10

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Previously: No more Josh; Ryan told Kate to let others help her; Kate can't wear hear mom's ring on the necklace because it bumps the stitches; Rick kissed the side of her head and acted like it was a totally normal thing to do; she heard him say ILY when he thought she was asleep.

x

She woke when the sunlight streamed through the window and warmed her face. She didn't open her eyes; just breathed in the familiar scent of the man next to her. She was as wrapped around him as the IV would allow her to be, and she just wanted to be closer. She cracked open her eyes to find him looking down at her. She smiled meekly and nuzzled back against his chest. She tried hard not to panic, knowing that her response to waking up like this just might be a defining moment in their relationship. Unless she ignored it like so many other moments that could have been turning points.

She felt his fingertips softly stroke her cheek then her upper arm. She ran her fingers lazily on his chest. They laid in silence, holding each other. For that hour, there was no one wanting her dead, no unsolved murder weighing on their minds, no envelopes with unsettling information, no daughters concerned for their father's well being. There was just Rick and Kate, in each other's arms, slowly caressing each other and taking comfort in soft touches. And, for that hour, everything was right with the world.

x

When the doctors finally released Kate to go home, with plenty of restrictions and a 24/7 caretaker, she felt like she was being released from prison. But after just a couple of days, she felt like she was under house arrest.

Rick panicked when he couldn't find her, then panicked more when he found a note, "On the roof." The service elevator in the building actually did go to the roof, so he took some solace in the fact she probably hadn't climbed any stairs. But on the roof meant she was out in the open, and they didn't know if there was a killer itching for a chance at another shot.

The elevator doors opened to the sound of a melancholy ballad being played on the guitar. He couldn't see her, though. She was nestled among the air conditioning units. He breathed a sigh of relief that she was making an effort to conceal herself and took a minute to listen.

Rick had seen her guitar in the apartment, but she'd refused to play it in front of anyone, saying her music was just for her. But, alone on the rooftop, she played and sang. He could just barely make out the words to her sad song:

Take my love, take my land,
Take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care, I'm still free.
You can't take the sky from me.
Take me out to the black,
Tell them I ain't comin' back.
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity,
But you can't take the sky from me.

Hers was a heartbreaking melody, and he waited a long time until she was just picking random chords, playing around with no particular song in mind.

He approached loudly so that he didn't startle her and found her leaning back against the sloped side of a skylight looking at the clouds.

"Hey. Been up here long?" he asked.

"A while. I thought you'd come up sooner. Since I'm supposed to have a 24/7 babysitter." Her words conveyed irritation, but her voice was relaxed. Playing guitar to the sky seemed to have helped.

Rick just shrugged. "I did. But I didn't want to interrupt. May I?" He gestured to the spot next to her, and she nodded.

They sat quietly for a while, shoulders touching. She picked a little on the guitar, but didn't play anything for him.

"Your dad's coming for dinner," he ventured.

" 'Kay."

Several more minutes of silence.

"Stitches coming out tomorrow?"

"Yep."

She sat the guitar down at her side and leaned against him more. They hadn't talked about that perfect hour waking up together, and it hadn't happened again in the week since. He had an ache in his chest that said it was another thing on the list of intimate moments they ignored.

He was wondering what she'd do if he just leaned over and kissed her tenderly right then… when she shifted away from him. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her chin on her knee.

"How long am I supposed to I hide, Rick? When do I get my life back?"

He rubbed her back soothingly. "I don't know, Kate. I don't know. We're doing everything we can to catch the bastard."

She was angry that no one would tell her what was happening in the investigation. Yet, her voice sounded sad. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"You'll get your life back. I promise."

"You can't promise that."

He gave her shoulder a gentle pull, and she followed, leaning back against him.

"I'll do everything I can. We keep moving forward. Whatever happens, we'll be okay."

She thought, You can't promise that, either. I really wish you could. She stretched out her legs in front of her, crossing them so that her top foot touched his. She rested her head against his chest, felt his arm wrap around her, and absently toyed with the buttons on his shirt.

