"A Mother's Love"
Chapter 11
About three hours later, Rio's assistant came and got them. Christine and both girls had slept and ate supper. He let them know that Mike had also rested and was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Doc Rios was also going to give both girls a quick exam to make sure they weren't getting sicker. When they got there, Mike had been moved to a small bed in the next room and was sitting up and eating. Hannah immediately ran to him and hugged him tightly.
"I was so scared, Daddy. I didn't want you to go to Heaven yet."
"It's okay, sweetie. I didn't plan on it. I still owe you that pink bedroom. And Lizzie and your mom want that kitchen."
Hannah had all but crawled onto Mike's lap. Normally Christine would have gotten onto her but she couldn't say a lot since she had been lying on top of him earlier. Lizzie seemed nervous, like she wanted to sit down but wasn't sure of her place. Christine put her arm around her and whispered in her ear.
"Go, Lizzie. He won't hurt you and he will want you close too."
She nodded at her and sit down on Mike's other side. Mike seemed slightly surprised but smiled at her anyway. He was careful not to touch her but Christine nodded at Lizzie. Hannah had settled on Mike's other side and Lizzie leaned her head onto Mike's shoulder. He looked even more surprised but put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Christine could tell he was thinking about Addy because of the tears in his eyes but was also focused on Lizzie. Christine was watching Lizzie closely and noticed there was no fear in her eyes. It made her feel better.
"Doc says I'll be able to go back to the stateroom tonight. He's taking the drain out in a bit."
"Good. The girls and I would have missed you."
"I would have missed you all too. Chrissy, sleeping arrangements tonight? I'm not sure I can handle the couch but the girls?"
"We'll sleep on the couches." Lizzie had lifted up from Mike's shoulder and looked at both of them.
"I hate that idea, sweetie. You girls need your rest too." Mike was looking down at Lizzie. He still had his arm around her and was smoothing his hand over her hair. Christine loved watching him interacting with her. They were developing a sweet relationship without even realizing it.
"It's okay. We can breathe better. Right, Hannah?"
"Yeah, Daddy! And you can have Snickers if you want her? Or Ruffles? They make me feel better." Mike chuckled at Hannah and kissed the top of her head. She gave him another hug and kissed his forehead.
"You can keep Snickers and Ruffles. Speaking of which, where is Snickers?"
"Mommy made me put her in the bathroom so she didn't make a mess."
"Good idea."
"Girls, Doc is wanting to check your lungs. Lizzie, I'll be close by and you'll be safe. Why don't you give me and Dad a moment?"
Mike gave both girls a kiss on the forehead and they headed into the main room. Christine sit down next to Mike and kissed his cheek. He was trying to finish his supper.
"We okay, Mike?"
"Yeah, we're good. I am actually looking forward to sharing a bed with you with no kids."
"Yeah, but we can't…"
"I know. I want it to be a bit more special then it just being because we can."
"It'll be special for me because it's you."
"Mmm. In any case, I'm looking forward to it. Lizzie surprised me."
"She's getting there. Just give her time. She's never had a normal family." Rios walked in and offered them both a smile and the girls packed into the tiny room.
"The girls are both checking out okay. Captain, if you're finished, I'll take another set of vitals and we'll get that drain out. I may need to put a stitch or two in. The girls may not want to see that."
"Girls, let's go to the other room. "
Rio took the drain out which was painful. The stitches went in and he rebandaged him. Vitals were taken and he was instructed on what certain symptoms would indicate and when to call for help. Rios had a bag packed with bandages and some pain medicine. At the bottom of the bag was a box of condoms. Mike looked at Rios with raised eyebrows.
"It's only a matter of time before you need them. Just take it easy."
"How? Why do you have them?"
"Captain, do you really want the answer to that? We have a lot of young sailors on board."
"I'm turning a blind eye."
"Good idea."
"Christine isn't healthy though and I don't feel right about it."
"I did some checking after Mr. White died. He showed no signs of anything nasty. Now she does need to be retested but it's a good indication. Psychologically speaking, just when she is ready. You know her better than anyone and you'll know. Best to be prepared. Now my suggestion is, wait a bit since you're recovering too. You've lost a massive amount of blood and should not have survived today. You need rest."
"Copy that, Doc. Thanks."
"Drink plenty of fluids and if you notice any of those symptoms…"
Mike nodded at him, grabbed the bag and rejoined his wife and girls. He was moving pretty slow and Rio's assistant was going with to set up the IV. He was exhausted. The assistant had to help him some but they finally made it to his stateroom and the assistant suggested he go straight to bed. After throwing on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt he got settled and the assistant reattached the IV and gave him some pain medicine. The bag of bandages was stowed in his nightstand and the assistant left. Both girls had changed into their pajamas and gave him a kiss good night. Hannah insisted that he needed Ruffles with him and tucked it the teddy bear in close to him. Mike didn't have the heart to tell her he would just sit the bear on the floor and Christine helped them get settled on the couches with instructions to come in and wake her up if they needed anything. Hannah was tucked in and Lizzie settled in. Christine stayed with them until they fell asleep and finally came into the bedroom and then the bathroom to change into her pajamas.
