The Captain's Wife

Chapter 11

They finally carried Mike upstairs and put him in his and Christine's bed. Brooke went to get cleaned up. She was covered in dirt, smoke and her father's blood. Hannah and Adam had finally settled down in Hannah's bed. Brooke refused to leave her dad after getting cleaned up and finally fell asleep next to him. She had explained to Christine and Tom her reasoning for volunteering to go with the two goons, how she had drank the soured milk instead of the tea, and acted high to keep them distracted until the team showed up. Tom was impressed, Christine was heartbroken because of Brooke thinking because of her issues that either of her parents would be okay if something happened to her. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with it and knew Mike wouldn't be in any shape to for a while. He had literally taken a bullet for Brooke and Christine hoped that would make Brooke realize that Mike adored her despite all the issues. She had made it clear to Brooke that neither of them could lose her.

Miller had been busy getting bodies hauled away and hadn't told anyone where he had stored all the plants. When he finally walked back into the house he noticed the deflated attitude of several of the crew members. Captain Chandler told him that several of the plants were gone as was the original seeds. Miller smiled at him broadly and just started walking around the house. Several of the plants were hidden in plain sight within the house, and he explained that some were in the barn. They were all fine but they would have to get a greenhouse built quickly.

"Doesn't help us with the original seeds. I appreciate what you've done, Miller but we can't replicate those seeds. They're gone and I don't know what we'll do." Tom was getting exasperated.

"But, sir, they aren't gone. I hid 'em. They are in the toy box."

"Miller, they were in the house. I am sure they looked for them."

Miller wasn't sure what else to do other than just prove it. He walked over to the toy box and dug through it, tossing out toy cars and other dinosaurs until he got to the t-rex. He walked back to the kitchen, and grabbed a bowl and opened the bottom of toy up and pulled the cotton balls out. The seeds started pouring into the bowl.

"You put the most important seeds in the world in a toy?"

"With respect, sir, I put them in a place that they weren't likely to look. If they did go through that toy box, it was unlikely that they would check the individual toys. I put the cotton balls in the dinosaur to keep the seeds from making noise. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I guess, not."

Tom rubbed a hand over his face. The reality was, it was a good idea. It had just been a long and frustrating night. Mike was still in pretty rough shape, but he would survive. Tom knew that Mike was going to have a rough time going back to work, and he couldn't blame him. He would hate to see Mike's career come to a close, but he had a good reason.

"No, it was a good idea. You need to be commended for it. Just a very odd place to put them. It worked though. What was the idea with you and Captain Slattery separating? Obviously it helped, but those two still got inside and got ahold of Brooke. I am just curious."

"Captain Slattery wanted me at the rear to protect the house, to keep them from getting the drop on us. We didn't realize that they had used the same back entrance that you all did. Had I realized those two were inside I would have gone in, but then Brooke would have been in the crossfire earlier than when you all got here."

It would be an interesting report. The call was made to President Oliver that the seeds were safe and the plants were sprouting. He asked how the seeds were protected and Tom had to tell him that they had been stored in a toy dinosaur. It had brought a laugh. He did arrange for some sick time for Mike. It would take months for his shoulder to get better, a lot longer than it would take Christine to make the plants grow. He also arranged for Miller to stay on with the Slattery's. Christine would still need to be protected and Mike wouldn't even be able to hold a gun for a while. She would also need help while she was taking care of her husband, even though Brooke seemed to have gone into the nursemaid mode. Miller was happy with his assignment even though several of the guys teased him about it.

Hannah had come downstairs about six and went out to do chores and get breakfast started. Two of the guys escorted her and were shocked that she was actually outworking them. Tom had to get onto them when he realized that Hannah was going to be chopping wood. After some teasing, Miller took over the ax.

Hannah was in her element. She cooked a massive breakfast and none of the crew had ate so well in years. There was biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, a breakfast skillet with eggs, the sausage and bacon and ham, potatoes, onions and peppers and cheese, oatmeal, pancakes and French toast, homemade donuts, and apple turnovers. It was all absolutely delicious. They all complimented her and she beamed but all she was worried about was that her dad ate something. Adam had come downstairs and it took several members of the crew to occupy him. He was really worried about his daddy but he loved having so much company.

