Fast Forward
Chapter 10
They got to Mayport a full day earlier than they thought. Fortunately, it meant that the media was not present when Hannah disembarked. And as promised, Andrea was waiting on them to get Kami. Mike was immediately shocked by the various bruises. It made him want to go back to Colombia and kill El Norte all over again. President Graham as also there and she mentioned the job offer for Hannah and that the job could start earlier if Hannah wanted to. Hannah was nervous, and Mike took over and pulled President Graham into a private conversation.
"I appreciate your offer and I know Hannah does as well, but she needs some recovery time. I am afraid if she tries to go to work and have all those pressures; she will crack up. I hope her going back to work before the three months wasn't a condition of her pardon?" Mike asked.
"No. You're right. I wasn't thinking. Do you think she'll be ready in three months?" President Graham asked.
"I think so. I told her if she wasn't, we'd deal with it, but she thinks she'll be bored by then. Her entire life, she has been under a lot of pressure to succeed. I want to take that pressure away for at least awhile." Mike told her.
"That makes sense. You are her advocate and she has to figure out what she wants out of life. I have carefully manipulated the press releases, so she is viewed as a hero. The story behind it is basically a happy story. War Hero father and equally heroic daughter reunited after ten years. Genius helping her home country. The media and the American people are enthralled but I have made it known she is to be left alone, along the rest of your family. Hopefully, the media will comply." President Graham agreed.
"Thank you, ma'am. I do need to get my daughters home. My wife is taking Kami, but I need to make a stop with Hannah first." Mike filled her in.
"I figured she would want to go straight home?" President Graham asked.
"She…needs to visit her mother and sister's grave. I had them moved from St. Louis to here, had a permanent marker with my son's name on it. She wants to go there. It'll be hard." Mike admitted.
"You and Hannah are in my prayers. I don't know how else to help you, other than that." President Graham told him.
"I appreciate that, Ma'am, very much." Mike told her as she shook his hand.
"It's the least I can do. Let me know if you all need anything. Enjoy your vacation and relax." President Graham assured him before walking away. She had slipped a business card with her private cellphone number written on the back into his hand. Mike pocketed the card and walked to his wife and daughters; not really prepared for what he had to do next.
"Kami, you're gonna ride home with Mommy. Hannah and I will be home later this afternoon." Mike told the little girl before he gave her and Andrea a kiss. The little girl walked to Hannah and pulled at her hand. Hannah bent down, and Kami whispered something in her ear. Neither Mike or Andrea heard it, but Hannah gave Kami a hug and kiss.
"Take your time. We'll be alright." Andrea told him before giving him another kiss. "Don't be afraid to let her see you cry. She needs to know that its safe to feel emotions."
"Yes, ma'am. Text when you get home?" Mike asked.
"I will. I love you." Andrea assured him.
"I love you too." Mike told her before they went their separate ways.
The drive to the cemetery was a quiet one. Mike always stopped before he went and bought a bouquet of pink roses for Quinn, yellow roses for Christine and tiger lilies for Lily. Andrea only visited her daughter's and Bill's "grave" a couple times a year but Mike was determined to keep it looking nice. Tom had also had a stone set for Darien and his father at the same cemetery. Aside from Christine and Quinn's ashes, there was no physical ties to the cemetery, but the symbolism was important for all of them. Mike picked up the flowers and a small statue for Lucas. He got back in the truck and drove to the cemetery; Hannah hadn't gone in with him to the florist shop and was examining the flowers.
"Do you always do this?" She asked.
"Yeah. I go at least once a week and always pick up flowers for my girls. The lilies are for Lily. Her grave marker is next to your mom's side, with her dad sharing the same marker. Andrea doesn't come her as often, but I like to keep it up." Mike told her.
"That's nice." Hannah said quietly.
"Does that bother you?" Mike asked.
"No, its alright. Mom would want it that way." Hannah told him. The rest of the drive was quiet. The cemetery was peaceful, and the grave markers were under a weeping willow. When Mike and Andrea picked the spot, it seemed very fitting. Mike guided Hannah towards the gravesite, not sure rather to give her privacy or stayed glued to her side. Hannah had ahold of the flowers and statue and handed him the bouquet of lilies. It indicated that she wanted a little privacy; so, Mike walked to the headstone for Bill and Lily and laid the lilies on the top and swept some grass off the stone. Hannah had knelt down next to Christine's side of the stone and seemed to be in a trance. It made Mike remember when Christine had had Hannah.
