"She doesn't know that I called you Richard" Martha explained as she met her son outside the hospital and stared at an exhausted Alexis who was holding onto his hand while yawning. "She's still rather weak Richard and she's extremely upset about everything so be gentle with her and just tread lightly, don't go smashing into it like you usually do" the redhead smiled before kissing her sons cheek and taking her granddaughters hand from him. "Come on Alexis, why don't we get some pizza on the way home? I'm sure you're hungry" she smiled, Alexis nodding as she waved at her father and watched him disappear inside the building. Following his mother's directions, Rick sighed as he found himself stood outside the hotel room staring in through the window to see Kate fast asleep in the middle of the hospital bed. Opening the door slowly, Rick sighed as he entered the room and quickly approached the empty vase to place the roses he'd brought into it. Hearing a small groan, the writer sighed as he turned to see the brunette yawning before she stretched and quickly opened her eyes.

"Rick?" she whispered in confusion as he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and took hold of her hand, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what I did" she mumbled, his head shaking as his free hand ran to her cheek and rested there for a moment to wipe away her tears.

"Don't worry about that right now okay" he smiled as she stared at him, taking in the fact that he was with her. "At the moment we're going to think about you and getting you better and then we're going to talk about your dad" he explained, her eyes shutting for a brief moment at the mention of her father. "Katie, my mom told me. She told me what's going with your dad and why you did this and especially how you got here" he explained as he looked up at the machine she was attached too. "I'm going to help you, I'm going to help both of you get through this" he promised before pressing another kiss to her forehead.

"You bought me flowers Rick" she mumbled, looking across at the red and pink roses he'd brought with him, her focus on changing the topic away from her father. "They're beautiful, I love roses" she whispered, smiling lightly as he shrugged and kept his focus completely on her. "No one's ever bought me flowers before actually, they're really beautiful Rick" the brunette admitted as he began to use his thumb to massage circles into the palm of her hand.

"Then I promise to keep you in flowers every single day if they make you smile like that again" he promised, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead as her hand slipped to his cheek. "Don't push me away again Katie, don't build that wall please" he begged, his eyes remaining shut as he rested his forehead against hers for a moment. Leaning up, the brunette slowly moved her lips to his forehead as the writer sighed and opened his eyes to see Kate watching him. "I'm not going to stop fighting for you Kate; I'm not going to stop fighting for us because this is right Kate" he explained as she found his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Even if I'm broken Rick?" she asked as he ran his hand to her cheek and shook his head.

"You're not broken Kate and we'll go slow again, work back to the way we were" he admitted before kissing her cheek gently. "When you get discharged I want you to come and stay with us, just until things start to calm down" the writer explained as she looked down, her mind rushing to her father again. "And I want to help your dad as well" he added, a small groan leaving her lips as she shut her eyes for a brief moment and felt him move closer to her body. "You look tired Kate, why don't you try and sleep? We'll talk about everything later when you're feeling a bit better" he asked quickly, Kate nodding slowly as she moved in the bed slightly.

"Will you hold me? I'm cold Rick, hospitals are really cold" she admitted, the writer nodding as he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the small bed with her; his arms wrapping around her slowly as she felt a small smile cover her face as the fact that he was holding her again.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Mother you brought Alexis with you?" Rick asked as he stared at his mother who was holding onto Alexis' hand. He'd left Kate alone for a moment so she could change after the doctor announced an hour ago that she could be released from the hospital and into his care. "I only asked you to get a car to come and get us, you didn't have to come with us and take Alexis out of bed this late" the writer explained as he lifted his daughter into his arms and felt her press a kiss to his cheek. Hearing the door open, Rick smiled as he turned to see Kate standing behind him in a pair of sweats and an old jumper that was too big for her; her dark hair pulled away from her face in a scruffy plait.

