Nothing's Gonna Hurt You, Baby (Read 2,530 times)

[André DiMera]

That was so sweet! I loved Kayla telling Steve about some of the stuff she and Stephanie did when the latter was growing up. Wonder who they’ll tell first about the situation.

[heroicmuse]

I loved this chapter! Steve and Kayla have such a connection. The story about Stephanie's childhood was awesome.

[wildheartashley]

Loved the stories of Stephanie’s childhood. The guessing game of Pepsi or Coke was hilarious. Can’t wait for the next chapter.

[misfit]

Hi folks, sorry for the delay with the most recent chapter! (my little adventure this past weekend didn't leave me with as much writing time as I thought) Anyway, the next installment will be up and running tomorrow evening at the latest! Thanks so much for bearing with me.

[misfit]

Evening all! So so sorry for the delay with this chapter. The next segment is more than halfway done though and will definitely be up and running by this Sunday, if not before. Thanks for reading if you are!  

Chapter 8

His eye welling up along with hers, swallowing hard, Steve reached into his back pocket for his phone.

"Who are we telling first, Sweetness?" he asked as Kayla shifted into a sitting position on the couch, grabbed the JAMA edition off the floor, and flipped it open on her lap.

"Baby-"

"We'll tell them together, Steve."

"Okay, I-"

"When there's something to tell, we'll tell them," she added.

"Kayla-"

When she shook her head and resumed reading, Steve took a breath and twined his fingers with his wife's—forcing down his frustration and exhaustion to refocus on what mattered.

"I mean sneezing, dizzy spells, a low-grade fever? You call Tripp telling him those are my symptoms and that you're worried, he'll prescribe rest and fluids for me and Xanax for you."

"Sweetness, as soon as we tell him Orpheus caused those symptoms, he'll be prescribing Xannies all around!"

Rolling her eyes, Kayla scoffed, tossing the journal on her lap back onto the rug.

"I don't see why we need to tell them Orpheus is involved," she reasoned. "You didn't before."

"What?"

"You told Stephanie I was at a medical conference after he kidnapped me, Steve," Kayla reminded.

"Well, what else did you want me to do, baby? Go against the bastard threatening to blow you up by spreading the word?" Steve snapped, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"You think if Orpheus knew Stephanie was in on his little joke that she wouldn't have been at risk? Forget that it would've scared the life out of her!"

"So you weren't okay with it then but you are now?" Kayla questioned as Steve frowned, his eye bleary and full of confusion.

"Baby, what-"

"Scaring all three of our kids? Getting them worked up over something that hasn't even happened?!"

When her voice broke, Steve brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers.

"You know I'm not okay with it, baby. But we can't not-"

"Why not?" Kayla interrupted. "My symptoms are manageable. I don't see why we can't wait to tell Joe and Stephanie and Tripp when we know more!"

"How much more, baby?!" Steve asked. "You know I'm on thin ice with Stephanie for not being upfront about you and that damn bunker. Our little dude and Tripp start feeling out of the loop and join in the chorus with their sister, I'm in trouble!"

'You can blame me then," Kayla offered. "Tell them I asked you to keep quiet until we knew what we were dealing with," she said, hoping Steve would consider the option, but judging from the expression on his face, she knew it wasn't likely.

"Steve..."

"No, Kayla," Steve said roughly. "Keeping secrets and keeping you in the dark to protect you? How many times have I pulled that crap and had you call me out on it?"

"That's a low blow and you know it," Kayla scoffed.

"But it's true, baby. Me holding out on you thinking it'd keep you from being hurt, making decisions about us without consulting you. I promised you I was done with that, Sweetness," Steve reminded. "Joe and Stephanie and Tripp deserve that same promise," he said as Kayla sniffled, shaking her head.

"I just can't bear the thought of putting them through this. Telling them. Seeing them so scared..."

"I know, baby."

His free hand moving to hold her face, Steve thumbed a tear off her cheek and lifted her chin to make her see him.

"Our kids are strong, though, Sweetness. They're strong and smart and just as sweet as you," he said as Kayla smiled, leaning into his palm resting on her cheek.

"All this hitting the books and research we're doing. You just got through saying our Little Sweetness was your study partner. I'm pretty sure our little dude would be up for pulling an all-nighter with us, too."

"If not, Stephanie can always give him a pop quiz. Right?"

"Right," Steve laughed. "And you know soon as we fill in Tripp Dalton M.D, he's gonna be sitting right here with you in front of all these books, reading and highlighting and making sense of all your pretty cursive."

