Collateral Damage (Read 56,467 times)

[jwsel]

Chapter 46

Kim stepped out into the bright sunshine of a warm English afternoon. Andrew was off on another ride with Shane and Jeannie was napping peacefully with Stephanie. Kim had convinced Kayla to use the downtime to take a nap herself, knowing that the restless nights were taking a toll. First mission accomplished, Kim thought to herself. Now, to the second.

Kayla had mentioned that Steve had decided to take a short walk outside and Kim now set out to find him. She knew that getting Steve to open up to her about what had happened to him while he was gone was going to be an uphill battle. Uphill battle, huh? More like climbing Mt. Everest, she thought with a small chuckle. Yet Kim also knew that the key was not to stop trying. It was a fine line to walk. If she pushed too hard, his resentment would build. If she stopped trying at all, then he would never start talking. Well, that was why she had the job. She had to figure out how to walk that line.

As she neared the pond on the estate grounds, she spotted Steve sitting on a small bench, overlooking the water. She studied him as she approached. Even in the few days that he had been there, she could see that he had regained some weight. His cheeks no longer looked so hollow. His clothes no longer hung quite so loosely. He still didn't look quite like the old Steve, but any improvement was a good thing.

What had not improved was the exhausted look on his face. The dark spot under his eye was still there, and the way he slumped on the bench showed that he was still nowhere near full strength. Kim knew there was a vicious cycle at work. As long as the nightmares continued, he could not sleep. And without sleep, his body could not recover.

"Steven," Kim called out softly, not wanting to startle him. Steve's head jerked up and swiveled around, looking more like a man fearing an attack than a greeting from a friend. When his eye found Kim, he relaxed and settled back into the bench.

"Hey, Kim. What are you doing way out here?" Steve asked, not bothering to conceal the suspicion in his voice.

"Looking for you, actually." Kim figured honesty was the only way she might make some headway with Steve. He knew why Shane had asked her to come, so pretending this was a coincidence would go nowhere with him.

Kim reached the bench and took a seat beside Steve. "So . . . how are you feeling today?" she asked.

She could see Steve rolling his eye at the question and braced herself for a dose of sarcasm. Steve did not disappoint her, as he said "Well, Shane thinks I'm crazy, my wife thinks I need to do nothing but sleep and eat, and you apparently think I can't go for a walk by myself. So maybe you should tell me how I'm feeling."

"Well, by that response, I'm guessing your feeling a little grumpy," Kim replied, refusing to react to his irritation. "Luckily for you, I'm immune to grumpiness on sunny summer afternoons."

"Yeah, lucky for me," Steve said under his breath.

Knowing she was not going to get anywhere with the indirect approach, Kim decided to just lay it all out there for him. "Steve, we both know why Shane brought me here and we both know that his concerns are justified. You're staying up half the night because you're afraid somebody's coming after you and your family. And when you do sleep, you have nightmares. The doctors said that the most important medicine for you is rest, but you're not getting any. I can tell how much you hate feeling weak, but it's going to take you a lot longer to get your strength back this way."

Steve was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm not crazy, Kim. Maybe I went overboard the other night when I threw that stuff at Shane, but I'm not crazy." He paused, then continued, "Once I get some strength back, and get used to being out of that hellhole, the nightmares will stop and I'll be able to protect my family. I just need a little time and I'll be fine."

"Of course you're not crazy, Steve. Nobody thinks that. But this isn't going to just go away. You may not want to talk about it, but it's obvious you've been through a traumatic ordeal. That type of thing just isn't something you can forget. Trust me, I know."

"I don't see how talking about it's going to help either. What do you want me to say? I was taken away from my family for nine months and the entire time was hell. There, I talked about it. Can we move on now?"

Kim could hear the anger and frustration building in his voice. "No," she said evenly. "We can't move on now. You haven't talked about anything and you know it."

"Okay, you want to talk, then how about you talk to me. You want to know what my life was like for those nine months? Well, Kayla and Stephanie are my life, and I'd like to know what their life was like."

"I think that's a subject for Kayla, not me," Kim answered, a bit surprised at his question.

"Maybe so, but she doesn't seem to want to talk about it very much. She just keeps telling me that she missed me and doesn't want to think about the time I was gone anymore," Steve said, the concern in his voice evident. "So . . . maybe you can tell me what she doesn't want to talk about."

"I, uh, wasn't really around for a lot of it, Steve," Kim said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. "I talked to Kay on the phone quite a bit and I could tell how sad she was and how much she missed you, but I don't really know what was going in her life after you, umm, left."