"She's perfect." Mike told Christine as he handed her their freshly diapered infant.
"She is adorable. I talked to my mom and dad. He's mad because she isn't a boy. Does that bother you? That she's a girl." Christine asked.
"No. She's healthy. That's what is important. I don't care what your dad says, and you shouldn't either." Mike said as he sat down beside her on the bed and put his arm around her. She was nursing Hannah who was watching her mother closely.
"I know, its just hard. He told me that you would end up leaving if we kept having girls." Christine told him as she stroked Hannah's cheek.
"I shot a pink. It's the father that decides the gender and I am quite happy with my girls." Mike reassured her.
"I know. You have to admit though; a boy would be nice." Christine asked.
"Sure, but in the meantime; I have a beautiful wife and two sweet baby girls. I'll take what I have and be happy with it. I love you." Mike told her as he leaned in and kissed Christine.
Mike snapped back into reality when he heard Hannah sobbing uncontrollably. He knelt down beside her and rubbed her back. Listening to her sob was causing him to tear up and he had no idea what to say or do. The sobs were gut wrenching and he was worried sick about Hannah.
"I am so sorry, Mommy. I deserve to be here, not you and Quinn." Hannah said, apparently not even realizing Mike was sitting next to her.
"Hannah, your mom would not want you thinking like that. She would tell you to buck up and accept it. It hurts badly. I would give anything to give your mom, sister or brother one more hug. To tell them that I love them one more time. I can't do that. I wish I could." Mike didn't know what else to say and Hannah had turned to where she was crying into his chest. He had wrapped the arms around her and just held her for the longest time. Finally, she pulled away and carefully arranged the flowers and statue.
"I'm ready to go home." Hannah told him simply and Mike guided her to her feet.
"We can come back." Mike assured her as they walked to the truck.
"Maybe I'll be stronger next time." Hannah said as she got in.
"You don't have to be. God knows I've cried many tears over that grave. What counts is, you didn't stay there. You cried, and you got up. You can go back when you need but until then; it's one day at a time, hour by hour and minute by minute. That's how I got through the last ten years. I focused on the minute I was in, not looking back and not really looking forward." Mike encouraged Hannah. He needed her to know, it was okay to not be okay.
"That makes sense." Hannah said quietly. Mike's phone beeped with the text from Andrea, letting him know she was home. He texted back that they were headed home and then left the cemetery grounds. As he was driving, Hannah fixated on the passing landscape. "You know what I would really like to do? I used to love to draw and paint. I think I want to paint pictures."
"We will get you the supplies. There is also a place close to the house that you can do pottery. It's about three blocks away." Mike told her, and Hannah smiled at him. Mike happened to see a craft store and pulled in. He figured Hannah would stay in the truck, but she got out.
Fifteen minutes later, they had an easel that could either be used in a standing or sitting position, canvases, paints, brushes, drawing pads and a slew of other supplies. Hannah seemed genuinely excited about the prospect and Mike was thrilled that she was expressing an interest in something. He had been concerned that she would withdraw into herself. The art might help with that. The drive home was quiet and as soon as Mike pulled into the house, Hannah let out a sigh of relief. They carried her art supplies and the bags of clothing into the front hall; and Mike had her sit them down so she could meet the other kids. They rounded the corner into the open concept living room and Kendall ran to Mike.
"Daddy!" The little girl yelled as Mike picked her up. She focused on Hannah and whispered in Mike's ear. "Daddy, who's that girl? She looks scared."
"Kendall, Tommy? This is your big sister, Hannah. She's going to be with us for a long time." Mike told the two kids. Tommy was hugging his leg and he was holding Kendall. Andrea and Debbie had a counter full of foods for Hannah and there was a 'Welcome Home, Hannah" sign hung up. Kami was sitting on the counter, eating a strawberry. She didn't want to stray far from her mom and Frankie was playing in the living room.
"Hi, guys." Hannah told them. She seemed more nervous than the kids. Mike sit Kendall down and both she and Tommy ran in to play with Frankie, eyeing Hannah suspiciously.
"Give them time, sweetie. They'll get used to you. This is Debbie, she's Kara's mom." Mike introduced Hannah to Deb who shook her hand.
"We thought you at least needed a bit of a nice homecoming, hence the food." Debbie explained to Hannah as Kami snuck another strawberry.
"Thank you, it all looks delicious." Hannah said as she picked up a carrot stick from one of the trays and Kami offered her the strawberry she had already taken a bite from. "No thanks, Kami."
