Kayla watched as Kim left the room, leaving Steve and her alone with Stephanie. She looked on quietly as Steve held their daughter close to him, kissing her little face over and over again. Steve looked over at her, tears still in his eyes. "Do you think she remembers me at all?"

Kayla smiled softly and put her hand on his shoulder, looking at her daughter. "Do you remember when I asked you that same question after we found Stephanie in Australia?"

Steve nodded and Kayla continued, "You told me that I was her mama and that we had a special bond so of course Stephanie remembered me. Well, you're her papa and you two have a special bond as well. Maybe she doesn't have specific memories of you, but she knows you in her heart."

As if on cue, Stephanie looked into Steve's eye and gave her papa a big smile. "See, what did I tell you," Kayla said. Steve laughed and carried Stephanie into the sitting room and over to the couch and sat down. As she followed them into the sitting room, Kayla had the opportunity to really look at her husband. The shock of seeing him and touching him had kept her from noticing just how different he looked before now.

She could see now how thin he was and remembered how slowly he had made his way down the stairs, leaning on the handrail the entire way. Steve had always been one big ball of energy and emotion. That emotion was there, but the energy seemed drained away.

Steve looked up from Stephanie saying, "What are you doing clear over there, Sweetness? I don't want to be that far away from either of my girls for a long time." Kayla smiled and walked to the couch, taking a seat next to Steve. She softly brushed the hair from his forehead. Then she ran her hand down his arm, taking his hand in hers. She felt him flinch as her hand brushed across the inside of his wrist.

"What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing," Steve replied, holding her hand more tightly and turning back to Stephanie.

"You're lying, Steve. I felt you flinch when I touched your wrist. Are you hurt?"

"It's just a little scratch, Sweetness. It's nothing for you to worry about."

Before Steve could react, Kayla unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt and pushed it up and away from his wrist. She gasped at the red, angry, not-yet-healed wound and at the series of small scars surrounding it. "You call that nothing?" she said, angrily. "What did they do to you?"

Steve slowly pulled his hand away and reached up and stroked Kayla's face. "It doesn't matter right now, Kayla. All I want to do is be here with you and Stephanie. We have plenty of time to talk about everything else later."

Kayla sighed. She could feel when Steve was hiding something from her, but now was not the time to push him. Instead she moved closer to him as his arm slid around her shoulder and she snuggled into his chest. She ran her hand across his chest and could feel his ribs poking through the thin shirt he wore. She felt the anger rise up again, but pushed it down.

"It feels like you could use some of Ma's chowder," she said in as light of a tone she could muster.

Steve chuckled, "Yeah, I sure could. Shane's got that butler dude on orders to keep bringing me food, but nothing he brings compares to your mama's chowder."

Kayla tensed suddenly. Shane. How could she have forgotten him? Had she even noticed when he left the room? Everything had changed the moment she saw Steve. She had never stopped loving him and sitting here with his arms around her, she felt whole for the first time since she had walked out of that hospital room so many months ago. Guilt washed over her as she realized that the whole time she was falling in love with Shane, Steve had been out there somewhere. How had she not known that - felt that? She pulled Steve closer as the tears overtook her.

"What's wrong, Sweetness?" Steve asked with concern.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, trying to force a smile through her tears. "I'm just a little overwhelmed I guess."

Steve smiled and softly kissed her forehead and settled back into the couch. Kayla held him close to her and tried to quiet those inner voices. She knew she had to tell Steve about her relationship with Shane, and she could only pray that he would understand. But she couldn't do it now. She just needed a little time to figure out how to tell him and to make him understand that whatever romantic feelings she had for Shane died the moment she saw Steve on the stairs. Steve had owned her heart - all of her heart - from the moment she fell in love with him. Now that he was back, her heart once again belonged entirely to him.

Kayla knew that there were difficult times ahead for them. But, for the moment, she put those thoughts aside and reveled in the feel of Steve's arms around her and the sounds of her daughter's laughter as Steve made funny faces. They were a family again and Kayla promised that nothing would ever tear them apart.