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Over the next few days, Kate progressed slowly. She'd insisted she should be back at the precinct only two days after the concussion and had even tried to convince one of the nurses that she was okay with going. When Captain Montgomery found out, he banned her from the precinct until she had a doctor's note.
Four days after she was checked into the hospital, Kate was being released. Kate hopped out of the hospital bed, walking past the ready wheelchair that the nurse was gripping the handles of.
"I'm not riding in that." Kate pointed to the wheelchair and started to the door, walking right into a large figure. Rick looked down and Kate, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm not riding in that." She said again, her eyes moving to rest on the chair. Kate reached for one of the two coffee's Rick was holding, but he held it up out of reach.
"Why won't you ride in it?" Rick asked, still holding the coffee above Kate's head.
"Because I am perfectly capable of walking by myself."
"Miss, I understand that, but it's hospital protocol." The nurse chipped in, Kate now glaring at the nurse instead of the chair. The nurse shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare at Kate. Kate crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, turning back to Rick.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"You'll get out of here sooner if you just ride in it, Kate." Kate rolled her eyes and trudged to the wheelchair, plopping down in it.
"Can I have my coffee now?" Rick chuckled and handed her the cup, moving behind her now, silently thanking the nurse with a nod of his head. Placing her bag on her lap, Rick handed her his cup of coffee as well.
"Got everything?" Rick asked as he started moving the wheelchair out of the room.
"Yep." Kate smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. Rick pushed her out the doors of the hospital after thanking the rest of the nurses he recognized who'd helped Kate, and only stopped when they were about three feet away from his car.
After Rick helped Kate into the car, (and by helping they mean Rick holding the door open and Kate pushing him away from her,) he stepped into the driver's seat and watched her head loll onto the headrest. Although it was still early March, Kate rolled down her window and breathed in the air. She looked over when she heard Rick laughing.
"I have been in that hospital for four days, fresh air is nice for me right now." Rick laughed again and Kate laughed with him, until her face scrunched up as they passed the street to her house.
"Rick, my house," Kate looked back, seeing as the street was now behind them.
"What about it?" Rick glanced at Kate with a small smirk on his face.
"Where are we going?" She asked, now facing him.
"You're staying with me for a while."
"Excuse me?" Kate was now sitting with one leg under her other, her body completely facing him.
"The nurses said you need to stay with someone for a few days so they can watch over you, so I thought, who better than me?" Rick was now beaming at her.
"My father can stay with me." But he couldn't. Because he was in rehab for being an alcoholic. He wasn't supposed to get out yet, and Kate didn't even know if he knew about the accident. Rick didn't know that. Kate almost smiled at her thought. She could say her father was staying with her and be alone.
She liked Rick – a lot – but she wasn't about to stay at his house for a week and completely interrupt he and his family's life.
"My dad can stay with me." She said more confidently this time.
"Really? And who's going to stay with your father?" Rick turned to face her as they were now stopped at a red light.
"Huh?"
"Kate, I tried to call your dad, to talk to him about the accident." Her breath hitched in her throat and she opened and closed her mouth a few times. Her head was starting to hurt and she could feel her eyes start to sting. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't. Kate looked out the window and Rick laid a hand on her knee.
"Kate, c'mon, I didn't know."
"I – can you drop me off on State's Ave?"
"At the rehab?" Kate's head turned to Rick and this time, she didn't try to hide the tears, or the crack in her voice.
"Yes, Rick. To the rehab where my father is because he's an alcoholic and I couldn't handle him. Do you have any more questions about my life? Would you like to know where my mom got stabbed, or better yet, the restaurant we were supposed to be going to when we found out?" A few tears had fallen and more were coming. Rick's hand still rests on her knee as he takes a deep breath and turned back to the road.
"No." Kate's head whips towards him and he doesn't even flinch.
"No? No? Rick, I have known you for one month. One. My best friend, Madison, who I've known since freshman year of high school, doesn't even know about my father, and hopefully she won't ever have to. So excuse me if I'd like to see him and be away from you. I didn't give you permission to weasel into my life."
"Kate, I didn't weasel into your life. Don't you remember what I said at the hospital? I don't care that your father is an alcoholic. I don't care about the tragedy involving your mother. They're a part of you, and since they are, I will take them. Do you think I'm going to leave you because I found out?"
Kate stayed silent, but tears were still falling down her face when he spoke again.
"I don't know who my father is, and I don't think I ever will know. When I was eight, my mother slapped me for behaving badly. I will never forget it. The first short story I wrote was when I was eleven, and the bullies at my school tore it up and flushed it down the toilet."
"What are you doing?" Kate cut him off halfway into his speech.
"I'm telling you things about me. Things that don't usually come up in normal conversation for me because they are something impacting that's happened to me. Your mom? I know that hurt for you. How could it not? But then your dad goes into rehab after she dies? Not even two years after she dies? You feel betrayed, Kate. And lost, and alone, and forgotten. But you'll never be forgotten."
"Stop," Kate placed her hand on his arm.
"What?" Rick glanced at her for a second before looking back at the road.
"Pull the car over." Rick looked both ways before pulling halfway onto a nearby curb. When the car was stopped, Kate's seatbelt was already back in its normal spot and it took Rick a moment to realize the wetness on his shoulder was Kate's tears. Kate's arms were around his neck and although the position was awkward, Rick loosely wrapped his arms around her waist.
Kate didn't know how he knew those things. In her reality, she didn't care how. She just cared that he knew them. Kate didn't know why Rick cared so much about a broken girl he met a month ago. She didn't know why he continued to protect her, to show her he cares. She didn't understand why she was so big to him.
And then it hits her. It doesn't matter why. It matters that it's enough. Her being okay is enough for him, and him being there for her is enough for her. It was enough for now.
A/N: I'm really sorry this is so late! Tomorrow I will be putting up chapters 15 and 16. I probably won't be able to update much over the next few weeks. I have try-outs for softball, a huge test that I'm supposed to be taking and prep for the test. I hope I can get them up sooner rather than later, but I make no promises. Read, enjoy, and review! They really mean the world to me and thank you for those of you who do review! :)