The Revelation

Downward spiral

It's been two weeks since Mike heard the news that his little sister Janet passed away while on a humanitarian mission in Honduras. Flash flooding caused a mudslide where she was traveling and essentially washed the road away, resulting in a fatal motor vehicle accident. It was Janet's wish to be cremated and have her ashes scattered around a church in the first remote village she visited after becoming a missionary.

Ever since Mike returned from fulfilling her wish, he's been like a different person.

At the NJC

Mike's pov

As soon as we returned from our date and walked through the door entering the Center, Neil pulled me aside.

"Please excuse us, Tristan, I just need a minute alone with Michael." Neil gave him a forced smile.

"You can wait right over there, babe. This won't take long," I said, gesturing to some chairs in the lobby.

"You really think this is a good idea, Michael?" Neil asked, once we were in private, referring to my decision to start seeing my ex Tristan again socially. "Have you forgotten what he did to you?"

"No, I haven't forgotten and yes, I do think this is a good idea." I pulled away from Neil, causing him to release his hold on me. "Let's go, Tristan," I said, cutting this conversation short, my glare never wavering from Neil to convey my certainty with my decision.

I have a feeling Shane and Neil just think I'm dating Tristan again because I'm grieving my sister's sudden death and having a hard time coping with the loneliness I feel, having lost my last living connection to my parents. I know Julie's biologically related to them too but they both died before she was even born. Your siblings are the only ones who have the stories of your childhood and now my stories are gone, along with my sister. Maybe Shane and Neil are right, maybe I'm just trying to use Tristan to replace the emptiness, but so what if I am? It's none of their concern. I'll deal with Janet's passing on my own terms and mine alone.

The next morning

Mike's pov

Shane said he wanted to talk to me, so we met over coffee in the cafeteria, early in the morning.

"Mike, I think you need to speak to someone professionally regarding the grief you're feeling over your sister's passing. Why don't you call Marlena and make an appointment?" Shane nervously rubbed his thumb across his coffee cup as he anticipated my reaction.

"I don't need a psychiatrist, Shane. I'm dealing with my sister's death just fine. You don't need to worry about me. Alright?"

"You're not dealing with it, Mike. You're trying to avoid confronting your feelings and your behaviour is affecting the girls."

"What are you talking about? This doesn't have anything to do with the girls," I retorted.

"You're lashing out at the girls with your misplaced anger," Shane accused.

"How so?"

"The other night when you grounded Julie for the weekend and spanked Carrie."

Shane realized he needed to clarify his point based on the blank look on my face.

"You grounded Julie for looking at Tristan disrespectfully. What does that even mean, Mike? Julie likes Tristan, she always has. She didn't sneer at him, she didn't huff or scoff, she didn't roll her eyes. She simply looked in his direction and you jumped down her throat."

"You know very well, Admiral, that disrespect can be conveyed without saying a single word and Julie's quite the connoisseur when it comes to conveying rude mannerisms."