"Yeah," Kayla nodded. "Maybe he'll have read up on something I haven't that could help," she admitted as Steve nodded. But when he reached for his phone again, Kayla grabbed his hand, giving him a tearful look that froze him in place.

"Tomorrow, Steve. Please?"

"Sweetness-"

"Please?" she begged.

Nodding, realizing it was tomorrow but still too early for a phone call to be anything but a panic-worthy emergency, Steve set his phone on the coffee table and shifted closer to his wife, stroking her hair back.

"We're gonna get through this, baby. Later on we'll sit down with the kids, tell 'em what's going on, and they're gonna get through this right alongside us," he assured as Kayla nodded.

"I'm holding you to that, alright?" she squeaked, giving him a soft smile.

"Yeah? You're gonna hold me?" Steve said with a grin that broadened when his wife grinned back. Taking a grip on his hand, Kayla pulled him onto the couch and stretched out alongside him.

"Mm hmm. And I'll do more than that if you're lucky," she teased before kissing Steve heatedly, not willing to let him up to make them cocoa this time around.

"Kayla, baby-"

Pulling back, Steve downgraded to kissing her forehead and face so as not to get carried away, only for Kayla to thread her fingers through his hair and recapture his lips.

"Sweetness-"

"Steve...," she purred under the kiss, sliding her free hand beneath her husband's black muscle tee.

Starting to slip under her spell, fast, Steve broke the kiss taking Kayla by surprise.

"What? Why did you-"

"Let's just get you to bed, baby, I-"

"Steve-"

"We shouldn't be doing this, Kayla-"

Shaking her head, shushing him, she pressed a finger to his lips.

"If we need to stop, I'll say so."

Reaching for his wife's wrist, gently moving her hand away, Steve kissed the back of it.

"Before, in the hallway, though. I kissed you and you almost-"

"Steve..."

"I want you seeing stars when we're together, baby, but not in that way. I just..."

"I know. But right now, I'm okay. I promise," Kayla assured.

Thumbing a tear off her cheek, Steve leaned in, gently kissing her there.

"I just need to feel you," Kayla murmured, clutching him tighter. "I just want to love you."

"You sure you're not too tired? It's so damn late, baby," Steve murmured, nipping at her ear. "We...you haven't slept since-"

"So?" Kayla smirked, then giggled as his lips made their way to her neck.

"We've been up all night anyway. May as well make the most of our morning, right?"

Pulling back, Steve budded her nose against hers, stroking her hair.

"Baby, if it was any other morning-"

"Let's pretend that it is," Kayla interrupted, managing a tearful smile as her husband's eye welled up.

"Sweetness..."

Sitting up, then scooping her up after getting to his feet, Steve couldn't help but laugh at Kayla keeping her head on a swivel in his arms, telling him which way to step to avoid tripping over the heaps of books and journals still scattered in front of the couch and on the rug.

"Baby, didn't your mama ever teach you to clean up once you finished your schoolwork?" he asked as Kayla nipped at Steve's neck, then instructed him to step to the right.

"You know, for someone so worried about my back before, you have no problem making a maze for me to carry you through right now."

"Well, we don't have stairs," Kayla shrugged. "Had to make sure your one-eyed navigation skills were still up to snuff somehow," she grinned, curling up on Steve's shoulder as he smirked. Hinting at better ways that she could assess his skill levels as he brought her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.

[André DiMera]

Glad Steve got Kayla to agree to telling the kids what’s going on.

[wildheartashley]

Love how Steve and Kayla are keeping one another in check. Glad that Steve convinced Kayla that they need to talk to the kids.

[misfit]

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope everyone who celebrated had a lovely holiday weekend, and that everyone's had a nice weekend in general. Work + travel + turkey threw me off my writing schedule but I'm on track now to catch back up. In the meantime, here's the latest chapter. Thanks!

Chapter 9

After waking up to his alarm – from what felt like an extended catnap – Steve adjusted his patch and rolled over. Seeing Kayla still in bed with her back to him, he breathed a sigh of relief before he noticed the comforter and bedsheet balled up at the foot of the bed.


"Kayla..."


Seeing her shivering, even though she'd sweat through the t-shirt she'd slept in, Steve scrambled out of bed and around to her side of it. 


"Kayla? Baby?" Knelt beside her on the floor, he choked back a sob, feeling her forehead that was too hot to the touch and beaded with sweat.


"Steve?" 


