CHAPTER EIGHT
Tom Chandler
Sasha hadn't returned and he reread the note again. He had gone and locked his front door, then two hours later he had gotten up and unlocked it for her. He had found a bottle of whiskey and he had been drinking slowly, not quite as heavily as the past week. He had a staring contest with his dad. He had a crying bout with Tex. He had swore at Shaw. All as they stood on the other side of the room judging him.
Somewhere deep inside he knew it was his own subconscious projecting his inner feelings. But why the hell did he have to see them? Punishment his brain threw at him. For all the things you did, all the decisions you made. He took another drink. He wasn't that man anymore.
At some point he had fallen asleep, or maybe simply passed out, but he woke with a start. His body jerked and he sat up quickly, regretting the movement as the room rolled like a destroyer in a storm. His stomach rolled with it; his head swam to the side then righted. He sucked in air through his nose and blew it out through his mouth. He was a damn mess.
"Relax," Sasha whispered from somewhere in the darkness. "It's just me." Her voice was soft, caring, and velvety. Tom sighed and closed his eyes. Why was she here?
"But why are you here?" he mumbled without much thought. He felt the couch dip, then a hand was on his shoulder, fingers gently caressing over his shirt.
"To help you, Tom. I told you we can fix this. Whatever is broken."
"Don't count on it," Tom said through gritted teeth. "The ghosts have a right to haunt me."
"There's no ghosts, Tom," Sasha said softly. Her fingers still gently caressing, making his skin tingle. "That's your mind just projecting."
"Doesn't matter. Them. Me. Someone is judging. And I'm failing."
"Give it time. Let me help you."
Tom finally looked up at her and frowned. He didn't know if he had the strength to fight this. Her hand came up to his jaw, her fingers scrapping through his week-old beard…or maybe two weeks? He had no idea the last time he shaved. She roughed up his scruff, then her fingers moved to the cut over his eye, scabbed over and probably ugly. They probed it gently, and Tom winced a little as it stung.
"That should have had stitches."
"But it didn't," Tom said shrugging his shoulders. He continued to watch her face as she explored him delicately. Her hands finally dropped to her lap, and he could see the wetness in her eyes. She wrinkled her nose. "What?" he asked a little annoyed.
"When was the last time you showered?" she asked. Tom glared at her, then tried to think.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. Neither moved. Sasha sighed.
"You need one. Come on," Sasha said as she stood from couch. She held out her hand and when he didn't take it, she reached down and grabbed his, yanking on his arm. It was the shoulder that hit the table and Tom winced. "Just get up," she said sounding tired. Tom stood, wincing at his leg. He was banged up.
"You joining me?" he asked, but there wasn't the playfulness he normally displayed with her. She gave him a weak smile and slowly shook her head side to side.
"Not this time," she said softly. Tom's mouth flatlined as the corners tipped up ever so lightly before he took the first steps towards his bathroom. Sasha followed him.
"Thought you weren't joining me," he smirked over his shoulder, a little bit of the old Tom surfacing. Sasha shook his head and chuckled.
"I'm making sure you make it there," she said. Tom faced forward again and moved slowly up the stairs. He had to limp a little on his sore leg. He felt Sasha's hands on his hips a few times, steadying him. He went through his bedroom into the ensuite bathroom, and shut the door, leaving Sasha on the other side.
Tom started to strip his clothes off and tossed them into the hamper. Then he turned on the water and set the temperature. While he waited for the water to warm up, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was growing longer than he usually kept it. His face carried a solid start to a beard. His eyes had dark sunken circles under them. His skin was pale and clammy. He sighed. As steam started to gather in the room he stepped into the shower and under the stream of water.
As the hot water pelted his skin, he felt his muscles start to relax. Ducking his head under the stream he stood with his hands on the shower wall, staring at his feet. Water cascaded all around his face, over his ears. His eyes stung and then there were tears joining the water. After a long time, Tom finally managed to wash his hair and scrub his body clean.
He climbed out of his shower and wiped his body down with a towel before slinging it around his hips. He stood at the sink, staring at his reflection. He didn't recognize the man looking back at him. He closed his eyes and sighed. There was a light knock on the door and Tom blew air harshly out his nose.