"Katie, it's really you" Alexis squealed, moving from her father's arms to run over and hugged the older woman who quickly ran her hand through the redhead's hair and sighed; realising just how much she'd missed the little girl. "I missed you Katie" she admitted.

"I missed you too Alexis, I missed you so much" Kate smiled, not lying about how much she'd miss the small girl. Kate adored Alexis; the redhead always made her laugh and brought a strange sort of comfort with her.

"That's why I brought Alexis with me" Martha explained, both of them watching as Kate lifted the child into her arms and smiled as the redhead's arms tightened around her neck before she buried her head into Kate's neck. "The moment I told her that you were with Kate, she wanted to see her. I couldn't get her to sleep after I told her you were bringing Kate home" his mother explained as Rick watched the brunette proudly as she quickly approached them with Alexis close to her.

"This one's tired, she's almost asleep actually" Kate whispered as Rick nodded and leant across to press a kiss into her hair. "Thank you for this, I don't want to face my dad right now" she mumbled, keeping the child close to her as they began to walk out of the hospital together.

"I still think we should call him Kate, let him know that you're okay" Martha admitted as she thought about her nervous she'd be if she didn't know where her only child; especially if their family was going through what Kate's was. "I'm sure he's worried about you Kate, he loves you".

"He won't have even noticed that I'm gone, he didn't even realise I was gone when I was at yours last week" Kate explained, hating herself for sounding rude about her father. She loved him! She'd been a daddy's girl as a child and she adored her father and hated that she sounded horrid towards him but she hated the person he was becoming. "I need to go home and get some clothes; I could get a cab to yours afterwards".

"I'll come with you, mother and Alexis can wait in the car while we get you some clothes and things that you need. There's no need for you to get a cab when we're going that way home" Rick explained as Kate sighed and shut her eyes for a moment. Unlocking the car, Rick watched as Kate helped an exhausted Alexis into the back of the vehicle before moving to sit down beside her; Rick shutting the door after her before moving to the front of the car.

Arriving at her apartment, Kate sighed as she quickly shut her eyes and waited until she felt the familiar comfort of the writer's hand on the small of her back. Digging into her pocket, Kate sighed as she unlocked the door and pushed it open to see an increase in the empty beer cans that littered the apartment floor since the last time she'd been home.

"Will you wait out here for me please?" Kate asked quickly as he raised his eyebrows. "I won't be long I promise" she explained, shutting the door slightly behind her so he wouldn't see what was going on.

"Katie, I know what's going on so stop it. I'm here for you Kate; you don't have to hide things anymore. We're in this together" he announced as she slowly nodded and opened the door to allow them both inside the dark apartment. "Do you want to pack a bag? I could clean up while you're getting ready" he explained as she slowly nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek before moving away. Approaching the corridor, Kate turned to see the writer silently picking up the empty cans and throwing them into the trash before she quickly turned and knocked on her father's door. Slipping into the dark bedroom, she groaned as she tripped over a can and smashed into her mother's dressing table.

"What's going on?" Jim Beckett moaned from the bed as he hit the lamp and stared at his daughter. "What are you doing Kate?" he asked; his voice angry as she looked down quickly and shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay dad" she declared, hating how awkward she felt around her own father. "I'm going to stay with Rick for a while dad" the brunette explained as her father shrugged and turned the light off again, tears running down her face as she stared at him for a moment in the darkness. "I love you daddy, I really love you" she mumbled before silently leaving the room and entering her own bedroom. Throwing some clothes into a bag, Kate felt the tears get worse as she turned to see a picture of her mother and father with her as baby that had been on her bedside table since she could remember.

"Katie…" Rick commented as he entered the bedroom to see her staring at the image of her parents. "Bring it with you, I want you to be comfortable" he smiled lightly, her head nodding as she picked the frame up and followed him out of the room. "Is your dad asleep?" he asked, noticing the silence that filled the apartment.

