Together
Chapter 18
Mike had caught a late case and didn't make it home until the early hours Saturday morning. He felt terrible because of how much Christine was looking forward to it. He had also been unable to call her. She was asleep on the couch, wearing the outfit that she had planned on wearing to the comedy club. Judging by the way her makeup was streaked, she had been crying. Mike knelt down next to her, and gently pushed her hair out of her face. He kissed her forehead and watched as she woke up. She gave him a slight smile, but he could tell she was disappointed in him.
"I'm sorry. We caught a late case and I couldn't call. I know how much you were looking forward to this." Mike said.
"I just wanted you to have a nice night." Christine remarked.
"I'll make it up to you." Mike said as he helped Christine sit up.
"When?! You're always working and when you aren't, you are so tired you can't see straight." Christine demanded. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice to him.
"I am sorry." Mike apologized again, hoping to deescalate the situation.
"I am going to take a shower. Katie is at your grandmother's and she needs picked up by ten am. Grammy has a hair appointment." Christine said before she walked off.
"Okay." Mike answered. He had wanted to take a shower but he'd let Christine take hers first. Given her mood, jumping in the shower with her was not a wise move. Instead; he fixed her a cup of tea and waited. Finally; she came out. He could tell she had been crying again, but she offered him another soft smile. "Tea?" Mike asked. She nodded and he passed the cup.
"When's your next day off?" Christine asked.
"Sunday." Mike answered.
"So, you can go to mass with me and Katie?" Christine asked.
"I'll try." Mike answered.
"Mike; please. Just a few hours. That's all I'm asking for." Christine pleaded.
"I will do my best." Mike said. He didn't want to break another promise, so it was easier not to make one.
"Fine. I'm going to bed." Christine announced. She sat the cup down a bit hard in the sink and walked to their bedroom, slamming the door behind her; which left Mike in a quandary. He needed to also go to bed and he just couldn't handle the couch or Katie's toddler bed. He was going to have to fix his marriage rather quickly. He turned the lights off and walked into the bedroom, glad she hadn't locked the door. He grabbed a pair of boxers out of the dresser, and looked at Christine. She was reading a book, which was better than glaring at him.
"Look; I am tired. I want to take a shower and sleep, because I'll have a long day tomorrow. I am going to sleep in here and I want this solved before I go to work in the morning. I will do my best to be home Sunday and if I am here, I will do anything you and Katie want to do. I promise you that." Mike said.
"Go, take the shower. Come to bed. It'll be better in the morning." Christine said. Mike decided to take a chance, and kissed the top of her head before going into the bathroom. After a quick shower, he walked back in wearing the clean boxers. Christine was sound asleep and he climbed in next to her.
He fell asleep pretty quickly and was sound asleep with his arms around Christine when the phone next to his bed rang. Not wanting it to wake her up, he grabbed it and groaned when he saw the ID. It was his partner's phone number.
"Yeah?" Mike asked as he got out of the bed.
"Hey; we've had a break. We have to go scoop the suspect up. Bring him in." Joe Hicks said.
"Its…four am. I just got home at midnight." Mike said.
"Me too, sleeping beauty. I'll be at your place in fifteen." Joe said before hanging up. Mike groaned. He quickly got dressed in the dark bedroom. He thought about not waking Christine, but she would be scared if she woke alone, and didn't know where he was.
"Hey; I just got a call. I gotta be at work. Joe is picking me up so you'll have the car to get Katie." Mike said. Christine narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded.
"Be careful." Christine said.
"I will." Mike promised her.
"Mike…I love you. Please don't forget that, even if you don't love me back." Christine said. Mike nodded and brushed her hair out of her face before standing back up.
"Go back to sleep. I'll call you when I get the chance." Mike said. He slipped out before she said anything else. By the time he got downstairs, Joe was waiting at the curb in their assigned vehicle.
"Sergeant is going to kick your butt for not shaving." Joe said.
"I was given fifteen minutes warning and Christine was being chatty." Mike commented. He had shaved the night before, but he usually had to shave twice a day at least.
"I bet she wasn't happy that you missed your date." Joe remarked.
"She was pissed. She yelled at me." Mike said.
"Uh…Carolyn yells at me on a daily basis. Its how we keep our relationship interesting. You seem surprised that she yelled at you." Joe said.
"Christine doesn't. She's pretty calm and collected. I think she was just needing some adult time with her husband and it fell apart on her. I told her if I was home tomorrow; I'd go to mass with her and Katie. No promise." Mike told him.
"Well, hang onto that. We will be meeting up with SWAT. This guy is dangerous and he has assaulted an officer in Missouri before. Head on a swivel. We are here to meet up with SWAT. Your vest is in the back seat." Jim said.
"Copy." Mike said. He quickly suited up. They met up with SWAT and the sergeant. Mike, being Mike choose to go in with SWAT. The suspect was supposed to be on the third floor in an apartment. As they approached it; Mike got a funny feeling, and about the time he was going to turn away from the door, there was the sound of a shotgun racking and then firing. He felt what felt like fire on his face and neck and was thrown backwards. He heard yelling and someone talking to him, but everything was going black.
"Hey, kid. Hang on. You have that pretty wife and daughter to go home to." Jim told him. He wasn't even sure where Jim had come from.
"We need to go. That shot has hit his airway." A paramedic said.
"Mike…is there anything you want me to tell Christine or Katie?" Jim encouraged.
"Love…love her." Mike struggled.
"I'll tell her. You just stay awake. You don't want them to intubate you." Jim told him. Mike didn't have the energy to ask why. He was fighting too hard to just stay conscious.
Before he knew it, he was at the hospital with doctors assessing him. Someone told him that Jim had gone for Christine, but he was rushed into surgery before she got there. As the anesthetic took affect; Mike hoped that he would be able to actually tell Christine that he loved her.