"How are you doing, Andrew?" Kim asked, looking into the back seat of the car as she pulled up to Salem Elementary. Andrew looked up and, from the expression on his face, she could tell her son was a little worried, but was trying to hide it.
"I'm good, Mommy," he said.
Great, she thought. Andrew's going to be just like Shane and my brothers, and think it's bad to admit being afraid. "It's okay to be scared." As she spoke, Shane pulled open the door and winked at their son.
"But he's not scared. Right, Sport?" Shane caught Kim's withering glare and did the only thing he could - step away from the car.
"Right, Daddy," Andrew said as he hopped out.
Kim rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the self-satisfied grin on Shane's face, as he held open the door for her. "Thank you," she said, curtly, as she got out. She was still angry about the way Shane had treated her father after the car accident two days earlier, but she kept her voice low so Andrew did not hear her. "I'm surprised you managed to pull away from your busy schedule to show up. Or was there no opportunity to get your face bashed in available?"
"Oh, it's one of those mornings," Shane said, keeping his tone pleasant. "First, you're welcome. Second, you made it pretty clear that this was important, so here I am. And, third, the bruises are hardly noticeable at all." He walked over to where Andrew was standing. "Excited for your first day?"
Andrew nodded, but Kim could still see the nervous look on his face. Shane crouched down and whispered something that Kim could not hear. Andrew's worried look disappeared and he broke into a wide smile, as Shane ruffled Andrew's hair. Then they turned toward the school and Shane took Andrew's hand. Kim shook her head. She could be angry at Shane and then he would do something like that. Sometimes, it was impossible to stay annoyed with the man.
"Coming, Mom?" Shane had stopped and looked back at her. Kim hurried to catch up.
They walked toward the school entrance, but Kim stopped when she heard her older brother's voice. "Hey, Sis, wait up." She turned to see Roman and Marlena with the twins. He rushed up and pulled Kim into a hug. When he let her go, he bent down next to Andrew. "All ready for your first day, kiddo? You know, if you need any help finding your way around the place, Sami and Eric are pros."
Roman stood up as Marlena and the twins caught up with them. Kim glanced down and saw that Andrew was excited to see his cousins. Any worry was now gone. The kids walked over to a grassy area several feet away, and she smiled to see the three kids together.
Beside her, she heard Shane say, "Marlena, it's wonderful to see you." It dawned on Kim that Shane probably had not seen Marlena since her return. Kim suspected Roman had told Shane about Marlena's return when they left her folks' house after Shane's confrontation with Shawn. Kim watched as Shane and Marlena embraced like the old friends they were. Shane was about to say something more - probably to pepper Marlena with a slew of questions - but Roman interrupted him.
"Hey, partner, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure, Roman," Shane said. He turned back to Marlena and said, apologetically, "Sounds like duty calls." He and Roman stepped a few feet away and began whispering.
Meanwhile, Kim walked over to Marlena. "It must be strange," Kim said. "Coming back after all this time and, suddenly, the twins are in first grade."
Marlena nodded. "You have no idea. I just wish I could remember everything that happened in between."
"We'll keep working on it, Marlena," Kim said. They had begun hypnosis therapy, but, so far, it had been of little success. Still, Kim was confident. "You'll get that time back." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, Andrew, honey, we're going to be late if we don't get moving," she said. Then she turned toward Shane to get his attention.
Shane and Roman both looked at her. Then, all of a sudden, Roman's eyes widened. She turned back around, following his gaze as she heard him shout.
"Everyone, get down!"
Kim did not get a chance to see what he was looking at, because someone hit her from behind and knocked her to the ground. She heard an "oof" that sounded like it came from Marlena, and then the loud echo of a gun firing.
Close to her ear, Kim heard Roman speak. That was when she realized her brother was virtually on top of her. "Get the kids inside," he said.
The kids! Kim looked up from the ground to where Andrew and the twins were. They were all on the ground, next to Shane, who was already standing up and pulling out a pistol. Andrew and Sami were both crying.
Shane pointed down the street. "Down there?" he asked Roman, but barely waited for the answer before he took off.
"Yeah," Roman said. He scrambled to his feet, took out his gun, and began running after Shane.
"Come on, Eric, Sami, Andrew." Marlena was already up and herding the children toward the school. Kim got to her feet, grabbed a still-crying Andrew, and began running with him. She heard another shot, but did not look back.
Around them, Kim became aware of other children and parents - and the overwhelming sound of screams and running feet. Everyone was in a mad dash to reach the school entrance. Kim saw Marlena a few yards ahead of her and followed. Andrew was still wailing, but Kim could not console him yet. Not until they reached safety.
Someone bumped her, and Kim nearly lost her footing. Fortunately, she managed to stay up and hang onto Andrew.
Marlena started to turn back. "Kim?"
"It's okay," Kim shouted over the din. "Keep going."
Obviously relieved that Kim had not fallen, Marlena continued shepherding the twins forward. They raced for the double doors, which somebody was holding open. People by the doors were urging everyone inside. Up the stairs Kim went and, finally, reached the safety of the school. Kim kept going down the main corridor long enough to get clear of the door and the other parents and children crowding against the walls. Kim collapsed to the ground and hugged Andrew close to her. He was still crying.
"It's okay," she said, trying to soothe him. Next to her, she heard Marlena say the same thing to Sami and Eric.
But it was not okay. She looked toward the doors. This was the second time in just a few days that someone had tried to kill her. She looked at Marlena, and their eyes met, with both asking the same question.
How many more times would it take for them to succeed?