"So, what you're really saying is you won't talk to me, either. Fine. I won't ask you any more questions." Steve said harshly. He got up from the bench and looked down at Kim. "But don't expect me to answer your questions either," he said. Then he turned and headed back towards the house without another word.

Kim contemplated following him, but decided it was probably a bad idea. Steve might think he had avoided telling her anything, but Kim felt that the conversation had been another small step forward. The end of the conversation concerned her though. Not because of Steve's anger; she could deal with that. No, it was because he could tell she was hiding something from him and as long as he felt that way, he would never trust her enough to really open up. She hoped Kayla would find a way to tell Steve the truth soon. Every day that went by with that secret being kept was only going to make things worse in the end. Kim sighed. She had certainly learned that lesson about keeping secrets over the years. She only hoped Kayla didn't have to learn those same lessons.

[fluffysmom]

Great chapters today. I just got caught up. What a tangled mess... Kim can't answer Steve's questions so she can't get him to talk about his ordeal. I don't blame Kim. It's not her place to tell Steve about Kayla and Shane.

Thanks for the background info. I was watching in 1991 but I don't remember anything specific about the virus and Lawrence storylines.

[jwsel]

Jun 9, 2012 18:39:11 GMT -5 fluffysmom said:

Great chapters today. I just got caught up. What a tangled mess... Kim can't answer Steve's questions so she can't get him to talk about his ordeal. I don't blame Kim. It's not her place to tell Steve about Kayla and Shane.

Thanks for the background info. I was watching in 1991 but I don't remember anything specific about the virus and Lawrence storylines.

The 1991 virus storyline was bizarre and then everything got switched up about mid-year with new writers, so I'm not surprised that it's not memorable. What is often forgotten is that when Lawrence came to Salem, he really focused his attention on Shane. The whole reason Kim returned to Salem was because Lawrence manipulated things to bring her back to distract Shane from his investigation.

[jwsel]

Chapter 47

After he hung up the receiver in the communications room, Shane let out a breath he did not even know he was holding. They had a cure. Peachy was going to be fine and, to Shane's shock, so would Bo. It was so like his pigheaded friend to hide the fact he was sick with a deadly virus. Well, what's done is done, Shane thought. Bo was safe now. Now Shane just had to share the news to the others.

He found them all on the patio outside, enjoying the early evening weather. Andrew was running around on the lawn, Steve was reclining on a chaise, and Kim and Kayla were playing with the babies. Shane smiled as he saw Stephanie taking some wobbly steps. He remembered the first time she walked, and how he had shared that moment with Kayla.

Stephanie has a father now, he reminded himself with a sigh. She had filled such a void in his life, and now he had that empty feeling once more. Trying to ignore it, Shane stepped outside.

Steve spotted him first. "Well if it isn't Master Donovan deigning to visit the peons."

Shane ignored the sarcasm. He figured Steve was just embarrassed after his little antique-throwing fit the other night, and sarcasm was just his way of coping. Kim and Kayla had turned toward him, so he figured he would break the news.

"I just got some news from Dr. Manning," he said. "She has the cure."

"That's wonderful!" Kim exclaimed, as she grabbed Kayla in a hug. They both jumped up and ran over to Shane. First Kim, and then Kayla embraced him. He tensed slightly when Kayla's arms wrapped around him and quickly pulled away.

"So, dude, everyone's gonna be okay?" Steve asked.

Shane nodded. "Dr. Manning said that Peachy's recovering nicely and--"

"What about Bo? Is he okay?" Kim asked, cutting him off. Kim gave Kayla a worried look.

Shane looked from Kim to Kayla and saw a similarly expectant look on her face. "Bo's fine," he said, but then it hit him. "Are you saying you knew? That you knew Bo was sick? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kayla looked down at the ground, obviously uncomfortable.

"We couldn't," Kim said. "Bo made her promise."

"But she told you, didn't she?" Shane could feel his anger rising.

Kim nodded, sheepishly. "But only because I was going to testify against Lawrence. Kay told me so I would understand why I couldn't show him my true thoughts."

Shane felt his jaw drop. "So that's why you let him off?" he said angrily. "Lawrence would've gone to jail for years if you'd testified and said you heard him admit to the rape. Instead, he could be walking the streets in just a few months."

"And Bo might be dead!" Kim shouted. "We did what we had to."

