COMMENTS: This story marks two firsts for me - my first response to a fanfic challenge (thanks, Pixie) and my first post-series finale fic. Hope you enjoy it.
SUMMARY: While out celebrating the Fourth of July, Harm, Mac and Mattie must come to the aid of a young boy who touches them in more ways than one.
DEDICATION: Before we start, please allow to me to explain the inspiration behind this story: In June of this year, I was able to take a trip up North for a few weeks. My first stop was in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As I was enjoying the hotel’s continental breakfast, I started a conversation with a woman sitting at the table next to me with her two young grandchildren. A few minutes into our chat, the little girl said something to the effect of, "Daddy's in the desert." The grandmother replied, "That's right, and he's coming home soon.” Then she proceeded to explain to me that her son is an Army JAG officer currently stationed in Kuwait. My jaw hit the floor. The little boy then proudly told me that his dad was coming back in a few months, and that he couldn't wait to see him. The mixture of sadness and excitement I saw in his bright eyes nearly brought me to tears. I never learned the boy’s name, or his father’s, and I’ll probably never meet the family again, but I don’t think that I will ever forget the youthful pride that young son had for his father. So, this story is for him.
DISCLAIMER: JAG and its characters belong to Donald P. Bellisario, CBS, and Paramount. Believe me, if I owned the show, Vukovic would not have been in the series finale. At all. Not a single scene.
