Chapter Four

Days seemed to all run together as days turned to weeks. Linda had been staying at the house with Stephanie. Just getting Steph to get out of bed was a huge task in itself. Stephanie wanted to sleep the rest of her life away; as she saw it, life without her husband and child, was no life to her. Kurt was visiting for the day. Before the divorce, Angle's weekends were spent with Karen and Kyra. The now single life allowed Kurt to drive up to New Hampshire and visit his friend, Stephanie. He, like her other friends, was concerned for her well being.

"Stephanie, you have to eat." Linda said to her daughter.

A breakfast tray sat before Stephanie. She was propped up by two pillows in her king sized bed. She stared at the food, making no attempt to pick up the fork.

"If you don't eat then you are going to get weak. Come on Steph." Said Linda as she took the fork in her own hand. She stabbed a piece of egg on the fork and held it in front of Stephanie's mouth. Steph turned her head away and looked out the window to her right.

"She's not eating?" Kurt asked Linda as he walked into the master bedroom.

Linda shook her head and put the fork back on the plate. She looked over at Kurt who stood at her side.

"See if you can get her to eat. I'm going to go clean up the kitchen." Linda muttered to Kurt.

She got up and left the room as Kurt took her place at the edge of Steph's side of the bed.

"These eggs look good." Kurt said with a smile as he picked up the fork. "Your mom a good cook?"

Stephanie said nothing as she continued to stare out the window. Kurt ate the piece of egg that was on the fork.

"Mmmmm…She is a good cook. Here, try some." Kurt said forking another piece of egg.

"Oh shit…fuck…" Kurt said after the piece of egg fell off the fork and onto his dress pants.

A small laugh escaped Stephanie's mouth that caused Kurt to turn his attention away from his pants and on to Stephanie. She was now looking at him. Stephanie smiled weakly at him.

"There's that beautiful smile…I was afraid I'd never see it again." Kurt said smiling back at Steph. "Now, come on, eat some breakfast so I can look good in front of your mom."

Kurt stabbed a bite sized piece of egg onto the fork. He lifted it in front of Stephanie's face. Steph eyed the piece of food that was in front of her and slowly leaned forward and ate it. Kurt smiled as he started to retract his arm when Stephanie quickly grabbed a hold of his thick wrist.

"Kurt…You don't have to do this…" Stephanie whispered, looking up at him.

"Steph…I want to. You're one of my best friends, and you know I don't have friends that are girls. You were there for me through my divorce with Karen…after I found out she was cheating on me…I care about you Steph."

Steph smiled slightly as her eyes began to get watery. Kurt leaned forward, grabbing the hand that had been holding his wrist and gently kissed it. He then gave the hand a quick pat before backing away.

"How about another bite of food?" Kurt asked before Steph took the fork from him.

"I can feed myself…thanks." Steph said quietly as she slowly used the fork to gather food.

"Yes, by all means, feed yourself. I'm going to go see if I can help your mom with anything." Kurt replied as he got to his feet.

"Well…since you're going to the kitchen, grab some juice for me." Steph said, rubbing her eyes.

"Will do."

Kurt quickly disappeared, leaving Stephanie all alone in the spacious master bedroom. Steph's new found willingness to eat did not overshadow the feeling of being incomplete that she acquired upon her husband and baby's death. Being in the room and bed that she and Paul shared was a constant reminder of his absence.

Stephanie slowly turned to her right. Her eyes gazed upon the pillow on her husband side of the bed. It was where Paul had laid his head every night of their weekends at home. The thought of never sharing the king sized bed with her husband again, shattered all the optimistic thoughts that Stephanie's friends and family were trying to plant in her mind. Steph started to cry as she slowly placed her head on her husband's pillow. Pressing her face in the satin pillow, she began to sob.

"Paul, Paul, Paul…" She repeated over and over again through her sobs.

She grabbed hold of the pillow and forced her face deeper into the pillow as if she was smothering herself with it. Steph tried desperately to breath in her husband's scent; the sweet smelling cologne that she longed to have fill her nostrils, if only one more time. Things that were once trivial, things that Stephanie wouldn't have given a second thought were now all she had to remember the family she once had. As much as Stephanie tried to smell her husband's scent, it was no use. Her congestion denied Stephanie of the comfort she longed for.

"Stephanie, honey, it's okay, come on." Linda whispered soothingly as she ran in and placed the juice down on the night stand next to the bed.

Linda lovingly helped Stephanie sit up in bed. She brushed Stephanie's beautiful brown locks of hair away from her face, allowing Stephanie's tear stained face to be fully exposed.

"Mom…I-I don't know if I can go on without them…Paul and our baby…They are my life…I don't want to go on without my baby and my husband!" Steph sobbed as Linda held her close; doing her best to comfort her daughter.

Linda wished there was something she could do to take her daughters pain and grief away. She could never imagine losing Vince and her children. Why did her daughter have to go through this hellish nightmare?

"I know baby…It's okay…Shhh…Life will go on, honey…I know it seems hopeless now…Eventually you'll over come this…I know you will…You are so strong Stephanie. You're so much stronger than I could ever hope to be." Linda said; her too beginning to cry as she tightened her arms around her daughter.

Kurt had heard Stephanie from downstairs. He now entered the master bedroom with a wash cloth in his right hand. He made his way to the side of the bed and sat next to Linda who was still hugging Stephanie.

"Here, it's cool, put it on her head, it will make her feel better." Kurt instructed, handing the cold cloth to Linda.

He watched intently and Linda laid the cold cloth across Stephanie's forehead. She sighed feeling the cold compress chill the dull drilling ache that was a king sized headache.

"I need Paul…" Steph muttered as both Kurt and Linda hushed her, trying to get her to calm down.

"It's going to be okay, Steph…I promise." Kurt said taking hold of his friend's right hand.

Steph felt the large masculine hand take hold of hers. It reminded her of Paul and her wedding back in 2003. She remembered how Paul had taken her hand in his for the first time after they were pronounced man and wife; how Paul and held her while she was giving birth to their first and only child, Adriana. Stephanie squeezed Angle's hand as if she was trying to recapture the labor pains of her beautiful child coming into the world; that glorious moment after all the pain and pushing when her baby girl cried out for the first time; The look on Paul's face as they welcomed their new baby daughter into the world. It was all gone in one single day.