"A Mother's Love"
Chapter 10
Christine woke up to hear warning bells and voices over the intercom. Mike practically ran through the bedroom, grabbing clothes out of the dresser and into the bathroom. She waited for the toilet to flush and got up and stuck her head in. Mike was wearing his boxers and was quickly shaving. He nodded at her to come in and resumed what he was doing.
"I have to work for a while this morning. Stay in the cabin. Bacon will bring you all breakfast. We may need to put off going to Addy's grave depending on what is going on. If you need Rios you can dial four on that phone. 3 is the galley, and 2 is the bridge. I will try and get back as quick as I can. Can you hand me those pants?" Christine nodded at him and had noticed the look of exhaustion on his face. She handed him the pants and his belt, followed by his shirt and BDU jacket. His boots were in the office area and she went and grabbed them for him. He put them on quickly and was completely silent. He was headed out the door quickly when she grabbed his arm and pulled him in.
"Chrissy, I need to go. You and the girls will be safe. Tom may send Sam and Ashley to you so they aren't underfoot."
"Okay that's fine. Mike, be careful…I love you."
"I love you too." He stopped long enough to kiss her and then was out the door. Thankfully the girls slept through everything. She showered, cleaned the bathroom up, and got ready for the day. The living area was a disaster. Christine could tell by the state of the bedding that Mike hadn't slept and the note was nowhere in sight. Lizzie and Hannah eventually woke up and Christine helped them get ready for the day. Both girls seemed to be looking for Mike and were worried about him. Around breakfast time, Tom came to the door with Sam and Ashley. He gave her no indication of what was going on but was wearing the same outfit the away teams wore and told her he wasn't sure when they would be back. Bacon followed with breakfast for her and both girls and Tom's kids. He even seemed slightly frazzled.
"Bacon, what's going on?"
"Not sure, Ma'am. Captain Slattery and Chandler will both be going to the dock soon."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not sure. Ma'am, I'd better get going but if you need anything, you can dial the galley and I'll come. Just hit 3. I'll get the dishes at lunch."
With that he was left, and Christine started getting nervous. She knew Mike was capable but he was exhausted and distracted. It terrified her. She tried to keep herself and the kids occupied which was not easy. Lizzie and Ashley had become pretty good friends and Sam and Hannah had always been buddies. Bacon brought lunch but gave no indication as to what was going on. It was almost suppertime when there was a knock on the door and she opened it to Tom, and her eyes immediately went to his shirt which was covered in blood.
"No…"
"Chris, step out here with me, the kids don't need to hear this." She looked towards the kids and thankfully they were all distracted. She stepped into the p-way with Tom and immediately noticed Kara and Alicia standing next to Tom.
"Christine, apparently Mr. White had someone over him. He was mad that we killed Mr. White and have Lizzie. We met him at the dock this morning and…"
"Mike?"
"He was pretty seriously injured. Took a shot to the neck. Went in above his vest. He's with Doc Rios now. He lost a large amount of blood and Doc isn't sure he'll make it. He wanted me to come and get you to say whatever needed to be said before he starts the surgery. Lieutenant Granderson will stay with the kids. We need to hurry."
"The kids? What do I tell them?"
"Ma'am, I'll talk to them. You go to your husband."
Christine nodded. It made her feel like a horrible mother. Hannah would be terrified. As they made their way to the medical bay, Christine prayed. More than she had since Addy had died. They finally got to the medical bay and she immediately noticed the flurry of activity around the exam bed. Doc Rios turned to look at her and she saw the look of sympathy in his eyes.
"Mrs. Slattery, Captain Slattery took a shot to just above his vest, the bullet splintered the collarbone and is lodged next to his windpipe. It is extremely dangerous to get it out. He has lost a considerable amount of blood and we have the oxygen mask on him. I can't intubate him right now. That's where the danger is. If I hit that windpipe, it could occlude his airway. He's awake and I am going to keep him that way because if I knock him out, it will reduce his drive to breath. He'll be restrained. I can give you a minute or two with him before I start operating."
"Thank you, will he be in any pain?"
"Probably some but I will try and keep it at a minimum."
