The Reporter
Chapter 2
Libby had gotten home and helped her mom make dinner. Since she had started working full time, Hannah was able to quit all but one of her jobs. It lessened some of her symptoms from Lupus and she had more time to cook and bake, her real interests, aside from Libby.
Hannah was one of the most selfless people that Libby had ever encountered. She volunteered at a homeless shelter, cuddled drug-addicted babies at the NICU when they didn't have anyone else, worked part-time at a church cleaning and doing secretarial work and also helped at an animal shelter. Libby didn't know much about Hannah's childhood. She knew that her mother, brother and sister had died from the Red Flu and Hannah's father had gotten separated from the family before and Hannah had never heard from him again and now presumed that he had died.
After a series of bad foster homes, Hannah met Robert, Libby's dad when she was seventeen. It was not a perfect marriage and Robert died in a car accident due to drunk driving when Libby was four. Hannah had devoted herself entirely to raising Libby and being both a mother and father to Libby. She had done very well raising her, but Libby knew something was missing in Hannah's life. Maybe it was because she had never remarried or maybe it was because she never found her father. Money had always been a concern so Hannah had accepted her long-lost father was dead. Everything had happened when Hannah was only six and she didn't even remember him. She had her name changed by one of her foster families, so her maiden name was not even her birth name and any documentation of her birth or her biological family was long gone.
While Hannah and Libby ate, Libby reviewed her notes from her interview with the Greene's. She was intrigued with how close the James crew was this many years after the cure being distributed. It was like they were a huge family and took care of their own. Libby had to respect that because all she had ever known was having her mom.
"So, who do you interview tomorrow?" Hannah asked.
"Commander Mejia. Was the ship's navigator. They still call him Gator." Libby said.
"And that's in Norfolk?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah. Long drive in the morning and I have to be there by ten. He wasn't senior leadership but was part of the bridge crew. He knows a lot." Libby explained.
"Well, I have tomorrow off from everything. I plan on sleeping in and spending my day baking unless you want me to go with you?" Hannah asked.
"No. You need to rest. I will be out of the door before eight and don't know how long I'll be gone. If Master Chief Jeter is home, I'll interview him as well." Hannah told her.
"I think I'm making apple and pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies and maybe cannoli. Do you want anything special?" Hannah asked.
"The cannoli sound good." Libby said.
"That's what I thought." Hannah remarked. Libby had noticed that she seemed preoccupied and had to wonder why. Things were going so well.
"Everything okay?" Libby asked.
"Oh, its just…one of the babies that I look after is going to go into the foster care system. She's only three months old and she is so sweet. Her mother dumped her and a police officer found her in a dumpster." Hannah explained.
"Mom, you have dealt with this before. Its never bothered you so much." Libby pointed out.
"Oh, it always bothers me but Gracie is different and I've never been in a position to do anything. I've always worked a lot." Hannah said.
"So, what are you thinking?" Libby asked.
"I don't know. I still have my foster care license and we have the extra room that can be used as a bedroom. I'm only working part time and its at the church…I was wondering about fostering her." Hannah said and then waited for Libby's reaction.
"Do you think you can handle a three-month old?" Libby asked.
"Yes. And to make up the difference in income, I can bake and cook for extra money." Hannah said, already having figured out the income.
"Mom, if its something you feel strongly about, you hardly need my go ahead. You are on the lease for this apartment so I have no say in who lives here." Libby said.
"Are you sure?" Hannah asked.
"I'm sure. Gracie is special and she needs a chance." Libby said. She had some uncertainties about it but if her mom felt strongly about it, then it was worth it.
"Oh, honey; thank you." Hannah said as she stood up and kissed Libby on the top of the head.
"No need to thank me. I love you." Libby said and Hannah hugged her again.
"I love you too, sweetie. More than you'll ever know." Hannah said
"So, do we need to do anything to get ready for Gracie?" Libby asked.
"I'll call the social worker. They'll provide some stuff and from there we will just have to figure things out. I had less when you were born." Hannah admitted.
"Mom, now that I'm doing better financially; have you thought about trying to find out what happened to your dad? I could research it or we could hire an investigator." Libby asked.
"I don't even really remember him too well. Sometimes, I think I remember how he smelled, how his voice boomed. He was always warm. Libby, I'm scared if I start looking for him, I'll find out that he died or he won't be pleased with how my life has turned out. I'm not sure which I would dread more. Death or rejection." Hannah said. She had always been hard on herself for no reason.
"Well, I can't imagine him not being proud of you. You are amazing." Libby told her sincerely.
"Thank you, sweetie. Now, I'll clean up. You work on your interview." Hannah said as she cleared their plates. As Libby watched her mother work, she realized how hard Hannah's life had been. She had put everything into being a mother, neglecting herself in the process. She deserved some answers and some peace about her father. Problem was, she didn't even know his name and Hannah didn't seem to remember it.
The next day, Libby was out of the apartment and headed to Norfolk. She was still thinking about trying to find her maternal grandfather but she had nothing to go on. No name, no ship, no pictures, nothing. It was impossible. Libby pulled onto the street in front of Commander Mejia's suburban house. She gathered her supplies, walked up the pathway and rang the doorbell. A minute later, a man in his sixties answered the door.
