It’s just been one of those mornings.

After the wonderful weekend I had – Saturday at Little A.J.’s Little League game, and Sunday with Harm in Sarah – I woke up this morning set and ready to face a new week with energy and vigor. That’s only been four and a half-hours ago, and yet it feels like a week.

I managed to shower, dry my hair, get dressed, and be out the door within forty-five minutes, and was feeling mighty proud of myself by the time I made it to my car. However, the wind was whooshed right out of my sails as soon as I caught a glimpse of my left front tire… the thing was flatter than a pancake. The minutes I had saved getting ready were used up as I was forced to change my tire in a skirt and heels, then run upstairs again to change uniforms before scrambling back into the car and to the highway. By then, I was a half-hour late. Add morning Beltway rush-hour traffic to that, and by the time I pulled into the Headquarters parking lot, I was an hour and ten minutes behind schedule – meaning that I’d completely missed the staff meeting. And what’s worse, I had had to skip breakfast – I usually drop by a fast food joint for a sausage sandwich - and we were all of out of bagels in the break room.

And then, my computer decided to help me out five minutes after I’d sat down at my desk by crashing. I think my yelling at it is what brought Harm to my office door, looking a little frightened. He asked what was wrong, but instead of calming down, explaining the situation, and asking for help, I’d just growled at him to get lost. I immediately regretted it as soon as he disappeared around the corner – poor guy. I had to temporarily push my guilt out of the way, though, to make sure I got to court on time.

I managed to make it through closing statements without a hitch – speech was pretty darn good if I do say so myself – but one glance at the jury told me loud and clear that Bud had won. Perfect.

I meandered into the break room afterwards to console myself with a cup of coffee, but the machine was broken. I think I hit it… can’t really remember. But in any case, by the time I made it back to my office, I was fuming. Furious. Livid. Enraged. And suffering with caffeine withdrawals.

Tiner, bless his heart, had worked diligently on my computer the entire time I was in court, and it was up and running when I sat down at my desk. Making a mental note to tell him thank you, I printed out a continuance request sheet and headed to the copier in the bullpen to xerox it. And you know what the stupid thing did? Got paper stuck in the roller, and when I went to pull it out, it smeared wet ink all over my hand. And the ink was red. Bright, fire engine red. Took me twenty minutes of repeated scrubbing to get the stuff off.

As I stepped out of the ladies’ room, still wiping my hand with a paper towel, I looked around for someone to vent to – preferably, my partner. Then I remembered passing him a half-hour before in the hall as he’d been scurrying to the elevator. He’d looked rushed. Sighing, and feeling alone, hungry, and frustrated, I pouted my way back to my office.

However, I’d barely made it through the doorjamb when I stopped short. There, right in the middle of my desk, was a steaming cup of coffee, and… a Krispy Kremes sack. It looked full. I tiptoed up to it almost reverently, and leaned over to peek inside. There were three doughnuts: a glazed, a Boston Crème, and a jelly-filled… my favorites. I was about to reach in and pull one out when I caught sight of a note taped to the side of the bag. I pulled it off and read the familiar handwriting:

Mac –

Sorry you’re having such a bad morning. Mondays really stink sometimes. Keep your chin up, Marine. I’m here if you need me.

-Harm

A warm feeling spread through me, and though I hate to admit it, a small lump formed in my throat. I tore my gaze away from the paper to peer into the bullpen, and saw Harm reading a file next to the fax machine. At that moment, he snapped it shut and happened to look up in my direction. When our eyes met, he gave me one of those 1,000-watt smiles and a wink. I grinned back in reply before the Admiral hollered for him.

Sighing contentedly to myself, I plopped into my chair and took my cup of coffee in one hand and my jelly-filled doughnut in the other.

Maybe today won’t be so bad after all.