Rios nodded at his assistants and they left the room. They were close by in case something started happening but far enough away to give her some privacy. She walked over to be the bed and noticed how pale he was. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were in fists. She put her hand over his and smoothed his hair with her other hand. Mike opened his eyes and tried to talk but couldn't.
"You listen to me, you have never broken a promise you ever made to me. You've promised me all kinds of stuff, the girls too. Don't you go breaking those promises. I can't lose you. The girls can't lose you. This crew can't lose you. You are the only man I've ever loved or ever wanted to be with. I know I hurt you last night and I want to fix that, but you have to let me. Don't nod but let me know you understand what I'm saying. I love you so much."
Mike squeezed her hand and traced "I love you" on her palm with his finger. Doc Rios came back in and she knew it was time for her to leave. She bent down and kissed his cheek and nodded at Doc Rios. She squeezed his hand again and left. Tom, Russ and Kara were waiting in the hallway and Kara immediately pulled her into a hug.
"Chris, I'm going to go in and help Rios and his assistant hold Mike down but he'll be fine."
"This is my fault, Tom."
"No. It isn't. Did you know there was anyone over Mr. White?"
"No."
"Well, then you wouldn't have been able to warn us. As soon as Mike said his name, the guy was gunning for him."
"What happened to him?"
"He's dead. You don't need to worry about anything or anyone other than Mike. I'm not going to go into specifics right now. I'd better get in there; Kara will stay out here with you."
Tom patted her back and Russ and he walked back into the room. Christine had no indication as to how Mike was doing and she desperately wanted to peek in but Kara blocked her.
"Don't look in there."
"If it was your husband…"
"I would be too."
"It's my fault."
"You didn't know about…"
"No. He was distracted and tired. We had a bit of a spat last night. He had gotten upset about something with Addy and I kind of instigated him getting mad because I think he's angry at me for Addy and Lucas dying. He was going to go work out and bent down to kiss me and I drew back. Mike has never raised his hand at me and it hurt him that I would think that. Then I wrote him this stupid note. I was asleep when he came back and we barely spoke this morning."
"Had he read the note?"
"Yeah. He'd barely slept. He looked exhausted."
"And you think because of that, he got shot?"
"Yes."
"Christine, you heard Captain Chandler, that guy was gunning for Captain Slattery."
"But if he hadn't been so tired and distracted, he might have avoided getting shot."
"Or, it might not have mattered. He might have been shot regardless. I was with the away team. The entire time, he was fighting to get back to you and those girls. He should have been killed instantly from that shot but he was fighting for you, for Hannah and Lizzie."
"I don't deserve him."
"You do. And he says the same thing about you."
Christine shook her head and started to say something but Rios walked back out. She peeked over his shoulder and could see Tom and Russ on either side of Mike but had no idea how he was doing. She turned back towards Rios with a look.
"He made it through. He will have a pretty nasty scar and I have a drain in to stop any swelling. He's still awake but I've given him some medicine for pain so he may go to sleep soon. He's already asking for you."
Christine nodded at him and walked in. Tom and Russ got up and Tom promised her that he would check on the kids and let them know that Mike was okay. She would need to go back to them at some point but she needed the time with Mike at the moment. She sit down on the exam bed next to him and before she even realized it she had her head on his chest and was sobbing into it. He'd wrapped both arms around her and just held her. She cried until her throat hurt and she had a headache.
"It's okay, Chrissy. It's okay."
"No…I…" Mike put his finger to her lips and then stroked her cheek. He pulled her up to where they were face to face. She was basically lying on top of him and Rios would throw a fit if he saw them. He kissed her forehead and rubbed his hands over both arms. She was tense but at least it was not out of fear.
"It's not your fault. Tom said you didn't know."
