Time to Heal – Part 12.
Part 12, again, this was hard to write, but still, I am trying to explore different emotions and feelings! Hopefully, the next chapter will give more insight into where Mike and Andrea go in terms of a relationship! But, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Reviews are loved and appreciated!
Disclaimer – I own nothing.
Today had been Andrea's first official day off in weeks, and had Mike not have been sat in her living room with her, she knew she would have gone to work.
"You can leave, you know," Andrea said after taking a sip of her coffee.
"CNO said you need a day off, and I know the minute I leave you'll be making your way down to the Nathan James." Andrea smiled, he had a point, be still she could be annoyed about it.
They sat in silence for a few moments, Mike was reading the paper whilst Andrea stared at the blank wall in front of her. It had been a week since the kiss, now, they both knew they had feelings for each other, there was no denying it. Mike had accepted that Andrea wasn't ready and despite the instant hurt he felt, he realised that having her there was enough for now. He didn't really speak about Christine after that, he only mentioned things to do with her moving and coming up with schedules for the girls.
Andrea had sat and listened, telling him he could talk as much as he wanted. She felt for him, Andrea's life was simple. She'd lost everything, and although it broke her heart, she realised she didn't have to focus on rebuilding relationships. She'd told him that he would figure it out, that no matter his feelings when on the ship, he was always certain that he wanted to find his daughters.
"Do you regret going to the Arctic?" Mike asked putting the paper down.
Andrea looked at him for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"No. It was a mission, no one was to know what would happen. The more I think about it, the more I realise that even Dr Scott was in the dark until she began to do more research, I doubt even she could have imagined the damage the virus could do." Mike nodded
"A part of me does. I was given the choice of a desk job in Miami, a fresh start for me and Christine, to be home more for the kids, but I convinced Christine that going would be okay, that this would be my last tour before we moved." Andrea smiled, it had been something they hadn't really spoken about. She knew Mike had asked for a transfer, but she didn't realise if it went through or if he'd been assigned to the Nathan James.
Andrea, on the other hand, treated the mission like any other, she was called and so she served.
"I keep remembering the joy that we all felt when Tom said we were going home, then it felt like minutes later he told us that the world was doomed. It was hard to comprehend but I serve when I'm called, and that is what I will keep on doing until I can't." Andrea said, she assumed her answer would have been different had Lily been alive, she would have stayed to make sure her daughter was okay, but now, the Navy, the Nathan James, the crew, they were all she had left.
"One hell of a training mission," Mike muttered.
The two, once again, fell into a comfortable silence. Mike picked up the paper again and began to read whilst Andrea got lost in her thoughts. It was normal for the two of them, it seemed to be how they worked, both just wanted company, it didn't matter if they spoke or sat in silence, it was just nice to have someone there.
As Andrea sat in silence she wondered about next steps. Not for them, or their relationship, but more for her. She had been wondering for days if she should return to her old house, see if anything had been left, see what she could take, see if there were any memories, or to just relive the memories. It would be closure, to finally say goodbye, their bodies would have been burnt, she would never get to bury them, so she needed to find another way to say goodbye properly. Going back to the house seemed to be the only choice she had left.
"You wanna talk about it?" Mike's voice brought her out of her trance. She looked at him for a few minutes wondering if she wanted to share her thoughts with him.
"Not yet." She smiled.
"Well, I'm here when you're ready."
Mike got home later that afternoon, happy to be able to see his girls smiling as they spoke to each other.
"Dad! You're home." It was Katie who noticed him.
"Hey, how are you?" Mike asked, as his daughter got up to hug him. This had become normal over the last few days, the hugs, and kisses. Mike found himself wanting to constantly know where the girls were and how they were doing.
"Can we talk, dad?" Amy asked as Katie sat back down next to her, leaving room on the couch for their father.
"Of course," There was a moment of silence whilst the girls figured out what to say. Which, admittedly, made Mike nervous, they had yet to ask about their mother, and what was going on between her and Mike, the girls said they wanted to talk about Lucas, but still that conversation had been unheard, and of course, he was certain his girls would want to know what happened, and why he didn't continue looking for them when he docked the first time.
"Why did you go back to the ship?" Amy asked, her face seemed blank at first, but then Mike really looked and he could see how scared both his girls were. He knew it would be playing on their mind, and he knew they deserved answers, and maybe even needed them to help move on, but he also knew that if he told them he looked and gave up it would break their hearts.
"I was needed on the ship, and when I went back I made sure I had everyone I knew looking for you on the mainland." He wondered if that would be enough, but deep down, he knew it wouldn't be.
"Would you have carried on looking, if you hadn't already found us?" Katie asked, now wondering about the 'what if's.'
"Of course, I would have. Despite knowing what happened to Lucas and not being about to find you, not hearing about you, I still held onto hope that you would be okay, and now, thank god you are, and we're safe." Mike reached over to take their hands.
Both his girls sat in silence for a moment, and he knew at some point he would have to tell them about his redeployment, whilst they were still taking in the information about their mother.
Mike and Christine had told them that morning that they would be separating, but had told them they were okay, and that both girls would still see both parents. It had been agreed that both the girls and Christine would stay with Mike until the apartment was fully finished and the girls could move in. Despite the separation, Mike and Christine only wanted the best for Amy and Katie, so they agreed to move at their pace, constantly making sure that everything was okay with the girls and they fully understood.
"I was scared I was never going to see you again, dad. We both were." Mike shook his head, standing up so he could pull both of his girls into his arms.
"I wasn't going to let that happen, believe me." He could feel his daughters crying in his arms, and he knew the next few weeks would hurt like hell.
"I love you two so much, okay." Despite giving up hope a time or two, despite having to fight like hell, despite the anger, the heartache, the happiness, the confusion, and all the other emotions he'd felt in the last year, his love for his daughter never faltered once.
Andrea had spent most of the afternoon in her apartment, looking through the few photographs she had of Lily and Bill. After hours of thinking, she decided she needed closure.
Picking up her phone, she keyed in a familiar number, waiting for him to pick up.
"Andrea."
"Mike, hey, is this a bad time?"
"Not at all."
"About earlier, I'm ready to talk…"
"I'll be round in 10."
Andrea took a breath, she needed this, she needed to say goodbye to the two people who meant the most to her, she needed to say goodbye and begin to move on, it's what Bill and Lily would have wanted, it's what she wanted.
How was it? Thank you for reading, please leave a review before you go, they are loved and appreciated! Bethany.