Falling Back in Love

Chapter 5

Mike had done well finding them a house. It was a comfortable four-bedroom, two and a half bathrooms; brick Colonial house. If Christine had a dream house, the Colonial was it. She just hoped they would be able to stay put for a while. The main floor was newly remodeled and open concept, the roof, heater and air conditioner were new and there were solar panels so Christine wouldn't have to rely completely on a generator if the electricity went out. The best part was that it would be relatively maintenance free, which was a relief to Christine. She had always hated home repairs when Mike was deployed.

The fourth bedroom afforded Mike a room of his own. He was too much a gentleman to tell Christine she couldn't have the large master and she didn't like the idea of him being on the couch so he opted for the smallest bedroom, across from Kaitlyn and down the hall from Christine. A double-sized bed barely fit inside it but Christine made it up with a plaid comforter, dark curtains and a few pictures around the room. The other rooms were well-decorated but Mike's small room was not up to par. Mike was just satisfied that he would be close to his daughters before he deployed. Christine fussed with the pillows, not liking that there was no headboard.

"It doesn't have to be perfect." Mike said as he walked in and put some of his clothes in the dresser.

"I know but you seem to have gotten the short end of the straw. The rest of the house is really nice but this room is just not." Christine remarked.

"Its okay. Besides, I will only be here; maybe a month before I deploy. I did call and have someone packing up our old house. Everything will be sent here. I specifically requested clothes, bedding, pictures and such. Your mom's piano and my mom's pie safe." Mike explained.

"The quilt your grandma made for our wedding?" Christine asked hopefully. She loved that quilt. She wasn't sure what would happen with it since Mike's Grandma Eden had made it and a divorce was still looming.

"Yeah. That was on the top of the list. All our babies have laid on that thing and it has been all over the country. I was missing it." Mike admitted.

"Its special. This house is nice, by the way. Thank you. You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me." Christine said.

"Its for the girls too. They needed to be settled and I wanted to see that they were comfortable before I left." Mike told her.

"Makes sense. You said you would be deployed within a few weeks or a month. Any idea on how long yet?" Christine asked.

"No. It will be a humanitarian trip. Distribute the cure and food. I would say a few months at least and it sounds like it will be down along the eastern coast of Mexico. If we can get through the canal, we will; otherwise it will be along the eastern coast of South America and then on to the Asian Pacific area. Sounds like, anyways. People higher up then me are making those decisions." Mike explained.

"Michener is really getting things set up fast. And you for sure have the captaincy of the James?" Christine asked.

"Yeah. I've been informally handed the keys. We don't have time right now for formal promotions. And yes, Michener is getting things set up quickly but I have to question how well its being done and if the people that he's putting into place are trustworthy." Mike said.

"That's good. I'm proud of you. I got a weird vibe from Allison Shaw. She is…I don't know." Christine remarked.

"Yeah. Do me a favor, when I deploy; only trust Tom or Kara. If you need something, go to one of them. I don't trust all these representatives and assistants and such. It would be too easy for one of them using you and the girls to get back at me for something. They are basically setting a government back up and things are fragile. It wouldn't take much for a coup to happen." Mike explained as he put his clothes in the closet.

"Makes sense. When do I need to think about finding a job?" Christine asked.

"Whenever you want. I don't know how long it will be before something in your skillset to open up. As far as I'm concerned, if you want to stay home and get the girls settled before you go back to work, I'm fine. I think they need it and I think you could use a bit of a reset. It will give you a chance to grieve for Lucas and everything." Mike said. At first Christine's temper flared but then she realized what Mike was doing. He was trying to help her.

"What about you? You've barely had time too." Christine asked.

"I'll get back to you on that. Besides, I'm different. I was his dad and gone more than I was home. You were his mom. You carried him and knew him far better than me. I really have no right to grieve for him." Mike told her.

"The two of you were close. You have every right." Christine objected.

