Chapter 38

Today was the day Catherine was due to be released. When they all left the hospital last night, they had gone with Steve food shopping and all participated with tidying the house up for when Catherine came home. They tidied her and Steve's bedroom to make sure she was going to be comfortable as she wouldn't be able to move around the house that much. Steve had brought flowers and chocolates for her to hopefully make her feel a little happier. The kids had all helped in making a banner for the living room and Chelsea had picked out Catherine's films and left them by the TV in her and Steve's room.

Steve had gone straight from dropping the kids off at school to the hospital. They had been told Catherine would be released some time that morning but where never given an actual time. He wanted to be there ready and waiting.

Catherine was quiet happy to be going home, she was back with her family but there was still a part of her that thought she wasn't ready. While she was staying at Tripler she was in a secure military hospital but when she left, she wouldn't have this security. She knew that Steve would do anything to protect her in any way he could be he was only one man, and while she used to think he was invincible, she had seen the strength of Wo Fat and his men.

"How are you coping with the thought of going home today?" Louise asked. She normally tried to start conversations and let Catherine carry them on with Catherine leading the conversations.

"I am happy, I guess, I am happy to be home to my kids. I am happy that when I get home my CO has already told me I am leave and will not be going back on ship, but there is still a part of me that is worried. That if Wo Fat comes again, Steve will not be able to protect both me and the kids. That he and his men are too strong for Steve to take on by himself."

"That's normal to think like that, but before this happened you trusted him. I know that circumstances have changed now but try to remember what it was like before. I have met Steve and I know he would do anything he could to protect you and the kids." Louise explained. This was new area for Louise normally dealt with military people that had been kidnapped or injured because they were in the military and not for a personal vengeance like Catherine's case. She had met Steve once and she did truly believe in what she was telling Catherine, in a brief conversation with Steve, about he could help her, she knew he would do anything to protect her and stop anything like this ever happening to Catherine again.

"I know and I am trying to tell myself that. I want to go back to how it was before. I can't even tell him what happened to me. I won't even let him see me unless I am completely covered up." Catherine explained again. She had been saying this since she had first started seeing Louise and every time Louise would always reply the same.

"It will take time for you to want to tell him. I think you will start telling him more when you are in a more comfortable setting like your home. Or if you need someone else you can invite him along to one of our meetings and you can tell him there because you are relaxed enough here. About him not seeing you unless your covered up, all of your injuries will turn to small scars. He loves you for you, not for just your body. He wanted to be with you even when he found out you had kids, you have said it yourself. I know it will take time, but you also told me about his scares and you don't mind them." Louise replied.

"I know, and I know I can't hide them forever but I just don't want him to see what he did to me." Catherine replied.

"He already knows what happened to you, he was told. I understand that it is different to show him but he is going to see them eventually. For now he won't see them while you have help in the hospital, but what are you going to do when you need help in the shower, when you need help to get dressed?"

"I have Chelsea for that. She can help me." Catherine replied. It wasn't ideal showing her daughter what he had done to her, but she could make a story up about how she got them, in a less violent manner, but she knew she could never do that with Steve because he would always known it was not true, always know they were inflicted in another way.

"Okay. Well that is all for today, but we have made our follow up appointments, so I will see you on Monday. You have my phone number in case you need anything else while I am gone."

"Thank you for everything." Catherine said slowly getting up from the sofa.

Steve was waiting in Catherine's room when she came back.

"Are you alright?" Steve said, helping Catherine to sit down on the bed.

"Yeah, I am doing better today. I spoke to the nurse the doctor will be here in about an hour to sign my discharge papers." Catherine said.

"Do you want to get changed before we go or are you comfortable?" Steve asked. She was dressed in her sweats and Steve just wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

"Yeah, I am going to have a bath when I get home and get changed." Catherine replied.

"Okay, well I will run you one when we get you home."

"No it's alright, I am going to have a lie down and have one when Chelsea gets in. She can help me."

"If you need help I can help you when we get in." Steve wasn't sure what was going on with Catherine.

"That's alright, I can wait for Chelsea."