Shane slammed his hands together, and wheeled toward Kayla. "Weren't you the one who kept insisting that we had to be honest with one another? How could you keep this from me?"

Kayla turned ashen and looked out the corner of her eye at Steve.

"Hey!" Steve barked from where he was lying. "Don't talk to her like that."

Shane's anger had not diminished. "I'll talk to her any bloody way I like."

Kayla stepped toward him. "Look, Shane, why don't we go inside and I'll explain?"

"No, baby, you don't have to explain anything to Master Donovan. You're not one of his servants that he can order around and act all high and mighty to." Steve glared at Shane. "Besides, what's all this 'honest to each other' stuff anyway? You don't owe him anything."

Shane almost told him. He almost blurted out that they were supposed to love each other and be honest with one another, but Kayla grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said, letting go of him. "We should've told you, but like Kim said, Bo made us promise. I was afraid he would run away if anyone knew. Keeping it secret at least let me keep some tabs on him."

Shane couldn't stay mad at her. Maybe she had her reasons. Still, he thought she could trust him with anything. But if he said anything more, it would probably raise Steve's suspicion, not that he wasn't giving them an odd look already.

"Fine," he said, with a sigh. "I just wish you'd have told me." He made a point of also looking at Kim. "Both of you."

"You don't need to know everything," Steve said. He muttered something else, but all Shane caught was "ISA."

Kim walked over and put a hand on his arm. "It's good news. You should be happy. Why don't you stay and spend some time with Andrew?"

And have to sit and watch Kayla and Steve together? "I'm sorry," Shane said, trying to come up with a reason to leave. "I have some things I need to do for Tarrington," he said. "And I need to follow-up on the virus and the immunology lab. Um, I just stepped out to give you the news."

That seemed to work. Kim pulled away, even if she had a disappointed look on her face. "Perhaps I'll see you at dinner," Shane said.

"A celebratory feast," Steve said. "Champagne and caviar for all." He was still looking at Kayla with a narrowed eye.

"Yeah . . . champagne and all that," Shane muttered, before he went back inside and returned to work.

[fluffysmom]

Kayla better tell Steve before someone lets it slip about her and Shane. Shane had to be hurt that both women kept Bo's condition a secret from him.

[jwsel]

Chapter 48

"Careful, Andrew," Steve called out. "She's a lot smaller than you."

"Okay, Uncle Steve," Andrew replied, leading Stephanie by the hand to the blanket where the toys were spread out.

Steve smiled watching Stephanie play with Andrew. For a moment, all felt right with the world. He was lying on a blanket under a shady oak tree watching his daughter play with her cousin. His wife was inside helping Kim with something or other, and it was almost like he had never been gone. Steve's smile faded. But he had been gone and he was now convinced that Kayla, Kim, and Shane were all keeping something from him about that time.

Kayla did not want to talk about it and would only give vague answers, mostly insisting that she missed him terribly. She had no problems telling him all about everybody else's life in the last nine months, but hers seemed like it was shrouded in secrecy. At first, he thought it was just painful for her to talk about so he didn't push. After all, he understood better than anyone about not wanting to talk about things that hurt. But, with every passing day, he became more and more sure that there was much more to it.

His little talk with Kim by the pond a few days ago had only served to increase his suspicions. She had clearly been uncomfortable and dodged his questions. He could only think of one reason that Kayla and Kim would be avoiding his questions and his heart constricted just thinking about it. Had Kayla been dating someone? It was the only thing that made any sense. He thought again about that ring she had been wearing the day she arrived at Donovan Manor. She had said it was just costume jewelry, but something in her expression and her tone had made him wonder. It couldn't be anything else, Steve thought to himself. Kayla had never lied to him. She was the most honest person he knew.

Yet, even if that ring was only costume jewelry as she said, she was still keeping secrets that both Kim and Shane were helping her keep. Well, that was going to end tonight. When they went to bed, he would get her to tell him the whole story. As much as it hurt, he couldn't hold it against her if she had been seeing someone. She had thought he was dead. And whoever this guy was, he was clearly no longer in the picture. Kayla had been nothing but loving since Steve's return, and he could feel her passion for him every night as they grew closer and closer to finally reuniting as man and wife. The last few nights had been pure torture for both of them, with each wanting to be with the other. Thank God his strength was returning bit by bit. He didn't know how much longer he could sleep next to Kayla without giving in and ravishing her body, damn the consequences.

