Chapter Three

Beth woke up with a pounding migraine that sat behind her eyes. The light in the room was nauseatingly bright with fluorescent lighting, the room was distinctly cold, her limbs felt heavy and her brain acknowledged the dreadful state she was in. Besides her migraine, she had a sharp aches in her stomach like she'd swallowed haphazardly cut many tree branches and could feel them slowly dragging through her and poking at odd angles as they transported through her intestines.

She had to get up, she couldn't tell the hour but her groggy brain reminded her that Sienna while intelligent was not ready to take over her role as a mechanic. Not yet, she felt maybe another two months and then she'd be ready but now Beth had to get up. She had to work, if she didn't there'd be no food, no drugs. God, she really missed her pre-pandemic access to medication, she missed her routine and life. She knew she'd never bitch or cry about paying $60 for 3 months worth of meds ever again. But that life was gone. She blew out a shaky breath, she'd cry later for now there was work to be done.

She opened her eyes and was completely disorientated as she wasn't lying on the concrete floor of the power plant. She had to be hallucinating as she could have sworn she was in a hospital. She lifted her head and groaned at the pain.

"Beth?" she heard Sienna asked, Beth turned to the source and gave a pained smile.

"Hey," she croaked, she turned her palm over knowing Sienna needed to be comforted. To know she was ok even if she was in a boatload of pain. She was alive which was better than being dead. Vague memories played through her mind and she cringed as she remembered vomiting blood and soldiers. "You ok?" she asked her.

"Yeah, Mia is here too but she's been sick too. My Dad is here too but he's gone to get a doctor for you." Sienna said, as she held Beth's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "We're going to be ok. We don't have to go back to the factory." She added.

"I'm so glad." Beth said with a smile as she was happy to hear Sienna and Mia were reunited with their father. She knew Christine would be relieved by the events. Though part of her was sad as it meant they would part ways but that was how it should be. Sienna and Mia would have a semi-normal life and she'd- well she didn't know. She first needed her body to cooperate. She heard the sound of male voices and herself involuntarily tense up as she prepared herself for a battle.

"Beth, my name is Doctor Isaac Rios and this is Dr Richard Reed." She heard a man say from her left. She looked away from Sienna to see a bald man in Military uniform with a lab coat over the top. He seemed outwardly like a nice guy but she knew that could be deceptive. The man next to him, Dr Green was a pompous ass, it only took one look at his nicely pressed suit and over groomed moustache. She didn't miss the sight of man standing in the distance either, he didn't appear to be a nice guy at all as he stood tall and broad shouldered, his arms folded across his chest as he wore a neutral expression.

But she didn't miss the look his eyes like he was assessing her. It took a moment to realise that he was the man in the picture that Christine had carried with her. Michael Slattery, he was not smiling nor did he look care free in person as he was in that picture Sienna now held onto.

"Doctor." She rasped hating how raw her voice was.

"I'll get someone to bring you ice chips for your throat. So for now try not to speak too much." Rios cautioned her gently, as he pulled the chart from the end of her bed. He proceeded to check her vitals; marking them on the chart.

Mike knew it was none of his business, but he listened anyway as Rios and Dr Reed talked to the woman. He was jealous of her and empathetic of her at the same time as she looked like she'd been chewed and spat out by the world. Her honey brown hair laid dull and lank around her gaunt pale face, he was amazed she was able function let alone take care of his girls. But she had, Mia and Sienna were of one mind when they spoke about Beth. She had been their carer, their teacher, their protector after Christine died. He tried to gently nudge for them for more details but they both withdrew from him, so he changed topics to safer ground.

He told them what he'd been up to in very basic terms. He told them mostly about how he'd searched for them ever since he'd come home to deliver the cure. That even though he'd been deployed back to sea, he'd put out search parties. He needed them to know he'd looked for them, maybe not personally the entire time but he had searched them and he was immensely happy to see them, he loved them and wanted them in his life.

But even so he could see the doubt in their features, his words were not enough. But it was ok, he told himself as he was on Shore duty permanently which meant he would be able to prove to them that he wasn't going away. He was with them for good, where he always wanted to be and it was his choice.

