Bad Goodbyes

Chapter 10

Thankfully, Hannah and Logan both slept through the night. He woke up at six am, wanting fed and that was what started them all moving. While Kaitlyn nursed him, they got ready and packed up.

They were on the road by eight am. Mike was in communication with the police, and Mark was in serious condition. Hannah was especially quiet, and spent most of the ride back, staring out the window. Christine had noticed, she was a little different around Mike. It was hard to put a finger on, exactly; but it was there. Mike had quietly warned Christine of the various injuries that Hannah did suffer and so when they got home, Christine followed her up to her bedroom to change the bandages on her whip marks. They weren't a shock to Christine because she had her own scars, and she had fixed the bandages in the morning.

"Glad to be home?" Christine asked as she put medicine on Hannah's back.

"Yeah. I know it was less than twenty-four hours but I'm exhausted." Hannah admitted.

"It's the psychological trauma. I know your dad said Mark didn't rape you, but I can understand why you might not have said if he did. You also seem a little distant towards your dad, which is also understandable." Christine commented, and immediately felt Hannah tense.

"He didn't. He tried. Unbuttoned my jeans and put his hand up my shirt, but he didn't do anything else." Hannah answered quietly.

"You tensed though, so is it your dad that's bothering you?" Christine asked as she sat down next to Hannah.

"Its…after they shot Mark, Dad pushed me towards Kara and Sasha. They took me to the hospital. Dad picked me up and drove me straight to the hotel. It wasn't like he cared at all. I just didn't want Kaitlyn to get hurt anymore." Hannah said, almost in tears.

"Sweetie, your dad adores you. I can see why you would be upset but I am sure there is a good reason for him detaching himself. He was tearing himself apart looking for you. I'll talk to him." Christine told her.

"I don't want to make him mad." Hannah remarked.

"He won't be. Just remember, he loves you so, so much. He might have been scared of hurting or scaring you if you were raped. He was also dealing with the cops, and he had just shot someone. As tough as your dad is, he still struggles with that." Christine remarked.

"Yeah, I guess so. My back really stings." Hannah admitted.

"I know. Now that we're home, you can take it easy for a few days. I'll talk to your dad." Christine said before kissing the top of Hannah's head and finishing with the bandages.

Hannah opted to take a nap and so Christine found Mike in the barn where he was stacking wood. She grabbed a pair of gloves and began helping him. They worked in relative silence for about a half hour, and when they finished, Christine stopped Mike and gave him a long kiss.

"What was that for?" Mike asked.

"Can't I just kiss you for no reason?" Christine teased back.

"You can kiss me anytime you want." Mike answered as he gave her another kiss.

"Mike; I talked to Hannah. She is afraid you're mad at her. She was protecting Kaitlyn. She said you pushed her out of the way at the cabin and just picked her up at the hospital. Mike; I know you love Hannah and you were scared of scaring her. That's what I told her, and I know you've tried, and she is deflecting." Christine said. She could see the way the look on his face changed. First frustration and then concern.

"I was worried about her and I wanted to get her out of the scene as quickly as possible. It was wet, cold and she had blood and brain matter all over her. She needed to be checked over. I didn't want the cops plaguing her with questions until a female detective could talk to her." Mike explained.

"I understand and I appreciate you looking out for her. Just talk to her, Mike. Hannah is still a little girl at heart. I was able to protect her, and she has been able to stay a kid." Christine said before giving Mike a kiss.

"I will. I really hate that she was hurt." Mike commented just as his cellphone rang. He answered it after giving Christine a kiss. She could only hear one side of the conversation and started messing around with something to occupy herself. Finally, Mike got off the phone and gave her a smile. "Good or bad news; you are free. Mark died an hour ago." Mike said simply.

"Oh, thank God." Christine answered before giving Mike another long kiss.

"Exactly." Mike answered. He grabbed Christine's hand and began leading her to the house.

"We need to tell the girls." Christine remarked.

"Yeah." Mike agreed as he opened the front door. Hannah was sitting on the couch, holding Logan and Kaitlyn was folding laundry. Mike sat down next to Hannah and put his arm around her and nodded at Christine.

"Girls, Dad got a call when we were down in the barn. Mark died." Christine said simply. Kaitlyn let out a breath of relief and Hannah leaned into Mike. He kissed the side of her head and smiled down at Logan.

"What about Logan? I signed over my rights to him because of Mark." Kaitlyn said and Christine nodded.

"Sweetie, I think we need to spend some time healing; all of us. He will be about a year old when he is ready to wean, correct?" Mike asked Christine.

"There about." Christine answered.

"My suggestion is, we all just kind of take a break. Settle back into being a family. When he is a year old, you can decide if you want to go on to college or maybe do online classes. If you go away, Mom and I will take care of him. We would raise him for you, but you would have ultimate say of all decisions, and he would know you're his mom." Mike answered.

"My question is, what do we tell him about his dad?" Kaitlyn asked simply.

"He is really small right now. All he needs to know now is that he is loved. In time, honesty is the best answer, but it doesn't need to come up for several years. In the meantime, I just think we all need to take a break. If you want to start online classes sooner, you can, but for now; just take a break. You have the say where Logan is concerned. It was never meant to keep you from him, but to keep Mark away from him." Christine said.

"Exactly." Mike agreed.

"What about you and Mom?" Hannah asked her dad.

"I think we are going to give each other another shot." Mike answered confidently. Hannah gave him a broad smile and even Kaitlyn was smiling.

"We're really glad." Hannah answered. Christine had sat down on her other side and smiled down at Logan who was kicking his legs and voicing his own opinion. Hannah had him laying on her lap with his head on her knees, Logan's favorite position.

"And Hannah; I know you are a little upset with me for how I treated you after the cabin. I was trying to get you out of there so you didn't see all the blood and brain matter. It was also cold and wet too. I really wanted to go to the hospital with you, but knew the police had to talk to me, and you were better off with Kara and Sasha if you had been raped. The female detective interviewed there, and once I picked you up; I just wanted to get you back to your mom and sister, because of how worried they were. I should have called them and didn't. I promise; I was not upset with you and I am very proud of how you did. You gave us the perfect diversion." Mike told her.

"Its okay, Daddy. I understand." Hannah said. Christine picked Logan up so that Hannah could hug her dad, which she did immediately. Kaitlyn had also sat down on Mike's other side and both girls began hugging Mike while Christine occupied herself with Logan. It was the perfect ending to a very trying few weeks.