Shadows of the Past
Chapter 14
Mostly, the kids were scared that Christine would leave and not come back. They were accepting of her leaving as long as she promised to come back. Katie and Hannah weren't thrilled, but knew there was a tiny possibility that Mike would come back with Christine. They missed their dad, more than either liked to admit. Katie drove Christine to the airport, but was mostly silent.
Christine got checked in and at six; was on the plane to leave. She had splurged for a new book to keep herself occupied, wondering what she would be into once she hit the ground if Virginia. There was a possibility that Mike would reject her completely. He would be angry. She still wasn't sure what she could do to help him. At eight, her flight landed and Tom met her. He hadn't aged very gracefully. His hair was mostly all white now, and his face looked swelled. She didn't ask why, but could only imagine.
"Its good to see you." Tom said as he took her carry-on.
"Likewise, even if I don't know what I can do. How is he?" Christine asked.
"Worse. The baby died through the night. We were expecting it, but it is still another blow." Tom said. His matter-of-fact tone bothered Christine. It was like an everyday thing that a baby died.
"I really hate this for Mike." Christine said.
"We all do." Tom answered. He put her bag in the back of an SUV and pointed at the front passenger seat. It was time for them to go to wherever Mike was.
"Does he know I'm coming?" Christine asked.
"I told him, but I don't know if he understood." Tom answered as he began the drive.
"He won't be very happy." Christine said.
"Momentarily, maybe not. It might prove to him that he isn't alone though." Tom remarked.
"He made a lot of choices that led us to this. I only chose to stay with my kids. Even if our marriage was over, Mike could have still had a relationship with them." Christine said.
"He knows that…now." Tom remarked.
"And he is afraid its too late?" Christine asked.
"Not that he would admit, but yes." Tom said.
"And by having me here; you are hoping to remind him it might not be too late?" Christine asked. It made her a little upset, but it was too late and the part of her that still loved Mike wanted to make sure he was alright and hopefully build a bridge for him to go back to their kids.
"I suppose. Look, I know I am putting you in a predicament. I wasn't sure the girls were mature enough to handle this, so it needed to be you. He's burnt a lot of bridges. If I could have done anything else; I would have." Tom answered as they pulled up to a townhouse.
"Where are we?" Christine asked.
"Mike's house. We couldn't get him to stay with us. I live across the street, so I'll be close." Tom said.
"You're going to leave me here alone with him?" Christine asked.
"He won't hurt you." Tom answered. Christine could only groan in response. Tom and she got out of the truck and he got her bag while she looked around. The porch was nicely decorated, telling her it had also been Maddie's home. Mike wouldn't decorate a porch. He led her up the stairs and they were greeted by a younger man that Christine thought she had met at some point. "Christine; this is Danny Green. Mike and I served with him on the James." Tom explained.
"Its nice to meet you." Christine said as she shook Danny's hand.
"Likewise." Danny answered.
"How is he?" Tom asked.
"He's upstairs. I took all the sharp objects and weapons away, but hadn't accounted for the alcohol. He's already pretty well sauced. Master Chief is also with him." Danny answered.
"Has he eaten?" Christine asked.
"I don't know when he last ate. He refuses." Tom said.
"Alright. I'll go up and see him, and then I'll fix him some breakfast. I'll get him to eat." Christine said. She took her coat off and headed up the stairs. As she passed by a room, she focused on a crib and changing table. It put things into perspective. Russ Jeter opened the door to a bedroom and let her in, and she immediately smelled alcohol. Mike looked nothing like the pictures in magazines. There were bruises on his face, from the accident and his arm was in a cast, but he looked totally lost. He was disheveled and was sitting on the floor against the bed. Her heart broke for him and she knelt down next to him. "Oh, Mike." Christine said.
"I'm shocked you're here." Mike said quietly.
"Yeah, Tom convinced me. Mike, we need to get you sobered up. I know its hard, but you have to face it. Russ; can you fix some coffee? I'll get him cleaned up and go down and fix breakfast." Christine asked. She stood up and pulled Mike to his feet. He was unsteady at best, but Russ nodded.
"Are you sure?" Russ asked.