"Is Beth really going to live with us?" Mia asked in a hushed tone as she had crawled to the end of her bed and tugged onto his arm. Mike smiled at the contact and unfolded his arms, he moved to her bed and sat down on the edge.

"I'm going to ask her later when the doctors have finished seeing her." Mike said in a low voice. Mia gave a smile of relief as she sat next to him and leaned her head on her arm. "I really missed you Mia." Mike added as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around Mia's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Unlike Sienna, Mia was a little more forgiving in nature which Mike put down to age more than anything else.

"I missed you too, Daddy." she informed, whatever bug had her sick earlier had passed and she was looking brighter. Mike hoped he'd be able to take the girls home and feed them a proper meal. It subtly reminded him that he had to tell them about Kaito and that he needed to pick up the boy before he outwore his welcome with the Greens. "Oh boy, Beth's angry." Mia said, Mike looked to Beth to see her dark expression. he wanted to stay but his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was Kara's number.

"I have to take this. You lay back and rest." he told Mia, he pressed a kiss to the crown of her hair and headed out the door.

"That is the best course of action at this time. We can get you in the OR today." Dr Reed told Beth, with an air of confidence like he owned the world. Rios however looked a little edgy as if reacting to her mood and she didn't blame him.

"No, it's not and we won't." Beth informed him darkly, she knew she was being overly emotional and misinterpreting his bedside manner but she felt like she was being dictated to like she were an insolent child.

"I can show you slides of the damage, given our current situation with a lack of supplies and factories producing medicine; a bowel resection is the best long term solution for someone with your condition." Dr Reed said, Rios pressed his lips together to remain quietly as he was falling back on the specialist's recommendation.

Crohn's Disease was not something he encountered in the Navy. Anyone who had it couldn't join the military and those who did develop it during service was diagnosed and bounced on a medical discharge. He also found it uncomfortable talking about the woman's health in front of so many people mostly the Captain's kids. Sienna refused to leave her side and Beth didn't seem to care but still, it felt unethical in some regard. But then he didn't agree with the specialist. He could tell Beth didn't either.

"You are a moron if you think surgery in my current state is the 'best' option. You said I have no polyps, no fistulas, no cancer, no narrowing in any part of my bowels; correct?" Beth asked Dr Reed, her head and stomach were killing her but the only reason she didn't push on the medication button was fear of more recriminations. The man plainly told her she had ulcers and lesions riddled throughout her stomach and intestines thanks to her long term ingestion of drugs on an empty stomach as well as her disease going being poorly treated. Like it was something she did by choice, at least she felt he was judging her.

"True, you've been lucky so far but these ulcers and lesions are worrisome given they can and have bled profusely. Now we're able to surgically repair some of the damage to control the bleeding for now but this about making your long term situation bearable-"

"While you medical types keep your iron fist on the drugs." Beth said darkly, anger burning like a hot blaze in her as nothing changed at all. She might be in a hospital but she was still at the mercy of a man for her medicine. "What is your price?" she asked them.

"What?" Rios asked blinking at the question and her accusation.

"You heard me." Beth told him, completely resigned to a new kind of hell.

"Ma'am, your medical treatment is covered by the government. Ultimately it's your choice what you wish to do," Rios said confused and wondering why he was standing in the middle of a minefield conversationally speaking.

"I don't want any surgeries. You've already taken too much liberty with me-" Beth started as she'd learnt that they'd given her a colonoscopy and endoscopy while she was unconscious. Something that made her hate them even more. She knew they were being thorough in trying to save her life but she felt violated by it. A feeling she wished would disappear from her.

"The bowel resection will add more time on your recovery but you'll hopefully get a better quality of life in the long run." Dr Reed said adamantly. Rios didn't like how pushy the man was being with the surgery. Dr Reed and they had argued about it, of course not being a Gastroentrologist made Rios take a step back. But he'd done some research and he could see that Beth didn't want the surgery and given her response made him wonder what the hell happened the past months for her to despise doctors.