"Where are the babies?" Mike asked.
"Upstairs. They are conveniently taking their naps at the same time." Andrea told him as she gave him a kiss.
"So, this is a lot of food for just us?" Hannah asked.
"I invited a few people over. Tom and Sasha, Kara and Danny, Wolf, Jeter, Debbie, of course. Nothing major. I think the kids are wanting to swim." Andrea told her. Hannah looked slightly stricken.
"Okay. I want to swim but I don't have a suit and my back is kind of a mess." Hannah told her.
"It's okay. I got you one and you can wear one of your dad's shirts over it. Kami, do we want to take Hannah upstairs so she can see her room that you decorated for her?" Andrea asked.
"YEAH!" Kami yelled, and Mike picked her up off the counter. Debbie stayed downstairs with the kids and Hannah and Andrea gathered the bags from in the front room and they all walked up the steps. They would give Hannah a full tour later but for now; her bedroom and bath would suffice.
"You have your own bathroom and a fairly good-sized closet. The clothes that are in there have already been washed. I will wash these others. If you don't like any of this, please let me know and we'll do something different." Andrea told Hannah as they walked up the steps. Mike was following them and could see Andrea was struggling.
"I'm sure it's perfect. Thank you." Hannah said.
"I'm sure its disconcerting to not even pick out your own clothes or bedspread?" Andrea asked.
"No. I honestly don't want to make any real decisions beyond what I'm going to eat for breakfast or what painting I'm going to paint. It's nice to know, I can just relax and be comfortable." Hannah assured her.
"We'll get your painting stuff set up in a bit." Mike told her as they turned the corner.
"I'd like that." Hannah agreed.
"Our bedroom is on the far end of the hall. I wanted to give you some space of your own. Here we are." Andrea told Hannah as she opened the bedroom door. Mike smiled when he saw the room. It had been painted a light beige already and the white wood furniture was the same. It was a room they had never gotten around to decorating due to having five kids in less than three years. There is been cheap blinds on the windows and a basic blanket on the queen-sized bed before.
Now, Andrea had put a mauve colored bedspread on the bed, with a coordinating floral throw blanket. The cheap blinds had been replaced with Roman Shades that also coordinated and there were throw pillows on the window seat that went with it. She had pictures with flowers on the wall and there were several pictures of Mike's 'first family' along with pictures of the younger kids placed on the dresser and the bookshelves. It was a very grown up, feminine room. The attached bathroom had a new rug on the floor, new towels and wash rags and a coordinating shower curtain. The walk-in closet was filled with clothes. It was incredible. Hannah was looking over everything and Mike hugged Andrea and gave her a kiss.
"It's perfect. I love everything. Thank you so much." Hannah told Andrea and gave her a hug. One of the twins started crying, and Mike decided to give the two women a moment. He walked into the nursery where Elli was sitting up in her crib. As soon as she saw him, she stopped crying and smiled at him. Mike picked her up and took her to the changing table to change her diaper. Eli was still sound asleep and so Mike quickly changed the diaper and changed Elli into a new onesie.
"So, baby girl, Daddy has someone new for you to meet. Your big sister, Hannah. I think you and Eli will especially love her." Mike told the baby girl who just smiled at him. He picked her back up and carried her back to Hannah's bedroom. Elli was babbling at him and had given him several sloppy kisses. He hoped that she would be more welcoming to Hannah then Kendall and Tommy had been. Kami was sitting on the bed, inspecting Hannah's art supplies while Andrea and Hannah were going through the closet to see what else was needed. As soon as Elli seen Hannah, she was reaching for her. Elli had no issues with new people and Mike immediately passed her to Hannah just in time for Elli to land a big sloppy kiss on Hannah's chin. Both Andrea and Mike started laughing and Hannah returned the kiss.
"This is Elli, obviously, considering the pink onesie. Eli still sleeping, Mike?" Andrea asked as she made the introduction.
"Yeah, he's out. Hannah, I'll grab you a t-shirt, so you can at least get in the pool. Will your feet be okay?" Mike asked.
"I don't know. Maybe not. It will still be nice to go outside. I didn't get to do that much." Hannah admitted.
"Well, we have a screened in porch you can relax in too. Your dad and I will give you some privacy. Here's the swimsuit. I got one with swim shorts too. Let me grab you a t-shirt." Andrea said as she walked out of the room.
"You okay?" Mike asked as he picked Kami up.
