Kayla opened the door to the apartment and looked around. She did not see Steve or Stephanie, but, after a moment, she heard the soft sounds of a harmonica coming from Stephanie's bedroom. She smiled softly as she listened to Steve playing their daughter to sleep. It was one of the many things she had missed in the months he had been gone.

After a few minutes, the playing stopped and Steve soon appeared in the living room, smiling broadly when he saw Kayla sitting on the couch. Putting his harmonica back to his lips, he played a soft tune as he walked to the couch and sat down beside Kayla. Finishing the song, he put the harmonica on the coffee table, leaned over, and kissed Kayla softly.

When they parted, Kayla smiled and brushed the hair from his forehead. "It's good to hear you play again. I've missed it."

"I missed it too," Steve said. "I didn't realize how much until I picked it up and started playing again. Thanks for keeping it for me, baby. I still can't believe you kept all of my stuff. The harmonicas, my old patch, my pool cue, the old shoebox. . . ."

"It was all a part of you," Kayla said quietly. "I could have never got rid of it."

"I know," Steve replied. He leaned back on the couch and opened his arms. "Come here, Sweetness. Let me hold you for a little while."

Kayla went into Steve's arms and settled back against him, their hands joined against her stomach. They sat quietly for a few moments and then Steve asked, "So,what happened at the hospital?"

Kayla sighed and looked down that their joined hands. "Well . . . I ran into Carly first. I think she's still not very happy with me for keeping Bo's condition a secret from her. But she did say she was happy that you were back and to tell you 'Welcome Home.'"

"Wait a minute," Steve said with anger in his voice. "You told me about all the secrets Carly was keeping when she first came to town. After that, she doesn't have any right to be mad at you."

"Maybe so," Kayla acknowledged. "But she loves Bo, and I can understand how she feels. Hopefully, she'll get past it. Now that she and Bo are engaged, I don't want Bo to feel caught between his sister and his fiancé."

"I'm sure she will," Steve said. Nuzzling her neck, he added in a lighter tone, "I know from personal experience that it's impossible to stay mad at you for long."

Kayla giggled lightly as Steve's unshaven chin tickled her neck. Pulling away, she said, "I'm pretty sure Carly doesn't agree with you, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Steve pulled Kayla back to his chest and kissed her cheek. "So did you talk to Neil as well?"

Kayla nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm still suspended until the hearing before the hospital board. Neil said he'd work on getting that scheduled sometime in the next week." Kayla paused. "He's not very happy with me either." She could not hide the hurt she felt knowing that her friend and colleague was so disappointed in her.

Steve tightened his embrace. "I'm sorry, baby. But I'm sure once you explain everything to the board, they will understand and reinstate you."

"I hope so," Kayla said. "But I'm not sure it's going to be that simple. They might keep my suspension in place for a while, or they might refuse to reinstate me at all. The reality is that I might not be able to work at the hospital or the trauma center again."

"Hey," Steve said firmly. "Don't think like that. You're a wonderful nurse and everybody knows it. They'll reinstate you. You just have to have a little faith." Kayla felt Steve turn her chin until she faced him. She saw the determination in his eye as he said, "You were the one who taught me about having faith when things got tough. So don't you be giving up hope now."

"I won't." Kayla spoke quietly. "Not as long as I have you with me."

"Good," Steve replied. "I'll be right there with you every step of the way. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."

Kayla nodded and offered a slight smile. She leaned in and gave Steve a soft kiss. "Thanks for supporting me. I know you weren't happy that I didn't tell you about the suspension when I first found out."

"No, I wasn't happy," Steve admitted. "But I understand why you waited to tell me and all that matters now is that we are in this together."

"Right," Kayla said, settling back against him again.

After a few moments, Steve spoke again. "There is something we probably do need to talk about, Sweetness."

Kayla sat up, recognizing the more serious tone Steve had taken. She turned and looked at him. "What's that?"

"We haven't talked about it, but if you're not working and I'm not working, we seem to have a bit of a money problem," Steve said.

"Oh, is that all?" Kayla said, relieved.

"Is that all?" Steve repeated, sounding surprised. "Baby, I would think that was kind of important."

"Of course it's important," Kayla said. "But it's not something we need to worry about right now. I still have the money from selling the house. I put part of it in a savings account for Stephanie's education, but the rest of it is still available."

"And how long is that going to last us if nobody is working?" Steve asked.

"Long enough to get my suspension resolved with the board," Kayla said. "And long enough for you to get settled back into Salem."

"Baby I don't feel right just sitting around when we don't have any money coming in," Steve said. "There is no reason I can't go find a job. Maybe the Salem PD would take me back."

"No," Kayla said sharply. Seeing the surprise in Steve's eye, Kayla softened her tone. "I'm sorry, I'm just not ready to think about you being a cop again. That's how I lost you."

"I'm sorry, baby. I wasn't thinking," Steve said apologetically. "But I'm not really trained for anything else . . . unless you want me to go back to hustling pool."

