By Kate

Harm closed his eyes in an effort to stop the room from spinning. He could hear Mac sorting through the tools and odd assortments of junk on the workbench. "It should be a fine brush if you can find one."

"I don't see one, Harm." She began opening the drawers and digging through the contents. "These guys are real packrats." Slamming a drawer shut, she opened the last one and finally found an assortment of brushes amid sheets of sandpaper.. "Wait. I think this might work." Grabbing the finest bristled brush she could find, she turned back to where she had left Harm. His eyes were still closed and he was very pale, with a fine sheen of sweat across his forehead. "Harm? Are you okay?" She rushed to him and knelt at his side. She breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes and gazed into her face.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." He was alarmed at how quickly his strength had left him and although the pain wasn't as bad as it had been, it had returned. "You say you found a brush?"

Mac handed him the brush. "This might work. But maybe you should lie down. It's still a few hours before dawn. We can't make our move until then and you really need the rest." She watched as he began to clean the connections inside the radio. His hands were steady and sure at the moment, but she wondered how long he'd be able to hold out.

"When I get this done. I just hope this old radio doesn't need anything but cleaning. If it needs diodes or crystals, we're wasting our time. I guess we'll know in the morning." He finished his work and handed the radio back to Mac. "Okay. It's ready to be put back together." He watched her hands as she screwed the back into place. He loved her hands. Swallowing hard, he felt the room heat up a few more degrees as he imagined how those long fingers would feel on his bare flesh. "Damn, it's hot in here."

"Of course it's hot in here. We're in the tropics." But then again, maybe his fever was spiking. Mac's heart skipped a beat as she looked up and noticed the obvious desire in Harm's face. She wanted to set the radio aside, but couldn't seem to be able to move at all.

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