Chapter 13

It had taken Steve the entire drive to the bakery in Ojai and half of the drive back before he realized that in sending him on an errand, Mark had been treating him as well as his wife. He could've asked Steve to wait in his office while he met privately with Jaime, but sending him into the outside world got him out of the hospital environment - and its mindset - completely...out from under the cold fluorescent lights and into the warm sunshine. He didn't worry about his wife any less, but Steve was outside of his own head, outside of the hospital walls and doing something that might help Jaime (at least a little), even if he himself didn't see the purpose.

When he returned, he could see that Jaime had been crying - hard...and probably for most of the two hours he'd been gone. Steve's heart ached for the obvious pain she was in, and he cursed Marchetti (and Kingsley) for doing this to her. Jaime seemed reluctant to meet his eyes but when she spotted the familiar box in his hands, she managed a slight smile.

''Okay if I come in?'' Steve asked tentatively.

Jaime nodded. ''Are those...?''

''I'll get us all some coffee,'' Mark offered, slipping out of the room.

Steve set the box on the bedside table and kissed his wife. ''Are you...alright?'' he asked, tenderly brushing the last of her tears from Jaime's cheeks.

''Yeah. Well...I will be. I hope. Steve, I...I'm sorry.''

Steve sat on the side of the bed and swept Jaime into his arms. She was still trembling slightly from the effort she'd put into the last two hours with Mark. ''Sweetheart, you haven't done anything you need to be sorry for,'' he told her, holding her close. ''I know how hard it was for you, having to get closer to Michael, just to survive. And you did everything right. Do you hear me?'' He drew back slightly, to gaze into Jaime's eyes and make certain she understood. ''You did it right.''

''What you heard...what I said...and did...it wasn't...real.''

''I know,'' Steve soothed. He could see Jaime's eyes drawing away from his gaze, once again reliving the horrors of the past. He reached over to the table and grabbed a slice of lemon. ''Bite,'' he said firmly. This time, the lemon and his gentle embrace were enough; Jaime was able to come right 'back'. Steve was still holding her, gently rubbing her back, when Mark returned with the coffee.

The doctor was quick to notice the used piece of lemon - but was gratified to see Jaime was fully 'present'...and allowing her husband to take care of her. He took a seat and waited patiently until they were ready for him. When they broke their full embrace and turned to face him, they remained united with Steve's arm still gently encircling Jaime's waist as her head rested on his shoulder. Mark smiled and opened the purple box, took out two cookies and placed them within reach on the table. He had a point to make.

''My favorite,'' Jaime said softly.

''Delicious, right?'' Mark agreed. ''What makes them so good?''

Jaime leaned into Steve's chest, loving the way his hand felt as he ran his fingers through her hair. His touch was calming for her...now that she allowed it to be. ''Well,'' she began, eying the cookie, ''they use the very best chocolate, imported pecans, real butter...'' She started to take one...and Mark moved it just slightly out of her reach. Jaime looked quizzically at him.

Mark began crumbling one of the cookies into very small pieces. ''Suppose we break it apart,'' he suggested, moving the chunks of chocolate into one pile and the pecan halves into another.

''That's blasphemy,'' Steve told him. He was already having a 'light bulb' moment, 'getting' what Mark was up to.

''Do we still have a cookie?'' Mark queried.

''You don't,'' Steve told him. ''Because that one was yours.''

''Work with me here, would you please?'' Mark chuckled. ''Jaime...?''

''Might not be a cookie anymore...but it's still the best chocolate...imported pecans...and delicious.''

Mark swept the pieces into his hand (eating a few of them as he went)...and replaced them with another cookie. ''So what you're saying is that even though these pieces are wonderful all on their own - the best there is, in fact - this cookie is more than the sum of its parts.''

''I get it,'' Jaime told him, her tense body finally beginning to relax. ''Can I have one now?''

They had turned an important corner. While Jaime continued to have nightmares, Steve was right there to comfort her and ease her back to sleep. The flashbacks in the daytime grew less frequent and (with Jaime no longer reluctant or ashamed to lean on her husband) a little easier to pull out of. She was able to give Hansen and Morrisey a complete statement and began working with them, with an eye toward the upcoming Tribunal. Finally, after just over a week in the hospital, she was ready to go home. Her strength was still (gradually) returning as her body recovered from the physical trauma, but with Steve's loving assistance and a helping hand from her team of doctors, she would be alright.

Jaime insisted on walking (and not being wheeled) out the big double doors and into the car...with a fresh box of cookies on her lap as they headed for home.