Chapter 22: Saying Goodbye and Hannah
Kimberly put her stuff in the jeep and turned to Tommy. "Are you sure you can handle things here without me?" She asked. Tommy smiled and grabbed her hands.
"Kimberly, we can handle things in Reefside," he assured her.
Kimberly sighed and nodded. She played with her engagement ring and Tommy grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay," he added. She nodded and sighed. Kylie came out of the house and got in the car. He opened the door for her and let her in.
On their way to the aiport, Tommy could tell that something was one Kimberly's mind. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked. He reached over and grabbed her hand. Kimberly gave his hand a squeeze before answering him.
"Tommy, there's something about my team I haven't told you," she replied.
"Okay," he stated.
"Well, there's this one girl, her name is Hannah. I've been her coach since she was nine. Well, one day, her mother dropped her off at practice and we never saw her again. We searched for a year for that woman. We couldn't find anyone to take her and her father had died. So, the next thing I knew, the state had given me custody of Hannah. I started to raise Hannah as my own daughter. She became part of the family," she explained.
"That's awful," he murmured.
Kimberly reached into her purse and pulled out a picture. "We didn't want to tell you about Hannah until we thought you could handle knowing that I've been raising a seventeen-year-old girl," Kimberly added. Tommy looked at the picture to see that it was taken when Kylie was born.
Hannah was ten when the picture was taken. She had shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair, blue eyes, she was wearing sneakers, blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a French braid.
He handed the picture back to Kimberly and she stuck the picture back in her purse. "Don't worry about it, Kim. I understand completely," he assured her. Kimberly smiled and held onto his hand. "It had to be hard raising Hannah," he stated.
"It would've been worse if Jason wasn't there," she sighed.
"Well, Jason is your fiancé's best friend."
"He's been like a brother to me since we were in diapers."
"Good point."
"So, you aren't angry about me keeping Hannah a secret?"
"No, but you shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything, Kim. I'll always protect you and the girls from any sort of danger."
"Thanks for being so nice, Tommy."
Tommy kissed the top of her hand with a smile. "No problem, Beautiful," he told her. She smiled before looking out at the road again.
When they arrived at the airport, the rest of the Ranger team were there to see her off. She walked over and embraced Hayley. "We'll be keeping track of your team before you come home," she informed. Kimberly nodded before shaking Ethan, Connor, and Trent's hands. She embraced Kira with a smile.
"Take care of Tommy and Kylie for me," she instructed.
"You have nothing to worry about," Kira assured her.
Kimberly then placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm still so sorry that you and your manager couldn't work things out," she stated.
"No worries, I was able to make my own music video with my friends without somebody changing who I am," Kira assured her.
When Kimberly stood in front of Kylie, she hugged her tight and lifted her off the ground. "You be good for daddy, sweetie," she instructed.
"I will, I'll miss you mommy," Kylie whispered.
"I'm going to miss you too, baby."
She placed a kiss on her cheek before setting her back on the floor. She stood in front of Tommy and hugged him tight not wanting to let him go. He closed his eyes as he held her close. "I'll call you as soon as my plane lands," she murmured.
"Don't worry yourself, everything's going to be fine," he whispered.
"Now boarding all classes on Flight 32 to Athens," the announcer announced.
"That's your flight," he reminded.
She nodded and touched his face. "I love you," she told him.
"I love you too," he answered.
He held onto her hand and looked at her engagement ring. "As soon as you come back, we'll be able to plan our future," he stated. She nodded and gave him a kiss. Hayley then pushed Kimberly towards the gate.
"Now go before you miss your flight," Hayley insisted.
Tommy picked Kylie up and had her sit on his side while watching the woman they both love go on the plane. Once Kimberly handed the woman at the gate her ticket, she waved to her friends and family before leaving.
When she sat down in her seat next to one of her teammates, she started playing with her engagement ring again. "Hey, coach, I thought Kylie was going to come?" She asked.
"She was going to come, but she's going to stay with her dad instead," Kimberly replied.
"Oh, the high school teacher you're engaged to right?" She asked.
"Yeah."
Tommy stopped in front of the house and looked over at Kylie to see her fast asleep. He smiled and got out of the car first. He then picked her up and carried her into the house.
He set Kylie on her bed and pulled the blankets around her. He placed a kiss on the side of her head and placed her teddy bear next to her. She unconsciously pulled the bear to her. "I love you," he whispered. Then he left the room.