For a moment the next morning, Kate stretches out and relishes being back in her own bed. The sunlight is filtering through the curtains, and Kate judges by the light it must be close to eight hundred hours. A sleep in, she muses happily. A moment later, her contentedness turns to fear as she's charged by something dark and furry.
"Malin!" She cries, heart still pounding as she sits up, fumbling for the cat. "Get off my bed! You're not supposed to be in here! Come on!" Padding out in her pyjamas and cursing the black cat, Kate heads down to the kitchen.
"Morning." Mackenzie murmurs, perched cross-legged in an armchair, a piece of toast in one hand and a book in the other. Malin mewls happily at sight of his mistress and leaps happily into her lap. "What was the screaming?"
"Your cat." Kate groans, flashing the cat a glare before heading to the kitchen for coffee. "If he destroys my furniture, he's an outside cat." She warns.
"Oh, come on, Kate, he's only a baby!" Mackenzie follows Kate into the kitchen, cradling Malin as though he's a child. "And he's been stuck in a travel cage for most of the last few days."
Kate holds up her empty coffee mug and points to the feline. "Cat does not come before coffee. Okay?" Malin offers only a soft mewl in return. "So today I thought we could try and get you settled. Unpack your stuff... figure out what you've got and if we need anything we can stop by the shops." Although Kate has no real inclination to leave the house any time soon, she wants Mackenzie to feel at home. "Unless you wanted to go somewhere else? We can do some touristy stuff before I go back to work next week too. There's Kuranda and the Daintree..."
"It's okay." Mackenzie murmurs, her smile not as present as it had been a moment ago, and Kate wonders whether Zee had taken her comments towards Malin seriously.
"It's really no trouble. I... I've probably got some empty frames around if you wanted to put some pictures up or-"
"It's fine, Kate." Zee repeats, her voice a little harder. "I... I might just go get dressed."
Kate gives her half an hour, in which Kate tries unsuccessfully to distract herself with coffee, the news, checking emails, reading a book and putting a load of washing on. When she can stand it no longer, she moves quickly upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. She hovers for a moment outside the closed door, once more feeling that overwhelming sense of being a stranger in her own home.
"Zee, can... can I come in?"
"Sure." Mackenzie murmurs, and Kate pushes open the door to see Mackenzie cross-legged on her bed, boxes and bags untouched in the corner. Strange how a life can fit into boxes.
"It must be hard..." Kate observes, perching on the end of the bed. "...starting over." When she gains nothing but a shrug, she presses on. "Look, I know you said you don't want me to buy you anything, and that you don't want help but... I want you to feel comfortable here. I know... you've dealt a crap hand. And you've dealt with so much. I just... I want you to be happy. Or as happy as you can be." Mackenzie says nothing, and Kate knows she's failed. The first morning, and already Mackenzie is freezing her out. "You want me to stay or go?" It's hardly the most dignified of sentences, but Kate finds she is so utterly clueless about how to help, that any guidance she can get will aid her.
Mackenzie is silent for so long that Kate finds herself sure the girl is never going to speak again. Then, her gaze still in her lap, Mackenzie says in little more than a whisper. "Sometimes I forget."
Kate looks up, too puzzled by the comment to feel relieved that conversation had been restored. "Forget what?"
Zee looks up, and her eyes are misted with unshed tears. "I forget that she's dead." A bird twitters happily on the branch just outside the window, disturbingly whimsical.
"Oh." She has no idea what else to say.
"Being here... the first time, it was all so exciting and new and I was going home and it was almost a holiday. And now... this is it. It's my life! My mother is dead, and I'm living in this... this beautiful house with beautiful things that aren't mine and I'm a stranger. I don't know how to be me without mum."
Still struck dumb for words, Kate moves to Mackenzie and hugs her instead. "I've been without Deb- Mum for so long, I... I don't know what to say. But I know something about losing people and... and it gets easier. The pain never really goes away but... but every day you remember their life instead of their death, it gets a little easier to breathe. At least, for me it did."
"You... you lost someone?"
"My... I don't know what he was. My boyfriend? My fiancee? I mean, I never said yes but... I would have. He was... he was a good guy. But then I remember how he loved chocolate mousse and barbecues, and how happy we were, and... and it's easier. Somehow. I don't understand it. But... it works. For me at least." Kate stands up, peering around the room before settling on an art print hanging on the wall behind the bed, of a magpie with a beady stare. "I always hated that picture. I got it a few years back in a Secret Santa but it's always kind of weirded me out so I hid it in here." She murmurs.
"It's creepy." Mackenzie agrees. "It's eye sort of... follows you."
Kate hums in affirmation for a moment, before pulling the frame from the wall and resting it against the dresser. "Now. I know you like orange, but is that too dark a colour to paint the walls? Or... like a feature wall?"
"Kate, it's your house."
"No." Kate shakes her head. "It's ours. And this is your room. So let's make it yours."
"I can't believe there is legitimately so much uproar about onions." Mackenzie muses, taking a bite of her sausage sandwich. "I mean, it makes no taste difference whether the onion is on top of the sausage or underneath, does it. And are people really slipping on onions. Is that a thing?"
"You've... thought about this a lot?" Kate frowns, lazily nudging the trolley forwards with one hand, a sausage sandwich clutched in her other.
"Well, it's a fascinating representation of society today. Australia is 'outraged'. Australia is 'disgusted'." Mackenzie drags her hand through the air as though unveiling a banner.
"Are you done?" Kate smirks.
Zee hesitates. "Yeah, I think I am."
"Good, 'cause you're a real chatterbox."