Kayla mumbled. Her eyes cracking open, she squinted to see him grab the uncapped ibuprofen bottle on the nightstand. 


"No..." she croaked, shaking her head. "Took some. Has to kick in."


"You're still burning up, though, Sweetness. Hang on."


Shutting her eyes again, hoping that would curb how dizzy she felt even lying down, Kayla didn't hear Steve come back but felt when he started sponging her neck and chest down with a dripping wet washcloth. The cold felt good on her skin but being given a full bath in her bed didn't. 


Before he could re-submerge the cloth in the nearby bowl of ice water, Kayla grabbed hold of her husband's wrist.


"Kayla-"


"I like taking baths in there, Steve. With bubbles," she murmured, nodding to the master bath. 


Getting the hint, Steve wrung the cloth out over the bowl.


"Just bubbles?"


"I believe you know the answer to that," Kayla smirked, earning a smile that didn't reach her husband's eye.


"Steve..."


"I kept you up too late, baby. If you'd gotten some more rest, maybe now you wouldn't be-"


"Having a standard immune response to inflammatory stimuli?" she rasped as Steve rolled his eye.


"You know how I feel about jargon, Sweetness."


Grabbing the thermometer, he uncapped it, handing it to Kayla as she arched a brow.


"Trying to shut me up?" she asked playfully, earning a look.


"C'mon now, baby. Can you just-"


"Fine, fine," Kayla sighed before placing the thermometer. Waiting for the reading, watching Steve check the dosage instructions on the pill bottle and set his watch, she reached for his hand and took some deep, slow breaths, attempting to relax enough for the both of them. 


As soon as the beep sounded, Steve took the thermometer back.


"101. 5," he read. "That's up from the last-"


"It's down from a couple hours ago," Kayla told him, linking their fingers.


"Looks like you haven't lost your touch."


His smile reaching his eye now, Steve kissed the back of their joined hands before he stood up and crossed the room.


"What are you-"


"A wet shirt like that's no good when you're sick, Sweetness. You know that," Steve said, opening one of her dresser drawers.


"Look here, we got some warm fleecy jammies. Or this pink flannel button-down here. This is a cute little shirt, baby."


"Glad you think so," Kayla smirked. "You can borrow it after you give me yours," she said, motioning for her husband to ditch his tee after he turned around.


"You just think you can give me that look, snapping your fingers there..." Mimicking her gesture, Steve scoffed. "And I'll just hand you the shirt off my back? No questions asked?"


"It matches the boxers I borrowed last night," Kayla grinned as Steve considered this, saying something about needing visual confirmation before he eased off his shirt and then helped her into it, chuckling as he did so.


"What?"


"This look on you is just a little dated, baby," he said, flashing back to the wardrobe he'd gifted her after the atropine antidote had finally kicked in. 


"Well, you didn't mind it before," Kayla remarked. 


"Though you couldn't seem to get those Santa shorts off me fast enough," she said slyly, only for Steve to shift off the bed, tossing the wet shirt, sheet, and comforter into the hamper before draping a throw blanket over his wife.


"Steve...


"Get comfy now, baby. You should try and get some more sleep."


"Well, I don't need that much tucking in," Kayla sighed, shifting out from under the throw. 


"Still warm?"


"Yeah. Is that washcloth still-"


Wetting and wringing it out, Steve folded and draped it over her forehead.


"Any better?"


"Mm hmm," Kayla nodded, taking hold of his wrist before brushing her lips on the back of his hand.


"Baby..."


When she kissed his knuckles and he tried to take his hand back, Kayla frowned and held it tighter.


"What is it? What's-"


"I just want you to try and get some sleep, Sweetness," Steve sighed. "After everything...I just want you resting up. That's all."


"By everything, you mean this morning."


Rolling her eyes when he didn't respond, Kayla shook her head.


"I wouldn't have made love with you if I wasn't physically up to it, Steve."


"Baby-"


"I know my own body, damn it," she choked out. "I know that I wanted you."


Steve looked down and away from her, ready to kick his own ass for putting that hurt in her voice but still holding tight to her hand as she sniffled.


 "But if you didn't want to or you didn't feel right about it, then why did you let me-"


"Hey, hold on now. Baby, how could you even think..."


Not needing to finish the sentence to know he put her on that line of thinking, meeting her gaze again, Steve shifted closer.


"It's always gonna be right with us, Sweetness. And it's gonna take me not breathing for me not to want you. But I'm not gonna feel right – nothing is gonna feel right– until we beat this damn thing and make you better."


