The Captain's Wife

Chapter 4

Brooke stayed closed up in her room all day, she was supposed to be working but no one said anything. She had heard her dad's voice outside talking. She was glad that he was there, but he would probably leave again and she didn't want to get too attached. She knew that her mom and Hannah was thrilled that he was there, and Adam needed a chance to get to know him. It wasn't that she hated him, she just didn't like him. It had felt good when he had kissed her good night and told her that he loved her, she just wasn't going to tell him that. She did kind of hope that he would do it again. When Lucas got sick, Brooke showed signs of immunity and so it was up to her to stay with him. Her mom didn't want him to be alone but she couldn't be with him, so Brooke insisted. He had cried for his daddy, and it had hurt so much. That was why she was so mad at him. She couldn't get that out of her head and so it was easy to just be angry at her dad. Lucas had also imagined Mike being there, but she wasn't going to tell either her mom or her dad that.

Hannah fixed everyone chicken sandwiches on fresh bread, homemade French fries, fried apples and cookies for lunch. She wished that Brooke would help her because Adam was into everything. After their dad had shut their bedroom door the night before, she had tried to talk to Brooke but she wouldn't listen. Hannah knew that Brooke didn't hate their dad, but love wasn't the right word either. Brooke had watched Lucas die and it had affected her. Hannah knew that Lucas had cried for their dad when he was so sick, but she also knew that he hallucinated that Mike was there. That was enough to comfort Hannah. She also knew that as much as it hurt them, it hurt their dad more.

Mike, Christine, and the team all came in for lunch. Hannah typically took care of all the cooking and the housekeeping. Brooke was supposed to help with Adam and they would both pitch in and help Christine outside when she needed it. Hannah was feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all and asked Christine quietly to see if Brooke would look after Adam that afternoon so she could do her schoolwork. She hated putting more on her mom but Christine just hugged her and told her she would figure something out. She knew her mom had been tasked with making some special seed grow into food, and as stressful as that might be, her dad being home seemed to ease things up on her mom. He had heard their conversation and told her that he would look after Adam.

Brooke did come down for lunch and griped about what had been fixed. She was not only cutting to Mike but to Christine and had even swatted Adam on the behind. Christine finally just told her to go upstairs with her lunch, not wanting to make more of a scene. Adam hadn't really done anything wrong and when Brooke swatted him, he ended up on Mike's lap crying. Christine was trying to deal with Brooke who was mad now that Adam had gone to Mike.

It took everything Mike had not to get onto Brooke for the snide comments and swatting Adam. He also wasn't happy with Hannah being so overwhelmed. The twelve year old was shouldering way too much and was also trying to be the go-between where his dad and sister were concerned. Mike felt bad for the young girl. He really needed to stick close to Christine but also felt the need to help Hannah. He knew Tom would look out for Christine and Miller and Sasha were back from town.

Hannah helped her dad get Adam down for his nap, the little boy was still upset about getting swatted and had practically cried himself sick. Brooke had gone back up their room and had groaned at Hannah when she went in to get her school work. Hannah had about had it with her attitude.

"Look, I know you're mad at him. But he is still our dad and he does love us. This can't be easy on him either. Just cut him some slack and stop taking it out on all of the rest of us. Adam is just a little boy and he is excited to get to know his daddy. Give him a chance."

Brooke just grumbled at Hannah and threw a book at her, which caught Hannah on the cheek and left a mark. It hurt really bad and Hannah slammed the door shut. Thankfully Adam was downstairs sleeping on the couch and it didn't wake him up. When she came downstairs, Mike immediately noticed the mark on her cheek and asked her about it. It wasn't that she wanted to get Brooke in trouble; she was just tired and didn't want to lie to her dad so she told him. She could see the pain in her dad's eyes. She halfway expected him to run up the stairs and get onto Brooke but instead he just pulled her into a hug, which was better.

Mike was furious but also knew that if he did go upstairs and get onto Brooke, it would slow his rebuilding their bond. He might be naïve but he hoped that there was a possibility of it. Christine would figure out a punishment later. So he just hugged Hannah and when he finally pulled away from her, he saw the tears on her face. The mark had begun bruising and Mike knew he had to get some ice on it. He knew that Hannah was trying to bridge the gap between him and Brooke but he also didn't want her hit.

The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Hannah with her school work and once Adam woke, he occupied him. Hannah had a roast going with potatoes, onions and carrots. It was his favorite meal and his mouth had been watering all day. Brooke never came downstairs, which bothered Mike. When Christine and his team finally came inside, he pulled her aside and told her what happened between Brooke and Hannah. She immediately went upstairs to deal with it, but explained to him it would be hard to ground her, since the only thing she could ground her from was chores which she already wasn't doing. She did agree that it was not best for Mike to deal with at this point.

Tom, Sasha and Miller went back to town to stay the night. Miller would be staying out at the farm once Tom and Sasha left, but they all wanted to give Mike some time with his family. Miller was already concerned about being in the way. Brooke had come down for supper and Christine made her apologize to Hannah. She didn't acknowledge Mike at all. Hannah asked Christine if she could sleep on the couch, which Mike was not a fan of. She would stay with them that night and the next day, Mike would move some furniture around to give her a bedroom of her own. Separating the two girls just seemed logical. Mike and Christine both wanted some private time but Hannah's needs were overriding that and they would just deal with it.

