Guys!
Sorry it's been so long between chapters, work has been crazy! Stressed, tried, not knowing whether I want to cry or punch someone lol, i know violence is never the answer! Normally, writing provides me with a good escape, but it's just not working at the moment, hoping this chapter gets my mojo working again.
Hope everyone is safe!
Enjoy...
Live and Learn
Chapter 15.
Maddie was lost for words, her rage prevented her from speaking. All she could manage was a frustrated scream as she stormed out the room and out of the house. Kate stood there frozen for a moment, unsure how she was going to handle this.
Maddie pounded on Dutchy's door, he opened it rubbing his eyes.
"Maddie? What are you doing here? It's late…"
"Can I stay here?"
She didn't wait for an answer and shoved past him as Kate ran up behind her, following her into the house.
Dutchy closed the door unsure what was happening, he tried to catch Kate's eye, but she didn't acknowledge his presence.
"Maddie, stop!"
She caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.
"What are you doing home? Is everything all right?"
She shrugged off her grip and threw her bag to the ground, she was so mad she wanted cry.
"No, it's not! I came home cos, cos I'm stressed and upset and, I needed to talk to my mum. But you obviously didn't get my message cos you were too busy with him! You said you weren't dating! You lied to me again!"
Tears poured from her eyes as she ran into the spare room and slammed the door. Dutchy walked up behind Kate, still unsure about what was happening.
"What is going on?"
She spun round with her arms folded over her chest.
"Oh, so you're talking to me now?"
He let out a hiss, not wanting to deal with her attitude.
"No, I'm concerned for Maddie."
Kate ran her hands over her face, knowing that explaining the situation to Dutchy wasn't going to help him like her again.
"She wasn't supposed to be home, I was going to tell her, just, when I was sure it was real."
Dutchy rolled his eyes, instantly knowing why Maddie was upset.
"Mike was there?"
She nodded, unable to look him in the eye.
"We were in bed."
Dutchy clenched his fists beside him, trying to contain his anger.
"Kate! Seriously?"
She couldn't help but defend herself, they weren't doing anything wrong, for once.
"What? Dutchy, we're adults! So much for being on my side, huh?"
Mike appeared in Dutchy's doorway and knocked on the door frame.
"Kate, is she okay?"
Dutchy moved towards the door, blocking his entry.
"You know you're causing all of this right?"
Mike wrinkled his face at Dutchy's comment, it wasn't any of his business.
"Excuse me?"
"This is my house, and I need both of you to leave, I'll look after Maddie…"
Kate walked over to him, annoyed he was giving the orders.
"Dutchy, she's not your daughter."
"Yeah, and she's not his either."
He knew his comment was out of line, but he couldn't help himself. He was on her side but also Maddie's, had protected Kate previously and now he felt like it was his duty to protect Maddie.
"Look, just let her calm down, she's right next door."
Kate stood there glaring at him, not wanting him to be right, but she knew how stubborn Maddie was, it was a trait she inherited from her. Dutchy held her glare, waiting for her to do the right thing. She exhaled sharply and headed for the door.
"Okay, I'll be back in the morning."
Mike wrapped his arm around Kate and led her back to her house.
"Do you want me to go?"
She shook her head and sighed, even though it was probably best, she couldn't stand the thought of being alone right now.
"No, we're going to have to deal with this sooner rather than later, she is my flesh and blood, and she has to respect my decisions, but also you. She needs to talk to us like adults."
They went back to bed, Mike wrapped his arms around her trying to comfort her.
"I know she's your flesh and blood, but she's also a teenager, she'll come round… Plus, I'm not giving up this time…"
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and rolled over and turned off the light. Kate lay on her back staring at the ceiling, her mind rushed with thoughts she didn't want to acknowledge, what if Maddie never forgave her? What if she had made a mistake?
The next morning Dutchy stood in the kitchen cooking breakfast, he turned hearing the bedroom door open. Maddie skulked out of the room and plonked herself at the kitchen bench.
"Morning…"
He handed her a cup of coffee, trying not to look worried about her red eyes and puffy face, he leaned over the bench.
"You wanna talk about it?"
She sipped on her cup, wondering if she should be honest, she didn't know if he'd be loyal to Kate.
"Do you think he's right for her?"
Dutchy turned back to the stove, hiding his face, worried she'd see right through him. He sighed as he flipped the eggs, hearing Charlie's voice in his head. He needed to be the adult in this situation, but it was so damn hard. As much as he disliked them together, telling her that wasn't going to help.
"It doesn't matter what I think."
She lept up from her chair, knowing he was lying.
"Of course it does, you're her best friend! Isn't this why we have friends, to help us through life? C'mon, you saw this firsthand, you can't tell me they had a healthy relationship?"
He clenched his jaw, she was spot on, but he couldn't make this worse, he opted for a neutral comment.
"People can change."
She slammed her cup on the bench, causing him to jump.
"Bullshit."
