Kim opened the door and entered the darkened foyer. The house was dark and quiet, although that was to be expected when it was after midnight. Kim had been called to the hospital a few hours earlier, just as she was about to go to bed.
A young woman had been brought in with serious injuries and the doctor had suspected domestic abuse. Kim had spent over an hour with the woman, trying to determine what had really happened. "Woman" was really an overstatement actually. The girl was barely out of her teens and had insisted that she had simply tripped on the stairs of her apartment. The menacing boyfriend pacing outside the young woman's room had made Kim skeptical, as had the doctor's insistence that the injuries were not consistent with a fall.
After trying every way possible to convince the woman to tell the real story, Kim had finally admitted defeat. She had given the woman her card with the numbers for the abuse clinic and a woman's shelter. Kim could only hope the girl would use one of those numbers before she ended up back in the hospital.
Kim jumped in surprise when the light in the foyer was suddenly switched on. Turning, she saw Andrew's bodyguard standing at the top of the stairs.
"Um . . . Mike . . . I didn't realize you were still here." Kim knew that he was not supposed to be on duty at night, and she hardly expected he would still be here on his very first day.
"Mr. Donovan hasn't returned yet, ma'am," Mike replied, walking down the stairs. "My orders are not to leave until he has personally relieved me."
"Shane's not back yet?" Kim asked, more to herself than to Mike. "But he left hours ago."
"No, ma'am." Mike walked to the door, made sure it was secure, and checked that the alarm had reactivated.
"Has he called or anything?" Kim cringed a little at the question, but she could not help herself.
"Not that I am aware of, ma'am." Mike's expression revealed nothing.
Kim felt foolish. Interrogating the bodyguard was probably not the appropriate thing to do.
"Thank you, Mike. Oh, and please call me 'Kim' or 'Kimberly.' I may have failed to get Simmons to do that, but we really don't stand on formality here." Kim headed for the stairs, then turned. "I'm sure it's okay for you to go home now. The house is secured and I'm sure Shane will be back soon."
Mike had taken a seat in one of the foyer chairs. He looked up at Kim, his face still void of expression. "I'm on duty until Mr. Donovan personally relieves me," he repeated.
"Right," Kim said. "Well then, goodnight."
Mike nodded but did not speak. When Kim reached the top of the stairs, the light in the foyer went off. A small smile crossed Kim's face as she thought of the surprise that awaited Shane when he returned. She was sure that he would not remember that the bodyguard was still on duty. Serves him right for being out so late.
Walking down the hall, Kim first peaked into Andrew's room. He was sleeping soundly, tucked in with his favorite teddy bear. She walked over and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. As she watched him sleep, she could see so much of Shane in her son. The dark, wavy hair was a large part of it, but it was more than that. She had seen pictures of Shane as a boy and she had a hunch that Andrew was destined to be the spitting image of his father - except for his eyes. Those were all Brady.
Kim quietly left Andrew's room and continued down the hall. She entered Jeannie's room and saw Simmons sitting in the rocking chair, reading a book by a lamplight. Simmons looked up as Kim entered and immediately stood. Putting her finger to her lips, Kim backed out of the room and Simmons followed.
"Thank you for waiting up for me," Kim said quietly.
"Of course, Madame," Simmons replied.
"I hope Jeannie wasn't too much trouble."
"No trouble at all." A small smile crossed Simmons face. "The little miss hasn't made a peep since you left."
Kim smiled in return. "Maybe she's finally getting used to the new surroundings."
"I certainly hope so," Simmons said. "Is there anything else you require of me this evening?"
"No." Kim tried to stifle a yawn. "You've done more than enough. Goodnight, Simmons."
"Goodnight, Madame."
Kim re-entered Jeannie's room and, as she had done with Andrew, walked over to the crib to look in on her daughter. Like her brother, Jeannie was sleeping peacefully. Unlike her brother, Jeannie looked nothing like her father. Although she was only a year-old, it appeared that Jeannie would take after the Brady side of the family tree. Kim could not help but feel grateful for that.
Leaning down, Kim deposited a soft kiss on Jeannie's head, just as she had done with Andrew. It did not matter who Jeannie's father was; Kim loved both her children equally. Cal may have been a huge mistake in many ways, but she would never regret having Jeannie. Kim knew that if she could go back in time, she would do many things differently. But she would not change a single thing if it meant that she would not have her daughter in her life.
Feeling exhausted, Kim walked into her room. As she prepared for bed, she tried to ignore the worry building within her. But the more she tried to ignore it, the louder the voice in her head seemed. She knew that Shane had rushed off earlier in the evening. She knew that he had not yet returned home. Unfortunately, that was all she knew. That left plenty of room for a million different scenarios to play out in Kim's mind.
Stop it! Shane was not hers to worry about anymore. Even if he came home, he was not going to be coming home to her. He would not crawl quietly into her bed, put his arms around her, and mold his body to hers. He would not wake her gently with a kiss and then make love to her in the wee hours of the morning. Whether Shane was home or away, she would be sleeping in her bed alone.
But that did not stop her from worrying. And it did not stop her from being angry that she could not stop worrying. Sighing, Kim crawled into bed and settled wearily against her pillow.
She remembered the walk she had taken before she had left Donovan Manor. She had vowed to put her hopes for a reunion with Shane aside and focus on her children and her work. So much for that idea. Here she was living in Shane's house and lying in bed worrying about him.
Maybe it would be easier to let go if she was not so sure that Shane still loved her. She could catch glimpses of it in his eyes and in his voice, and it made her heart soar and sink at the same time. What good was knowing that he still loved her when she also knew he had no intention of admitting it?
Kim knew that she had hurt Shane badly when she had lied about her pregnancy. Part of her could not blame him for being unable to forgive those lies. But she also knew that the demise of their marriage had not been entirely her fault. She had not left because she wanted to. She had only left because she saw no other choice in the face of Shane's coldness.
But what did that really matter now? Kim asked herself as she felt sleep overtake her. Whatever the reasons, she and Shane found themselves living together, but still very far apart.