Tempest

Chapter 5

The night after SouthComm had been taken over, Mike didn't get home until nearly two am. After everything was diffused, Mike had families to notify and funerals to plan. He had only been able to send Antonia a quick message that he was alright. He walked into the living area and was surprised to see Antonia sitting on the couch.

"I should have told you to not wait up for me." Mike said gently.

"I would have anyways. Have you eaten?" Antonia asked. She stood up and pulled Mike into a hug. That wasn't particularly rare but she clung to him a little longer than normal.

"Hey, I am fine. Not a scratch on me, I promise." Mike said simply. He pulled away but smiled down at Antonia. He could tell she was trying to reign in her emotions. She reached up and stroked his cheek for a moment.

"Amore Mio." Antonia said before turning away. "I will warm up some soup. You won't sleep on empty stomach." Antonia said.

"Alright. I'm going to go up and take a fast shower. Is Hannah and Hunter asleep?" Mike asked.

"Yes. Once you texted, she relaxed." Antonia answered.

"Good. I'll be right back." Mike said. He kissed her forehead before heading upstairs. He looked in on Hannah and Hunter before going in for a shower. As promised, Antonia had a bowl of soup and a sandwich ready for him when he came back downstairs.

"What time do you need to go in the morning?" Antonia asked.

"I need to be at the office at eight but don't worry. I will set my alarm. You should go up and get some sleep. You have Hunter while Hannah's tutor is here." Mike said.

"He turned over today. It…worried Hannah. It was quite funny." Antonia said with a bright smile.

"Wait 'til he crawls or walks the first time." Mike remarked with a laugh. Antonia squeezed his shoulder as she walked by.

"I'll wash everything up in the morning. Try to get some rest." Antonia said. She headed up the stairs and Mike stared at the bowl. He had little to no appetite after all he saw and dealt with that day, but he knew Antonia would not like him not eating his dinner. He ate the soup and sandwich, put the dishes in the sink and headed upstairs; knowing he would not sleep well.

He was tired. He wanted to be home with his daughter and grandson, even his wife. With Antonia, he had found companionship. They cared for each other. It was comfortable and easy. True, Mike would like to have the love and passion he had had with Christine, but it wasn't horrible with Antonia. And she cared deeply about Hannah and Hunter. Once this fight was over, Mike would evaluate retirement. He had to.

Too soon, he ended up back on the James, headed for the final fight. It was being compared to D-Day. Mike, who loved history, actually hated the idea because if it was to be like the original D-Day, there would be huge losses.

He never thought one of those losses would be the actual ship. Watching the James go down was hard. Pulling Tom out of the drink was harder. But, the James had done her job and could rest on the ocean floor. Tom would finally get the counseling he needed. And Mike?

All he wanted was to go home. He had a grandson to spoil. A daughter that needed help healing from the hell she had been through and a wife that he needed to figure things out with. At one point, the Navy had been his only world, but not now. Now, he had people. He was standing on the deck of the Michener, when Henry Bell came alongside him. Mike liked the young man. There was something about him he liked.

"Sir, Captain Greene wanted me to let you know that we would be in Mayport by seven am in the morning." Henry said.

"Thank you. What are your plans?" Mike asked.

"Whatever the Navy wishes, Sir." Henry answered. It made Mike chuckle.

"Bell, do yourself a favor and develop a life outside of the Navy. One day, the Navy won't hold the same allure, but if you have good people to go home to, it will give you something to look forward to." Mike replied.

"Sir, if I might ask? What will you do now? Now that the James has sunk. There's talk of bringing her back up. Rebuilding her?" Henry asked.

"I personally think the James should be left where she fell. She did her job. As far as rebuilding and recommissioning her—I don't know what I feel about that. It would never be the actual James. For me, I am thinking about home." Mike said.

"Your wife?" Henry asked. Mike had kept Hannah being back quiet. Hannah needed to heal and she couldn't do that with the media wondering what her story was. She needed peace.

"And my daughter and grandson. She recently showed up and she is a mess. Has a baby, born due to a rape. I need to be home for her." Mike answered.

"I wasn't aware of that. Congratulations, I suppose." Henry replied.

"Yeah. Antonia has had her hands full. Course, she would never complain. I am not sure what I can do to help Hannah, because I can't touch her or barely talk to her." Mike said. He knew Bell was too young to understand.

