Just a quick response to a question that was asked in one of the reviews - does Shane know that Jeannie is his daughter at this time. The answer is no. Nobody knows but Cal and Dr. Norris, the doctor he blackmailed to trick Kim. In the show, Shane learned about Jeannie in November 1991, after Cal kidnapped Kim and Kayla, and let it slip that Jeannie was really Shane's. Since this story departs from canon in July 1991, none of that has happened.
Thanks very much for the question and, let me add, your reviews are very appreciated.
Now back to the story.
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"So then what happened?" Kim asked.
She and Steve were walking along the pier again. Kim had been unsure what to expect given Steve's reluctance to meet two days earlier, but had been pleasantly surprised to find Steve waiting on the pier for her. She had taken him back to where they had left off at the end of the prior session, and was encouraged by the fact that this time Steve had been able to describe what had happened - including the way he had been restrained - without reliving it. She knew that was the key to his recovery. They were now discussing what had happened after he was transferred to the second facility.
"They had me in a room, kind of like a cell, but without bars and with a locked door. There were no windows and just a bed, sink and toilet. I'm not sure how long I was there, because I got sick."
"What do you mean, you 'got sick'?" Kim asked.
Steve looked like he was trying to remember. "It was like a flu, but real bad. I was either freezing cold or burning up, couldn't stand . . . . things like that."
"That sounds like the virus Bo and Peachy had," Kim said.
Steve stared out at the water again. "So that's when they tested it on me, I guess. I remember them giving me all sorts of shots while I was sick. They'd give me one and wait a while. Sorry, don't know how long. And then they'd do it again."
"That was probably testing the antidote."
"Yeah," Steve said with a nod. "That's me. Alamain's 'test dummy.' Guess it's good one of them worked."
"Did you ever hear anyone mention Lawrence?" Kim waited expectantly for an answer, hoping Steve had something useful to give.
"No. . . . I don't think so." Steve looked like he was concentrating hard again, and then he shook his head. "Uh uh. But they rarely talked in front of me."
"What do you mean?" Kim asked, encouraged by how much Steve was talking.
"Just what I said," Steve replied. "The doctors or whatever they were never spoke directly to me or even to each other, at least that I could understand. Sometimes they spoke to each other but it was always in some language I didn't understand."
"Did you recognize the language?" Kim asked, hoping for some kind of clue.
Steve was silent and for a moment Kim thought he was starting into another flashback, but then he spoke, "Not really. I know it wasn't Spanish or Italian or something like that." He paused, the concentration clear on his face. "I don't think it was anything European, I've heard most of those before. Maybe Arabic or whatever they speak in India or Africa, something like that. The doctors always had caps and masks on, so I couldn't really see their faces. But a lot of them had dark skin." He shrugged. "That's the best I can do."
"You're doing great," Kim said. "What about the guards? Did they speak to you?"
"Only to give orders," Steve replied, his voice growing harsh. "Or to tell me I wasn't obeying them fast enough."
"What happened if you didn't obey them fast enough?" Kim asked softly.
Steve was silent again, and Kim saw the now-familiar flexing of his hands and forearms. "Steve," Kim called out. "You're still in Salem on the pier with me." Steve's head turned back towards her and the flexing stopped. Kim repeated her question. "What happened if you didn't obey them fast enough?"
"They'd hit me, usually a shot to the ribs or the jaw," Steve said, his jaw clenching at the memory. "I . . . I tried to fight back at first, but . . ." He stopped. His fists and forearms were flexing again.
"But what?" Kim asked. She knew she was walking a fine line, but she felt like Steve was on the cusp of a breakthrough. "Remember Steve . . . you're still on the pier in Salem. They can't hurt you here."
Steve continued to flex his fists and forearms, but then he spoke. "At first, they just beat me more if I fought back, but, after, awhile one of the guards got a better idea. He'd. . . ." Steve stopped talking. Kim saw the glassy look in his eye, and knew he was reliving it rather than remembering.
"Steve," she called out, keeping a close eye on him. "Look at me, Steve."
"No!" Steve yelled out, crouching against the nearby piling.
Keeping a bit of distance between her and Steve, Kim moved until she was in front of Steve. Once again she called out to him, "Steven," she said sharply, hoping the tone would help break through his flashback. "Look at me!" She softened her voice. "You're safe now. Nobody can hurt you here." She held her breath, waiting to see if he would respond.
Nothing changed for a long moment. Then Steve's eyes began to focus and his arms relaxed. Taking a deep breath, he stood up slowly and looked at Kim.