"Catherine, you know if you need any help I can help you. I understand that Chelsea can help you but what if she asks some questions about what happened. I thought you wanted to keep the kids from asking questions." Steve understood she needed time but this was quite weird for her.

"Steve, I know but I am sure I can give her some reason and she doesn't need to know everything."

"Have I done something to upset you?" Steve asked.

"No, I just can't. I have all of these injuries that you can't see, that I can't show you because you will think differently of me. Every time I look down at myself I see what he did to me and I can't show you because you will know what he did."

"Cath I won't think any differently of you. Just because you have cuts and scars I will never look at you any differently. If you want to wait till Chelsea comes home that's fine but I can help you if not."

Before Catherine could answer the doctor came into the room.

"I have all the paperwork ready for you to sign and you can get out of here. A believe Nurse Carter went through with everything with you, when you should take your medication, when you need to come back?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, we went through everything. Where do I need to sign?" Catherine asked.

"Here, and here, I will see you in a couple of weeks when you need to come back. I can arrange a nurse to help you to the car." The doctor explained.

Steve had managed to convince Catherine to use a wheel chair to get from her room to the car. She had put up a protest that she could walk there herself, but after the advice from the nurses as well they had convinced her.

When they got home, Catherine was a little slow getting in the house, she looked around the living room, she was finally back where she belonged.

"I am going to go for a lie down." Catherine said. She was tired, she wasn't sure why she still felt like this. She had done nothing, she only walked from Steve's truck to the house. She normally had a lot of energy and when the doctor had told her she would be tired for a couple of days because of the medication she never expected it to be this bad.

"Okay." Steve said walking over to her to help her up the stairs.

Catherine hated that she couldn't do anything by herself. She liked being the strong independent women, that she used to be, now she had to depend on someone to help her due to her broken arm and bruises.

"You tidied the whole house?" Catherine asked. She noticed it had been tidy downstairs but her bedroom had never been messy but she did have stuff lying around.

"Yeah, well I did help, the kids did a lot of it too. They did make you a banner but they put that in the kitchen and Chelsea left all of your favourite DVD's by the tv. Do you want one on now?"

"No, I'll probably just sleep for a little while." Catherine said as Steve carefully helped her to lie down on the bed. It felt so good to lie down in her bed, to be able to relax. There was no machines, around her, no sounds of nurses talking or coming to check on her.

"If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."

"Lie down with me?" Catherine said as Steve had almost reached the door. She wanted to feel his warmth to remind her that she was at home and safe, but she had also seen the tiredness in his eyes that he hadn't properly slept in weeks.

"Of course I will." He said as he emptied his pockets and kicked his shoes off. When he was situated on the bed, she curled up next to him resting her head on top of his shoulder.

Steve had been asleep for only an hour, when he was woke up by screams, Steve shot up from his place in his bed, reaching for the gun in his bed side table, only to stop when he looked at Catherine and it was her thrashing around the bed having a nightmare.

"Catherine," Steve said gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "Catherine." He said louder trying to wake her up. I took him a couple more attempts before she sat up suddenly, only to feel a sharp pain down her side where she had aggravated the bruises on her stomach.

She reached for Steve and feel into his arms. They stayed like that for about half an hour, with Steve stroking her hair and reassuring her that she was safe.

When he felt sure that she had calmed down, he tried to ask her what it was about.

"He came back, he came to the house, Steve, he never took me this time, he took the kids. There was nothing me and you could do." Catherine explained.

"I promise you, he is never going to hurt this family again. I will do everything I can to stop him, from ever doing that. How about I go downstairs and make us some lunch?"

"That would be great. I'll come and help you." Catherine said.

"Okay." Steve wasn't sure if she actually wanted to help or if she just didn't want to be left alone upstairs.

When they made it too the kitchen, Catherine stopped once she walked into the kitchen, she had spotted the banner. 'Welcome home Mom, we have missed you. Love you.'

"They really missed you. We all did." Steve said, when he had spotted her that she had just seen her standing there.

"I missed you all too." Catherine said, walking over and standing behind Steve.

"Ham okay?" He asked, referring to the sandwiches he was making for the both of them.

"Yeah that's fine."

