The Captain's Wife

Chapter 2

Mike still craved the Greek herb, Nostos. Not that he liked the drug, he didn't. But he liked the memories it had given him and he wanted to go back to that. He wanted to go back to the parallel universe where his wife and kids were still alive and he was happy. He barely functioned, and it was a good thing that he couldn't get ahold of the herb stateside. Alcohol didn't give him the same sensation and so he didn't even bother with it.

Once they returned to the states, there were confronted with a whole new problem. Botanist had tried, but the little African seed would not produce anything worth eating, so people were still starving. The President was not happy at all, and called Mike, Tom (who had rejoined the Navy), and Sasha into his office. He wanted a solution found quickly. None of them had a magic green thumb, and the only person that Mike could think of that might be able to help, was his probably dead wife. If she was alive, he hoped that she had found someone else that could love and support her the way she deserved, and gave the girls a father figure.

Sasha had developed intelligence that there was a woman deep within the Ozark Mountains who could grow anything and was the only farmer who had a farm that was still producing. The only issue was they had no idea what her name was and where the farm was. The President knew Mike had some ties to that area and so he was assigned to go with Tom and Sasha to try and figure it out. He was dreading the trip because he knew they would stop at Christine's Uncle Adam's farm.

It wasn't that he didn't want to find his family; it was that if they weren't there, then they were surely dead and he wasn't ready to live with that. He knew that would be his ending. He imagined Brooke, his oldest would be almost driving by now, and Hannah would be in middle school and would be in the moody tween stage. He had stopped thinking about Lucas, after being dosed with the Nostos. It just hurt too much. He imagined Christine. The last week before he deployed to the Arctic was the first time in sixteen years of marriage that they had fought, and he had stayed on the couch, up until the night before he left. For whatever reason, Christine allowed him back into their bed, and it was an amazing night filled with passion. It wasn't make up sex, because they went right back to fighting afterwards but it was memorable to say the least. As awkward as it was, he hung onto that memory, the memory of her in his arms. That was what kept his sinking into an addiction to a drug that he couldn't have or even get.

Mike, Tom and Sasha loaded up in the morning. At the last minute they decided to take Miller with them. He had grown up on a farm and would be able to understand a little bit better than what they could. Mike drove because he was familiar with the area and he had decided that they would stop at Christine's uncle's place first. He wanted to just rip the band aid off the wound and get it done and over with. They did stop in a nearby town to ask around, about a woman who had a self-sustaining farm and Christine Slattery. No one had heard or was willing to say if they knew of anything.

Most of the area farms were empty or decrepit looking but Uncle Adam's place was well taken care of. Mike had always liked the feisty old man and his farm being in such good shape was not unexpected. To get to the farm, it was several miles off of a main highway, onto a county road, and then the lane that ribboned up and down hills and across streams was over two miles long. When they pulled up the house hadn't changed a bit. It needed a coat of paint, and the windows looked rough but it did look lived in. What surprised him was there was a swing set in the front yard, and numerous toys for a small child. Adam would have no use for that type of thing.

There was a little boy, not quite three years old playing on the porch. He looked a lot like Lucas had at that age, and it was painful for Mike to see him. He was playing with some toy cars, making all kinds of noises and barely noticed the four strangers walk up to him.

"Hey, partner, what's your name and where are your parents?"

The little boy looked up at him and shook his head, "I'm not sup-supposed to talk to strangers. You a stranger, Mister!" With that he got up and ran inside, while yelling for his mommy. The four adults looked at each other and Mike was stepping off the porch when he heard the screen door open. When he heard a shotgun being racked, he spun around and his jaw hit the ground.

"Look, I don't know…Oh my God, Mike?"

She had lowered the shotgun but he could still see the shock in her face. It was like they were both frozen in place. He heard Tom tell Sasha and Miller to give them some space and they all three went back to the SUV. The little boy was on the other side of the screen door and the next thing he heard him say shocked him, "Mommy, who dat?"