"Sometimes, Sir, there is comfort in just being there. She can relearn to trust. I know it might not be what you would like, but just being present means a lot." Henry said.

"You sound like you are speaking from experience." Mike remarked.

"My sister. We were separated during the Red Flu. When I did find her—the Immunes had gotten ahold of her and she was a mess. Like your daughter, she had been sexually assaulted. I felt…useless. Now Hilary would say I helped her a great deal by just being around but I sure as hell didn't feel that way then. Maybe, your daughter isn't so different. I was only fourteen. I couldn't do much for Hilary but I was there." Henry answered.

"How is she now?" Mike asked.

"She is much better. She's become a teacher. She has a daughter from that assault, and the little girl is her life." Henry replied.

"I am worried about Hannah raising Hunter. She's only fifteen. Seems so young but she adores him and her biggest fear is that I will force her to give him up or get rid of him, whatever that means." Mike remarked.

"Sir…a lot of children were born like that. They were mouths to feed. Human life had no real value anymore, so…those children were sometimes smothered in their sleep…or worse. I would say that Hannah is afraid you will do that to her son. She would have probably witnessed something. It was a rough few years." Henry explained.

"Being on the James, I knew some bad was going on, but was mostly removed from it." Mike admitted.

"It was bad." Henry said.

"Will you visit your sister and niece?" Mike asked.

"Oh, Hilary will insist on it. I just hope I have time to go back to Texas." Henry said.

"What part?" Mike asked.

"North of Amarillo. Almost to the panhandle." Henry answered.

"And you ended up in the Navy?" Mike teased.

"I had read everything I could find on the James. I'm glad I got to serve on her." Henry answered.

"Maybe you'll be able to serve on the James 2.0?" Mike suggested with a laugh.

"Not sure I want that particular honor, Sir. You could as well?" Henry retorted.

"Maybe a tiger cruise. I am thinking seriously about just going home and staying there. Help Hannah. Spoil that baby boy. Spend time with Antonia. Seems like a pretty good plan." Mike said.

"Nothing wrong with it, Sir. Nothing at all." Henry said as he walked away.

They rolled into Mayport early the next morning and after a few meetings, Mike was cleared to go home. When he walked in, Hannah was sitting on a blanket on the floor with Hunter, playing with him. Mike sat down on his other side and tickled Hunter's belly.

"How long are you home for?" Hannah asked.

"Hopefully for a very long time." Mike answered as he picked Hunter up and blew a kiss on the baby's cheek. Hunter giggled in response. "That's new?" Mike remarked.

"Yeah, he's been giggling all week. Sometimes at very inappropriate times. In the grocery store the other day." Hannah said.

"He's finding his voice. Hunter…can you say…Ma-ma? Ma-ma?" Mike asked. Hunter made a humming noise in response. "Soon." Mike told Hannah. He handed the baby over to her and smiled at the way she instantly smiled at Hunter. It was the only time she smiled.UHUHH

"Antonia is upstairs. I think she's freshening up your room." Hannah told him.

"Thanks." Mike answered. He slowly stood up and headed up the stairs, wishing his knees agreed with playing on the floor with the baby. Sure enough, he found Antonia in his room, changing his bed linens.

"Oh, you got home sooner than I thought." Antonia remarked before giving him a long hug.

"Do you want me to leave and come back later?" Mike teased.

"No. Stay. We have missed you." Antonia said as she pulled away and went back to making the bed.

"I missed you all too. I've…been thinking about retirement." Mike admitted.

"Really? That would be wonderful." Antonia said with a huge smile.

"I wondered what you would think of it." Mike said.

"I would like it very much. I miss you while you are gone." Antonia answered.

"We…could go on an actual date?" Mike suggested.

"I would like that." Antonia answered. He was helping her make the bed and briefly, he wondered about sharing the room with her. She was so neat and tidy. Now that he was wanting to retire, he wondered about having a 'normal' marriage. Could he and Antonia attain that? He liked the companionship that he had with her and he didn't want to screw it up. He wasn't exactly a poster child for being a good husband.

Antonia made one of his favorite meals and they all watched a movie together. Even Hannah, who was still nervous around Mike. At least she allowed him to hold and love on Hunter. It almost made not being able to hug Hannah better…almost.