"It happened again, didn't it?" he asked, sounding exhausted.
"Yes," Kim said. Stepping towards Steve, she put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You came out of it pretty quickly."
"It's not okay," Steve said, pacing around the pier. "It's never going to be okay if I can't stop losing it whenever I try to remember this stuff."
"Steven," Kim said calmly. "I told you from the beginning that this would take time. It's not going to get better overnight. But you can't get discouraged. You're making progress all the time. Today, you were able to tell me something that set you off last time without having a flashback. That's an improvement. We just have to keep working."
Before Steve could respond, Kim heard a voice call out, "Mommy!" She turned to see Andrew running towards her with his grandfather trailing behind.
"Hi, honey," Kim called out. Andrew reached her, threw his arms around her, and gave her a hug. Then, Andrew turned and saw Steve.
"Uncle Steve!" he shouted, excitedly.
"Hey little dude." Steve walked over to Andrew and held out his hand. "Gimmee five."
Andrew slapped Steve's hand and giggled while Steve mussed his hair. Kim rolled her eyes at the antics of her brother-in-law and son. She was still shaking her head when Shawn finally reached them.
"Fancy meeting you two here," Shawn said.
Kim gave Steve a glance, then quickly responded. "We actually just ran into each other as well. I guess it's a happy coincidence all the way around." She gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "So what are you two doing out here?"
"Grandpa took me to see his boat," Andrew said before Shawn could answer. "Now we're going back to have some of Grandma's chowder."
Kim laughed. "That's sounds like a great plan." Turning to Steve, she asked, "How does some chowder sound to you?"
"Sounds great." Steve gave Kim a grateful smile.
Kim took Andrew's hand and they all headed up the stairs to the street. Once they reached the sidewalk, Andrew pulled Kim ahead and urged her to hurry. Kim laughed at her energetic son. He never seemed to go anywhere at anything less than full speed. When they reached a corner, Kim looked over her shoulder and saw Steve and Shawn several yards behind.
Still holding Kim's hand, Andrew carefully looked both ways before starting across the street. I guess Andrew was listening to those safety lessons, she thought. At least something sunk in.
A noise interrupted her thoughts. It took a second, but then Kim's brain registered the sounds of tires squealing and an engine revving.
Kim swung her head toward the sounds. Up the street, a blue car raced toward her. It was only about 50 feet away.
"Andrew!" Kim screamed, realizing he was as much in the path of the car as she was. I have to protect-
She did not finish the thought or have a chance to react. Something hit her from behind, and she stumbled forward. She almost lost hold of Andrew, but she managed to keep her grip and jerked him forward. He cried out, but she barely heard him over the sound of the car engine and a loud "oomph." Holding Andrew in a tight grip, Kim spun around.
"Steve!"
He was rolling sideways along the hood of the car. Then, he flew off the right edge and sailed into the street. Steve landed with a thud and continued rolling until he came to a stop.
Kim was torn between rushing to Steve and watching the car. She heard Shawn yell Steve's name and knew her father would reach Steve first, so she looked at the car, which was speeding away. She tried to spot the license plate number, but the car had no plate. All she knew was that it was a Ford. The car turned right at the first corner, and she caught a glimpse of the driver. She saw nothing more than a hat and sunglasses. Then, the car and driver disappeared.
Still holding Andrew, Kim turned back in Steve's direction. He was stirring as Shawn hovered over him.
"Are you okay, son?" Shawn asked.
"I'm fine," Steve said, but his voice was shaky. He pulled himself to his hands and knees, and shook his head a little. He seemed to test out his arms and legs before he rose gingerly to his feet. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Car just clipped me." Steve turned to Kim and Andrew and limped over to them. He studied them for a moment. "Are you two okay?"
"Thanks to you." Kim tried to keep the trembling out of her voice. She looked down at Andrew who was staring at Steve with eyes as big as saucers. Kneeling down, she pulled Andrew into a tight embrace. She did not want to think about what could have happened if Steve had not pushed them out of the way. After a moment, she felt Steve's hand on her elbow and she stood up.
"Come on," Steve said. "Let's get back to the Fish Market." He looked at Kim, and she knew what he was thinking. This was no random accident. Someone had tried to kill her.
Steve began limping down the sidewalk. Kim continued to clutch Andrew, as she and Shawn followed close behind. Kim felt her father's arm go around her shoulder and she leaned into him. She needed her Papa's quiet strength to keep herself from falling apart.