Second Chance To Be A Family
Chapter 20
Hannah was extremely restless through the night and often cried in pain. All Mike could really do to comfort her was to hold her. About seven, she did voice being hungry but was going to be on a very bland diet. That in itself was enough to make her cry again because she had wanted Mike's pancakes.
Dr. Smith came in and Mike got the first glimpse of Hannah's incision, which was enough to turn his own stomach. They had a drain line in next to the incision and the incision was ugly looking but the doctor was pleased with it. It was showing no signs of infection and it sounded like she would be released the next day if they could get her pain level under control. The doctor and nurse both believed that her unusual emotional state was due to it.
She did brighten up when Leann came in with Katie and the boys. Leann had let Josh pick out a stuffed animal and flower arrangement out for her. The teddy bear was almost bigger than Josh and despite still being fussy from his teething, Benji gave Hannah a bright and happy smile. She even held him for a couple minutes.
After they left, she was still feeling good and was looking at a workbook that Leann had brought her. Mike had taken a shower with the supplies Leann had brought and decided to have the conversation with her about what she had said before she coded. He sat down next to her and looked at the workbook.
"This stuff is hard." Hannah said as she looked at the math problems.
"Leann just brought it to get an idea where you were at. She'll get you there." Mike explained.
"It doesn't seem like I will." Hannah said. Mike reached over and shut the book so Hannah didn't get discouraged.
"Enough of that. Hannah, I need to ask you; before you coded, you made kind of an odd statement about your mom…" Mike started.
"Yeah, I had…was it a dream? I seen her. Not Lucas though. She said that if I seen Lucas, I would want to stay with her. I wanted to anyway. She said you would be okay but I really needed to go back to you. She said you and Leann were going to have a baby. You hadn't said anything?" Hannah asked with a bright smile, clearly excited by the prospect.
"We…if we are having a baby, we don't even know it yet. We are trying." Mike told her.
"Trying?" Hannah asked, unsure of what he meant. His daughters were all too clear on what sex was all about but they had some very odd ideas about it, thanks to Tucker Sims. Another thing Mike had to clarify or fix.
"Uh…Hannah, when a couple wants to have a baby, sometimes they have to try to have it. Meaning, we have to take into consideration Leann's menstrual cycles and such. Its…not just about having sex and having a baby. And I'm older so it might be a little more difficult for Leann to get pregnant." Mike tried explaining.
"Oh. Katie didn't try for Benji, he just happened." Hannah said. Mike desperately wanted to correct her but choose to ignore it.
"Circumstances are different. We all love Benji but he wasn't really planned on. This baby is planned for." Mike said, completely butchering everything.
"Was me, Katie and Lucas planned for?" Hannah asked.
"Oh, jeez. Uh, your mom and I knew we wanted kids but we didn't plan on having Katie when we did. We did kind of plan on you a bit. Was just a little harder but we just had to relax. Lucas wasn't planned on at all but he was the perfect addition to our family." Mike tried explaining.
"So, you and Leann just need to relax? You guys seem pretty relaxed and you kiss all the time, way more then Tucker ever kissed Katie." Hannah said with a look of disgust.
"That was not a normal relationship, and I don't want you to ever think it was. My hope for your sister is that one day she can have a normal, happy, healthy relationship. I've been very lucky to have two of those sorts of relationships. Your mom and Leann." Mike told her.
"Did you…after you found out about Mom…did you date anyone? How long until you and Leann started dating?" Hannah asked.
"I found out about your mom dying about…two years after the Red Flu. I did date, very casually after that. Maybe a year later after I found out. I felt I needed to properly grieve for your mom and in my head, that meant for a year. The thing about grief though is you can't put a time frame on it. I know now, I will always grieve for your mom and Lucas. I only dated Andrea, remember her? It never got serious and she was killed. I met Leann a short time before I retired and I bought the beach house. Probably relocated here because of her and Josh. Honey, I promise; I still love your mom even though I'm moving on with Leann. My question is, are you okay with all this? Me and Leann? A baby?" Mike asked.
"I…was afraid that you would forget about Mom and that me and Katie would just be a reminder of her. Because you had Leann, you would hate Mom and in turn you would…still hate me and hate Katie." Hannah said.
