Author's Note: This one is still rolling. Another chapter knocked out. Happy Reading...dark rolling sea.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tom Chandler
Tom was vaguely aware there was someone else in his house. His broken alcohol fueled brain figured it was just another dead person coming to haunt him. He was coming out of a blackout drunk period and his head was pounding. His stomach rolled and he couldn't open his eyes past slits. Did someone turn on the lights?
His leg throbbed with pain, and he felt like he'd been run over by a truck. He licked at his dry lips and tried to swallow the cottony feeling in his mouth. That someone was in the living room with him. He wondered who it would be this time. Probably Darien. Or his dad. Both coming to judge him silently like they always did. He felt like crying. He felt like exploding and breaking everything in his house. He felt like curling up in a ball and never waking up. He was in hell. His mind stuck in a whirlwind of guilt, pain, and sadness.
Broken. That was how he felt. That was what he was. Sasha was wrong. There was no fix. He couldn't image one anyway. There was a fracture inside him. He had gambled with lives and paid a price so steep; he didn't see a way out. The devil had him now, and no one could pull him back. Why was that ghost making so much noise? Tom covered his ears and clamped his eyes shut. He needed more whiskey to chase this pain in his head away. He reached for the bottle and frowned.
He had left it right there on the table, hadn't he? Maybe he had moved it in the blackout period. Maybe he had…he cracked his eyes open a little more and glanced around the table. No bottle. He glanced to his left, no bottle. To his right, no bottle. What the actual fuck. Did he take it to the kitchen?
He didn't think he had the energy or the balance to make it to his kitchen right now. Every movement he made sent a sharp searing pain through his brain, and a roll of bile through his stomach. If he wasn't careful, he was going to throw up all over his couch. What the fuck was that ghost doing?
He sucked in air through his nose, trying to settle his mind and body. Closing his eyes felt the best so that's what he did. He could hear the person moving around his house. What were they doing? It didn't make much sense, the ghost usually didn't make any noise, but whoever this one was…so much noise. He groaned and pressed his hands to his eyes.
"Can you knock it off?" he yelled at no one in particular. He did not expect an answer so when she spoke, he nearly fell off the couch he jumped so bad.
"No," came the stern reply. He dropped his hands, and his eyes flew open. It was a move he regretted as the light sliced through and sent a bolt of pain into his brain. He cringed and sucked in air trying desperately to keep the contents of his stomach, mostly liquid, where it was.
"What the fuck," he whispered as he sat rigid on his couch. "You aren't dead."
"Um…no I'm not," Sasha replied, her face twisted in confusion. "Why didn't you call, Tom?" she continued, her voice softening. Pity, Tom thought. That was pity. He didn't want her pity.
"Where's my whiskey?" he demanded. Her eyes closed as her face fell. Sadness?
"Tom, you need help."
"No, I don't. I'm fine," he snapped angrily. His head rocked with pain and he thought he was going to throw up. He hunched forward and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, you look fine," she said, sounding annoyed. "Where are your kids, Tom? Where are Sam and Ash?" she continued.
"Fucking Slattery took 'em," Tom said as the anger brewed deeper. "Took my gun too," he added in a mumble. His hands flexed as his stomach stopped revolting. "Give me my bottle."
"No," she replied like a tired mother who's said no a hundred times already. Tom glared at her and attempted to stand. Pain raced through his brain, throwing off his balance. His sore leg was stiff and didn't hold his weight. He went down. Hard.
"Fuck," he ground out as his shoulder bounced off the corner of the table. Sasha was moving in a flash, to his side. She reached out to help him and he angrily pushed her hands away. "Leave me alone," he ground out. "I can take care of myself."
"Obviously you can't," she said through gritted teeth. "And I'm worried about you. I'm assuming this isn't your first fall, considering the gash on your head."
"My head is fine," Tom snapped, then winced as pain rocked through it. He was also rubbing at his shoulder.
"Yeah. I can see that. Get up," she deadpanned. Tom glared at her. "Sit on the couch and tell me what's going on."
"Nothing's going on," he whispered. He didn't want to talk about the ghosts. He didn't want to talk about the flashbacks. He didn't want to admit that he saw his father sitting on the other side of the room right now staring, with dead eyes, judging him. He didn't want to do any of it, because it would mean more pain. And he didn't think he was strong enough to survive it.
"Tom," Sasha said his name so softly, so intimately. He moved his eyes to look into hers. The emotion there hit him. He knew in that moment she still loved him. He collapsed the rest of the way against his living room floor and closed his eyes, dropping his arm over his face to hide from her. "You don't have to get up."
