Accidental Happiness
Chapter 12
Maddie had forewarned Mike of Hannah's breakdown, so when he got home; he led Hannah out to the garage and set her down at the work bench. He began pulling the boxes out and sitting them down next to Hannah. She just stared into space.
"Sweetheart, you can look through the boxes. There isn't anything in here you can't see or have." Mike said.
"I wanted to go through them with you." Hannah said and Mike paused.
"Alright. Let me pull this out and we'll carry them to the dining room. Maddie and Maria won't mind." Mike said as he pulled the last box out, the one with pictures. He and Hannah began carrying everything into the dining area and thankfully Maria and Maddie were in the living room. Mike opened the first box and pulled out Christine's jewelry box. Before he opened it, he handed Hannah a silver chain. "Its for my wedding band and your mom's wedding ring. She tended to wear her engagement ring and I didn't ever find it. Here you go." Mike said as he handed Hannah his wedding band and then Christine's. She put them on the chain and he helped her fasten it around her neck.
"Thanks, Daddy." Hannah said quietly. Mike opened the jewelry box and pulled out Christine's string of pearls, a wedding gift from her grandmother.
"These were your great grandma's. She gave them to your mom when we got married. Your mom wore them on our wedding day." Mike explained as he put them back in the little jewelry box and gave them to her. Next he pulled a pair of diamond earrings out.
"Those are pretty." Hannah said.
"They were from me. Just studs, but when I made lieutenant commander and we were doing a little better financially, I got them for your mom. She wore them, practically everyday." Mike explained and Hannah smiled.
"I remember thinking they were so pretty." Hannah said as Mike handed them to her. Next was a bracelet.
"This, I gave to her when Kaitlyn was born. I couldn't afford anything nice, but your grandma told me I had to find her a push gift, so your Aunt Maggie helped me make this. I didn't know your mom had kept it." Mike said as he fingered the homemade bracelet. It had beads with Kaitlyn's initials on it, and the thread was aged.
"Daddy, you should keep that. It was because of Kaitlyn you made it and Aunt Maggie helped you. You'll have something from all three of them." Hannah said.
"Thanks, honey. I am going to make you take this next one, though. This is my push gift to your mom when you were born. Obviously, we were doing a little better financially, but it still wasn't the best quality." Mike said as he handed Hannah another pair of earrings, these silver hoops with Hannah's birthstone.
"Is that my birthstone?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah. It was also your mom's since you were born in the same month." Mike told her before handing her the earrings. Next, was a macaroni necklace that Lucas had made Christine. That ended up with Mike.
For the next hour, they went back and forth; going through first the jewelry box, then pictures and finally some mementos. Christine had kept a lot and some of it Mike didn't understand but it meant something to Hannah and it made her smile, which made him smile. He promised to get her some picture frames for a few of the pictures and helped her carry the things she wanted upstairs, depositing the other things in his own room.
Mike spent the rest of the evening on the couch, giving Hannah some undivided attention. Thankfully, Maddie understood and Hannah loved holding the babies, so he was there to help with Jack and EmmaLeigh. He couldn't make Hannah miss her mom less, but he could be there when she did.