Nodding tearfully, Kayla laced her fingers with his.


"I know that. I do."


"And you're the MD here, baby. How many times after patching me up would you make me get some shuteye to heal up right?" Steve asked, getting a shrug as her eyes clouded over.


"Kayla?"


"We both know my resting's not going to fix this, Steve," she said sadly, slumping back into the bed pillows. 


"Figuring out what we're dealing with, coming up with a course of treatment, doing my job. That's our best shot at beating this, and that's something I can't even do right now."


"Baby..."


Shifting closer, Steve eased his arm around his wife as she sniffled, curling up on his chest. 


"I was crazy to think there'd be something in all those old notes and journals. All I did was waste time. I went down a stupid rabbit hole for nothing."


"Hey, hey," Steve soothed. "Don't count out that brainiac bin of yours just yet. I told you I'd go through it and I know for a fact Tripp will want to take a look, too."


Nodding in agreement, Kayla cuddled closer to him.


"Has the ISA lab called yet?"


"Oh, you'll hear me when they do, baby," Steve spat, fully prepared to give his former employer hell for making them wait this long on results.


"Good," Kayla said approvingly.


Lightly laughing, Steve started stroking her hair and rubbing slow circles on her back. It was usually a surefire way to get her to nod off, but he could tell by her breathing pattern she was fighting the idea.


"Waiting for me to sing you a lullaby, Sweetness?" he asked as she shook her head against his chest, clutching him tighter.


"Kayla-"


"I'm not ready to wake up feeling like a patient, Steve," she admitted.

"Well, good thing you're still Chief of Staff then, baby," Steve pointed out as Kayla frowned, sitting up some to look him in the eye.

"You think because you got a fever and are ready for a little nap that goes away?" he questioned as she shrugged.

"You're still calling the shots here, Kayla. Whatever it takes to get us through this thing, I'm counting on you to tell me. Comes with trusting you with your life, remember?" Steve reminded as she shrugged, nodding reluctantly.

"So, if you don't think catching some Z's while I get some lemon chicken noodle soup delivered..."

"From the place on the corner?" Kayla asked eagerly, getting a nod.

"Maybe get a few of those black and white cookies, too."

"I'm calling the shots, right?"

"Don't see any other MD's around here, baby. Do you?"

Shaking her head, she snuggled into him, not fighting back a yawn this time.

"Definitely get the cookies," she mumbled before shutting her eyes.

Refusing to budge, though, until she was out like a light, Steve continued stroking Kayla's hair, only reaching for his phone and ordering the food after hearing her soft, little snore.

Thumbing to his texts, he swallowed hard, bracing himself before typing.

"I know, short notice, but need you at the apartment in a half hour. I ordered lunch. We need to talk."

[André DiMera]

Glad Steve is still taking care of Kayla. Wonder which of the kids Steve called.

[wildheartashley]

Love these tender moments of caring between Steve and Kayla. Anxious to see who Steve called.

[misfit]

Authors Note- Hi all! I apologize for the delay with this chapter. Work and being a little under the weather had me sidelined for awhile, but I have a (shorter) chapter up and running here and plan to post the next one this coming Sunday. Thank you so much André DiMera wildheartashley for your feedback/sticking with me this far! More to come soon.  

Chapter 10

After being stuck in traffic the whole way back from his camping trip, then getting a vague but urgent-sounding text when his cell was back in range, Tripp took the stairs to Steve and Kayla's apartment two at a time—hoping to make up for missing lunch and to burn off some nervous energy.

Once reaching the suite, he went for his key on reflex. He knew it didn't matter that Steve was expecting company; Tripp knew his dad and didn't doubt the door was locked and bolted six ways to Sunday.

Finding that wasn't the case when the unlocked knob turned under his hand, walking inside, he saw the floor rug askew, takeout containers on the counter, dirty dishes in the sink, and a pot of burnt-smelling coffee on the coffeemaker.

"Dad? Kayla?"

Not getting an answer, Tripp stepped into the living room only to curse, stubbing his toe on a large plastic storage bin filled with books.

"What the hell?"

Seeing additional notebooks and journals scattered on the floor, along with used mugs and half-full water bottles on the coffee table – none of which were on the coasters Kayla liked– Tripp reached for the knife in his back pocket.

Slowly he crossed the room, fully prepared to deal with whatever mystery intruder had broken in, trashed the place, and seemed to have had an all-night study session.

