Title: Kate's Search
Author: Me, Myself and I :P
Rating: PG/M
Disclaimer: Sea Patrol and its characters do not belong to me I'm just borrowing them
Summary: After the death of Chris and Jim Kate starts to think about her life, family and her future.
Author's Note: Thanks to Yessie for letting me bounce this off her so many times
Comments: Ok this Mike and Kate story is a little different to what I normally write but Yessie assured me it would be loved so as well. It is more Kate then Mike but he is in there as well so posting in the M/K section. So please feel free to leave comments I love reading them.
"Mike, it's Maxine speaking." Mike hears after he has answered his mobile.
"What do you want Max?" he says grumpily to her.
"Ok who got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?" She says to him having heard how he responded to her.
"None of your business Max."
"Mike, I know you're in a shit over something, but right now Hammersley has been crashed sailed."
"WHAT!" He yells over the phone.
"You heard me, Mike."
"Max, you do know where I am right now don't you?'
"Yes, visiting your parents in Sydney. That is why I have already sorted your ticket and flight back to Cairns. There will be a taxi arriving in ten minutes to take you to the airport, to fly you home. As soon as you get to the docks you will be sailing."
"Why are we being Crashed Sailed Max? I thought we all had some time off to get our heads around what happened the other day."
"Flood relief. By the time you get up here, the supplies should be on board and the storm pasted so you can get there safely."
"Ok Max, I'm on my way home. Can you sort out the rest of the crew and bring Kate in and brief her on what is going on so that I can get the information from her." He says as he packs the last of his clothes and writes a note for his parents.
"Will do Mike. See you later." She says before hanging up the phone.
Back in Cairns Kate is busy reading a book, when she hears her mobile going off. She answers it and is informed by Maxine that they are crash sailing and that she needs her to come into NAVCOM to get their orders.
Twenty minutes later, Kate arrives at NAVCOM.
"Ma'am?" Kate says, as she enters Maxine office, noticing the absent of their Commanding Officer.
"Thanks for coming in Kate. I have your orders here, sorry to have to crash sail you, but as you know there has been flooding further up north and we need to sail you guys with supplies. Mike is on his way back from Sydney as we speak. In a few minutes your replacement coxswain will be here."
"Is our whole crew able to be called back?"
"Yes surprisingly, there are two others who will be arriving in about an hour. Your RO has their details. Mike will arrive just before you sail." She keeps on talking as a sailor walks in and then Maxine introduces Kate to their new coxswain. They go over a few things before heading down to Hammersley.
Once on Hammersley, Kate gets Bird to show their new shipmate around and show him to his quarters.
Five hours after arriving at Hammersley supplies are finally all loaded on and they are now awaiting the arrival of their captain.
"Sir." Kate says when she sees Mike arrive on board.
"X." he replies back not sounding like his usual self, and she can't help, but think it is all her fault for the way he is towards her.
Not long after Hammersley is leaving the docks and heading north towards its destination.
"So what's for dinner tonight, Chicken legs?" Dutchy asks as he stands outside the galley talking to Bird, who is adding the finishing touches to their dinner.
"Chips, salad, sausages and fish; all simple stuff. Tomorrow night is chicken with pasta salad and roast vegetables." She replies back to him.
"Sounds good." He says as they both notice the X walk past them and towards her cabin without saying a word to them, even when Bird informs her that dinner is ready. For Dutchy he has noticed the way the CO and XO are towards each other. He knows something happened around the time Jim and Swain were killed and going by the way they are, it wasn't worked out before they were crashed sailed.
A few minutes later everyone is getting their dinner, including the CO.
In the officer's mess Dutchy, the new Swain, whose name is Brett Foxtail, or Fox to everyone and Mike are sitting down eating dinner. Charge is on the bridge with RO and 2Dads on watch.
"Sir what did you get up to on your shore leave?" Asks Dutchy trying to make some small talk.
"I went to Sydney to visit my family." He says as Kate enters, having decided to come and eat. She hears where Mike has been.
"How are they?" She asks him and he looks at her; their eyes met and they exchange something. Dutchy sees the look and Fox is starting to wonder what is going on between the two.
"Fine." he replies before he then looks away and back to his food and starts to play with it taking bites every so often. For Kate she knows there is more going on behind the word fine. She knows she is meant to be part of his family, but she blew it and it is also another reminder to her of how she has no family to go home to, when times like this hit.
"Dutchy, what about you? Did you visit your family?" She asks him, her heart tugging at the thought of her Hammersley family having their own families to go home to when she doesn't have any family to call on.