"You didn't have to wait up. You're exhausted."
"I know, I wanted to."
"Okay. I'm leaving the door open so the girls don't get scared."
"Good idea. Come here." Christine made sure the door was open, shut the light off and crawled in next to Mike. He pulled her as close as he could and immediately started laughing.
"What?"
"Your feet! They're like icicles. I forgot how cold they are."
"Not something you missed?"
"I missed everything about you. Even your cold feet. Top drawer over there, is some socks I have left over from the Arctic. Please put them on?"
Christine laughed and climbed over Mike to get to the dresser. She found the socks and put them on quickly and looked into the living area to check on the girls.
"They are sound asleep."
"I'm about to join them." Mike stifled a yawn and Christine crawled back over him, basically straddling him, and bent over and kissed him. Despite being exhausted, he wrapped both arms around her and returned the kisses which were interrupted by his yawn. She laughed and laid down beside him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Go to sleep, Mike."
"Hey, I forgot to ask, you mentioned needing help with your bandages? Do you still?"
"I do. I'll change your bandages in the morning, if you change mine?"
"So romantic?"
"Considering you'll be bandaging my armpit, not so much."
"What about the other marks?"
"Don't need bandaged. I just hope they don't scar. You loved to…"
"I still will, just don't want to scare you."
"We'll get there. If you don't care, I am going to sit back up and take this bra off?"
"If it makes you more comfortable."
Christine nodded and pulled the bra off from under her shirt. Before the pandemic, it was something she frequently did and Mike would always try to "help" her. Tonight, though, he was exhausted and was fighting sleep. She kissed his cheek and checked the bandage on his neck. He was drifting off to sleep and she realized Hannah's teddy bear was on his other side.
"Ruffles?"
"Mmm. Hannah insisted. One of those things my crew doesn't need to know about."
"That you are an amazing husband and father? I think they know that."
"I just have an amazing wife and daughters."
"Get to sleep, Mike. I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her and she settled onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. It didn't take either of them long to fall asleep. A couple times through the night, one of the girls would wake up, coughing. At one point, Hannah came in and got in bed with them. She wrapped both arms around him and curled up close to him.
Mike woke up in almost agony. He could tell it was scaring Hannah and she started crying. Christine quickly got his pain medication and gave it to him and tried her best to comfort Hannah in the living area while Mike tried to settle.
"Sweetie, Daddy is okay. He's just hurting. The pain medicine will make it better."
"But I don't want him to go to heaven. I love him."
"Oh, sweetie. Just because he's in pain doesn't mean he'll die. Would you feel better if you could go back in there with him?"
Hannah nodded at her vigorously. Christine wiped the big crocodile tears off her cheeks and walked her back in. Mike was sitting up but was looking pretty dazed from the pain medicine.
"Mike, Hannah is pretty worried and I told her she could come in here with you."
"Come here, baby."
Hannah crawled up next to him and seemed to be assessing him. She wrapped both arms around him and cried into his shoulder. He gently rocked her back and forth. She fell back asleep and Christine helped Mike get settled back into bed.
"She was sure terrified."
"She just cried. I wasn't sure what was going on."
"Hannah thought since you were in pain, you were going to die. She was scared to lose you."
"Oh, poor baby girl."
"You feel better?"
"A little. I am tired. And you must be exhausted."
"Yeah, school is going to be shortened today. Hannah is in no mood and Lizzie is almost as scared."
"I hate that I did that to them."
"It's okay. Breakfast will be here soon. I'll bring yours in and will wake her up then. Try and stay awake. You need to eat."
"Yes, ma'am."
Breakfast was a pretty quiet affair. Both girls ended up staying in the bedroom with Mike. Hannah on the bed and Lizzie sitting on a chair eating. Christine fussed over them. Mike was still in some pain and as soon as breakfast was done, he relaxed back into bed and was quickly asleep. Tom brought Sam and Ashley to Christine and checked on Mike. The entire crew was extremely worried about him.
"We still have to make a supply run and understand that you and Mike need to take care of some personal business so Meylan has decided to hold us in port a couple days to a week longer. As soon as we get that stuff taken care of, we will head for St. Louis."
"How long will that take?"
"Two weeks? Possibly longer. Weather and such factors in. You understand."
"Yeah, of course. I always wanted an anniversary cruise. Just never imagined it would be on a Navy destroyer."
"When is your anniversary?"
"December 1st."
"Well we will be sailing off the tip of Florida so the weather should be nice. Gulf of Mexico. It's definitely not a cruise in the normal sense."
"Considering the last several months for me, it's the height of luxury."
"That's sad."
"Right now, it's perfect."
Tom checked in on his two kids and promised he would be back around lunchtime to get them. He was formulating a plan and needed Kara Greene's help. He didn't have a romantic bone in his body but felt he owed Mike and Christine something. He wanted to throw them a party and provide a way for them to "renew their vows."
