Not Finished Yet
"You knew, didn't you?"
Clayton Webb watched as Gunny looked at the man lying on the twin bed across from him. For a moment, he worried that the Marine would try to pretend that he didn't understand the question. But Gunny's innate honesty won out. "About the Commander resigning his commission? Yeah. I knew."
Webb gave him a glare - or as much of one as he could as weak as he was. "And you didn't think to mention it?"
"I was kinda busy trying to save your life, Mr. Webb," Gunny reminded him. "Besides, I didn't really think you'd be interested."
"He did it for her," Webb commented, focusing his gaze on the ceiling.
"I think so," Gunny agreed. Clay knew that Gunny had heard the conversation between him and Sarah and had seen the kiss she'd given him before they set out.
"Damn."
"Mr. Webb, I know it's none of my business, but- Do you know what you're doing?"
"For the first time in my life, I think I do, Gunny," Webb sighed, trying not to think about the fact that Mac had chosen to stay with Rabb while he wound up with Gunny as a nursemaid. How the hell was he supposed to compete with Rabb giving up his precious commission and career? Play on her sympathy?
Was he that desperate, he wondered, and then tossed that thought aside. He'd never really met anyone like Sarah Mackenzie. The woman was worth whatever he had to go through to win her heart.
Besides, Rabb's gesture was probably an empty one. The door to JAG seemed to have a revolving one when it came to Rabb and Sarah. She'd left, come back. And so had Rabb. The Admiral was no doubt sitting on Rabb's resignation, waiting for his legal Top Gun to come to his senses and come crawling back. That was something to look forward too, anyway, Sarah's reaction when Rabb showed up for work after dropping that little bombshell.
But the fact that he'd been willing to do it were points in Rabb's favor. All *he* had managed to do was to nearly get both Sarah and himself killed. Not many points there.
No doubt things would look different when he was home, when Saddiq was dead and no longer a danger. One thing was certain: He owed Harmon Rabb for salvaging this operation, for saving Mac, and for saving *his* sorry skin- for all it was going to be worth. Which wasn't much, he had no doubt. He'd be lucky if they didn't cashier him out of the Company before he returned to Washington- or send a Sweeper to make sure he wasn't a danger in the future.
Right now, he'd almost welcome that fate - once he knew Saddiq had been handled, anyway. Clay was fully aware that it was only his pain talking, that he had no intention of being cashiered out- he'd get over this, just as he always did.
And once he was well again, he'd tell Sarah that he'd meant every word he said - he was in love with her. Where it had come from, he had no idea, but he thought it had always been there. She was a strong woman, someone who wouldn't let him get away with the things that had always doomed his other relationships. And he thought she and his mother would get along - or maybe not. But even if they didn't, he wasn't going to give up on Sarah Mackenzie. Harmon Rabb's grand gesture not withstanding, he wasn't finished with her yet.
Not by a long shot.