Debby took the phone, but she didn't give it to her father, but to Mary. "It's Grandma."

Mary took the phone, and before she could talk, Catherine's mother told Steve everything she wanted to say. Mary looked at Steve as she listened to his mother-in-law speak.

"Mrs. Rollins, it's me, Mary."

"Oh, Mary. I'm sorry, but I'm outraged at your brother. How is my daughter? Debby was crying and said that Catherine is in the hospital because Steve had a fight with her. I'm very worried about my daughter."

"They had a little argument, Mrs. Rollins, but Catherine had been accumulating problems and stress, and at some point she was going to collapse. She's sedated at the hospital, but the doctor said she'll be fine," Mary told her.

"I'm going to catch the first plane I can, Mary. I know my daughter needs me. She's been rejecting me since I remarried, but I'll be by her side even if she doesn't want to".

"Okay, Mrs. Rollins. But stay calm," Mary told her.

"I'll try, Mary. See you soon."

Steve looked at Mary with expectation. "Your mother-in-law said some unpublishable things, Steve. She was very nervous and said she's coming here."

"Oh no, Mary. That's all I didn't need right now," Steve answered.

"Treat her right when she gets here," Mary said to him.

"Okay," he answered.

At night, Steve couldn't sleep. He got up from bed and went into the living room, turned on the TV, and picked out a movie at random.

A few minutes later, Joe left his room and was looking for his mother. Steve saw him at the edge of the stairs and was afraid Joe would fall. He got up quickly, went upstairs and picked him up. "Come here, buddy."

"Mommy?" Joe pointed to the bedroom.

"Mommy's not there, Joe." Steve sat on the couch with him, changed the channel and put on a cartoon for Joe to watch.

Steve looked at his son and kissed his head. The feeling he had was that he had become a father instantly, and that was confusing, but he decided he would try to be the best father possible.

Two hours later, Mary woke up and didn't see Joe in bed. She got up quickly and searched the house for him. She found him in Steve's room, and Joe was sleeping peacefully next to his father.

She breathed in relief that he was okay and returned to the children's room where Debby and Joan was sleeping.

The next day, Steve was in the kitchen preparing breakfast and Joe was sitting on the counter watching his father.

"What are you doing on the counter, Joe?" Mary asked as she entered the kitchen

"He's watching Daddy prepare breakfast. Good morning, Mary," Steve told her.

"Good morning, Steve. How much longer before you finish? I'm hungry," Mary answered.

"I'm almost done. Steve saw Debby come into the kitchen still sleepy.

"Good morning, daughter. Do you want Daddy to make you something special to eat?"

"I want bread with peanut butter," Debby answered timidly.

Steve was trying to regain his children's trust and then would go to the hospital to try to win back his wife. "Bread with peanut butter? Do we have peanut butter?" He opened the refrigerator and couldn't find it. "We don't, Debby."

"Yes, we do," Debby went to the refrigerator and picked up the jar of peanut butter kind hidden behind some bottles.

"Hmm! I wonder why Mommy hides it, huh?" Steve told the girl.

"I don't know," Debby answered her father with a guilty face. She didn't tell Steve that Catherine hid the peanut butter because she wanted to eat it all the time.

"Okay," he answered and passed the butter on the bread to her.

Steve took Joe off the counter and served breakfast. "And Joan?" Steve asked Mary.

"She's still sleeping," Mary answered.

"I'll go get her," Debby said to Steve and went upstairs toward the bedroom.

"I'm glad she's talking to me, Mary," Steve talked about Debby.

"She's a child, Steve. Children hold no grudge."

"After breakfast, I'm going to the hospital, Mary. I need to get there before my mother-in-law." Steve paused and then continued. "It's so weird to say "my mother-in-law". I like her, but she complains too much sometimes. That must be why my father-in-law died."

"How do you know your father-in-law died? He died two years after Aunt Deb. If you don't remember Aunt Deb died, how do you remember his death?" Mary asked Steve.

Steve was thoughtful for a few seconds. "I don't know, Mary. I just know he died, but I don't remember how."

"Your head is really a mess, my brother. Go to the hospital and try not to fight Catherine. She doesn't need another fight now."

"I won't fight her, Mary."

Debby returned bringing Joan for breakfast. Joan hugged Steve and wished him a good day. "Thanks, Joan. Did you know you're my favorite niece?"

"I'm your only niece, Uncle Steve," Joan answered and Steve smiled. Everyone sat down and had their breakfast.

Steve arrived at the hospital some time later, and Catherine was lying in bed and staring at the totally blue sky through the window. Steve entered the room and approached her very slowly. "Hey, Cath."

Catherine turned her head and looked at him, and did not answer.

"I came to apologize for the things I said that hurt you. I'm sorry, Catherine. I know I was stupid and insensitive."

Catherine looked through the window again. "How are my children?" She asked Steve.

"They're fine. Mary's taking care of them." Steve answered and hoped she'd say something more, but she was silent.

"Do you forgive me?" He asked.

"I'll leave your house like you asked," she answered.

"What? No, Catherine! I don't want you to leave." Steve sat on the chair next to the bed and held her hand. "I said things I didn't mean. We have a family, Cath, we have children, and that's wonderful. So many times over the years, I've imagined what our children would be like if they existed, and today they're reality and they're much better than I imagined. I even know that I have a daughter addicted to peanut butter".

Catherine couldn't help but smile. "It's true. I have to hide the peanut butter from her, otherwise she eats everything".

"Well, then I have some bad news for you: she knows very well where you hide it."

"Really?" Catherine asked.

"Yes. She's a very smart little girl. She's like you," Steve answered.

Steve stroked her hand slowly. "I want you to get better and come home soon.

Catherine looked at him and saw that he was being sincere: "You have an appointment with the psychologist tomorrow. Don't miss it, or I won't want to see you again. The address, the doctor's name, is all in your medical documentation folder in the wardrobe".

"Okay. Can you tell me how things happened? I don't know what to tell the doctor."

"All right," she answered and started telling him everything that had happened.

"Wow, that sounds like fiction, Cath," Steve told her after she'd told him everything.

"I really wanted it to be fiction, Steve."

"You still haven't answered if you forgive me. I'm not perfect, I make a lot of mistakes, I hurt people, but when I ask for forgiveness, I'm really sorry. You know that".

"Okay, Steve. But make sure you make an effort not to repeat the mistake. I won't forgive you again."

"I know. Thanks," he answered and kissed her hand. "Your mother's coming here. She should be in Hawaii today."

"You're kidding me, right?" Catherine said.

Steve smiled. "No, I'm not."

PS: Thank you for your review. Thank you for reading.