A/N: I apologise for my long absence. I was in a car accident. No one died except the car and it was all unpleasant especially the broken bones and lack of internet. But I'm back up and writing again so yay! Please forgive my absence enjoy and remember I know nothing of medicine or Military practices. Promise to do my best from here on out! and once again thank you for the reviews and patience!
Chapter 28
"Where's Kate?" Tom said as he had suffered through the worst cup of coffee known to man but then when he was informed it was chickory; Tom gave Mike a dirty look. His friend was had given him the faux coffee on purpose for amusement sake but then it wasn't the first time Mike had tricked him.
Though it probably helped that Mike's mother was big on replacing what was amazing food with 'healthier' substitutes. Something Tom should of remember before accepting the drink given he was still haunted by the tofu curry event. He could have sworn it was chicken, it looked like chicken but when he had his first bite he knew it was definitely not chicken. It had been horrifying for the confusion between his brain and taste buds.
"Here, mm what's for lunch?" Kate asked Lena as she came into the kitchen. She was looking rather bedraggled and barefooted in a wrinkled long sleeve navy v-neck top thrown on with a pair of flannelette pyjama pants. Her movements were slow and shaky, her hair was a ruffled damp mess which she had a hand in; scratching her head as she poured herself a cup of tea.
"Leftover vegetable stew with rice and bread to fill in the gaps" Lena told Kate.
"Smells good" Kate told her as she looked over the pots that were bubbling away on the stove.
"Well I heard what a rough night you had last night and figured a hearty meal would help" Lena said in a mockingly innocent manner.
"I-" Kate started but she wasn't sure how to respond as she was pretty sure she misinterpreted what Lena had said. She was sure that Mike's mum had not just openly said she heard Kate having sex with her son. But then she and Mike had been quiet and the walls were thick. She mentally shook herself as it was probably Lena's way of fishing for information and decided to let it go. So she focussed Tom at the table "Captain, what are you doing in our neck of the woods?" she asked him, he was looking sharp as ever in his BDU's freshly shaven face.
She wondered if he was having any R&R and felt sorry for his kids as they were the ones suffering from his absence. It was one thing for a military spouse to be deployed it was another when they actively put on their uniform and made work for themselves instead of staying at home.
"Tom, we're off the ship" Tom said to her, he watched her slowly moved to the table. He hadn't missed how shaky her hands were as she placed her tea on the table like it weighed a tonne. All the while he did notice she had some colour to her face even if the dark circles were still prevalent on her face.
"Tom wants to talk to you about a personal matter" Mike said to Kate, she looked to Mike with a look that said 'What have I done now?' before she turned her attention back to Tom.
"You do?" Kate asked Tom but before he could respond her eyes lit up as if she knew what he wanted. "Oh right!" she said, she slowly rose from her chair and half hobbled over to the living room area and picked up a piece of blank butcher's paper and tore it in half and then picked up the nearest writing instrument which happened to be a crayon.
Tom frowned as she scribbled on the paper and after a couple of minutes handed the piece of paper to him. In sparkly pink crayon were the passwords for Lassiter Industries given the heading she had written at the top.
"This isn't what I wanted" Tom told her not amused at her presumption as he was here to discuss Rachel and here she was handing him passwords to Lassiter Industries. It never ceased to amaze him at how readily she just handed over such information. If he were in her shoes he'd want to keep it to himself and learn everything he could about the research and military aspects of the company so he could use it to his advantage.
But she didn't care at all, she wanted to drop it like it were a burden but then she had been through hell and back because of her husband. Milowsky's words played in his head about Kate fitting a criteria, that her marriage wasn't entirely the love match Kate believed it to be. It was horrible to know but then he knew with Mike it was very different and she was lucky to have him.
"It's what you need" Kate informed him as she sat down next to Mike. She propped her head up on an elbow and looked at him with an exhausted expression.
"Sparkly pink crayon, very professional" Tom drawled as he mockingly admired the artwork. It would make him the laughing stock of CIC if he walked in with piece of paper. Not that they would ever see it.
"Thank you, it was that or the grape scented texta" Kate deadpanned.
"Well, I'd like a word outside" Tom said to her as he folded up the piece of paper and put it into the chest pocket of his BDU jacket.
"Can it wait until after lunch?" Kate asked.
"It'll only take a couple of minutes. Please" Tom said, Kate's eyebrows rose at him using the word 'Please' and it seemed to work on her as she gave a nod acquiescing to his request.