Kate closed her eyes and whispered, "I really liked waking up like this the other day."

He sighed and smiled against her hair. "Me too."

He entwined his fingers with hers, noticing the fading bruise from the IV on the back of her hand, just an inch below the watch he'd given her. As soon as the IV came out, she'd put the watch on, giving Rick a silent look of gratitude.

x

It was that look of gratitude that made him certain, well, certain enough, that she'd be able to accept what he had planned with Jim for that night. He'd come up with an idea, and Jim helped flesh it out. Jim also brought along some items from home and readied the surprise while Kate "helped" Rick make dinner.

From the back of the apartment, Jim could overhear the conversation of Kate saying she wasn't an invalid while Rick tried to get her to at least sit on a barstool while she sliced the French bread. He worked quickly, taking the ring from her jewelry box and setting it up as Rick had planned.

x

They sat in the small dining room sharing dinner. Kate's despondent attitude was slowly subsiding with Rick and Jim's jovial conversation. Jim was telling stories of Kate's childhood and Rick was countering with stories of his own. They were both very intentionally bringing up stories that were funny and humiliating.

Kate finally cracked with an embarrassed laugh when her father said, "And you should have seen the fervor with which this child argued the superiority of Vanilla Ice over MC Hammer. Jo antagonized her, arguing the opposite, just to make Katie come up with a rational argument… and she did. On paper! She wrote an actual one page essay of facts proving her claim!" Kate covered her face, laughing at the ridiculousness of that seventh-grade effort. Raucous laughter poured from the two men.

"Please, Rick," she said from behind her hands, "Please tell me you've got something dumber than that."

"I had to write a 'when I grow up' kind of essay when I was a kid. Monkey trainer for the circus. I had a pretty convincing list of reasons why that would be a good profession. My teacher said it just might be my calling. At the time, I thought that was a compliment." They all laughed at that admission. "What makes it worse is that I was 14 when I wrote it!" Kate laughed so hard, she snorted, making them all laugh even harder.

Finally, with all three of them still grinning like idiots, Jim caught Rick's eye, shrugging a question. Rick nodded in response. It was weird for Kate to see Rick having a silent conversation with someone else, but with as much time as the two men had spent together recently, she wasn't surprised. Rick stepped away from the table, leaving her alone with her father.

"Katiebear, what time is it?" She smelled a set-up.

"8:45. Why?"

"You like your new watch?"

"I do." Her response was tentative.

"What did he say when he gave it to you?" Jim smiled warmly.

" 'It's time to make new memories.' "

"And what does the inscription say?"

Kate couldn't help but smile. "No more 'if only'."

"We've got something for you. Actually, Rick did something for both of us. I hope you like it."

Rick came back holding two ornate pewter picture frames. "I had this one made for your father. But we wanted you to see it, too." It held a wedding photo of Jim and Johanna, young and deliriously happy. Made into the frame were two tiny rings at the top, holding a delicate chain. On the chain hung their wedding rings, just below the middle of the photograph, encircling the image of their linked hands.

"And this one is for you." He placed a frame identical to the first on the table in front of her. In it was a photo of Jim, Johanna, and seven-year-old Kate at the park, laughing without restraint. On the chain was Johanna's engagement ring.

Kate gasped and a V-shaped crinkle appeared between her eyebrows.

"Alexis helped me design the frames. We know a guy who does custom jewelry, and he put the chains on the frames. She was worried that you'd feel naked without your mother's ring around your neck, as you said last week, so she got you a little something."

Kate was too choked up to respond. He placed a small velvet box in front of her, along with a small piece of parchment rolled up and tied with a green ribbon.

Kate slid the paper out if the ribbon and read Alexis's handwritten note.

Dear Kate,

I hope you like how we framed a joyful memory from your past. Please accept this as hope for more joyful memories to come.

Love, Alexis

Kate took a deep breath and opened the box. It was a sterling silver castle-shaped charm.

x

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Seems like a good place to stop. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how Kate reacts.

Please leave me a review. They're addictive like good sex. Well, not nearly that addictive; but still, write me one! ;)