Cutting down the hall, seeing the door to the bedroom ajar, drawing his knife, Tripp slowly went to push it open the rest of the way. Right as someone on the other side pushed it back.

Before he could blink, he found himself pinned between the door and the wall with a knife aimed at his throat.

"Try anything, and I swear I'll-"

"Whoa! Dad, easy! It's just me!"

"Tripp?!"

"Yeah!" he sputtered, easing out from behind the door with his hands up.

"Look, I'm sorry I missed lunch but did you need to pull a knife on me?!"

"You're one to talk, son," Steve scoffed, nodding to Tripp's knife as he sheathed his, then led him to the kitchen.

Adjusting his patch, he went to pour himself a cup of the burnt coffee before Tripp intercepted the pot from him, dumping the contents down the sink.

"I'll make fresh. Least I could do after getting here so late."

Thanking him, Steve took a seat at the kitchen table, putting his head in his hands as Tripp eyed him closely while he put the coffee on.

"Now that I am here, though, you mind telling me what's going on? I get this text out of the blue to meet you. I get here, and the place looks like a bomb went off."

Clearing the takeout containers off the countertop, he threw them in the trash, then made his way over to the coffee table to grab the used mugs.

"You're just lucky I beat Kayla here. If she'd walked in on this mess?"

"Tripp-"

"You forgot to use coasters, Dad," he snorted. "If you'd run into her just now in the hall, she'd have turned your knife back on you."

Shaking his head, he turned back to look at Steve, only to see he was on the verge of tears. Quickly setting the mugs in the sink, he sat back across from him at the table, trying to keep his panic in check.

"Okay, seriously. What the hell is going on?"

"Pour the coffee," Steve choked out. "It's a long story."

After hearing it from Steve and from a sinister video message that made him want to break his phone in half, jaw clenched, Tripp got to his feet.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything til now," he said, starting to pace as Steve looked on apologetically.

"I know," he sighed. "But we agreed to wait and treat the symptoms the best we could from here until we knew more."

"Knew more?" Tripp sputtered. "What, this bastard's taped confession, Kayla's condition, didn't spell things out enough for you guys?"

"Tripp-"

"Did you text this video to Stephanie and Joe yet?" he asked as Steve shook his head.

"We just didn't want to scare any of you."

"Well, it's a little late for that."

Grabbing his keys from the kitchen table, he walked over to the door.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"You have to ask?!"

"Tripp-"

"Seriously, if you think 'do no harm' applies to dealing with this homicidal maniac-"

"Hey, you wanna know what I'm thinking?!" Steve snarled.

Taking Tripp by the shoulders, he spun him around to face him.

"I'm thinking the last thing anyone here needs right now is you taking off down a freaking warpath!"

"To try and get answers, Dad!" Tripp snapped, backing out of his hold.

"You gonna get pissed at me for that? You think Kayla would stop me from trying to get the truth out of this guy after what he did to her?"

"Yeah," she scoffed from where she stood listening in the hall.

"You're damn straight I would."

[André DiMera]

Glad Tripp made it. I understand him being a bit upset that no one told him what's going on until just now.

[wildheartashley]

So glad that Tripp is there for Steve and Kayla. Totally understandable that Tripp is upset due to being left out of the loop. Can’t wait to read the next chapter.

[misfit]

Author's Note: Evening folks, here's the latest! Full disclosure, I'm a big Tripp fan and really tried to capture the dynamic between him and S/K (that I love) the best that I could in this chapter. Fingers crossed it comes off that way. Thanks for reading! More to come soon.

Chapter 11

"You're damn straight I would," Kayla snorted. Pulling her fleece robe tighter around her, she folded her arms right as Steve walked up and led her to the couch.

"Baby-"

"I'm fine," she protested, getting met with looks from both men.

"Fine, I'm as fine as can be expected."

Nodding, Tripp sat next to her on the couch as Steve tried to wrap a throw blanket around her. A gesture she promptly shook off.

"Steve," she sighed. "Will you just-"

"Sweetness..."

"I'm not even cold! And I didn't come out here to be fussed over."

Abruptly Tripp took back his hand that had moved to take her pulse.

"Sorry," he shrugged. "Reflex."

"Don't apologize. It's a good one," Kayla said, giving him a sad smile. "I think a hug might help more, though."

"That your official course of treatment?" Tripp weakly joked, sniffing back tears as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Kayla, I'm so-"

"Shhh. I know," she soothed. "I know."

"It's not right. None of this is-"

"Yeah, I know that, too."