"Hopefully." Beth scoffed as she pressed her free hand to her forehead. She looked to Rios. "What is your opinion?" she asked him.

"Ma'am, I've never treated someone with Crohn's disease-" Rios started, he was being diplomatic as he had to work with Dr Reed and he needed Beth to understand he wasn't the best person to ask.

"I didn't ask that. I asked for your opinion." Beth pushed him.

"Dr Reed is the expert, but I think that perhaps another option would be to wait and see. Yes, your condition could worsen but right now you're stable. You have time to decide, you've lived with this disease. So obviously you know the options before you." Rios said making an enemy of Dr Reed but he could see some relief in Beth's features when he acknowledged that she knew more than him. He slid a glance to Dr Reed who wore a patronising expression of frustration as he knew he wasn't going to get the surgery.

"No surgery, I'm keeping my insides where they are." Beth told them.

"Fine, then we'll see what stores we have in antibiotics, and medications." Dr Reed said leaving them, his tone clear that they were wasting resources on her. Rios looked embarrassed by the man's behaviour.

"You have to forgive him, it's been a long night." Rios said.

"I despise that man." Beth told him, she pressed her lips together for a moment before she decided to speak. "I know what he's saying but surgery had a lot of risks and a bowel resection isn't a cure. I know with the right meds, diet and exercise I can control my symptoms. But God forbid you question a specialist's orders." She told him, Rios gave a small smile as he knew better than to agree with her but she was right. Dr Reed did have a bit of a God complex when it came to his specialty.

"What was your treatment plan before the pandemic?" Rios asked out of curiosity as Dr Reed had glossed over that part very quickly as he was focusing on the present problems. He had wanted to branch into General Practice or Osteopathy, part of being in the navy gave him time and training to decide what he'd specialise in.

"I'm so sorry, he was just inconsolable." Kara said apologetically over Kaito's wailing as they meet downstairs in lobby of the hospital. She looked sleep deprived and completely frazzled drawing Mike's empathy as he remembered what it was like to be a new parent where everything was scary and questionable.

"Don't be, I appreciate you taking the time to look after him." Mike said as he took the baby carrier and Kaito from Kara and pulled it onto his body. Kaito had serious attachment issues not that Mike complained as he liked being special but the baby boy didn't like to go without seeing Mike's face for more than 12 hours or so it seemed. Just to prove it, Kaito's screaming quietened down to a semi loud whimpering, he gripped tightly onto his shirt and looked up at Mike with an angry wet frown that Mike interpreted to as a 'how could you leave me with those people?' type of expression. If he wasn't old hat at this parenting; he would've been upset instead he found it mildly amusing. "How's Frankie?" he asked Kara as he took the diaper bag from her.

"Good, Sir. Danny is looking after him-"

"You should take sometime for yourself." Mike told her, he'd order her if she was still in the Navy but now she was a civilian he could only give friendly advice. Even so, she looked a little stricken at the advice. "All parents need time away from their kids for themselves. Nothing to feel guilty about wanting or partaking in and you should let Danny enjoy the experience of single parenting for a couple hours." Mike added as he remembered how Christine had been with the kids. Being a parent was hard but in some respect he felt he had it easier given he wasn't with the kids all the time. That absence now played keenly but he pushed it away.

"Maybe, it would be nice to drink a hot cup of coffee for once." Kara said a little begrudgingly as she felt bad for wanting to have some time for herself.

"Go for it, and thanks for looking after Kaito for me." Mike told her.

"Anytime Sir- I mean Mike- That still feels weird." Kara confessed she gave a slight blush at her own bumbling manner. Mike just smiled as he found it endearing.

"It'll get old hat soon." Mike assured her, though he highly doubted it. Kara was one of those people who were born for the Navy and just thrived in the structured environment and command.

"Before I go, I wanted to say I'm sorry about your wife Sir, but I'm really happy you're reunited with your daughters after all this time. I look forward to meeting them one day. If you need anything we're just across the street." Kara said with a sad but warming smile, Mike nodded a little overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness.