Second Chance to Be A Family

Chapter 7

It was a restless night for Mike. He finally got up at five, took a shower and reviewed the file on the Sims. Hannah was still sleeping peacefully, and Mike saw no reason to wake her so early. He pulled the blanket higher up on her chest and swept her hair away from her face.

The file on the Sims family was disconcerting at best. Tucker was known in town as a religious extremist but didn't seem to conform to any certain denomination. He saw women as a possession. His opinion was that women were put on Earth to do one thing; to breed. Rayna was possibly worse then her husband and was also a conspiracy theorist. Mike wondered if Rayna had known that Kaitlyn and Hannah were his daughters. It might explain some of the abuse because some of her theories concerning the Red Flu.

Mike finally woke Hannah up at six, so they had time to grab breakfast. He felt that there had been a slight breakthrough with her the night before, talking about their Sunday dinners. He knew that Hannah's memories were foggy at best, but it gave them a common ground. Something, Mike needed with her.

He was not a fan of taking her to the little town in Iowa. He knew that without Kaitlyn, Tucker might fixate on Hannah. Mike could not afford to lose Hannah. While getting Benji back was a huge priority, Kaitlyn would not survive losing the sister that she had protected for years, and Mike was also not a fan of losing her, despite his complicated relationship with her.

"Do we have time for breakfast?" Hannah asked after coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed. She sat back down on the bed to put her shoes on. When she brought her left foot up on her knee, Mike noticed scarring on the bottom of her foot. It confirmed what he had suspected, Kaitlyn wasn't the only one that had been hurt.

"Yep. I woke you up early enough for that. There's a little diner next door too. I'm guessing that you're hungry?" Mike asked.

"Yeah…am I allowed?" Hannah asked as she tied her shoes.

"Allowed? To be hungry or eat? Hannah, I will never withhold food from you. And I won't take food from Katie or Benji so that you eat. I know that I am far from a perfect father where you're concerned, but I will never starve or beat you. That is a promise." Mike insisted.

"When Katie was pregnant with Benji and then after, when she was nursing him; I knew that she had to have food. Rayna would give us barely any food and I always wanted Katie to have it. When Rayna found out, because she didn't like Katie or Benji; she got really mad." Hannah volunteered. Mike knew that he would find out details a little at a time. Mike sat down next to Hannah on the bed and put an arm around her.

"What'd Rayna do?" Mike asked.

"She beat on Katie but she…used one of those candle lighter things; you know, the ones with the long reachy thing? She used it on the bottom of my foot." Hannah answered as she took her sock back off and showed Mike the burns. They were mostly healed.

"How long ago was that?" Mike asked.

"About…a month ago? I think. I kind of lost track of time." Hannah told him.

"Its okay. How old is the baby?" Mike asked. He should have asked that question earlier on, but it just hadn't really mattered.

"Again; I lost track of time but he's only about two months old. Its May now, right? He was born on the 15th of March. I know that because Tucker always does some of his planting on the 15th." Hannah explained.

"Okay, he's about two and half months old then. Hannah, I know you are fixated on us getting Benji, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. I want him too, but Tucker will have a legal claim to him. This might have to be a legal matter so you may have to tell law enforcement what happened to you and Katie. This has to be done legally; so that you, Katie and Benji are not in danger. Since he is Benji's father, he has as much legal claim to him as I have to you. Its because my name is on your birth certificate and…" Mike explained until Hannah interrupted him.

"But Dad, Benji doesn't have a birth certificate! Remember, Katie didn't have him in a hospital and Tucker didn't believe in that stuff. Said it made the government to easy to track a person. Does that mean we can just take him?" Hannah said as she put her shoe and sock on.

"I…don't know. I may need to consult an attorney once I get there. If we get him; we will have to get him a birth certificate and a social security number. He has to have an identity. Without that, schooling, jobs, really anything is nearly impossible." Mike explained.

"Does Tucker's name have to be put on his birth certificate?" Hannah asked. She was tying her shoes and looking to Mike for all the answers.

"That is up to Katie. Its her son and she is eighteen. I have no legal say. If asked, I will advise her not to put his name on it. I highly doubt that Tucker would pay child support and I wouldn't want him to be the male role model in Benji's life." Mike said as he grabbed his wallet, his and Hannah's bags, keys and cellphone.

"Are you worried about her being a single mom? That Benji will suffer because of it? I think Katie is a good mom. She really loves him." Hannah asked.

"Being a single mom or dad is hard. I will admit, I wanted something more for Katie, for both of you. However, given the circumstances, I agree; Benji will be better off with his single mom. And Katie will not be doing this on her own. I will help her. Be that role model for Benji. Leann will also help." Mike told her as they walked down the hallway.

"He'll be a lucky boy. Now, it sounds like you're making permanent plans where Leann is concerned. Does that mean you are going to make this more permanent then her and Josh moving in?" Hannah asked. Mike was a little shocked by her statement.

"What do you think of that?" Mike asked.

"I like Leann. And Josh is sweet." Hannah remarked.

"Good, I'm glad." Mike said as he checked out of their room. They walked out of the hotel and Mike put the suitcase and duffel bag in the truck. The diner was within walking distance, so Mike and Hannah jogged over. Thankfully, it wasn't busy, and they sat down and ordered their breakfasts.

Halfway through, the Green's and Wolf and Azima came in and visited while they ate. By seven thirty; they were on the road to the apartment. Tom and Sasha were riding with Mike to Iowa; they were picked up and the trek to Iowa began.

There was an air of tension and anticipation in the truck. Would they be bringing Benji home with them? Would Mike and Katie be in for a legal fight? Could Hannah face her demons? Would Katie be able to handle what had happened to her? Would Benji even survive? Mike knew his anxiety was not good, but they were all things that needed to be addressed.