"Fine, I'll toss on my boots and jacket." Kate told him as she reluctantly rose from her chair.
"Doc" Tex said, his voice pulled Rachel back to the real world as she had been completely absorbed in her reading.
"Tex, what a surprise; I didn't even hear you come in" Rachel said as she closed the book she had been reading and smiled at him. She hadn't expected to see him after how badly their first meeting since Baltimore went but here he was standing over her desk in the Helo bay. He was dressed in military BDU's and a black jumper, it still looked so strange for her to see him in military dress.
"Must be a good book" he said with a warm smile. That one smile wiped out the coldness from before was gone and here before her was the man who had been her devout supporter for so many months.
"It's very dry but informative" Rachel said as she watch him pull up a chair and sit down. "How are you?" she asked him.
"I'm alright, how the work going?" He asked.
"Slowly, the labs here in Norlfolk have been able to produce a small quantity of the cure which is good but what we really need are Bio level 4 laboratories as they have the all the necessary equipment and materials to mass produce the current cure" Rachel said feeling exhausted and at the end of her string when it came to the cure and it's progress. It was now just down to limited resources which was frustrating and she had yet to come up with a way of improve on her current model.
"So you're working on what exactly?" Tex asked her.
"A more efficient delivery method, I haven't been inspired yet but-"
"Then you've come off a rough couple months. You should give yourself some time to recover and work through what happened back in Baltimore. It's probably what's got your noodle choked up" Tex offered, Rachel gave a wry smile as he truly had no idea what she was going through but she did enjoy his idioms.
"Maybe, but I've always pushed through the mental blocks" Rachel argued as she sat back in her chair. She felt the easy comradry between them and wondered if Anna was the true cause for their rift or maybe she had just misread him the last couple of times they had been together.
"Well, I have faith you'll work it out" he told her.
"So what are you doing here?" Rachel asked him.
"I just wanted to catch up and see how you were doing with everything that is happening" Tex told her.
"I'm ok" Rachel assured him and she was, she was firm in her decisions and she had plans in place. She was scared but her fears were in check as she she knew she was safe.
"You're on a wanted ad" Tex told her with a chuckle. She didn't see the humour but she knew he like Tom didn't really understand that being on a wanted person was just one of many problems and it ranked a little lower on her scale of problems.
"I know and it's not a very flattering photo but I'm under guard when I'm off the ship and the ship is secure. So I'm as safe as I'm going to get. Tell me are you going to see Kate?" she asked him.
"She's next on my list. I just wanted to see you first. I felt bad for how I left things between us and wanted to clear the air" Tex said.
"You don't have to explain anything to me" Rachel assured him.
"I do, I was an asshole and I'm sorry that I took my frustration out on you. I'm not the kind of man to mince words or play games but in reflection I did that to you" Tex told her.
"If you're talking about what you said in the trials-"
"That and the kiss, followed by the cold shoulder everything is a jumbled mess of mixed messages. You're a special woman, Doc. You deserve a lot better than that from me and what you've gotten from the world in general since this whole mess started back in August." Tex said, Rachel's throat burned as she tried to keep her emotions in check as his words struck a sensitive cord within her. She didn't want to admit it but it had stung her ego for him to turn from affable and flirty to cold and withdrawn but it was more about her ego than his feelings.
"I like you a lot, I know we got the spark and I can honestly see us having a good time together. Maybe making a real go of it" he continued, "but we both know I'm not the one you're keen on" he said, Rachel opened her mouth to protest if anything to defend his character as she didn't like him thinking he was not good enough to be her partner. But Tex held up his hand to stop her and continued to talk. "which is ok because I'll be honest. I'm not interested in being the person you settle for and neither should you when you got a chance at someone you really want. So in saying that I'd like to stay friends" he told her.
"I'd like that too" Rachel said, she couldn't help but feel some relief wash through her that he extricated them out of what could of been an incredibly awkward situation with grace. She did like him but he was right, her heart was not in it when it came to the idea of being romantically involved with him.
"Good" Tex replied looking relieved as he leaned forward onto the desk and look at her.
"but I have to ask, what about Anna?" Rachel asked, she wasn't interested in creating rifts between Tex and Anna given the woman was a powerful ally for him. There was also a curiosity to know what Anna meant to Tex.
