Harper dried her hair and exited the bathroom. Upon leaving, she heard an unfamiliar voice from downstairs. It was female—she could tell that much. She slid her hair behind her ears and went to the stairs. As she started down them, she saw the owner of the unfamiliar voice.
It was a tall, thin woman with dark hair. She wore casual beach clothing and an appeasing smile. Halfway down the stairs, Harper slowed to a stop, and Steve finally noticed Harper was even there. "Harper," he said, trying to internalize the slight awkwardness of the situation. The woman looked at Harper with a polite smile. "Harper, this is Catherine."
Harper recognized the name, and she tried not to let her expression falter. She hopped down the rest of the steps and held out her hand to Catherine. "Nice to meet you. Harper Kelly," Harper said, keeping her smile bright. Catherine shook her hand. "I think I've heard that name before," Catherine said, thinking.
Harper pulled her hand back and slid both hands into her shorts' pockets. "Have you watched the news lately?" Harper asked, lightly. "You probably heard it there."
"Oh! Yes, I saw your picture," Catherine said, recalling her morning news. Harper bobbed her head in a small nod, and she glanced at Steve. Steve tried not to act anything but casual. He wanted both girls to get along and opening his mouth about past relationships—or even hinting with a facial expression—could ruin that.
Harper remembered hearing Catherine's name before. And in fact she had. Mary had mentioned a Catherine in one of their discussions over coffee. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed hard, clearing her throat. "I think I'll just, um...go...outside," Harper said, slipping out the front door.
"Harper, wait-" Steve sighed ruefully as his words were cut off from the door shutting. He turned to Catherine. "Just give me a second, okay? I'll be right back," he said, to which she nodded. He hurried out the door. Harper took in a few deep breaths, walking down the driveway. "Harper, wait!" Steve called after her, hurrying up behind her.
Harper turned around to face him, and he stopped in his tracks a foot from her. "Did you know she was coming?" Harper asked, sniffling. "Did you know your ex-girlfriend was going to show up at your house?"
"What? No! I had no idea Catherine was going to be here," Steve said, trying desperately to keep his cool.
"So you don't deny she was your girlfriend," Not a question. She knew the answer, he knew the answer. Harper crossed her arms. "Why didn't you mention her? That she might be here, out of the blue?"
Steve sighed. "I had no way of knowing if she was even alive, Harper," he said. He took a few steps toward her. "Please...come back inside with me."
"And do what? Have a chat with your ex?" Harper asked, slipping acid into her tone.
"Don't do that. Don't make it out like this is about you," he said. She shook her head lightly and looked away from him. "What am I even supposed to say to her? It's obvious she came here for you," she said, glancing at him a second. "Look, just- you sort it out, okay? I need some air anyway." She turned away from him completely, starting down the sidewalk. "Harper," he called after her. "Harper, come on. Don't do this." She kept walking, ignoring him, and he sighed.
She continued down the sidewalk, following it as far as it would take her. Eventually she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Danny's number. He answered on the third ring, as she stopped at a street corner. "Hello?"
"Hey, Danny, it's Harper," she said, sniffling a little.
"Hey, Harper. Is everything okay? Where's Steve?" he asked.
"Everything's fine, but, um...can you come pick me up?" she asked, fighting the water rising in her eyes. There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Yeah, of course. I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" he said. "Just stay there."
"Okay, thanks," she nodded, before hanging up. She had so many things swirling around in her head, so many anchors tied to her heart. It was all she could do not to let one little, inconsequential thing break her into a sobbing fit. She sat on the edge of the curb and dropped her head in her hands.
She'd wanted to go inside with Steve. She truly did, but something made her leave. There was no way she could tell what it was. But she was a bottle of fear and anxiety. There was no telling what would set her off at any given moment. And the thought of having a conversation with Catherine at that precise moment didn't seem like a good idea.
After a few minutes of sitting, Danny's car pulled up a few feet from her. She stood and walked over to the passenger side, opening the door and sliding in. As soon as the door shut they were driving. Danny kept glancing at Harper, watching her expression change slightly as her internal battle raged on. "You okay?" he finally asked, after a few minutes of driving.
She shook her head in response, keeping her eyes focused out the window. Danny knew she just got out of the hospital. Something must have gone wrong at Steve's house. But he couldn't tell what. It was most certainly not a break-up. He ruled that out almost instantly.