Steve and Catherine had finished lunch and had started to watch the midday news, when the front door started to open. Steve wasn't overly concerned because the door was opened with a key, but he did get ready in case he had to act fast.

"Chelsea aren't you meant to be at school?" Catherine said, when they saw who opened the door.

"I was meant to be, but I had to come home and see you." Chelsea said. It was in that moment that Catherine saw the tear stains down Chelsea face.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked, sitting up right.

"Jordon...he...he broke up with me." Chelsea said, as the tears started to fall.

"Why?"Catherine asked.

Steve took this as his queue to leave the mother and daughter to deal with this. He wasn't really sure what he would do when Evie went through the same thing. He really hoped that Catherine was there to help both of them through it. Help Evie get through the heart break and stop him going to kill this boy.

"He said he couldn't go out with me anymore because I wasn't spending enough time with him." Chelsea said. She had sat next to Catherine and rested her head on her shoulder carefully.

"Hunnie, if he can't accept that you have other things going on in your life and he wants you constant attention then he is not worth any of your time." Catherine explained. This was meant to be her first day home, everything was meant to go back to normal, they were meant to have a break from everything else happening.

"I'm sorry Mom, I shouldn't have come home, it's your first day out of hospital." Chelsea said when she realised. When Jordon first broke up with her she knew that she just needed to get away. She wanted her mom and it hadn't even occurred to her that it was her mom's first day out of hospital.

"It's okay. However, what is not okay is you leaving school." Catherine said. She was sure that Chelsea was not in the mood for a lecture and she was not sure she felt up to giving one. "Next time, phone me, and there will not be another next time that you will just leave school, understand?"

"I understand. I'm sorry." Chelsea said.

"Steve." Catherine called and he walked into the living room from his position in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" He returned.

"Can you call Chelsea's school and tell her she won't be in for the rest of the day?" Catherine asked. She normally would have made Chelsea go back to school, but she knew how upset her daughter was upset, but also she and all the kids had gone through a lot in the last couple of weeks and she thought they all needed a break.

"Yeah sure." Steve said.

Catherine and Chelsea sat on the sofa for another half an hour, while Chelsea was still crying. Catherine remembered her first heart break, although she had been about a year older than Chelsea, she remembered the pain and emotions that she had felt.

When Chelsea had calmed down, she started to sit up. "I am going to make lunch, do you want something?" Chelsea asked.

"We have already eaten. I am going to run a bath eat your lunch then come upstairs." Catherine instructed, as Chelsea slowly helped her off the sofa.

"Okay." Chelsea said walking into the kitchen.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked, when he saw Chelsea walking into the kitchen. He had been sitting at the table reading the news paper.

"Yeah, I just don't understand him." Chelsea said. "Why would he break up with me. Because I wouldn't spend that much time with him because my mom was kidnapped and then in hospital. Why would someone not understand this?" Chelsea asked. She didn't really interested in answers she was just trying to make sense of everything in her head.

"I don't understand either, but if that is all he can see, then he is not worth you, and you are worth so much more than that." Steve said.

"I shouldn't have come home, it wasn't fair on mom, after everything that went on for her, I should have stayed at school."

"Your mom wants to get back to normal. Back to being your mother."

"Jay always said I had a tendency to be selfish, I know he is right. Selfish to Mom for coming home and never asking how she was. Selfish because I never gave Jordon any on my time. As long as I was happy no one else mattered." Chelsea said as tears started to fall.

Steve walked over towards Chelsea and took her in his arms while she was crying. "I haven't known you for that long and even I know that you are not selfish. A little strong minded at times, but it is his loss, I know that it's not what out want to hear right now, but it will get better. Do you want me to make you anything nice for lunch?"

"I was going to make you a sandwich."

"Cheese or ham?" Steve asked.

"Cheese please." Chelsea said taking a set at the table.

After that conversation that Chelsea and Steve had, Chelsea realised that Steve was what the family needed. They needed a figure like him, to look after them, to reassure them that everything was alright. The type of things that her dad should have been doing before he died. She realised that now they were becoming a proper family and once Steve proposed to Catherine everything would fall into place.

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