"You could say that" she sobbed before burying her head against his chest. "He didn't even ask where I've been Rick, he didn't even notice that I was gone. Rick my own dad didn't realise that I was missing" the brunette cried as he rested his hands on her back and kept her close to him as she continued to sob. "Can we go to your apartment now? I don't want to be here at the moment" the brunette asked, attempting to calm herself as she held the picture close to her chest.

XOOXOXXOOXO

"Are you going to tell me what happened with your dad earlier?" he asked as he sat in the corner of the couch with the brunette between his legs, his arms wrapped around her body as she rested into his chest. "I know you talked to him, I heard you crying while I was cleaning and I saw you leave your parents room before you went in your own" the writer explained as she groaned and shut her eyes, not wanting to cry again.

"I don't want to talk about it Rick, I just want to forget for a moment" she muttered. "It's nothing important; he just didn't seem to care about me" the brunette explained as she felt him gently press a kiss into her hair; her eyes shutting at the gentle touch. She'd missed him! The days of listening to her father vomit during the middle of the night or listening to him full over and swear made her hate him while she remained curled up in her bed trying to block out the noise. "Don't let me go Rick, don't let me run away from this" she begged, her eyes remaining shut as he tightened his grip of her.

"I'm not letting you run away again Katie, you have no idea how much weight I've gained through eating ice cream" he explained, Kate smiling at his comment before she turned her head to press a kiss to his cheek. "Let's get you to bed, you're tired" he muttered, the brunette nodding as they both stood up and walked down the corridor to his bedroom; stopping when they heard a creak on the stairs. Turning her head, Kate smiled at the sight of Alexis staring at them; her face tear stained as the brunette moved closer while Rick just watched.

"What's wrong Lex sweetheart?" Kate asked as she knelt down and felt Alexis' arms wrap around her neck.

"I had a nightmare Katie" the small girl mumbled as Kate stood up and held the redhead against her body. "I want to stay with you" she sobbed, Kate nodding as she began to carry Alexis towards Rick's bedroom; the writer watching her with a small smile on his face.

"Can she stay?" Kate asked as she looked at him and watched him nod before they entered his bedroom. "Are you going to tell me about your dream Lex? It'll make it go away if you tell me, I promise" the brunette asked as she sat down and kept her close for a brief moment before they both lied down and watched as Rick entered his en-suite with his pyjamas.

"You left and you never came back Katie, you just disappeared forever" the redhead sobbed, resting her head against Kate's chest as the brunette held her; hating the sound of the small girl crying.

"It's okay Alexis because I'm not going anywhere again, I was stupid the last time but I'm not leaving again. I was scared but I'm not anymore" the brunette explained, pressing a kiss to Alexis' forehead as she sighed and watched her for a brief moment. Hearing the door open, Kate smiled as Rick walked out of the en-suite and quickly turned the light off; his body slipping in behind hers as she kept an arm around an already asleep Alexis.

"You're tired and you've just been released from hospital, you need to get some sleep tonight" he informed her, kissing her lightly as she began to relax. "We're going to talk tomorrow about everything, sort out a plan of what we're going to do about you and your father" he explained, the brunette nodding gently before she shut her eyes and relaxed with the small girl in her arms.

"I'm just amazed that we're here again Rick, especially after how horrid I was when I ended it between us" she admitted, enjoying the fact that she had the writer holding her on one side of body while she kept her own arms around the sleeping child.

"Well neither of us wanted it to end originally, we just made a mistake" the writer relaxed, watching as Kate kept her close. "And we're not going to make the same mistake again because you're not going to give up on us and I'm not going to let you go, we're going to fight for this relationship" he smiled, enjoying the warmth of her body against his for the first time that week.

Once again thank you for your amazing response, it honestly warms my heart knowing that there are so many of you out there who are enjoying my work and take the time to comment. I hope you're happy that Rick and Kate are back together again, I didn't have the heart to drag out their separation and I want him to be there to support her through this. So thank you and please continue to review, I love hearing from you.