With a sigh through his nose, he pulled over and cut the engine. He turned slightly in his seat to better face Harper. "Is there something you wanna talk about?" he asked, gently. Harper bent forward, dropping her face into her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. A few tears seeped out, and Danny put a hand on her shoulder blade. "Hey, hey. Harper, what happened?" he asked.
She sat up and sniffled hard, wiping at her eyes momentarily. She looked out the window as she spoke. "Catherine—the ex-girlfriend Steve neglected to mention—showed up today. Just another thing added to the list," she said, with a humorless chuckle.
"The list?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"
"How coincidental that she shows up the day after I find out I might not be able to have children," she said, bitter tears burning her cheeks.
"Harper, those two things have nothing to do with each other," he pointed out. She nodded slowly, unbelieving, obviously holding back a bigger wave of tears. Holding them back seemed useless. After all, she felt safe with Danny. A small sob rattled her whole body, leaving her shaking with tears. "Why are you crying?" he asked, softly.
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. The tears blurred her vision. "I don't know...I just- I'm just so angry."
"Who are you angry at? Steve?" he asked. She shook her head. "Then who?"
"If I hadn't have stolen Derek's keycard, no one would've gotten hurt," she said, glancing at him. "If I hadn't suggested escaping, Matt would still be alive right now. That's on me—no one else. But now Matt's- Matt's dead and Derek's d-dead and...it's all my fault, it's all my fault, Danny." She cried harder as she spoke. Danny's heart broke just looking at Harper. "You couldn't have known that would happen. You can't blame yourself," he said.
"Why not? If not mine, then whose fault is it?" she asked, her voice full of anger and grief. "He died trying to get me out alive, Danny! How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that?"
"I don't know," he said. "I wish I had an answer. I wish I could say something or do something to make you stop hurting—but I can't."
"I don't know who I am anymore," she said, hopelessly staring out her window.
"Harper," he said, catching her attention. She turned to look at him and he held out his arms. "Come here." She willingly wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and she cried lightly into his shoulder. "You can get through this. It may seem impossible right now, but I swear that you can," he said, encouragingly. "And I'm gonna be with you through every step, okay? If you need me, I'm already there."
"T-thank y-you-u," she said, her words broken from tears. They sat there a while in silence. He knew she needed to get the tears out and not bottle them away to go home. So he stayed with her, in an unbreakable embrace, until she was sure she could stop crying. She pulled back from him and sniffled, wiping away the drying water on her face. "Do you feel better?" he asked her, genuinely.
She nodded a little, and he nodded as well. "Good. I think you should talk to Steve," he said. "If anything, you at least need to tell him the last half of what you told me."
"Okay. Tell me something, Danny...how do you tell someone you won't be able to give them a family?" she asked, her eyes too dry to cry anymore. "Is there a guide book I can buy?"
"Give it some time. Give yourself some time. Then tell him when you know for sure, alright?" he said. She nodded and he slowly started the engine. By the time they pulled up in front of Steve's house, it was dark out. Danny cut the engine, parked at the base of the driveway. He sighed and turned to look at Harper. She inhaled deeply and nodded once.
She unclipped her seatbelt. "Thank you for this, Danny," she said, looking at him a second. "I needed to vent. I'm sorry for dumping my load on you."
"Don't worry about me," he waved it away, with a small smile. She nodded, returning the small smile. Then she pushed open the door and slid out, shutting it behind her. She took in a deep breath as she started up the driveway, toward the front door. An icy wind blew and she pulled her open button-down closed over her middle.
She stepped up to the door and knocked twice, then stepped back. It was late, but the porch light was still on. The inside lights were still on. A second after she knocked, the door pulled open quickly. Steve inwardly sighed in relief. "Hey," Harper said, nervously. He noticed she seemed shaky. Her eyes looked near bloodshot, and she looked oddly nervous. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" he asked. He'd honestly forgotten about her running out. He was just overjoyed to see that she was in fact safe, and nothing had happened to her. Not that her running out mattered to him. At least, not in the way she was thinking it did. "I was being really stupid," she said, looking down at her feet. "I just- I had a lot on my mind and-"
"Harper, don't," he said, stepping out on the porch with her. He slid his hand on her cheeks, forcing her to look up at him. "You've been through enough. I should be the one apologizing. Okay?" She nodded and he pulled her into his arms. "Why don't you come inside, get some sleep?" he suggested.
She nodded against his chest, before pulling away. "Okay," she said. He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her inside, though it wasn't necessary, and shut the door behind them.