Christine was struggling for words and the little boy opened the door and got in between them. He had to tip his head clear back to look at Mike, but Mike was only looking at Christine. He heard noises from behind the house and hoped it was his girls. The little boy apparently had no trouble voicing his opinion and was clearly curious who this stranger was.

"I want to know who you are? My mommy doesn't get scared and she looks scared. If you hurt her, I'll kick you in the knee, Mister."

They both looked at the little boy and for the first time in a long time, Mike belly-laughed. It had broken the ice, and even though Christine still looked nervous, she was laughing too. Mike was putting puzzle pieces together, and realizing that the little boy was his. He remembered their last night together and knew that there was a distinct possibility that they might have conceived a baby. They hadn't exactly been careful. The doctor's had told them after Lucas was born, that Christine could not have any more babies, and so they pretty well even stopped using any form of birth control. It was reckless since neither of them really wanted another little one but Mike was already starting to wonder about the little boy that was standing between him and Christine and surprisingly was already falling in love.

Christine bent down and told the little boy to run inside so she could talk to "the man" and assured him that she would be safe. The little boy eyed him suspiciously and edged around Christine, and went inside. Mike got the feeling that he was going to be scrutinized through one of the windows.

"Chris…I…ah…uh… oh hell!"

Mike had no idea what to do other than to literally pick Christine up off her feet and bear hug her. It felt so good to have her in his arms and she seemed so receptive. She bent her face down and their lips met. She looked older, tired, thin, but muscular. They finally pulled apart and he sat her back down on the ground but kept her right against him.

"The girls? Him? I'm at a loss…"

She nodded at him. It was all the confirmation that he needed. The little boy was his, not that he doubted it. Christine wouldn't have stepped out of their marriage no matter how bad things got. They had found their way to the porch swing and she had grabbed his hand. It was then that he noticed how work worn her hands were. They were no longer soft. There were blisters and callouses. Instead of wearing her engagement ring and wedding band, she only had the band on. He noticed the gray in her hair and the new wrinkles on her face. They hadn't said much of anything up to that point but he bent towards her and kissed her again. Softly. He didn't care about the hands, or the gray hair or the wrinkles.

"His name is Adam; I named him after my uncle and you. I guess that night before you left, you left me with a bit of a surprise. I didn't realize I was pregnant until after you called. I would have told you… The girls are around back. Before you see them, Mike, you need to know, I know this will hurt, but Brooke is not exactly a big fan of yours right now. Hannah will be thrilled to see you, but Brooke is really angry and she blames you. I have no idea what she'll say, but it won't be good. Where are Tom and your friends? I'm sure they want to freshen up, and I have soup on. There's plenty, they should come inside. Just might warn them about your moody sixteen year old."

Mike was thrilled, about Adam, the fact that Christine and the girls were alive, but his heart was also breaking. He had missed out on Adam's childhood up to that point and his daughter, rightfully so, hated him. He wasn't sure what Christine's opinion was, but if the kisses were any indication, she was glad he was there. He gestured to Tom to come on inside. He was nervous, not so much about Tom being there, but Sasha and Miller were strangers to his family and they were on a mission. Mike wanted to spend time with his family but also needed to figure out how to make those stupid seeds grow into something edible. And how was it that Christine had plenty of soup? People were starving, and having plenty of anything was unheard of now.

Mike waited for Tom and the other two and quietly explained the situation; Christine had gone inside to stir the pot of soup and to get his girls inside. He really wanted to get to know Adam but also knew he shouldn't push himself on him. It would be confusing for the little boy for Mike to walk in and tell him that he was his daddy. And who knew what Christine had told him.

As they walked inside, Adam was sitting on the couch facing out the window playing with a toy car. Tom, Sasha and Miller decided to make themselves at home and try to involve the little boy in a conversation. Mike wondered through the kitchen, and looked towards the stove. There was a huge pot of what looked like beef stew simmering and fresh bread on the counter. They hadn't eaten like that in months and he was feeling hunger pangs already. He stirred the soup and looked towards the window. He could hear Christine's voice, and Brooke's raised voice. Hannah was walking towards the back door, not really focusing on him, but on the ground instead. Christine had said that she would be glad to see him, but he was beginning to wonder.

