"It's hard to believe how unseasonably warm it is out here," Rachel said, as she walked through the park with Fen.
"Enjoy it while you can," Fen said, "It won't last."
"I know," Rachel said, "So, it was an interesting evening."
"That's one word for it," Fen said, "I'll walk you to your car."
"I don't want to go home just yet," Rachel said.
"Why not?" Fen said.
"No else is there and I don't feel like being alone," Rachel said.
"You mean without Kyle," Fen said.
"I know, I keep saying this," Rachel said, "But I hope he's home soon."
"He will be," Fen said, "Probably sooner than you think."
"I could use some company," Rachel said, "Are you in a hurry to go?"
"No, we can hang out here for a little while, if you want," Fen said. Sitting next to Rachel on a bench, Fen said, "I have a question. Why does it seem like you and I are getting along?"
"I guess it's because we are," Rachel said.
"You've never been this nice to me before," Fen said.
"Sorry about that," Rachel said. Smiling she continued, "Okay, maybe you're not such a terrible guy after all."
"Oh, thanks," Fen laughed.
"You have been a good friend, through all of this," Rachel said.
"Your fiancé and I might not be friends," Fen said, "But I never would wish him to be sick, like he was."
"I appreciate your support," Rachel said, "I know Kyle does too."
"It's good everything turned out the way it did," Fen said.
"Such a relief," Rachel said, "Let's talk about something else."
"Like what?" Fen said.
"Like you," Rachel said.
"Me?" Fen said, "What about me?"
"How's the singing career going?" Rachel said.
"It's going," Fen said.
"That didn't sound very encouraging," Rachel said.
"The popularity of my music has taken a downturn," Fen said.
"I guess, that happens sometimes in the music business," Rachel said, "One minute you are the greatest and then it calms down a bit. That is until you release your next hit song."
Fen half laughed and looking down he said, "I'm not so sure there will be another one."
"Of course there will," Rachel said, "Your songs are really good."
Looking at her, Fen said, "You don't have to say that."
"I'm not just saying it," Rachel said, "I really like your music."
"You do?" Fen said, "Thanks."
"Although I couldn't do what you do," Rachel said.
"What is it that I do?" Fen said.
"Performing in front of people," Rachel said, "I would be so nervous."
"I can feel like that before a show," Fen said, "No matter how many times I do it, I can still feel uneasy at the beginning."
"It doesn't show," Rachel said.
"I bet you would be good at it," Fen said, "Do you like to sing?"
Rachel laughed. "No one wants to hear that," she said.
"Try me," Fen said.
"Excuse me?" Rachel said.
"Sing something for me," Fen said.
"No thank you," Rachel said, "The shower is reserved for my singing."
"Oh come on," Fen said.
"Out here?" Rachel said, "No way."
"Do you see anyone else around?" Fen said.
"Maybe it's time to go," Rachel said, standing up.
"Just a few lines of something, anything," Fen said.
"If I do will you stop badgering me about it?" Rachel said.
"Sure thing," Fen smiled, settling on the bench in anticipation.
Rachel was about to start singing, when her nerves took over. "I can't do this," she said, "I'm far to self conscious."
"Okay," Fen said, standing up, "I'll sing with you."
"Fen…" Rachel said.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Fen said, launching into the words of a popular song. Gesturing with his arm for her to join in, Rachel hesitantly sang along, as Fen took one of her hands. As she continued, Rachel was enjoying herself, sharing a smile with Fen as she sang.
Once they ended the song, Fen said, "You're really good!"
"No, you're just saying that," Rachel said.
"Honest, you have a great voice," Fen said.
"You really think so?" Rachel said.
"You were amazing," Fen smiled. Appreciating the praise, Rachel gave quiet laugh. Still holding onto her hand, Fen didn't hesitate to lean forward and kiss her.
Rachel kissed him back for few seconds, before pulling away, holding him at arm's length. Fen momentarily closed his eyes, before he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I should not have done that."