"Its just that if I stop to grieve, I'll have to admit he's gone and I don't want to do that. I need to get you and the girls settled and this cure distributed." Mike argued. Christine decided to just let it go. She didn't want the argument with Mike and she knew that the grief would catch up. What she wanted, Mike was not willing to give her and maybe when the grief caught up, she could help. Show him that she still cared about him. Still loved him.

"Well, when it catches up; I'll be here. I do think I will give it a bit of time before I try and find a job. I really want to spend the time with the girls but I wasn't sure on the financial end. And what happens when you get back? Do we go ahead with a divorce or not? Or can we even?" Christine asked.

"I don't know. It will be awhile, I'm sure. Chris, you seem on the line about the divorce suddenly. Before I left the Arctic, you were headed to the lawyer's office and now…I can't explain it. Something has changed." Mike remarked. Christine was thinking through all her possible responses when Hannah came in and jumped on the bed. Both Mike and Christine were distracted by their exuberant eight-year-old.

"Daddy, my room is perfect! I love it." Hannah said. She was bouncing up and down and Mike grabbed her to keep her from falling off the bed.

"I'm glad, sweet pea." Mike told her.

"Momma, what's for supper?" Hannah asked. Mike was still holding her on his hip.

"Soup again, sweetie. We are a little low on groceries right now." Christine told her. Christine made soup because she could stretch it further. The kids were getting tired of it because Bacon had done the same thing.

"It'll get better." Mike told her. Hannah was generally pretty accepting but Kaitlyn was having some issues adjusting.

"I hope. I like that you and Momma aren't fighting all the time. I like when you act like friends. When you fight it doesn't seem like we matter. Like you guys don't love us." Hannah told them. Both Mike and Christine looked at each other and Mike sat down with Hannah on his lap. Christine sat down next to him on the bed and tried to search for words. They hadn't realized how their kids felt about their fighting.

"Sweetie, Daddy and I both love you kids more than anything or anyone in the world. You do matter to us and we don't want you to ever think we don't. We are trying hard to better friends and not fight so much." Christine told her and Mike nodded in agreement.

"Mom's right, sweet pea. Things are going to get better and we will try harder." Mike told Hannah who just nodded. She had only ever known Mike and Christine fighting. They were going to have to show her something different.

"Okay. I love you both." Hannah said. She was already trying to get off Mike's lap.

"We love you too, honey." Christine said as she leaned down and gave Hannah a kiss. Mike also kissed the top of her head and released her. Hannah ran out of the bedroom with the same exuberance that she had entered it. As soon as she was out of earshot, Christine spoke up, "We have to do better, Mike. They have lost so much. They need us together." Christine said. Maybe it was a ploy but it came at the right moment.

"We need to get along and be friends for the girls, but our days of being together have passed I am just staying here to make things easier before I deploy. Once I get back, I will move into a BOQ. Chris, you had numerous chances to fix things and you didn't. I would have been okay but then you fell in love with Peter. That changed things. Before it was only sex for both of us." Mike argued.

"I…I am sorry, Mike. Can I ask…did you care for Sally?" Christine asked. She still hadn't told Mike about his dream, the kiss or him groping her.

"Kind of. Not…she didn't want anything to do with my kids and wanted me to have nothing to do with them. It would have never worked out because of that. You've never apologized before." Mike remarked.

"Peter was the same way. He didn't want anything to do with the kids. He was the only one I ever cared about and it wasn't the same." Christine admitted.

"How did we get to this point?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. I just wish I could go back in time. Not cheat the first time or any time, not fight and argue all the time and be more present." Christine told him. They were still sitting on the bed.

"Me too. It is what it is." Mike said as he stood up. He walked out of the room and Christine knew, her marriage was over despite how she felt.