Tom and Hannah carried up several plates of food on trays for Christine, Mike and Brooke. Mike had woke up and greeted them with a bright smile. Christine and Brooke were both fussing over him and now he had Hannah trying to overfeed him. There was no way that he could eat that much but he also refused to tell Hannah that. She had done it all in love and he knew it. He had given her a kiss and as much of a hug as he could. Tom had told both Mike and Christine about Miller's rather unorthodox plan and the fact that it worked. They were both thrilled that he would be staying on with them. The two girls had gone downstairs so Brooke could eat and help clean things up. Tom had filled Mike in on how Brooke had tricked them all into thinking she was actually high and Christine told him about her volunteering to go downstairs with the two goons because of thinking because of her issues, losing her wouldn't affect either of her parents. Christine had talked to her at length about it but it was more important that Mike speak with her. Mike had clued them onto what she had been saying about Lucas, and Christine told him that she hadn't been acting that part out. Mike had pretty well shut down after that and they both agreed that Brooke and Mike needed some privacy and went downstairs to get her.

Brooke was playing with Adam and Christine had gestured at her to follow them onto the porch. Azima had sit down next to Adam to play while Brooke was outside.

"Brooke, you need to go up and talk to your dad. He knows now that you were saying about Lucas while you pretended to be high was not an act. He has pretty well shut down. I know you didn't want to tell him yet but he needs to know. You didn't do anything wrong in what you did but this will help him as much as it does you. He is strong enough to handle it. He loves you a lot. If he wouldn't have been affected by losing you, he wouldn't have thrown himself over you in the middle of a firefight and taken a bullet for you."

Brooke nodded and both Christine and Tom gave her a hug. They knew it would be hard for her but she needed to have that talk with Mike. She went inside and upstairs, Tom went to supervise the building of the new greenhouse and Christine went to help Hannah with lunch.

Brooke was really scared, not of her dad, but of his reaction. Because he was hurt, she couldn't really even hug him. On the way to her mom and dad's bedroom she stopped in her own, and grabbed a picture from before the Red Flu. It was of her and her dad before a father daughter dance at her school. She remembered her dad grumbling about having to wear a suit and tie but telling her how beautiful she looked. It had been a fun night even if Brooke had to stand on her dad's shoes while they were dancing. They had gone out for ice cream afterwards and it had been one of her favorite memories. She stuck it in her shirt pocket and headed for her dad's room. The door was open and she knocked on the door frame. Her dad was kind of staring into space and just nodded at her. Brooke could have sat on the chair next to the bed but decided to sit on the bed next to her dad. She needed to be close to him.

"So it's true? What you said about Lucas crying for me? I thought you said that he imagined me being there and wasn't in any pain. You lied to me? How could you?"

Brooke tried to put her hand over Mike's good one but he pulled away from her. She hadn't lied. At the end, Lucas imagined their dad being there but before when he was still semi-conscious, he did cry for their dad. Brooke could tell Mike was getting very agitated and was really angry with her. She knew he wouldn't hurt her but it still bothered her. And she also knew that it would really hurt him.

"No, Daddy, I didn't lie. At the end he thought you were there and it helped him. Before that, before they started giving him pain meds, he cried for you. I am not going to lie to you and tell that it was easy to hear. I didn't want him to be alone and I wasn't showing any signs of getting sick. The doctor said I was immune. Mom and Hannah couldn't be there so I insisted. It would have been better for everyone if I had been the one to get sick and not Lucas. And I am sorry if that is what you think right now. That is also why I went downstairs with those two guys. It wouldn't matter to you if something happened to me. You have Mom and Hannah and Adam and don't need me. I just cause you problems. But I want you to remember this night, the night that we went to the father daughter dance at school and then went for ice cream after. It was so much fun. I just wish that bullet had hit me instead of you."

Brooke had thrown the picture on Mike's lap and got up. The tears were pouring down her face and Mike hadn't said a word. It hurt. She thought that her dad was changing, that he was willing to leave the Navy, that he would help her, but she was wrong.

Mike was completely taken aback by Brooke's speech. He could see the pain on her face and looked down at the picture. It had been an amazing night and he had a copy of the picture back at his office. She was almost to the door and he knew he had to fix what he had messed up. He was weak and shouldn't be standing but jumped out of the bed and yelled, "Stop!" It was not one of his wiser moments because he didn't even make it to the end of the bed before he sunk to the floor. Brooke had turned around and looked at him in complete horror but ran back to him and sat down next to him leaning against the bed.

Neither of them talked, they both just cried. Brooke had sat down on his bad side so Mike couldn't even pull her in for a hug or hold her hand. He was hungry, in pain, but what was worst was how badly his heart was hurting. He couldn't bring Lucas back and he couldn't help the fact that his son had cried for him. But he could help Brooke and make sure he was there when she hurt and to prevent the hurts when he could, and when Hannah and Adam hurt he could help them.