Part of Mike wanted to sweep her up and give Hannah a big hug, but decided to let her decide what she wanted. As she opened the backdoor, he could see that her eyes had filled up with tears and it was crushing him. Instead of sweeping her up, he simply held his arms open for her and she came running to him. It felt so good to just hold her. She was taller, had filled out, and was becoming a young lady. His kids were well fed, unlike most everybody now. He could still hear Brooke's raised voice and Christine's calmer one coming up the steps to the back porch, but had decided to just concentrate on Hannah. He could also hear Adam talking to Tom. He was the only one that was engaging him, but he could see the amused looks on Miller and Sasha's face.

"I don't want to talk to 'Him.' He abandoned us. Now he's back to what? Save the day? We are doing just fine, we don't need saved! I HATE him!"

Christine and Brooke came in, or in Brooke's case, stormed in. Brooke ran up the stairs without even acknowledging Mike's presence. It hurt. He and Brooke had always been close but before he left for the Arctic, he had started seeing some cracks in their relationship. He just didn't have time to fix it. It was the same issues that most all military brats had. Too many missed school functions, birthdays, holidays. He just prayed that he could fix it. There was a fine line between love and hate, and he would always love his daughter, but she was not obligated to love him.

Hannah had immediately recognized Tom and had gone over to give him a hug and to occupy her little brother. Christine was dishing up supper and he was amazed of how much food there was. He had opened the pantry door and was shocked at how filled it was. He was thrilled that his family was taken care of, but Christine had worked herself to the bone to accomplish it, and he was beating himself up because of that.

"Sorry about that Mike, I tried to get her calmed down before we came inside but… Anyway supper will be ready in just a minute. You all hungry? You always loved this soup. What are you doing here anyway, not that I'm not glad you are but you have back up?"

"I didn't expect smooth sailing. I just wish I could figure out a way to breakthrough with her. I guess just give her space right now? I have to ask, there is a famine going on, and no one has plenty of anything, but you are doing well in the food department. I'm glad, just confused. We recovered a seed that is supposed to be immune to the Red Rust, but it is proving to be totally inedible. Makes us think the botanists are doing something wrong. There are rumors of a woman around here who can make anything grow, that's why Tom, Sasha and Miller is here, I was assigned because I know the area. We don't know the woman's name or location. We are supposed to find her and convince her to help us. Have you heard of anyone?"

"I don't know about any famine. I've had no trouble growing vegetables. But I am stockpiling in case it comes to my crops. I had heard about it. I've been here since not too long after I talked to you while you were in the Arctic. I was secluded. I wanted as far away from civilization as possible. Mostly so the kids wouldn't get the Red Flu. And I was pregnant with Adam. Uncle Adam insisted I get here so that's what I did. Of course you know how my parents were, and I think you know that your mom had died? It just become easier to be secluded. I homeschooled the girls, gave birth here, and started the garden. It's not been easy, but it has helped. Uncle Adam died just before our little boy was born and his housekeeper not too long after that. The townspeople had only known me by my maiden name, and I promise that wasn't intentional. Time had gone on, and I honestly figured you weren't coming home, and if you had, you had given up on us, and moved on. I was pretty rotten to you when you called. Looking at me now, you probably wish you had moved on…"

They had been setting the table and Mike crossed the table to where she was, he could see the tears and fear in her eyes. He pulled her into another hug and just stood there for a minute. He felt the tears wetting his shirt and he felt horribly.

"I never looked at another woman; I had been looking for you guys for so long. I don't know why I didn't check here first. I hate that things have been so hard for you and the kids. I will never forgive myself for that. I love you."

Christine nodded up at him. Adam and Hannah had come in to get his hands washed and to get seated. The little boy was thrilled with all the company and hadn't stopped talking. Mike was excited to get to know him. He had a lot of work to do, getting reacquainted with his wife, fix his relationship with his daughter, bond with his little boy, the only thing he had going was Hannah was genuinely excited that he was home.