In Their Own Words: The Game of Go
Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr.
By Kimberly Knipp (MCK8686@aol.com)
Mac and I consistently end up doing things we never dreamed lawyers would do. This time we ended up in Columbia. The case seemed cut and dried enough – a botched recon mission with one dead Marine. Corporal Cordoba yelled and gave away their position, something Mac and I find very hard to believe. When we got to Columbia, Webb was dead set on us charging the Corporal with cowardice or dereliction of duty or anything else we could come up with because he failed to fire. Question is, did he fail to fire or did his gun jam like he claims?
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Webb was grabbed by Estruga’s men while we were at the plantation realizing we’d been set up. We planned our own mission to get him back. I agreed to let Cordoba go against my better judgment because it seemed important to Mac. I know she doesn’t want to believe that a fellow Marine could fall to cowardice. She looked beautiful when she came to ask me – young and pretty – not at all like the tough Marine she portrays to outsiders. I know it was all part of our plan but for just a minute, I could pretend it was something else. Every now and then one of will slip – this time it was Mac and if she hadn’t caught me so off guard, I definitely would have reacted to her. When I told her Cordoba could go with her, she put her hands on my face and almost kissed me! It seemed like just this time she was simply reacting because I’m sure if she’d had a thought before touching me, she wouldn’t even have done that much.
She immediately backed away from me and it was one of those seconds in time you always hear others refer to. Some days it seems all I can do to keep my mind on work when I’m around her. There was always flirtation with Meg and Kate but with Mac – it’s different. The feelings I get when she’s around aren’t the same. Maybe it’s her past. There’s something in her eyes that alludes to secrets she keeps locked inside. Maybe I recognize that in myself. I keep things locked away from others because it’s easier that way. I have too many unresolved feelings about my Dad and I get tired of seeing the pity in people’s eyes when they hear about what happened to him.
I still think back to when I first met Mac and the major chip she had on her shoulder. Every time she rebuffed me I just wanted to push that much harder. I believed then, as I still do, that she needed me and I know now that I needed her. She provides a great balance for me and I believe Admiral Chegwidden suspected that. This mission to Columbia cemented us that much more. Working alongside of her proves that we’re a great team. The way we view things as a man and a woman and as Navy and Marine officers brings a balance that I’ve never felt with another partner.
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We got Webb back and he actually managed an apology for being such and ass over the mission. He apologized to Cordoba for being so hard on him. Cordoba saved him at the plantation and Webb’s notion of cowardice went right out the window. I’m just glad to be back home. I discovered an interesting little tidbit about my partner while we were in Columbia. She has this amazing little trick for always knowing what time it is. Right down to the second. Her answer when I asked how she did it? It’s a Marine thing…
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Disclaimer: While based on the JAG episode, this is for entertainment purposes only and no profit is being made.