The Captain's Wife
Chapter 21
One Year Later
The seeds not only grew but flourished, along with vegetables that they grew with. They came out tasting like a cucumber and were absolutely delicious. Christine worked with the top botanists and the food shortage was becoming a distant memory. She didn't care about the attention, actually preferring to stay anonymous, but the President insisted. The media had gone wild especially when they found out the backstory. That Christine was the wife of the Captain of the Nathan James, and he had been second in command when the cure was being made. That the family had been reunited and had survived so much. People loved feel good stories and the "Slattery Story" gave them that.
Mike kept his promise, as soon as they knew the seeds were becoming an edible vegetable, he resigned his commission. He had gotten his peacekeeper license back and worked part time at the local sheriff's department. He was home in bed with his wife and under the same roof with the kids every night. He didn't regret the choice at all.
Brooke and Mike had worked on her issues and she was once again back to her normal self. She was a typical teenager and while it frustrated Mike and Christine, they were just thrilled to have her back to normal. Mike had talked at length with a therapist on how best to help his daughter. He had made the suggestion that Mike find something to do with Brooke, something that was completely their own. Woodworking was the common interest. She loved making things out of wood, and Mike remodeled the kitchen to Hannah's specifications but with Brooke's help. The cabinets were heavy and sturdy and would last longer than any of them. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was knocked out because Hannah still rarely ate meals with her family.
Hannah had recovered extremely well. Mike and Christine had taken her to a neurologist to make sure that there would be no long-lasting effects, and aside from the scars, he couldn't tell anything had happened to her. She was truly a miracle. The President arranged for her to go to a weeklong training session with a Michelin star chef in St. Louis. It was an amazing experience for her. Both her parents were nervous about her being three hours away but couldn't hold her back. The chef had sent Mike and Christine a note talking about how amazing Hannah was and she needed to go to culinary school so she could teach the instructors how to cook. Mike had been more anxious about her being away from them but the look on her face when she got home and started telling about what all she had done and tasted made it worth it. She was completely safe the entire time, staying with Tom and Sasha during the night and at the restaurant the chef owned in the daytime. Mike had a phone installed on the farm and had gotten Hannah a cellphone to carry with her when she was in St. Louis. She called every night talking a mile a minute about everything she was doing.
Adam had turned three and was as rambunctious and high energy as any three year old. Mike and Christine still home schooled their kids but made a point of socializing them at church and community events. He and Mike had developed a very loving, close relationship which Mike was thrilled with.
Mike and Christine's marriage had never been stronger. They communicated, shared responsibilities and parenting duties. The night at the cabin had lasting effects. Christine was almost forty one but apparently the doctors had been really wrong when she had Lucas because she ended up pregnant again, this time with twins. She choose to give birth at home again, this time with a midwife's and Mike's assistance. After a lengthy labor, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and baby boy. While the twins were definitely unplanned, Mike and Christine were thrilled. The little girl was named Faith Rosemary and the little boy was named Eric Thomas. They were completely healthy despite Christine's age. Faith and Eric were doted on, not only by their mom and dad but also their brother and sisters and the entire crew who still visited frequently.
Mike had been awarded with the Congressional Medal of Honor just before his retirement, and had also been promoted to Admiral. Despite the promotion, the President slipped up at a dinner and introduced Christine as "the captain's wife, the woman who saved the word's food supply." It stuck, despite Christine having an identity of her own and Mike having been made an Admiral. But it didn't bother her.
They were extremely busy, with the farm and the kids. In a year, Brooke would be out of the house and they were both antsy about that. During the remodel of the farmhouse, she had developed a fascination with architecture and construction, and was already looking at architecture schools. She had a special bond with the twins, specifically Faith and had already said she didn't want to leave them, but Mike and Christine also wouldn't let the babies hold her back. She had a passion for architecture and wood working, and it was a way for her and Mike to connect. They had some very insightful conversations while building random pieces of furniture and their bond was just as strong as ever. Brooke still felt badly about some of the things that she had said to and about her father, but he was past it; making a point to tell her at least once a day that he really, really, really loved her.
Hannah still cooked massive meals for her family and had already planned on making all of the twin's baby food herself. Despite all of Mike's trying, she refused to just be a kid. He and Christine both made a point to help when she would accept it, and took over the cleaning and childcare. Hannah was happiest when she was in the kitchen, cooking for people that she loved. They still didn't like that she rarely ate with them, but with the open concept kitchen/dining room; she at least interacted with them during meal times and there were times that Mike or Christine would force her to sit with them. They didn't like it because they felt like it made Hannah feel like she was not a member of their family, but in many ways, Hannah was the heart and soul. They had come entirely too close to losing her, and even though they shouldn't, both her parents imagined their life and family without her; and it still brought tears. Mike especially had a rough time with it, but Hannah; despite her quirks regarding eating with the family and not being just a kid, seemed to understand. She and Christine did a lot of the cooking together, but Mike did struggle to find things to do with her. She refused his help in the kitchen so he made a point to be the one to help her with her schoolwork and was always the first to sample her cooking. When Mike would say something about not spending enough time with her, she would just hug him and tell him that she loved him.
Miller had been thrilled when Mike and Christine named Eric after him. It was an unexpected honor. The Naval Academy had opened back up and had relaxed some of the standards concerning a college degree being a requirement. With a glowing recommendation from Mike; Miller got to attend Academy and graduated with honors, and Mike was in attendance. He was on his first deployment as an officer. His future in the Navy was bright.
