Chapter 61


Danny sat by Debbie's bedside waiting for her to wake up. Wolf had left to run his own errands. What they were? Danny didn't ask, he had a feeling that he was trying to see if there was a way of contacting Australia. Not that the man talked about it but it was clear that he wanted to know if his family was alive. Danny had asked Major Damon if anyone with his last name came into Norfolk but the only Greens on the base didn't share any first name he recognised. It made him wish he had the time to really search for his family. But Major Damon made it clear that if his family didn't check in here or the other safe zone run by the military they were either in a regional safe zone or dead as the Scavengers usually didn't leave people alive in the dead zones for long.

"You look familiar." Debbie murmured as she slowly woke up. The woman looked terribly, her eyes bloodshot and hair a mess. She looked nothing like the woman he'd met months ago on their first return to Norfolk.

"It's me, Danny Green. Your daughter's fiance." Danny said hoping to prompt her memory given she was still out of it. Probably from the massive hangover she was nursing. He really wanted to empathise with her situation but he just didn't understand addiction and well he had spoken with Wolf who's view point tainted his own as Wolf said it was a flat out choice.

Danny knew some people had a certain personality traits that made them more likely to become addicts. But he too felt it was choice followed by how strong a person's convictions were to keep clean. He just wan't one to think too deeply on it or feel passionate about the subject to share his opinion and frankly it wouldn't help Debbie or Kara.

"She's getting married." Debbie said pressing a hand to her face. She made it sound like it was the worst news in the world. It made what little sympathy he had evaporate along with whatever hope he had of convincing her to come to the wedding.

"To me, yeah I know. How you feeling?" Danny asked her, he did care about her. She was going to be family but he realised that he needed to share what his limitations were. Maybe now wasn't the time but he had a feeling that there was never a good time.

"In need of a drink." She said with a wry smile, obviously it was a joke but it fell flat with her audience.

"Mrs Foster, I think you've had enough to drink for a lifetime. It's time to get help." Danny said, overstepping his bounds completely. But he knew in his bones that he couldn't spend the rest of his married life with Kara worrying about whether the next phone call would be the one to tell her that Debbie died from alcohol poisoning.

"You think because you're screwing my daughter that you have a right to dictate my life to me?" Debbie asked him, her tone scathing even if her voice was rough and weak. It was clear she knew his number well.

"I think as your future son in law and the father of your future grandchildren that I'd really like for my kids' grandmother to pull herself together and get the help she needs. You'll be a role model for our kids, what kind of behaviour are you setting for them now?" Danny asked Debbie in a calm yet pragmatic toner.

"Kara turned out alright in spite of me. So why bother as we know you'll just shut me out." Debbie argued.

"I'm not here to shut you out. I'm here because Kara was concerned for you and couldn't get time away from her duties to be here. I also know when you're sober you're the most loving and caring woman I've met. You pulled together a community in a crisis-"

"That's right, then the military came in and took that community away like they did Kara. They all don't need me anymore." Debbie told him, it was clear she had her own narrative to excuse herself of the damaging behaviour she was partaking in.

"Deb, we want you in our lives, We also need you in our support network. But it has to be with you completely sober. I know that Kara would really like you at the wedding-"

"Sober." Debbie said scathingly. Her hatred was more at herself than Danny. She knew what he was saying but he had no understanding of her life, of her isolation and pain. That drinking to her was not some choice people believed it to be. It was a crutch, it was her medicine, yes it didn't help her in the long term but sometimes she needed that drink as desperately as she needed to breathe. It was to give that up especially when it was the only pleasure she had in life.

"It's the version of you that we like the best. It's the person I want Kara and my kids to know and grow up knowing. Now there is a program on the base. I can pull some strings and get you in today but you have to put in the hard yards." Danny told her.

"I'll just fall off the wagon again." She promised him.

"That sounds as though you've made a choice. One I wouldn't recommend, here's my card. If you change your mind, give me a call. I'll set it up, I'll get you a weekend pass to come to the wedding because I know Kara wants you there but it's your decision to make." Danny said as he placed his card on the bedside table. He piked up his crutches and got up from his chair and left Debbie to her own thoughts. He made it outside of her room and saw Wolf leaning against the wall looking bored.

"All good?" Wolf asked him.

"Not great, but you mind if we clean up the house?" Danny asked Wolf, he didn't want Kara to come to Norfolk on a whim and see the current state of the house. He felt it wasn't fair on her and frankly he couldn't fix Debbie's problems for Kara but he could clean the house.