She stomped back into her room, Dutchy shook his head leaning himself against the bench. A few minutes later Maddie emerged with her bags.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to campus…"
He ran in front of her, stopping her.
"No, c'mon, stay here, have a breather, I'm not working this weekend... I know, we can finish your birthday plans."
She refused to look him in the eye.
"I don't want a party anymore."
She tried to sidestep him but his reflexes were too quick, he blocked her again.
"Oh, c'mon, you have to have an eighteenth! You can have it here, if you want."
She glanced up at him, her lips curved upwards ever so slightly. He grinned, knowing he was winning her over.
"So, what do we need? You've got your costume, right?"
She nodded, still in a sulk.
"Cake?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet…"
"Perfect, we can do that today, I'm always up for cake tasting!"
He grabbed her bag from her hand and chucked it back into her room.
"Okay, eggs or pancakes? I have both."
"Pancakes, thanks.."
Dutchy headed back to the kitchen, satisfied he had been enough of an adult that Charlie would approve. Maddie ran after him and wrapped her arms around him, he turned around and embraced her.
"Thanks, Dutchy… You're the best."
"Well, I was always gonna be the cool uncle you came to, right?"
Kate fumbled around the bedroom looking for her clothes, she stubbed her toe on the tallboy and let out a cry.
"Shit."
Mike's eyes fluttered open, he sat up seeing Kate stomping around the room.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting dressed, I've got to talk to Maddie."
He moved himself to the end of the bed and grabbed her arm, trying to make her focus.
"Maybe it's best to give her some space?"
She stepped away from the bed and continued to pull on her clothes, shaking her head.
"I have to sort this out, Mike."
"Yeah, but maybe she just needs to sort things out for herself, you could just end up alienating her more."
She let out a huff, thinking about it for a moment, Mike pulled her back into bed.
"You said she's going to have to accept us, so don't force it…"
She shook her head and stood back up and headed for the door.
"I have to, she's stubborn, like me."
Kate stood at Dutchy's door, banging continuously.
"Dutchy, please..."
He opened the door, she stepped back a little, startled by his stern expression.
"You're gonna wake the neighbours."
"Is she okay? I just wanna talk."
She tried to push past him, but he closed the door behind him.
"Kate, I think you're best to leave it for now."
Kate took a step forward, reaching for the door handle, ignoring his advice.
"What? Now you're giving me parenting advice?"
Dutchy frowned at her condescending tone and held the door closed..
"No, I'm trying to help, believe it or not."
He slid back inside and slammed the door in her face, she rubbed her hands over her face and headed back to her house.
Mike looked up from the paper hearing her enter, she let out a sigh as she flopped back on to her pillows.
"She's never been this mad at me, I hate it."
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.
"She'll come round..."
"Yeah, I hope so."
Maddie and Dutchy strolled down the shopping strip, Dutchy desperately wanted to get her to talk, he was worried she was exactly like Kate, that she kept things bottled up.
"So, are you ready to talk about it yet?"
"I thought we had?"
"Well, I mean, look, she's your mum, she's the only one you've got."
"Dutchy, please don't give me the family speech…"
He rolled his eyes, she was exactly like Kate, stubborn and frustrating, he was going to have to try a different approach.
"Okay, but for the record, and I'm not saying I'm on your side, but, I agree with some of your points. More than anything, I just want you to know I'm here for you, okay? Any time, day or night, and you're welcome to stay at my house, whenever you like."
"Really? I might have to take you up on that, cos I'm thinking of dropping out."
Dutchy's jaw dropped, he smacked a shopping bag against her leg.
"Ah, you're not doing that!"
"You know, maybe I don't want this, maybe I…"
Dutchy stood in front of her, holding her shoulders.
"Yes, you do, you're just angry at your mum and Mike, and you figure this will hurt her."
"No, it's got nothing to do with that."
He scoffed, shaking his head.
"Hey, I've been a rebellious teenager too, remember. Look, Maddie, don't throw this away, you're halfway through this training, at least finish it. Go out and do your sea training, you'll be out there for a week, maybe that will help, you know, get away from it all."
She shrugged off his grip and walked away.
"Yeah, get away from Mike Flynn..."
He couldn't help but smirk.
"That too…"
He ran after her, wrapping his arm around her as he caught up to her.
"C'mon, lets go eat more cake!"
Back at Kate's house, Charlie stood outside holding a bunch of flowers. He knocked a few times and was startled as Mike opened the door. Charlie took a moment to recognise him as Mike frowned at the flowers.
"Oh, umm, Captain Flynn, isn't it?"
Mike nodded as he looked him up and down.
"Yeah, Lieutenant Butterworth…"
"Charlie will do fine, so, umm, is Kate home?"
Mike's eyes darted from his face to the bunch of flowers he was holding, Charlie didn't want him to get the wrong idea.
"Oh, it's okay, I know you guys are dating. These are more of a thank you, she helped me out with something the other day."
Mike was still suspicious of his actions but let him in.