Mike gave Adam his bath, rocked him to sleep and tucked him in. Christine felt it was important that Mike be the one to do that stuff with him, to assist in the bonding process. The fortunate thing was, was that Adam was still young enough; he would not remember a time that Mike was not part of his life. Mike didn't mind it all. He already loved the little boy so much.

Christine wasn't sure what to do with Brooke. She wanted Mike to stay, even if he was on a mission, but if Brooke kept it up, Mike might end leaving just to make things easier on everyone else. And if he left, Christine wasn't sure there was much hope for their marriage. He seemed genuinely happy to see her and to be with her, but he seemed distant too. Before Adam had cried out the night before, Mike seemed off. Things had gotten pretty intense, pretty quickly and while he was returning the kisses and hadn't pushed her off his lap, he didn't seem…interested? They had both changed. She looked different and his personality was different. He didn't smile as easily. Throughout their entire marriage, up until the week before he left for the Arctic, they had both enjoyed being very intimate. The last night before the deployment had been incredible and she wouldn't trade it in for anything. It had given her little Adam. He had brought so much joy to the hardships of the last three years. He didn't replace Lucas, he couldn't. But he brought laughter back to their home. Mike said he was okay with Adam, and he did seem to love him already, but maybe he was just saying that to appease Christine?

Hannah was a restless sleeper and would kick her way around the bed if allowed. After about an hour of her kicking both of them and either Mike or Christine getting any sleep, he got up and gently picked her up and settled her back down on his side of the bed. He gestured at Christine to stand up and then he got in next to Hannah and patted the bed for Christine to lie down next to him. She must have looked confused.

"Chris, you need to get some sleep, you have to concentrate on those seeds and you can't sleep if she is kicking you on the chin. Besides I love my daughter, but I would really prefer to just hold you. She is like trying to keep a hold of a catfish."

It was the closest he had come to a joke and it made Christine laugh. She got in next to him, and he immediately put his arms around her and she laid her head down on his chest. It felt so much better, she could feel his heart beating, could smell him. She was still concerned about his reaction to everything but would take this one for a win. Mike hadn't fallen asleep yet and so she reached up and kissed him on the cheek and told him that she loved him. He immediately responded with an "I love you too" and kissed her. It wasn't particularly deep, because of Hannah being right next to him, but it was heartfelt.

She actually overslept. It was the first time in three years. Granted it was only an hour but it felt so good. Mike was still holding her and also had Hannah's head on his shoulder. She hadn't noticed the scar before, but there was a small scar on his forearm that said "O-." She knew it was Mike's blood type and it was basically etched into his skin. Given the number of new scars, Mike must have seen some combat. But she knew asking him was a no-go. Maybe Tom would tell her? She wanted to know, because it might explain the shift in his personality. She got up and got dressed. It was time for chores. Mike would not be happy with her if she went outside unattended, but she was not going to wake him up. He looked tired. She bent down and kissed Hannah and then Mike. She checked on Brooke and Adam and noticed that there was wetness on Brooke's face. It made her wonder if Brooke had cried herself to sleep.

Mike woke up to Adam getting into the bed next to him, where Christine had been. It made him nervous because she was not supposed to go outside without him. Adam had jumped on to his chest just like he done the morning before and gave him a big sloppy kiss.

"Mornin' Daddy! Sleep good? What's Hannah Banana doin' in here? I luf you!"

It instantly brought a smile to Mike's face. He was hurting, because of Brooke, because of the shape Christine was in, because of Hannah being so overwhelmed, because of missing out on so much with Adam, and because he was finally having to confront some of the pain where Lucas was concerned. Forty Eight hours before, Mike thought he was the sole survivor of his family. Now he had his girls back, even if Brooke refused to speak to him, and had a new little boy. He did know he needed to spend some time alone with Christine. He wanted to and needed to talk. That was why he was not with it the night before when Adam cried out. He wanted to make love to his wife, but he also wanted the intimate psychological connection that he and Christine had always had. Christine was concerned that her appearance might not be appealing to him, but he actually loved the way she looked. He had always found her very attractive, and had never even glanced at another woman, but the tanned skin, the firm muscles, even the gray hair and wrinkles made her that much more attractive. He didn't particularly care for the calloused and blistered hands, but when she had been on his lap, he had felt the muscles under her nightgown and he almost needed a cold shower before Adam had come in. He just couldn't seem to get her alone to show her how much he was enjoying her. He had never needed her to wear fancy lingerie; the simple cotton nightgown had done him in.

He got up and took Adam to the bathroom, and got him dressed. He had decided to leave Hannah sleeping. He would cook breakfast, probably not as well as she did, but it was not fair to her to make her get up early to cook for him, his team and the family, while he snoozed. He did look in on Brooke who was sleeping soundly. He was hoping for a calmer day with her.