"Hey, I'm just pointing out the truth. Mackenzie Katie McGregor, speaker of truths." Kate stops so suddenly that Zee walks into her. "Oof. What's up? You slip on an onion?" She quips.
Kate frowns and starts walking once more. It takes a moment, and then she murmurs, "I just... I didn't know your middle name was Katie."
"Oh." Mackenzie shrugs. "Yeah. Well, she must have... she must have been thinking of you." Zee scuffs her sneakers against the concrete as the two of them keep walking. "It seems like the sort of thing we should know about each other, right? I mean, what's your middle name?"
"Violet." Kate answers simply, because it's easier than dwelling on the what ifs. In another life, they could have lived together, could have grown up knowing each other and their hopes and desires. "Violet was Deb's mum. My... our grandmother."
"What was she like?"
Kate bites her lip, and the scent of jasmine seems to float in the air for a moment. "Strict." Kate answers finally. "I mean, she was lovely. But she was tough. I remember she always used to have wipes in her bag to clean my hands and face. But she was... she was funny. Sarcastic. She taught me how to play piano. Granddad was... softer. He used to sneak me sweets and read me stories. He died when I was six. And Violet only lasted a few years without him. I was eight when she died." Kate sucks in a breath. "What about you? Favourite song?"
"It's always music with you. But... um... I love Marina and the Diamonds. In here?" Mackenzie leads the way down the aisle, stopping in front of the canvases. "Is that too much?" She adds, fingering the price tag.
"I can spring $30 on canvases. What paint do you use on them? House paint or acrylic or..."
"I've got my paints in my bag." Mackenzie murmurs, picking up three twelve-by-twelve canvases.
"I didn't know you painted." Kate shifts the trolley closer so that Mackenzie can deposit her items. "What do you paint?"
Zee tips her head. "Portraits, mostly. But... I think this one is going to be abstract. I have an idea. I just... need to see if it will work."
"Cryptic." Kate smiles. "But I can't wait to see it."
The afternoon is torn apart by thunderstorms, rain lashing the windows and darkening the sky. Kate spends most of the afternoon with a kitten wrapped around her ankles, the feline evidently spooked by the noise. By the next morning the storm has blown out to sea, and Kate takes the time to retrieve all the tree branches that have blown into her backyard.
"Cairns storms are pretty intense, huh?" Zee muses, her shoes sinking in the soggy ground as she peers around at the damage.
"You ain't seen nothing yet." Kate grins. "Wait 'til cyclone season hits."
Her phone rings, and Kate digs it from her pocket, groaning inwardly when she sees the caller ID. "Ma'am?" She greets.
The moment she hears Maxine's tone, Kate knows she's about to be very unhappy. "I need you to CO one more time." Maxine says without preamble. "I'm really sorry to do this to you. I'm out the front of your house."
Kate swipes her hand on her jeans, moving towards the side gate. "Be out front in a sec." She agrees, hanging up the phone. Two minutes later she's standing in front of a very anxious looking Maxine, her hat clasped tight in her hands.
"The CO I had lined up to take your place has fallen ill, and we've got a disaster zone declared for a hundred clicks around. There's a coastal town that's copped it particularly bad, and they're completely cut off and darn-near flattened. I need all hands on deck and I need you today."
Kate throws a glance behind her, in the direction of the gate where Mackenzie is no doubt still standing. "Ma'am, I have no one to keep an eye on Mackenzie. And I know that's not your problem. I'm just..." Kate drags a hand through her hair. "I had hoped I'd get a bit more time to settle her in before working at NAVCOM and... going out on patrol?"
Maxine tosses her head irritably as though trying to shake off a fly. "Tell me about it. I'd really hoped I could keep you out of it, but I need someone to take medical supplies and several doctors, plus help coordinate search and rescue and help rebuild damn near half the town..." She shakes her head, gesturing towards the gate. "Would she stay at NAVCOM? You know... read a book or..."
"Indefinitely?" Kate presses. "Look, I don't know."
"Well, I'm sorry, Kate. But I need you there, and the crew has already been crash sailed. You all leave in an hour so we need to find a solution."
"Don't touch anything." Kate murmurs, quickening her pace along the dock. "Don't wander. Don't... basically, this is sort of illegal but Commander White and I couldn't think of anything else and..." Kate slows at the downcast look on Mackenzie's face and stops. "I'm sorry. I'm stressing. I'm just... worried about everyone else and..."
"It's okay." Mackenzie interrupts, shaking off Kate's apology. "I get it. And before you start stressing, I won't say anything about Dutchy."
"Thanks." Kate exhales, then begins to lead the way once more. "Okay, general advice... don't ask the XO Jacobi how he's doing, or feeling, or anything, unless you want to stay there for half the day. Don't annoy the RO. Try not to start a prank war with 2Dads..."
"I... sure, but-" Mackenzie murmurs, following Kate up on board towards the bridge.
"Boss!" Charge greets. "All ships company present and accounted for. Medical supplies have been loaded onboard and we're housing three doctors in Austere."
"Very good." Kate nods. "Make ready for sail." She catches the questioning glance thrown at her and rolls her eyes. "Mackenzie, Charge. Charge, Mackenzie." Kate drags a hand through her hair. "Mackenzie's... she's tagging along on the trip. Can you... spread the word so I don't have to tell every single person, but not spread it so much that the Chief of Navy finds out and Knocker and my heads end up on the chopping block?"
"Medium spreading. Got it." He pats Kate on the back. "Hope she's got a strong stomach. We're riding the storm's tail after all."
"Crap." Mackenzie murmurs under her breath.