Four Months Later

Mike had been deployed for just over three months and the last Christine had heard, was in the Pan-Pacific area. Emails and calls were still patchy at best and when he did call, he always wanted to talk to the girls. She would give him general updates but it was less than what she wanted. She would have wanted the sweet emails that Mike had sent early in his career when things were perfect in their marriage. The girls were out back, enjoying the yard and was planting seeds. Christine hoped to have a nice garden. Christine had walked inside when she heard the doorbell ring. She rushed to it, hoping it was Tom or Kara. Instead it was a frazzled young man holding a crying baby.

"Is this Commander Mike Slattery's residence." The young man asked.

"Uh…yes. He's deployed though. I'm his wife, Christine." Christine said. The baby looked miserable and the man was uncomfortable.

"Oh, this is going to be awkward." The young man said.

"Why? Who are you and who is that baby? You're holding her wrong, by the way." Christine said, resisting the urge to grab the crying baby girl.

"Oh, here." The young man said as he handed the baby over to Christine. Christine immediately noticed that she was wet and overheating. She began taking the jacket off, still wondering what was happening. "I'm a social worker. Matt Smith. I understand your husband was involved with a woman named Sally Johnson. The baby is a product of that relationship and the foster care system is overtaxed now. You have to take her." The social worker explained.

"Again, Mike isn't home…" Christine started. Her blood was boiling and the baby was not happy at all.

"It doesn't matter. You are still married, yes?" The social worker asked.

"Yes, but…" Christine said.

"Good enough for me. Her name is Eden. Here's her paperwork. I just need you to sign this. Here's her bag and car seat. There's formula in the bag and a change of clothes. I included a voucher to get some supplies." The social worker said as he handed a piece of paper to Christine.

"What if I don't sign it?" Christine asked.

"She'll be put in foster care and will not have any sort of childhood. You are her only hope." He said.

"Alright. Is your number included so my husband can call when he gets home? He'll want to know how this all happened." Christine asked as she signed the piece of paper, all while juggling Eden.

"Yes, but the simple story is, he had sex with Miss Johnson, she got pregnant and died in childbirth. We ran Eden's DNA and it was a match for Commander Slattery's." The social worker said before walking off the porch.

Christine looked at the baby in her arms. She had big blue eyes that were similar to Mike's, blonde hair and dimples. She really was a pretty baby and had settled her little head onto Christine's chest. Christine carried her into the living room and laid her down on the couch, knowing she had to change her diaper first and foremost.

"What am I going to do with you? How am I going to explain this to your sisters and daddy?" Christine asked the baby quietly as she changed her. The baby had stuffed her hand in her mouth and looked at Christine miserably. It made Christine's heart hurt a little. Eden was just a baby who shouldn't pay for her parent's mistakes. "Its okay. Your safe here. We'll get this diaper rash taken care of, some food in your belly and a nice soft bed. I'll bet you've had to sleep in that hard car seat, huh?" Christine asked the baby. She knew there would be no answer but she still felt the baby needed some interaction. She also only had three more diapers, barely any wipes, half a canister of formula and one bottle. Eden needed things and Christine needed help. She immediately thought of Debbie Foster, who lived down the street. Thankfully, she picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Debbie, its Christine. Are you busy?" Christine asked.

"Nope. Just hanging out with Frankie. Kara is at work." Debbie explained.

"Is there anyway you could watch the girls for me for a bit? I have…come up with a baby and she needs everything." Christine explained.

"I'm intrigued and yes of course. I'll be there in about ten." Debbie said and then hung up.

Ten minutes later, Debbie was there. Christine explained how Eden had made a sudden appearance in their lives. It was harder to explain to the girls and Kaitlyn was less than impressed. Hannah thankfully was just thrilled that Eden was a girl and had taken great joy in holding the baby. Debbie had insisted on Eden staying with her while Christine got the needed supplies.

It was a fast trip through the meager store. Diapers, wipes, clothes, a crib and crib bedding. There would be other needed items but this would at least make things easier for Eden. She just hoped Kaitlyn could adjust. And what would Mike say?