"What about her?" Tex asked being purposefully coy. Rachel smiled as she didn't miss the tell tale signs of his interest in the woman and it was fun to actually be able to tease him.
"Won't she dislike us being friends?" She asked, her tone playful as she tested out their friendship. Tex chuckled and shook his head.
"Nah, she'll warm up to you" Tex assured her.
"I doubt that" Rachel said as she still remembered the chilling manner which Anna treated her. It made Rachel wonder how Anna and Kate were even friends given how unfriendly Anna was.
"She's just a bit dark about what Jack did to Kate and frustrated like me, we keep trying to get down to Jackson and all these road blocks keep jumping up" Tex said with a frustrated sigh.
"Like rescuing Kate and I" Rachel said pointing out the obvious roadblock in Tex's plans. She wondered what was in Jackson but didn't ask as she remembered it wasn't a 'what' but a 'who' and the only person she could remember having importance in Tex's life was the girl in locket.
"One of many problems, but it's ok. We'll get there" Tex said with a certainty that made her have complete confidence in him. "So I hear Kate is shacked up with Slattery" Tex said changing the topic.
Kate stepped outside and quickly pulled the jacket she was wearing tighter around her as the air was too cold for her liking. She moved to one of the wicker chairs on the front porch and sat down. "So what do you want to talk about?" she asked as she drew her legs up to her chest and leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her body hummed in delight at the comfort of the chair as it gave her body a rest from holding her up.
"Could we stand in the yard away from the windows?" Tom asked as he could see Mike and his family taking interest in their conversation. They didn't even bother to pretend as Mike raised up his mug at him as if silently saying 'yeah, I'm watching'. Lena kept her eye on the stove while looking their way. Tom was amazed that they didn't have their faces plastered to the windows.
Kate gave an aggravated sigh and rose from the chair and followed him down the front path where midway they stopped. Kate stuffed her hands into the pocket of her snow jacket and looked at him with a less than stellar expression of compliance.
"What is going on? Am I going to have to yell at you or are you going to yell at me?" Kate asked him. Tom wore a wry smile and shook his head.
"No and no. Are you ok? You look completely exhausted" Tom told her deciding not to ask her the question burning in his mind. He was having second thoughts as he realised he couldn't just come out and ask Kate the question burning in his mind. He couldn't because he wasn't sure if she would be completely honest or lie to him and right now he was finding her tired expression hard to read as she seemed too exhausted to fully display what she was thinking.
"I am but luckily, I'm on leave which means I'm allowed to be exhausted as much as I want" Kate told him, Tom frowned as he didn't quite understand. But he knew better than to ask as history told him Kate would say something incredibly unnerving or probably talk about her 'lady parts' something he didn't need to hear.
"Ok, I need you on the mission" Tom told her, bracing himself for the lecture. It was the only thing he could come up with to cover up his original plan about Rachel and asking if she was pregnant. He knew without a doubt Kate would lie for her friend and given how weird and tired Kate was he decided to antagonise her quickly and then make his exit so she didn't think too deeply on it later.
"You made me put on a jacket and boots for this?" Kate asked him incredulously.
"You would have been cold if you hadn't and I didn't need Mike and his family weighing in on the matter" Tom said, feeling comfortable that his plan would work. She had taken the bait and was running with it as he could see she was about 5 seconds from losing her calm. At least it perked her up.
"You're unbelievable" Kate muttered as she closed her eyes and rubbed her face. Her nerves were completely raw and here Tom was pouring hot salt water over them. It was just too damn exhausting and painful to be in presence.
"I just want this trip to be expedient with little to no hiccups like my lieutenant not being able to get all of the information or spending more time than necessary trying to access the servers-" Tom started but Kate cut him off as she had enough.
"Look at me" Kate said she gestured to herself "I'm running on 30% at the moment and that's being generous" she informed him.
"Then rest up" He said he couldn't help but feel like being an asshole to her was second nature. Something she brought out of him so easily it was like wearing a second skin.
"This is my R&R and medical leave rolled into one where I get to do what I want with whomever I want as I don't report for duty for until medical has cleared me" Kate told him, he didn't miss how she stressed the word 'do'.
"It will be just a couple of hours. I've seen what you can do drunk. You being tired isn't an excuse that will wash" Tom told her.
"Fuck off, Liver donors get 6 to 8 weeks and so far I've barely had a fortnight. So right now I'm all about eating, sleeping, getting to know Mike's family and reacquainting myself with Mike. I'm not wasting that time running around for a mission I'm not even needed for." Kate snapped at him.