"Yeah," he said, the exhaustion heavy in the word. The door opened slowly then slid closed with a click. Tom kept his eyes closed, his hands on either side of the sink, his muscles tight with tension. Sasha's cool hand landed lightly on the back of his shoulder, then slid down his body. Her other arm wrapped around the other side, and her fingers joined in front of him across his belly. He felt her head come down, landing softly between his shoulder blades.
She held him for a long moment before she broke free and stepped beside him. Tom finally opened his eyes and stared at her. Her hand came up and her fingers brushed through the hair on his jaw. He frowned.
"I don't think I've ever seen you with a beard before," Sasha whispered as her fingers massaged the skin through his whiskers. Tom felt his head swimming.
"Probably not," he managed to whisper, his voice thick and heavy. She let her hands drop and Tom missed the contact. He felt a heaviness to himself.
"Do you want to shave?" she asked quietly. Tom dragged his eyes from the miserable man in the mirror and looked at Sasha. He had no idea how to answer her question. At the moment he could really care less. "Maybe another day," she said, her fingers skimming his jaw again.
"I think you like it," Tom said, his voice and eyes devoid of emotion. Sasha grinned widely. She scruffed his hair once more then let her hand drop.
"Maybe I do," she breathed out. Her hand then feathered through the longer hair on his collar.
"Why are you here, Sasha?" he blurted out. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. He didn't need help, because he didn't want help.
"Tom," she said with love. It almost broke him, hearing her say his name like that again. She was waiting for him to look at her. He didn't. He couldn't. "Tom, look at me," she said a little more sternly. He still didn't comply with her request. He felt her hands grip both sides of his jaw lightly and tug. He gave in, letting her guide his face, opening his eyes as they came eye to eye.
"What," he said irritated.
"I'm here to help."
"I don't want help."
"Tom," she said, a pleading to her tone. He could see the brightness of unshed tears in her eyes. "I can't sit by and watch you self-destruct. I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try."
"All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again," Tom said quietly, as his eyes slipped closed. He felt like he was shattered inside.
Ashley Chandler
Ashely finally came out of her room late that night. She crept across the hall and peeked into Sam's room. He was sleeping on top of the covers. In the low light she thought his face looked blotchy, most likely from crying. She sighed. She pulled the door shut gently and walked off towards the kitchen. She was hoping that she wouldn't run into either adult, but her luck wasn't so good.
When she rounded the corner and entered the kitchen Ms. Garnett sat at the table, sipping from a mug. Ashley froze and contemplated what to do. Ms. Garnett looked up at her and gave her a warm smile. Ashley swallowed then forced a smile.
"Are you hungry?" Ms. Garnett asked softly. Ashley simply nodded. She hesitated then stepped into the kitchen. Shuffling over to the table she slid into a chair and folded her arms on the table in front of her. Ms. Garnett had gotten up and was getting food around for Ashely.
"I could have done it myself," Ashley said. She wasn't sure why she had said it. Ms. Garnett paused what she was doing, looked over her shoulder at Ashley, then smiled softly.
"I know, Sweetie. But I enjoy doing it," she answered. Ashley nodded slowly. Her hands wrung together, twisting back and forth. They were quiet a long while. Then Ms. Garnett put a plate of food in front of Ashley, before she sat down on the opposite side of the table. "Everything okay?"
"No," Ashley said with a humorless laugh. She bit at the inside of her lip to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. "No," she repeated in a flat voice.
"Is there anything I can do?" Ms. Garnett asked.
Invent a time machine and stop this nightmare before it happens, Ashley thought. That would make it better. But Ashley knew that wasn't a possibility. She picked at the food on her plate.
"I don't know," she settled on, before scooping food into her mouth. Ms. Garnett nodded slowly.
"If you ever want to talk," Ms. Garnett said gently. Ashley nodded slowly. She frowned and looked around.
"Where's Uncle Mike?" she asked suddenly realizing she hadn't seen him in the house when she walked through. Ms. Garnett smiled.
"He's out looking for a bigger house."
"Oh," Ashley said. "This place isn't big enough?"
"Not with adding too more girls to the mix," Ms. Garnett continued. Ashley frowned, her brows bunching together in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"We found his daughters. Mike's going to go pick them up tomorrow."
"What?" Ashley asked, her heart skipping a beat. "You found Hannah and Abbey?"