That was the answer, Steve decided. He would make Kayla tell him everything tonight, then he would make sure she knew it was okay, that he loved her and the fact that she might have gone on a few dates with some other guy changed nothing. Then he would take her in his arms and show her just how much he loved her.

A loud laugh from Stephanie invaded his thoughts. She was playing happily with a stuffed bunny while Andrew made pig noises with his stuffed pig, pretending to attack her. Steve got up from his spot and walked over to where the kids were playing. Sitting down next to them, he picked up a small truck and made "vroom, vroom" noises while driving it over other toys on the blanket. Andrew giggled and joined in, being sure to keep Stephanie entertained in the process.

"You're a good cousin, Andrew," Steve said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Stephanie loves to play with you."

"I like playing with her too," said Andrew. "We had lots of fun playing when her and Aunt Kayla lived at Daddy's house."

Steve's heart skipped a beat. Had he heard Andrew correctly? Kayla and Stephanie had lived at Shane's house? He thought back to the other night when Shane had told the news about the cure for the virus. Shane had been angry at Kayla for keeping Bo's condition a secret, saying something about how they were supposed to be honest with each other. That had seemed strange given that Shane and Kayla were nothing more than friends and extended family and, he supposed, work colleagues because of the lab. But if Kayla had lived in Shane's house, maybe that explained Shane's expectation of honesty. But when was this? Kim had been in LA until around Stephanie's birthday, according to what she had told him. Maybe Kim had stayed at Shane's house when she returned and Kayla had stayed with her for a while. It was a big house and Shane would certainly allow Kim to stay there with Andrew. Yes, that had to be it, Steve thought to himself.

"Was your Mommy there when Stephanie and Aunt Kayla lived at your Daddy's house?" Steve asked.

He heard a noise behind him and looked back to see Shane walking up just as Andrew answered.

"No. Mommy was in LA with Jeannie. It was just Daddy, Aunt Kayla, Stephanie and Eve. Mommy let me visit last Christmas."

Suddenly, Steve flashed to the picture Shane had given him of Andrew, Eve and Stephanie. He looked up at Shane, anger and jealousy flowing through his veins. "Just what the hell was going on in that house of yours, Donovan?"

[jwsel]

Chapter 49

Shane caught the tail end of Andrew mentioning Christmas in Salem and then Steve looked up angrily and demanded to know, "Just what the hell was going on in that house of yours, Donovan?"

Shane had to think fast. He had no idea what Kayla had told Steve, though judging from his reaction, Shane suspected that she had said very little. Shane raised his hands trying to calm the man. "Steve, it's not what you think."

"Oh?" Steve rose to his feet. "Tell me what I think?"

"Over here," Shane said, motioning off to the side. He walked away from the children. If there was going to be an argument, better it take place away from the kids. Steve followed, and Shane noticed his fists were clenched. When they were a safe enough distance away from the kids, Shane turned back to Steve. "Look, after the explosion, we knew the Jencon people were looking for the evidence you left behind -- the videotape of that meeting. And there was an incident--"

"What kind of 'incident'?" Steve said, his voice little more than a snarl.

Shane looked up for a moment. "Would you please just calm down? I promise, I'll explain."

That seemed to calm Steve slightly, but he was still glaring. "So explain."

"I will. Some men harassed Kayla." Shane thought better than mentioning she had been attacked. "And Roman and I thought she'd be safer if she was somewhere more secure than on her own. Stephanie, too."

"So that secure place was your house?" Steve sounded rather incredulous.

"Yes, it was," Shane said. "You may not have noticed it, but my house has top-grade ISA security. It's probably one of the most secure places in Salem. Besides, there was plenty of room for her and Stephanie, and Simmons and Eve were often around, so they weren't all alone."

"You're saying that's all there was to it?" Steve's eyes narrowed as he asked that question.

How did Shane answer that question? He did not want to reveal his relationship with Kayla until she was ready and she obviously had not done so already. Shane hated to lie, so he gave a truthful, albeit-incomplete answer. "Steve, the reason Kayla and Stephanie moved into my house was for security reasons." There. That was not exactly a complete answer to the question, but it was true as to a certain time period.

Steve started to pace. "You mentioned the videotape. So that means you found it, right?"

"Yes. Kayla brought it with her to my house and I watched it, hoping to find some clue about what had led to your dea-- I mean, your accident." Shane thought carefully about what he should disclose. "I had the ISA do a voiceprint analysis of the man on the speaker-phone, and it matched Lawrence Alamain."

"So we're back to this Alamain dude again?"