"No, you shouldn't have," Rachel said.
"Forgive me, I got caught in a moment," Fen said, "It won't happen again. Please don't be upset. You think I'm a terrible person again, don't you?"
"No," Rachel sighed, "Why don't we just forget this ever happened."
"Done," Fen said, "Maybe we should head home."
"Okay," Rachel said, looking past Fen, as she noticed someone dart behind the bushes. "Did you see that?" she quietly said.
"What?" Fen said, following Rachel's gaze.
"There's someone over there," Rachel said, "I think he was watching us."
"I'll go tell him to get lost," Fen said.
"No," Rachel said, touching his arm, "Let's just go."
Knowing Rachel was feeling uneasy, Fen let her take his hand as they walked. Sauntering along the path, they could hear footsteps behind them. Fen tried to glance back out of the corner of his eye, as Rachel said "Is he following us?"
"I think so," Fen said, "Just keep going." Fen and Rachel picked up the pace, the feet behind them matching their steps. As they hurried along the pathway, the steps of the person behind them faded a few second, then was suddenly back again.
"That's enough," Fen said. Sharply turning around, Fen demanded, "What do you want?"
"Whoa," a familiar face said, looking at Rachel and Fen, "Take it easy."
"Theo?" Rachel said.
"Was that fun for you to follow us like that?" Fen said, "You scared Rachel out of her wits."
"Looks like you got scared too," Theo said, "But I wasn't following you."
"I suppose you're going to deny spying on us too," Fen said.
"You need to get that paranoia under control," Theo said, "If someone was doing those things it was not me. There was some other guy back there. He didn't look too wholesome. He took off when he saw me."
"I saw some guy in a baseball cap," Rachel said.
"Yeah, it must have been the same person I just saw," Theo said. Thinking about his altercation with the intruder at the hospital, Theo mused, "What is he up to?"
"What?" Rachel said.
"Nothing," Theo said. Noticing Fen and Rachel were still holding hands, Theo said, "What's up with you two? On a date?"
"I would hardly do that, to Kyle," Rachel said.
"We are on our way home from a family dinner," Fen said, "Not that it's any of your business."
Waving his finger between the two of them, Theo said, "Since when do you two share the same family?"
"All of this is really none of your business," Fen said, "Goodnight." He guided Rachel past Theo, who frowned as he watched them walk away.
Looking around Theo said, to himself, "Okay, guy, first you are lurking around Kyle, then Rachel and Fen. What is up with you?"
The following day, Rachel entered Kyle's hospital room, to find him sitting in a chair. "Hi there," he smiled.
"Excuse me," Rachel said, "Have you seen the patient who is supposed to be in that bed?"
"The doctor said I could get out of bed and sit up if I feel like it," Kyle said.
"Does this mean you are feeling better?" Rachel said.
"Sort of," Kyle said, "Sometimes I feel good, then awhile later not so good."
Rachel leaned in to Kyle, sharing a kiss with him. Smiling, Kyle said, "Yeah, that helps tremendously."
As Rachel sat next to him, Kyle said, "What happened to you last evening? You texted me, you were not going to make it back to see me, because of Susie. Is she okay?"
"Oh, she's fine," Rachel said, "It was planned for her to stay at Kevin's last night and when he came to pick her up at the coffeehouse, she invited me for dinner. Next thing I knew I was sitting at the dinner table with Kevin, Chloe, the girls and Fen."
"Baldwin was there?" Kyle said.
"When she saw him at the coffeehouse, Susie took it upon herself to invite him too," Rachel said.
Slightly laughing, Kyle said, "She really has a crush on him."
"She asked him on a date," Rachel said.
"She did what?" Kyle said.
"We got to talking about the wedding and she asked Fen to be her date," Rachel said.
"What did he say?" Kyle said.
"He felt awkward about it," Rachel said, "He tried to nicely tell her he already had a date but he would save a dance for her."
"One day she will grow up and find out he is not the great guy she thinks he is," Kyle said.