"Yes, in Maryland. At least we are ninety percent sure that's who they are."
"I can't believe it," Ashley breathed out. It would be good to see the girls again. She had believed they were dead.
"So, Uncle Mike is out looking for a house big enough for them and me and Sam?"
"Yes," Ms. Garnett replied. "He wants a big enough house to keep all four of you."
"And what about you?" Ashley asked.
"No decision has been made," Garnett replied evenly. Ashley pursed her lips and looked down at her food. She took another bite. After she swallowed, she spoke again.
"Okay," she said. She didn't know what else to say. She wasn't sure what to think of this ever-changing situation she was living in. "Have you heard from my dad?"
"No, Sweetie, I haven't. I don't think your Uncle Mike has either. I'm sorry."
Ashley shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think that they had, nor did she expect him to reach out. She ate some more food. They sat there in a quiet after that, neither one speaking. Ashley finished the plate Ms. Garnett had made for her and shoved it away. Neither one got up. Ashley wanted to spill her guts about her feelings right now but didn't know if she should.
"Why is all this happening," she whispered. She felt a hand cover the top of hers. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She looked up at met the wet eyes of Ms. Garnett.
"I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this. This world was turned upside down and all of us had our realities shattered."
"Who did you lose?"
"My husband Bill and my daughter Lily. They lived here in this house," she replied. "I lost everyone besides those on the ship."
"How old was your daughter?" Ashely asked, as she picked at the sleeve of her shirt.
"About a year younger than you," Garnett replied. Ashley nodded; she could see the sadness in the woman's eyes. They both fell quiet as Ashley thought about her own mom. More tears slipped through her, and Ms. Garnett got up from her chair and came around to Ashley's side. She scooted a chair closer to Ashley and then sat down. She gently reached out and pulled Ashley towards her and Ashley let her, collapsing against the woman's chest.
Ashley's whole body shook as she released some of the pent of grief. Ms. Garnett simply held her tightly, rubbing her back gently. Finally, the tears stopped, and Ashley's chest returned to normal. She pulled back a little, as Ms. Garnett dropped her arms.
"Better?" Ms. Garnett asked. Ashley gave her a weak smile. "Well, it's a start anyway."
"Maybe. I really miss my mom," Ashley said in a whisper.
"I know, Sweetie," Ms. Garnett answered. "You can always come to me, when you need to talk, or ever need anything."
"Okay," Ashley said as she wiped at her face with her sleeves.
Mike Slattery
Mike had left Andrea's quickly making a couple phone calls as he drove towards the base. His first call was to inquire how the housing was working now. He was looking for at least five bedrooms. His girls could share, Sam and Ashley could each have one, then him and a fifth one for Andrea.
Once he had connected with the officer in charge of housing, he was told to simply look around for a vacant house that would work for him then just file the address of the home with him. Mike asked if there was any kind of organization to the vacant homes. Unfortunately, only about half the homes had been scouted and organized. Mike asked about any five-bedroom houses and was given a list of three that either had five bedrooms or at least rooms that could be used as bedrooms.
The first one was a bust. It needed a lot of work and was not ready to live in at the moment. He moved onto the second one and thought it might work. It was a four-bedroom house, with three of them upstairs, and the master on the first floor. There was also a den room that could be used as a bedroom. He liked it well enough but wanted to look at the third one as well. He made it to the last house that was also a four-bedroom house with an office room that could be used as a bedroom. He liked the layout and look of the third house better.
He checked his watch and decided to call Garnett. He was getting impatient as the phone rang and rang before she finally picked up. Mike felt a wave of nervousness wash over him.
"Hey," she answered. Mike froze a moment, not sure if he should ask what he wanted to or not. He didn't want to overstep and make her angry.
"Hey, I think I found a house. Five bedrooms," he started slowly.
"Great. I'll let the kids know."
"Well, I wanted you to look at it before I reserve it," Mike added quickly.
"Me?"
"Andrea, I was serious about it being for all of us."
"Mike," she said with a sigh. He felt a panic creep over him.
"Listen, it's going to be a major adjustment for everyone, but I think me and you can team up and help these kids get better. I don't know that I can take care of four kids on my own," Mike added. He pushed down the ulterior motives he was feeling for wanting her to be close.