Between being home every night, getting to play an active role in his children's lives, his amazing marriage with Christine, and the feeling of fulfillment that working as a deputy gave him, Mike had never been happier. He helped on the very busy farm, built furniture with Brooke, spent time with Hannah and cared for Adam, Eric and Faith while Christine was working on the farm. He didn't allow her to chop the wood anymore, or do any of the heavier work. The only thing that was missing was Lucas. But even that, Mike had found a way to work through. Part of his job at the Sheriff's Department was to work as a victim's advocate and he did particularly well with grieving parents. It gave him a way to channel his grief for Lucas and memories of what had happened to Hannah into something positive and it made him feel good to help someone else. Christine supported it wholeheartedly. She had found a way to channel her grief with her gardening, and knew Mike needed to help people.
The banks had come back online and were redistributing the money that had been lost during the virus. What no one had realized was that Christine's uncle was extremely wealthy. He had oil wells in several states out west, not to mention other assets and stocks. Christine was his sole beneficiary with the exception of the accounts that had been set up for Brooke, Hannah and Lucas' college educations. Mike and Christine opened up accounts for Adam, Eric and Faith using Lucas' money. They didn't need to set money back for Hannah's culinary school or Brooke's architecture school. It was there already. Despite being unbelievably wealthy, Mike and Christine still lived very frugally and very few people were aware of their windfall. They did donate quite a bit to different charities, specifically concerning children. In addition to the kitchen remodel, they also knocked the wall out between the dining room and living room and built on two more bedrooms and a bathroom before the twins were born. Tom and Sasha visited frequently and he made a lot of jokes that at the rate that Mike and Christine went; they would need more bedrooms for more babies but both of them were adamant that there would be no more little ones.
The one issue they had was Christine's parents showing up. She hadn't heard from them for years, even before the Red Flu. She had honestly figured that they had died, and refused to have Mike try and find them. When the windfall from her uncle showed up, her parents followed within a month or so. Legally speaking, her uncle had tied things up so tightly that they couldn't lay any claim to any of the stocks, assets or oil dividends. They had lost their fortune in the pandemic and essentially showed up to leach.
Her mom and dad were just as insulting to Mike and were downright cruel to the kids, specifically Hannah. Mike had told Christine he would support whatever decision she made. He was in for the long haul, while her parents were not. Things finally exploded after a week of them being there. It was harvest and both Mike and Christine had been outside all day; Brooke and Hannah were looking after the three younger kids and Hannah had cooked a massive meal. She had wanted to impress her grandparents and wanted Mike and Christine to have a good meal since they were working so hard.
Christine's dad had for some reason singled out Hannah. Maybe because her personality was pretty similar to Mike's but he considered her "weak," and was demeaning and cruel to her. He would never say anything to her while Mike or Christine was around and also was careful around Brooke. Hannah had been setting up the table with serving dishes and plates while Brooke was looking after the kids and Peter, Christine's dad had grabbed Hannah by the arm and pulled her to the kitchen, because he thought supper looked horrible and he wanted something else cooked. He slammed her into a cabinet and a pitcher broke cutting her on the leg. Brooke hadn't realized anything had happened because she had been upstairs changing the twin's diapers. Hannah being the type of person she was, cooked another dish, bandaged the cut which really needed stitches, and never said a word to her parents. It wasn't until a day or so later, when Mike came home late from work and found Hannah asleep on the couch. When he kissed her on the forehead to wake her up, he immediately noted that she had a high fever. He woke Christine and Brooke up, and he and Christine headed Hannah for the hospital, fearing the fever had something to do with her head injury.
When they got her to the hospital, they found that she had a raging infection from the cut on her leg. Neither Mike nor Christine had realized she had such a severe cut and felt horribly. After a long line of questioning from her dad, Hannah finally told them what had happened. She blamed herself because maybe her cooking wasn't that good. After a round of IV antibiotics, Mike and Christine took her home. Mike had called ahead to the sheriff and Peter had been arrested for felony child abuse. Christine wrote her mom a check for a million dollars and told them she never wanted to see them again and the sheriff escorted her off the property. Mike had been terrified of losing Hannah again and Christine was livid with her parents.
It put a dent in Hannah's self-confidence that was only bolstered when the chef she had trained with started using some of her recipes at the restaurant. Mike and Christine took her to St. Louis for a night out just so she could see the dishes being served and raved about. It helped her considerably and Mike and Christine both enjoyed the one on one time with her. They had both talked to her extensively about coming to them when she had an issue or problem and aside from that just heaped the love, attention and compliments on her.
Peter and Christine's mom took the million dollars and ran. There was a warrant out for his arrest for jumping bail but Christine didn't particularly care if he was ever arrested. She wanted him nowhere around her or her family. They had told the sheriff that Mike treated Christine horribly, nothing more than a baby factory and farm hand. Of course, the sheriff knew better and told them as much.
Once Hannah had recovered and started feeling better about herself after the visit from Christine's parents, things returned to normal and the family was happy. They had a routine that worked for them and anyone that visited the farm, felt the love the family had for one another and any guests. A dinner invitation was always sought after but the family was fairly reclusive, Mike being the only one that was out regularly. It was a happy, loving home full of laughter. The farm and the family were both thriving and Mike and Christine couldn't be happier.