"Yeah. I can handle him." Christine said. She led Mike to the on suite bathroom and turned the shower on. "C'mon. You still have blood on you, probably from the accident. We need to make you presentable." Christine said as she helped Mike take his t-shirt off.
"Its her blood." Mike said simply.
"I figured so." Christine answered. She helped Mike strip completely and wrapped a towel around his arm so he could shower. Thankfully; he complied and she didn't have to help him with part. While he showered; she texted Katie to let her know she was in Norfolk and with her dad. Of all the kids, Katie had been particularly upset by her father's predicament and had wanted to accompany Christine. She honestly was blaming herself.
Mike finished his shower, shaved and changed into a fresh outfit. He was very quiet but agreed to follow Christine downstairs for her to fix him some breakfast. He sat at the island, staring into space as she worked; scrambling eggs and frying bacon. Tom, Russ and Danny had gone to Tom's house and Christine focused on her estranged husband as he looked down at the plate of food she had served him.
"I would imagine once you feel up to it; you'll need to make some final arrangements. Is there anything I can help with?" Christine asked.
"Uh…an outfit for her? There are clothes up with the closet. I know the funeral home is wanting me to meet with them and begin making plans." Mike said.
"I'll help you." Christine said with a slight smile.
"Why are you here? I know Tom asked you to come, but God knows I gave you a thousand reasons not to." Mike asked.
"Because you are the father of my children. They've missed you a lot. Because of you being their father; a part of me will always love you. Despite you hurting them as deeply as you have." Christine said.
"You always did cut to the chase." Mike remarked.
"You asked. Look; I am not here for an argument." Christine said.
"You are here to get me back." Mike answered.
"Yes and no. If you want our marriage to be done, then I'll sign the papers, but I want you to go see your kids. Give them a proper goodbye. From there, if you choose to leave them; that's on you. I think a tiny piece of you still loves them because you were pretty diligent about sending money for a long time." Christine explained.
"How are they?" Mike asked.
"Katie is running the farm with your dad's help. We had a bad drought last year, but thankfully; he didn't have her put as much of a crop out, so we weren't as hit as hard as some of the families. She had to find a way to supplement her income so she's also working at the grocery store. Hannah is out of school and working at an insurance agency. Rebecca is going into kindergarten and the twins are in Pre-K." Christine explained.
"No college?" Mike asked.
"When you stopped sending the money orders, that ended those dreams." Christine said bluntly.
"Oh." Mike said, looking particularly sheepish.
"Mike; they miss you. There's some anger, but mostly; its sadness. Abandoning me is one thing. You abandoned your children." Christine told him.
"I just don't think there is anyway back. I…want to, but I burnt bridges. Maddie wanted me to. She wanted me to treat you better. To fix things with the kids and my parents. She called it a better goodbye, one where I could visit. They would visit and I could talk to them on the phone." Mike said. Christine reached over and patted his hand.
"Would you like me to call Katie? She's the one that has been really worried about you. It was a bit of a fight for her not to come along with me here. She kind of blames herself." Christine asked.
"For what?" Mike asked after taking a bite of the eggs.
"After you came back from the Med, you were on a slow simmer. One day; you and she were arguing about her driving the tractor. You said she was backtalking and you slapped her. The next day, you left. So, she thinks its her fault." Christine explained.
"I see." Mike answered.
"The first step is calling Katie." Christine encouraged. Finally, Mike nodded in agreement. Christine pulled her phone out and punched in Katie's number. She left it on speaker so she could monitor the conversation. Katie answered on the second ring.
"Mom, is everything okay? I got your text." Katie asked.
"Yes, but your dad is asking to talk to you." Christine answered, giving Mike a gentle nod. She could tell he was nervous, so she squeezed his good hand.
"Katie…" Mike started.
"Daddy…I am sorry for what happened that day." Katie started. Mike closed his eyes and Christine was beginning to get worried that he would reject Katie again. Instead, tears began pouring down his cheeks.
"Katie; I'll call you back in a few minutes. Your dad is having a rough time. Its not…talking to you, but everything else he is going through." Christine said.
"Okay." Katie answered. Christine disconnected the call and walked around the island before wrapping her arms around Mike. Instead of pulling away, he put his face into her shoulder and continued crying. She didn't know what else to do but she did know the anger was slowly going away.