Mistake
Chapter 8
Mike walked into a room he had never been in before and found a large table laden with all sorts of food. You name it, it was on the table. On the far end of the table; a very thin-looking Katie was sitting. Mike walked to that end of the table and sat down next to her.
"Where am I?" Mike asked.
"Heaven or hell, I suppose." Katie answered in a morose tone.
"This is a dream." Mike remarked.
"For you." Katie said.
"Katie, I am sorry. Hannah told me how you died. I…am so, so sorry. It shouldn't have ever happened." Mike said.
"I left Hannah and Billy all alone." Katie remarked.
"They found good people and I am with them now." Mike said.
"Until you leave again." Katie said angrily.
"I…am thinking about retiring." Mike said.
"You need to do more than think. You need to let the Navy go. You sacrificed everything but Hannah and Billy to your career." Katie answered.
"You, your mom and Lucas." Mike said as he picked on his hand.
"It wasn't worth it. The rank, the notoriety, all the fame. It wasn't worth us." Katie remarked.
"I agree with that. Why aren't you eating all this food?" Mike asked.
"I can't. This is my hell. I couldn't find you. Didn't know how. It was like you were unreachable. I knew if I could ever find you, I would have food and be safe, but it was like you were just always out of reach. Just like this food." Katie said.
"That's horrible." Mike said.
"Mom and Lucas are at peace. I wish I was with them." Katie told him.
"How do I bring you peace?" Mike asked.
"By settling down. Finding a house like Billy draws. Being who they need. Hannah and Billy need peace too. They need a home with you. Yes, they found good people but their home is with you. And you never know. Maddie and Sarah might help make you back into a family." Katie answered.
"Its just casual." Mike said.
"Hmm. I know things you don't. Now its time for you to wake up. Dad, you and I hated each other but the one thing you can do for me is give Hannah and Billy a home and family. By doing that you will give me peace. I can be with Mom and Lucas and you might actually prove that you love me." Katie said.
Mike woke up suddenly and had to sit up to catch his breath. Maddie was sleeping next to him, curled as close as she could get. Not wanting to wake her, he walked into the living room to collect his thoughts. He turned a light on and found his I-pad, thinking he might read a bit to calm his mind, but instead he found himself looking at local real-estate websites.
He found a five-bedroom house, typical of New Orleans architecture. He would call the realtor in the morning. He wasn't quite tired yet, so he typed out a letter of retirement to the President.
He had loved Katie and the dream bothered him in many different ways, but most of all because Katie had thought he hated her. She was the first baby he had held. He had loved Christine, of course but Katie was his first true love. He had missed her, even though the last few months before we went to the Arctic had been rough.
Christine had accepted that he wasn't going to retire. She didn't like it but she had accepted it. She was just trying to figure out rather she could handle years more of deployments and being a single parent for most of the year. She and Mike still loved each other, but their personal goals had changed, which caused a rift.
Katie was not afraid to admit she wanted her father home. She wasn't shy about it. The day Mike left for the Arctic, she refused to go to the dock-side to bid him goodbye. When he tried to hug her, she kept her arms to her side. They had argued a lot in that last few months, which put Christine in the middle between the father and daughter. Mike knew that had caused her a lot of pain. The arguments had been horrific and Mike regretted them all.
He had always had the opinion that 'father knows best,' but maybe Katie knew better this time. He was just going to have to figure things out to give Katie the peace she wanted so badly.