Week 16 - UDC 1
76. happy
In the backyard, four men were waiting for Mike to regain his composure, talking among themselves about household chores. It was small-talk, a bit of normality in the face of something very much abnormal after the new grief that was, for him, Nora's passing, even if had happened three years ago. He wanted to say something profound, but settled on... "Planes." Noah glanced at him questioningly, clearly waiting for him to continue. "When he started in on the F-14's and preflight? His father would get excited like that."
Noah nodded. "Apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, then. Did he happen to like taking toasters apart?"
Mike paused, thinking back. "Not toasters, necessarily. I do remember Duke telling me that Pete had good dexterity for mechanics. Why?"
"Because," Dean said, getting his attention. "If you leave Pete to his own devices, he will take things apart to see how they work and then try to put them back together again."
"Did that to you, too, huh?" Noah chuckled at the humor of it, as well as the wry expression on Dean's face.
Dean shrugged. "The television worked better afterwards." He looked at Walt. "Kid done that to you, yet?"
77. gloomy
Walt shook his head. "First, he's usually supervised. Second, he has to ask us if he wants to suddenly get mechanical. Noah warned us before Pete got the chance to try it, even if that had been the first thing on his mind, which it wasn't, because it was the third anniversary of Nora's passing." He saw Mike wince and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Not your fault that you didn't know."
"Certainly feels like it is," Mike muttered, shaking his head despondently. He suddenly noticed that Alan was smiling. "What's so funny?"
"I let him tinker," Alan said after a moment. "Usually in the break room at the office, to bleed off steam and calm down."
"That makes sense," Dean observed with a nod, then looked at Mike. "It took months to find out what actually happened when Pete got that greenstick fracture in November, because neither Bart or Pete were talking."
Mike frowned at him. "Greenstick fracture?"
Dean nodded. "It's why his placement here only lasted six weeks... after which, Bart was grounded for months until Helen explained that Pete had been trying to help him with his school work and that every time Bart got set off, he'd run away from him."
"Oh. They were sitting right next to each other earlier, friendly. You'd never know from that."
"Yes," Dean admitted. "And even after the fracture, right up to a month ago, Pete was still trying to help Bart with his school work."
78. stressed
The momentary lapse in conversation caused Mike to return his attention to Noah. "What did she mean earlier? About it being April and Pete needed a hug?"
Noah sighed. "You had to be here to understand, really. He'd spent a month silent and all of a sudden, he started talking and startled us both. She was five months pregnant and had been on her feet all day, so her ankles were swollen, and suddenly Pete's telling us that Nora's ankles had looked like that right before her hospitalization." He shrugged at Mike's questioning expression. "One more detail to add to the pile that had already included Nora mistaking me for her husband when she was in ICU and not remembering it later. Among other tings."
"Now that," Alan mused, drawing their attention. "Why...?"
Noah shrugged again. "She'd been planning a funeral for her father, and then the Naval Officer told her that her husband was MIA? At the time... she kept, on repeat, trying to say she was sorry for something but wouldn't tell me what. The only reason they let me into the ICU to see her is because we'd been her neighbors for months and we were giving her updates. They had no one."
Mike took all of that in with a nod. "And Charlotte is..."
"Oh," Noah held out a hand to Walt, who frowned at him in confusion. "Pictures. Thank you." He sorted through the pictures in the envelope and pulled one out, showing it to Mike. "Thought so. If I'm right, this is Tech Sergeant Whittington, Charlotte's step-father. It'd bothered me since the base tour, that I'd heard that last name before, but I couldn't remember where." Alan suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and silently asked for the envelope, which Noah gave to him.
Alan sorted through them, then chuckled. "Five years younger, but..." He pulled out one of the pictures and showed Walt. "This is Karen. I met her in November at the high school."
Walt perked up. "So this is who threatens Pete with complicated math and he eggs her on..."
79. content
Mike studied the pictures from the party, digesting the details between what Noah had told him, combined with what Charlotte had explained earlier as she knew it from discussing the case with her mother. The other detail, about a brother being drafted into the Marines... "Suddenly, I feel like I should be talking to the Airman. Especially after hearing about the base tour."
"Probably," Walt said with a smile. "Nick had nothing but good things to say about Tech Sergeant Whittington."
The back door opened and Sheryl looked out at them. "Are you all done out here?"
Dean nodded to his wife. "Almost."
"Well good, because your son will probably be the next to try coming out here."
80. cranky
Sheryl paused, then looked at Noah. "Oh, and the twins got tuckered out chasing Pete and Bart around the living room and are now both a bit cranky."
Noah laughed and nodded. "Good. Means they'll sleep through the night." Sheryl snorted at that and closed the door again, leaving them to it.
"Shouldn't you go and," Mike started to say, cutting himself off when Noah shook his head.
"This first," Noah told him. "And if Maggie was joining in, then that's a good thing. She's not good with new people and the more social time she gets, the better. Even if they are both cranky. Also, it's something Pete hasn't gotten in all of this with them."
"Cranky toddler time?" Walt asked.
"Yep."
"That's mean."
Noah shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it, and I'd call it normality, which is something we all need right now."