Navy Wives
Chapter 11-Darien Chandler
Darien was happy to be reunited with her husband but space was at a minimum and Tom was busy. Mike was trying to balance the needs of his daughters and caring for his very sick wife, all while dealing with his responsibilities as XO. He was overwhelmed and already exhausted, especially after Christine had to be sedated and intubated. Dr. Scott told them that it would save Christine's strength, but Darien wasn't so sure of that.
So, she checked on the girls as frequently as possible and kept them with her when Mike was working. Tom was nervous about Christine's situation because they could sustain her being on life support for very long.
They were all still healing too and were all generally weak, so they kept out of the way of the crew. One afternoon, Katie was sitting off by herself; staring into space. She looked upset about something. Darien sat down beside her and waited.
"Is my mom going to die? Dad keeps saying no." Katie asked.
"I don't know. They've sedated and intubated her to help her gain her strength." Christine said.
"I heard Dr. Scott tell Uncle Tom they were running low on sedatives. He said they were going to have decide rather to wake her up or let her go, so if a crew member got hurt; they would have medicine." Katie said. It was a horrible thing to say and Darien inwardly groaned.
"Have you told your dad you heard that?" Darien asked.
"No. He's so stressed. He blames himself because of being separated from Mom." Katie said.
"I see." Darien said.
"I would really like to see Mom but Dad always says no. He doesn't want me to see her like that. I think if she heard our voices, it would help." Katie remarked.
"Katie; I won't take you to the sick bay without your dad saying yes. But…I agree." Darien said.
"Maybe if you went to see her? Or Leah?" Katie suggested.
"Only if your dad okays it. I don't want him getting frustrated with us, but I will talk to him." Darien said.
"What happens if she dies?" Katie asked.
"Let's just pray she doesn't." Darien said. She kissed Katie's forehead and hugged her tightly. That evening when Mike came to get his kids, she pulled him into the p-way.
"What's going on?" Mike asked.
"Katie asked me today about seeing Christine. I told her I wouldn't take her to see her, unless you said." Darien said.
"I hate the idea of the girls seeing her like that. Maybe once she wakes up and is feeling better." Mike replied.
"Any idea when they're going to wake her up?" Darien asked.
"Her pulse ox is slightly better today. Tom is wanting her woke up immediately due to the sedatives getting low. We are picking up some operators tomorrow, and they are bringing some medical supplies so hopefully, sedatives will be included." Mike said.
"At the current rate, how long until they wake her up or…" Darien started to ask and then decided to not bring up the alternative.
"Until they let her go? Three days and that is maxing out our supplies." Mike replied.
"And they want her to rest to help her heal?" Darien asked.
"Yeah. The idea is, if she isn't fighting to breathe, her body will heal on its own. Much like the rest of you have." Mike answered.
"Is a ship the best place for her?" Darien asked.
"No, but there's nowhere else. If she was on land, she'd already been gone." Mike answered, starting to get impatient.
"Well, if you need to go to the sick bay or to work just bring the girls to me." Darien said.
"Thanks for looking after them." Mike said. He opened the door for them and indicated for the girls to follow him out. "Dinnertime?" Mike asked.
"I'm hungry!" Hannah said excitedly. Katie just nodded. Both girls and Mike disappeared around the corner.
It was several more hours before Tom came back. Due to the tight quarters, she was sleeping next to Ashley in his bed and he and Sam were sleeping on the pullout couch, which did nothing for Tom's general mood. Sam had gone in for a shower and Ashley was reading in the bedroom area; so Darien decided to bring up Christine.
"So…I had a little conversation with Katie. Did you know she overheard you tell Dr. Scott that Christine was either going to have to be woke up or let go due to the sedatives?" Darien asked.
"It is the truth. Sure, I wish she hadn't heard it, but it is a reality." Tom said.
"That's a horrible way to look at it." Darien replied.
"Look…I hope she makes it. I do. I can't run this ship without Mike and if she doesn't make it; he will want to be off the ship." Tom said.
"Tom…that is selfish." Darien remarked.
"What's your deal? You cut Christine out like a cancer six months ago. Now, you're all worried about her?" Tom asked.
"And that was a mistake. She and I had…talked while you were away. All was forgiven. Our friendship took a hit but I would have never wanted her to die." Darien said.
"Look–I don't want her to die. I don't want Mike to be without his wife or the girls to lose their mother. I do think Mike and Christine had unresolved feelings for each other. I think they still loved each other." Tom said.
"Me too." Darien agreed.
"I'm hoping she starts doing better or the new operators bring more sedatives on board. I asked them to." Tom said.
"I would like to visit her. Mike doesn't want the girls to see her like that." Darien remarked.
"That's up to Mike. I don't have a problem with it but its up to him. He's pretty protective of her." Tom said.
"I'll ask him when he drops the girls by in the morning." Darien said. She gave Tom a kiss on the cheek and walked into the bedroom, again wishing that she had a love like Mike and Christine had. But, she never had.