"Okay, I'll come look but no promises on moving with you," Andrea replied.
"Okay," Mike replied and gave her the address. He sat in his truck waiting for her to show up. It took her less than ten minutes to get there, and she pulled into the driveway behind him. She slowly got out, looking around as she did. Mike climbed out of his own truck, and she came up beside him. "What do you think?"
"I don't know," she replied hesitantly. Mike frowned a little. She seemed to see his reaction and closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath through her nose. "Listen, Mike, I'm not sure that it's a good idea—"
"I'm going to need help," Mike said. "I just thought…"
"I know," Andrea said as she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. She went to pull it away and Mike tightened his grip on her, holding her in place. They stared at each other and Mike thought about confessing to her that he just really wanted her near him. But the words stuck in his throat, and he eventually just pulled his hand from hers. "Let's look inside," Andrea said breaking the silence between them. Mike nodded and led the way.
He walked through the house quietly, unsure how to approach her on this. He figured part of his issue was he wasn't quite sure what his feelings for her were, but things had changed since he had taken the command of the James. Maybe she just saw it as a deep friendship. She was quiet as she walked around and looked at all the rooms. When she was done, she met Mike in the living room.
"What do you think?" Mike asked.
"It's nice," Andrea said with a smile.
"Okay," Mike said. "There's an extra bedroom if you want it," he offered. She didn't answer and Mike just nodded. "I'll let the base know I'm taking this one. Its right around the corner from you so it's not that bad."
"Right," Andrea replied. Mike pursed his lips and nodded. He was struggling with sorting through the thoughts and emotions in him at the moment. "Go get your girls, Mike," Andrea continued. Mike nodded.
"Yeah."
Kat Nolan
Sasha had driven to an apartment complex near the Naval base. She led Kat up to the second floor and opened apartment 205. Once inside Sasha showed her the bedroom that was going to be hers and Kat dropped her stuff on the made bed.
"We can get new bedding and stuff to decorate this room anyway you want."
"Okay, thanks," Kat said with a smile. She was just happy to be free of the shelter.
"I stocked the fridge with some food stuff for you, hopefully it's all acceptable."
"I'm not super picky. Besides if you just leave me some money each week, I can do the shopping."
"Okay," Sasha said. "Now remember the deal. I agreed to keep you out of trouble and in school."
"Yes, Ma'am," Kat agreed. "I'll do my best to keep out of trouble but today wasn't really my fault. I was just doing what Captain Slattery asked of me."
"Wait…what?"
"The fight I got in. I was just doing what Captain Slattery asked of me."
"Captain Slattery asked you to get into a fight at school?"
"No," Kat said laughing. "He asked me to watch out for Ashley and Sam Chandler at school. Sammy took on a big kid and I stepped in and stopped the fight."
"Oh."
"Yeah, no one cared to ask my side of the story."
"Sorry, but it didn't really matter to me. But if you continue to get in trouble I'll get in trouble," Sasha said with a chuckle.
"So, what do I do about Sam Chandler? Because I don't think it's an isolated incident. The big dude was harassing Sam about his dad," Kat said with a shrug. Sasha sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb.
"Maybe I'll get with Slattery, and we can get Sam some help."
"Having his dad might help," Kat said with a little anger. She watched Sasha's eyes widen then her lips pursed. "Yeah, I figured fat chance he'd help."
"Kat," Sasha replied to her with a warning tone and Kat looked down at her feet. "I know you're angry about your dad—"
"Angry about my dad?" Kat spat at her as the anger boiled over inside her. "You're kidding, right?"
"Look, I know this whole situation sucks. But it sucks for them too."
"No. What sucks is that my dad? Is gone. But their dad? Crawled into his house and doesn't give a fuck about them. Their dad? Still alive and not doing a damn thing—"
"STOP," Sasha shouted. Kat jumped and took a step back. She dropped her eyes and bit at her lip.
"Sorry," she mumbled. Sasha again pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Tom Chandler—"
"Just save it. I'll get myself something to eat and crash for the night. I got school in the morning," Kat said as she shuffled away from Sasha Cooper. This was going to be interesting. Kat was going to have to find a way to forgive Tom Chandler if this was going to work out. She sucked in a deep breath and set about the kitchen making herself dinner.
TO BE CONTINUED…