Pulling back from the hug, Tripp wiped at his eyes.

"Don't think though you're going to be able to distract me," Kayla said, her tone light even though she had a no-nonsense look in her eyes.

"She's right, dude," Steve said, sitting on the arm of the couch beside his wife. "It's not gonna happen. Even the shiny objects don't work anymore."

"Depends on how shiny," Kayla smiled. Toying with the "I love you" sign charm on her bracelet, she leaned back against Steve as he slipped his arm around her.

"I don't want you, or Joe or Stephanie going after Orpheus. Confronting him and demanding anything is just playing into his hands, and all it'll do is make us worry."

"Speaking of Stephanie and Joe, Sweetness..."

"I know," she sighed, squeezing Steve's hand as tears sprang to her eyes.

"They need to find out in person, Steve. Not over-"

"I know, baby," Steve said, kissing the back of their joined hands. "Little Sweetness just texted and said Joe brought lunch to her office. I'll call her now; ask them to stop by here when they're through."

Nodding in agreement, after Steve got up and stepped out in the hall to stretch his legs, Kayla dried her eyes and turned back to Tripp.

"So, I know that Steve called you first for a reason. This is the first time in two days he's been okay leaving me alone in a room."

"Since technically you're not alone? And with a fellow big-brained MD to keep you company?"

"Sounds about right," she said with a sad smile.

"I don't want you getting caught up in that, though, Tripp."

"What do you mean caught up?" Tripp asked.

"I mean I don't want you feeling pressured. Or thinking since you've got the training that fixing this somehow falls on you."

"I don't think that. But if you expect me not to help find a way to reverse this-"

"Tripp, you're in the middle of your residency and the son of Steven Earl Johnson. I wouldn't expect anything else from you," Kayla said, giving him a knowing smile before her face went serious.

"I just know what it's like when tough cases hit close to home. I've had to treat a lot of people who I love and who I'm close to. Even members of my own family."

"Yeah, I remember," Tripp said. "Roman and the pub tracheotomy?" he reminded her as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh God, I completely forgot about that. Or maybe I blocked it out."

"Why? You saved his life. And you showed how much of a badass you are."

"Okay, you're officially channeling your father now."

"Had to happen sometime, right?" Tripp grinned.

"You know I've had to operate on him before."

"Wait. On Dad?"

"Who do you think helped remove that damned chip in his brain?"

"Jesus. Yeah, I think I blocked that out."

"He and I weren't married at that point but-

"Still," Tripp cut in. "Feels like it shouldn't be allowed."

"I don't disagree," Kayla shrugged. "My point though-"

"Besides the fact you've cut into Dad's brain?"

"My point..." she repeated. "Is going over labs and test results, researching and trying to isolate whatever this toxin is, trying to slow down its effects, I'm fine with comparing notes and getting your input-"

"And I want to do that," Tripp interrupted. "Dad said you told him and John and everyone the other day to treat this like it's a case or another day on the job. I can do that, too."

"Tripp, I know you can," Kayla assured. "I just don't want you becoming all consumed. I know how easy it is to get to that point with someone you love and how easy it is to blame and point the finger at yourself if they don't recover and get the miracle you're after. I just don't want to see that happen to you. You understand?" she asked, getting a nod.

"I do. But you're gonna recover anyway so it's really a moot point, right?"

"Tripp..."

When he looked her in the eye, looking more like a little kid rather than a grown man, swallowing hard, Kayla mustered up as much of a positive outlook as she could and nodded and smiled, reaching over to tousle his hair.

"So the symptoms are upper respiratory, right?" Tripp asked, reaching for her wrist to take her pulse.

Shrugging, too tired now to fight him this go around, Kayla leaned back against the arm of the couch.

"Originated that way with the sneezing. There's also dizzy spells and headache. Fever started out low grade but it's spiked."

"Been taking ibuprofen for it?"

"Yep."

"How about fatigue?" Tripp asked as she nodded.

"Getting from the bed to the couch before felt like a 5-K," she admitted as Tripp frowned, dropping her wrist.

"Now I feel even crappier for waking you up, I-"

"Don't," Kayla insisted. "I needed a different set of walls to look at anyways."

After looking at the large clock on the far wall, though, she bit her lip.

"Kayla?"

"Yeah? What?"

"You alright? You just looked like you were a million miles away."

"Sorry, guess I was," she murmured before looking towards the door, anxiously wondering when her husband would walk back through it.

[André DiMera]

So glad Tripp is there! I love his bond with Steve and Kayla!