"That's right," Shane replied. "Lawrence Alamain, who, for lack of a better term, was the 'prince' of Alamainia, his then-father's country."

"'Then-father'?"

Shane tried to think of how he could explain the bizarre goings on in Alamaina in less than an hour. He decided against mentioning Lawrence Alamain's obsession with movie-style special effects, like the fake gunfire and manufactured earthquakes, and just tried to stick to the basics. He also decided not to mention how Carly Manning lured Bo to the country or how Jennifer Horton had posed as Katarina Von Leuschner because Lawrence had kidnapped Frankie and needed to marry "Katarina" to secure his power. "It's a long story, Steve. The short version is that several of us traveled to Alamainia for various reasons. I went because we wanted to find proof that Lawrence ordered your death, and we managed to infiltrate his house. However, Lawrence tried to kill us by collapsing a series of underground tunnels, but we managed to escape. Lawrence's father, however, was killed when one of the tunnels collapsed."

Steve ran his hands through his hair as if he was struggling to process what Shane had just said. "Did you find that proof?"

Shane shook his head. "Nothing we could use. Just a recording of Lawrence talking with the doctor who treated you at the hospital in Salem, but, as I told Kayla when we listened to it, the exchange made it sound like Lawrence was your friend so there was no point in bringing it back."

"As you told Kayla?" Steve asked. "Are you telling me that Kayla was with you in that dude's country?" His voice rose as he spoke.

There was no way around it, so Shane answered. "Yes. Kayla was with us. But she was never in serious danger." Okay, that probably qualified as a lie, but Shane decided he could live with it. "She had me, and Bo, and Jack for protection."

Steve stopped pacing and stepped within a few inches of Shane. In a low voice, he growled, "You let my wife go to the home of the dude that you thought killed me?"

"I had no choice, Steve," Shane said. "Kayla insisted on coming."

"You should've stopped her, Donovan. Or does that ISA training come with lessons in risking the lives of innocent women?"

Shane was beginning to lose his cool, but he fought to remain calm. "Now listen to me, Steve. Kayla insisted on coming and helping with the operation. I tried to convince her to stay in Salem, but she refused. So what I was supposed to do? You know her. When was the last time you stopped Kayla from doing anything?"

As he finished, Shane heard a noise from the direction of the house. He turned and realized that Kayla had just come down from the house. How much has she heard?

Obviously, it was enough, because she asked, "Shane, Steve, what's going on?"

[fluffysmom]

If Steve is this angry with what he's heard so far he's going to go ballistic when he finds out the truth. Kayla better tell him soon before he hears it from someone else. Great chapters ladies.

[MrsM]

I can sense we are getting close to the Kaboom chapter!

[jwsel]

Jun 10, 2012 17:28:36 GMT -5 fluffysmom said:

If Steve is this angry with what he's heard so far he's going to go ballistic when he finds out the truth. Kayla better tell him soon before he hears it from someone else. Great chapters ladies.

Thanks. Glad you liked the chapters. Steve definitely is not the most stable right now.

Jun 10, 2012 21:43:13 GMT -5 MrsM said:

I can sense we are getting close to the Kaboom chapter!

It's coming.

[jwsel]

Chapter 50

[

As Kayla approached Steve and Shane, she could tell they were in an intense discussion. She could see that Andrew and Stephanie were happily playing just a little ways away, but it appeared that neither Shane nor Steve were paying any attention to them. She quickened her pace, wanting to end whatever argument they might be having before the kids became aware of what was going on. She was just a few feet away when she heard Shane say, "When was the last time you stopped Kayla from doing anything?"

"Shane, Steve, what's going on?" Kayla asked, hoping that Shane had not said too much.

Steve quickly turned at the sound of her voice. Kayla could instantly tell that he was angry and upset about something and her stomach churned at the thought of what it might be.

"What's going on, Sweetness, is that I just found out that you've been holding out on me."

"What . . . what do you mean? What did Shane tell you?" Kayla worked to keep her voice steady.

Shane answered first. "What I told him is that you and Stephanie were living at my house after his dea -- I mean, after his accident -- in order to protect you from Alamain and that you and I traveled to Alamain's country when we learned he was responsible for what happened to Steve."

"Oh." Kayla was relieved that was all it was, but she knew that she could no longer keep the full truth from Steve. She would have to tell him soon, but she really needed to talk to Shane alone first.

"Oh? That's all you have to say. Why the hell didn't you tell me all of this yourself?" Steve asked, anger flashing in his eye.

