"Gotcha." Steve reached out and tickled Stephanie as she squealed in delight. At least, he could still make his daughter smile. He only wished it could be that simple to put his and Kayla's problems behind them. He would give anything to be able to forget all that had happened while he was gone and just pretend he had never left.
But he had left. Not by his choice, but that hardly mattered now. He and Kayla were together, yet it seemed like the time apart was determined to haunt them and he was not sure how to chase away that ghost.
A knock on the door startled him and Stephanie both. "Now who could that be?" Steve asked Stephanie. "Let's go find out." He scooped her up, carried her with him to the door, and opened it. He was surprised to find Jack on the other side.
"Billy Jack." Steve gave his brother a grin. "What brings you by?" Since Steve's return, he and Jack had seen each other a few times, mostly during the weekly visits to Jo.
"I . . . uh, I was hoping . . . that is -" Jack stuttered until Steve cut him off.
"Don't just stand there in the hall sputtering," Steve said. "Come on in."
Steve watched as Jack stepped into the apartment. As usual, there was a nervous and slightly frantic edge to Jack's movements. Steve knew exactly why that was and doubted it would ever change.
As Jack stood nervously in the living room, shifting his weight from foot to foot, Steve walked over and put Stephanie in her playpen. He then turned back, gave Jack a wry grin, and pointed to the couch.
"Have a seat, Jack."
Jack glanced around the apartment, but remained standing. "Is . . . uh . . . is Kayla home?"
"No," Steve said sharply as his eye narrowed. "She had some errands to run before she leaves for the capitol."
"Right." Jack finally took a seat on the couch. "She has that hearing before state board."
"Yeah." Steve sat in the chair across from Jack. No matter how much time had passed, he would never be comfortable discussing Kayla with Jack.
"Are you going with her to the hearing?" Jack asked.
"No." Steve did not elaborate.
Jack flashed a nervous smile. "Really? I figured with you having just gotten back there is no way you'd let her leave town without you."
"It didn't work out that way," Steve said through gritted teeth.
"Oh." Jack looked at Steve curiously. "Is everything all right with you and Kayla?"
"We're fine." Steve fought to keep his voice even. He was not about to have that conversation with Jack. Before Jack could ask another question, Steve said, "So did you stop by just to shoot the breeze or was there something you wanted?"
"Actually . . . I . . . I wanted to talk to you about doing an interview for the Spectator." Jack looked down at his hands then looked back up, as if nervous about Steve's response.
"An interview? About what?" Steve knew he would not like the answer.
"About what's it been like returning to your life after being presumed dead for so many months." Jack stood and paced about the room a bit. "It could be a series of articles. The first would be about how you were found in Cincinnati. . . . That's still what happened, right?"
"Jack . . ." Steve made it clear that was a warning.
Jack hesitated, clearly picking up on Steve's tone, but then started talking again. "So the first article would be about Cincinnati. . . . Then there would be a few more about coming back and seeing your family and settling back into your life. It's a human interest piece."
"I don't think this human is that interesting," Steve said sarcastically.
"Oh you'd be surprised," Jack said. "The public loves this kind of stuff."
Steve looked at Jack. "You really expect me to let you write a series of articles about my life?" His eye narrowed. "What's really going on here, Jack?"
"Why would something be wrong? Can't I just want to do a nice story on my big brother?" Jack tried and failed miserably at trying to sound innocent.
"No, you can't." Steve was more convinced than ever that something was up. "You know me better than to think I'd go along with that idea, and I know you better than to think you just wanted to put me in the paper. So why don't you cut the crap and tell me what this is really all about."
Jack sighed and sat back down on the couch. "Okay. You got me. I need this story, Steve. I really need it. The Spectator's having some . . . um . . . . cash flow problems right now, and I need a big story to boost circulation and revenue."
"And you thought I could be that big story?" It was all making sense to Steve now.
"Well . . . with you and Marlena both coming back from the dead - so to speak - people are interested in what really happened and what it's like." Jack glanced at Steve. "So, I just thought -"
"You just thought you'd take advantage of your 'insider access'," Steve interrupted. "Have you talked to Marlena as well?"
"No . . . I figured I'd talk to you first and then . . ." Jack's voice trailed off.
"And then when I was on board, you'd use that to get Marlena to agree as well." Steve shook his head. Some things would never change.
"Something like that," Jack admitted.
Steve stood and walked around the small confines of the living room. He remembered a time when he would have done anything to help his baby brother. And a part of him wanted to help Jack now. But there was no way he was going to put his life out on public display. Not even for Jack.
Turning back to Jack, Steve said, "I'm sorry the paper is having problems, but I can't help you with this. My life isn't for public consumption."
Jack stood and nodded. "I figured you would say that." He smiled awkwardly. "You can't blame a guy for trying, right?"
"Right," Steve said, returning Jack's awkward smile. For some reason, Steve felt a little uneasy. In the back of his mind, Steve remembered his promise to keep his rescue secret. While Steve thought the promise was silly, because who would really care about the ISA raiding some compound in Egypt, he had still given his word. "Jack . . . trust me. Don't push this."
Jack's eyes narrowed, but then he smiled. "Of course. You say you don't want the story. Who am I to second-guess you? Well I better be going," Jack said, heading to the door. "That paper won't run itself." He opened the door then turned and looked at Steve. "I . . . I hope everything goes well for Kayla at the hearing." He paused. "If there is anything . . . just tell her good luck."
Steve nodded and watched as Jack left. After the door closed, he stared at it and shook his head. A part of him was happy that Jack had actually felt comfortable enough to ask Steve to do the article. But the rest of him could not believe Jack had ever thought Steve might agree.
Steve walked over and picked Stephanie up. "Come on, little Sweetness. Your mama should be home soon and we should be ready to go to the park." Stephanie smiled up at him and Steve felt the familiar flutter in his heart when his daughter flashed her smile. No matter what else was going on, that smile was a constant reminder of all that was good in his life. He and Kayla were going through a rough patch, but when he looked at Stephanie, he could not help but have hope for their future.