"You two share quarters how more acquainted do you need to be?" Tom asked, as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth he regretted them because they were one; talking about Kate's sex life which was none of his business and two; he really didn't want to know or talk about it.
"A lot more" Kate assured him. "And I'm not mentally or physically ready to be or do anything for your mission or for the military or however you want to dress it up." she told him.
"You know as well as I-" Tom started but Kate cut him off.
"No, I refuse to emotionally manipulated by you" Kate told him. Tom reared his head back at her dark attitude. He deserved to be shut down but she was so chilling about it that it got his back up. "You want to come over and be friends with Mike; that's cool. We can do a family lunch thing with the kids and be normal people. That's it but if you're going to come over here and keep bringing up Lassiter Industries and all this bullshit then I'm going to make myself scarce. Because for however long we remain here; I'm all about recovering, being as close to a normal person I can be with Mike and his family" Kate told him. The front door opened and they both turned to see Mike leaning out of the doorway.
"Hey, you two done yet? Lunch is ready" Mike told them. Tom watched as Kate wore that smile, it was the same smile Darien had worn when she looked at him. He missed receiving that smile.
"Yeah, we're done" Kate told Mike.
"I'm going to head home" Tom told them, he figured it was the easiest escape option he had right now given that was what he had been aiming for from the beginning. Kate was relieved at Tom leaving as she wanted to throttle him for coming here and riling her up.
"Alright" Kate said not even arguing for him to stay. She gave a nod and headed up the path to the house. She made it a couple of steps before she turned back "Tom" she said, the man was halfway to his vehicle when he turned back to her.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Take off that uniform and be a father for a couple of days to those kids of yours." Kate said, he opened his mouth to tell her she was overstepping but she continued. "When I lost my family, all I wanted was someone who could help me move forward and keep my happier memories of them alive instead of remembering just those horrible last moments of their death. There have to be happier memories for you all to reminisce over and laugh about-" Kate stopped as she felt her emotions swell up inside of her. Old grief that felt fresh again, the deep ache within her as she felt her losses and what she was missing out on. She didn't want anyone to endure the pain she had been through if it could be avoided.
She looked to Tom who was stone faced, he looked equally upset and angry at her impertinence but she in that moment didn't care as long as he went home and took care of his family and himself instead of hiding in his mission and duty. She turned on her feet and continued up to the house. As she opened the door to the house she heard the hummer's engine rev and looked over her shoulder to see Tom do a U-turn before taking off down the street.
"You ok?" Mike asked Kate when she came back into the house. She gave a strained smile and nodded while she inwardly swallowed her emotions as they threatened to overspill and make her cry. She could hear the girls and Lena having a lively conversation over their lunch. All she wanted to do was go to bed and cry because she was body sore and emotional but she wouldn't as it would only upset everyone else.
"Yeah" she said thickly as Mike helped her remove her jacket and placed it on a hook on the wall.
"So what's up with Dr Scott?" Mike asked her.
"Huh?" Kate asked him confused as Rachel hadn't been mentioned at all in her conversation with Tom. She gripped Mike by the forearms in a monkey grip and held onto him for balance and attempted to kick off her boots. It sent up alarms in her head as to what Tom would want to talk in private to her about Rachel.
"Tom wanted to talk to you about Rachel" Mike said as he was curious as to what Tom could possibly want to ask Kate in regards to Rachel. He was also half tempted to just take off her boots for given how much she was struggling with the task but right now he just wanted to see how she'd manage.
"We didn't talk about Rachel. He wants me to sit in on the mission briefing for Washington" Kate told him as she leaned heavily on his arms and made a face as she managed to extract one foot from a boot.
"Really?" Mike asked, she could hear the judgement in his tone. He like her didn't like the idea of her returning to work.
"Yeah, I told him I wasn't interested given I'd be completely superfluous" Kate told him. She looked up at him and saw the concern in his features. "I'm not going anywhere without you" she assured him.
"I know, now do you want help with that other boot?" Mike asked her in a wry manner as she was definitely struggling with an easy concept.
"Nah, I got it" Kate assured it.
"I'm home" Tom called out when he closed the front door behind him. He tossed his car keys into the key bowl by the door on a side board dresser. Kate's words were playing through her head as he looked at the wedding photos on the walls. It wasn't like he hadn't had the same thoughts himself but to have someone say them to him made him even more aware of his behaviour and how it needed to change.