He felt her shift and then she was next to him on the floor. They were shoulder to shoulder. Tom felt the tears leak from his eyes, as his chest heaved. He didn't remove his arm. As some of the emotion leaked out of him, he felt her arm stretch across his stomach, her head settle gently against his chest, her leg, hook softly over his. That gesture broke the dam, and a low wail came out of him as he breathed out. Sasha squeezed him a little tighter.
"It's okay to cry, Tom, it's okay to let this out. If you don't? It will kill you and I don't think I could live with that," she whispered against his chest. Tom continued to cry. His emotions overwhelming him. At some point he fell asleep.
When he woke up later there was a blanket tucked around him, but Sasha was gone. Had he dreamed that whole thing? He closed his eyes and sighed. His brain was so fucked up he couldn't trust anything. The pain from before was less, his head still hurt, but not like it had. His shoulder was sore, and he remembered banging it off the corner of the table.
He slowly sat up, giving his equilibrium time to adjust, then looked around. The lights were off again. He glanced at the other side of the room, but no ghosts were staring at him right now. That was a relief. He coughed and then rubbed at his eyes, knocking the grit out of them, then let his head settle.
There was something on the coffee table. Tom let his eyes focus on it giving his brain time to catch up. He felt like it was running in slow motion. His stomach clenched and he thought he might throw up but then it passed, and his eyes focused on the piece of paper on the coffee table.
He reached over and picked it up, squinting in the darkness trying to read it. He sighed. It was useless he needed more light. He tried to rise to his feet and stumbled, his sore leg bellowing in pain. He grabbed at it out of instinct and regretted the movement as his head swam. He noticed his hands were shaking. He needed a drink.
He slowly walked into his kitchen and when he arrived at the counter, he immediately ducked over to the garbage can and threw up. Once his stomach was done revolting, he straightened up and turned on the tap. He cupped his hand and filled it with water, then sucked it into his mouth, swishing it around, then spit it into the sink. His skin was hot, but he felt a chill. How much had he drunk?
He remembered the note and looked over at the counter. It sat there beckoning him. Someone had been in his house. Flashes of Sasha laying on the floor with him crashed through his brain and he frowned. Had she really been there? Or had it just been a drunken vision? He picked up the paper.
Tom,
I had another errand I had to run. You were asleep so I figured I'd do it now. I'll be back later, and we can talk. We can fix whatever is broken.
Sasha
Tom swallowed. So, she had really been there. She had really held him while he cried. He stood gripping his counter, his knuckles so tight, they turned white. With his eyes closed he tried to figure out why she was there at all. He thought about locking his front door.
Ashley Chandler
The ride home from school was quiet. It was awkward and painful. Ashley could tell Sam was angry. She could tell Uncle Mike was worried about him. She knew she was feeling like no one cared about her. She didn't have it in her to act out like Sam was. At least not the same way Sam was, but she was scared. She was tired. She was so very sad. She glanced at her brother and saw the anger flaring in his eyes and worried he was going to do something stupid.
She didn't know how to help him. She missed her mom, she missed her grandfather, she missed her father. She was also very angry with her father. He abandoned them when they needed him the most. Now they were stuck with Uncle Mike and Ms. Garnett…who they didn't even know.
They finally made it to the house and Sam sprang out of the truck so fast Ashley almost jumped. She glanced at Uncle Mike as his eyes followed her brother. When Sam made it inside and the front door slammed shut, Uncle Mike finally broke his gaze and glanced at Ashley.
"I'm worried about him," Uncle Mike said softly. Ashley felt the burn of tears in her eyes.
"Yeah," she said, her voice cracking a little. Uncle Mike studied her face for a long moment and Ashley had to look away.
"And you," Uncle Mike added. Ashley felt a tear slip then she rubbed her face with her sleeve.
"Yeah," she repeated then climbed out of his truck. She walked quickly into the house and retreated to her room. She wanted to rewind time. She wanted to go back to before the pandemic. She wanted to return to…normal.
She was thankful that Uncle Mike and Ms. Garnett left her alone. She wasn't in the mood to talk or be talked to. She didn't feel like eating, she didn't feel like company. She just wanted to lay in the dark under the covers and cry.
Mike Slattery
Once home with the kids Mike sat on the couch with his head in his hands. When they had gotten back Andrea was not there and Mike didn't know where she had gone. Mike wondered if Sasha had made it to town yet as the sun went down. Neither of the Chandler kids had come out of their rooms and Mike wasn't sure what to do to help them. He figured he'd talk to Andrea about finding them a shrink to talk to about everything. Especially the grief. He figured Ashley would go willing, but he wasn't so sure about Sam.
