Bad Goodbyes
Chapter 8
Kaitlyn and Hannah were not at all upset about the news that Mike and Christine were still married, and it actually helped Kaitlyn make her decision. She signed over the paperwork for Mike and Christine to take custody of Logan. It wasn't easy for her and she had cried most of the night, but when it was made clear to her that she would still be able to breastfeed the baby and to take care of him, she started doing better. They decided Logan would sleep in Kaitlyn's room, so if he woke up hungry; she could feed him without waking up most of the house.
Mike's bedroom was further away from Christine's and she quietly let herself in while Mike showered. She knew she was being presumptuous, but she sat down on his bed and waited. At least, they needed to talk. Finally, he walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist, while towel drying his hair.
"I was hoping you'd be in here." Mike said quietly.
"I figured you'd want to talk." Christine said as she twisted her hands nervously. Mike went behind her and put some clothes on and then sit down next to her.
"About what?" Mike asked and then grinned. It made her laugh.
"Mike; what I did to you after we separated…it wasn't right. I separated you from your kids, and denied Lucas and you moments together. Mark or not, it wasn't right and no matter what I do, nothing will make up for that. Then what happened to Kaitlyn…" Christine paused due to the tears falling and Mike put an arm around her.
"The way I see it, we can either stress about apologies and regrets and all that; or we can just move on; together. Don't let this eat you up. What happened to Kaitlyn was bad, but she had Logan. He is going to be what brings us together and keeps us going; Kaitlyn included. Now, are the girls and Logan settled for the night?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. All asleep." Christine said as she wiped tears away.
"Good." Mike said before pulling her onto his lap and kissing her. He was careful of the various bruises and lacerations, but laid her down on the bed. "Are you sure?" Mike asked and Christine smiled.
"I'm positive. I know we talked about doing this all slowly, but that was before we knew we were still married." Christine answered and Mike nodded.
"Just tell me if something gets to be too much. He didn't just hurt Kaitlyn." Mike told her.
"Agreed." Christine said.
Three hours later, Christine smiled up at Mike. Everything had been amazing and Christine hadn't been scared at all, probably because Mike was familiar. She was worried about the various scars that dotted his torso and arms, but things were good, for the first time in years. He was right, she needed to stop focusing on the regrets and apologies and just move forward.
She slept better that night then she had in a long time, and the girls didn't question anything when Mike and Christine walked down the steps together that morning. They exchanged a look and went on about talking about Logan's latest milestone. Hannah was fixing breakfast and Kaitlyn was cuddling with Logan.
Mike and Christine went outside while Mike cut firewood. Christine stacked the wood and they talked. It was cold, and the girls had stayed inside where it was warm and safe. Everything was going well, until they heard a crash inside the house. They exchanged a look and started running for it.
Christine hadn't realized Mike had a gun, but he had it drawn by the time they got to the house, and she let him in first. They could hear Logan crying and Kaitlyn was on the floor with a bad laceration across her forehead. And the side door was standing open.
"He got Hannah. Mark has her." Kaitlyn said. There was broken glass everywhere, but Christine bent down next to her while Mike walked to the door and looked out.
"Any idea what vehicle he was driving?" Mike asked.
"A…dark colored SUV. Black or dark blue. Full-sized like a Tahoe, the first three of the license plate was MK4." Kaitlyn said between sobs. Mike was relaying all the information to the sheriff's department dispatcher while Christine held her.
"We'll get her back. Just let Mom take care of you." Mike told Kaitlyn as he picked Logan up to calm him.
"Any glass?" Christine asked.
"None that I'm seeing. He's just scared." Mike said as he cuddled the baby close. He was off the phone and could concentrate a bit better.
"What did the sheriff's department say?" Christine asked.
"They have a patrol vehicle close, looking for the SUV, more investigators on the way and an ambulance too." Mike explained and Christine nodded. Like normal, he was as cool as a cucumber.