Kayla looked again at Andrew and Stephanie and could see that Andrew had noticed what was going on. "Shane, could you take Andrew and Stephanie in the house? I believe that Worthington has their lunch ready."

Shane looked at her with concern in his eyes, but nodded. "Of course." Then he turned and walked over to Andrew and Stephanie. He picked up Stephanie with a smile. "Come on, Sweetheart, let's go get your lunch." He helped Andrew gather up the toys and blanket and headed off with Stephanie in his arms and Andrew beside him.

When they had gone, Steve turned back to Kayla and said, "So? Are you going to answer my questions now?"

Kayla took a deep breath, then took Steve's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just didn't want to upset you."

Steve looked down at his hand in Kayla's. "You didn't want to upset me? I'm not a child or an invalid, Kayla. I'm your husband and I've been asking you for days about your life while I was gone. Why can't you just be honest with me?"

"I am . . . I will. I . . ." Kayla turned away as she felt the tears spring to her eyes. How could she explain the pain she felt when she lost him? How could she make him understand how lost she was without him and how going back to their house without him was just something she couldn't contemplate?

Kayla felt a hand on her shoulder as Steve gently turned her around to face him. He cupped her face in his hand and wiped a tear away. "Just talk to me, Sweetness. Just talk to me."

She took another deep breath. Maybe if she started at the beginning he would understand. "It's true that I moved into Shane's house after your funeral because it was safe, at least that was what I told myself. But the reality was that I couldn't bear the idea of living in our house alone. Everything there reminded me of you -- of us. So when Shane offered to let us stay with him after I was attacked outside the house, I agreed."

Looking up into Steve's eye, she continued. "I was so angry after I thought you died. I think in some ways the anger was the only thing that kept me going, aside from Stephanie. When Shane figured out that the person behind Jencon was Lawrence Alamain, I knew I had to go with him. I owed it to you and to Stephanie to bring your killer to some kind of justice. Of course, it didn't quite work out that way."

"Yeah, Shane told me," he said. "I know you stayed at Shane's until Christmas. So when did you move back to the house?"

"I, uh, I didn't." Kayla answered, knowing that each question brought them closer to the ultimate truth.

"You didn't? You mean you are still living there?" Steve's voice rose with each word.

"No, we're not living there anymore. But I didn't move back to the house because I sold it." Kayla looked up at Steve waiting for his reaction.

"You sold the house?" Steve asked, the disappointment evident in his voice.

"I thought you were gone and I just couldn't face living in that big house alone. We used to talk about how we would fill up all of those rooms with children and love and laughter and after you were gone it just seemed like an empty dream. It . . . it wasn't my life anymore. So I sold it to Mickey and Maggie."

"Oh, baby. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. You'll never know how sorry I am." Steve's voice cracked with emotion. "I just wish you would've told me all of this earlier. I don't like feeling like you're keeping things from me. And I gotta tell you, baby, I still feel that way."

"I know," Kayla said. "I know I need to tell you everything, but not right now. Let's go back to the house and I can take care of a couple of things and make sure Stephanie is settled in, and then we'll go upstairs to our room and I'll tell you everything you want to know. I promise."

Kayla could tell Steve was not happy with the idea. Before he could protest, she took his hand again and looked into his eye. "Please, Steve. I know you don't want to wait, but I don't want any interruptions and if I make sure Stephanie is taken care of, we can have the afternoon to ourselves."

"All right, Kayla. I'll wait. For a little while."

"Thank you," Kayla said. Together they turned and walked back to the house. Kayla knew she needed to speak to Shane alone before she talked to Steve. She had to return Shane's ring and she wanted him to know that she was going to tell Steve the truth. He had the right to know before everything exploded. Kayla held no illusions that this would be easy or without consequences. But, walking beside Steve, she made the same vow she had made the afternoon he had returned to her life -- they were a family again and she was not going to let anything tear her family apart. She would make Steve understand. No matter how long it took her, she would make him understand.

[MrsM]

Tick tick tick. It's coming!!

[Kpatch]

Uh oh. It looks like Kayla can't put it off anymore. Steve is suspicious. I don't think he's going to take this well.

[DancingDays]

Ooooh!!!!! I can't wait to see how it goes down!!!


Side note: The only thing I remember from the early 90s is the Cruise of Deception and Jack and Jenn. Other than that, I don't remember specifics about the other stories. Thanks for the background info!!

[MrsM]

^^Same here. I don't remember much of anything from the early 90's.