He found Meylan and told him of his plans. He was surprised at how behind the plans he got. They would be sending a team into Norfolk that day to get supplies and they all pooled money to get the needed supplies. Wedding dress and shoes for Christine, decorations, everything. Before too long the entire crew was getting involved but were under strict instructions it was a surprise for Mike and Christine. The excitement was almost palatable.
Kara went with the away team with the special assignment of finding a dress, shoes and decorations. She and Azima found the perfect dress for Christine. An off white, three quarter sleeve, floor length number. It was beyond beautiful. They decided to forego the veil and got her flats. They also got silk flowers and Tom was working on food and wine. It had become a day of celebration for the entire crew after a difficult deployment. Kara had also begun making arrangements to keep Hannah and Lizzie with her and Alicia that night. Mike and Christine might not want them away from them but she wanted to give them privacy if they wanted it. She pulled Tom away from the rest of the group because she needed his help with something.
"I have the address to a jewelry store for Captain Slattery. He wants to get Mrs. Slattery a new ring. For a surprise I was thinking the day that they came into Norfolk, I sidetrack her getting her some new clothes while Captain Slattery gets the ring. Can you help with that?"
"Sure. I'm beginning to wonder if I shouldn't clue him in on this."
"Up to you. I like the idea of a surprise, especially for her."
"I need to go get my kids and I will ask for a meeting with Mike. It's getting a bit big on us."
"Yeah, he'll suspect something if you insist on going for the ring. I was also thinking the girls would stay with Alicia and I in our quarters that night."
"They'll want the privacy to do whatever."
"I don't want to know, sir."
"You suggested it. Besides, before the pandemic, if you had seen the two of them together, there would have been no doubt in your mind that they were crazy about each other."
"A lot has happened since."
"They're still crazy about each other."
They went back to the Nathan James and Tom made his way to Mike's stateroom. The kids were still mid lesson so Tom asked about Mike. Mike was in the bedroom area already bored stiff. He didn't handle being laid up well. Tom shut the door and sit in the chair next to the bed so he could keep his voice low.
"How'd things go in Norfolk?"
"We got supplies. Christine was telling me this morning about your anniversary being while we were sailing to St. Louis."
"Yeah, wish I could figure out something for her."
"We already have, bud. We were going to keep it a secret but it's gotten a bit big. We've made arrangements for you two to renew your vows on your anniversary. Kara Greene found a dress and shoes for Christine, there are flowers and food and wine. Still working on everything but Kara made the suggestion I take you to get the rings you want for Christine so when you get off your lazy butt, she'll distract Christine with some shopping and you and I will go to the jewelry store."
"That sounds amazing. Christine always said she wanted an anniversary cruise. I would never go for it. The last thing I wanted after a six month deployment was to be on a cruise ship."
"She made a joke about it this morning. Something about her anniversary trip being on a Navy destroyer. Then she made the remark that it was luxurious to her which was kind of sad."
"You didn't see the apartment they were at."
"Bad? Kara is also going to offer to keep the girls overnight for you. She knows you and Christine may not be comfortable with it but I think it's a good idea. And if something comes up, Kara can bring them back to you."
"Did you know Doc has a supply of condoms? He put some in my bag of bandaging. "
"I don't even want to know."
"Me either. Just said it was a good idea to turn a blind eye to it."
"But you'll take advantage of the supply, huh?"
"Maybe, if Christine is comfortable with it. I won't pressure her. She doesn't even know I have them."
"I don't want any more details. She was scared when I came and got her yesterday. As soon as she saw my shirt covered in your blood… Well, her reaction wasn't good."
"Probably should have taken a minute and changed."
"Doc wanted her there quickly. You were circling the drain."
"I know, thanks for everything you did. One of the things we need to do when we go into Norfolk, is go to Addy's grave."
"You ready for that?"
"No. Not sure I will ever be ready. But she deserves it."
"And you do too."
"That's what Christine says. She had Lucas' name put on the marker too. Purely symbolic as she doesn't know where his remains went to. It made her feel better and I like the idea too. Addy was cremated and her remains could be moved but it doesn't feel right."
"So morbid to even think about this."
"It's my reality. She'd be sixteen and instead of picking out a car for her, I'm picking flowers for her grave."
"Jeez, Mike."
"It sucks."
"I hope I never find out how badly."
"Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Thanks for arranging our anniversary for us. I hope I'm back on my feet tomorrow so we can go and then get underway."
"How'd Doc feel about that?"
"If he doesn't know…"
"Doc Rios knows everything."
"I should be good to go. I'll rest up today."
"Let me get Sam and Ashley out of your way then."
"They've barely made a peep but Sam has gotten it into his head that a pirate got ahold of me."
"Did you tell him that?"
"Maybe."
"Thanks."
Tom patted Mike's arm and left the room, grabbing Sam and Ashley on the way out of the living area. Hannah immediately made a run for Mike and climbed up on the bed with him. She wanted to sleep. It amazed Mike how quickly they had reestablished their bond. She may not remember him from before that well but she had become very attached to him. She had brought a book in with her and Mike read it to her and before too long they were both sound asleep. Lizzie had fallen asleep on the couch and Christine spent the afternoon tidying up the two rooms.
