Past and Present Lives
Chapter 12-Past Life
Mike got back from the Med and was immediately promoted to Vice Admiral. He rose through the ranks quickly. Friends told him it was time to date and a few even tried to set him on dates, but Mike was just not game. He wasn't ready. He was still grieving for Christine.
Almost every night, he had dreams about her. Some good, some bad. It really screwed with his head and sometimes he got to see his kids. Those were his favorite dreams, even though they tended to hurt the most.
Fortunately work kept him busy. They were planning a modern "Great Fleet" to relaunch the Navy and re-establish the United States as a world-power. Mike was organizing the whole thing and it kept his mind busy and some nights, he fell asleep and was so tired that he didn't dream about Christine. He actually hated those nights. One night in particular, he got back to his quarters about 0200, showered and settled into bed. He tossed and turned for awhile before falling into a fitful and dream-filled sleep.
"Christine, where are you going?" Mike asked. He had walked into 'their' bedroom to find her packing a suitcase.
"To visit my sister." Christine answered.
"You're thirty-eight weeks along. You don't need to be traveling right now." Mike pointed out.
"I…am sick of this. Since you got out of the Navy, money is tighter and I should be working." Christine pointed out.
"Yes, money is tighter but traveling when you are so close to your due date is not wise. Besides, I had a good interview today and we'll be able to stay here. I would be working from home." Mike explained as he sat down with Christine on the bed.
"I miss Carrie." Christine remarked.
"I know and I know we've not been able to visit them. Maybe once we get settled with this new job and the baby, we can this summer? Or meet half way?" Mike suggested. Carrie's husband was in the Army, based at Fort Leonard Wood.
"She said they are being sent to Fort Bliss." Christine said. Further away than Missouri.
"We'll figure it out, I promise." Mike said.
"Katie was telling me today that there's a way I can do video calls with Carrie. On Facebook. I would be able to see her face." Christine remarked.
"There you go? I know its not the same, but it will work for a while." Mike answered as he pulled Christine close. She always got emotional during her pregnancies and she always missed Carrie around those times. He would just be glad once the baby arrived, healthy.
When Mike dreamed about Christine being pregnant, it hurt particularly bad. Probably as a reminder of Elijah. The weird part was he almost never dreamed about the baby he and Christine were supposed to be having. Occasionally in the dreams, he would hear a baby crying, but he could never find the baby.
The dreams actually angered him. It was all the possibilities. He had checked and Christine's sister, Carrie, had also died. Her husband and kids were also gone so there was no possibility of Christine and the kids being with them. It felt odd to be the last one standing, when just a few years before, he didn't appreciate the family he had. Now, all he had was his grief for them.