Since the Isabelle McGinley incident, it has been hitting home more for her, and now since the passing of Jim and Chris it is even more so there. Family what is that she thinks to herself. She has tuned out to what is being said around her, that she doesn't notice Mike taking glimpses at her, he can tell by the way her brow is and the look in her eyes that she is thinking. Thinking about something and that she has tuned out to what Dutchy and Fox are now talking. Both decided trying to get anything out of the two senior officers wasn't going to happen.
But unknown to the two officers, is that Dutchy is every so often taking a quick look over both of them.
Just as Mike finishes dinner, he is piped to the bridge, where RO informs him of a phone call. He gets RO to patch it through to his cabin.
As Kate is walking passed his cabin, after finishing off her dinner, she hears him talking on the phone.
"How's she doing mum?"
"Good, she had a little boy."
"What did they name him in the end?"
"They've decided to call him Jay Alan Williams."
"Has little Lucy seen him yet?"
"No not yet. Do you want to take details and pass them on to Kate?" his mother asks and there is a brief moment of quiet between the two.
"I better." He says his voice straining to hold it together. He was wanting to share this news with Kate in a more personal way and maybe even sharing their own news of expecting, but at present any hope of having a family with her are being put off till he can get his head around everything that has gone on since their talk. His mother gives him the details and he notes them down.
"Say hi to the rest of the family for me, oh and mum I didn't get everything done that you asked me to do on the house sorry." He says as Kate walks past and hears him say that line.
"No problem Mike we will just pay someone to finish it off before the new owners take over. I'll let your sister and Barry now you say hi, maybe soon you can have your own family and children. We would love for some more grandkids."
"Maybe mum, maybe I can have my own family just like my sister but right now it seems some time off before that will happen, if it ever does." He says and Kate hears the sorrow in his voice. They were meant to be a family together. They had spoken of marriage, children and even shared in the joy of the news that Mike's sister was expecting again. She wonders off to the bridge thinking about family, the family she wanted with the man she truly loves, the family that accepted her even though as yet Mike and her weren't a couple yet due to regulations and then there was her own family.
I wonder if mum ever thinks about me.
How is she doing?
Does she miss me?
Does she ever wondering how my career is going?
Has she managed to move on from where she was when I left?
Has she found happiness, unlike me?
Has mum ever tried to find me?
What about dad what is he doing now?
Did he ever try and find us?
Does he miss me, like I use to miss him?
Would they be excited to become grandparents?
Would they still want me as part of their family after all this time apart?
Kate thinks to herself as she sits there staring out to the dark vast ocean in front of them on a crystal clear night.
Kate is brought out of her thoughts by her mobile going off and as it goes off she hears the all too familiar ring tone of Mike's mobile going off at the same time. She turns and looks at him as she reaches for her mobile to see if he has any idea he doesn't even look at her as he looks at the screen of his mobile. She doesn't even remember Mike arriving on the bridge, or registered that there are others up there now too.
She looks down at her mobile and sees the name Zoey flashing up. A small smile graces her face. 'At least she doesn't hate me yet' Kate thinks to herself as she opens the message. A cute picture of a baby face appears with the details. Jay Alan Williams born today 6.33pm all doing well.
As Kate is looking at it, Mike has received the same message and both officers have a smile on their face at the picture that they have received, though no one else knows why they are smiling. Dutchy is hoping that whatever it is that has made them smile will bring them back together at some stage.
A few moments later Kate's mobile goes off again.
"Your popular tonight X." Dutchy says to her after hearing her phone chime.
"Thanks Dutchy." She replies back as she goes and opens another message from Zoey.
'He misses you, I know u do, so shag the hell out of each other and make a little Flynn baby ' is the text and Kate can't help, but giggle at what Zoey has text to her so she replies back to her.
'Grats on the new arrival'
'Side tracking now are we Kate, just go shag my brother'
'Zoey we're on a boat, not professional'
'I don't care your both made for each other so sort it out'
'Not that simple. I stuffed up remember? He isn't going to forgive me'
'LOL oh he will when u work some magic on him in the you know where' Kate can't help but laugh out loud at Zoey
'For a younger sister, you have no shame in talking about your brother's sex life'
'Hell no not when the last time he did it was with you god know how many moons ago'
'Hang on….. I thought he slept with Maxine a few months ago?'
'That was sex to get his mind off you it failed big time now go shag my brother PLEASE'
'Go deal with your new-born son'
'Only if you will shag my brother, maybe I need to tell him the same thing'
'Don't please' she replies back and before she gets the message back from Zoey Mikes mobile goes off again.
'Sorry already have :P'
'Next time I see you, you're in trouble'
'Nope just doing the world and your crew a favour and getting you two back together'
Kate sits there thinking about what to reply back with when she looks over at Mike and sees him typing away on his mobile, he quickly looks up and smiles at her and she smiles back.
'Just do it Kate'
'No'
'You're as stubborn as my bloody big brother. You sure you're not already part of this family?' Kate reads and it gets her back thinking about her family, her parents and if she had any half siblings.