Someone pulled into the driveway and Mike looked to see if he could tell who it was. He recognized Andrea's car, and he got up and met her at the door. He opened it as she walked up and tried to read her body language. Something was definitely up. She smiled as she stepped passed him and walked to the couch. Mike followed. They both sat down.
"Where have you been?" Mike asked softly. Andrea smiled at him and put a hand on his knee.
"I got a call earlier while you were picking up the kids. How are they by the way?"
"Sam is angry. Ashley is hurting. They need a shrink or something," Mike said as he felt fatigue wash through him. Andrea nodded slowly before she squeezed her hand on his knee. "So, who called? Where did you go?"
"I got a call from an old friend. We went through the Naval Academy together. She didn't have my number so she contacted the base here. The captain had me come in. Anyway, she's running an orphanage for girls in Maryland."
"Orphanage for girls?" Mike asked, his heart quickening, blood pounding through his head. He felt lightheaded.
"Yes. She has a pair of sisters, going by Hannah and Abbey," Andrea continued quietly. Mike reached down and gripped her hand that was still on his knee. He felt like he was going to pass out. "She said they said their last name is Slattery and she knew I had served with you on the Nathan James."
"Hannah and Abbey are alive?" Mike said then swallowed. He gulped air as he felt the room start to spin.
"It sounds like it, Mike. In Maryland. Jane said you can come and get them anytime. The sooner the better as they are overcrowded and are taking in new girls every day."
Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was what he was wanting to hear since they came back to Norfolk the first time. Andrea's hand rotated and her fingers curled through his. He tried to control his breathing, but all kinds of emotions were swirling inside him. He was elated that they had been found. He was worried sick at what they had been through. His heart was pounding, thudding in his ears.
"Mike?" Andrea asked quietly as her free hand came up to his jaw. "You, okay?"
"I…my girls," he sputtered. His brain seemed to be shutting down a little bit. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Yes," Andrea said. "I had been checking with a few orphanages in the surrounding area. I guess the local lady put the word out that I was looking and word made it to Jane−"Andrea was saying, but Mike cut her off.
"You did that?" he asked surprised. He had no idea she was looking that hard for his girls.
"Of course, Mike," she said with a shake of her head. Mike pulled his hand free and wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her into him, tightly hugging her. Tears that were building slid down his cheeks.
"Thank you," he croaked in a hoarse voice. She wrapped her arms around his mid-section and let him crush her to his chest. Finally, Mike released her, and she pulled back, her hands lingering on his ribs for a moment before she pulled all the way back.
"You're welcome," she smiled. Mike nodded as he sucked in some more air. "I'll watch the Chandler kids if you want to go to Maryland.
"Yes," Mike said as he seemed to snap out of the whirlwind of shock. "I need to pack and go get my girls."
Mike looked around the house and sighed. There wasn't enough room for him, his girls, Andrea, and the Chandler kids in the small three-bedroom house. He made a snap decision.
"Tomorrow. After I find us a bigger house," he said without thinking. He glanced at Andrea and saw the shock on her face and then thought maybe he had overstepped. "I mean…for me and the…kids…but if…" Mike stammered. He wasn't sure what he was saying.
"It's okay. Find a house for you and the girls. Sam and Ashley─"
"No, I meant all of us," Mike said quickly.
"Okay," Andrea said confused.
""I just figured…you could help with…I'm not sure I can take care of four kids…but it's kind of small…I don't know," Mike rambled.
"We can talk about it," Andrea said as her hand went back to his knee. Mike liked that contact and wondered where that was coming from.
"Okay," Mike said as his brain scrambled to understand everything.
"I'll let Jane know you're coming tomorrow."
"Thank you," Mike said softly.
Kat Nolan
Kat laid on her bed, tossing a ball of paper up in the air and catching it. She blew out a frustrated breath as she listened to Ginger fangirl over her and the fight. She rolled her eyes but understand the girl's need to feel included. Kat sighed. She really hoped what Commander Slattery had told her was true. She really did want to get out of here. Ginger was droning on-and-on, and Kat tuned her out. She flinched a little and twisted her head when she heard her name hollered.
"Nolan," one of the older girls had yelled. Kat twisted the rest of her upper torso onto her elbow so she could see better.
"What," she barked irritated. Ginger had fallen silent as the girl's eyes darted between Kat and the older girl.