"Fen is not such a bad guy," Rachel said, "All things considered, I wish had come to see you instead."
"I missed you, but I wasn't alone," Kyle said, "Theo came for a visit."
"How did that go?" Rachel said.
"Not so bad," Kyle said, "He gave me a big speech about how much he wants to be friends again."
"I hope you told him where he can shove his sentiments," Rachel said.
"I listened to what he had to say and still don't trust him," Kyle said, "I did agree to give him one chance."
"Kyle..." Rachel groaned.
"I told him if he causes any trouble, we are over for good," Kyle said.
"I guess Theo was making the rounds yesterday," Rachel said.
"What does that mean?" Kyle said.
"Fen was walking me to my car and we ran into him after…" Rachel trailed off.
"After what?" Kyle said.
"You know what, it's not important," Rachel said.
"Did Fen do something to upset you?" Kyle said. Rachel was quiet, prompting Kyle to repeat, "Did he?"
"No," Rachel said, "It's just, when we were walking we thought we heard someone following us. Then we run into Theo, who says he saw the guy too."
"But you're okay," Kyle questioned.
"Yes, I'm fine," Rachel said, "It was a little scary, but at least Fen was there and I wasn't walking alone. It was some creep in baseball cap, wanted to scare us."
"What did you say?" Kyle said, "He was wearing a baseball hat?"
"Yes," Rachel said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason," Kyle said, "I wondered if you got a good look at this guy."
"Not really," Rachel said, "But it's over and we will probably never see him again."
"Let's hope so," Kyle said.
Kyle and Rachel looked up as the room door opened, to see Dr. Hastings step in. "Well, this looks like improvement," he said, "How are you feeling today?"
"The nausea and the dizziness comes and goes," Kyle said, "I have a bit of a headache too."
"How bad?" Dr. Hastings said.
"Not too much," Kyle said, "Nothing like they were before."
"Your fever is gone, also, you have responded well to the antibiotic and I think it's safe to say your infection is almost cleared up," Dr. Hastings said.
"That's wonderful news," Rachel said.
"How about you let me see you walk a little," Dr. Hastings said.
"Sure," Kyle said. As he prepared to stand up, Rachel reached out to him, but he resisted her help. "Thank you, but it's okay, I can do it," he said.
Rachel still cautiously held her hands out near Kyle as he stood up. "How does that feel?" Dr. Hastings said.
"Not bad," Kyle said.
After Kyle tool a few uneasy steps, Rachel smiled as she watched him slowly walk unassisted. "Look at you, doing so great," Rachel said.
Kyle smiled at her remark, as he turned around and retraced his steps back towards her. Once he was situated back in the chair, Rachel put her arm around his shoulders. "I am so proud of you," she said.
"Thanks," Kyle said, taking her hand.
"I have to agree," Dr. Hastings said, "You are doing well. I am very pleased with the pace of your recovery. How would you like to continue the healing process at home?"
Kyle stared at the doctor in surprise. "I can go home?" Kyle said, excitement evident in his voice, "Today?"
"As soon as we can get the paperwork done," Dr. Hastings said, "I take it you like this plan."
"Are you kidding?" Kyle said, "I can not wait to get out of here."
"As long as you follow all instructions and continue your medication schedule," Dr. Hastings said, "We will do a series of follow up visits, however, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns."
"Thank you," Kyle said, "For everything. You saved my life."
"I did my job," Dr. Hastings smiled.
"Your job, gave Kyle back to us," Rachel said, "Thank you for taking such good care of him."
"Of course," Dr. Hastings smiled, as he left the room.
"I feel like I have been in this hospital forever," Kyle said, "Finally, I can go home."
"Right back where you belong," Rachel said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"It sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you," Traci said, the next morning, as she as she sat at the breakfast table with Jack.
"We have to get all the holiday products and promotions ready to roll," Jack said.
"Hard to believe that is coming up so soon," Traci said.
