North Stars
Chapter 11
Christine wasn't expecting anyone, so when the doorbell rang; she was surprised…and the fact that it was seven am on a Saturday morning made it even more surprising. She threw a robe on and got to the door. She was shocked to see Tom Chandler on the other side.
"Tom?" Christine asked. Something about the way he was holding his face worried her.
"There…was an attack on the Michener. Its bad…it was shelled." Tom said. Christine's hand went to her belly immediately.
"Mike?" Christine asked with a trembling voice.
"He's alive and being flown in, but its not great. A lot of the crew died. Mike has burns." Tom answered.
"Can you take me? I'll go up and get dressed." Christine asked.
"I will…but Christine; you need to be prepared. When I spoke with Russ, they thought the burns were impeding his airway and were going to intubate him." Tom said.
"Okay. Come in. I have coffee made in the kitchen. I'll wake the girls up and get dressed." Christine said. She led Tom into the house and to the kitchen before heading up the steps. She got dressed and then woke both daughters up. They quickly dressed and within just a few minutes were headed to the hospital. As they pulled in; a helicopter landed on the roof.
"That might be him." Tom told him and Christine nodded.
"They'll need to stabilize him." Katie remarked, sounding very mature.
"Yeah. If its him, we need to give them room to work on him." Tom instructed. They walked to the ER and were directed to a waiting room. Tom had stepped out an hour later; and Katie squeezed her hand.
"Does Daddy know about the baby?" Katie asked.
"How did you know?" Christine asked.
"I guessed. You've been sick. Not drinking coffee and had doctor's appointments. Then I found the brochure from the doctor about risks to the baby after age forty." Katie answered.
"Oh." Christine said.
"So does he know?" Katie asked.
"He knows. He's not thrilled." Christine commented, not wanting to tell about Mike wanting her to have an abortion.
"Worried about you?" Katie asked.
"Yeah. At my age, there are dangers to the baby and I." Christine answered.
"And he's probably scared to love another baby after losing Lucas." Katie remarked.
"I didn't think of that." Christine said.
"He misses Lucas a lot." Katie said.
"We all do." Christine remarked.
"Yes, but it's different. Daddy blames himself for Lucas dying. And Lucas was the only son. If this baby is a boy; Daddy might be afraid it will seem by loving it, he's replacing Lucas." Katie said.
"Its just loving a new baby." Christine answered.
"To us, yes; but not to Daddy." Katie said.
"He might not even remember me telling him." Christine remarked.
"Possibly not." Katie said just as Tom and a doctor walked in.
"Christine; this is Doctor Stanley Adams. Doctor Adams, this is Admiral Slattery's wife; Christine and daughters, Katie and Hannah." Tom introduced them. Doctor Adams sat down across from Christine and gave her a smile.
"First and foremost, Admiral Slattery is alive and breathing on his own. Now that I've told you that, I need to tell you the extent of his injuries. I know you are aware of the burns, but there are second and third degree burns on over sixty percent of his body. We have to monitor him for infection. He has a concussion, a severe one. We'll be watching for his brain to swell. If it does; we may need to drill a hole in his skull to relieve pressure. A busted eardrum from the percussive blast. Hearing loss in that ear might be a problem. A shattered cheek bone and collarbone. Several broken ribs. A collapsed lung that we have a chest tube in for. Broken hip, left wrist and right ankle. His right knee is shattered and will need to be replaced at a later point." Doctor Adams explained.
"Oh…my." Christine said.
"He also has burnt vocal cords. He'll be able to talk but it will be in a whisper for a while. At the present point, the biggest concerns are the brain swelling, infection and the punctured lung. He must be kept calm as well." Doctor Adams said.
"He's awake?" Katie asked.
"Yes, but we will keep him heavily sedated. He has been asking for you." Doctor Adams said.
"Mom; you should go to him. Hannah and I can see him later." Katie said.
"It would probably be better if he saw you before he falls asleep." Doctor Adams remarked and Christine stood up. "He keeps talking about not wanting you to get rid of it. I'm not sure what that means though." Doctor Adams said as they walked to Mike's hospital room.
"I had just told Mike that I am pregnant. He didn't have a great reaction. Wanted me to have an abortion because he was scared of a pregnancy at my age." Christine explained.
"I see. Well, right now; just let him know you didn't have an abortion and are still pregnant but he doesn't need to worry and stress about you. He is not in good shape and you need to prepare for everything." Doctor Adams said.
"I can't have this baby on my own." Christine remarked.
"He just needs to know you and the baby are okay. Nothing else matters at the moment." Doctor Adams answered before letting Christine into a hospital room. She was not prepared for how Mike would look. Bandages, swollen face, a cast on his wrist and leg.
"Oh…Mike." Christine said. Just then, his eyes opened and he groaned. "Its okay, Mike. Just rest." Christine insisted as she held his uninjured hand.
"The…baby…" Mike said.
"I'm still pregnant and everything is okay." Christine answered.
"Don't…get rid of…it. Too many people died." Mike said between moans.
"I won't but don't you add to the number. Go back to sleep. The girls and I will be here." Christine said. She kissed Mike's forehead, which was uninjured as far as she could tell.
"So tired." Mike remarked.
"Go to sleep. Everything will be…okay." Christine said, knowing it was a poor choice of words. Things would not be okay for Mike for a very long time; especially since he knew that people had died. He would carry that long after his injuries healed.