Never Again, Again

Chapter 29

As expected, Katie welcomed Mike with open arms. There was a bit of tension between them but as Christine had remarked, Katie had no energy for not forgiving Mike.

Hannah was another story. She wasn't rude, but she'd barely speak to Mike. However, she had made a bee line for Carly and immediately picked her up. She seemed to be entranced by her baby sister, but then Hannah had always loved kids.

James and Julia also didn't have much of a reaction to Mike. That night, he realized how exhausted Christine was because she needed help with their baths. He immediately volunteered to help James. As he towel-dried the little boy; he could tell he was looking for his mom.

"Mommy will still tuck you in. She was just running on fumes. I think Hannah is helping Julia." Mike said.

"Is Mommy going to be okay? Katie and Hannah said she will but I don't think so." James asked Mike quietly.

"I think your mom will be just fine. She just needs lots of rest to get better." Mike said, hoping he wasn't lying.

"Will you be leaving again? Mommy needs you here. I think she really missed you a lot." James asked as Mike helped him into his pajamas.

"I'm not going anywhere." Mike answered. He picked the little boy up and carried him into his bedroom. Christine followed him in and sat down on the bed. Mike gently settled James down next to her.

"Mike; Julia was hoping you'd go in and say goodnight before she went to sleep. She's in her room. Carly is sleeping good too by the way." Christine said. Surprisingly, Christine had insisted that he set up the crib in her bedroom and had even said she wanted Mike to sleep in there with her. It was much more than he had hoped for.

"Alright. Night, Son." Mike said.

"Daddy, I love you and I hope you stay." James said.

"I love you too, Son. Sleep tight." Mike answered. He bent down and kissed James' forehead before leaving the room and walking across the hall to Julia's room. The little girl was almost asleep, so Mike tucked her in tighter and kissed her forehead, just as he had done with James. As he walked by Hannah's room; he saw her light on so he knocked on the door and looked in.

"Yes?" Hannah asked from her desk.

"I just wanted to tell you good night. Have you got a lot of homework to do?" Mike asked.

"Just finishing." Hannah answered.

"Okay. Well, don't stay up too late." Mike said. He didn't know how to have a conversation with Hannah even though he knew he needed to. He stepped into the room and kissed the top of her head before leaving her. At least she didn't tense up, which was shocking considering what had happened to her just two years before.

Christine was reading a book to James, so Mike headed downstairs to check and make sure all doors were locked. He found Katie in the kitchen, getting a bowl of ice cream. She offered him a bright smile.

"Would you like a bowl of ice cream?" Katie asked.

"Sure. What flavor?" Mike asked.

"Butter Pecan. Mom's favorite. Its one of the few things she has an appetite for." Katie said. She was dishing up another bowl of ice cream for Mike, so he sat down at the island.

"I thought she seemed unusually thin." Mike remarked.

"The chemotherapy really bothers her and the radiation has caused sores in her mouth, so ice cream helps." Katie explained.

"I want to go to her next appointment but with Carly…" Mike started.

"It's the 31st and I can watch Carly so you can go. I think it would mean a lot to Mom that you want to." Katie said.

"I was a little surprised that she wanted me in with her tonight. I was prepared to sleep on the couch." Mike remarked.

"Dad, I am not doing this. I'm not getting in the middle of your marital problems. My primary concern is Mom. I don't think you understand how badly she missed you. She could have handled you being gone this long, but you only called two times. You disconnected. We all get that you blamed yourself. You were scared that Hannah would have blamed you at some point. We get that. You missed my high school graduation, Hannah's first date and countless things with the twins. How do you think we felt about that?" Katie asked.

"I'm sorry…" Mike started.

"Dad, I get it. I missed you, of course. But, in the future; its you that has to accept what all you missed and choose not to miss anything else." Katie said.

"True." Mike said simply.

"Just think about it, okay?" Katie said. They ate their ice cream in complete silence. They were both in deep thought.