The New Assignment
Chapter 6
Maddie was unnerved by how silent Mike was the entire trip to Virginia, but was glad that he got a single hotel room. He had ordered them a pizza and they ate quietly in the room; not being in the mood to go out. Mike would make contact with the funeral home he had the morgue release the remains to the next day, and would plan a funeral of sorts. In all of it; Maddie felt like she was intruding, but she also would have felt badly if Mike was dealing with it by himself.
Few of his friends knew about their relationship and Maddie realized that they depended on Mike but when he needed them; few were there. Russ had been in almost constant contact though and Mike insisted that if Tom could, he would have been there. Maddie wasn't so sure, but that wasn't for her to judge. She settled into the bed and smiled as Mike wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his chest.
"Do you want me with you tomorrow when you go to the funeral home?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah. I specifically don't want to do that alone." Mike admitted.
"I wasn't sure what my place was." Maddie remarked.
"Its all uncharted territory for both of us. I just need you to be here. Beyond that, I don't know yet." Mike said.
"Will do." Maddie said. She leaned up and gave him a long kiss. Even that suddenly felt weird but he was going through hell. She was a little shocked when the kiss become very intense and suddenly; their pajamas were hitting the floor and they were having sex. It was what Maddie had wanted for a while and everything she had imagined, but she also knew Mike was acting out of emotion, so it felt tawdry. Afterwards, Maddie pulled a sheet over the top of them and tried to come up with she was going to say next.
"I know you want to talk, but can we just sleep?" Mike asked quietly.
"Sure." Maddie answered. It worried her but she leaned up and gave him another kiss before settling back on his chest. Thankfully, he would still hold her.
They both fell asleep but Maddie could tell it was a fitful sleep for Mike and he was wide awake by six am. They got ready for what would be a hard day and ate breakfast at a nearby diner. Mike was still impossibly quiet and when they finally pulled into the funeral home, Maddie felt frozen in place in Mike's truck.
"You coming in?" Mike asked.
"Do you want me to?" Maddie asked.
"I do. Please…I can't do this on my own." Mike admitted.
"Okay." Maddie answered. She got out of the truck and Mike took her hand as they walked into the funeral home.
The next half hour was painful to witness and Maddie could only imagine how it felt for Mike. He faltered. There was a few times he choked back tears, especially when he picked things out for Katie. Maddie helped him pick out flower arrangements and even matching caskets. If he had asked, she would have been there if he wanted to see the skeletons, but he opted not to. The funeral was set for two days later and that gave Russ time to get there if he was able to. Once they were done, Maddie could tell Mike was wrung out, even letting her drive back to the hotel. He collapsed onto the bed, still wearing his clothes.
"Mike; I'm going to get us some lunch. I'll be back soon. Will you be okay?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah. I may take a cold shower. I hope you don't mind staying in?" Mike asked.
"No problem." Maddie answered. She gave him another kiss before grabbing her purse and leaving; thinking maybe he needed some privacy. She grabbed sandwiches and soup at a local deli and headed back. By the time she got back; Mike was freshly showered and reading a newspaper at the table in their room. "I got soup and sandwiches. Grabbed sodas on the way through." Maddie said as she unpacked the bag.
"What kind of soup?" Mike asked.
"Chicken noodle and potato. Pick your poison." Maddie said.
"Potato for me." Mike answered. She handed him the bowl, utensils and the club sandwich before sitting down across from him.
"I hope this was okay? I didn't want anything too heavy." Maddie asked.
"Its perfectly fine. Had you ever been to Norfolk?" Mike asked.
"No." Maddie answered.
"Maybe tomorrow we can look around. I just wasn't in the mood today." Mike said.
"We do this at your pace. If you don't feel up to it tomorrow; we'll sit tight." Maddie answered. Sure, there were a couple shops she'd like to visit, but she didn't want to leave Mike on his own for long and wouldn't drag him along when he needed privacy to sort through his emotions.
"We'll figure something out. I just appreciate you being here." Mike said.
"Whatever you need." Maddie answered, wondering exactly what that would mean. Only time would tell.