when they got to be too much.   

“I had a dream that Daddy disappeared.”  He answered her.  Over the baby monitor, Mattie heard her 11 month old sister wake up. 

“Mom, Dad, I’ll go get Gemma.”

Mac smiled at her.  “Thanks Honey.”

Harm held his son who was trying not to cry while remembering his nightmare.  “Oh Jakie, I promise you as long as there is breath in my body I am going to make it home to you, your brother, your sisters, and your mom.”

“Daddy always keeps his promises,” Gabe said from the countertop.  

Harm kissed Jake on the forehead.  Are you going to help your mom and Gabe make the chocolate chip pancakes while I clean up our camping trip?”

“Yes Daddy.”

Harm walked out into the living room and took the dinosaur sheet down off the chair.  The boys took their mother’s love of dinosaurs and their father’s love flying.  Gemma came down the stairs and reached for him in Mattie’s arms.

“Dad, I think your princess wants you.”

“Which one?”

“Very funny Dad.  Can I take the jeep out?”

Harm looked out the window.  “I don’t know baby.  The weather seems like it isn’t going to let up anytime soon, and it just seems to dangerous right now.”  Harm braced himself for a fight.

“Well if Jason can make if over, can he come over?”

“Sure.”  He felt like it was a good compromise.

“Thanks Daddy.  I am going to take a shower and call Jason.” She handed her little sister to Harm.

He put her in the pack and play and started to clean up the boys’ mess from the night before.  He turned around and gave Gemma a piece of Graham cracker to gum on.  She smiled at him.  “You know baby, besides your eyes you look exactly like your Momma.” 

She smiled at her father again and when he had moved their mess to the side, she reached up again for him.  “Dadada.”

“Come on baby, let me fix your oatmeal.”  She immediately snuggled on to her father’s chest.  He watched as Mac instructed the boys what to do. 

“Okay Gabe, time to pour in the chocolate chips.  Jakie, keep stirring.”

“Daddy, we doing a good job helping Mom!” Gabe said from on top of the counter.  “Is Gemma going to eat?”

“Yes, but I am making her oatmeal buddy.”  He put her down in her high chair. 

Mac looked at him, “Are you sure that you are ready for another one in five months?”

“We are going to have to be.” He leaned down and kissed her stomach.  They still hadn’t told the boys that they were going to be older brothers again. 

“Daddy, that is a funny place to be kissin Mommy.” Jake exclaimed making his way down from the chair.  “Mommy its mixed real well.”

“Should we tell them?”

“I guess so.  It is going to be hard to hide it soon.  Gabe,” She said picking him up from the counter.  “Jakie, Mommy and Daddy have something important to tell you.”

“What is it Mommy?” Gabe asked, his blue eyes piercing into her.

“Mommy is going to have a baby.”  She told the boys.

“Cool, when?”

“In five months, you will have another brother or sister.”

“Why can’t you have the baby now?”

Mac looked at Harm, “You take this one flyboy.”

He looked at her, “You just had to give me a hard one.”  He looked at the boys, “Well, Mommy can’t have the baby now because it is growing inside her tummy.”  He tried to explain.

“How did the baby get there?” Gabe asked putting his hand on his mom’s stomach.

Mattie came down the stairs and started laughing.  “Yeah Dad, how does the baby get in Mom’s tummy?”

Harm blanched, the boys definitely weren’t ready for the sex talk, and he remembered how that talk went with Mattie.  “Well, when a Daddy loves a Mommy very much, they have a baby.” Harm tried.  Mac bit her lip, lopping her arm around Harm’s waist.

“Well Daddy must love Mommy a lot.” Jake said sticking his tongue out.  “He helped Mommy make two babies at once!  Me and Gabe!” Jake reasoned as only a three year old could.  Mattie just started laughing.

“So there is a baby in Mommy’s tummy now?” Gabe asked.

“Yes, and you guys were in my tummy too, just like Gemma was.”

“Was Mattie in your stomach?” Jake asked.

“No,” Mattie answered them.  “Remember, guys, I told you a bedtime story about how I came to live with Mom and Dad, and how I had a mommy and daddy before them?”

“Yeah.  You said that Mom and Dad still loved you with all their hearts, like we do!” Jake said climbing up kissing Mattie’s cheek.

“That’s right, now sit down and eat breakfast, and then I will run you and Gabe your bubble bath with your Navy ships you guys love so much.”  Mattie told her little brother.

“Aye, aye,” Gabe said getting up to get their special forks.  He came back to the table with two little toddler forks that had F-14s on the handle.

Harm sat down with his children and started to feed Gemma her oatmeal.  “Mattie did you get a hold of Jason?”

“Yeah, he is going to try to get out here, but if he can’t then that’s fine.”  Mattie reached over and helped the boys cut up their pancakes.  She smiled at her brothers.  She watched them eat the rest of their pancakes and took them upstairs to wash them up.

Mac walked into the kitchen.  “Harm, the office just called, they are closed due to the ice storm.”

“Great, now we have all day in the house with three year old twins, an almost one year old, and a boyfriend deprived teenager!  Can life get any better?” Harm grinned.

“Well add on top of the mix a pregnant wife, then life can get really interesting.” Mac said smiling at him.  She leaned down and kissed him, and Gemma started giggling. 

“Dada!”  She said putting her hands up to him.

“Princess!”  Harm picked up his daughter and blew a raspberry on her chubby tummy.   “Daddy loves you so much.”  He dropped to his knees.  “Daddy loves you so much too Baby.” 

Mac picked up Gemma.  “Come on Gem Gem, time to read baby Einstein.”  She walked headed upstairs for the nursery.  Harm and Mac didn’t have to change the nursery when Gemma was born because they had picked out unisex nursery items when the twins were born. 

Harm walked in after her, and watched mother and daughter read a book together.  Mac was a great mother.  She put Gemma in her play area and set some toys in it and went to her bedroom where she found Harm making the bed.

“How long do you think Mattie can keep the boys busy and Gemma can occupy herself?”  She said kissing his jaw line.

“Do you think we have time?” He said picking her up and lying her gently on the bed. 

“Sure!”

He leaned over her and put feather light kisses on her.  She pulled him closer and deepened their kisses.  Just then Jake and Gabe ran into their room.  “Daddy, are you helping Mommy make another baby?”

Mattie burst out laughing, “Come on boys, let’s go make a snow fort.  Mom and Dad can go back to what they were doing.”

TBC – Chapter two may be coming soon.