"Nice to know, it's not just me," Jack said, "Time does fly."
"You are so right about that," Traci said.
Hearing footsteps coming closer, Jack smiled, when he saw Rachel. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning Jack," Rachel cheerfully said, adding, "Traci."
"Someone's in a good mood," Jack said, his eyes following Rachel as she crossed the room.
"No reason, not to be," Rachel said, "It's a beautiful day."
"I agree," Traci said, "It is."
"Me too," Kyle said, entering the dining room.
Jack and Traci stared at him in surprise. "Kyle?" Jack said, standing up, "When did you…I can't believe you're here."
"The hospital finally let me come home," Kyle said.
"This is such great news, welcome back," Jack smiled as he hugged his son.
"Thanks," Kyle said, "It's good to be back. I missed being here."
Getting out of her chair, Traci had a big smile as she also hugged Kyle. "Honey, it's so good to see you," she said.
"You too," Kyle smiled.
"So, this is why you were is such a good mood," Traci said, "You knew Kyle was home."
"I brought him home yesterday," Rachel said.
"Why didn't you tell us you were here?" Jack said.
"It was getting late and I wanted to surprise you," Kyle said, "Which I think I did, by the look on your faces."
"It's a wonderful surprise," Jack smiled, "I'm so happy to have you home."
"Same here," Kyle said.
Taking Kyle's arm, Jack said, "What am I thinking, you must want to sit down." Jack guided Kyle across the room, as Rachel situated a chair for him.
Once he was seated, Kyle said, "Thank you for the help, but I can walk much better on my own now."
"Sounds like you are doing very well with your recovery," Jack said, "You will be as good as new in no time."
"I hope so," Kyle said, "I mean, I know I will, it's just I still have moments when I don't feel so good."
"It's going to take some time for everything to get better," Rachel said, "The doctor told us that."
"I know, I don't mean to complain," Kyle said, "I have to admit, I do feel a bit more like myself again. Maybe, I will go into the office later today."
Everyone stared at Kyle. "You will not," Rachel said.
"I don't think…" Jack started.
"I was kidding," Kyle said, "That was a joke."
"Shame on you," Rachel laughed.
"Do you know how long it will be before you can return to work?" Traci said.
"Once I get the green light from the doctor," Kyle said, "Two or three weeks."
"So, how are we going to work this," Traci said, "I can stay with Kyle today."
"I was planning to take tomorrow and be here," Rachel said.
"I will rearrange my schedule so I can do the day after," Jack said, "We can set up a rotation between the three of us."
"Hold on," Kyle said, waving his arms, "I am still in the room and I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself quite well, while you are all at work."
"It was doctor's orders to have someone stay with you at all times for the first couple of weeks," Rachel said.
"I heard the same instruction," Jack said.
"Doctors are always more cautious than they have to be," Kyle said, "What's the worst that could happen if I'm on my own?"
"You could have a dizzy spell or fall," Rachel said, "What about the next time your nausea kicks in, or you need someone to get something for you."
"I can get whatever it is myself," Kyle said.
"You are not to exert yourself and that includes going up and down those stairs," Rachel said.
Kyle looked around at everyone and said, "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"
"Nope," Jack said.
"I don't want to be a burden to anyone," Kyle said.
"Honey, we would never consider taking care of you a burden," Traci said.
"We want to do it, because we all love you so much," Rachel said.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Jack said.
"Alright," Kyle sighed, "If you all think you can keep up with me."
"I have so far," Rachel smiled.
"You know, I should take my medication," Kyle said.
"Baby, you already did," Rachel said, "Before we came downstairs."
"No, I don't think so," Kyle said.
"You did, I saw you," Rachel said, patting his hand.
Kyle paused and trying to laugh it off, he said, "I guess you're right. Thanks for reminding me." He forced a smile at his family.
"I have missed this," Rachel said, as she sat close to Kyle on the couch, fingers of one hand linked together with his.