"But you were tired and distracted. Because of me. I made you mad and then…"
"Babe, enough. You had a point. Maybe I am angry about Addy and Lucas. But I promise it's not at you. And I don't want you to be angry at yourself either. It isn't fair to either of them. As far as last night is concerned, I should have reacted better. It's not like I don't know some of what you've been through. I know you know this, but you don't ever have to fear me. I will never hurt you and you didn't ruin anything. I still want those things with you. The farm, the girls, being home every night. And yes, I want the physical intimacy back with you. When you're healthy and ready for it, I want it. Badly. Because I want you to feel loved and beautiful. Now, I am getting really tired and I know you must be exhausted. As much as I would love to have you sleep here with me, the girls must be terrified. Why don't you go back and get some rest and then when I wake up, I'll send someone to get you girls. I want to see Hannah and Lizzie too."
Christine nodded at him and reached up and kissed him. It was sweet but passionate. She finally pulled away so he could breathe. It made her wish that she was already healthy and they were more settled. He would never make that move until then and it was smart. His eyelids were getting heavy and she sit back up and watched him fall asleep. After being satisfied that he was sleeping, not in pain and warm enough, she kissed him again and headed back into the p-way where Tom and Rios were standing.
"He's back asleep. Seems comfortable. He wants me to rest and said he would send for me and the girls when he wakes back up. I honestly don't know how to get back to his quarters."
"I'll take you. I have to get Sam and Ashley."
"Ma'am, I'll send someone for you all but I am going to encourage you all to rest. I will take that drain out tomorrow and will probably move him back to his stateroom then. He'll have to monitored."
"That won't be a problem."
Rios nodded at her and Tom and she headed back to the stateroom. He stayed pretty quiet. She was trying to memorize the way back so she didn't always require an escort. It was frustrating.
"How do you guys not get lost in these ships?"
"Years of practice. It's not a problem to escort you."
"Thanks. How did the girls handle Mike getting shot?"
"Hannah didn't understand it, Lizzie was scared. She actually gave some good information on the guy from today. Apparently he was one of her clients. He wasn't so much over Mr. White. Just mad that Lizzie got taken. He knew it was Mike that had taken her in."
"He's dead?"
"Yeah. I'll be honest, Mike did kill him. I know you may not want to know."
"What about Mr. White? I know Mike told you he didn't want to know but…"
"He was weighed down and drowned. We recovered his body and he was cremated."
"So no doubt then?"
"None. And it wasn't any single of us that did it. It won't come back to Mike in anyway. And today won't either."
"Thanks, Tom."
"I would have never figured you justifying what we did to Mr. White. Mike killing that guy today was justified."
"Lines have been blurred. I just didn't want Mike to do the killing where White was concerned. And I know that is strange."
"No, I get it. I agree. Here we are."
Christine and Tom walked into the living area and she immediately noticed the fear in Lizzie's eyes. Tom collected Sam and Ashley and Christine sit down next to Lizzie and Hannah cuddled up to her.
"Girls, your dad is okay. He's resting right now and he wanted you both to get some rest. Me too. He'll send someone for us when he gets woke up. He wanted me to tell you both that he loves you and wants to see you after we've all slept."
"I drew him a picture, Mommy. I was scared."
"I was scared too. Really scared. Now his neck is going to look a little funny and he'll be sleeping plenty. Lizzie, you okay?"
"I'm okay. That guy was really mean and I'm glad he's dead. Does that make me a bad person?"
"No. I'm glad that Mr. White is dead. We need to shift our focus off them though and focus on getting better. Healing together as a family."
"I still can't figure out why you guys are doing this for me. Especially Mike…or Dad?"
"He doesn't expect you to call him Dad. But he does love you and he does want you to know that he will never hurt you or expects anything. The rest will come in time. As far as why? It seems like the right thing to do. I love you and Mike knows that. He wants me to be happy and so he wants you with us. The thing is, he gets the advantage because he gets another daughter whom he already loves as much as he does Hannah. I know you have never had this type of family and the biggest qualification is that we just love each other."
"It's going to take a while to get used to. It did scare me when they told us he'd been shot and that he was so bad hurt."
"Me too. Let's go lay down that way when he wakes up, we can all go see him."
Both girls got up and they settled into bed. The kitten was on Hannah's stomach and Ruffles was between the two girls. Christine set the small alarm for two hours out and cuddled close to Hannah. She was still worried about Mike but she fell asleep pretty quickly.