"Yeah, no worries." Wolf said.


The next few days went in a flash and before Larrin knew it. It was Saturday. Shopping had been successful with Kara, Andrea and Rachel. Everyone came away with a dress for the wedding, Rachel ended up with ruby red high neckline, sleeveless midi dress with a flare skirt. It was elegantly chic and low maintenance look for her and conveniently covered her chest. Tex was going to ecstatic given Kara and Rachel urged Andrea to get a sculpted wraparound green dress with a v-neckline that gathered beautifully at the waist. Even without make up and her hair not done the woman looked ready for a date.

Larrin ended up with a fitted lilac tea dress with a flare skirt made from a soft chiffon and lace that had a sweetheart neckline and lace straps, it was paired with a rose pink cardigan. Not colours she'd choose for herself but she did look good. Just as she did now in the cotton canary yellow shirt dress that ended at her knees. She paired it with nude coloured flats. She felt that maybe everyone else was more nervous about this date than she was as they helped her with her hair and minimal make up given she had no tolerance to sit still.

Miller and she made the quickest exit from the house as it felt like they were leaving for prom minus people taking photos and corsages being given. It was a little embarrassing how invested everyone was. The only person who wasn't on board was Ms Miller who decided she was too busy to see them off which was a relief as the others were over the top as it was.

Either way, Miller drove them to the park and short walk later they were enjoying the beautiful weather and the fact no one was watching them like a hawk.

"You look really beautiful." Miller said to Larrin, she gave a light blush as she smoothed a hand down her dress.

"Thank you, you're not so bad yourself." she said as he was dressed in jeans and a blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and two buttons undone. He looked really handsome, she bit her bottom lip and stopped walking, nerves and desire getting the better of her.

"Everything alright?" Miller asked as he turned to face her, she looked at him for a long moment and before he could say another word she kissed him. It was a chaste kiss, as she brushed her lips over his. He'd been a little shocked at her kissing that he didn't even get to respond when she pulled away.

"I heard the anticipation of the first kiss can make the first date really uncomfortable. Cause people worry about bad breath, weirdness or whatever. So I figure we already kissed before but this is different-" Larrin babbled adorably, her cheeks flaming a deep red now. "I just wanted to-really wanted to kiss you and-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Miller kissed her back. But there was nothing chaste about his kiss.

He slid his fingers into her soft hair and pulled her close with his other hand into her body. Her lips parted eagerly, and Larrin gave a moan; drowning in the sensations as her tongue sliding over his. The kiss deepened and she melted into him, her whole body sighing in pleasure. She was a little disappointed when the kiss came to an end but really happy at the same time. She knew why the kiss had to end as they were standing outside in broad daylight at a park surrounded by people.

"Feel free to kiss me anytime." he told her, a smile played handsomely on his face distracting her completely.

"Ok," Larrin said a little dazed but in a good way. He smiled as she was cute when she was dazed and he could tell what she was thinking in that moment and feeling as it was all over her face.

"Food?" He asked as much as he wanted to kiss her some more. He knew they'd need food for energy and he had to admit this was way better than any other first date he'd had.

"Yes." Larrin replied but it sounded like she was answering an entirely different question.

"You ok?" he asked her, amused but a tad concerned. She blinked and seemed to be back with him.

"Yeah, I'm really good. Food, yes. Let's eat." she said her brain slowly working again. Miller smiled feeling like a king for short circuiting her brain but glad he wasn't the only one affected by their kiss.


"It's a boy." Danny told Kara as they walked out of the hospital. They'd had their first ultrasound together. Kara already decided it was her first ultrasound too, as she didn't count Baltimore. That was just a bad memory she decided didn't count. Danny who refused to use his crutches and opted for a cane held out one of their many printed photos out like a proud papa.

"It's a girl." Kara told him, they decided to go with it being a surprise but it was fun to speculate about their baby. Danny was dead set on it being a boy, Kara honestly didn't care so she played Devil's advocate and said 'girl' for fun.

"We can have a girl next time. I know how to handle boys given I am one. See that, that says it's a boy" Danny said with a grin as he pointed to the baby's foot, Kara gave a laugh and shook her head.

"Lieutenants." Mike said, Danny and Kara stopped in their conversation and straightened their posture in a respectful greeting. They were not in uniform but old habits died hard.

"Captain, Commander." Danny said in greeting to Tom and Mike, Kara repeating the same acknowledgement.