"I know what you mean," Kyle said, "I was beginning to wonder if we would ever have moments like this again."
"Don't you wish we could spend the day like this," Rachel said, "Just you and me."
"I do," Kyle said, "But I know you have to get to work."
"I will," Rachel said, "First there is something we need to talk about."
"Like what?" Kyle said.
"Our special day," Rachel said.
"What special day?" Kyle teased.
"Our wedding," Rachel said.
"Are we having one of those?" Kyle said.
"We had better be," Rachel said.
Smiling, Kyle said, "I can hardly wait either. So, was there something specific you wanted to discuss?"
"I don't like to keep bringing this up," Rachel started, "But have you given any thought to your side of the wedding party?"
"Well, let's see," Kyle said, "My Dad is my best man. Then there's Billy, Theo…"
"Are you sure you still want him?" Rachel said.
"You mean Theo?" Kyle said, "He told me he wants to be friends again. I don't fully trust him. He has promised to be a better friend and he knows if he screws up, even a little, just one more time, then he and I are over for good. He swore he would not mess things up this time, so I told him he could still be in the wedding. I honestly don't think he will do anything to sabotage our big day."
"I hope you're right," Rachel said, "What about any others? You also have Fen."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around, how that happened," Kyle said.
"He's been a friend to you through all of this," Rachel said, "He was really concerned about you."
"Yeah, he's still in," Kyle said, "I was thinking of asking Devon Hamilton to be in the wedding."
"Kyle, you already did," Rachel said, "He said, yes, remember?"
"Of course," Kyle sighed, "Everything seems to get all jumbled up in my head. I mean to say one thing, but something else comes out. Sometimes, I feel like I can't think straight."
"It's all part of the healing process," Rachel said, "It's only temporary. You have all of us here to help you through it."
"I wish you could stay with me every day," Kyle said.
"I can take a longer leave from work if will help you and make you feel better," Rachel said.
"No, I can't let you do that," Kyle said, "You've already missed so many work days because of me. As long as I know you are coming home at the end of the day, I can get through this."
"I might have a solution to who you can ask the favour to," Rachel said.
"Tell me," Kyle said.
Rachel hesitated, before she said, "Kevin?"
"You ex Kevin Fisher?" Kyle said.
"It's not the worst idea," Rachel said, "He and I have a history, we share a daughter."
"I realize that," Kyle said, "And it's true, Kevin and I called a truce, but I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with him in the wedding party."
"Maybe just think it over?" Rachel said.
"I'll consider it," Kyle said.
"There is one more thing, I wanted to mention," Rachel said.
"Okay," Kyle said.
"I was talking to Chloe," Rachel started.
"Always a dangerous trend," Kyle said.
"She was getting all excited about the wedding. She started coming up with some ideas and she offered to be our wedding planner…I told her she could."
"You did?" Kyle said.
"I know I should have discussed it with you, but everything seemed to happen so fast," Rachel said.
"How much experience does Chloe have as a wedding planner?" Kyle said.
"Well, after she does our wedding," Rachel said, "One time."
"That's what I thought," Kyle said.
"She can help finding venues, and with the dresses and flowers," Rachel said, "Then you can focus on your recovery and I can catch up at work. We just have to tell her what we want and of course we have the final say on any ideas she comes up with."
"I guess we can use all the help we can get," Kyle said, "We have to set a date too."
"Hold that thought," Rachel said, "I really do have to get going. Are you sure you will be okay if I leave?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Kyle said, "Traci is here if I need anything. I'll miss you though." He smiled.
"Here's a little something to remember me by," Rachel said, giving him a kiss.
"More of that and I'll be recovered in no time," Kyle said.
"I'll be home as soon as I can," Rachel said, "And then we can talk wedding dates."
"Does tomorrow work for you?" Kyle said.
"Please take this seriously," Rachel said.
"I am," Kyle said, "I'm well enough to say 'I do'."
"Epic," Rachel said, "Remember?"
"Whatever you say," Kyle smiled.