"Daddy, the bubbles are escaping!" laughed Zach, running after the floating orbs in the backyard.
"Well catch them squirt" replied Marcus with a grin, looking up from his paper. He watched as the little boy grasped and jumped towards the bubbles, spiling the bottle of mixture down his already filthy clothes, whilst Emily sat bouncing in her swing seat, giggling at her brother.
The man turned quickly as a knock resonated through the household, surprising him as he remembered Mike hobbling out the doorway earlier, informing the trio that he'd be out for at least two hours at the hospital.
"Don't go anywhere" he reminded Zach, picking up Emily to walk towards the front door.
The baby girl snuggled into his shoulder, shying away from the person who had interrupted the families play time as the door swung open.
"Can I help you?" asked Marcus, squinting against the harsh sunlight to make out the face of the woman standing in front of him.
Her hands were clutched tightly behind her back and as Marcus' eyes adjusted he noticed the slightly nervous tapping of her foot on the front veranda.
"Is Mike here?" she asked finally, eyes alert and searching behind him for any traces of the man.
Marcus watched as her gaze settled on Emily, brightening momentarily as the baby girl recognised her companion from weeks before.
"Kate" nodded the man in reply, remembering her face from the day of Mike's accident and forgetting to answer her question as he pondered what could suddenly have enticed her to visit after four weeks of avoidance.
An awkward silence fell around them and so he filled in the blanks "He's at the hospital"
"Just a check up" he added with a wave, noting the worried look that befell her face at the thought that something had happened.
"Would you like to come in?" asked Marcus finally, shifting Emily who was reaching out towards Kate, tiny fingers grasping at the air between them.
She looked up, startled by the invitation before nodding, smiling warmly for the first time since her arrival.
"Thank you" she nodded, taking Emily's hand between her fingers as the baby cooed; gummy grin relaxing the somewhat tense situation between the adults.
---
"How are the children?"
Marcus paused slowly on the back deck, watching Zach play happily in the grass before turning towards Kate.
"Good" he nodded, placing Emily down on the play mat. "They like it up here in the sun, and they keep Mike busy"
And his mind off certain events he added silently.
Kate lowered her head, avoiding Marcus unyielding gaze. Instead she bent down in front of Emily, smiling gently at the little girl.
"Hello Emily" she whispered "Do you remember me?"
"I do!" pronounced Zach proudly; surprising both adults "You looked after Emily on Mike's boat"
Kate smiled at the thought of the Hammersley being so; in truth when she thought of the Patrol Boat its captain was the first person who came to mind and not only because of their shared past.
Some would say that Mike Flynn encompassed The Hammersley, others would say he was married to it, and put simply by Zach; it truly did seem like 'Mike's Boat'.
Well it hadpondered Kate, sighing at the thought of the bareness she had felt for the past month without the captain by her side.
"How are you Zach?" she asked, pushing it to the back of her mind to instead focus on the people in front of her.
"I'm making bubbles" nodded the boy, holding up the sticky mixture bottle for Kate to look at "Do you want to make some too?" he asked hopefully.
"Mate, Kate's here to see Mike, not blow bubbles" informed Marcus, ushering his son back onto the grass. He bent down to the boy's height before whispering something in his ear, quiet enough so that Kate was unable to decipher the message.
Marcus turned back towards the woman, positive that Zach would keep quiet until he had gotten to the bottom of her sudden appearance to see Mike.
"Coffee?" he asked brightly.
---
"I'll be in, in a moment" smiled Marcus apologetically, holding a squirming Emily in one arm as Kate nodded from the kitchen, settling herself on a stool behind the bench.
The clock on the wall hit three and chimed loudly, startling her already shaken thoughts as it had years ago.
"Get rid of it" she growled, leaning as far over the bench as she could manage with her feet tucked underneath her on the stool.
"Never gorgeous" he grinned back, tapping her nose with the spatula in a move he knew would cost him later.
"It's not going until you do"
"There should be some milk in the fridge if you want to get coffee started" yelled Marcus from Emily's room, straining to be heard over the baby's squealed attempts at rolling off the change table.
"Thanks" mumbled Kate in reply, sliding to the cool tiles and padding towards the pantry and fridge.
She grabbed the milk from the side door before peaking inside the pantry, grasping at her memory in the hopes that Mike hadn't changed his packing system over the past five years.
"You never had one" she smiled knowingly, looking over the mess that she assumed was the inhabitant's food sources for the next week.