"Hey Son" his father said as he popped his head in from the kitchen. "How was work?" he asked.
"finished, did I miss lunch?" Tom asked as he moved down the hallway and walked into the kitchen to find Sam and Ashley seated at the breakfast bar that overlooked the kitchen area.
"Just in time, we're having cheese melts" his father said as he went back to the grill and pulled out the rack. Tom moved to his kids and looked over their shoulders to see they were already eating tomato on toast with cheese melted over the top with glass of milk. Sam looked up from his meal and gave him a small closed lip smile before returning to his grilled cheese meal.
"The milk and cheese taste weird" Ashley told Tom.
"It's made from goat's milk" Jed said in a tone that sounded like it wasn't the first time he told her that.
"You drop by the Slattery household?" Tom asked, he didn't remember Mike or his mother mentioning it. He placed his hands on the back of the kid's stools and stood there soaking up the normalcy of it.
"No, Lena dropped round this morning after you left" Jed told him. It took a moment for Tom to connect the dots that Lena was Mike's Mom. He always referred to her as 'Mrs Slattery' in his mind and when addressing her. "She dropped off cheese and fresh milk. I had a good sit down with her, she's not what I expected" Jed said with a smile.
"Should I worry about you turning my house into Mike's?" Tom asked.
"You don't have enough space in the backyard for goats, but a hen house would be good for fresh eggs and fertiliser" Jed said, Tom wondered if the man was joking or not. Having a hen house would definitely not go with landscaping Darien had designed and put in their backyard but even then all her hard work had become an overgrown mess. It was just another thing that needed to be repaired.
"As long we don't get a Rooster. I don't want to hear it crowing at dawn" Tom told him. Jed chuckled.
"They crow all the time" Jed corrected him which didn't comfort Tom at all but he did like the idea of anything that meant them moving forward. He just wasn't sure of how to proceed without completely messing it up which was the crux of the situation.
Hours later,
"You going to lay there and stare at me all afternoon" Mike asked as he reading an old Tom Clancy novel on the lounge with Kate's legs draped over his lap as she was resting. He loved the domesticity of them on the lounge just relaxing like it was a Sunday afternoon without having a care in the world. Though Kate's eyes on him was very distracting.
"I'm multitasking" Kate informed him.
"Really?" Mike said as far as he could tell she was laying there staring at him.
"Yep, I'm resting whilst admiring your profile" Kate told him.
"Right" Mike scoffed with a laugh. Zoe and his mother were in the garden while Maddy was in the study with a Ensign from the base practising her Mandarin. Mike was half tempted to ask why Kate wasn't helping Maddy given he knew she had a proficiency with languages Mandarin being one of them. But then he already knew the answer. They weren't staying for long and it was easier to maintain as little a impact on the girl's routines as possible.
"Would you prefer I stop?" Kate asked.
"It would be good given I'm enjoying my book and I know what you're thinking" Mike said, he was pretty sure he had read the page before him but now he was fully distracted as he was pretty sure she was thinking about sex. She gave him a cheeky smile which only confirm his suspicions.
"What am I thinking?" Kate asked him in an amused tone.
"A lot of things you don't have the energy for" he told her as he continued to read or at least he pretended to as he turned the page.
"So true" Kate told him with a chuckle. A knock sounded at the door and Kate lifted her legs from his legs. Mike placed his book on the coffee table and rose from the lounge and went to answer the door. When he opened it figuring it was someone looking for his mother but instead he found Tex.
"Tex" Mike said, the man gave him a friendly smile. Mike didn't have anything against the man but he really didn't like him just showing up and interrupting his time with Kate. He could only assume the man would upset Kate.
"Commander, may I come in?" Tex asked him. Mike was half tempted to tell him 'no' and shut the door in his face but instead he didn't.
"Yeah, come in" Mike said, he stepped out of the way allowing Tex entrance. He closed the door behind Tex and followed him into the living area.
"Tex" Kate said, she rose from lounge and moved to the man. Mike stood back and watched them embrace for a brief moment before they pulled apart. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"Just came to see how you were doing" Tex said to her.
"Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?" Kate asked him.
"Nah, I'm good" Tex said as he sat down on the lounge next to Kate who was sitting up.
"I'm getting something, you want anything Kate?" Mike asked, feeling a little like a third wheel in his home and there was the issue of the delicate balance of how Kate and he displayed their relationship.
