Chapter 10
Hannah would be released Sunday morning, and Mike was beyond thrilled to have her home and be close to Emma again. He had warned both girls that his house was not that great and they would have to buy lots of furniture, but the girls could pick how they wanted to decorate their rooms. They seemed happy to just have a roof over their heads, food in their bellies and warm clothes…which led him to the next problem. He didn't have any clothes to even take Hannah home in. It reminded him of when he and Christine brought her home to their base house from the hospital. He was a young lieutenant and money was a little tight, but his mom had insisted the baby have a cute "take home outfit." He and Christine were completely unprepared for having a baby and had one night at home with Hannah before his parents arrived. They both were so scared that they would break her. Late Saturday afternoon, President Oliver and his wife, Maggie came in to visit, and Maggie was holding a shopping bag that had a soft pair of sweats and a sweatshirt for Hannah, she also had underclothes and a soft, warm, pair of house slippers. Mike didn't know how she guessed Hannah's sizes but he was thrilled. Maggie reminded him a little of his mother, always prepared, direct and to the point, but she could make him laugh too.
Tom and Sasha were busy with something so Emma didn't get to come visit and Mike was missing her. Hannah seemed to sense Mike's mood and apologized several times and even suggested that he leave and stay at home for the night, but Mike didn't feel right about that either. He was scared to death that if he left the hospital, Hannah would have some sort of setback and he didn't want to not be there to talk her back. Her temperature had spiked a bit Friday night and it had scared him. He would just have to deal with it. He assured Hannah he was staying with her and that none of this was her fault. He took the time to learn the bandaging and about the various medical equipment that was being installed at his house. He hated the fact that his house would be so unprepared for his girls. He bought it simply because it meant he was close to Tom, Sasha and his kids, as well as the Greene's. He watched Sam and Ashley fairly frequently and even babysit Frankie from time to time…having a baby around just made anybody smile.
The plan was, Tom and Emma would pick them up at the hospital and take them to Mike's house. At that point, Mike would take over Emma's care as well. He was terrified…as terrified as he and Christine were 14 years before. He didn't want to "break" either girl. Mallory helped Hannah get dressed and put the coat on that Kara Greene had brought over. She used the excuse that since she had Frankie it didn't fit her well anymore, and as tiny as Kara was, it swallowed Hannah. She could walk okay but they would be taking a wheelchair home with them, Doc Rios didn't want her on the blisters on her feet too much. She was also very weak and it was not uncommon that Mike had to pick her up and transfer her. He didn't mind, but Hannah hated it, complaining she would hurt his back. She only weighed 72 pounds so it was not likely. It was more out of frustration that she didn't like it and that hurt Mike's heart.
They had decided to donate the flowers and balloons to the pediatric floor, but kept the teddy bear from the President, the books and drawing supplies. The nurses and doctors on the floor that Hannah was on gave her a scarf, gloves and hat that matched the coat Kara had given her. Hannah had made a lot of people fall in love with her. It was very touching. Mallory had told Mike that she would come over once daily to help Hannah bathe, it was not something Mike needed to help with, even though he would if he had too. It also meant that a trained professional would be around to watch her in case there were any medical issues arise. Rios would also be around. Mike offered to pay Mallory and she flat out refused. He would figure something out for her later.
Tom and Emma got there about 10 am and Emma was almost bouncing off the walls in excitement. When Mike picked her up, he immediately realized she had gained a couple pounds which made him smile. He knew Tom and Sasha would take amazing care of his little girl. How would he ever repay them? It took another hour to get Hannah discharged, all the proper paperwork signed, and for Tom to make a couple trips down to Sasha's SUV with all the gear that people had brought Hannah. It was Tom that ended up putting Hannah into her wheelchair because Emma needed to be contained, and when he got done, he told Mike that it felt like Hannah had gained a couple pounds as well. The nurses had weighed her the night she was brought in and she only weighed 68 pounds and was now at 72. It was a small gain.