"Yeah. It's overwhelming what all that she's done. I really appreciate it. It's going to a learning curve, knowing I have freedom." Hannah told him as she cuddled Elli close.
"You tell us though if you aren't comfortable with something or want to do something different?" Mike requested.
"Yeah, I will. It is just overwhelming right now but in a good way." Hannah told him as Andrea walked back in.
"I hope I didn't overstep with all this?" Andrea asked.
"No, not at all. I love it all." Hannah assured her.
"Good, you tell me if you need something? Dad and I will take Kami and Elli downstairs. Everyone will be here about four. That will give you plenty of time to relax. Take a nap if you'd like." Andrea told Hannah who handed her Elli.
"Thank you so much, for all of this. I really do love it. I especially love all the pictures" Hannah told Andrea as she picked up a framed snapshot of Quinn, Hannah and Lucas.
"Great. I wasn't sure about that. I raided some of your dad's pictures and made copies. Come on, Mike." Andrea told Mike as she made for the door. Mike leaned down and gave Hannah a kiss on the top of her head and left her alone.
Andrea handed him Elli and Kami walked down the stairs on her own. Andrea had trouble carrying the babies down the steps with her broken ribs. Debbie and Frankie left to spend some time with Kara and Danny before the barbeque that evening. Mike marinated the meat and made Andrea settle on the couch. He could tell she was hurting. She was cuddling with Kami and Elli and Mike spent the afternoon playing with Kendall and Tommy. He had gone upstairs to change his own clothes and checked on both Eli and Hannah. Both were sound asleep, and Mike left them alone. He washed Hannah's new clothing, cleaned the house for Andrea so she could rest and kept an ear out for Eli.
At three thirty, Hannah came down the steps wearing her swimsuit and carrying Eli, who had apparently woken up. She was freshly showered, and Eli seemed to like his big sister. Hannah settled on the couch with Andrea and cuddled the babies and Kami. Mike loved how attached she was becoming to the twins and hoped that Kendall and Tommy become more comfortable with her.
Guests started arriving at ten til four and while Hannah was struggling, she put her best foot forward and socialized with everyone. The President and her husband and daughter also came, and Hannah talked at length with the Graham's daughter, Elizabeth who was about the same age.
There were even more gifts for Hannah, including several books, board games and puzzles. On the James, she had played several games of Monopoly and a couple card games with Wolf and Miller. Mike had a feeling that there would be more game nights in the future.
Mike and Tom manned the barbeque grill and Andrea handled the kitchen aspect. Hannah did her best to visit with everyone. She did not handle physical contact well. Mike could hug her, and the kids were fine, but she struggled with others touching her. She would be spending a lot of time in counseling and Mike knew he would be joining her for some of it too.
Hannah visited with everyone but seemed to do better with the small children. Mike had also noticed that he had to be in line of vision or she panicked. The crowd caused a lot of anxiety and eventually Hannah retreated to the corner of the screened in porch, talking to Wolf. They had struck up a bit of a friendship and Mike was honestly thrilled. He liked and trusted Wolf. She had been given several phone numbers and Mike would be going the next day to get her a cellphone. She also knew how to drive but obviously needed a license and a car. Mike would love to just keep her at home, but he also knew, Hannah would need some independence.
Everyone left about nine and Hannah visibly relaxed. She helped Andrea give all five kids their baths. Tommy and Kendall were still unsure of her, but Kami insisted that Hannah tuck her in. Hannah also helped Andrea clean up the kitchen finally about eleven, they all headed upstairs. Andrea gave Hannah a hug at the top of the stairs and headed to her and Mike's room.
"If you need anything, wake us up." Mike told Hannah as he hugged her.
"I will. Thank you for all this, Daddy. I really do love it all." Hannah told him.
"I'm glad and this was all Andrea. Just relax. That's all you have to do now. Pancakes tomorrow?" Mike asked.
"YES! I really want to go for a run in the morning too." Hannah told him.
"Okay. We can do that. Get some rest." Mike told her as he kissed the top of her head.
"You too. I love you." Hannah told him.
"I love you too. Don't hesitate to wake us up." Mike told her as they parted ways. He checked on his younger kids and then went back downstairs to lock up. By the time he came back upstairs, Hannah's bedroom door was open, and he looked inside. She was sound asleep. Mike was satisfied that she was comfortable enough, so he headed for his own room, praying Hannah would get plenty of rest.
I know it seems like I am speeding this up, but she couldn't stay on the James forever! Hope you all enjoyed. This is a story about healing and so this isn't the end.