They had been keeping their PDA it rather casual in front of his daughters as he wanted them to see her not as someone overtaking their place in his life but just as an extension of him. Someone they too could look to as a prospective parent, at least that was what he was aiming for. But there was the oddity of how they would act around their friends outside of work that they hadn't addressed.
Tex showing up unannounced made Mike think the man was scoping out the situation and seeing how Kate was being treated. He seemed to deem himself Kate's older brother figure given his friendship with Kate's late husband.
"A cup of tea would be lovely" Kate told him, before she turned her gaze onto Tex. "You look so weird in that get up" Kate told Tex as she looked at him in the military clothing.
"It's not like you haven't seen me in uniform before" Tex said.
"Yeah, like over 4 years ago. When you were clean shaven and had shorter hair. This is just weird" Kate told him with a smile.
"Well, you being here is weird" Tex told her as he looked between her and Mike and gestured to the surroundings. She didn't blame him for being weirded out. The house she had shared with Jack had been devoid of clutter and colour. It had been one of the model homes that looked like it was used for displays not lived in. So Mike's home was definitely a contrast to her previous home but in her defence she had only 3 boxes and a duffel bag to her name. But now it was just a duffel bag. as the rest of her stuff was in San Diego. She highly doubted she would ever see it again. "but it seems to suit you" Tex added with a smile.
He watched as Mike returned with two cups of hot drinks and placed them on the coffee table. He watched with a bizarre smile on his face as Kate shifted her position on the lounge making space for Mike to sit on the end. The large man sat down and Kate leaned back against him in a casual manner that was not entirely intimate but bespoke of a couple that had been together for years. It was strange for him to see Kate so relaxed with another man but then he was still stuck with the mental image of how she used to be with Jack. But he was gone and Kate had moved on, all that mattered to him was that Kate was happy. Even if he didn't get what Kate saw in Mike given the two had been at each other's throats for most of the time on the Nathan James.
"Yeah, it's good. So where's Anna?" Kate asked with a sigh as she enjoyed the warmth radiating off Mike. He was like her own personal heater.
"She's being Anna" Tex said, Kate made a derisive noise and rolled her eyes.
"So you're my 'get well' card?" she asked in a wry tone. She knew Anna hated seeing people sick or injured. The woman had spent a large portion of the past few years being ill that it was hard for her to acknowledge other people's woes. It only made her reflect on her own health issues and it made her envious as she would never recover from her ailments whilst everyone else did.
"No, I'm here cause I wanted to see how you were doing with everything that's going on. By the way you look like shit" Tex told her.
"Language, there are kids in the house" Kate chastised Tex.
"Sorry, and I'm just being honest. You looked more lively yesterday" Tex said in his usual manner, Kate knew he was just stirring her and she was half tempted to tell him the real reason behind her less than stellar energy levels but figured Mike wouldn't appreciate it.
"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night" Kate told him, allowing him to infer whatever he wanted from her words.
"Geez, Commander. you couldn't wait-Ow!" Tex said, he had been smiling until Kate kicked him in the leg but she didn't know why he claimed it hurt given how weak she was. "That's not nice" Tex told her, a smile playing on his as his humour was fully intact.
"Neither is your assumption" Kate told him with a mockingly dark manner as a blush graced her cheeks. "Mike is a Gentleman" she added though she was not going to kiss and tell the details with Tex. Nor admit that he was a gentleman most of the time because well Tex was like a brother to her.
"You always let a woman defend your honour?" Tex asked Mike.
"Only when it's Kate" Mike said with a smile. Tex smiled and gave a nod as he had walked into the house not sure of how Kate and Mike would be like. But he liked it, Kate might look wrecked but she was happy. Something he hadn't really seen yesterday as they were all constricted by the surroundings and the nature of their meeting. It seemed whatever solution Mike had given Kate was working as she didn't seem twisted up with stress or running away.
"That's because we both know in a fight I'm better than the both of you" Kate said smugly.
"Hey!" Tex said grabbed the offending foot. Kate laughed as Tex looked mockingly outraged. "Control your woman" he said to Mike, a smile played on Tex's face telling that he wasn't angry but more amused.
"I would but then you've probably had that one coming for a while now" Mike informed him. Tex's mouth formed an 'o' shape as he couldn't believe Mike was making a joke and one at his expense.