"You're wanted in the main office," the girl said annoyed, and Kat smiled. She looked at Ginger.
"I'm out," Kat said with a wink. She quickly climbed from her bed, making Ginger bounce back a step. Kat made her way quickly to the main office, feeling like she was floating. She really did want out of this place. She just felt bad leaving Ginger behind, but that was beyond her control.
When she reached the main office, she smiled broader as she recognized Sasha Cooper sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs they had for visitors. Kat stopped in the doorway and smiled at Sasha, then turned towards Mrs. Winston the head of the shelter.
"I was told you wanted to see me, Mrs. Winston?" Kat asked.
"Yes, Miss Nolan, please take a seat," Mrs. Winston said as she extended a hand to the other chair. Kat walked over and sunk down, trying to keep her excitement contained. She didn't want to appear giddy. She looked over at Ms. Cooper and got a smile in return. "I'm told you know Ms. Cooper?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Kat replied without elaborating.
"She has inquired about being your sponsor. She has a residence here in Norfolk, credible employment, and stellar references," Winston continued. She paused. "I'm going to release you from the shelter to her custody as long as you agree to stay with her and stay in school."
"Yes, Ma'am," Kat said a little breathless.
"Alright, we just need both of your signatures," Winston said as she pushed a piece of paper across her desk, with a pen on it. Kat watched as Sasha Cooper leaned forward first and scribbled her name on a black line. When she moved back Kat sat forward and signed on the other black line. Her heart was thumping with the excitement of sleeping elsewhere tonight.
"Is that all then?" Cooper asked and Mrs. Winston looked over the paperwork then nodded slowly.
"Yes, this is all in order. Thank you for taking an interest in homeless youths, Ms. Cooper. And Ms. Nolan?"
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"No more fights at school, try to behave yourself," Winston said with a stern tone. Kat fought hard to not roll her eyes at Mrs. Winston. Instead, she plastered a sweet smile on her face.
Kat fought the urge to run back to her bunk. Once there she started to pack her meager possessions into her bag. Once she was sure she had everything she made a second sweep of her bunk area and then turned to find Ginger watching her with sad eyes.
"Hey, Ginger, hang in there, kid," Kat said as she walked over to the girl and wrapped her in a hug.
"I'm going to miss you," Ginger said with a sniff. Kat pulled back, resting her hands on her shoulders.
"Hang in there. Your time will come too."
"I don't have a bunch of people looking out for me like you. I'm all alone in the world."
"Nope, you still have me. I'm staying in Norfolk, and I'll still be at school. Just hang in there," Kat replied softly. Ginger nodded slowly; her eyes shiny with unshed tears.
Kat walked out with Sasha. She felt like a weight had come off her chest. They climbed into Sasha SUV and then sat there. Kat looked over at her to find Sasha staring back at her.
"So, we should talk about this…and the other reason I'm in Norfolk."
"Okay," Kat said a little suspicious.
"I know that you are pretty self-sufficient and independent."
"Yes, Ma'am," Kat replied with a nod.
"Which is great because I'm going to be working on another…project...while I'm here in Norfolk. I secured a house close to some of the others from the Nathan James, so there will always be someone around."
"Sounds good, so what's the catch?" Kat asked and watched Sasha Cooper purse her lips and look away from Kat.
"I'm going to be busy trying to put Captain Chandler back together."
"Did he break?" Kat said a little bit of venom in her voice. Sasha looked at her with sad eyes.
"Actually, I think he did. Listen, Kat, he's…"
"A quitter. A fool. He's…" Kat spat out but couldn't continue as the pain of her dad dying surfaced and tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked and swallowed hard to hold them back.
"It's more complicated than that, Kat," Sasha said gently. "But I wanted to be open and honest with you. I'll be around to check in with you, help you when you need it, but you're going to be responsible for making food and getting yourself to and from school. Slattery lives just around the corner so he should be able to help with rides since he'll be taking Ash and Sam."
"Okay," Kat said as she calmed down a little. Kat studied Sasha's face.
"Are you and Chandler together?" Kat asked suddenly. She thought about what she had seen on the Nathan James.
"Um, no," Sasha said as she squinted a little.
"But there's history between you two?"
"Yes," Sasha replied. Kat nodded.
"Goes back pretty far?"
"Yes," Sasha replied.
"He's not my favorite person, but I think I'm just angry that my dad died protecting him, then he…quit."
"He quit because he's broken," Sasha replied then started the SUV and left the shelter. Kat hugged her bag to her chest as they drove off into the darkness of night.
TO BE CONTINUED…