Kayla gave him a slight smile. "At least that would be safer."

"I don't know, baby. It seems like you spent a lot of time patching me up back in my pool hustling days." Steve returned the smile.

"Maybe," Kayla replied, her tone growing more serious. "But they were rarely life-threatening." Sighing, she continued, "I'm not saying never; I'm just saying I'm not ready for that yet. Can't we just wait and see and what happens with my suspension? We were going to use that money to support us on our trip around the world. What's wrong with using it to give us a little time to get things figured out here in Salem?"

"Okay, baby," Steve said. "I can't say that I don't like the idea of getting to spend as much time as possible with you and Stephanie for the time being. We'll wait and see what happens with your hearing and go from there."

"Thank you." Kayla then lightening her tone. "Now why don't we take advantage of some of this alone time we've got."

"What do you have in mind, Sweetness?" A sexy smile spread across Steve's face.

"Follow me and find out," Kayla said, standing and reaching for his hand. Steve got up from the couch and pulled Kayla into a passionate kiss. Turning them around, Kayla began walking Steve towards the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as she went.

Before they could reach the bedroom, there was a knock at the door. Steve growled in frustration as Kayla leaned her head against Steve's chest, trying to catch her breath. After a moment, she pulled away from Steve and kissed his cheek, "Hold that thought." Then she walked back into the living room and answered the door.

"Hi, Sis!" Roman said, pulling Kayla into a hug.

"Roman!" Kayla exclaimed, returning the embrace. "It's so good to see you."

"You too." Looking around, Roman asked, "So where is that husband of yours?"

"Right here, dude," Steve said, walking into the room.

Roman took a long look at Steve, grinned, and held out his hand as Steve walked up. "Good to see you, partner."

Steve took Roman's hand and offered a smile of his own. "It's good to be seen. Why are standing there in the doorway, come on in."

Roman's expression grew serious as he glanced at the hallway. "Well, uh, I guess I have kind of a surprise for the two of you as well."

Kayla looked at Steve, but he just shrugged. She turned back to Roman, who stepped back into the hallway and returned to the door with a woman by his side. Kayla stood in shock, realizing who the woman was.

"Marlena?" Kayla said softly.

Marlena smiled, nodded and entered the room, as Roman closed the door behind them. Kayla let out a small cry and then rushed forward to embrace her sister-in-law. When she pulled away, Kayla heard Steve behind her. "I guess I'm not the only miracle return, huh?"

Marlena chuckled and moved to give Steve a hug. The four of them then sat down, and Roman and Marlena filled Steve and Kayla in on what they knew about Marlena's reappearance. Kayla could not help but notice that neither Roman nor Marlena asked for details about Steve's return. She knew that Roman knew the real story, and surmised that he must have told Marlena the cover story.

After Marlena finished telling her story, she sat back, looked at Steve and Kayla, and smiled. Finally she said, "It's hard to believe how much has changed while I was gone. When I left, Steve was . . ." She paused.

"A punk," Roman finished for her, as he grinned at Steve.

"Hey!" Kayla said in mock indignation. "That's my husband you are talking about."

"It's okay, Sweetness." Steve did not sound offended in the least. "Roman's right. I was pretty much a punk back then."

"Maybe," Marlena said. "But you were the punk that helped save my life in Stockholm. I'm just so happy to see that you two are so happy. And I can't wait to meet Stephanie."

As if on cue, there was a cry from the back bedroom. "I guess now is your chance." Kayla stood up. "Why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you?"

Marlena followed Kayla into the bedroom. Stephanie was standing in her crib and her cries immediately stopped when she saw Kayla. Kayla picked up her daughter and turned to Marlena. "Marlena, this is Stephanie," she said formally. "Stephanie this is your Aunt Marlena."

Marlena laughed and took one of Stephanie's little hands in hers. "She's beautiful, Kayla."

"Thank you." Kayla cast a loving glance at her daughter. Looking back at Marlena, Kayla added, "I can't imagine how strange it must be for you. . . . So much has changed. The twins have grown, marriages, divorces . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"It's definitely been an adjustment . . . for all of us," Marlena said.

"I know what you mean." Kayla thought of all she and Steve had faced since his return. "You know if you need anything or just want to talk, I'm always here."

"I appreciate that," Marlena said. "But for now we better get back out there before the guys have the next adventure planned without us."

"Good thinking," Kayla said. They headed back into the living room. Steve and Roman were deep in conversation, but stopped as soon as they saw Kayla and Marlena return. But they did not stop fast enough to keep Kayla from hearing the name "Lawrence Alamain."

As she and Marlena rejoined their husbands and continued their conversations, Kayla could not help but worry. She had known that it would not take long for Steve to start trying to get information on Lawrence, but she was still not ready for it. She knew that she could not change who Steve was and she would have to find a way to accept his need to pursue Lawrence, but the thought of him in that kind of danger again scared her to death.