"She's just in the shower, she should be too long, do yo want a coffee?"
"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."
Mike took the flowers from him and put them in a vase, Kate came out of the bathroom wearing a towel, drying her hair.
"Who was at the..."
She froze seeing Charlie, her cheeks immediately flushed a bright shade of red, Charlie looked her up and down and laughed.
"McGregor…"
Kate tightened the grip on her towel.
"Oh, I'll be right back."
Charlie shook his head, unable to stop his laughter.
"Dunno if it was lucky or unlucky that she doesn't air dry."
The smile dropped off Charlie's face seeing Mike's death glare, he cleared his throat trying to change the subject.
"So, you're Maddie's teacher too? That's gotta be awkward."
Mike's expression didn't change, Charlie's eyes darted around the room, trying to avoid being killed a million times.
"Ah, I might just go wait in the lounge."
Maddie flicked her cake around the plate, Dutchy couldn't stand it anymore, she was smart, not this sulky, bratty teenager. He slammed his fork onto the table and pulled her plate away.
"Okay, tough love time, you need to talk to her."
She raised an eyebrow and mimicked his mean stare.
"I'll make you a deal, I'll talk to her, if you will."
Dutchy wrinkled his face and sat back up.
"Why do I need to talk to her?"
She pulled her plate back and violently stabbed a piece of cake with her fork.
"Ah, well, I think it's pretty clear your feel the same way about Mike as I do."
He mentally kicked himself, he had only himself to blame, he needed to fix it.
"Okay, Mike aside, let's just figure out your feelings first, why are you mad?"
"You know why I'm mad."
He exhaled and stole a piece of cake from her plate.
"Yeah, okay, but maybe I need to take some of my own advice, huh? Okay, so, we love your mum, yes? And we want her to be happy?"
Maddie nodded.
"Okay, so maybe we need to give this a chance, if Mike Flynn has changed, well, then she'll be happy, and if he hasn't, he'll eventually stuff it up and it will he end, right?"
Maddie nodded reluctantly, it made sense, but she still wasn't convinced of Dutchy's theory.
"Yeah, but why would she take that risk? She's smarter than that."
"So, you're mad at her for not being smart."
"Well, yeah, she's brilliant and a Captain in the Navy, and when it comes to him, she's…"
"It's love, Maddie, you'll experience that one day."
Maddie froze, Dutchy didn't know what he had said to cause that type reaction. Maddie slowly brought her eyes up to meet his.
"Love? You think she loves him?"
Every curse word ran through Dutchy head, why did he say love?
"Ah, I didn't mean it like that…"
"Well, what did you mean?"
Dutchy didn't know how to respond, Maddie could see she had freaked him out, she couldn't talk about it any more.
"I'm not really to talk to her."
"Okay, maybe next weekend? So, in the meantime what cake are we getting?"
Kate, Mike and Charlie sat out on her deck with their coffee. The conversation had run dry, Kate noticed some tension between them, she wasn't sure why Mike was acting strangely, she hoped it wasn't jealously.
"So, Charlie, when do to go our next?"
"Ah, a few days, but you guys know what it's like, I expect to be crash sailed every second I'm on leave."
Kate kicked Mike under the table, trying to get him involved in the conversation.
"Yeah, we don't miss that do we, Mike?"
He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. Charlie tapped the table, startling them both, remembering his good news.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I ran the idea about you returning to the boss, and she loves it."
Mike choked on his mouthful of coffee, Kate pat him on the back trying to help. He placed his cup down and wiped his mouth with a tea towel, focusing on Kate.
"Returning where?"
Charlie spoke before she could.
"To her birthright, a CO position has opened up on my ship."
Mike's eyes widened, still locked on Kate, he had no idea she wanted to go back out to sea. Kate could tell he was gob smacked and tried to cover her tracks.
"Yeah, the other day, when I wasn't having a good time, Charlie told me that there was an opening."
"You seriously want to go back out?"
"Well, it was never off the table."
Charlie could tell he'd opened a can of worms and tried to change the subject.
"Oh yeah, I umm, I brought to some flowers to say thanks for yesterday, they're in the kitchen."
"Oh, I wondered where they came from, Mike only brings flowers when he needs to apologise."
She nudged him, meaning it to be a joke. She and Charlie laughed, but Mike was less amused, he interrupted.
"So, ah, you gonna take it?"
They stopped laughing, Kate looked over to him trying to get him to drop it.
"Are you?"
She placed a hand on his, trying to comfort him.
"Mike, it's not like they've offered it to me."
"Yeah, but like Charlie said, of course they'd love back out there."
Charlie's phone rang, he rose from the table and mouthed to Kate.
"Sorry…"
Kate moved her chair closer to Mike's, feeling bad.
"Mike…"
"I thought that's something you would have discussed with me."
"Mike, it was a passing comment, I didn't ask him to ask, can you just drop it for now, please? And, of course I wouldn't do anything without talking to you, or Maddie."
End Chapter 15.