"Commander Mejia? I'm Libby Johnson. My editor spoke with you last week?" Libby asked.
"Oh, yes. Come in. And everybody still just calls me Gator." The man said as he led Libby into his house.
"Yes, sir." Libby said. They sat down in a dining room and a woman walked in with a tray of drinks and cookies.
"This is my wife, Chloe." Gator said as Libby and Chloe shook hands.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." Chloe told her as she handed her a glass of tea and pointed at the cookies. Chloe left the room and Libby opened her notebook.
"I will keep this fairly basic and if I have any questions, I'll call. Now, is Gator a nickname?" Libby asked.
"Yes. A lot of ship's navigators are nicknamed 'Gator,' my nickname just hung on for years. My family even calls me Gator. Its my grandkid's grandpa name." Gator explained.
"I see. Now, from what I have researched; you all had some very narrow scrapes?" Libby asked.
"Yes. We had a fire in the engine room, which in turn knocked out our radar and sonar as well as our water filtration system. We were lost at sea, without fresh water for a few days. Thankfully, no one died. We were probably less than twenty-four hours from that when we found fresh water. We had to navigate through coral beds and a minefield a couple times. Some of it was more daring than I even was comfortable with. We did a lot of things that I was never trained for in Academy." Gator explained.
"Had you deployed with Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery before? I realize they both retired as admirals, but at the time, they were Captain and Commanders." Libby asked.
"It was my third deployment and second with Chandler and Slattery." Gator explained.
"Tell me about their leadership styles? How they differed or were alike." Libby questioned.
"Well, Chandler was a little demanding at times but he would help you find a solution. Sometimes, you might question said solution but he was good at working at all points. Slattery was too, but he used a lot of humor to make you feel more comfortable. Most people think Chandler was better at keeping morale up, but if the truth were known, it was Slattery that kept us going. How he coped and kept us coping is beyond me. I know the two of them had some disagreements early on but they made a good team." Gator told her.
"Slattery didn't help find solutions?" Libby asked.
"In an underhanded way, yes. You just didn't realize what he was doing. Chandler had bounced around as he climbed the command ladder. Ops, CIC, the bridge. Slattery was a bit more focused. He hadn't started out as an officer and had deployed as an enlisted man before going through the Academy. I think that gave him a lot of experience that Chandler never got. He knew both sides. Sometimes the enlisted are treated as grunts. Once he started climbing the ladder, he bounced some but in every job he did, he did well and he took those experiences with him. I remember one deployment when the galley crew all got sick. Was just a twenty-four-hour flu but we would have had no meals, except Slattery went in and started cooking. Granted, it was just a basic meal for both officers and enlisted but it worked." Gator explained.
"A lot of people seem to have a lot of respect for Slattery." Libby commented.
"He doesn't get the credit he deserves. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for Tom but Mike was…steadfast. I only seen him somewhat crumble one time and that was after he was stabbed and dosed with Nostos. He had dreamed about seeing his family. It was devastating for him. But within a couple days, he was back on the bridge. He took the picture of his family down and put it in his pocket. Have you spoke with him yet?" Gator asked.
"No, honestly I was wanting to get everyone else's interviews before I did his and Admiral Chandler's." Libby explained.
"Good idea. He will downplay anything he did. He was shot, stabbed, and beaten. He lost his entire family. When we landed in Norfolk, he could have stayed on land to find them but he came back. That haunts him. The death certificates for his wife and daughter were dated for after that landing but before we got to St. Louis." Gator explained.
"Didn't he have two daughters and a son?" Libby asked.
"Right, he did. Only found the death certificate for his oldest daughter, Kaitlyn and his wife, Christine. She had told him of his son's death when he was able to call home from the Arctic. His younger daughter…I can't remember her name now, maybe Hannah or Hilary…started with an H, he never found her death certificate but back then when a body was unidentified, they just cremated it and there was no record. I can guess that Christine and Kaitlyn had some sort of I.D. on them and the younger daughter didn't." Gator explained.
"That is so sad. My mom lost her entire family. Her dad was in the Navy but she doesn't remember his name or the ship that he was on. They got separated before the Red Flu and she never heard from him again. One of her foster families gave her a last name and until she married, that was her name. I don't guess she remembers her birth name. We aren't even certain that her first name was her actual name." Libby said as she closed her notebook.
"Just a thought but if he was in the Navy, his DNA would be on record. Her's could be run and see if there were any matches. Any of the DNA places would know how to go about it." Gator said.
"I can suggest it but Mom is terrified that she will find that he died. She's had a rough life and she's scared." Libby said as she stood up.
"Just a thought, but if he is still out there; he's missing her too. I know the hell that Mike has gone through. He still grieves for Christine, Kaitlyn and Lucas, but the unknown where the younger daughter is concerned…you can't imagine." Gator remarked as he walked Libby to the door.
"True, well thank you for your time. As I said before, if I have any further questions; I'll call." Libby said as she shook Gator's hand and then walked down the porch steps.
As Libby drove back to Washington, she thought about what Gator had suggested. She felt she not only owed it to Hannah but also to whoever her father was to find the answer. But could she handle the aftermath?
