Mike woke up to hear Kate in the bathroom throwing up. He climbed out of bed and walked in, his eyes settling on her hunched form over the toilet. He sat down next to her, pulling her hair out of her face and gently rubbing her back. After a few more minutes, she pulled back from the toilet and fell back into Mike's lap, her head resting on his chest.
"Don't know if I can handle this," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.
He gently kissed her head, wrapping his arms around her, "Well you won't be doing it alone. We're going to do this together. Plus… you're not going to be on a boat so it won't be as bad."
Her eyes opened and she tilted her head back to look up at him, "That's true. But you're going to be out on the boat most of the time. How can you think to help if you're out at sea?"
He let out
a sigh, knowing he had to tell her sooner or later, "Well… since
you went missing, I've been thinking."
Kate sat up, turning to
look at Mike fully, "You're not thinking of transferring to a
shore job are you?"
He stared at her for a moment before nodding his head.
'Mike!" she exclaimed, "But… you've never done anything other than be on a boat. You're not going to be able to handle a shore position."
He reached out, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back into his lap, "Well I'll have to won't I. Look Kate, I know it's going to be hard but I want to be there to see little Sam grow up. I don't want to miss out on moments of his childhood. I've seen the way Swain acts when Sally tells him something new that Chloe has learnt and I don't want that. I don't want to have to listen to you tell me about something that our child has done, I want to be there to see it. I want to be there to help you raise him."
Kate's eyes glistened as Mike's words sunk in. He wanted to give up everything he loved about the Navy for her and their baby. She felt a few wet tears slip down her cheeks before Mike pulled her into her arms.
"Don't
cry," he whispered, "It's not the end of the world that you'll
have to deal with me at home all the time."
She laughed, "I'm
not upset. I'm happy. I always thought that you were married to the
Navy first though."
He shook his head, his hand slipping down to
clasp her left hand, his fingers rotating her ring.
"The Navy is a job and as much as I love being out at sea, I love you more. I want to be with you Kate… always. Not a few weeks here and there."
He leant in to kiss her, only to have her pull back. He threw her a confused look.
"Bad breath," she murmured before standing up and fishing for his toothbrush. He let out a laugh before standing up.
"I'm going to head up to the bridge. Find out where about these frigates are," he kissed her gently on the head before turning and walking out of the cabin.
Kate watched him leave, a small smile on her face. She was lucky to have such a wonderful husband.
Mike walked into the bridge, his eyes glancing around at his crew busy at work. He felt a pang in his heart. He would miss them. He would miss the feeling of the boat rocking beneath his feet. But it wouldn't compare to how much he missed Kate when he was out at sea.
"Sir?"
Nikki's voice brought him from his thoughts and he turned to look at her.
"Yes Nav?"
"Sir, the frigates should be here within the hour."
Mike
nodded his head, "Right then. We'll get Buffer and the XO to
organise the transfer."
Nikki nodded her head, "I'll let
them know immediately sir. How is Kate this morning?"
A small smile crossed his face, "She's good. Struck down by a bit of morning sickness but otherwise well."
Nikki nodded her head, "Well we will have to organise a proper shower when we return to port."
He sighed, shaking his head at the thought of one of the parties the crew organises. His thoughts drifted to Chefo's engagement drinks and the fall out from that. At least this time, they would be there to supervise what was going on. He was brought back from his thoughts by a question from the XO about how he wanted the transfer to happen.
Mike stood on the deck with Kate, his arm wrapped around her waist, not wanting to let her go in case he lost her again. They sailed into port ahead of the Bundaberg and the frigates and were the first to dock. As the ramp went down, there were families crowding the ramps, hoping to see if their loved ones were one of the first to disembark. However, the first to leave the ship were six of the crew from the Baranduda, carrying three stretchers with flags draped over them. The crew of the Hammersley and those of the Baranduda onboard formed an honour guard, snapping a salute as the stretchers went past. Out of the corner of his eye, Mike could see the news crews gathering like vultures around a carcass, all wanting the best aspect to the story.
He leant down to whisper into Kate's ear, "We're running as soon as we're off this ship."
She threw a curious look at him, "And why is that?"
He nodded his head over in the direction of the news crews. Kate laughed, "Well… I think our story would be a good one for them to get."
She took his hand and started to drag him off the boat, ignoring his protests. However, being the stronger one, he managed to pull her back as they stepped onto the ramp. She let out a cry as she lost her balance, catching the attention of those around the ramp. She fell back, straight into Mike's arms.
She slapped him lightly, "What were you thinking doing that!"
He smiled at her before whispering, "This." He leant in and kissed her long and hard. Cameras around them flashed but they didn't notice until the next morning when a photo of them was on the front page under the title, 'Crew home safe and sound'.