"I never hated you. I should have never said those words and I hope someday you can forget them. What changed your mind?" Mike asked.
"When I had my dream about Mom, she told me that you needed Leann and while it was true that every time you looked at me and Katie, you'd be reminded of her, it wouldn't be a bad thing. I don't remember her too well from before, but she looked so pretty in my dream. She had this pretty white dress on and everything. She kind of looked like your wedding pictures with her." Hannah said with a smile. As weird as the conversation was, Mike was glad that Hannah had the memory of her mother, especially since her actual memories were vague at best.
"She sounds angelic. Did she say anything else?" Mike asked.
"She said that you never hated me and that I needed to forget it. Its just really hard. She also said Lucas is happy and misses you. She also said she misses you too and she really loves you, but she wants you to move on with Leann, to adopt Josh and to have more kids. Said you were always meant to have a big family. And she is really proud of you. Said you are doing a really good job with Katie and Benji, and me too." Hannah said as she cuddled close. Mike had been watching the morphine drip and knew she had gotten another dose. She'd be wanting to go to sleep soon.
"I love you, Sweetie. Just relax. I know you're hurting and getting sleepy." Mike said as he wrapped his arms around her and started rocking her gently.
"I love you too. I really hope I can go home tomorrow. I miss the boys." Hannah remarked.
"I hope so too." Mike told her as he kissed on top of the head.
She fell asleep quickly and while Mike knew he could lay her down and lay down on the cot the nurse had brought him, he held her for a while longer. He was really glad she had her dream with Christine in it. It seemed to have given her some sort of peace.
Hannah slept through the night and by the next morning, was in much better shape. She was able to walk herself; they had taken the drain out and removed her IV. She would have a prescription for pain pills. Once it become obvious that she would be released, Mike called Leann.
"Hey, we're being released. Can you come get us?" Mike asked.
"Absolutely. I packed her an outfit. Its in your bag." Leann said.
"Yeah, I found it. The nurse is helping her now." Mike explained.
"Okay, I'll be there shortly. Mrs. Lee brought over her tortellini soup for Hannah, along with a basket of goodies. She is such a doll." Leann said.
"Yeah, she is. We need to make sure we invite her for the wedding." Mike said.
"I have an invitation with her name on it. Alright, grabbing my purse. I will make sure Katie will be okay with Josh and Benji and will be there." Leann said.
"Alright, I love you." Mike said.
"Love you too." Leann answered and then disconnected the call.
Mike had to smile at the exchange. Two months before, he had never said 'I love you' to Leann, hadn't considered adopting Josh, had given up on his daughters being alive and didn't figure he'd ever be able to hold a grandson. Now, he would be getting married in a few-weeks-time, would be adopting Josh, he had his girls back and Benji was going to be his little buddy. Not to mention, the possibility of having a new baby. He walked back into Hannah's room with a smile on his face. Hannah was sitting in the wheelchair, ready to go.
"Am I going home?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Leann is coming to get us." Mike told her as he signed the discharge papers. The nurse handed him a bag of bandages and Hannah's prescriptions. She would be on a very bland diet for awhile but they were confident she'd be alright.
"If you want, you and she can go down to the lobby and wait. Nothing keeping you here." The nurse said. Mike grabbed their duffel bag and Hannah's flower arrangement from Josh. She had the teddy bear in her lap and a 'transporter' was pushing her chair. Mike's hands were full and the wait down in the lobby seemed to take forever, but finally Leann came in. She grabbed the flower arrangement and duffel bag and they headed out to the SUV.
It took some doing, but finally Mike had Hannah lifted in and comfortable. He threw the bag in the back and gave Leann a kiss. He climbed in the driver's side and Leann got in next to Hannah to keep her comfortable. She had gotten Hannah a bottle of water for the ride of home and about halfway home, Mike looked back in the rearview mirror. Hannah had her head leaned on Leann's shoulder and was sound asleep. It was sweet and simple.
Believe it or not, not the last chapter. Just 2-3 more though. I wanted to give Hannah some closure concerning her mother. Thanks for the reviews!