Mike was shocked to see signs from businesses that they passed, which said "Welcome Home, Hannah!" and "Home at Last!" Tom just told him that there had been a little media attention, and it was a feel good story when there weren't too many. Mike was almost as famous as Tom and so when the media outlets got ahold of the fact that it was Tom that had found Mike's daughters…well, it spread like wildfire.
The suburb he lived in was fairly close to the hospital and so it was a fast trip, Tom also wasn't taking his time; he was scared the cold air would affect Hannah's lungs. She had nodded off and Emma was drawing on one of Hannah's drawing pads. Tom was pretty quiet and Mike was not in the mood to talk. He was terrified of having the girls home, scared something would happen to them, and he also knew that he was going to have to finally accept the fact that Christine and Lucas were gone…that scared him more. Could he really handle facing that loss? He owed it to Christine and Lucas to grieve them.
When they pulled into his driveway, there was a huge sign on the garage door that said "Welcome home, Slattery family!" and was signed by every member of the Nathan James crew. Mike was looking at it, as Tom pulled Hannah's wheelchair out and was talking to Emma. Hannah finally woke up and gave Mike a sweet smile as picked her up and put her in the wheelchair. He wanted to get her inside because she was starting the wheeze. He and Tom picked up the wheelchair with Hannah in it and carried her up the porch steps. And he laughed at Tom because all of a sudden, he was in a huge hurry to leave. Mike and Emma gave him a quick hug and a thank you and he leaned down and kissed Hannah on the forehead, much the same way Mike might and was gone.
Mike saw the note taped to the door with his name on it and pulled it off. He unlocked the door and had Emma hold the exterior screen door open while he got the wheelchair in. The house felt warm and smelled like his mom and the sea. He flipped the light on and expecting to see it like he left it Monday morning, with junky furniture and no decorations. He instantly teared up when he realized that someone had come in and completely decorated his house. New and different furniture, food on the kitchen countertops, DVD's in the built in units, a new dining room table and chairs. It was a home. There were pictures of all the 3 kids up, pictures of him and Christine, there were also framed pictures of the crew and he and Tom throughout the years.
"Daddy, maybe you should read that note? It might tell you who did all this. It's really nice, and has some of our stuff from Norfolk." Hannah had gotten herself out of the wheelchair and into a leather recliner that hadn't been there before and Emma was sitting on the sectional. He read bits and pieces of Tom's letter to the girls and they all cried. It was shocking that so many people would do this for them. Mike always felt he came across harsh towards his crew, but apparently not. He was not the fatherly sort like Tom was, or maybe he was and he was just different than Tom in the way he handled them.
He fixed the girls some of Bacon's chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. He was stunned to see all the food in the kitchen and freezer, and treated himself to a piece of the banana bread. It was almost like his mom was visiting. They decided to put a movie in and just relax, and it was not too long before both girls were sound asleep. Hannah had claimed the recliner, mostly because it had a heater in it. He had wrapped a warm blanket around her and turned her oxygen on and put the nasal cannula, and she was sound asleep very quickly. It gave him some one on one time cuddling Emma before she fell asleep.
He had a feeling that the downstairs was just the tip of the iceberg, and so he walked upstairs, and was completely taken aback. He would have only asked for the girl's bedrooms to be set up but his bedroom has also gotten redecorated as well. He was doing okay until he opened his closet door and saw Lucas and Christine's box on the floor; he hadn't unpacked them or got rid of their belongings because in order to do that, he would have to accept that they were gone. He was thankful he hadn't where the girl's belongings were concerned but he knew he needed to accept that fact that Lucas and Christine would not be miraculously found as his girls had been. They were gone and they would not be coming back. That was a hard and very difficult pill to swallow. Mike's breathing picked up and get feel tears filling his eyes and he hadn't even opened the boxes.
"Daddy, can you help me?" Hannah's voice called from downstairs and so he shoved the boxes back into the closet and yelled that he would be there in a minute. He took a second to collect himself and told himself to get it together, just as in the last year and a half, someone needed him more then he needed to grieve. He felt like a horrible husband and father, especially as a father. What kind of man couldn't even cry for his lost son, or wife? They deserved better then him.