Lost Loves

Chapter 12

Even though she was in pain; Sophia was still a joy. They wouldn't know immediately, but the surgery seemed to be a success. Christine was staying with her in the hospital and the day that she was to be released, Mike brought Samuel along. The little boy had missed his twin sister.

While Christine got ready to leave, Mike watched the two play on Sophia's hospital bed. They certainly had their own world and if anything, it was humorous to watch. Now that her arm was fixed, Mike hoped that Sophia would begin talking.

"Ow!" Sophia said to her brother. It was the closest to a word that she had spoken.

"Samuel, easy." Mike warned, even though he wished he could hear Sophia's voice. But it was almost like she was afraid she had done something wrong by speaking.

"Mike, is everything okay?" Christine asked from the bathroom.

"Yeah, everything is just fine." Mike answered before focusing back on Sophia. "Can you do that again?" Mike asked the little girl, but she shook her head. She gave Samuel a 'leave me the hell alone' look. It almost made him laugh.

Mike drove them home as carefully as possible, even though he would have loved to hear Sophia's tiny voice again, even if it was expressing pain. By the time they got home, Sophia was exhausted and Mike carried her inside and laid her on the couch.

Christine was exhausted so he ordered pizza for supper. The girls had missed her and Hannah, in particular had struggled. It made Mike feel a bit useless but Christine had not been away from the girls in years.

He was going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later about retirement, which led him to what he and Christine were doing about them. He didn't want to pressure her into a relationship she wasn't ready for.

He already adored Samuel and Sophia and would happily raise them. Samuel had asked him the night before what he should call him and Mike had already told him 'Daddy,' but Christine might take issue with that.

That night, once the twins were put to bed and the girls were settled, Mike found Christine in her bedroom, trying to get comfortable. She was exhausted but didn't seem to be ready to sleep.

"Hey, do you want a cup of tea?" Mike asked from the bedroom door.

"I don't know. I've already drank one but I seem to be fighting sleep for some reason." Christine remarked.

"Um…so, last night when I tucked Samuel in, he asked me what he's supposed to call me. I told him he could call me 'daddy.' But, if you don't want him to, I can walk it back." Mike told her.

"Its…fine. I honestly don't know what else they'd call you." Christine said.

"Were you able to get Hannah calmed down?" Mike asked.

"She's better now. Just be patient with her. She doesn't mean it as a personal slight." Christine remarked.

"At this point, I am good for little else other than keeping a roof over your heads." Mike said. It wasn't until he looked up that he realized that he sounded almost jealous.

"Mike; we appreciate everything you've done. You are making us feel safe and we are finding a new normal." Christine said. She had stood up and put her hands on both of his shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry. Just having a moment, I suppose." Mike admitted.

"Because of Hannah?" Christine asked.

"Yeah. I guess it kind of bothered me that when she had her panic attack last night, nothing I could do helped." Mike remarked.

"Katie said it was pretty rough. Mike, Hannah adores you. She has always been a Daddy's girl. Just give her time. I know its hard for you right now but we do appreciate you and we do love you." Christine said. She reached up and kissed Mike's cheek.

"I love you all too…on another note; Sophia said 'ow' at the hospital while you were in the bathroom. I think she was mad at her brother for picking on her though. She gave him a 'go-to-hell' look right after." Mike said.

"I have no doubt that she can talk. She just chooses not to. We just have to figure out why." Christine answered as she walked back to her bed.

"When she realized I had heard, it was like she was afraid she was going to be in trouble." Mike remarked.

"Maybe…in the orphanage she would get in trouble if she spoke, so she didn't?" Christine suggested.

"Possibly. Alright, I'll go down and make you a cup of tea." Mike answered.

"Thank you, Mike." Christine said.

"You're welcome." Mike replied before leaving the bedroom door.