Kate sits there for a few moments, before she gets another message
'Kate you ok?' comes from Zoey having not gotten a reply back from Kate from her last text.
'I'll be fine you get some rest.'
As Kate starts to leave the bridge, she hears Mike's mobile going off yet again.
Once in her cabin she sits down in her chair at her desk and starts up her laptop. As she waits for it to start her mind travels back to her childhood. To making her own bed, ironing her school uniform, cooking meals, cleaning up after her mother and at times feeling like she was the mother while her own mother was the child. Remembering the times her mother had bruises on her face and body, the language that some of the men used that came into their life. And how she had promised herself she would never allow that to happen. Never fall in love she had told herself at a young age. Men aren't worth it she remembers reminding herself so many times over the years till one Mike Flynn stepped into her life. Then after he left it reminded her that they can't be counted on that the Navy is the only stable thing in her life and that the only thing she could look forward to was becoming Chief one day.
Now for Kate the one thing she kept telling herself not to do was the one thing she was missing the most. Love and Family.
She wanted a family but she also started to think more of her parents.
As Mike keeps an eye on Kate as her phone keeps going off the message he then receives from his sister the second time around makes him smile.
'U love her sort it out and no dramas. I told her to shag u :P'
'Not very professional of us Zoey to do that while serving together'
'She's ur soul mate like Barry is mine don't do it just for me but for you and your niece and nephews'
'Zoey there is so much you don't know'
'Don't care shag and sort it out later :P' Mike reads this text and as he about to reply he gets another one
'I think I upset her when I said part of this family sorry big bro :(' Mike gets after Kate has left the bridge he decides to sit and wait a few more minutes before going off to see how she is doing.
Twenty minutes later, Mike heads down to Kate's cabin and softly knocks on the door. She doesn't respond the first time, but on the second knock he hears a faints 'come in' from her. He opens the door and notices her position in her chair he walks in and closes the door behind him, knowing full well he really shouldn't, but right now he is more concerned for his 2IC. Well… more for his Kate.
"Kate?" He asks, his voice soft and full of concern. When she turns to look at him, he sees the glassy look of her eyes.
"Zoey is worried she has upset you." He says as he moves close, laying a hand on her shoulder.
"She hasn't." she replies back to him.
"You sure? Right now it looks like my little sister has and I won't tolerate her upsetting you." His voice so gentle, but at the same time showing his protectiveness of her.
"It wasn't her completely." There is a brief pause. "It's just a combo of so many different things."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know." She says, as she gentle moves away from him and sits on her bed, placing her head in her hands as she leans forward. Mike moves and sits down beside her, not caring if he is caught by the crew. He places an arm around her and pulls her into his side as she lets the tears flow.
A few minutes later she moves away.
"I'm sorry." She says as she wipes her face.
"Kate, there is no need to say sorry."
"We're working and I shouldn't be crying on your shoulder. You're my boss!" She says
"Kate, look at me please?" He says to her, trying to get her to look him in the eye. When she doesn't look at him, he gentle cups the side of her face and turns her to look at him. Their eyes lock and they just stare at each other for a few moments.
"Please tell me what's wrong, not as your CO but as your friend or maybe someone more than your friend?" He asks her.
"Like what?" she shyly asks him.
"Like as family." He says. This gets to her the use of family.
"What is family, Mike?"
"They're people who care for you, who love you."
"Yeah right. I have no family, Mike. Remember? My mother left my father in the middle of the night in England to follow some Opal miner to the outback of Australia, who then left us a couple of years later. I never heard from my father since we left England and since I've left home I've…." Kate stops her enraged ramble and breaks down in tears again.
"Hey, its ok honey." He says, as he wraps his arm around her shoulders pulling her into his chest this time.
"So what has gotten you thinking about them?" He asks after a few minutes of letting her cry it out.
"Several things." She says as he allows her to gently move away, but she allows him to keep his arm around her not wanting to lose his touch. His comfort provides her that feeling of being home. He waits and allows her to go on when she is ready.
"That incident with Isabelle McGinley, then with loosing Swain and Jim. I sort of started to think who would miss me? Would my parents even know if I had been killed or dead? Chris had a family; people that will always remember him. What about me? Do I have those things? No because I ruined any chance of a family. I'm alone with no one and no family."
"That is not true Kate. You have a family." She just mock laughs at him. "Kate, you do. Hammersley is one big family and your part of my family. As far as my sister is concerned, you always will be."
Their talk is interrupt by them both being piped to the bridge.
"Come up in ten minutes." He says as he places a kiss on her forehead before whispering to her. "You will never be alone you will always have me and I will always remember you." Then he leaves her cabin to head to the bridge.