"How are you both?" Tom asked, he and Mike were about to go into the hospital to check on the latest batch of survivors they'd recovered from a Scavenger compound and pay their respects to the soldiers injured in the firefight.

"Very well Sir, we just had the ultrasound for the baby." Kara said with a smile. Tom felt a pang of envy at the couple as they had the rest of their lives together, they got to experience the joy and pains of being new parents. To grow old together as long as fate wasn't cruel to them. He remember having the same chuffed look Danny had when Darien told him he was going to be a father.

"It's a boy. See that." Danny said showing them the ultrasound, Mike took the photo from him and he and Tom practically analysed the picture. Both frowned at the picture, which was really to stop themselves from laughing out loud as the part of the image that Danny was claiming to be a penis definitely had toes attached to it.

"That is a foot." Mike told Danny bluntly as he wasn't one to be beat around the bush.

"No." Danny said with frown as he looked down at the other copy in his hand.

"Trust me, I know what I'm looking at. Three pregnancies. That is a foot and it's the wrong angle to tell the sex of the kid." Mike informed him, he cleared his throat trying to keep a straight face as Kara looked vindicated and amused. Danny looked confused and a little off put.

"I agree with the Commander. It's a foot." Tom said with a smile as he handed the ultrasound back to Danny who looked so proud yet so utterly clueless, it did make him question the man's education but figured it was exuberance and wishful thinking it to be a boy.

"Thank you, there's still a 50% chance of the baby being a girl." Kara said with a smile, she gave Danny a 'Take that' look at which Danny looked back at her sheepishly.

"Excited about the upcoming nuptials?" Mike asked them.

"Everything is coming together nicely. You'll both be there right?" Kara asked them with a hopeful expression. Tom remembered Danny and Kara asking permission to marry, and extending an invite to him and his family. He liked that they were inviting everyone to their wedding celebrations. The Nathan James crew was truly and extension of his own family, so it felt right that they all attend. He liked how the couple wanted to welcome everyone's family. The expenditure on such a party couldn't be cheap for the couple but they knew what they were up to.

"Wouldn't miss it." Mike told her with a rare smile.

"Agreed, though I'm a little lost on the dress code." Tom admitted.

"Casual smart. Only the Groom and his best man will be wearing their dress blues for the ceremony. Afterwards dressing down given the hour and that we want everyone to feel free to have fun given we're at a park and kids running around." Kara explained hoping she didn't sound too insulting as they all knew there were strict rules to what an officer could and couldn't do in public while dressed in their uniform.

"Sounds like a good plan for a great day." Tom said, he saw the relief in her features when he agreed or in her opinion approved and felt good for letting her not feel restricted by the older values of the military but still respecting it. He had to admit that he was happy to forgo his military uniform, from the sounds of it. He might be able to spend some quality time with his kids and not feel buttoned up by his rank and uniform for the day. He idly wondered if Rachel would be going and pushed the thought aside knowing for sure she'd be there.

He knew she was living with Andrea, the redhead had no qualms giving him updates on her health whenever they crossed paths. He just needed to figure out the best way to approach her. They had tentatively repaired some of the damage to their relationship. He really hoped they could be friends, he knew it was too much to expect more and he frankly wasn't in a place to give her more. It's why he told her to look him up when she got back from saving the world.

If he were honest he was still drowning in his grief. Some days, the pain was there as just a hum in the background; constant emptiness and pain in his soul and heart. Other days, he felt like he was drowning in his grief to the point he couldn't breathe and felt there was no way forward. But anger pushed him forward, anger kept working to destroy everything that had led to Darien's death. The proliferation of the cure, the destruction of anyone who wanted to stop their success. He felt once some sense of normalcy returned to the world he would feel somewhere close to the man he when he left Norfolk all those months before the pandemic and the mess it created.

It was why he felt guilty about Larrin and Rachel even Dr Clarke's death. He hadn't been thinking clearly, he hadn't had enough control and everything fell apart and people got hurt. People he and his crew cared about. He wasn't sure how he would ever make it up to them and then there was his kids. The guilt of abandoning them to the hellhole the world had become, for them watching their mother die, for being back in St Louis and still not had the time to see them. But he was fixing that. He'd made the first steps, he'd found a house, cleaned it up and furnished it. His father and kids would be arriving this afternoon.

"We're hoping so." Danny said.

"Anyway, we should get going we have a meeting. It was good to see you too and congratulations." Tom said making his and Mike's excuses.

"Thank you Sir." Kara said warmly.