She rummaged through the shelves, finally finding a half empty glass container of coffee seated next to the coco pops that she hoped had been picked out by Zach.
She turned suddenly, almost dropping the glass to the floor as Zach's laughter filled the backyard, the little boy screaming to be put down.
"Stop it" he giggled loudly, hanging from Mike's arms as the man half hobbled, half tickled the hysterical boy.
"I'll get you!" announced Zach definitely, barrelling into the mans good side in retaliation.
"Never" grinned Mike as he hopped away, dropping one of his crutches on the ground before the pair collapsed in a heap of laughter on the grass, broken leg forgotten momentarily.
Kate meanwhile stood at the kitchen window, watching the scene before her played out like a film reel. She tried to focus on Zach's face but the small blonde head blurred at the edges, resembling the little boy that had grown inside of her for three long months and that she had carried in her heart ever since, ageing within her imagination to look like the child that was trying unsuccessfully to lift Mike off the ground; the four year old boy she should have brought up try to lift his father off the ground.
She stepped back suddenly, gasping as she ran into the bench, body tingling violently.
She could feel her skin turn cold as she tried to tear her gaze away from the pair before her, both oblivious to her intrusion as she wiped clammy hands down the side of her clinging jeans.
He's Marcus' son, not yours and definitely not Mike's she reminded herself desperately, burying her head in her hands as she fell towards the floor, repeating the mantra over and over in an attempt to rid herself of the image she had longed for, for five long, lonely years.
The image of her family as it should have been.
---
"Kate?"
He whispered her name so softly that at first she didn't believe he could ever sound so delicate towards her again, not after their last meeting.
"Why are you here?"
Her hands recoiled from her face as his words stung her.
Why was she here?
She herself couldn't find an answer, only that it had been tearing her apart to listen to the crew discuss him each day, never knowing exactly how he was or whether he was truly improving as they had informed her.
"I couldn't do it any more" she whispered in reply, gently lifting her gaze towards his, warmth overwhelming her as she saw no trace of the venom that had been present in his eyes weeks earlier.
All that hatred, built up solely for her, had ripped her heart apart in the weeks following her breakdown by his side in hospital where she had bared her soul to him once and for all.
She wondered suddenly if she would ever be able to say those words again, or would they be saved for the next time one of them was so close to the brink of death, when no repercussions of their actions could appear; only the here and now.
Moments later she realised she was standing before him, seconds away from leaning against his strong chest and being wrapped in his arms once more.
Tears burned at the backs of her eyes as she realised that was all she wanted in the world, all she needed was to be safe with him again, and that was now impossible.
"I was so terrified that I had caused it" she whispered, running a hand over the space in front of his leg.
"No"
The conviction in his voice threatened to comfort her and so she closed her eyes, wanting the honey of his soft voice to fill her senses, even for a moment.
"Kate?" he whispered, leaning closer to rest a hand upon her shoulder.
Time skipped a second as she surged through his body once more, overpowering him as the feeling of her skin always had.
"Kate, it's over" he whispered finally, bring his palm up to rest against her cheek.
A lone tear trickled down the hollow of her face, coming to rest on his thumb and cooling him immediately.
"Why are you crying?" he murmured, pulling her a little closer to let his finger wander across her cheek.
She shuddered against his touch as his steady gaze bore into her soul, pulling from her any last attempts to fight as she surrendered to the realisation that she may have lost him for good.
Her mind and heart tugged at her achingly, one screaming at her that he had said it was over while the latter made her grip the front of his jacket between her fingers, rubbing them to keep her shaking body warm.
"Please don't cry" he whispered finally, his hand tangling itself in her messy hair before pulling her tight to his chest, holding her firmly there as the pair collapsed into each others arms, five long years of heartache pouring out through the feel of being connected to the other once more.
"I'm sorry" cried Kate against his shoulder, mumbling the words over and over, slowly bringing her lips to rest against his neck as he rocked her gently, salty drops of relief and pain and hope mingling with her own.
"Just please don't go; please promise me you'll never go"
Mike nodded strongly in reply, voice catching in his throat as tears spilled down his cheeks, the realisation that she wasn't lost overpowering him as the pair gripped tighter to each other.
---
From the back veranda, Marcus watched on with a sleepy Emily on his shoulder, Zach leaning heavily against his knee.
"I knew he loved her" smiled the little boy, looking towards his father who ruffled his hair affectionately.
The man nodded in agreement.
"Now only they have to realise"